mission magic 01 - the incubus job Read Online Free Page A

at me as he examined me from head to foot and back, lingering on the scar that hooked from just below my right eye and made a slashing comma down to my jaw.
    “Mary Carson, I presume?” he asked caustically.
    His gravelly voice scraped my nerves as it always had, and I had to suppress a shiver. My hormones spun into overdrive and flat-out need lust through me like a tidal wave. I hadn’t slept with anyone since him. I hadn’t wanted to.
    He didn’t need to know that. Just like he didn’t need to know I’d been in love with him all those years ago. Fuck. Who was I kidding? I was still in love with him.
    “In the flesh,” I said, making no effort to take down my room wards so he could come in.
    When I didn’t say anything more, his scowl deepened and his jaw knotted. He put his hands on either side of the doorway and leaned in. I could smell his aftershave. It made my toes curl. I drew a deep breath to savor it even as I kicked myself.
    “Are we going to do this in public, then?” he asked softly, his lip curling. “Because we are going to have a conversation right now.”
    I flicked a glance at the door. I could shut it. He’d have to blast down my shields—if he could.
    He made a growling sound as he followed my glance. “Do you really want a war, Mallory? Because like it or not, you’re going to talk to me. I’m not letting you vanish without a word again. So why don’t you try acting like a grown-up for once?”
    His comments stung, if only because they were true. I’d not behaved much better than Tabitha had downstairs. I’d owed Law better. I just hadn’t been capable of doing it without pouring my heart out all over him. I wasn’t sure I was any more capable now, but he wasn’t giving me a lot of choice.
    I stepped back. “Give me a minute.”
    He gave me a blistering look but didn’t say anything. I retreated into the sitting area, facing away from him. I needed a second to get control over myself. I took several deep breaths, letting them out slowly, feeling for the center of my magic. To say I was flustered was an understatement. Not the best state of mind for working magic. I snorted softly at myself. I’d been telling Tabitha to grow up and deal with things, but I wasn’t handling my issue any better.
    Six years ago I’d run away because I had to get out of that life and I knew Law would try to talk me down. I couldn’t let him. Six years ago I’d killed for the last time. I knew he couldn’t understand then, and I was pretty sure he wouldn’t understand now. Six years ago I’d broken our partnership and left behind the man I loved more than my own life. If I could do that then, I could do this now.
    No more running. Time to face what I’d done, what I’d had to do. Watch and learn, Tabitha.
    I took down my wards and heard the door thump shut. Law strode into the room behind me. The space filled with his presence. I squared my shoulders and turned to face him. I might have let him in, but we were still at war.
    “Been a while, Law. You look good.”
    He stopped a few feet away, giving me an incredulous stare. “That’s all you have to say for yourself?”
    “What did you expect?”
    He thrust his hands through his hair and swore. “God damn it, Mallory. How about an explanation? Like why you left without a word. Like why you’ve never been in touch. Like what you’re doing here and with a poltergeist.” He moved before I knew what he was going to do. Suddenly he was standing right in front of me. He reached up, lightly gripping my face, his thumb brushing over the scar. “Like what happened to you,” he said, his voice turning smoky.
    His touch sent curls of flame rippling through my body. I wanted to close my eyes and lean into him. But no, that was a trap. Anything to do with him was a trap. I couldn’t go back. I might still love Law beyond reason, but he belonged to a life that needed to stay in the past.
    I stepped away, pulling out of his grasp and putting distance