Fateful
Attractions
An Elemental Witch Trials Novel
Book Three
Lucretia Stanhope
Fateful Attractions: An Elemental Witch Trials Novel Book Three
Copyright © 2017 by Lucretia Stanhope
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2017
ISBN 978-1541289819
Also by Lucretia Stanhope
Elemental Witch Trial Novels
Blessedly Bound
Burning Captivation
Romantic Horror
Beating Hearts
Horror
Rather Be Fishing: Tales of a Reluctant Monster Hunter
Chapter One
“G
ood evening.” A commanding yet smooth voice said.
“Sorry, we’re closed.” Shane shut the register drawer and looked from the door he remembered locking, to the tall man, who looked at him with piercing green eyes. There was something about the man that made him uneasy, but the longer he looked at him the more he relaxed. “You’ll have to come back tomorrow. We open after noon.”
Dmitry smiled, revealing just the tips of his fangs when he did. “I think you will want to listen to me, Shane.”
Despite it being a warm Florida night, the air in the little new age shop felt cold and bitter.
“Do I know you?” He looked at the man more closely, trying to imagine where he might know him from, or why he would know his name. His fingers pushed the drawer, making sure it was closed, securing the profits from the day. His shop was in a nicer tourist area but crime was always something he had to worry about.
Dmitry took a few steps closer, fingering one of the dream catchers hung to the side of the aisle. “You and I have pressing business tonight.”
Shane reached for the phone in his pocket. “I don’t think so, buddy.”
The man chuckled and disappeared.
Long, cold fingers wrapped around Shane’s throat and he felt the air restricted as they pressed tighter.
“I’m not your buddy. Sir, will do.”
A sharp pain followed the cold breath on his skin as something pierced his neck. Everything started to gray, but just before he passed out he felt the man release him.
“Try not to irritate me and that won’t happen as often.” Dmitry watched as Shane sat up and let his eyes focus. “Tomorrow, my witch is going to walk into your shop, and you are going to sweep her off her feet.”
“Your witch? Sweep her off her feet? What the hell is this?”
“Yes, when you gather yourself we will go for a walk and I will explain to you what I expect.” Dmitry arched an eyebrow and watched as Shane thought about what was happening. Since he fed on him, he could now hear the rattling of confused thoughts.
Not a robbery. Witch? It bit me. What was in that last incense?
Shane shook his head and looked toward the counter where he kept his baseball bat. He started to reach for his phone again.
“I can see we are going to have an unpleasant night.” Dmitry locked eyes with him and smiled when his hand dropped to his side. “This doesn’t have to be painful. In fact, you might find it quite enjoyable once you get straight who is who.” A full smile formed and he snarled.
Shane scooted back, bumping into a rack and knocking incense to the ground. “What the hell are you? You bit me, am I a vampire now?”
Dmitry laughed. “No, a human vampire? Absurd. Get up, unless you would like me to drain you now.”
Shane got to his feet and stepped back, putting more distance between himself and the monster. His eyes scanned the room, looking for anything he could use as a stake or cross. “If you don’t want to drink my blood, what do you want?”
“First, you should know there are some things I simply won’t tolerate.” Dmitry made clear who he was, and how he expected to be addressed. He also briefly explained who Gwen was, that she was in town, and he wanted them to have children.
“So, this witch, you want me to seduce her. She’s yours?” Shane looked troubled. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“It’s not complicated. You have traits I wish to see in her children.” Dmitry cut his eyes at the lack of address. Gwen taught him, much to his frustration, witches didn’t seem to grasp basic respect for title, no matter how much you punished them.
“Me?” Shane looked at the man with disbelief. “I just make charms. They don’t even really have spells on them. It’s tourist crap.”
His nostrils flared. “I think I need to make myself a little clearer. You will mate with my witch. If you do not, I will personally kill you.”
He shook his head. “My girlfriend would have something to say about that.”
Shane didn’t see Dmitry move, but he felt him slam into him and felt the wind knocked out of him, before he crashed into the shelf with cast iron kettles and pots. “If a woman is your problem, I’m feeling hungry and can sort it for you. You will mate with my witch, and quickly.”
“Yeah, sure, where is she?” Shane reached behind him and pulled away the cauldron that poked into his back.
“Yeah, sure?” Dmitry snatched him from the floor. “You seem to be having trouble understanding exactly what your position is.” He pushed into his mind, searched his thoughts and found Shane had no experience with vampires, or witches. He did buzz with magic, though not as strong as Gwen’s, it was stronger than most. While he was inside his mind he left clear images of what it meant to make him angry, memories of anguish and pain would serve to make the witch more pliable, without the effort and time he devoted to Gwen.
When he released him, he saw a mix of fear and understanding in Shane’s eyes.
“Come with me.”
A fter a restless night, Shane returned to his shop and started to clean the mess. While he righted the shelves and picked up the things that weren’t broken, he considered the last night. The options were limited. He could seduce the enchantress or die.
The vampire also offered him a chance to work with a more experienced witch to see exactly what he could do. That wasn’t so appealing since he never really cared much about magic. His mom was into new age things, offered healings, card readings, nothing really big deal, but Dmitry seemed to think he was something special, something worth mating with his witch.
His witch?
Shane sighed. It didn’t really make sense, if there were a more experienced witch, why not have them with his special witch? How was he going to explain his absence to his girlfriend, Megan? She’d already called ten times since he was late calling her, and she got pretty indignant when he begged off seeing her for the night. Even though things between them were what he would call serious, she wasn’t worth irritating the angry monster. He would need to put more thought into what to say to her or she would be a nuisance while he tried to pin Gwen into a magical vacation fling. It would take some creativity to accomplish what Dmitry wanted and still have Megan waiting around for him.
Once he had everything salvageable back in its proper place, he opened the shop, feeling his nerves wind up with the passing hours. Dmitry said Gwen would be stopping in later in the day. He didn’t bother to ask how or why he arranged that, his questions seemed to annoy the vampire to the point of growls, which he figured would lead to more bites, so he mostly just listened and nodded.
Blind dates were one thing, but blind mating? Mating? In the past, as a younger man he had been cold about women, but mating? He’d never been that cold.
He chewed
his lip and watched the people walking by outside of the big picture window. It was the usual mix of sunbaked locals, over sunned tourists, and beach vagrants. Each customer, all three of them, carried in with them the smell of ocean air and the ever present coconut scent that seemed to be in all sunblock lotions.
He felt the air in the shop change when Gwen walked in. The short, pale woman carried with her a smell of roses and earth that flowed from her as magically as the peace she seemed to radiate.
W hen Gwen woke up she had an urge to walk the boardwalk and shop. So far on vacation she indulged her every whim, taking full advantage of Dmitry’s desire to help her forget about her broken heart. No amount of sand or shopping would make her understand why her and Sebastian ended up where they did, but it had lightened her spirits and that was all she could hope for.
After a quick stop at a café for cake and coffee, she carried on browsing every store. They were all a bit touristy but she didn’t mind. Before long her arms were loaded down with bags, containing everything from flip-flops with seashells to handmade soaps and lotions. She even found a few small gifts for her knitting group and Mel.
The next window made her instantly happy. It had a sandcastle with crystals, magic symbols, and the words Beachy Blessings arched over the castle.
When she opened the door, a little bell welcomed her.
The air held the nondescript scent of burning incense that happens when you burn different scents throughout the day and the smells combine into a muted new fragrance.
She made a quick scan, seeing there was a nice variety of supplies, new age trinkets, and handmade charms.
Her attention focused on the crystals and she walked over to the shelf, looking at the various colors and sizes. Some were already made into beautiful charms. She held a large charm that had a deep purple crystal and two white crystals grouped with gold wire.
“That is blessed for serenity.”
Gwen turned and found herself looking at a tall, boyishly-handsome redhead. His wild curls framed a rugged, angular face that held a warm smile. She looked up into his intense emerald eyes that were staring at her with a look she couldn’t place. A hum of magic emanated off of him and let her know he was a witch of decent power. “Did you bless it yourself?”
He grinned and nodded. “I did. I can make a custom piece, if you have a special need.”
“Thank you.” She paused, looking at him, and waited for him to introduce himself.
“Shane,” he said, simply, still watching her as if the map for some ancient treasure were hiding in the features of her face.
“Thank you, Shane, I’m, Gwen. Do you have anything more masculine?” She liked the idea of a charm for Dillon. She could bless it herself for protection, since his job often put him in danger.
Shane walked down to the end of the shelf and picked up a charm in deep smoky browns. “This one is blessed for prosperity. I can give you instructions on how to clear and recharge the charm.” He also picked up one in grays. “This one is blessed for love.”
She grinned at him. “I already know how to clear and bless them.” She reached out and took the gray one. There was a small static pop between them when they touched. She told herself it was the carpet, but knew it had to do with the magic they both possessed. “This will be perfect.” Not wanting to stare, she let her eyes drift to a red crystal that had been made into a pen. She smiled, thinking maybe Dmitry would like it, and picked it up as well. Her mind wandered to Sergei. “Do you have anything with swords, warlike, soldiery?”
Shane smiled and pointed her to a display of pewter items with a fantasy theme. While she considered what to get Sergei, he walked back to the front of the store and watched as she picked up several more pieces, looking at things closely, and adding a few more to her growing collection.
“You practice?” He raised his voice to carry over the store.
“A little.” She didn’t look back at him as she moved to another section and read the scent labels on the candles, looking for something to add to her gifts for the ladies. “Do you do any other spell work?”
His eyes lingered on her, the lines of her plaid shorts drew his attention to her hips. From there he followed the cotton shirt up, lingering at her chest as he thought about the demand, and decided it wouldn’t be as bad a task as he originally thought it might.
She was different to most of the tall, athletic, tan, beachy women he saw every day. Her porcelain skin was accentuated by her long black hair. He figured she was a good foot shorter than he was. Unlike Megan she had curves, he liked that and the way she moved. “I dabble. What sort of spells do you do?”
She looked up, having settled on the candles she wanted, and her deep brown eyes caught him checking her figure out. Her cheeks blushed as she started toward the counter. “I make blessed yarn and knitted things.”
“Fantastic. Would you be interested in consigning anything?”
“Oh, no, thank you, I’m just here on vacation.” She set down the things she picked out and put her bags on the ground so she could get at her purse.
He frowned. She needed to take a card, his number, there needed to be a reason to call or meet. “That’s too bad. It isn’t often someone walks in here who buzzes.”
The bold statement caught her off guard. She looked at him more closely, wondering why he would mention magic, since they didn’t even know each other. “I did notice.”
“How about a beer and some magic talk after I close?” He flashed her a bright smile as he started to ring up and bag her things.
She hesitated, even if she did want to have a drink with the bold and handsome stranger, Sergei would be hanging around making things even more awkward. “I shouldn’t.”
He chewed his lip, it was the pressure putting him off his game. Relax, he scolded himself. He watched her carefully, looking for what she needed to hear. The skill was the one thing his mother had managed to teach him. As an empath he could sense deep feelings and his mom wanted him to learn so he could help her bring in customers for readings. “I’m sorry, I’m not usually such an awkward jerk. Your eyes, you look sad. Can I bless you something?”
Her smile faded. “Is it obvious? I thought I was smiling.”
Bingo, he thought. “Not obvious. I’m empathic and felt your sorrow with you.”
“Really? That’s some gift. Can’t you block it?”
“I could. I usually do, but honestly I was a bit distracted with your buzz when you walked in.” He handed her the bag and took her card, swiping it and returning it to her. “If you need a friendly ear I’ll be here. The beach should be about happiness and peace.”
She put her purse back together and collected the rest of her shopping. Once she had her arms loaded, she shifted on her feet, considering his offer.
His eyes focused on her bags. “You have more shopping to do?”
“I do. I was thinking of walking the whole boardwalk.” Now that she relaxed she allowed herself to really look at him.
He was charming, charmed, handsome and that fiery red hair mixed with those green eyes was tempting, especially when he flashed his megawatt smile at her like he was doing. It didn’t hurt that he was tall and had broad shoulders.
“On your return pass, stop in and tell me what you decide. Beer, fries, and then a walk on the beach? If that doesn’t soothe your sadness I can work some magic.” His eyes twinkled, showing some amber flakes in the green. “If nothing else, the beer and fries will make you happy. They always make me happy.”
“Okay, beer and fries. When do you close?” She decided there would be no harm in a fun dinner date, since she had a bodyguard that stalked the shadows.
They settled on meeting out front of her hotel after sunset. It worked for both of them because she wanted to make sure Sergei was awake, just in case she had read Shane wrong; she had been known to do that in the past. Shane needed the extra time to get home and talk with Megan about where he was going. The lie about where he was going.
&nbs
p; After she finished shopping, gathering several more bags of things, she headed back to the hotel to drop them off and spend a few hours reading on the beach. The sky over the water lit up in a beautiful display of burning oranges as the sun vanished. The colors reminded her of Dmitry, her gifts and why she hesitated to say yes to Shane’s offer. It was why she pushed away Dillon back home. It also reminded her that she needed to head back and fill Sergei in before the night started.
She changed into a gauzy beach skirt and matching tank top while she talked to Sergei who stood in the hall. “Just make sure, well, make sure he’s not a creep.”
“Nothing will ever happen to you in my guard, mistress.” His voice was strong and deep as it always was.
She never doubted a word he said.
She stepped into the hall and handed him a small knife with jewels lining the hilt. “It’s an athame. It’s for magic, but I’m sure you can find other uses.”
He looked from the knife to her and one side of his mouth started to form a smile before returning to his usual blank face. “Thank you, mistress.”
She smiled and walked past him. “Don’t watch too close, I don’t want him frightened away by anything other than my oddness.”
Outside, Shane was waiting for her on the sidewalk away from the doors. She could feel him buzz as she walked over.
“You look enchanting.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
She enjoyed the smell of incense that lingered in his hair, mixed with the scent of aftershave. She hadn’t dated in a very long while and wasn’t exactly sure what to say. “Where are we going?”
“After food and beer, if I haven’t blown it? Off the beaten path. I’m going to show you a part of the beach the tourists leave alone. It’ll be more relaxing.” He laced his fingers in hers and they walked toward the other end of the boardwalk, where a few restaurants and bars had been set up on the ends of piers.
The setting and food added a feeling of ease to the night that wiped away any discomfort she had about Shane and the monster observing them from the shadows. When they finished their burgers and fries, and a few beers, it seemed natural to head off for a walk.
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