Free The Sorceress Screams by Anya Breton Page B

Please, Marino, don’t make me a
liar.”
    Desmond puffed
out an unhappy breath. “I can’t do anything to stop a vampire from calling on his
thrall, but I’ll call the coalition together to discuss their options.”
    “Where do I
take them in the meantime? We’ll be there in roughly four hours. I don’t have
room at my apartment.”
    “Bring them to
my house. I’ll notify the gate that you’re to be allowed inside.”
    “Thank you,
Marino.”
    “Your thanks
will be you owing me a favor for this, Ms. Walsh.”
    The dick
disconnected the call before I could argue.
    I wanted to
throw my phone out the window. He should thank me for helping the witches, not demand favors! Desmond the dick really earned
his nickname today.
    “Are they
going to help?” Gemma asked.
    I tamped down
my irritation with a heavy sigh. “They had better, or they won’t get a favor
from me.”
    ****
    “I’m sorry but
the only authorized visitor for Dr. Marino today is Kora Walsh.”
    “But I am Kora Walsh!” I waved my driver’s license wildly at the guy blocking the road. “See?”
    The security
guard’s gaze followed the plastic card. His delivery was as calm as mine was
frustrated. “Ma’am, that photograph shows a blue-haired woman with pale skin.”
    “It’s cerulean,
and of course it does.” I jerked, recognizing the issue. At the moment I had raven hair and dark skin. “Oh. Uh, I’m in disguise.”
    The guard
leveled a dubious look at me. “I’m sorry, ma’am. But I can’t let you into the
community without authorization.”
    “What’s the
problem, Rick?”
    I’d called on
Water a half second before Desmond’s smooth cadence broke into the
conversation. My attempt to fix my skin pigment fizzled in my distraction. And
then all attempts at thought went with it when I faced him.
    Never had I
seen Desmond Marino in anything but a suit. The gray tank top taut around his
torso was darkened at the armpits and a portion down the chest. Navy knit
shorts hung to the middle of powerful thigh muscles. Sweat had broken out in a
fine sheen all over his pale skin, and a warm flush had built in his cheeks.
He’d been running. And Hera help me he looked good that way.
    His gaze
passed over me twice before settling on Rick the guard’s face with an expectant
expression.
    The guard
stammered an explanation. “Dr. Marino, sir, this young lady claims you gave her
authorization to visit your home.”
    “I gave Kora Walsh authorization. She drives a sky blue Nissan
Sentra.” His pointed glance at the minivan implied he was aware the Dodge was
most certainly not a sky blue Nissan Sentra.
    I stared at
Desmond for a blank moment. He knew the exact color of my car? I couldn’t
remember ever being in it around him.
    “Um, s-sir.” Rick’s gaze flitted between
us with obvious unease. “This young lady claims she is Kora Walsh.”
    Desmond’s
attention swiveled back to me. His dark eyebrows lowered into a perplexed V
that lasted until he’d done an extensive visual sweep up and down my body,
ending on my face.
    “Good God,” he
said, softly cursing. “Is that shoe polish?”
    “No. Can you
just let me inside, Marino?”
    He visibly
shook himself. “That’s Kora Walsh, Rick. Please let
her inside.”
    The security
guard glanced to the ID photo in my hand and then back at me. “Uh, are you
sure, Dr. Marino?”
    “Unfortunately.” Desmond’s drawl
barely finished before he’d set off at a jog toward his house.
    I vaguely
remembered the route, but it would be my luck to get lost where Marino could
mock me. Having him jogging in those shorts in my rearview mirror would make it
harder to concentrate. Kore’s seeds! The man was so
gorgeous it was unreal.
    “Who was that ?” Veronika asked with her nose pressed to the window as we passed the Water priest.
    “That’s
Desmond Marino,” I said between tightly clenched teeth.
    “Oh my God.” She pronounced each word
with undue emphasis. “I’ve seen photographs of our