Seductively Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 3)

by Cassandra Lawson

  “You’re right,” I admitted with a sigh. “I’ll go through the files I have and call my mom to see if we can get any information about Desmond LaCroix and his family. Do you think the police will find Tatiana alive?” I asked, hoping he’d tell me I was wrong for fearing she might already be dead.

  “It’s always possible,” he replied hesitantly.

  “But you don’t think it’s likely,” I finished with a sad sigh.

  “No, I don’t think it’s likely,” he admitted. “The police didn’t act like they think it’s likely either. They’re not in a huge hurry to find her because they think it’s too late.”

  I was quiet as the weight of Gryph’s words settled around me. If Desmond had killed Tatiana for leaving him, I really was in danger.

  As if reading my thoughts, Gryph slipped his arm around my shoulders. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Sass. You have my word.”

  I smiled and let out a deep shuddering sigh. I wasn’t the type to fall into a man’s arms and let him take care of everything. I prided myself on being a strong, independent woman, but I was glad Gryph was with me. All the things I’d once believed to be reasons we couldn’t be together had only added to the list of reasons I loved him.

  That should have been my oh shit moment—that instant when I realized I was in love with an alpha male. Instead, my magic heated within me, and everything felt as if it were exactly as it should be. Gryph was mine. Now, I just needed to figure out what that meant.

  Chapter 36

  The Gentleman Warlock

  “Please let me go, Des.”

  Tatiana had never been more beautiful. Her eyes held an intoxicating mix of hopelessness and fear.

  “There was a time when you were begging me to never let you go,” I murmured softly as I reached out to stroke her cheek. Not surprisingly, Tatiana jerked her head away from my touch and scrambled to the far end of the soundproof room. I loved her fear more than I’d ever loved her total devotion to me. She finally realized how superior to her I was. I had all the power.

  I wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate Tatiana’s witch abilities. While she might not be the most powerful witch, her magic would have been a problem. I’d invested in a demon protection spell on the room. It had cost me a great deal, but it was worth it. Like most witches, Tatiana had only magic to defend herself. She’d never learned to fight. Without magic, she was helpless.

  “Are you going to kill me?” she asked in a small voice, her head buried against her knees. She looked even more defeated than the last time I’d come to check on her. She’d given up on pretending we could go back to what we had. It seemed she finally realized I wasn’t stupid enough to believe she’d really just come back to me. Now, she was wondering what was going to happen to her, realizing her choices were either death or remaining locked up.

  “That was my original plan,” I told her as I leaned casually against the wall. “I’d begun to believe there was no way around it. Then I got to thinking about how much I’ve always enjoyed your body.”

  As expected, Tatiana whimpered and huddled in on herself.

  I snickered at her reaction. “I’m not going to rape you, you stupid twit. My shade friend will simply need to use your body from time to time.”

  The idea had come to me when I’d been considering my options regarding Katya. Since I’d reminded her I could easily end her existence, she’d been much less irritating, and I’d begun to realize how useful she could be. We’d come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

  Tatiana looked horrified by the suggestion. “I won’t let you put one of those things in my body!” she shouted.

  The sudden return of her attitude made me grin. “I see you still have some spirit left. It won’t be enough to help you. This room is warded against all witch and most demon magic. You’re weaker than a human,” I said with a sneer.

  “My parents were right about you,” she accused. “You were using me all along.”

  “That’s true,” I agreed. “Still, you could be safe at home with me still treating you like a pampered princess. This is your own fault for betraying me.”

  “You are a complete bastard,” she accused.

  “Careful,” I warned as I stalked toward her. “If you push me, I might kill your parents just to show you who’s really in charge. I’m tempted as it is. I’d love to see those elitist assholes begging for their lives.”

  Her short-lived bravado faded. It was a pity. I’d always been somewhat bored with her, but that bit of fight in her had fascinated me. Too bad it was already gone.

  I tossed the bag from the burger joint her direction. “Eat something. I can’t have you dying when I have big plans for you.”

  I motioned with my head to the bags by the door. “There are also some protein bars and jerky.”

  “I can’t eat this stuff,” she insisted.

  “Then I guess you’ll starve, and I’ll have to find another pretty witch for my shade friend to use,” I said with a shrug. “Pretty witches are easy to come by, so don’t start thinking you’re indispensable.”

  It was the truth. While I hated to start over from scratch with my plan to elevate my status with the council, I refused to cater to Tatiana. I’d done that for months, and it had gotten me nothing but the mess I was currently dealing with.

  As expected, she began screaming as soon as the door opened. I chuckled as I closed it behind me. No one would hear her screams from out here. The small house was set far back in the regional wilderness area and hidden by several layers of magic. It was my retreat. Sadly, I couldn’t stay long. I needed to continue playing the part of the shade a little longer.

  Katya’s voice floated around me. “Are you really going to let me use her body?”

  I shrugged. “That’s my current plan, but it all depends on you. I’m not interested in dealing with your tantrums. The only reason I’m considering it now is that you’ve been much less irritating lately.”

  The air vibrated with magic. It was weak but still enough to know Katya was angry. The fact that she was trying to control her anger was impressive. Katya’s death had been the best thing to happen to our relationship. She was finally learning her place, and she’d have use of a form I’d love to fuck violently. All I needed now was Julia Dupree, but it wouldn’t be long until she was in the room with Tatiana. I wondered idly if Tatiana would enjoy watching me kill Julia. Shaking my head, I decided she’d probably end up weeping in the corner, which was fine by me. Tatiana was stunning when she was cowering in fear.

  Chapter 37

  Julia

  While I didn’t have many clients to meet with, it was still going to be a full day. Hadley was stopping by to talk to me about werewolves and try to help me better understand what was going on with Gryph. Thankfully, I had a few minutes to myself before my meeting. Gryph had gone downstairs to deal with several unexpected deliveries. Nothing was coming up to Bliss unless he knew about it. Oliver was busy napping on the sofa in my office. He was mad at me for refusing to let his friends visit. He was further annoyed that Allie had taken the morning off to take Sam to the vet. It seemed he and Sam were now good friends. Who knew terrorizing enchanted bunny slippers could be such a bonding experience?

  There was a soft knock at my door. Since the familiars’ rampage through the reception area, we still hadn’t replaced the broken intercom system.

  “Your appointment just arrived,” Persephone called out in a cheerful voice.

  “Can you send her back, please?” I asked.

  “Sure,” Persephone replied.

  “Thank you,” I told her.

  Hadley entered my office with a warm smile. Her blue eyes locked with mine as she said, “You must be Julia.” Her brown hair was cut extremely short, accentuating her angular face.

  “And you must be Hadley. Thank you for coming here to meet me,” I told her. “I know this isn’t the most convenient location.”

  “It’s fine,” Hadley assured me. “Evie told me a little about
what’s going on, so I understand why you need to meet in a more secure place.”

  When Hadley took a seat on the sofa next to Oliver, my familiar’s eyes opened, and he growled at her.

  “Don’t be rude, Oliver,” I warned.

  “She smells funny,” he complained. “I don’t like her.”

  “You don’t even know her,” I chided. “She’s my guest. If you can’t be nice, you can go sit with Persephone.”

  Oliver gave me the beagle version of a you’ve got to be kidding me look before responding. “Persephone is still mad at me because her plant got knocked over when I was playing with my friends.”

  It was an exaggeration to say Persephone was mad at Oliver. She certainly hadn’t been happy about having to clean up the mess. She’d also let the familiars know she was disappointed in them. Oliver was just being overly sensitive.

  “If you don’t want to go out there, then I suggest you be nice to Hadley,” I told him.

  Rather than agreeing to either option, Oliver moved to the far end of the room and let out a pitiful doggy whimper.

  “Sorry,” I told her. “Oliver likes very few people, and he definitely has something against werewolves.”

  Hadley waved off my apology. “It makes perfect sense. Beagles have very sensitive noses that can be easily overwhelmed. Werewolves put off one of the stronger scents.”

  “He still needs to learn to be less rude about it,” I told her.

  “Diplomacy is hard,” Hadley added. I looked over and noticed Oliver was watching her with new interest. He seemed to like her defense of him. “I live in an apartment complex surrounded by humans. I have to avoid being home on weekends so I don’t end up snapping at people for how strong their food smells.”

  “I don’t blame you for that,” I told her, wrinkling my nose. “One of my sisters has some really questionable taste in food.”

  “I’m not sure I want to know what she eats,” Hadley told me with a laugh. “So, what did you want to know about werewolves? Evie thought it would be better if you told me what was going on.”

  “You’ll tell me if I’m asking too many questions, right?” I asked. “We just met, and I’m worried I’ll be asking too much of you, despite what Evie said.”

  “I doubt you could ask me anything more intrusive than some of the werewolves at the pack meetings do. You only want to ask about werewolves in general, while some of them want to know every intimate detail of my life,” Hadley assured me. “Evie says you’re dating a werewolf. I can see how that would create a lot of confusion. Werewolves are too damn secretive at times, and we don’t usually date in the traditional sense. Does his pack know about the two of you? I haven’t been part of the local pack in a very long time, but as I understand it, they still aren’t in favor of intermingling with other species.”

  “Thankfully, that’s one problem we don’t have to worry about. Gryph isn’t a member of the pack anymore,” I explained.

  Hadley’s blue eyes widened. “Gryph? As in the former head enforcer for the local pack? That is who you’re dating?”

  “That’s him,” I confirmed. “I should have guessed you’d know who I was talking about. From what I’ve heard, he made quite a name for himself as an enforcer.

  “I wonder why Evie didn’t tell me you’re dating Gryph,” Hadley uttered before falling silent. I gave her a little time to process what I’d said. She likely had trouble picturing him in a relationship with me or anyone else. “Gryph saved my life,” she finally said.

  “I imagine many members of the pack have stories of him saving their lives,” I added. “I’ll bet he was a good enforcer.” It still made me angry that they’d repaid his years of service by casting him out of the pack when he’d needed them.

  Hadley shook her head. “He didn’t save my life as an enforcer,” she corrected me. “I mean, he was an enforcer when he saved my life, but he wasn’t killing people to protect me.”

  “What happened?” I asked. When Hadley looked at me, there was sadness and loss in her eyes. “You don’t have to answer that,” I quickly added.

  “It’s fine. I’ve moved past that time, but it was definitely the darkest point in my life. Sometimes, it’s hard to think about. If you’re dating Gryph, I want you to know what he did for me. I had a lot of issues with depression,” Hadley began. “I still do, but I take medication now, and I’ve learned other coping mechanisms. During my teen years, I didn’t think it was possible to be happy. I couldn’t get help in the pack. It wasn’t okay to need help with mental health issues.”

  “I’ve heard about the problems with werewolves being cast out for these types of issues,” I told her. “You shouldn’t have been made to feel you couldn’t get help.”

  “I totally agree,” Hadley said with a sad smile. “That’s why I work so hard to educate packs. Sadly, my old pack still won’t listen to anyone, but others have changed because of the work I do with my team.”

  I nodded. “I’ve heard about some of the work you’ve been doing. It’s really great that you can help others, and I think you’re very brave for facing the packs.”

  Hadley let out a soft laugh. “It can be scary at times,” she admitted. “I had a situation a few months back that turned really ugly. Thankfully, Evie and my mate were also with me. Despite the danger, I’m happy with what I do.”

  “Tell me how Gryph saved your life,” I prompted.

  “When I attempted suicide, Gryph was the one who took me to the hospital,” she explained. “I’m sure the pack expected him to just drop me off and leave. Instead, he stayed with me as long as he could. He told me he thought the pack should stand by me. Even my parents wouldn’t come see me at the hospital. Gryph was the only wolf who offered me comfort that day. Memories of his kindness have stuck by me through the years. They’re part of the reason I was willing to try to get the packs to change. Without Gryph’s support that day, I might have believed no one cared. It gave me hope that things could change.”

  “He is much more than he seems,” I mused.

  “Yes, he is,” Hadley agreed. “It sounds like you already appreciate that about him.”

  “I do,” I replied. “At first, I was determined to avoid having any feelings for him, but it seems I can’t help myself. That scares me, but I really care about Gryph. I want to make things work, but I’m confused. I don’t always understand what’s going on with him. I’m not sure what to think about where he stands with all of this, and he’s not great at explaining it to me.”

  “Are you worried about Gryph’s feelings?” she asked before adding, “Are you afraid he might not care about you as much as you care about him?”

  “Somewhat,” I admitted. “I don’t know if Gryph loves me or if he just feels like we have to be together because he thinks I’m his mate.”

  “His mate?” Hadley asked cautiously.

  “He’s referred to me as his mate several times,” I explained. “I guess that’s the werewolf term for girlfriend.”

  “He used the word mate to describe what you are to him?” Hadley asked.

  “Yes,” I replied. “Months ago, he said I was his mate. He’s also said it several times since then.”

  “That’s pretty serious,” Hadley remarked. “You’re sure he didn’t just say you were his?”

  “He does say I’m his, but he also uses the word mate,” I assured her, suddenly realizing I might have underestimated the significance of what Gryph was saying. “He’s also said it’s why he can’t just have sex with me. I’ve never heard of werewolves choosing to remain celibate until marriage. Gryph has also been willing to do plenty of other things to me.”

  She laughed softly. “Werewolves aren’t known for sexual restraint, but Gryph definitely can’t just have sex with you if you’re his mate,” she agreed. “He could if you were a werewolf, but you being a witch complicates matters. I’ve never heard of something like this happening before.”

  “Why can’t he just have sex with me?” I asked.

/>   “Werewolves only have one mate,” she began.

  “But I haven’t agreed to be his mate yet,” I argued. “He may want me to be his mate, but there’s got to be more to it than that. Among witches, a warlock can recognize a witch as his, but he needs a bonding ceremony before it’s official. Werewolves must have something like that, too.”

  “You don’t need to agree for it to be a fact,” she argued. “The males are usually the first to recognize their mate, but it can be the other way around. Once they recognize their mate, they experience a nearly overwhelming desire to claim and mark her.”

  “He may have just been using that term to mean girlfriend, like I said before,” I pointed out. “I’m not a werewolf.”

  “He wouldn’t use that term unless he’s certain you’re his mate,” Hadley insisted. “From what you’ve said, he’s trying to make sure you’re ready before he claims you. This is a good thing. You definitely need to make sure you’re ready before Gryph marks you. There’s no going back once that happens.”

  “So, if I seduce Gryph, I’ll become his mate for real?” I asked, not sure I understood. Bonding was much more complex with witches. “Maybe I shouldn’t have sex with Gryph if that’s the case. What if he finds a werewolf he wants for his mate later? That seems like it would be much better for him in the long run.”

  Unbidden anger rose to the surface. I didn’t want Gryph to find a werewolf. A voice in the back of my mind shouted he was mine and I wouldn’t let him go.

  Hadley shook her head. “If he already recognizes you as his mate, you’re his mate. He’ll never find another. It’s hard to get the wolf and the human side to agree on a mate. Once they do, they don’t change their minds. You’re it for Gryph, and it says a lot about his restraint that he’s resisted the urge to claim you.”

  That realization weighed heavily on me.

  I smiled when I heard the knock on my office door. It was Gryph. His knock consisted of one fist pound against the door.