Shamelessly Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 2)

by Cassandra Lawson

  “I really thought this was going to make you angry,” I admitted.

  “If I’d been unwilling, I could have stopped you,” she explained. “Why are you telling me this now? Something is wrong, isn’t it?”

  “I’m on my way to meet with the killer,” I admitted.

  “No!” Melina shouted, her voice echoing through my car.

  “The police are on their way, but I don’t know how long it will take them to get there,” I told her.

  “Don’t you dare try to deal with that psychotic bitch,” she insisted.

  “She has Sage,” I stated, hoping she’d understand why I couldn’t just wait for the police.

  “Sage?” Gryph asked.

  “Yeah, she’s a werewolf who’s worked for me for a few years,” I clarified for Gryph.

  “Don’t go anywhere near there,” Gryph began.

  “I have to,” I told them, ending the call before either could try to talk me out of helping Sage.

  Chapter Seventy

  Melina

  “That moron!” I shouted as I made an illegal u-turn and headed toward Trevor’s office. Trevor had probably forgotten that with his magic bound to mine, I could find him anywhere. While I understood why he didn’t want to leave Sage with the killer, I was still furious about him putting his life at risk. I was also terrified of losing him.

  “Do you know who Sage’s boyfriend is?” Gryph asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “She’s not very friendly, and she never talks about the pack. Why?”

  “I think Sage may the killer,” Gryph stated. “If I’d known she was working for Trevor, I’d have probably suspected her before.”

  “What?” I asked. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Sage do this?”

  “Sage is half-witch,” Gryph explained. “I think she may be obsessed with Trevor.”

  “She’s what? Trevor never mentioned her being half-witch.”

  “He probably doesn’t know,” Gryph stated. “It’s never been something she was particularly proud of. She went to a witch school back east for several years, and the pack had hoped she wouldn’t return.”

  “Why didn’t they want her to return?” I asked. That sounded really messed up, considering how much werewolves relied on their pack.

  “Because we were on the brink of a civil war that had a lot to do with some pack members believing only perfect werewolves should be allowed in the pack. Half-breeds were considered an abomination by that faction. We were trying to get the half-breeds out of the way because we didn’t have the resources to protect them and our leadership. If it had come down to it, we’d have been forced to let the half-breeds die.”

  “That is really fucked up,” I muttered.

  He let out a weary sigh. “I agree with you, but I was an enforcer. I took orders and never questioned them. I didn’t even think about questioning them. I’m not entirely sure the pack would have wanted Sage back, even if it hadn’t been for the threat of civil war. She was also lashing out with her witch magic. At first, I thought it was self-defense, but then I started noticing that she was more than a little crazy,” Gryph explained. “When she was finally cast out of the pack, she went on about how she didn’t need the pack because she’d found a warlock to take care of her.”

  “I don’t understand,” I muttered. “Trevor had to negotiate with the pack to hire her.”

  “They cast her out when the new leadership took over, same as me,” Gryph explained.

  “This still doesn’t mean she’s the killer,” I argued. “Maybe she really did find a warlock.” Wracking my brain, I tried to remember anything I could about Sage, but most of what Trevor had told me had to do with what a good employee she was, not her life outside of work.

  “I remember her saying her warlock was a lawyer,” Gryph added. “Obviously, as an enforcer, I wasn’t involved with the negotiations regarding her employment, so I didn’t know she was working for Trevor.”

  I decided to call Dylan to see what he knew about Sage. Thankfully, he answered on the second ring because I wasn’t feeling patient or calm.

  “Hey, Mel,” Dylan greeted me.

  “Is Sage dating a warlock?” I asked urgently.

  “Er,” he paused, sounding genuinely confused. “I don’t think she’s dating anyone. She didn’t bring a date to the wedding, and I’m not sure her pack would be okay with her dating a warlock.”

  My panic level was on par with my anger at the moment. “I’ll kill that bitch if she hurts Trevor,” I practically growled.

  “What’s going on, Mel?” Dylan demanded.

  “Trevor told me the killer has Sage,” I explained. “Gryph thinks Sage is the killer, and I’m beginning to agree with him.”

  “Sage?” Dylan asked in disbelief. “That’s impossible.”

  “Sage is half-witch, and her pack cast her out,” I told him. “Did you know either of those things?”

  I tuned out Dylan’s string of profanity, knowing I needed to focus on getting to Trevor. “I’ll call you back later,” I interrupted Dylan.

  “Where are you?” Dylan asked. “Do you know where they are?”

  “No, but I can find out,” I said, pulling over to the side of the road. “I’ll let you know as soon as I figure it out,” I assured Dylan, ending the call and turning to Gryph. “I need you to drive. Can you manage it?” It was a reasonable question since my car wasn’t set up for Gryph to drive with only one arm. “There’s a spell that holds the wheel in place in case you release it.”

  “I got it, Ms. Melina,” he assured me.

  I nodded and focused on finding Trevor. Thanks to his hasty bonding of our magic, I’d be able to find him anywhere.

  Chapter Seventy-One

  Trevor

  Once I reached my office, I hesitated before getting out of my car. There was no doubt I was walking into danger, but I couldn’t think of any other solution. Waiting for the police to arrive made it more likely the killer would harm, possibly kill, Sage. There was always a possibility I was already too late, but I had to try.

  I skipped the elevator and ran up two flights of stairs. The reception area was deserted, and I saw no sign of Sage, which made my gut tighten. It didn’t seem that anything had been disturbed. I had no idea what I’d do if the killer had gotten tired of waiting for me and taken Sage somewhere else to kill her.

  “I’m here!” I shouted. “Let Sage go, and we can talk.”

  No answer came, but I thought I heard movement in Dylan’s office, so opened the door slowly and scanned the empty room.

  There was movement behind me, but it was so fast, I didn’t have time to turn before a blow struck the back of my head, and then the world faded to black.

  Chapter Seventy-Two

  Trevor

  I had no idea how long I was unconscious. When I woke up, the first thing I tried to do was rub my aching head, which was when I realized I was tied to a bed. As my fuzzy brain attempted to make sense of what had happened, I opened my eyes a slit. The light hurt like I had a hangover, but I knew a concussion was likely the cause. Taking in my surroundings, I found that I was in a bedroom, possibly a studio apartment. I saw a sofa and coffee table. I couldn’t make out too much of the room without moving my head, and I wasn’t ready to endure that kind of pain yet.

  “You’re finally awake!” Sage squealed happily.

  “Sage? What’s going on? Where is the killer?” I asked.

  Sage frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. The fingers on her right hand trailed along my chest, which is when I noticed I was naked. “You’re so pretty, Trevor, but not terribly bright. How is it that you still haven’t figured out what’s going on?”

  A shudder of revulsion ran through my body when her fingers continued to trail down my body. “You can’t be the killer,” I insisted.

  “Why not?” she asked. Her fingers stopping their decent. “Oh! You must mean because you assumed one of your exes was involved. You probably also didn’t think I could
be the one pursuing you because I’m not a witch. Not a full-witch, anyway. My mother was a witch whore who passed me off to my werewolf father because she was embarrassed by me. You know how elitist witches can be.”

  “You’re half-witch?” I asked. “How did I not know this?”

  Her eyes flashed with anger, and her nails dug painfully into my lower belly. “You never noticed because you were too busy with those stupid sluts to realize that the witch you were meant to be with was right in front of your eyes, waiting for you to see her. I thought you’d come around after our date. Perhaps, I should have told you about me being a witch then, but I was too excited about you finally noticing me to think clearly. I could tell you felt the connection between us, too.”

  I had no idea what date she was talking about since I’d never even considered dating Sage. She was an employee, and I’d always avoided crossing that line. Still, I figured it was a bad time to bring up the fact that I didn’t remember any date with her.

  “Even after we found each other, you continued to fall for those slutty witches.” Her nails remained in my skin as they dragged down my flesh, making me hiss. “You think this hurts? Imagine the anguish you’ve caused me over the years, flaunting your whores in front of me, expecting me to wait patiently while you fucked those sluts.”

  “I didn’t know you felt this way about me,” I explained, which seemed to make her angrier.

  “Liar!” she screamed. “You knew how I felt. I’m the witch for you, and you ignored me, but you won’t be able to ignore me now,” she taunted. “I tried to get you to drink my special love potion at the wedding, but you ended up fucking that fat demon instead.”

  “There’s no such thing as a love potion,” I told her, and that was mostly true. A potion couldn’t make someone love you, but a potion made with dark magic could steal free-will. That sort of potion had been considered a love potion by some deluded witches and demons throughout the years.

  Sage laughed, and the sound sent chills down my spine. “Maybe it can’t make you love me, but I’ll own you just the same.”

  “Not fucking likely,” my witch shouted.

  “Melina, get out of here!” I said urgently, already knowing she was going to ignore me.

  Sage stood and grinned. I craned my head, despite the pain, to see Melina marching down the stairs with Gryph right behind her.

  “Let the warlock go, Sage,” Gryph ordered.

  Sage let out a maniacal giggle. “Are you really stupid enough to think I’d take orders from some deformed wolf?” she taunted.

  “With the dampening spell, we both know you only have physical strength to rely on,” Gryph reminded her. “Even with one arm, I’d wager I’m a much better fighter than you are.”

  “Care to test that theory?” Sage asked with a smile, moving away from the bed to face Gryph.

  Gryph walked down the stairs. “You can’t think you can beat me in a fight.”

  Before anyone could react, Sage raised a gun and shot three tranquilizer darts at Gryph. The first missed, when he dodged to the right, but the second and third hit their mark. Gryph struggled forward before collapsing a few feet from Sage.

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  Melina

  With the dampening spell, and Gryph unconscious, I was fucked when it came to fighting a werewolf. At least, that’s what I’d thought before realizing the dampening spell was designed to work on witches, not demons. That meant I wasn’t completely helpless. The problem I had was that my demon and witch magic were intertwined. I would need to feed my demon side, which would bring out my demon form. Much as I hated my demon form, I had no choice.

  “Poor little slut,” Sage mocked. “Looks like you lose.”

  “Trevor is my warlock,” I insisted calmly. “Nothing you can do will change that.”

  Sage laughed, but I could feel her anger sizzling through the air, and I drew it toward me, feeding on her negative energy.

  “Did you honestly think he wanted to be with you?” Sage taunted. “If it weren’t for the demon potion I slipped Trevor at the reception, he would have never even considered screwing an ugly cow like you.”

  “Trevor didn’t drink that potion, and we both know it,” I shot back. “He wanted me because I’m his witch. We took an affinity test, and our magic is perfectly matched. He wants to marry me. The only way you could ever get Trevor is with a potion.”

  Her anger was swirling around like a black cloud, and I continued to draw the hateful power into my body. It was so potent that I felt my claws sliding through the tips of my fingers. My hands remained curled at my sides so Sage wouldn’t see them. Most people didn’t even know that my body held both demon and witch forms. My demon form wasn’t scary. It was actually annoyingly cute, but it was definitely going to be a surprise to Trevor. I just hoped it didn’t freak him out to find out about it this way.

  “Even when Trevor thought you were in danger, he called to tell me he loves me,” I added.

  “No! No! No!” Sage screeched. “He’s mine!”

  “Sage,” Trevor began in a weak voice. “I don’t know where you got this idea, but I’m not yours.”

  “Lies!” Sage shouted. “That demon bitch ruined everything!”

  She was preparing to lunge at me, and I was almost ready. My claws were fully extended, and I was sure my eyes were pale blue and glowing with an unnatural light. I knew my skin would soon have a pearlescent glow, and my hair would be a pale shade of pink. I was the first to admit that my demon form looked a little like a Fraggle Rock character.

  “Would you stop with your hysterical fits?” I spun to face the man who’d spoken.

  Stunning was the only word to describe the demon. He stood more than six and a half feet tall, with black hair flowing down his back. His obsidian eyes sparkled, and his nearly hairless, toned body was on display as he stood before me in nothing more than boxer briefs. The curl of his full lips proved he’d noticed my appraisal. “That’s right, my sweet. Look all you want. I’m gifting you with my true form, and you’ll soon have an eternity to enjoy it.”

  My snort of laughter made his eyes narrow. “Try not to be too humble, asshole.”

  “Humble?” He seemed genuinely confused by my words.

  “Stupid slut!” Sage spat out. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You’re my payment to him for helping me get Trevor. I thought he could do much better, but for some reason, he wants you.”

  “You are both out of your minds,” I scoffed.

  I heard the demon’s voice, speaking in my mind this time. “I can kill her for you, but not until you’ve agreed to bind yourself to me.”

  If anything, his voice was even smoother and more seductive in my mind. Before Trevor, I might have been tempted by this demon, even knowing he was evil. That’s the power a demon could have over you. They could make you want them, make you forget all the horrible things they’d done.

  “Can you imagine the wicked things I could do to your body?” he purred in my mind. “I will also rid you of this bitch.”

  “No,” I said out loud.

  His seductive voice floated through my mind again. “I can’t kill her until I have what I want. As soon as her heart stops beating, I’ll be returned to my lonely prison, and I have no intention of going back there without you. You can’t save yourself, but you can save the warlock."

  No one wanted to be stuck in a demon prison. When I’d gone through a short rebellious phase in my teen years, my dad had taken me on one of those scared straight tours. Only, I didn’t get to see the human prisons, or the much more civilized witch prisons. Instead, I’d gotten a tour of what demons considered Hell. No two prison cells were the same. Each could change to create the most frightening thing the demon inhabiting it could imagine. While some had been comical, like the demon forced to endure hours of his mother telling him how disappointed she was in him, some had been truly horrific, like the one where a demon’s skin was flayed off daily. Summoned demons always came from these p
risons. If the person summoning them wasn’t powerful enough, they could be possessed by the demon they hoped to control.

  The demon before me was an incubus of some sort, but not the traditional type. Most incubus and succubus were fairly weak. This demon was strong, and I was certain he fed on death magic. His version of Hell would involve no sex, and I’d guess they made it impossible for him to masturbate. I’d seen one such demon with hooks in place of his hands.

  “I’m gonna have to pass on the demon prison,” I told him, sure there was a way to rescue Trevor without sacrificing myself. With any luck, my father and Demetrius would be here soon. I’d told Demetrius I was going after Trevor, because I was positive he had tracking spells on most of my possessions.

  “I promise you won’t suffer much,” the demon spoke out loud this time.

  “Because of my father,” I finished for him.

  His laughter flowed through my mind before he answered out loud. “Yes, I am also hoping your father will make my time imprisoned more pleasant, if for no other reason than to make his daughter more comfortable.”

  “Gee, you make it sound so tempting,” I remarked dryly, which earned me a scowl from the demon. “What’s your name, demon?”

  “Zahrel,” he replied and then waited for my reaction. Apparently, I was supposed to know who he was. “You’ve never heard of me?” He sounded almost hurt.

  “Nope,” I replied. “Clearly, you’re some low-ranking demon scum who hopes to use my father to gain power.”

  This part of my impromptu plan was a little riskier because I was trying to get the demon to react with anger, but not attack me. I was also hoping he didn’t know I was feeding off the negative energy in the room.

  Zahrel’s face remained calm, but his anger swirled around me, and I drew it into my body. “I’ll teach you manners soon enough,” he snarled before speaking into my mind again. “This is your last chance to save your warlock. If you come with me willingly, I’ll kill the crazy werewolf. If you refuse, I’ll give her the power to bind him to her for all eternity. Your precious warlock will be little more than a mindless slave.”