Parlor Tricks

by Mara Lee

  The moment Tabitha was gone, Griffin turned to Sass with wide, earnest eyes.

  “Saskia … about the other evening.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Sass said with a bright, false smile.

  “It’s just that Tabitha and I…”

  “I said … don’t worry about it,” Sass said more firmly this time.

  “Saskia…” Griffin sighed when he saw the resolute expression on Saskia’s face. Some evening this had turned out to be.

  * * * *

  Sass and Griffin stood awkwardly at her front door, neither one wanting to make the first move—both too unsure as to the other’s intentions and feelings.

  Sass sighed. Would it be too forward to ask him for sex, right now? Dinner had been nice … odd, but nice. Sex … now that would definitely be better.

  “I had a nice time tonight,” Griffin said, finally breaking the silence.

  Sass nodded eagerly. “Me too.”

  “Really?” Griffin asked with a grin.

  Sass smiled. “Yes, really.” Sass laughed. “Would you like to come in?” Sass was praying, please … please … please … say yes, say yes!

  “Hell, yes.”

  Sass unlocked her front door. Her mind was besieged by the hot images of what she and Griff could be doing in two minutes … make that a minute. The moment they were through the door she frowned. Something was not right. She went on the alert. She grabbed Griffin’s arm and instinctively pushed him behind her.

  “Wha-what is it?” Griffin asked.

  Sass frowned. “Shhhh … there’s someone here, in the house.”

  “I don’t hear anything,” Griffin said.

  “Believe me, there’s someone here.” Sass flipped the light-switch but the room remained dark. She waved her hand and a small ball of light formed in front of them, illuminating the dark room.

  “Saskia … do you see that?” Griffin squinted.

  Sass nodded. There was a dark shadow that was slithering down the stairs. It twisted and moved at a snail’s pace but it exerted a strong evil energy. So, it wasn’t someone, it was something.

  Sass reached for the doorknob but found that it was now locked and warded. Damn it. Someone had locked her into her own house … and with a spell.

  The shadow came closer and the small ball of light now cast a complete picture; it was a spider … a huge spider.

  Sass shivered. She hated spiders. She absolutely hated them.

  “Holy shit,” Griffin breathed out. “That’s the largest…”

  “Yes … I know … oh boy…,” Sass ground out when she saw two more large spiders join the first. This just got better and better by the second. “Latin … the words are in Latin,” Sass murmured as she tried to remember the right words to cast the correct netting spell. Why oh why hadn’t she paid better attention when her Spells professor had stressed the importance of Latin?

  The first spider charged, racing down the stairs at surprising speed.

  “SASKIA!” Griffin pushed Sass out of the way and swore when the spider hit him head-on.

  Griffin kicked his legs up and twisted his arm, succeeding in throwing the spider off balance. He rolled away and sprang up. He had barely a second to recoup when the spider was on him once again, this time its front two legs swept out and caught him, tossing him down.

  “You are one ugly son of a…” Griffin grunted when the spider pressed its large body down on his legs.

  Sass leaned back, pressing her hands against the wall. The two remaining spiders were now surrounding her, their beady little eyes watching her intently … waiting … anticipating.

  “God I hate spiders…” Sass swallowed and craned her head. She could see Griffin struggling with the first spider. He had managed to get his arms around the spider’s front legs and was trying to free himself from its grasp. “Ouch!” Sass felt pain spear her arm. She narrowed her eyes and looked down at her arm. Her sleeve was torn and she was bleeding. Sass looked up, glaring at the spider. “This was my favorite Sunday dress, you ugly jerk!” Anger assailed her and Sass felt the spell then. The words welled up and she cast quickly.

  The spider was tossed across the room, pinned against the far wall by a large beam of energy.

  Before Sass knew it, the second spider had shot out its webbing, wrapping her strongly within its silken cords. She twisted her body but she was caught securely. She opened her mouth and gasped when she felt the silken net begin to surround her head. Oh God. In a moment she was going to be completely covered. She had to act quickly. From the corner of her eye she saw Griffin. He was standing now, braced against the wall. The spider lay unmoving at his feet.

  “Griffin … Griffin…” Sass called weakly, trying to spit out the web that was choking her. She could barely move her hands now, let alone speak.

  Griffin was at her side in a second. His hands began to claw at the net, trying to free her.

  Sass shook her head. “Touch me…” she pleaded.

  “Sass…”

  “Griff … my face … touch my face … please.” Sass’s energy was dissipating. She knew that the spider she had pinned to the wall would soon be loosed, as her power was nearly gone.

  Griffin didn’t hesitate. He pressed his hand solidly against her face. His eyes widened when his hand began to glow and he could feel the heat emanating off of her flesh.

  A moment later the silken web holding Sass prisoner began to melt and fall away. Sass shook the remnants of the fine cord from her body and once her hands were free she conjured a large ball of flame and hurled it at the spider.

  “Please don’t let go of me,” Sass said to Griffin as she concentrated on keeping the flame present and strong.

  Griffin nodded.

  Sass felt the Latin flow smoothly across her lips now. She watched, satisfied, when the spiders began to burn steadily.

  “Sass…?” Griffin’s voice was hoarse.

  Sass stiffened, afraid of what he was going to say.

  “It stinks in here.”

  Sass’s eyes widened and then she and Griffin broke out laughing.

  Chapter Eight

  Sass swept up the ashes and wrinkled her nose. Maybe some tuberose? She needed something to cover up this stink. She would use a spell but frankly she was totally tuckered out.

  “So … giant spiders…” Griffin said quietly from behind Sass.

  Sass walked over to the fireplace and dumped the ashes. “Yep … giant spiders.”

  “Mind answering a question for me, Saskia?” Griffin placed a hand on her shoulder. “Why were there giant spiders trying to kill us tonight?”

  Sass leaned back into Griffin and shook her head wearily. “I’m not sure.” God she was exhausted.

  “Should we be expecting any more visitors?”

  Sass closed her eyes and chuckled. “I hope not.” Suddenly an awful thought came to her. “Oh my God!”

  “What?”

  Sass whirled around to face Griffin. “Tumbleweed … I forgot about Tumbleweed.” Sass rushed from the living room. How could she have forgotten about Tumbleweed? “Tumble…where are you…?” Sass cried out. The poor sprite—oh lord, she hoped the spiders hadn’t gotten to her.

  Sass rushed out back to the garden and stopped short at the lavender bed. Her hand flew to her mouth and she fell to her knees.

  “Tumble … oh … oh…”

  “Sassy…” Tumbleweed’s voice was barely a whisper. She cracked open an eye and moaned. “The … the … spiders…”

  Sass nodded. She reached out and gently stroked the sprite’s hair. “It’s all right, Tumble, it’s all right darling. They’re gone.”

  Tumbleweed smiled. “Good. They damaged me … my wing … they got me.”

  Sass gasped when she saw Tumbleweed’s wing. It was torn and hanging limply. “Oh, Tumble.”

  “I tried to stop them … but they came so quickly … I didn’t even know they were here,” she groaned. “It got me in the wing, that ugly Arachnid got me in the wing.�
� She chuckled weakly then. “But I managed to fly away and make it to the garden. See … I feel better already.”

  Sass smiled gently. “I’ll whip you up a pollen potion.”

  Tumbleweed nodded. “That would be nice.”

  Sass turned to leave but Tumbleweed’s sweet voice stopped her. She turned.

  “That handsome human still with you?” Tumbleweed asked, leaning up.

  Sass nodded. “Still with me.”

  Tumbleweed fell back in the lavender bed. “Good. Shows he has some smarts.”

  * * * *

  “Is she all right?” Griffin asked when Sass strode into the kitchen and began to assemble her supplies.

  “She’ll live. They got her in the wing, but it could have been worse. The wing can regenerate … actually it already is.”

  “They … uh … can grow back their wings?”

  Sass nodded. “If the wound isn’t too great, yes. Of course it would have been different if they had pulled the wings completely off. She probably couldn’t have recovered from that.”

  Sass pulled out her cauldron.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Griffin asked.

  Sass’s eyes widened and she smiled. “Uhm … you can boil some water and there is a pot of gingerroot by the stove … could you drop in a batch?”

  Griffin nodded and headed over to the stove.

  Sass made her way to the fireplace in the living room and began to prepare a large blaze … she would need one for this pollen potion.

  Sass frowned. It had been here. She knew it had been here. “Hmmmm, I can’t believe I misplaced it…”

  “What are you mumbling about?” Griffin shouted.

  “I’m not mumbling,” Sass said with a scowl.

  “Sass, come on.”

  “Fine. I seem to be missing a poker … have you seen it?”

  Silence met her question.

  Sass padded over to the kitchen and placed her hands on her hips. “Griffin?” She tried again.

  Griffin busied himself with the ginger.

  “Not that I’m not pleased as punch that you seem to be enjoying your task, Griff, but could you let me know what’s going on?”

  “What makes you think that anything is going on?”

  Sass rolled her eyes. “Oh, let’s see … you’ve suddenly taken a strong interest in ginger root and you’ve gone all steely silent on me—what gives?”

  Griffin turned. His eyes were somber. “Did you try the foyer?”

  “What?”

  Griffin sighed. “Did you try looking around the foyer?”

  “For my poker?”

  “No … for the Brooklyn Bridge, of course for the poker.”

  “Ha, ha, very funny.” Sass rushed to foyer and sure enough, in the entranceway, near the stairs, was her poker … and a pile of ash.

  “It was me,” Griffin said from behind her.

  Sass jumped.

  Griffin swallowed. “One minute I was wrestling with the giant spider, the next minute I was spearing it through its ugly side with that poker.”

  “Effective,” Sass said quietly.

  “That’s one word for it.”

  Sass picked up the poker and brought it over to the fireplace. She began to stoke the fire.

  “That’s all?” Griffin asked angrily.

  Sass watched the flames leap and shrugged. “What else would you like me to say, Griff?”

  “I’d like you to explain how in the hell I conjured up the damn poker in the first place.”

  “Truthfully?” Sass turned to face Griffin. “I’m not sure. Were you thinking on it, the poker I mean?”

  Griffin nodded slowly. “Yes. Well, I was thinking I really needed a weapon to defend myself.” Griffin rubbed his temples. “And then that blasted poker was in my hand.”

  Sass nodded. “So, you didn’t exactly conjure the poker…” Sass bit her lip, “you moved it.”

  “I did what?”

  “You moved it.”

  “I moved the poker … without actually moving myself.” Griffin began to pace.

  “It’s not uncommon—basic telekinesis.”

  “I’m telekinetic,” Griffin said woodenly.

  “I’d say yes, that there is a good chance that you’re telekinetic.” Sass sighed. “The gingerroot is boiling over…”

  “Fuck.” Griffin rushed to the kitchen to turn off the stove.

  Sass hooked her cauldron over the fire before following Griffin into the kitchen. “Griff.”

  “Yes?”

  Sass took a deep breath. “You’re a paranormal. You’re more than likely a pretty strong telekinetic and … you’re a power conduit.”

  Griffin swallowed. “Well, don’t go breaking it to me all at once.”

  Sass threw up her hands. “I’m sorry … I know … there were probably a thousand ways I could have said that better…” she laughed, “I didn’t.”

  Griffin nodded and sat heavily. “I don’t even know what a conduit is.”

  Sass walked up to him. She placed both of her hands on his knees, opened them, and stepped between his legs.

  Sass cupped his cheek. “You act as a channel, Griff. You take power and you can lend it, balance it … direct it.”

  “So, when you were fighting the spiders and I touched your cheek…” His voice trailed off.

  Sass nodded. “You magnified my power, Griff … and I was able to channel enough energy to defeat the spider. Without you … well, I probably wouldn’t have been able to muster enough power to have fried those things.”

  Griffin shook his head. “But I’m not … I can’t be…”

  “Why not? You’re the son of a paranormal … it stands to reason that you would have inherited some power, Griff.”

  “God … this is so surreal. My father always said…” Griffin stopped.

  “What?” Sass massaged his shoulder gently. “What did you father say, Griff?”

  “He said that … nature has to be suppressed.”

  Sass wished she had Mr. Henry Sampson here so she could lay a hex on him. “But true nature cannot be suppressed, Griff…”

  Griffin’s eyes when he looked at her were so tortured. “But what is my true nature, Saskia.”

  “You are part of the magic, Griff…”

  “Part of the madness, you mean.” Griffin swept his hand out. “What’s real, Saskia? My mother was … was…”

  “A paranormal,” Sass finished for him.

  “Fine. She was a paranormal. But my father, he wasn’t. So half of my nature stems from him.” Griff stiffened. “Half of me belongs to my father,” he laughed harshly, “Believe me when I say, that is not a pretty thought.”

  “Have you spoken to Tina about this?”

  “Why would I speak to her?” Griffin seemed genuinely confused as to why he would speak to his sister about such things.

  “Because, besides being your sister, she’s a rather powerful witch.” Sass began to unbutton Griffin’s shirt. She wanted to take the hurt out of his eyes. She wanted to comfort him … to love him.

  “Saskia…” Griffin said warningly.

  Sass grinned mischievously. She pulled his shirt open and ran her palms lovingly across his smooth, muscular chest.

  “Saskia … what do you think you’re doing?”

  She laughed and trailed her fingers slowly down his chest until she reached his waist. “I would think that it would be obvious … I’m distracting you.”

  “What’s obvious is that if you don’t stop, I’m going to take you on the kitchen table,” Griffin growled.

  Sass’s eyes sparkled and she unbuckled his belt. “So?” She batted her eyes. “What’s stopping you?”

  Griffin lifted Sass up and placed her on the kitchen table. “What about your friend … and the uh … potion?”

  “Tumble?” Sass smiled. “The cauldron needs to heat. It’ll take at least half an hour. Think we can fill the time?”

  Griffin kicked off his pants and bunched Sass’s dr
ess up to her waist. “Oh, I think we can manage.”

  Sass licked her lips. She reached for him.

  Griffin shook his head. “Oh no, Ms. Saskia … I think we’ll do things my way tonight.”

  “Will we?” Sass grinned.

  A purely masculine grin spread over Griffin’s face. He dragged a chair over to the table and placed it squarely in front of her.

  “Griff?”

  Griffin spread her legs. “Lie back, love.”

  Sass swallowed but did as he bid.

  * * * *

  She was too beautiful to be real. With her hair spread out, her legs splayed wide, and her face flushed with desire, she resembled some wild, pagan goddess.

  Griffin felt a tightening in his chest. This was dangerous. She was dangerous. He had never felt such a desperate longing for someone in his entire life. Just the sight of her made him hard as stone … and evoked the strangest feelings within him.

  Griffin leaned over the table and captured her nipple within his mouth. He sucked hard at the tight bud through the fabric of her dress.

  “Griff … ohhhhh Griff…” Sass moaned, arching against him.

  Griffin pinched her tight nub, and massaged her full breast, working it like dough. He smiled when he heard the hitch in her breath and felt the small shivers that ran through her.

  Sitting down in the chair, Griffin studied the beautiful picture that was before him. He rubbed her gently through her panties. She was already moist.

  “You’re so beautiful, so damn beautiful…” Griffin slipped one finger under the barrier of her panties and sought out the slick folds of her aching pussy. He ran his finger back and forth … taunting … teasing.

  “Griffin … God … Griffin…” Sass pushed forward, desperate to feel him within her.

  “What baby … what do you need?” Griffin inserted just an inch of his finger into her waiting flesh and began to move it in a slow, circular, motion.

  “Ohhh … ohhh … please … more…” Sass moaned.

  Griffin pushed his finger all the way into her and stilled. She was so hot … so unbelievably wet … and she was coating his hand with her fluids.