Forbidden Magic

by Jennifer Lyon

  She saw Carla’s eyes slide closed.

  “Her third eye opened,” Sutton announced.

  Ginny slid her arm around Ram’s waist in an irrational need to hold him to her. Minutes ticked by, stretching her nerves. All Ginny could think about was Ram. The way he’d made love to her in his backyard. Then coming to her when he found out she was in agony, finding a way to help her.

  But the biggest moment for her was when he relinquished his control to her. He trusted her as much as she trusted him. That was something so huge and precious and rare.

  Love.

  God, she loved him. She couldn’t lose him; but even worse than that would be her father ascending her then taking away her emotions.

  And then she’d feel nothing for this man. Their shared moments, their growing feelings would all mean nothing.

  She looked up at his harsh profile. Thought of all he’d been through in his life. He relied on discipline and self-control with no softness, no comfort.

  Except when he was with her. She gave him the caring he deserved. Her heart swelled with love for him, desperately wanting to give him all the love he’d missed out on.

  Ram looked down at her, his hard gaze gentled. Leaning down, he brushed his mouth over hers, then stood straight again.

  Just a touch of reassurance that they were in this together.

  “Oh dear crone.”

  Carla’s sharp voice burst Ginny’s bubble of warmth.

  Ram stiffened and said, “What is it?”

  Ginny watched as Carla opened her eyes. The witch was pale. She blinked, then said, “I saw the thunderbird. He’s waking, and he is furious. Hateful. Vile.” She leaned back deeper into Sutton. “And part demon.”

  “Fuck,” Ram snarled, jerking his arm from Ginny and striding to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard.

  “What does that mean?” Ginny asked desperately, swiveling her head between Ram and Carla.

  “I don’t know exactly. But the bird is waking, and as he does, he’s gaining an electrical charge, a form of lightning.” Carla turned, breaking Sutton’s hold on her and walking to Ram. “He’ll kill you. The electrical charge will grow until you burst into flames.”

  “How do you know?” Ram asked, his words soft and measured as he continued to stare out into the dark.

  “I saw it. The bird had done it time and again every generation he was reborn into a man.”

  Ginny saw the witch shudder, her long braid twitching.

  Then she added, “Spontaneous human combustion.”

  “Heard of it,” Ram said in that flat voice.

  “Carly,” Sutton said from where he stood by Ginny. “What can he do? There must be something.”

  Carla put her hand on Ram’s back. “You only have half a soul. You have to find Shayla. Convince her to mate with you and seal your souls. Then she should be able to control the bird and stop it.”

  Ginny heard the words and felt her entire world shatter. Felt her hope die. The truth cut her deep and vicious.

  He belonged to another woman. Pure and simple.

  Ram reached out, laying his hand on the window of the big slider. Sparks flew. The glass cracked. “Chase a witch who ran from me. Can’t. I’ll kill her.”

  “Ram!” Panic cut through the self-pity and clawed at her chest and throat. “You’ll die! You have to go after Shayla.” She was losing him. One way or another. “Carla, how much time does he have? How long?”

  The witch turned, her face heavy with pity. “You’re accelerating it. Every time the two of you have sex, it makes the bird insanely furious. You’re in the bird’s way of what he really wants.”

  Shayla. They all knew it.

  Ginny felt like a steel-toed boot kicked her in the chest right between her breasts. The pain, it was different than what her father did to her. This hurt worse, sharper and deeper. It felt like all her insides were cracking. Breaking. Shattering.

  Carla walked to her, her hand settling on her arm. “If you care about Ram, let him go.”

  “Let him go?” she asked stupidly.

  “Carla, don’t,” Ram warned.

  But she didn’t listen, the witch kept talking. “It’ll give him time to find his real mate. The one who can save him. The one that the bird wants.”

  The pain detonated, an explosion so loud, she couldn’t hear anything else. Heat flashed through her like a firestorm. Ram wasn’t hers. She’d wanted to love him, but she’d hurt him.

  Not. Hers.

  “Ginny!” Ram’s bellow penetrated the roar in her ears.

  But it didn’t matter. Because her father hovered in front of her. “It is time, daughter.” He held out his hand. “Ascend and you will hurt no more.”

  For the first time in her life, ascension didn’t sound like a bad deal. No more pain. No memory of hurting? Of losing Ram?

  The pull was so powerful and desirable, she began to lift her hand.

  Chapter Ten

  Light burst from Ginny, so blinding it seared his eyes and left him in total darkness. But he didn’t stop lunging for her.

  Her father was trying to ascend her. He knew it right to his defective soul.

  Ram hit something, some force that threw him back.

  As he flew through the air, he evaluated. The only explanation to what was happening was that the angel was in the room with them. Ram had to get around him to Ginny.

  He landed on the wood floor and rolled, and the impact jarred loose a memory.

  Carla tripping on that rug. Ginny had been standing on the rug. That’s how he could get to Ginny.

  Ram came to a rest on his stomach and slid out his hand. He was trapped in blackness, unable to see even shapes. There, he felt the edge of the rug. Quickly he calculated. Ginny had been standing to the right of where Ram was now, behind the back of one side of the couch. It was near the edge of the rug.

  Sure now, Ram sat up, fisted the rug and jerked hard. He heard the furniture move, and then…

  Ginny tumbled into him. He could feel the hot light pouring off her, but managed to get his arms around her.

  He felt something, some force, trying to pull her away from him. “Ginny,” he lowered his face to her ear, forcing her to hear him. “I won’t let you leave. You’re mine. Hold on to me, angel, hold tight.” He kept talking to her, willing her to stay with him.

  “Ram?” she finally answered.

  The intense light dimmed enough that he could see the shadow of her. “Yes, angel, it’s me.”

  “You’re not mine. You belong to Shayla.”

  Her voice was so broken it killed him. He knew his fingers were sparking but it wasn’t as bad as before. Fucking bird needed to recharge. He had a few minutes to touch her. Ram found her face with his palm, fitted his hand to the curve of her jaw and said, “No. I belong to you. Stay with me, Ginny. We’ll fight together. I swear it.” He held her tighter, cradling her in his lap.

  But he continued to feel that pull on her, the force tugging her, trying to drag her away from him.

  He was still losing her. Damn it! Desperation revealed the raw truth in his heart. “Please, angel. I love you. Don’t leave me.” Then he lowered his mouth to taste her lips, to fill her with his love.

  The brutal light vanished.

  Ginny was safe in his arms.

  But for how long?

  ***

  Ram looked at Carla and Sutton, both staring with wide eyes at him and Ginny. “Don’t ask Ginny what happened here tonight. Don’t ask her what she is.” He had to protect her from her father’s punishments.

  Had to keep her.

  Ram slipped his arms under Ginny and rose, walking to the couch. He sat, holding her to him. Soon the lightning would recharge, and he’d be throwing stronger jolts through his fingers.

  But for right now, he could hold her and touch her. Feel the solid weight of Ginny on his lap and in his arms.

  He’d almost lost her. A tremor rocked him right to his bones. Never before had he given all of him
self to a woman, never before had he cared so damn much. Ginny was everything to him.

  Carla and Sutton walked over and sat adjacent to them.

  He stared at the witch. “I mean it, Carla. Don’t ask Ginny questions about what she is or what happened tonight. Don’t use your third eye to try to find out.”

  “I won’t,” Carla agreed. “But Ram, you’re still in danger. You have to—”

  “No,” he shook his head, refusing to hear it. “Ginny is mine. I choose Ginny.”

  Ginny stiffened, pushing herself up to look him in the eyes. “Ram, you can’t. Didn’t you hear Carla earlier? You’ll die.” She dropped her gaze to the ink on his chest that now had two red lightning marks near the eyes. “The bird will kill you.”

  He stared back at her. “Make your choice, little angel. You either love me enough to fight for us…”

  “Or?” she challenged him.

  He leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. “Or I’ll fight for both of us. I’m not letting anyone come between us, not this bird, and not the bastard who tried to take you from me tonight.” He kept it vague enough so that Carla and Sutton wouldn’t know exactly who he meant.

  “But how?” she asked in a bemused voice. “How do we stop him?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t have any answers, Ginny. Except one.” He brushed her hair off her face, and gave her his heart. “I love you, and I’m not letting you go.”

  She smiled, relief and joy bringing hot color back to her face. She leaned up and kissed him, then said softly, “I love you, too.”

  Carla cleared her throat.

  They both looked at her.

  “This time, just listen.” She glared a warning at him, then went on, “I know how you both feel, believe me. Sutton and I, we weren’t true soul mirrors.”

  “And it killed Carly, literally killed her,” Sutton said.

  Carla looked at her mate. “Sutton made a sacrifice that changed everything, that brought our souls together.” She turned back to them. “But that’s our story, not yours.”

  “So what do we do?” Ginny asked.

  Carla looked at her. “Since Ram said I can’t ask you about your…heritage, I’m going to focus on Ram’s problem. That thunderbird on his chest will kill him. I saw it clearly.”

  Ram tensed, ready to tell Carla to stop. This wasn’t helping, this was only torturing his angel.

  But Ginny put her hand on his shoulder. “She’s trying to help and I want to hear what she has to say.”

  He nodded, looking back at Carla.

  The witch went on, “Find Shayla and unravel the mystery of her Infertility curse and the thunderbird. If you can do that, you two have a chance at having a life together.”

  Ginny turned to look at him. “Find her, Ram. You have to.” She leaned closer. “For me. For us. I’ll help you, we’ll do it together if you want. I’ll make sure you won’t lose control around her. But we have to find her.”

  He knew she was right. It would be the biggest fight of his life, the toughest mission he had ever faced. But he was ready, and he told her why. Framing her face with his hands, he said, “I can do anything with you by my side, angel.”

  About The Author

  Jennifer Lyon grew up under the shadow of the Matterhorn at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. She attended Walt Disney elementary school and her very first playmate was her beloved dog, Duke, who was cast in the role of hero in all their adventures.

  Clearly Jen was born to daydream. But it took her years to figure out how to turn her imagination into a career as an author. After marrying and becoming a full-time mom to three sons, Jen launched her career with the award-winning Samantha Shaw Mystery Series and other romantic mysteries under the name Jennifer Apodaca. Later, she took the name Jennifer Lyon, combined her love of witches, alpha males and sizzling romance into another award-winning series, the Wing Slayer Hunters.

  For more information on Jen or her books, please visit her website

  www.jenniferlyonbooks.com

  ***

  Turn the page for an excerpt to the next Wing Slayer Hunter Novel.

  Release date to be announced on Jen’s website:

  www.jenniferlyonbooks.com

  Cage Magic

  A Wing Slayer Hunter Novel

  Jennifer Lyon

  Copyright 2012 © Jennifer Apodaca

  Chapter One

  Las Vegas, Nevada:

  Linc Dillinger hadn’t even washed the sweat of his latest kill off him when he lifted the woman—

  Kelly? Molly? Didn’t matter.

  —against the wall, spread her thighs and positioned his aching cock to her entrance. She was wet, ready, and yet he stopped and forced himself to look at her, to see her.

  He used these women to fight back the blood curse, to keep the animal in him caged. He’d damn well give them the courtesy of acknowledging them as more than a warm, willing body. So he looked into her dilated, desperate eyes.

  And for that second, he felt almost human. But then the curse came roaring back, swamping him in a tidal wave of fierce craving.

  Witch blood. Nothing could touch the icy hot pleasure of that powerful blood spilling over his skin, then whipping through him like multiple orgasms.

  Shit! Linc gripped the woman’s hips tighter and thrust into her hot sheath. The fires of sex would singe the craving for witch blood enough.

  Just enough.

  Barely enough.

  The woman’s fingers dug into his arms. “Oh God.”

  Her cries hit his gut and he pounded into her, the sounds of raw sex filling the locker room of the boxing club. He looked down, watching as his cock filled her thirty-something body, seeing her legs tremble as the pressure in her built.

  Linc shoved his shoulder close to her mouth. “Bite,” he told her.

  She clamped down on his skin and muscle.

  Then he rotated his hips and her tremors exploded in an orgasm so wild, a high-pitched keening noise spilled from her throat as she ground her teeth into his upper arm.

  Her nip on his shoulder, combined with her pleasure, drove him higher, closer to the pinnacle. He was almost there, almost…he pumped into her, feeling the sweet heat of her release gloving his dick, hearing her mewling cries as he stroked her sensitized nerve endings.

  Not enough, it was never enough these days.

  The clawing, unending need for sex rode him relentlessly but the single moment of release was getting harder to achieve. The feel of her teeth added just enough sensation. His balls drew up, begging for release. He slapped one hand on the wall, bracing himself as he drove his cock into the willing woman. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the feel, the heat, until finally, the streaks of fire raced down his spine and slammed him into an orgasm.

  He leaned his forehead against the wall just over her head and let out a breath of relief. For these brief minutes, he could fucking breathe.

  But in five minutes he’d be rock hard again. The need for witch blood and violence would be riding him, destroying his sanity and his soul.

  Finally he pulled out settled the woman onto her feet and touched her face. “You okay, sugar?” Her gaze was still vague.

  “Yes.” She smoothed her skirt down.

  “Need a ride home?” They both knew this had been just sex.

  “No.” She turned, walked to the door, then paused and looked at him. “I won money on your fight tonight and I got a bonus. I’ll be fine.”

  Linc flashed a grin. “Then my work here is done.”

  She laughed, then slipped through the door.

  He picked up the silver knife he’d set on top of a locker, then scooped up the shorts he’d fought in and tossed them in his gym bag stored in the locker, but he kept his knife with him. Then he headed toward the showers to wash off his disgust. Not at the woman, she had given him a few minutes of respite from the hell of his existence. No, his revulsion was the growing compulsion for cage fights and the kill.

&nb
sp; The need to confront the cage over and over, to confront his past.

  In the tiled shower area, he set his blade on a shelf within easy reach. He didn’t trust the rogues that ran this club, and why should he? In his other life, he hunted and killed them. Turning the water to scalding, he stepped into the spray when he heard the door open.

  Linc grabbed the knife and spun to face the intruder.