Free Some Like it Wicked by Stacey Kennedy Page B

raised his foot to take another
step forward, but before it could hit the ground, he heard his name again.
    Arlo tilted his head. “Is that—”
    He didn’t need Arlo to finish. The way the ogre’s ears
perked up in the same direction that he heard Bryanna’s voice indicated Zeke
hadn’t imagined anything.
    Pushing off the ground, Zeke did something he hadn’t done
since his banishment from hell. The Devil’s punishment wasn’t to strip Zeke of
his powers. No, he trapped Zeke in this realm as powerful as he’d been before,
forcing him to deal with his innate desires of soul stealing..
    Allowing his demonic nature to consume him, he sucked in a
deep breath and found that dark place of pure heat. A rush of fire laced his
veins as his human body became a thin line of smoke drifting through the air.
    In this form, he couldn’t see Bryanna, but he sensed her and
she stood out like a pulsing hot heartbeat. The hunger inside of him to prey on
such a pure soul created a fierce thirst within him. He swooped down from the
sky and instantly retook his human form. His boots pressed against the gravel
road and he stretched out his muscles, suffering the ache that had always come
when shifting forms.
    A piercing scream snapped his head up and there was the
innocent witch being dragged by her arms, her feet bound with rope. He might
hunger to devour that innocence to feed his power, but Zeke didn’t need power,
he only needed her. “Release her,” he spat. “Now.”
    Spinning around, Layton dropped Bryanna and she banged her
head against the road. “Don’t interfere, demon,” he sneered. “You have no right
to her.”
    Zeke drew in a harsh breath as Bryanna cringed in pain,
rubbing the side of her head in tears, then he lifted his head and arched an
eyebrow. “I would argue that point with you.” He approached, not hesitant, but
ready to suck Layton’s soul out of his body. “Remove the magic from her.
Immediately.”
    “Back off.” Layton’s magic caused the wind to kick up a
notch as energy flowed around Zeke.
    He chuckled. “Your wind might move it, warlock.” His voice
had deepened with the evil unleashed inside of him and power rushed through his
veins. “But you cannot harm me.”
    Layton’s eyes narrowed into slits as a self-righteous grin
spread over his face. Blue flickers of light surrounded his hands before the
wind swirling around Zeke sucked away and a long, tan-colored rope came rushing
toward him.
    Zeke held his ground, watching as the rope flew through the
air, and he groaned when the rope smacked into his chest before dropping to the
gravel road. He stared down at the rope on the ground, drawing in a long,
controlled breath, then he jerked his gaze up. “That was mistake number two.”
    He rocked back on his heels to take demonic form and kill
this warlock when Bryanna screamed, “No.” Freezing in place, he glanced at her.
Her eyes were wide, frantic, and she shook her head slowly. “Don’t. It’ll
change you back.”
    The evil inside of Zeke demanded he make Layton suffer until
he writhed in pain, but one peek at Bryanna’s beautiful face reminded him he
didn’t desire a violent life. His natural state hungered to steal and cause
mayhem, but the stronger part of him had walked away from that life long ago.
    No matter that even the good part of him thought Layton
deserved death for hurting Bryanna, if he took a life, he’d never come back.
Bryanna didn’t know how right she was—the moment he once again accepted the
darkness, the Devil would end his punishment and he’d return to hell. Those had
been the Devil’s conditions— do my bidding and I will set you free .
    Zeke was already free.
    He turned his attention to the warlock, who backed away from
him toward his car. “Leave.”
    Layton continued to retreat, never taking his eyes off Zeke
as he neared the driver’s-side door. “You’ve ruined her life. Her coven will
now reject her. I’ll tell them she sided with a