Seductively Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 3)

by Cassandra Lawson

  His hand reached out to cup my cheek, and his lips curled up ever so slightly. “You don’t believe me, Sass?”

  I opened my mouth to insist they were both just antisocial, but that wasn’t really true. Oliver had genuinely enjoyed playing with the other familiars recently. As for Gryph, he spent time with his vampire neighbors. He could easily turn them down when they invited him over, but he didn’t. There was also the way he patiently answered every question Persephone asked him about werewolves. Gryph was the first werewolf she’d been able to talk to, and she had a lot of questions. He’d answered her, laughing at some of the misconceptions she had about werewolves, and he’d never once been impatient with her curiosity.

  “I guess it’s not really fair to say you’re antisocial,” I began thoughtfully. “You didn’t have many opportunities to socialize with your pack because you were too busy being the big bad enforcer. This is all new to you, but there are people you consider friends now.”

  “You had a lot to do with that,” he murmured, stepping closer with his hand still on my cheek.

  “I wasn’t even around when you made most of these friends,” I argued somewhat breathlessly.

  “You made me feel alive,” he stated. “Before I met you, I just existed. I’d decided I wasn’t going to end it all, but I sure as hell wasn’t living. Allie was the only person who even came by to see me, and I was far from civil with her. When I took the job protecting Melina, it had more to do with what I owed Allie. It wasn’t until I met you that I really felt like living again.”

  I let out a nervous laugh. “That’s quite an admission, Gryph.”

  “The truth scares you, doesn’t it, Sass?” he asked.

  “A little,” I admitted. “While my brother was falling in love with every witch he met and still managing to remain a hopeless romantic, I was becoming almost cynical about the whole thing. With every failed relationship, I was reminded that emotions aren’t what really matter. It’s just about the compatibility of my magic with someone else’s. What’s the point of even falling in love when the magic is all that matters?”

  His lips twitched.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  “You, my sassy witch, are trying to pick apart what you feel for me. Even after your magic connected with my wolf, you’re still trying to find a way to explain it away as nothing. The problem is, your magic knows I’m the one. I’ve been reading up on witches and their bonding.”

  “Then you know what you’re saying isn’t possible,” I told him.

  He shook his head before leaning in to brush his lips against mine. “You were trained to believe you could only belong with a witch or warlock. Maybe that’s all your council has ever seen, or maybe this is just something they tell everyone because those elitists look down on werewolves. We’re just mutts to them.”

  “I want to argue with you, but you may be right,” I admitted.

  Gryph grinned.

  “Don’t get all cocky,” I warned as I made the mistake of smacking his bare chest. The moment my hand made contact with his skin, power coursed through my body, heating my blood and drawing a ragged moan from my lips. I leaned back against the wall behind me, needing the support to remain on my feet.

  Gryph clearly felt it, too, because his eyes closed and his hand moved from my cheek to the wall behind me. Leaning into my body, his cheek rested against mine as he breathed in deeply.

  “Fuck, Sass,” he rasped out. “It feels like you’re touching me everywhere.”

  With a shuddering breath, I responded to his words. “I’ve never felt anything like this, Gryph. Please touch me more. I’m not sure I can survive if you don’t touch me.”

  With his hand still on the wall, Gryph claimed my lips. There was no teasing; his tongue thrust in to explore my mouth with barely restrained hunger. If I hadn’t felt the strong connection vibrating between us, I might have thought his control had snapped. I felt his restraint and his fear through our magical bond.

  My hands moved between us to skim along his chest and up to his shoulders as I clutched them for support. Gryph could make me lose all sense and forget the consequences of my actions. As the heat built in my body, my magic flowed around us.

  Gryph hissed against my mouth before breaking the kiss. “We need to stop.” His struggle to get the words past his lips was obvious. He was still bent forward as if he couldn’t bring himself to put any distance between us.

  “Why?” I asked, my hands still clutching his shoulders tightly as I leaned forward to run my tongue along his lower lip.

  Gryph groaned. “Please, Sass.” His desperate plea cut through my lust.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, reaching up to stroke his cheek with one hand.

  His eyes met mine, and I could see the yellow swirling in the pale green. “Are you ready to accept me as your mate?”

  I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

  When I didn’t immediately respond, Gryph turned and took several steps to put some distance between us. “Go up to your room and lock the door,” he ground out.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, knowing my voice clearly conveyed both frustration and hurt.

  Gryph turned toward me. “It’s not you,” he said softly. “I can’t be sure I’ll be able to control my instincts when I’m this close to the edge.”

  “I don’t want you to control your instincts,” I argued.

  “That’s because you’re only thinking about the pleasure we can find together,” he began in a low guttural voice. “I’m too close to claiming you as my mate. Do you trust me?”

  I nodded without hesitation.

  “Then go up to your room,” he insisted. “Please, Sass.”

  Chapter 34

  Gryph

  Julia looked like she was about to argue with me, which would have been a very bad idea. I simply didn’t have the self-control to resist her. While we’d been kissing, it had felt like her magic was moving along my body. It was as if her hot power was stroking my dick. That sensation had me thinking about how good it would feel to slide into her body. If it were just my desire to fuck Julia, I could have stayed there. Lust, I could deal with. I’m far from a young pup who can’t keep his dick in his pants.

  This was about more than lust. Julia was my mate, and her magic seemed to have accepted that fact. It didn’t make any more sense to me than it did to her, but those were the undeniable facts. Call it mated or bonded, or whatever else you wanted, there were only a few steps left to reach that point.

  “I’ll go upstairs,” she finally agreed.

  It was a struggle to let her go. My wolf longed to be close to her, but we needed space.

  Unable to handle the energy humming through my body, I began to pace. After several minutes, I decided I needed to run. Before I could strip out of my clothes and leave the house, Julia interrupted me.

  “The police just called,” she began.

  I stopped pacing to face her. “Did they find the person responsible for the threats?”

  “Maybe,” she replied hesitantly. “A former Bliss client is missing. I guess they found one of our brochures and my business card at her home. Her parents are convinced the warlock she was seeing is responsible for her disappearance. The police want to come out to your house to interview me.”

  I shook my head. “They can’t come here.”

  “Why not?” she asked, proving she hadn’t spent much time around vampires.

  “The vampires are only okay with me staying here because I don’t create any problems for them,” I began. “Having the police out here would be a problem. There are many in the preternatural community, the police included, who frown on vampires feeding directly from humans.”

  “I hadn’t even considered that,” Julia said thoughtfully.

  “You didn’t tell them to head out here, did you?” I asked cautiously. If she had, we needed to try to stop them.

  She shook her head. “I told them I needed to talk to you first. They’re expec
ting a call back. They were far too insistent on getting your address. I really don’t like those two detectives, and I don’t trust them.”

  “Neither do I,” I agreed. “While your home is closer, I’d prefer to meet at the Bliss offices.”

  She nodded. “Good idea. I don’t want them in my home.” She let out a sigh before continuing. “I almost feel guilty about my reaction to them. They’re police officers, so I should have more respect for them.”

  “They’re assholes,” I stated, figuring there was no reason to beat around the bush.

  “I’ll call them back now,” she said before studying me closely. “Are you okay with going there now? Maybe we should insist on waiting until tomorrow.”

  I shook my head and said, “No, we need to figure out who’s behind these threats. If this is a good lead, we should meet the police right away. There’s also a missing witch to consider.”

  “You’re right,” she agreed. “Even if this doesn’t help me, maybe I can help them find Tatiana.”

  I nodded and let her make the call to the police. There’d be no time for a run, so hopefully no one would piss me off.

  Chapter 35

  Julia

  Our meeting with the police had barely begun, and Gryph already looked furious. If it weren’t for his excellent self-restraint, I was certain he’d have tossed one of the shades out a window.

  We were seated in one of the conference rooms at Bliss. The detectives were sitting across the table from us. Both Detectives Hardy and Mason looked annoyed. That is unless one compared them to Gryph. They were practically bubbling over with joy compared to Gryph.

  “There is no reason for you to know where Gryph lives,” I told them for the third time. Gryph had simply grunted when they’d insisted he provide them with his address.

  “He could be a suspect,” Detective Hardy argued.

  “He’s not,” I replied. “We all know he’s not. Tatiana is missing. It seems that should be your focus.”

  “We don’t need you to tell us how to do our job,” Detective Mason growled, standing and leaning across the table some.

  “Miss Dupree is right,” Detective Hardy stated. “We’re here to discuss Tatiana Ashcroft.”

  Detective Mason slumped down in his chair, looking like a sulking child.

  “Did you know Tatiana Ashcroft before she came to Bliss?” Detective Hardy asked.

  “We went to school together,” I replied. “She’s a few years younger than me, so we weren’t close, but we spoke a few times.”

  “Did you have any contact after school?” Detective Hardy asked.

  “I’ve seen her at a few council meetings, but we never spoke,” I replied. “It wasn’t until she came to set up a fantasy weekend with Desmond LaCroix, her warlock, that I really talked to her.”

  “How would you describe her relationship with Desmond LaCroix?” Detective Mason asked.

  I hesitated before responding. “She seemed to want him to be the one.”

  “Because she loved him?” Detective Hardy pushed.

  “Not really,” I replied. “I’m not entirely certain what her motivation was for being with Desmond. She pushed me several times to tell her whether I thought their magic was a good match. Since that’s what my family does, she thought I could just give her a simple answer.”

  “Did you answer her?” Detective Mason asked, leaning forward slightly in his chair. “This could be motivation for LaCroix to come after you.”

  “I told her I couldn’t do that for her. We don’t just go around performing impromptu affinity tests. It would be irresponsible,” I explained.

  “Are you trying to tell us you didn’t have any opinions regarding their compatibility?” Detective Mason demanded.

  “I always have suspicions,” I replied. “That’s not the same as performing a test. My suspicions could be wrong, and I would never stake my reputation on them.”

  “So, you want us to believe you didn’t tell her anything?” Detective Hardy asked doubtfully. “It would be hard to avoid sharing what you suspected.”

  “Julia is trying to help you,” Gryph growled.

  I decided I’d better steer things away from this subject before Gryph lost his temper. The detectives both seemed determined to push things. This was one of those times when I really wished the preternatural legal system offered some of the same protections humans had in theirs.

  “I planned their weekend for them nearly two months ago,” I told the detectives.

  “Did the weekend go well?” Detective Hardy asked.

  “They were supposed to go two weeks ago, but they canceled shortly before their trip,” I explained.

  “Who canceled the trip?” Detective Hardy asked.

  “Tatiana canceled in an email,” I replied.

  “Did she give any reason for canceling?” Detective Hardy asked.

  I shook my head. “She simply thanked me for helping her figure out what she wanted and told me things weren’t going to work out.”

  Gryph suddenly looked very intrigued by what I’d said. He leaned forward in his chair as he spoke. “That could be read a lot of ways. If the wrong person looked at the email, they might assume you’d helped her decide LaCroix wasn’t the right warlock for her.”

  “I suppose,” I admitted.

  “What was your impression of Mr. LaCroix?” Detective Mason asked.

  “He seemed nice,” I replied. “We’d never spoken before he came to Bliss with Tatiana. Even when I was planning a fantasy weekend for him, I barely spoke to him.”

  “That’s right. LaCroix was lower on your council’s hierarchy,” Detective Hardy said with a sneer. “It’s all about where you rank with your Council of Witches, isn’t it? A witch like you wouldn’t associate with a low-ranking warlock.”

  “Julia’s not like that,” Gryph snapped.

  “I’m really not in the mood to be judged by you,” I told the detectives. “I’m tired, and the only reason I came out to meet you tonight was so I could help find Tatiana. If you want my opinion, Desmond wouldn’t have hurt Tatiana. I don’t think they loved each other, but he was very determined to make her happy. Maybe she was meant to be his witch, or maybe he was just using her to elevate his status with the council. I have no way of knowing what his motivations were, but he definitely treated her well.”

  “Miss Ashcroft’s family seems convinced he’s responsible for her disappearance,” Detective Mason told me. “We can’t find any trace of Desmond LaCroix.”

  “Maybe they ran off together,” Gryph suggested.

  “The Ashcrofts insist they broke up,” Detective Mason replied.

  “Her parents admitted to insisting they end things. They didn’t think he was good enough for her,” Detective Hardy added bitterly.

  “That seems like a good reason for them to run off,” Gryph pointed out.

  “Actually, it makes it unlikely they ran off,” I told Gryph. “Witches can be a lot like werewolves in their fear of surviving without the support of the council. We also tend to live in witch subdivisions so we’re close to other witches. Other preternatural communities aren’t welcoming of witches. We can live among humans, but then we’re limited on the amount of magic we can use.”

  “I imagine that would be difficult for most witches,” Gryph added. “It seems witches use spells for just about everything.” He was definitely not mistaken in that observation. Most witches couldn’t even open their garage door without a spell. “There are witch communities all over the country. What’s stopping them from moving to one in another area?”

  “Witches are stuck in the middle ages in many ways,” I explained. “One’s family and territory define their status. It’s possible to live in a different area. Mel’s mom lives in Arizona, but she’s still under the rule of the council out here. She uses a transport tube to attend meetings. Tatiana can’t simply cut ties with her family or the council and still remain in the witch community.”

  “Meaning she and Desmond cou
ldn’t have run off to have a bonding ceremony performed in a different territory,” Gryph deduced.

  “Actually, that’s something they could accomplish,” I told him. “For the right price, a couple can find someone to perform the ceremony. I’ve heard of it being done in Texas and New York.”

  “We really should get back to the subject of Tatiana Ashcroft’s disappearance. We believe this may be related to the threats against Miss Dupree,” Detective Mason stated.

  “It seems as unlikely as Desmond LaCroix being responsible for the witch’s disappearance,” Detective Hardy scoffed.

  “Do you have any more questions for Julia?” Gryph interrupted.

  “Do you think Tatiana Ashcroft and Desmond LaCroix could pass an affinity test?” Detective Mason asked. His gaze locked on mine.

  I hesitated. The council frowned on witches with my ability speculating on whether witches would pass affinity tests. I decided answering the police as part of an investigation rather than the couple in question would be okay. “I don’t believe they would have passed.”

  “Those are all the questions we have regarding Tatiana Ashcroft for now, but we still need to know where you’re staying,” Detective Mason pushed.

  “Is she a suspect?” Gryph asked. “If so, we should get her lawyer down here.”

  “Miss Dupree isn’t a suspect, so she doesn’t need a lawyer,” Detective Mason insisted.

  “In that case, you can either contact me here or by phone,” I told them.

  Neither detective seemed happy as they left the offices, but I didn’t really care if they were happy.

  “Now that they’re gone, I need you to tell me everything you know about Desmond LaCroix,” Gryph stated.

  “Do you really think he might be the one threatening me?” I asked, still finding it hard to believe.

  “I know you said you weren’t worried about him, but it’s a pretty big coincidence that the witch he was seeing disappeared shortly after she canceled their weekend adventure,” he began. “It definitely sounds like she ended things with him, and the way she worded her email to you may have made him think she was thanking you for telling her they weren’t compatible. He’s missing, and she’s missing. You seem convinced they didn’t run off together, so something happened after she sent you that email.”