Page 58 of Black Willow Witch
As she grabbed several elixir bottles from a cupboard behind her, he said, ‘Generally, potions have a shelf-life. Millicent’s never did. Do yours?’
‘No. There are magickal hacks.’ She turned back to the altar and set down the bottles. ‘Anyone can use them if they know what they’re doing.’
‘Why doesn’t the coven use them?’
‘They probably could. But how are they going to keep their customers coming back regularly if they sell no-shelf-life potions?’
Huh. He hadn’t thought of it that way.
‘You can still make theirs effective for longer if you stick them in the freezer, but the coven would never admit as much.’ She fell silent as she deftly filled each elixir bottle before placing them all in a carrier box, which she then handed to him.
‘You lied.’
Her brows dipped. ‘About what?’
‘You told Kerr that this process is boring to watch.’ He fished the correct amount of cash out of his pocket and held it out. ‘You lied.’
She took payment from him. ‘Oryou just found it entertaining when others wouldn’t.’
Possibly. He sure hadn’t been entertained when observing Millicent work. More like uncomfortable.
But Emberlyn? She fascinated him. Bewitched him. He looked at her, and hewanted.
And he knew he wasn’t going to leave without having her.
Just the idea had lust slamming into his system.Shehad slammed into his system. She’d hit him like a bus fucking years ago, and he’d been an idiot to think he could spend his life ignoring it. Acknowledging that to himself brought him something close to relief.
She pottered around – washing her cauldron, returning her ingredients, tidying her altar, extinguishing the incense burner stick – utterly oblivious to the fact that she was going to get royally fucked very soon.
Determination flooded him. He’d come here tonight for this. It had been his intention all along. He just hadn’t conceded it to himself until that moment.
He wanted to lose himself in her; had the distinct feeling that it would be an unparalleled experience.
A voice in his head cautioned him to be careful; that he wouldn’t be able to have her only once.
So be it.‘I have a question,’ he said as they filed out of the consultation room.
She tossed him a quick look over her shoulder. ‘Then ask.’
‘You think about Michael a lot?’
She slowed her pace, surprised. ‘A lot? No.’
‘And when you do?’
Halting in the living room, she turned to face him and shrugged. ‘I wonder if he’s still alive. And then I hope he’s not. Which sounds evil, but he wouldn’t want to live in a Rabid state if he had the choice. And there’d be no way to bring him fully back at this point. He’s gone beyond that.’
‘It doesn’t make you evil.’
Her head tipped to the side. ‘Why did you want to know if I think about him a lot?’
‘Because I don’t want to fuck a woman who still considers some part of herself mated.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A burst of shock gripped Emberlyn’s muscles, making her freeze. A few times tonight Ripper had taken her off-guard with a comment or question. But this? This took the cake and chomped all the way around its edges.
Without removing his eyes from her, he placed the box of elixirs on the sofa. His pose was casual, but there was nothing casual about his expression. The heat there wastoohot. And so very dangerous, because it’d be so easy to give into the pull between them . . . and he might later regret it.
