Shamelessly Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 2)
Page 1
Shamelessly
Spellbound
~~~
Cassandra Lawson
Copyright ©2016 Cassandra Lawson
All Rights Reserved
Cover Design by J.N. Sheats
Proofreading by Kendra’s Editing and Book Services
This book is a work of fiction. All characters and events are creations of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by federal law enforcement agencies and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Also by Cassandra Lawson
Moon Virus Series
Raven’s Blood (Book 1)
Embrace the Heat (Book 2)
Seducing Death (Book 3)
Shattered Restraint (Book 4)
Moon Virus Books 1-4
Impulsive Destiny (Book 5)
Psy-Vamp Series
Vampires and Vixens (Book 1)
Safe Hex With a Vampire (Book 2)
Vampires Prefer Blondes (Book 3)
The Vampire Will See You Now (Book 4)
Wanton with a Vampire (Book 5)
Psy-Vamp Books 1-5
Vampire in Geek’s Clothing (Book 6)
Spells That Bind Series
Sinfully Spellbound (Book 1)
Table of Contents
Also by Cassandra Lawson
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-Two
Chapter Seventy-Three
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chapter Seventy-Five
Epilogue
Excerpt from Seductively Spellbound
Dirty at 30
Author’s Note
About The Author
Acknowledgments
I want to thank my wonderful husband and children who were patient with me as I worked hard to get this book completed two months ahead of schedule. I know it is not always easy for them to put up with my crazy musings and those moments when the characters in my books demand my attention. This book also wouldn’t be possible without the support of my fabulous beta readers, Kari, Levenia, and Ria. The suggestions and support I get from these wonderful ladies has really helped me grow as an author.
Prologue
The Lover
“He loves me. He loves me not.”
I hadn’t played this game since I was a young girl, and I wasn’t sure what inspired me to behave so foolishly today. Love had a way of bringing out my frivolous side, making me act young and carefree.
“He loves me not.” As I plucked the last petal from the flower, rage bubbled up inside of me.
“He loves me not!” My shrieks echoed off the walls of the empty room. It’s not as though I needed a stupid flower to tell me the truth. I wasn’t a naïve little girl who believed life was like some stupid romance novel. What had me so angry that I wanted to hunt the bastard down and carve out his heart with a spoon, was the message he’d left, canceling our date. It was an old message, but I still listened to it from time to time, just to hear his voice when I was alone.
“Why can’t you see we belong together?” I breathed out, staring at his picture on my phone. Trevor had a reputation for chasing after every witch who smiled at him. He’d been with more witches than I could count, so one would think I’d want to steer clear of him, but I was the one for him. Unlike those other witches who tried to weasel their way into his life to elevate their status with the Council of Witches, I didn’t need Trevor to move up with the council. I wasn’t using him for power or money. I loved Trevor. I was the only woman who could make him happy.
“I’m supposed to be your one true love,” I murmured, running a finger across his beautiful image on my phone’s screen.
They say time heals all wounds, but that’s a lie. In the months since Trevor ripped my heart from my chest before thrusting the tattered remains back in my face, the wound had festered, until I thought the pain would kill me. That pain forced me to consider drastic measures. Here, in the basement of my home, I’d spent hours thinking of ways to make Trevor suffer for hurting me.
“I should kill you, my love,” I spat at his image. “Of course, I could never do that. No, you’ll be punished for hurting me, but then I’ll forgive you, and you’ll spend the rest of your days making up for the pain you’ve caused.”
My panties were wet from thinking of the many ways I’d make Trevor suffer and beg for my forgiveness.
“Such a bitter little witch,” the demon reclining on the sofa observed in a bored tone.
“When did you get here?” I demanded. I hated her, but I needed dark magic to get Trevor. The demon had long blonde hair, eyes that changed colors based on her mood, almost androgynous features, and a lithe figure. She was a lower-level demon, so I knew this was her true form. To humans, she would appear different, but it took a lot of power for a demon to hide their true appearance from other preternatural beings—power this demon didn’t possess.
I didn’t know the demon’s name, but it didn’t matter. I needed to purchase one item from her, and then I’d never have to see her again.
She shrugged a bony shoulder. “I’ve been here long enough to want to puke fro
m your mooning over the warlock. Why not go find another one? There are many warlocks with fabulous cocks to help you forget this one.”
“I would think you’d be more concerned with me paying you than offering me unsolicited advice,” I snapped at her.
Her eyes turned a shade that could only be described as molten gold, and she looked offended. “Not all demons are as greedy as you might expect. Listen, I’ll sell you the potion, but I can’t help thinking you’d be better off finding a different warlock to focus your attention on.”
“I love him,” I whined, annoyed that I sounded so pitiful, but unable to hide my pain.
“Whatever,” the demon scoffed, sounding exasperated. “Like I care what you need this for.”
Holding out a vial, the demon smiled, revealing pointy fangs. “You know the price, right?”
“The money will be transferred to you after I have Trevor,” I insisted, meeting her eyes, which were now an icy blue.
She let out a cold, humorless laugh. “I don’t think so. There’s no money-back guarantee on this potion. If you follow the instructions, it’ll work. If not, that’s your problem.”
When I hesitated, she slid the vial back into her jacket with a shrug. “Fine,” I relented, and walked across the room to get the envelope of cash from my purse. After I handed her the cash, the demon placed the vial of bubbling purple liquid on the table.
“How does it work?” I asked, allowing my fingers to trail across the cork lid.
“Like the fairy tales, give it to him and then kiss him. It’s best if you add it to his drink, but don’t put it in a hot drink. The potion reacts poorly to heat. After you kiss him, he’ll be yours. There’s a little something added to the potion to make him more susceptible to sexual advances. Just make sure he doesn’t end up getting too friendly with another woman or he’ll be hers. If that happens, don’t come running to me for a fix.”
“No true love clause to worry about?” I asked, only half-joking.
The demon considered my question carefully before responding. “There isn’t technically a true love clause, but it could be a problem if he falls in love. That sort of bond can mess with the results.”
“Don’t worry. He’s not in love with anyone,” I assured her. “Once I have Trevor under my control, I’ll never let him leave me again.”
“One more thing,” she began and then hesitated.
“What is it?” I demanded. “Is there a problem I should know about with the potion?”
“It’s not that,” she assured me, looking somewhat nervous. “If another woman should become an issue, I may know of a way to get rid of her.”
“All I need to do is give him the potion and kiss him. What could go wrong?”
“I’m just offering you a back-up plan,” she said with a shrug. “If you don’t want to know, I’ll leave.”
“Wait!” I called out quickly before she could transport herself back to the demon realm. “What is the other option?”
“There’s a demon by the name of Zahrel. If you summon him, he’ll help you get rid of any woman in your way.”
“Why would he do that?” I asked suspiciously. From what I’d heard, no demon did anything without a price.
“Zahrel is looking for a woman to keep him company in his prison,” she explained. “He’s also looking for a short reprieve from his prison. Just make sure you tell him Ari referred you to him. I don’t want to miss out on my finder’s fee,” she added before transporting herself out of the room.
“Zahrel,” I murmured, wondering why I was bothering to memorize his name when I wouldn’t need his help. I had the perfect place to get Trevor under my control.
With a contented sigh, I reached for another flower.
Chapter One
Melina
This was my fourth therapist in as many months, and the only thing I’d gotten out of my visits was the ability to tell my life story in less than a shrink’s hour. I still had no idea why they called it an hour when I only got forty-five minutes with the therapist. None of the therapists I’d seen had made it far enough to get to the real reason I was seeing a counselor. By the second time they asked me how I felt, I was ready to lose it. They’d all been too stupid to realize I was pissed, and one had even commented on how good it was that I was getting in touch with my feelings. After threatening to transport two therapists to the demon realm, I’d decided to avoid seeing another witch therapist and try to find one who might be better equipped to handle my temperament. I couldn’t really transport anyone other than myself to the demon realm, but most witches had no idea what I was capable of.
Taking a deep breath, I began my story.
“There are moments that define who we will be as adults. In a messed up turn of events, most of those moments shaping my life happened before I was born. You see, my mom is absolutely perfect, and I don’t mean that in a sarcastic or bitter way. The woman is truly a great mom, and everyone who meets her loves her. She’s also beautiful and elegant. It should come as no surprise that she married the equally beautiful Demetrius Talbot. Everyone knew what type of children they’d have, and they followed through by having six perfectly exquisite daughters. Each one has their father’s golden hair and long elegant fingers. They were also blessed with their mother’s catlike green eyes and delicate features. As if that’s not enough, they’re also sweet-tempered, loving, and patient.”
I looked over to find my therapist listening with rapt attention. I could tell he was focused on what I was saying because his appearance was changing, like he’d forgotten to focus on maintaining the illusion of a frail man with thinning brown hair and glasses. Fading in and out was the image of a demon who stood well over six feet tall with flowing blond hair, chiseled features, and disturbing red eyes that were rimmed with orange.
“When my mom divorced, and nearly castrated Demetrius, it drastically changed the dynamics of life as everyone knew it. Not right away. It’s not like witch divorce is so uncommon that it shocked everyone. Since Demetrius was fucking every woman who’d willingly spread her legs, the divorce had been considered inevitable. Despite the way things ended, my sisters handled the divorce fine, and my mom is actually good friends with Demetrius. From what I hear, they get along better now than they did when they were married. It was a couple of years later when my mom, the lovely and graceful Viviana, fell in love with my father, the unimpressive and crude Ralph. Yes, my father shares a name with vomit. He is a good four inches shorter than my mom, which gives her a perfect view of his bald spot and the flab hanging over his belt.”
“Your father is a higher-level demon?” my therapist asked, even though he likely already knew who my father was.
“Yep,” I confirmed. “My dad is scary and ill-tempered most days. That’s probably where I get my bitchy temperament from. Don’t get me wrong. Ralph is a loving father to me and my sisters. In fact, he can be sweet when he puts some effort into it, which is more than I can say for myself most days. I know people were hoping I’d look and act more like my mom, but that’s not what happened. I guess I should be thankful I didn’t inherit my dad’s bald spot.” My dad didn’t really look like that, but it was the form he chose in the human realm. My father’s demon form was scary as fuck and beautiful at the same time. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about my demon form, most of the time. “I’m definitely not your typical witch.”
I didn’t need to elaborate on that. If I wore heels, I could boast that I was five feet six inches tall, but I hated heels, so I was stuck with not quite reaching five feet four inches. I had more curves than most would consider fashionable, no matter which diet spells I tried. Since I didn’t want to be model thin enough to try a real diet, this was simply who I was. My hair and eyes were brown—not some lustrous shade of brown people would label honey, chestnut, sable, or whisky, just brown.
“Do you see yourself as undesirable by witch standards?” my shrink asked in that soothing voice therapists worked to perfect. I liked the way he phrase
d his question because each species had different opinions on what was attractive.
“No, that’s not the problem,” I assured him. “Sure, when I was younger I worried about that kind of stuff, but I’m comfortable with who I am, for the most part. I have six gorgeous older sisters who all tell me I’m beautiful, and not because they want me to feel better. They believe it. In case I didn’t mention it before, my sisters are sickeningly sweet. Seriously, I hate those bitches some days.”
“You hate your sisters?” he asked, looking serious.
“No,” I told him with a sigh. “I love my sisters. I was joking about hating them. In comparison to them, I am a moody bitch, but I’m fine with that.”
“Yet you felt you didn’t fit in with other witches growing up,” he pushed. It wasn’t a question, but he was still waiting for a response.
“Aren’t you a master of stating the obvious,” I muttered.
“I’m steering the conversation in the direction I want it to go,” he explained proudly.
“Fine, we can talk about the little witch who didn’t fit in,” I grumbled. “Like that’s even a shock since I’m half-demon. Witches can be real elitists. Not to sound paranoid, but it’s almost like fate has been conspiring against me in some way since long before my birth, and it keeps working to remind me of my differences.”
“Let’s talk about those moments you think made you an outsider,” he pushed.
Rather than arguing about how I wasn’t an outsider, I decided to continue with my story. “My tenth birthday was another one of those moments that defined who I am. Ten is a very important age because that’s when a witch gets her familiar. A familiar is a lifelong companion, bonded to one witch before that familiar is even born. There’s a spell performed so they can communicate with their witch and other familiars. They are more intelligent than other animals, and I’d been told a witch is never truly lonely if she has her familiar. Now, you can imagine how the chubby half-demon at witch school would crave that bond more than others. I couldn’t wait to meet my kitten.”
“A kitten?” he asked, his brow scrunched in confusion, having seen my familiar in the waiting room.