by Nicole Hall
He caught her arm before she’d taken two steps. “Wait, love.”
She stiffened. “My name is Samantha. Not Sam, not Sammy, especially not ‘love’.” Every time he called her that a little flutter betrayed her determination to stay emotionally distant. “You can get away with charming the entire female population of Manhattan with your sexy accent and your cute names, but don’t make the mistake of confusing them with me.”
His fingers tightened on her arm for a second, then let go. “I know who I’m spending time with, Samantha. I’d like to—”
She missed the rest of his sentence. A blinding pain stabbed her behind her forehead, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. Samantha swayed on her feet and instinctively reached out to steady herself on Luc. Her palm flattened against his chest at the same time he wound an arm around her waist.
“Samantha, what’s wrong?”
He stood close—she could feel the heat from his body—but his voice came from far away. Samantha cursed the horrible timing. The vision had been niggling at her mind for some time, but she’d held off too long. The first wave of pain began to recede, and she cautiously opened her eyes.
Luc had pulled her close and cupped her cheek. Samantha stared up into his concerned face, trying to control her erratic pulse. Partly from the impending vision, and partly from the feel of Luc’s body against hers again. She didn’t have long before the next wave, and she needed to get to the safety of her row house.
Samantha stepped away, and Luc’s arms fell to his sides. “I’m fine. Low blood sugar or something. I need to get home and have some orange juice.”
Her voice sounded weak, even to her own ears, and Luc crossed his arms. “I’ll escort you the rest of the way to the orange juice then.”
She finally gave in and rolled her eyes, a habit she’d been trying to break for years. “Whatever you want.”
To her surprise, he didn’t make some half-assed come-on. She started walking again, faster than before, and he kept pace silently. Ideally, she’d find a way to ditch him in the next two blocks, but Luc was probably the most stubborn man she’d ever met. The best place to convince him to go would be at her house.
The throbbing ache spread from her forehead around to her neck, but Samantha could see her stoop. She’d at least get inside before the vision took over. Clenching her jaw, she made it the last few blocks by imagining Luc’s smirk if she passed out on the sidewalk.
The short wrought-iron gate creaked as they entered the tiny courtyard, and Samantha breathed a sigh of relief. Almost there. Four steps and she’d reached the door to her haven.
The knob didn’t turn. Pain darkened her vision, and Samantha rested her forehead against the warm wood. She wouldn’t cry. She would not cry. The key was somewhere in her bag, all she had to do was get a hand on it and she’d be inside. All at once, her hold on the vision began to crumble, and an intense wave of agony buckled her knees.
Samantha expected to collapse on the concrete stoop next to the wilted plant Dru had left behind, but strong arms scooped her up instead. Her head lolled against Luc’s chest, and distantly, she wondered if her make-up would stain the clean, white cotton.
Darkness fell, and the vision exploded across her mind.
Like always, she watched as if through a veil. Unlike always, she played a role in this drama. Sometimes her visions only provided a glimpse, sometimes they unfolded like a series of images. Rarely, they came to her as a scene, moving in real time.
The curved dagger she’d been seeing for months rested in her hand, heavy and comfortable at the same time. A sense of urgency came from the weapon, as well as the urge to do more, to shed blood and defend. Samantha tried to determine where she was, but she couldn’t move. All she could do was watch from inside her body.
She blinked at the dagger, then looked up. Samantha took note of what she could during the brief glance. She knelt on the dirt floor of a large, dark room with a wide table on one end. No windows. Sprites cast a golden glow as they floated aimlessly in the air. The tiny puffs of magic made her think she might be in a nexus, but the power in the air felt different than the spots in Terra where magic converged.
Her gaze landed on Luc, standing a few steps in front of her. He’d positioned himself between her and a small, unfamiliar, blonde woman. She had a scowl on her face, and though her mouth moved, Samantha didn’t hear anything. Apparently, this vision came with no audio.
Luc’s shoulders stiffened, and he started to turn toward her in slow motion. Behind him, the woman shifted into some kind of hybrid monster. Different parts of her body sported fur or feathers or scales, some had more than one, but her face stayed the same. She grimaced and shook her head, then locked her eyes on Luc. Her hands became claws, and she smiled.
Samantha’s heart shot into her throat. Luc’s gaze met hers, full of burning intensity, and he reached for her. She frantically tried to move or call out, but the restrictions of the vision were absolute. Her body lifted a hand to him as the woman began to lunge.
Before the shifter could fully leave the ground, the vision changed, and Samantha found herself with her back pressed into the dirt. Luc lay with his full weight on top of her, and she gripped his side with one hand. Warm, sticky blood oozed between her fingers.
Her other hand pushed against his chest, but he didn’t move. No inhale, no exhale, no smart-ass comments. No heartbeat. Panic threatened to choke her, and her breath came in short gasps. Not again. Not him. Internally, she screamed and railed against her paralysis, trying to do something—anything—to stop the vision, but it was useless.
Luc was dead.
Also by Nicole Hall
Modern Magic series
Modern Magic
Accidental Magic
Insidious Magic
Treacherous Magic
Impulsive Magic
Rebellious Magic
Chaotic Magic
Rise of the Old Gods series
Muse Interrupted
About the Author
Nicole Hall is a smart-ass with a Ph.D. and a potty mouth. She writes stories that have magic, sass, and romance because she believes that everyone deserves a little happiness. Coffee makes her happy, messes make her stabby, and she’d sell one of her children for a second season of Firefly. Her paranormal romance series, Modern Magic, is available now.
Let Nicole know what you thought about her sassy, magical world because she really does love hearing from readers. Find her at www.nicolehallbooks.com or Muse Interrupted Romance on Facebook!
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REBELLIOUS MAGIC
Copyright © 2020 Nicole Hall
All rights reserved.
No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
Cover designed by Germancreative
Edited by Jolene Perry, Waypoint Author Academy
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