Free Through a Crimson Veil by Patti O'Shea

walls of the great room were a soft ivory, without so much as a cheap print to break the monotony, and the furnishings were simple—one sofa, apparently picked for durability rather than comfort or style; one coffee table that looked as if he’d rescued it from a trash heap; and his oversized desk.
    The office area held most of her interest. Not only was the desk huge, the bookcase was as well, and it was crammed with texts. The desktop was empty except for a computer screen, a keyboard, and a stack of papers with a geode paperweight on top of them.
    Mika rubbed her forehead. It felt so lonely here, so barren of life and joy. Looking at the room—at the whole home—made her hurt for Conor. Not that McCabe would appreciate that. He’d get prickly if she said anything, but if she were living here, she’d make the place burst with color and vibrancy. It was just what he needed.
    She blew out a sharp breath. Conor had disappeared for good, and she guessed he was out investigating or doing whatever the first step was in his plan of action. The house seemed emptier without him.
    Her intention when she’d walked into the kitchen earlier had been to test how strong the bond between them was. Already she was comfortable with Conor, as if she’d known him forever, but he’d lived his entire life in the human world. How much did he feel? Before she’d been able to get any answer, he’d begun questioning her. Mika’s scowl deepened. There had been no choice except to divert him, and she’d used their attraction to do it. She certainly couldn’t tell the truth.
    Not with the way her promise to the Council was worded.
    The Council. Mika stretched out her legs, resting her heels atop the coffee table. She’d finally figured it out. The reason why they needed her, the reason why they hadn’t had Conor killed and then ransacked his home at their leisure, was the protective field surrounding his property.They must have tested it, and once they’d discovered it couldn’t be breached, they must have decided they needed someone he would allow inside.
    They’d laid out a plan for her to enlist his aid and she’d never asked the one question that would have occurred to any idiot. Why didn’t she just break into his home and find the spell? If she’d raised that issue, odds were good she would have gotten a better bargain than the one she’d agreed to.
    Slouching in her seat, she gazed at her bare toes. At least she’d protected Conor. He might hate her when the spell disappeared, but her vishtau mate would be safe.
    The vishtau. Mika sighed. The timing and the man couldn’t be worse. Yet she couldn’t imagine wanting any other now that she’d spent time with him.
    Sex was casual among the inhabitants of Orcus. She’d never embraced that lifestyle, maybe because she’d lived too long in the Overworld, or maybe because her grandma Noguchi had such a huge influence on her, but Mika didn’t condemn others for taking their pleasure. And in all honesty, there had been several demon males she would have gone to bed with—if they hadn’t scorned her because of her damn human blood. Since she wasn’t willing to settle for some weak creature, and certainly not for a human, she didn’t have much in the way of firsthand experience.
    Still, she’d grown up with the openness—she’d witnessed plenty—so she wasn’t ignorant. Nor was she shy. Conor was her mate and she wanted him, why shouldn’t she touch him?
    It wasn’t as if he were fighting her off. She hadn’t been bold enough to straddle him torso to torso, not with the memories of her previous rejections, but he hadn’t hesitated for more than a second before pulling her the rest of the way forward. He’d told her to stop kissing him, yet at that very moment, Conor’s hands had been underneath her tank top, exploring the bare skin of her back. He didn’twant to want her, she was aware of that, but his desire was as strong as hers.
    Nothing would be casual