Free Something About Witches by Joey W. Hill Page B

without damage. Unfortunately, it also gave him the needed moment to catch up to her. Heedless of their precarious perch, she tried to shove him away. In answer, he seized her arms, swung her to face him, one foot braced on the stair above hers, the other just below, caging her against the railing. It also put them almost eye level despite the significant difference in their heights. “Slow down, damn it.”
    “You son of a bitch. You had no right.
No right
.” She punched at him. “Let go of me. Let go of me now.”
    Catching her wrists, he set her down hard on her backside. He put himself on the step just above, clamping her between his thighs as she struggled. She snapped at his arm like a rabid coyote before he pulled her wrists out from her body, taking his flesh out of reach.
    “Calm down. It wasn’t him.”
    Ruby’s gaze jerked to the base of the stairs where Raina leaned against the rail. Though it was her usual provocative pose, the woman’s gaze was hard, her mouth tight. “He had no more idea than you did. I gave him the choice of using it, just like I gave it to you.”
    No one blames the Devil…. They make the choice.
    It took a full minute for her to process it, to believe it, and when she did, what swept through her was devastating. If Derek hadn’t made her sit, her legs would have buckled. “Raina…. why would you do this? You’re supposed to be my friend.”
    Try as she might, Ruby couldn’t keep her voice from breaking. Derek’s grip eased, registering her distress. She wouldn’t look at him, though she couldn’t push away from the strength flanking her when she didn’t seem to have any of her own.
    “I
am
your friend,” Raina said sharply, though she’d gotten a little whiter. “And you never asked if anyone would be sharing the room with you.”
    “Oh, Raina. That is total bullshit.” Ruby fought to rein in her emotions. It was like trying to call back a flood after the dam had shattered, but she had contained a lot worse than this, right? She had to pull her shit together to get Derek to let her go. Though it was painful, she made herself look up at him.
    At least Raina was telling the truth there. He looked as floored and pissed as she felt, but there was speculation in his gaze, too. That quick mind was reviewing what had happened, what the magic had revealed about her true state of mind. Panic gripped her anew. “Let go of me, Derek. Please. I’m not going to fall now. I’m going to go to the bottom of the stairs and kill Raina.”
    “As much as I’ve dreamed of hearing you say that, now’s not the time.” His jaw flexed. “Maybe this opens some things up. Things we need to talk about.”
    “No, it doesn’t, and no, we don’t.” She extricated herself,relieved when he released her, though he rose with her, his alert expression showing his readiness to catch her again if she started to fall. It made things hurt, made her want to scream and rage further. Instead, she bottled it up like a potion, put all those incendiary feelings under pressure and stalked down the stairs.
    She ignored the fact her body was still trembling from what she’d experienced with him. Not only that, but it now wanted the real thing, merely from sitting that close to him. Her shoulder hurt. What the hell had happened there? Reaching back awkwardly, she clawed down the neck of her shirt. Nothing. The skin was smooth, but the nerve endings were acting as if the skin had been seared by that brand.
    It was probably one of the perks Raina offered. The client got a souvenir, a magical hickey with an intensity and placement appropriate to one’s deepest needs. It would probably linger in nerve memory for several days, drawing the mind back to that room like a lemming to a cliff edge.
    Raina held her position. If she’d suspected the state of Ruby’s mind, she would have run. Or maybe not. From the flash in her gaze, Raina looked like she was spoiling for the fight. It made the ache in Ruby’s