I sighed. “Didn’t you listen to what I told you at all? Don’t you recognize him by my description?”
Recognition dawned in his eyes. “Have you gone completely mental? He appears to be a competent wizard, and he’s come to answer our ad. He is not your damned statue come to life. Now let it rest.”
I put my hands on my hips, glaring down at him. “Fine, then. How do you explain him looking exactly like the statue? He looks just like the living version I saw in my dream, same hair. And those eyes!”
“They do not glow,” Percy pointed out. “Blue eyes are quite common, you know.” When I continued to glower at him he offered another explanation. “Maybe your dream was a foreshadowing. That statue has been in your family for a long time. I think it’s safe to say that you are actually grieving over its loss. I believe your dream was a combination of grief and a foreshadowing of the wizard who would answer our ad. That’s why he had wings in your dream.”
What he said made a lot of sense. I didn’t want to admit to being wrong, but it was a whole lot easier to accept his idea than mine.
“You don’t think it’s odd that he calls himself Al? It’s probably short for Aleric.”
“Go on and ask him then. But you’ll look stupid if you’re wrong and quite possibly like a psssycho if you’re right.”
Damn it, he had a point. Supposing it was short for Aleric, how would I explain knowing that? Aleric wasn’t exactly a common name.
“I hate it when you’re right.”
Percy did his best to pucker up his lips and make a kissing noise at me.
“Come on,” I said, laughing. “Let’s see how long it takes him to run screaming after he hears the rest of our story.”
I put away the groceries while Al sat at the kitchen table and listened patiently to everything that had been going on. I watched him carefully when I mentioned the stolen statue, trying to gauge his reaction.
“Why not report it stolen to the police?” he asked softly. “Why place an ad for a wizard?”
“I placed the ad before it was stolen. Besides, the ad was for a wizard or a witch who could help me,” I corrected. “W.A. could stand for either one.”
His smile was making my knees weak. “So it could. You didn’t answer my question.”
“Have you ever been the only witch in a small town?”
“I’ve never been a witch.” He laughed, running a hand through his long, dark hair. The movement made his biceps flex. It made me wish he wasn’t wearing long sleeves, and it made my pussy even wetter.
“You’re as bad as Percy.”
“I like him,” the snake said.
“Then I should fit right in. Why don’t you tell me what the problem really is?” Al leaned forward in his chair, propping his elbows on the table. His hair fell forward, framing his face and highlighting his blue eyes. Goddess, he was beautiful.
“What do you mean? I have told you. I’m being harassed by a werewolf. He wants me, I’m not interested. I don’t think he’ll continue to take ‘no’ for an answer. And I’m pretty sure he had something to do with my statue going missing.”
He just sat there for a moment, blinking those lovely eyes at me. Then he stood and moved toward me. He didn’t stop until my back was pressed against the counter and the front of his body was pressed against mine. He bent down so close that I thought he meant to kiss me. I felt dizzy. My heart was beating so fast and hard that I wondered if he could hear it.
“None of that sounds like something a witch like you couldn’t handle,” he said, his breath hot against my lips. “Why send for me?”
I wanted to say that I hadn’t sent for him. I’d sent for anyone who might be able to help. But that wasn’t true. One look at him and I knew he was right. It was him I had sent for.
“He wants me to strengthen his bloodline. His father used to be pack leader, but he was killed years ago by a challenger. Michael wants to regain control of the pack and he wants to use my power to do so. If he is mated to a witch it will strengthen him and any offspring he might have.”
He moved closer, brushing his face against mine like a cat. “Is he good-looking?”
“Very. But there’s something else. Something I can’t explain. He hasn’t laid a hand on me, but I feel such violence when I’m near him.” Al moved back enough to look at me again and to my surprise my bottom lip started to tremble. “He frightens me,” I whispered.
The wizard wrapped me in his arms and I couldn’t believe how safe I felt. “That’s all you ever had to say,” he replied, stroking my hair.
“Al, I know this may sound strange, but could you hold me just a little bit longer?”
He laughed as he rested his face against the top of my head. “That’s not so strange. You’re alone here and you’re afraid.”
Percy cleared his throat as if to say I was not alone, but we both ignored him.
“I didn’t mean to make fun earlier. I do know what it’s like to be treated differently. To have people think you’re evil, just because you are different.”
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re here. I’ve never needed protection from something exactly like this. I performed a standard protection spell, but it’s not my specialty.”
Something flashed behind his eyes at my words and I felt the hairs on my arms rise in response to his magic.
There was a loud thump and we both turned to see Percy flopped across the kitchen table.
“I hate to break up this tender moment, but what exactly do you plan to do? Assuming you are going to take the job?”
We followed Al around the house while he made a list of ingredients he would need. Once we were finished and back in the kitchen, Percy slid over and looked at his notes.
“Why the hell do you need a jar of dirt and devil’s bones?”
Al smiled. “Does it matter why I need them, or that I already have them in storage?”
“You do?” I asked. “Where? Do you live near here?”
“It won’t take me long to get them. And I used to live around here until recently.”
“You mean in town?”
“Fairly close, yes.”
Yet again I was reminded of my statue. Al rubbed his hands together and smiled at me again. “Shall we go over the details then?”
Chapter Four
Al was going to perform a series of spells that would make up what we referred to as a wizard alarm. The reason it was called an “alarm” was because the spells were bound either to the person they were being cast for or to the one doing the casting. They would literally become the alarm, aware if anyone who shouldn’t be there crossed the boundary. If a strong enough wizard performed the spell, no one should be able to cross. They might come close though.
Many spells associated with a wizard alarm were rumored to also cause harm. I didn’t know of anyone actually having used such spells before. The extent of my knowledge in matters of alarms came from the database. What I remembered was along the lines of “it will cause harm to those who mean harm to you,” or something like that.
“The spells will be performed over the course of two weeks. Even if I had the time and supplies to do them all in one day, and I don’t, we must wait.”
“For what?” Percy asked.
“For the proper phases of the moon, for potions to brew and for herbs to dry. And salt. We’re going to need a lot of salt.”
“You’ll need to stay close by then,” Percy said.
“You can stay with us.”
They both turned and looked at me, Al with a smile and Percy with surprise.
“That’s very kind of you. It would be best if I am as close as possible.”
“Is the downstairs bedroom close enough for you?”
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Perfect.”
Well, that was easy. “Do you need help with anything? You can set up however you like. There’s a table in there that should be good for sorting ingredients. I use the kitchen for potion making.”
“I’ll get my things and be back by this evening.” He turned to leave and I put a hand on his arm. He felt so hard and warm beneath my hand. My palm tingled with the contact. “Was there something else?” he asked.
“We haven’t discussed your fee.”
The look he gave me seemed to burn right through my clothes and the expression on his face made me wonder if he would ask for money or my soul. Turning for the door again, he looked over his shoulder at me and when he spoke his voice was filled with magic. “No charge.”
“But you can’t—”
“Do you accept my protection?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, it is my pleasure.”
And just like that he was gone. I don’t mean he walked out and closed the door, I mean he was gone. Percy and I looked at each other open-mouthed. Could he teleport? Did he know the invisibility spell that was said to not even exist anymore?
“His pleasure? Who the fuck is this guy?”
I looked at the snake incredulously. “As if I should know?”
He snorted. “The way he looked at you, I’d say you know something.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“No, I’m a snake.”
I walked toward the stairs and thumped his nose on my way past. Not hard, just enough to piss him off.
He was in the middle of cussing me when someone knocked on the front door. Percy hid inside the coat closet beside the door so that he could listen. I left the door cracked in case he needed to get out. The way things had been going lately, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened the door.
“Daisy.” I definitely wasn’t expecting to see Michael’s aunt. I just looked at her for a moment, unsure what to say. She’s taller than me, with short, spiky blonde hair and numerous tattoos. She’s got that sexy, biker chick look going on.
“Look, I know what’s been going on with Michael, and this has nothing to do with that,” she said quickly. “Okay, that’s not entirely true. The truth is, I have no idea what’s going on.” She paused. “I just know something isn’t right, you know? It’s like there’s something I’m supposed to remember, but can’t.“ She sighed. “And now I just sound like a nut. Please, I don’t mean any harm. Can I talk to you?”
“Sure.” I believed her. Despite the fact that she’s a werewolf, Daisy has a calmness about her that you can’t help but feel when she’s near. We weren’t close, but she and I had always been on good terms and I considered her a friend. It was never necessary for her to tell me she meant no harm.
We sat down on the front porch swing and she said, “I was hoping you could help me out with some, ah, personal issues.”
Reality dawned. “You’re the one who needs the love spell.”
She looked shocked. “How did you know that?”
“Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. I just knew. I can’t explain it.”
She adjusted her leather vest and her cleavage nearly tumbled out. I’d never had the nerve to wear a vest as my shirt. She’s in her early forties, but doesn’t look it. Daisy could probably wear a sack and look good in it. She also wasn’t affected by the cool weather, since shifters all ran a little hot.
“The thing is, I’ve been dating this man for a while and I think it’s serious.”
“And he doesn’t?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean? He won’t commit or something?”
She shrugged. “I think he wants to. He talks about being together and plans for our future, but he won’t make ‘the’ move.”
I smiled, finally understanding what she was talking about. “Would you like him to propose?”
“I don’t want to make him do anything against his will,” she said quickly. “But if it is what he wants too, then I would like to give him a little push.”
“Well,” I said, “that’s just the kind of love spell I’ve got prepared.”
“Are you psychic too?”
I shrugged. “Sometimes I just know things. I wouldn’t exactly call it psychic. I can’t know things on command or anything like that.”
“Oh. Well, do you think you could help me then?”
“Sure thing. Any chance of you telling me who the lucky man is?”
Daisy laughed. “If it works, you’ll get an invitation to the wedding.”
We shared a pitcher of iced tea while I explained how everything in the spell kit worked. Daisy looked nervous, but more than ready to take on the task. She never said whom she intended to use it on, and I didn’t ask again. It was nice to know that not every member of the wolf pack was out to convince me to become Michael’s mate.
“What do I owe you?” she asked.
“You don’t owe me anything.”
Daisy and I were friends and I wanted to give her the kit. Thanks to a generous uncle, my house and everything in it was already paid for. All I had to do was make enough money to pay my utilities. However, Daisy wouldn’t hear of it.
“Tell me one more time how this works and then you will let me pay you.”
After the explanations were finished and Daisy paid me for the kit, she rose to leave. Then she turned back and looked at me thoughtfully. “Be careful,” she said, and gave me a quick hug.
I wasn’t sure how to react other than to say, “Okay. Thank you.”
“That was strange,” Percy said, slithering out onto the porch as Daisy drove away. “Are things worse than we’d ssspeculated?”
A cool breeze tickled across my skin and I shivered, hugging my arms close to my chest. I took her warning as more of a friendly suggestion, but Percy acted like it was a bad omen.
“I hope not.”
I pulled on a soft wool coat before curling up with Percy and a good book in the porch swing. After several relaxing minutes of listening to the wind in the trees, Percy asked, “Have you got enough condoms?”
The murder mystery I had been reading was in such contrast to his question that all I could say was, “What the fuck, Perc?”
He gave a little flop that looked like a shrug and moved his lime-green body closer to my feet, curling around my ankles. I was used to him stealing my body heat. He only came out on cool days because he liked the fall scenery, not because his cold-blooded body enjoyed it.
“I was just thinking.”
I laughed. “About condoms? That’s a little odd, don’t you think?”
“Well, you’ve got that hot wizard here for two weeks and you have been going through quite a dry spell.”
I was torn between wanting to laugh again or slap the shit out of him. Since he was already having a worse life than me, I decided on laughing and pulling my feet and their warmth away.
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s a legitimate question. People go buck wild when they haven’t had sex for a while and the next thing you know you’re pregnant or caught the clap.”
“For your nosy-ass information, I’m on the Pill. And no, I don’t have any condoms. I also have no intention of jumping his bones the minute we’re alone. He’s here to help. I’m going to let him help.”
He laughed. “Liar.”
He was right. I wanted Al so badly I practically foamed at the mouth when I looked at him. That didn’t mean I planned to be irresponsible. I still wanted to know what happened to my statue and was having a very hard time shaking my dream of him and his glowing blue eyes.
Percy scooted back toward my feet. “Obviously I’m not too nosy or I would have found your pills. So, ha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Come here,” I said. I took him in my arms and stuffed as much of him as would fit into my coat. “Better?”
“Much.”
We stayed that way a while and I read aloud so that he could help me figure out who the villain was. Then I remembered the wolfsbane.
“I should hang it up,” I said, moving so that Percy could still wrap around me underneath the coat.
I put on latex gloves and tacked some of the plant above my be
droom door, like you might hang mistletoe.
“Looks very decorative,” Percy said.
“It’s supposed to keep out werewolves,” I drawled. “I could give a shit how it looks.”
“I thought you had to touch it directly to their skin to hurt them.”
“I read somewhere that just having it around discouraged their presence. I hope that’s right.”
“Well, I’m going to check the garden for some late lunch. You have fun with that.”
I opened the window for Percy to go outside and headed toward the front door. I only had enough to put up one more little bunch of wolfsbane and I thought that would be the next best spot. I had to get a chair so that I could reach above the door to tack up the plant.
As I was finishing my task, I heard someone driving up behind me. Foolishly I assumed it was Al coming back. I had just stuffed the gloves in my back pocket when I turned to find Michael smiling at me from the back of his motorcycle.
“Afternoon,” he said as he switched off and threw one long leg over the seat.
His long, wavy brown hair was disheveled from the ride and his dark eyes seemed to smolder as he looked at me. A low growl escaped his lips as he moved toward my front steps.
“Michael. I can’t say it’s good to see you. What do you want?”
I pulled the coat close around my throat and he laughed.
“I wanted to apologize.”
I’m sure I looked as surprised as I felt. “Really?”
He looked good enough to eat in those jeans. Still, his presence disturbed me. The feelings I got when he was near me were anything but sexy.
“It’s in my nature to lay things on the table. The wolf is like that. I realize that I may have come on too strong by letting my intentions be known so boldly.”
I raised an eyebrow. “May have?”
“All right, I was an asshole and I’m sorry I frightened you.”
“Really?” I knew I was starting to sound like a broken record, but I was having a hard time believing in his sincerity.
Michael advanced on me like an animal stalking its prey. My back was flat against the wall beside the front door and I was wondering why the wolfsbane wasn’t working.
Fate's Embrace Page 3
