Blooming Black: Rosewood Academy of Witches and Mages (Darkly Sweet Book 4)
Page 35
Chapter 37
Mage
She walked right into the pool. Clearly she was completely recovered if she was ready to go swimming. I dropped my phone and stood, walking to the edge to stare at the girl at the bottom of the pool that I couldn’t see except for a mass of hair in a cloud around her. She wasn’t swimming. She was kind of kicking, but it only stirred her hair. We’d gone swimming in the Caverns. She could swim. She hadn’t really swam, not when I hadn’t let go of her for a moment. My heart ached while I hesitated. I was letting Zach take her, but he wasn’t there, and I wasn’t about to let her drown.
I could have brought her out of the water, but this would give me an excuse to hold her. I dove in, the water parting for me until I had her. I pushed her hair away from her face and split the water between us, pressing and compressing it until there was a bubble of air between our faces.
She gasped, grabbing my neck and hanging on for her life. She blinked water out of her exquisite hazel eyes, droplets of water trembling on her lips. Her hair spread around her, only her face in the bubble of air beneath the water. I should take her up to the surface, but not yet.
“Can you swim?” I asked.
She shook her head, no, still gripping my neck. “How do you do this? Right, cool water magic. Are you okay?”
I smiled and brushed her cheek with my fingers. “I’m perfectly well, thank you for asking.” Her legs slid over mine. I struggled not to grab her and pull her closer until there was no space between us.
“I mean, there was a war. Were there any casualties?”
“Out of me, Zach and my father, no. Out of the men who fought with us, mercenaries and Zach’s pilots, yes. I don’t know the numbers.”
Her forehead creased from worry. “How much did it cost you?”
I brushed her cheek again, her skin so soft, so delicate. “Are you trying to talk business? Penny Lane, always seducing me at the least practical times.” My nose touched hers, my face far closer to hers than it should be, but maybe we were running out of oxygen and that’s why I had to conserve space, or maybe my brain was oxygen deprived, or maybe just Penny addled. How could I not be with her looking at me like that, hanging onto me like she needed me?
She bit her bottom lip as she gazed at me, so obviously adoringly I couldn’t help my pounding heart. She shouldn’t look at me like that. But we were at the bottom of the pool. No one would see us. She knew that I desired her. That didn’t mean anything, not really.
“Drake?” Her voice shook as she held me with her eyes. “I have a stupid favor to ask.” She slid her hand down my bare arm to my hand. She gripped it tightly, nails burying into my skin.
I swallowed as her body slid against mine in the water. “I love stupid favors.” She was so beautiful, so sweet, so unaware and in need of protection.
She looked down at my mouth, staring while my heart pounded and lips tingled. She was going to ask me to kiss her. And I was going to say yes. Her nails dug deeper into the back of my hand. “It’s just that I don’t feel like it’s finished, like we’re done. I think that I’m waiting for you to love me. I think if I heard you tell me you loved me, even if I know it’s a lie, I’ll be able to move on, kind of have some closure, you know?”
“You want me to lie, to tell you that I love you?” I smiled as she looked up at me through her lashes, dark from the water. I wanted to drink the water from her lashes. I lifted her chin up with the hand she didn’t have gripped tightly in hers. “If you think it would help, you know I have no ties to any kind of morality. I love you.” I slid my hand down her neck and pulled her close until her heart was pounding against mine. “I love every piece and part of you. I adore you from your inanity to your lollipops. You are my breath, my song, my heart-shaped shrapnel and energy infused jacket. You are my magic. You gave me a tophat and I pulled out love, as pink and delicate as your toes fresh from the bath.” I inhaled deeply as I brushed her cheek with my lips, tasting her, the rush of energy along her skin making my lips buzz. Her ear was so soft against my lips. “Is that what you wanted to hear, Penny, or was I not effusive enough.”
She sighed, gripping my hand painfully, the rest of her body melted against mine. “Swear that it’s true. Only for a moment, let me pretend.”
I whispered into her ear, making her shiver. “I swear it’s true. I love you.”
She shuddered and then was kissing me, the kind of kissing I couldn’t possibly resist. Time was lost in her lips, hair tangled in my fingers, her heart beating wildly against mine. Penny Lane was in my arms, my breath, my life, and nothing would ever be wrong again.
That’s when Zach sent an electrical pulse through the water. I gasped as the current swept through me and barely managed to summon a protection spell around Penny. What was wrong with him? He could have killed her!
I came out of the water with a roar, blue sparks in my eyes and my entire top layer of skin buzzing. Penny still clung to my hand, her eyes unfocused but fixed on me. Her mouth was so beautiful. I would have forgotten about Zach if he didn’t grab me by the neck and yank me away from Penny. She held onto me and I wasn’t letting go.
“No take-backs,” Zach hissed.
I tried to breathe while my heart galloped in my chest. It took a few seconds before I managed to take her hand where she held mine and pull it off me. I stepped away from her, gave her a half-smile then turned and tackled Zach.
“Electrocution isn’t a polite thing to do to your host.” I slammed my fist into his face, a fist that should be wrapped in Penny’s sweet fingers, but no. I had to give her up for some reason I couldn’t even remember. No. I remembered. With every punch, flesh against bone, I remembered. Those pale eyes, pale hands, hands that would never touch Penny again. No sacrifice I made was too great to protect my treasure, even if I had to hide her in someone else’s coffer.
Chapter 38
Witch
I stood on the balcony overlooking the ocean, the place Drake’s mother had killed herself. Drake had broken Zach like he was trying to beat his way through a brick wall. Zach had taken up residence in Drake’s bed to recover. I’d never seen anything so beautiful and terrible as Drake lost in rage. When he’d finished, when the green had faded from his eyes and he straightened to look at me, I’d seen more emotion in his eyes than words could ever say. I didn’t need words.
I stood in the moonlight while the ocean rushed beneath me and uncurled my fingers. I’d kept my hand closed all day. I’d have to wash off the blood soon, but for a few more minutes, I’d feel the design I’d cut into his hand, the oath he’d sworn, the truth he’d told. Drake Huntsman, the mage who hated all witches, loved me. I couldn’t do magic, but I could trick Drake into telling the truth. I smiled as I brought my hand to my chest, feeling his energy, his love. The boy was much better at lying than being honest. I never would have believed him if I hadn’t put him under mage oath. He loved me.
I had the darkness of the most disgustingly diabolical sorcerer in Darkside. I also had love. If those two things couldn’t defeat my father, nothing could.
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Thanks to all my fantastic readers, particularly those on my FB group, Juliann Whicker’s secret society of Witches, Wizards and Pretzels where we have ARC’s, sneak peeks and cream puff recipes. It’s so great to have people to share my imaginary friends with.
This book was tough. Thanks for the encouragement and patience. Hopefully it’s maddening in a good way. Thanks to my editor, Dr. J.H. Whicker Ph.D. in Writing Studies. You make my atrocious punctuation sing.
The final book in the series, Darkly Sweet 5, Deadly Morsel, comes out September 2018.
kly Sweet Book 4)