Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

  I stroked Bram’s corded shoulder muscle over his cotton shirt with the tips of my fingers. I floated my fingers to just below his choppy, dark hair line and around his earlobe using a feather light touch, drawing him nearer. He groaned helplessly, giving in to the sensations.

  My magic touched his, enhancing every smell, taste and touch; reaching out to him, intoxicating him like no substance ever had. It had not been this way with Leopold, as much as I loved him dearly, probably because he was a vampire and pretty much devoid of magic. The energy with Bram was like two magnets of opposite polarity. The attraction was irresistible and powerful.

  He began kissing across my temple at my hair line and around to my ears. His fragrant breath swirled around me in a cloud, entrancing me, enthralling me. His tongue lapped at the whirls of my ear, tentatively stimulating me, pausing momentarily to gently bite my sensitive lobe.

  I moaned deeply, my warm cleft pressed against his leg in tempting contact. He made a deeper exploration of the internal area of my ear and down my neck with his gentle tongue. His breathing was ragged with desire and restraint, as he shifted lower to delve his tongue into the sweet area between my neck and collar bone. My legs almost buckled at the hot, almost ticklish sensation.

  “Do you feel it?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Stop talking.”

  He gently lifted me in his arms, cradled firmly to his muscled chest, and put me on the antique bed. My head was slowly rested on a faded pillow, missing half of the flowers and vibrancy it once had. The safe house bed might not be new, but at least the bed was large and filled with fluffy, precious down. We sank into the feather mattress with our full weight, feeling enveloped and comforted by its softness.

  Bram slowly lifted my white shirt and parted my leather jacket, revealing a perfect, pert, set of breasts. A small bit of spittle came to his tongue as he veritably drooled at the sight. I may have been one-hundred fifty years old, but the curse made sure I stayed as supple as a twenty-year-old.

  “You look good for an old lady,” he joked.

  “Didn’t I tell you to stop talking?” I teased.

  He dipped his head to lave each of my nipples, their dark areolas coming to full excitement with the stimulation. He caressed one of my breasts, while his other hand wandered down the butter-soft black leather jeans to the apex of my sex.

  My pelvis was straining toward his hand, craving the attention, grinding my clit against my undies and trying to get the most out of the contact. Inside, I was burning with magic and want. The want was a physical craving like hunger, but my magic was spiritual and ethereal. Both parts of me needed this contact to be fulfilled.

  I was a strong witch, used to getting what I wanted. I looked down at my pants, still much more buttoned and secured than I wanted them to be. I quickly uttered a spell, watching with delight as my pants and undies pulled themselves down in a blink. Bram groaned, his control slipping as fast as I had removed my clothing. He ached against my thigh, hard as steel, and twice as hot.

  Bram slipped his shirt over his head, revealing a caramel-skinned muscular chest with just the right amount of hair. I leaned forward, partially slipping out of my bomber jacket as I sunk my teeth into the flesh around his brown areola. The only response I could muster was a nice full mouth of his hard flesh, followed by a fragrant long lick across his nipple and then his chest and finally down his muscular abs. I wanted to devour him piece by piece.

  I pressed my palm to his chest, pushing him back onto the mattress slowly. I climbed on top of his pelvis, riding him astride the thick material of his jeans over his erection. I leaned down, kissing him deeply, rubbing my clit on the bulge in his jeans. The electrical sensation of our magic joining, even partially, was heady to my mind and almost more than I could stand.

  Bram reached to the bottom of my shirt, my last remaining piece of clothing, and lifted it expertly over my head. My breasts bounced in mock enthusiasm as I brought my arms back down to my sides.

  “I’m all yours,” I said, my voice thick with arousal.

  Bram said, “I thought we weren’t talking?”

  “Shut up.”

  “I am going to penetrate and impale you until you beg for mercy,” he said, laughing.

  “You’ll be out of breath before that ever happens.”

  Bram was all sexy confidence as he said, “We’ll see about that.”

  I’d been with weres and shifters before. Their animal and human sides combined to give them great sexual stamina. Dragons were ultra powerful, brimming with magic. Bram’s stamina was going to be legendary.

  He was out of his jeans and tightie whities in a flash, faster than a blink and twice as spectacular. I couldn’t help but grin. I’d seen his penis before, but right now it belonged to me and me alone.

  I slipped my lower lips along the length of his thick, long cock. I gasped, feeling the borders with my tissues, lubricating its length with my eager juices, enveloping him in partial warmth. I leaned down, pushing his hands above his head in a clasp of mock dominance and simultaneously lifted my bottom, sinking his cock inside my ready folds.

  “Fuck yeah,” Bram said, his breath little more than a gasp of outward air being expelled. “Fuck…”

  I could feel his girth swelling, tightening, lengthening. He was becoming hard like his scales as he filled me, until every tiny space was occupied.

  My folds were tight and warm about his member and our magic made me tingle in a way that I had never experienced before. My magic was calling to his, demanding that he release his inner dragon and increase our pleasure ten-fold.

  I gasped. The transformation was beginning, filling me, pushing against me with incredible pressure. My magic expanded to press back against it, stretching me, bringing me incredible pleasure. I shifted my hips, only an inch, feeling the pressure and girth change as I moved.

  The pleasure became intense as his magic invaded my senses. It connected us on a biochemical, cellular, and spiritual level beyond anything I could have predicted. I wanted to move, yet the sensation was so intense, even without a single bit of advancement.

  Never being one to avoid a difficult challenge, I sat down on his cock quickly and smoothly, stealing every bit of breath from each one of us. The expansion was happening faster now, accommodating to the changes much more smoothly and quickly. There was a rush as he filled every space and pressed every nerve ending inside me, making me arch my back.

  I moaned, biting my lip, causing it to bleed.

  “Oh Bram…”

  Bram was trying to control it. His transformation was called forth in such a strong way that he was trembling with effort, just trying to contain it to this extent. I could feel his magic seeping inside me, with my own magic showing him the way, creating a bond that went beyond bodies to souls. Soon the tide was too strong. He seemed unable to stop the feelings or the partial transformation that was to come.

  “Don’t turn into a dragon while inside me,” I begged, riding him hard.

  He grinned, sweat dripping from his forehead. “Don’t worry.”

  Bram lost that last vestige of control. He freed his hands from our feeble bondage and grabbed my hips in a deep, gentle grip. He began to piston his cock inside my cavern over and over again. Harder and harder. Deeper and deeper. The only way his magic would be satisfied was to release the power and ride out the storm.

  He roared as his eyes glowed red fire. Scales flickered across his skin. He pushed into me as he came. My entire body exploded with a combination of pleasure, pain and a rush of magic. I let loose my own cries, mingling my release with his own, digging my nails into his chest as our orgasms shattered us.

  I fell back onto the bed beside him. My skin was slick with sweat and my heart was beating so fast I thought I might pass out. My magic was still swirling around inside me, still excited, still needing some form of release of its own. I’d never experienced this before.

  I formed my eagle fireball in my hands. It moved and rushed into the air. We sta
red at it in wonder. There was incredible detail in it, much more than I’d ever seen before. It seemed alive. It turned to me, nodded its head, and dissipated into the air.

  How strange.

  “You’re smiling,” said Bram.

  He was leaning on his elbow, staring at me. The hairs on his chest were matted with sweat. I trailed my hand through it, twisting the hairs on my fingers.

  “That’s because I’m happy,” I said.

  He shuffled closer, pressing our naked bodies against each other. His strong arms wrapped around me.

  “I thought you didn’t want to die happy?” he asked.

  “It looks like I’ll have to get over it,” I said.

  I looked down, noticing he was becoming hard again.

  “That was quick,” I said.

  “A weredragon has the stamina of a hundred men,” he said. “I could literally have sex for weeks at a time if I so wished.”

  “If only.”

  He rolled over onto me, pressing me down into the mattress. He was heavy but I didn’t feel threatened. He stroked my hair, making me feel loved and worth loving.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

  “So are you,” I said.

  He entered me gently. I gasped. We took it much slower this time. It was all the better for it.

  After five hours I developed a cramp in my leg. I fetched a glass of water, remembering to be quiet. It was the middle of the night and I didn’t want to wake anyone else up. Besides, I was naked.

  I took a drink from the glass and sighed. Bram was half awake in bed, staring up at me with dreamy eyes. I’d meant what I said earlier. He was beautiful.

  “Lightweight,” he joked.

  I put the glass on the floor and climbed back into bed. I was in his arms again within seconds.

  “How have you never fucked anyone to death before now?” I joked.

  “Remember that story about how I lost my virginity?” I nodded and he continued. “She was a weresaur, but still I broke most of her ribs, an arm, and gave her concussion.” He laughed. “I even broke some of my wife’s bones on the odd occasion.”

  Talk of his wife reminded me of what Tina had hinted at earlier. Had she truly been the loving wife Bram thought she was? I decided to keep this quiet. I couldn’t destroy his memory of her. It would be unforgivable.

  I smiled at him, relaxed, content. “I’d always thought it was a curse to know happiness and then die. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was what I deserved after a lifetime of torment and loss.” I kissed him, savouring his taste. “I’m not sure I can give this up, not now I’ve tasted what being with you is truly like, but I’m still adamant, maybe now more than ever, that Dorian has to die.”

  He said, “Being with you has been…”

  “Transcendent.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. That’s a good way to describe it.”

  I was about to reply when pain shrieked through my body. I yelled, clutching Bram’s arms.

  “Kezia!” Bram shouted.

  I screamed as every nerve in my body felt like it was on fire. It was the complete opposite to what I’d felt with Bram; intense pain instead of intense pleasure. My magic was attacking me from the inside, burning me, branding me.

  “Kezia!”

  The pain was so intense I broke Bram’s arm in two as I clutched him. I heard the bones snap. He didn’t cry out. He just stayed with me.

  I could hear screams in my head, the tirade of people dying.

  “What’s going on?”

  Bram caught me in his arms as I thrashed and screamed. The pain was bad, but the voices were worse. I knew them. They were my family. They were dying.

  Chapter 21

  “Get off me!” I yelled, pushing Bram away. “Get away!”

  I staggered onto the floor, my limbs caught in spasms of pain. I felt muscles and tendons tearing all across my body. My fingers were bent into claws, the bones in them snapping and breaking. Blood vessels were bursting across my flesh. It was a paroxysm of agony and I needed it to stop before it killed me.

  “What can I do?” Bram cried.

  I felt Rebecca enter the room, heard her shouting. She tried to heal me but was thrown aside by some telekinetic blast. She tried again, but was instead attacked by a ball of fire. I had no control over my actions.

  “Stop!” Bram shouted. “She’ll kill you!”

  “I have to do something!” said Rebecca. “She’s dying!”

  I pushed my hands to my head, desperate to muffle the horrified voices of my family dying. Philomena, my granddaughter; Chad, my great-grandson; Ronnie and Dylan, my great-great-grandchildren; another woman who looked like Ronnie who I’d never seen before. They were writhing around, going through the exact same agony and symptoms that I was. If I didn’t do something soon we would all die and I had no idea why.

  “We have to help her!” Bram cried.

  I looked up into his pained eyes. The distress on his face proved to me that he cared me. It may not be love, not yet, but it was going that way.

  No.

  It also told me why this was happening. I was happy. I was happy and a part of me didn’t want to kill Dorian and die. The curse was going to kill my family. It would almost kill me, but it would definitely kill them.

  “I think I know what’s happening,” said Rebecca. “The same thing happened to me.”

  “Then do something!” shouted Bram.

  She shook her head. “I can’t do anything. It’s too late. The good news is she will live.”

  I wanted to scream. I wanted it to end.

  “What’s happening to me?”

  It was my great-great-granddaughter’s voice. She was in such pain she was reaching across dimensions. I couldn’t hear any of the others, apart from their cries of pain, which must mean she was very powerful.

  “Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?”

  “I won’t let you die!” I shouted.

  “I’ve put down bigger monsters than you, bitch!”

  She attacked me mentally. I didn’t feel anything because I was in so much pain already, but I wasn’t shocked or afraid. I was proud.

  “Let me try something!” Sini shouted.

  The ancient succubus touched my arm. She screamed and was flung away just like Rebecca. I hoped I hadn’t killed her.

  “Are you still here?”

  “Keep out of my head,” I told her.

  The only way to save my family was to shatter my happiness. I had to convince my subconscious mind that I wanted to die, that I wasn’t happy. I had to be cruel and callous. It was the only way.

  I looked up into Bram’s concerned eyes, pushing against the pain, ignoring the blood that oozed from a dozen different open wounds on my skin.

  “You were thinking about your wife the entire time,” I spat.

  Bram appeared shocked for a moment before something passed over his eyes. He knew what had to be done. I prepared myself. He had to be utterly convincing. This was going to be brutal.

  “I thought I could love you, but…you were right.” He turned away for a moment, as if preparing himself for what he had to say. He was still naked, still breathtakingly beautiful. “I was making love to you at first, but somehow I started to think of Lana. I love her so much.”

  “You were nothing compared to Leopold,” I told him. “You may have a big cock but you don’t know what to do with it!”

  My back arched. The pain was immense. I could still hear my family dying. This wasn’t working. We both knew the words were empty and false. We had to be utterly brutal.

  “How could we think we could love again when we’re so utterly obsessed with those we’ve lost?” He laughed bitterly. “As if you could replace my dear Lana. The very thought of it’s laughable. Don’t get me wrong, you’re beautiful and smart, but I realise now that I could never care you. You’re nothing compared to her.”

  “You’re worthless!” I shouted. “Worthless as a king and worthless as a lover. You would’ve
been worthless as a father too. You should be glad your sister killed Lana and your baby.”

  The shock in his eyes was too real. I suddenly realised I’d gone too far. There was no taking it back.

  Bram watched me writhing with pain before sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I couldn’t have been a worse parent than you. You abandoned your child like she was nothing. I’m surprised she didn’t end up working the streets as a whore.” He grinned. “I bet she did. I bet your precious daughter sold her body just to numb the pain of her mother throwing her aside like a sack of garbage. She died hating you.”

  She did die hating me. I read her diaries. She had a poor life, simple but happy, but she died wishing she could meet me one more time, just so she could tell me how much she despised me.

  He knew he’d gone too far too. I could see it in his searching eyes. This was destroying him. It was destroying us both.

  “You know what the worst thing about this is?” said Bram. He seemed gentler now, as if going in for the kill. “I’m not sure I even know any more what I feel. I know I can’t love you. I know what I feel for you is just lust. That’s the truth. I’m sorry. I know you and I both wanted more.”

  “So did I,” I admitted.

  “Think about Leopold,” he urged me. “Think about what you shared and what was taken away from you. How can anything else compare to that? Aren’t you destroying any memory you had of him by falling for another? I know I feel that way about Lana.” He was crying now. He was eerily genuine. “I…can’t ever love another. I’m not sure I want to love another. I understand that now. I’m so sorry.”

  The pain started to lessen. The whimpering cries of my family started to vanish. They were going to be okay. I knew there were people there to help them.

  I looked once more at Bram before passing out. He hadn’t been humouring me, had he? He hadn’t said those things just to save my family. He’d been telling the truth. He couldn’t love another, not really, not when it came to it. The worst thing about it was I was telling the truth too.