Stolen Magic

by Char Webster

  He moved toward her again. “She wasn’t talking about all of us.” He leaned closer.

  She could feel his breath in her hair, tingling her ear. “You don’t know that.”

  His lips teased her ear, not quite touching her, but she could feel his warmth. “You know that’s not true.”

  She tried to move away from him, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. She was frozen in place.

  “Are you two coming, or are you going to just stand there staring at each other?” Aedan yelled from almost a block away.

  That shook Aria out of her stupor. As she moved quickly toward her friends, she heard Damian laugh.

  ~*~*~

  The outside pool area was small, but it was in the center of numerous tall trees with several tables and big umbrellas that offered shade from the New Orleans sun. They sat at the corner table farthest away from the pool and tucked near the back of the hotel.

  Aedan was tossing a round rock he found near the pool back and forth between his hands. “There are a few groups of mystics in the towns around New Orleans. We should check them out and at least warn them.”

  Julie agreed. “The supernaturals down here keep to themselves, but there are a lot of colonies in the bayous. We should go there first.”

  Aedan grinned at her. “That sounds like a plan.”

  Damian made a face. “We can’t leave New Orleans now.”

  Aedan patted him on the shoulder. “You’re not leaving New Orleans. Julie and I will warn the local supernaturals. You and Aria will check out the area and hunt for Pravus.”

  Aria opened her mouth to argue, but Julie cut her off. “I know what you are about to say, and it won’t work. You need to stay here with Damian. Lucinda said you have to work together, and going with me isn’t working with Damian.”

  Aria folded her arms across her chest. She wasn’t happy about being left completely alone with Damian, especially after the heated stare he gave her on the walk back. “Maybe it’s not a good idea to split up.”

  Damian leaned closer to her. “Afraid to be alone with me?” He said it quietly, but his voice was husky. Their magic touched and backed away from the other, ebbing and flowing like the sea.

  Aria fought a shiver. She ignored his comment and addressed Julie. “Be careful, and portal back to get us if you see him.” She straightened in her seat, determined to deal with the situation and Damian like she did with everything. She would be completely professional and detached.

  Aedan stood from the table. He held out his hand toward Julie. “All right, my lady, shall we go?”

  Julie got up from her seat. “Yes, I want to grab a few things from my room. Come on Ar, walk up with me.”

  Aria jumped up and practically ran from the pool area. “Thanks,” she whispered to Julie, not wanting the guys to hear her.

  “It seemed like you needed to be saved.”

  “Maybe a little.” She sighed. “I’m so confused.”

  “Don’t think, Aria. Just feel, and go with it. When you start thinking too much, you miss out on a lot.” Julie squeezed her hand.

  “I didn’t think after all these years...”

  “That he could give you goosebumps? Make your heart pound and your breath catch?” Julie offered.

  “No! More like infuriate me, confuse me, and make me want to wipe the smirk off his face.” Aria wasn’t going to admit her heart did thunder in her ears and her chest hurt when she tried to inhale like they did on their walk back from Lucinda’s.

  Julie considered her friend. “You need to talk to him.”

  “He’s keeping secrets from me. When I asked him, he walked away.”

  “Give him another chance to explain.”

  “Maybe.”

  ~*~*~

  “Is it time to collect them both yet?” Hugo asked petulantly.

  “I’ll tell you when. Now, stop asking me!” Pravus was tired of hearing the same question asked over and over. He needed to find some better assistance. The first thing he’d do after setting himself up with a permanent location would be to recruit people who would not annoy the hell out of him.

  “What are we waiting for?”

  Pravus’ tolerance for Hugo was waning. “I’m not going to explain myself to you. Just know they need more time. We’ll keep watching for now.”

  Chapter Eight

  “What’s the plan Damian? You have one, right?” Aria needed to keep moving, or she would start thinking about being alone with him.

  “We play tourists. We stay out in the open and act like we’re enjoying a leisurely day. Word will get out that we’re around, and just like Lucinda said, Pravus will come to us, especially if we are alone.”

  “Where are we going first?”

  Damian pulled out his phone to check the time. “Lunch. Somewhere outside where anyone can see us.” Damian moved closer so his shoulder brushed against her. “I’ll even make sure you get some bread pudding.”

  He offered her his hand, holding it out to her. She hesitated and stood there regarding it.

  “It’s just my hand, Ar. We’re playing the part, remember?”

  She tentatively reached out, and he threaded his fingers with hers. She couldn’t believe how right it felt, but she tried to push those thoughts away.

  They stopped at a small café with tables lining the sidewalk and a patio area next to the restaurant. They selected a table that was close to the street so they could people watch and search for Pravus.

  They didn’t think Pravus would approach them during the day with all of the crowds, but they wanted to be seen. They fell effortlessly into conversation about so many things. It was easy for Aria to forget that they weren’t really out for a fun, relaxing day.

  Damian surprised her with a double order of bread pudding with extra caramel topping, and he watched as she dug her spoon into it with the enthusiasm of a child with a special treat.

  After lunch, they walked through Jackson Square, stopping to examine the various displays that lined the sidewalks. Artists were painting, sketching, drawing and sculpting.

  Damian pulled her over to an artist who was doing caricatures. “Let’s get one.”

  “I don’t know.” Aria never had one drawn for her before.

  The artist was pleased that he had a few more patrons. Damian handed him some money and held tightly to Aria’s hand so she wouldn’t walk off. The artist told them to sit on the bench next to his table, and Damian gave Aria’s hand a tug, making her fall half onto his lap. She yelped and slid onto the bench, leaving plenty of room between them.

  Damian was shocked she hadn’t pulled away from him. He was enjoying the feel of the soft skin on the back of her hand and impressed with the slight calluses she had on her palm. He knew she carried her sword everywhere with her, and the calluses proved she continued to work out with it regularly. He would love to spar with her sometime. They used to have so much fun doing that.

  “What’s that look for?” Aria asked.

  “I was remembering how we used to sword fight.”

  “Oh wow. I’d forgotten about that. Markos insisted that I learn to defend myself, but I loved it. I even got better than him.”

  “You were better than me back then.”

  “Oh, that sounds like a challenge. Do I have to kick your butt again?”

  “Any time.”

  The artist interrupted when he handed them their cartoon. Damian gazed at it fondly. “He did a great job capturing you.”

  “Let me see.” Aria went up on her toes to see over Damian’s shoulder. “Ugh! He made my hair red.”

  Damian led her over to the beginning of a quiet alley. “Hey. Look at me.” He tipped her chin up to him. “You have gorgeous hair that I have to remind myself not to touch. I want to reach out and run my hands through the silky strands and lift it to smell the fragrance that is only you. It’s one of the first things people notice about you. And it’s something I’ve always dreamed about.” Damian loved the feel of her magic mixing with his.


  She was shocked at what he was saying. “You dreamed about my hair?”

  Damian gave her a wicked grin, leaning closer to her and whispered. “I’ve dreamed that it was spread out on my pillow and I was staring down at you just before I...” He captured her mouth in a kiss that took her breath away.

  Brushing his lips over hers, he enticed them to open so he could deepen the kiss. He threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer.

  Aria was lost to the exquisite feel of him pressed against her as she wound her arms around his neck. She clung to him as he devoured her, causing heat to rush through her body and her heart to beat out of control.

  He broke the kiss, breathing in much needed oxygen, and leaned his forehead against hers. “I’ve wanted to do that for centuries.”

  Aria pulled back to regard him, slightly dazed from the kiss. “No, you haven’t. You’ve hated me for centuries.”

  Damian slipped his arms down to her back. “Aria. I’ve never stopped wanting to kiss you.”

  “Then, why didn’t you come back for me? Why did you stop loving me when we could have been together for hundreds of years? Why?”

  Aria stepped back away from him, waiting for him to answer her. “You’re not going to answer me are you?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “No. It’s not. It’s so simple, and I’m such a fool.” She turned away from him and began to put some distance between them.

  “Aria, wait.”

  “Why? Give me one good reason why I should?”

  Damian simply stared at her, not saying a word, and her heart broke a little bit more.

  He watched her jog away from him until the pain in his chest was so unbearable that he thought his heart was being crushed under the weight of his guilt. If he let her walk away now, he would never get another chance with her again. He couldn’t let that happen.

  “Aria! Ar. Wait.” He took off after her, catching up with her at the edge of the Mississippi River, viewing the ships sailing by.

  “Aria.”

  “You can’t keep doing this to me.”

  “I know.”

  “That’s all you’re going to say?” She took a few steps away, but he caught her hand.

  “Let’s sit right here, and I’ll try to tell you everything.”

  “No more secrets.”

  Damian took a deep breath. “You were so angry with me after I walked away from our wedding, and it killed me to see that. But I knew you were safe from Pravus as long as I stayed away. Our magic compliments each other.”

  “We are a Potential Match. We knew that before.” Aria tried to figure out his logic but was failing. She knew that every time they were together, their magic reached for each other. If she let it, their magic would be bond together and nearly impossible to separate. Potential matches were not very common because they were a true match of inner magic.

  “Yes and that would have made you vulnerable. Pravus would have been able to steal our combined magic through me. You’re not safe because of me.” Damian ran his hands through his hair. “I couldn’t be with you until he was locked away or dead.”

  “You should have told me.” Aria wrapped her arms around herself.

  “I spoke with your brother back then, and we both agreed it was too dangerous. We didn’t know who else Pravus had told about your ability.” Damian wanted to reach out to her, but Aria was becoming furious with him. He needed to get this done quickly while she was still in the mood to listen.

  “You talked to my brother back then?” Aria was making a mental note to clobber her brother. She just wasn’t sure if she would demand answers before or after she kicked his butt.

  “Before you freak out on Markos, I made him promise not to say anything to you. I explained that it was to protect you, and he agreed to let me tell you when I made it safe again. It just took me a really long time to do that.”

  Aria made a face, muttering, “I can’t wait to yell at Markos.”

  “After I became an Enforcer, I figured it would be only a short time before finding Pravus and then patching things up with you. That didn’t happen.”

  “You could have told me the truth.” Aria felt like she was missing something important.

  “It was too dangerous. When he went after you and I found you and Markos nearly dying, I went crazy. I was uncontrollable and was almost kicked out of legacy.”

  “I didn’t see you that day.”

  “I failed you. How could I face you when I let you down? I allowed an evil dark mystic to hurt you.” Damian brushed some of her hair out of her face. “After that, I had promised your brother that I would always watch out for you and keep you safe. He also demanded that I make you happy even if staying away from you would do it.”

  “He made you promise to stay away from me?” Aria needed to have a chat with her meddling brother.

  “No, just to make sure you were safe and happy no matter what. Staying away from you did that for a while.”

  “You caught Pravus a hundred years ago. Why didn’t you come to me then?” Aria wasn’t sure what to think.

  “We had already fallen into the pattern of being horrible to each other, and I felt as if it was too late. Too much time had gone by, and too many nasty things had been said.”

  “Now what?” Aria felt her emotions raging inside of her.

  “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “We don’t need to do anything right now. Let’s finish our mission, and then we can figure it out.” Damian brushed her cheek with his knuckles.

  She nodded, unable to say anything past the lump in her throat. She was angry with him for taking away her choice to stand and fight with him back then. She was hurt that they lost so much time and scared to think about their love not being strong enough to fight for. Did they have another chance or was it better to walk away from the potential heartache?

  “Come on. We need to be seen more. Hopefully, Pravus will show himself tonight.”

  ~*~*~

  Aria sank down on the chair at the edge of the pool area at their hotel, tired. “We’ve walked all over the French Quarter, down Bourbon Street twice, hung out in the French Market, and visited every occult, voodoo and witch craft store we could find. You haven’t even sensed his presence once.” Aria had been on edge since her conversation with Damian. She had no idea what to do or how she even felt about what he had told her.

  “I bought you the pralines you wanted.” Damian winked at her.

  “You think you can buy me with sweets?”

  “Yeah. I do.” Damian’s attitude had turned over-confident as the day went on. It was driving her crazy.

  “You’re going to have to do way better than that.”

  Damian’s phone rang. “Hey. Where are you two? You should have been back hours ago.”

  Aedan gripped his phone with his shoulder and chin while opening a water bottle for Julie. “We ended up going to a couple of smaller towns around the area. I was shocked at how much magic is concentrated near New Orleans.”

  “Are you on your way back?”

  “Not yet. There is some sort of meeting this evening at 8 p.m. that they want us to attend. We’ll be back after that.”

  “Ok. Hurry up. I have a feeling Pravus will show himself tonight.”

  “Will do. See ya later. Oh, and Julie says hi.”

  Damian turned to Aria. “We’re on our own for a while longer.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, they have a meeting to attend in a couple of hours. Sounds like the mystic clans in this part of the country are well organized.”

  Aria sighed loudly. “Now what are we going to do?”

  “We get cleaned up, and I take you to a nice dinner.”

  “More putting ourselves out there so he finds us?” Aria was getting bored. She wanted a little more action.

  “No. We’re going to dinner for us. We’ll search for him again afterward.”
He offered her his hand, and they walked together to their rooms.

  At her door, he reached up to run his knuckles along her face, but he held back and dropped his hand. “I’ll pick you up here in an hour. Is that enough time?”

  She held back a quiver from the intensity of his gaze. “See you in an hour.”

  She closed the door and then leaned against it. How had she gone from hating him to trembling from one of his heated looks? Aria, you need to get yourself under control, she thought.

  Pushing off the door, she put the key card on the dresser and opened her purse to grab her phone. It wasn’t in her purse. Even though she knew it wasn’t in her jeans pocket, she patted it anyway. She left her phone at the table by the pool.

  She grabbed her key card, slipped it in her back pocket, and left the room in a hurry to get her phone. The elevator took longer than it should have, and she was tapping her hand against her leg in anticipation. Once she got onto it, a child from a level above had pressed every button so they had to stop at all of the floors.

  Aria rushed out as soon as the doors opened to the lobby and ran out the side door toward the pool area. There were a few people around, but no one seemed to pay any attention to her as she hurried over to the table she had been using with Damian.

  Her phone was sitting on the table, and she was thankful she didn’t have to get a new one. She had too many important things on it to replace it so easily. She picked up the phone and swiped it on, thinking to send a text message to Julie. As she was scrolling through her apps, a glow appeared in the trees next to her. Rough hands encircled her waist, and she was pulled through a portal.

  Just as she was about to reach for one of her daggers in her boot, she felt her attacker whisper a stunning spell. Her last thought was that she would be unconscious for hours, and no one would know where she was.

  ~*~*~

  Damian knocked at her door for the second time, but she didn’t answer him. Had she fallen asleep? Was she still in the shower? He didn’t want to barge in on her for the second time and have her chew him out.