After all, she was dying.
She tried to close her eyes but found them already closed.
Maybe if she just slipped away, it wouldn’t hurt anymore. It wasn’t like her to give up, but having her heart clawed out by a dragon pretty much gave her leeway not to have to fight anymore.
“You said her name is Faith?”
That voice. She liked that voice. Who was that, and why could she hear only him?
Yes, her name was Faith. Odd because she’d never had faith in anyone, let alone herself.
Something warm slid into her chest again, and she tried to frown. What was that?
It didn’t matter.
She was dead.
And she hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye.
Or ask who that man with the blue eyes was.
Funny how he would be her last thought.
Whatever it was that controlled Faith pulled her out of reliving that nightmare, and she found herself once again floating in the abyss that was her mind. Or was it the afterlife? She didn’t know anymore. She didn’t know how much time had passed or even if time passed where she was. When she was alive, she hadn’t truly thought about the afterlife and what would happen when she died. It was always something that was far off in the distance that she’d told herself to worry about later. She had way too much to deal with in her own life to fret about what would happen when it all ended.
Then, of course, the world had gone to shit, and she found out the things that went bump in the night were real, and she truly had no idea what would happen when she died.
A few years before the battle that took her life, she and six of her best friends had been sitting at their favorite bar when lightning struck inside the building. Each of them had been struck but believed themselves relatively unharmed. Some big bad Conclave of supernaturals had done it, or at least some of them. And they’d wanted to use her and her friends as an experiment or something, but that was out of her control. Each of them would eventually turn into whatever paranormal had the most hold on their DNA. Only they had to have sex with their mate—or mates in some cases—to transform.
Yeah, Faith had decided that she’d have to find another way to unlock her DNA because there was no way she’d want to mate with a man who thought he would have control over her.
Men lied.
Men left.
Men hurt.
Maybe if she’d been something other than human, she wouldn’t have died, but as it was, she was dead and lost.
She really hoped this wasn’t the end because it hurt to be dead. It shouldn’t hurt, but at least she could feel that. At least that’s what she told herself.
Her thoughts went on a loop again, over and over, where she’d either be contemplating what was going on in her brain, or she’d relive how she’d gotten there in the first place.
Maybe this was her hell.
But Balin had lived in the demon realm for most of his life, and that was called hell too. Wherever she was, it didn’t look or feel like what Balin and his mates had described.
Maybe everything was wrong, and Faith had no idea where she was.
That, sadly, felt like the right answer.
Something tugged on her chest, or at least where she thought her chest was since she was this floating mass of…something.
What was that?
She strained, trying to figure out what was going on and why she felt something tugging on her. Why couldn’t everything just leave her alone so she could be dead in peace?
It tugged on her again, and she gasped at the pain.
Holy hell, she felt that. Oh, she might have thought she’d been feeling some things before, but now she truly felt it.
And it hurt.
It tugged at her again, and her mind felt as though someone had slammed her body into a wall. In fact, it was as if something was pulling at her chest and she was hitting the ceiling and unable to move any farther than that. Her mind twitched, the pain excruciating.
She clawed at the ceiling or whatever barrier held her in place. Maybe this was it. Maybe she was on her way to heaven or hell or whatever was next in her afterlife.
Liquid fire swept over her body, and she screamed, trying to dampen the pain, only she couldn’t.
She closed her eyes, scratching at her skin and the barrier that kept her encased.
“Faith!”
She knew that voice. She’d heard it once before.
The moment she’d died.
“Faith, you need to wake up. Open your eyes, darling.”
Darling? Who the hell would be calling her darling?”
She pried her eyes open and winced at the light. “I’m not your darling,” she rasped out, her voice sounding like she’d swallowed rocks.
Someone was holding her against their chest and had a hand on her face. She blinked again, trying to focus on anything but the blinding light.
Vivid blue eyes stared down at her, and she sucked in a breath.
“You,” she gasped. “Why are you here? Why am I here?” She spoke quickly and ended up coughing.
The man frowned then lowered her. She sank onto the bed she could now see and glared.
“You need water.”
“No shit,” she tried to say, but her throat hurt too much to speak. She knew she shouldn’t be such a bitch, but she didn’t know this man, and for all she knew, she was his prisoner.
Perhaps he was her hell.
He held a glass to her mouth, and she tried to gulp the water down, but choked.
“Slowly, dar—Faith.” He winced and shook his head. “Sorry. You need to drink slowly, and then I’ll explain.”
She ignored him, her attention on the glorious water soothing her throat. It felt as if she’d been stranded in a desert for years, and this was her first chance to quench her thirst.
When she finished the last drop, her stomach ached a bit, but that pain told her she might be alive. At least that’s what she hoped.
“I don’t know if I should give you more water until you’re fully healed.”
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice a little smoother. “Where am I? What happened?”
The man with the gorgeous eyes sighed. “I’m Levi. You died on the battlefield, Faith, and I brought you back the only way I knew how.”
She blinked. Well, that was blunt, but still it didn’t tell her anything. “Why did you do that? And how did you do that?”
He reached for her hand and seemed to think better of it. Good, because she wasn’t the touchy-feely type.
“I’m a wizard and…well, I’m your mate.”
She tried to sit up but couldn’t. “Excuse me?” She couldn’t have heard right. And that still, didn’t answer her question. The image of the thread filled her mind, and an aching feeling slid through her. What was that thread? She’d felt it earlier when something had pulled her up through her haze, but she wasn’t sure what it was. One end connected deep inside her…but where was the other end? “How did you save my life, Levi?”
Levi met her gaze, a mixture of sadness and hope in his eyes. “I created a mating bond between us. That’s how I saved your life. You’re my mate, Faith. In truth and in bonds.”
Oh, hell no.
Hell. No.
There was no way what he was saying was right. This man, this wizard, was not her mate, and she did not have a mating bond.
Something inside her pulsed, and she pushed it away.
She’d refuse it. She’d do something. Because she was Faith Sanders. Human, photographer, independent, and not mated.
She would never rely on a man. Especially a man who had forced a mating bond on her.
She’d rather be dead.
Again.
Chapter Two
Levi Hughes knew shit was going to hit the fan once Faith woke up, but he didn’t think it would be this bad. He hadn’t expected the screaming or throwing of pillows, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. He had done the unthinkable. Thankfully, he hadn’t l
eft anything sharp around her and he’d taken the water glass away. That would have hurt if she threw it at him.
It wasn’t as though he truly knew who his mate was in the first place. His mate. Hell, he’d had a year to get over that word, and he wasn’t used to saying it—wasn’t used to thinking it. He hadn’t even spoken to her before he bound her to his soul forever. It had been the only way to save her life, and so far, he didn’t regret it.
However, she’d been awake for about three minutes, so he really couldn’t be sure.
She blinked up at him with those dark blue eyes of hers, and he had to keep his breathing in check. Even after a year of being in a magically induced coma, she still looked stunning. Her high cheekbones and porcelain skin begged for his touch. Her raven-black hair had grown in the past year so it reached over her shoulders, rather than the blunt bob he’d first seen her with. It was odd how magic worked. While she was in the coma, her body healing from the damage caused by the dragon’s claw, she hadn’t needed food or water, and nothing else had truly changed about her other than her hair—and her newly healed skin.
When the attack happened, he’d had only a split second to make a decision. She’d been lying on the ground with her friends surrounding her, her body ripped open and bleeding. She was close to dying, and he knew she might have already lost that fragile hold on her soul. Because he was a wizard of royal blood, he’d been able to save her using his magic. It was through the sheer strength of his magic and the will of the woman in front of him that she’d lived.
Of course, he’d had to force a mating bond on her.
That was something he wasn’t sure she’d forgive him for.
Wasn’t sure she’d forgive her friends for.
The day of reckoning had arrived, and now Levi had to deal with the consequences of his actions.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Faith snapped then coughed again.
He quickly held out another glass of water, hoping she wouldn’t use the glass as a weapon, and watched her gulp it down. “I’m not kidding you, Faith,” he said simply. He was a man of reason, a man of lineage. He wasn’t going to fight with the woman in front of him, but they had a lot to discuss.
“I’m not your mate, Levi.”
His name coming from her lips did an odd thing to his chest, but he ignored it. He’d ignored most feelings, and anything else that would set him off his path, for so long it should have been easy. For some reason right then, it wasn’t.
This didn’t bode well.
Levi was a hard man, a wizard of the Conclave—the secret working body of leadership and decision-making—who had to make the tough decisions when no one else did. There were only two people in the world he softened for, and Faith was not one of them. Once she was fully mobile and able to live her life again, she might not ever need to see him again. He held back a wince at that. Just because they were true halves—fated mates who could complete each other’s souls—didn’t mean they had to act on it. From what he’d heard of Faith and her friends—the other lightning-struck victims—there might be one time they’d have to face the music, but he’d rather not think about that right now. Instead, he’d focus on Faith’s health and ensure she could survive on her own.
He’d already taken her choice away once; he wouldn’t do it again.
It was why, until that moment, he hadn’t set foot in her room. When he’d healed her as best he could, Faith’s friends took her to Amara’s inn. Well, it wasn’t technically her inn, but an abandoned home where Amara, Faith’s friend, had once worked. The rooms were empty and on neutral ground within the human realm, so they thought it best to keep Faith there. Amara and the others had taken care of Faith, and Levi never moved past her door. He hadn’t wanted to make her feel as though he was encroaching. It didn’t make sense that he would even feel that way considering she was unconscious the whole time, but he hadn’t wanted to hurt her or take away anything that she couldn’t control on her own.
He’d burst through the doors only when he heard her stir. Amara was out at her new job since the inn was closed down, and she had left Faith in his keeping. Who could have known that she would choose that time to wake up? According to her friends, those Levi had gotten to know better, this sounded like Faith. The woman did what she wanted, when she wanted.
Now, she was awake and staring at him as though he’d gone crazy.
Considering he hadn’t spoken in a couple minutes, he didn’t blame her.
He needed to make sure she was okay, wait for Amara to return, then get the hell out of there so he could get a rein on his thoughts and whatever feelings were running though his chest.
“Levi, are you there?”
He shook his head then winced, nodding. He wasn’t an idiot, but he was damn sure acting like one. “We’re mates, Faith, but we can talk about what that all means once you’re out of bed and your mind is where it should be after losing so much time.”
She narrowed her eyes, her hands fisting in the comforter at her sides. “What do you mean time? How long was I asleep?”
Levi cursed and ran a hand over his head. He wished Amara or the others were there. They’d handle this better than he could. They actually knew the woman rather than being intrinsically tied to her with a bond that could never break.
“The damage was bad, Faith,” he began.
She paled a bit then rolled her shoulders back. He admired the way she faced what was coming, rather than breaking. He’d heard that about her, but seeing it was a whole different matter.
“I remember the fight and the dragon,” she said, her voice holding more strength than he’d thought she’d have in her. “I relived it. A lot.” She blinked quickly as if holding back tears, and it took everything in his power not to reach out to her.
He cleared his throat. “When you fell, I ran to you.” He met her gaze, trying not to fail at this. This mattered more than he thought possible. “I’d seen you across the field before that and well…” He sighed.
“I remember,” she whispered.
He almost smiled, but she glared at him.
“That doesn’t mean I understand it,” she snapped, and he didn’t blame her. Mating was sacred, intimate, and he’d forced it on her. To save her life, yes, but it didn’t negate the harm he’d caused.
“I saw you then, and I knew, but we were in battle, and it wasn’t the time to think about it. Then you fell, and I didn’t have time to think about what I needed to do.” He reached out for her hand then pulled back at the look on her face. Awkward didn’t even begin to describe the feeling just then. “Because of the magic in my veins and the possibility of a bond between us, I was able to save you. But the damage was so severe, it took a while for your body to catch up to the connection I made.” He let out a breath. “It’s been a year, Faith. You’ve been in a coma for a year.”
She looked as if the wind had been knocked out of her, and she blinked rapidly once again. “A year?” she gasped. “I lost a year?”
“I’m so sorry, Faith. I know it doesn’t mean much from a man you don’t know, but I’m sorry you lost so much time.”
Time that meant little to the world of supernaturals, but Faith was still human. She wouldn’t, according to how the other women had reacted, become a paranormal creature until after she had sex with her mate.
And from the look on her face, that wouldn’t be happening. Ever.
He would ignore the loss and focus on the woman in front of him before he had to focus on other matters in his life, the ones he’d been forced to put on the back burner while waiting for her to wake up.
“I…I can’t think right now.” She looked up at him, her eyes so lost he wasn’t sure he could help her. He was a fixer; that’s what he did. He’d tried to do it with his family, the Conclave, and so many others, but right then, he was helpless.
“Faith? Oh, my God, Faith, you’re awake!”
Levi turned to see Amara. The auburn-haired woman had done the brunt of the work to ensure Fai
th’s comfort during the year. She dropped her purse on the floor at her feet then ran into the room, tears streaming down her face.
Amara embraced Faith, and the two hugged as though they hadn’t seen each other in ages. That would be right though, now that he thought about it. He sighed and slowly backed out of the room. He didn’t like running away from a situation, but he didn’t think he had another choice in this case. Faith wasn’t ready to speak with him, and now that she was awake, Levi wasn’t sure what he was going to do anyway. Matings and true halves weren’t supposed to be this way. He’d gone about it all wrong, and now, he had to figure out what the next step would be.
The women didn’t seem to notice his exit, and he buried whatever pang he felt at that thought. The woman who was permanently connected to him didn’t even know him, and he couldn’t fault her for never wanting to see him again.
It didn’t make his future easy though.
Considering his past, he wasn’t sure why he thought it would be easy in the first place.
Knowing what he had to do next, he waved his arm in front of him and created a portal to the wizard realm. Not every creature could do that, not even every wizard, but Levi wasn’t an ordinary wizard.
He stepped through the swirling vortex, which didn’t disrupt the hallway around it, and landed on the other side. The portal closed behind him with a snap, the displacement pushing a slight breeze through his hair.
He took in a deep breath, the crisp air of the wizard realm burning his lungs. He’d been back and forth between the two realms almost daily for the past year, as well as going to the Conclave, which was in a realm in and of itself. His bones ached from the traveling, and he was only slightly over four hundred years old, a mere young man in wizard terms.
However, he didn’t see an end in sight to the moving around. He was still a Conclave member and had to help rule because it was his duty. When he’d joined his best friend, Tristan, a fae who hung out with wizards and other paranormals, he’d done it because it had been the only way to ensure his family’s safety.
When one joined the Conclave, they were required to leave their old lives behind for up to a century depending on the type of paranormal creature they were. Levi had made the tough choice to do just that, knowing he’d make the sacrifice for the good of his people.
Fierce Enchantment Page 2
