“That was an intense kiss. A guy would never know you’d not done such before.” He looked aside. Were his thoughts going to places she didn’t want them to go?
Jett kissed him again. She would claim this man, body and soul. Because that was what she did to survive.
There was only one way to be safe, and that would mean relinquishing the power Jett had gained since living in Daemonia. She felt sure she could accomplish the task. She would never return there. Not even if a sexy reckoner decided her time was up.
However, to let go of what she had gained would be a supreme sacrifice. She’d not yet dared to test those powers here in the mortal realm. Perhaps they were already diminished?
But first, she needed an answer to a question that had haunted her all through her absence. And the only way to do that was to locate her parents; one or both. Though she suspected her mother might be the best bet, according to what Savin had told her about her father moving on after her disappearance.
Her father. He could be the missing key. What did she really know about her father?
She’d asked Savin if he could ask his mother about her parents. Since they’d lived so close when they were children, and she remembered their mothers being friends, perhaps Madame Thorne could aid in her search. With luck, she would have an answer to her oft-wondered-about question soon.
Teasing her finger along the granite countertop in Savin’s kitchen, Jett marveled over the simple stone. Nothing like this in Daemonia. There the minerals and earth had been volatile and ever changing. One could never take a step without being certain one’s foot would land on a solid or moving surface. It was good to be home. Almost home. Would she ever call a place home again?
Savin wandered in from the bedroom. The man wore loose-fitted jeans and a long-sleeved shirt that struggled to contain his biceps. “I’m heading out for some groceries, and I just got a text from Ed, the corax demon I reckoned for yesterday. He was the one who sensed the gates to Daemonia were opening, and was there the night you came through. He isn’t sure Certainly’s spell to close the rift is holding.”
“And who or what is Certainly?”
“Certainly Jones is a man. A dark witch.”
Yet another person of whom she should remain wary. Witches never survived Daemonia. The dark ones did like to conjure from that source, and such invocations never seemed to go well. At least, not for the demon.
“I thought you were the reckoner,” Jett said. “How are you involved with wrangling demons? Do you hunt, as well?”
“Nope. Don’t like to hunt. Dead giveaway, too, because demons sense me as easily as I sense them. But I’m in on this whole keeping-the-rift-closed adventure, so I’ll help Ed and CJ any way I can. You going to be okay here by yourself for a while?”
“Of course. I’m a big girl.”
“That you are.” His eyes twinkled, and Jett remembered their kiss last night. She would take another from him soon, if she had her way. And she generally did. “Any requests for food?”
“No, but if you could call your mother, I’d be appreciative.”
“Right. I haven’t forgotten. I might stop by her place today. She lives in the sixteenth near the park now. Has a nice little apartment. She’s going to flip to hear you’re back.”
“Is that a good flip or a bad flip?”
“My mother knows about me and the demon stuff. She says she believes me, but I also know she can’t bring herself to label her son crazy, even though she suspects that could be a possibility.” He shrugged. “Such is life. I’m going to pick you up a phone while I’m out, too. Not that you need to start texting and taking selfies, but it’ll be a good way for us to keep in touch when I’m gone.”
“You are too generous, Savin. I feel as if I owe you so much already.”
“Don’t think like that. I’m glad I can offer you a place to stay. It’s nice having someone around to talk to.”
“And kiss,” she offered, following him to the front door.
“And kiss.” He turned and looked down at her. He was too tall and wouldn’t be able to get close enough for a kiss without bending his knees. But Jett waited anyway. For a few seconds they held gazes. He seemed...nervous. “Uh, I should go, then.”
“Kiss me first. I want to make up for lost time.”
He leaned down and his breath hushed against her ear as he spoke. “It’s impossible to get back time.”
“Time grows longer when you kiss me.”
His eyebrow quirked, followed by a slow smile that punctuated his cheeks with subtle dimples. Now, that was impossible to resist.
Jett initiated the kiss that lured her to her tiptoes and into the burly man’s embrace. His arms wrapped about her back, and her body tilted against his. Their connection grew lush and deep. She moaned against his mouth. Pleasurable vibrations sparkled in her chest and shimmered lower. Standing in Savin’s arms stirred her wanton instincts. This was a new feeling. Yet it teased at her darkness. How she wanted to push him against the wall and tear off his shirt—
“You sure do like my kisses,” Savin said as he pulled away. “Or else you’ve had a lot of practice.”
“I told you last night you are the first man I’ve kissed. I’m glad for that. And you tempt me to want to kiss you all day. Hurry back. I want to start up where we’re leaving off.”
“I like the way you think.” He winked, then opened the door. “See you in a bit.”
The door closed behind him and Jett felt the wards zap at her. Stepping back with a skip, she hissed at the intrusive repulsion. It was more an annoyance than anything. But now as she glanced about the kitchen and living room, she realized she was once again imprisoned. Even if she didn’t mind the prison so much this time around, she could not breach those wards without pain.
She had to find her own place. Her own identity. And yet she wanted to do that and keep Savin in her life. He fit her. It was as if they had never been separated.
This time her smile came easily as she spun into the kitchen.
Jett opened the fridge door and inspected the contents. Lots of sandwich meats, cheese wedges and bottled energy drinks in wild colors. She was a little hungry but had yet to figure out her appetite. She grabbed a bottle that boasted a protein-packed chocolate elixir and tested it.
“Not terrible.”
Drink in hand, she wandered about the place. It was cool and quiet. The skylights beamed in subtle sunlight. Nothing too bright. She suspected it would take a while to fully adjust to the daylight. But the part of her that took comfort from the darkness prodded at her. Stay in the dark, it nudged. Dark is safe. Dark is home.
Rubbing a palm over her upper arm, Jett winced. Yes, the darkness was a safe and tempting place. There was so much light here in the mortal realm. Had her decision to escape here been wise?
Standing in the center of the living area, she suddenly felt lost, abandoned. Like a nine-year-old child who had been thrust into the unknown. Her cries would never be heard or comforted. She needed safety. So she began to allow the sheen to dissolve—
“No!” Jett lifted her head and fisted a hand at her side. The fall of her sheen stopped. “I can do this. I will do this. I am human.”
And her dark half, defeated for the moment, slunk away into the shadows. But she would continue to lurch up closer and closer until Jett could no longer keep her back. How could she? That darkness was her reality.