I took a long shower, allowing the hot water to run down my body. And after the shower, I rummaged through the suitcase and found a long black flannel shirt to change into. The shirt once on hung almost to my knees. When I came out of the bathroom, Luke was sitting in the living room on the sofa with a box of bandages, hydrogen peroxide, and cotton balls on the coffee table in front of him.

"Sit down. Let's get something on those deeper cuts," he said.

I sat down next to him and held out my arm. He rolled up my sleeve, and I winced as he dabbed some of the peroxide on the cut on my elbow.

"Does it hurt?"

"It stings."

He nodded his head and gently put a bandage across the gash. "Anywhere else?" he asked.

I pointed to my calf and turned so he had full access to my leg. He bent down and dabbed a few cuts on my calf and knee, then covered them in bandages.

"Your shirt was torn last night. Is that scrape on your shoulder bad?" he asked.

I know he was just helping me, but there was something in the way his eyes were now roaming across my body that sent a hum through me.

Self-conscious, I slowly unbuttoned my shirt and lowered it off my shoulder.

When his fingers touched my skin, I couldn't help it, I shivered.

"Does that hurt?" he asked, his voice low.

"No, it doesn't hurt." It was just the opposite. It felt so delicious to have his fingers on me. Where those fingertips slide along my skin, I could feel this heat, this almost electric energy.

He moved closer and I could feel his breath on my neck. He was so close now if I turned my head just a bit our lips would brush against each other. That one thought raced through me and without really thinking, just reacting in that moment, I turned and pushed my lips against his.

I was kissing him and for one brief second, he didn't react at all. I realized in a moment of pure panic he was not kissing me back. Mortified over what I'd just done, the way I had pushed my attentions on him when clearly, he was not interested, I started to pull away. But as I did, he began to move, to reach out and suddenly he pulled me back against him and his lips crushed against mine.

He kissed me. His hands came up and tangled in my hair and our kiss deepened. My whole world suddenly became focused on Luke. Focused on the feeling of his body against me, the taste of him, that velvet tongue that now slid so deliciously along my lips. We kissed and kissed again. And then he began to fall back against the sofa, and he pulled me with him. My whole body lay against his, as our kisses grew deeper still.

I felt bewitched, exhilarated, felt suddenly on fire in a way that I'd never felt before. He began to lift me, and in one incredibly physical move he rolled me until my body lay beneath his. His body for a moment was entirely against mine and the weight of him crushed all the air from my lungs. He then lifted himself and hovered inches above me as his lips found mine again. We kissed and kissed some more. I honestly don't know how long we lay there together until suddenly his lips broke away from mine and his body moved and I realized I was lying on the sofa all alone. I lay there, my thoughts still fogged by desire and my body still humming with excitement from his touch. My lips still quivering with delight from those kisses, and my heart pounding so hard I could still hear it ringing him my ears.

I turned my head and realized he was standing a few feet away. He was just standing there, his hands balled into fists, watching me. There was a scowl on his face.

I sat up confused. "Did I do something wrong?" I whispered.

"Colina, I can't do this." His expression was now one of anguish. "There is too much at stake —" He turned away and when he turned back his features were more composed. "We need to stay focused on the ritual." He motioned towards the bedroom. "You need to go and get some rest. You can take the bed and I'll stay out here."

I sat stunned, not sure what to say.

When he spoke again his voice was more commanding, "Go get some sleep. I'll get the suitcase from the bathroom and bring in some extra blankets. It can get cold in that bedroom."

"Okay," I finally said and realized I was grasping my fingers tightly together. I forced myself up and without another word I made my way across the room into the bedroom.

* * *

I resisted the urge to slam the door behind me and instead closed it quietly. Then I stood there just staring at the door. Luke was right, we needed to focus on the ritual, on helping me gain the dark powers. A part of me wondered if he had felt the same wild abandonment when our bodies crushed together, when our lips locked. Had he truly pushed himself away from me out of concern about the ritual or was it just an excuse? I had been the one who had kissed him first, but he had reached for me when I pulled back. He had kissed me, not just once, but again and again. He did have feelings for me, it was not just something I was imagining.

I realized my hand was on the doorknob. I shook my head and let out a loud sigh. I spun around and took in my night's lodgings. Pagan was definitely a romantic. In the room was a four-poster bed with white, sheer material draped across the top and dangling partway down the sides. Against one wall stood a large white dresser with painted flowers on the front. Against another wall sat a smaller matching dresser sporting a large, gilded mirror. A bay window held drapes touching the floor, which were covered in the same flowers as the dresser.

I made myself comfortable on the edge of the bed and sat there staring at the wall for, I'm not sure how long, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I shouted.

The door swung open, and Luke stood in the doorway, his arms full. "I brought you some clean sheets and blankets." He walked quickly towards me. He put the suitcase on the bed and then pushed the bedding into my arms before making a quick retreat.

"Good night," I called to his back.

He lifted his arm in acknowledgment but didn't turn around. I watched him close the door behind him.

Light was streaming in the window. My body ached. I knew I needed sleep, but my mind refused to turn off. The look on Darla's face as the man grabbed her and pinned her to the ground kept popping into my head.

The room was chilly, so I opened the suitcase and pulled out a blue sweater and put it on. I changed the sheets and forced myself to lie down and pulled the large, fluffy white comforter over myself. I closed my eyes, but as I did, more images started to fill my mind.

My father lying dead on the floor.

My mother's lifeless eyes staring up at me.

It didn't take long for me to get out of bed, needing to escape the horrific images. I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth as I made my way back into the living room.

Luke was lying on the couch under a red blanket.

"Are you asleep?" I whispered.

"No." He sat up. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to sleep alone. I'm still kind of freaked out." I was scared, as much as I hated to admit it.

His eyes widened for a moment, and then he pushed his covers off and got up. He was shirtless in a pair of gray sweatpants.

"I'm sorry I woke you up—"

He interrupted me before I could continue. "It's still too cold in here. Go back into the bedroom. I'll be there in a second. I'm going to put another log on the fire."

I made my way back into bed, and a few minutes later he came in and settled down next to me. I turned toward him, and he opened his arms. I laid my head down on his chest, my fingertips resting on his skin. An unreasonable desire to trail my fingers across his chest and down his stomach filled me. I swallowed hard and resisted the temptation this time.

We needed to only focus on the dark rituals. And if I survived them and gained the dark powers and used those powers to help save his sister . . . What then? What might be possible between the two of us once Darla was safe back home? It was a question I wanted to ask, but honestly, I wasn't sure what to ask. How do you ask a guy who was just passionately kissing you an hour ago, what his intentions are without sounding ridiculous?

Luke's hands started to caress my hair, interrupting my embarrassing train of thought. "Sleep. I'm here. Everything is fine. Go to sleep."

I dutifully closed my eyes, pushing back my questions, and fell asleep listening to the sound of his heartbeat.