“Looks like your transmission is shot,” he said. “Whoever messed around in here last didn't do too good of a job.” He waved me over to look at a certain part. I didn't really know what I was looking at, but that certainly didn't look right. “To get this back running, you'd have to replace it. What year is this?”
“It's a 1997,” I replied sheepishly.
“To be honest, you're better off getting yourself a new car. The new transmission is gonna cost you more than this thing is worth. Plus, who knows what else might fail after that.”
“Of course. Thanks for taking a look. I'll have to see if I can pick up Grandpa's beater... Is it okay to park this here until I can move it?”
“Sure, it's not a problem. It's not like we have a full house.” Joe shrugged.
I could feel the beginnings of a headache in my temples. Had anything actually been normal since I’d moved here? Every turn seemed to lead to another wall for me to climb over. I felt like I was just losing my footing and dangling over the edge like Humpty Dumpty.
When I walked into the grocery store, I shivered as the air conditioning hit my face. Why did they still have that on? It was getting colder by the day. I went over my list and headed for the first thing on my list; the biggest package of salt the store had.
“That's her. Someone said the mayor took her out of a guy's house last night.”
“Can you even imagine cheating on him? He should've known better than to date big-city trash. Especially when he just gathered the town together to help her grandfather,” they scoffed.
The paper in my hand didn’t stand a chance against how tightly I had clenched my fist as I listened to their words.
“How did she even get him? Or the other guy?”
“I heard she's a witch. Got him with a spell.” They giggled and pretended their candy bars were magic wands.
I turned to look at them against my better judgment. It was two girls from the high school. One of them paled under my gaze while the other smirked.
“Let's go, Jennie. We don't want her to cast a hex on us.”
They turned and bolted away, witch-cackling. I took a deep breath to try to calm myself. They're just kids. I can't let them get to me.
As quickly as I could, I gathered everything on my list plus the first trashy magazine I found near the checkout. I needed some sort of release.
“Did you hear that little Samuel Evans has gone missing?” the elderly woman in line ahead of me said to the cashier. “That's the second person just this month.”
The cashier frowned. “That's so sad. He used to come in every Friday with his friends to buy candy. Don't they have any suspects yet?”
She leaned in. “I heard someone saw that new teacher talking to him after school one day and they thought it quite peculiar. She works at the middle school. Why was she talking to an elementary-schooler? That whole family has always been weird. Never understood them.”
My nails bit into my palms. I remember that day because Samuel had been skateboarding when he’d fallen and scraped his knee. I’d only been making sure he was okay. And to bring my family into this? That was a new low.
I debated leaving my basket entirely and just walking back to the inn. It was evident I was the talk of the town, and not for being new, but because apparently they thought I was a cheating, child-kidnapping witch.
After I placed my things on the conveyor belt a little more heavily than necessary, they finally realized that I had been standing there. I said nothing to either of them. Especially not to the older woman, who mumbled something that may have resembled an apology before scurrying off.
It was already starting to darken by the time I started my trek back to Granny's. I really wanted nothing more than to crawl into my bed and pretend the outside world no longer existed while I buried my face into my new magazine.
A large black mass jumped in front of me when I was only about ten feet from the inn, and I nearly screamed.
“Atohi, you can't just do that!” I hissed.
He lowered his head and tail.
“Sorry, it’s been a day.” I knelt and hugged him. “Let's go. I need to drop these off at my room, and I just don't want to be here right now.”
Atohi scampered around back while I carried my bags in.
Granny greeted me with a wide smile. “Alice, have you eaten supper yet? I have a plate warming for you, just in case you wanted it.”
I paused. It would be nice to bring something for Atohi… “If you don’t mind. I’ll take it to go.”
~~~
I was far more mindful of the branches this time as we made our way to Atohi’s home. With any luck I wouldn't end up with more scrapes and bruises. Along with the meal from Granny, I had slipped the package of salt into my bag. If this stuff really worked, it wouldn’t hurt to bring it along.
I spoke to him quietly about my day as we walked, trying to ignore how his fur bristled when I mentioned what the people were saying about me.
Watching Atohi walk through the doorway to his home was surreal. It was like walking through the looking glass. On one side a wolf, the other a man. An incredibly handsome man with an incredibly delicious-looking backside. I cleared my mind with a shake of my head. I certainly didn't need to be thinking things like that, no matter how full and tempting his lips looked.
“Are you sure you're all right with staying here tonight instead of in town?” He took a seat on the couch.
I blushed. “I just find you comforting to be around.”
Atohi laughed. “Zella thought that way too. She said it was my positive personality.”
“I can't argue with that.” I sat next to him and placed my head on his shoulder, the bag I packed in my lap.
“I'm glad you think so.” He leaned in to press his head to mine, long strands of hair tickling my face. “So… what is it that you’ve got in there?”
I laughed, knowing he had to have smelled the food as soon as I’d walked out. “Dinner for us.”
Atohi was practically giddy as I pulled the package out and opened it up. The scent of it had my stomach growling.
“Looks like stuffed peppers. These are amazing.” I handed him his portion and a fork. He dug in immediately.
Despite my hunger, I found myself stabbing at my food. So many questions were lingering in my mind. “Why do you all think I'm a Magus?” I was still trying to wrap my head around this all.
“Zella was a rare Paean Magus. They specialize in healing and have only ever been recorded as female, though the bloodline does not usually produce female heirs.”
“Could that be why I’ve been healing so quickly lately?” The time in the shower and all the cuts and scrapes I had from the woods popped into my mind.
“Yes, your body will heal itself. That proves that you have at least some of the powers. The energy you produce, it’s almost identical to hers.”
“Seems like everything of me is just a knock-off of her…” I mumbled, not really intending for Atohi to respond to it.
Atohi ran a thumb against the hand I had clenched on my thigh. “Don’t feel that way, Alice. While there are undeniable similarities between the two of you, you are perfect at being purely Alice, and that’s amazing.”
I smiled at him, his words warming my heart. “Will you teach me how to use magic?”
“As long as you show me modern technology.”
“It's a deal! Do you think I'll be able to actually use magic?” I asked, finally starting to actually eat.
“Well, I won't be able to teach you until I can use my magic more freely, but given your lineage, I believe so. But, your Paean magic would be something you’d have to master yourself. They specialize in healing and defensive magic. It’s said that they can heal any disease or injury, but they must give a piece of themselves in order to do it.”
We ate together in silence as I thought about what Atohi had said. If I really was a Paean like he said, I could use this power to help Grandpa. Even if I had to give somethin
g up, I could finally do something good. Atohi twined our fingers together, which shocked me out of my thoughts after he put his empty plate on his coffee table. I marveled at the size difference. “Now show me this technology.”
I laughed and unlaced our hands to pull my phone from my sweater pocket after putting my own plate down. I unlocked the screen with a quick swipe, revealing a picture of my childhood orange tabby cat sunbathing.
“Okay, so phones nowadays can do pretty much anything. Calls, photos, texting, internet. Sorry, texting is like sending immediate written messages. And with the internet, you can look up pretty much any information you want.” I realized this may end up harder than previously thought, since he wouldn't know about a lot of the things I would have to reference.
“Anything at all? It's like all the books in the world in your pocket.”
“Yeah, kind of! This button here has all of my ebooks.” I smiled at him and booted up my Kindle app. “If you touch the cover, they'll pop open so you can read them.”
He swiped through the carousel before selecting a book. I was immediately suspicious of the smirk pulling at his lips. What could he possibly have found? That was when I remembered my collection of erotica was definitely heavily sprinkled into the selections.
“Atohi...” He quirked an eyebrow, the only indication he gave that he had heard me. “What're you reading?”
“Her quivering thighs ached as he placed himself between them...” he read aloud.
“Oh, my lord. Atohi, give me the phone.” I got on my knees as I turned to face him with my hand out.
I reached to swipe the phone away, but Atohi just laughed as he wrapped an arm around my waist and held the device far enough away that I couldn't reach. Out faces were so close together that I could feel his breath against my face.
As I looked at the shape of his lips, his eyes, his nose, I was struck again by his beauty. His long black hair and dark eyes commanded attention just like his strong jawline and elegantly sculpted nose.
He was only a hair’s width away now, lips hovering over mine. “May I?”
“Please...”
Our lips met, and it was as if sparks were going off in my mind. I kissed back with an equal fierceness as a flame of sheer and utter passion licked at me. Atohi leaned forward to press me against the couch and settled between my legs. He felt hot and heavy and perfect. I moaned into his mouth. He squeezed my hip in response.
“You’re making me feel things I haven’t felt in so long,” he whispered against my mouth. It sent shivers down my skin, the hair at the nape of my neck standing on end.
Another murmur against my skin. “Thank you for always treating me like a person.”
“You are a person, Atohi.” I nuzzled farther into the well-muscled arm that had wormed beneath my head.
“I mean even when you thought I was a wolf. You would sit and talk with me and tell me stories. It felt so nice to just hear someone talk again.”
All of the embarrassing things I had ever told him before realizing he was a person came crashing back to me all at once. The happy fog that being near him caused cleared in an instant. Pink tinged my cheeks.
As if sensing my thoughts, Atohi smirked. “Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else about how you dyed your grandfather's shirts pink from your red thong. I do hope you'll show it to me some time, though. Modern underwear is so fascinating.”
“I can't believe I told you that.” I buried my face in my hands as he laughed.
“Aw, it's all right.” He pulled my hands away, revealing me in all of my flustered glory. “It's so cute when you blush. Do you think I can make you do it even more?” The grin on his face was outright naughty.
“What are you planning?” I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.
Atohi scooted further down and dipped his fingers into the elastic of my pants to pull them down. His hot breath puffed against the dampness of my panties.
“I'm doing absolutely nothing, Alice.”
“Oh, is that what nothing is?” I teased back, running my fingers through the hair on the top of his head, nails raking against his scalp.
“Of course, because something would be this.” He pressed his thumb against my clit. Heat renewed in my belly just from that simple action.
“You make such beautiful noises. Do you think I can make you come, Alice?”
“Mm, I don’t know. That’s quite a tall order,” I challenged.
“Well, one way to find out.” He slipped my pants and underwear the rest of the way down my legs, until my panties were dangling from one foot.
His mouth was on me before anything further could be said. My body jerked at the sudden pleasure of his tongue swirling around my swollen clit.
His finger dipped at my entrance, teasing but not slipping in. I moaned his name loudly as I gripped my hair in an effort to do something with my own hands. His smirk could be felt plain as day against me. He thought he was so clever.
I pulled my hips back, which successfully detached his mouth. His eyes searched mine with an unanswered question until he realized I was just being obstinate.
He pressed me down and redoubled his efforts with his tongue. My eyes rolled as it hit me, the coil that had wound in my belly finally snapping to release a tidal wave of feeling.
Atohi moved back up my body, giving me a long, lingering kiss that tasted of me.
“I do believe I won. What's my prize?”
“A deeply sensual kiss?”
“Mm, prize accepted.”
He settled on top of me, pulling a blanket from the back of the couch to drape over us. He nuzzled into my chest and sighed deeply.
“I don’t remember the last time I felt this happiness…” There was an undertone of sadness in his voice that made my heart ache.
I pushed my own worries aside to focus on Atohi. He had to be in so much pain. I started tracing invisible circles into his back. “You can always talk to me, Atohi… About anything.”
“I think perhaps we should talk about your phone screeching again.”
I frowned. I hadn’t even heard it ringing. I reached for my phone as best I could with his weight against me. When I swiped on the screen, I saw a bunch of text message notifications.
Suzanne: Hey, so, I really hope you're in this creepy old house in the woods.
Suzanne: And not like a creepy murderer.
Suzanne: Because I'm right outside.
Chapter Nine
“Is this a prank?” Sue looked at us skeptically after Atohi and I had finally told her the truth. She leaned over to stage whisper, “If you're being held captive here, blink twice.”
I rolled my eyes. “That's not funny, Sue. As crazy as this sounds, it's true.”
“Okay, so let me get everything straight. Wizards and magic are real, and they can, like, shape-shift. And you might be one of those.” She paused. “And we're suspicious of Johannes now because he's got some unknown kid in the house.”
“Boiled down, yes, that's about it,” I said, while mentally preparing for her to think I was crazy and to never speak to me again. Not that I would blame her. Hell, I thought this was all crazy for a while.
“All right, well, let's figure out a way to push him off the figurative roof. Or literal one. You know, whichever works.”
“Suzanne!”
“She's great. I can see why you like her so much,” Atohi said, beaming.
“Aw, thanks, sugar.” She winked a blue-green eye at him.
I tried to reel the conversation back in. “How did you even find me out here?”
She pursed her lips before answering. “I'm not going to lie to you. I straight-up stalked you. There was a group of us looking for Samuel, and I saw you walking with a wolf like it was totally normal. So when I was done, I just started heading back the way I saw you.”
“Well, I appreciate your honesty, even though that's totally weird.”
“I'm a mother. I'm naturally suspicious when I see my little chicks wondering off.
”
Sue walked around the room, taking in the decor and all the little inventions of Atohi’s that were scattered about. She paused, bending over to grab something from the floor. She was stifling a laugh as she turned back around, my panties now dangling from one of her slender fingers.
“I'm going to go ahead and say this doesn't belong to Atohi...”
“O-Oh, is that where that went?” I quickly snatched it back from her and stuffed it into my bag.
Atohi was making no attempt at hiding his grin. I guessed there was no point in denying it.
“Yes, well, things happened and it was amazing.” I didn't look her in the eye, but I knew she had to look like a reporter that just got the scoop of the year.
“I so can't wait to worm those details from you. I’m seriously living my best life right now. Also, we so need to get you some sexier underwear.”
~~~
Sue stayed with us for a couple more hours before leaving to put her kids to bed. She really was a great mother and friend. She'd drop anything to help, but she also was able to put her foot down. And she kept herself looking damn good the whole time.
“I should probably get back to the inn...” I muttered reluctantly.
“You are more than welcome to stay the night again, Alice,” Atohi offered, lightly squeezing my forearm.
“I don't want to impose on you.”
“It's truly no imposition. I love your company.” Atohi’s smile melted my heart.
“Then I would be delighted. Could we at least grab some clothes from the inn, though? And maybe a quick shower too.”
“Of course.” He pulled me up by my hands. Our chests pressed together. “I'm afraid there is a fee for the Big Bad Wolf to let Little Red Riding Hood have safe passage.” He put my hood up around my face.
“Please, Mr. Wolf, I'll pay anything.” I looked up at him through my lashes.
“Ah, just a token, really, of your gratitude. One kiss is all I ask of you, Little Red.”
“Just one kiss, Mr. Wolf.”
We smiled at each other before I wrapped my arms around his neck. He squeezed my waist affectionately. The kiss was slow, but still full of all of the passion from before. His tongue crept through my lips to dance with my own. I never wanted the feeling of him against me to end. It felt too right, too pure an attraction for an end to even be fair. It wasn’t tainted with half-truths and worries about what else may be hiding.
Eyes Like Autumn (Seasons of the Magi Book 1) Page 11