Seduced and Enchanted

by Stephanie Julian

  The sensation literally flattened him, his elbows sliding out and his back hitting the bed. Instead of following him down, she sat up and took him in deeper. He waited for her to move, watched her toss her hair over her shoulders like a conquering goddess and plant her hands low on his stomach.

  Her expression made him groan. Desire was painted on her features in broad strokes. When she moved, the arus in his blood rose in response. Her sheath clamped around him, the heat pulsing in waves that fed his magic.

  It rose between them, twining around their bodies and heightening the pleasure. Her body went taut and her hips stuttered to a halt just before she moaned and began to move in earnest. She set a furious rhythm, thrusting downward with ever-increasing speed.

  Her fingers dug into the muscles of his stomach and he lifted his hips into her. The world narrowed down to the two of them, the sound of their flesh meshing and the rose scent of her skin enveloping him.

  His orgasm gathered in the base of his cock, tied to the rising magic in his blood. Reaching up, he found her clit with his thumb and rubbed in time to her increasingly frantic motions.

  Her breathing became labored, her fingers clenching and releasing his muscles.

  “Rio, please.”

  The panting entreaty did him in. His cock jerked and released as their magic melded. A burst of energy erupted between them. It was so strong it threw her over the edge. Her pussy milked his shaft with a throbbing beat, forcing sensation to continue to sweep through him, draining him.

  With a rough sigh, Rosie fell forward, her body limp and warm.

  And all his. Forever.

  Chapter Ten

  “I like your brother. He seems very, um, competent. And intense. Very intense.”

  Rio snorted, resting on his elbow as he drew lazy circles on Rosie’s bare back. Sprawled on her stomach across the bed, she relaxed into his touch. She hadn’t been able to fall asleep, too wound up from the sex and the thought of what tomorrow could bring.

  Rio couldn’t sleep because he was worried about Rosie. If anything happened to her—

  “Yeah, intense is almost too kind to describe Cam.” He ran his hand down her back to cup her ass. She had such a beautiful ass. “He’s a force of nature. Like a hurricane, but he doesn’t destroy things. He blows in and takes over.” And when he was done kicking ass and taking names, Cam would have cleaned up whatever mess someone else had made.

  She turned her head to look up at him. “You worship him.”

  He laughed but she was absolutely right. “Yeah, well, don’t tell him that. It’ll go to his already fat head.”

  Rosie shook her head. “I don’t think anything but Stella goes to his head. He seems to have everything all worked out by the time you tell him what the problem is.”

  Something curled into a tight ball in his stomach but he refused to call it jealousy. Rosie knew exactly what he was thinking, if her impish smile was anything to go by.

  Rolling onto her back, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, skin to skin. The heat of her body seared his, drawing his desire for her back to the surface. Hell, he didn’t think there would come a time when it wasn’t somewhere close to boiling over.

  “But,” she said, “controlling guys never did much for me.”

  Her hips rotated against his, rubbing her mound against his thickening cock.

  “So what guys do it for— Babe, what’s wrong?”

  Eyes wide, she stared over his shoulder. Before he could turn, something hit him from behind.

  Rosie had never seen anything like the beast that suddenly materialized behind Rio.

  It looked like a cross between a dragon and a snake, with the worst attributes of both. It had razor-sharp teeth in a mouth that stretched as big as a crocodile’s, with fangs thrown in for good measure. Its head was shaped like a crocodile’s too, long and ugly.

  This had to be the bergoia. There was nothing remotely human about it, although, if Rosie had understood correctly, this had once been a strega, like Stella.

  Gray scales covered the grotesquely muscular arms and serpent’s body that shot out of kangaroo-like hindquarters. Its tail had one long spike on the end and claws tipped its three-fingered hands.

  It was hideously scary and when it swiped one of those hands out and threw Rio across the room, she couldn’t even scream.

  He hit the wall and fell to the floor, but the second the thing made a move toward her, he was up. He rushed in from the side, tackling it like a football player.

  They hit the ground with a huge crash that shook the floor and the walls. The beast trapped Rio under it. His head bounced against the oak-plank floor, so hard Rosie was sure he was knocked out. But Rio twisted and wrapped his hands around the beast’s neck.

  Fear paralyzed her, her brain stuck on the fearsome image of the beast lying on top of Rio, trying its damn best to get its teeth into his neck. He was strong though and kept the thing far enough away that it couldn’t bite him.

  It took a few seconds for her brain to begin functioning again, but when it did, she went straight for the bergoia. Rosie threw herself at its back, squeezed her arms around its neck and tried to pull it off Rio.

  The hideous beast’s scales scraped the bare skin of her arms and it let out a shrill screech that hurt her ears.

  “Cam!” Rio yelled. “Rosie, get the hell out of here! Now!”

  The beast tried to whip its head around to bite her, its hot, gross-smelling breath brushing along her cheek.

  Those teeth were even more fearsome up close and personal. When the reptilian eyes caught hers and its mouth drew back in what she assumed was a grin, she knew it wasn’t after Rio. This thing wanted her.

  Her immediate reaction was to pull away. But she didn’t even have time to think Oh shit before she knew she’d made the wrong move.

  The edge of one of its teeth caught her arm. She heard Rio yell, “Rosie, no!” Then she didn’t hear or see anything at all.

  “Rosie!”

  Rio’s heart stuttered as Rosie’s eyes rolled back in her head and she fell away from the monster.

  He swore the thing smiled at him. “Your wards and fancy security system are no match for something that no longer has life in its body.” Its voice rasped like sandpaper over gravel. “You’ll never save her now, linchetto. She’s gone.”

  Rio refused to believe that. Rosie was his. He’d just found her. She couldn’t be gone. He pushed the pain that invaded every cell in his body as far away as he could and replaced it with fury. He would save his love. The bergoia wasn’t going to win.

  His rage gave him the strength to keep the thing from biting him. But he needed to get it away from Rosie, who looked so pale lying on the floor. She’d tried to save him—

  With a burst of strength, he rolled and tossed the thing away toward the other side of the room—just as the door burst open and Cam took stock in one second flat.

  Cam dove for the bergoia, putting himself between it and Rio and Rosie. But before he could get to it, it hissed and disappeared.

  Rio didn’t wait to see if it returned. He ran for Rosie, dropping to his knees and lifting her into his arms. Her body was warm but he couldn’t tell if she was breathing or not.

  “Oh Gods, Rosie.” He held her against his chest. The soft breath against his neck was barely palpable but at least she was breathing. “The bergoia bit her, Cam. Oh Jesus. Fuck. Cam, what the hell—” The panic cut off his words and tears gathered in his eyes.

  “That’s not helping, Rio. Get a grip.” Cam laid his hand on her forehead then pressed two fingers against her neck. “She isn’t dead, thank the Gods, but I think the fucking thing put a spell on her with its bite. It paralyzed her like a tarantula. Probably so it could get her out of here easily and then kill her at its ease. Come on, put her on the bed.”

  Rio laid her on the rumpled sheets, gently covering her naked body with the comforter. He didn’t care about his own nudity, but he knew Rosie wouldn’t lik
e to be on display like this. He smoothed back her hair, her skin so pale against her dark curls. It scared the shit out of him.

  “Jesus, Cam…”

  “Rio, pull yourself together.” Cam’s sharp tone made him take a deep breath and focus. “I want you to stay here with Rosie. I’m going to find the damn bergoia. Get it to tell me how to fix this.”

  “Then you need me to go with you.”

  Rio desperately wanted to stay with Rosie but he knew the beast would never give up its secrets. It was already dead, for God’s sake. The only hope they had of getting the bergoia to tell them how to cure Rosie was to read its mind. And that was where his power came in.

  “No,” Cam shook his head, just one curt shake, “you stay—”

  “No,” Rio’s tone was pure steel, “you need me, Cam. That thing isn’t going to tell you what you want to know. It’s already dead. This is the only way.”

  His brother’s jaw set and Cam looked him straight in the eyes. There was no way Rio was going to let his brother keep him out of this. This was about his and Rosie’s future together and he would fight this battle. Cam must have sensed his conviction, because he blew out a sharp breath and ran a hand through his hair.

  “All right, but we do this my way.”

  Rio stared down at Rosie, at her pale skin. “Whatever it takes.”

  * * * * *

  “Vaffanculo, Rio. I don’t like this.” Cam paced before the huge natural-stone fireplace in his living room, his face set in hard lines. “Not one bit.”

  Rio heard his brother but couldn’t let himself be distracted by the worry in Cam’s voice. He had to get a feel for the sword in his hands. He hadn’t held one since he was a teenager. The damn thing weighed a freaking ton, he needed two hands to hold it and the fucker was sharp. Cam had demonstrated just how sharp by dropping a piece of paper on it. The edge had cut the sheet in half like a hot knife slicing warm butter.

  “Not your call, Cam. Not this time.” His woman, his fight. No other way.

  He’d called Sal to let him know what had happened and Rosie’s godmothers had appeared at Cam’s door seconds later. Rio had thought they’d rip him up one side and down the other but they hadn’t accused him. They almost seemed to blame themselves, which Rio and Cam both assured them was not the case. The only one to blame here was the bergoia. And Rio would make sure the damn thing paid. After it gave up the secret how to cure Rosie.

  After some discussion, Cam, Rio and the three gianes had come up with a plan. The godmothers knew how to draw out the bergoia. They would track it then call in Rio and Cam so they could pool their power and destroy it.

  Cam’s heavy sigh broke into Rio’s thoughts. He could practically hear his older brother running through excuses in his head as to why Rio should let him handle this alone. Cam had always been a controlling bastard, ordering everyone around to his tune. But not this time. Nothing he could say would make a difference.

  Rio braced himself for further arguments but Cam just stood there, staring at him.

  “What?” The question came out a little sharper than he’d intended. His brother was starting to freak him out.

  Cam shook his head. “Nothing. You’re just so…” He shook his head. “Nothing… So you think you remember how to use that without cutting off your own hand? We know guns won’t work against the bergoia since it’s already dead. The only way to get rid of this thing is to cut its head off with an iron blade.”

  Rio lowered the sword. “Okay, now you’re really freaking me out. You’re not going to order me to stay home so you can go fight the big bad monster by yourself?”

  Cam crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing. “No, I’m not. You’re a big boy, Rio. Gotta cut the apron strings sometime.”

  Rio almost opened his mouth to tell his brother to go to hell, but then he realized Cam wasn’t dissing him. “Jeez, when did you get all misty-eyed, old man?”

  Cam snorted. “About the time you decided to find a decent woman and become a man. Come on, let’s see what you can do with that sword.”

  Picking up the matching weapon from the sofa where he’d laid it, Cam lifted his sword. Just as Rio was about to attack, he lowered it again, his head cocking to the side, as if picking up some sound Rio couldn’t hear. “Hold that thought. Mom and Dad just got here. And so did Nino and Ellie.”

  When Rio had called Sal earlier, Cam had called their parents and brothers, asking them to come and stay with Rosie while he and Rio went after the bergoia.

  As the front door opened, Rio braced himself for the bomb-drop effect of his family.

  His parents walked through the door first, Tana de Feo taking a quick look around before spotting Rio and making straight for him.

  He smiled at the concern on his mom’s unlined face. At two hundred, she was considered middle-aged in Fata years. But she looked like any beautiful fifty-year-old etera. Her dark hair held no gray, her body still as slim as a twenty-year-old’s.

  “Rio, sweetheart. How are you, baby?”

  His mom reached for him and he set the sword aside quickly before he accidentally hurt her. When his mom had one of her boys in sight, she didn’t see anything else. Wrapping strong arms around him, she hugged him so tightly he thought his ribs might crack.

  “I’m fine, Mom. Honestly.”

  As a kid, the intensity of his mother’s love had sometimes been hard to take. Now, with the love of his life in a spell-induced coma in the next room, he knew where that intensity sprang from. He let her hug him as long as she wanted.

  Lucumo de Feo stood behind his wife, his dark eyes steady on Rio. When his mom finally stepped aside, his dad reached for him, bear-hugging him until he could barely breathe. No wimpy handshakes in this family.

  “Son.” Luc wasn’t much of a talker.

  When his dad stepped back, Rio saw his second-oldest brother Nino talking to Cam. Ellie, Nino’s mate, gave him a quick kiss and a hug before she headed off to the bedroom where Stella sat with Rosie.

  Only Teo was missing—

  The front door opened one more time and Teo walked through. Shaggy brown hair curling around his face, hazel eyes taking in everything.

  Teo got the same treatment from his mom and dad, got the head nods from Cam and Nino. Then they all turned to him.

  “So, Rio,” his mom smiled, “why don’t you introduce us to your mate? Then we can get this show on the road.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Laying one last kiss on Rosie’s cool brow, Rio took a deep breath.

  Adrenaline ran through his veins like broken glass, clearing his head of everything but what he had to do.

  “I’ll be back, babe,” he whispered in her ear, hoping she could hear him, even though she seemed almost frozen in time. “I won’t let you down.”

  When he stood, he looked at his dad, standing by the bed with Nino and Teo. All had swords. They were staying behind to guard Rosie and the other women while he—

  Cam laid a hand on Rio’s shoulder.

  “You stay close, Rio, when we get there.” Cam hefted his sword in his right hand. “Mom’ll take it out of my ass if anything happens to you.”

  “Camillus, language.” Their mom’s eyebrows shot up, even though they all could see she was tired. And scared.

  For the past hour, Tana had labored over Cam’s moon bowl in his altar room, scrying for the bergoia, just in case the three gianes wouldn’t be able to track it. Because their mother was better at that spell than any of her children or her husband, she’d insisted on performing it herself, even though the bergoia could possibly create a link back to Tana and attack.

  But they all knew Tana was damn good at what she did. She’d found the beast but what she’d seen had made Rio’s skin crawl.

  “Why the hell didn’t they call us? We’ve got to go now. Her godmothers aren’t going to last long.”

  The moon bowl had shown the women in their home, sparks flying as they threw spells at the bergoia. Vivian had blood running
from her nose and ears and Lora’s arm bent at a weird angle, but Fanny had a wand out and was blasting the thing with bursts of pale blue electricity.

  “They must have drawn the bergoia out and it went straight for them. Revenge is big with that beast,” Cam muttered.

  “Don’t care. Get us there. Now,” Rio ordered.

  Cam nodded.

  Sword heavy in his hand, Rio took a deep breath then another as he closed his eyes and felt his body disintegrate. The next thing he knew, he was standing in the entrance hall of Rosie’s home just as the creature caught Fanny across the jaw with one of its claws. She stumbled backward and fell to the floor.

  He didn’t have time to check strategy with Cam. He went straight for the beast.

  Sword raised at chest level, he swung straight out. But the beast hissed and broke to the side with an inhuman speed before it parried with a slash of those lethal claws.

  They fought in silence, only the sound of Rio’s breathing becoming heavier and heavier as they battled. Rosie’s godmothers hadn’t yet regrouped and Rio realized Cam was nowhere to be seen. The damn wards the godmothers had around the house must have kept him out.

  “Rio, you need to cut off its head,” Vivian called to him from the other side of the hall as she crawled toward Lora, who looked unconscious.

  “I can’t,” he yelled as he lifted the sword to defend himself against the broadsword the beast had manifested in its hand.

  “You won’t win this battle,” the bergoia hissed through its teeth. “The girl will never wake again.” At Vivian’s soft cry, the beast’s mouth curved in a cruel grin. “She’s dropped into twilight sleep. She’ll stay there forever. There is no way for you to bring her back.”

  Rio tried not to listen. The beast would say anything to hurt them, to weaken them. Without responding to its taunts, he leaped forward and engaged it again, looking for a weak spot. Cam and his dad had taught him how to use a sword, had drilled him from the age of ten when he could finally lift his dad’s gladius and swing it. He’d never imagined having to use those skills. Not in a world where guns, self-defense training or a decent spell could take care of most everything.