You Lucky Witch (A BBW Paranormal Romance): Demon Brothers (3 page)

Once behind the wheel, he looked for keys. Since the door was unlocked, it made sense the owner might have left the keys inside. Flipping down the visor, he wasn’t lucky enough for the keys to fall into his lap. He dug through the fast food receipts, candy wrappers, and change in the console. Still nothing. He resigned himself to hotwiring the vehicle and was about to crawl under the dash when he heard a click and then a tinkle.

Kayley watched as the man looked for the keys to the truck. If she wasn’t mistaken, this car belonged to Fred, the butcher, and he usually kept his keys… She popped open the glove compartment and there they were. A smile tugged at her lips when a disgruntled expression appeared on the demon’s face as she waved them in the air. “Looking for these?”

“Yes.” There was no polite thank you, just a swift grab and the truck’s engine roared to life. She shouldn’t have been surprised. There wasn’t very much more to guys than that — a quick grab, roaring of the engine, and they were finished.

He threw the map at her. “Tell me how to get there.”

She studied the map and the small dot of blood. It was near the park. She told him which way to go and watched as he pulled out of the parking lot and turned down the first side street. She rolled down the window to let in some fresh air. As she breathed, her senses filled with the scent of asphalt as it cooled in the autumn evening. Another scent filtered through and Kayley had no way to describe it. It was simply the smell of the man sitting by her side.

I shouldn’t even think of him that way,
she told herself firmly. That was a difficult command to follow when he sat right next to her and it was so close to
All Hollow’s Eve
. She felt the tingle of magic surround them.

He drove slowly down the street, his eyes scanning the area. She wondered if she should tell him he’d kidnapped the wrong witch. She couldn’t scry worth a damn. The chances of his brother actually being at the park were about fifty-fifty. Now Hayley, she would definitely be the better witch for a situation like this. She could scry and find anything or anyone, plus she was known to have visions when she touched something that belonged to a person. Maybe she should take him to see her sister. A sharp bolt of jealousy lanced through her at the thought even though her sister was happily married.

“Do you have a name?”

“My name is Roark.”

 

Roark rolled his window down and leaned back in the driver’s seat, resisting the urge to lay his arm across the back of the seat and ‘accidentally’ touch the woman by his side. Damn, he felt like an untried teenager. He wanted to reach over, strip her, and lick her entire body. He wanted to pound his hand against the steering wheel in frustration. He figured he had just under twenty-four hours to get his and Rafe’s asses back to hell before, well, all hell broke loose. His erection pressed against the leather of his pants and his body clenched with pure need. Annoyance rose in him at his attraction to this woman. She wasn’t bad looking. She was cute and cuddly. Curvy as hell. He was a tits and ass man and liked the feel of a woman with some meat on her bones beneath him as he pounded his cock inside her. This one would be soft and delicious to savor.

He frowned when he discovered her bunched against the passenger side door, her head bent. More than a faint whiff of fear had invaded her scent.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he growled.

At his words, her head snapped up. “Like you could.”

He smiled. She had bravado, he’d give her that. “What are you going to do, cast another spell to keep me away? I don’t think that worked out so well last time, baby.”

“Whatever.”

He frowned, thinking of his uncontrollable urge to kiss her. Not that he needed any prompting to drag her in his arms a second time. He didn’t answer her. “You didn’t seem all that surprised to see an abyss in the middle of your local grocery store.”

She shrugged her shoulder. “Technically, it wasn’t an abyss. Just a portal. So where are we going? I do have a life, you know.”

“Right. Why else would you be at a grocery store buying milk and bread on a Friday night?”

“Maybe I was buying it for my husband. A husband who could be very pissed you’ve kidnapped me.”

“I haven’t kidnapped you. I’m just borrowing you for a while.” He turned down another street, following her directions.

“You’re not married.” Another turn, another street.

“How do you know?”

“I don’t smell him on you.” A demon’s sense of smell wasn’t as strong as a shifter’s but it got the job done. She smelled of flowers and something else he was still trying to figure out.

“Oh.”

He smiled to himself. That shut her up.

 

By the time they found the park where Rafe was hiding, Kayley began to enjoy herself. Opening the door, she hopped down as gracefully as she could from the high cab of the truck. Apparently, chivalry was not a nicety taught in hell. The demon stood on the other side of the truck, looking out over the park and wooded land surrounding it.

Playground equipment dotted the neatly cut grass. Swing sets, slides, a merry-go-round. Kayley smiled, remembering playing here when she was small. She’d brought her nephews here just last week and had to talk them down from the top of the jungle gym, reminding them they were wolves, not monkeys.

She stole a glance at Roark across the hood of the truck. She thought about how handsome his sons would be. Staunch, miniature demons. She smiled thinking he was way too uptight, even for a demon. “He’s probably in there.” She pointed to the thick forest on the west side of the park.

“Get back in the truck.”

“What?”

“Get back in the truck and wait for me.”

Shock made Kayley hold her tongue. He was ordering her to stay back now? She thought he wanted her with him to help find his brother. “Wait, you’re gonna need me.”

“Why, so you can scry for which tree he’s hiding behind?” Sarcasm coated his deep voice and one of his dark brows rose.

Okay, so maybe he didn’t need her, but why had he kidnapped her if he didn’t want her around now?

When she didn’t move fast enough, he was there, forcing her back inside the cab of the truck. “Now give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“So you can’t make a call while I’m gone.”

 

Kayley looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had. Why else had he kidnapped a witch?

Because she’s yours.

Roark’s demon side whispered the words, enticing him to make that thought come true. He watched as she dug into the pocket of her jeans. The move pulled the denim tight against her body. His eyes fell to the V of her legs. Damn, he could see her mound, all plump and pretty. Beneath it would be the sweet, spicy slit, just waiting for him to lap up all that womanly nectar.

His cock hardened. The pressure against his zipper made him want to rub himself to relieve the pressure. He held out his hand for the phone.

“I don’t have all day,” he barked. He really needed to get away from her.

With great reluctance, she handed it to him. “What if I need to call for help?”

“You won’t get into trouble; you’ll be locked inside the truck.”

“I wasn’t talking about me, I was thinking about you.” Her look said it was just a matter of time before he got into dire straits. Maybe she was right. He’d had a bad feeling about this from the time he’d stepped out of the abyss and seen her standing there, surprise and shock written all over her pretty face.

It didn’t take much effort to break her phone, making it inoperable. He handed it back to her.

Kayley’s full, red mouth gaped open. “What did you do that for? I thought you were just going to take it with you.”

He didn’t answer, just ordered her to stay in the truck.

“I’m not a dog!” she yelled out the window as he took off across the park. “I’m a witch.” The last she mumbled to herself as she crossed her arms and fumed at the arrogance of the entire male species.

Once Roark left, Kayley quickly grew bored. She looked at the clothes she wore and sighed. Of course, she’d have to be dressed in a pair of tight fitting jeans that made her rolls have rolls on the day she was kidnapped by a red-hot demon. The faded sweater she’d thrown on wasn’t helping either. She’d seen buttoned-up and buttoned-down librarians dressed better, for heaven’s sake. Nothing sexy or seductive about her at all. Why hadn’t she paid more attention when her grandmother had tried to teach her how to conjure things she might need in an emergency? Of course, conjuring clothing to seduce a demon might land more on this side of self-profiting than an emergency.

Her lack of seductive clothing didn’t stop her body from responding to the sexual pheromones Roark emitted. Her nipples made a distinct impression, pushing against the fabric of her blouse. Thankfully, the sweater she wore had hidden most of her body’s telltale signs of arousal. Warmth heated her cheeks as she imagined Roark noticing her body’s reaction to his nearness.

It was a damn fine time for her latent succubus side to kick into high gear. She looked at the smashed piece of plastic that was now her cell phone. If he thought she was just going to sit here and wait for him to meander back, he was one crazy demon. She pulled on the door handle, but it didn’t move. She’d been so distracted by his presence she hadn’t realized he’d attached some kind of spell to the door. Pushing back the sleeves of her sweater, she placed her hands on the door. Concentrating, she felt the magic holding it shut. After several moments, it started to form a pattern. Magic was simple really, if you could find the pattern of the spell. Kayley wasn’t good at puzzles, hence her difficulty. Her grandmother had always said she needed an anchor to bring her powers into focus.

Unfortunately, her grandmother had never told her what the anchor was, or where she could find it before she passed away. Anger at the demon seemed to be helping this time.

After a moment, she was able to break the spell. Just because he’d busted her cell phone — which he would pay for — didn’t mean she was without resources to contact her family. Letting herself out of the truck, she made her way to a water fountain next to the picnic tables. Most public parks didn’t have those anymore. She was grateful this one did. Digging through the garbage, she found a Styrofoam cup and filled it up with water. She ran her fingers around the rim. A container made of glass would have been better but she’d take what she could get. The movement of her finger on glass would have generated the necessary resonance. Instead, she hummed softly. The water turned cloudy, then slowly cleared, revealing her house. She concentrated harder until the picture revealed her living room. No one was there. Humming louder, she thought of her mother. The water turned bright. Suddenly, she saw her mother and father’s bedroom. She started to speak when she realized exactly what her parents were doing.

“Eww,” she squealed and quickly dumped the water on the ground.

At times, she forgot her parents were still sexual beings. Seeing them in the middle of
it
… well, some images could never be unseen.

She debated trying to contact her sisters, but knowing her luck, she’d catch them in the middle of doing the horizontal limbo too.

Deciding there was only one thing to do, she set off after Roark.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

IF FIGURED RAFE would run to a place rich with trees and foliage. But a damn park? Roark shook his head, wondering when his brother would come to his sense. His brother had always loved the forest, preferring to hunt the demons hiding high in the mountains and away from civilization.

He continued moving, taking the twists and turns that led deeper and deeper into the trees. He covered the ground in an easy lope, senses flaring outward, noting and cataloguing everything about him. There were no sounds that shouldn’t be here. He heard the rumbling of an engine as a car passed by on the road just out of sight and the sounds of birds calling to each other in warning. Catching the faint whiff of brimstone, he changed directions. He slipped deeper into the woods, avoiding the betraying snap of twigs. From up ahead and to the left came the scent he trailed.

The scent grew fainter as Rafe continued to heal from his injuries.

As Roark followed the trail, he thought of what his brother had done. And why. Rafe was a bounty hunter like himself. All three brothers were. That was the family curse for their ancestor’s transgression, bound in servitude to hell. After his last mission, Rafe had come back different. Their mother swore he was in love and Rafe hadn’t exactly denied it.

Roark and their other brother, Remington, didn’t know what to think. They’d seen the hardship the curse had caused their parents and wanted nothing to do with finding a woman. With love.

Immediately his thoughts went to the witch he’d locked in the cab of his truck.

 

Kayley knew she should have stayed in the stolen truck, but she hadn’t. Surprise, surprise. When was the last time she’d obeyed anyone?

Picking up a large stick, she said a small chant and immediately fireflies gathered on the end. She held up the makeshift torch and continued further into the dense trees where Roark had disappeared. It was almost completely dark and she didn’t have the night vision of a shifter or a demon. She followed the small path he’d made through the thick undergrowth. The man was striding through the forest like Bigfoot on steroids, leaving broken branches in his wake.

She knew she should have just left. She could have despite the other safeguards he’d put in place. Somehow, he’d spelled the keys and engine with her knowing. Probably while he ordered her to stay and walked away. Thinking of his cleverness, she realized there was more to him than his pretty face and rock hard body.

Catching her foot on an exposed root, she almost went down, face first. She regained her balance and continued on, into the dark. Finally, she caught sight of him, just up ahead. The briars and branches that caught on her hair and clothing seemed to bow out of the way as he walked by. She narrowed her eyes trying to see, if indeed, there was some magic involved in his smooth glide through the woods.

Nothing. At least not anything she could see.

She continued to follow behind him, keeping what she hoped was enough distance between them that he couldn’t hear her or sense her. She grudgingly admitted she liked the other man who had emerged from the portal in the grocery store. Even if he had thrown her into Roark’s arms. Or, maybe that’s why she did like him.

His eyes had held a look of resignation that had appealed to Kayley’s soft heart. As if he’d known his actions were futile, but he had to try anyway. She didn’t know why he had risked so much to come to this realm, but she was determined to do what she could for him despite her growing attraction to Roark. Damn, the man had a body too perfect for words. Where did men like him come from?

Oh, wait, yeah. They came from hell. Straight from the bowels of temptation itself.

She shook her head at her foolishness. No way would he go for a klutzy, curvy witch like herself. Not even for a one-night fling. Or one hour. Yep, she’d settle for an hour in the man’s arms at this point. Her body ached to have him.

She tripped on another exposed root, this time placing a header in the damp leaves covering the forest floor. She dropped her makeshift torch and the fireflies took off, swarming toward Roark. She looked up from her prone position and cursed. “Damn it.” Flicking her hand at the runaway bugs, she tried to shoo them away from him.

It didn’t work.

“What the fuck?”

He stopped and one of his hands swiped the air in front of him, making the fireflies scatter. She stayed perfectly still, bending her head so he couldn’t see her face. Maybe she could blend in with the forest floor. Her hair was brown and hopefully looked like a pile of fallen leaves.

The sound of footsteps crunching on the leaves gave her hope that he was leaving — until she saw a pair of black shitkickers in front of her.

Speaking of shit. It was about to hit the fan. Roark was not the type of man — human or otherwise — that one disobeyed. She mentally straightened her spine. The big, bad demon didn’t scare her. Much.

“What are you doing, little witch?”

The sound of that pet name on his lips made her feel so good inside. For once, she really didn’t feel her size. Next to him, she
was
little. She’d never seen anyone so damn big. Casting a look beneath her lashes, her gaze focused on the tight fit of his pants over his crotch and she licked her lips. Yep, he was big all over.

She looked up at him, her eyes as wide and innocent looking as she could make them. Over the years, she and her sisters had learned various ways to get around their half-incubus father. “Thought I’d take a nap.”

“Very amusing.” Before she could stop him, he dragged her to her feet. He pulled a little too hard and she ended up slammed against his broad chest. Feeling the swell of his cock, she thought maybe the move hadn’t been accidental. It took all her willpower not to slide her hands around his neck and pull his mouth down for another of his womb-throbbing kisses.

He dropped his arms and turned around. “Stay behind me,” he growled.

Strangely, Kayley was getting used to his growls and grunts. She didn’t argue as she followed him. She’d also learned from her father when to poke at a demon and when it was best to leave him alone. The chilled air wrapped around her and the scent of pine trees and impending frost teased at her nose.

When she stumbled across another root, his hand took hers. A silly smile crossed her face at the gesture. They could be a normal couple on their first date, not a bounty hunter and his kidnapped witch chasing an escaped demon through a dark forest.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a vague movement. That was all the warning they had before the entire forest erupted around them. Leaves swirled into the air, the mass taking on a tornadic effect as deadfall from the forest floor joined in. As the wind gathered strength, smaller branches snapped from the trees.

Kayley screamed and ducked against Roark even as his arms closed around her and his body hunched over to protect her.

“Stop it!” His voice roared over the wind.

He pushed her to her knees, covering her with his body and shielding her from the worst of the storm. Still, she cried out as twigs connected with her back, jabbing her like red-hot needles. She knew she’d be covered in cuts and bruises. Her mouth pressed against the column of Roark’s brown throat. “Let me up.”

She thought if she could concentrate, if only for a moment, she might be able to cast a protection spell. She knew he cowered on the ground only because he was trying to protect her. Otherwise, she was pretty sure he’d kick his brother’s ass. She wiggled against him.

“Stay still, damn it.”

“No.” Escaping Roark’s hold reminded her of working her way free of quicksand, but she finally managed to circle his neck, exposing her arm and hand to the violence. Breathing in the fragrance of his skin, she cast her spell.

The quiet that fell was almost as jarring as the sudden eruption. The wind stopped and the leaves and branches dropped to the ground.

Roark was on his feet in an instant, pushing her behind him as he faced the demon that had caused the disturbance.

“Damn it, Rafe, you could have hurt her.”

Kayley peeked around Roark’s massive shoulder. The other man stood about a hundred yards away. He was dressed in blue jeans and a black t-shirt, no doubt stolen from some unsuspecting housewife’s clothesline as he’d made his way through town.

“I’m not going back, Roark.” The escaped demon’s voice was firm and insistent.

“You can’t just run away, Rafe.”

“Do you want to live in the pit of hell for the rest of your life, Roark?”

“We were born in that pit.” No, Roark didn’t like living down below. He wanted to breathe the fresh air, mingle with the humans and other supernatural beings. But, it wasn’t meant to be. They were demons born under the curse of a witch who had long since passed away, leaving them no way to change their destinies.

Rafe wasn’t buying it. “I am not giving up. We don’t deserve this just because some witch acted like she had a broomstick up her ass when our great-great-great-whatever grandfather dumped her.”

“Hey.” Kayley protested at the slam to her heritage. “Not all witches are evil.”

“She wasn’t evil, baby; she was just a woman scorned.” Roark’s brother smiled at her in apology.

“Still, you can’t condemn all witches because of one woman’s act.”

“Oh, and you don’t bunch all demons together into one hellish ball of evil?” Roark replied to her statement.

“No, I don’t.” Maybe it was time to come clean about her own heritage.

“Right.” Roark snorted. Or at least tried to. The sound ended on a sharp intake of breath and for the first time, Kayley realized he was hurt. His leather vest was ripped on the side and she could see blood seeping from a large wound. It dripped down his skin, soaking the waistband of his pants. Too bad Marley hadn’t been the sister who had been rescued/kidnapped. She could have healed the man with a wave of her hand. As far as skills and powers went, Kayley was the most useless of the Anderson witches he could have brought along.

Striping out of her light sweater, she folded it into a large square. Before he could protest, she pulled up the edge of his vest and pressed it against his wound. He growled at the pain, but she refused to move away.

“I’m going to find a way out, Roark. For all of us.”

Roark’s attention snapped back to the other demon. Kayley knew her ministrations had distracted him. She also knew the demon could have escaped in that moment. Demons were lightning fast. Her gaze caught his and he winked at her again. Dang, but he was cute. Too bad both of her sisters were happily married. She would have set him up with one of them in a heartbeat.

The low snarl Roark gave startled her and she turned her attention quickly back to his wound. “What? Did I hurt you?”

“Stop flirting with her, Rafe. We’ve got bigger problems. Remington sent me a text and said Luke found out about your unauthorized visit up top. Mine, too.”

Rafe’s laugh held no humor. “You mean my escape.”

“I can’t protect you anymore.”

Kayley heard the almost soft note of sadness in Roark’s voice.

“Don’t give me that bullshit, brother. You’ll protect me with your life.”

Now that she saw them side-by-side, with Rafe’s skin back in place, there was no doubt the two men were brothers. Roark’s demeanor was darker than Rafe’s but they were both still very intense men. They were similar in height and build, Roark being a tad taller and broader. Rafe’s hair was cut close to his head while Roark’s flowed almost girly-like to his shoulders. A smile crossed her lips thinking how he would react if he knew she thought something about him was girly.

“Who’s Remington?”

“Our other brother.”

“You mean there are three of you?” How in the world had the female population in either realm survived with their hearts intact?

Yours won’t.

Kayley bit her bottom lip, already feeling some of the heartache in store.

“We don’t have time for this.” Roark snatched the sweater from her hand and rubbed it across his side. When he lifted it away, she saw the wound had closed. Demons healed almost as fast as shifters.

She wiped her hands across the backs of her thighs. “So, we need to find Rafe a hiding place until this Luke person’s anger blows over.”

Both men looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

“What? I’m sure he’ll understand once you explain why Rafe escaped. To find the answer to your curse and all.” She waved her hand and Roark caught it.

“Let’s not have any more accidental spells, shall we?” Kayley really didn’t mind the controlling gesture since he’d grabbed her hand and pressed it against the taut muscles of his abdomen. During all their time together, his leather vest had hung open giving her a spectacular view of all that male goodness and now she was touching it. She almost forgot his insult to her witchy powers.

“My protection spell worked, didn’t it?”

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Rafe spoke up, “it didn’t. I stopped. Roark was right; I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Kayley wasn’t so sure. She’d felt something when she’d cast the spell. Just like she’d felt a tingle of power right before she’d untangled the spell on the truck’s door. It was a sensation she’d never felt before. Like her powers were working correctly, not doing something wonky for once.

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