Not to mention, he hated magic. Or, maybe more appropriately, he hated my magic.
I stared at the piece of quartz on my bedside table, realization flooding into me. "How did you know what to do with that quartz? The telos? The focused intent? That was no lucky guess."
This time he released me. Actually, he jumped out of bed and pulled his jeans on, leaving the buttons on his fly undone. Then he paced the room.
"I wanted to tell you," he paused and rubbed his sleep mussed hair. "It was never the right time, or the right words."
I pulled the sheet around me tighter. "Well, I think you need to find the words right now, right or wrong."
His face darkened. "I was sent here."
"Sent here? By who?"
"My coven."
"Your coven?" My voice was barely a whisper.
He nodded. "After your grandmother died. Our High Priestess knew your grandmother a long time ago, and wanted to do something for you in your grief. So she sent me to help out."
"By paying rent?" I asked.
"Among other things."
Wondering what those "other things" could be, I lifted the sheet higher, covering my cleavage. "So you're a witch too?"
He at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Yes."
"So all that shit-talking you did about witch craft?"
"I didn't shit-talk it," he protested.
"That's right," I said, not masking my anger. "You shit-talked my magic."
"Well, your magic could use a little help." He gave me a small, hopeful smile. "I'm really sorry I couldn't tell you who I was, or why I was here."
"Why not?" I asked, blinking back tears. "I mean, I know I am not as good as my Grams with spells, but I didn't think I was so bad that some strange coven had to send someone to keep an eye on me. And not tell me about it to boot."
He sat down on the bed beside me and took my hand. "I'm sorry, Iz. They wouldn't let me."
I snatched my hand away from him and wiped my eyes. "So your coven is like a dictatorship?"
"No," he said, defensiveness creeping into his voice. "We all decided it would be best if I offered more covert assistance."
"Like getting me into bed?" I snorted. "Was that part of the plan?"
"Well, it is my book that's teaching you all about this," he said, his deep brown eyes sweeping over the bed before meeting mine. They were filled with lust, and my body began betraying my brain.
I shook my head, trying to focus on the blood flowing back to my head. "I don't understand why it had to be secret."
"What would you have thought if I came here with that book?"
"I don't know," I replied. "But you could have given it a shot."
"My Priestess didn't want to risk you kicking me out," he explained. "Not everyone is open to sex magic. Your grandmother wasn't."
I shuddered. I didn't even want put Grams and sex magic in the same sentence.
"She would be disappointed in me." I admitted.
"You wouldn't be the first."
"And that means?"
"Exactly what I said. I am sorry I can't tell you anymore."
"I think you need to go now," I glared at him, fed up with the secrets he kept piling on. "And make sure Amanda doesn't see you."
He stood, his unbuttoned jeans hanging low on his hips. "Iz, I'm sorry."
He tipped my chin up to meet his eyes, but I refused to look at him. Instead, I stared at the line of dark hair that snaked from the center of his abs and disappeared under the denim. I expected regret, but what filled me was a deep longing, a sadness that I wouldn't trace that line with my tongue, fill my emptiness with his sex, feel his arms close around me.
"You lied to me," I whispered, willing myself not to cry.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "Do me one favor, please, Izzy. Use the crystal. Give it to Tara. You need to make that spell work. Don't fuck that up because you're pissed at me."
He picked up the crystal and pressed it into my hand. Wrapping my fingers around it, I nodded, then rolled over and turned my back to him, remaining in that position until I heard my door open and then click closed.
Willing myself out of bed was another matter. I wanted to pull the covers over my head and hide, but not from shame. I could accept our hook up. There was an undeniable sexual chemistry between us—I wouldn't fool myself into thinking that it was love, but there was something there. But now this felt like a pity hook up. His coven sent him here to have sex with me, to trick me into a magical practice. When Grams died, our small coven split and there was no time for me to rebuild. His coven swept in to take advantage of that.
I wanted to wallow. Instead, I dragged my butt out of bed. After a cursory brush of my limp hair, and another of my teeth, I tossed on a ratty t-shirt and a pair of Capri sweats. Flip-flops completed the look. I palmed the sex spelled crystal in my hand before heading for the door. It was time to open The Witchery.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I was only 20 minutes late opening the magic shop. It wasn't like there was a line to get in anyway. Pandora was tuned to The Cruxshadows station, and I turned the moody synth-pop up loud. Then I feather dusted the crap out of the entire store.
Amanda's choking cough preceded her into the store from the kitchen. "What the hell are you doing?" She waved the dust particles away from her face.
I noticed she was still wearing the same clothes from last night. I snatched the remote and turned down the music. "Me? I'm cleaning. What the hell were you doing?"
A sly grin lit up her face. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
Amanda hooked up. That put me in a slightly better mood. Not only was I happy for my friend, but it also meant she in no way heard Finn and me hooking up last night.
"I was going to apologize for leaving you but I guess it was for the best," I said, putting the feather duster away to tackle cleaning the windows.
"No hang over?" Amanda asked. I noticed she then took a giant swig of water from her bottle.
"Small one," I admitted. "But manageable. You?"
"Nothing a greasy burger won't cure. You want me to order you something?"
I thought about my dwindling money supply. "No thanks. I'm good."
She stood in the doorway for a minute, taking me in. "Something happened last night. Spill."
Amanda usually poo-poo'd it, but I swore she was an empath. How that woman could just know was beyond me.
"Nothing happened," I lied. "I just spend too much time cleaning up after everyone else. This store is filthy."
She gave me some serious side eye. "I don't believe you."
I shrugged and sprayed down the front glass door, pretending to focus on a stubborn spot of dirt.
"Iz, last I saw you was with Finn," she dug in, dropping her bag and settling on the stool behind the register. Clearly, the burger could wait.
I dropped my cleaning rag and turned slowly towards her. "I knew it," she shrieked when she caught sight of my face. I didn't even have to say a word. "You and Finn? Oh. My. God!"
"We didn't do it," I sighed, wondering if I missed my opportunity. Stupid, stupid condom.
"Well, you did something," she laughed at me. "And I want details!"
"You don't even like boys!"
"No but you are my bestie and I deserve to know if he's worthy of you," she said.
"Well, he's not," I responded dryly, torn about telling her the full truth. Amanda wasn't really a believer in magic. Even though she saw what it could do firsthand, she thought it was a mind-over-matter thing. That was the way her practical mind made sense of these very impractical things.
Her eyebrows went up. "He's not good in bed? I would have never guessed! Given his experience, I thought he'd be beyond spectacular. And he's not even my type. Not even in the ballpark."
That made me crack a smile. "So who did you go home with?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Not even!" Amanda exclaimed. "You are not even close to done telling me about this. Spill."
&nb
sp; I slumped into the chair at my reading table, exhaustion suddenly hitting me like a ton of tarot decks. "I know you don't believe in this stuff really..."
"The magic stuff?" Amanda asked. "Wait. Are you going to tell me your spell for Tara worked on you instead?"
"I wish it were that simple," I muttered. "Okay, I haven't even really processed this yet but...Finn's a witch, too."
"Finn? Our Finn? Grumpy, cut-the-witchy-crap Finn?" she asked. I nodded.
"Didn't see that coming," Amanda continued.
"Right?" I sighed. "The worst part?" Amanda encouraged me along with a hand sweep. "His coven sent him here."
"Like to spy on you? Do witches do that sort of thing? Feels so Alias."
"I don't know if spy is the right word. He claims it was to help me."
"With what?"
"My magic I guess." I shrugged. "I am not really clear what they want with me. Well, except sex."
My face flared red the second that flew out of my mouth.
"What's sex have to do with this?" Amanda was laser focused on me now.
"It's what his coven practices," I said, keeping my voice low. No idea why. There was no one in the shop to overhear. "Sex magic."
"Well now that sounds like magic I can get behind!" Amanda definitely perked up.
"You don't think it's weird?" I asked.
"Weird? Yes. But I think it sounds fun."
"I mean, I guess, yeah," I stammered. "But it was the way they went about it. I mean, he was so dishonest about it. He left his book of shadows on the doorstep. Why didn't he just give it to me, explain it to me? You know, honesty!"
"I see your point," she said. "But would you have listened?"
"He didn't give me a chance," I countered.
"I mean really, Iz," Amanda laughed. "Some guy shows up on your doorstep offering to teach you sex magic? I don't care how hot he is, he's going to sound like a perv."
"I guess," I said, defeated. "But still, all those lies. And I don't think he would have told me either, except I wasn't drunk enough to black out and forget that he talked me through releasing the spell."
"Releasing a spell?" she asked, her curiosity peaked. "So he said it worked?"
"I don't think it's like that," I explained. "I think I have to give her a crystal."
"You think?"
"I kind of kicked him out before he could really explain everything to me," I said, suddenly feeling stupid.
"Oh, Iz," Amanda groaned, dropping her forehead to the counter.
"I still have the spell book," I brightened.
"Really?" she lifted her head. "I totally want to read this."
I nodded, getting up and making my way to the kitchen where the spell book was still stuffed into my book bag. Amanda giggled with anticipation when I returned, hugging the huge tome to my chest.
"It's like the witches guide to the karma sutra," she exclaimed when I opened it and she caught sight of one of the beautiful (and graphic) illustrations. She carefully flipped through the pages, sucking in her breath when the sex became more hard-core and extreme. I felt dampness seep into my panties, and I turned away from the book. All our talk of Finn had me on the brink already. I so did not need to be turned on any more.
"This is gorgeous," Amanda's voice was husky. "Man, I may have to go upstairs and take care of myself after this."
I nodded, keeping my eyes averted. "It's quite a spell book."
"No shit," she said, brushing her fingertips lightly along the book's yellowed paper. "I can absolutely get behind this sort of magic."
"And on top of. And underneath," I joked, hoping to break the sexual tension in the air.
She giggled at that. "So, wow. Wish I saw some of those positions before last night."
"Right?" I smiled. "Think about how much Finn and I could have accomplished if he had been honest with me, and we went through the book together."
"There's a point," Amanda said. We both began to relax again, although my body was still on pins and needles, aching for Finn's touch.
"So this crystal. Do you have to deliver it to her in person? Or can I do it?" Amanda asked.
"Why? Are you going to the sorority house?" I asked, and she turned beet red. "Wait a minute...Who did you hook up with last night?"
She lowered her eyes. "Melinda."
"Really? Wow. I had no idea..."
"Me, neither," Amanda shrugged. "She came on to me last night. And I'd love an excuse to drop by this afternoon."
"Wow," I repeated. "I mean, as far as the Greek girls go, she's one of the nice ones."
"I agree," Amanda said. "And she's ferocious in bed."
"Really?" It was my turn to giggle. "But she's so meek around Tara."
Amanda's grin was enormous. "The sorority sister lets it lose in the sack, that's for sure."
"Glad you had fun," I said, meaning it. But a twinge of sadness gnawed at me. My own early morning fun would never be repeated.
Amanda sensed my regret. "Maybe you should try to talk to him, Iz. I mean, be honest. Would you have believed him?"
"Of course," I said, my indignation on the rise.
"Really?" Amanda gave me a side-eye. "Finn rings the doorbell and says, 'Excuse me, Isadora Foster, I've been sent to fuck your brains out. Magically.' And you'd have dropped your underoos, right there?"
"Well, when you put it that way," I said, reluctantly giving into the obvious. "Grams never told me about sex magic. Hell, she barely explained sex to me at all. So I probably would have thought he was a perv."
"Go talk to him, Iz," she urged me. "Spell or no spell, what do you have to lose?"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Beads of sweat trickled down my back. A full day of blazing sun hitting the black asphalt shingled roof spiked the upstairs temperature from really warm to unbearable. Regardless of the blistering heat, my body froze in front of Finn's door, the heavy grimoire in one hand and the other poised to knock.
"Just do it," I muttered the damn Nike slogan, willing myself to move forward with my plan, and to hell with the consequences. A late day phone call from Tara told me that the spell was still a bust. Her shrill voice screamed at me down the phone, filled with her usual threats. I almost ignored her completely, but this time, her call was followed by one from Danny. He was much less friendly about the money I owed his dad's company this time. He also said something about a cracked rib, but I think that was bullshit.
It was time to go all the way with Finn.
The hum of the AC running in his bedroom drowned out whatever noise he was making. What if he was in the middle of something? I only knew that he was home because I heard him stomp up the stairs while I was locking up The Witchery.
Biting my lip, I knocked warily on the door. A stream of sweat sloped down the curve of my spine, pooling at the dip in my lower back. The cold air in his room drifted under the door, and while my toes wiggled in relief, the rest of my burning hot body was jealous. I swiped the back of my hand across my forehead before knocking again, this time louder and much more forceful. But instead of the door opening, the music volume cranked.
"Oh what the hell," I muttered, slamming my fist into his door repeatedly, trying to rise above the wails of the lead singer's high pitched vocals.
A blast of icy air slammed me in the face when Finn yanked open the door. "Why the hell are you banging? Did the rent check bounce?"
I stared at Finn, my mouth gaped open like an idiot. Barefoot and shirtless, his muscular upper body was like an intricately carved redwood tree. His jeans were undone and slung loosely around his hips. I didn't see boxer shorts rising above the waistband of his pants. I felt my face flare as I thought about slipping the jeans down over his narrow hips. Swallowing, I forced myself to look at his face, not his package.
"Is tomorrow laundry day?" I asked, immediately cringing at my own stupidity.
His puzzled look transformed to a chuckle. "Yes, as a matter of fact, it is."
"Right," I said, clearing my suddenly dry t
hroat.
"So, what can I help you with?" he coaxed.
Oh Goddess. I was about to ask Finn for sex. My stomach churned. This was new territory.
"Um, are you alone?" I asked cautiously.
"Yeah," he said. "Why?"
"I think we need to talk about...stuff," I stammered.
"You want to come in?" he asked.
"Ummm," I stared at my feet. If I went into his room, we would have sex. I wanted to have sex with him. Hell, I needed to have sex with him. But I was beginning to wonder if I needed the sex for more than just the spell.
"In or out, Iz, you're letting the AC out," he said, clearly his patience with me waning.
I stepped into his dark room and he closed the door. Now inside his room, the smell of frankincense filled my nose.
"Did I interrupt your spelling?" I asked, my eyes darting around his room. If he was spelling, only an Athame and a few lit candles remained on the makeshift alter set up on his dresser.
"I just finished," he said, tucking the knife into one of his drawers. He began to blow out the candles but stopped himself. "The candles may help you relax a bit."
"I'm not nervous," I lied.
He leveled a smoldering look at me. Well, not exactly a lie. I wasn't only nervous, I was also turned on.
"So what can I do for you?" he asked, slipping behind me, his body brushing along my back. Heat radiated off of him, even with the icy blast of his AC on high.
"The love spell still isn't working," I said, steadying myself by leaning my right shoulder against the wall. I wanted to turn into him, scent him, feel his hot body fit into mine.
"Did you give Tara the crystal?"
I tracked him as he continued to pace around the room, cat like in his movements. "Amanda took it over there about an hour ago. Said she'd give it to her."
"Call her," he said, handing me his cell phone.
"Amanda?" I asked, shivering slightly. This wasn't going exactly how I pictured. I wanted to shove him into bed, not call Amanda.
"Call her," he repeated, pulling up her contact info and pressing the call button before handing it over to me.
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