I could hardly see, and I almost felt like I passed out, and then the cloud started to lift and the sensation started to die back as he moved slower and slower and then stopped and collapsed, his head on my shoulder, his arm around me..
“Tulip…”
“Ohhh…oh my goodness.”
“It was fucking good, wasn’t it?” He looked up at me with the more boyish side of his smile in evidence.
My heart swelled and I surely couldn’t help it any more than I could help what had just happened. I thought I would hate to be with any man ever again after seeing how disgusting Father Joshua was. I didn’t expect to feel cleansed.
“I love you…so much, Tulip,” he said. “I don’t have words for it. I am sure that’s how sex was invented. It’s the only way to say what I feel whenever I look at you.” He shut his eyes. “But I am in so much pain. How humiliating. I’m going to pass out now.”
“Maybe you should…um…withdraw,” I said.
But he was already asleep. He passed out with his cock resting inside me. I had to wriggle off of it myself.
We made such a mess, I thought. I could feel his seed on my inner thighs, wetness trickling out of me a little, a slick spot on the bed. I was so achy and exhausted that I didn’t want to do anything about it.
I fell asleep, I suppose, because I woke to Silvus wiping us off with a warm, wet cloth. I looked at him drowsily. “Oh…thank you…I’m…I’m sorry.” My haze had faded just enough to feel embarrassed again and I saw that there was also blood on the sheet below us.
“Don’t worry about it, dearest. Rayner is really in no condition for any of this. I’m not surprised he couldn’t take care of you—as he should. Here.” He actually grabbed my ankles and Rayner’s in one hand for a second and whisked a blanket under us and then folded the other half over us.
“Oh…I have to pee, anyway,” I said, blushing.
He lifted the blanket back up. “Good idea. Go on.”
When I came back from the bathroom, Silvus was sitting on the edge of the bed, caressing Rayner’s hair as he slept. He stood up and gave me a small bow. Then he walked up to me and slipped his hands around my naked body, stopping me in my tracks.
“He looks far more content than I can ever make him,” Silvus said.
“You…”
“Yes, I have some idea of how you feel,” Silvus said with a wry little smile. “You probably don’t have much to reference, but…he is not small.”
My eyes widened. “Oh. I—I wondered if you—were lovers.”
“I hope you don’t mind. I’m nothing to him compared to you. We keep each other distracted in the lonely years.”
“I don’t mind! I don’t think that’s true, either. I think…you two must love each other very much. I can see how close you are. It actually makes me feel better. You seem so strong and fierce, Silvus, and right now I feel very…used.”
“Oh, I imagine you do.” He chuckled. “And glowing from head to toe. Well, get used to that feeling, pet. I will see you tomorrow night. Did he compel you to come, or did he get there naturally?”
“He…compelled me.”
“I will not give you that privilege,” he said in a low voice that made my core burn with urgency, just when I thought I was spent.
His hand gripped my waist tight for a moment, gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek, and paused to blow out the candle before he left the room.
Chapter Forty-One
Alissa
The next evening, as we were having dinner, there was a knock on the door. Rayner immediately went to get it.
“Tell them to join us!” Thom said. “I made too many damn beans!”
Jie rubbed his forehead. “After a century, can you learn to measure instead of just throwing whatever into a pot?”
We had all been waiting on the witches. I just hoped they could find an answer. Rayner and the others still had no idea of the terrible secret the witches told me, and I didn’t know what I would say if they couldn’t find a way to break my ‘blessing’.
“Come in,” Rayner said. “We have extra food if you would like any dinner.”
The entire family entered, even Dee and Kira. Everyone looked surprised to see the younger woman, and I hope it wasn’t a bad sign, since Dee didn’t know much about the magical world.
“We brought the ward breaking spell,” Wanda said. “We’re going to have to give you some instructions on how to use it. Now, Dee here, we realized it is time to tell her everything and begin her training on how to be a witch, and she wondered if it was all right to give Alissa a tarot card reading. She really wants to practice.”
“I’m pretty excited,” Dee said. “Since we’ve been talking, I’ve realized how glad I am to know that there’s more to life, so I want to learn as much as I can.”
“Of course,” Rayner said. “I don’t see why not. We won’t be involving Alissa in our attack on the Order.”
“Go to the parlor, baby,” Wanda said. “We’re going to have to concentrate.”
I was a little disappointed to be sent out of the room while the witches talked about serious spell work to get a Tarot card reading (I wasn’t exactly sure what this actually was) from Dee while her two-year-old was in tow, but then Dee gave me a little conspiratorial look once we were out of the room.
“They told me everything.” she whispered. “And now I get to tell you. But it isn’t going to be easy, I don’t think.” She sat down in one of the pair of matching chairs on either side of a card table. “Go play, okay?” She handed Kira some kind of plastic game.
“Take these cards and shuffle them eight times,” she said.
“Did they find out how to break the blessing?” I asked, shuffling the deck.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll tell you, but they told me you don’t want to tell them yet.” Dee paused and held out her hands. “Take my hands.”
“Why?”
“Because you look like you need a friend.” Dee paused. “I won’t be that friend, because you’re leaving. I always knew there was something about my great-aunt…and this neighborhood…and your men, there. It was pretty cool to find out the truth, but I don’t envy you. I’ll be happy to find a garden to tend. But you’ll find a friend somewhere. So start getting used to how it feels, okay?”
I didn’t expect this. Out in the world, people could be so honest right away, it seemed. And…kinder than I expected.
“Dee, I’m sorry if I gave you a weird look when we first met,” I said. “When I came here I had an idea that you were immodest and sinful, but that was just what they told me in the Order, so I’m sorry if I seemed weird.”
She grinned. “Well, you’re probably not wrong. Immodest and sinful, yeah, that’s me. Okay—I think you shuffled more than eight times, so just pick six cards already and put them down in a row.”
I placed the cards.
Temperance.
Judgment.
Both had images of angels.
The Sun. That seemed bright and welcome.
The Fool. What did that mean?
The Tower. Oh…the tower was struck by lightning. That seemed ominous.
Death. The final card.
Dee drew in a little breath. “How did I know this last card would be Death?” She touched the cards with her hands, and said, “To break the blessing, you need some of your hair or bones or some bit of remains from every life you have lived. You have to take all seven of these artifacts and burn them, as you speak the words, ‘I release this mortal life’. Then you take the ash and boil it, strain it, and drink it with the blood of the vampire who will be your sire.”
“Remains?” I almost choked on the word. “All seven lives? But that’s impossible! They don’t even know where one of my lives took place!”
“They found the counter-spell in one of their books, and then they talked to Carly down the street, and then they called some other witch in England, and they all agreed on it.”
“What if I don’t have any remains
?”
“That was the only spell they could find. Mimi said you could try an object or a picture…but…she said that’s a lot more iffy.” Dee looked at the cards.
“This looks bad,” I said. “Is there even any hope? What does this mean?” I looked at the falling tower and the skull-faced rider and went cold with fear.
“Of course there is hope,” Dee said. “The Fool is a playful card. That’s working for you. You should have fun, every chance you get. You drew the Sun to represent your fears, and…that’s what you have to overcome. You’re afraid of happiness but you’ll find it anyway! Enjoy every minute. And what you want…is Judgement.”
I immediately thought of Father Joshua. He thought himself the very embodiment of judgement. “Yes,” I said. “That certainly is what I want.”
“Death comes for all of us, we don’t know when, but if you want to become a vampire…that’s death, too. Death might just be your happily ever after.”
“Death…”
It was still a terrifying prospect. To become a vampire…and never age. Never be a mortal woman. I would outlive my own family and everything I knew.
Rayner walked to the door, holding a small bottle in his hand. “We have the spell, my love, and I know what to do. We need to talk,” he said. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes. We do need to talk. I also know what to do,” I said, sliding the cards back into a pile. “And perhaps more than that…I know what I want.”
You know what was freaky about this book? I had the idea for the Tarot card reading at the end and I thought, “I’ll make it dramatic and end it with the TOWER and DEATH, because those are cards of dramatic tension!” I mean, any card could have a good and bad interpretation, but those are the two that look the scariest. But then I decided to do an actual Tarot card reading instead and go with whatever it said. Oh dang. Guess what two cards I actually got for the last two. The reading in the book is exactly what came out. Eek!
So how will those cards play out? Book two, Love Me Madly, is up for preorder! Hooray!
As always, thank you for reading and please consider leaving a review if you can! Reviews are extra-helpful for first books in a series to get visibility on Amazon. Please join my Facebook group and come hang out! And please join my mailing list to get a FREE copy of The Goblin Cinderella! This romantic tale is a fan favorite in my Fairy Tale Heat series on steamy, swoony fairy tale retellings.
If this is your first read from me, I have other reverse harem series set in the same paranormal world, but they are all a little more comedic or light-hearted. If you haven’t read A Witch Among Warlocks, read on for a sample chapter of the first book of A Witch Among Warlocks: The Fairer Hex, which was the first introduction of Rayner and his clan, and tells the story of Montague, the clan member who wasn’t.
42
Sample Chapter of The Fairer Hex
So apparently my mom was a witch. And not just a witch, but a witch who turned bad. My poor, sweet, normal dad wanted me to have a good college experience. Instead I get a magical offer I literally can’t refuse, from the world’s most elite school for warlocks.
WARLOCKS. As in GUY WITCHES.
Even though I definitely have lady parts, somehow I ended up at a warlock school to learn the gentlemanly arts (which are a lot more badass than, ahem, lady magic). Did I mention the witch world is stuck in the 19th century? Unmarried witches and warlocks barely see each other outside of society balls, which are still a thing.
No one knows how I ended up here. I’m thrown into a whole new world where I am outcast and friendless, except for:
—Firian, the enigmatic fox shifter who has been watching over me since I was born.
—Alec, my new roommate, a sexy-as-sin incubus enchanted not to lay a hand on me. For safety. Or cruel and unusual punishment.
—Montague, the black sheep of the school since he got turned into a vampire on spring break.
—Harris, an arrogant ass from the most elite of all magical families. Okay, he’s not my friend but he’s Montague’s. I’ll work on him.
My existence here breaks all the rules. Am I here for the right reasons? Or am I the pawn meant to destroy the very world I’m starting to love? When my magic proves stronger than anyone expects, and the school is attacked by a demon, I’ll need help from the four gorgeous magical men who are willing to break a few rules with me. They’re each forbidden to me in their own way, and the greatest danger of all might not be demons, but falling for them. All of them.
Charlotte
“Charlotte!” Dad screamed my name from downstairs, interrupting a pretty important fight with a dragon in my favorite MMORPG.
“Just a sec!” I screamed back.
“Charlotte! I need an explanation right now!” He was getting that high-pitched voice he gets when the raccoons are in our trash.
I had absolutely no clue what he could need an explanation about, seeing as I had no life and had not done anything out of the ordinary, but it sounded important.
“Charlotte!”
omg, I hastily wrote. i have to go. i’m so sorry. emergency unfolding in-house. brb.
The rest of my fellow adventurers freaked out on me, but my sexy elf warrior girlfriend/boyfriend Firia said, You’d better talk to him. The rest of us can handle it.
uhh…how did you know it was ‘him’?
I just assumed it was your dad.
oh yeah well you’re right. thx.
It was a weird moment because I was pretty sure I’d never told Firia that my Mom was gone and I wondered how he guessed the emergency wasn’t burnt toast or something, but I didn’t have time to fully ponder it. I had to check on Dad. Anyway, Firia was awesome for not getting upset at me for ditching on the dragon fight, seeing as my brooding mage character Larius had the pivotal dark spells for defeating said dragon. Firia was also the closest thing I had to a boyfriend. We’d been playing Fortune’s Favor for years. I met him on Christmas when Dad gifted me a year’s subscription, and we’d stuck together through a lot of fights. Before long, we were flirting. A couple months in we figured out that we had each chosen avatars of the opposite gender, but we were having fun anyway, so I called him “my girlfriend” in the game.
Of course, I was fully aware Firia could be lying and was not really an eighteen year old guy but was actually like…a fifty year old guy, or whatever. We’d never taken it off the game. Whenever I tried, he got cagey. Which was probably a warning sign, and his hot babe elf avatar might not be a good sign either, but maybe he was just a self-conscious nerd boy. At least he took all my hassling about sexism in the gaming industry without getting upset.
I padded down the stairs. Dad was standing at the dining room table, staring at an envelope that sat in the middle of the wooden surface, looking at it like it was poisoned.
“Dad? What’s wrong?” I stood on the first step, shoving my hands in my pockets. “Something came in the mail?”
“Is there something you aren’t telling me about?” he cried.
“Um…no? I don’t think so. I’m eighteen. I guess there might be something.” I laughed, but then I realized this was going beyond my dad’s usual level of overreaction. “Hey, what’s up? Just tell me.”
My dad and I had a thing going. We were opposite in a lot of ways. He was fun and also had a tendency to overreact. I was stubborn but chill. He liked loud music, barbecuing, tattoos. I liked magical-sounding soundtracks, gaming, pajama pants. It wasn’t unheard of for him to freak out over nothing. I went to look at the letter. Maybe the bill from our annual checkup was more than he expected or something.
“I don’t know how to explain all of this,” he said. “Shit. I wish y—”
I shot him a look. It seemed like, for all the world, he was going to say that he wished my mom was here. I could hear the ghost of the “your” when he cut himself off.
He never talked about Mom.
I saw the return address on the envelope.
Merlin College
&n
bsp; P. O. Box 332
Small Hollow, NC
“You’re freaking out about ‘Merlin College’? What is that? Sounds like spam.” I started opening it.
He grabbed it from my hand and slammed it on the table. “No. It’s not spam. It’s a reckoning, that’s what it is. I thought you were safe from all this. I thought your mom—like—sealed that stuff up. Were you talking to your elf friend online?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Maybe I should make him explain it. Nah, you’re my daughter.”
“Him? Firia? What does he have to do with it?”
He took a deep breath. “Your mother had magical blood. I believe this letter is from a witches’ college. That’s why it’s so nondescript.”
“Well, I’m already going to college, so…” I’m not sure why I said that first. Like, when you get your Hogwarts letter do you go, oh dang, but I already sent in my paperwork to the Montessori school? “Magical blood? What do you mean?”
“Your mom’s mother was an Ethereal witch from a very old witch family. Her father was a Sinistral demon who could turn into a wolf. So a werewolf, basically. I mean—let me back up. Magic is real. You know that, right? Deep down, I’m sure you know that.”
Admittedly, I believed in magic longer than other kids, because my dad played along with all my childhood games, built fairy houses with me and was very insistent about offerings for Santa Claus. And yet… “Did the neighbors sell you drugs or something?”
“I wish. Your mother was supposed to protect you from this shit!” He grabbed a stuffed cat that I had seated at the dining room table because I was a dork, and threw it on the floor.
My heart was beating pretty fast at this point. “Be nice to Jiji! Calm down.” I grabbed the letter and ripped it open.
Dear Mr. Char Byrne,
Your application has been accepted. You will attend Merlin College, the elite school for warlocks, with a starting date of September 12th. We were stunned by your test results and are thrilled to have you with us. Please be packed and prepared on that day, as we will send a vehicle for you. Please refer to the attached list of items that are not acceptable at Merlin College and familiarize yourself with the rules of conduct.
Take Me Slowly (Forever in Their Thrall Book 1) Page 26