Page 19 of Possess Me at Midnight (Doomsday Brethren #4)

Chapter Fifteen

Ice

L ess than an hour later, Sabelle insists we stop in Hereford.

Since we “nicked” our current ride, more or less, she worries the human police will be looking for the car and arrest us.

Normally, I would dismiss that concern, but without the ability to teleport away from potential danger, it’s a serious issue.

A shudder of foreboding claws up the back of my neck. This trip—from Sabelle’s odd reluctance to end our drama and Renounce me to my gut feeling that we’re headed straight into danger—has me on edge.

In town, we encounter a cattle market with farmers milling about cold, dusty lots, waiting to sell their animals.

Sabelle exits the car and shrugs on her backpack as she scans her unconscious brother in the back seat.

To the human eye, Bram probably looks like a napping traveler.

They can’t see the mysterious, choking black cloud around him thickening.

With a sigh, she motions me out of the car. “Wait for me at the end of the block.”

When she turns to leave, I grab her arm and spin her back around. She stumbles, and I automatically wrap an arm around her waist to steady her. At the feel of her against me, the scent of her surrounding me, a jolt of desire thunders through me. I can’t stop myself from dragging her closer.

She freezes. “Let go.”

“Where are you going?”

“To find another car so we can put more distance between us and the Anarki. I won’t get far from your sight, Ice. But I don’t have time to soothe your territorial feathers. Let me handle this so we can get back on the road.”

Blast the bloody logical witch. I’m proud of her cool head under pressure.

Usually, that’s my role. But the woman has me turned upside down and tied in knots.

I can’t think past my need to keep her safe—or my desire to lay her across my bed, breathe her in, and prove without a single word exactly how good we are together.

“I don’t like it.”

Her face softens. “I’ll be all right. Why don’t you find food we can take on the road and a phone to ring Duke?”

Her suggestion rankles. Is she trying to get rid of me because she’s plotting something I won’t like? Does she think I’m too thick to catch on? I’ll play along—for now. And watch her every move.

With my instincts screaming, I skulk to a café at the end of the block. The hour is a bit late for breakfast and a bit early for lunch, so the establishment is largely empty, except for the voices drifting from the kitchen.

Near the cash register, an inattentive member of the waitstaff left their mobile phone.

Quickly, I grab it, magic my way through the passcode, and punch in Duke’s number, grateful I remember it.

With the device pressed to my ear, I glare out the window.

Sabelle scans the area. What is that witch up to? One ring, two, three…voicemail. Bugger!

As I gather some scones and muffins, I leave the wizard a quick message: We have no phone, and we’ll call back when possible. I don’t dare hint at our location, in case Duke’s mobile—or Duke himself—has been captured by Mathias.

When I look up, Sabelle has vanished. My blood runs cold.

I ditch the mobile and slap a bit of human money on the counter for the pastries. Then I sprint for the French doors at the back, exiting onto the street.

I round the first corner—and breathe a sigh of relief. There’s my little witch.

But my relief ends there.

She’s sidled up to a human male, young and strapping.

He’s far too near—and she’s drawing him even closer.

Lust darkens his eyes. Clearly, he’s dazed by her beauty.

Of course he is. Even from this distance, I scent the human’s arousal—a sickening mixture of sweat and hormones.

My nostrils flare. My molars grind together until my jaw aches.

Blast it all, Sabelle should carry my stamp of possession to ward off this stranger’s attention.

But unless she Binds to me—highly unlikely—I just have to watch this fucking stranger paw her.

As she sends him an encouraging smile, he rakes her with his stare. My fucking temper flares even higher. And when she flips that golden hair I ache to wrap around my fists as I guide her mouth to my waiting cock, a feral possessiveness claws through my chest.

But Sabelle is oblivious to my rage. She merely reaches for the male’s hand and allows him to grip her fingers in return.

My vision narrows to a pinpoint, blood rushing in my ears. Every muscle in my body coils tight, primed to tear this stranger away and make it brutally clear who she belongs to, even if she hasn’t acknowledged our bond.

Hell-bent, I stalk across the car park. “Sabelle!”

She whips her gaze in my direction, glaring a nonverbal demand that I get lost.

Like bloody fucking hell I will. That look might send other men running, but it only fuels my insistence to make her mine.

I barrel toward them, pausing mere inches away. She still grips the human’s hand. To his credit, he takes one look at my expression and tries to tug his from the minx’s grip. Unwisely, she holds firm.

“This is James,” she says as if she doesn’t see my fury. “He’s very graciously offered to let us borrow his car for a few days.”

When she holds up the keys, I try to beat back my fury.

Sabelle is manipulating the man for a new ride that facilitates our escape so we can continue this vital quest. My brain knows I should feel thankful, not homicidal.

My body doesn’t give a fuck about logic.

Every cell in me screams to rip her from this human’s grip, press her against the nearest wall, and claim her mouth until she can’t remember his—or any other man’s—name.

I can’t give in to either impulse.

“Nice to meet you.” James extends his free hand in my direction.

I barely suppress my scowl and shake the man’s hand. It’s sweaty. Shaky. He’s afraid of me. I smile, baring my teeth. The expression isn’t nice.

“Ice is my very protective…cousin.”

“Cousin?”

Just like that, what little remained of my tolerance snaps.

Cousin is one step from brother. Does Sabelle see me in that light?

Hard to imagine that since she’s allowed me to strip her bare and suck hard on her pretty pink nipples, her little pants resounding in my ears.

If she’s forgotten the way she arched against my mouth, I’ll be more than happy to remind her in the most scorching way possible—and ensure she sees me as a lover—the moment we’re alone.

Though my pulse thunders in my ears, I force myself to breathe evenly, each inhalation a battle against the urge to show this human exactly what happens to any man who touches what’s mine.

James glances nervously between me and Sabelle, as if he senses something dangerous. But Sabelle’s grip on him mutes his logic.

She ignores my low growl and leans closer to the man. “Thank you so much. We won’t keep your car long. See you in a few days. Cheers!”

I smell the human’s lust thickening. I gnash my teeth and jerk Sabelle away. Touching her is a mistake. It spikes my desire and sends my head swimming. She shoots me a wave of soothing peace that smothers my jealous rage.

In that moment, she approaches James and leans forward, her expression soft and welcoming as she plants a kiss on his cheek. Her mouth—the same one I fantasized about for weeks before I finally tasted—presses against his skin. Every second feels like an eternity, a knife twisting between my ribs.

When she pulls back, he’s wearing a dreamy smile. “Take as long as you need, love.”

Love? I’m going to kill him.

As if Sabelle knows I’m about to lose it, she turns to me with a warning. “Isn’t he lovely?” When I grit my teeth, she elbows me. “Isn’t he?”

I’m loath to agree, but we need this car. And I don’t want Sabelle furious with me. With a bob of my head, I grunt.

Sabelle forces another smile, then pins me with an annoyed glare the second James turns away, looking euphoric and happily confused.

Sabelle whirls on me with a furious huff. “Were you trying to strand us here?”

I glare back, brow raised. “Were you trying to throw him in my face?”

“Of course not.” She sighs. “Let’s get out of this village. Did you reach Duke?”

With a grumble, I let it go. “No answer. I left a vague voicemail.”

Concern darkens Sabelle’s face as we approach the car. “What do you think that means?”

“Like us, he may not have had his phone with him when Mathias attacked.” But I’m also aware the reality could be far more violent…and far grimmer.

“He did, on his belt.” She bites her lip. “Do you think they were captured? Killed?”

The possibility terrifies her. I feel her fear. I don’t mention that possibility crossed my mind at least a dozen times. She doesn’t need to worry. I’ll shoulder that for her. “They’re able to teleport, which is a huge advantage. We’re still alive, so it’s likely Duke and the others are, too.”

“I hope you’re right.” She sighs. “But if we encounter Mathias, how will you and I fight him on our own?”

We can’t. But I don’t say that to her. I’ve tried, after all—and took down nearly a hundred Anarki by myself.

Granted, that was two hundred years ago, when I was much rasher and far more hot-headed.

I was lucky to escape with my life. And I learned a valuable lesson: Mathias’s army is like an octopus, an evil that can reach in all directions to snuff out anyone unprepared.

Which is why I can’t make a bloody big deal about this car.

Escape. Regroup. Then hunt down Anarki and lop off as many arms of the monster as possible.

That should be uppermost in my mind. Claiming the woman?

Foolish and ill-timed. She’ll never say yes, and I shouldn’t expect her to in the midst of a crisis.

“Let’s retrieve Bram and get on the road,” I suggest.

Sabelle nods. “Did you get food?”

Indeed. But as I look down, I’m suddenly aware that, since I found Sabelle with James, I’ve squeezed the paper bag of pastries in my fist. Now, I feel the crushed pastries.

Wincing, I open the bag to find everything inside pulverized, ground down into crumbs by my jealous rage.

With a curse, I toss the destroyed remains into the nearest bin.

“Sorry. We’ll grab something else in the next town,” I mutter, flexing my fingers to release the tension still coiled in every muscle. Her little grin intensifies the gnawing hunger in me that has nothing to do with food—and everything to do with claiming her for good.