say?” he asked, stepping closer, seeming to search her face for a clue.
“I…I didn’t want to leave.” Now she searched her mind for some clue herself, trying to figure out how she knew that. She still had no memory of being with Gideon in the past. But she did know she hadn’t wanted to leave him. It was an extremely odd thing to both know something and not know it at the same time.
“What does that mean, Gwen?” Now he stood toe to toe with her, his hands on her arms, and she lost her breath for a minute. He smelled so good and his hands felt so right. Everything about him was so familiar. So good. So…everything. He was everything to her.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, shaking her head slightly as she watched him. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she wanted what she’d had a tiny taste of at the Komolvo camp. She wanted to kiss him, to be kissed and loved and held by him.
Holy crap! Gwen toppled backward onto the bed as a man appeared in front of her. No, not a man. One minute he was a man with dark hair and green eyes, and the next he was a…creature. She didn’t know any other way to describe him.
Gideon didn’t seem overly alarmed by the winged thing standing in front of him. He had a hooked tail, the head of a horse, and wings to rival any dragon she’d seen. He was magnificent. Then in a flash, he was man again.
“Who invited you, Leeds?”
“Since when do I need an invitation to drop by and check on a friend?” The man spoke in a silky voice before dropping down into the only chair in the room as if he owned the place. He raised a brow in Gwen’s direction. “And it looks like I’ve arrived just in time. Getting a little sucked in, Gideon?”
“That’s none of your damned business.”
“Um, hello,” Gwen said, waving her fingers at Gideon. “Still here.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Gideon?” The man seemed to dwarf the chair, but Gwen couldn’t quite figure out what he was. He wasn’t a warlock, yet he’d clearly teleported in. She’d only gotten a quick glimpse of his animal form, or whatever that had been, but he also didn’t seem to be a Shifter.
“Gwen, this is Leeds. Leeds, Gwen,” Gideon said curtly. “Gwen, Leeds is the Jersey Devil.”
“The what?” She turned and looked at Leeds, who now appeared to be almost preening before her.
“The Jersey Devil,” Leeds said, with a grin. “The only one of my kind in the world.”
“How is that possible? I mean, you’re not a warlock.” Now Gwen approached, her curiosity piqued. “What…well, what I mean to say is…I mean, that is, well, what are you?”
Now Leeds laughed long and deep, causing Gideon’s scowl to harden his face into an even angrier mask.
“Nope. Not a warlock. I’m the result of so many humans believing in my existence, I simply came to be one day.”
“That’s possible?” Gwen asked, coming to sit down in the chair across from Leeds.
“Extraordinarily rare, but possible.” His smile was smug, and he seemed glad to have stumped her. She had to admit, she was a little bothered that she hadn’t been able to see what he was.
“But I saw you shift. So, are you a Shifter of sorts?”
Leeds shook his head. “Nope. It’s a glamour. You simply see what I want you to see.” He vanished from sight in the blink of an eye, but his voice continued coming from the chair. “Or what I don’t want you to see.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s all fascinating. Now he haunts the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, just like everyone’s always believed he had,” Gideon groused. Gwen wasn’t sure why he was so unhappy at his friend’s arrival, but she was fascinated. If Leeds could come to be simply by people believing in him, couldn’t she somehow become a real witch?
“I don’t haunt it,” Leeds scoffed. “I provide a very valuable service.”
“Oh? What is that?” Gwen asked, wanting to know all she could.
“When I came to exist in the early 1900s, local Shifters decided
“I…I didn’t want to leave.” Now she searched her mind for some clue herself, trying to figure out how she knew that. She still had no memory of being with Gideon in the past. But she did know she hadn’t wanted to leave him. It was an extremely odd thing to both know something and not know it at the same time.
“What does that mean, Gwen?” Now he stood toe to toe with her, his hands on her arms, and she lost her breath for a minute. He smelled so good and his hands felt so right. Everything about him was so familiar. So good. So…everything. He was everything to her.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, shaking her head slightly as she watched him. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she wanted what she’d had a tiny taste of at the Komolvo camp. She wanted to kiss him, to be kissed and loved and held by him.
Holy crap! Gwen toppled backward onto the bed as a man appeared in front of her. No, not a man. One minute he was a man with dark hair and green eyes, and the next he was a…creature. She didn’t know any other way to describe him.
Gideon didn’t seem overly alarmed by the winged thing standing in front of him. He had a hooked tail, the head of a horse, and wings to rival any dragon she’d seen. He was magnificent. Then in a flash, he was man again.
“Who invited you, Leeds?”
“Since when do I need an invitation to drop by and check on a friend?” The man spoke in a silky voice before dropping down into the only chair in the room as if he owned the place. He raised a brow in Gwen’s direction. “And it looks like I’ve arrived just in time. Getting a little sucked in, Gideon?”
“That’s none of your damned business.”
“Um, hello,” Gwen said, waving her fingers at Gideon. “Still here.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Gideon?” The man seemed to dwarf the chair, but Gwen couldn’t quite figure out what he was. He wasn’t a warlock, yet he’d clearly teleported in. She’d only gotten a quick glimpse of his animal form, or whatever that had been, but he also didn’t seem to be a Shifter.
“Gwen, this is Leeds. Leeds, Gwen,” Gideon said curtly. “Gwen, Leeds is the Jersey Devil.”
“The what?” She turned and looked at Leeds, who now appeared to be almost preening before her.
“The Jersey Devil,” Leeds said, with a grin. “The only one of my kind in the world.”
“How is that possible? I mean, you’re not a warlock.” Now Gwen approached, her curiosity piqued. “What…well, what I mean to say is…I mean, that is, well, what are you?”
Now Leeds laughed long and deep, causing Gideon’s scowl to harden his face into an even angrier mask.
“Nope. Not a warlock. I’m the result of so many humans believing in my existence, I simply came to be one day.”
“That’s possible?” Gwen asked, coming to sit down in the chair across from Leeds.
“Extraordinarily rare, but possible.” His smile was smug, and he seemed glad to have stumped her. She had to admit, she was a little bothered that she hadn’t been able to see what he was.
“But I saw you shift. So, are you a Shifter of sorts?”
Leeds shook his head. “Nope. It’s a glamour. You simply see what I want you to see.” He vanished from sight in the blink of an eye, but his voice continued coming from the chair. “Or what I don’t want you to see.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s all fascinating. Now he haunts the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, just like everyone’s always believed he had,” Gideon groused. Gwen wasn’t sure why he was so unhappy at his friend’s arrival, but she was fascinated. If Leeds could come to be simply by people believing in him, couldn’t she somehow become a real witch?
“I don’t haunt it,” Leeds scoffed. “I provide a very valuable service.”
“Oh? What is that?” Gwen asked, wanting to know all she could.
“When I came to exist in the early 1900s, local Shifters decided
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