Sinfully Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 1)

by Lawson, Cassandra

  “So, we don’t have anything to worry about?” Allie asked, and I really wanted to tell her we didn’t, but my mom was acting strange today, and she was determined to see me settle down with a witch.

  “I’m about ninety percent sure she won’t try to force it,” I said and looked over to see my mom studying us with a small smile playing on her lips.

  The meeting was called to order, preventing any further discussion of my mom’s intentions, which was probably a good thing since I wasn’t sure I could give Allie the reassurances she wanted. I’d feel bad about pushing Allie to wear the robe, but my mom would be making assumptions regardless of Allie’s robe color.

  Twenty minutes later, I was biting back a yawn as we listened to expert witches discuss the possible rituals a succubus could be used in. Not surprisingly, they chose to stick to the ones that could be used against witches and ignored any other possibilities.

  “Do they even want to hear what happened?” Allie finally asked quietly.

  “It doesn’t seem like it,” Trevor said, sounding just as bored and annoyed.

  The next hour was spent setting up a special committee to review the evidence and decide if there was any imminent danger to witches. That part was actually entertaining because Julian made some pretty ugly threats to several other council members since he felt they were making light of the danger to his daughter. Allie’s calm was impressive. In fact, she didn’t seem at all surprised by the council’s lack of concern.

  It was amazing how the council could make something like a serial killer sound boring, but they excelled at boring. The committee was selected, and it finally seemed like the torturously boring council meeting was going to come to an end.

  “I have another matter I would like to bring before the council,” my mom said, and I had a sinking suspicion where this was going. Based on the way every witch was instantly focused on what was happening after zoning out for the rest of the meeting, I suspected they knew what was coming, too.

  Julian, bastard that he was, smiled and leaned back in his chair. “What matter is that, Isadora?”

  “I request an affinity test be performed for my son, Dylan Hunt, and Alana Talbot, daughter of Julian Talbot,” my mom told the Council with an annoyingly smug grin.

  “Told you we should have pretended she was with me,” Trevor said in a low voice.

  “No,” Allie said. Her voice echoing across the room brought about several gasps and murmurs.

  Sticking my foot in my mouth around Allie was becoming a frequent occurrence, and this was no exception. Something about her instant rejection pissed me off. Leaning closer to her, I spoke quietly in her ear. “You don’t have a say in this.”

  Allie turned to glare at me. “At least I’m doing something to get out of this!” she snapped loud enough for everyone to hear. “Why don’t you try doing the same?”

  Then came the part where I really stuck my foot in my mouth. “When will the test be?”

  My mom looked positively delighted with my reaction. Allie looked like she was going to stab me in the balls. Julian looked intrigued as he absently rubbed his chin with one finger. Trevor looked like he was having trouble holding back his laughter.

  “My father will never agree to this,” Allie continued.

  “I would never force my daughter into any relationship against her will,” Julian finally said, and Allie sagged back against her chair in relief, but I already knew that wouldn’t last.

  “It’s merely a test,” my mom argued. “They may not be compatible at all.”

  Julian thought for a moment. “True, but I know very well what your next move would be,” he argued. “You would insist on a ceremony to join them if they are compatible. We all know how desperate you are to find a witch for your son.”

  My mom didn’t deny it.

  “I told you my father wouldn’t let it happen,” Allie muttered quietly, proving she didn’t really understand the council politics that well. While she might be a witch in good standing, Allie wasn’t part of this world, and she had no clue how controlling these people could be. She also had no idea how manipulative my mom could be when she wanted something bad enough.

  “Your daughter obviously has feelings for my son,” my mom began. “If they married, she’d be safer, and there would no longer be any need for her to work in that dreadful club.”

  Julian opened his mouth to say something, but let out a sigh. “She makes a very good point, Alana. I don’t like you working in that club, and I’m very concerned about your safety after the attack.”

  “Affinity test or not, I will not be forced to quit my job,” Allie argued. I was beginning to wonder if she was trying to get the council to force the affinity test. If nothing else, she was pushing her father to agree.

  Julian glared at Allie before turning his attention back to my mom. “Alana will be here for the affinity test in two weeks. As I understand it, the Dupree family is away until then.” He looked at Trevor for confirmation.

  “Yes, all except for me are away,” Trevor said. His family members administered the affinity tests between witches. With only Trevor in the area, there was no one to do the test since he’d had no training in that area.

  “Then it’s agreed,” my mom said with delight. “You will both return in two weeks for the test.”

  Allie’s mouth dropped open, but she was smart enough not to argue.

  I was feeling surprisingly good about this outcome, which was insane since I didn’t know Allie well enough to take a step like this. “We’ll be here, and Alana will be dressed in my family’s color for the test,” I said with a smirk.

  Allie stood, lips pressed in a firm line, and stormed out of the room. Trevor looked like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh at my dilemma or defend Allie. Since we were still seated in a council meeting, he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’d better go catch her,” I said.

  “Of course, darling,” my mom agreed with a huge grin. “Before you go, I must say, I really like this one.”

  “She’s the only one you’ve ever met.” I reminded her.

  “That’s what I like best about her,” my mom said. “Now, I need to run over to pick up Percy from the familiar room.”

  Percy, a standard poodle, was my mom’s familiar and had been like a brother to me growing up. “Tell him I’ll stop by to see him next week,” I told my mom.

  “I will.” She waved as she walked toward the area where witches left their familiars during meetings.

  “Dylan,” Julian called out when I was almost at the door.

  I turned but said nothing.

  “Do not make me regret giving you this chance with my daughter,” he warned. “I hope I don’t need to explain what will happen if you hurt her.”

  “No, you don’t,” I said, realizing that Allie’s father was really growing on me.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Allie

  It was no exaggeration to say I was freaking out about the affinity test. I was also confused by Dylan’s reaction to the whole thing. Why would Dylan agree to this idiotic test? Dylan Hunt did not do relationships, and he hadn’t been swayed by his mom in the past, so why now? Okay, I was intentionally ignoring the fact that he’d been telling me he wanted more with me, but wanting to date me was a far cry from an affinity test.

  Witch marriage was a serious thing because it involved irrevocably linking your power to another. Even though witches who had been joined through ceremonies did separate, the separation left both weakened in many ways. My father had once told me that was the reason he’d stayed in an unhappy marriage for so long. If there was any bond people shouldn’t enter into lightly, it was a witch marriage.

  “Allie? What are you doing here?”

  When I turned, I found my cousin, Melina, walking in with her wrinkled black robe slung over her arm. Her dark brown hair was pulled back from her face, and she wore her usual irritated expression. Technically, Mel wasn
’t my cousin. Her mom had been married to my uncle, Demetrius, who was as big a man-whore as my father, apparently. Mel was one of the few other half-witches who the Council considered a witch in good standing, so we were close. She was also the creator of the preternatural television series, Night High. The show was like a cross between Monster High and Beverly Hills 90210, and it was really popular among humans who didn’t realize that most of the actors really were members of the preternatural community.

  “I figured since the meeting was about me, I should come,” I said. “Why are you here? You hate being around the COWs as much as I do.”

  Mel shrugged. “I’m here for the same reason as you. I was worried when I heard someone was killing succubi, and my mom asked me to come in her place today since she was busy. Naturally, all hell broke loose on the set, so I’m late. Stupid vampires are such a pain in the ass,” she muttered.

  “Well, you got lucky and missed the entire meeting,” I said. “All they managed to do was set up a stupid committee to look into how concerned they should be about the murders. No one asked for opinions outside of the council members. It was painfully boring.”

  “Only the Council of Witches could make murder sound boring,” Mel muttered.

  “Seriously, the COWs seemed much more interested in the stupid affinity test than the killings,” I complained.

  Mel rolled her eyes. “Who’s taking the affinity test? I hope they aren’t one of those poor couples being forced into it.”

  “We are,” Dylan said as he came up behind me and slipped an arm around my waist.

  Stupid traitorous body wanted to lean into him and bask in his warmth. Then again, my body seemed to be so sex-drunk, it would let Dylan do anything he wanted.

  Mel laughed so hard she started snorting. “That would be hilarious!”

  “It’s not a joke,” I grumbled, crossing my arms in front of my chest and pulling away from Dylan, even though I really didn’t want to.

  “Why would you take an affinity test with Dylan Hunt?” she asked. “Everyone knows he only screws humans so he can avoid this sort of thing. Plus, we both know your father wouldn’t force you to accept any warlock. You aren’t the type to fall for warlocks like Dylan, anyway. The only people stupid enough to do that are those simpering little twits who think they need to marry the right warlock to move up in the world or maintain their status. No, you’re too smart to fall for someone like him.”

  “I am standing right here,” Dylan said dryly.

  “Yes, I’m aware of that fact.” Mel barely glanced at him as she spoke. “Now, be a good warlock and shut it.”

  I almost laughed at Dylan’s shocked expression. Mel had that effect on most people.

  “What the fuck was that about?” Trevor demanded as he joined us. The meeting was letting out, and several witches and warlocks were lingering to try to hear my conversation with Dylan. We’d certainly be the talk of the witch community after what had just happened. It had been my goal to go unnoticed among the witch community, and I’d managed to accomplish that very well for most of my life. One meeting had changed it all. Scratch that—Dylan Hunt had changed all of that. Okay, it wasn’t exactly fair to blame him, since my outburst would have made me a major topic of gossip anyway—nothing compared to being known as the witch Dylan Hunt was willingly taking an affinity test with. Many single witches would likely be cursing me tonight—only figuratively if I was lucky.

  “Get the hell out of here!” Mel snapped at the eavesdropping witches and warlocks. “Those people get on my last nerve. Fucking witches.”

  Most people found my cousin intimidating, which came in handy. Since Mel’s father was a higher ranking demon, she had some scary abilities that went way beyond what your average witch could do.

  When we were alone, Mel finally spoke again. “Let me guess, Isadora Hunt figures this is her chance to get her man-whore son to settle down.”

  “Still standing right here,” Dylan reminded her.

  “Still need you to be quiet,” Mel shot back with a sweet smile.

  “That’s exactly what happened!” I said, ignoring Mel’s exchange with Dylan. “Naturally, I said no and told them my father would never force the issue.”

  “From what I can tell, he wouldn’t force the issue. I mean, he’s made no secret of the fact that he’d like to see you find a warlock, but he’s never really pushed you, right?” Mel asked.

  “I always believed that,” I said with a sigh. “Dylan’s mom brought up how being with Dylan would mean I could leave my job. My dad’s unhappy about me working at SpellBinders,” I reminded her, and she nodded her understanding. “Things are worse now that I was almost attacked, possibly killed, last night.”

  “Wait!” Mel said with a hand up to halt me. “You were almost killed last night?”

  I nodded. “Someone was following me when I was heading from SpellBinders to my car, and I barely got away,” I explained. “The police and Dylan think it was probably the killer, and my dad’s freaking out about the whole thing.”

  “I don’t blame him,” Mel said. “How did you get away?”

  “Dylan saved me,” I answered without elaborating.

  Mel looked at him. “Fine, you’re good for something,” she said.

  Dylan simply raised an eyebrow.

  “So, your father agreed because he’s worried about your safety,” Mel concluded.

  “First, this idiot asked when the affinity test would be,” I told her, pointing a thumb at Dylan. “Before that, he made it clear I was wearing his robe color because I was somehow under his protection.”

  “You are,” Dylan muttered.

  “Next, he’ll be trying to get ‘property of Dylan Hunt’ tattooed on my forehead,” I muttered.

  “After I pee on you, of course,” Dylan added, clearly amused by my rant.

  “Why were you wearing his color?” Mel asked.

  “I didn’t have my robe with me, so Trevor loaned me one of his sisters’ robes,” I explained. “At the time, I didn’t think about the robe color, probably because I don’t attend many meetings with the COWs.”

  Mel looked at Trevor, and he stepped forward. “I don’t believe we’ve met.” He stared lovingly at Mel.

  Mel actually blushed under his scrutiny, which was funny considering she didn’t go for warlocks any more than I did. “No, we haven’t, but Allie’s told me about you.”

  “All good, I hope,” Trevor said, leaning in closer to Mel.

  “I was honest with her,” I told Trevor, and Mel laughed when he looked distressed. “She won’t go out with you, anyway,” I told Trevor.

  “She’s right,” Mel agreed. “I don’t mess around with your kind.”

  “My kind?” Trevor asked.

  “Warlocks,” she clarified.

  Trevor looked like he was about to push the issue, but Mel turned her attention to Dylan. “Why would you agree to any of this, Dylan? Actually, it sounds more like you’re encouraging it.”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do,” my dad said as he approached us. “Dylan is responsible for Alana’s care already. There’s no reason to avoid the test when it was obvious to everyone in that room what the outcome will be. I’ll admit that I was against Dylan becoming involved with Alana at first, but I’ve had a change of heart.”

  The thing that really made me angry about older warlocks, like my dad, was their tendency to believe all women needed a big strong man to take care of them. Of course, I knew arguing with my dad about this was a waste of time.

  “You make it sound like Allie’s a pet in need of care,” Dylan snapped. “She’s a responsible adult.”

  The anger I’d felt for Dylan drained some when he defended me to my father. Most wouldn’t do that. Giving him a smile, I mouthed a thank you, which seemed to surprise him. My dad’s lack of reaction surprised me and made me wonder what he was up to.

  “Taking the test really couldn’t hurt,” Mel said thoughtfully. “Other than the fact that you’d have
to attend another boring council meeting, that is. Oh, and hundreds of single young witches probably hate you now.”

  My dad pulled me in for a hug. “I know you’re angry with me about this, but I’m doing this for your own good,” he insisted, and I was only able to forgive him because I knew he believed that. “This is because I love you.”

  “I love you too, Dad,” I said, hugging him back.

  “Try not to be too hard on Dylan,” he said as he walked away from us.

  After he was out of the room, I let out a frustrated sigh. “This whole thing is a waste of time,” I insisted. “We’re not a good match.”

  “Then you agree to do it,” Dylan said with an annoying smirk.

  “I never said that,” I argued. “Why would I agree to the test when I know we’re not a good match? It’s a stupid waste of time.”

  “How about if we make this more entertaining?” Dylan suggested.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “We take the test, and if we fail, I’ll agree to leave you alone,” Dylan said. “That is provided you want me to leave you alone, which I don’t think you do.”

  “Fine,” I agreed. “We take it and after we fail, you’ll leave when I tell you to. No more stalking me or buying information about me. Definitely no more ordering me around.”

  Dylan’s lips curled into a predatory smile. “And when we pass the test?”

  I gave him an indifferent shrug. “What do I care? We won’t pass, so you could ask me to dance naked in the middle of a shopping mall for all I care.”

  Trevor laughed.

  “A bit of advice, cousin,” Mel interrupted as she looked between Dylan and me. “Don’t bet anything you aren’t willing to lose.”

  “Smart and beautiful,” Trevor said as he sidled closer to Mel despite her glare. “Allie has a history of losing bets with Dylan.”

  Mel snorted and gave Trevor a look that usually made other witches back down. That look wasn’t working on Trevor. “Don’t try that flattery crap with me.”

  Trevor blinked innocently at her, and I felt a little bad for him.