Fierce Enchantment

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “So you’re saying now that this mystically beautiful fate bullshit has picked out my dream man, everything will work with sparkles and unicorns farting out rainbows?”

  Amara coughed then sipped her water. “You have a way with words, my friend.”

  “What? You don’t think I’m right? Look at the other girls. They’re so…happy. It’s all this insta-mating thing. I just don’t get it. I don’t want it.”

  That last part might have been a lie, but Faith didn’t want to examine it too closely.

  Amara sighed then leaned back on the couch. “Honey, it’s not easy. You know that. It wasn’t easy for all of them. Forget the fact that every single time one of our friends finds their mate or mates and falls in love the world seems to try to kill them.”

  Faith winced. “True. Though shouldn’t that be a sign?” Faith didn’t even want to think about the fact that if she did mate with Levi, in truth, the wizards might not want her. Not to mention the whole idea that Faith would be a paranormal herself, and she’d have to deal with that whole realm as well. It would be better for her to end up alone or with some poor human man who wouldn’t try to rule her life.

  The angel on her shoulder gave a sigh while the devil rolled its eyes.

  These two seriously weren’t helping.

  “No, honey. That’s not a sign. That’s prejudice and world domination. Totally not related to mating.”

  Faith blinked slowly. “You say that like it’s normal. Since when did we become people who casually discuss world domination?”

  “Since a blue-and-black-winged angel walked into Lily’s life and fell in love with her.”

  “True. Remember when he showed us his wings?” Faith asked, trying to avoid the subject at hand.

  “Yes. You kind of wanted to kill him, I think because you were trying to protect Lily. But that’s neither here nor there. Tell me why you invited me over to talk. Honey, I know you probably didn’t want to bother the other girls who are mated, even though they wouldn’t have cared. They love you. And if you didn’t want Eliana over, that means you wanted a cool head to balance out the fire inside you. So talk.”

  Faith wiped her hands and tried to gather her thoughts. “I don’t know what to do about Levi.”

  “I get that. We all get that. No one has been in your position before, and I get that you’re angry with us.” Amara’s eyes filled with tears, and Faith felt like a bitch. “I’m so sorry we didn’t give you a choice.”

  “You weren’t on the field, Amara. You didn’t make the decision.”

  “No, but I would have made the same one, and you know that. All of us would have done anything to save your life. And I was the one who watched over you the most since you were at the inn. I was the one who watched Levi stand outside your door and try to hold himself back from watching over you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He didn’t go inside, Faith, not until the morning you woke up, I think. Anyway, he told me he’d already taken advantage of your vulnerability once, and he didn’t want to do it again.”

  Damn it. That wizard understood her, even before he knew her. She’d file that away like the rest of it. He’d told her that, too, and she’d pushed it away. Much like she was doing now.

  “Be that as it may, I’m bonded to a man I’m just getting to know, but that doesn’t mean when I know him, I’ll want him. Or maybe I don’t have a choice now. Maybe the bond will hide any flaws and force me to love him and like him as I would have in the first place. How can I trust my own feelings and thoughts when I don’t trust the foreign thread inside of me? Plus, if we do eventually have sex, I’ll be a paranormal creature—if I turn out like the other girls. Then who knows what will happen? What if he hates what I turn into? What if I don’t like it? What if I turn into something horrible, and it takes over my body, and I end up on the world domination kick like the people who tried to kill our friends? You see what this is doing to me? I’m turning crazy!”

  Amara leaned forward and slapped her.

  Hard.

  “Bitch!” Faith reached to slap her friend back, but Amara glared. Faith lowered her hand, her other hand on her face, trying to soothe the sting. “What the fuck, Amara?”

  “Feel better?” Amara asked. Faith flipped her off. “Fuck you too, friend. What? Did you think by asking me over you’d get the cool and collected one who would listen to you rant yourself in circles and not try to help? Sorry, honey, but none of us are like that. We might not be as loud as you or Eliana, but all of us will help our friends, no matter what.”

  “You hit me,” Faith whined, though her face didn’t hurt anymore.

  “And I’m not sorry about it.” Amara cringed. “Okay, so I’m sorry I hurt you, but not that I slapped you.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “We’re friends. We don’t have to make sense.”

  “Now you sound like we’re in a romantic comedy. And you know how I hate those.”

  “True. I hate them, too, because it always starts with a big misunderstanding that could have been cleared up with one conversation. Okay, so now tell me, what’s the big misunderstanding with Levi?”

  Faith sighed. “He has kids.”

  Amara blinked and looked around. “And you don’t have the tequila out?”

  Faith threw her head back and laughed, some of the tension of the day leaving her shoulders. “I love you, Amara,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

  “I love you too. Now tell me what happened. None of us knew he had kids. Or if someone did, they didn’t mention it to me. It’s kind of a big thing, so you’d think they’d tell me. Or Levi would have.”

  Faith explained to Amara what had happened after she’d left the bar and where Levi had taken her. Then she explained about the ex and his kids, watching her friend’s eyes widen.

  “Well, when you find a mate, you find the one with the most issues.”

  Faith scowled then ticked off her fingers. “Dante almost started a war. Ambrose almost started a war. Balin was almost forced to take souls to live and almost started a war. Shade, again, almost started a war. How does Levi have the most issues?”

  Amara held up her pointer finger. “Because Levi doesn’t almost have an ex-wife and kids. He has them.”

  “You and your word logic. You sound like Jamie.”

  Amara smiled. “Well, that’s a nice thing to say since Jamie is so freaking smart and has the vocabulary of a literary scholar. But you’re straying from the point.”

  “I told you why he didn’t mention them to me, and I totally understand. I do. But…”

  “But it’s scary and you don’t want to deal with it.”

  Faith let out a breath. “And that makes me a bitch for even thinking that. Because it’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I don’t know if I’m ready.”

  “Honey, you’re Faith. You’re ready for anything.”

  “Am I? I wasn’t ready for this, and I’m fucking it up by thinking too hard. I’m not the one who thinks, remember? I’m the one who jumps into action, but instead of that, I’m holding myself back and trying to find a way out of a situation that I might not even want out of in the first place.”

  Amara smiled and nodded. “Truer words. Stop thinking so hard, honey. Yes, Levi is your mate. You can’t change that. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to fall headfirst in love with him like you’re afraid of. The bond usually happens after you fall in love. But Jamie had to bond with Ambrose and Balin before she did. In fact, I’m pretty sure all of our friends did that.”

  “You’re just making my point for me.”

  Amara shook her head. “No. I’m not. They fell in love and made a future with each other because they wanted to. Get to know Levi, get to know his kids, get to know yourself with them. You’re so fucking strong, Faith. You’re not going to lose yourself if you want him. And from what I know of Levi, he’s not going to let you.”

  Faith gripped her friend’s hand but didn’t
say anything.

  “As for the paranormal thing, we just don’t know, but all that matters is that we will stand beside you, no matter what happens. Just breathe and stop freaking out. You can do this, Faith. You can find out who you are with Levi or, if you need to, find out who you are without him.”

  “I…I don’t know what to do.” Faith closed her eyes, hating the way her voice sounded.

  “Do you want Levi?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you not want Levi?”

  Faith opened her eyes. “I don’t not want Levi. And is there a reason we’re talking in this ridiculous code?”

  “Shush. Now breathe and know that anything you do is because you want to do it. You’re Faith.”

  “That’s not helping.”

  Amara threw up her hands and started cleaning up their dinner mess. Faith tried to help, but Amara slapped her hands away. Seriously, this woman was getting violent. Which was strange considering what Amara had grown up with.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, Faith. This is something you need to do on your own because I can’t make the decision for you. But think about this for a minute. Are you going to push him away because you don’t want him or because you feel like you don’t have a choice to be with him to begin with? If it’s the latter, then maybe you should rethink it. Maybe you should see who this man is. See if you could actually be happy with him. Because if you can? Faith, honey, it could be wonderful, and you deserve wonderful.”

  Faith blinked rapidly, afraid her tears would fall. She clung to Amara, forcing the woman to set aside the rest of the boxes.

  “I love you, Amara.”

  “Love you too, Faithee-poo.”

  “Call me that again, and I’ll cut you with Mr. Pointy, my favorite knife.”

  “You’d think you could come up with a better name for your favorite knife.”

  “I tried to call him Fred, but he didn’t seem like a Fred.”

  Amara laughed then shook her head. “You’re a nut.”

  “True, but I fit in with the rest of you.”

  She hugged Amara again, knowing this was what she needed. Someone who understood. Faith didn’t know what she’d do next, but she knew it would be her decision. If she wanted to be with Levi, then she would. If she wanted to fight the attraction and the deep need she felt for him, then she would.

  That’s who she was, and the rest of the world would just have to get used to it.

  Chapter Eight

  Lynn paced her living room, the bottom of her ball gown swishing around her sky-high heels. She was late for the ball, but she didn’t care. There were more important things going on at the moment.

  Namely Levi and that human whore.

  It wasn’t that Lynn was a jealous shrew of an ex-wife. God forbid she should become that type of woman.

  She wasn’t jealous of this…Faith.

  No, what she was feeling was more of a burning anger that this woman had thrown herself into the middle of Lynn’s plans.

  Lynn had spent her life ensuring that she’d come out on top. She’d gone to the best schools, pursued the best magic, and married the best man.

  The prince of her realm.

  And then the Conclave had fucked her over. They’d required Levi at their side so she’d allowed the divorce to happen so she wouldn’t lose what ground she’d gained within the marriage. If she’d fought the divorce, he could have taken the children, and they were her leverage. He also could have taken her money and any connections she’d cultivated within the realm that would eventually lead her to more power. Her daughters were princesses and, with them, she had a connection to the throne and all that came with it. If she’d fought the divorce, he’d have taken them and her chance with him.

  She’d never loved him, but she loved the power she’d gotten through him. She’d made sure she had the children soon after marriage so she would have that leverage in case Levi ever thought of leaving her.

  When Levi came back, surprising them all since she thought for sure the Conclave would kill him for doing so, she’d done her best not to jump on him. Not that she truly wanted him, but she wanted to resume her place by his side.

  She liked being a princess. And one day she would love being queen.

  Now she’d been stripped of her title and was forced to raise her little brats on her own. She didn’t want them; she wanted their titles. Levi was back and, of course, wanted custody. She wouldn’t allow that, because she’d lose what little contact she had with the man. Her plan over the past year was to make him fall for her. He hadn’t fallen for her before, and she knew that. They hadn’t been a love match, but a political move. But in order to catch him and keep him, she knew she’d have to have him fall in love with her.

  Then the fucking man had brought that fucking whore into her realm.

  It didn’t matter.

  The human was defenseless.

  She’d kill this Faith and then go about her plan to be with Levi. Or at least have him at her beck and call so she could use their daughters to bask in the glow of power she deserved.

  It wasn’t as if Faith meant anything to Levi. It wasn’t as if she was his mate. She was just a distraction until Levi came back to Lynn.

  Lynn would win and become royalty once again. Because there was nothing worse than finding oneself at the bottom after being on top.

  Faith would have to be removed from the situation, and then Lynn’s plans would finally come to pass.

  There was no other option.

  Chapter Nine

  Levi rubbed his temples, trying to force his headache to go away. Of course, now that he wasn’t in Lynn’s presence, it would be easy. He could already feel some of the tension in his shoulders fading. That damn woman was determined to keep him on edge—and not the sweet, sweet edge Faith kept him on.

  He’d dropped off the girls at Lynn’s place and was forced to listen to her sickly sweet taunts and then her screeching when she didn’t get what she wanted. He knew Lynn was up to something. He just had no idea what it was. The woman had a conniving streak—though he hadn’t known it until after he’d said his vows.

  God knew how he stayed married to her for as long as he had.

  Now, he was in front of Faith’s place and ready to see her again so they could figure out this tricky path they were on. While part of him wanted to take things slow and let her find her way, another part of him wanted to slam her against the wall and fuck her until they were both panting on the floor.

  He cleared his throat and adjusted his pants so he didn’t end up with zipper marks on his cock. With Faith, he wasn’t sure which one she’d prefer at the moment, but he had a feeling he’d have to wait on the slamming-against-walls thing. She probably wouldn’t appreciate it considering they’d literally just met.

  Okay, not just. It had been three weeks since he’d shown her around the wizard realm, and they’d spent at least a few minutes—and most days many more—with one another. They hadn’t kissed or even talked about the future of their relationship. They’d just…been. He’d actually enjoyed it. He liked learning who this new woman in his life was, and he wanted to know more. She was just so…unpredictable. So unlike himself that he wanted to see how she would fit against him and in his life.

  “So, are you going to just stand out there and confuse the neighbors, or were you going to knock on the door?”

  Faith stood in the open doorway, leaning against the doorframe. Her arms were crossed over her chest and one eyebrow was raised. However, it wasn’t the snark that worried him. No, it was the dark circles under her eyes and the fact that, though she tried to hide it, he knew her arms were shaking.

  He stepped closer, one arm out. She didn’t pull away, but leaned toward him so he could hold her against his chest.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, running his hands over her hair and back. She just sighed, burrowing her face into his chest. Okay, something was really wrong.

  She let him lead her ba
ck into her home and closed the door behind them, waving his hand in front of it to ensure the wards were closed as well. The day after he’d left her to go to the Conclave, he came back and added the wards, and taught her how to use them, even if she was mundane—as in non-magical. Faith was anything but truly mundane when it came to her personality. The fact that it was her house allowed her to enter and leave when she pleased, as well as verbally allow others into her home. Anyone who tried to get in without permission from her or Levi was in for a rude surprise.

  “Talk to me, Faith,” he whispered then pulled her back so he could cup her face. She blinked up at him, pain in her eyes.

  “I don’t feel so good.” She shuddered before she let out a breath. She rolled her shoulders back then met his gaze. “Well, I didn’t, but now I feel a little better. I don’t really understand it. Maybe I have a cold or something?”

  He felt the strain on their mating bond—the mating bond he’d forced rather than allowed to come the natural way. It might have been the only way to save her life at the time, but now he had a feeling it was the root of her problems.

  This wasn’t going to end well.

  He brushed his thumb along her cheekbone. “I don’t think it’s a cold, Faith.”

  “Then what is it? Because if it’s what I think it is, then I’m going to get angry because that wasn’t supposed to happen to me. Not when everything happened out of order.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then led Faith to the couch. When she sat down, her body rigid, he wanted to shout at the gods—or rather the former members of the Conclave—for putting them in this situation.

  “I think the bond is hurting you, Faith.” He cursed at the betrayal in her eyes. “I’m not saying I’m hurting you. I’m saying that the way we bonded might have kept you alive when it was needed, but now that the bond isn’t”—he searched for the right word—“fully realized, it’s reacting in a similar fashion as it did with your friends.”