“Jasper. Are you listening to me? I thought you were bringing back-up. Why is Roger here?” Alec exclaimed.
Jasper looked down at his Alpha and scoffed at his rude attitude before saying, “Who else would I have brought? Sophie explained that Serena was pissed because you dumped her for good, literally turned you into a mouse because she thinks you’re a rat bastard, and dropped you in the middle of The Red Light District. Or, was it the Den of Sin? Or, maybe it was a gentleman’s club? It doesn’t really matter. It’s all the same.”
Taking in deep breaths and praying to the Goddess for patience, Alec tried again. “I still don’t understand why you called Roger,” he insisted.
“Hello. You’re stuck in the Den of Sin; and he’s a sex therapist. Isn’t it obvious? Who else would I have called?” Jasper asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Zoe—or Zara—or Zelda—or Fabio—or Baba Yo Freaking Mama. Pick one. Any one,” Alec yelled. “No offense, Roger,” he quickly said in an effort not to hurt the man’s feelings.
“None taken,” Roger said in a calm, soothing voice.
"I guess, but they're witches and warlocks. What would they know about The Red Light District and how to get you out? Although now that I think about it, Fabio would have been helpful given his manwhoring ways, but that’s beside the point. Anyways, when Roger heard you were in Chez Parée Deux, he was a little envious. So, be nice," Jasper demanded in a harsh whisper, running his fingers through his hair and sighing in frustration.
Sophie silently watched in awe as the two men continued throwing verbal zingers at one another. It was obvious they had been friends for years by the way they interacted with one another. She was torn between letting the scene before her play out to the end, and stopping it before one of them started throwing punches. However, before she could say anything, her doorbell rang. Leaving the two men to continue with their bickering, she went to answer the door.
“Hey little sis. We thought you could use some extra help with the Alec situation, so we brought Claire. She’s a Seer,” her sister said nonchalantly as she pushed the door open wider and walked in the house. Cole and the Seer followed closely behind.
What in the world do I need with a Seer? Sarah thought, as she closed the door and followed her sister back into the living room where Alec and Jasper were still arguing.
The moment Jasper laid eyes on the beautiful, auburn-haired woman trailing behind Sarah and Cole, he knew he was a goner. His heart rate sped up, sweat broke out near his temples, and he felt a little dizzy. The woman was mesmerizing and his wolf wanted to make his presence known.
“Jasper. Did you hear what I said?” Alec shouted.
“I heard you. There’s no need to yell,” Jasper replied, never taking his eyes off the stunning woman who had just entered the room. He wanted her something fierce, but knew he needed to play it cool. He wouldn’t fall head-over-heels in love again the way he had with Brittney, especially with the beautiful, dark haired woman with soulful, whiskey colored eyes who could easily own his heart. He’d learned his lesson a long time ago and refused to be made a fool of ever again.
Recognizing an opportunity when it presented itself, Sophie used the temporary truce between the two men to introduce everyone. When she was finished, she quickly reiterated the events of the night before and begged for help.
Roger was the first to speak. “Let me see if I have this straight. There really is a Chez Parée Deux and it currently resides in Sophie’s closet,” he asked, excitement evident in his voice. “It really does exist? I mean. I always thought it was a myth. You know. Like unicorns. Armand, you must tell me everything about it. More importantly, do you think I might be able to visit the second, most prestigious gentleman’s club in all the world?”
Sophie swore Armand’s chest puffed out a little further as Roger kept bombarding him with questions about Chez Parée Deux. She still didn’t understand how a gentleman’s club had ended up in her closet. Moreover, no one really seemed to care except her. Had all of these people lost their ever-loving minds? Was this a cruel joke devised by the Fates and the Goddess to teach her a lesson? Was she doomed to pay for her father’s past transgressions the rest of her life?
Feeling the mother of all headaches coming on, she mumbled under her breath, “For Goddess’s sake, I need some sleep.”
When it became obvious that Roger would be of no help in resolving the situation, Jasper gritted his teeth and finally conceded. “You were right, Alec,” he mumbled under his breath, as his shoulders drooped in defeat.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear what you said, Jasper,” Alec replied with a smirk.
“I said you were right, okay. Don’t get cocky. Besides, it doesn’t look good on you when you’re wearing 19th century clothing. Why are you wearing 19th century clothing by the way?” Jasper asked.
“It’s a long story and we don’t have time for it right now. Someone needs to figure out how to reverse Serena’s spell before she gets her second wind and comes after the rest of you with a vengeance. Goddess only knows what she’ll do next in her weakened mental state and Dark Magic coursing through her veins,” Alec countered, desperation rolling off him in waves.
“Weakened mental state. That’s what you’re going with?” Cole asked with a raised eyebrow. “That woman is as bat-shit crazy as Jacob. No wonder the Dark Magic chose to seek her out. It knew she would welcome it with open arms.”
“Alec. Do you remember what Serena said when she was casting her spell?” Claire asked in an effort to be the voice of reason in the room.
Thinking back to when he opened the door and discovered it was Serena instead of Sophie, he suddenly remembered his disappointment and then anger. Struggling to remember the words they exchanged, he closed his eyes, began to breathe in and out the way Fabio had taught them in yoga class, and concentrated on the moment.
“She mentioned something about the night being all about love and that it was only fair for Sophie to see me for the rat bastard that I truly am. She insisted that she wasn’t an underdog and commanded me to shift from a wolf into a rat bastard of a man. She stated that I would no longer be alone during the night because on the next full moon, I’d find my true home.”
When Alec opened his eyes, Claire said, “Do you remember anything else?”
“Yeah. She stated that no one would come to my aid and this was her wish for the lying, thieving bastard who stole her heart,” Alec said matter of fact.
“Wow. She’s really angry with you. You’re lucky her spell only turned you into a mouse, given how much Dark Magic she possesses,” Sarah whispered.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Claire said. “I sense that she didn’t do more because she’s still learning to tap into the Dark Magic, but make no mistake, once she does all hell will break loose.”
“Then we need to reverse her spell and shut her down before that happens,” Alec said with determination in his voice.
“Since the spell is really about the love triangle created between you, Serena and Sophie, my suggestion would be for Sophie to try and reverse the spell.”
“Wait! There’s no love triangle here,” Sophie vehemently replied.
“She’s right. The only woman I’m interested in is Sophie,” Alec growled, directing his heated gaze toward his mate until she could no longer maintain eye contact. He knew she was flustered and feeling a little light-headed because he could feel every emotion rolling off her beautiful body. She was intrigued, aroused, and quivering with desire. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and take her upstairs, but in his current state that wasn’t possible. Therefore, he needed to channel all his anger toward Serena, and his desire and love for the woman in front of him toward getting out of this mess.
“Maybe so, but my instincts are still telling me that Sophie is the only one who can reverse the spell,” Claire insisted.
“I agree,” Jasper said. “Besides, what do we have to lose? She is a witch after all and wh
o better to reverse the spell of a witch than another witch.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t ask the triplets for help? They were instrumental in defeating our psychotic father,” Sarah asked.
Before Claire could respond, Jasper said, “If this doesn’t work, then we call in the big guns. I mean really. What could possibly go wrong?”
“From your lips to the Goddess’s ears,” Sophie murmured under her breath.
“Good. Now that we’re all in agreement, what do we do next?” Jasper asked, enthusiastically.
Claire wanted to smack the overzealous wolf upside the head. It was obvious his eagerness was making Sophie nervous. Or, maybe it was the way her face suddenly turned pale. The one thing she knew after years of being a Seer was that in order for this to work, Sophie needed to relax and let the magic flow freely through her body. It quickly became apparent that wouldn’t happen in front of all these people, so in a soothing voice, she suggested that Sophie join her outside for some fresh air.
When they reached the porch, she turned the young woman to face her and softly said, “I know you’re scared, but I believe in my heart of hearts that you can do this. You just need to believe in yourself.”
Unable to speak, Sophie simply nodded in agreement, even though she still had her doubts. Sure, she had practiced casting spells over the years, but nothing of this magnitude. Alec’s life was at stake if she failed, but on the other hand, it was at stake if she chose to do nothing. She hated being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Once again, her father’s greed for power had created an unbearable situation that had brought harm to someone that she cared about.
Wait! How can I care about someone I barely know? she thought, as she began pacing the length of her screened in porch.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she did care for Alec. When it happened, she wasn’t sure. He made her feel like no other man ever had in her entire life. They had a connection and the lonely part of her wanted to explore it more to see where it led them. Was it possible they were soul mates? Could the Goddess and Fates have been so generous to create someone specifically for her? Someone to lean on during the difficult times and rejoice with during the happy moments.
Claire watched in silence as Sophie battled with herself and the decision she needed to make. There was no doubt in her mind that she would make the right choice. She just had to wait for the young woman in front of her to come to the same conclusion. Claire knew the moment she had by the determined look on her face. It was time to cast a spell that would reverse Serena’s harmful magic.
By the time they walked back into the living room, the Sun had set and everyone was quiet. Claire turned to Sophie, smiled and said, “Do you have any candles?”
Before Sophie could answer, Sarah responded. “There’s some in the kitchen. Let me grab them. Is there anything else we’ll need,” she asked in a soothing voice, as if she were afraid anything louder would spook her sister.
“Yes,” Claire replied with a warm smile. “We’ll also need a glass the same height as the candle, some salt, and water, of course.”
“Got it!” Sarah replied, grateful for Claire’s guidance and calming demeanor.
A few minutes later, she returned with salt, a glass, water and three candles. One was red. One was green and one was black. Claire figured they might as well use all three given that Serena had exhibited hate and envy, as well as used Dark Magic in her spell, which meant they’d be covered on all bases.
“Thanks, Sarah. These are perfect,” she replied with a smile.
Claire knew it was time to cast the circle. She turned to Sophie, who had been quiet the entire time and whispered a few encouraging words that only she could hear. When Sophie acknowledged what she was saying, everyone was instructed to cast a circle around the dining room table. Alec was placed on one side of the table while Armand and Iggy were placed on the other side. When everyone was in place, Sophie followed Claire’s instructions to a tee.
First she put the candles into the glass and filled it with water so that it was almost covering the candles. Second, she sprinkled salt into the water around the candles and said the following words:
Oh Goddess on high
Please grant my wish this night,
As I add a smidgen of salt, transform this water until it’s pure
So that we may harness its power to heal and cure.
When the water and salt started glowing a bright purple color and sparks started to appear, Claire knew the spell was working and encouraged Sophie to continue.
A spell was cast by a spiteful witch,
Who dabbles in Dark Magic to scratch an itch.
An honorable wolf has been damned by her curse,
And transformed into a rat bastard of a man with a simple verse.
Since her web of wicked lies was spun with a baneful will,
We beg you this night, to help us remove her harm and ill.
Sophie and the rest watched as the water began emitting positive energies. The longer she repeated the second verse, the more energy built up in the circle until it looked like a rainbow. When the candles burned down to the level of the water and sputtered out, Sophie instinctively took them out of the water, held them out horizontally with both hands toward the center of the table and said:
By the power of the Goddess, this harmful spell I now negate,
As it’s way past time, to return things to their rightful state.
So mote it be!
When Sophie spoke the last words of the spell, she also broke the candles in half. Like a bolt of lightning, the harmful energy that had built up in the circle was released in a burst of bright, lavender lightning. When Sophie finally mustered up enough courage to open her eyes, she gasped at the sight before her.
Chapter 8
Sophie couldn’t believe that her spell had actually worked. Not only had it returned Alec to his human form, but also Armand and Iggy. Although he was wearing those Goddess awful Fab-a-tards, Armand truly could have passed for Antonio Banderas’s twin with his black, wavy hair, dark, sensual eyes, and Spanish accent. Iggy, who wasn’t the cutest mouse on the block, had transformed into the hottest cowboy candy she had ever seen. The wranglers were molded to his thighs and the plaid shirt accentuated his broad chest and muscular biceps, while the black Stetson that helped draw attention to his strong jawline made her want to say giddy up.
When she turned and finally locked eyes with Alec, her heart stopped beating momentarily and then did a little dance. The man was absolutely gorgeous. Sandy blonde hair, piercing green eyes, and a goatee that made her want to rub up against him like a cat in heat had her yearning for his touch. Looking past the ridiculous 19th century costume he wore, she saw the real man. A man who owned his masculinity and would do anything to protect his loved ones. A man who exuded power, passion, hunger, and a host of other raw emotions she couldn’t quite describe at the moment.
The last thoughts running through her mind before Alec stepped closer, took her in his arms, and covered his mouth with hers were, “He’s dark, dangerous, and all mine.”
The kiss had started out slow and sensual. But once Alec discovered how sweet his mate tasted, he couldn’t get enough. The combination of lavender, strawberries, and a sweet flavor unique to only Sophie proved to be a heady concoction that heated his body from the inside out. When she moaned in pleasure and slightly parted her lips, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Their bodies were plastered together in an embrace that was so erotic, he didn’t know where she ended and he began. More importantly, he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to him was the woman wrapped in his arms, shuttering on the brink of desire.
Lost in their passion for one another, he didn’t care that they were putting on a show for everyone in the room. His body ached for the woman in his arms and had for months. When the kiss continued and his hand moved gently over his mate’s hip, Alec barely heard someone clearing their throat. Reluctantly, he released
Sophie’s lips and pressed his forehead to hers before whispering, “We’re not done yet, Little One. That kiss was only the beginning.”
“Now that you two have reunited, and it’s obvious it felt good, shall we get down to business,” Jasper said with a shit-eating grin on his face that Alec wanted to suddenly remove with his fists.
In an attempt to release some of the tension in the room, Claire glared at Jasper for poking the wolf and then said, “Shall we all have a seat and discuss how to deal with Serena now that her spell has been broken?”
When everyone nodded in agreement and took their seats, Roger was the first to speak. “Here’s what I don’t understand. How was Sophie able to transform Armand and Iggy into humans?”
“Unless… They were always humans and under another witch’s spell,” Cole quickly replied.
“Sophie, what do you really know about Old Man Miller’s farmhouse?” Alec asked, as he squeezed her hand.
“To be honest, nothing. I bought the house because it gave me a modicum of privacy by being close to town without actually being in town. If that makes any sense. In addition, the purchase price was a steal. You and Jasper have lived here longer than anyone in the room. Are you aware of any nefarious activities that occurred when Mr. Miller lived in the house?”
“Maybe,” Jasper finally said. It was obvious from the hesitant look on his face that he was unsure whether or not this was a good time to share his memories.
“Don’t be shy, man. Spit it out!” Iggy ordered.
“Fine. When we were kids, I remember someone joking about the house being cursed by a witch who had been scorned by her lover. In fact, there used to be a nursery rhyme that went something like this:
Smitten, shattered, cheated, forewarned,
Magic and Mayhem: Witch With An Axe To Grind (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Magick & Chaos Book 4) Page 6
