by A. K. Koonce
He crossed his arms casually over his chest, appearing relaxed as we bantered. Humor sparked in his brown eyes and he lifted his chin up just slightly in a nod. “So was mine.” His head tilted to the side, studying me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. If only I was actually that interesting.
Shaking my head with a small laugh, I took a deep breath. I glanced over my shoulder and eyed the distance I needed to travel to get back home. I wasn’t far, but I wasn’t fully out of sight from the house either. The grey Victorian house I called home peeked through the trees. I was too close for comfort to be caught au natural, yet not close enough to seek refuge within its walls so I could put this entire morning behind me and focus on what today was really supposed to be about.
You know, today… the day I would be assigned a witching specialty and a fiancé during the Summer Solstice event. The day every good emerging witch looked forward to her entire life. It was only held once a year and it was finally my turn to be presented, which was enough to give me anxiety all on its own. As much as I’d have liked to spend some time getting to know this mysterious guy and figure out why I was so drawn to him, I didn’t need any extra complications or distractions right now.
Pull yourself together, Lorn, I chastised myself. Focus. In a handful of hours, I’d be as good as engaged to some random guy I probably didn’t know. It was a sobering thought.
My eyes trained back on the mystery man’s face, and I took a brief moment to soak up the attraction I felt. If the guy was truly a powerful as the magick I sensed in him indicated, then there was little doubt that we would ever be matched together—if he was even available. I’d be lucky if I received a decent placement tonight. Sending a plea to the stars that I’d be as drawn to my future match as I was to this stranger, I forced words to come out of my mouth, ending what had to have been the weirdest conversation of my life thus far.
“Well, I should get going. The longer I stand here… the worse this gets… so…” I fumbled as it dawned on me that my dignity was about to become non-existent.
Squeezing my arm over my breasts more tightly, I tried to cover the rest of myself as best I could with my free hand. I realized no matter how I maneuvered, I would be flashing the stranger more of my body the moment I moved away from the tree. A stranger who apparently had not one polite or chivalrous bone in his body. I mean, couldn’t the guy at least turn around?
With a look somewhere between smoldering and mischievous, Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Handsome swiftly reached behind him and pulled his shirt over his head, flashing the defined ridges of his abs at me.
“What? Are you trying to level the playing field?” I arched an eyebrow, but I was sure the effect was lost due to the fact that my attention was glued to the hard planes of his body.
Holding the black fabric in his hand, the man’s fingers found the button of his jeans and my face flamed again.
“I… I was kidding,” I stammered, but despite my blush and the rapid beat of my heart, I almost wished he would continue.
He chuckled as though he could read my mind. “Nice to see the interest on your face, but no… I wasn’t planning to strip for you. Although, I’m a willing negotiator.” My gaze flitted to his face and the sinful smirk I found curving his lips. Everything about his demeanor radiated confidence from the way his arms flexed to the way he unabashedly looked at me.
“You’re evil.” I refused to let my attention slide back down his body. He may be hot, but he seemed to have an ego the size of Mars.
“So I’ve been told.” Holding out a hand, he offered the shirt to me, making me eat my words.
“You’re giving me your shirt?” I questioned hesitantly. It was rare that anyone ever went out of their way to help me.
I must have appeared shocked because his features softened.
“I am, but I require a favor in return.” His voice was gentle, and he dipped his head, catching my full attention.
“This shirt comes with strings, then?” I was sure my face looked as confused as I felt.
“Only one.” The quality of his smile was irresistible, and his muscles rippled as he leaned closer as if he was going to confide a secret. His eyes were bright, and he drew a deep inhale into his lungs before sating my curiosity with his answer. “I want to know your name.”
A sigh of relief left my lips. The request was easy enough to fulfill. “Oh, uh… I’m Lorn.” I went to reach out a hand only to quickly put it back in its place, keeping the essentials blocked from view. I ended up doing a weird shrug that I was sure made me look spastic, adding to the awkward allure I was expertly spinning. Not.
The smile on his face was genuine as he laughed at my distress and I couldn’t help but smirk at him and the whole weird situation.
“I like that.” He took a tentative step closer, extending his arm as far as he could to hand me the shirt while still keeping a respectable distance. It was a move I appreciated.
With a rueful smile, I stepped from my hiding spot and took the offering. Just as my hand closed around the soft fabric, his smile faltered, and his eyes widened just enough that I noticed. He inhaled deeply and then released the shirt. Brows furrowed in confusion, I ducked quickly back behind the blessedly wide tree trunk. His reaction to me had me lifting an arm to smell myself. Seriously? I didn’t smell shower fresh after waking up in a freaking forest, but I certainly didn’t smell terrible enough to warrant that kind of response. Frowning, I pulled the fabric over my head fully encasing myself in the shirt. The spicy outdoor scent of the still nameless man assaulted me in the best way. The fabric smelled good. Incredibly good. The mixture of spice, woods, and something sweet washed over me, and an involuntary shudder raced down my body.
Stars, get ahold of yourself! I smoothed my hands down the shirt, making sure it covered everything while I tried to shake off my reaction. The black tee-shirt hit mid-thigh, and for the first time since I awoke that morning, I finally relaxed.
I stepped from around the tree. “Thank you—” I held the note, waiting for him to fill in the blank.
“Axel.”
Nodding, I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Nice name.” Smooth, Lorn. Real smooth. I internally rolled my eyes at myself and hurriedly covered my artlessness with another question. “You sure you can survive without your shirt?”
More like was he sure he could avoid being jumped now that all his gorgeous, golden skin was out on display, but I didn’t think that would be appropriate to voice out loud. Besides, he looked more than capable of handling himself if he needed too.
“I’ll survive, and I think you needed it more than I did.” He winked at me, but I didn’t miss how his eyes scanned down my body, taking in the bare skin of my legs before his focus returned to my face. “Besides,” he held up his hands and wiggled his fingers, “I’ll survive. I can just magick another one.”
“Right. Thanks then.” I gave him a tiny wave as I started walking backward, nearly tripping in my hasty escape. The last thing I needed was him questioning why I didn’t magick myself any clothing. The truth was, magick and I had a love-hate relationship. I loved to try and use it, and it hated to work correctly. I was safer walking around in the buff than I was trying to summon and use my wand. Every spell I tried to cast ended in disastrous chaos. I gave him one last cursory glance and then turned and high tailed it toward my destination.
“Just as beautiful going as you were coming!” he teased, the scintillating notes of his lowered voice clearly relaying the dirty innuendo of his words. I pursed my lips trying not to smile. The pervert. Anyone could be listening, and I knew that had been the point. From knight in shining armor right back down to hellion.
“You just had to make that sound dirty, didn’t you?” I called over my shoulder, just loud enough to reach him as I retreated.
Axel’s hands were tucked into the pockets of his low hanging jeans as he watched me go, every defined ridge on display. “It wouldn’t be fun if I didn’t, sweet cheeks.” The grin on his face was al
so present in his tone.
I shook my head, but my lips were permanently tipped upward. Axel was by far the most interesting guy I had ever spoken to, and I didn’t even know him.
“Will I see you again?” he asked when I didn’t dignify his vexatious flirting with a response.
I stopped and turned around. Such a large part of me wanted to stay outside and spend time getting to know him. I longed to hide away from the world and forget that today existed, and the allure he presented was hard to pass up. But I needed to get back inside. Every minute I wasted outdoors was just an increased risk in being found out, and I had no idea what the repercussions of bailing on the Solstice would be. Nothing good.
With a sigh, I resigned myself to my fate. “I’ll be at the Solstice tonight.” Biting my lip, I didn’t wait for his reply. I turned and hightailed it through the forest.
Order Shadow Touched Today!
Also by A.K. Koonce
Reverse Harem Books
The Hopeless Series
Hopeless Magic
Hopeless Kingdom
Hopeless Realm
Hopeless Sacrifice
The To Tame a Shifter Series
Taming
Claiming
Maiming
Sustaining
Reigning
The Royal Harem Series
The Hundred Year Curse
The Curse of the Sea
The Legend of the Cursed Princess
The Harem of Misery Series
Pandora’s Pain
The Severed Souls Series
Darkness Rising
Darkness Consuming
Darkness Colliding
The Huntress Series
An Assassin’s Death
An Assassin’s Deception
The Villainous Wonderland Series
Into the Madness
The Mortals and Mystics Series
Fate of the Hybrid, Prequel
When Fate Aligns, Book one
When Fate Unravels, Book two
When Fate Prevails, Book three
Resurrection Island
Also By Harper Wylde
The Phoenix Rising Series
Born of Embers
Hidden in Smoke
Spark of Intent
Forged in Flames
Blaze of Wrath
Shadow Walkers Series
Shadow Touched
The God Trials
The Selected (Coming Soon)
About Harper Wylde
Harper Wylde is an international bestselling author who lives in the countryside of Pennsylvania. As a wife and a mother of two young children, she spends her days chasing after little people and making crazy notes about story ideas all over her home. As a serial entrepreneur, Harper also dabbles in photography and graphic design...but has found that her favorite occupation is the one she’s doing now—writing fantasy and paranormal romance. She loves coffee, cooking, chocolate covered pretzels, and characters with hidden strength and endearing flaws! To connect with Harper, follow her on Facebook where you can join her author group called The Wylde Side and stay up to date on sneak previews, teasers, and new releases!
About A.K. Koonce
A.K. Koonce is a USA Today bestselling author. She’s mom by day and a fantasy and paranormal romance writer by night. She keeps her fantastical stories in her mind on an endless loop while she tries her best to focus on her actual life and not that of the spectacular, but demanding, fictional characters who always fill her thoughts.