“You’ll want to mask your smell,” Austin said. He’d barely moved since he’d changed, each action probably radiating anguish through him.
“Yes. Great idea. A good old-fashioned mud bath ought to do the trick.” Edgar put up his thumb before hurrying away.
Austin’s eyes flicked to me. He didn’t say anything.
“You don’t have to play tough with me, Austin. I peeked. You’re—”
“Did you like what you saw?” His voice was low and thick, sending shivers across my body.
My face heated. “You’re in incredible pain,” I said, ignoring the sexual innuendo. He tended to relax when he was dealing with pain. His focus slipped, and his grip loosened on his usually iron-clad self-control. “Why didn’t you slow down or opt to find the basajaun another day?”
He shook his head, his eyes roaming my face. “I’m good.”
I laid my hands on his chest just above his pecs, his skin too hot. Heavy bruises marred his ribs. A gouge bled from the left side of his stomach and another gash dribbled blood down his thigh. Moving around him, I found scrapes and scores down one side of his back, the skin already black and blue around them.
“Okay,” I whispered, guilt tearing at me, thinking about how best to heal him. Thanks to Edgar’s diligent work with the book he’d found in the garden, I didn’t have to guess when it came to healing anymore. I had a few options at my disposal.
The fastest healing method would work quickly, but Austin would be in excruciating pain until the end. That one was best with large or near-fatal wounds. The second type masked the pain a little, like a localized numbing effect, making the patient more comfortable. The third and slowest method allowed me to make the patient feel however I wanted, completely cutting out the pain. This was dangerous in battle because the body would still be hindered by the slow-healing wound. The person would feel capable of moving like they normally did, without actually being in a condition to do so. But all he had to do was hang out and eat dinner. He’d be fine.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, erasing his pain while grazing my fingertips down his broad back. “I really thought I toned the magic way down. I shouldn’t have let you test the tripwire.”
“I offered to test it knowing this was a possibility. It’s fine, Jess. This is my job.”
A discolored area was just above his left butt cheek, and I curled my fingers around his hip before running my thumb over it. Dirt, not a bruise. My other palm flat on his spine, I closed my eyes and magically felt down into his body, sussing out the hurts and aches, of which there were plenty. If he’d been non-magical, or even in human form at the time of the incident, I probably would’ve killed him.
Fear welled up inside of me. I had to be more careful. I had to try harder. To learn faster. I couldn’t subject my people to this. I couldn’t ask them to wander into harm’s way, potentially being swatted down hard enough not to get back up.
I tried to move back around to his front, intending to delve down into the ribs and see if anything was broken—my magic could essentially act as an X-ray, which was pretty freaking amazing—but he tensed.
“Probably best if you stay back there,” he said softly. “Things are looking up on this side.”
I chuckled and kept moving, but I stood farther away as I circled around him so I didn’t touch his erection. The thing had a long reach.
“It’s nothing I haven’t seen a few times before.” I placed my palm against his ribs and closed my eyes. Deep muscle bruising. The magical razors hadn’t just slashed through his skin and muscle; they’d clearly packed a punch as well. No broken bones.
“You’ll heal. Is the pain gone—” My breath hitched as I felt one of his hands low on my hip, sliding around. The fingertips on his other hand dusted my jaw line. Fire erupted in my core, suddenly pounding. He wasn’t the only one with a loose leash on his control.
He spread his hand across my lower back, his ring and pinky fingers technically on my butt, his other hand curving around the back of my neck. Soft pressure urged me to step forward, closer to him. Against him.
I fluttered my eyes open, meeting his cobalt eyes, deep and soft but also burning with desire. They settled on my lips, almost like a physical presence. His hand on my back slipped lower, his pinky and ring finger on a cheek now, the rest of his hand sure to follow. Heat coursed through my blood, and it was hard to breathe. Hard to think.
“You are absolutely amazing,” he whispered, his breath feathering me with the scent of honey and cinnamon. Electricity crackled between us, heat soaking into me through his touch. “Your power is awe-inspiring. It is an honor to train with you, Jacinta. It is worth the pain.”
I shook my head, wanting to tell him that nothing could be worth that pain, but the words wouldn’t come.
I wet my bottom lip, prompting a low groan deep in his chest. His insistent pressure still urged me forward until I couldn’t help but give in, feeling his hard length throbbing against my stomach, his solid muscle scorching my palms.
His face inched down, his eyes on my lips, his proximity delicious, the feel of him winding me up until I could barely tolerate the tightness in my core. I slid my hands up over his stellar chest, winding one of them around his shoulders while reaching the other up to cup his jaw, wanting this so badly. Wanting a kiss, wanting the hand on my butt to squeeze and grind me against him. To lift up my dress and touch what was underneath. Unlike with Damarion a few months ago, I didn’t want to back off. I didn’t want to push away. This time, I was all systems go.
Eight
“We should go in,” I managed, my voice husky and words slightly slurred. It was like I was drunk on his proximity.
“Are you sure?” He skimmed his full lips across my jaw line and down my neck, sucking a little skin into his hot mouth. I moaned. I couldn’t help it.
“We work together, Austin. We shouldn’t do this.” Control precarious and fleeting, I pulled back just a little, but only so I could tug at his neck, wanting to taste him. To feel those lips on mine. We’d kissed once, after a wine tasting that had gotten surprisingly intense, and he’d been a master at it. Sensual and passionate. I wanted to see what else he was a master at. And I was afraid of what it might do to me. “We’re friends. We need to stay friends.”
He kissed the other side of my neck, giving me chills, sending a shock of pure heat straight down to my core. My moan rode an exhale, and my eyes fluttered shut.
“You’re right,” he said softly, before tracing his tongue down the shell of my ear. He sucked in my earlobe, and I melted in his arms. He kissed across my jaw and then leaned his forehead against mine, tensing. His arms constricted around me, squeezing me tightly to him, surrounding me with his strength and power. “You’re right,” he repeated, so soft that I barely heard. “I wouldn’t be able to fight my way out of this one. You’d ruin me forever.”
He released me, and as his words filtered into my consciousness, he stooped to grab the clothes he’d dropped, his movements stiff. He walked off into the trees, leaving me standing there, shivering from the cold that replaced his warmth.
Ruin him?
What was he talking about? I’d probably engineer a horribly awkward situation, but I definitely wouldn’t ruin anything, not even with my magic or building status. If one of us had the upper hand, it was surely him. The townsfolk trusted him, listened to him, and he led the guys who reported to me. He owned the local watering hole I hung out in, for criminy’s sake. He was the town alpha, and I was just an upstart with magic I barely knew how to work. If something got going between us and ended in flames, it would be my setup that got torched. Which, let’s face it, would almost certainly happen, because I wasn’t even looking for a longtime thing and I also had zero experience with loving ’em and leaving ’em and still staying friends. He had this all wrong, laughably so.
Then again, his head wasn’t in the right place. He’d been battling incredible pain and fatigue for a few hours, and suddenly his mood had been magi
cally lifted. His situation was the equivalent of someone on serious pain meds saying cockamamie stuff. I needed to give the guy a break.
I also needed to get into the house and check on my dad, who had to have seen Austin shift, and make sure Mr. Tom hadn’t sent my mom packing for trying to help. There were a lot of fires to put out just now—Austin would have to handle his own.
“Should I meet you in there?” I called.
He walked out a moment later, clothes in place, no shoes or socks, head held high and control firmly back in hand. He glanced at the eaten flowers before pausing at my side. “I’m good. Let’s go try some dip.”
The guy could bounce back on a dime, another thing that gave him an advantage. I was still nervous after a couple of awkward dates and a failure to launch with a handsy suitor.
We started walking together, quietly at first, then I gestured back to the edge of the woods. “At first I thought Edgar was a little… Well.” I scratched my nose. “You know how he can be about the flowers.”
“Hysterical?”
“When they’re eaten, yeah. But honestly, he does have a point. Most animals would leave signs.”
“The animals in this area most likely to eat flowers like that are deer and rabbits, and they would absolutely leave prints or droppings. The fact that they haven’t does make me suspicious. This is Ivy House property, though. Because of Edgar’s faux pas, the house has stopped letting anyone hike through or roam around without my say-so.”
“Regardless, humans don’t eat flowers.”
“It might still be the basajaun. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
I nodded. “I’ll ask Ivy House to wake me up if he comes onto the property. I can’t ask to be alerted when every deer or rabbit shows up, though. They’re all through the woods.”
“I’m sure you know this, but you can have her alert you for anything that’s not a standard animal.”
“I did know that, yes. I can also set a magical snare that won’t razor-punch someone.” I grinned as we reached the back door. “Too soon?”
Something occurred to me, and I stopped and turned toward him, my head much clearer after the brief walk and cool air.
His eyes still smoldered, and looking into them nearly undid my newly level head.
I swallowed, keeping myself in check. “Do you know if my dad saw you shift? Because if so, what the hell, right?”
A small crease worked between his brows. He dug his hands into his pockets and nonchalantly took a step back. “He must’ve. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I came in. I’d forgotten your parents were here. Sorry about that.”
I waved it away. Given the state he was in, that was entirely understandable. “What’s with the lack of reaction? How the hell could he ignore something like that?” I bit my lip. “Maybe he was studying the flowers and didn’t notice…”
“Maybe. It would be hard not to notice the light or feel the heat, though. Maybe he only looked up after I’d finished changing?”
I shrugged. That had to be it. There was no other explanation.
“It’s only day one.” I reached for the door.
He moved around me and got there first, pulling it open, but he didn’t rest his hand on the small of my back like he usually did. “Milady.”
I huffed out a laugh. For some reason, I liked when he called me that. It was stupid and silly, reminding me of the time of knights and ladies-in-waiting, but…well, there it was.
“Also, it’s day one-point-five,” he said, and waited for me to go through before following. “Don’t begrudge yourself that point five. You’ve earned it.”
Instead of turning right and heading into the kitchen, I hung a left, aiming for the closest entrance to the secret passageways.
“I’m going to get changed really quickly. Want to…” I paused, pointing at the door, not sure why I’d asked him up to my room after what had just happened.
He shrugged. “Sure.”
I continued to pause.
He grinned. “I’ll keep my hands to myself if you do.”
The breath gushed out of me and I laughed. He always made everything so easy. He had a talent for deflating or de-escalating situations that might end badly, including what had happened between us outside. I had been very slow in hitting those brakes. If he hadn’t backed off at the end, I wasn’t even sure I would’ve.
“Sounds good.” Within the secret passageway, I said, “Oh, did you want to shower?”
He didn’t answer for a moment, making me look back as I got to the door of my closet.
“Yeah, sure. I don’t have any fresh clothes, though. Or boxers.”
“If you lay your clothes down somewhere, Mr. Tom or my mom will bustle through and knock that out for you.”
“And we already know your dad’s views on going around naked. I wouldn’t even need to wait for them to be dry. I could just free-ball it through dinner.”
“Please don’t encourage him.” A wave of exhaustion hit me when I stepped into my room, and I found myself gravitating to the little table by the window. I sank down into one of the chairs, looking out the window at the dwindling day.
Austin took the other seat and crossed an ankle over a knee, looking out with me. “This is what you do at the end of a day, huh?”
“Yes. Often Mr. Tom will wander in with some snacks or something to drink, and then leave me to just sit here and gaze out. It’s a nice view.”
“It is. Peaceful. I have a view of woods from my bedroom. No hedge maze, though. My view is lacking for it.”
“I’m sure Edgar would build you one if you asked. Maybe plant you a ridiculous amount of flowers, too. I’d loan him out.”
“No, thank you.” The silence lengthened for a moment. Then he said, “One day, when your parents aren’t here and there’s nothing going on, we should come back here and enjoy the view, stress-free. Maybe with a glass of wine.”
Butterflies fluttered through my stomach. “That would be nice.”
* * *
After our respective showers, Austin using one in a spare bedroom and opting to wear his somewhat dirty clothes instead of the purple house sweats, we landed back downstairs. Niamh sat in the TV room with my dad, her feet up and a beer in her hand. Neither of them spoke, just stared at the blaring TV.
I noticed one of the dolls sitting on a chair in the corner, the baby face turned down, its eyes much too lifelike for my taste, given the dolls in this house actually did come to life.
“What is that thing doing there?” I pointed.
My dad struggled to swivel in his chair, trying to see what I was talking about. Niamh, who now had the flexibility of a much younger woman, easily turned and glanced at the offending doll.
“Your mammy brought it down.” Niamh took a sip of her beer, unperturbed.
“Why? What was she doing in the doll room?” I demanded.
“She thought you had a love child and went to check it out,” my dad said, equally as unperturbed.
“A…what?” I stared in disbelief.
“You might have a real rat problem, Jessie,” my dad said, grabbing the remote and putting the TV on mute. “There was some awfully big thumps from above. That’s the second floor—you shouldn’t have that kind of noise coming from the second floor.”
“Woulda been better off with that love child instead of rats, eh, Jessie?” Niamh asked, laughter infusing her eyes.
“Ah well, I don’t know. Rats are easier to get rid of. Though…” My dad swiveled again, this time to look at me. “We haven’t gotten one call from Jimmy, did your mom tell you? She’s called him a few times, sure enough, but that kid just does not want to pick up the phone. He’s worse than you. Have you heard from him?”
“He’s away from home for the first time and he has a new girlfriend. He’s busy.” I also knew that if he had a hard enough time picking up the phone to call his mother, he wouldn’t spend much time thinking about his grandparents. Eighteen-year-old boys didn’t seem to think abo
ut family until they needed it, or at least mine didn’t. I missed him something awful, but I also didn’t want to cramp his style. Not yet. Not until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I’d also need to figure out how to explain my new life. Given how it was going with the parents, I’d need to think a little harder about explanations when he finally came here. “He’s hoping to come out for Mother’s Day.”
My dad grunted and reached for the remote. Our talk was apparently done.
In the kitchen, Ulric and Cedric sat at the island in front of a plate loaded with cheese, salami, and crackers. Each had a drink—Ulric with a beer and Cedric with orange juice. My mother stood at the sink, her hands submerged in the suds foaming up out of the basin. An empty dish rack sat in front of Jasper, who was wiping a plate with a towel before moving to put it away.
The oven door lay open with Mr. Tom peering into it. “Honestly, Martha, you don’t need to do that. You can just sit down. I’ll take care of them in a minute.”
“Don’t be silly. I just wish you’d let me help more. You have your hands full catering to all these people!”
“I assure you, it is nothing I can’t handle.”
“Hey.” I stopped by the island, Austin beside me. Ulric lifted his drink in salute.
“Oh hey, honey.” My mom turned with a smile, pulling a yellow rubber glove from the glistening foam. “I hear the woods expedition went well. Your father says there are a lot of flowers out back. I think I’ll check those out tomorrow. Maybe get some pointers from Edgar.”
My mother was the worst gardener in history, or maybe second only to me. Edgar would likely make it sound easy, especially given he had a magical elixir that actually did make it easy, and if he encouraged her, she’d probably end up mass-murdering a bunch of innocent flowers. It would be a travesty.
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