Mystic Bonds

by C C Solomon

  “You look beautiful,” Phillip stated when I walked in. I had on a black wrap dress that I’d purchased with credits at the boutique where Lisa was employed. It was a dress she’d made herself with her fairy magic. The dress fit me like a glove. In fact, that was becoming her claim to fame in town. Men and women were overjoyed with how she could make clothes for them that fit them well and highlighted features they loved while hiding those they didn’t. She was really beginning to become my fairy godmother.

  Phillip looked nice as always, in a pair of black slacks and a gray button down. He leaned in to kiss me and I turned my cheek towards him. He didn’t miss a beat and showed me the way to his separate dining room area. Two walls of his penthouse living space consisted of windows over-looking the town. Inside, the space was lit with candles, outside lighting and dim recess lighting. It made for a romantic setting.

  He offered me a seat and poured me a glass of red wine. Phillip sat across from me at the dining room table. We spent the time before our meal arrived with idle chit-chat. I let him lead the conversation for now, curious about anything he would divulge.

  Dinner came and it was seafood risotto with a tiramisu as dessert. I had no idea how they even got some of the ingredients, but I supposed that with teleportation and magic the sky was the limit.

  “Dinner was fabulous,” I stated after eating. I adjusted in my seat, readying myself for the big discussion.

  “I’m glad you liked it. I only want to make you happy,” he replied with a kindness in his eyes.

  I sighed. “About that. I think we might have a disconnect.”

  Phillip nodded swiftly. “I agree. I feel like you and I haven’t grown closer. I thought actually seeing each other in person would be an instant bond for us, but instead I think we’ve grown farther apart these last two months.”

  I had to tread carefully here. Phillip was a shrewd man and I wasn’t ready to, nor did I want to, make an enemy out of him. On the one hand, I wanted to be honest with him about my feelings for Erik so that I could move forward with that growing relationship. On the other hand, I had no idea how Phillip would react. What if he tried to mind control me into loving him? I couldn’t do it and he’d know that I wasn’t under his spell. If he knew that I was immune, how would he react? He could kick me out. Lock me up. Or maybe he wouldn’t care? Perhaps he wasn’t as horrible as I was starting to wonder. Mae did say he would never hurt me.

  I looked down at my half-eaten tiramisu. Finding the right words was harder than I thought. “I care about you, it’s just that—”

  “You’ve fallen for someone else. Erik,” Phillip cut in with a tight voice. “He’s falling in love with you.”

  I looked at him with wide eyes. “How do you know?”

  Phillip shrugged. “Got him to tell me the truth the night I put you to sleep.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You mean you did your mind control on him.”

  Phillip took a sip of wine, his eyes cool. “You can’t blame me for trying to check out my competition.”

  I frowned. “I think I can. That’s way more than checking him out. That was unfair and cruel.” Heck, Erik hadn’t even told me he loved me. He probably wasn’t ready to, yet Phillip had forced the words out of him before he had time to even come to terms with them. With all that Erik had gone through, I felt protective of him and didn’t want anyone harming him. “Your power is scary, Phillip. And using it the way you do…” I stopped myself. I was saying too much. Mae told me to keep quiet.

  “What do you mean, Amina?” He held my gaze not saying a word, his eyes cool. I started to panic. What if he was exerting his mind control on me now? I wasn’t susceptible to it, so I wouldn’t know and I’d give myself away.

  “I’m sorry if I sound judgmental,” I began. “You’re a good guy. And you mean to protect us.” I was elated I remembered his speaker speeches. “It just makes me a bit nervous. But I know you mean well.”

  He smiled. “Glad you know that. As for this Erik thing—”

  I cut him off. “Phillip, I’m sorry. It came out of nowhere but I just can’t ignore the feelings I have for him.”

  He nodded. “I get it. You want to see how it plays out. You’re scared of what we have.” That was one way of putting it. “I understand. But, see, some time ago, I met with Mae and she told me that you and I were going to do great things together. That we were connected. And would make each other better. When I found out I was able to help you get free, I knew for sure she was right.”

  Interesting what information Mae decided to share with Phillip and what she decided to keep hidden from me. I had a strong feeling that I wasn’t getting the whole truth from her.

  “So, you see, letting you go wouldn’t make sense.”

  I scrunched my eyebrows together in concern. “What does that mean? You would force me, with your mind?”

  Phillip grimaced. “Making a woman fall in love with me with magic seems ...pathetic. I’ll convince you, the old natural way.”

  I looked at him with disbelief.

  He chuckled. “You’ll see, I love a challenge and I believe you are worth that fight.”

  I relaxed my eyebrows. “Phillip, if Erik and I have something like I believe we do, I would never betray him.”

  He smiled and lifted his wine glass again. “We’ll see.”

  His tone was condescending and arrogant, as if I were a child just telling him that I’d seen a unicorn and he was the parent nodding his head saying, “sure, you did sweetheart.” Ignoring the fact that unicorns were actually a possibility in this world, he was wrong to be so confident.

  Chapter 26

  Erik opened his door and looked me up and down in my dress and heels. He’d clearly been headed to bed, dressed only in black sweat pants and a white T-shirt. “You aren’t just coming from school, are you?” he asked. He looked down at his watch. I already knew that it was after 10 p.m.

  I shook my head and bit my lip, not looking forward to telling him where I had been. Why had I decided it was important to come to his place right after meeting with Phillip? Perhaps it was Phillip’s words that set me off. I wanted to tell Erik now how I felt. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about dinner or Phillip and me. It was time to declare my decision and if Phillip was going to kick me out of town because of it, well, then, Hagerstown would have me back.

  “I just came from dinner…with Phillip,” I replied in a mutter.

  He started to close the door. “Wait!” I cried, pushing my hand out on the door. “It wasn’t like that! Let me in and I can explain instead of putting my business out in the hallway for everyone to hear.”

  He eyed me suspiciously but opened the door wider for me to walk inside. Once in, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it, arms crossed. “Amina, I care about you, but I won’t share you.”

  I smiled and walked over to him. I uncrossed his arms and placed them around my waist before leaning into his chest. “That’s good to hear because I told Phillip that I couldn’t see him romantically because I’d fallen for you.”

  He gave me a gentle squeeze. “And what did he say to that?”

  “That he was going to try to win me over.”

  A low growl began in his chest. “I’m going to have to kill him.”

  “Please, don’t. We have enough things to worry about.”

  “What about maiming him?”

  I pulled away from him and lightly punched him in the arm. “I don’t think that’ll work either.”

  “Can I bash his car windows in, then? Sounds like my only resort now is to be petty. The guy rubs me the wrong way. He wouldn’t leave your side the night of the raid. Why he thinks he has claim to you, just because you spoke to each other in a dream confuses me.”

  I suddenly thought of Phillips words about Erik confessing his love for me. I wondered if Phillip was telling the truth.

  Erik squinted his eyes and looked at me. “What’s wrong? I was just kidding about hurting him…for now.” He gri
nned and my heart skipped again.

  Every time he smiled, I melted a bit. His ability to still smile even in the face of his past pain, made his smiles even more special to me.

  I shook my head. “Nothing, just allowing myself to be happy for a moment.”

  He reached out and touched my cheek. I leaned into his hand, resting my cheek in his palm.

  “I think you must have bewitched me,” he said in a low voice.

  I chuckled. “I didn’t use any magic on you.”

  “Then I really am falling for you.” I thought of what Lisa said, then Phillip. They were both so sure Erik wanted to be with me.

  “Good,” I whispered back.

  “Woman,” was all he said before leaning down and kissing me.

  I loved his lips, the taste of him. I pressed into him, hungrily exploring his mouth with my tongue. My hands rested on his chest, feeling the definition and heat of his body through the thin fabric of his shirt. He seemed to run extra hot compared to me and I sought out more of his heat, even in the warmth of the summer evening.

  His hands moved away from my face and rested on my hips, pulling me closer to him. I moved my arms to the back of his neck to get closer. Even with me in my four-inch heels, he was still towering over me. My chest mashed against his as I tried to clear the space between us. He let out what sounded like a frustrated growl before moving his hands to my rear and lifting me up.

  I let out a yelp and wrapped my legs around his hips, my dress bunched up in an unlady-like way around my waist.

  He looked into my eyes, a look of restraint on his face. “Do you want to go to sleep?” He asked in a low voice.

  I shook my head quickly. “But I want to go to your bedroom,” I whispered, my own voice thick.

  He then began to slow walk us to his bedroom with me wrapped around him like another article of clothing.

  Way to make a girl feel light as a feather. I think I liked him more in this moment.

  Somewhere between the front door and the bedroom I lost my heels. He carefully lowered me on the bed and took his shirt off, revealing the wonderful cuts and defined lines of his body that I had drooled over not too long ago. He lowered my dress off of my shoulders carefully, although the fire in his eyes made me think he’d really wanted to rip it off. I laid back down on the bed and lifted up as he took the dress and my panties down the rest of my body and gently placed them on a chair beside the bed.

  I unhooked my bra without his assistance and he took that too. He placed it with my other clothes and looked me over. The room was lit only with the light outside of his window behind open blinds. However, I’m sure his were vision allowed him to see just fine in the dark. I couldn’t say I didn’t feel vulnerable at that moment.

  He leaned over me, his hands balancing on the bed to hold his weight. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered before kissing me again. He moved a hand onto my waist and slowly moved it up my side until it reached my breast. The heat of his hand on my skin made me let out an involuntary gasp as his fingers lightly played over my nipples, bringing me to attention.

  I grabbed his face, deepening our kiss and sucking his tongue as he continued his massage of my chest. Something lower in me stirred for him and I raised my hips, wanting to feel him between my legs. He moved from my lips and grazed my neck, marking me with his teeth in a gentle bite. The pain bordered on pleasure, but it would leave a mark and I didn’t care.

  I clawed my hands over his back, feeling the muscles bunch under my fingers as he continued.

  He moved back and gave me a devilish grin. I could see, even in the dark that his eyes were now fiery orange and in their jackal form. He rose up and removed his pants in a literal blink of my eye and was over me again, positioned between my legs.

  He lowered and kissed me again and I ran my fingers through his short, silky, hair, wrapping a leg around his waist. He moved to my ear, licking at the lobe. “Can I have you?” He whispered.

  I’d never had anyone ask me that before. I wasn’t sure what an appropriate response would be but at that moment I wasn’t in a state of mind to want to give it much thought. “Yes,” I replied in a whispered voice.

  Apparently, my “yes” meant just what I thought it would because he entered me agonizingly slowly. I wrapped my other leg around him, my arms falling lazily over the back of his neck. He played a game of fast and slow in a show of absolute control, adjusting his angles to hit my pleasure spots.

  The heat within me grew and he sent me over with waves of met desire. That seemed to set him off because his control shifted and he moved within me rapidly before succumbing to his own gratifying release.

  A growl escaped from him before he lowered halfway on me and moved beside me so that we were still facing each other, one of my legs trapped under him.

  He leaned forward and kissed me, slowly and lazily. The fire in his eyes remained and I sucked in a sharp breath as I felt him move again. One of his hands went to the small of my back as he continued steady movements.

  This time there was no calculated control, just an easy rhythm and I enjoyed it just as much. As he sped up his pace, for the second time that night, I cried out and he soon followed.

  We stayed still for a long moment, interlocked and quiet. I felt the rapid beat of his heart as my head lay against his chest. His skin was damp and hot and I snuggled closer to him, unperturbed.

  I wanted this man more than I had admitted to myself, and for some reason that scared me.

  Chapter 27

  Due to the rescue, the pack celebration welcoming Erik into his new position was delayed, so that Saturday night Seth finally held a party. The shindig was also a welcoming of the several new members they’d received from the Long Island prison raid.

  “Did I tell you how amazing you look tonight?” Erik whispered in my ear, hand on the small of my back. We’d been practically inseparable, except for work. I was sure Charles didn’t mind, since Lisa was spending more time at our apartment anyway.

  Erik’s breath on my neck sent a ticklish delight down my spine, which sent my mind back to the night before. I would definitely want more, but before that I had to get through the celebration.

  Apparently, this event was supposed to be a snazzy affair although it was in the pack’s Irish-styled pub, which was anything but fancy. The weres, or anybody for that matter, didn’t have many opportunities to dress up, so when we found an inkling of a reason we did it up.

  Lisa styled me in a royal-blue, fitted, off-the-shoulder dress that stopped just below the knee. She did my hair and makeup; sweeping and pinning my coily hair to one side of my head. I wore a costume golden choker that I’d found in my prior scavenges to finish it. I did feel like a pretty, pretty, princess.

  “Well, you don’t look so bad yourself,” I whispered back. He looked more than not so bad. Erik looked hot, in fact. He wore a tailored black suit, white shirt, no tie. His hair was slicked back, still shorter on the sides and his beard was neatly trimmed.

  “I much rather be at home with you, taking that dress off.” He smiled and his hand lowered, grazing my rear-end. I smacked his hand away.

  “Inappropriate,” Felix said behind us.

  I turned to him and smiled. He was handsome as well, wearing a navy-blue suit fitting well over his wide frame and his long, black hair was combed back in a low ponytail. Faith, Lisa and Charles stood behind him.

  “Well, that was fun. Looking at my sister getting groped in public,” Charles said with an exaggerated disgusted look. He was equally dapper in a charcoal-gray suit.

  “If it helps, I can grope you too.” Lisa smirked. She was wearing a short, gold bodycon dress with nude heels. Her hair was parted down the middle in a long bob, short in the back and reaching her collarbone in the front. She had streaks of gold throughout her hair. “You look so good, Mina, and you’re welcome, Erik.” She gave him a wink.

  I rolled my eyes. Inviting Lisa to a majority were party might have been risky but her magic cloaking seemed to
be holding up.

  “Now I’m the third wheel.” Felix frowned.

  Faith raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “You can be my date tonight,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. She looked unusually feminine with her short hair set in a deep right part and smoothed back. She wore a black wide-legged, one-sleeved jumper with a cut out, exposing her flat stomach. On her feet were red stilettos. I gave her an approving nod and she winked at me.

  I looked back to Felix. “Erik and I aren’t a couple,” I said, playfully.

  Erik removed his hand from my back and I felt an instant coldness hit me. It was most likely from the air conditioner blaring above me but the heat from his touch seemed to be enough to warm me. Fortunately, it wasn’t gone long because I soon felt him clasp my hand in his.

  He leaned in to me and whispered. “After the other night? Who are you fooling?” he whispered. “You’re mine.”

  “I don’t remember us having a discussion about me being yours,” I whispered back.

  “Remember when I asked if I could have you? You did say yes.”

  I narrowed my eyes. At that moment I would have said yes to darn near anything. Also, I thought he’d just meant sex.

  “Well, that wasn’t very romantic.”

  “Do you need a formal declaration?” He looked amused.

  I nodded, jokingly.

  He bent forward as if preparing to get on his knees and I grabbed his shoulders pushing him upright. “What are you doing?”

  He looked up with a playful smile. “I’m just doing what you asked. Do you want an old-fashioned courting? I can do that too.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it.

  Oh, he was laying it on thick. “That’d be nice.” I grinned at him.