“You know what I mean. You know I don’t want to be just your friend.” He bent down and kissed my cheek and his head lingered there for a moment, his stubble brushing my cheek, while part of me wanted to turn my jaw that that extra inch to kiss him properly, firmly. But I didn’t and he drew back hesitantly. I couldn’t say anything else. I’d hurt him enough already by rejecting him and I couldn’t justify why I’d picked one fine man over another equally fine man. More to the point, it wouldn’t be fair, and Gage wouldn’t want to hear it. I rested my head against his chest for the briefest of moments and he wrapped his arms around me, sighing as he hugged me to him.
“See you around, Stella.” Gage untangled himself and loped off the porch. I couldn’t stand there and watch him go while my heart ached, so I turned my back and went inside. Just as I closed the door, I heard the sound of his motorbike’s engine roar into life and he thundered away.
For a moment my house seemed empty then I saw Evan had set up his laptop on the table in the small dining area off the living room. I’d uncovered it under a pile of dust covers in the unused sun room and he had carried it into the dining room and made it his makeshift desk. It was scrubbed pine and old and there had been a stack of matching chairs laid underneath it, like my parents had planned on getting rid of them but not gotten around to it. Evan had offered to help me sand it down and oil it so it would achieve a rustic sort of perfection. Until then, it was serving as a sort of office for him. He hadn’t told me much about his business, but it seemed he was able to coordinate things remotely and he’d mentioned having a loyal assistant whom was at his beck and call, for want of a better phrase. I was just grateful that he was able to be with me for now, especially with threats hanging over our heads like pointed swords.
“You okay?” he asked, taking in my thoughtful expression.
“I’m fine.”
“What did he want?” Evan nodded at the front door. I didn’t know if he and Gage would ever get to the point where they could have any kind of friendly relationship, or even a vaguely polite one, and I had to take some responsibility for that. But I wasn’t going to get in to that now, not when there were more important things at stake.
“He thinks all the witches being here has started something.”
Evan hesitated before he said, “I hate agreeing with him but he’s probably right.”
“So we should be worried?”
“No point worrying until something happens.”
I thought about what Gage had said. “You know the easiest way for me to protect myself is for you to teach me how to control what I can do. No more flukes. I need to be able to protect myself and if it comes down to it, I need to be able to stand up and fight, not be a hindrance to you or anyone else. Plus, I can’t make decisions when I don’t understand this world properly. If Gage is right, if something is coming here, I don’t want to run into something that I can’t recognise, and can’t fight.” I took a deep breath before I added, “I know you all want to protect me and I know I’m lucky, and I’m so grateful, but I need to be the best I can be. I need to be prepared for whatever is coming.”
Evan leant back in his chair, legs crossed. A moment later and I could feel the air behind me bristle as it was suddenly parted. I could feel the sudden heat of his body behind me as the chair in front of me still wobbled from his abrupt departure. He brushed a lock of hair back from my face with his hand as he whispered in my ear, “I’ll teach you everything I can.”
I let a broad, happy smile blossom on my face as I twisted to look at him. I still had to pinch myself that he was really staying. As I gazed into his delicious eyes, a familiar trickle of magic lit my skin, playful, at my command.
“You’ll have to catch me first,” I teased, and then I disappeared, the sound of Evan’s laughter swept along in my wake.
Stella Mayweather will be back in December 2011.
Sneak preview...
Witch hunters who will stop at nothing.
A deadly foe who wants revenge.
A secret supernatural world that is on the verge of revealing itself.
When a powerful surge of magic lures the supernatural community to Wilding, a town with a secret, Stella is caught in the middle between witch hunters who inexplicably want her, and a power-hungry witch who will do anything for revenge.
When her friend is kidnapped and used to lure her home to her birthplace, Stella’s powers are tested to the limit as she battles magic and trickery. But flight across the world brings as many questions as it does answers, and Stella can never be sure who is on her side and who will come out of the fight alive.
About the author
Camilla Chafer is an author and journalist who writes for newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the world. She is also the author/ editor of several non-fiction books and lives in London, UK.
Visit Camilla online at www.camillachafer.com to find out more about her, upcoming books and fun stuff including deleted scenes, book group guides, playlists, writing tips and book reviews. Or email her at [email protected].
You’ll find Camilla’s Goodreads page here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4828830.Camilla_Chafer
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Unruly Magic
Copyright: Camilla Chafer
Published: 27 July 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9569086-1-2
Publisher: Audacious
The right of Camilla Chafer to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
Unruly Magic (#2 Stella Mayweather Paranormal Series) Page 27
