Chapter Eight

Weak, so weak

I can barely feel the air around me

How did she do it?

I was so sure it would work this time

 
The bitch had played her part well

I enjoyed tormenting her, making her spirit cry with grief

It worked just as I had planned

Right up until the part that she’d gone to him instead of calling me into existence

Now my strength is depleted and she’s not even here

He’d carried her out of the house

And she’d gone willingly

 
She had to come back at some point

After all, this was her home

I’ll put this time to good use, though

Building back up my strength

Next time, she won’t be so lucky

* * * *

This morning the sunlight held a special gift. Tempest could feel it warming her face, and then the next thing she knew she was receiving a kitty kiss, right on her nose. She’d felt the pressure when Pero had climbed on her chest, but had known it was a good pressure this time, not the evil, frightening force she’d felt last night. She opened her eyes to gaze at her Pero, who was staring down at her. Culo sat next to her, and she could hear his loud purr.

She put a hand on each cat, gently stroking furs until both of them were purring loudly. “How’s it going guys? It’s good to see your smiling faces first thing in the morning.”

“I think they’re pretty happy.”

She turned her head toward the doorway where Franco stood, holding a cardboard tray with two steaming mugs of café au lait and a white pastry bag.

“Stevie, the cook, sent up a huge bowl of shrimp for them earlier, so they’re pretty satisfied. Quinn set up their box, along with food and water dishes. And I brought this for you.”

“The service here is fantastic. Would you like a job when I open my B&B?” Her heart clenched, and she tried to hold back tears. “If I get to open my B&B.”

“You will.” He came into the room and placed the tray and bag on the night table. The cats scampered out of the room and she watched them go.

“They must be pretty freaked, being loaded up in the middle of the night and brought here.” She put her hand on his. “Thank you, by the way, for opening your home to us.”

“You’re most welcome.” He leaned over and brushed his lips over hers, the contact light and sweet, reminding her that she really, really liked this man. “I think they’ll do just fine here. They’ve already staked out a spot on the balcony in the extra bedroom. The sunshine is very good there.”

He sat down next to her on the bed and she pushed herself into a sitting position, accepting the cup of coffee and watching with anticipation as he reached for the bag. He placed it in her lap, then put his arm around her.

“Beignets?” she asked, hopefully.

“A few. There’s also a cruller or two. I wasn’t sure which you would want.”

Tempest opened the bag and grasped the first pastry she’d come to: a cruller. She took a huge bite, moaning in satisfaction as the chocolate coating melted in her mouth. “After last night, anything with sugar is just perfect.”

He stroked her hair and didn’t reply as she continued to eat. “How long was I on the floor with…him?”

“A half-hour.”

Tempest dropped the half-eaten treat back in the bag. “What?” Her voice shook and she still wasn’t sure if she’d heard him right. A half-hour? How was that possible? It had seemed like seconds to her. But it couldn’t have been that short of a time period. Everyone needed time to get there. But a half-hour?

“It may have been a little longer. I wasn’t exactly counting time. I tried to touch you, so I could pull you back out onto the balcony, but your skin was burning hot. Plus you slugged me, hard, several times. After a few minutes I called for Dev and his crew, and he called Martin.” He inched closer to her and kissed her forehead. “Martin made contact with your ghost.”

“Really? That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Sure is. He says…”

Before he could continue, she put her finger on his lips. “I slugged you?”

“Yup. You’ve got quite a left hook.”

Tempest put her face in her hands, fighting back the shame she felt for doing something so horrible. “How did he get hold of me like that? He’s never done it before.”

“Candice, that’s the spirit, told Martin that the incubus, whom she won’t name, feeds off her energy. He berated her last night, repeatedly, leaving her feeling sorry for herself and very sad. He told her the only way he would stop was if she would lure your inside. And then he attacked. He had the energy he’d stolen from you from the last week, plus hers. Those combined made him very strong.”

She started to ask how they would fight him, but realized she didn’t need to.

“Don’t worry, gorgeous. We found a member of our group named Pebbles that’s an expert on demonology. She hasn’t advertised the fact, so we were thrilled to hear from her. She’s coming to dinner with us tonight so we can plan our strategy to rid you of…him.”

“Pebbles?”

Franco’s laugh was wonderful to hear and it lightened her spirits. “It’s a nickname. She won’t tell us her real name.”

Tempest took a sip of her coffee, then turned to him. “You know it, obviously.”

“Yes, I do. But I respect her wishes not to make it known.” He nuzzled against her neck. “She’s a very sweet woman, and I think she’ll be able to help us.”

Relief seeped into Tempest’s body, although she was afraid to let it fully consume her. There was the idea of victory, but it wasn’t there yet.

“Don’t think that.”

She laughed softly, then took another bite of food. “I can’t help but think that last night wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t contacted Quinn; that things would have just gone on as they had been.”

“Yes, and he would have control of you. You would have called his name and he would use you for his pleasure, and for bearing his child. You know that’s what he wants now, right?”

“Yes, I know.” That thought made her stomach churn. She dropped the pastry and passed him the bag. He put it on the table, then pushed them over so that he was on top of her. His lips found her neck, trailing kisses up and down it until she shivered in need.

She might wish she’d never contacted Quinn, but if she hadn’t, she never would have met Franco, and that, she was starting to believe, would have been the biggest tragedy of her life.

Tempest shivered and groaned as he knelt over her, his hands caressing her breasts through the T-shirt she wore, which obviously belonged to him. He put his hands on her stomach and inched his way up slowly, caressing her as she lay there watching him.

When he reached her nipples, he took each one between a thumb and forefinger, applying that wonderful pressure that turned to instant pleasure. He teased them mercilessly as she undulated under him, rocking her hips and trying to come into contact with something that would help ease the pressure that was building in her clit.

She was wearing nothing more than his borrowed shirt and her undies. She didn’t remember undressing last night. She barely remembering coming over to Franco’s, much less going to into bed. Had he undressed her?

Who cares, Tempest. Just relax and enjoy this wonderfully seductive man who is making you feel oh so good right now.

He lifted the shit up to expose her breasts, then bent quickly, capturing a nipple in his mouth while his hand toyed with the other. When he grasped one breast between two hands and then licked the nipple over and over, Tempest thought the action might make her come right then and there.

The sensation was incredible, her nipple aching to be sucked and him refusing to do so, just teasing it repeatedly with his tongue. Need swamped her but Franco refused to be hurried. He lifted his gaze to her and winked, and that one little innocent movement affected her as nothing had in such a long time. Then he bent to the other nipple, grazing the hard bud with his tongue until she finally cried out.

“Franco! Please, I…” She grasped his shoulders. “Lower, please.”

“Hush. Just lay there, sweet Tempest. I don’t want you to lift a finger, do you understand me?”

“But…”

“Not a finger or we’ll discuss that taming issue that we brought up last night.” The look he gave her was stern, and it made her insides tingle even more.

“Fine.” She thought about saying ‘spank me then’, but instead she said, “Love me.”

“With pleasure.” He bent back to his task, sucking each nipple in turn. Tempest closed her eyes and relaxed into the mattress. His lips moved over her stomach and for the first time ever she didn’t worry about the fact that she was a larger woman. The comfort she felt with Franco was something she’d never experienced before and she never wanted it to end.

His hands were on her panties now, gently tugging them down. She lifted her hips and he moved them to her knees, spreading her thighs just enough to place a kiss on her neatly trimmed mons.

“Oh, my.” Further words escaped her as he kissed her slit, starting at the top and moving down. Her body pulsed with energy and her spirit soared as he slowly explored her, opening her slit and tracing his tongue over the soft, wet flesh just below.

She wiggled and squirmed and when his tongue found her clit, and when he flicked the tip over it, she came, her hips shooting off the bed, his order to stay still forgotten. Her legs wouldn’t move very far, encased in her silken panties as they were, and she tried to fight them until he lightly pinched her bottom. She settled down and buried her hands in his hair, a second orgasm spiraling through her as his tongue and teeth taunted her clit, with him applying pressure before letting off and then applying it again.

When he finally sucked the hard nub into his mouth, then released it with a kiss before setting back on his knees, Tempest wondered if she would ever be able to walk again. Her legs felt like jelly. Her body quivered with the desire to have him inside her.

“Not now,” he whispered. “Go to sleep, my Tempest. We’ll unleash another storm later, after we’ve met with our friends. Just sleep now.”

She closed her eyes and followed his directions, fighting the urge to stay awake and count the seconds until the promised storm would arrive.