“Desmond killed your familiar?” Isadora asked softly.
“There was never any evidence of that,” Beatrice replied. “I’m certain he killed her, but my parents didn’t believe me. When Desmond found me crying over Ginger’s body, he held me and whispered comforting words. That’s how my parents found us, so they didn’t think he could possibly be guilty. Neither did I until later when he asked me if I’d learned my lesson about how hard it is to lose something you care about.”
“Was this ever reported?” a warlock asked.
After releasing a shuddering sigh, Beatrice replied, “My parents reported it to the police, but they didn’t find any evidence.”
“Did you tell the police what you suspected?” Another warlock asked.
“No,” Beatrice admitted. “I wanted to tell them, but I was never questioned without my brother present.”
“That seems strange,” Isadora mused. “Why would your brother be with you?”
“He convinced my parents I was too traumatized to be questioned alone,” she explained. “When I insisted I’d be fine, my parents argued I was too distraught to make that decision.”
“Why didn’t one of your parents stay with you?” a warlock asked, sounding angry on Beatrice’s behalf. “It was their responsibility.”
“Do you see them here today?” Beatrice asked.
“They ignored our summons,” Isadora replied.
“That’s because they don’t want to be involved,” Beatrice said with a sad smile. “They never really have. For them, it was easier to let Desmond take care of things.” Clearing her throat, Beatrice struggled to get her mask of indifference back in place. “After that, I was afraid to get on my brother’s bad side. I wasn’t sad when he stopped talking to me.”
“Thank you,” Isadora began. “Your answers have definitely helped.”
I wasn’t much help to the council, but I was beginning to see why Desmond LaCroix might be targeting me.
Chapter 41
Julia
We had been close to escaping the building when my sister, Jolie, spotted us.
“Julia!” she shouted.
I stopped to face her, hoping she was alone. Luck seemed to be on my side. It was just Jolie, which meant she was likely there for something related to the preparations for her witch test.
“Hi, Jolie,” I greeted her with a hug.
Jolie was a power hugger who nearly bruised several of my ribs hugging me back. “I’m so glad I found you!”
Both of my sisters looked a lot like me. We were all blue-eyed blondes with slender builds. Jolie was about half a foot shorter than I was. She’d always been tiny, but we’d assumed she’d eventually grow. We’d been wrong. She was eighteen and still short. Jolie also had a childlike innocence and a sweet nature. Others gravitated toward her. They even stayed after they realized she had a tendency to blurt out whatever came to mind, no matter how much it might embarrass those around her.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked her.
“First, introduce me to the beautiful werewolf,” she insisted excitedly before introducing herself. “I’m Jolie, Julia’s sister.”
“My name’s Gryph. I’m not sure anyone else considers me beautiful,” he replied with a laugh.
“Oh, but you are,” she assured him. “Your aura is so lovely, I want to reach out and touch it. It’s like there are wisps of purple smoke floating around your body.” Her hand reached out hesitantly. “May I touch it?”
Gryph shrugged. “I suppose.”
He was looking at my sister like she was crazy. Even some witches looked at her that way since it was rare to see someone’s aura as clearly as Jolie did. Those who saw auras that clearly also tended to become bitter. They seemed drawn to the negative parts of a person’s aura. Jolie was different. She only saw the good. Not only that; Jolie could enhance the good parts of a person’s aura when she chose to.
Jolie’s hand reached forward, stopping about an inch from Gryph’s body. Her brow scrunched as she looked over at me. “This is really strange.”
“What’s strange?” I asked as I watched Jolie move her hand in circles near Gryph’s body. I felt a tug at my own magic.
“You’re part of his aura,” Jolie replied thoughtfully. “When I separate it out, I can see that his aura is normally various shades of blue. It’s mixed in with the red in your power. It’s quite stunning.”
I had no idea what to make of that.
“Does this mean you’re Gryph’s mate?” Jolie asked excitedly, drawing the attention of several passing witches.
Gryph was watching me, waiting for my response. I knew this was important to him. If I played off our connection, like it didn’t matter, it would hurt him.
“His wolf recognizes me as his mate, and my power seems drawn to him,” I admitted. “We’re dating. I like Gryph a lot.”
“That’s wonderful!” Jolie exclaimed. “I wonder if that’s why Dad wants to see you.”
“Dad wants to see me?” I gasped.
“That’s why I was glad I’d found you. He’s getting ready to perform an affinity test, but there’s time to see him before it begins. They were just clearing any magic from the test circle when I left. It’s in the larger testing room.”
That meant it was a big deal, and the room was expected to be crowded. It also explained why there were so few attending the meeting about Tatiana.
“We’ll head over there now,” I assured her. “Are you coming, too?”
Jolie shook her head. “I’m heading home. After spending six hours doing prep for my witch test and then hunting you down for Dad, I’m exhausted.”
She gave me one last hug before surprising Gryph with a hug and then hurrying in the direction of the closest exit.
“Your sister has a lot of energy,” Gryph mused.
“Yeah, she’s something else,” I agreed.
“I expected you to downplay what’s going on between us,” Gryph admitted as we walked to the meeting room.
“I know,” I said with a smile. “You would have been annoyingly understanding if I’d done that.”
“It would have annoyed you had I been understanding?” he asked with a smirk.
“Yes,” I replied. “You have every right to expect me to respect you. That means not hiding the fact that we’re dating. The only reason we were cautious before was to avoid being a distraction at the inquiry into Tatiana’s disappearance.”
“Does this mean you’re going to tell your father about us?” he asked.
I nearly laughed at his question. “If Jolie picked up on the connection between us, my dad will. There’s no hiding this from any member of my family.”
When we reached the testing room, I turned to Gryph. “Are you okay with meeting my dad? This room may already be filled with nosy witches and warlocks, so if my father says anything, it could be a huge deal among all witches.”
Gryph grinned. “You think I’m afraid of a few gossipy witches?” he asked.
“Everyone is afraid of gossipy witches,” I muttered as I opened the door.
Chapter 42
Gryph
I’d been into a few of these meetings, but this was my first time being in one of the rooms where affinity tests were administered. From what I’d been told, no other witch business was conducted in these rooms in an attempt to keep them untainted by other forms of magic. There were even limits on the magical items people could bring into the room. Since I’d driven, the only magical item Julia had was her phone with the tracking spell.
“We’ll need to take your phones,” a warlock at the door told us.
Julia frowned. “Is this a new procedure?”
The warlock nodded. “They just passed down the rule, so notification hasn’t been sent out yet.”
Julia handed over her phone before explaining, “Gryph’s phone has no spells on it.”
The warlock gave me a weary smile. “Sorry, but I have to take it, anyway. It’s not the spell that’s the prob
lem. We’ve had too many people taking videos or live-streaming the tests.”
Julia nodded her understanding. “It’s bad enough couples have to take the test in front of a crowd.”
“I’m glad you understand,” the warlock said in a tone that made me think he’d already dealt with quite a few arguments that day.
I handed over my phone, and we made our way further into the room.
A warlock I assumed to be Julia’s father waved to us from the center of the room. Unlike Julia, he had brown hair and eyes. “I’ll meet you near the front of the room after I’m done prepping the testing area,” her father called out.
Julia nodded before turning to me. “Walk right behind me. It’s important to stay far from the testing area.”
I nodded and followed Julia into the room. We’d barely taken five steps when it happened. I don’t even know how to describe it. My dick was suddenly rock hard and aching to get inside Julia. I let out a loud hiss before looking over at her, hoping she could offer some explanation. She turned toward me, eyes wide with shock.
“Holy hex,” she muttered before moaning.
Distantly, I heard the commotion in the room, but I was too distracted with what was happening between me and Julia to focus on anything else. I could suddenly see the wispy threads Jolie had referred to. They were hazy, like purple wisps of smoke billowing up from a fire. The smoke flowed between us and swirled around our bodies, caressing my skin. It felt as if Julia’s hands were moving along my body. A loud groan escaped my lips, and I clenched my fist tightly in an effort to resist the urge to pull Julia into my arms. I wanted to claim her in front of this room full of people. The strands tightened until I took an involuntary step toward Julia. She seemed to be struggling against the same pull.
“Don’t fight it,” Julia’s father spoke from close to us. I felt the push of his power. His magic was likely the only reason I could understand him when everyone else sounded more like background noise.
“This can’t be happening,” Julia argued, sounding frightened.
Her fear called to my wolf. He clawed at the surface of my body and pushed me toward her.
“Anything is possible,” her father soothed. “Stop fighting and let the magic guide you.”
My wolf reminded me of the need to soothe my mate. I stopped fighting and allowed the magic to pull me closer to Julia. I don’t know who moved first, but soon, we were kissing. The magic slid along my body faster. My aching dick throbbed in time with my pulse, and that’s when I heard the steady beating of our hearts. No other sounds could be heard. The beats weren’t in sync, not at first. My heart began to beat slower, matching Julia’s. My wolf ceased to struggle as the magic swirled around him, soothing him.
Just as Julia began to tear at my clothing, a cold breeze blew through the room, pulling us back to reality. Julia’s hands remained under my shirt. Our lips separated by only a fraction of an inch when we broke our kiss.
“This is an abomination!” shouted a warlock just before the room erupted in shouts.
“Let’s get you out of here before Gryph kills someone,” Julia’s father said with a kind smile as he guided us toward the back of the meeting room where there was an exit marked for council members only.
Once we were in an empty hallway, Julia finally spoke. “Sorry for disrupting the test.”
Her father waved off her apology. “It’s my fault. I should have anticipated something this intense happening when dealing with a witch of your talent.”
“What the hell just happened?” I demanded.
“I bound my witch magic to your werewolf magic,” Julia admitted softly. She looked shaken.
I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “That happened before today. I felt it happen.”
“No,” she replied. “Our power mixed some, but had we decided to break it, it would have returned to each of us.”
“And now?” I asked.
“I don’t honestly know,” she admitted. “If you were a warlock, breaking this bond would mean each of us would lose power. Something feels incomplete.”
“I witnessed it, and everything seemed complete,” her father argued.
“Werewolves have their own process for claiming their mate,” I reminded them.
“That’s right,” Julia mused. “This was only half the process.”
“I recommend completing the rest soon,” her father advised. “Your power is definitely calling to hers, and it will only get stronger.”
I said nothing. Julia seemed shaken enough without adding me biting her to our day. I needed to get my dick under control.
“Again, I’m sorry for interfering with the test you were supposed to perform,” Julia told her father with a wobbly smile.
“Don’t be,” her father insisted. “While I didn’t expect anything quite this spectacular, I’d hoped your power would react when you were in the room.”
“I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” I told him.
“Julia’s power is very strong,” he began. “She can easily determine whether a match is good or not. Since Trevor had already told me he thought you were the one for my girl, I wanted to see how her magic reacted to you. I’d expected something more subtle.”
“You set me up?” Julia demanded, eyes narrowed.
“I suppose I did,” her father admitted with a sheepish grin. “Don’t be too angry with me, Julia.”
“We’ll have to talk about how mad I am about being manipulated later. For now, I’m too busy dealing with the shock. I still can’t believe this is possible,” Julia admitted.
“Are you okay, Sass?” I asked when I saw a fine tremor run through her body.
Her father laughed. “There are some very intense side effects from the bonding,” he began. “You should take Julia out of here so you can deal with them. Welcome to the family, Gryph.” His gaze shifted to Julia. “Trust your instincts. You know a good match when you see one. You and Gryph are a good match.”
Without waiting for a reply, he returned to the meeting room.
While I’d hoped Julia’s family would approve of me, I’d never expected them to encourage us. This day had definitely taken an unexpected turn.
Chapter 43
Julia
What had just happened shouldn’t have come as a surprise. I’d felt my power combining with Gryph’s before, but I’d never expected anything like this. In all my training, I’d been told someone needed to facilitate the bonding process. While I knew Trevor had bound his magic to Melina’s with no outside help, I also knew he’d deliberately done it. Trevor had planned to bind his magic to hers, and even then, it hadn’t been complete because Melina hadn’t reciprocated until later. I’d had no control over my own power. It had been wild and unrestrained.
“I should get you home, Sass,” Gryph said in a gentle voice as his knuckles stroked my cheek. “You look really shaken up by this.” Despite his attempts to be sweet and comforting, I saw the lust in his eyes. It amazed me that he was able to even think about anything other than us ripping each other’s clothes off. He certainly had more self-control than I did.
I would have laughed at his assertion that I was shaken up if I weren’t so turned on. That didn’t always happen when a bond was formed, but it was more common than not. “I need you in me, Gryph,” I told him in a desperate voice.
His eyes flashed yellow. “We can’t do that,” he growled. “You don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“I do,” I assured him. “I’m ready.”
Gryph’s inner struggle was obvious. With our new bond, I even felt the struggle. The wolf didn’t understand why Gryph hadn’t already claimed me as his mate. He didn’t understand why he hadn’t marked me in the testing room. At the other end of the spectrum, I sensed the man in Gryph struggling with his need to claim me. Gryph was afraid of hurting me. He was also afraid of driving me away.
“It’s okay, Gryph,” I told him with certainty. “I’m ready for you to mark me.”<
br />
I’d been almost afraid to say the words, but the moment they left my mouth, the fear vanished. This was what I wanted. I wanted Gryph, the man and the wolf.
His green eyes locked with mine. Those were the eyes of a deadly predator, but they were also the eyes of the man I loved. “Do you really understand what you’re agreeing to?” he asked, continuing when I nodded. “I am going to slide into your body and fuck you. It won’t be sweet or gentle. There will be nothing romantic about this, Sass. I am going to fuck you and then I’m going to sink my teeth into your flesh and mark you as mine. This isn’t some love bite we’re talking about.” When he took a step closer, the heat from his body caressed mine “This won’t be civilized like your witch bonding. Do you really want this?”
“Goddess, yes,” I breathed out. I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted anything.
Chapter 44
Gryph
Driving with one arm could be tricky. Driving with one arm and an erection threatening to bust the fastenings on my pants was damn near impossible. We were both quiet on the trip back to my house, but I didn’t need to hear the words to know how much Julia wanted me. It wasn’t just her scent. I could sense her feelings through our bond. I’d likely been sensing those feelings before, but I hadn’t understood what was happening. I wasn’t a warlock and Julia wasn’t a werewolf, so it seemed impossible I’d be able to sense Julia’s arousal so strongly through our bond.
When we finally walked into my home, I was desperate to touch my mate. I needed her with a near violent intensity. Surprisingly, it was my wolf who helped me control my desire to claim her. He recognized that Julia didn’t possess the same physical strength werewolves did. He recognized the need to be gentler with her. Now that he knew she was ours, he no longer experienced the driving need to claim her in a rush. He could take things slow and ensure her safety.
Seductively Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 3) Page 18
