Page 40 of Demon Loved (The Witches of Mingus Mountain #5)

Belshegar was somewhat relieved to hear that the McAllister elders — and their prima and her consort — intended to lay most of the groundwork for the protection ritual themselves, with no need to involve Brianna.

“We’ll call you in when we need you,” Angela assured Bree, who looked almost disappointed by her comment, as if she’d thought she would be involved in all the planning.

“Your power is still new,” Levi told his daughter. “The best thing you can do is try to be as rested as possible.”

This comment didn’t appear to sit very well with her, since she crossed her arms and gave her father a very direct look. “How am I supposed to rest when I have no idea when this jerk is going to pop up out of nowhere and attack us again?”

To Belshegar’s surprise, Levi chuckled before laying a reassuring hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “I have a feeling he isn’t going to try anything again for a while. Probably, he wasn’t expecting that kind of defense.”

No, most likely not. Belshegar was still somewhat shocked by the way Brianna had gathered all those disparate energies and used them to break the hold the minion’s orb had on him.

And then to destroy the thing utterly, rather than merely render it useless?

He had to admit he still had much to learn about the way magic operated on this plane, but he had to believe such a feat was not something most witches or warlocks could easily manage.

However, he could also tell Brianna was frightened, and no one could blame her for that.

A thought crept into his mind, one he knew he would not speak aloud until he was alone with her. If she was afraid, he thought he knew how he could help…even though he realized she had been the one to save him during that encounter, rather than vice versa.

“Maybe not,” Brianna allowed. Her gaze moved toward Belshegar, almost pleading, and he realized then how tired she looked.

Beautiful, yes…but also at the utter limit of what she could handle in one evening.

It seemed her mother had thought much the same thing, because Hayley spoke up then, saying, “It’s getting late, and Bree looks like she’s about to fall over.

I say we end things here. The rest of you have a lot you probably need to do, but there’s no need to keep her when I can tell she needs her rest.”

Brianna looked as if she wanted to roll her eyes, but managed to restrain herself. “Mom, it’s not even ten o’clock yet.”

“And?” her mother returned. “The time doesn’t matter. Your exhaustion does. And you need to be in bed.”

For just a second, Bree’s full mouth went tight. Then she seemed to realize there wasn’t any point in arguing, not when she must be feeling the same weariness the rest of them could so obviously see.

“Okay, you’re right,” she said. “I’ll pack it in, then.” Her gaze moved to Belshegar. “But I’ll take you back to your hotel first.”

Under normal circumstances, he would have protested and told her there was no reason for her to do such a thing, not when the Grand Hotel was less than a five-minute walk from the house where they all sat.

However, since her offer fit in neatly with what he’d already been planning, he only inclined his head. “That would be kind of you.”

She rose from her chair and he got up as well, and so did everyone else.

Levi and Hayley walked Belshegar and their daughter out to the big Suburban where it waited at the curb, and they remained on the sidewalk until Brianna had started the engine and begun the laborious process of turning the bulky vehicle around on the narrow street.

“We’ll go to the hotel,” he said once they were pointing in the right direction. “But only so I can get some of my things. There is no way in this world or any other that I’m going to allow you to sleep alone tonight.”

The glow from the dashboard caught the ironic lift of her eyebrow. “Inviting yourself over? Don’t you think it’s a little soon for that?”

As most humans judged such things…perhaps. However, a tryst was the last thing on his mind.

Or at least, several other matters certainly came before any thought of becoming intimate with Brianna McAllister.

“You misread me,” he said, and hoped he didn’t sound too stiff. “I was not suggesting anything other than sleeping on your sofa and offering whatever protection I can.”

Some women might have pointed out that he hadn’t done a very good job of protecting her so far…quite the opposite, in fact. But Brianna wasn’t some women.

No, she was her own unique, beautiful self.

“Sorry,” she said, and let out a breath as she began to ease the Suburban into the hotel’s cramped parking lot. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like that. Today…it’s just been a lot more than I was expecting.”

“I understand,” he replied. “Now, though, you’ll come inside with me while I gather my things, and then we will go down the hill to your apartment.”

Her lips parted, and he wondered if she was going to tell him that she would be quite safe here in the parking lot, since there seemed to be always someone who was coming and going from the hotel, and there was a far lower chance of the Collector and his minions trying to attack when they most likely would have an audience.

However, she closed her mouth without saying a word, which told him she’d realized she shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks, as unlikely as the prospect of another assault might be.

The two of them climbed out of the vehicle, and she locked it before following him up the steps into the hotel lobby.

Luckily, one of the elevators was free — of both human and ghostly travelers — so they got inside and rode up to the third floor.

The whole time, he couldn’t help wondering if the Collector or one of his servants might choose this moment to attack them in the cramped space…

and what in the world they would do if such a thing should happen.

However, all remained peaceful, and they progressed to his room without incident. Once there, he packed as quickly as he could, deciding to take several changes of clothing with him since he wasn’t sure how long his tenure as guardian might last.

Forever would be fine with him, but he guessed Brianna might have a few words to say on that subject.

Soon enough, though, they were descending the stairs from the lobby and back in her lumbering vehicle, and only a few minutes after that, she’d pulled into the parking space at the rear of the building that housed both the gallery and her apartment.

Not for the first time, he marveled at how she was able to fit the oversized SUV in such a narrow place, although he supposed she’d had plenty of practice.

As they got out, he looked all around them, using his sight and every other sense he possessed to determine whether a hostile being lurked nearby, but he saw nothing, no hint that anyone had been watching and waiting for their arrival.

A motion-activated light had been installed on the rear of the building, and it turned on as soon as they approached, which made him feel slightly better.

Surely no one who was used to attacking under cover of darkness would risk an assault under the glare of such harsh illumination.

He went up the stairs first, just to be safe, but the landing outside her apartment was similarly empty, nothing there except a painted metal flowerbox with some late-season blooms happily growing inside.

“I think we’re okay,” she said with a smile as she laid her hand on the door handle.

At once, the door swung inward. This time, he let her go first, but he was close behind.

Just in case.

But her apartment appeared to be empty, one small lamp on the bookcase opposite the door providing some faint illumination before she touched a switch and a much larger floor lamp flared to light, banishing the rest of the shadows.

He hadn’t quite been holding his breath, and yet he couldn’t help being relieved that everything seemed to be in order here.

“I’m not sure where to put your stuff,” she said, now sounding faintly worried. “There’s only one closet, and it’s stuffed to the gills.”

Although he hadn’t stopped to think about it, he realized that he’d been in Jerome for more than a week and hadn’t seen her wear the same outfit twice. Perhaps a pair of jeans or some sandals had made a repeat appearance, but overall, her wardrobe appeared to possess quite a bewildering variety.

No wonder the closet was already full.

“It’s not a problem,” he replied. “My things can remain in the suitcase until I need them.”

“Won’t they get wrinkled?”

“Probably,” he said. “But I can take care of that.”

For a long moment, her gaze met his. It seemed to say, Yes, I suppose you can.

“I know this must be awkward,” he said, thinking he might as well get everything out in the open as best he could. “It seems that we came to some sort of an agreement earlier, and yet — ”

She went over to him and pressed a finger against his lips. Just that mere touch was enough to set the human blood within his veins on fire, but he guessed that was not why she had done such a thing.

No, she needed a chance to speak.

“It’s okay, Belshegar,” she said. “We don’t have to figure all this out right now. Honestly, we should probably make sure there really will be a tomorrow before we start planning ours.”

Very sensible.

Despite her no-nonsense tone, she still seemed on edge, and he couldn’t blame her for that.

“I feel certain tomorrow will come,” he told her, “and the day after that, and the day after. Your prima and her consort seem very capable, and of course your father brings talents to bear that I am sure no other witch clan possesses. And there is also you.”

“Yeah, me,” she said, although she didn’t look terribly cheered by her inclusion in that powerful group.

Well, this was all very new to her. Up until an hour or so ago, she’d had no reason to believe she possessed anything but some very simple magical powers.

“Yes, you,” he said firmly. “You dealt the Collector quite a blow, between vanquishing his servant and destroying one of his precious artifacts.”

“And letting him know there’s a new witch on the block,” she added, a certain light in her clear blue eyes signaling that she was beginning to realize she wasn’t powerless here.

“Exactly,” Belshegar said. “I’m sure he didn’t expect that sort of resistance. With any luck, he is now second-guessing himself — which means we might have more time to prepare than you think.”

“I sure hope so.” She paused there, her gaze surveying the living room with its cheerful yellow-painted walls and the golden-hued landscape…

another of Connor’s paintings, Belshegar guessed…

hanging above the bookcase with its beveled glass doors, a piece that must have been at least a hundred years old, most likely more.

It didn’t look like the sort of setting where an evil collector of magical items would stage an attack.

Apparently, Brianna thought the same thing, because she surprised him by yawning then, arms stretching out from her sides as she inhaled.

“Guess I’m more tired than I thought,” she said. “My mother was right.”

“It seems mothers often are,” he replied, although those words were based more on what he’d heard from other people than because of anything he’d observed personally.

Elena Salazar’s civilian mother had been long gone by the time he arrived on the scene, but it seemed that Elena’s husband was very close to his mother.

And certainly it appeared that Hayley was quite protective of her daughter, even though Brianna was an adult, as humans reckoned such things.

“We should both go to sleep,” he said, and Bree’s head tilted to one side as she considered him.

“So…you do sleep?”

“I do,” he replied. “This body is human, even if the soul it contains is not. I don’t require as much sleep as you do, and I can go quite a long while without food and water if I must, but I am certainly not an automaton.”

In response to those words, she went on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his cheek. A pleased thrill went through him, but he knew she had made the gesture simply as a sign of affection and not because she wanted to initiate anything more.

“No, you’re definitely not that.” She moved away an inch or two but remained close enough so she could reach over and take his hand. Her fingers were slender and yet much stronger than they looked, probably from years of playing the piano and the guitar.

An incongruous smile touched her lips.

“I’m just glad you’re you, Belshegar.”