Long Lost Magic

by T. M. Cromer

  “I don’t want to be your only reason for existing. I don’t want that responsibility, Alastair. Can’t you see the pressure that puts on me? I’m living a half-life myself. How is it fair to base all your hopes and dreams on someone who isn’t whole?”

  He heard her words, and they made perfect sense. Still, he found it difficult to reconcile what she was saying with their situation. He couldn’t lose her again.

  Unable to tolerate another moment of this discussion, he whipped back the sheet and headed for the shower. He hoped the soothing flow of water on his body would center him.

  Alastair was only standing under the spray for a minute or two when Aurora joined him, wrapping her arms around his middle.

  “Please don’t be angry with me, darling.”

  “I’m not, Rorie. I’m angry with myself.”

  She pulled back to stare up at him. “Why?”

  “Because I can’t seem to give you the space or time you need. It’s not my intent to put pressure on you, but I can’t seem to stay away.”

  “I sought you out earlier. Somehow, I knew you would be in that clearing. It was as if I was drawn to you.”

  He closed his eyes and dropped his head back. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? This draw? If only I loved you less, I might have been able to let you go. Let you be at peace.”

  “I don’t know that any woman would want to ever be loved less.”

  Pulling her close, he rested his cheek on the top of her head. “I’m yours until the end of time, my love. As much of me as you are willing to accept.”

  She ran a hand down his flat stomach, around his back, and down the contour of his muscled ass. With her nose, she nudged his left nipple, then bit down gently and tugged. “Oh, I’m willing to accept a lot.”

  He grinned as she cupped his balls with her other hand. “That’s not where I was initially going with my pretty little speech, but I’m game.”

  13

  While Alastair Thorne would be the first to scoff at the Chapter Thirteen superstition, I still feel the need to continue with the tradition of omitting this chapter. Since this is an all-nighter, I suggest you take a bathroom break, gather your snacks, mute your phone, and settle in for a good, long read.

  * * *

  Don’t forget, Forever Magic, will be coming your way very soon, but in the meantime, click here to discover Nash’s story in the exciting, new Kiss of the Red Scorpion collaboration I created with my author friends.

  14

  Jace is in trouble.

  The text came from his son, Nash, just as Alastair was about to doze off for the night. Christ! At this rate he would pray for death just to get sleep. Not that he regretted three bouts of sex with Aurora, but damn, he was exhausted.

  “What is it?” she asked sleepily as he jerked into a sitting position.

  “There’s something I need to take care of.”

  “Something or someone?”

  “It’s pretty much the same thing.”

  “What can I do to help?” She sat up and fished around for her clothing.

  Alastair smiled at how human the action seemed. Previous to her injury and subsequent illness, she’d been quick to snap her fingers to do or get what she wanted—like him and the other witches in their family. But when her powers were weak, she’d started to do little things in a non-magical way. She must have unconsciously developed a habit.

  “You do remember you can magically dress, right?” he teased.

  The startled look on her face said it all.

  He laughed as he climbed out of bed and snapped his fingers. Fully dressed and ready to face the current crisis, he blew her a kiss and teleported. He’d pay later for leaving her behind, but he wouldn’t drag her into a problem when she wasn’t one-hundred percent recovered.

  He arrived at the gate to Nash’s estate and tapped the buzzer. No words flowed through the state-of-the-art intercom as the gate released enough for Alastair to step through. It clanked back into place just as quickly. Within seconds, Nash was standing before him in all his blond self-importance.

  “I see you received my text,” he said dryly.

  Nash didn’t know it, but he never resembled his father more than in that moment. Alastair bit the inside of his cheek to hide his amusement. His son would hate being compared to him.

  “Was a written response necessary?” Alastair asked. Not waiting for an answer, he plunged ahead. “What do you know?”

  “Not much. Uncle Ryker showed up a few minutes before I texted you. I’ll let him explain. Come up to the house for a cup of coffee.”

  Teleporting would’ve been easier, but father and son walked next to each other, each inhaling the night air as they made their way up the long drive. Ryker met them on the doorstep, a dark frown of concern creasing his forehead.

  “What do you know, my friend?” Alastair shook his hand.

  “Well, since you’ve put me on guard dog duty, I’ve been following Jace’s every move. It seems by letting you and Aurora go, he pissed off some very influential people in the magical community.”

  “Who? Salinger? I wouldn’t call him influential. The magical community at large fears him.”

  “No, Drake.”

  “Who’s Drake?” Nash wanted to know.

  Alastair sighed heavily. “Sebastian Drake. He’s been angling to take over the Witches’ Council for the last five years. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him.”

  Nash shrugged. “I’ve never had any dealings with him. I once met an Arabella Drake a few years back when I was sent to England to procure an artifact. Any relation?”

  “His sister.”

  “She was a tough nut to crack. If he’s anything like her…”

  “He’s worse.” Alastair faced Ryker. “Why would Drake be upset with Jace on account of me and Aurora?”

  “Drake has it in mind to make an example of you. He feels if he can bring you to heel, it would assure his place as head councilman.”

  Alastair let loose a deep belly laugh. The idea of anyone bringing him to heel—especially an arrogant puppy like Sebastian Drake—was hilarious. He sobered when he saw neither Ryker nor Nash found the situation as amusing as him. “Okay, out with it. What else don’t I know?”

  “He’s locked Jace up. He’s only willing to release him in exchange for you.”

  “Fine. Arrange a meeting with Drake.”

  “What?” both men exclaimed in unison.

  “I didn’t stutter. Arrange the deal. I’m going home to get some much-needed sleep. Come to my place tomorrow at noon. I’ll have figured out what to tell Rorie in the meantime.”

  Ryker frowned and sent a quick glance toward Nash before focusing his attention on Alastair. “You don’t plan to tell her the truth?”

  “No. When we retrieve Jace, I’ll tell her all she needs to know then.”

  “Didn’t you learn from the last time, Sperm Donor?”

  Alastair challenged him with a look.

  Nash scoffed his disbelief, his jade eyes filled with scorn. “I can see you didn’t. What happens when she charges into danger again? Another stasis? Permanent death for her or one of the sisters who recklessly follow your every dictate?”

  “If you feel so strongly about my penchant to cause trouble, why call me about Jace to begin with?” he challenged his son.

  “Because you’re the only chance we have of freeing him,” Ryker inserted.

  “I’m not sure why I should bother. As I told you after leaving the castle earlier today…” Alastair glanced at his Rolex. “…or rather yesterday, he works for the enemy. I should think Drake is welcome to make an example of him if it weren’t for the fact Jace is Rorie’s brother.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Ryker hedged. “I just discovered he’s not truly working for Salinger. He’s been deeply entrenched in the Zhu Lin-Salinger camp for years, but not for the reasons you think. Like me, he was undercover.”

  “I don’t understand.” Jace had admitted that in his need
to find a way to wake Aurora, he traded sides. There was no confusion to Alastair’s mind.

  “Realizing the advantages of becoming a double agent, he approached the Council. He was the one feeding you information, via a go-between.”

  “You?”

  “No. If I’d have known he was an agent, I’d have informed you. You know that.”

  Frustration bubbled up, and Alastair gripped his head in his hands, fighting off the urge to swear at the top of his lungs. He paced as he tried to find a way to disperse the negative emotions building within him. This current revelation assured he was going to put himself at risk. He had no choice. He owed Jace for the valuable information throughout the last two decades.

  “Right. Well.” Alastair fixed them both with a firm look. “Not a word to anyone else in our family. I’ll see you tomorrow at noon.”

  “That sneaky bastard!” Aurora swore.

  “He’s the sneaky bastard?” GiGi laughed as she swiped a hand over the scrying mirror, erasing the evidence of their spying. “As if you didn’t call me so you could rush right over here and employ my superior abilities? Let’s not pretend you weren’t trying to discover what my brother was up to.”

  “Hush. You’re supposed to be on my side. The men in our lives treat us like porcelain dolls, afraid we’ll break at the slightest bit of pressure. We have to stick together.”

  “Why do you think I’m helping you? I’m sick to death of their spy games. It’s time Ryker Gillespie learned I’m no longer sitting on the sidelines,” GiGi stated fervently.

  Aurora snorted. “I’ve not been back long, but I find it doubtful you ever sat on the sidelines. I also have no doubt you’re better at subterfuge than I am. What do you suggest?”

  Alastair’s sister lifted a perfectly groomed brow and graced her with a mock glare, reminding Aurora of her brother more than ever.

  GiGi paced for a time, and Aurora studied the other woman. She was tall, taller than Aurora’s own five-feet-six. GiGi’s willowy frame leant to her movie-star good looks. Curtains of wavy blonde hair fell loosely over her shoulders and swayed in rhythm with her hips as she walked. Keen violet-blue eyes took in her surroundings without giving away her thoughts. She was intelligent and spirited in a way Aurora wished she could be.

  “I’ll seduce him.”

  “Him?” Two of the three were related to her friend, which only left Ryker. But because GiGi was as impulsive as the day was long, making the assumption that she was referring to her estranged husband was a mistake.

  “Sebastian Drake.”

  Aurora was grateful she hadn’t wagered on GiGi’s intended target. She’d have lost a bundle. “What about Ryker?”

  “What about him? He cheated on me during his little jaunts around the world. I think what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, don’t you?”

  Haughtiness was written in every line of GiGi’s elegant body. But if one looked deeper, they could catch a glimpse of the pain behind her eyes.

  “Are you sure he cheated?” To Aurora, it seemed highly unlikely that Ryker would look anywhere other than his wife for pleasure. When she knew the couple, Ryker had been mad for his bride.

  “I’m sure.”

  “How sure?”

  “I caught him with another woman,” GiGi stated angrily. “She had his shirt off, and he was kissing her. I think that’s plenty of proof, don’t you?”

  The disappointment Aurora felt in Ryker had to be minute compared to what his wife was feeling. “I’m sorry, GiGi.”

  The irises of her friend’s eyes darkened in her pain. “Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “But enough about that. Let’s see what we can find about this Drake character.”

  “How?”

  “The internet, woman.”

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “Hmm, yes, we need to bring you up to speed on the world. The internet is the best way to do that. Come, I’ll show you the basics.”

  They spent the next hour digging up information on Drake Enterprises and its handsome CEO.

  “I would imagine seducing him won’t be a hardship,” Aurora murmured as she studied the black-haired god-like creature on the computer screen. She leaned closer as if closing the distance would give her a better look at his rock-hard abdomen and the eight-pack on display.

  “No, indeed,” GiGi agreed with a wicked laugh. “He’s the perfect eye candy, isn’t he?”

  “Eye candy?”

  “Oh, yeah.” She winked. “Eye candy is a man who is pleasing to look at.”

  Aurora fixed her gaze on the screen. “Yes, definitely eye candy. Where do I get one of those?”

  At the choking sound, she spun in her chair to see GiGi red-faced and gasping for air.

  “You want him when you have Alastair?” her sister-in-law finally managed to ask.

  “Him? No! I meant this device.”

  “Oh! The laptop. I thought when you pointed at the screen…” she trailed off and began to giggle.

  Soon, both women were laughing like wild hyenas, grabbing their sides as they wiped their eyes.

  Spontaneously, GiGi hugged her. “I missed you, Rorie.”

  Overcome with nostalgia, Aurora hugged her back. “Thank you for being a mother to my girls when I couldn’t be available for them.”

  “I love them like they were my own.”

  “You did a fantastic job, guiding them into adulthood.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry they had to have me as a substitute for the real thing. You were never far from anyone’s thoughts.”

  She blinked rapidly as she cleared her throat. She tried to shove back the jealousy she felt. GiGi had been there for their formative years. As a surrogate mother, she would have taught them magic and became their confidant when the girls needed a shoulder. All things Aurora had missed during her stasis. If she experienced bitterness, it wasn’t directed at her kind-hearted sister-in-law. No, instead it was at the Fates for the awful trick they’d played on her.

  “I should head back. I’m sure Alastair will wonder where I’ve gotten to. I’ll tell him you and I have plans for breakfast. We’ll figure out the details of everything then,” Aurora said.

  GiGi’s delight in the subterfuge made her laugh.

  “I think you’re the one the men should have commissioned for spy duty.”

  “You have no idea,” GiGi said. “You should see my purple-haired granny disguise.”

  “Oh?”

  “Summer thinks the false teeth are disturbing.”

  The image sent Aurora into peals of laughter.

  15

  “Where have you been?”

  Although Aurora knew the probability was good that Alastair would beat her back to his estate, she was still surprised into a scream when the dark shadow in the corner took shape.

  “Dear Goddess, darling,” she laughed nervously. “You startled me.”

  “Did I?” The smooth, silky quality to his tone did nothing to hide his pique.

  “Why are you upset?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because I came back to find you missing in the middle of the night.”

  “Your sarcasm isn’t appreciated, Alastair.” She pulled the sweater over her head, exposing the fullness of her breasts, which were enhanced by a fabulous pink bra by Victoria’s Secret.

  He frowned as his gaze dropped to her chest. “You weren’t wearing that earlier.”

  She hid a self-satisfied smile. It seemed GiGi’s suggestion wasn’t misplaced. “I conjured it. Isn’t it lovely?”

  A half-smile played about his mouth. “Come here, Rorie.”

  The commanding tone had dampness gathering at the apex of her thighs. Ignoring him, she turned her back and shimmied out of her skirt, bending slightly to show her ass to its best advantage. He was on her before she could blink, lifting her over his shoulder and rushing toward the bed.

  He dropped her like a sack of potatoes in the center of the mattress, and she sucked in her breath at th
e suddenness of his actions.

  “You want to play? We can play,” he growled, pinning her with her hands over her head. “But you should be careful, my love. I’ve had many years to think about all the ways I wanted to ravish your delectable body.”

  “I’m too skinny,” she blurted. Where those words came from and why, she had no idea.

  Alastair chuckled as he buried his head between her breasts. “You’ve lost a little weight, sure, but never doubt for a moment that you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You take my breath away with every glance. Every gesture.”

  She couldn’t hold back a grin. “Let’s see what else I can do to take your breath away.”

  In a second stunningly fast move, he rolled and set her atop him. Spread-eagle, he sighed happily. “I’m all yours.”

  With no thought to the material or buttons on his expensive shirt, she ripped it open to expose his strapping chest. Was it possible for him to be built better than he was all those years ago? It was as if he’d not only stopped aging, but he’d started to reverse the process. He was more virile and alive than a man had a right to be.

  “You’re incredible,” she said in wonder. “The perfect male specimen.”

  “You make me sound like a science experiment,” he said drolly.

  She laughed and bent to kiss his exposed skin. “Never that.” She trailed light kisses over the planes of his chest, inching her way down across the ridges of his abdomen and farther still to the waistband of his trousers. Lifting her head, she slowly unbuckled his belt and released the button of his pants. Even if she hadn’t felt the thickness of his penis beneath the material, his rapid breathing would have told her exactly how turned on he was.

  Before she could lower his zipper, he magically shed his pants. “I can’t wait that long for you to take me into your mouth.”

  She laughed in response to his eagerness. “You assume too much, darling. Maybe I intended to ride you.”