Chaotic Magic: A Snarky Paranormal Romance (Modern Magic Book 6)

by Nicole Hall

  The first person they asked pointed them to a small cottage with windchimes in every shape and color hanging from the eaves. Nothing set it apart as an inn, but the helpful villager had explained this house was the closest they had. A buzz of magic passed over Samantha as she stepped onto the walkway, the first she’d felt since the ward.

  The door opened, and a thin woman wearing an abundance of scarves and a wide smile bustled outside. Samantha tried to keep her face blank, but a cloud of sandalwood enveloped her and the potent scent made her nose twitch. Several sheer scarves trailed behind the woman like wings until she came to a sudden halt halfway down the path from the street to her door. Luc had pulled Samantha to a stop well before then, although she didn’t notice any threat. A massive amount of power, yes, but she couldn’t discern anything more detailed.

  This woman wasn’t a shifter. Or at least, not only a shifter.

  When she cast a small amount of her magic out to gather information, but a bit of Luc’s went along with it, so she pulled them both back. Until she’d learned more about their new complicated situation, she didn’t want to risk using untested skills. Still, Samantha should have been able to at least determine the type of power the woman controlled.

  The woman clapped her hands together, clearly delighted, then beckoned them forward. “I’m so glad you’ve arrived. I wasn’t sure how long you’d take in the market.”

  Samantha frowned. “How did you know we came from the market?”

  “I’ve been watching since you crossed the ward. It’s been some time since anything triggered it, and I so hoped you’d come to visit.”

  Luc stepped forward, surreptitiously putting himself between Samantha and the strange woman. “What purpose does your ward serve?”

  She wiggled her fingers. “Warning magic. Couldn’t you tell? It helps me know when I’ll have guests and how best to serve them.”

  Samantha pushed Luc out of her way so she could see the woman better. “Why would you be serving us?”

  Her smile dimmed a bit. “Didn’t you come here to seek my advice?”

  Luc shook his head. “We come seeking a room for the night.”

  She brightened and adjusted one of her disheveled scarves. “Oh, well I have that too. Fire-caller, welcome to my home.”

  Luc sent Samantha a look that clearly said I told you so. She vowed then and there to never call him that, in bed or out.

  “Ice mage, welcome to my home.” The woman beckoned them in again, and Samantha jolted as Luc slid an arm around her waist when she tried to walk past him. He slowed her gait to whisper in her ear.

  “Should I refer to you as ice mage the next time I’m inside you?”

  Samantha’s composure threatened to go up in flames at his mouth so close to her skin and his words so close to her thoughts. She took a deep breath, and turned to face him with an arched brow.

  “If you like, but you might want to get your mind out of your pants long enough to pay attention. I have us shielded. She shouldn’t be able to recognize our magic, ward or no.”

  Luc grunted, then followed her past their hostess. Samantha had expected another ward at the door, but nothing touched her as she entered into a small living room. A couch and chair faced a large fireplace, but that’s where the similarity to a normal house ended. Every surface was covered with crystals, shiny rocks, grasses woven into knotted shapes, carved wooden figures, and in a sunny spot on the far side of the room, a massive, dry aquarium with some kind of lizard inside.

  Samantha glanced at the woman as she shut the door behind them. “Why did you call us those names?”

  She blinked up at them. “It’s customary to greet guests so the house knows you’re welcome.”

  Luc nodded with a smile, but not the usual, genuine one he used with her. This was his ‘charm the rich widow’ smile. “And how should we greet you?”

  Understanding dawned across her face. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. It’s been so long since I’ve needed to. Most people know who I am well before they arrive, you know. I’m Janet, that’s Henry.” She pointed toward the lizard. “He’s having his afternoon nap, but he’ll want to offer his greetings later.”

  Samantha raised a brow, sincerely hoping Henry wasn’t a shifter and his presence in a cage wasn’t some weird sex thing. “I’m—”

  “Tired.” Luc cut her off with a pointed look. “We’re both tired from our long journey. You said you have a room to let?”

  “Of course. I have two rooms free. Practically identical except for the energy. The west room leans a little chaotic.” She whispered toward Samantha. “That room would be best for you, dear.”

  Samantha opened her mouth to ask one of many questions, but Luc stopped her again. “What do you require in payment?”

  Janet waved the question away. “No charge. I like to offer the rooms free to encourage good vibrations. You’ll find the two rooms at the top of the stairs with a connecting bathroom. There should be clean towels in the basket. Go on and get some rest.” She shooed them toward the stairs in the corner that Samantha hadn’t noticed when they’d first come in. “We’ll visit more when you’ve had the chance to relax.”

  Luc bowed his head to Janet and grabbed Samantha’s hand. “Thank you. You’re a gracious hostess.”

  Janet’s whole being seemed to light up. “Just wait until you meet Henry.”

  On that strange farewell, Luc tugged her up the stairs behind him. Samantha trained her eyes on Luc’s back as she questioned their entire trip up to that point. Why wasn’t she more concerned with the way everything seemed to be working out in their favor? The whole scenario felt vaguely like being lulled into a false sense of security right before being eaten.

  But she wasn’t concerned. Janet, while strange, wasn’t threatening, and Samantha’s magic insisted that they were exactly where they were supposed to be.

  Samantha had expected to sleep. Luc hadn’t been entirely fabricating the truth when he’d said they were tired from their long journey. After a nightmare vision and the subsequent sexual encounter, she hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep the night before. Despite the squishy mattress, she couldn’t seem to get comfortable enough to relax.

  Luc had escorted her to the door, absently kissed the back of her hand, and left her there to enter his own room. She’d rinsed her filthy leggings and bra in their shared bathroom, then crawled under the thick comforter in only her shirt and panties.

  The room had grown progressively darker as Samantha lay on the bed and stared at the blank wall. The bursts of color around Janet’s home and on her person made the boring guest quarters surprising. The simple white and cream décor would probably be considered posh among the Manhattan elite, but at the moment, it only felt cold.

  She groaned at the blatant lie. Samantha was cold because she missed her own personal furnace wrapping her in warmth.

  By the time she gave up, night had fallen, but faint light from the globes outside let her avoid the furniture as she crept to the bathroom door. There weren’t any other rooms on this floor, and honestly, she could have sworn the house only had one floor when they’d been standing outside, but Samantha didn’t want to take the chance of running into Janet in the hallway.

  The spartan bathroom offered a pedestal sink, a toilet, and a small shower stall where she’d draped her clothes earlier. She paused as she considered putting on the damp garments, but Luc had already seen her naked. At least this time she’d be wearing something, even though she knew the most likely outcome of entering his room half-dressed. Samantha squared her shoulders and walked through the opposite door, shutting it softly behind her.

  Luc’s room was bigger than hers. A lot bigger. He had a fireplace that he’d of course lit, and a bed that was twice the size of hers. If she hadn’t been right there with him the whole time, she’d have suspected that he’d rigged it to get the nicer room. Even as little as a week ago, it wouldn’t have mattered that she’d been with him the whole time, she�
��d have believed he’d taken advantage somehow.

  Now, she stood with her back to the door in the one place she’d sworn not to be and waited for her Luc to acknowledge her. She didn’t have to wait long.

  He sat up in bed and grinned at her. “Lost?”

  “No.” Samantha wasn’t in the mood for witty banter. She’d freely admit to being cranky, but didn’t feel like examining the cause.

  Luc tossed the blanket aside and stood. He’d abandoned his shirt somewhere, and his unbuttoned pants hung low on his hips. The flickering firelight cast shadows across his body, every muscle in his torso flowing from light to dark and back as he approached her.

  “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

  Samantha blew out an irritated breath. “That’s the problem. I’m tired. I know I need the rest, but I can’t seem to sleep unless you’re next to me. It’s so frustrating. What kind of hellish charm did you put on me?”

  Luc chuckled. “Don’t blame magic for your subconscious recognizing the truth.”

  She propped her hands on her hips. “What truth is that?”

  He drew her forward slowly, all hard angles and hot skin, giving her plenty of time to pull away. Instead, Samantha melted against him. This was what she’d been missing, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

  Luc brushed a kiss against her cheek. “The truth that you fit me perfectly.” Another kiss on the other cheek. “That you belong next to me.”

  His lips grazed hers, a soft touch without their usual frenzy. “That you want to be here.”

  An insatiable, quivering hunger sat right below her ribcage, but Samantha fought the pull. She wouldn’t have come if she didn’t want to be here. But she wanted a lot of things, and the bond they’d accidentally forged would only be strengthened if she stayed.

  Was she really willing to throw aside her hard-won control in favor of her baser needs after resisting him for so long? What would she have left if she gave him everything?

  Samantha shook her head and turned to retrace her steps to her own room. “This was a mistake.”

  Luc’s hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. “Don’t go.”

  He gripped her loosely, but Samantha faced him as if caged. “Why? Do you want me to have access to your magic? Because this whole thing between us is only going to make that situation worse.”

  Luc winced and Samantha had the answer for the question she’d been too afraid to ask herself. What was she worth to him? Not enough to give up some of his power, and not enough to see past the secrets she’d been hiding.

  Samantha twisted her wrist away from him and used the motion to create a sigil in the air between them. She held her palm flat against it and knocked him back a step with a push of magic. With a sideways swipe of her hand, she created a shield around herself, shimmering like ice and barely visible.

  He rubbed the heel of his hand against his chest where she’d shoved him with her magic. “That’s a useful skill, but you didn’t allow me to answer your question.”

  Luc’s gaze traveled over her as he advanced again. Samantha raised her chin, but her blood heated. When his eyes clashed with hers, he lazily trailed a finger over the curved edge of her bubble. His magic flared orange-red against her pale blue, leaving a trail of brilliant color.

  “I’m adjusting to the bond the same as you, but I’ve come to a conclusion over the last few hours apart. You are the only person I trust with my power.” He spread his hand and a burst of color bloomed over her shield like a kaleidoscope. The magic did more than cover, it sank in, demanding entrance to the core of her.

  Her lips parted in an involuntary sigh, and satisfaction shot through Luc’s gaze.

  He shifted, drawing the colors higher. “I know you feel that sensation when our magics combine. That lovely effervescence of joined power. Do you know what causes that?” She shook her head. “Mutual trust. Lower your shield. Take a chance with me.”

  His words ignited a flame in her. She’d expected him to push for separation, but he’d already decided to embrace the change. He trusted her now, why was she so determined to think he’d regret that trust later? She ached with the need to do as he asked, to stop fighting herself based on her potentially faulty judgement.

  Samantha lifted her hand to meet his on her side of the shield and chose risk over safety.

  She gathered the magic around her sigil, blue and orange together, pulling it into herself and releasing it as a slightly larger force than last time. Luc grunted as he stumbled backward and landed hard on his ass.

  He shook his head. “I admit that was not the reaction I was expecting. I thought we weren’t supposed to be using big magic?”

  Samantha crossed to him, buzzing from the residual power still caught inside her. “I know what I can hide.” He started to stand, but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “What I can handle.” She swung a leg over him, and he caught her hips as she sank down to straddle his lap. “And what I want.”

  His eyes burned into her, and heat pooled low in her belly. “What do you want?”

  “You. With your magic or without. I just want you.”

  11

  LUC

  Luc would never forget looking up to see Samantha in his room—touched by the firelight and wearing only a tee-shirt and pink underwear. Then she’d knocked him on his ass and made his night in one sly motion. He’d asked her to take a chance, and here she was, her weight across his lap and her hands threading through his hair.

  Her heady words echoed in his mind. I just want you. Luc had already accepted the reality of their bond, but right then, he wanted to prove that her trust wasn’t misplaced.

  His fingers squeezed her hips as she leaned down to trail a line of heated magic down his chest. Orange and blue swirled together, sinking into him and making him groan at the shock to his nerve endings.

  Samantha had abandoned her shield, and the free flow of magic between them added a new dimension to the pleasure. He glided his palms down her thighs and back up, sending answering sparks of magic into her already overloaded body. Her grip on his hair tightened painfully, but Luc reveled in the loss of control.

  “Hold on tight, love.”

  Luc leaned forward to tease and taunt her breasts through her shirt. A nip followed by a flick of the tongue, until she pressed his mouth more firmly against her. He obliged by sucking one nipple, then the other into his mouth, leaving warm, wet spots on the fabric. Samantha writhed and rolled her hips, then whimpered when he traced the line of her panties around to dip inside.

  She was hot and wet for him, and she rode his hand with breathless little moans that drove him crazy. He ached to be inside her, but she came first. Always.

  Luc plunged his free hand into her hair and pulled her mouth down for a heated kiss. She threw her head back with a gasp and clenched around him, but Luc wasn’t finished by far.

  He surged forward to switch their positions, laying her gently on the floor and replacing his hand with his weight between her legs. Her nails dug into his back as she arched up, and Luc smiled at the sting. He’d intended to be gentle for once, but Samantha had never been interested in gentle. She demanded raw, violent passion.

  His pants got in the way, so he shoved them off, then as a secondary thought, grabbed the nearby satchel to retrieve a condom. Once properly sheathed, he returned to her, gratified to feel her leg hook around his hip and pull him closer.

  Luc eased forward in a long, leisurely grind that left them both shuddering. Her eyes met his, and he cupped her cheek, tracing a shadow on her soft skin. She turned her face to kiss his palm, and Luc found he had tenderness in him after all.

  He captured her mouth with an unhurried kiss, a slow exploration that grew hungrier and harder. The fevered drive to get closer, to lay a claim wound its way inside him until he felt nothing but her.

  Samantha reached between them and stroked him a few times before tilting her hips to give him access. Luc’s shoulders bunched as he held himself back from pl
unging forward. He kissed his way down her neck, desperate for her to understand what she meant to him.

  “Only you, Samantha.”

  Her breath caught on his name as he sank into her, and a rush of connection zipped up his spine. He found her hands and dragged them above her head, linking their fingers together. She held onto him as they moved, a give and take, until she came apart underneath him again and Luc followed shortly after.

  He exhaled a long breath into the crook of her neck. Samantha slid her hand out from under his to stroke the damp hair curling on his neck. She didn’t complain about his weight, which was for the best as Luc had no intention of moving, perhaps ever.

  Unfortunately, despite the feel and scent of her wrapped around him, the floor wasn’t entirely comfortable. Luc pulled back and disposed of the condom, then grabbed his satchel and extended a hand to help Samantha off the floor.

  She looked up at him, her eyes glittering in the flickering light, then slid her palm against his. To his surprise, a tiny zap of magic, like a static shock, sparked between them. Samantha had left her shields down.

  He met her eyes with a raised brow as he pulled her up and against him. “Have I finally earned a place inside the fortress you call a heart?”

  She gave him a small smile and a soft kiss before turning away to crawl into the bed naked. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”

  A pang of disappointment shot through him, but he tried to rationalize it away. She’d only just decided to truly trust him. He’d have to give her time to accept that he wanted more than a convenient bed partner. Hell, he was still working on accepting that himself.

  Whether or not she was ready to admit the emotions present in their bond, she’d chosen to stay. Luc set his satchel within easy reach of the bed and slid under the covers next to her. She immediately nestled into him, and Luc’s disappointment washed away at the feel of her content and sleepy in his arms.