When Sparks Fly (Netherworld Series Book 3)

by Olivia Hutchinson

  He sucked the juice off the tip of his finger and Maggie shivered. “Nope,” he said. “The only problems we’ve ever heard about have been local. As far as I know every other fae community is tolerant of shifters and vice versa, but they’re probably not really living on top of each other like we are either like we are with the Péine fae.”

  “Oh. I didn’t realize.”

  He handed the plate to her. “Eat what you want, and I’ll finish it,” he said.

  She nodded before picking up a chunk of flesh and popping it in her mouth. It was delicious, and she was ravenous at this point. “So, there are still problems with the Péine fae then? I know there was when I was younger. My dad always told me to go west, never east, when I was out here.”

  Jonah frowned as he wiped his pocket knife clean. “I don’t know if you ever met Jimmy Schram?”

  Jimmy. The name was familiar, and it took her a few moments to place it. “Did he work at the diner?”

  “Yes,” he said with a nod. “Travis and I pulled his body out of the woods a few weeks ago.”

  Her eyes wide, she stopped eating. “Did they kill him?”

  “Yes.”

  Maggie gave him the plate back, with more than half the fish remaining. She suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. “What does this mean for Heidi?”

  He swallowed a bite of the fish before responding. “It’s unlikely the fae are interested in anyone that isn’t a shifter,” he said, his voice soft.

  Maggie let out a shaky breath and gave a slow nod. “And what about you? And me?”

  Jonah frowned. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you if that’s what you’re worried about. Do you think I can’t take care of you?”

  She shook her head. “That’s not it- “

  “I don’t want you to worry. We’re here to find Heidi and we won’t leave these woods without finding her. Which reminds me of something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Did you father ever mention the dragons out here?”

  “Dragons? No.”

  Jonah shook his head. “He may not have realized they’d settled out this way. Do you remember the cave when we were children? The boy and the man?”

  “Yes. You’re telling me that they’re dragons?” Oh, shit. She’d been lucky to make it out of there if they thought she was human.

  He nodded. “Yes, they were dragons. The boy… well, not a boy anymore. His name is Liam and he doesn’t live far from here. I’m going to head over there in the morning to see if he’s seen Heidi.”

  “You have a good relationship with him?”

  “Yes. We’re friends…well, as close to friends as you can be with a dragon. They tend to want to be left alone.”

  Even if Jonah and Liam were buddy-buddy, she didn’t like the thought of going to a dragon’s lair. “Do you think he would’ve seen Heidi?”

  Jonah shrugged. “There’s always a chance. He tends to know more about these woods sometimes than I do. I guess it’s the birds-eye-view,” he said with a chuckle. “Anyway, I still wouldn’t be comfortable taking you with me.”

  She could feel the relief wash over her. “Yeah, I’m good with that. I’ll stay right here and wait for you.”

  His chest shook with suppressed laughter. “I didn’t think you’d mind. I figure I’ll head out at first light. It shouldn’t take me long. You have your shotgun and the flare if you need to use them. I can be back here pretty quick.”

  “I trust you.”

  She knew it was a mistake as soon as she said those three little words left her mouth. His eyes narrowed, his pupils dilated, and he set the plate down next to him.

  “Do you?”

  “I… yes,” she said.

  His penetrating gaze met hers and wouldn’t let go. She could feel that what had been a casual conversation was gone. Her breathing hitched, and she wrapped her arms over her abdomen and forced herself to break the connection and stare at the flames.

  She didn’t need to start feeling like this again. He was going to pull her right back in and she’d leave with a trampled heart, and she just couldn’t handle that. Again. Her mind was racing with all the reasons why she was still angry with him, even the hypothetical ones.

  Years. It had taken her years to get over him and what he did to her. She’d given herself to him, completely, and he’d taken off like it was no big thing. She’d trusted him, and he’d burned her as soon as he’d gotten into her pants. Now she found herself in the same situation. Trusting him. And then what was going to happen? He’d suck her in and spit her back out and it would take another decade to get past it if she ever could.

  Find Heidi and go.

  “I’ve missed you, Maggie,” he said, his voice cutting into her thoughts.

  It was the wrong thing for him to say at precisely the wrong time to say it.

  “Missed me?” She dropped her arms and rose to her feet. “Missed me? If you missed me so much, then why did you leave to begin with? Why leave with no ‘goodbye’ or even a ‘thanks, that was fun’?”

  She paced in front of the fire, barely noticing when he stood. The feeling of abandonment, of being used…it all washed over her. Suffocated her.

  “What did you father tell you?” he asked, his voice annoyingly calm.

  “That you told him that you didn’t want to get serious with me. You were only having fun.”

  Maggie stopped in her tracks when an anguished cry tore from his lips. “That was the best he could come up with?”

  Anger rose in her throat. “You’re telling me that’s not what happened?”

  “Fuck no!” The force of his voice had her taking a step back. His handsome face was furrowed, angry. But oddly, it didn’t feel directed at her. “That’s nothing close to what happened.”

  His chest was heaving. After taking a slow, deep breath herself, she asked, “Then what did happen exactly?”

  Maggie got the impression he was trying to calm himself down as well when he looked off into the trees before meeting her eyes and responding, “He said you didn’t know about shifters. That you wouldn’t understand and that I would frighten you.”

  She shook her head, not sure whether to believe him or her father. “You’re saying my dad lied?”

  “Right through his teeth.”

  Her mind was racing. Her father had never lied to her before and yet…yet, what Jonah said now made sense. He hadn’t even realized she knew he was a shifter until earlier that day.

  Maybe her father wanted to keep Jonah away from her. It’s not like it would’ve been the first time her dad had even chased him away either. There was the time when they were kids that her dad had chased Jonah off. He didn’t want Jonah around her, even then.

  But why? It was something she couldn’t understand.

  Jonah was staring at her, waiting for her to piece things together, or so it felt. The anger was gone from his face and he stood before her almost vulnerable.

  “What had you told him about us?” She needed to know.

  “I told him I loved you. I told him…I told him I wanted to be your mate.” His voice was soft, his eyes never leaving hers as he spoke.

  The revelation made her stomach drop and she felt sick. All the heartache she’d experienced after he’d left had been for no real reason whatsoever except for the fact her father – her loving, albeit overprotective father – had lied to her. He’d lied to both.

  She didn’t know if this was something she could swallow. Having a discussion with her father would have to happen eventually, but right now? Right now, she didn’t want to think about it, couldn’t think about it without becoming enraged.

  “I never knew,” she whispered, unsure of where this left them now.

  His shoulders fell. “It’s the truth.”

  Maggie shook her head and stepped away from the fire. “I’m going to go lay down. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow and I have a lot to think about.”

  She turned away
from him then and went into the small tent, zipping it behind her.

  Jonah shook his head. He’d realized earlier that Duncan had lied to him, but his lie hadn’t just hurt him, it had hurt Maggie. He didn’t know if he could forgive her father for that. He’d taken years from them. Anger fueled inside him, but he squashed it. There was a time and a place to deal with her father, but this was neither of those things.

  He blew out a long breath and started cleaning up their dinner. He made quick work of burying the fish carcass lest they attracted actual bears and cleaned the plate up in the river before storing it back in his pack.

  Jonah knew he’d have to go in that tent eventually to face her, but he wasn’t rushing. He knew Maggie needed her space and time to digest what he’d told her. Hell, he needed some time to absorb everything he’d also learned that day. Years he’d spent wondering about her, thinking about where she was, what she was doing. All of that was for naught. He could’ve had her the entire time.

  Kicking dirt onto the fire to extinguish it, he gazed up at the sky. Morning would come soon enough and then they’d find Heidi. He doubted they’d spend another night in the woods between them and the other two small search parties. They’d find the girl and then she’d want to go back to Cantor.

  Everything he’d told her father years ago was still real. He still loved her, still wanted to mate her. Jonah hadn’t missed the look on her face when he told her what he’d said to her father. Her mouth had parted, she’d licked those luscious red lips, and her eyes had widened. It wasn’t fear, it was desire. Unrelenting want.

  He’d be damned if he let her leave again.

  Maggie didn’t cry. It would be pointless, but it didn’t stop her from being upset. She was waring about what to do with her father all the while thinking about Jonah. He’d loved her and wanted to mate her.

  At one time.

  She wanted to scream. What about now? Did she even want to pursue something again? Does he? Apparently, she wasn’t the only one hurt by what her father had done.

  And back around she came to being angry with her father. He’d always sheltered her, protected her, but this? This was different. He’d messed with her future, with her happiness, and had lied to her about it.

  Then there was all the worry she felt for Heidi.

  Sleep would not come quickly, and she guessed she’d be up most of the night with racing thoughts. She shivered inside her sleeping bag. Part of her wished Jonah would just hurry up and come to bed so she could suck up his body heat.

  A mental kick and she was back to thinking about him, then her father, then Heidi. Around and around it went, thoughts swirling around a drain.

  It seemed to be taking him forever and after a while, she stopped hearing him move around their little camp. She didn’t like his silence and only the sound of crickets greeting her ears. Climbing from her sleeping bag, she unzipped the tent to go investigate.

  “Careful,” she heard him say when she tripped out of the tent. He caught her arm and steadied her.

  She couldn’t see a damn thing. He’d extinguished the fire and the only light they had left was the moon, which didn’t do her much good. He probably had no issues seeing, but she was different. The only thing she could make out was the shadow on his face.

  “I was wondering if you were going to go to sleep?”

  He released her arm when she straightened and sighed. “I was going to in a few minutes.”

  “Oh.” She frowned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Shaking her head, she said, “Nothing. I just…”

  His palm cupped her upper arm. Heat radiated straight through her sweatshirt and her heartbeat picked up in her chest. “What?”

  “I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “I was worried when I didn’t hear you moving around.”

  “You were worried?” he asked with disbelief.

  “No,” she started. “Yes. I don’t know.” She didn’t know what she felt anymore. She was angry still. And tired. And stressed.

  “Maggie, I’m not going anywhere.” His voice was low, soothing. It didn’t soothe her, however. Instead, his statement just pissed her off.

  “Well, it’s not like you have a good track record with that,” she snapped.

  “That wasn’t my fault.”

  All the things that had been running through her mind as she had laid in the tent came pouring forth and she was helpless to stop it.

  “Yes, it was,” she yelled at him. “You should’ve come back to the cabin. You should’ve asked me. Trusted me enough to tell me what my father had said to you. Trusted me enough to know that you weren’t going to run me off. But no. You just left. You left me there, wondering what it was that I did. What did I do to run you off? I believed that you’d used me. I felt dirty, it felt wrong. I loved you and you ruined everything by not trusting me!”

  There was a pregnable silence before she heard him say, “Maggie…”

  The sound of her name on his lips just spurred her on. “And then I compounded issues by not just chasing you down and demanding to know why. I should’ve. I should’ve gone to your parents and demanded an apology. Demanded answers.”

  Her lip was quivering and if she didn’t get a grip on herself, she’d end up sobbing all over him.

  “Maggie,” he started, now gripped both of her arms and holding her there, almost as if he was scared she would run from him. “Maggie, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was wrong. I was wrong. I was young and naïve, and I honestly believed I was doing what was best for you. You deserved better than me and what I could offer you. You still do.”

  Tears started down her face and she pulled back, bracing her hands on his hard chest, but he didn’t let her go. “You big moron,” she sobbed. “I never wanted anyone except you. Eight years I spent trying… trying to move on after only spending a few days with you. No one was ever able to stir that…that feeling up inside of me like you do. I hate you for it.”

  “Hate-?” She heard the wound she’d caused in his voice and it about broke her.

  “No, no, no,” she stammered, shaking her head, her hair slapping her face. “I hate the way I feel because I love you so much. Too much. Fuck!”

  10

  Maggie’s voice was filled with raw emotion and it tore at Jonah. He couldn’t stand the pain he’d caused her. The years of torment over one stupid, stupid mistake. He was furious with Duncan, but she was right. It was his fault. He shouldn’t have walked away. She was worth fighting for. She still was.

  He couldn’t stand seeing tears in her eyes. Couldn’t stand to know that she was upset because of something he’d done. Before she could push away from him again, he swept his arm around her waist and jerked her against his chest. She grasped her shoulders to steady herself and he seized that opportunity to lift her from the ground, holding her against him firmly with one arm.

  “No more of this,” he whispered, wiping the tears from her face.

  Her arms wrapped around his neck and she clung to him, but she nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Maggie. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I gave up so easily. I should’ve fought for us…for you.”

  “It’s over now,” she whispered, leaning her cheek into his hand.

  He shook his head. “No. No, it’s not over. It’ll never be over.”

  Jonah dropped his hand from her face and gripped her bottom, pulling her up and tighter against him. Maggie wrapped her legs around his middle, holding onto him. His fingers dug into the soft flesh through the thick sweatpants and he groaned, wanting to feel her skin.

  She moved against him subtly, but he couldn’t help his response. He could smell the salt of her tears, the mud from the river, and her own feminine scent that threatened his senses. Blood pounded through his veins and his dick ground against her. His mouth replaced where his hand had been on her cheek, kissing away her pain.

  He felt her body relax against him, felt her open to him. She turned her mouth, searching for his, and they met
in a clash of passion that threatened to ignite. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and he jerked her harder to his chest. He couldn’t get close enough to her. It wasn’t enough.

  He sucked at her lip, but she didn’t want the tender play. She nipped his bottom lip before pulling it into her own mouth and licking, sucking where her teeth had been. Her tongue met his and they danced that wicked dance that left him needing more.

  Jonah pulled away from her mouth, slowing them. Maggie was panting, her cheeks flushed. “Maggie…here’s your out. If we don’t stop now, I’m not going to.”

  “I don’t want to stop.” She latched onto his mouth again, nails raking his shoulder through the cotton shirt he wore.

  Jesus, he’d come in his pants if he didn’t gain some sort of control over the situation. Maggie was clinging to him; her heat seared his cock through layers of clothing. She was trembling, needy, and he longed to bury himself inside her. To lose himself inside her warmth and sink his teeth into her shoulder while she cried her pleasure. She was his.

  He managed to untangle her hold and placed her on her feet. She frowned and gripped his sides. “Get in the tent, woman, before I fuck you in the dirt.”

  She scurried through the opening and he was right behind her, zipping it up after them. When he looked, she was crawling away from him. He snatched her ankle and pulled. Landing on her stomach with an oomph, he dragged her to him and grabbed her other leg to roll her onto her back.

  “You don’t need this,” he muttered, snagging the socks from her feet before reaching for the waist of the sweatpants.

  Panties and sweatpants dragged over her thighs, exposing her sex, and his mouth watered. He already knew how good she tasted. He threw the clothes to the side and spread her legs wide to get his fill.

  Maggie pulled the sweatshirt over her head, her breasts jiggling as they were freed from the confines of the fabric.

  “You’re beautiful,” he breathed as she lay before him, arms stretched out.

  The rapid rise and fall of her chest and her perfume that was wafting up around him made him growl. His slid his hands over the inside of her thighs to her apex, thumbs moving just outside of the moist folds. He didn’t miss her sharp intake of breath.