Sinners' Kingdom #1: The Book of Lust (Complete)

5

I was a mess when I woke up on my living room floor. If it had been only sweat, I wouldn't have been so furious, but the wetness between my thighs threw me into a tantrum. I threw my damp clothes as hard as I could into the hamper by the washing machine and took a lukewarm shower thanks to the power still being out, scrubbing hard everywhere to peel off any last traces of the sex curse that might be clinging to me. I checked myself in the mirror, too, searching hard for any curse marks that someone might have etched on a corner of my body. But no matter where I looked, I was mark-free.

The dreams were now officially out of control. The next time I fell asleep, I had no doubt it was going to go all the way, too. Unacceptable. I had spent my whole life unable to date or even flirt because I knew what fate awaited anyone who dared to get close to me, and now I was going to have my first time with a nonexistent fantasy wet dream?

It didn't matter that his body had been sculpted perfectly or that he had a face that could sell premium air to anyone with eyes. It didn't matter that his voice had been rough and lustful and stupidly irresistible, or that his hands and his tongue had made me feel things I didn't even know were possible. He was fake. He was a figment of my imagination, or at least a product of someone's twisted curse. I was not going to sell my pride and start banging an imaginary friend. I didn't even cuddle with a body pillow. Like hell was I going to invite him between my legs and let him pound me into submission like a mindless animal in heat.

Seriously. Maybe I should just go find a guy to bang and get it out of the way. The curse probably affected me more because I'd never experienced anything like that, and once it became been there, done that, I would be able to throw it off like used sheets.

Yeah. That was right. I just needed to get laid. It was for my protection, of course, not because I was horny as hell and helpless to do anything about it. Definitely not.

... Fuck.

I hated it so much. My body was sated, rubbery and warm and empty, but my mind was rolling like hamster wheels in a cloud of cotton. All I could think about was rock-hard abs, dusky nipples, bulging biceps and thick forearms that easily controlled me with the dirtiest tricks and shameless nudges...

"Shut up!" I shouted, not caring that my voice would carry through the walls of my apartment. My neighbors would hear, but they better not complain when they routinely hosted apocalyptic get-togethers where everyone would bang and shout and generally keep everyone up into the early hours of the morning. For once, I was going to be the rude asshole, and I wasn't going to be sorry about it.

But I knew who would be. And oh, they would regret crossing me.

I had held out this long because I had promised I would escape that world. It took everyone I loved from me, everyone I ever dared to care about. Even my grandmother, the most famous witch in all of the mid-Atlantic for forty years, hadn't stood a chance.

But I had made that promise to escape my old life because it was supposed to save me. It was supposed to have stayed behind forever and faded to nothing while I made my new life far away, magic-free, no curses, no witches, nothing.

Now I had no choice. My grandmother would forgive me for breaking my promise because it wasn't up to me anymore. Someone had found me, and someone had cursed me — again. Now it was up to me to free myself once again. I would be careful, though. I would only put one foot in the door, skirt the danger, and get back out as soon as I got rid of the curse. It would be over so quick there wasn't a chance for anything to slip over the threshold and infect my new life. Again.

Yeah, I was doing this. The wi-fi might be out, but the storm hadn't knocked out the cell towers. I snatched my phone from the table and searched for the nearest witch postings. Not that it was so straightforward. In a city like this, there were only three methods to get in touch with the magical community: