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Maggie shrugged, and turned to the bedroom door, her bangle-covered wrists clinking as she sashayed up to the guards. She wiggled her bejeweled fingers, and they opened the doors for her.
Mina rolled her eyes and followed, shaking her head. The witch was entirely unashamed of her wickedness. Mina supposed that was why they got along so well.
Inside her room, the chairs that had been placed on her bright blue rugs had been moved away. The blue curtains she’d had installed were closed, and a steaming copper tub sat in the middle of the floor.
Mina arched an eyebrow. “I thought you said there were two tubs.”
Maggie shrugged. “Let’s just say I had a sneaking suspicion that Miss Aria wouldn’t join us.”
“You are incorrigible.” Mina shook her head and kicked off her boots by the foot of the bed.
“And you love it,” she laughed, coming up behind her, taking her jacket as Mina slipped it from her shoulders. “Would you like some help with that corset?”
“No need,” Mina said, working the straps that held the leather together at her side. “I hate corsets. I had this one specially made.”
“Hmm, I’ll have to invest in one of those,” Maggie chuckled as she wandered back over to the bath.
Mina stripped off her pants and shirt, and by the time she made it to the tub, the witch had spread rose petals and lilies through the water, sending a beautiful aroma wafting into the air.
“Get in,” Maggie instructed. “I’ll brush out your hair and read your palm for you.”
Mina laughed and took her hand stepping into the smooth basin. “You and your magic.”
“Palm reading isn’t magic.” Maggie tsked pulling up a stool to the side of the tub. “It’s a game of intuition and artistry.”
“That’s a fancy way of saying it’s a lie,” Mina laughed leaning back against the edge of the tub, sinking into the warm water.
Maggie narrowed her eyes and held out a hand wiggling her fingers. “Give me.”
Mina rolled her eyes and dropped her hand into the witch’s grasp. Maggie flattened her fingers out, and traced the lines along her palm, looking at her skin closely. “You’re moving along nicely. Your future is bright, my child. Bright, and….” She trailed off a pout transforming her easy expression.
“What’s wrong?” Mina asked. “I’m sure my hands are filthy.”
“I…your love line has changed,” she said. “The last time I read your palm it was faint. As if your love would arrive later in life, but now, it’s bold. You have a new scar that stretches around the side of your hand. You will have a long-lasting love, and it will arrive soon.”
Mina snorted and pulled her hand away to scrub the dirt from beneath her nails. “What idiot would be foolish enough to ask for my hand in marriage?”
“Oh, hush you. Any man would be lucky to have you,” she said, sliding around behind her, to undo the tie holding the remnants of her long braid together. Maggie scratched her nails over her scalp. “Now close your eyes and relax. This is a temple, you’re meant to heal, and…honestly, I don’t know what else. I’m a witch.”
Mina shook her head, but said nothing more, as she followed the woman’s instructions. Maggie’s nails felt glorious as they untangled the plats of her hair. Slipping down a little further into the water, Mina found herself falling asleep in seconds.
Her body relaxed, and then just as she felt a dream begin to stir, wind whipped through the room. Mina shot up in the tub, the water running in warm rivulets down her chest. “Maggie?”
Turning to look behind her she saw the witch was gone. The fire had grown low, but her instincts screamed she wasn’t alone.
Turning slowly, she slid her eyes along the shadows of the room until she sat facing forward in the tub once more. Her eyes found him, and instantly every inch of her body turned molten.
“Hello,” he drawled. His soft accent rumbled over her, leaving a tingling trail in its wake.
“How did you get in here?”
His lips lifted to one side, in a wicked grin. “You think stone walls could keep me from you?”
He took a step closer, and Mina felt her nipples pebbling just above the water. Her skin flushed along her neck. She sat there completely exposed, but she couldn’t move, and if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t reallywantto move. His eyes remained locked on hers, never slipping down her body.
“Are you afraid?” he asked, drifting another step closer.
Mina shook her head slowly, unable to form words. She knew logically she should’ve been afraid. He was a vampire after all, but he’d saved her life. That had to count for something, didn’t it? And her instincts were screaming that she could trust him. That he meant her no harm, and her desire for him was primal. Something she couldn’t ignore even if she wanted to.
