by Cherie Marks
“Let’s give him exactly what he wants.”
“What are you talking about? How does that help us?”
Ivy looked at her grandmother. This was going to be a hard sell, but it might work if she executed it just right. “Let’s give him the rest of his magic, laced with a jinx that will cause him to destroy himself.”
Gigi stared at her, a look of contemplation on her face. “How will you get Zayn out before it’s too late?”
“Let me worry about that. As soon as I agree, grab Flint and Franny and get out of here so he can’t use you to get to me again.”
“Okay.” Gigi cupped her cheek. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Me too.”
Ivy stood up quickly before she lost her nerve. “Here I am, Grath. Let’s do this.”
He looked somewhat surprised, but nodded as his lips curled up on each side.
“But on one condition—let my grandmother, my cousin, and Franny go free.”
“What’s to stop you from refusing again?”
“We’ll begin the transfer first. Then, you can let them go.”
His look of glee rivaled that of any kid who ever hung out in a candy store with no supervision.
Ivy trudged toward Grath, and he pushed her to the ground the minute she was near enough for him to grab her arm.
“Now, we begin.”
With a hand on Ivy and a hand on Zayn, Grath began the transfer. In that moment, it felt as if an electrical current zipped through her body, causing pain like she’d never known. She was having trouble concentrating. She needed to create the jinx and watch Zayn at the same time. She couldn’t let him die.
“Let...them...go.”
She watched him wave his hand at the three, and they were physically expelled through the garden gate, which slammed shut immediately afterward.
Her mind felt like it was crowded with cotton, but she had to put together the perfect jinx, and she had to send it through without detection. Yet, even as she weaved a jinx from her magic and began to feed it through Zayn, she noticed his skin growing paler and paler. He couldn’t stand this. She was killing him.
What could she do? She couldn’t lose him, not now that she finally knew love.
“Hang on, Zayn. Don’t leave me. I...I love...you.”
His eyes opened, and his smile said all she needed to know. He was willing to sacrifice himself to save her. He loved her, too.
With a new motivation to hear him say it, she shoved the jinx through.
“What? What are you doing?” Grath threw his head backward as he began to feel the effects. She just needed him to release Zayn. Once he was free, she’d pull everything out but the jinx. He should be feeling a choking sensation in his throat right now. Any minute, he would react with instinct and put his hands to his neck.
Just as she’d predicted, he dropped his hold on both Zayn and Ivy, but before he could change his mind, she used her own grip to begin the transfer back to Zayn. With her laser focus on her task, she pulled every bit of magic out in a matter of minutes. Once the only thing left was the jinx, she let go, and with a fully-revived Zayn, ran for the garden gate. They were outside in an instant and suddenly surrounded by multiple authorities. It didn’t take long to realize who they were here for.
After just a few maneuvers by the magical law enforcement officers, Grath surrendered, begging for someone to remove the jinx. Ivy perfected her innocent look and shrugged. She knew, by now, one of the worst effects of the jinx was the extremely itchy crotch he was experiencing. As they slapped the magical cuffs on him, Ivy winced, realizing he might go crazy long before they locked him up.
But the good news was that he would be locked up. Forever. He would not threaten anyone else ever again.
Zayn was suddenly by her side and pulled her into his embrace, just where she loved to be. The feel of his arms around her was heaven, as was his deliciously clean scent.
“So, you love me, do you?”
She looked up at him, unsure for a moment, until he smiled such a smile that her heart melted.
“That’s good because...well...I love you too, Ivy.”
“As it turns out, it’s Ivy Rose. Looks like you no longer need your garden, not with me by your side.”
“And that’s exactly where you’ll always be. Right by my side.”
The kiss he gave her curled her toes, but when he pressed something into her hand, she laughed. When she pulled away, she held her hole-in-one golf ball.
“It’s about time.”
“A rose in exchange for a ball. I think I got the better end of that deal.”
Ivy couldn’t agree more, and she planned to make him a believer for the rest of their lives together.
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About Cherie Marks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cheriemarks
Facebook:Author Page
Website: http://www.authorcheriemarks.com/
It all started with an old fashioned typewriter. When my family brought it home, for the first time, I knew what I wanted to do. All those stories rolling around in my head could finally get out. The press and click of the keys were satisfying in their own right, but when I pulled out a finished page, I knew this was for me. Since then, I've graduated to a laptop, but the stories still find a way out.
I'm a breast cancer survivor, a teacher, a wife, a mother, and a writer. I continue to strive for less procrastination and more tact. The battle wages on.
I KNOW EXACTLY HOW to be a bad girl:
1. Be born that way
2. Have notorious parent
3. Be real witch to everyone.
But, I’ve got to be good now because in between teaching Chemistry at the local high school in Assjacket, West Virgina, I have to save all humanity from the forces of evil and...blah...blah...blah...keep the Halloweeneedtokissourassesgoodbye apocalypse from happening. With the help of an off-the-charts, smoking hawt instructor/boss, I might just have a fighting chance—if I can stop drooling over his naked chest. Dane Calvin agreed to teach me how to use my abilities responsibly, but he’s never met a witch as hard-headed as me. And, of course, it doesn’t help that the last time I used my powers it ended in tragedy, so forgive me if I’m a little magic gun-shy. I might be made for wicked things, but when he’s watching, I’ve got to be good because Wicked Is As Wicked Does.
CARRASANDRA REED KNOWS life has dealt her a raw deal. Now, she's in Assjacket, West Virginia to make things right. She's got to find a way to get her hands on an impossible-to-find stone, and the best plan she's got is to fake amnesia until it surfaces. Just one little kink in the con. The gorgeous panther-shifter, Finn Bryant, isn't buying her act one bit. He's on to her, but she'd rather he get on top of her and make all her troubles fade away.
With a little bit of lu...no...strike that...no need to go there. With all her skill and con-artistry, she might just be able to pull off the greatest con of her life, free herself from her misery, and give herself a chance at happiness.
Nothing pleases Toricellia "Celia" Henderson more than hanging out with friends, giving brilliant snark, and hiding her true identity. She's a bobcat shifter who hasn't shifted in years due to the whole nobody-can-know-who-she-is situation, but she can't deny her best friend's request to locate a treasured stone while in her bobcat form. Unfortunately, now people know her location, and a wild prince named Ethan is chasing her through the forest and looking too hot to handle—and he knows exactly who she is. She’s his mate.
Now, a powerful someone is steering them toward the kingdom of Wicked where an ambitious, warlock cockalorum is trying to take over. Th
ey'll have to work together to save the ones they love and to set things right. Magic and mayhem ensue as these two learn there's nothing like having a partner in crime and There's No Place Like Wicked.
Book List
Also by Cherie Marks
Wicked is As Wicked Does (Book 1 in the Wicked Hearts Series)
Show Me the Wicked (Book 2 in the Wicked Hearts Series)
There’s No Place Like Wicked (Book 3 in the Wicked Hearts Series)
The Fae Next Door (Book 1 in the Love Next Door Series
The Vampire Next Door (Book 2 in the Love Next Door Series)
The Dragon Next Door (Book 3 in the Love Next Door Series)
Lost in New Falls (Book 1 in the Lost in Love Series)
Lost in Christmas (Book 2 in the Lost in Love Series)
Into the Fire (Book 1 in the Sizzle in the Kitchen Series)
Wicked Jackal (Woodland Creek Series)
Thief of Sanguardia (Skeleton Key Series)
Shadow of Ruin (The Complex Series)
And writing as C. C. Marks
Edge of Mercy
Heart of Mercy
End of Mercy
Range of Mercy
Mercy
Out of Mercy (coming soon)