Golden Stair by Jennifer Blackstream Page B

the scent of burning flesh that had filled the room after that first burst of light had shot from her body. Even the memory sickened her and she quickly shoved it away before the taste of bile rising in her throat could grow worse.
     
    “How do you know what I’m thinking?” she said aloud, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.
     
    “I don’t. But the pain on your face is clear. Do you want to talk about it?”
     
    A harsh laugh burst from Ivy’s lips. “Do I want to talk about it? With you?”
     
    He shrugged. “I don’t see anyone else here.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “They must be having trouble finding this special pocket dimension that only you and your mother can find.”
     
    Ivy clenched her hands into fists, nails digging into her palms. “Do not mock me,” she ground out. “I don’t know how you found this place, but if I were you, I’d be thinking about what’s going to happen to you now that you’re here.”
     
    Adonis waved, brushing aside her threat. “If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already. Obviously you want me around for some other reason.” He rolled onto his back, reached his arms over his head, and stretched like a lazy tomcat, bowing his naked body out slightly.
     
    Ivy cursed herself for zeroing in on the muscular planes of his chest, following the faint dusting of hair down the sculpted lines of his stomach…and lower. Heat burned her cheeks, and this time it had nothing to do with the sun—magic or otherwise. She sputtered for a moment before she could make her voice work.
     
    “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she groused finally. “Do you really think you can manipulate me that easily? You think you can just wave your—” The burn in her cheeks grew hotter and she clenched her teeth as Adonis raised his head, staring at her with renewed interest.
     
    “Go ahead, you can say it,” he teased.
     
    “It’s not too late for me to throw you over the balcony,” she growled out through gritted teeth.
     
    “I’ll bet you couldn’t even drag me to the balcony,” Adonis retorted.
     
    An image of her trying to haul the incubus across the floor filled her mind. She imagined she could feel his warm skin against hers, the solid muscle of his body against her palms…
     
    She took a step forward. Something flickered in the incubus’ eyes and he leaned forward. There was something eager about his body language and it sent a tingle down her spine. The sensation ripped her out of her daze and she scowled.
     
    “Attempt to enthrall me again, demon, and I’ll make you wish I’d thrown you over the balcony,” she threatened.
     
    Adonis propped his chin up on his hand. “I wasn’t trying to enthrall you.” He gave her a sly smile. “If you were attracted to me, it must be my magnetic personality.”
     
    He tilted his hips and Ivy looked down before she could stop herself. His flesh twitched under her gaze and she jerked her attention away to avoid embarrassing herself any further. “Stop it,” she snapped.
     
    The incubus pouted and flipped onto his stomach. “You’re awfully cruel to me considering we’ve only just met.”
     
    Crossing her arms across her chest like a physical shield, Ivy steeled herself against the wounded look on his face. He would not fool her into letting her guard down. She’d almost killed him. Even if he wasn’t the monster her mother claimed he was, no one was that easy going.
     
    “I don’t have to have met you personally,” she said evenly. “Your reputation precedes you.”
     
    Adonis smirked. “I highly doubt you’ve heard any complaints.”
     
    Ivy put a hand to her forehead. “You are beyond arrogant. You think because you’re a handsome prince you can waltz in here and I’ll believe every word you say, do whatever you want. My mother leaves every morning to go fight in the Great War. I see her wounds, I heal her. I have to wash her blood from my skin and hear her moans as