Wicked Wish (The Royals: Warlock Court Book 2)

by Megan Montero

  “Oh, um.”

  “It won’t activate unless you do it the right way. It’s safe within the sphere.” She extended her hand out toward me.

  “What the hell did I miss?” Ophelia walked into the room, looking at us with wide eyes. Her hair was loose and flowed straight down her back. It was slick and smooth, nothing like Zinnia’s and mine, who looked like survivors of a horrific storm. She glanced over me and then back out the door toward the destroyed kitchen. “Ohhhhhh, I see what happened here.”

  Zinnia tilted her head at Ophelia. “Where were you?”

  “Hunting . . . so many things.”

  A dark look passed between the two of them before Zinnia returned her attention to me.

  I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was I needed to get my shit straight. “Can I just . . . I need a second.” I glanced through the glass door toward the windows in the kitchen. “Is that a phoenix sitting in the window?”

  “Oh yeah, he’s protective to a fault.” She waved to the bird, motioning for it to come into the house.

  “Um, are you supposed to bring more animals in the house?” I sat up in the bed and crossed my legs. “My cat might try to kill it.”

  Zinnia and Ophelia both erupted into fits of laughter.

  Ophelia pressed her hand to her chest. “I’d really, really like to see it try.”

  Zinnia gave her a playful slap. “Are you saying you’d like to see Tuck get eaten?”

  “No, I’m saying it’d be hilarious.”

  The bird soared in through the hole in the ceiling. Its wings were a deep burgundy that was nearly dark enough to match my hair. Its long tail feathers were twice the size of its body and a flame danced at the end of it. Once it landed in the middle of the kitchen just outside of the door to my room, it looked directly at Zinnia and…winked? Then in a cloud of smoke and flames it shifted. The feathers faded away and, in their place, stood a deadly looking boy with literal sparks in his eyes. He stepped in through the glass door and stood there looming and huge.

  I scrambled back on the bed. “Who the hell are you?”

  “My Tucker.” Zinnia stood up straight and left my orb of magic floating in the air. It drifted into the corner of the room and hovered there.

  “Tucker Brand. Pleased to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” His voice was low and rumbling with a harsher rasp than Beckett’s.

  I rolled my eyes. “I can only imagine the things you’ve heard.”

  His lips pulled up into a smile. “All good things. I can assure you.”

  Yeah, right, if he heard it from Beckett. “I bet.”

  He chuckled and I couldn’t help but wonder if all the guys Beckett hung out with in this world were this delectable. I mean at school they weren’t all good-looking, but damn if all of Beckett’s friends weren’t drop dead gorgeous. Even Maze with his craziness was good-looking in his own way. If I was being honest, Tuck was fiercely hot. So hot he gave Beckett a run for his money. Where Beckett was blond, bad, and surfer like, this guy was dark, haunting, and downright dangerous.

  Not that I cared what Beckett looked like. At all. I cleared my throat. “Where’s Beckett?”

  Probably bossing some people around, walking around the school kissing girls and pretending like they were “just friends.” Probably being all hot somewhere anywhere but here.

  Zinnia sighed. “I forced him to go take a nap a little over an hour ago. He didn’t sleep all night.”

  “What? Why not?” I leaned back on the bed, feeling tired even now.

  “He depleted himself helping you through the ascension. Then he sat here all night keeping an eye on you. I mean, he looked awful, so I had to send him away. He tried to fight me on it too.”

  What was that supposed to mean? Beckett stayed with me all night long? I didn’t know why, but that made me feel warm in all kinds of weird places. Did it mean he actually cared about me or did he care about the power my bloodline brought? I didn’t want to hope for anything from him. I knew what it felt like to hope for things that didn’t pan out. My absent dad was evidence of that, and when Beckett had denied things between us, even I had to admit it stung. Stung enough that I put my finger on that needle.

  “Oh, what happened to my book?”

  “It’s right here.” Zinnia pointed to a thick book on the shelf. It was old, with a dark leather binding, geometric shapes carved into it, and there was a depiction of Medusa with all the snakes, a triquetra, a sun, a moon, and so many other beautiful things. I wanted to dive into it and read everything I possibly could.

  The book disappeared and reappeared in my waiting hands.

  My eyes widened. “Cool.”

  Zinnia placed her hand over the top of it and smiled. “Perhaps we could talk before you dive into that rabbit hole?”

  When she smiled at me like that, I wanted to trust her, to maybe even be friends with her. So, I placed the book on the bed next to me and gave her a single nod. “Okay.”

  The thud of familiar footsteps came from down the hall. Since when do I know what his walk sounded like? Ew. I hated the way my heart did little flip-flops knowing he was coming this way. When he walked into the room, his hair was damp from a shower. He was just pulling a shirt over his head, giving me the barest show of his chiseled abs before his sweater fell over it. He shoved his sleeves up to his elbow, showing me all that tan skin. My eyes were drawn to that thick black tribal tattoo that seemed to match Tucker’s. Though Tuck had a phoenix and Beckett had a half sun, half moon, each of them were on the sides of their necks and ran just under their jaw lines. Sexy.

  He narrowed those ocean eyes at Zinnia. “You told me you’d wake me when she was up.”

  Chapter 10

  Astrid

  Beckett’s ocean blue eyes bore into mine. “I-I’m so happy you’re okay.”

  Was I okay? My body was sore like I’d run a marathon I hadn’t trained for. So much power seethed beneath my skin. If I called upon it, I knew it’d rise without question. Before all this my power was questionable. Now it rolled within me like an angry tide. Golden magic seeped from my hands and all I could do was stare down at it.

  “How do I make it stop?”

  Beckett placed his warm palm over mine. His skin was rough from handling his blades, yet his touch was gentle. He lowered his voice. “Just take a deep breath and try to pull it back. However you picture it, think about it calming and rolling back into you.”

  I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath and pictured that calm ocean. It was the same vivid blue as his eyes and when I looked at it, it made me think of his steady gaze.

  He hummed with approval. “That’s it, you’re doing it.”

  I peeked my eyes open just in time to see him lifting his hand away from mine. He gave me the barest hint of a smile. “See? You got this.”

  I blew out a shaky breath. “Yeah.” And then I remembered what I’d done to his childhood home. “Oh, Beckett, I’m so sorry. Your house . . .”

  “Nothing a little magic couldn’t fix.”

  “Yes, but that brings me to my point.” Zinnia moved in closer to me. “Now that you’re fully ascended, you’ll have to learn to control those powers.”

  She held her hand out and summoned the ball back to her palm. It floated over to her the way a balloon would. It stopped just above her fingertips. “Astrid, if I didn’t take out some of your power, you might not have survived the ascension. Your body was built to hold all of this but not when it’s all exploding at once.”

  Some of my powers weren’t even in my body. Zinnia was holding them like a decoration. They were mine. I was supposed to have them. Did that mean I was deficient in some way? That I wasn’t supposed to be a warlock? No, it couldn’t! I was the last in the Lockwood line. My blood unlocked the pandora configuration. Emotions warred within me. I was terrified of what my powers did to this house, to the others standing around me, but most of all my own powers almost killed me. How could that be right?

  The house was cove
red in dirt, and a hole the size of a swimming pool gave a whole new meaning to the word skylight. Even Zinnia still looked a bit like she’d been in a battle. I could only imagine what I looked like.

  “Wasn’t it like that for the rest of you?”

  I wanted them to say yes, to tell me their ascending went as poorly as mine had.

  Instead Ophelia ducked her head to meet my gaze. “You’re a very powerful warlock, Astrid. Everyone’s ascension is different.”

  Had Beckett just winced at that? I was exhausted down to my bones and a heavy feeling sat in the pit of my stomach. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  “Look at it this way. You got your powers and we all survived it. Best to keep moving forward, learn how to use them properly than worry about things that couldn’t be helped.” She shrugged it off as if destroying property and nearly killing people was no big deal.

  I ran my hand through my hair. “I feel like I got hit by a train.”

  Tuck gave a humorless chuckle. “You pretty much did. A magical school bus . . . welcome to the big leagues.”

  Beckett cleared his throat. “Maybe we should let her get some rest?”

  “I agree she needs to rest, and the queens and I will be back to check on her soon. But I have to explain this first.” Zinnia held the ball up. “A piece of your magic is in here. As you start to master what you have, then you can come and grab more here. Just place your hand on it and picture it coming to you. It will only work if your hand is in contact with the orb. But be careful. This is a lot of magic and there are many people who would love to own it.”

  I reached for the orb and Zinnia placed it in my hand. The outside of it felt like cool glass, but inside the golden magic instantly swarmed toward my hands and gathered there yet didn’t seep through the orb. I could feel it wanting to come to me, to come home. But I knew I wasn’t ready. There was so much in me already. It seethed within like a dark tide ready to rise up and drag me under. Would this little bit finally do it?

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. And, Astrid”—she ducked her head to catch my eye—“I know you will get this, just one day at a time.”

  I nodded. “Right, yes, one day at a time.”

  “Beck, I really have to get back now. There’s no telling what could’ve happened while I was gone.”

  Tuck ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that. Two words. Matteaus and fountain.”

  Zinnia pressed her fingers to her temples and began rubbing them in rhythmic circles. “Not again. He’s going to kill me this time. I swear. Who was it?”

  Blue magic seeped from Beckett’s hand and gathered into a perfect ball. He tossed it at the wall and an oval-shaped portal opened up. “That’ll put you right back at the scene of the crime.”

  “Ugh, thanks. Duty calls.” Zinnia leaned over the side of the bed and gave me a quick hug. “I’ll see you soon.”

  I knew she meant it as friendly, but I felt nervous for our next meeting already. I plastered a fake smile on my face. “Till next time.”

  Ophelia jumped up from the couch. “I’m going to go too. I love it when Matteaus loses his shit. It’s so great.”

  The three of them disappeared through the portal, leaving only Beckett and me . . . alone. For the first time since we came back from our little quest. Silence hung heavy in the air between us. I didn’t know what to say or do, but I did know one thing. I wanted out of this room. But I wasn’t sure how my body would do walking up the stairs. “Um, Beckett?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’d really love a shower and to be in my own bed. I’m still kind of tired.” I peeked up at him.

  He shuffled from one foot to the other then hesitated to come closer. “Oh, um, okay, I can go get one of the girls to help you.”

  I didn’t want one of them, though they were all nice and yes, girls, but I didn’t know them. I knew Beckett and though he pissed me off, for some reason I felt comfortable with him down to my core. “Maybe you could help me?”

  Chapter 11

  Beckett

  When she peeked up at me with those hypnotic emerald eyes, I couldn’t say no. If only she knew the power she had over me. Astrid slid off the bed, but the second her feet hit the ground, her knees gave out and she collapsed. I jumped forward and caught her before she hit the ground. Her body trembled, this close I felt her every move. I wrapped one arm around her back holding her up.

  “I can carry you if you like?” Did my voice just dip lower?

  She shook her head. “Can we just take it slow?”

  “Sure.” I guided her toward the door. Though her steps were slow going, she was stronger than she thought. My strong girl.

  “I shouldn’t have touched that needle.” She shook her head and the faint smell of strawberries drifted up my nose. This close my body thrummed with awareness for her.

  “No, you shouldn’t have.”

  We started down the hall leading toward the foyer. Her footsteps were light and shuffling. She was so small, so fragile. Her head barely came up to my chin and yet she had so much power I could already feel it seething within her.

  She made a sound in the back of her throat like a groan. “You’re supposed to say it’s okay.”

  “Okay.” I chuckled.

  At the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, she looked up at it like it was Mount Everest and sighed. I pressed my fingers to her back.

  “You want to give the stairs a try?”

  She slowly lifted her leg and placed it on the bottom step. As she forced herself to step up, she groaned. “Ugh, yeah.”

  I held her arms, helping her take the next one. “You’re alive. Some warlocks don’t survive the ascension.” Golden smoke seeped from her palms and I could tell the effort it was taking for her to climb these stairs was taking its toll on her. Her arms quaked and she had a death grip on my hand.

  “Screw this.” I tilted her to the side and swept my other arm under her legs. I scooped her up close to my chest and held her there. “Better?”

  She sighed and relaxed her body. “Better, but once I’m good, don’t think you’re just going to pick me up and carry me places.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” I chuckled and walked up the stairs with ease. She was so slight, yet so fierce. Deep down I was glad we were fated. Even if I couldn’t have her.

  I walked with her in my arms down the hall and around the corner to her room. The rightness of the moment coursed through me. When we stood outside her door, I suddenly grew nervous. What was I supposed to do now? I didn’t know. All I knew was she was going to tell me how she wanted this to go down and I was going to keep every feeling I had to myself. Astrid reached down and turned the knob to her room and shoved the door open. The morning sun peeked in through the sides of the shades. It gave the room a warm, dim look. To my right stood her bed with a multitude of pillows all clad in black sheets. Directly across from me up against the windows was a single desk with a pair of jeans hanging off the chair and to my left was the door to the bathroom.

  “You sure you want me to help you?” I whispered even though it was just the two of us and Odin.

  She swallowed. “Yeah.”

  All righty then. I squared my shoulders and carried her to the bathroom. Again she reached out and opened the door for the both of us. I stepped in and stood there for just a moment, unsure of what to do next. When Astrid first got here, she’d manifested her room into what she wanted it to be. Black and white marble tiles ran the expanse of the bathroom. To my right was an oversized soaker tub. To my left was a vanity fit for a queen complete with mirror and lighting. Across the way on the entire back wall was a glass shower with multiple shower heads, matching marble tile, and a stool.

  In the middle of the bathroom there was a white fluffy carpet. I placed Astrid on her feet on top of it. She swayed, then grabbed a hold of the sink. “I feel so awful. I should be able to do this myself.”

  “I remember what it was like to
get my full powers and, trust me, I was just as bad off.” I shrugged.

  She held the counter with a death grip. “Perhaps a bath instead of a shower?”

  Do not be and idiot. Keep it together, do not look! I swallowed and shook myself. “A bath might easier.”

  I moved to the tub and turned the knobs until steaming water began to flow. I ran my fingers under the water . “Okay, got that going.”

  A blush colored her cheeks and she smiled at me. “Is this as awkward as I think it is?”

  Oh hell yes it is. “No, not at all.”

  “How about some bubbles?” She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

  Before I could reach for the bottle of bubble bath, the tub filled with them. “Your magic is already showing.”

  Her eyes widened. “I did that?”

  “Oh yeah.” I glanced around the bathroom. “Do you, um, want help getting undressed?”

  She arched her eyebrow at me and her cheeks pinkened. “Did you just ask to see me naked?”

  “No? Yes? I mean no.” I cleared my throat. Shit.

  She turned her body and leaned back on the sink then unbuttoned the top button of her jeans. My eyes locked on hers with laser focus. Her fingers were nimble as she opened the fly. I glanced down at my own fly. Stand down, soldier, or I will chop you off. The only things I could hear were my own breaths and the sound of that zipper inching down. I swallowed around the nervous ball in my throat. Astrid pushed her pants down to the middle of her thighs, revealing cute black panties, plain yet sexy as hell.

  “Can you get them from here?”

  My palms were covered in sweat. My insides twisted with nerves. Keep it calm. “No problem.”

  I will cut you off, you traitor. I squatted down and hooked my fingers in the belt loops of her jeans and slowly pulled them down her legs. Her skin was pale and smooth. She was so soft, like silk. Goose bumps broke out across her skin. I’m not the only one affected here. I hooked them from her ankles one at a time then tossed them aside and rose.