His hand slipped under my back and he unclipped my bra with a flick of his fingers, pulling it off and tossing it to the floor. He dipped his head to trail kisses down my neck, kissing the crux of my clavicle, and then he took one nipple, circling it with his tongue and drew it into his mouth while his hands moved lower to tug at my skimpy shorts. His head moved lower again, kissing his way down my stomach, further down until he was kissing my inner thighs, making them tremble with waiting, then licking me, making me gasp as his tongue delved inside and I exploded into stars that swept me away on a cloud of happiness and lust.
I pushed my fingers through his hair as I arched against him, his firm hands holding me still while he drove me to the brink of excitement, before pulling me back, time and again. When I thought I finally couldn’t take it anymore he lifted his head, cool purple-black eyes assessing me and he held my eyes in his gaze as he slid up my body. I felt the soft texture of cotton between us then that was gone, leaving us skin against skin, panting and trembling in anticipation.
‘Stella...’ he sighed as I touched the hard swell of his cock as I used my hand to guide him inside me, swiftly moving my hands up his back to grasp him as he pushed his way fully into me and I held him as he slid in and out, increasing his rhythm, pressing against me firmly until I could wrap my legs over his then it felt like we were melting in to each other and I crested the wave of pure longing.
Oh yes, there was a reason Evan rhymed with heaven.
I came moments before him, and his cries outweighed mine before he crushed my mouth with his, his tongue searching for mine as great shudders rippled through him. Panting, sated, he lay on me as I gasped air into my starved lungs.
“You’ve no idea how much I longed for that,” Evan rasped, rolling away from me to collapse by my side, then pulling me into him in a tangle of hot, sticky limbs. “Next time, I’ll be gentler, I promise. Next time, I’ll...”
I raised myself slightly to lean over and put my finger to his lips. “This time was perfect.” I sank back into the pillows to enjoy the aftershocks coursing through me. Evan had been my first, and only, lover and the sex had always been outstanding. I wondered if it was like this for everyone, always, or if I’d pulled a very lucky straw. It wasn’t that he was eager to please; it was that he knew exactly which buttons to push and when, like we were made for each other. It was a silly, romantic notion and it galled me when a thought flitted across my head: he must have had other lovers. I heaved a breath and shoved that thought firmly away into the back of my mind. I didn’t even know where such an idea had come from. Except that it was just another reminder that there was a lot I didn’t know. Frankly, it was spoiling the moment and I wanted to stay in the best part of that moment, the part that had Evan wanting me and only me. That was the only thing that mattered.
“I said we might join the others for dinner in town, if you want to?” he whispered, his hands cupping my face so he could kiss me long and slow.
I raised my eyebrows. “Not right now, surely?”
“I don’t think we’re dressed for it right now. Seren said eight. We have the rest of the day to ourselves.”
“Will you come home with me after?” I asked with a sly smile that belied how hopeful I was.
“I have my bag in the car. I have someone covering work. I can stay as long as you want.”
“I might want a long time.”
Evan grinned at that and kissed me again, a soft groan slipping from his throat.
“If you keep on doing that we might be seeing them for breakfast rather than dinner,” I laughed.
“That wouldn’t be a great tragedy,” he mumbled between kisses and I felt something stir against me, pressing into my solar plexus.
“Again?” I asked, surprised.
“Oh yes.” Evan grinned wickedly. “That’s something you’ll learn about demons: great stamina.” Then he set about proving it.
~
Later, after we’d dozed and he’d pressed his healing hands against me and taken away the ache of too much great sex, Evan had gone out to the car to get his bag. When he came back in, he’d stripped off his clothes and climbed in the shower while I lay in bed and listened to the water patter. Stepping into my room a few minutes later, one soft towel wrapped around his waist and another in his hand patting his short hair dry, he grinned at me. I drank in his muscular body, the firm pecs that met a hard six pack and smiled happily.
“You are pleased to see me?” he teased.
“Like you would not believe.”
“All the way here, I thought ‘what if she doesn’t want to see me?’” Evan lent against the door frame and waited, almost cautiously like he was expecting some kind of knockback. Where had the man been for the last few hours?
I was sat cross legged with the covers pulled up over my chest. “Why would you think that?”
“I couldn’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t come looking for me,” he said simply. “But I know now.”
“Who could I have asked? Everyone was gone. I didn’t know where anyone was. The Brotherhood were the reason that I was brought here and I saw on the news that they were suspected behind a string of murders across the eastern seaboard. I didn’t want to attract attention.” After a moment I added, “And I could barely think straight.”
“The Brotherhood have been quiet lately,” Evan said, changing tack slightly to address my big problem.
“Do you think they’re gone? Back to Europe?” I’d once been told I was the last of the English witches, the ones that were magic to the core anyway as those who spell cast had hidden more easily. I’d been the last one they were going to pick off. Étoile had saved me from a desperate and final fate and, though I didn’t say it, I’d never cease feeling grateful to her.
Evan shook his head, shaking a few droplets that were making their way from his freshly washed hair which now stood in little peaks. “I think they’ve drawn too much attention to themselves and they need to lay low. I think they’ll be searching for witches quietly and when they come back, they’ll be back with a vengeance.”
“Will we ever be safe?” I whispered.
“I can keep you safe in Texas.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “What if I stay here?”
“You’ll be safer with me,” Evan replied, which didn’t really answer my question. I got the feeling Evan thought me leaving with him would be a very natural move. After all, what was he offering? A home, the chance of college, safety... himself. It was hardly a poor offering. I would be foolish not to think about it. I was thinking about it. “Just say you’ll think about it,” he said, like he had caught the thoughts spilling through my mind.
“I will,” I promised. Like I said, it wasn’t a poor offer – it was Evan with cherries on top.
“I left the water on,” he said, switching topics abruptly again. “If you wanted a shower?”
“I do.”
“I could help.” He flicked his eyebrows in a lascivious way which certainly added to the general appeal of upping sticks and moving across the country.
“We’ll never get to dinner if you ‘help’,” I giggled. I cast the sheets to one side and strode naked into the bathroom, pushing the door behind me so I could dive under the water in peace while Evan dressed. As I dipped my head under the water, I thought I heard knocking but I ignored it when I heard the soft strains of music flick on in the living room, and instead lathered and rinsed until I felt I could squeak with cleanliness.
When I got out, my bedroom was empty and re-made so I towelled off and then blow dried my hair until it was straight. I pulled on a simple sheath dress in light blue and slipped a patent belt around it. Both were new even though I didn’t really know where I was going to wear them when I bought it. I smiled to myself, Étoile would have known but I wasn’t blessed with being psychic. I found a soft black cardigan with little jewel buttons to wear over the top seeing as it was cool, and finished the look with black opaque hose and flats. Evan would
tower over me, even if I was in heels so I went for the comfort option. This would look fine wherever we were eating, plus Étoile and Seren were almost certain to be dressed up seeing as ‘casual’ wasn’t in their lexicon. At least I wouldn’t look like the poor cousin.
Evan gave a low whistle of appreciation when I walked into the living room. “Right black at you,” I murmured, taking in his black chinos and mulberry-coloured shirt, shot with thin black stripes. The dark colours made his eyes flash and emphasised the darkness of his hair and olive skin. I felt a flash of pride to have him as my date. It didn’t hurt to know he would be coming home with me too.
“You look sensational,” he said, then after a moment, “your neighbour Annalise came by.”
“I thought I heard someone at the door. Did she say what she wanted?”
“To remind me that there was some kind of film show on in town and that she wanted to know if you wanted to go with her and her brother.”
Right. Gage had mentioned that Wilding had its own version of a citizen movie theatre.
“I said we were going out for dinner and maybe some other time. I hope that was okay?”
“Yes, thanks.” I said. I wondered if Annalise had recognised Evan from the two small pictures I had on the mantelpiece. “Did she say anything else?”
“She asked if I was the guy in the photo.” Evan signalled to the mantelpiece where the two photos I’d brought with me sat side by side. Ahh, so she did. He pulled out his wallet and slipped something out which he held to me. It was the same picture.
“I made it to wallet status?” I asked taking a few steps towards him, and, standing on my tip toes, kissed him softly. He just smiled at me as he circled his arms around my waist.
“We should go before I change my mind,” he murmured, before stepping away with a sigh and reaching for my black coat on the rack. I spun round so he could hold it as I slipped it on and then followed him out the door. As I went I trailed my fingers across the lock out of habit.
Evan drove us in his car, using his SatNav to guide him. It was bigger, newer and considerably nicer than mine, not that either of us drew attention to that. Seren and Étoile were already seated at the restaurant – a barbecue place with a warm, countrified sense of style from its gingham check curtains to the scrubbed wooden tables – when we got there. They both raised their right hands to wave to us and we crossed the crowded room. Evan held my seat while I sat and he’d just taken the place next to me when David rushed in, unwinding his scarf, before dropping into the seat next to Seren, leaning over to kiss her cheek before signalling to the waitress. The sisters were dressed up as per usual, Étoile in wool pants and a silky shirt in cobalt blue and Seren in a long red dress that was nipped in at the waist. I’d definitely picked the right dress to wear.
“How’s the inn?” I asked.
“Better than expected,” said Seren, flashing a smile at David. “Much more modern than I had hoped.”
“She means it wasn’t quite as Hicksville as we were expecting,” said Étoile bluntly, reaching for her wine glass. “Wilding is a nice town. Very pretty.”
“I like it,” I said, but not defensively because I could see their point. Wilding was a quiet town with a few amenities and shops that were kept to a strict town planning code. If you wanted something bigger or more exciting like clubs, bars, bowling, and, well, all the fun stuff, you went to one of the neighbouring towns whose reach had yet to swallow up Wilding. Instead what you got in Wilding was a neat brick built Main Street with shop hoardings matched right down to the fonts, that centred around a community square. There were the usual small town offerings, and, being a pretty town, there were several gift shops that catered to the out of towners that drifted through. Spanning out around this central hub was a variety of homes, tightly packed together at first with the plots broadening the further out of town you got. It was a congenial sort of place, quiet, crime-free and gently stuck in its ways. It was the absolute opposite in every way from my former home of London. I liked it here.
“And what do you like about it, Stella?” David had picked up the wine bottle and was filling my glass with Chardonnay while Evan ordered a beer from the hovering waitress.
“I like its quiet mostly,” I said, after a moment of thinking about it. “In London, people shuffled by and tried to avoid eye contact. Here, people make an effort to say hello or ask how you are. I like that.” I’d probably met more people in the months I’d been here than in the several years I’d been in London. Even better, they actually remembered my name here.
“Do you know anything about the town’s history?” Seren asked.
I shook my head. “Not really.”
“I looked it up on the ‘net,” said Seren. She was picking at a bread roll on her plate, steadily turning it into crumbs without eating a single bite. “It has a strange past. Apparently there’s some strange town law that prevents residents from having pets.”
“I noticed that but I didn’t know it was law. I haven’t seen a single dog or cat since I’ve been here and I would have thought there would have been cows or horses, but I haven’t seen any of those either. I hear howling in the woods sometimes.” I watched Seren and Étoile exchange a look. I guessed they weren’t impressed. I hadn’t put them down as animal lovers though. Still, I could agree it was a strange law.
David said, “You should probably be careful at night. Your house is pretty isolated; not the best place to run into wild animals.”
I nodded. “I’ll be careful.”
I was grateful when they switched topics to more trivial things, before switching to catching me up to date on what had happened in the intervening months since I’d last seen them, which made me think of how collected and together they were when I hadn’t even begun to make solid plans. I had Evan’s offer to think about now though, but neither of us brought that up.
What they had said before about the witches’ council fracturing was all true, but now they filled me in on the rest. The council was already weakened under the pressure of the Brotherhood picking off witches throughout Europe, and this had left the council at a quandary about what to do now there wasn’t a clear leadership succession. Apparently trying to assist European witches wasn’t a popular option and there had been plenty of dissent but the Bartholomews had insisted on reaching out a helping hand to their brethren, even if it wasn’t entirely altruistic when it came to me. I still didn’t understand why Eleanor had chosen to send Étoile to save me, when she could have left me to die and thus solve her problem without any more blood directly on her hands. I would probably never understand that. Still, I could understand why, to an extent, even if it galled me, that other members of the council didn’t want a European problem in their country. Too bad though, they had got the Brotherhood anyway.
So with the Bartholomews gone, and no natural leader to step in and take control, the remaining members of the council had found themselves unable to keep any semblance of control so they had been forced to disband within the last couple of months. With the council split, it was becoming close to impossible to monitor what was going on across the country, never mind with allies overseas. There were some witches who wanted to go their own way, fly under the radar (I started to make a broomstick joke at that but shut my mouth at the last moment) and weren’t all that interested in a crumbling regime. Of course there were some that wanted not just the council together, but the ruling seat with their own council members in power, and for all the witches to be under a new regime. Those witches were already canvassing for power, making for an uneasy time for those who weren’t politically minded, and for those who didn’t want to be pawns in another’s power play.
“Georgia Thomas is the biggest threat,” said Étoile and I watched them all nod in agreement with her, even Evan. “She’s never been able to get on the council.”
“How come?” I asked.
“She’s never been interested in the good of the council.” Étoile glared at me while I covered a s
nort with a sip of wine, before she finished, “She’s just in it for the power.”
“She’s very powerful though,” pointed out David. “She’s always felt slighted. This is a perfect opportunity for her.”
“She’s as scary as hell,” added Seren with a shudder. “You know that saying ‘wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley’? Someone met Georgia right before that.”
David said, “I hear she’s travelling along the west coast recruiting.”
“The further away from us the better. Do you mind if we call an early night? We were driving for hours today.” Seren sat her dessert spoon down and licked sugar from her lips, her eyelids heavy. Étoile and David both nodded and I noticed that they were looking drawn too.
“Of course not. You’re here for a few days, right?” I tried not to look too hopeful, but I really wanted them to stay. It wasn’t just for the catch-up, but so I could learn more. Just because I didn’t want to be under council rule, didn’t mean I didn’t want to know what was going on.
“Yes.” Étoile answered for the three of them and under the table Evan squeezed my hand. Seeing as we hadn’t really talked about how long he was staying, I had been assuming that he just was, but now a time stamp was hovering with a big question mark. I’d been naive not to think about that earlier when he’d put forward his offer.
Unruly Magic Page 10
