MagicalMistakes

by Victoria Davies

  “I fear what I’ve done to you,” she said, her voice rough. “I fear the mess I’ve made of my life. But nothing you could possibly do would ever make me fear you.”

  Her mouth closed over his before he could protest. She took possession of him, kissing him with molten need. Their teeth scraped as she pushed closer, desperate to make every second count. But he didn’t push her away as she’d thought he would. Instead, he kissed her back. He tangled his hand in her brown locks, holding her steady as his mouth plundered hers. She had no complaints. Despite their differences, there was no denying the passion that ignited between them with a single touch.

  “Damn you,” Ciar swore, pulling his mouth from hers. He cupped her face as if he couldn’t bear not to touch her. “Why can’t you ever be smart when it comes to me?”

  She had no answer for him. Instead she turned her head to press her lips against his palm.

  “No,” he hissed, pushing away from her. “You will not soften me with kisses.”

  “It wasn’t my intention.”

  Ciar rubbed the back of his neck as he paced away from her. “Tell me why she’s here,” he said. “Tell me and we can continue right were we left off. I’ll have you naked in seconds. Think how good we could be.”

  She looked away from him even though her body begged her to give in. “We had this conversation already.”

  His low growl was the only response.

  Mikayla hesitated for a moment before taking a step closer. “Ciar,” she started but stopped. There were no words for what she wanted to say.

  He waited, watching her with hooded eyes from the shadows.

  After a moment she shook her head and turned back to the spell books.

  “What were you going to say?” he demanded.

  “It doesn’t matter.” She grabbed a book from the pile and thumbed through the worn pages.

  Silence stretched as she rooted through the tomes. His gaze was like a brand on her, raising all the hairs on the back of her neck, but she didn’t give in to the urge to scurry away. Opening one of the books, she stared blindly at the writing within. Even if the answer had been right under her nose she’d never be able to concentrate on it with Ciar in the room. Mikayla gathered an armful of the most useful texts and stood. She’d make a start with these and come back when she needed more.

  Turning, she came face-to-face with Ciar. His shadowed eyes gave nothing away as he watched her from the window seat.

  She should go to the stairs. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to have the same argument.

  But instead of moving away she opened her mouth. “Why can’t you trust me?”

  “Demons don’t trust,” he replied, his voice low.

  She paused. “Did you trust Alina?”

  He looked away from her.

  “Did you love her?”

  Ciar hissed at the question. “You have no right.”

  She didn’t. Mikayla knew it wasn’t any of her business. But the knowledge did nothing to ease the ache in her heart. Had he loved Alina? Had he held the other woman in an embrace as passionate and wild as the one he’d shared with her?

  “I don’t,” she agreed. “But I’m asking anyway.”

  Ciar pushed himself from his seat. “You dare too much.”

  “I have to know.”

  He narrowed his eyes, pacing toward her. “Tell me why.”

  Mikayla opened her mouth to respond but had no answer for him.

  Ciar laughed bitterly at her silence and turned away from her. “It’s always games and tricks with you,” he snapped. “Find another man to torment, Mikayla, and leave me alone.”

  He tried to stride past her but she caught his arm before he could leave.

  “I can’t find someone else.”

  A muscle throbbed in his temple as he turned back to her. “Why?”

  “Because I can’t get you out of my thoughts.” She hated how the confession made her vulnerable but he deserved at least this much from her. “Not since that first night in the bar.”

  He froze at her words. After a moment of hesitation, he stepped back to her. Mikayla gasped as he pulled her body tightly to his, books raining to the floor around them.

  “I should forget you,” he murmured. “My life would be much easier.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, her heart hammering in her chest. “But not necessarily as exciting.”

  He smiled slightly. “I can do without the spells.”

  She drew back, looking up into his silver gaze.

  “How can I be so very mad at you,” he whispered, cupping her cheek, “and still want you this badly?”

  “If I had a nickel,” she joked.

  Using his shoulders for support, she rose to her tiptoes and dragged her lips across his.

  He groaned under her touch. Mikayla smiled as his hands gripped her waist. Alina might wax poetically about the past but right now he wasn’t with his former fiancée. He was with her.

  Choose me, she thought as his lips crushed down on hers.

  If only he would.

  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

  Ciar waltzed her backward until her back hit the hard brick wall. He trailed his lips over hers as his hands explored her body.

  Mikayla’s fingers raked down his chest, pulling at the shirt that hid his skin from hers. She wanted what she’d had last night. His closeness, his heat, his ability to give her mind-blowing pleasure.

  “What are you doing to me?” he demanded in a harsh whisper against her lips.

  “Nothing,” she murmured, trying to get closer.

  “No,” he said, stopping her. “The last time I felt this way—” His words cut off abruptly.

  She froze in his arms as if cold water had been poured over her head. “You were with Alina,” she finished for him.

  He met her gaze straight on, not hiding the truth from her.

  Mikayla shrugged out of his grip, hurt more than she wanted to admit. Was what he felt for her just a poor imitation of what he’d once had with someone else?

  “She told me about her past,” Mikayla said, not meeting his gaze.

  “Her past?” Ciar replied sharply.

  “And yours.”

  “What did she say?” he demanded.

  Mikayla swallowed hard. “That she left you for your brother.”

  Ciar laughed bitterly. “Alina never could keep her thoughts to herself.”

  “I can’t understand why she would make such a choice.”

  He raised a mocking eyebrow. “Teivel was the heir. Surely she told you that.”

  “But it doesn’t make sense,” she replied. “Had I been in her place, I never would have let you go.”

  Surprise flashed across his face. “Not even for power?”

  “Why would it matter?”

  He smiled at her words but there was no pleasure in his eyes. “Ah, Mikayla. If only I’d met you in a different time.”

  The hollow smile hurt her heart but his words gave her hope. His hostilities were lessening a little, if only temporarily. It might be her only chance to say what had been weighing on her mind. Taking a breath, Mikayla chose her words carefully. “Alina told me what happened to your brother,” she said. “I’m sorry, Ciar.” He made no immediate reply but Mikayla saw how his shoulders stiffened.

  “Demons are bloodthirsty. Ruling them is dangerous.”

  “That doesn’t make it any easier to lose someone you love.”

  A sardonic smile twisted his lips. “Demons don’t love.”

  “Teivel was your brother.”

  “So?” Ciar looked up at her with emotionless eyes. “We learn as children that emotions are a liability. We shared blood but nothing else.”

  She studied him for a moment before reaching out to touch his cheek. “I don’t believe that,” she told him. “And you have my sympathies for losing your brother. I can’t imagine a world without my sisters.”

  For a brief moment he leaned into her touc
h. “The relationship you have with your kin was nothing like the one I had with mine.”

  “Okay.” She stood close, offering what support she could.

  “I could have rivaled my brother in terms of power. He rejoiced the day I left for this world. I was one fewer challenge he’d have to fight to win the throne.”

  “But you didn’t challenge him,” Mikayla said. “You left because you didn’t want to fight him.”

  Ciar said nothing.

  “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  “You ask for answers from me, Mikayla, when you won’t return the favor.”

  Mikayla inclined her head. “I’ll tell you anything you want as long as it’s not about Alina or the spell.”

  “Really?” he murmured. “Then match me an answer for an answer.”

  Mikayla hesitated only for a moment. If he was willing to help her solve the riddle of his life, it’d be worth confessing to a secret or two. “All right.”

  “Hmm,” he said, walking around her in a slow circle. “Is this my chance to find out all your secrets?”

  “I don’t have many for you to discover.”

  “Ah, lady,” he murmured in her ear, stopping behind her. “You are a complete mystery to me.”

  She laughed softly. “I’m not very complicated.”

  “You wouldn’t give up your lover for power. That makes you the most complicated woman I’ve ever met.”

  Mikayla turned in his arms. “Maybe you’ve been hanging out with the wrong women.”

  “So I’m beginning to wonder.”

  She smiled at the heat in his gaze. “Who gets the first question?”

  “Me,” he replied. “Since I’m the one who will revert back to canine form whenever the magic gives out.”

  “Fair enough.”

  He reached out to tilt her chin up. “Why was I the man who was on the receiving end of your spell?”

  “I was angry.”

  He shook his head. “No, I didn’t ask why you did it. I asked why it was me. All these months, why didn’t you give up on me?”

  She swallowed hard. Looked like he wasn’t going to waste any time beating around the bush.

  “Tell me,” he urged.

  Mikayla lifted her chin and met his gaze squarely. “Because I wanted you. And not because of the chase. Maybe I started out wanting to prove you wrong but then…” She paused. “You were all I could think about. I hated that you could brush me aside so easily when you invaded my every fantasy.” Heat flooded her cheeks but she couldn’t look away from his unwavering gaze.

  “Do you care for me so much?” he asked softly.

  She inhaled a sharp breath. “It’s my turn,” she said, avoiding his question. “Tell me if I was right. What is the real reason you came here?”

  She saw his jaw clench but he opened his mouth to answer. “My brother had just stolen the woman I loved and the only way to get her back was to kill him. It was one sin I wasn’t ready to commit.”

  Not even for Alina. The words lay unspoken between them.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Doesn’t mean I miss him.”

  “Of course.” She forced herself to keep a blank expression as she said the ridiculous words.

  He growled at her softly. “My turn. How much do you care about me?”

  “Ciar…”

  “Tell me.” He pulled her closer. “Give me this at least.”

  Mikayla gripped his arms to steady herself and rose onto her tiptoes. Her lover held very still as she drew her lips over his in a gossamer kiss. “I care,” she breathed. “More than I ever have for any other man.”

  His muscles tightened under her hands but he made no reply. A bitter smile curved Mikayla’s lips. What had she expected? That he’d confess he had feelings for her too? She knew better than to hope for such a happy ending. Instead, she pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth before stepping back.

  “Did you love Alina?”

  Ciar met her gaze squarely. “Yes.”

  She inhaled sharply, as if his word had been a physical blow. “Do you still?”

  “It’s not your turn,” he chided.

  Mikayla exhaled. “I’ve never been good at playing by the rules.”

  “Well then.” He grinned, pressing a leg between hers. “Shall I tell you what questions are weighing most heavily on my mind?”

  “Go for it,” she said, trying to concentrate on his words with his body pressed intimately against hers.

  Ciar leaned down until his lips grazed her ear. “I want to know what you’ll taste like if I strip you down and run my lips over your silken skin. What you’ll feel like if I pull you against me.”

  Mikayla shivered as his hot breath tickled her sensitive ear.

  “What you’ll sound like if I take you right here against this wall,” he whispered wickedly.

  Turning her face to his, Mikayla murmured, “Those are all questions I’d be more than happy to answer.”

  His grinned before leaning closer.

  Mikayla moaned as he kissed her, rubbing her body against his. Her back hit the wall as he pinned her there without ever taking his lips from hers. Muscles flexed beneath her hands, hinting at the strength he possessed, yet despite his nature, it didn’t scare her. If anything the show of dominance merely fueled her passion higher. She wanted him every way she could have him.

  Ciar’s hands wrapped around her waist and he pulled her hips hard against his. She gasped as she felt the hard length of his cock straining against the fly of his jeans.

  “God, you drive me crazy,” he whispered.

  “Right there with you,” she replied, angling her head back to allow him to run his lips down her throat. “I think we need to lose a few of these layers.”

  Ciar pulled his shirt over his head without any hesitation.

  Mikayla licked her lips as she stared at his firm chest. “Much better,” she purred, drawing her fingers down his bronzed skin.

  “Your turn.”

  Grinning, Mikayla fingered the hem of her sweater.

  “Don’t tease,” he whispered, his breath burning her sensitive skin.

  “Say ‘please’.”

  “Please.”

  She blinked at the instant response but the lust in his eyes left her with no doubt what motivated his capitulation.

  Mikayla tugged the shirt over her head. The clothing slipped from her fingers, pooling at the ground by their feet.

  She stood before him in her bra without a drop of self-consciousness. When he looked at her with those burning eyes there was no room for doubt.

  “Wondrous,” he murmured as his hands slid up her bare abdomen.

  Mikayla shivered at his touch. She gasped as his hand rose to cup her breast. “Ciar,” she breathed, needing more. Mikayla tilted her head toward his and was rewarded by his burning kiss. No matter their personal difficulties, physically there was no denying their compatibility.

  “I need you,” Mikayla whispered. “Now.”

  “Say ‘please’,” Ciar taunted her.

  Mikayla bit her lip as he slid his leg between hers.

  “Please,” she whispered.

  “Good girl.” He grabbed her hips and pulled her roughly against his hard body.

  “Yes,” Mikayla groaned, wrapping her arms around him.

  “Damn you for feeling this good.”

  “It cuts both ways.” Mikayla cupped his face and forced his gaze back to her. “As crazy as I make you feel, be assured it is returned twofold.”

  “Irresistible Mikayla,” he breathed, running his lips along her jaw.

  Mikayla merely smiled at his words but inside she was glowing. This was exactly what she wanted. He should be as desperate as she was.

  She grinned as he pushed her back onto the window seat. He reached for the clasp of her bra and Mikayla made no protest as he striped the material from her body.

  Ciar bent his head and pressed his lips to the skin above her heart. Mikayla stiffe
ned as his mouth moved lower. She gripped the seat beneath her as he trailed his lips over her breast. When his hot mouth closed over a nipple she shuddered in pleasure.

  “Ciar,” she whispered, arching away from the window and toward his sinful mouth.

  “Beautiful,” he breathed, running his tongue across the sensitive bud.

  In retaliation, Mikayla slid her hand down his chest. She didn’t stop until her palm cupped his hard erection.

  Ciar hissed in response.

  Mikayla curled her fingers around his cock, stroking him through the rough material of his jeans.

  “Mikayla,” he groaned.

  “Please,” she begged. “I need you inside me, just like before.”

  Ciar dropped his head onto her shoulder, breathing heavily as she continued to torture him through his clothes.

  “You’re driving me crazy.”

  Mikayla smiled. “That’s the point,” she whispered in his ear.

  “Be careful who you play with.”

  “Only you,” she replied with a sigh. Only ever you, she wished she could add. But he wasn’t ready to hear the words and she wasn’t ready to say them.

  Apparently her reply was more than enough for him. He grabbed fistfuls of her skirt and lifted. She held her breath as he raised the material to her hips, baring her to his view.

  “Tell me,” he commanded her, his fingers tracing the skin along her panty line. “Say that you want me.”

  “I’ve always wanted you,” she told him. “I’ll never lie about that.”

  “How?” he asked in a wicked whisper.

  Her body jumped as she realized what he was offering.

  Brushing her lips over his, she whispered, “On your knees.”

  For a moment she thought it was too much, too humbling for her proud warrior to kneel before her, but with his gaze holding hers, Ciar sank to the ground.

  He slid his hands up her calves to rest against her knees. She couldn’t look away from the intensity of his gaze. He watched her like a hunter who knew surrender was imminent. Though he was the one on his knees, it was her heart fluttering wildly. Ciar traced small circles over her sensitive skin as he waited.