“Not anymore, Leif. The women in my family had this curse on us, but now it’s gone. My cousin Aspen figured out a way to break an ancient curse. I never thought I could have a real relationship, but it's no longer true. My life is different now, and I’m not handling the change well. My life is a mess. You couldn’t possibly want me.” Tori glanced down at herself. “Don’t you feel the difference since I returned from Lane County?”
A low rumble moved through his chest just before his mouth found hers. Leif pressed one hand to her lower back and the other around her neck as he held her to him. His tongue pushed past her lips, and he explored and took from her every bit as much as he gave. The force of his passion overtook her senses, and she let the overwhelming need for him enfold her. Greedy hands sought to find every muscular inch of his chest and back. The ass that made her forget herself felt even better than it looked.
Leif broke away from the kiss and held her back to watch her reaction.“Does that say I no longer want you? Need you? Can’t stop fucking thinking about you naked in that bed upstairs, or anywhere else for that matter?”
“But I…” she trailed off. Her mind was lost in the pulsing throb of her heartbeat, to the overpowering lust that erased all deductive reasoning.
“You what? You can’t believe that your insane magic, moodiness, strong-willed opinions and hot temper only make me want you more?”
“What?” she asked, taken aback by the insults. She shoved backward but couldn’t go far because of the kitchen island. “You’re a magic-less, egotistical, suspicious, skeptic who’s…,” she petered out as he raised a challenging brow at her. Her fury rose instantly. “Who’s perfect, sweet, thoughtful, and gorgeous… fuck you. I don’t want this… this whole package,” she spat out and made a vague gesture at all of him.
Leif growled again as he caught her by the hips and lifted her off her feet. She kicked at the air before her butt landed on the counter.
“You do too,” he said and pushed her knees apart. He moved between them and bent down to kiss her again.
The melting sensation returned in a nanosecond. Damned the Goddess, he was right. She wanted him worse than before. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she locked her ankles behind him. Leif’s fevered kisses were nearly as hot as her overheated blood. He made no effort at gentleness as he peeled off her sweater and bit the top of her breast. Her heel dug into him as the sharp sting of pain electrified her sensitive skin. She gripped his luscious hair at the roots and squeezed hoping he’d move to a nipple and do it again. He knew just what she wanted and gave her more, flicking his tongue over the ripe bud before closing his teeth around it. His hands worked at her bra, and it slid out of the way. His tongue returned to her aching nipple with the utmost tenderness as he tasted and caressed. Already beyond the peak of arousal, but suffering from lack of release, Tori fumbled with the top of his pants.
His zipper lowered, and he pulled his hips back. “Christ, woman!” he swore. “Will you have me or won’t you? I promised we wouldn’t go this far without setting boundaries. I keep my promises.”
“Yes, I want you,” she breathed out. He watched her for signs of wavering, but she meant it. “There’s only you, Leif. Now, and for as long as we want each other.” Her gaze held steady on his incredible eyes as she said the words. The promise was the best she could do at the moment, and to her surprise, it resonated true inside her mind, body, and spirit.
Pure sex smoldered in the look he gave her. “Good, because I want you in my life too.” He shoved the waistband of his pants down, and she reached for him.
When it was over, the countertop had an explicit memory to share, as did the couch, and Tori’s bed.
* * * *
“I passed Leif in the hall. That lazy smile of his is… it’s… Surreal comes to mind,” Willow said. “So, are you two a thing now?” she asked.
“Cut right to the heart of the matter, why don’t ya?”
“Absolutely,” Willow said and passed a bowl of individually wrapped truffles to Tori. “Not that you need chocolate after Leif just leaving, but I’ll let you eat some anyway.”
Tori took the offered bowl and plucked out a blue foil wrapped truffle. “Is my aura that obvious?”
“I don’t need to read your aura to be sure things are going well between the two of you.” Willow flipped on the television and started scrolling through the movie channels.
“I gotcha,” Tori said, unembarrassed. She grinned down at her chocolate as the fresh memories of Leif replayed in her mind. She set the bowl aside, and Igor immediately attempted to steal a piece. “I don’t think so, you thieving rat catcher.” Tori took the candy away and helped Igor off the couch. He threw his nose in the air, stuck out his hiney, tail swaying, and sauntered over to weave around Willow’s ankles. His indignant self-righteousness didn’t go unnoticed. “Your cat likes chocolate?” she asked.
“No. He likes shiny foil wrappers, and doing things for attention.” Willow glanced down at Igor then refocused on the remote control.
“Why didn’t Leif stay the night?” Willow asked. “It’s pretty late.”
“We’re taking one step at a time. He’s the first guy I ever really felt comfortable having in my house. I didn’t want to mess things up by rushing it.”
“You wanted him to stay, but asked him to leave?” Willow clarified.
“Kind of,” Tori said.
“Did he make excuses about having to go home or work in the morning?” Willow selected the movie they wanted and navigated through the menus.
“He didn’t,” Tori said and bit into the truffle.
“I bet he wanted to stay and you gave him the boot.”
Tori nearly spit out her chocolate. “Did I screw this up already when I was trying not to?”
“I doubt it. He’s nuts about you.”
“Should I text him? That sounds needy. I can’t be needy.”
“Stop worrying and answer my original question. Are you two an official thing now?” Willow said.
Tori pressed the smooth chocolate filling to the roof of her mouth and let it melt before answering. “Okay, fine. Yes. Leif and I are whatever you want to label it. I hate labels.”
“No, you don’t. Check your purses, jackets, and shoes. You love labels.”
“I’m not talking about that kind,” Tori defended. If anyone needed to be informed about her first official boyfriend, it should be Willow. “I’m definitely falling for Leif. It’s freaking me out. I shouldn’t over-think it, but I am. And I’m following my gut with him.”
“I like him. He’s good for you.”
“You think so? I’m nervous. But what if he decides he doesn’t want to be with me? I can’t handle being dumped.”
“First of all, he’s not going to dump you, and second of all, you’re doing what you just told yourself not to do. Stop dissecting and let things play out naturally.”
“You’re right. Great Aunt Del predicted I would meet my true love—” Tori cut herself off. She forgot about the prediction and was surprised when the words suddenly came back to her.
“You didn’t tell me that!” Willow said, affronted.
“I didn’t believe it. I still don’t,” Tori said, trying to sound convincing.
“She’s never wrong.”
“I’m over thinking again. Forget I said anything about Aunt Delphinium. Start the movie. It’ll take my mind off Leif—for the next three seconds.”
Willow snickered at Tori’s artificial insecurities and emotional anguish and hit play. “Eat more chocolate. It helps.”
Tori took her advice and reached for another truffle. The comedy Willow picked would help distract her head as well.
“Are you sure you want to watch the movie or are you too exhausted after everything tonight?”
“I’m fine. You almost never take a night off from work without Skyler. I promised to trade you movie night at my place if you hosted the séance.”
“You did, and I’m going to be up
all night as usual. Just crash out on the couch if you need to.”
“That’s a definite possibility,” Tori admitted.
The opening credits began, and the movie soundtrack rumbled from the speakers.
“Will you turn it down?” Tori asked since she still held the remote.
Willow pointed, and the volume lowered to a less penetrating level.
Tori yawned. “What’s that sound? Is the TV messing up?” Tori surveyed the living room for the source of the strange vibration.
“What? I don’t hear anything.”
“I do. It sounds like a piano tuner or something?” Tori said.
Now they both searched. It took a minute, but they saw the knife on Tori’s end table simultaneously. Tori left the magical knife sitting on the table after she and Leif searched the apartment. The blade was sheathed, but the tip pointed at the balcony.
“Goddess in the Summerland,” Willow whispered, and reached for her back. Her hand came up empty. She hadn’t worn her gun since returning home and taking it off for the séance.
The balcony door smashed in, and a flurry of dark feathers blew in. Tori grabbed the knife and jumped in front of Willow. They ran for the exit. Tori nearly killed herself as she tripped over Igor. Luckily her reflexes were fast, and the cat escaped in a blur of gray fur. Tori’s socks slipped on the wood, and she clung to Willow’s arm. By the time she finished flailing, Gerard stood ten feet in front of them, blocking the door. He’d transformed from his black raptor self into his human shape. What the hell was he? An eagle or some kind of large scavenger? Tori felt foolish and ignorant that she couldn’t say what his shapeshifting personality was. Her anger rose with the frustration.
“Look what we have here,” Gerard said.
The voice shriveled her innards. Her fingers tingled with numbing anxiety around the knife handle. She willed herself to hold it together and not panic. They backed away as a single unit from Gerard.
“Shit thistles,” Willow whispered Tori’s unspoken curse unnecessarily.
“It’s taken me days to figure out a way past your security shields. Nice job, babe. You’re a talented witch even if you are a whore.”
“Get the hell out! Why can’t you take no for an answer?” Tori released her death grip on Willow and stepped forward, brandishing the humming knife.
“The spitfire in you is part of your charm,” he said, looking her up and down.
“Get out!” she screamed and lunged forward going for his throat. There was too much space between them for her to actually make contact, but she was serious. He barely flinched at her attack. His non-reaction infuriated her further.
“I don’t think so. I only just arrived.” Gerard looked insulted and disappointed by Tori’s reaction to him.
“What do you want?” Tori refused to back down. He held no weapons, but the long leather jacket worried her. Gerard could hold any number of things in those pockets.
“Have a seat, and I’ll tell you.” He gestured to the couch.
“No,” she said.
He reached for his pocket.
“Don’t do it!” she ordered through clenched teeth. “If you try to cast any spell in here, you’ll suffer the consequences, pal.” It was a totally false claim, but he didn’t know that. She only wished she had the idea before now. Her steadfastness in the shield she’d constructed around her and Willow’s lofts had given her too much confidence. She wouldn’t let that happen again, she silently vowed.
Gerard’s hand stayed outside the coat pocket. An assessing look told her he considered her threat real. His hands rose slowly in the air. “Why don’t you send your friend home, babe? I wasn’t anticipating company for our next date. Third wheel and all. It’s awkward.” He stepped forward, and they moved back.
“Fuck off, buddy. Can’t you tell Tori doesn’t want anything to do with you?”
He sneered at Willow. “Maybe I can make an exception. Teaching respect to two whores might be worth my trouble.”
“You’re a lunatic,” Willow said.
Tori heard the matching anger in her best friend’s voice. With the two of them, they might be able to fight him off. Her mind was too preoccupied with the threat standing before her to come up with a quick and effective charm or spell. The moment she tried to cast, Gerard would pull out whatever was in his pocket. But Willow was with her, and a thousand times quicker with defense. They had to come up with something quick. Tori was afraid to take her eyes off Gerard. Goddess, she prayed, please let Willow read her mind. As soon as there was an opening, let all hell break loose on this bastard.
“I did nothing to you,” Tori continued to inch farther away from Gerard. Willow backed up with her. If they somehow made it upstairs, they could access the roof from the other balcony. But even getting to the stairs safely seemed like a monumental task.
“You embarrassed me in front of our friends,” he said as if her so-called faux pas was unthinkable. “I had to quit my job at Club Wicca when the cops started asking about me. That is entirely your fault. Where I come from, people are punished for crimes like these.”
“Well, things don't work that way here, buddy. Pull your head out of your ass,” Willow said.
“This is your last chance to leave, Gerard. Walk away, or fly, or whatever before we—” Fury curled her toes. She was terrible at this. What were they going to do? The only thing that came to mind was a manic estrogen-laden attack of clawing fingernails to eyeballs and knees smashing into his groin. That hardly seemed like a failsafe plan.
Before any more doubts clouded her judgment or delayed the inevitable, Willow whispered a spell. Gerard heard and reached in his pocket. The forty inch flat screen TV cracked off its wall brackets and flew toward Gerard. Moving such a large item with telekinesis wasn’t a simple feat, and the TV flew, or to be more specific, it fell at an angle. It hit Gerard’s back, and he crashed to his knees. Tori and Willow ran, but they went in opposite directions. Willow was intent on the front door of the loft, and Tori went for the stairs to her bedroom. The chaos gave Gerard time to pull and cast what looked like black bungee cords from his jacket.
“Bind her,” he said as his hand flew forward in Tori’s direction. The lengths of cord rippled through the air. She dove out of the way. One band caught her wrist and wrapped around it. The others landed near the kitchen and slid across the floor. To her horror, they switched direction and started slithering back toward her.
“You’ll suffer for that,” Gerard said to Willow as he pushed the TV off his legs and started to his feet.
Willow wasn’t about to let him get up and planted a swift and forceful roundhouse kick to his head. He fell to his hands and knees but wasn’t knocked out. Willow was going for another kick when Gerard’s hand shot out and grabbed her foot. He lifted straight up, and Willow toppled backward. Tori rushed to Willow’s aid, but she wasn’t fast enough.
The black band on her wrist tightened to the point of extreme pain, but she tried to ignore it as she helped Willow. Unfortunately, the other end of the band was alive and seeking any way to restrict her movement. The bewitched bungee moved toward her neck. It slid across the top of her shoulder and would strangle her in seconds.
Tori sliced the black cord with the knife still clenched in her other hand. She flung it aside as Willow cried out in pain from the fall. By the time she focused on Gerard, he was almost on top of her. Tori reacted from instinct. The knife came up and across, slicing through the leather of his coat before he gripped her in a full body hold. She lost all sense of control as Gerard whipped her around and wrapped an arm across her esophagus. He had her wrist captured so she could not use the knife on him again.
“Drop it,” he ordered through clenched teeth. He squeezed her wrist and neck emphasizing his demand.
The knife hit the floor with the clatter of steel against wood. He gripped her arm, pinning it to her body so she wouldn’t try to hit or claw him. The snaking cords were at her ankles now and starting to wind themselves aroun
d her. The panic of being tied up while losing valuable oxygen with every labored breath nearly sent her to the land of nod.
“Release her,” Gerard said. “Bind the other one,” he ordered, and the cords moved in Willow’s direction.
“You don’t know when to give up,” he hissed in Tori’s ear.
“That’s funny because that’s actually your problem,” she croaked. Her foot shot backward in an attempt to kick him anywhere he would feel it. In her stocking feet, it hurt her more than him. Willow jumped out of the way of the bewitched cords.
Gerard forced Tori toward the door. “I decided I don’t want a third wheel after all.”
Tori struggled and fought with every cell in her body, but it made little difference. She wanted to weep as she watched the binding cords follow Willow’s movements, intent on constraining her. Willow moved into a defensive posture only fifteen feet away, but it might as well be the Grand Canyon separating them. Gerard was an experienced bouncer. What had she been thinking? Tori couldn’t fight him off. Any hope she had vanished. Her fury and heat diminished with every inch closer to the door.
“You’re not going anywhere!” Willow screamed, and ninja jumped over the cords.
Her full body tackle hit Gerard low, and they stumbled precariously. The grunt of pain preceded the loosening of his arm from around her neck, and she managed to slip free. This was her chance, and she doubled the effort by going for his face. Her nails clawed and tore into his flesh. She saw the flash of silver on the floor and dove for the knife. Tori spun around, her pajamas slippery against the smooth floor, and hunted for any inch of Gerard to sink the blade into. He screamed in agony. Blood began to spill, and Tori wasn’t entirely certain where she stabbed him. His leg? A hip? Part of his back? She hesitated when the warm crimson liquid splattered over her hand. Willow kicked him hard in the crotch, and he fell backward, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.
The leather coat began to flap and flutter around him. The vibration of magic shifted the air. Gerard was transforming into his bird shape. She searched for something, anything, with which to throw over him before he tried to escape. The talons and the beak terrified Tori. Gerard’s wings spread, and he began to lift off the floor.
A Witch's Fate: Witches of Lane County Page 22