A Touch of Summer
The Spellbound Series Book 2
Sabrina Sable
Contents
Copyright
1. Jane
2. Axel
3. Jane
4. Axel
5. Jane
6. Axel
7. Jane
8. Axel
9. Jane
10. Axel
11. Jane
12. Axel
13. Jane
14. Axel
15. Jane
16. Axel
17. Jane
18. Axel
19. Jane
20. Axel
21. Jane
22. Axel
23. Jane
24. Axel
25. Jane
26. Axel
27. Jane
Sabrina’s Note to the Reader
Copyright © 2016 by Sabrina Sable
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
1
Jane
In the spirit of starting fresh and recovering from the emotional mess of losing Axel, Jane decided it was time to find a new job and start an exercise routine. She found that sitting at home and catching up on all the great TV she missed out on when she’d been in the fairy realm was not a good way to pass the time.
Of course, she’d been fired for job abandonment. There was no argument from her there, and she picked up her things from the office two days after returning home.
Then there were the conversations with her mom. They were horrific with crying, yelling, and shaming.
“How could you not pick up a phone to tell me you’re alive? Just to say, ‘Hi, mom, I’m alive.’ This is not acceptable, Jane! You pick up a phone and call!” her mom said in different ways for over an hour.
Her dad seemed more upset at her mom being upset, but what could Jane do? She continued with the story that Andrew believed—that she’d taken off with the neighbor and had driven off into the sunset for a wild adventure.
“I needed some time for myself. To regroup from life, mom,” Jane explained weakly. “I needed to see if what I had with Andrew is real, and it’s not. We can’t get married.” This time she was telling the truth, but her mother’s reaction to the broken engagement was even worse than Jane disappearing for three whole months. Rich, handsome, eligible Andrew! How could this be? Jane hung up the phone feeling like she’d just been to war and survived by some miracle.
The worst part about being back home was that she missed so much about Axel’s homeland. The crisp and electric air, the sparkling waters, the magic in how they manipulated nature. The feeling of freedom.
Already she felt trapped by expectations from her parents and everyone else around her. Friends demanded explanations and wanted to have fun nights out to catch up. Jane couldn’t imagine sitting in a nightclub or lounge again.
Worst of all, though, was remembering the morning she woke up with Axel beside her after he’d come through her window. She’d just returned home the previous night, and after not seeing him for so long, all of her emotions were spent in that night of lovemaking. His feelings washed over her, visions swirled in her mind as he touched her in all the right places.
It was the same when he returned through the portal to see her the next night. But the following morning was a different scene.
“I’ve been over this so many times in my mind that I’m dizzy. The portal will eventually have to be destroyed. If not now, then in a week, a month, a year. What will we do then? Would you come with me?” he asked her this as he brushed her hair from her face, red tendrils having blocked him from her view.
Jane sighed, afraid to answer that. She knew she couldn’t leave her life behind again. But the thought of not seeing Axel, especially after she thought she would never see him again… Oh, her brain hurt from the convoluted situation. She knew what was coming. What would be the point of him coming to see her if they knew their time was limited?
“I don’t think I could go through that portal again,” Jane said. It was how she felt then. She had just returned home, and she thought things could go back to some kind of normalcy—no witches, fairies, blood drinking, or potions. No kidnappings, torture, or houses set on fire.
He left that morning looking more dejected than she’d ever seen him when he’d been prisoner at the citadel. They hugged goodbye, he wished her happiness, and then he asked her to make it work with Andrew. Even as he said it, his eyes deep with regret, she felt the cold seeping into her bones. Jane cried all day.
Now, days later, Jane was starting to think everything she’d given up by telling him no was tinted with a dreamlike quality. She wondered if she should have asked Axel to erase her memory. That would have made things less painful as she tried to move on with her life, she thought as she jogged through a park near her house. Why had he come back at all that night if he was just going to give up on her so quickly? Was it just to get her in bed one last time? She ran back home, passing the area where the tree with the portal was, and sped up, not stopping until she reached her front door.
“Hi,” a voice startled her.
“Andrew, my goodness,” she said putting her hand up to her heart. She was so wary of being surprised like she’d been back in that forest, that even little things startled her sometimes.
“Sorry. I was waiting here for you to get back so we could decide on what to do about the house. It’s under both of our names,” he said. He’d been living next door with Genevieve.
“I don’t know. I don’t have money coming in so I guess I’d have to sell,” she said, hating the idea. She’d worked so hard on that house, decorating it before they moved in.
“Look, I know we’re not going to be the best of friends. But I think we’ve remained friendly so far, and in that spirit, I’d like you to stay in the house. I can buy you out, so you’ll have something to live on until you’re back on your feet. You can pay me rent whenever you have work. Whatever you think is fair.”
To say Jane was shocked would be an understatement. “Andrew, I left you for another man. Why would you do this?”
“In spite of everything, I still love you. I was crazy with worry when you didn’t visit me in the hospital, and then Genevieve told me you’d left with her brother, and I couldn’t accept it. Time passed, and then I couldn’t deny it anymore. Genevieve was there, and it felt natural to feel indebted and affectionate towards her. But it’s you I love and always will. I want you to find your happiness and not have to worry about where you will live and all that stuff.” She let him talk the entire time because she was speechless.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry for what I put you through,” she said, feeling the guilt she’d tried to hide away for months. He smiled at her, and she felt a stab in the heart. “Thanks, Andrew.”
“You’re welcome. But can I grab some stuff? These people have little in the way of entertainment. They don’t even have cable,” he said, referring to Axel and Genevieve’s house. No, Jane didn’t think they’d be the kind of fairies that watched prime-time television. Andrew took his game console, laptop, and workout clothes.
She closed the door behind him, thankful that he’d been so good throughout all of this. At first, she’d been hurt he’d forgotten her so quickly after she left, but it wasn’t long before she realized she was the one that had abandoned
him first. She thought of that day in the bath when she succumbed to Axel for the first time.
Jane stopped herself before her thoughts could progress any further. If the best way to move on was to forget, to erase her memory, then she’d have to do it on her own with no mind tricks. After a quick shower, she planted herself at the computer to work on her resume.
2
Axel
Darick watched him pace. Axel knew he looked like a fool to his friend, but then again, Darick had never been in love. The look on Darick’s face said it all.
“I don’t need you to babysit me,” Axel told him.
“I’m not babysitting you. You know, that human phrase has always confused me. It should be baby-watching. Baby-holding?”
“You’re an idiot,” Axel looked up at his bemused friend.
“And you are helpless. Look at you. Why are you here?”
“I’m standing guard. That’s the plan isn’t it?”
“I mean, why here? Why couldn’t anyone else have this post? Why do you have to be the one to guard the portal? It’s taunting you, you masochist.”
“I trust only you and myself with this portal. And I think I’m stronger than that, Darick. Jane and I decided not to put ourselves through goodbyes if we were to form a deeper relationship. That’s what it is and has to be. End of story."
“I know that, but I’m not too sure you do,” Darick said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword as he usually did when he stood about casually.
“Get out of here. Your shift is over,” Axel said, waving his arm toward the thick expanse of trees.
Darick gave a sigh. “She must be something else in bed.”
“Shut the fuck up, brother, or I’ll forget that we’re friends.”
Darick held his hands up in surrender and backed away slowly. Axel breathed in and out trying to let his tension melt away. It wasn’t working. This is how he’d been all week since he’d come back through the portal for the last time—on edge, grouchy, miserable. He tried distracting himself with the King Siloh problem, but he couldn’t think of that for twenty-four hours a day.
And everyone around him was always bringing up Jane. Goddamit, why did she have to be so likable? His parents, Dori, the villagers… even the witch stopped him to ask if he’d seen the human woman again. He almost barked at her to mind her own business but remembered how helpful she’d been to Jane. He simply shook his head and went on his way.
Guarding the portal was the first part of the plan. He had to know who went through and for what reason. Also, he had to make sure the men from the citadel weren’t sill hanging around and planning to go through to visit Ft. Lauderdale. He didn’t want those men anywhere near Jane.
Jane. Just thinking her name gave him such an ache that he almost went into that stupid tree portal. Many times he had to convince himself it would be a bad idea. He remembered the last thing he’d told her and punched a tree.
“Andrew was going to be your husband for a reason. He was good to you and was going to give you everything you wanted, remember? You should go back to him,” he’d said, dying a little inside with each word.
“Axel,” she’d started, but he had hugged her instead and said goodbye, leaving before he changed his mind. He had done the right thing for both of them, but he would do the wrong thing easily for her. So he’d left her quickly.
Discussing the matter of keeping the portal open with his father had been rather difficult.
“Son, you’ve told me King Siloh does not want us to have a portal, so why are you keeping it open for now, attracting his attention?” King Herald inquired of him.
“We have men still in the human realm, Father. And, also, what should we do if Siloh’s men return to take our human women away? We will fight them, but having the portal open gives them a means of escape until the threat is gone.” The king was not convinced, but lately he seemed to relinquish the decision-making to his son in all matters of the kingdom. Axel hoped that his plans for the portal were not influenced by his own pathetic hope that Jane might suddenly show up in it.
The sound of gunfire broke his reverie. The men were practicing again. Many had wielded swords before, but none a gun. Darick and he had fashioned a firing range in the woods for target practice and took the men there in shifts for training. This had to be quick, and they started as soon as Axel had returned from the human realm. While they had the upper hand on weapons now, King Siloh might get wind of this information and build his own arsenal. The attack must be swift and efficient. Nothing less than deposing that king would ensure that Axel’s people would be left alone.
“What are you planning to do with the citadel once you’ve taken it? Become ruler?” his father had asked him.
Axel shuddered at the idea of living in the citadel. Those stone walls would always be a prison to him.
“The people of the citadel are poor. They did not have access to the portal, so the king and his high-ranking men and guards were the only ones exploiting it and human blood. We will form a council from the people and let them choose a leader,” Axel said.
“How democratic,” the king laughed. “And shall they call him President? Maybe form a Congress too?”
“That will be up to them,” Axel said seriously. “What matters is wiping out those barbarians, freeing the wretched humans they have captured, and destroying their portal.” His father looked at him, and Axel thought he saw something he’d been itching for his whole life. Yes, there was pride in his father’s eyes, and Axel walked away before he let his own emotions show. It was difficult taking over his father’s position. He felt closer to being king every day that his father slowly deteriorated.
3
Jane
Jane felt dejected after her first interview. Right away they told her it didn’t look like she would be a good fit for their company. Obviously, her untimely departure from her last job didn’t look good. She walked out of the law office and sighed, wondering how to deal with this turn of events. She’d never been on a job hunt. It had all come so easily to her before, but now she had to put effort into it. More effort than just wearing a smart designer suit and a charming smile.
She drove home and went inside. When she saw a check for her half of the house, Jane walked straight to the backyard. Forgetting all propriety, she stripped to her underwear and lay out on her lounge furniture by the pool, letting the summer warmth seep into her skin. She was about to jump in the water to cool off when she heard voices next door.
Nearing the fence that separated the two yards, Jane made sure she didn’t get caught snooping this time. She looked for holes in the fence, but mentally cursed the good workmanship. At that close range, though, she could tell Andrew was the male voice, and after he made the woman laugh, she recognized it was Genevieve. Jane didn’t think she could ever forget her laugh—the same one she heard that day her and Axel came to this very yard for the barbecue.
Jane slipped into the pool, making sure not create any splashing noises. She was glad Andrew could find happiness away from her, but she was concerned about what he’d said to her the other day. She hoped he wasn’t so hung up on her that he let it jeopardize any possible romantic attachments.
But was Genevieve the right choice for him? Based on what she’d heard, Jane didn’t think Genevieve was ready for a relationship, and the last thing Jane wanted was for Andrew to get hurt again. Not to mention the impossibility in a future together—what with Genevieve being a fairy and all.
More laughter and splashing wafted over the fence, and Jane groaned internally. She went inside and washed off the chorine water. Andrew was moving on, Axel was surely moving on, and Jane wondered why she couldn’t move on. Waking up and getting out of bed every morning required so much effort. The thought of visiting her parents (which they kept pestering her to do) or going out with her girlfriends seemed like such a chore. Still, she texted her best friend, Leah, and they agreed to meet at a bar downtown.
Jane was already imagining th
e night being a total waste. She knew her twisted view of her life began when she came home through that portal, and she was hoping her best friend since childhood would help her out of this funk.
“Janie, I’ve been so worried about you.” Leah rushed up to her the moment she laid eyes on Jane. The women hugged and air kissed each other’s cheeks. Then Leah grabbed Jane’s shoulders and stood at arm’s length. “Are you finally going to tell me what happened? And don’t give me any more of those lies because I didn’t believe a thing. There’s no way you left Andrew to be with some drifter.”
“He’s not a drifter, Lee,” Jane said, rolling her eyes. “And, yes, that’s what happened.” Well, not exactly, but she couldn’t tell her best friend of all time that she’d stepped into a magic portal and traveled through possibly time and space to another world inhabited by other-worldly creatures. Right?
“But, what about Andrew? Your house? I thought you were happy. You promised me you were happy when I asked you after the engagement. I had my suspicions, like when you told me you didn’t know what Andrew’s favorite sexual position was. I mean, how could you not know?”
Jane grabbed her friend’s hand and gave it a squeeze while widening her eyes in warning. “Please, Lee, keep your mouth clean in public.”
“Girl, you have got to get over it. Sex is everywhere. Everyone does it. A lot. Gosh, I just had sex on the way here.” Jane threw Leah a shocked look, and Leah laughed. “I’m kidding. What do you think, the UberXL driver put the car on automatic and joined me in the backseat?”
“I’m not appreciating your humor right now. Usually I do, but it’s a bit much at the moment,” Jane said, leading them to the bar across the street.
“Sorry, Janie. I’m trying to lighten the mood here because all I can see is that you’re way in your head right now. What happened to the sunshine and rainbows?” Leah put her arm around her, and they maneuvered their way through the people on the sidewalk.
A Touch of Summer: Spellbound Series Book 2 (The Spellbound Series) Page 1