Magic's Touch

by Terri Pray

  You forgot your promise.

  Her voice, soft, seductive and powerful, wrapped its way around Hailey’s heart.

  I asked you if you understood, accepted, if you were ready, then you forgot your words to me. Now you come to me, asking for help? Perhaps you thought you wouldn’t be called upon to keep your word?

  “I didn’t mean to deny you. I doubted one facet of you, not just you but myself. Please, do not let Karol suffer for my mistake. I beg you.”

  Will you now?

  “Yes, my oath on it. My soul sworn to this path.”

  Your oath. To serve those born of magi blood, to protect them and those too weak to defend themselves. That is the price I demand from you now.

  Protect those with magical blood. How, and from what?

  From the change in laws?

  How could she protect an entire people alone?

  You won’t be alone.

  Her lips dried out. Fight a change in the laws? No, the Goddess wanted far more than that from her. Hailey glanced over at the silent Darrel, her palms sweating, throat tight, her breath burning in her lungs. A witch warrior? How many generations had it been since there had been such a thing?

  Four, five maybe? And they were always alone according to the records left behind.

  But she wouldn’t be alone…

  “I’ll do it. I’ll take the warrior path in your name.”

  Accepted.

  Living flame surged through the links, burning into the core of her being, tearing a scream from deep within. How could it hurt so much? Nails dug into her palms, blood spilling down to the floor, mingling with the outline of the central rune.

  An answer.

  A blessed answer.

  The last of her walls, ones she hadn’t even accepted existed in her, melted away under the onslaught that followed. Fury meshed with sorrow, despair with hope. Emotions whirled, spinning out of control, hers, his, Karol’s, Brian’s. Which set of feelings belonged to which person? She didn’t know, couldn’t tell the difference, not anymore. The room spun out of control, colors swirling before her eyes until her stomach rolled, threatening to spill the contents over the runes.

  Darrel. Where was he? He wouldn’t leave her alone in this, lost, trapped in the spinning storm. There. A soft glow, little more than a thread in the maelstrom but it was just enough for her to reach for, cling to, use it to pull free of the vortex.

  How long had they been here?

  “Don’t let go.” She barely felt his hand on her shoulder. “Almost done, just don’t let go.”

  “Never.” A gasp more than a word.

  “Just have to finish the switch to finish the spell.”

  So much pain. She couldn’t hold on, couldn’t control it. Her world vanished around her, blurring into a haze of uncertain shapes, sickly green colors and vivid neon yellows.

  “Darrel!”

  “I’m right here. Almost there, almost, just a little longer.”

  Her mind slipped willingly into the soft protection of a welcoming darkness…

  Chapter Eleven

  Ice wrapped her body, coating her skin, turning her hair and nails brittle. Each breath hurt, daggers stabbed repeatedly into her muscles, leaving her legs twitching almost out of control. She clutched at the blanket, but it didn’t help, she couldn’t feel the warmth it should have provided. The couch…she recognized the couch. Where it had all begun? But where was he?

  “D…Darrel?” Her teeth chattered. Why was she so cold?

  “I’m right here.”

  “C-cold.”

  “I know. It hit you harder than me. Not sure why.” He moved back into view, carrying a thick quilt. “It worked. At least I think it did.”

  “Think?” Why was it so hard to speak?

  “I’m ninety percent certain it worked, I felt the transfer, heard his scream. You’d passed out by then but the link remained. I followed it through to him. From what I could see he was trapped in a waking nightmare before he passed out.” He settled down next to her, wrapping the quilt tight about her body before he pulled her nearly into his lap. Almost a repeat of their first evening together.

  “What h-happens…” She tried to voice her questions.

  “What happens when he pulls out of the nightmare?”

  She nodded, clenching her teeth, fighting to keep the chattering under control.

  “It fades, but I set up a loop. He so much as looks at a woman with the same level of disdain he’s shown Karol, or begins back down on that path in any way, shape, or form then the nightmare he’s going through will repeat. It won’t matter where he is, it’ll hit full force.” His fingers brushed through her hair, smoothing it back from her face. “It will fade in time, a dozen years or so, but only if he does nothing to trigger the nightmare again. He does and he’s right back at the beginning.”

  “Cruel,” she murmured. “How long was I out?”

  “But fitting after everything he’s put Karol through. And you’ve been out of it for close to three hours now.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. Heat slowly seeped into her bones, easing the tight chattering of her teeth, replacing pain with a welcoming comfort. “I wasn’t sure it would work, hard spell to master. Fuck, three hours? I was asleep that long?”

  “Unconscious. I wouldn’t quite call it being asleep. And yes, it did work, very well from what I’ve been able to see. I’d suggest you check, only I don’t think your mind, or your body is up to it right now.” He shifted a little on the couch, cradling her close to his chest. “We had something going for us that other people trying the spell didn’t have. An empath. It’s not the sort of thing most empaths would ever agree to assisting with.”

  “True.” She snuggled in a little closer, closing her eyes.

  Safe. Protected. Odd how; she, the woman that required no one needed that right now.

  “I’m certain you’re not up to anything other than being held or I’d be reminding myself just how delicious your lips taste.”

  “Tomorrow,” she promised. They had so many tomorrows to enjoy.

  So maybe Gem was right after all.

  “I’ll hold you to that, in more ways than one. Because if you think I am letting you out of my sight anytime soon you’re sorely mistaken.”

  A dozen protests died before reaching her lips. There were more interesting things she could expend her energy on when it returned, like exploring every inch of his body with her tongue.

  “I love you. You can reason it away as the links, what we’ve been through tonight, but you know it’s the truth. And right now you’re too tired to argue with me.” He smiled, brushing a soft kiss against her forehead. A promise of so much more to come when the time was right once more.

  Each beat of his heart vibrated through the quilt and the link. Cinnamon filled her senses, a soft blanket of care and devotion. She’d admit it at least to herself that there was even love, wrapping itself about her heart, filling the void left by the vanquished walls. Debates could wait until the following day, or the day after, if she got around to them.

  Fate. She’d given herself over to fate’s whims and saw no point in changing her mind.

  “What do you think Gem will say about this? She’s going to be worried about me. I’m not sure how long I’ve been gone. Between the spell itself and then passing out…”

  “It’s close to dawn now. As for your aunt, she’d say that you should have listened to her years ago, or paid more attention to your mother.” Darrel stroked his fingers through her hair. “She’ll know what we’ve done, but I can’t see her reporting us.”

  That was at least one blessing.

  “I don’t quite understand how she’d know exactly what we did, what spell was used.”

  “Remember, who did I get the grimoire from? She knows exactly what we’ve been using it for.”

  Shit.

  “And she didn’t try to stop us? Never mind, dumb question.” Hailey frowned and glanced up at the clock. “Dammit. If this i
s traced back she could be in trouble for letting us use the book. If she hadn’t known just what the plans were then it wouldn’t be so bad for her, but now…”

  “Hailey. Calm down. What makes you think that someone will figure out what happened to Brian?”

  “I don’t know, but Lady Fate can be a twisted Goddess at times.” Twisted didn’t even begin describe how the Goddess could be, especially if it amused her.

  Darrel leaned down, nibbling on her neck. Soft shivers of pleasure surged through her core, a low groan escaping her lips before he pulled back.

  “I don’t want you to go, but if you don’t then we’ll end up making love again.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that.” She turned on his lap, meeting his gaze.

  “But I do. Not because I don’t want you in my arms. Goddess alone knows I do. But if you stay here and he does go for help, it will be easier for them to follow the spell back to us.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Darrel smiled, his eyes lightening up as he wrapped his arms tightly around her body and slid off the couch, carrying her with him onto the floor. “I love you.”

  “I know. Somehow I’ve always known.”

  “Nothing says I love you like a handful of slugs down the back of your neck.”

  She choked back a laugh as she settled down onto the thick rug. What was it about this man that made her ready to face any risks, any type of danger, even if it meant having her powers, her magic, everything she’d worked so hard for, stripped away? They should have been running by now, setting up shields as they went, finding null zones to hide in.

  “It would be the first place they’d look for us,” he murmured.

  “You’re reading my mind again?”

  “Just your emotions and the images that go with it.” He leaned down, nibbling along her neck, one hand already closing on the buttons of her shirt.

  “That would be a yes, then.”

  “Erm.” Darrel looked up, heat flaming across his cheeks.

  “I’ll get used to it in time.” She reached up, running her fingers through his hair. Time, did they have any left? Or just enough for one brief moment of passion.

  “It won’t do you any good to keep thinking about it, love.” He shifted his weight a little and leaned down, whispering against her lips. “Don’t let them spoil it.”

  They should have been running, but what would have been the point? There was nowhere left to hide that the council wouldn’t be able to find them eventually. Going to Gem would have only made matters worse by pulling the older woman further into the situation.

  Her lips parted beneath his with a soft moan.

  “We need this time together.” He groaned into her kiss, one hand reaching up, cupping her breast. She shivered beneath his touch, her nipple hard, heated and hungry for more.

  “Yes.” She captured his bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth. Heat rippled through her core, her inner walls slick, tightening, ready for his touch. “Quickly, please.” They didn’t have much time to waste on subtle seduction, on long, drawn out lovemaking, or the shared sensual hours they had enjoyed before.

  He nodded, his fingers finding the buttons on her shirt, fumbling with them for a moment before he growled, clenching the fabric. The shirt tore under his grasp, shredded with little more than a firm yank. One hand closed on her bra, yanking it down until her breasts were free ‑‑ supported but still free, adding a delicious pressure she had never felt before.

  Hailey whimpered, arching closer, her own hands busy on his belt, tugging it free from his jeans. She could feel it, the outline of his cock pressing against the heavy material, eager to be free, to find a way to press into her body, to take and claim her once more. That’s all she needed, the feel of his cock deep within her core, filling her, owning her.

  He pulled back from the kiss, turning her around on the rug until she leaned against the couch. Without a word he pulled her legs back until she knelt with her arms pressed against the cushions. In a moment he was behind her, his jeans down, one hand beneath her skirt and in her panties, yanking them free, his hands clutching her hips a moment later, leaving her skirt up about her waist.

  “Are you sure you want this?” He rocked forward, brushing the head of his cock against her inner thighs.

  “Yes,” she groaned, arching her back, lifting her hips towards him. She hungered for his touch, needed him in a way she had no words for. But she didn’t need words, not with the link between them. “Now, please Goddess, now.”

  He growled, clenching her hips, fingers pressing in, threatening to bruise as he thrust forward into her tight, willing core. She cried out. Sheer delight pushed past the knowledge of the danger that even now hunted them. Her walls fluttered, grasping him, welcoming Darrel into her very being. She lifted her hips, head pressed tight against the cushions, her thighs parted wide as he pulled back only to drive fully into her once more.

  Fire coated her sex, liquid, molten, coating him until she was lost in the slick sounds that filled her ears. Her nipples dug into the cushions; each tiny fiber that covered the foam now teased her taut flesh.

  He thrust into her, pushing her against the edge of the couch; her knees slipped on the rug, burning her skin but she didn’t care. Her eyes closed, her breath warming the cushions, heat reflected back on her cheek. Pressure built between her thighs, growing with each rough thrust into her core. His fingers dug into her hips, bruising as he leaned forward, his breath heated against the back of her neck.

  She’d never given up this level of control during sex before and with Darrel it felt right. She was safe, he’d not take her anywhere that she didn’t wish to go. Their link prevented that. She could feel it, through that bond, just what it was like for him. The way her pussy walls clenched on his cock, the depth he could thrust, the sense of control with how he knelt behind her, trapping her against the couch.

  “You’re mine. Now and always. No matter what happens to us,” he whispered against her neck.

  “Yes.” Hailey whimpered, rolling her hips to meet each thrust.

  “They can’t separate us.” His teeth grazed over her damp skin.

  “Never.” Together. They belonged together. All those years wasted, childish pranks, men who didn’t touch her soul and only wanted her body, ones who couldn’t make her feel the way Darrel did.

  Complete.

  Her breath burned in her lungs, the pressure almost more than she could bear. Her sex rippled, closing on his cock, holding it tight within her being. She wanted this to go on forever…but her body had other ideas.

  She tensed under him, nails clawing at the cushions as she felt him pull back, teasing her entrance with the tip of his erection. His breath came in gasps, his thighs shuddered as he struggled to control his own need.

  “Don’t hold back, please.” She pressed back against him, trying to take him into her sex. “Please, just fuck me.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. When would they have the chance to be together like this again?

  No, don’t think of that. Don’t spoil it for him, for us. This is all we have.

  “I need you, Darrel.”

  He groaned and slid back into her willing pussy. His cock throbbed, pressing against her walls, stretching them, his body struggling to keep control. His hips rolled, stroking the tiny hidden spot of pleasure, each touch sending her closer to the edge. “I love you, always.”

  “Always.” She cried out, surrendering to the pressure. Her lungs burned, her pulse raced, echoing in her ears, combining with the sounds of his breath, hers, the slick pleasure filled from between her thighs, his grunts, her soft cries, building up into a crescendo of delight.

  Pleasure crashed through them both, sweat coated her inner thighs, between her breasts. But the drops of moisture that fell on the back of her neck hadn’t come from sweat. She knew, without asking, that she felt tears dropping onto her neck, even as her own tears traced down her cheeks.

  This short time was all they had left.

&nb
sp; Chapter Thirteen

  They’d barely had the chance to wash up and re-dress, before there was a pounding on the door.

  “Stay here.” Darrel squeezed her arm. “They’ll want to come inside anyway.”

  She nodded, watching as he walked over and opened the door. It would have been so easy to run, to cast a spell and jump from his house to her room, but what good would it have done for either of them? If they were able to trace the magic here, they’d be able to do the same back to her house.

  “Darrel Indigo and Hailey Peters, I am councilman Camryn Neymeyer and you are both under arrest and charged to appear before the council of mages for the crime of using magic against a mundane without consent. You are further charged with using one of the forbidden fate spells. You both know the penalties for using magic this way and will answer for your crimes.” The middle-aged man walked into the room, his left hand clutched tightly about a crystal ward that glowed a deep red beneath his fingers.

  “It would have been a greater crime to let a murder be committed,” Hailey growled, her hands clenched at her side. “The council has lost its courage. We’ve given up too much power.”

  “I suggest you save your arguments for the council. You will come with us and refrain from trying to use your magic to escape. You are, from this moment, under a full guardian ward.” Camryn gestured to the waiting guards ‑‑ both mages, dressed in formal red robes. “Please come with us and I’m asking you to not make a scene. It will be easier on you both in the long run.”

  Hailey glanced over at Darrel. Don’t make a scene? She wanted to scream, to protest that this was wrong, but they’d known the risks before they’d turned their attention to the spell. And a Guardian ward, there was no way they could use their magic now. A spell like that would act like a blanket over their abilities.