white in the afterlife, but I wasn’t at all confident that my light side had been winning the Settling battle.
Fortunately for me, I wasn’t destined to learn the answers to these all-encompassing questions quite yet. The air shifted and a wave of magical coolness slipped over me like balm. Strong arms pulled me off the ground and enfolded me. Husky words, thick with emotion, droned just beyond my understanding, my pain-filled brain unable to grasp them.
Then the heat and fire disappeared and I was locked in the sphere without movement and sound.
I never knew when I emerged from the space shift. My mind shut down in an effort to deal with the pain and the world went blessedly, soothingly black.
* * * * *
The first thing I noticed as I climbed back to consciousness was warmth.
Then I felt the pain.
It was everywhere, crawling over my body with unsheathed claws. I kept my eyes closed and sucked in a breath, holding it as discomfort rolled over my skin. Compared to what I’d suffered in my office, the pain I was currently feeling was more than endurable. It was almost soothing.
The burning sensation left a trail of tingling skin behind. Healing skin.
Healing heat. Not the melting, charring kind I’d suffered in my office.
That realization gave me the strength to open my eyes. Hostility peered back at me in the form of a pair of large gray eyes with dusky gold lashes that dropped to peach-tinted cheeks.
Licking my dry lips, I opened my mouth to talk. Nothing but dust motes emerged. My mouth and body felt like dried-up husks. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “You aren’t leaving any unnecessary bumps or protrusions behind are you?”
The answering glare was filled with regret. I could tell she’d really like to cover me with warts.
She was beautiful in a nearly angelic way. Her soft golden-white hair flowed down her shoulders and arms and touched her tiny waist in shiny waves. Her form under the long, silky robes was slight, with just the softest rounding at the breast and hips. Her face was heart shaped, with finely made features. Her only flaw was a tiny overbite, making her look, if possible, even more appealing because it made her beauty real.
I frowned, remembering her from somewhere.
As if reading my thoughts she gave me a bitter smile. “You don’t remember me do you? My name is Astis. I am the Supreme High Witch of the Angel City Coven.”
My eyes widened. When I’d known her she’d been the Supreme High Commander of the coven. And she hadn’t been a member of Dialle’s Royal Court. “What in Hades are you doing here?”
Her soft hands touched my face and pain speared through my cheekbones like a thousand tiny knives, sending me into convulsions on the soft bed where I lay.
When I regained control of my limbs I blinked and looked up at her. She had an almost sensual smile on her coldly beautiful face. “Did that feel as good as it looked?”
Too late, I remembered one of Astis’ most alarming traits. She was the ultimate masochist. She got off on pain. Literally.
When Dialle and I had met up with her several months earlier, we’d been trying to find out what the local coven had to do with a demon uprising that was taking its toll on both the human and magical realms. We’d quickly learned that pain was no punishment for the gorgeous witch.
Unfortunately for me, I didn’t share her proclivities. Grabbing her hands, I shoved her away. “I’ll take it from here, Astis.” Shoving myself upward, I bit the inside of my cheek against the pain.
It swamped me with every movement. My skin felt tight, as if it was newly made, and nausea tightened my gut. I slid my legs over the side of the bed and sat there, breathing heavily through the pain and exertion.
I must have been badly hurt, because the healing had left me feeling like the weakest kitten. My head dropped and my long auburn hair slid over my shoulders and breasts like a heavy curtain.
That was when I noticed I was nude. I
Fortunately for me, I wasn’t destined to learn the answers to these all-encompassing questions quite yet. The air shifted and a wave of magical coolness slipped over me like balm. Strong arms pulled me off the ground and enfolded me. Husky words, thick with emotion, droned just beyond my understanding, my pain-filled brain unable to grasp them.
Then the heat and fire disappeared and I was locked in the sphere without movement and sound.
I never knew when I emerged from the space shift. My mind shut down in an effort to deal with the pain and the world went blessedly, soothingly black.
* * * * *
The first thing I noticed as I climbed back to consciousness was warmth.
Then I felt the pain.
It was everywhere, crawling over my body with unsheathed claws. I kept my eyes closed and sucked in a breath, holding it as discomfort rolled over my skin. Compared to what I’d suffered in my office, the pain I was currently feeling was more than endurable. It was almost soothing.
The burning sensation left a trail of tingling skin behind. Healing skin.
Healing heat. Not the melting, charring kind I’d suffered in my office.
That realization gave me the strength to open my eyes. Hostility peered back at me in the form of a pair of large gray eyes with dusky gold lashes that dropped to peach-tinted cheeks.
Licking my dry lips, I opened my mouth to talk. Nothing but dust motes emerged. My mouth and body felt like dried-up husks. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “You aren’t leaving any unnecessary bumps or protrusions behind are you?”
The answering glare was filled with regret. I could tell she’d really like to cover me with warts.
She was beautiful in a nearly angelic way. Her soft golden-white hair flowed down her shoulders and arms and touched her tiny waist in shiny waves. Her form under the long, silky robes was slight, with just the softest rounding at the breast and hips. Her face was heart shaped, with finely made features. Her only flaw was a tiny overbite, making her look, if possible, even more appealing because it made her beauty real.
I frowned, remembering her from somewhere.
As if reading my thoughts she gave me a bitter smile. “You don’t remember me do you? My name is Astis. I am the Supreme High Witch of the Angel City Coven.”
My eyes widened. When I’d known her she’d been the Supreme High Commander of the coven. And she hadn’t been a member of Dialle’s Royal Court. “What in Hades are you doing here?”
Her soft hands touched my face and pain speared through my cheekbones like a thousand tiny knives, sending me into convulsions on the soft bed where I lay.
When I regained control of my limbs I blinked and looked up at her. She had an almost sensual smile on her coldly beautiful face. “Did that feel as good as it looked?”
Too late, I remembered one of Astis’ most alarming traits. She was the ultimate masochist. She got off on pain. Literally.
When Dialle and I had met up with her several months earlier, we’d been trying to find out what the local coven had to do with a demon uprising that was taking its toll on both the human and magical realms. We’d quickly learned that pain was no punishment for the gorgeous witch.
Unfortunately for me, I didn’t share her proclivities. Grabbing her hands, I shoved her away. “I’ll take it from here, Astis.” Shoving myself upward, I bit the inside of my cheek against the pain.
It swamped me with every movement. My skin felt tight, as if it was newly made, and nausea tightened my gut. I slid my legs over the side of the bed and sat there, breathing heavily through the pain and exertion.
I must have been badly hurt, because the healing had left me feeling like the weakest kitten. My head dropped and my long auburn hair slid over my shoulders and breasts like a heavy curtain.
That was when I noticed I was nude. I
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