“I need time,” she pleaded.
The agony in her voice told him he needed to back off. He just wasn’t sure he had the willpower to leave her. Part of him believed if he gave up now, she’d be lost to him.
“If I leave you, I’d be giving up,” he admitted. Out of sight, out of mind. It would be too easy for her to mourn yet another relationship that ended poorly. He’d also be allowing another man to come and claim what belonged to him. “I can’t do that.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. This time, she didn’t bother to wipe them away. They were evidence of the misery he put her through.
Benedict moved away from the guards and embraced his mother. It touched his heart how much the son loved her. He prepared for the boy to turn and tell him to leave. He’d have no choice at that point.
“Mom, do you know that perfect moment right before you shift when the world seems to be in balance?” Alistair understood how the elements worked together. Its principles brought about elemental magic. “I believed you and Dad weren’t aligned. I’ve been looking for a girl who could offer me that. When I met Alistair, I saw how he’d balance your life.”
For the first time since leaving Magic, Alistair saw the light that would result in Elle giving him another chance. He’d be able to give the woman he loved the time she required, while still holding collateral that would guarantee she’d return to him. Her son paved the way.
“Benedict, your mother needs time to come to terms with her feelings,” Alistair began. “Why don’t you return to Magic with me and I’ll begin your training. You have the sight, but need to understand how to manipulate the elements.”
“You’re using my son as some kind of hostage?” Elle asked in disbelief.
That was exactly what he had in mind, but he wouldn’t admit it. “Benedict has a gift and has foolishly tried to use it without training. Before he hurts himself or someone else, he needs to act as an apprentice. I merely have offered my services.”
The boy’s face brightened with excitement. He’d backed Elle into a corner where she had no choice but to allow her son to accept his invitation. Unlike her younger son, Benedict wasn’t a minor.
Elle’s shoulders dropped. “Prue, can Benedict stay at your house and you supervise whatever training is planned?”
Alistair bit his lower lip to stop from smiling. Prue once again acted as a safety net. He could easily work around the other mage and maybe they’d find some center ground where they could develop a relationship other than as adversaries.
“I’ll be happy to,” Prue replied without sparing a glance in his direction.
Hope returned. He could see a future with Elle beside him. Earlier he’d warn her he’d use every tool at his disposal to win her heart. Using her son was the biggest gamble he could play. If he messed up, he’d lose her forever.
Chapter 16
Magic, New Mexico
Elle walked down the main commercial street in Magic with a single focus. She’d spent the last week brooding at home. Her protection had been lifted and Prue accompanied Alistair and Benedict back to New Mexico. No amount of shifting and galloping through the mountains took the edge off her anxiety.
During her daily calls with Benedict, she drank in everything he shared about Alistair. Her son had never showed enthusiasm about anything until his apprenticeship with the mage. Law had been his passion; magic had become his obsession. Not unlike her preoccupation with his instructor.
She’d originally came to Magic to confront Jeffrey’s mistress. Jade not only had an affair with her husband, but for some reason, she conspired to poison her relationship with Alistair. This time, she wouldn’t get sidetracked in getting the answers she sought.
Elle didn’t hesitate entering the store. She stormed through the front door, her eyes surveying her surroundings for Jade. Her heart raced when she spotted her target at the back of the shop. The store owner helped a client, but that wouldn’t deter her.
“We need to talk.” Elle used her most forceful voice, a tone she rarely used.
Jade glanced in her direction and dismissed her. “I’m helping a customer.”
“Are you sleeping with her husband also?” Her voice shook with emotion.
Rather than replying, Jade snapped her fingers and one of the sales associates took over helping the tourist select a dress. Jade opened the door to her office. She didn’t want a public audience to observed their discussion. Elle made it clear, she didn’t have any reservations about airing her dirty laundry in front of anyone who milled around.
Elle had reapplied her makeup before her driver picked her up at the airport. She didn’t want to look exhausted or defeated. If her relationship with Alistair proved anything, it showed Elle was an attractive shifter in the prime of her life. No longer the victim, she had the courage to finally confront the woman.
“What have I ever done to you that caused you to have a liaison with my husband and then trick Billings into sharing his bed with you?” An affair with her husband may have had nothing to do with her, but the woman’s actions toward Alistair made things very personal.
“That mage defiled one of our most beloved sisters,” Jade said in response to her question.
Alistair had been guilty. She had no idea what the norms were back in the fifth century, but Billings had paid the price for his actions over the next fifteen hundred years. The spell had caused him to do far worse and those deaths deeply affected him. He wasn’t a psycho or sociopath who didn’t have a conscience.
“And what of those beloved sisters who became Billings’s victims because of the spell?” Her anger nearly brought her to tears. “Your kind have watched him over the years and could have stopped the violence by ending the spell. In my opinion, you’re the guilty ones. You’ve weaponized the good man Alistair evolved into.”
Jade ran her hand through her hair, messing up her bun. “I can’t believe you are defending that creature. It didn’t matter I drugged him. Eventually he’d betray you like Jeffrey did.”
Throwing Jeffrey’s infidelity at her had been a mistake. “Did you know Jeffrey was married at the beginning of your affair or any time thereafter?”
Jade’s face reddened. She had her answer.
“You’re as guilty as my cheating husband,” Elle said. “But that’s not why I’m here. I want you to leave Alistair alone. He’s a good man now and deserves to spend the rest of his mortality in peace.”
Her adversary placed her hands on her desk and leaned forward. “You have no right to make demands related to what I do or don’t do.”
Magic, like Eclipse, had a strong sense of community. The little she’d seen of Magic’s citizens, she believed they were good people who practiced white magic. They banded together to protect each other. How would the people of this charming town feel if they learned the truth about Alistair and Jade?
“I’ve returned to make a life here with Alistair,” she said. “Although I’ve only been in Magic for a short period of time, I’ve made some good friends. Powerful beings who will protect me and Billings. Just leave us in peace.”
Elle pivoted and exited the small office. She’d said what she’d come to say and needed air. Her hands shook as she walked through the store and exited. The air outside cleansed her lungs. Being in the same room with that woman made her feel dirty.
She shifted, knowing the protection spell would impact what the tourists saw. They’d see a woman walking down the street, not a horse trotting along the side of the road. She needed to burn off the frustration meeting with Jade caused.
It didn’t take long for her to reach Billings’s home. Annie and Marc had built a pool in their backyard and she made her way there hoping to find a beach towel to wrap around her naked body once she shifted into her human form. In all likelihood, Alistair and Benedict were inside working on her son’s education.
To her relief, she found a pile of towels. She transformed and used one of the towels to hide her nudity. In a matter of moments, she bridged
the gulf between the two dwellings and stood at the rear entrance to Billings’s home. She could see Alistair and Benedict seated in the living room.
Her heart warmed at seeing the two together. Benedict had never been close to his father and he finally had a male role model. Regardless of his past, she knew Alistair was a good man.
She knocked on the glass sliding door. Her eyes focused on Alistair in order to see his reaction. How she longed to see a smile grace his handsome face. She held her breath in anticipation.
Alistair glanced at his watch. Annie had interrupted them three times already today. How was he going to get anything done with his unwanted social coordinator constantly stopping by? In the week since his return from California, the female vampire had thrown a party and dragged him to several more. By now, most of Magic had met the new him. People referred to him as Alistair, rather than Billings.
He turned his head to glare at Annie and stared in disbelief as Elle stood on the other side of the glass. Benedict rose to let his mother in while he sat immobile. After several days passed without her reaching out to him, he felt whatever they had together had been one sided. She never asked after him when she called to talk to her son.
Benedict embraced his mother. Elle kissed his cheek and told her son to head over to Prue’s. He smiled when she told Benedict she wanted to talk to him alone. Wrapped in a towel, Alistair wasn’t sure how much talking would be accomplished.
Rather than watch the boy leave, Alistair’s eyes never left Elle’s face. Her beauty took his breath away. But it had been her inner goodness that drew him to her. She’d been touched the same way, but she looked past the troll, not the man he’d transitioned into becoming again.
“I would have driven to Albuquerque and picked you up,” he said. He couldn’t put into words the joy he felt at her appearance.
Her hands released the small material tucked into the towel that caused it to wrap around her body. He watched as the terry cloth fell to the floor, pooling at her feet. His eyes drank in the perfection of her body and then returned to her deep brown irises.
“It’s doubtful we would have left the parking structure without my attacking you,” she shared. “Your bed would be more comfortable.”
He rose and made quick work of removing his clothing. His desire for her so great, the plush sofa would have to do. It would still be more comfortable than the bucket seats in his late model vehicle.
His lips found hers as his arms coiled around her. It felt so damn good holding her again. Both of his hands were eager to reacquaint themselves with her naked flesh. Her fingers dug into his side as she struggled to remain standing.
Alistair lifted her and laid her on the sofa. He covered her body with his, using his elbows to bear most of his weight. Her legs wrapped around his hips, preparing for them to become one.
“I feared you wouldn’t come back to Magic,” he said between kisses. “Benedict continually told me to give you time, that you’d realize we belonged together. He had more faith in our being together than I did.”
“My son always seemed a bit off,” she admitted. “I had no idea about his gifts. He had to deal with a world out of balance. You brought the equilibrium we both needed. I can’t wait for Joey and Tamara to meet you.”
The hand on the outside of the sofa roamed down her torso, over her hips, and finally to the juncture between her legs. Two of his fingers breached the folds and entered her warmth. A little shriek escaped her as he rubbed the pad of his finger across her clit.
They’d only been together once, but he felt as if he’d returned home. His fingers danced inside her and her groans drove him on. He’d never met a woman as responsive to his touch as Elle. That simple fact shouldn’t have surprised him, but he continued to be in awe about everything related to her.
Elle peppered his face with kisses and then bit his ear. “I want you inside me.”
Foreplay stoked the fire, but they both were ready to ignite. He entered her with a single powerful thrust. She exhaled the air in her lungs at the action.
His body throbbed with energy, as if he’d called the elements to perform a spell. Air, water, earth, and fire were in balance to baptize two soul mates joining. The first time they made love, the enchantment ended. He wasn’t sure what their second time would produce.
Another groan escaped her lips as he increased the pace at which his body loved hers. What had been a physical effort evolved into something as natural as breathing. Something essential to life.
She milked his cock and he continued to create friction between the two of them. As her body experienced a volcanic orgasm, he came as well. Their cries filled the air. They’d created the fire together, their lungs took in air, the sofa grounded them, and their sweat cooled their bodies. Four elements working to create balance after their explosive lovemaking. He’d never find peace outside her arms like he did when she held him.
His euphoria quickly transitioned to anger when he considered Jade would do everything in her power to stop whatever they’d created between them. Elle seemed to be in a post-coitus state, oblivious to the world around her. He owed it to her to make sure the peaceful state she found herself in would never be impacted by Jade’s vendetta against him.
Chapter 17
Nothing had ever felt as right as waking to find Elle in his arms. They’d made love twice and they’d both fallen asleep. The emotional toll the last week created had weighed on both their souls. He’d never realized how incomplete he was until she entered his life. To take an overused quote from Jerry Maguire, Elle completed him. He couldn’t think of any other way to phrase it.
The sun streamed through the patio window. A quick glance at the DVR showed it was late afternoon. Their short nap had revived him.
“We’re expected at Annie and Marc’s in an hour,” Alistair informed her.
She groaned and then lifted her head from where it nestled on his chest. “We are?”
His hand stroked her naked back. Her flesh supple and soft, unlike his own. “Since I’ve returned to Magic, every invitation I’ve received has been for the two of us. The witches must have known something I didn’t, and Annie’s a hopeless romantic.”
It had been awkward having to explain to each host or hostess why he arrived only with Benedict. The young women in town welcomed the boy with open arms. Elle’s son made plans as if he’d be staying in Magic for the near future, with or without his mother.
Topper had made it clear Alistair belonged with Elle. Women were polite, but distant. They avoided him like they had purposely disregarded Billings. Fortunately, Jade hadn’t made an appearance since his return. She didn’t attend any of the parties he’d been invited to. He imagined Prue had communicated what occurred that caused Elle to leave abruptly.
Elle groaned. “I’ve got nothing to wear. Literally, nothing! My suitcase is somewhere downtown.”
His chest expanded with a laugh. “You have forgotten what I am. Stand up.”
She gave him a wary look, but did as he requested.
He moved his finger in a circle. “Turn around.”
Once again, she did as he instructed. He called upon his elemental magic and draped her in a revealing black lace teddy. A garter belt hugged her hips holding up black sheer stockings.
“I can’t wear this,” Elle exclaimed.
“Pity,” Alistair replied. “I’ll have to remember that particular spell for later.”
His eyes feasted on Elle one more time before he indicated for her to turn again. This time he dressed her in a short, black cocktail dress. Its length was short enough to showcase her long legs without being obscene. The high neckline concealed her breasts, but highlighted her incredible shoulders.
Elle gazed at her reflection in the sliding glass door. “Wow. This dress isn’t going to vanish at midnight, is it?”
It felt wonderful to laugh. “Unlike Cinderella’s fairy godmother, I didn’t use borrowed magic. The dress is as real as you are. I can conjure some makeup i
f you’d like while I dress.”
They headed upstairs to his bedroom. As his magic dressed Elle, he refreshed her as well, not requiring her to bathe. He quickly showered while she applied the beauty products she requested. Elle knew the exact color pallets that would bring out her deepening brown eyes.
“You’re beautiful,” he said as he kissed the crown of her head, afraid he’d mess up the masterpiece she’d created. “We should head over. Annie wants to share a glass of wine and toast us before the rest of the guests arrive.”
An adorable groan escaped her. He loved the little sound that communicated her displeasure. Each gesture, sound, and mannerism he’d learn over time would help him understand his soul mate. It would get to a point he’d know what she wanted without her having to ask. That in itself excited him.
“You need to create one more item for me,” Elle pointed out.
She looked perfect to him. It wasn’t until she pointed to her bare feet that he noticed he needed to conjure a pair of shoes. He created several pairs until she approved of the footwear. Men liked women in high heels while it appeared she liked reasonable ones.
As she navigated down the stairs, her selection in shoes made sense. He hadn’t considered the practical manner of footwear, just how her long legs were accentuated.
They exited through the front of the house, ensuring they wouldn’t have to walk through the uneven zero-scape yard. Now that he could use his powers again, he planned to have a green lawn. The area needed color beyond the native desert plantings.
He grabbed Elle’s hand when he noticed Jade standing in the driveway. Instinctually, he stepped in front of her, not sure what Jade wanted. Whatever it was, he doubted it involved welcoming Elle home.
Jade Udo had to be the last person on the face of the Earth she wanted to see. She hadn’t confessed to Alistair the discussion she had with the witch when she arrived in Magic this morning. Could it even be categorized a discussion when she threatened the woman?
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