Immortals After Dark 10 - Demon From the Dark

sprinted out of the cabin and down the stairs. Outside in the sprinkling rain, she heard another shriek.
    "Ruby!" She followed the sound through the woods to the calm side of the cape, screaming, "Where are you?" Brush scraped her bare legs. "Ruby! Answer me. ..." Carrow trailed off when she spotted them, her tension fading as she took in the scene.
    On the beach, Ruby squealed and laughed as she dodged fish flapping all around her feet.
    Malkom was shirtless, knee-deep in the water, easily hand-catching them to toss up on the shore. And Carrow could have sworn he'd been sporting a grin until she ran out.
    Carrow ran her forearm over her eyes, stepping back behind a waist-high bush. She wrapped her other arm over her chest. "You scared me."
    "We're fishing, Crow!"
    And I nearly had a heart attack, Ruby. "That's good, honey." Her irritation vanished when she realized this had to be Ruby's first real laugh since her mother had died.
    Carrow gazed at Malkom, wanting to thank him again, but his heated look robbed her of breath. Ruby hadn't seemed to notice--or care--that Carrow was naked.
    But Malkom...
    As he hastily backed into deeper water, his eyes flickered black, his lips parting. And gods, she responded. His tanned skin was damp, the sculpted muscles in his torso flexing with his movements, that tattoo twining up his body. I used to follow it with my mouth.
    Once she could pry her eyes upward, even his face made her want to sigh. His blond stubble, those chiseled features, that wicked mouth. But when she bit her bottom lip, he jerked his gaze away, scowling.
    Oh, well, Rome wasn't built in a day, she thought breezily, delighted to see his interest was as marked as ever. He definitely still wanted her. "Fish on," she called. As she sauntered back to the cabin, she felt his eyes return to her, burning like a brand.

Chapter 38

    The witch, naked to all the world. Her face pinkened from her bath. Tendrils of black hair clinging to supple skin. And the brush she'd hidden behind had revealed as much as it'd covered....
    If Malkom could get that image out of his head, he thought he might find this night enjoyable, relaxing even.
    After he and the witches had eaten fish, he'd sat in front of the fire, watching Carrow and Ruby playing cards on the rug, a game called blackjack. They were wagering seashells. Either Carrow was letting the child win or she was a poor player indeed.
    They'd asked him to join them, but even if he'd been inclined, he couldn't read the symbols.
    So he'd reflected on his day, realizing it hadn't been miserable. The girl was bright and had proved to be agreeable company. This island was a paradise, filled with all the things they needed to survive and even to thrive. The air was clean, the water from the cloudy sky sweet.
    Which meant he couldn't hate the witch for where he'd ended up. However, for her deceit ... that was another matter.
    And still he wanted her just as much as before. Hell, more so.
    Now he regarded her expressions, watched the firelight on her shining hair. He missed touching her, missed taking her neck. Or breast. He missed merely sleeping with her against him--
    "So, you two were busy today," she said.
    Ruby answered, "We put traps out, and now nobody can get here. And tomorrow, we're going to string pots that will make a lot of noise if anybody gets too close to our ter'tory ."
    At that, Carrow grinned in his direction, as if she wanted to share her amusement with him.
    "The peninsula is closed off," he said stonily. Preparing for an attack was normal for him. Relaxing with others like this, hearing their laughter, was foreign. "You should be safe." And if anything approached by air, he would hear its wings from a mile away.
    "Then, Malkom, I have a favor to ask you," Carrow said, taking another card. "I need you to search for a way to get us off this island."
    To get them to the home she spoke of. Malkom knew it surely couldn't trump this place of plenty, with food all around. He'd scooped the night's meal straight from the water! "What do I know of that, witch? 'Tis not my world."
    "You could venture out and try to find any of our allies, or maybe a boat. Perhaps there's another island nearby--this could be one of a chain. And as you said, we should be secure here until you return."
    "I will consider it." He would never consider it.
    The child asked, "Why can't you just trace us away? Demons can trace, can't they?"
    "I could, long ago. But I no longer have that