Fierce Enchantment

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  The woman let out a dry laugh and shook her head. She had a fierce look about her that told him she took no prisoners. He could learn to like her. In fact, she reminded him of his sister.

  “I’m Faith. This is Levi. Thank you for saving us.”

  Levi. He knew that name. Seth snapped his fingers. “You’re the newer Conclave member. Right?”

  The wizard narrowed his eyes and pulled Faith behind him. The pixie rolled her eyes then stood by his side. He liked this woman.

  “How did you know that?”

  “My sister is a member. Calypso?”

  Levi smiled then. “I know her. She’s an ally. I wasn’t aware she spoke of Conclave members outside the walls.”

  Seth shrugged. “She’s my big sister and makes sure I know what I’m getting into when I’m out on my patrols.”

  Faith let out a small laugh. “You sound like you have her on your back often.”

  “I’m only thirty-five, so I’m still pretty young compared to the rest of my school.”

  “Either way, thank you for saving our lives,” Levi said, his voice low. “We are in your debt.”

  Seth shook his head. “It’s what you would have done.”

  “But not what everyone would have done,” Faith said softly. “So take the debt and know that we’ll do what we can to help.” She smiled ruefully. “Though Levi might be better at helping if you have something magical. I’m pretty new at this thing.”

  Seth’s eyes widened. “You’re one of the lightning-struck. Welcome to the fold then, Faith.”

  Faith grimaced. “At least you’re welcoming. That queen bitch tried to kill us, even if she said she was letting us go.”

  Seth shook his head, even as Levi spoke. “It’s not that she wanted to kill us. It’s that she wanted to see if you could make it.”

  “That sounds petty.”

  “Not really,” Seth said softly. “It’s the way of the pixies. They are cunning, mischievous, and love to play games.”

  “Great, just what I want to be,” Faith mumbled.

  Levi tucked her closer to his side and murmured into her ear so low Seth couldn’t hear it. From the way the woman blushed, though, he figured it was something just for the two of them and for…later.

  Faith cleared her throat. “So, um, Seth, we were going to have a couple friends over to eat, and they need to know what happened. I was also going to invite you as a way to say thanks but…” She looked over her shoulder at the mess the pixies must have made and sighed. “I think we’ll have to postpone.”

  “I’ll take care of the mess and the wards,” Levi said softly. “I’ll make them stronger.” A flash of anger passed over his eyes and made Seth pause.

  Faith must have seen it too. “What’s wrong?”

  “For them to get through the wards as quickly as they did, I’m afraid they might have had a wizard with them. Or at least had help from them in some way.”

  Seth cursed. “If you need help, I’m here. I’m a warrior and have some magic, but I’m no wizard.”

  Levi nodded. “Thank you, Seth. We’ll figure it out. I could use your help keeping an eye on things outside and ensuring my wards cover everything, if you can. Faith isn’t good at sensing magic yet.”

  “But I’m going to be standing right beside you as you work so I can learn.”

  “No better way.” Levi rolled his shoulders. “Let’s get to it.”

  Seth nodded then made his way outside. He had a feeling his life had changed. He didn’t know why, but he suspected things were about to get a little more exciting.

  It took over an hour for the wards to settle. To the humans, it would look as if nothing was going on, and Seth had cloaked himself so only those of magical blood would be able to see him. He didn’t want to attract any special attention for loitering.

  “Excuse me? Who are you, and why are you standing right outside my friend’s home?”

  Well, maybe he was wrong about the whole cloaking thing. Seth turned on his heel and sucked in a breath.

  A goddess.

  She was a fucking goddess.

  His.

  His to have.

  His to hold.

  His to mate.

  She blinked at him, her long red hair blowing in the wind.

  “Who. Are. You?” she repeated.

  It didn’t look as if she felt what he did, didn’t have the blinding shock of finding her one true half. Why was that? Maybe she just didn’t know. It didn’t matter though. He’d find out who she was and take her as his own.

  Because he’d just found his mate, and there was no way he’d let her out of his sight.

  ****

  Tristan Archer didn’t bother with knocking on the front door to Faith’s home. Levi had called him and told him to come early, and allowed him through the wards. His need to ensure his best friend was safe and sound outweighed any form of pleasantries. Considering this was his first time meeting Faith, however, he probably should have thought twice about that.

  “What the fuck?” a dark-haired pixie growled at him. “Who the hell are you, and why do you think you can just storm through my house? What the hell is going on with all of you? I need a fucking drink.”

  She stormed off, and Tristan fell in love with his best friend’s mate.

  Okay, not full in love, but enough that he knew she would have to be his best friend, too.

  “That would be Faith,” Levi said as he walked out from the kitchen area. Faith passed him, and he smacked her ass. She turned and hissed at him before heading into the kitchen.

  Tristan threw his head back and laughed, knowing the two of them were okay. Thank the gods.

  “Some welcome,” Tristan said, his voice warm, even though he was still on edge from hearing about Levi’s near miss.

  “You barged in here without knocking. You deal with it.” He pounded Tristan on the back then stepped away.

  “I’m used to your place where I can do just that without getting my balls handed to me.” He looked around the room, his gaze passing over a human and a merman before coming back to Levi. His body tingled for a moment, but he pushed it away. Weird. “Where are the girls? They safe?”

  Levi let out a breath. “They’re with Lynn,” he ground out. “So I guess they are as safe as ever.”

  Tristan growled as well. “You need to get them out of her house.”

  “The legalities are taking too long, but I’m not going to risk it. Lynn isn’t a good mother for them, and it took me too long to realize that.” He let out a breath. “If she hurts them in her plan to get me back, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “I won’t let that happen,” Tristan vowed.

  “I won’t either,” Faith said as she came back to Levi’s side, two drinks in hand. She handed one to Levi and took a sip of another. “I only had two hands, but I can show you where you can make your drink. First, let me introduce you to the other two people here. Oh, hi, by the way. I’m Faith.”

  He grinned. “I’m Tristan.” He turned his attention to the others in the room and had the breath knocked out of him.

  Holy hell.

  They were it.

  From the look on the male’s face, he was not alone in his need, his senses.

  He stared at the woman in the room, who merely raised a brow.

  “Okay, what the hell is it with the two of them staring at me? I know I’m human, but this is just getting rude.”

  His friend studied his face, then looked at the others in the room before shaking his head.

  Levi cursed under this breath and murmured, “You sure, Tristan?”

  “Yes,” he whispered. Gods, yes.

  Only she didn’t seem to know. Didn’t seem to care.

  His life had just changed and after nine hundred years of living without part of his soul, it seemed things had just gotten interesting.

  ****

  Amara Young figured there had to be a reason these two gorgeous men were staring at her, but for the life of her, she
couldn’t figure out why.

  Maybe they were just bored, and since Faith was taken, they figured Amara was fair game.

  Too bad she didn’t feel that spark or tug that the others said they felt when they found their mates and true halves. It seemed silly to venture out in the world and find a man to love when he wouldn’t be the perfect one for her soul—wouldn’t be the one to help unlock whatever seemed to be lying dormant in her DNA.

  It was really too bad that these two didn’t seem to be the ones for her.

  Ones.

  As in more than one.

  She held back a snort. She, for sure, wouldn’t be as lucky as Jamie or Nadie and find two mates. She couldn’t even find a job, let alone someone to love her and stand by her side until the end of her days.

  Levi started talking about what had happened in the pixie realm, and they were all making plans about what to do about it, but Amara couldn’t focus. She didn’t know why she was even there. She wasn’t part of their circle. Instead, she was once again on the outside looking in.

  She needed a new job, a new place, and a new reason to keep going because, right now, she felt as though she had nothing. No matter how hard she tried to fit in, she would never fit in fully. Even with Tristan and Seth staring at her as though they were trying to figure something out, she knew she’d never be with either of them. She was just a human without a mate, without a chance.

  Maybe it was time to move on, find a new life where she could figure out who she was, what she was. Because being part of Dante’s Circle wasn’t working for her.

  She closed her eyes and pushed that thought away. She needed to be there for Faith first. As soon as her friend was settled and safe, she’d leave. Leave it all and find a new path.

  Because no matter how hard she tried, she would never be one of them.

  Never.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It had occurred to Faith that the realm she had been thrust into might hate her. She never thought they’d try to hurt Levi in the process. For some reason, that above all else, made her rage.

  She fisted her hands and tried to keep her emotions in check. As it was, she’d spent the past hour learning to control her impulse to shift to pixie when she got angry, scared, upset, or too excited. Having her wings pop out at awkward times made her feel like a weakling newbie who needed to learn her steps. Add to that the fact that Levi told her she would one day be able to control blood vessels and diseases within her enemies and she felt as though everything was rapidly going out of control.

  Yet, even with her body changing and her emotions going haywire, the fact that she was thinking of Levi in all her future decisions made her pause. She’d gone into this relationship thinking that she’d always have an out, that she could leave him before he left her. But honestly, did she ever have a chance?

  She cared about him more than she ever thought possible. And that scared the crap out of her.

  Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. She sighed into Levi’s embrace and pushed her fears out of her head. If she lived in the moment and worried about more important things—like pixies who wanted her dead and a wizard family she hadn’t met yet—she’d be okay.

  “You’re thinking too hard,” Levi said softly.

  “I feel like I’m not thinking enough.” She turned in his arms and frowned. “I don’t know what to do about the pixies. If what the queen said was true, then the second-in-command, and any other pixie who wants my so-called place in the realm, will try to kill me. I didn’t ask for this, and now, I don’t know how to get out of it. And the fact that I just said I wanted to get out of it rather than facing it head-on and fighting back tells me I’m going crazy. I don’t run away from problems. I fight them and fix them until I can breathe again.”

  Levi crushed his mouth to hers. No warning. No preparation. She clung to him, her mind going fuzzy as she pressed her body to his. His taste burst on her tongue, and she moaned.

  When he pulled away, they both stood panting, smiles spreading over both their faces.

  “What was that for?” Faith asked, licking her lips.

  Levi tucked her hair behind her ear and shrugged. “I wanted to kiss you, and you were freaking out over things we can’t change.”

  “Then how can we change them?” She traced her fingers along his chest, unable to keep from touching him.

  He gripped her hand and brought it to his mouth before she could travel south and kissed each fingertip.

  “If you take down one, not by killing, but by showing your strength, you show the others that you’re not worth fighting. That is one way. Then, if you so desire, you stay away from it all, showing that you want nothing to do with the realm other than to say you are pixie. You will always have the human realm, your friends…me.” He sighed. “And I know you haven’t met the rest of the wizards who would open their arms for you, but you will. My parents aren’t going to push you away.” From the set of his jaw, she had a feeling he was hoping about that last part and not fully sure. It didn’t matter though. She knew that as long as she had Levi, she’d be okay.

  Again, that scared her but less now and less than it used to.

  Interesting.

  “Then how do I take out Veronica?”

  “If you can get close enough, use your knives. If you can’t, then use the power within you.”

  She cursed under her breath. “If I knew how to do that, then I wouldn’t be freaking out.”

  He cupped her face. “You can already feel the power in your chest. When you face her again—and I say when because I know she won’t stand back for long—you’ll feel that…tug in your chest.” He scrunched his face. “I’m not explaining this properly. All of our magic, no matter what paranormal we are, works from within. Whether it’s shifting to a dragon, using magic to create wards, or finding a blood vessel inside another person and bursting it. If you find the cord that connects you to that magic, you use it to your advantage.”

  “How can I practice then?”

  He grimaced. “I don’t know how with yours, Faith of mine. Yours is such a…unique magic that I don’t know how to show how you to use it without a…subject.”

  She sucked in a breath and shook her head. “There is no way I could do that to someone I liked. Frankly, I don’t even know if I could do it to someone I don’t like.”

  “You’ve fought for your life before, Faith. I have no doubt you’ll do it again. Just because you fight doesn’t make you a bad person. Do you believe me?”

  “Of course I do. It doesn’t mean I have to like it though.”

  Levi leaned down to kiss her and froze. “Well, fuck it all. It seems that you’ll have a chance to figure it out sooner rather than later.”

  Faith immediately unsheathed one of the blades on her hips. She might be walking around the human realm, but since she was in her home, there was no way she’d be without a weapon. Not again.

  “What is it?”

  “There’s someone outside the wards, and from the feel of it, it’s Veronica. Either the queen ordered her here or she’s ignoring orders and acting alone.” He tilted his head. “She’s alone. It seems that she couldn’t get her minions to come with her.”

  Faith growled. “Or the bitch just wants to make sure she gets all the glory. Well, fuck that. I’m not letting her win.”

  Levi kissed her again, sending sparks right down to her core. Hell, she couldn’t wait to get this man in bed again. But first, she had a little house cleaning to do. Oh, she was scared out of her mind, and more than just a little worried she wouldn’t be strong enough, but this was her home, her mate, and her life. She wasn’t about to stand back and let other people fight for her. Nor was she going to allow this bitch of a pixie to hunt her down all her life. This was going to have to end now—even if Faith had to go on instinct.

  Something smashed against the wards, and for the first time, Faith could actually feel it. It was as if someone had pressed against her skin, clinging like a scra
tchy blanket.

  “I felt that,” she said as she took Levi’s hand.

  Levi’s eyes brightened, even as they turned to that swirl of vivid blue and white she’d come to know as his magic. “Good. That means your own strength as a pixie is coming through. I tuned the wards to you, and eventually, you’ll be able to add your own layer. But one thing at a time.”

  “Yes, let’s kick some pixie ass.”

  Faith stepped through the back door and stood on her porch. Levi came up behind her, his body thrumming so hard with magic that Faith could practically taste it. Veronica stepped through the wards, a smirk on her face

  Stepped. Through.

  How the fuck had she done that? Levi, Tristan, and Seth had said that her wards were strong and no one would be able to get through them. No one unless they knew Levi’s magic so well that they could break through them with utter betrayal.

  “Fuck,” Levi muttered, and Faith wanted to kick something. Someone had betrayed her mate, and they would not be able to let that stand.

  “What do you want, Veronica?” Faith shouted, keeping one hand on her knife and the other open in case she actually figured out how to use her magic in the next five minutes. She wasn’t holding out hope for that, sadly.

  “What? No surprise? No screaming and fleeing? I’m kind of sad now.”

  “Get off my land. You’re not welcome here.” Faith knew the woman wouldn’t respond to reason, but she wasn’t about to make the first strike. However, the fact that Veronica was even on her land to begin with made Faith think that perhaps Veronica had been the one to strike first anyway.

  “Really? Because I think my queen already told you what would happen once people knew about you. You’re a threat to everything I’ve worked for throughout my life, so you can’t live. I’m sorry about that.” Veronica paused. “No, I’m not really sorry about that at all.”

  Levi took a step forward, and Veronica shook her head.

  “Tut-tut, little wizard. You know that she’s going to have to fight for herself if she’s going to do anything about her standing. If you fight for her, it will just reinforce the fact that she is nothing but a fucking dirty mongrel the Conclave should have wiped out when they had a chance. But no, she’s still here because you and that fucking dragon couldn’t seem to keep your pants zipped.”