The Warlock's Enchanted Kiss (Witch Island Brides Book 2)

by Deanna Chase

  “Lead the way, pretty lady,” Quinton said. “Lead the way.”

  Once they were gone, Austin reached out and wrapped his fingers around Carrie’s. He glanced down at her, and with more than a little trepidation, he asked, “Did you mean what you said earlier?”

  She tilted her head up to look him in the eye. “Mean what?”

  “Did you mean it when you said you’d go with me to the island’s magical river and perform a blood sacrifice?” His nerves were on-edge and he wanted more than anything to take her inside, make love to her, and just forget the rest of the evening. But he had a chance to end this curse, and if she was willing, he was going to see it through.

  “Of course I meant it.” She ran a light hand down his arm. “Ready?”

  He let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and said, “Ready.”

  Chapter 11

  Carrie took Austin by the hand and led him through the clearing that was typically used for the island’s wedding ceremonies. This weekend was no exception. Chairs were lined up in front of a wedding arch and come morning, she’d be there to oversee the day’s events. But tonight, all she was interested in was the magical river that flowed alongside the clearing.

  Quinton had said Austin needed someone who loved him to offer a blood sacrifice, and that is exactly what she intended to do. She pointed to a secluded section of the river that was hidden by a small bank of trees. “There’s a beach area this way.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Austin said.

  “Of course I do.” She paused near the trees and slipped her shoes off. “You don’t think I’m gonna risk some crazy bachelorette getting her lips on you, do you?”

  He smiled down at her. “There’s a reason I rarely go to Witchin’ Impossible.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You were there earlier tonight.”

  “Only because I ran into you at the bookstore and I really needed a stiff drink.”

  She glanced down at his groin area. “To go with that impressive stiffie you had?”

  “Exactly.” He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, showing her just how impressive his erection could be. It seemed obscene, somehow, that he was so turned-on when they were supposed to be there to spill their blood, but he just couldn’t help it. He wanted her more than ever, and there was no convincing his dick that now wasn’t the time.

  She reached one hand down and ran it over his cock through his jeans. “I see you’re still ready.”

  He stared down at her, his eyes fixated on her lips. “I want to kiss you so bad, Carrie. My mouth is practically watering for you.”

  “Soon,” she said and lifted one of his hands to her lips.

  He let out a small strangled groan.

  The sound rippled through her, sending a lightning rod of heat to her secret places. With a force of impressive willpower she’d never known she possessed, she let go of his hand and took a large step backward, putting some much-needed space between them.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, taking a step toward her.

  She raised one hand in a stop motion and said, “Strip.”

  He chuckled. “It sounds like you’ve been taking lessons from Brinn.”

  A shudder ran through her at the mention of the other woman’s name. “Hardly. When you hear me ordering you to whip out the nipple clamps, then you can make that comparison. Until then, drop the drawers. We have an offering to make.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, giving her a slow smile.

  Damn he was sexy. So sexy, she actually took another step back, just to make sure she didn’t throw herself at him.

  Austin quickly shed his clothes, and if it hadn’t been for the brilliant moonlight shining down on them, she might not have noticed the blood seeping from one of his wounds.

  “Austin,” she said, pointing at his left butt cheek. “What did you do to your stitches?”

  He glanced back and frowned. “Dammit. I was afraid of that.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and waited. “Well?”

  “It’s because I carried you all over town, trying to find someone to wake you from that magical coma. I wasn’t supposed to strain myself, remember?”

  “You did?” She dropped her arms. “Why didn’t you just call Mystia?”

  He let out a hollow laugh. “I did. Cooper flew her off to the city at the last minute, so I took you to my mom’s place to get Quinton’s help. They live in a treehouse. I’m certain the two-hundred-plus stairs are what did me in.”

  “Oh no.” She pressed her fingers to her mouth, feeling guilty that he’d hurt himself for her, but also very loved. He’d put her first over his own discomfort and would clearly do it again. Her heart swelled, and without another word she pulled her clothes off and barely noticed the cold water stinging her skin when she joined him in the river. “I guess your blood offering has already been taken care of, huh?”

  He nodded and ran his hands down her arms. “I’m not crazy about you making a sacrifice for me, though.”

  She tilted her head to the side and stared up at him with her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  “Because… I’m just not. I can’t stomach the thought of marring your skin.”

  “You’d do it for me,” she said.

  “No question about it,” he agreed.

  “Then shut up and let me do this for you.” She produced a small pocket knife she’d retrieved from her jeans pocket before entering the water. “Take it.”

  “Dammit, Carrie. I don’t want to do this,” he said, closing her fingers around the unopened knife.

  “Fine.” She flipped the knife open and held her other hand out in front of her. “What do we need to do?”

  “We just need to mix our blood and offer it to the sea,” he said. “Then we prove our love.”

  “Prove our love? How?” she asked.

  He raised one hand up to cup her cheek. “I’m guessing we need to make love.”

  “Oh. I see,” she said, butterflies forming in her stomach. “Right here in the icy river?”

  He nodded.

  “Seriously? Are you going to be able to… uh, make your equipment work?”

  Instead of answering, he grabbed her empty hand and placed it against his thick, hard shaft. “What do you think?”

  “Good goddess, Austin” she said, unable to stop her grin. “It has been a very long time, hasn’t it?”

  “You have no idea,” he said. “Now hurry up before I stop giving a damn about the blood sacrifice.”

  Without hesitation, Carrie held her hand out again and in one swift motion, she brought the blade down, slicing into the fleshy part of her palm. Blood welled, appearing silver in the moonlight.

  He held his hand out for her knife, but she shook her head as she tossed it on the bank then pulled him over to a shallow part of the river. “There’s no need to cause you more pain,” she said and gently cupped his ass over his open wound.

  They stood there for a moment, just staring at each other. But then there was a tiny plop as a drop of their entwined blood hit the water.

  Magic rose up around them, encircling them in a warm cocoon. The wound on her hand no longer ached, and the rest of the world fell away around them. All she saw was Austin and his gorgeous whiskey-colored gaze, staring down at her with awe.

  “I love you, Carrie,” he said.

  “I love you, too.” She brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and felt a rush of tenderness she’d never felt before for anyone. She wanted to wrap this man in her arms and keep him there forever.

  “What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked.

  She gazed at him, knowing that her love had to be streaming off her in waves. “You, my love, have been my best friend ever since the day we met. You’ve been there for me when my days have been too long to bear, and you’ve been there when I needed someone to vent to, to laugh with, to confide in. And now, you’re going to give me everything I ever wanted… you.”

&nb
sp; His tongue darted out over his lips, and she knew he was dying to kiss her again. She was tempted to let him. But she couldn’t. Not yet. Not until they were sure he was free of the curse.

  “And above all else, you’ve protected me, put me first over your own needs. I know that’s true love, my sweet man. And now that I have you, I’m never letting you go. Make love to me. Show me just how much love you have to give.”

  “Gladly,” he said, his voice a gruff whisper.

  Then his hands were everywhere, cupping her breasts, caressing her back and grabbing her ass. She leaned into him, running her lips over his cool chest, taking in his faint, earthy scent. Everything about him was completely intoxicating, and soon she forgot about everything else while tasting every bit of him. Her tongue swept over his pecs, his nipple, and then she moved lower, laving at his abs.

  “Jesus, Carrie,” he breathed as one of his hands fisted in her hair while he moved the other to flutter his thumb over her pulse.

  Her need quickened to almost unbearable levels. She knew she was more than ready for him to take her, but there was just one more piece of him she needed to taste before she gave herself over to him completely. She fell to her knees in the water, wrapped her hand around his cock and looked at up at him.

  He stared down at her, lust making his dark eyes almost black. “Please, Carrie,” he begged.

  She smiled, and while still looking up at him, she wrapped her lips around the tip of his cock.

  His eyes rolled into the back of his head while his fingernails dug into his own thigh.

  She took him deeper and chuckled, knowing the sound would reverberate over him, and he rewarded her with a throaty groan.

  Yes, she thought. This was exactly what she wanted, to drive him crazy with need for her. To show him just how much she wanted to pleasure him, and that she didn’t care if he couldn’t kiss her. There was more than one way to pleasure each other. He’d proven that earlier in the greenhouse. Now she was returning the favor.

  Carrie licked, teased, and sucked, all the while gently stroking the base of him until finally he choked out, “God, Carrie, I can’t take anymore.”

  She took him deep one last time then released him with a small pop. The moment he was free from her mouth, he lifted her up and pressed her against one of the nearby trees. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and suddenly the tip of him was barely pressing into her center.

  Breathing hard, and barely in control, he said, “Fuck. I don’t have a condom. But I’m clean. Like I said, I haven’t been with anyone in years.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. I’m clean, too. Please, Austin. I want you now.”

  He pulled back just enough to stare her in the eye. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I want you. I’ve always wanted you. And I’m not going to stop wanting you.”

  That was all the confirmation he needed. Holding onto her hips, he drove himself home, burying himself deep as he filled her completely.

  “Oh,” she breathed, holding on tight as they both waited for her to adjust to his intrusion. And then she jerked against him, and he started to move.

  His thrusts were slow and deliberate, almost teasing as he stroked inside of her.

  “Austin,” she begged, tightening her legs around him and biting down on his shoulder as she thrust her hips forward, needing more of him.

  “Oh, god,” he said on a moan and quickened his pace, thrusting hard and fast, pumping into her with such force that she cried out in pleasure and pain.

  “Yes,” she cried. “Just like that. More, Austin, more.”

  He let out a grunt as he continued to pleasure her, moving harder and faster with each glorious thrust of his hips.

  Then suddenly, that sweet pressure built inside of her and her muscles tightened around him as an intense orgasm took her.

  She cried out, throwing her head back as she held on.

  Austin gave one last mighty thrust and let himself go.

  Magic had curled up around them and coated their skin, making them tingle with the heat of it, but the moment Austin spilled into her, the magic shattered and dissipated into the night. Austin let out a gasp, then a second later, his lips were on hers as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, devouring her with a kiss that made her head spin.

  Chapter 12

  “Holy sex on a stick,” Carrie whispered into Austin’s ear.

  He smiled but didn’t say anything. They’d moved away from the trees and were now submerged in the water again, letting the water sooth their aching muscles. Carrie had her arms around his neck and was still wrapped around him. He just stood there in the river, holding on to her. He didn’t need to ask her if the kiss had triggered the love spell. It hadn’t. He’d known the minute the spell had broken. He’d felt it leave him the moment he’d completely given himself over to her. And he knew that if their lovemaking resulted in a child, he’d not only be there for them, he’d be ecstatic.

  In fact, he prayed for it. For the past decade, he’d resigned himself to the fact he’d never get married, never have children. He’d convinced himself he was fine with it. But he wasn’t, not at all. Admitting his feelings for Carrie had shattered that careful narrative he’d created for himself, and now he wanted everything. Her, marriage, a family. He wanted to give it all to her, and curse or no curse, he was going to do just that.

  “You finally figured it out. Congratulations,” a woman’s deep voice said from the edge of the river.

  Austin turned his head and spotted a tall woman with long silver hair. She wore a white robe and had a dagger strapped to her waist.

  The swamp witch. He’d know her anywhere.

  “It figures you’d show up the moment I no longer needed you,” he said, his tone icy.

  “I’m only here because you finally figured out how to break the curse,” she said.

  “Um, Austin?” Carrie asked. “Who’s your friend?”

  He glanced down at her, relieved to see she was merely curious. “It’s the swamp witch from New Orleans.”

  “You’re kidding?” She untangled herself from his hold and turned to face the witch, careful to keep herself covered by the water. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to congratulate you both on finding your one true love,” she said.

  “Um, thanks,” Carrie said, sounding slightly confused. “But how did you know?”

  “I felt the spell break.” She started to turn and walk away.

  “Wait just a minute,” Austin said. “You can’t just show up and then leave. We have business to settle.”

  She stopped and turned to look at him, one eyebrow arched. “We do? And what business would that be?”

  Unconcerned with modesty, he marched out of the river and wrapped himself in one of the towels Carrie had insisted they bring with them. He heard her follow his lead, but he kept his attention trained on the witch. “What is wrong with you, casting those love spells? Don’t you understand you ruined lives by being so reckless? How do you live with yourself?”

  “Me? Reckless?” She scoffed. “You’re the one who asked for a love spell, one that would make all the women of the world fall in love with you with just one kiss. Or did you conveniently forget that fact?”

  “I was a drunk kid,” he countered.

  She placed her fists on her hips and glared at him. “Old enough to drink and old enough to purchase a love spell. All I did was give you what you asked for.”

  “I never asked for a spell that was permanent.”

  “It wasn’t permanent. It’s gone now, isn’t it?” she said with a self-satisfied smile. “And you learned something from it.”

  “Yeah, I learned that you’re an unethical witch who should be banned from the witch community.”

  “Austin,” Carrie said, slipping her hand in his. “Maybe we should just let this go.”

  “I can’t,” he said, turning to her, careful to keep his temper under control. “What she did hurt people
.”

  “No,” the witch said. “What you did hurt people. The spell was only triggered by a kiss. You chose to do that. No one else. And I only agreed to cast the spell so that you’d learn something about the human connection, instead of tricking people into falling for you.”

  “You should’ve told me what you were doing,” he said, so angry his body had started to vibrate.

  “You’d have just gone somewhere else. They always do. And let me remind you what I told you that night: no one wants to be tricked into caring about someone. And that’s the only thing love spells do. Trust me. Love spells aren’t harmless. They never are. They’re deceitful and wrong and they hurt people. Especially women. All I did was turn that phenomenon on its head, so you can take your righteous anger and shove it up your ass. I’m done.”

  All of the anger drained out of Austin as he watched her go. Her shoulders were slumped, and even though in his mind she’d clearly won the argument, she looked sad and defeated. It was then he realized that she must have been the victim of a love spell at some point in her life. Perhaps she’d still been processing her pain the night he’d walked into her shop. He didn’t know and probably never would. But one thing she’d said had stuck with him—love spells are never harmless.

  That he could absolutely agree with. And maybe she had done him a favor. At twenty-one, he’d been a cocky, thoughtless kid. But now? He understood what it was he wanted and needed in a partner, and he didn’t regret the wait one bit. After building a friendship for all those years, he knew without a doubt that he and Carrie would spend the rest of their days together. And that thought filled him with so much joy, he thought he’d burst with it.

  As the swamp witch faded into the ether, Austin turned to Carrie and said, “I’m sorry.”

  She glanced up at him in surprise. “For what?”

  “For my former self. The swamp witch was right. I was a selfish jackass. Thank you for finding a way to love me anyway.”

  She chuckled. “Austin, everyone is a jackass when they are young. That’s why we just need time to grow up. You did that. Now here we are.”