There was a moment where it looked like she was calming down, but it quickly passed, and she was back to being mad at me. “Are you seriously going to try to turn this into a woe is Trevor conversation?”
Actually, I was trying to piss her off because Melina had more confidence when she was angry. I’d spent enough time around her to know she was nervous, and I didn’t want that. A good fight was just what she needed. A nearly violent, angry fuck would have been better, but we didn’t have time for that, much to my disappointment.
“It sounds like you’re either trying to get out of this, or you’re embarrassed because it’s me you’re taking the affinity test with. Which is it, Melina?” I asked, trying to sound pissed. I’m not a very good actor, but from my perspective, I sounded convincing.
Melina opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it and studied me. “You’re playing me, aren’t you?”
I grinned and prowled toward her. “If we weren’t running late, I’d be playing with you. Do you have any idea how fucking hot you are when you’re mad at me?”
Melina’s eyes darkened, and I’d bet anything that if I slid my hand into her panties, I’d find her soaking wet for me. “Who else did you tell?” she demanded.
I figured Melina wasn’t going to like my answer, but I wasn’t about to lie to her. The fact of the matter was, most people had already heard about the affinity test. Each main family was supposed to have a representative at every meeting. That wasn’t always the case, and people tended to find excuses to skip meetings that weren’t as interesting. It might sound egotistical, but I suspected there would be a good turnout for a meeting where I took an affinity test.
“We’re on the agenda for tonight’s meeting,” I reminded her.
“We’re what?” she shouted, which led me to the conclusion that she’d assumed we were going to show up and ask to take the test. As soon as I’d mentioned the affinity test to my father, he’d put it on the schedule, and that schedule had been sent out to everyone.
“You know it’s rare for the council to allow an affinity test when it’s not on the schedule.”
Taking several deep breaths, it appeared that Melina was back to being nervous about tonight. “You’re right. I’m just not good at being the center of attention.”
I had to laugh at what she’d said. “Are you kidding me? You seem to enjoy being called before the council about the witches on your show.”
“That’s different,” she said, waving off my words. “I like arguing in public. This is really personal. It’s almost like we’re letting people watch us have sex.”
“It’s too late to worry about it now,” I told her. “Let’s get this over with. If it makes you feel any better, my father arranged for us to be first on the agenda, so you won’t have to wait like Allie did.”
Melina’s face softened. “You are definitely going to have to make this up to me later.”
There was no mistaking the seductive quality of her voice, and my dick jerked against the zipper of my pants. “Fuck me,” I hissed. “Keep that up and you’re going to make me embarrass myself in front of the council tonight.”
Her husky chuckle as she sashayed past me was proof she planned to make me pay in a way I would love.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Melina
Allie and Dylan were waiting for us outside the room where larger council meetings were held. The Council of Witches had a huge compound at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon. The building contained witch training, various offices, and two council meeting rooms. One room could hold fifty people. The other could seat two-hundred and was rarely used. I’d never actually been to a meeting in the larger room, but it appeared that was where we were meeting tonight.
Dylan had a cocky smirk as he approached Trevor and slapped him on the back. “How are you holding up?”
“I can’t wait,” Trevor admitted, looking excited and definitely happy.
Dylan’s smirk turned to a full grin. “I’ll bet you can’t. You’ve worked hard to trap Melina into this. Getting her here without resorting to kidnapping must be a huge relief.”
“Idiots,” I muttered, appreciating the fact that at least Allie looked more subdued.
“I can’t believe you announced this to everyone,” she said quietly. “This is going to be a circus.”
“Announcing it wasn’t my idea,” I told her, glaring at Trevor again. “I know the witches must be coming from everywhere to see the infamous Trevor Dupree finally take an affinity test.”
“People are probably also coming because of you,” Trevor stated.
“He’s right,” Dylan agreed.
“Me?” I asked. “Why would they come because of me? Is it the show?”
“It’s because you’ve never dated a warlock,” Allie pointed out.
That was something I hadn’t considered. It’s not that I thought I was some unknown witch. My ongoing battle with the COW’s, Allie’s term for the Council of Witches, regarding the witches on Night High had earned me some notoriety among the witch community. I’d had more than a few warlocks try to approach me after that, but I’d turned them down. Until Trevor, I’d never dated a warlock. Although, technically, I wasn’t dating Trevor. As was Trevor’s norm, we’d skipped that step, not that I’d missed it. In all honesty, I hated dating.
Looking around, I noticed that the room was filling up quickly, as people waited to get into the meeting. “Oh, Goddess,” I breathed out.
“It’s okay, honey,” Trevor murmured, slipping an arm around my waist, which I really appreciated since for the first time in my life, I thought I might faint.
“There’s the happy couple!” my aunt Lil called out as she approached us. She wasn’t alone. Along with her were my mom, my aunt Muri, and my dad. At least, I could be grateful that it appeared Demetrius and my sisters weren’t in attendance.
“Stop embarrassing her, Lil,” my dad grumbled, looking irritable like he always did. Only the slight twitch of his thin lips indicated he was happy.
“What are you doing here, Dad?” I asked, knowing he couldn’t go into the meeting. As a full-demon, he wasn’t welcome in council meetings, and I suspected they wouldn’t allow him into the compound if he didn’t have the support of not only my mom’s family, but her ex-husband’s family.
“I came to have a word with your warlock.” My dad’s smile was somewhat scary and involved him flashing his pointy teeth. Since my dad hadn’t threatened Trevor yet, I was assuming he liked Trevor. Although, my dad threatening someone didn’t always mean he didn’t like them. He threatened Demetrius on a regular basis, and they were good friends.
“Ralph,” my mother warned. “You are not going to bully Trevor just because he cares for your daughter, are you?”
My dad shook his head. “I want to make sure we have an understanding. Let’s step outside for a minute,” he suggested.
Trevor nodded and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll be right back,” he told me.
“Dad,” I began, “do not harass Trevor. Tonight is bad enough without you threatening bodily injury.”
My dad laughed, and that’s when my mom’s ex-husband, Demetrius Talbot, joined the group.
“I didn’t miss the talk, did I?” Demetrius asked.
“The talk we had weeks ago wasn’t enough?” Trevor asked Demetrius.
“Oh. My. Goddess.” I stretched each word out for emphasis as I glared at Demetrius. “You talked to Trevor weeks ago?”
“Without me?” my dad asked, sounding hurt.
“I had a meeting with him, and figured it would be best to make sure he understood how much our girl means to me,” Demetrius responded, giving me a warm smile that made me want to smack him. “So, am I in time for the talk?”
“There will be no talk,” I told them, but the idiot men ignored me.
“We’re heading out now,” my dad explained to Demetrius, and they led Trevor out of the room.
“Did you have to call Demetrius?” I asked my mo
m, knowing he didn’t normally show up at meetings or look at what was on the agenda. Demetrius Talbot only showed up at a meeting when someone called to tell him he had to be there, usually my mom. They had a strange relationship.
“Of course not,” my mom insisted. “Your dad knew Demetrius would be upset if he didn’t get to talk to Trevor before the affinity test. I am annoyed that Demetrius talked to him before. I can’t believe he didn’t tell us you were involved with Trevor. Clearly, he knew before we did.” My mom shook her head and smiled. “I’m sure he didn’t want to reveal anything about you and Trevor until you were ready to talk about it. He means well.”
“Demetrius realizes he’s not related to me, doesn’t he?” I asked, and it wasn’t the first time I’d asked that question. For whatever reason, Demetrius had taken on the role of second father, and my dad welcomed his intrusion in my life.
My mom laughed at my question, and that’s when I noticed all of my sisters entering the room. I guess it had been too much to hope my entire family wouldn’t be there.
“They may have to turn people away,” Dylan noted as he looked around the room.
“Maybe I’ll get lucky and my dad and Demetrius will scare Trevor off,” I mused.
My mom gave me a one-armed hug. “We both know that’s not what you want, but I am sorry this is turning into such a circus. At the same time, I’m really excited about tonight. Trevor is perfect for you.”
“Yes, he is,” I said so quietly that I wasn’t sure anyone heard me. Then again, I was saying it more for myself. I could do this because Trevor was worth it.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Trevor
The talk with Ralph and Demetrius hadn’t gone nearly as bad as I’d expected. There had been a few threats thrown around, but as soon as they’d realized how much Melina meant to me, they’d both suggested I convince her to marry me soon. Demetrius had even offered to demand an immediate union, which apparently he had the authority to do since Ralph couldn’t attend meetings. The most bizarre part of the talk had been when Ralph had taken out some pastries to have a sex talk with me. I’d been too shocked by the whole conversation to point out that I already knew where babies came from. Now, I might never be able to eat an éclair again.
I was finally seated near the front of the room with Melina beside me. Her fingers were digging into my thigh as the meeting started. Even though we were first on the agenda, it still took over twenty minutes to get everyone settled and quieted down. Then the council had to go through their ridiculous opening crap, which included reading the agenda and asking if anyone wanted to add last minute items. Several witches had jumped in, and the council had taken their information before informing them that the schedule was full, but that they could be added to the next meeting. Why they couldn’t have told people that up front and taken their information to add to the next meeting later, I had no clue.
While we waited, I thought about how appropriate our robe colors were. My robe was red, while Melina’s was black, each matching our magic perfectly. That wasn’t how robe colors were assigned. The colors were assigned by the station of one’s family. Melina’s family ranked higher than mine, but not by much.
“Trevor Dupree and Melina Blackwood,” my father called out from the front of the room. “Please step forward and remove any spelled items.”
Melina took a deep breath before standing and walking to the front of the room where we both removed our spelled items. Melina only had a small charm bracelet and a ring. I had my keys, wallet, and cell phone.
I noticed that Melina’s face was flushed, and I understood how she felt. It was hot as hell in the room with all these people piled in here. “Why don’t you take your robe off, honey,” I suggested.
“The robes must stay on,” insisted a nasally warlock on the council who’d obviously heard me.
“As I recall, I’m the one performing the test,” my father snapped at the warlock. “They could take the test naked, and the results would still be the same.” My father’s face softened when he addressed Melina. “Go ahead and take your robe off, dear. You both look terribly hot. There’s no reason to make this unnecessarily uncomfortable for you.”
We slipped out of our robes and set them on the table with our other items before making our way to the center of the room to wait for my father’s instructions. Each affinity test was different, and I knew my father was testing our magic to see how to proceed. I could feel his power sliding along mine before moving on to Melina. When her demon magic flared, I forgot all about waiting for instructions. Her magic wasn’t reacting well to the probing, and it was my goal to subdue it before it lashed out at my father, something Melina would never forgive herself for.
I sent my magic out, and the strands of red silk slid along the black haze of Melina’s magic. That’s when the heads of the serpents formed in her magical strands and they coiled around mine, writhing against it. I let out a hiss as pleasure and pain shot through my body. Her magic slid along my skin, and I saw mine doing the same to her. Melina moaned and swayed toward me.
Without hesitation, I caught Mel and slammed my mouth down onto hers, claiming her mouth as our magic continued to twist around us. Her snakelike magic made a moaning sound that echoed through my body. As for my magic, the hot strands of silk caressed the snakes, while sliding along Melina’s body, slipping between her legs. Her head dropped back as the magic stroked her, bringing her even closer to orgasm.
I hesitated for mere seconds before swirling my magic through hers in an intricate knot that I instinctually knew how to make. I bound her magic to mine. Crimson threads of my power curled around Melina before fading into her body, becoming a part of her. Melina screamed with her orgasm, and I was fighting my own release.
The cool air flowed through the room, hitting my sweat-dampened skin and making me shiver as I gathered Melina into my arms. I felt my magic being forced back into my body. I also felt my magic in her body as it remained tied to hers. My breathing labored, I stared down at my witch. It took some time for my mind to return to the present and remember we were not alone. We were standing in a room full of witches and warlocks who were watching us silently.
Melina blinked twice. She didn’t pull away; instead, she gave me a shy smile and allowed me to tuck her protectively under my arm as we faced my father.
“I take it we passed,” I stated, my voice thick with arousal.
“As you already knew you would,” my father said. “The Dupree family is not insisting on an immediate bonding of magic,” he added. His eyes landed on me, and I was certain he already knew what I’d done. “Is anyone else asking that a bonding ceremony be performed immediately?”
Demetrius looked like he was going to speak until Viviana Blackwood’s hand made contact with the back of his head. He glared at Viviana over his shoulder, but remained silent.
“Are we done?” Melina asked.
“Yes,” my father replied with a warm smile. “You’ve passed, and you’re free to go.”
“Get your stuff. We’re leaving,” Melina insisted, hurrying toward the table.
While I grabbed my stuff from the table, I leaned in close to her. “Was there some reason we need to leave in such a hurry?” I asked, because I wanted to hear the words from her mouth.
“I’d rather not have you fuck me in front of all these people. Is that reason good enough?” she asked.
“Let’s go,” I told her, rushing her past the shocked crowd and out of the room.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Melina
I’d never been this horny, which said a lot since Trevor had a tendency to drive me insane with lust on a regular basis. Before Trevor, I hadn’t understood the concept of complimentary magic. It was hard to believe I’d climaxed with no physical contact and no sexual spells. Trevor’s power sliding along my body had made me desperate to have him inside of me, and I was cursing the fact that his house was nearly twenty minutes away. If there was any traffic, I might have to kill som
eone.
It’s not that I was completely shocked by what had happened. Having witnessed a few affinity tests, I knew the process could be very arousing for the couple. One of them had been so hot, I’d thought for sure the couple had passed. I’d been surprised to discover they’d only passed certain elements, and a match was not recommended. I’d also witnessed an affinity test that was so boring, I’d fallen asleep, only to be rudely awoken by a jab from one of my sisters. That couple had passed with flying colors, and I shuddered to think what their sex life was like. I was sure they only did it missionary style with the lights off on Saturday nights.
“I should have gotten a room at one of the local hotels,” Trevor muttered, and I was glad he was having the same issues I was.
“I’m so horny, I’m tempted to suggest you fuck me in the bathroom,” I admitted.
Trevor chuckled, but it sounded strained. “Say the word and I’ll have you pressed against the wall with my cock thrusting in you before you can say fuck me now, Trevor.”
My hesitation made him groan.
“Seriously, Melina, don’t tempt me. I need in you so much, I’m having trouble walking. Why the fuck don’t they have rooms here?” he groused.
“They do,” I told him. “The higher ranking council members have sleeping quarters close to their offices. I’ll bet your parents have a room. I know Demetrius does.”
A thoughtful look came over Trevor’s face, and I could tell he was thinking about asking to use one of those rooms.
“No!” I told him. “We are not going to ask to use your parents’ room, and don’t even think about asking Demetrius.”
“Then we’d better hurry back to the car,” he insisted. “There’s a Marriott down the street. I’ll get a room.”
Trevor was on his phone arranging for a room when we reached his car. He booked a room before calling Julia to see if she could stay the night with Mr. Whiskers.
Shamelessly Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 2) Page 22