“What is this, a broom closet?” the witchasked, shouldering her way past Bambie and into Taylor’s roomwithout so much as a by your leave. “I mean, why are you hiding inhere?”
“We’re not hiding,” Taylor said withdignity. “This is my home—for now, anyway. You ought to ask beforeyou come barging in.”
“Sorry,” Gwendolyn muttered. "I didn'tknow."
“Why are you here?” I asked and my heart wassuddenly in my throat. “Does it…does it have to do with thestake?”
“You’re damn right, it’s the stake,” thewitch snapped. She fumbled in the giant, oversized purse she waswearing and pulled out something that looked like an old, dried uptree branch.
“What’s that?” I asked, staring at itblankly.
“That’s the stake! The soul eater.” Shethrust it at me and I pulled back instinctively.
“What the hell—keep it out of my face!”
“It can’t hurt you now—it can’t hurt anyone.Someone neutralized it—someone reversed my spell.” Sheglared at me as if I was personally responsible. Which actually, Iprobably was. “That was my best magic and I come from a long lineof powerful witches. Even I couldn’t have reversed thatspell. How the hell did you do it?”
Taylor turned to me, her eyes wide. “Youreversed a witch’s magic? But how, Addison? You’re not a witch—areyou?”
“No, of course not.” I tried to laugh. “Ithink you’d know by now if I was. You would have caught me outcasting spells at midnight or dancing with the devil orsomething.”
An uncomfortable look crossed Gwendolyn’sface.
“That’s a fucking stereotype and I don’tappreciate it. Witches are neutral agents of power—they havenothing to do with demons or any other creatures of the ShadowLands.” She glared at me. “So how did you reverse my magic?”
“She paid the Crimson Debt.”
The new voice came from the doorway. Ilooked up to see Corbin standing there with a scowl on his face. Hewas wearing jeans and a t-shirt—a black one this time that clung tohis broad, muscular chest and seemed to match his mood. Hisannouncement brought a collective gasp from everyone in the room—aswell as outside it. Bambie was still standing there just behindhim, her eyes wide, no doubt soaking up the gossip.
Taylor shook her head. “Addison…youdidn’t.”
“Of course, she didn’t,” Gwendolyn saidflatly. “If she did, she wouldn’t still be here. The vamp she paidthe Debt to would have killed her.”
“He very nearly did,” Corbin growled,frowning at me.
Okay, it was getting just a littletoo crowded in Taylor’s tiny room for my taste. And I didn’t likesitting meekly on her lumpy cot like a naughty child while Corbinglared down at me like an angry father.
“This is not the place to be talking aboutthis,” I said, getting up and only wobbling a little bit as Ipushed past Taylor and Gwendolyn to get to Corbin. “I think,” Isaid, looking up at him, “We could use a little privacy.”
“Oh, is it privacy you want?” He suddenlyswept me into his arms and carried me down the hallway. He wasmoving so fast I barely had time to see the shocked look onBambie’s face before he turned the corner and entered hisoffice.
Once we were alone, he shut the door and putme down. Then he walked across the room, leaned back against hisdesk, folded his arms over his chest and just…glared atme.
“Corbin—” I started but he shook hishead.
“So now we have some privacy,” hesaid, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “Only I seem to recall that thelast time you asked for privacy you lured me downstairs and chainedme to the bed.”
I lifted my chin. “Yeah, well, I didn’t seeyou protesting at the time.”
“That is because I had no idea what you wereabout to do. Gods!” He ran a hand through his hair in a very humangesture of frustration. “How could I have not seen it? How could Ihave not understood what you were about to risk?”
“Because you were almost dead at the time,”I shot back. “And you were about to be all dead if I didn’tdo something fast—so I did it.”
“You nearly died, Addison!” heroared.
I couldn’t help it—I flinched. I had neverseen him angrier.
“Corbin—” I started.
“I could have killed you—could have rippedyou to shreds!” His eyes were blazing and every muscle in his bigbody was tight. But I was through flinching.
“You think I don’t know that?” I shoutedback. “I knew what I was getting into—I see it at work all thetime. Hell, I saw it last night, right before I came to you.”
Corbin shook his head. “You are insane. If Ihad killed you…”
“But you didn’t,” I said more softly.“You didn’t, Corbin—I’m all right. We both are. Yes, I took a riskbut it paid off.”
“No, we are not all right,” he groundout, his eyes narrowed. “Even though I didn’t kill you I still hurtyou—and badly.”
“Look,” I said, putting out a hand. “I knowI’m a little banged up but—”
“A little banged up?” he repeated. “Addison,come here.”
I came to him reluctantly and stopped abouttwo feet from him.
“What?”
“Look.” He tugged at the belt of the silkydark green kimono I was wearing and it fell open with a whisper ofcloth.
I looked down at myself…and bit back agasp.
I was covered in bruises. My arms, mythighs, my hips and torso, all were covered in long, finger shapedmarks that had to be from Corbin’s hands.
“I did that,” he said softly and there was adepth of sorrow and regret in his voice that made me ache to hearit. “I hurt you, Addison. And…forced myself on you, as well.”
“Oh, come on,” I objected. “If anyone forcedanyone it was me forcing you. I chained you down,remember?”
“Yes, and now I know why.” He shook hishead. “You should have known that silver wouldn’t hold one of myage and strength.”
“Well, I didn’t. And it seemed like agood idea at the time. Corbin…” I stepped closer and put my hand onhis arm. “You didn’t force me, okay?” I said gently. “It wasconsensual, all the way.”
He frowned. “Maybe it started out that way,but I know how it ended. Darling… I saw blood on your thighs. Iknow what I did. How I hurt you.”
The pain in his eyes was awful to see. Itfelt like someone had reached into my chest and
