by J. L. Weil
The centerpiece was from Mystic Floral, one of my aunt’s deigns. Setting the table was a mindless chore. Just the kind I needed.
A tiny meow at my feet caught my attention. Some sneaky little kitten had escaped like Houdini from my room. He was forever doing that. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Gavin had given me a charmed kitty.
I scooped up the neglected-feeling Lunar in my arms just as the doorbell rang. Nuzzling his cozy warm fur, I walked to the door. “Here goes nothing. Let the fun and games begin,” I mumbled sarcastically to Lunar. Then I hollered through the house. “I got it!” My aunt was still sweating it out in the kitchen.
My heart raced a little as I turned the knob on the front door. Then it dropped to my socks as I saw the new guy with his saggy, brown hair.
He had a name; I reminded myself— Chad something or other.
Stuffed with an armful of orange mums, yellow sunflowers, and deep red carnations, Chad peeked over the bouquet. How original. Flowers for a florist. Couldn’t he have been a little more creative? This was my aunt, after all, and she was pretty darn awesome. She deserved some awe-inspiring awesomeness.
“Wow, uh, these are lovely. I am sure Aunt Clara will love them,” I said, smiling and lying through my teeth.
“I really hope so. You don’t think it’s too cheesy?” Chad asked, looking ready to abandon ship.
God, I hoped I’d gotten better at lying. “No. Definitely not.” I brightened my already fake smile, giving him credit for trying, at least.
“Thank goodness.” There were little beads of sweat at his brow. He was really nervous, and I couldn’t help feeling sympathy for the guy.
I closed the door behind him.
“This must be Lunar,” he said, scratching the kitten’s black furring head. Lunar, loving any and all attention, purred a mile a minute. Chad noticed my surprise. “Your aunt has told me a lot about you.”
“And you still came to dinner?” I teased.
“I don’t scare off that easily.” He had a nice smile. I’d give him that.
How about a witch, I silently wondered. Tonight he was getting two for the price of one. Oh, goody.
Lukas arrived right behind the semi-dorky Chad. Lunar took one beady glance at him and made a mad dash upstairs. I rolled my eyes and ushered Lukas inside. Before we got to the kitchen, I cornered him in the hallway. “No funny business tonight,” I warned in hushed whisper, poking him in the chest. For some reason, I felt the need to lay down the ground rules.
He held up both hands claiming innocent and grinned devilishly. “I’ll keep my hands to myself. Both of them, I promise,” he added when I didn’t look immediately swayed.
Somehow that smile didn’t look reassuring. I probably should have added that he also keep his lips to himself. Technicalities.
Dinner was surprisingly normal considering. The conversation was light, funny, and entertaining. Lukas had a way about him. Charismatic. Likable. Electrifying. I couldn’t help but think he used some kind of spell that made people fall in love with him. One flaw with that assumption—it didn’t work on me.
I must be immune.
“Who wants dessert?” my aunt asked, standing up to go into the kitchen.
I slumped in my seat, feeling like a beached whale, overstuffed on turkey, mashed potatoes, and broccoli and cheese casserole. I’d left very little room for dessert, which was my favorite part of the meal. Somehow I was going to have to make room.
I should have probably gotten up and helped my aunt bring out dessert, but I couldn’t move a muscle. Lukas sat across from me, smirking and chuckling. I was this close to kicking him under the table or unsnapping the top button on my jeans. I couldn’t decide. “Stop laughing at me,” I grumbled, trying to keep a straight face.
He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “You make it so easy.”
I gave him a snarky glare.
Dessert arrived. I don’t know how I managed to lift my spoon, but I had a bite of pumpkin pie topped with Cool Whip halfway to mouth when I was interrupted by a burst of noise that sent my spoon clattering to my plate. One of the windows had blown open at crashing speeds, the shutters smacking the edge of the house. Everyone at the table jumped. The wind outside howled painfully, and the curtains flew around the room in crazy disarray of silk.
My eyes met Lukas’s quizzical gaze across the table, and he arched a brow, silently asking if I was responsible. I shook my head. Storms and I sort of went hand-in-hand, so I could see why he would think it was me. I’d gotten pretty good the last few weeks at feeling my energy rise. This was most definitely not my doing, and if it wasn’t Lukas…
I shot to my feet and jogged to the window, slamming it shut. There was an eerie ambiance in the room. I shivered.
“That was weird,” Aunt Clara said, folding her hands in her lap. “The weather has really been on the fritz lately.”
Chad grumbled some response, but I had checked out of the conversation. My entire body knew the gust of wind hadn’t been accident. It had been magic. The tingle of magic was pulsing through the air, even thicker near the window.
I took my seat again and gulped. If anyone noticed my lack of participation, it wasn’t brought to light.
Designing swirls with my uneaten pumpkin pie, I no longer had the desire to gorge myself. My stomach was whirling. I twirled the mushy goo around on my plate, trying to figure out what witch might be responsible. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were no longer alone.
The excitement of my bewitched Thanksgiving didn’t end there. Nope. I couldn’t be that lucky. Stuff like this wasn’t just coincidence, and I needed to accept the cold truth.
Things were never going to be normal in my life again.
My aunt gasped beside me, and I turned to see what had her attention. Coughing, I choked on my water. What the hell? The flowers sitting at the center of the table, Chad’s contribution, were shriveled, dried, and black as spades.
Dead.
The vibrant colors, the dewy petals, and the sweet aroma were gone. Even the water had turned a nasty shade of darkness, like poison.
“Wow, what was in that vase?” Aunt Clara mumbled.
This time I gave into my earlier urge and kicked Lukas under the table. He narrowed his eyes at me. Nodding in the direction of the sad flower display, I seared him with daggers.
He shrugged his shoulders, the lightheartedness gone from his bold, green eyes. He was just as innocent as I was in this fiasco.
The very second the dishes were cleared, I grabbed Lukas by the arm and dragged him into the hallway. I could hear the banter between my aunt and Chad in the kitchen. He had volunteered for kitchen duty—totally fine and dandy by me. I had more pressing problems.
“What the hell was all that?” I asked when I was sure the coast was clear. Even as the accusations left my lips, I knew Lukas wasn’t responsible.
Lukas wasn’t listening. And damn if that didn’t boil my blood. His sharp gaze was scoping out the room.
“Lukas!” I yelled, much too loud.
“Hmm?” he responded mindlessly, still scanning.
I huffed. Then, of course, I didn’t the most mature thing I could think of; I pinched him.
“Ouch!” he cried. “What was that for?”
“It wasn’t that hard, you big baby. Focus.”
“What do you think I have been doing? There is someone else here.”
I rolled my eyes. Well, duh. “I kind of figured that out already, Watson.” Admitting it out loud still didn’t stop the spine-chilling tingle from coursing through me. “Who is it?”
His emerald eyes begin to shine. “I’m not sure it’s a who. Maybe more like a viable source.”
I blinked. “English.”
He grinned and leaned his back against the wall, folding his arms. “You have a spirit.”
I wiped my sweating palms on the legs of my jeans. “You mean a ghost?” This was worse. Way worse. It was a stupid question, but I couldn’t fathom the idea of
being haunted in my own house, for God’s sake. And it screwed up Thanksgiving dinner, too.
I could only hope my aunt wasn’t suspicious. The last thing I needed was her calling Ghostbusters, or a priest.
But the joke was on me. Lukas and I never got any more solid information or answers that night. It remained another mystery.
Chapter 16
THREE DAYS AFTER THE STRANGEST Thanksgiving ever, I got a text from Sophie inviting me to hang out. My first thought was it would be a great way to possibly run into Gavin. He had kept his promise and returned to school, but it was hardly like it used to be. In fact, I think he went to great pains to avoid me. Chemistry couldn’t be avoided, but all the other classes and in the passing periods—zilch.
So I jumped all over the chance to see him.
In less than an hour, I was standing on the porch of the Masons’ house. There were a gazillion emotions plummeting through me: excitement, fear, hope, nervousness. A roar of crashing waves could be heard over my bubbling feelings. It was a heartening sound.
The door opened, and my heart pitter-pattered right into overdrive. I didn’t have to look up to know who stood in the doorway. Every bone, every muscle, every fiber in my being was humming.
Gavin.
My chest jumped for joy. Fireflies, like the beacon of the night, zoomed in my belly. I missed those pesky fireflies. When I raised my head, I was slammed into a pair of sapphire eyes, the same eyes that burned my steamy dreams night after countless night. I couldn’t stop staring at him. My tongue was stuck. My legs started to shake. My world hadn’t felt complete without him.
A tendril of something inside me reached out to him, willing itself to attach to this one guy for all of eternity. The intensity startled me. I knew I loved him, but forever?
He leaned against the doorframe in a pair of ripped denim jeans, a T-shirt, and a lopsided grin. God, I missed that mouth. My eyes fastened onto his lips, and a flush covered my skin. His knock-your-socks-off lips were tempting. Once you have drunk from the fountain of ecstasy, you always want more.
Those dark sapphire eyes roamed over me slowly, and suddenly I was scorching hot. It didn’t matter that it was November. My body was on fire. I could have thrown myself all over him in a matter of seconds.
It was that bad.
When I referred to jumping at the chance to see him, I hadn’t meant literally, but geez, at this rate, it was a good possibility that I wouldn’t make it off this porch without embarrassing myself greatly.
His grin only grew wider, the longer I stood there with my mouth hanging open, drooling at his feet.
It was his smirk that finally snapped me out of my trance before I made an even bigger doofus of myself. He stepped aside, waiting for me to come inside. Brushing past him, I cleared my throat uncomfortably. “Is Sophie here?”
He waggled that studded brow. “No, she is gone for the day with my parents.”
I groaned. Sophie.
I was going to kill her, then hug her.
She could be conniving when she wanted to be. And I utterly fell for it. I had been smartly maneuvered. She set this whole thing up, so Gavin and I would be alone. Sophie was in deep shit. The next time I saw her, I was going to tell her she was a genius.
Understanding lit in his sultry eyes. “Sophie,” he growled. “Don’t let that innocent face fool you. She can be devious.”
I noticed how quiet it was as I stepped inside. Not a peep. “Are you home alone?” I asked.
“Yep.” He tucked his hand into his pockets.
“Oh. Uh, I guess I should go—”
“You can stay if you want,” he said, cutting me off. “We could hang out.”
I held my breath. “Sure,” I expelled. “I’d like that.”
We ended up watching a movie, Zombieland. Deciding on a movie with Gavin was nowhere near as problematic as it was with Tori and Austin. Side-by-side on the couch, everything clicked into place, just like that. There was no longer a brick wall between us. No Lukas. It was just Gavin and I, talking, poking fun at the movie, and being normal teens. I couldn’t remember the last time my heart felt so weightless.
I wiggled my nose at a gruesome but funny part of the movie. Pulled by the sound of Gavin’s chuckle, I peeked at the hot guy next to me and found him staring at me.
“I adore your freckles. They’re cute.” He flicked the end of my nose.
I made a horrible face. “Cute. I don’t want to be cute.”
His lips twitched. “They’re sexy, okay? How’s that?”
A small smile appeared on my lips. “Better.”
“Uh, how’s the magic coming?” His leg was pressed up against mine on the couch. Just the little contact did funny things to my belly.
My violet eyes twinkled. “I’ll show you.”
The whole moving object thing was easy as pie, but I hadn’t factored in Gavin as a distraction. It took more concentration and focus to get a simple glass of water from the coffee table to move. Once I had it in the air, it was smooth sailing, more or less.
Just one small hiccup.
I had the glass balanced mid-air in front of him, right within his grasp. What I hadn’t been prepared for was his whispered breath near my ear. His lips grazed my neck and that did it. My concentration was shot. I didn’t know what he said, but the words didn’t matter. The glass tumbled into his lap, splashing water all over him and soaking his shirt. Droplets of water sprayed my face and hair.
Stunned, neither of us moved.
Then like a dam had been broken, I busted into a fit of hysterics. I don’t why it was so funny, but I couldn’t stop the laughter. Falling back into the couch cushion, tears gathered at my eyes. I hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time. It felt freeing, until my stomach started to cramp.
“I swear you did that on purpose,” he smirked, shaking the water from his hair. He stood up, and I slid to the floor, clutching my middle.
“You. Broke. My. Concentration.” I blamed it on him, between giggles.
His eyes said he was secretly pleased. I just bet he was.
I held my stomach, rolling on the floor. He just looked so darn adorably rumpled. With a quick flick of his wrist, he pulled his soaking wet shirt over his head, and my laughter immediately died.
I gulped.
Holy hotness. Stop the broomsticks.
Sexy didn’t even come close to describing Gavin shirtless.
I clamped my mouth shut to keep from embarrassing myself.
That was unexpected. Very nice, but I was completely unprepared for a half-naked Gavin. My eyes roamed over every glorious, golden inch. I’ve seen him without a shirt before, but we’d been too busy for me to really appreciate it. Now that I had the chance, I wasn’t wasting it. My eye gobbled him up, stopped short by a mark unlike anything I’d ever seen.
It was a tattoo, but it wasn’t. I mean, tattoos don’t glimmer. The ink looked like a metallic rainbow, changing color with the light. It was more than just the unusual ink. I had to be seeing shit. How could it flicker like that?
“You have a tattoo?” I exclaimed, astonished, pushing to my feet. How did I not know this? Not that I really should have been that surprised, this was Gavin. The embodiment of a bad boy, he really could be one with a few scars and tattoos.
He twirled the hoop at the center of his lip, his contemplation habit. I wasn’t going to let him get out of explaining this.
A tattoo that seemed to live…no way. “It is a tattoo, right?”
He watched me. “Of sorts. It’s more of a rune. It’s protection. The ink is spelled and bound to the witch.”
I was entranced.
On their own accord, my feet moved until I could feel the heat radiating from his superb body. Later I might be mortified by my behavior, but right now, I wasn’t thinking at all. My fingers lightly traced the lines of the shimmering rune, situated on the left side of his chest. I mean it literally shimmered, as if it was moving. Enthralled, I let my nails outline his hot skin. His muscle
s trembled on contact. Right. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and I was touching him. Uh, more like caressing him. His abs were freaking edible. I wanted just one nibble, and I stepped forward, brushing against him. Rune forgotten, I peeked up from under my lashes. His eyes gleamed. Dark. Sinful. Scrumptious.
He placed his hands on either side of my hips, and my entire being went up in flames. Leaning down, he whispered my name against my partially open lips. He tugged on my bottom lip, and I fought the need to sink my teeth into him. He had a way of bringing out the crazy-girl side of me.
Unable to move, I stood immobile, afraid to break the mood. I didn’t want to do or say anything that would ruin this moment. His mouth outlined my jaw, leaving tiny, fiery embers behind. He made me sparkle from inside and out. With him I felt like a better person, a better witch. He made everything seem brighter.
Our bodies fused together, and my hands flattened against his bare chest. I tilted my head, giving him more access. His lips grazed my neck, my cheek, my chin. So lost was I on the crazy intensity of his kisses, I couldn’t keep track where his lips roamed. They were everywhere, and at the same time it was not enough.
My fingers dug into his dark locks, and he finally gave me what I craved, our lips meeting in one fluid motion. And his lips were to die for.
Sweet Jesus, he could kiss.
I didn’t know how I could go another day without one of his kisses, though one was never enough. Never.
His tongue swept over mine, tasting of the richest flavors. Sliding my hand down his back, I kissed him ardently back. Sparks flowed, cascading off our bodies. It was purely cosmic, moonbeams and shooting stars. Our hearts beat in time. Our magic purred together.
Sliding down the curve of my back, he cupped my backside. His fingers tightened, searing through my jeans, and pulled me closer, surging our bodies. Behind my eyes, flashes of silver and white light burst. We were seriously electrifying. I opened myself up deeper as Gavin pressed his lips more firmly against mine. I was lost to the world, lost to only him.
