by Eve Langlais
I was enjoying life to the fullest, the sex still as good as the first time, although I wasn’t sure anything would beat the sex we had the first night george bestowed our magic. Which I will add, only added to the magic I already had naturally, making me uber powerful.
Me. The ass-kicking, butt-saving hero of the story. But that only sank in later. At the time, when everything happened, I was as stunned as everyone else, awash in the adrenaline and power, on a sheet of cracking ice.
I recalled how Kane, alive if in need of new clothes, grinned at me and said, “That was unexpected.”
“Just a little.” Funny how I suddenly felt shy.
“With george checking out his new digs, what do you say we get out of here?”
Good plan. He held out a hand, and I clasped it. We walked to the first chasm in the ice, where he waved a hand to create hard steps that hovered atop the cold water. We used them all the way to shore.
Given I wanted my kids to have a chance to grovel for forgiveness, I copied his magic and flung a set for them to use from the ice floe they were trapped on. I thought about tossing some magical life rings to the stragglers struggling in the water.
Kane shook his head. “This is their punishment for thinking they could imprison a god.” Look at him, a company man already. george would be happy.
But who was going to clean up the bodies when they washed up on my beach? And someone would have to explain what happened to Officer Murphy.
As we reached shore, I saw my cat, a normal size again, sitting away from the water, licking a wet spot.
“You!” I jabbed my finger in his direction. “You were one of them the entire time.”
He glanced at me, sniffed, and stalked off.
Had I lost my ability to hear him?”
Did it really matter? Hell yeah it did. Fucker betrayed me. No more wet food for him.
Kane tugged me away from the crowd on the beach, the whole town plus some extras. Odd how they didn’t spill into the woods but remained along the shoreline.
“Your house is keeping them away,” Kane said, answering my not even spoken question.
Good, because I had no intention of inviting them in for a tea or anything else. Only one person who attempted to murder me was allowed inside. And that was so I could smack Kane and give him hell for lying to me before he begged my forgiveness via the exchange of sexual pleasure.
My cozy home. From the outside it kind of resembled a large log cabin chalet—my visit to Orville having obviously impressed me—threw open its front door to welcome us.
My cat sat on the rug at the entrance and gave me the once-over and meowed. His hungry meow.
I glared. “Traitor.”
“I never betrayed you.”
Look at that. I could still hear Grisou. “Maybe not but you also never explained fuck all.” I wasn’t about to give him quarter.
“It wasn’t my place.”
“You would have let me die.”
“And yet you didn’t. Congratulations.”
I glared. “What are you?”
“Hungry. Fetch me some sustenance,” was his imperious reply.
I wanted to boot him out of my house, instead I grumbled, “I just got home. Chill.”
“I will not chill. Feed me.” He weaved around my ankles.
“You can’t order me around. I’m a priestess to a god now,” I said.
“And I am george’s confidant. Putting me above you. Open me a can of tuna, human.”
I obeyed, mostly because arguing just delayed the hands that kept touching me. Kane hadn’t stopped since we’d left the lake. I wanted to be alone with him.
But of course, by the time I gave the cat some food, Geoff came slamming in. My handsome boy who appeared to be ignoring the redhead at his back. “Go away, Helena.”
“Geoff, we need to talk about this.”
He whirled on her. “Nothing to talk about. You only ever dated me because of my family. You never cared for me.”
“Not true.”
“You held a knife to my heart. Literally.”
“So did he, and your mother forgives him,” she exclaimed, jabbing a finger at Kane.
“Kane died for me. Would you have done the same?” was my sweet reply. I didn’t like Helena, so I was more than happy when my son turned his back to say, “Leave him alone.”
Helena reached for him, and that was when mama bear, me, stepped in. I didn’t need to use a symbol anymore to channel my magic. I just needed to aim it and control it. In this case, slap down Helena’s hand and start bum rushing her to the door.
Her wide eyes slid past me as I waved, “Buh-bye.” The door slammed shut behind her, and I glanced at my house. “Make sure she doesn’t come back, would you?”
The agreement proved instant.
Geoff stared at me. Throat working. “Listen, Mom. I’m—”
“Sorry? Sure, you are. I don’t blame you. I mean I haven’t exactly been the model parent. I blame your dad. Your real dad.”
His eyes widened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You and your sister apparently were conceived by one of the eleven spirits inhabiting human bodies.”
Geoff got stuck on, “Martin’s not my dad?”
“Nope. The name of your father was Berith.” I held up a hand. “Don’t ask me anything else, because I only know his name.”
“The Berith?” Kane exclaimed.
I glanced over. “You know him? Of course, you know him. You were all part of the original magic-stealing assholes.” I glared at him.
He at least had the grace to look sheepish. “Does it help if I say I never thought I’d care for you?”
“You lied to me.”
“I lied to everyone so they wouldn’t know I watched over you. Wouldn’t realize I’d come to care for you.”
“If you care so much, why weren’t you trying to get me to leave like Jace?”
“Because I knew it wouldn’t work. Let me ask, each time he told you to go, what happened?”
“It made me more determined to stay.”
“Exactly.” A wry reply.
“And the fighting between you and Jace? Are you even brothers?” Because I’d not forgotten their animosity.
“Not related by blood but by shared history. Our rivalry began long ago.”
I still didn’t understand so much. “Why didn’t Berith let everyone know he’d found me?”
“Because he probably hoped to control you or the children in the end. Only his perfidy, once discovered, resulted in him losing rank.”
“Okay, since you have an answer for everything explain why the attempts to kill me if you needed me alive?”
“Some of it was because your magic was locked away too tight and it was thought strong emotion would help release it. And then there were those working against the plan in place. Who wanted you out of the way that they might use your children.”
“Like Helena,” I surmised.
He nodded. “She wanted to be the one wielding the power when the planets aligned. Hence why she turned Martin against you.”
“Because with me out of the way, she could use Geoff,” I muttered.
“Had she killed you directly, it would have caused a power struggle.”
As the truth spilled, more questions bubbled. But one rose above the others. “How sorry are you for lying to me?”
He drew me close. “Sweetheart, I—”
The door slammed open and in stalked my daughter. She whirled and shut it. Locked it and glared.
“Where’s Jace?” I asked.
“Not here obviously.”
“I should hope not since you dumped him.”
“Who says I dumped him?” Winnie asked.
“Seems obvious given the whole betrayed you and tried to kill you thing.”
“Kind of the pot calling the kettle something rude, don’t you think?” She eyeballed Kane’s hand on my hip.
“But Kane didn’t go through with it.”
“Neither did Jace!” she huffed.
“Then why are you mad at him?” I exclaimed, utterly confused.
“Would you believe he chose schmoozing with that big thundercloud over victory sex with me?” Which turned out to be the end of his demon, but I only found that out later.
Speaking of victory sex… I glanced at Kane. Did my frustration show?
He winked at me. Then cleared his throat. “Since you appear to be in need of a celebration, then why not assuage it with ice cream? The parlor on Main Street keeps a key under the front mat.”
“Did you just tell me to break into a place?”
He rolled a shoulder. “Technically, I own it. And you are a high acolyte to george.”
Winnie nodded. “It should come with free ice cream. Good thinking.”
“Do you like ice cream?” he suddenly asked.
“Who doesn’t?” I rolled my eyes and then, because it was the kind of thing you asked, “What flavor is your favorite?”
“Vanilla.”
My nose wrinkled. “It’s so plain.”
“I don’t need fancy things to be happy.”
“Did you just call me plain?” I arched a brow.
“Like hell. You are the most complicated woman I’ve met. It would have never occurred to me to negotiate with george. My plan once I saw him was more along the lines of beg for my life or run screaming.”
I pshawed, playing it off as I explained my logic. “What’s the point of being a god without worshippers?”
“Speaking of worshipping.” Kane tossed me over his shoulder. Like literally swept me off my feet and carried me upstairs to the sound of Winnie whistling, “You get some, Mom.”
“What are you doing?” I squealed.
“Taking you upstairs for seduction.”
If I wasn’t upside down, I would have taken him right then and there. But instead, I was bounced on the bed where he tossed me.
As he approached, his hands weaved, and my clothes disappeared. Left, right. Leaving me naked and exposed. I couldn’t help but cover myself. But he grabbed my hands and tugged them away.
“Never hide from me.”
He then stripped and showed me a body that had also seen life. Scars that I’d one day know the story about.
But I saw strength in him too. Virility. And most of all, love. When his body covered mine, I welcomed it. I kissed him, and I didn’t need him inside me to have my first mini orgasm. He felt me quiver and growled.
“Wait for me.”
My legs parted, and he slid between them, hard and hot, thick and ready. He thrust into me, and I clung to him, feeling my pleasure coiling, a scalding cold that met his spinning hot.
We exploded together hard enough the house shook.
He held me as we came down off our cloud, and I traced symbols on his chest.
I had to ask, “What happens next?”
“Anything you want,” was his whisper.
“Anything?” I drew him closer. “I kind of want ice cream.”
Epilogue
Introducing a wild magic to the world, one very different from that already present, started a chain reaction, and no surprise, things didn’t end up as expected. Yes, I had kind of brought a new god into the world, but in order to keep him strong, I had to leave the door in the lake open. I soon realized george wasn’t the only thing that got out, which didn’t please our god at all, especially since the last time it happened, my ancestors suddenly found themselves brimming with the power needed to slam the door shut and cut off the source.
Which answered the question of how my family became witches.
Because I could do it again, george played nice.
God killer and god maker. Kind of a lofty title, but did I get any respect from my boyfriend?
Kane snuck up behind me and grabbed my ass. He also kissed my neck, and if I wasn’t worried I’d burn the taco meat, I would have turned around and made use of the kitchen island for something other than chopping vegetables.
“I love taco Tuesday,” he growled into my skin. My big powerful warlock, putty in my hands because of seasoned meat.
“You only stick around because of my cooking,” I teased. I no longer questioned why this man could love me, because, funny thing, he worried about my ability to love him. He claimed that since I was second only to a god that he wasn’t good enough for me. Which led to oral sex until I screamed he was a god.
“You know the cooking is the only reason I stay,” he agreed, giving my skin a nibble. I sighed and leaned into his embrace.
“And here I was going to say I only keep you around for the sex.”
“It is very good sex,” he agreed, and I laughed.
“The news today mentioned something about dragons appearing in the Andes,” I said, remembering the tidbit I’d seen.
He stilled. “How did it escape without us seeing it?”
We’d been tracking the things coming out of the lake, like Maddy number two. I’d already formed a bond with the baby lake monster. I couldn’t wait to show Kane the tricks it could do.
I didn’t mention some of the leakage was my fault. I’d told george that the world could use more fantasy instead of reality. I think the god took that to mean dragons and unicorns. What was next? A ring to bind them? A kitchen boy with a pig? A tomb raider with the best hair?
Maybe it would be me. Who said my journey was done. After all, I wasn’t even close to halfway there with all the things I wanted to do. I was on my way to having the best happily ever after, so long as I didn’t stop believing.
Despite the odds, I found the magic in the heart of me and changed the world.
Naomi finally got the happily ever after she deserved. But for some reason, my mind kept churning… And it came up with an unfortunate, epic, and oh so twisted ending for those who think it’s too neat and tidy. Want to see how evil my mind can get? For the alternate ending, visit, my website at: EveLanglais.com/wordpress/pwf3
Happy with the story? Then this is where it ends. Thanks for coming with me on this epic journey of discovery.
For more Eve Langlais books (including some with seasoned heroines) please visit EveLanglais.com
Also by Eve Langlais
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