The Magic of Discovery: Emerald Lakes Book One

by Britt Andrews

  “Let’s get inside and eat. We can discuss it further tonight after we leave. I just want to make sure that Sprout has a nice evening with her boyfriends and her gran,” Kai chuckled. Having finally snapped out of that growly shit, he carried the tray of steaks toward the sliding doors, a smile on his face. “That old witch is next level nuts. My only wish is to be the male version of her when I’m her age. In fact, I’m going to make it my personal mission.”

  Following K inside, we walked in to see Fish helping Red carry stuff to the table and Bette laying down the final place setting. Dropping down into a chair, I watched as Cam and Kai went to help gather up the rest of the food, Cam begging him not to become the male Gran. He’s already at least sixty-five percent on the gran scale. It’s too late to stop that train. Awareness prickled along the back of my neck, the sensation of being watched. I flicked my gaze over to the older Wildes witch and raised a brow. Beckoning me closer with a dramatic flick of her hand, I leaned in to see what fresh hell would come from her mouth this time.

  Whispering so that only I could hear, she said, “There’s darkness inside of you, child.”

  I scoffed, “Ya don’t say?”

  Her face remained serious, a no-nonsense set to her previously smiling face. “So tell me why, when you focus on Saige, does the turbulence in your eyes fade away? Why are you fighting against what you need?”

  “I’m not. I don’t know what you think you’ve seen, but I have everything I want,” I whispered harshly, not dropping eye contact. Why did that feel like a lie, though?

  “Need and want are two very different things, but it’s not only you who will suffer if you continue to lie to yourself. She needs you, too. Something is brewing, and you’re all supposed to be there with her. Get your head out of your ass,” she bit out. Pulling away from her, I slumped back against the chair.

  “Everything okay?” Looking up, Red was standing between us, taking in both of our faces, and I hadn’t even heard her approach. Damn it, Sloane. Keep your head in the game.

  “I was just getting to know Mr. Sullivan a little better, child. Let’s eat.”

  Slicing and dicing my steak, I silently listened while the guys asked questions about the visions and changes that she’d been experiencing, Red answering each one. When Cam demanded to know what security precautions were in place around her house, Gran explained everything in detail. Everyone seemed satisfied with her explanation, especially when she informed them that she’d given The Pig the same treatment.

  Remaining quiet through dinner, Bette’s words ran through my mind in a loop. Why did I feel so unsettled, like she’d seen a piece of me that I wasn’t comfortable sharing? Did I need Red? No, this was a fucking mission. I needed to keep my head and focus. Though it was good to know that her gran wouldn’t suspect a thing when I made moves on Red. I have to. I’m doing it for Cam. Now that Larson had granted permission for a personal assignment, that was my goal. It didn’t hurt that my career would also be getting a boost, but the difference was that now it wasn’t my main motivation.

  Once dinner was over, Bette addressed everyone. “Boys, it has been a lovely evening. I’m happy I finally got to meet the men who were exceptional enough to catch Saige’s attention. With everything going on, I think we all need to be diligent and aware at all times. Keep communication open so that nothing falls between the cracks. For now, let’s keep everything we discussed within this circle. The last thing we need is for this to leak to the town. It’ll be chaos, especially since most don’t know demons exist. How did you know about them, anyway?” She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms on the table.

  “We learned about demons in our schooling, ma’am,” Fish smoothly provided.

  “Trust us when we say we can, and will, do everything in our power to protect your granddaughter,” Cam promised, the sincerity in his tone causing my heart to skip a few beats. K and Fish were nodding in agreement. Lifting an arm, I ran my fingers through my hair until I felt eyes on me once more. Red was studying me from across the table, an indecipherable look on her face, like she was once again trying to figure me out but coming up short. The corner of my mouth lifted in a smirk, and I winked at her. She narrowed her eyes at me and brought her hand up to her face, propping her chin on her palm then tucking every finger down into her fist except the middle one.

  Without thought, a bark of laughter escaped me. Everyone looked at me to see what was so funny during such a serious conversation, and Red put her middle finger away, feigning innocence with a shrug when their gazes landed on her. Damn if that didn’t ignite some fire in my bones.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” I apologized, unfazed by Fischer’s stare that told me he knew I was full of shit.

  “How about you three help me clean this stuff up, and Sloane and Saige can go out to the gardens to see if he can figure out anything with her magic?” Gran suggested, and when my eyes snapped to hers, she feigned her innocence even more successfully than her granddaughter. She didn’t blink, but I could see the mischief dancing there. With agreement from the group and a pat on the back from Kai, my fate was sealed. Son of a bitch.

  “Oh, I don’t know if tha-” Red started, but I cut her off, rising out of my chair and glowering down at her until her face pinched at my expression. Shit, happy face, man, happy face.

  “Let’s do this, Red. Come on,” I ordered, spinning on my heel and walking away from the table toward the patio. A resigned sigh and the sound of a chair sliding across the floor reached my ears, and I grinned. So, she is capable of following commands. My dick perked up at that idea, the sick fuck.

  Trudging across the yard, Red didn’t ask me to wait up or slow down. She just ran up beside me, breathing a little heavier than normal.

  “For fuck’s sake, Sloane. I didn’t know we were racing,” she huffed.

  Tossing her a side eye, I didn’t respond, continuing at my fast pace until we reached the pathways that led into the gardens. There must’ve been over twenty different beds, and over half of them were being affected by whatever this demonic bullshit was.

  “Show me your magic. Make shit bloom or anything else you want to try. I’ll feel it out with my magic and see if I can detect anything. It’ll confirm whether it’s the grounds that are the problem, or if it’s... well, you.” I shrugged, not knowing another way to say it.

  “Why are you even helping me, Sloane? I know you don’t like me. And now probably less than you originally did since I started seeing Fischer...” She kept pace beside me as I stalked across the pea gravel paths that wove between the gardens. I had no idea where I was headed, but I didn’t want to stop moving.

  “Ah, so he told you about us?” I glanced down at her face, noticing it was beginning to turn a nice shade of crimson. Christ, I bet her ass lights up like a stop light after one solid slap.

  “Yes. He did. Are you okay with it? He told me you weren’t exclusive, but I still want to know that you’re comfortable,” she murmured, wringing her hands.

  Stopping suddenly, I spun her toward me and looked down at her. Why does she give a shit if I’m comfortable?

  “Red, if I weren’t okay with it, it wouldn’t be happening. We’re here for a job, a job I thought would’ve been done and over with by now.” Her face displayed shock at that statement, so I guessed the guys hadn’t emphasized the finite aspect of their relationships. “Yeah, it’s been just over a week, but I truly didn’t expect to be here for more than a few days. We’ve had some... issues with the real estate we were looking into,” I explained, sticking to our cover.

  “Well, okay then. The last thing I want is to cause any issues and make you dislike me even more. You four are so close, and I wish I had friends like that. Or family.”

  “Where are your parents?” I asked gently. She was the one who’d brought up family; she wouldn’t have done that had she not been willing to talk about it.

  She shrugged. “Who knows where my dad is, never met him and never will. I’m the produ
ct of a one night stand with way too much alcohol and too little common sense.”

  “And your mom?” I pushed softly.

  “Probably in some big city doing gods know what with her job. She’s a consultant for magical businesses. At least, that’s what I heard last.”

  “You don’t have a relationship with her then?”

  I kept my reactions to her words neutral, knowing this was the best chance I had at getting information on Laura without raising any suspicion. She’s the one who brought her up, not me. I’m just showing interest.

  Sighing, she looked out past my tall body, eyes trailing along the tree line that bordered the back of her property.

  “No. Not a good one, anyway. She pops up randomly, stays a couple of days. Says shitty things, and then she’s gone again. I don’t hear from her while she’s away, and that’s perfectly fine. She’s toxic. A black hole of negativity. Gran raised me, and she’s all the mom I need,” Saige elaborated.

  Nodding in understanding, I opened my mouth. “Sounds like you’re better off. If I’ve learned anything in my thirty years on this shit hole, it’s that family is what you make it. Cut out the blackened, energy sucking parts and fill the holes with the people who deserve to share your life. Blood doesn’t mean shit, Red.”

  Her right foot swept back and forth over the small rocks as she nearly whispered, “I really like them, Sloane.”

  The setting sun illuminated the red gold strands in her hair, calling to the fire god who lurked beneath my skin.

  “They really like you too, Red. And I don’t dislike you. Spoiler alert, I’m not the best with people.” I grinned, and she shook her head as a giggle slipped out of her plump red lips. My eyes dropped to the source of the sweet sound and then back to her eyes. Reaching out, I tucked a strand of her glittering hair behind her ear. She swallowed at my touch and shifted her weight to her other leg. Nervous, perhaps?

  “Why would I try to get involved with somebody when I didn’t expect to be here long-term? Seems like a lot of work to me, so yeah, I held back. I’m not blind. I see the way you care about my brothers and the way they look at you. I’m not a good guy, Red. My heart pumps blackness through these tainted veins. You’re too pure for me. I’d corrupt your sweet mind with a whisper of the wicked things I’d like to do to your sexy body.” I leaned down, dropping my mouth to her smooth neck, a whisper away from making contact, “I’d torment your bright soul with a single brush of my depraved lips against your ivory skin.”

  Her hands came up, and she pressed against my chest, her eyes wide. “I’m not some porcelain princess, Sloane. I’m not as good as you seem to think, and I’m willing to bet you aren’t as bad as you think, either. Sometimes we have to take a risk and let people in. It’s good to let someone see all the sides of yourself. I know what I see when I look at you,” she murmured, her grassy green eyes lost in my icy blues. It felt like this woman was stripping back my layers and seeing what my poor shriveled up soul looked like, and my heart sped up at the thought. I wanted to storm away from her, break this moment. I felt exposed, and the hairs on the back of my neck started tingling, but I couldn’t move, and I wanted to know what she saw.

  “What’s that, then?” I breathed, putting my hands on her hips, pulling her closer. What the fuck is going on?

  “I see a man who loves fiercely. Protects his brothers at all costs. I see a man who works hard to be the best he can be at his career. I see someone who is strong and dominating. I see a powerful mage who has more in common with me than he thinks, a man who I’d like to get to know. I also see the pain that flickers in your eyes from time to time. We all hurt sometimes, Sloane.”

  Trying to hide my reaction to her spot-on analysis of me, I brought my hand up to her chin and tilted her head up. I followed her gaze as she looked at my lips, running the tip of her tongue out over her full bottom lip.

  “I’m tired of hurting, Red.”

  Where in the hell did that come from? As much as I want it to be, that didn’t feel like a line.

  “I’m tired of being good,” she whispered, her arms wrapping around my neck. She pushed up onto her tiptoes and pressed her mouth against mine. It was soft and sweet, just like her. My head was spinning; this was not what I’d intended when we walked out here together. Confusion over what I was actually experiencing cycled through my body, and it was too much. She’s gorgeous. I knew that from the moment I first laid eyes on her. Right now, though, I felt vulnerable, like she was peering into my soul, seeing all my scars and deciding if I was still worth something. One kiss and I swore to the moon I heard a crack in my armor, the first one that anyone besides my brothers had ever caused.

  I pressed my lips against Sloane’s, sighing at the contact, and his body froze, not responding in the slightest. Maybe I’d misread the moment, but it had felt like we’d had a breakthrough. He’d been honest with me; there was no faking the way his eyes had flashed with hurt and then the confession of how exhausting it was. He’d stood before me, looking floored that someone had paid close enough attention to see what was really beneath the asshole persona that he executed perfectly.

  Feeling like an idiot, I pulled back and sheepishly looked up to see how pissed he was going to be. It seemed like such a contradiction that his eyes were so light blue they nearly glowed white, yet his affinity was red hot. Sloane studied my face, the wheels in his brain clearly at work. His stare was piercing and intense, and I felt warmth spreading from my chest, up my neck, and settling on my round cheeks. Dropping my eyes from his to stare at the ground, I yelped when my body was pulled flush against his seconds later. His hands were cupping my ass, the hard as steel evidence of his arousal pressing into my stomach.

  Gasping when he brought one of those hands up and tangled it in my hair, my gaze met his before he sharply pulled my head back. Shit, shit, shit, I cursed internally as the ice gave way to flames, oranges and reds flickering across his eyes, his power given life. Dark eyebrows furrowed, and a sharp exhale from his nose had my pulse racing when the heat of his breath hit my face.

  Opening my mouth, to say... what? I didn’t have a fucking clue. Anything to break the intensity, for fuck’s sake, I was both terrified and turned on.

  No sooner had my bottom lip parted from the top when he pounced with a growl. His tongue swept into my mouth, dominating mine, and my stomach bottomed out. His grip on my ass tightened as he pulled me against his erection, kissing me like he lived his life: silently commanding and not giving a fuck what anyone thought. My lips would be bruised, but surprisingly, the thought didn’t upset me. I was too far gone in the moment to think further on it.

  Sloane dragged his lips down my jaw, biting my neck and pulling a mewl from my throat.

  “Mmm, you sound like a little kitten when you make that sound, Red. Let’s see if I can get you to do it again,” he murmured against the fluttering pulse in my neck.

  Wetness flooded my core, and when his teeth sank into my skin a second time, I released a louder mewl than the first, earning a chuckle from him. I had never made a noise like that in my life, but I’d also never had Sloane Sullivan marking me up like I was his to claim.

  “I’ve had so many daydreams about this ass, kitten.” He squeezed sharply, and I groaned. Barely a second later, the sounds of gravel crunching underfoot had my pulse skyrocketing. We were about to be caught. Trying to pull back, I was firmly stopped by Sloane tightening his hold.

  “Don’t move. I want him to see,” he growled in my ear. Fisting a handful of my hair once again, he turned my head to where the sound was coming from.

  Fischer came to an abrupt halt when he saw us standing there, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. His gaze darted between our faces before dropping down to Sloane’s hand gripping my butt. Fish’s eyes darkened to pitch black, but he didn’t approach further.

  Sloane released a dark chuckle. “You see, kitten... when we play, he’s mine to command, and I’m his to please. That’s why he waits; he needs me to tell h
im what to do. I wonder, would he follow your orders the way he does mine? Or would he like to be the one to boss you around? So many choices...”

  Fish heard every word that dripped from Sloane’s seductive tone, the bulge in his jeans signifying that the pyro had told no lies. Fish got off on this, and I could see why. Fuck, I was pretty amped up myself.

  “Come here, pet.” Sloane smirked, and seconds later, Fischer materialized behind me, his hard cock pressed against my ass and the back of Sloane’s hand. He placed a feather soft kiss on my exposed shoulder, and I closed my eyes, taking my fingers and reaching back to sink them into his soft curly hair. Sloane still had a vise grip on my long tresses, turning my head in Fischer’s direction.

  “Kiss your witch, pet. She’s panting for it,” Sloane ordered, his voice taking on a domineering quality that had the both of us snapping to attention, the desire to obey him driving our actions.

  Fischer’s hand trailed up my arm, his fingertips dancing over my shoulder, before his hand spread over my throat as he leaned down and smashed his lips against mine. Gone was the unsure man from our date the other night, and in his place was a guy who was going to do everything in his power to make his lovers happy. He didn’t hesitate, nipping at my lips and licking my tongue. Fuck, he was talented with his tongue. My thighs clenched at the thoughts that it brought to the forefront of my lust-filled brain.

  Breaking the kiss, I searched Fischer’s eyes, needing to know that he was okay with this turn of events, not only the fact that he’d caught me making out with his… dom? But that he was okay with engaging in sexual stuff despite the fact that he’d said he’d wanted to wait. He must’ve seen the question in my gaze because he leaned down to whisper into my ear. “Don’t overthink it, sweetheart. Sharing you with him right now is everything.”