I lift a small chant to the goddess before starting the next phase—hopefully, the final stage—of our plan. Warmth fills me, my guys sending me encouragement and love. They're all getting laid again if we make it through this.
Twenty-Two
"Freeze," I order Chaz. He instantly stills, eyes moving frantically, his body unable to move from its spot.
"You can still talk. Can't you, Chazzy boy?" I ask as I circle him, making it clear he is the prey in the room.
The two thugs inch toward us. My turn to show off. With a flick of my hand, the men rise then fly through the air, landing with an audible thunk against the massive brick of the old building. Samuel walks to my bed, where the forgotten rope of my kidnapping lies. He takes the cable over and ties them up. They're not going anywhere.
I turn my attention back to Chaz, his face contorting, vein in his neck pulsing. A red flush moves over his skin. Mixed with his already waxy yellow, the more he fights, the oranger he looks. It's hard not to laugh at him. Though if it weren't for the bonding, I'm sure today would be different.
I stand tall, letting the guys know it's time. They push into me, filling me with their power, the four of us becoming one. A light shines from me, a brilliant glow as the warrior marks of my ancestors magically paint themselves on my skin. It's time for answers, and there is no chance for our defeat.
"I'm going to cut right to the chase so we can deal with your slimy ass. Once and for all. First, why the enchantment here at the reformatory? Aren't people sent here to learn from their actions, not an ongoing life of no self-control?"
He again tries to move, wiggle, anything to get him out of the situation he's put himself in. Wagging my finger, I taunt him, feeling I'm just fitting in at least a little torture after all he's put me through.
I stop the wag of my finger to point directly at him, just a little zap. That's what I meant to do. But I haven't gotten used to the strength of my power yet and hit him pretty hard.
"Oopsies." I laugh maniacally, already ready to pounce again. The guys rein me in, or try to anyway. I'm too pissed off to have to keep myself under this kind of control. The excitement of having this much power, of knowing I can defeat powerful, evil men like this one that tried to make me feel so powerless, is a heady sensation. I want more. But I know that I could quickly become what stands before me. Useless witches drunk on power, doing anything to get their next fix.
That's when it hits me, like a puzzle piece snapping into place I get it. It's actually kind of genius, even if it is evil. "It fueled you. Fuels you, I should say. What happens when the spell is broken and the enchantment falls away?"
His eyes quickly go from searching to panicked. They bug out in surprise desperation, his realization of how much he underestimated me starting to sink in.
He speaks for the first time, but not to me. "Julian. My boy, are you going to let her do this to me and ruin what we've built?"
Julian stands, facing the man that has taken so much from him all these years. "My only plan has been to get away from you. It's just a bonus that I get to see you destroyed."
"You no good, piece of useless trash, he never should have saved you."
We all look at him in surprise. Julian and I mutter, "Him?" at the same time.
Anger escalating, Chaz growls, his face distorting, already mottled in discolored spots. Cracks form on his face, and they spread down all over his body. He still doesn't move, he remains still, his outer skin falling from him in small chips created by the spreading cracks. Julian and I back away from him, not sure if he is breaking my spell or cracking from his own self-destruction.
It takes several minutes, but once the process is completed, a different man stands before us. It sounds like a wounded animal in the room when Cam cries out. I need to go to him, but I stand paralyzed in my spot, shocked at the man before me.
My voice is a broken whisper. "This isn't real. You've set a spell to make you look like someone else. It can't be." I stop the crippling pain calling me to Cam.
He laughs. "Silly dumb girl. My mistake was keeping you alive for the boys' sake. I should have harnessed your powers and killed you when I had the chance." He looks at Cam. "Come here, son. Help me. It's not too late to take your rightful place."
Face drained of color, devastation evident, Cam gathers the strength we offer him. "Dad? How do I know it's really you? Open up to me, it's the only way to be certain."
Jeffory Poston sneers, but it seems like he’s going to comply because he replies, "Don't make me regret this."
That's all it takes, his last miscalculation. Now that Cam and I have bonded, I am inside Jeffory through Cam’s connection. Memories stream into us. Setting the spell on the school so its enchantment fueled the spell used over the council. The more power generated, the more he had. That's why sex and drugs were pushed, they create more energy. His behind the scenes meetings. His form lay on the ground while Julian refused to finish him. On to his decision to once and for all take everything from me. The knowledge that nothing will or could stop him if he gets another chance."
"Enough," Cam croaks. I sever the connection.
"It's him," I say. "It's your call, Cam. We can end this for good or take our chances and imprison him."
Cam surprises Julian with a hug. "I know you didn't know who it was, but thank you for stopping. If you didn't, we wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have the chance to finish this myself."
Grabbing my hand, Cam and I walk over to his father, Julian and Samuel close behind.
Jeffory chuckles. "You're too weak to finish me. You've never been anything but a sniffling little shit. And to think, I tried to protect you. You never had to deal with this place, not really. I didn’t feed off you. I should have. You’re no son of mine," he sneers.
Shaking with both anger and grief, Cam looks directly at his father. "And you were a good dad, decent husband from what I know, but you suck otherwise. I don’t know how I never saw it. I feel so ashamed.”
Cam pauses, running his hand through his mop of curls. His voice is curt, resolved when he speaks again. “You’re a menace to witches everywhere. Every day, every time I will choose Izzy over you. She, along with Julian and Samuel, are my family now."
I take a calming breath. Cam, Julian, and Sam place their hands on my arms, all connected through me. After a moment, Cam nods his head. Blue sparks fly, the energy of my power building quickly as I lift my hands. Once I face Jeffory head-on, I let go. My energy surges into him in a rush of purple flames until nothing of his witch remains. The spell that I use to freeze him gone, his lifeless form falls to the ground.
We all gather around Cam, pulling him into a crowded hug that is a tangle of arms and smooshed bodies.
"I love you," I say to Cam, to them all. "Let's get this mess cleaned up, then we can take a nap before you show me how much you love me again."
A week later and everything is still in chaos. I’ve just finished packing everything in the room from hell. Cam, Julian, and I are joining Samuel at one of his homes in the human world. Yes, one of his homes. Who knew he had it like that.
Samuel’s solid body covers me from behind, bending over me to grab the duffel I just zipped. Instead of letting him grab the bag I flip around to face him. A gigantic grin lights up his face, eyes twinkling as he takes me in. I rest my hands on his shoulders as anchors as I lean up to kiss him.
Breathless, I pull back from him enough to ask, “Are you free? Please say we’re done here.”
Samuels bites his bottom lip, uncertainty marring his features.
“What’s wrong? You’re scaring me, Samuel,” I say as I push away, pacing the length of the room.
“It’s not bad,” he assures me as he grabs me when I walk by him. With a kiss to the top of my head he steadies me in his arms. “Once the guys are here we can talk before we go. It’s not bad,” he makes sure to reiterate.
Cam and Julian walk into the room just in time to prevent any major meltdowns. “Come on. Come on.
Sit down. Samuel has a briefing.” I scoot behind them pushing them into the room until they sit on the bed.
The weird connection between Julian and Cam proved to bring them closer. Even though Julian didn’t know it was Cam’s dad he chose to save, and the guy turned out to be one bad dude in the end, the fact that Julian wasn’t the one to kill Jeffory meant something to Cam. It’s some backward nonsensical loyalty thing I don’t understand but they do. I guess in some twisted way they both lost the men who raised them, again both bad men, but fathers to them. Julian who turned on Chaz, and Cam who gave the order for us to finish Jeffory. They understand, so who am I to mess with their bromance? I’m still hoping to see them take it further one day soon.
This week has been a shitshow of sorting out who was involved and who wasn’t. Once they saw Chaz/Jeffory was dead, the thugs in the closet sang like canaries. The reformatory was an energy factory allowing the Supreme Witch Council—hell, the magical world—to be enchanted by Jeffory’s power. He recognized my hidden powers and the magnitude they would grow to one day and set out a plan to harness them. Little did he know he messed with the wrong woman. And men.
Samuel clears his throat, foot tapping a fast beat on the floor. “You listening, Pet?” I roll my eyes at him and move my hands in a carry on motion.
“As you know, the Warden was part of Jeffory's underground. He’s been banished.”
“Lucky it wasn’t worse,” I jump in, interrupting Samuel. “Didn’t they burn like twenty or so?” I ask, a shiver running down my spine at the thought.
Cam answers before Samuel can. “Yes, but we’d burn the universe before anyone touched you let alone came close to buring you.” He squeezes my hand. All the guys give what we call a mental hug—a burst of energy to reassure and express our love. I send it back to them all.
Julian scoops me up from behind pulling me into his lap on the bed. He kisses the back of my neck sneaking in tickles along my side. Laughing, I swat his hand away.
“Anyway.” Samuel draws our attention back to him, forever the professor despite how much he’s chilled this week. “I’ve been offered the Warden’s position.” He looks at each one of us. “I know it’s not expected but I think it’s worth talking about this week. I told them I wouldn’t even consider it if the three of you weren’t part of the deal. You can all design your own class and have free reign.” His eyebrows wag looking pointedly at me then Julian. “Within reason, that is.” We all laugh.
Laughter is still lilting my voice when I ask, “Will I have to call you Warden because that’s a hard pass.” I frown like I ate a bug.
Samuel gives me the special smile he reserves just for me. “No, Pet. I told them that was my other demand. I would take Headmaster but Warden was a hard no.”
Julian and Cam share a knowing look. “We have a whole week to eat, sleep, drink, bond, make love, and decide our future, why are we talking about this here and not in Samuel’s big bed after we’ve drained every ounce of pleasure in our beautiful queens body?” Cam points out.
Julian moves his hands around me to my stomach pulling me flush against him and showing Cam and Samuel more of my front. “Why not have a pre-trip warm up? Who wants a taste?” My men move to me quickly, showing me an example of how I am the luckiest witch to ever have every one of her sinful desires granted.
The End
A year later…
Dear Ana,
I was so happy to get your letter. It’s weird communicating this way after having our insta connection for so long but I’ll take it over wondering any day.
I’m happy you and your family are doing well. I can’t wait until we all get to meet. I think it’s time. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that we’ve found each other again but I’m glad we went through what we did because we needed the journeys we had. You have found happily ever after with Liza and Mik and I found mine with Samuel, Julian, and Cam.
It’s taken us this whole past year but the reformatory is almost recovered from before. Samuel is doing a fine job running the place. Though I think he’s crazy letting Julian and me teach anyone. Cam, I can see, but the two of us misfits are going to be a handful. At least he knows what to expect.
I’ve decided to try the thing I told you about the last time we talked. I’m nervous but the guys are fully on board and we’ll leave in a week. I’ll always be a bit rebellious at heart but if I can use my powers for good and hunt down bad guys I’m ready to play. Once everything is finalized I’ll make sure you know when we’re leaving and of course the minute we’re back. Who knows, it might become just the thing to tame my wild heart.
Write me back and let me know how you are. Missing you always.
Your forever sinful sister,
Izzy
About the Author
I’m a momma of boys—even the dog and beardie are boys. I include my husband (my very own it's never too late for a HEA), because, you know, some days… but I digress. I’ve always loved books, but I fell in love with writing in Kindergarten when my teacher had a fancy lamination machine (I won't say what year it was but When Doves Cry was the Billboard #1), and we got to write and make our very own book. I came home from school with a huge smile telling my momma I was going to make even more books one day, and as they say, the rest is history. Shortly after that, I became a southern transplant, and I refuse to live where it gets too cold ever again.
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