Eliza Gayle Witch Bundle (paranormal romance)

by Eliza Gayle

“Mmm hmm. Sleepy.”

  He laughed. “Then let's get some rest. We have a long wait ahead of us before we can leave here.”

  She didn't really hear what he said. The slow, easy timbre of his voice put her to sleep. When he lowered her to the couch her last thoughts were only ones of warmth and safety. And the most delicious man she’d ever encountered.

  Selene awoke, warm and content. A smile played across her lips as she opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep in Cash's arms and now found herself cuddled in a warm blanket still laid out on the leather couch of his living room. Her body heated all over again as she briefly thought of what they'd been doing just a short while ago. He'd demonstrated just how dominant he needed to be, and she had surprised herself with how much she’d been pleased by it. She'd never thought of herself as the submissive type in the past, what with her troubles of accepting any kind of authority, but with Cash she had not only wanted to let him do as he wanted, but she’d loved every second of it.

  Her head snapped up when a low voice sounded from the bedroom. Was that Cash? Maybe the woman had finally woken up. She would need to be interrogated. She threw off the blanket, shivering in the cool air, and searched for her clothes. Jeans on the floor, shirt on the back of the chair, bra in the corner, but where the hell were her panties? Not wanting to waste any more time, she hurriedly dressed without them.

  When she approached the door of the bedroom she heard Cash's voice.

  “I have a bit of a situation here, Denn.”

  Who the hell is Denn?

  “Coven witch got through the wards on the house in Boston, came after me with a sleep spell.”

  Selene poked her head just enough in the door to see Cash's naked back. It was hard to concentrate on his conversation with all that delicious male flesh begging to be stroked. Tearing her eyes away from his skin, she finally noticed he held a cell phone to his ear. Her gaze flashed to the bed and saw the witch still bound to the wall and unconscious. Her body twitched and moved a few times. She would be awake soon. Selene ducked her head back out the door and stood against the wall outside, listening.

  “Yeah, made it out of the house okay and captured the witch after nearly killing her.” He paused, probably to listen to what this Denn had to say.

  “It couldn't be helped. I had to use in order to live. Couldn't save the house, though. It's gone. Burned down during the fight.” Selene wished she could hear the reaction of whomever he spoke with. Were they shocked?

  "Yeah, the cops contacted Grae shortly after it happened. I sent him a text message to let him know I was okay but didn't go into the details with him yet.

  “Hiding in the garage apartment, but I don't think I should stay here for too long. I'm not one hundred percent positive who sent her here or who they might send next.” This time when he paused she heard a loud voice coming from the phone. She couldn't make out the words, but he sure was yelling. “I know, you're probably right. What I don't know is why the hell he’s so stirred up right now. First Grae and Rena and now me. What the fuck is he up to?”

  Thoughts swirled through Selene's mind as she got snatches of images from Cash. Four boys being scolded by an older man. Their father? She certainly picked up anger, but more than that an overwhelming sadness consumed him.

  "The witch will be awake soon and may need medical attention. I need your help with her. You need to check her out. I hate to ask you, but she doesn't deserve to die even if she does work for the likes of him. Not like this.”

  Startled by the sympathy and sadness in his voice, her heart squeezed. There was so much more to the man than he allowed to show.

  “There's another complication.” His voice hesitated as if unsure what to say.

  “An innocent. Well, sort of, anyway. I found her by accident. Denn, she has certain, uhm, abilities. In the same way as Rena.”

  Who the hell is Rena, she wondered. When he got off the phone she had a lot of questions for him.

  “No, it's too late. The change has already started. Seriously, don’t get your hopes up like tht, you’ll only end up disappointed. Just come and get her, I’ll take care of the other. Please do this for me.” His voice broke.

  What the hell? Who would he call to come and get me? And why? The taste of bitter betrayal welled inside her. Her face heated as she fought against the sheen of tears forming. Stop that, Selene. Fool.

  She backed quickly away from the door when she heard Cash hang up his cell. Sitting down on one of the chairs, she struggled with her unwelcome emotions towards a man who had just asked someone to come and take her away from him. When he walked into the room she wanted to look at him, to yell at him, to demand answers. Instead she willed her body to go cold. Emotionless. Burying everything she felt as deep as she could until she could come up with a plan to leave.

  “You're awake.” He sounded surprised.

  “Yes.” Her voice flat, she couldn't even look at him.

  “I just checked on the girl and she’s still out but moving around a lot. I suspect she’ll be awake soon.”

  “Is she in pain?”

  “Probably, but I'm not sure. I've contacted one of my brothers to come and take a look at her.”

  “Is he a doctor?”

  “Uh—not exactly. He’s what we call a healer. His magick is of the earth and he has a unique way with the elements that is extraordinary. Not exactly something that would be embraced by the medical community.”

  “Oh, my God. Dennison Scott. Of course.” She stood and walked across the room, processing the information of who he'd been on the phone with.

  “Yes, how did you know?”

  She turned to look at him. “You don't want to know.” How could she tell him that her last mission, the one that she'd run out on before she could leave for it, was the assassination of his brother? Then again, how could she not? They needed to know because if it wasn't her who completed the assignment, someone else would. She slumped against the wall, her head falling back against it.

  “What's going on? What are you not telling me?”

  “Something is terribly wrong here, Cash. Too many coincidences. I don’t believe this.”

  “Selene, you aren't making any sense yet. Tell me what the hell is going on.” He strode over to her, placing his hands on the wall on both sides of her head, pinning her in.

  “How did you find me, Cash? Just happened to be passing me on the highway? Where were you headed? Where were you coming from?” Her voice rose, all too aware that her emotions were heating. She slipped underneath his arms and around his massive frame. She had to distance herself. Figure out the why and what of the problem. It was there, she knew it was, she just needed to find it.

  “What are you trying to say? You think our meeting was a setup? For what? I think it's time you told me more about who you are and what you’re running from.”

  Her own unsettled emotions stared down at her in his gaze. All the closeness they had discovered in each others arms was fading fast.

  “Why don't you tell me, Cash? Why is Denn coming to get me and take me away?”

  “You listened in on my phone conversation with my brother?”

  Her eyes rolled back. “It's a small apartment, Cash, there's not a lot of privacy in here now, is there?”

  He stormed over to the bar, every ridge of muscle in his back and neck tightening and flexing as he moved. Anger radiated off of him in waves like heat from a blacktop in the middle of a steamy southern summer. What the hell did he have to be so angry about?

  “You don't understand.”

  “Uh huh. I've heard that excuse before. You've called for a pick up, that sounds pretty straight forward to me.”

  “Am I interrupting a lover's quarrel, Selene?” She whirled at the all too familiar voicing snarling behind her.

  She looked back at Cash “Not a setup, huh?” Not wanting him to see through her anger to the searing pain now eating her from the inside out, she faced away from him. “I guess you've caught me, Merc. You mus
t be rather satisfied to watch me fall for my betrayer again.” The truth settled in her stomach like an acid pill, churning and burning.

  “Are you fucking kidding me? You think I’m in cahoots with this asshole?” Fury burned through Cash at the idiocy of that statement. How could she leap to that conclusion? Air whipped through the room, pulling at their clothing as he stormed towards her. Looking at Merc he fumed, “How the hell did you get in? You shouldn't have been able to get past my wards? Not without a lot of magickal help.”

  Merc smirked. “Well, as fun as this little lovers' spat is, you're both wrong. Your new boyfriend obviously doesn't know about your role in the organization.”

  “What organization?”

  Merc laughed. “Doesn't really surprise me much that you didn't tell him. He wouldn't likely want to fuck the woman assigned to kill his brother, huh?”

  The shock of Merc's statement left him speechless as he trained his gun from Selene to Cash, aiming dead center on his chest. Before he or Selene could react the gun fired and, despite Selene's attempt to attack Merc, the bullet slammed into Cash before anyone could stop it.

  He watched the shock and horror bloom across her face. A sudden burst of heat and flame in the room erupted around her as her attention moved to Merc, who foolishly stood watching them both with only a gun for protection. Cash labored for breath as he staggered to his knees. The burst of air racing through the room died to an unnatural stillness as he put all his effort into bolstering his strength.

  He watched helplessly as Selene formed a fireball in her hand, intent on killing Merc. His instincts screamed to save her, but the blood pouring from his chest zapped his strength faster than he could recover.

  “I wouldn't if I were you, Selene.” Merc twisted his body, putting Selene next in the line of fire. “I just saved you the trouble of dealing with a vengeful witch. You should thank me.”

  With the lack of hesitation of a trained fighter, she flung the lethal flame in the direction of the bastard's head, only for it to stop a foot away, clinging to an invisible barrier. Damn. He'd definitely underestimated the asshole's abilities. He'd sensed a witch, but hadn't expected this much power.

  “You stupid bitch. You really think I’d come in here unprepared? Why the hell do you think I shot your boy-toy? You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into this time. You should have returned when you had the chance.” A keening cry sounded in the room as flames leapt higher around Selene's body.

  Cash had no choice, he had to help her. It was the least he could do for her. It was too late for him anyway. He opened his mind and his soul, reaching deep for the power within, clawing to get out. The darkest of magick pushed through him, overpowering him, feeding on his anger and frustration. Cash embraced the black magick, allowing it free reign to gather strength. He used it to get himself off his knees and back onto his weak but steady legs. Glancing towards Selene, he watched her continue to fling fiery orbs at Merc. Before long the entire surface of his protective shield was an entire wall of flame.

  Fire licked at the ceiling as his own power began gravitating towards it. Air, inexplicably drawn to fire. Negative energy swirled in the room, a dark wild storm breaking free, a burst of heat so palpable and strong as to be visible pushed out from Selene. It was aimed at Merc, but strong enough that it encompassed him as well.

  “Goddamn it, Selene, hold on. Find your center and use it for control.”

  She didn't even turn at his words, but the radiating heat lessened and his heated skin began to cool.

  Focused for now, Cash turned to the witch encased in protection. His magick sought a way through the shield, pressing against it and looking for that wisp of air, indicating a crack. It fanned a flame on Merc's left side and his magick raced to it, forcing it bigger and larger, weakening his protection. The fire hadn't yet burned through, but it was only a matter of time before the heat would get through. Cash just couldn't wait that long. His weakened body wouldn't last much longer, and Merc still held his gun in Selene's direction. He pushed with all he had.

  Finally in, Cash wove himself around Merc's legs, draining his inner force. The shield wavered and small pieces of flame burst through. The stench of burning flesh permeated the room as Cash stole his inner power and Selene fought his outer shell.

  “Now, Selene, now!” He didn't need to explain further. Her hands raised in front of her, a crackling ball of blue fire forming. Merc screamed just as she flung it, cutting his voice off when his body became an inferno. With one last push of dark, Merc burst into millions of tiny pieces of flame drifting in the air.

  Cash quickly sucked the air from the room, extinguishing not only the fire from Merc but the flames that surrounded Selene, too. With the fires out, Cash filled the room with clean, sweet air from outside the apartment. Reenergizing the balance in the area, despite the damage caused by the flames.

  Screwing his eyes shut, he gritted his teeth against the onslaught of imminent death. He collapsed to the ground, pain forcing his surrender. He’d used the last of his magick to save the woman he’d quickly become obsessed with.

  He turned his eyes to Selene, lying on the floor, drinking in the sheer beauty she possessed, grateful that she’d be safe for now. Her employer seemed hell bent on getting her back. He only hoped his brother would arrive in time to protect her. Cash ached to learn more about her. Unfortunately, it would be Denn who would receive her explanations.

  Cash let his eyes slide shut, giving in to the pain and weight pressing down on him. She would live. That's all that mattered.

  Chapter Four

  Selene reached for Cash, her arms and legs as weak as a newborn kitten. She'd been momentarily stunned from the fire and resulting brief lack of air in the room. Her lungs still burned from the deprivation. But all she could see was the amount of blood that covered his body and leaked onto the floor, scaring the hell out of her. How he'd managed to stand and work magick she didn't understand. Well, it wasn't as if she actually knew what it took to wield his brand of magick. Her psychic powers always lay just below the surface, waiting for her to use them, which was why it had taken her so many years to gain control. At least, until the last couple of days.

  Cold sweat broke out on her body as she crawled on her hands and knees across the room to get to him. Not only was she weak from her psychic ordeal with Merc, but the lingering dark power in Cash pierced through her like the sharpest blade through her flesh. It tore through muscle and tendons straight to her inner core. She gasped for breath with each painful stab.

  Come on, Selene. You can do this. Cash is counting on you.

  The stench of the black power nauseated her as she crawled through the dense shroud of it around him. Despite her determination, her body instinctively recoiled with each step. Finally reaching his side, she collapsed next to him, spent and used up. Tears tracked down her cheeks at the sight of his pale, stricken face turned toward her. The gurgle in his labored breathing didn't sound good as she imagined his lungs collapsing. She worried she was too late. She'd let Merc get the best of her and Cash had sacrificed himself for her.

  “Come on, Cash, don't die on me. Please don't do this.”

  She reached for him and brushed the dark lock of hair that had fallen across his eye, to the side of his face. She didn't care about the pain that caused her. She needed to touch him, skin to skin, more than she needed her next breath of air.

  “What the hell happened here?”

  Lost in her desperate thoughts of Cash, she hadn't even heard anyone enter the apartment. Anger surged. She needed an ass kicking for her continued loss of control. Practically since she’d left the shelter of the lab she’d been unable to catch a break. Selene turned to the stranger with fire at her fingertips, ready to defend him every which way possible. With a twist of her body she blocked Cash from view, doing the best she could to protect him.

  “Whoa. Careful there, hon. I'm not here to hurt you, so there's no call for that.” He raised his hands up in surren
der, taking a couple of steps backwards.

  “What do you want? Why are you here? How did you get in?” He glanced over her shoulder at Cash.

  “Do we have time for the twenty questions? My brother over there isn't looking so good. I'll admit that I'm impressed with your protectiveness of him, but right now you need to let me get to him before it's too late.”

  She lowered her hand, extinguishing the flames. “You're the brother he called for?” She watched him walk around to the other side of Cash.

  “Yep. I'm Denn Scott.”

  She knew exactly who he was, but she thought it wise not to mention that right now. He was easy to recognize from the dossier she’d been given on him. Not that a photograph had done him justice. The Scott family had certainly been blessed in the looks department.

  Denn knelt down on the floor next to his brother, checking for a pulse. His lips pressed together tight in a grim look. “Pulse is thready—barely there. How long has he been like this?”

  “I'm—I'm not really sure. The fight seemed to go by really fast, but time is irrelevant when fighting for your life. He uh—got shot first and then pulled some seriously dark magick out to save me.”

  Denn glanced at her. “You know about his magick?” She nodded. “Did he bother to tell you that using it destroys him piece by piece every time he uses it?” He ripped away Cash's shirt to reveal his blood covered chest and stomach. “Damn it, Cash, what were you thinking? You know better than this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My dumb ass brother here knows damn well that unleashing the black magick will destroy him. The more often you use, the faster the deterioration. Apparently he has been using way too much.”

  “But he's been shot. That's why he's like this, right?”

  “Partially, Selene. It is Selene isn’t it?”

  She nodded and watched as Denn pulled a black pouch from a bag that he'd carried in. Opening the velvet cloth, he reached in and pulled out a handful of what looked to be some dried herbs. Not having any experience in natural healing, she couldn't really tell. He sprinkled them across the wound before placing the bag on the ground next to his feet. He returned his hands over his brother's abdomen and chanted something under his breath.