Gah! Why does he seem to know me better than I know myself!
“No, you’re going to talk to me,” I declare, reaching over and shoving the shifter into park. Or, well, I try to. Instead, the gears grind.
Hunter spits out a sequence of colorful words as he slams on the brakes. Then he reels around in his seat. “All right, start talking, or I’m going to make you walk home.”
“Of course you will.” My tone oozes sarcasm as I roll my eyes. I know I’m being a brat, but I’m hurting inside. What if he did betray me? What if he was never my best friend? “Newsflash, Hunter, I learned a long time ago that all your threats are empty. At least the ones you make to me.”
He narrows his eyes at me, but his lips threaten to turn upward. “Oh, did you?”
I cross my arms and raise my brows defiantly. “I did.”
His brow curves upward. “So, what you’re saying is that I won’t make you walk home if you don’t start telling me why you suddenly have a stick up your butt?”
I raise my chin. “Yep, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
We stare at each other inside the cab, each stubbornly refusing to look away and lose the staring contest we have silently entered. The longer we stare at each other, the more I start to doubt that Hunter was the one who told the hybrids where my sister’s body was.
This is Hunter, my best friend, who cares about me.
The sun is starting to descend around the steep mountains that encompass the town, casting a pink-orange glow across the sky. Add that to the lingering rainbows still hanging around from the rainbow storm and the hundreds of various colors spilling into the cab, it makes us both appear like we’re in technicolor.
“You look like a disco ball pooping rainbows,” I say stoically, in an attempt to get him to crack.
“Well, you always look like a disco ball pooping rainbows,” he quips with a clever smirk.
I gasp, pressing my fingertips to my lips. “You so did not go there.”
“Yep, I sure did. Don’t worry, though; I think rainbow popping disco balls are pretty.” Before I can even react, he’s opening his door. “But they need to be taught a lesson.” With that, he climbs out of the truck and strides for the passenger side.
I hurry and flip the locks, then stick out my tongue at him. “Ha, ha, you left the keys in the ignition, so the joke’s on you.”
“You really think that can stop me?” His eyes glimmer in technicolor as he reaches into his back pocket and produces his wand.
“Nice try, but the demon’s curse hit, remember?” I remind him, yet still inch my fingers toward the lock, just in case.
He grins self-assuredly, lines the tip of the wand to the window, and begins to chant an unlocking spell.
Sparks shower from the wand and glitter across the glass like tiny flakes of diamonds. The lock unclicks, and I move to tap it back down, but he beats me to punch and flings the door open.
I scramble for the driver’s side, knowing I’m overreacting. There’s no way he’s going to throw me out of his truck and make me walk home.
No way in all the witches in the world—
He snags ahold of my ankle as I’m in the process of head-diving into the driver’s seat and drags me back.
I latch on to the steering wheel. “Seriously? You’re actually going to try to drag me out of your truck?”
“No.” He releases my ankle. “I’m not going to try. I’m going to.” His body is suddenly on top of mine so we’re chest to back to ass to … Well, you know.
My eyes widen in shock. The distraction is enough that he easily pries my fingers from the steering wheel.
“Hunter,” I grunt as he pushes back and flips me over onto my back so I’m sprawled across the bench seat. “This is getting out of hand.”
“I know.” He climbs back on top of me, straddling my hips and pinning my wrists down beside my head. His now chin-length blond hair hangs in his eyes as he stares down at me. “So, why don’t you tell me what’s bugging you so I can win this thing and it can be over?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You won’t win.” Then I writhe my body, trying to kick him off me. Instead, I end up grinding my hips against his in a very, very erotic way.
Great. Talk about embarrassing.
Hunter tenses like he’s in pain, and then he hurriedly shifts his hips away from mine.
“God, Eva, I …”
“I’m sorry,” I sputter, my face feeling fiery hot. “I didn’t mean to do that! I was just trying to get out from under you.”
He chuckles, his muscles remaining wound tight, yet his fingers loosen on my wrists. “Well, for future reference, if you’re ever pinned down beneath a guy, grinding your hips against his might not be the best way to get him off you.”
My face floods with even more heat, but I manage to dazzle him with a wicked grin. “Well, it got you off me, didn’t it?” Then I yank my wrists out from his hold and push against his chest.
Thrown off guard, he tumbles onto the floorboard.
Seizing the opportunity, I sit up and scramble out the door. But the second my feet plant down in the dirt, I realize that I technically let him win this fight by getting out of the truck after all. Now all he has to do is lock me out and drive off.
“Dammit.” I reel around, ready to dive back in, but he hops out and blocks my path.
“Now what’re you going to do?” he teases with his hands spanned out to his sides.
I take off in a run to the back of the truck, preparing to climb in through the passenger side. However, he sideswipes me near the tailgate, looping his arms around my waist.
I spin around and flatten my palms on his sturdy chest to push him back, but his arms enclose around me as he yanks me against him. I struggle to get away, wiggling around and jumping up and down, when my legs somehow end up wrapped around his midsection.
I move to put my feet back down on the ground, but he backs us up and pins me between him and the side of the truck.
“You’re being super weird right now.” I pretend to be more annoyed than I am.
He leans his weight against me so our bodies are fused in every single way possible.
Seriously, is he trying to kill me?
“You’re the one who’s acting weird,” he retorts. “And I can tell it has something to do with me, so just spit it out, and I’ll fix it.”
“What if you can’t fix it?” I ask, my voice soft and weak. Whether from the worry of his betrayal or his body against mine, I’m not sure.
Holding me against the truck with his hips, he reaches up and sweeps my hair out of my rainbow-colored eyes that I’m sure look so much like the sky right now that it’s probably creepy. “I’ll fix it … No matter what it is. I promise.”
I sigh. “That’s a pretty big promise to make without having any idea what I’m going to say.”
His hand lingers on my cheek. “That’s because I’d do just about anything for you.”
I want to tease him about being a cheesy goof, but I’m too emotionally drained at the moment.
“Fine, you really want to know?” I ask, and he nods. “Okay, but you have to promise not to hate me. And I want a contract promise, not verbal.” Because if it wasn’t him who outed Ryleigh’s body’s location, he might hate me for even thinking it. And I can’t handle him hating me.
Then again, if we do a contract promise, and he does try to lie to me, I’ll probably end up hating him. Not just because he lied and betrayed me, but also because I’ll end up in so much tremendous pain when he breaks the contract promise.
He nods without a speck of hesitation, and I really, really start to doubt he’s guilty. I need to be positively sure, though, so I slip my hand down to my pocket to grab my wand, only to remember …
“Dammit, that stupid little troll demon broke my wand.”
“That’s okay.” He retrieves his from his back pocket. “We can use mine.”
“But I need to do my own spell to make the contract binding.
And then …” I bite down on my lip, feeling awful for what I’m about to say. “And then, after we do that contract, I need to do another promise contract with you.”
His brows pull together. “You need to do two?”
I hesitantly nod. “One for you to promise not to get mad at me for what I’m about to ask, and then one to promise that you’re telling the truth about the answer you give me for the question I have to ask.”
Hurt flashes in his eyes. “You can’t just trust me?”
“I want to—and I really don’t think it’s you—but I need to be positive.” I pause, chewing on my bottom lip, guilt choking me. “I’m sorry. It’s just that … this has to do with my sister.”
If he knows what I’m talking about, he makes no move to acknowledge it. Instead, he slowly nods. “If that’s what you need me to do, then I’ll do it.” He moves his wand between us. “We’re going to have to share my magic in order to create the contracts.”
He’s suggesting sharing magic again? For the second time in one day? What is with him lately!
I nervously nod, wondering how this is going to work out for us since sharing magic can be an intimate experience and Hunter doesn’t see me like that. I, on the other hand, see him like that all the damn time.
What happens if I try to kiss him or something?
I swallow anxiously at the thought and fold my fingers around Hunter’s wand.
“I-I’ve never done this before, so you’re going to have to w-walk me through t-this.” For the love of all wizards, I sound like a nervous wreck.
“You don’t need to be nervous, Eva. It’s just me.” He strokes my side with his his free hand, trying to comfort me. If anything, the gesture makes my nerves bubble more. “And I’ve never done this before, either,” he adds with a trace of a nervous smile. “You get to be my first.”
“I just hope I don’t disappoint you,” I tell him, thinking of my limited magic abilities.
He must take what I say the wrong way, because an artful smirk curves up his face.
“I’m sure you won’t. In fact, I’m betting you’re really good.”
It takes me a handful of glittery seconds to catch on to his meaning, and when I do, I swat his chest.
“Gross, dude.” But so not gross. Not even close. “Since when do you use your dirty lines on me?”
“All the time,” he admits shamelessly. “You usually don’t catch on, though.”
Unsure whether he’s teasing me or being truthful, I clear my throat and focus on making the contract. “So, are we going to do this or what?”
“Nice subject change,” he teases, and then grows serious as he slides his hand upward on his wand, stopping when the sides of our pinkies are touching. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
The silence that follows makes me want to bang my head against the truck.
“So … are you going to start?” I ask, worried he’s backing out.
He studies me for a skip of a heartbeat longer before swallowing and nodding.
His edginess immediately makes me more uneasy.
Why is he nervous? Because he really doesn’t want to do this?
Before my thoughts delve too far into that question, his lips move and the spell drips off his tongue like warm, melted chocolate.
I’m not great at memorizing spells, but I know enough that I’m almost positive he’s creating the first promise contract of not hating me when this is all over.
Once he finishes, his intense gaze carries mine. “Now, repeat exactly what I just said.”
I release a shaky breath and nod. “Okay.” Then I shut my eyes and whisper the spell softly.
Unlike Hunter, the words don’t roll off my tongue as easily. I stutter and stammer, yet I miraculously manage to get the entire spell out without too many glitches.
As the last syllable rolls off my tongue, I open my eyes and smile, proud of myself. Then my smile soon vanishes as Hunter’s magic pours through me in a powerful, potent, wonderful wave.
I gasp as the power soars straight into my heart, nearly knocking the breath out of me.
“Oh, my … Wow,” the moan of words that falls from my lips sounds foreign, static, electric, full of power. “Is this what you feel every day?”
Hunter has his eyes shut as he unsteadily nods. “You have … no … idea …” He drops his forehead against mine, taking ravenous breaths as glittery magic and purple, hazy smoke whispers from the end of the wand and circles around us. “Absolutely no idea.”
The air grows quiet as the smoke and glitter evaporate, sealing the contract. I wait for him to move on to the next one, but he makes no indication of doing anything.
Worried that perhaps my wonky spell skills somehow injured him, I lift my free hand and mold my palm against his cheek.
“Hunter, are you okay? I didn’t … I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
He shakes his head from side to side, keeping his forehead against mine. “Not at all.”
“Good.” I let a minute dance by before I press, “Are you going to do the next contract?”
He digs his fingers into my waist. “I forgot there was another one …” He gives a long pause. “Yeah, we’re going to do it.”
I grow more concerned over his strange behavior. “Are you sure you want to do it now? If you want, we can wait until I get a new wand so I can use my own magic?”
“No,” he says firmly then quickly clears his throat. When he speaks again, his voice is steadier. “I mean, I think it’s better if we just get this over with so you can have peace of mind from whatever’s bothering you.”
“Okay.” I wait a beat or two before adding, “You’re going to have to go first since it’s your magic.”
“I know … I just need a few more seconds to calm myself down.” He sucks in a deep breath and frees it, his grip on my waist easing up. “Okay, I’m ready.”
I nod, worry continuing to plague my mind. Why does he seem so hesitant and uneasy? Is it because he’s worried about the promise? Or is sharing magic with me hard for him?
Before I can arrive at a conclusion, he begins uttering the words to the next contract promise. This time, he sounds more in pain, his body rigid, his fingers tense.
Despite all the butterflies fluttering in my stomach and the electric kisses tingling across every inch of my skin, I feel absolutely awful for causing him so much discomfort.
This was a really bad idea.
When he tells me to repeat the spell, I sputter the words as quickly as I can, wanting to ease his discomfort as quickly as possible.
The second the final word falls from my lips, his wand spews a bright sequence of vibrant, sparkling colors all over us and the ground.
My skin begins to warm, delicious heat whipping throughout my body, and a moan escapes me. I’d be totally mortified if Hunter wasn’t gasping so loudly that he probably couldn’t even hear me.
Once the magic simmers down and the air around us darkens once again, Hunter tilts his head away from mine. However, instead of moving backward, he dips his face toward my neck.
I open my mouth to ask him what he’s doing, but then his lips are brushing over my pulse, causing any coherent thought to evacuate my brain.
“Are you okay?” he asks, kissing my pulse again. “Your heart’s beating really fast.”
That’s because you’re practically making out with my neck!
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I reply hoarsely. “Are you?” I want to tact on a, why in the holy mother of all vampire fetishes are you making out with my neck? but I don’t have the witch’s balls.
What if this is just some weird aftereffect of sharing magic?
“Yep.” Another touch of his lips, and then he pulls back to look me in the eyes.
He appears exactly like the Hunter I’ve always known: blond hair, blue eyes, an easy smile. I don’t know what I expected after what just went down, but for some stupid reason, I thought he might seem a bit differ
ent.
Because I sure feel different.
“Are you ready to ask your question now?” he asks, his voice smooth and even.
I nod, my brain a mushy mess of confusion. “I guess so.” Why are my legs still shaking and my heart still thrashing while he bounced back so quickly?
I internally sigh, realizing the answer. Because I’m magically weaker than him.
“I really am sorry for what I’m about to ask. I need you to know that, okay?” I wait for him to nod, before continuing, “While I was in the cage with that demon, he pointed out that the only way the hybrids could’ve found my sister’s body was if someone told them her location … And the only person, other than me, who knew where her body was is you.” I bite down hard on my lip as hurt floods Hunter’s expression.
I am the worst person ever.
“You think I told them?” he asks, his eyes huge and crammed with shock.
I shake my head in truth. “No … But I had to ask. I’m so sorry.”
His expression hardens. “Well, just for the record, I didn’t do it.”
I wait for pain to vibrate through my body, an indication that he broke the contract and is lying. But I feel absolutely nothing. Well, except shame.
“Happy now?” His glacial tone could cast a thousand freeze spells. “Or are there any other questions you want to ask me?”
“I’m sorry,” I repeat. “I should’ve known better than to ever think you’d lie to me.”
He nods with his jaw set tight. “Yeah, you should’ve.”
I don’t know how it happens, but the next thing I know, I’m lying on the ground, my entire body convulsing with pain. I think I hear Hunter shout my name, but the agony overtakes me as darkness drags me under.
Chapter 4
“Eva, come on; open your eyes.” Hunter’s strained voice clips through the darkness encasing me. “Come on; I know you can hear me.” His breath dusts my cheek. “Fuck, what have I done?”
I want to open my eyes and console him, but my eyelids are glued shut by some unforeseen force.
I’m so sorry I thought you lied to me.
Mystic Willow Bay, Witches Series: The Secret Life of a Witch Page 10