The Magic of Discovery: Emerald Lakes Book One

by Britt Andrews

  The sound of glass shattering had the three of us freezing and looking to the window in the kitchen. A thick ivy vine had broken the glass and was continuing to grow at an unnatural rate, wrapping itself around any and every surface it could find.

  “Saige,” Bette breathed.

  I exploded from the house, Kai hot on my heels. She’s okay, I tried to tell myself. She has to be. But my brain wasn’t functioning correctly; something was wrong, and I wasn’t there to protect my woman. Fuck. I snarled and sprinted through the grass that was up to my knees. Everything was overgrown and wild, greens and a spectrum of bright colors bleeding into my periphery, but all I knew was that this wasn’t normal, and I couldn’t see my little witch.

  Darkness flashed beside me, along with a deep growl. Bagheera. Good, the big cat would be able to sniff her out, and he’d lead me right to her. A blip of white darted past me with another growl, this one much softer. Maven.

  Lightning lit up the sky with every step I took. “Saige!” I roared, needing to hear that she was alright. Please.

  Bagheera and Maven disappeared into the wild growth while I followed, stomping through the damn foliage. Vaguely registering the voices of my brothers calling out that everyone was alright, I changed my direction. My heart didn’t calm at their declarations though; I needed to see for myself, take her in my arms and feel her heartbeat pounding in her chest.

  Pushing through a wall of pines, I froze. Her back was to me, Kai’s arms wrapped around her. Red hair whipped through the wind that was picking up, matching my erratic pulse.

  “Little witch,” I rasped.

  Seeing her big green eyes and flushed cheeks did something to me. I never wanted to see that look on her beautiful face again. Her dress was filthy, and dirt was covering up to her elbows, as well as smeared across her forehead. Tears welled in her eyes as I closed the distance between us.

  “Cam,” she sobbed, collapsing against my chest.

  “Baby, are you hurt? I’m so sorry,” I grumbled against her neck. The intensity of my feelings for her hit me like a freight train, and the thought of losing her had a crack of thunder exploding from the heavens so loud Maven started snarling.

  “I’m not hurt, Daddy,” she whispered in my ear. “I’m okay. Just... freaked out and exhausted.”

  Scooping her up into my arms, she protested, but I narrowed my eyes as more lightning crackled, illuminating our faces. She didn’t argue when I turned from the others and stomped through the gardens, not giving a fuck what I was crushing under my boots. The paths were completely hidden from view, so it wasn’t like I could’ve taken more care.

  Bette was standing on the back patio, her coppery head barely peeking over the tips of the grass. Relief flooded her face, and her body deflated, adrenaline no doubt draining away. I nodded toward the door, signaling I was carrying Saige directly inside. Sloane and Fischer materialized out of the jungle behind me, Fish wrapping an arm around Bette and guiding her to follow us. I assumed Kai was probably getting some clothes out of his backpack in the mudroom before joining us. Even Maven, the little grump, was on high alert, his hackles raised as he patrolled through the house, ears flicking with every sound he detected.

  “You can put me down, Cam.”

  “I’ll put you down when I’m good and fucking ready. Living room in here?” I nodded to the entryway that was off of the kitchen, and she confirmed. Scowling, I carried her into the room and sat down at the end of a large navy blue sectional, positioning her in my lap so that my arms could wrap around her waist. She pulled my head against her shoulder, as if sensing I needed the connection, and began running her fingers through my hair.

  Kai darted into the room, eyes wild before they landed on our girl. Sometimes it took him a few minutes to shake off Bagheera’s energy after a quick shift between forms. It definitely hadn’t helped that even though we had Saige, she didn’t look her best. Not wasting a moment, he lifted her feet and dropped down right beside me, his hands running up and down her legs while tense growls slipped through his lips.

  Once everyone was seated, Kai couldn’t hold it in any longer. “What the hell happened?”

  “Red got a power boost somehow,” Sloane recounted. “I asked her to fix some dead plants and the next thing we knew she was in la la land, completely zoned out and dropping a metric fuck ton of magic into the earth. She didn’t respond to us, and it wasn’t until I yanked her back, physically severing the connection with the dirt, that she snapped out of it.” I studied his face while we listened. His mask of not giving a shit was in place, but his eyes told a different story. He was flustered, and Sloane Sullivan didn’t do flustered.

  “How do you feel, child?” The older witch sat in a chair and rocked back and forth, drawing everyone’s attention, like she was going to pull out a bedtime story and read to all of us crazy kids.

  Before my little witch could respond, a huge yawn broke free, earning a chuckle from Fischer.

  “Like I ran a marathon after being awake for twenty-four hours. My whole body aches,” Saige confessed, sighing.

  “Let me make you some tea, Sprout. It’ll help with the muscles and lure you to a peaceful sleep. You should rest,” Kai told her, but the last part of that was more of a message to everyone; now was not the time to push. With one last look of warning, he stood and prowled out of the room.

  “Perhaps I shouldn’t do any magic for a while, just until we see what happens over the next week or so. The rush, it felt... addictive. I’ve never felt more powerful in my life, and honestly? It scared me. Who knows what I’m capable of, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to anyone because I can’t control myself,” Saige sniffed, her sadness seeping from her body into my own.

  Bette’s gaze softened on her granddaughter. “Perhaps that is for the best, child. This won’t last forever, and we’ll figure it out, together. Your men are intelligent, and the knowledge from their training will prove incredibly useful. Plus, I don’t think the big man is going to let you out of his sight.”

  Slipping back into the room on silent feet, Kai pressed the mug of tea into Saige’s hands before reclaiming his seat underneath her legs. A small contented sigh escaped her as she sipped the calming brew, her body growing pliant in my hold.

  “I do believe I will take my leave now,” Bette announced, having taken in the desperate looks we’d all focused on our girl.

  “Let me make sure you get to your place without trouble?” Fischer offered, but she waved him off.

  “There’s nothing out there that my magic can’t handle, boy. Stay here where you’re needed. It was a pleasure to meet everyone. I have no doubt we’ll be seeing more of each other now. You’re all welcome to help as much as you’d like; we need all hands on deck,” she told us as she approached Saige, holding her hand when she got close enough. “Call me if you need anything.”

  My little witch squeezed her grandmother’s hand and nodded. “I will, Gran. Goodnight.”

  The rest of the guys called out goodnights and farewells, and I think I grumbled some sort of noise, but I couldn’t do much of anything at the moment besides squeeze Saige and run my nose up and down her neck.

  “Boss, how about we get her upstairs so she can shower and relax?” Kai questioned, but it was more of a statement seeing as how he was already rising from the couch.

  “That sounds great,” my little witch mumbled around another yawn.

  Sloane and Fischer hopped up, eager to help wherever they’d be needed. Good guys, the both of them.

  “Whatever you did out there was next level, Red. I’ll continue doing some digging and see if I can find anything that relates to the signatures I saw in your magic. Fischer, see what you can find in the magical archives database tomorrow. There’s got to be something that we’re missing,” Sloane grumbled. He never could stand not knowing all of the facts. At least he was being more cordial to her, so that was a win. She must have really impressed him out there, but that wasn’t surprising to me in the lea
st because I’d known she’d win him over, just like she’d done with the rest of us.

  “Let’s get you to bed, Sprout.” Kai bent down and lifted her into his arms, and I had to fight the urge to clamp my arms around her and refuse to let him take her. She wasn’t only mine, and satisfaction thrummed through my veins at the thought of all of us protecting her. It was enough to finally return my heart to a normal rhythm.

  Fish stepped up to them, running a hand down her mud-speckled cheek. Leaning in, he kissed her gently and whispered something in her ear that in turn produced a sleepy smile on her face. When Fischer stepped back, Saige’s eyes searched the room, and I was about to step forward to see what she needed, but then her body relaxed. Curious, I followed her line of sight, shocked that she was staring at Sloane. His blue eyes studied her face in return, his features softening. Realization crept down my spine, my eyes flicking between Sloane and Saige. Holy shit.

  “Oh, fuck it,” Sloane huffed, dropping his arms and closing the small distance. I swore on Jupiter’s cock my mouth fell open when he grabbed the back of her head and crashed his lips against hers. This was no gentle kiss like she’d just received; oh no, he was devouring her. Lifting my gaze up to Kai, shock was evident from his raised eyebrows and widened eyes. Guess he didn’t know about this new development either.

  A movement to my right pulled my attention, and I caught Fish adjusting his obvious hard on while he watched them kiss. Well, he wasn’t shocked in the fuckin’ least. Guess there was more going on out in the gardens than magic. Sloane broke away, winking before letting us know he was heading back to the apartment. Fischer followed him out of the room after his own farewells

  “Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch, Sprout. That was like, the fourth hottest thing I’ve ever seen. When did that happen? Damn, I love plot twists. Totally did not see that one coming.”

  They were already heading up the stairs, Saige laughing at his antics before she paused. The creaking steps silenced, and I was about to charge up there to see what the hell was going on when her smooth, sweet voice carried to me.

  “Cam?”

  I swallowed. “Yeah, baby?”

  “Are you coming up? I, uh... need you tonight.” Her vulnerability was clear as day, but did she really think I would leave her alone, especially after earlier’s shit show?

  “Be right there, little witch. I’ll clean up down here, and then I’ll be up. K will help you get ready for bed.”

  A moment later, the sound of them climbing the stairs resumed, and I quickly made my way to the kitchen to make sure everything was put away. We’d done most of the cleanup duty while she’d been out with Sloane and Fish, but when I walked into the kitchen, a pair of blue eyes narrowed. Maven was sitting beside his empty bowl, so I gave him a couple of scoops of food and freshened up his water bowl.

  Pulling out the trash can and a small handheld broom, I swept the glass that had fallen from the cracked window. The damn vine had stopped growing, but it was wound tightly around the curtain rod, so I decided to leave that to the older green witch to deal with in the morning. What a weird fucking day.

  The raw power that Saige had blasted through the landscape was astounding. I mean, my brothers and I were all powerful, thanks to years of training and honing our affinities, but Saige had no such training, and when we used our magic, it didn’t own us. Being in control of your abilities was crucial in the field. The thought of any one of us losing that hold was sobering; the results would be devastating. Leaning over the kitchen island, my thick golden hair fell forward, and I took a deep breath. We were no closer to getting any leads on Laura, but I had a feeling that she would somehow be connected to what was happening. A sleepy town didn’t go from predictable and tranquil to chaotic and wicked overnight. Not knowing who all the players were in this game had me growling low in my throat. Fuck!

  The little witch had infiltrated my mind, body, and heart. When I wasn’t with her, I was thinking about her, wondering if she was smiling or how I could ensure that she would be. There had never been a shortage of women for myself and my brothers, but it was a cold day in hell if I ever slept with one more than once. Being constantly on the move contributed, I mean, fucking of course it did. Nikki, the one official girlfriend that I’d ever had, was responsible for her share of my emotional damage too. She’d cheated on me after claiming I was incapable of letting my walls down to let her in. When she’d first brought that up, I remember feeling blindsided. I’d opened myself up more with her than any other person aside from my crew. To hear that wasn’t enough, when it had been so painstakingly difficult for me to tear down the barriers that locked my heart safely inside my chest, felt like getting kicked right in the dick.

  Throwing rock salt into the wound, she’d sought out another mage’s cock to ride while still hounding me about showing her more, being more, giving more. And fuck if I didn’t try. When the cheating bitch was exposed, every little crumble and stone that had come down went right back where they belonged, and I mentally solidified that bitch in cement and mortar.

  So when my little witch showed up with sticks of dynamite and started demolishing that wall around my heart, and I let her, I knew she was different, I knew she was mine.

  The fear I’d felt earlier at the prospect of her being hurt... Christ, I’d barely registered the trek through the yard, all of the grass and plants brushing against my legs causing me to push harder, the invisible tether that bound my soul to hers pulling me along like a fish on a line. I knew then, I’d never give her up, I couldn’t.

  Standing up, I stretched and pulled my hair up into a knot on the top of my head. Sounds of movement from upstairs put my feet into motion, and I drifted through the house like an apparition finally being called to the light. That light being a curvy, strong, and bratty goddess, and I wanted nothing more than to bask in her brightness, hoping that it might purge some of the darkness hidden inside me so that I could be worthy of her.

  Pushing open her bedroom door, my eyes landed on Kai’s. His tall body looked ridiculous on the hot pink loveseat in the corner. The sound of running water had me assuming our girl was still in the shower.

  “What in the fresh fuck was all of that? One minute, you’re getting grinded on by a mini Magic Mike-grandma, and the next, someone started playing gods damn Jumanji! And then Sloane is making out with our girl? My brain feels like someone reached inside my skull with spirit fingers and wiggled them around just enough to slightly fuck me up,” Kai blurted. When he was on a rant, it was really just best to let the man do his thing. Just as I was about to respond, the water in the bathroom shut off, and my brother and I froze, looking at each other.

  Shaking myself, I had to ask, “How is she?”

  Running a hand through his jet black hair, he sighed. “She’s tired, man. Took a lot of energy to raise a rainforest like that in North America. A shower will do her good, though. Either she’ll be a whole new witch with a second wind when she emerges, or she’s going to pass out within minutes. Guess we’ll see.”

  And see, we did.

  The bathroom door flew open, and a towel-wrapped Saige strutted into the room, steam billowing out of the open doorway. She was a sight to see, damp hair, not an ounce of makeup on her perfect face, her radiant skin glowing faintly.

  “Oh good, you’re both here. Thank you guys so much for everything,” she said over her shoulder while digging around in her dresser for a moment before tossing a pair of panties on the bed behind her. “That was some weird shit earlier, huh?”

  “Huh?” I mocked, not believing the lightness in her voice.

  Kai stood and walked over to stand beside me. “Yeah, Cam, pretty weird shit, huh?” He raised both eyebrows at me, his signature shocked look almost shaking loose a laugh. Saige shot us both a look over her shoulder and smiled.

  “Well, what else am I supposed to do? Cry about it? Not much I can do, is there? So I’ve decided I’m not going to let it get me down. Super strong magic or not, I’m still just
me.”

  Stubborn as fuck was what she still was. The image of her bent over my knee flashed behind my eyes, and I tried to shut that shit down. She needs to rest.

  “What do you want to do, Sprout? Do you want us to go downstairs so you can get some sleep? We could watch a movie if you don’t feel like sleeping?” Kai proposed, moving toward her and placing his hands on her shoulders. Her head fell back in order to peer up at him, damp hair dangling nearly down to the curve of her delectable ass.

  She’s sex on legs. Mother of the moon, sink this boner before I come across like a total fuck. Her palms ran up Kai’s chest, and I watched the grin on his face grow. Aw, shit.

  “Yeah, I don’t think I feel like watching a movie. And sleeping right now...” She actually pretended to think before she continued. “I’m too amped up, Kai. It’s like I got a second wind after the adrenaline crash wore off. I’d likely just flop around the bed for hours,” she whined, not looking away from his face.

  “Sounds like our girl has a real problem, Boss. Do you have any suggestions on how we could possibly help her burn this excess adrenaline and energy?” he questioned, but his eyes stayed locked on the little brat in his arms.

  We shouldn’t indulge her; that was what my brain was telling me. My dick, on the other hand, he had several ideas. Yep, my dick was going to win.

  Prowling across the room, I pressed myself up against my little witch’s back and enjoyed the way her breathing hitched as my cock made itself known. Meeting my eyes above her head, Kai gave me a lopsided grin, and I nodded.

  Gathering her hair in my hand, I exposed her neck before dropping a kiss right behind her ear. “What do you think, baby? Should we show Kai how we like to play? Maybe he should make sure you’re wet enough for us.” Tugging on the towel, it dropped to our feet.

  “I think you’re both overdressed for the occasion,” she sassed, popping one of her hips out. Not being able to see her face, I could only imagine the look she was giving Kai, especially when he chuckled darkly and lifted his shirt up over his head.