Dangerous Magic

by Donna Grant

  But what if he wasn’t?

  Cade trusted him, but it was difficult for her to trust anyone associated with Nigel.

  Except Cade.

  Despite the darkness around Cade, there was an honesty in his gaze that was hard to miss. His love for his friends, and the way he risked his life to protect them, brought tears to her eyes. He was in such pain, the loneliness eating away at him, that he didn’t know what to do when he was around another person. It explained his gruff behavior, but not why she was drawn to him.

  She’d known the day would be filled with adventure from the frantic dream she’d had the night before. But she had never seen the wolf. Or Liam. Or Cade’s near kiss.

  What else hadn’t been shown to her?

  That in itself worried her. She was never shown all, but she had always been shown the important parts. All that had played in her dream last night was the storm. And her racing heart.

  The storm had arrived early, and fiercer than anyone had expected. The lightning had yet to let up. But that wasn’t what caused her heart to race. Cade was responsible for that.

  Francesca didn’t want to feel that way towards him. She had distanced herself from everyone over the past several years. It made no sense that she would want to get close to Cade. She had an important role to play, and becoming attached to Cade would only complicate matters. Even as she told herself to stay away from him, her body cried out for his touch, his heat.

  Her eyes closed as she remembered the feel of his thumb on her lips. Her breath quickened, and her breasts swelled. How could one touch do that to her? One simple touch.

  Oh, how she longed for him to touch her again, to kiss her, caress her. She wanted him to pin her against the tree once more so she could feel his hard length along hers.

  Francesca squeezed her eyes closed and went over the magic she had instilled in the castle. She had been over everything thrice, but once more couldn’t hurt. The more magic that surrounded Wolfglynn, the better.

  Chapter Six

  Moments ticked into hours, and still the storm didn’t abate. The wind would die down only to return with more force than before. Lightning struck trees and water. The thick, black clouds bathed the land in darkness, and it was only midday.

  During it all, Cade refused to leave his spot at the entrance to the cave. He couldn’t be near Francesca. She made him look too deep into his heart and wish for things he couldn’t have. She dared to look him in the eye with others turned away.

  It made him long to be the man he used to be, the man he was before Nigel. That man would have courted her, taken her in his arms and kissed her until she was breathless. That man wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of making her his. That man would give her a future.

  There was no future for him. He fully expected to die in the battle with Nigel. But not before he killed Nigel himself. Cade longed for death, to ease the torment in his soul. But before he went, he planned on giving Gerard, Drogan, Liam and all the others some peace and a future without Nigel.

  It was the least he could do.

  Unable to stand it a moment longer, Cade turned to look at Francesca. He had expected her to follow him, her questions continuing. Yet she hadn’t. He thanked her for that at the same time he cursed her for giving up so easily.

  You want her to give up.

  Aye, he did. Didn’t he?

  “We can turn her,” the darkness whispered.

  Cade tamped down the voice. Francesca was on her side, her lips parted slightly as she slept. Cade was walking towards her before he knew what he was doing. He squatted beside her and lifted a fiery lock.

  He half‐expected it to burn him. But the red tresses were as soft as silk and as cool as the rain. The dying firelight brought out the gold highlights in her hair.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured.

  Yet the word seemed lacking when he described her. She was utterly magnificent. He wanted to make slow, sweet love to her while looking in her eyes. He wanted to hear her scream his name when she climaxed.

  And he wanted to hold her in his arms, their bodies entwined as they talked until dawn.

  Cade had accepted his life. After all, it had been the decisions he’d made that brought him the darkness. But one look at Francesca, and he wanted more. Much more.

  “You’re something I can never have,” he whispered.

  He was only torturing himself by staying with her. He should get a message to Drogan that she was safe, but every time he started out of the cave, he would stop.

  It was selfish of him, but he wasn’t ready to return the witch. He prayed the storm lasted into the night, for it would give him a few more hours with her. A few more hours in which he could etch her beauty into his mind and hold onto it in the cold, lonely nights ahead.

  “Take her,” the darkness urged. “She won’t stop you.”

  Stop.

  “You want her. Make her yours.”

  Enough!

  Cade straightened and fisted his hands as he fought against the darkness. He wouldn’t sully Francesca with his evil. She was too good, too pure. She deserved so much more than him.

  Fight the darkness. Fight for her.

  If only he could, but Cade knew the darkness had become too strong. He held onto his humanity by a thin thread that unraveled more each day. He would be lucky if he was still in his right mind by the time Nigel arrived.

  Cade gathered more wood from the back of the cave and kept the fire built up. He settled across the fire from Francesca and grabbed one of the small pieces of wood he always kept with him.

  He pulled the small dagger from his boot and began to carve. He never knew what he was going to shape, only that he loved to do it. His dagger had whittled anything from cats to boats to a dragon. In his younger days, he had carved larger pieces, loving the feel of the wood in his hand and watching it take shape.

  The feel of the blade chipping away at the wood calmed his soul. It was one of the reasons the darkness hadn’t taken complete control of him yet. He had learned what carving could do for him and made sure he did it whenever he could.

  Which was often.

  The piece of wood was no longer than his hand, and he worked it easily. It was a few moments later that he realized this would turn out to be a wolf. He had done several wolves since guarding Drogan’s forest, but this wasn’t one of the beautiful, wild creatures he had seen on many occasions. The wolf in his hand was the angry, vengeful wolf he had wounded earlier.

  He had learned early on not to try and stop once a shape had begun in the wood. His hands had a mind of their own—the need to whittle whatever creature or object was there to give him peace.

  Whether he liked what he carved or not, he did not slow. He let the wolf take shape in slow, measured strokes of his blade. By the time he finished, the menacing look of the wolf was obvious in its snarling teeth and crouched position. Cade tossed it aside and glanced at Francesca. She still slept peacefully.

  The lightning had slowed, though the thunder was unrelenting. The wind continued to blow the rain sideways, drenching everything. Sometime during the storm, the sun had sunk into the horizon, and night had fallen.

  Cade slid down the rock until his back and head rested against it. He closed his eyes, knowing he wouldn’t sleep the night through, but trying to find a few hours rest. Part of him wished Francesca were awake. She had a bright mind and a seductive smile, as if she knew some secret he did not. He wanted to know all there was about her, but in return, she would ask him questions he couldn’t—and wouldn’t—answer.

  He released a sigh and let his eyes close.

  “Fool,” he murmured to himself.

  As soon as the storm stopped, he was getting himself as far away from Francesca as he could. No more staring at her, no more yearning to talk to her, to touch her. To kiss her.

  He groaned at the thought of her naked in his arms, her head thrown back as he thrust into her body. His cock swelled with need and lust. He gripped his throbbing ro
d and shifted it to relieve some of the aching. But it only made it worse.

  God, how he wanted her. To nuzzle her neck and nip at the delicate skin behind her ear. He wanted to cup her breasts and run his thumb over her nipples, watching them harden before his eyes. Only then would he take one in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tiny bud.

  Cade broke out into a cold sweat, his body demanding release. His heart pounded mercilessly in his chest, and the darkness clawed at him, hungering for a taste of the sweet witch across the fire.

  Nay.

  “Yes,” the darkness hissed. “She’s a tasty morsel.”

  Cade inhaled deeply and pushed all thoughts of Francesca and her body from his mind. It was the hardest thing he had done, but he knew that, to ensure her safety, he had no other choice.

  His body shook with the desire pumping through his veins as the darkness continued to goad him into taking her. Moments, hours, or days could have passed. When Cade opened his eyes, he was once more in control.

  The darkness had claimed another part of his soul, but it was a piece Cade had gladly given up to keep the darkness away from Francesca. With his mind clear, he closed his eyes and prayed he didn’t dream of a witch with fiery hair and tawny eyes.

  * * * * *

  Francesca bit her lip to hold back her scream as she sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest. While sweat covered her body, the dream replayed in her mind.

  As she had done every night since she was ten, she had dreamed of Nigel. But this time was different. Instead of seeing how he would die, she had watched the world go deathly black and eerily quiet.

  In the darkness was evil that hovered around her, clawing at her skin. She screamed over and over again, but no sound ever came from her. She’d learned to accept and translate the dreams that her magic had given her, but this dream left a cold weight in her belly.

  The fire cracked. She turned and saw Cade resting across from her. She watched him for several moments, praying he didn’t wake. He would want to know what was wrong, and she couldn’t tell him.

  She licked lips cracked dry and stumbled to her feet. Using her hand to hold her up on shaky legs, she walked to where Cade kept the food and saw a jug of wine. She grabbed it and held it against her as she staggered back to her spot.

  Her knees gave out before she reached the fire, and she crawled the rest of the way, pulling the wine after her. Her hands shook so badly, it took her several tries to uncork the jug. When she finally got it opened, the dark liquid spilled past her lips to run down her chin.

  She drank deeply, letting the wine burn her throat as it slid to her stomach. It didn’t take long for the alcohol to begin to dull her senses. Only in dire need did she ever touch wine or ale, but the dream had called for nothing else.

  She wiped the back of her hand over her mouth and took in a shaky breath. The effects of the dream were loosening. To ensure she was able to let go of the fear, she drank more of the wine until the fire began to blur. Only then did she lower the jug.

  A glance down showed the blanket had long ago slipped free. No man had ever seen her body. She looked at Cade sleeping quietly.

  And no man ever would.

  She hated the disappointment that realization brought. Though she didn’t want to go back to sleep, the wine made it impossible to keep her eyes open. She nestled down and slid the blanket over her once more. Just before she closed her eyes, she looked over at Cade again.

  Only to find him staring at her.

  Chapter Seven

  Cade sat up, unsure of what he’d just witnessed. Magic vibrating around him had woken him, but it was the sight of Francesca shaking and barely able to stand, her fear palpable, that held him immobile.

  His first thought had been to go to her, to help her, but then he wondered if he would only make matters worse. He fisted his hands and watched as she drank the wine in such a rush that the liquid ran down her chin to drip onto her breasts.

  The need to lick the wine from her skin had made his balls tighten. But when the blanket fell, revealing a body he’d only dreamt of, he forgot how to breathe.

  Full, luscious breasts swayed in the firelight, her pale nipples hardening in the cool sea breeze. Her long, lean legs were tucked beneath her, but he still glimpsed a patch of red curls betwixt her legs.

  His mouth watered, his cock thickened.

  His body hungered.

  Her gaze had slid to him, her brow furrowing as she saw him. He had kept his eyes parted only a slit, but when she had looked at him with such regret, such sorrow, he had nearly gone to her.

  His muscles had bunched, ready to rise and take the only thing he had ever found he wanted more than peace.

  Francesca.

  Thankfully, she’d lain down and pulled the blanket over her mouthwatering body. Only then did Cade open his eyes. His heart had stopped when their gazes collided, but then her lids had closed and her breathing quickly evened into sleep.

  Cade sat up and ran a hand down his face. He had always heard a man would have to face his toughest temptation to garner a spot into Heaven. It seemed even the ones destined for Hell were forced to endure such enticement.

  He rose to his feet and went to kneel beside Francesca. A soft sheen of sweat glistened over her skin.

  “What did you dream about, witch?”

  Whatever she’d seen had frightened her. He knew little of Francesca and her powers. Maybe she had such nightmares every night, but something told Cade that wasn’t true. On one of his visits to the forest after Serena had nearly died, Drogan had told Cade what Serena was. A witch, Drogan had said. A witch who had magic.

  Cade had wanted to ask so many questions but had stayed hidden, listening as Drogan spoke of Serena’s power to see people’s deaths.

  Drogan had never said, but Cade suspected Serena had seen Cade’s death. He didn’t need a witch to tell him how he was going to die, however. He knew exactly how his time on earth would end. And who would end it.

  If Serena had power, it would only follow that Francesca did as well. Could dreams be her power? He wanted to know, but some instinct cautioned him about asking.

  Cade rose and backed away from Francesca. Only a few hours had passed, but he didn’t try to sleep for a second time. Rest would not come to him again, not this night. Instead, he took up a position at the cave’s entrance and watched the storm.

  It was just after dawn when the storm finally broke. Cade was both happy and sad, because he knew there was no longer a reason for Francesca to stay with him.

  She had woken earlier. He’d heard her moving about, but he didn’t chance looking at her. The darkness would rise up in him again, and he didn’t know how much longer he could hold it at bay. The witch had been nice to him, trusting him as no one had in a very, very long time. He didn’t wish to harm her in any way.

  And the darkness would certainly hurt her.

  The soft scent of lilacs reached him. He inhaled her fragrance, the scent that was hers alone. As much as he hated to admit it, he was going to miss the tingle on his skin her magic caused, the smell of lilacs, her voice, and the way her soft body felt against his.

  “I’ve never seen a storm so bad,” she said as she came to stand beside him.

  Cade thought about ignoring her but realized he couldn’t. “It’s not over yet, but the lightning has stopped so you can return to the castle.”

  “I see more clouds over the water. We could be in for another storm.”

  He pressed his lips together. There was something at work here, and it wasn’t the witches.

  Nigel.

  “Yes, yes,” the darkness cackled.

  “You need to get to the castle soon,” Cade said as he stood and faced her. “The danger out here will only worsen.”

  Her tawny gaze studied him for a moment. “You don’t think the storm is natural.”

  “You said yourself you’ve never seen one so bad. Lightning and thunder that stayed in one place despite the howling wind?”
<
br />   She licked her lips, and he tried not to look at her mouth, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

  “There are more clouds,” she said again. “Another storm.”

  He forced his gaze to her eyes. “Perhaps.”

  “Is it Nigel?”

  “I believe so.”

  Her brow puckered. “Why? Why does he want to keep us here? None of us have tried to leave.”

  It was then Cade realized why Nigel had brought the storm. “It will keep you at Wolfglynn and me out of the forest, or so he thinks.”

  She glanced away at him, but not before he saw something shift in her gaze.

  “Do you know something, witch?”

  “Maybe Nigel wants to ensure that no one gets to the castle.”

  Cade folded his arms over his chest. The only ones he knew who would come to Wolfglynn were Gerard and Grayson. Since Gerard had his family, it must be Grayson Nigel was after. Though Cade didn’t know everything that had happened with Grayson, Drogan had told him enough during his many trips to the forest to try and lure Cade to the castle.

  “Can Grayson help?” he asked.

  Francesca shook her head. “I fear he and his men will only end up dead.”

  “Then perhaps it’s better if the storm keeps them away.”

  “You don’t know Grayson. He’s loyal to Drogan. Completely.”

  Cade drummed his fingers on his arm. “Even though Grayson is a lord himself, and a knight for Drogan no more?”

  “Even though he is a lord. Drogan sheltered Grayson, believed in him. But more importantly, Drogan knew Grayson held secrets and didn’t pry.”

  “Grayson’s wife, she’s a witch as well?”

  Francesca nodded. “Adrianna. Serena met her when she and Drogan were coming to Wolfglynn.”

  Liam had said Nigel wanted the witches dead. If Grayson managed to get in, then all three would be within striking distance.

  “How powerful is Adrianna?”

  Francesca lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t know. All of us have some sort of magic. Why?”