Bobbing the tea ball up and down, she reads me. “You’re sad.”
Tears brim and my throat gets tight. “It’s been a really rough couple of days.”
“Tell me everything.”
“I’m mated.”
“Whoa… Who? How?” A bright ceramic jar in the shape of a teddy bear gets set down in front of me and I feel better already.
Grabbing a chocolate chip cookie, I dunk it in my tea. “It was Halloween and after the kids stopped coming, I was filling some orders and chanting. Then, I remembered one of the spells that my Mom gave me as a kid. Come to find out, it’s some kind of love charm, only worse.”
“Oh my God.” My friend drops into a kitchen chair, mouth gaping wide while I remember that night.
“So, this biker comes into my shop, a healer–”
“Tell me he’s at least good looking.”
“Hot as hell.” I muster a weak smile when she gives me this exaggerated look of relief and wipes fake sweat off her brow with the back of her hand.
“Well, thank God for that. What if he was old, bald, and farted?” Leave it to Zoe to look on the bright side.
“None of those. He’s tall, Native American. High cheekbones, dark hair, dark eyes. I didn’t ask but he must work out because his abs are cut and his biceps –”
Zoe squeals, then covers her mouth, no doubt worried about waking the baby, then whispers, “You slept with him? Was it good?”
“So good.” I smile.
Chomping on a cookie, her mouth full, her brows raise. “So, what’s the problem? I don’t get it?”
I can’t even bring myself to tell her he’s my holiday-mate. “I think I fell for him but I have no idea if it’s real. Did you know?”
Zoe snorts. “You do remember how I met Jack, right?”
I sniff back my tears then laugh. “Yeah but warriors are different. You guys have that whole solstice thing when you find a mate for life.”
“I’m half-healer, Liv. It was pretty weird.”
“But at least you had a choice. He waited for you to agree to be his mate.”
“True, true.” She dunks her cookie, pausing thoughtfully.
“This is so awful. It was my mother’s spell that trapped him and he wants out.”
Her eyes widen. “He doesn’t care for you?”
“I don’t know.” Waterworks pool again and roll down my cheeks. I have cried more in the last week than the last few years combined.
Zoe knows this about me and pats my hand, healing me. “I think you just need to give it time.”
“But what if I end up like my mom and Holiday?”
“That’s all right. You go right ahead and have awesome sex with that man a few times a year. He can become one more of your friends with benefits. Right?”
I love how she puts everything in perspective.
“That’s true. My life could go on like normal. I can do this.” Inside, though, I have my unspoken doubts.
When the baby monitor picks up the sounds of fussing, Zoe jumps up and arrives back with the baby.
In my arms, the little guy laughs and tries to pull my nose. “Hey buddy. It’s auntie Livy.”
While Zoe nurses, we talk for a long while about stuff completely unrelated to magic, men, and black auras.
Once back at home, I’d like to say I’m not miserable and not missing Mohegan but that would be an out and out lie. My bed’s too large, my shop’s too small, and my head isn’t screwed on quite right. On top of that, I picked up a stomach virus.
Damn Mohegan. Before he came into my life, I thought I was happy, doing lots of good for Jack and the humans who came to see me. Now, I see where I’ve been wasting my talents when I should’ve been out saving my race with The Guild. If I want to move on, I’ll have to say goodbye to all I hold dear. Not only that, I’ll have to do it all alone except for a few days out of the year when Mohegan does our booty call.
The days drag by and I wonder if it’ll be Christmas before I hear from him. Finally, on the fifteenth of November, he sends me an IM on Facebook with a link to an event in Florida.
BEER BLAST on the BEACH!
Quickly, I book a flight and ask Zoe to cover my shop and feed Luna. I feel guilty about not explaining everything to Jack but if he knew, he’d never let me go.
Then, as I exit the plane, my heart leaps at the sight of Mohegan waiting outside the gates. I dash into his open arms, craving him like heroin.
He kisses me on the top of my head but his voice is distant and cold. Other than a few texts, we haven’t spoken for weeks. I can’t imagine what’s gone wrong.
“I can’t stay.” His gaze stays off from my face.
I just flew all the way to Florida and that’s all I get?
Why is he pushing me away with his aura completely shut down?
He grabs my knapsack. “I’m sorry, Olivia, it’s over except for when we need to be together.”
Suddenly, I get it. “My God. You slept with her?”
His face gets red just above his beard and I don’t need to be a witch to know the answer even before he says it. “I had to, babe.”
Maybe so but my knees go weak and all the air gets sucked out of the terminal.
Fuck it all. I won’t beg.
With my voice cold as his I say, “My baggage is still in the claim area.”
Both miserable, we follow the signs, and wait silently at the carousel. Finally, I say as I grab my bag. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”
His eyes are brimming with sadness, his mouth grim and taunt. “Show up at the address I gave you. Pretend you don’t know me.”
“That won’t be hard. I really don’t know you at all.”
Is this addiction? Playing the game? Catching the bad guys? Maybe it’s good he’s ending this. Would I be able play second fiddle to The Guild for the rest of my life? Would he continue to sleep with other women even if we got married?
I was so terribly wrong about him, about everything.
Without looking back or saying goodbye, I dash out of the airport and find a cab with tears dripping down my face.
What the hell was I thinking?
Chapter Fifteen
Mohegan.
I watch Olivia go, knowing I hurt her but I’ve had a couple weeks to think things through. She doesn’t really want me and it’s selfish to push.
Shit. What kind of husband would I make? I ride my bike for The Guild looking for trouble. How the hell does that fit into her little soda-shop world?
It doesn’t.
Shit. I didn’t sleep with Mrs. Levy. I didn’t have to. When I explained how I was trying to get dealers off the street, she was thrilled to help. What a sweet old lady, a real doll. No sex was needed or ever expected.
Even if she wanted me to, I wouldn’t have fooled around on Liv. What we have is sacred and I get that. I just wish I could figure out a way to make her want me the way I want her.
When I told her Eduda had a cure for the spell, I thought she’d be sad. I was sure she’d ask me to visit more than just a few times a year. I certainly didn’t expect her to shut down.
My chest actually hurts as she grabs a cab but I need to be strong. She can help with this part of the chase. After, I’ll send her back to Jersey. By Christmas, we’ll fuck, and then I’ll go home.
Feeling miserable, I text her an address.
Me: Wed. night?
Olivia: K. I’ll be there.
I wish I’d never agreed to let her be the victim in this charade but it’s too late to get someone else. Even though I’ve rehashed everything over and over with Eduda, Olivia could be in danger.
When Wednesday comes, I send Mrs. Levy back to New York with a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you for everything.”
The blue-haired woman gives me a warm hug. “You just send those fuckers to jail where they belong.”
“Will do. I’ll let you know when we’re all set and you can come home.” Laughing and shaking my head, I head back to the beach
house and wait.
It’s almost ten when college kids start pouring into her beach house. With my men stationed at all the entrances, I’ll know if anyone enters with an aura that flares. So far, all my guests are human.
When Olivia enters, my heart stops. Her hair is braided down her back in two long, intertwined ponytails. With her tight jeans, short t-shirt, and bright make-up, she fits right in. She’s done something with her aura, too. If another witch was watching, they’d swear she was a college freshman.
Someday, I’ll need to find out how she did that.
Taking a deep breath, I go down the stairs to where I’ve set up the bar on the back deck and reach out my hand to greet her. “Hi, I’m Mohegan. Welcome.”
She smiles shyly and slips her hand in mine. The urge to take her in my arms is as strong as that first day, causing me to wonder if Eduda really broke the instant-lust spell.
She focuses on her hands, eyes off my face. “I’m Liv. Glad to meet you.”
When I don’t let go, she glances up between black eyelashes, thick with mascara. “Nice place.”
“Want to see more?” I really do want her upstairs, in my bed and between my legs. I’ve missed her like mad and damn sorry I didn’t spend the afternoon with her.
“Sure.” Her smile’s innocent and sweet. Dammit, she’s way too good an actress as I continue to play the evil seducer.
“Drink up. I’ll get you another.” When I hand her a beer, my hand slides down her back, dropping too low into her shorts, cupping her ass.
I whisper, “Come upstairs. I want to fuck you.”
She turns in my arms, digs her fingers into my hair, and hisses back through gritted teeth. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve got enough tea in me to resist you until New Year’s Day.”
I guess I deserved that.
At the foot of the stairs, she sees the guard, quickly turns her face, and dashes up the stairs. I follow, open the bedroom door, and push her in.
Her face full of alarm and winded, she quickly explains, “That’s the same guy that was in Ship Bottom. Thank God, I had a mask on that night or my cover would’ve been blown.”
Troubled, I wonder what else I might’ve missed as I squint out the window. Somewhere out there, my grandfather is close by.
I close the shades, light the candles, an eerie dark gloom settling into the room. Out of the corner of my eye, she shudders, staring at the black marble altar that I set up on two saw horses.
Damn, she’s worried but so am I. In the world of charms, there’s a kind of karma. In that Olivia was the best damn thing that ever happened to me, I figure tonight will be the worst.
Chapter Sixteen
Olivia
His heavenly thumbs and fingers work the tense muscles of my shoulders. Damn the man for doubting me, for feeling so good, and for breaking my heart.
“Olivia, you sure you’re up for this?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Yeah, I’m feeling pretty bitchy. He slept with Mrs. Levy, for God’s sake.
“Good. Take this.” He reaches behind his back, hands me a gun and I hold it by the trigger loop.
He quickly uprights it in my palm. “Never hold a gun like that. Most important, this is the safety…”
“You try it.” A doo-hickey clicks off on the side.
The foreign metal chills my palm as he wraps his arms around my waist. With a finger on the trigger he shows me how to point and click. He’s too close, smells too good, and I want him so much I’m not really listening.
“If I don’t come back from the spell, use this to kill me.” His soft beard brushes against my cheek but his words wake me up from the beautiful daydream.
“What? I am not shooting you.” I turn in his arms, gun aimed at the ceiling and he grabs it, clicks the safety, and places it on the altar. “You need to understand the risk. Once I start chanting, I need to go deep into a part of my psyche that you won’t like.”
My hands cup his beard searching his expression and his aura for what, I’m not even sure. All I can read is a grim determination. “Why are you saying this?”
“I have to drag forth my lust for power, for money, for things so dark I don’t dare say them out loud.”
“You’re not like that, Mohegan.” My lips brush against his but he pulls back when the air around him sizzles and snaps.
With mouth grim, his eyes blaze and his voice is ragged and tortured. “You don’t know me at all.”
Then, he makes a fist at his side. “Swear it, Olivia, or I’m calling the whole damn thing off.”
“Fine.”
This stupid charade has gotten way out of control. How the hell did I get myself into this? Better yet, what do I need to do to get us out?
He opens a three-ringed binder with a few pages of printouts. “We’ve already wasted too much time. I need to start. Take your clothes off and jump onto the altar.”
When I hesitate, he smirks, looking a little more like himself. “No worries, babe. I’ve already seen the goods.”
Slowly, I remove my shirt and bra while he studies the text in front of him. More misgivings upset my stomach as I slip out of my jeans and hop my ass onto the cold stone slab. His aura goes murky and fills the room like a black cloud. It so stifling it’s hard to inhale. Within this stench of death and decay, he begins to chant.
“Come dark wind,
Come power,
Come out of her and into me.”
The venetian blinds rattle, the candles go out, and the wicks smolder with thick, unnatural smoke.
His voice gets guttural, almost a growl. “Come! Take her being. Make it mine!”
Shit. I need to get the hell out of here.
His face no longer resembles the kind man I love. His brows are furrowed, his mouth tight, and his eyes are emotionless with a strange, reptilian sliver of red in the center.
This is so not what I bargained for.
I slide off the altar but he clamps my wrists and puts my feet back up on the marble.
“Stay.” His incisors gleam violet, as if lit by ultraviolet.
That’s it.
I search for the gun which I’d shunned only minutes ago but he follows my gaze. Seeing where my eyes rest, he takes two tie-wraps and binds my hands behind my back with a loud zip. All the while, he chants this soulless, atonal music that makes my back teeth grind.
“Mohegan. No more.” My heart yearns to find him somewhere behind that horrible mask but he laughs and the bedroom echoes with it.
“Fucking bitch. You think you own me?”
“Baby. No. This is not you.”
“You had your chance. I loved you and you spurned me.” He rips off his pants and stands naked before me.
So, this is how my life ends?
He straddles me, places a cold hand over my heart, making it race. My eardrums pound. I can’t breathe.
Time stands still and yet in my mind, I begin to chant. “Oh Goddess of light, Holy Mary, Buddhas of all goodness, hear me.”
Without oxygen, the hopelessness of the situation overwhelms me and I begin to drift off to sleep. “Mohegan. Please… I love you.”
For a second his face softens but it goes back even angrier than before. “Shut up, witch. Give me everything you have.”
His legs squeeze me tight, his hands stay on my chest with his hard cock resting on my abdomen.
This kind of rape, I’ve never heard of. He doesn’t enter me, doesn’t slap or hit or threaten. Instead, my entire soul gets slurped out. The more I resist, the more he takes and I feel myself leaving my body.
Shit. Why hadn’t I listened to my inner voices?
My last act is to share what’s left of my powers. Instead of fighting, I freely give him my goodness, like I did when he took the drugs. I dedicate every last ounce of my being, willing my end to come quickly, hoping it will be enough for him to live a long and happy life.
My grandmother stands with arms outstretched under an archway filled with light.
“Gra
m?” I walk away from ever-fading evil and toward the smell of lavender where her face brightens.
“Livy, come.”
My previous life fades to black…
A tinny voice shouts, from far, far away, “Olivia, no. Dammit. Don’t die.”
My face stings from a wicked, hard slap to the cheek, my neck twists, and gasp. My soul plunges back into my body as if jumping from an airplane without a chute.
In his arms, he rocks me back and forth, his tears wetting my face and his voice cracking. “Shit, come back, baby, come back.”
When I cough, he cups my cheeks, staring wide-eyed. “My God, you’re alive.”
I take a deep breath and scream, “Fire. Fire. Call an ambulance. Call a priest! Call the pope!”
Holy shit! This is the guy who just tried to kill me!
With a grin, Mohegan jumps off the altar and dresses. When a switch blade appears from out of his boot, I stop shouting and freak out. This time, I’m surely dead. However, the cold steel doesn’t slice through me, rather it breaks open the tie-wraps.
I’m totally confused as he throws clothes at me.
“Quick, babe. Get dressed. We need to get the fuck out of here.” I shrink back when he reaches out his hand, wondering if he’s going to suck the life out of me again.
With a heavy sigh, he wraps a blanket around me, and throws me over his shoulder. “Sorry.”
“Let me go.” I kick and fight as he runs down the outside stairs and onto the sand.
Upside-down world spins by as my head bounces against his butt. In a nearby lot, a jeep idles with an equally wrong-side-up Eduda at the wheel.
My stomach retches when Mohegan places me in the back seat and buckles me in.
“Is she okay?” Eduda turns around and I’m pretty sure he reads, ‘definitely not okay.’
“Just go.” Mohegan slides into the vehicle beside me, tires spin, and we tear off the beach, leaving the evil behind.
This time, I hope it’s for good.
Mohegan: A Siren's Spell Romance Page 9
