Mad Magic

by Nicole Conway

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him.” I could sense the weight of guilt in his voice. Zeph wouldn’t even meet my eyes. When we got to the bar, he came around the car and insisted on carrying me inside. I was glad about that since I wasn’t wearing any shoes. As we ducked into the bar, Eldrick retrieved our bags from the trunk, and Hank got busy sealing magical wards on the doors as soon as everyone was inside.

  Hank’s bar was dark and empty. Nothing had changed since the last time Zeph had brought me here, but it still made me nervous. Before, this place had intimidated me a little because it was a bar—a place for adults. Now, it felt like a foxhole in a war zone. I just hoped the magical wards would hold.

  Zeph carried me behind the bar, through the kitchen and into a back room that was set up like a tiny, one-room apartment. There was an old, single bed and a few shelves stocked with clear glass jars filled with all kinds of bizarre things—things I assumed were for working spells. There were herbs, dried flowers, bones, and even animal teeth.

  Eldrick came in only long enough to drop off the duffel bag he’d packed for me. He flicked me a tense frown, but didn’t stick around to chat. He was pacing like a caged animal, and it didn’t take him long to decide he’d rather be up front in the bar area. Not that I blamed him, really. This room was cramped, windowless, and felt more like a prison cell. Even the tiny attached bathroom barely had enough space for a shower, sink, and toilet.

  Zeph placed me carefully on the bed, handling me as though I were made of glass. The old iron frame creaked under my weight and somehow it made the silence between us seem even more awkward. He didn’t say a word as he went to shut and lock the door. We were alone in that tiny room, but he still wouldn’t look at me.

  I watched him bite down hard, a vein standing out against his neck as he pulled himself back into his human form. It seemed to take an eternity, and his expression skewed like each second was agony. Eventually, his horns and wings melted away. Then Zeph sagged against the door, struggling for breath.

  We were both a wreck. His tuxedo jacket was gone, and the white shirt underneath was tattered and stained with my blood. My dress was in shreds and I was smeared with ash.

  But we were alive.

  Once he caught his breath, Zeph went to the bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet behind the mirror, and took out a small first aid kit. He rinsed off a washcloth and came back to sit on the bed beside me. It creaked loudly again.

  “Is this where Hank lives?” I tried desperately to break the silence.

  Zeph focused on wiping the blood away from my shoulder. Every time he touched the cut or bumped my arm, it made me take a sharp breath.

  “No,” he answered at last. “This is a safe house for emergencies only.”

  “Oh, right. He told me something like that before,” I remembered aloud.

  Heavy silence settled over us again. It made my throat feel thick and my body tremble no matter how hard I tried to hold still. I watched as he cleaned my wound, disinfected it with antibacterial cream, and applied a thick layer of bandages. He was touching me, being so gentle and careful, but I could feel him withdrawing. That expression of cold thought was pulled over his features like a mask. It didn’t fool me anymore. He didn’t want me to worry. He didn’t want me to see his weakness or pain. Tonight, I’d seen both.

  As he tried to get up, I put my hands on the sides of his face and forced him to look at me. “Zeph, please don’t do this,” I pleaded. “Don’t shut me out. I can’t take it. If this is our last night together …”

  His strange violet eyes stared directly at me. Couldn’t he tell I was struggling, too? I’d spent so much time reading, studying, and memorizing spellwork so I would be prepared. And in the end, I’d been duped like a rookie. I was out of my league when it came to Fir Darrig. Sure, I’d managed a diversion long enough to save us tonight. But what about next time? And the time after that?

  Doubt swallowed all of my faith, all the confidence that the Fibbing Gate would work, and all the hope that I could even save him at all. He was precious to me. The thought of losing him because I might fumble a spell or do something stupid like I had tonight—letting my guard down and getting tricked so easily—was unbearable. If I kept making mistakes like that, it wouldn’t matter what tools I had packed with me. Now, to top it all off, Zeph was closing up on me again. He was scared. I could see it all over his face. But he wouldn’t even talk to me. It felt like he was slipping through my fingers already.

  Tears filled my eyes until I couldn’t see him anymore. A sob escaped me, and then suddenly, his arms were around me. Zeph pulled me against his chest and began running his fingers through my hair. I clung to him, my face against his neck while I squeezed him as hard as I could.

  “Hey, calm down,” he whispered against my ear. “I’m sorry, okay? You’re right. I’m just being an ass, as usual. I just get mad at myself when I can’t protect you like I’m supposed to.”

  “I know. But it wasn’t your fault.” I pulled away sniffling and trying to compose myself again. I tried to wipe the mascara out of my eyes, but it was too late. All that fancy makeup Eldrick had put on me was running all over the place. It was embarrassing. “I guess I should change and clean myself up.”

  Zeph gave me that wonderful half-cocked smirk of his. “Nah, I kinda like this look. It’s like you’re going to a grunge metal concert. Or a Halloween party,” he said as he tousled my already ruined hair.

  “So not funny.”

  “Don’t be like that. You know I think you’re beautiful, right?”

  I glared at him. “Sure. Maybe when I’m all dressed up.”

  “No. I mean, I do like it when you’re all dolled up, but not because it makes you any prettier than you already are,” he murmured as he brushed his hand down the side of my neck. “I like it because when you wear something you think makes you look good, regardless of what it is, it puts a spark in your eyes. You’re more confident. You hold your head up and prance around like you own the place. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen—and it has nothing to do with whatever you’ve got on.”

  My mouth opened, but I couldn’t come up with a snappy reply to that. I gulped, my face getting hotter by the second. I waited for him to laugh, or to turn it into some kind of joke … but he didn’t.

  “I don’t prance,” I muttered.

  “Okay, fine. Maybe it’s more of a strut.”

  I grinned and leaned forward to let my forehead rest against his. “Well, I’m still taking a bath. So you’ll just have to admire my strut with my hair in a towel.”

  “I can do that.” He had that mischievous glint in his eyes again.

  Standing up, I went to the bag Eldrick had packed for me. I took out a change of clothes and a baggie with all my toiletries arranged inside in an obsessively neat order. I tried not to think about Eldrick going through my underwear drawer to pick out clean panties and bras. At least I could be fairly sure he hadn’t enjoyed it. I seriously doubted Eldrick saw me as anything but a bothersome human girl he had to look after like a nanny.

  I started for the bathroom with my stuff. Maybe once I’d calmed down, I could practice the Fibbing Gate spell again. I wanted to study some more, and make sure everything was still going as planned.

  But there was a Zeph-shaped object in my way, blocking the bathroom door.

  “Come on, what’re you doing?” He took the fresh clothes out of my hands and tossed them aside. He did the same thing with my toiletries. “I feel gross. Seriously, there’s makeup running all over my face and I just want to—”

  He silenced me with a finger over my lips. He was holding up his cell phone, staring intently at the screen.

  I waited. One minute ticked by. Then another. I tapped my foot.

  Then Zeph turned his phone around so I could see. It was midnight. “Happy birthday.”

  I blinked. “I-I—”

  He tossed his phone into my bag and shrugged. “This wasn’t exac
tly what I’d hoped we would be doing for it. I know I agreed to throw a party and lavish you with gifts, you know, as payback for past sins. Sorry about that.”

  I smiled. “I’ll let it slide. Just this once.”

  He moved in closer, his gazed fixed upon me. “Going easy on me because I might die tomorrow?”

  “No, of course not.” I laughed. “I’m just too tired to put up with—”

  He kissed me.

  I thought he was just teasing me again, so I bit at his bottom lip and tried to pull away.

  His kiss deepened, becoming hungrier. He’d only kissed me like this once before, and the ringing of a cell phone had ended it much too soon.

  Nerves made my body feel tangled and awkward. I stumbled as he pulled me closer, almost tripping over my own feet. His rough hands touched my waist, and his fingertips grazed my back as he pulled at the zipper on the back of my dress.

  I gasped against his mouth and tried to pull away again. “Wait.”

  “I thought you wanted this,” he murmured with his lips still against my neck.

  “I do …”

  His teeth grazed a sensitive place right under my ear, making my stomach flip and my body shudder with delight. “Since you came back into my life, I’ve thought every single day about what it would be like to finally join your spirit with mine. Now you’re gonna make me wait even longer?”

  My insecurities roared through my mind. What if I couldn’t live up to that expectation? What if he was disappointed?

  “B-but I look horrible. I need to take a bath first.”

  His mouth moved over my skin to kiss my uninjured shoulder. The sensation made my fingers clench at the fabric of his dress shirt and my skin prickle with wild excitement.

  “Okay, then,” he conceded, and stepped away.

  Whew. At least now I could prepare for this. Then I caught the tail end of a mischievous smirk.

  Nope. He was up to something.

  Zeph picked up my toiletries and went into the tiny bathroom. He turned on the shower, and began loosening his tie. I gawked shamelessly as he unbuttoned the front of his dress shirt, giving me a generous view of his muscular body. It had been a while since I got a view of those sculpted, tattooed arms. The rest of him was no less perfect … or utterly intimidating.

  He flicked a devious grin in my direction as he curled a finger, beckoning me to come closer. My heart was beating so fast I was afraid it might launch right out of my chest.

  Did I want to go? Absolutely.

  Was I nervous? Definitely.

  I wobbled into the bathroom. Inside that tiny space, we had to stand so close that our noses were almost touching … even after he shut the door. Steam from the shower made the air hot and thick, but my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering.

  He leaned in close, his mouth almost touching my ear. “Turn around.”

  Before I could respond, Zeph grasped my hips and spun me so that my back was against his bare chest. I focused on the feel of his warm hands on my skin as he slowly slid the zipper down on the back of my dress. Every inch and the dress slid a little lower, until it fell around my feet. My pulse boomed in my ears. I knew what was coming—where this would end—and I wanted it so badly I could hardly stand it.

  The touch of his lips against my shoulder made me gasp, and I went stiff in surprise. That feeling, his mouth investigating me like he intended to taste every part, made my insides flutter. My skin was sticky from the hot steam that filled the room, and yet I shivered as he combed his fingers lightly down my spine.

  “It’s okay. Try to relax,” he whispered as he brushed my hair away from the back of my neck. His short stubble prickled and scratched my skin as he kissed me there, gently at first. Then his mouth opened and I could feel the light scrape of his teeth as he reached around to press his fingertips against me—right between my thighs.

  Tingling heat bloomed through my body. A loud, elated breath escaped me.

  “Want me to stop?” Zeph chuckled darkly. He slid his fingers under the hook of my strapless bra.

  “No,” I whispered. “Don’t you dare stop.”

  My bra hit the floor. I heard him unfastening his belt. Then Zeph turned me slowly back around to face him, wrapping his thick arms around me and pulling me in. The feel of his body against mine, bare and slick with the moisture from the steam, sent waves of tingling heat through me.

  “Look at me, Josie.”

  Slowly, I raised my gaze.

  Zeph’s expression was difficult to read. The hand still touching my chin shook.

  “I’m serious. If you don’t want this, you can tell me,” he said. “I’m not trying to force you into something you’re not ready for.”

  Words failed me. I took another deep breath. Then I closed my arms around his neck and planted a slow kiss against his lips in answer.

  He made a deep, satisfied, growling noise as he snatched me off my feet and carried me into the shower. The glass door closed behind us, sealing us within our own world.

  Horrible things like spriggans, Fir Darrig, and life-ending curses didn’t exist. There was only the euphoria of my skin sliding against his while the stream of hot water from the showerhead poured over us. The only sounds were our deep, ragged breaths. There was urgency in the way his strong hands gripped me and earnest excitement in the way his brawny, solid body explored mine.

  It was like we were alone in the universe.

  And for a few precious, fleeting moments I was able to taste perfect bliss.

  “Zeph?”

  “Mmm?”

  “Can I ask you something?” Lying on my side in the small creaky bed, I listened to the sound of his panting breaths. He was stretched out with his arms wrapped around my waist like a kid hugging a teddy bear. There was barely enough room for both of us, and he was essentially draped around me so we could both fit—not that I minded. It meant his warm, bare body was still touching mine all over.

  “Sure,” he murmured as he started planting soft, slow kisses against the back of my shoulder again.

  I took a steadying breath. “When I was little, and you said I made you promise to make me happy …”

  He paused. “Yeah? And?”

  “Did you hear a heart-chord between us?”

  The bed groaned as he sat up on an elbow, staring down at me. “Who told you about that?”

  “Oh, um, no one. I just read about it in one of Dad’s—”

  “It was Camilla, wasn’t it?”

  My cheeks flushed as I turned on to my back so I could gaze up at him. “Sort of. She said it might have been the reason you felt so attached to me. I was just wondering … Did you really hear one?”

  “Would it make any difference if I didn’t?”

  “No. I guess not.” I loved him, either way. “I just wanted to know. I want to hear it, too.”

  Zeph swept his fingers over my forehead, pushing some of my damp hair away from my face. His expression softened and his eyes grew distant as he traced a thumb along my bottom lip. “It’s not something humans can usually hear, even if they are the vessel. Statistically, you’re more likely to get struck by a meteor than find someone you share a true heart-chord with.”

  “That’s not an answer.” I grasped his hand, holding it against my face. “Did you hear one between us or not?”

  His brow creased a little. Fear flickered through his violet eyes as they searched me. “Yes,” he answered quietly.

  “Why can’t I hear it, too?”

  Zeph’s jaw set. “Because I’m nearly dead. My aura is almost gone. I can’t even hear it myself, anymore. And until tonight, when I couldn’t sense that Fir Darrig was at that dance waiting to ambush us, I didn’t realize … I can’t sense anyone else’s now, either.”

  My stomach cramped and soured. I gulped against the pain in my throat. Doubt like a cold shiver ran through my body. What if we failed tomorrow night? What if I never got to hear that sweet sound, or lie wi
th him again like this?

  “Hey, don’t make that face.” He leaned down and kissed my lips, some of his wet hair tickling my cheek. “You need to rest.”

  How was I supposed to rest? Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Fir Darrig’s sneer. His voice was etched into my memory. I squeezed myself closer to Zeph, hiding my face against the side of his neck.

  “All right, we’ll do this the hard way, then.” He closed his arms around me and held me close. “I was saving this back for an emergency when I needed to cheer you up.”

  I fought back a smile. Tears flooded my eyes. It didn’t matter what he said, as long as I could listen to his voice.

  “This is the story of how I saved your dad from getting beaten up by an elf at the mall on Christmas Eve …”

  I still couldn’t sleep.

  Even with Zeph holding me close and the slow, peaceful rhythm of his breathing in my ear, my brain wouldn’t shut off. My thoughts raced, blurring between my encounter with Fir Darrig and all the spellwork I needed to remember.

  Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.

  I slipped quietly out of Zeph’s arms. He didn’t even stir. He had to be exhausted after what had happened at prom. I’d seen him struggle before—but never like that. He couldn’t protect me anymore, not in this state.

  Pulling on a sweatshirt and jeans, I wound my damp hair into a braid over my shoulder to hide the fresh hickeys on that side of my neck. I tiptoed out through the kitchen and into the bar area where the lights from the streetlamps outside cast eerie shadows across the tables and chairs.

  Hank sat by the door, leaning up against the wall, sound asleep. I looked around for Eldrick, and finally spotted his tall silhouette sitting in one of the booths against the front window. His elbows rested on the table, and his silver eyes stared out into the night with a sharp, serious frown.

  When I sat down across from him, he looked at me through his long black bangs. His strange eyes reflected the light like a cat’s, and his frown deepened as he pinned me with a punishing glare.