It was clearly magic, and I was both intrigued and put out. “Why have a book that nobody can read?” I murmured.
Frustrated, I slammed the book down, spine first, and it fell open. I blinked down at the page. It was about Mages. It could be useful, weren’t they basically the same thing as Witches?
Mages:
It’s believed that at least 28% of the human race has the potential to be classified as a Mage. They do have some innate magic but unlocking their potential requires years on intensive study.
That might explain why my magic hadn’t really manifested. I knew nothing about witchcraft, and there much have been some kind of craft to it.
Reluctantly, I took the book back to the shelf where I’d found it before heading out. After all, I had a date.
But, on my way out, I stopped off at the front desk. “Why is there nothing about Witches or performing magic on the internet?” I asked Miranda. During my lunch break, I’d googled the hell out of anything Witch related, and come up with surprisingly little.
“Typically, knowledge is passed down in families. If the knowledge was so easily available, everyone would be trying to cast spells and hex people.”
“Oh. You make a very good point.” However, I couldn’t help but feel disappointment.
“Murray told me you’re a Witch. I don’t have much on the subject, but a few years ago I came across this,” she said, holding up a thin sheet of paper.
Murray had known? I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that he’d kept something so momentus from me, but I wasn’t prepared to confront him about it now. It was all too much at once. I was still adjusting to the discovery, and to my feelings for Vince.
I had to restrain myself from snatching the paper from her, I was so eager to learn literally anything about what I was.
The paper contained instructions on performing a ritual that promoted positive energy and helped align your chakras. It sounded like a whole lot of bullshit. I shot Miranda a sceptic look. “It has to be performed naked?”
“Oh, don’t fret about that. Witches used to do all their rituals naked but these days they have no qualms about covering up. I doubt it will affect the outcome.”
Would I really care if the outcome was affected? I wasn’t sure I needed positive energy, or that my chakras were misaligned. What I really wanted was a memory fixing spell, but the chances of one of those popping out of nowhere seemed astronomical.
So, I’d give the ritual a try and maybe it would unlock some powers that could help me regain a little of what I’d lost. “Thank you, for this, I appreciate it.”
She just smiled and waved me off.
FROM THE LIBRARY, I went straight to Vince’s. I wanted to try the spell/ ritual, but I also felt like I needed some time to digest what I’d learned. I needed a distraction. And I knew just the man for the job.
I knocked softly and, almost immediately, the door flung open and Vince tugged me inside. “I just got the kids down, come here,” he murmured.
I smiled as Trip brushed past our legs. Somehow, he’d known I’d be coming here and I’d found him waiting on the back porch. It was a good thing Vince’s yard was fenced off from the neighbours or they’d have been in for a shock.
Reaching up, I brushed a strand of hair back from Vince’s eyes. “You look tired,” I told him, rubbing my hand against his stubble.
“I’m fine, I’ve got more than enough energy to make love to you, repeatedly,” he promised, kissing me hungrily.
I chuckled. “How about we just curl up on the sofa and watch a movie or something?”
His shoulders sagged a little but he nodded. I couldn’t quite tell if he was more relieved or disappointed. “As you wish.”
Ten minutes into the movie, he was snoring lightly with his head tilted back. I laughed softly and snuggled closer to his chest.
The credits were rolling and I was half asleep when Jem crawled up onto his father’s lap. Vince didn’t even move. Then Kit climbed up against my side and even Trip rested his head against my knee.
I raised an eyebrow but he just huffed before yawning tiredly, bearing a row of deadly teeth. I smiled and let my eyes fall shut.
“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen,” Vince whispered.
I opened one eye tiredly.
He kissed my forehead. “You rest, I’ll just take the little ones to bed.” He carefully slipped out from under me before scooping up Jem and carrying him out of the room. I shifted deeper into the sofa then felt a small body move against mine.
I smiled even as Kit tugged at my hair in her sleep.
“Come on, my girls,” Vince whispered softly as he pulled the child from me, untangling her from my hair.
I moaned softly and the small child imitated the sound.
Vince chuckled before carrying her out to her rooms. “Why don’t you go and keep an eye on the kids, dragon, and try to keep them where they are this time,” Vince said softly as he returned to the sofa, patting Trip’s head.
Trip purred before bounding away.
Vince scooped me up before carrying me to bed too. “I’m sorry I fell asleep, I fully intended to spend the evening seeing to your pleasure,” he kissed my neck.
“It’s okay, you’ve got a lot on your plate, I understand.”
“What you need to understand is that you’re one of my main priorities. In fact, you’re number one right this second,” he told me, setting me on my feet before reaching to unzip my dress.
“I don’t need to be your number one priority,” I assured him gently.
He brushed the dress from my shoulders. “That doesn’t change the fact that you are, love.” He undressed before tossing back the covers and tugging me into bed.
He wrapped himself around me, holding me close and brushing back my hair as we both drifted back into sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
“A business trip?” I asked hesitantly.
“It won’t take long, we can spend most of the time locked away in a hotel room,” he promised, sipping on his coffee as he leant one hip against the counter.
I blushed. “Can Trip come with us? He got pretty upset last time I left him on his own for the weekend.”
“Of course, love, anything you want.” The spark in his eyes told me he meant anything.
“Will Jem be okay without you?” I asked, biting my lip.
He nodded. “He’ll be staying with April and my mother. I’ve gone away on trips before, he knows the drill.”
“I’m still not sure.”
“I’ll take that as a maybe and, when you decide, come over to mine tomorrow after work. I need to go now, come here.”
I lifted the counter and stepped into his arms.
He kissed my forehead briefly then captured my lips, cupping my face with both hands. He nipped my bottom lip firmly as he pulled away. He grinned smugly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, love.”
He kissed me again, briefly, before leaving me feeling flustered.
April rolled her eyes, making my blush deepen. They both took the kids out and Vince shot me one last smile before he went out the door. I carefully put the counter back down and turned to a very smug Julie.
“Gosh, you two are the cutest together,” she told me.
I bit my lip. “Sorry, that probably wasn’t appropriate for the workplace.”
She laughed and waved me off. “As long as your clothes stay on I won't get mad.”
“Julie!” I snapped.
She chuckled and picked up Vince’s mug before rinsing it out and putting it in the dishwasher.
I huffed softly.
“So, how’d you get him?”
I turned in surprise at the sound of Belle’s voice. “I’m sorry?”
“Vince, that guy told me he was too busy with family to date.”
I blinked. “He did?” That surprised me, as much as her personality could use a little work, Belle was very pretty. Most guys would kill to go out with her. However, it didn’t reall
y surprise me that she had been bold enough to ask him out.
She nodded, frowning, then she looked me over before giving a half shrug and walking away.
I was pretty sure I’d been insulted but I shrugged it off and got back to work.
“DON’T YOU THINK THINGS are moving a little fast?” asked Murray as he dropped into the stool at my rooms desk.
“It’s not a big deal,” I insisted.
He frowned seriously. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“Vince won't hurt me,” I assured him.
“He won’t mean too. I don’t want you to get too emotionally invested.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’ve only been dating for a few weeks, I’m not getting invested.”
He opened his mouth to say something else but paused, taking a deep breath. After a moment his eyes shifted to the door and I turned to see Vince standing in the doorway.
I bit my lip. “I thought we were meeting at yours.”
He smirked. “I couldn’t wait. Come here.”
I walked over and tilted my head up to kiss him. He grasped my chin, kissing me thoroughly before pulling back and licking my cheek.
“Ew, what’s that for?” I asked, scrubbing my cheek with my sleeve.
He glanced behind me at Murray but didn’t answer. “Are you ready, love?”
I looked to Murray as well before nodding. “I think so.”
He bent down to kiss me again, briefly. “I can carry your stuff to the car,” he offered.
I bit my lip again. “There’s that bag and then I just have to grab a wash bag from the bathroom real quick.”
He pulled me closer, taking a deep breath as he kissed my neck. “I’ll meet you at the car,” he murmured before moving past me to pick up my duffle bag. He kissed my cheek on his way back out the door.
“You’re sure about this?” asked Murray.
“Just look after Beth while I’m gone.” I patted his head before walking out.
As I stepped outside, Vince scooped me up against him before pressing me against the side of the car. He kissed me greedily, his lips moved firmly and surely against mine.
“Well, hello to you too,” I breathed when he pulled back.
He grinned. “Evening, love. Get your butt in the car,” he ordered playfully.
I leant forward and nipped his bottom lip before climbing inside the car.
HIS ARMS CAME AROUND my waist and he pulled me back against his bare chest. “Come back to bed,” he murmured, kissing my neck. It was the first night of our weekend away, we hadn’t gotten in until late so all we’d done was order room service and fall into bed together.
“You missed the sunset,” I told him softly.
“It couldn’t have been as good as this,” he said, holding me against him before pressing me against the railing in front of me.
“It was really pretty.”
He kissed my ear and my chin, then his hands grasped my hips and I felt his hardness press against me.
I closed my eyes and my hands clenched on the railing. “Vince-” I started to protest but he lifted the back of my thin, black, silk robe until I felt the hot press of his flesh against mine, with only a thin layer of a condom between us. He was prepared.
“Just enjoy the view, love.” He balled up his fist in my hair as he nudged my thighs further apart as he began to fill me from behind.
I gasped and my eyelids fluttered closed as desire pooled hotly low in my belly. “Gods!” My hands clenched on the railing. I loved that he was so bold when it came to sex. There was no hesitation in him, no shyness, he knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it.
He nipped at my earlobe as his hand slid up to cup my breast through to fabric of my robe. “You’re so beautiful, tell me you want me.”
“I want you,” I moaned, arching into him.
He kissed my neck as began to thrust in long, hard strokes.
I let my head fall forward as he took me. As I came close to climax and my exclamations gained volume he reached to cover my mouth with his hand, guiding my head back against his shoulder.
I climaxed only a moment later and then he came too. He slid an arm around my waist, holding me securely against him as my body quivered. Afterwards, he scooped me up and carried me back to bed. He tossed the used condoms in the bin before climbing on top of me.
“How are you feeling, love?”
“Wonderful,” I murmured, reaching up to rub his chest.
He reached to untie my robe, pushing it open as he kissed me. “I’m glad I please you. I want to make you happy.”
As he gazed down at my body, I looked up at him. “Why is that?” I asked softly, studying his expression for his response to the question.
He frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Why is it so important to you, why did you choose me? With your looks, you could have just about anyone.” I bit my lip. I wasn’t big on voicing my insecurities but I really wanted to know what he would say. I needed to.
He took my hand and raised it to his lips. “I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you. And then that first time we were together... I knew life could never get any better than that... than this.” He kissed my jaw.
“And here I was worried about my lack of experience,” I murmured.
He chuckled. “Some things are just instinct,” he informed me. His hand slid inside my robe to rest on my hip. “Your body was made to join with mine,” he whispered softly.
I blushed. “It’s just weird to think that there are probably guys out there that I’ve slept with who I couldn’t even pick out of a lineup.”
He growled. “I prefer to think that I’m the only man you’ve been with.”
I laughed softly. “Well, you would.”
His fingers slid down to brushed up the length of my thigh before tugging my leg up over his hip. “I can assure you that all other men are horrible lovers.” His teeth nipped at my earlobe.
I grinned, shifting against him. “Is that so?”
He nodded. “Especially humans, they’ve got terrible stamina.”
I shook my head, amused. “You still haven’t told me what you are.”
“I haven’t? Well, please forgive the oversight.” He kissed me, effectively cutting off any line of questioning.
Chapter Sixteen
“It’s right on the beach,” I told Beth as I stirred a spoon in my coffee. I was sitting outside a cafe in the town square that was just down the street from our hotel, relaxing while Vince was off attending to some business matter.
“Great, and where is your man now?” she asked.
I picked at my meal which I’d mostly finished before making the call. “He’s off doing work, which is why he came in the first place.” And I had no right to be disappointed that he wasn’t spending more time with me.
“It won’t keep him away for long, will it?”
“I don’t think so, he said if he gets back before midnight he's taking me for a swim in the sea. It should be fun, as long as I can actually swim, which I’m not certain about at this point.”
She sighed softly. “Ah, to be young.”
I felt the weight of someone’s gaze on me and glanced up. “Oh, he’s back already, that didn’t take long at all.” My smile dropped as I saw his expression. “I’ll call you back later,” I murmured, hanging up and rising to my feet.
Vince was running towards me, his gaze tainted on something to my left.
I followed his gaze, my eyes widening at the sight of a Vampire sprinting towards me, fangs bared and eyes feral. My heart stuttered in my chest. I raised a hand toward him, not sure what I was going to do but sure I had to do something.
Maybe I could cast a spell, Witches do that, right?
In a blink, he was nearly on me but then a roar shook the air of the open space outside the restaurant. The Vampire paused and a shadow dropped from the roof, standing between the two of us.
“Trip!” I exclaimed, both relieved and worried. I did
n’t want to see him hurt.
I shouldn’t have worried. As he snarled his body expanded to the size of a Labrador.
The Vampire stumbled back, his expression one of shock. It was that moment that Vince caught up with him.
There was a flash of a blade. At first, I thought the strike had missed but suddenly the vampire's head rolled to the floor, blood spurted and then the body dropped to the ground.
A hand went to my throat and I stumbled back, tripping over my chair. I winced as I landed hard on my ass. Trip’s head appeared and he watched me with wide, concerned eyes. He nudged me gently and I patted him reassuringly.
“Love, are you okay?” asked Vince as he too reached my side.
I jerked back. “You killed him.”
“To protect you.”
I struggled to come up with a response. “I can’t believe you killed him.”
“It’s okay, love, he was a very bad man. He had it coming,” he assured me, reaching to run his fingers gently through my hair.
“But, you-” I broke off.
He pulled me close and buried his face against my neck. “I’m so sorry, little one, I’m sorry.” He kissed my neck repeatedly as he stood, still holding me. “Stay here for a moment,” he told Trip before carrying me the short distance to the hotel.
I squeezed my eyes closed until he put me down on the bed. “Vince-”
He cupped my face. “I didn’t want you to have to see that, I never wanted to put you in danger.” He kissed my neck.
“Why did that happen, Vince?”
He leant back and met my gaze. “I’m a part-time bounty hunter, he was the guy I came here for.”
My breath caught in my throat. “Why?”
He ran one hand through his hair. “If it were just me I’d find another gig but I need to be able to look after Jem. And the people who employ me believe I owe them.”
I frowned up at him. “What? Why would they think that?” Oh God, did he have ties to the mob?
“It’s all in the past, now I have to deal with this. Promise me you’ll wait here for me,” he said, his dark eyes meeting mine.
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