by Shona Husk
He glanced at Alexis. The hair, the cats and flowers. Lunch would be a good excuse to ask some questions that didn’t reveal he was a witch. The bite scar on his leg itched. He was a neutered witch, without the help of his goddess, but he still had a few tricks he could play.
Alexis had never felt so full of life. Everything was going her way today. From the cheap bunches of left-over flowers, to the way the she’d gotten a seat on the subway, and how she had gotten to work before Peyton.
And now they were having lunch together.
There was a little part of her that was worried this was too easy. Easy didn’t mean good. And nothing was ever usually this easy for her. She had to work for every inch of progress, and she always settled for safe. This wasn’t safe and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop.
It felt like something had changed and he was actually interested in her. A man like him with a no one like her. The decision to dye her hair—though it had come out of nowhere on Sunday morning—had been the right one. Even that was out of character; she was never bold and never made sudden decisions. But maybe she was sick and tired of waiting for one of Bethany’s spells to work. If she wanted something, she had to work for it.
Whatever she was doing was working.
Where the ideas were coming from, she didn’t know. For a moment she wondered if maybe Peyton was right, but the doubts melted away when she glanced at him.
Maybe Bethany’s spell had been about confidence and being noticed, because that was certainly happening. If she’d known all it would take was some hair dye and flowers, she’d have made a move on Peyton years ago. She’d been tempted so many times to ask him if he wanted to get lunch with her but had always chickened out.
She had to stop being so worried.
Peyton glanced over his shoulder and a hiss of jealousy washed through her. Was he looking at another woman? She’d never noticed him checking out anyone before.
“The cats are following you.”
“What?” She turned and sure enough all those pretty blue cats were meandering up the sidewalk, weaving in and out of people’s legs and causing a commotion among the hustling lunchtime crowd. She smiled. “How odd.”
“Yes…” The line between his eyebrows deepened.
“Maybe they’re following you, not me?”
“I don’t think so.” He seemed pretty sure about that.
“Why do you think it’s me?” She didn’t have raw fish in her handbag.
He looked at her and then the cats and back to her.
She stared back, then lifted an eyebrow, waiting for his response. Were they following her? She’d always liked cats, especially the British Blues her grandmother had bred, but her father was against all pets. To him they were just another mouth to feed. She didn’t live at home anymore. Perhaps she should get a cat.
“Come on, let’s get lunch, they won’t follow us in there.”
“They’re probably not following us at all. You’ve just suddenly noticed the strays on the street.” Were they all looking for a home? She could easily imagine her sofa piled up with cats and see them purring on the end of her bed. Did cats usually hang out in color-coded packs? She’d never noticed.
Peyton didn’t reply, but he didn’t seem convinced either. She followed him into a café and the woman behind the counter greeted him by name. Alexis watched the exchange with growing annoyance. Was he this friendly with everyone?
They sat at a tiny corner table and Peyton handed her a menu.
Alexis stared at the words, torn between making a snippy comment and keeping her mouth closed. She shouldn’t say anything. It wasn’t like her to feel this agitated. Tension clawed beneath her skin until she didn’t think she could sit still. She’d never once gotten jealous, and yet today it was all bubbling up. Well, she was sick of keeping her mouth closed and her head down. “You know her well?”
“I stop in at least once a week to grab lunch or pick up something for dinner.” He wasn’t looking at the menu he was looking at her, and not the way he should be looking at her. There was suspicion instead of the desire she’d glimpsed before.
She glanced down but couldn’t focus on the menu. This lunch date wasn’t going as planned. What did he think she was doing with the cats? Was it about the cats or was it about them working together? Or maybe now she was showing interest he wasn’t interested. She lifted her gaze to study him.
Stubble lined his jaw like he hadn’t bothered to shave that morning. There were always some days when he seemed a little rougher than others. She’d thought it was from working, but maybe he partied hard. On a Sunday night? That didn’t make sense.
For a second, sitting there with him didn’t make sense either. This wasn’t her life. She didn’t ask men out, and she certainly didn’t go after men like Peyton. She liked watching him from afar and enjoyed his smile, knowing it was for her but safe in the knowledge that there was no risk. They both knew they’d never cross that line.
She’d virtually thrown herself at him.
Before she could stand and flee, the waitress came over and the need to pick something to eat took over. Peyton knew what he wanted without bothering to look at the menu or the specials. Alexis hesitated. She should get the salad. It was cheaper and better for her. But she didn’t really care. Today was not the day for doing the right thing.
“Three-meat calzone, thanks.” She handed back the menu and hoped the waitress wouldn’t hang around to chat. This was her time with Peyton and she intended to make the most of it. She could chase around her doubts later, like never. The woman bustled off to another table and Alexis sighed. She was so on edge today. Maybe she needed to lay off the coffee; she’d already had three but it tasted so good. Alexis smiled now she had his full attention. “You had no plans for last weekend, what about this one?”
“Nothing yet. I should do some training.” Resignation filled his voice.
“Should?” She knew obligation when she heard it. “What kind of training?”
“Martial arts. I don’t practice enough and I’m feeling it today.” He gave her a rueful smile. “I got my ass kicked on Saturday.”
She couldn’t imagine anyone kicking his ass. “What kind of martial arts?”
“Mostly Jishukan, some Aikido.”
Neither name meant anything to her, but this was her first real chance to get to know him better. She hadn’t realized he was a fighter beneath that well-fitted suit. “Mixed martial arts?”
He shook his head. “No cage fighting. It’s more general training for self-defense. Some friends run a security agency and I train with them. Sometimes.”
A bottle of water arrived at the table. Alexis took a sip. It was warm in here. “You don’t want to train anymore?”
Peyton drew in a breath and shook his head. “I don’t know. I used to think to think it was fun to do on the side, but they all take it seriously. Maybe I’ve moved on with my life.” He glanced out the window to where a crow stood on the ledge and stared at them. “I just don’t know anymore.” He returned his attention to her. “My life has always been laid out for me. Maybe it’s time I think about what I want.”
“That is so true.” She’d tried to reach for things when she was younger only to have her hand slapped and told to be more cautious. Now she wanted to reach as high as she could; what did it matter if she fell? She could always try again. She could go back to school and get that MBA. Sure she’d have debt, but who didn’t? She could at least apply, and if she got knocked back then she’d know it was never for her. Her parents had never even let her reach. “I’m going to apply for the PA job.”
And she’d research colleges. She could study part time.
A whole new life was opening up in front of her as though blinders had finally been removed. Who’d have thought that a simple change in hair color could do so much?
Bethany’s spell eddied in her mind. That had been about love, not success. The one for success had been months ago. Maybe they took time to have an effect. It didn’t ma
tter what the cause was, this was the new her. The one who wasn’t afraid of her own shadow.
Peyton’s lips curved in a very sexy smile. The heat of it slid through her blood and settled in her bones. There was nothing professional in his smile at all and she liked this different side of him. “This needs to stay out of the office or they will doubt my recommendation.”
“So there is a this?” She didn’t want to hope too hard, but her chest was tight with expectation.
“Why not?”
She couldn’t think of a single reason.
Chapter 3
Peyton couldn’t smell any magic on Alexis and yet this wasn’t the same Alexis he’d spoken to on Friday. There’d always been a snap of attraction, but by unspoken mutual agreement neither of them had ever crossed that line. Now they had agreed to leap over it without looking to see what was on the other side. His excuse that he was trying to figure out what was different was as fragile as a verbal agreement.
The crow in the window cawed. If he was no longer helping the coven, he’d have more free time and nothing to hide from Alexis. He remembered his father always keeping secrets from his mother; he hadn’t realized that had meant magic and his numerous affairs until years after his death. His mother knew nothing of the Morrigu or the magic in Peyton’s blood.
One he couldn’t help. The other he could, and he didn’t want to be the man who had an affair with his secretary. He seemed to have gotten more than magic from his father. Magic that could end with him. If he had kids—and he’d never really wanted them—the youngest wouldn’t be forced into Her service the way he’d been, all because of some ancient deal. If the Morrigu wanted to end his bloodline, he was happy to oblige.
The waitress put their lunch on the table and they ate in silence for a few minutes. The crow kept watch and was joined by another. Alexis scowled at them and went back to eating her calzone. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her eat anything but a salad. The scent of the meat made his nose twitch. He should’ve ordered the steak sandwich rare, not his usual pasta, but he refused to be ordered about by the hellhound within.
His leg itched; the bite was always troublesome as the full moon approached. The scar was always hairy, and the hair grew faster over the full moon. All his hair did. He had a five o’clock shadow before noon. These days he never shifted unless he wanted to, which was even less frequently than when he went to the coven. Being a hellhound trapped in New York was no fun, and while he’d gone camping a few times, he wasn’t sure he trusted himself not to wake up next to a corpse. Hellhounds were hunters. He couldn’t hang around the coven because too much magic pushed him over the edge.
He was a danger to them.
Since the Morrigu wouldn’t heal the bite and let him be human, She could take his magic. Then he wouldn’t feel guilty for not being part of his coven.
A flutter of doubt beat against his ribs. Would he be able to control the beast within if he had no magic? He’d have to speak to Mason. With no magic, would Mason even speak to him or would he lose all rights to even step foot in the coven building? His breath caught at the thought of severing those connections.
Alexis leaned back, her foot tracing up his calf. This new, bolder Alexis was exciting. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The Morrigu had wanted to speak with him but had given him no help about what he was supposed to do. The crows watching him and the cats outside were all clues he should be reading.
He didn’t want to solve a case. He wanted to have fun before he forgot what it was altogether. He shouldn’t be having fun with Alexis, but he couldn’t look away either. He wanted to reach out and run his fingers through her hair, draw her close and kiss those red lips. He tore his gaze away.
He couldn’t smell magic but there was definitely magic involved. The hairs on his forearms were vibrating. Heat rushed through his blood, and for an awful moment he thought the hellhound was about to break free. Instead, his legs prickled as new hair sprouted. If he looked at his hands would his nails be growing? He hated the full moon.
He needed to put this back on safe ground. “We shouldn’t walk back to the office together.”
“You’re serious about keeping me a secret?” Her bare toe brushed the skin above his sock.
He nodded. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had been so bold. They usually expected him to do the chasing, which got old fast. He wasn’t a dog after a rubber ball. Reluctantly, he drew his leg away. “Only until you get the other job.”
Maybe by then he’d have figured out what was going on. It was Alexis’ body, but he wasn’t sure it was Alexis. He’d have to call Noah into the office so he could check for demons. The only thing Peyton could smell was the heady scent of the flowers, no rank stench that usually accompanied possession.
She put the last piece of meat in her mouth and leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. “You really think I will?”
He’d make sure of it. What his boss didn’t know was that in his spare time he wrote the contracts between humans and other beings. He could write a referral that would encapsulate just enough magic to make sure Alexis got the job. Blood magic was his specialty and words obeyed his will. He smiled and nodded. “They know how good you are.”
He was sure the other two lawyers he shared with would be put out, and training up a new secretary would be a pain in the ass, but he’d be able to date Alexis. That thought alone was enough to give him a glimmer of hope.
If he failed the Morrigu’s test and She shut down the link to Her magic, he could have a normal life. No more writing deals for demons and deities. No more helping the coven out on cases that brought them to the edge of the law. The law didn’t care that a demon had been hunting and killing, it only saw a bunch of guys and a massive fire. He was sick of hiding bodies.
They’d be fine without him. It wasn’t like he was much use anyway. They’d never once needed to call on his hellhound abilities. Truth be told, they were probably afraid of him.
“I’ll get this, you head back.”
She stood in one fluid motion, resting her hand on his shoulder for a moment before turning and walking away. He paid and stepped out into the wan sunlight. There were no cats waiting for him. There wasn’t a raven or even a crow.
What the hell was going on? Maybe he was seeing magic where there was none. Alexis had clearly gotten tired of waiting for him and had gone for the throat…and he’d let her. He tried to feel bad about that but couldn’t. He’d liked her for too long.
He crossed the road and picked up a few items from the store. He was out of wine and cereal, and condoms—he hesitated but bought them anyway. With his purchases in a bag, he started back to work, wandering past the florist. He stopped and stared at her bunches. The flowers were pretty but not as nice as the ones Alexis had put in his office. He bent to sniff them, but they had no smell.
The realization made him step back as his blood chilled.
His office was full of their scent. Alexis smelled of the flowers, wild and untamed.
He couldn’t sense any magic, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any. The flowers were at the center of this—perhaps they were cursed and he should get Sawyer in to deal with them. He strode away, worry replacing the certainty he’d been feeling.
At the office, the cold congealed into something heavier at the sight of ten blue-grey cats milling about the steps, waiting for someone. This was a case and it was his responsibility, his test.
Cats and flowers.
Alexis.
He wanted to be a witch and for everything to be as it had been before the bite. But he couldn’t be what the Morrigu wanted or his coven needed anymore. He glanced up at the building. And if Alexis knew the truth, she wouldn’t want him either.
Alexis topped up the water in the vase, not wanting her flowers to wilt overnight. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Peyton since she’d gotten back to the office. He’d been in meetings and she’d had to do a bunch of filing for Ben Campbell
. He was old enough to be her father but that didn’t stop him from getting too close when talking to her or leering at her legs when he thought she wasn’t watching. He was too smart to actually touch her or say anything but she could almost see the words forming on the tip of his tongue.
She turned off her computer and paused. Peyton was on the phone. She could hear him talking even though she couldn’t make out the words. She’d never usually linger, and she had no reason to, except for the small hope that she wouldn’t be going home alone.
She smiled to herself. She’d have to tell Bethany that her spell wasn’t all glitter and candles and that awful incense.
Campbell strolled over to her desk. His gaze dropped to her cleavage. “Need some more work?”
“No. Just waiting on a document from Mr. Kilpatrick.”
Campbell lifted his gaze, caught her stare, and looked away just as fast. Had he always been this much of a toad? Her fingertips tingled. He wasn’t bad to work for, except for the staring and invasion of personal space. He needed to stop.
Peyton’s door opened. He raked his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end. He needed a haircut and a shave. She wanted to run her fingers along his jaw and bite his lip. His mouth was made for kissing.
Campbell looked at Peyton and then her.
Peyton snapped his fingers. “Letter.” He turned and went back into his office, grabbing an envelope and then returning to the doorway. “I got sidetracked by the Mulligan case.”
“No worries.” She took the envelope and glared at Campbell. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Um, no.” He made his way to the elevator and left them alone. They probably weren’t the last ones in the building, just this area.
Alexis put the envelope into her bag, her hands buzzing like there were bees beneath her skin. She wanted to know what he’d said in the letter but there was no way for her to open it without revealing it had been tampered with. “Thank you.”