Elliot

She stiffens, and I can feel her energy change from curiosity to fear. Jolene reaches under her bed for the bat, I presume. I emerge from under the opposite bed, grabbing her ankles and thrusting her under my body. When my hand swallows hers over the bat, her head turns toward my grasp, eyes widening.

“Don’t scream!”

As if I’ve supplied her with a brilliant idea. She takes a deep breath. I flip her, covering her mouth with my other hand, just in time. She’s resourceful. I have to pin her down with my weight as she raises her knee, trying to unman me.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you!”

She rolls her eyes, and I barely conceal my chuckle. The feel of her underneath me, her scent enveloping me, is too much. I shoot hard as a stone, and I have to arch back to hide my reaction, but it's useless. You can’t conceal a python.

She mumbles something; I loosen my grip to hear before coming to my senses and replacing my firm hold. If I’ve learned anything, these last couple of months are how dedicated she is. It's obvious she’s far from giving up. Going by the look of her annoyed expression, her fear of me was short-lived.

When Jolene realizes she’s not getting out of my grasp, she begins to assess me. Her eyes move from mine to the black horns curving back into my hair. Shit! My hat must have fallen off in the struggle. Her eyes widen in surprise? That’s not a human's normal reaction, and I’m pleasantly optimistic. No! It doesn’t matter whether she finds me attractive, we’re incompatible.

Her eyes scan the rest of me, lingering on my chest and biceps before making their way to the evidence of my arousal. She looks back up at me, and I shrug confidently, unashamed.

“If I was going to hurt you, I would have by now, right?”

Jolene raises a delicate brown brow in uncertainty.

“Well, I would have.” I tell her, exasperatedly.

“I’m going to take my hand away on three. If you're not quiet, I’ll have to gag you. Got it?”

I get a curt nod of understanding, and I cautiously pull my hand away. When she doesn’t make a peep, I let off some weight. Jolene seizes the opportunity, scuttling back and slamming against the bed.

“Who are you?” She asks,

I tip my head to the side and glare. She’s not getting any information from me.

“That’s irrelevant… Word in the underworld is someone at this location has been doing a large number of spells. You wouldn’t happen to know who that would be, would you?”

Her eyes narrow, and she looks toward the closet. I wonder if she’s figured out. I already found all the proof I need. Her smile catches me off guard, and I study her soft, mauve lips. My mind instantly pictures puckered nipples the same color atop my tongue, and I shudder at the image.

“No!”

Ah, so this will be the way of it. She’s going to outright deny it. Why not go all out and play it off as a joke? I go along with her farce for now.

“Well, you wouldn’t mind if I had a look around then?”

Jolene folds her arms, glaring.

“You mean again? You didn’t get a good enough look the first time?”

Now we’re getting somewhere.

“Actually, no, I was rudely interrupted. I just need to see your closet, and I’ll be on my way.”

I get up, moving toward the closet, and she blocks me with a hand to my chest. It's like an electric current straight to my already erect dick. It's not exactly how I imagine her touching me, but it’s contact, nonetheless. Shit, I’ve got to focus. This is a task, nothing more.

“Step aside, Jolene.”

Her sharp inhale makes me realize my slight.

“How do you know my name?”

My mind draws a blank, and it gives her enough time to panic once again.

“Let's not play games. They waste time I can’t spare. I know you’ve been using magic, and it has to stop… shouldn’t you be tucked away in your coven?”

I prepare for an earful. Her anger crackles in the room.

“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? You can take your accusations, demands, and domineering attitude and stick them up your ass! Now leave!”

Fuck, she’s hot when she’s angry. Ice and heat, a sultry combination. It's hard sticking to the task at hand when all I want to do is grab her by the hair and fill that pretty mouth over and over again. I can’t let Jacob have her. She’s so damn young and this life sucks the soul from you. I know what I have to do and it will drive her further away. That’s supposed to be good, I reason, since she’s human, but every inch of my body is fighting it.

I stalk toward her, unable to help the grin that spreads. I’m all too eager to touch her. She backs up two steps to my every one until her back is flush against the wall. I lean down with her chin in my hand and stare into her eyes. Jolene swallows, and my vision flicks to the column of her throat, traveling down into her cleavage. I curse the gods under my breath. I’m on the razor’s edge of control, have been since I found her, but it's for her safety that I’m about to do this.

“I don’t know what hole you crawled out of, but in my world there're monsters. They’re nasty powerful creatures just waiting for a pretty little thing like you to break the rules. The things they could do to you, would do to you; Its worse than death… stop using magic, it's like a fucking beacon! If you stop now, you might survive in this city.”

Her silence calms me slightly. She’s heard me loud and clear. I should leave now before I lose control. Reluctantly, I force myself to leave.

When I turn back for one more look. Jolene is in the same spot, staring after me. I give her one last warning for extra measure.

“If I have to come back here, I’m not going to be so nice.”