Magical Collision

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  “I won’t let her.”

  I raised an eyebrow, not understanding where this insanity came from. Did he not realize how backward that thinking was? Was this a sibling thing I didn’t understand? He knew reality. I knew he knew it. His past ensured that he did.

  “So, you’re going to hover over her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then what happens when you can’t be there.”

  He tried to growl and it was a good rendition of a shifter’s. “I’ll be there.”

  I shoved him hard, his stubbornness infuriating me. This was where we differed. He was all about people relying on him. He needed it. Me, I fought for independence in every aspect of my life and it had gotten me into trouble often enough. One thing I liked about Davies was that while he wanted to protect me and keep me safe, he still gave me the space I needed to be independent. He had a way of making me feel that while he was there to support me, I didn’t need him. I’d be okay without him. And that made our relationship all the more better. It cemented my want for him. Why couldn’t he be the same way with his little sister? What was I missing?

  I stopped walking, and he did too, still glaring at me. I glared back. “You can’t always be there for her. You know that, even if your thick head is denying it. There will be a day when it’s going to happen. You’re going to be on a mission, you’re going to be elsewhere, and she’s going to be all alone. She’s going to have to face something without your support. The way you are acting now, when that does happen—and it will happen—she won’t have the experience or the knowledge to do what she needs to do to make sure she comes out the other side intact. She’s going to panic, freak out, and mess up, because you aren’t there. Your job as the older brother, as the relative, is to teach her, give her the knowledge she needs to survive. Don’t condition her to turn to you for everything. Let her fuck up.”

  With those words, I stalked away. Something about his situation with his sister pissed me off. I wasn’t sure what it was, I just knew it was going to hinder her one day when she didn’t have her big brother to turn to. Maybe it was my own history. I didn’t have anyone like Davies to lean against, and because of it, I could handle a lot. I knew how to roll with the punches, I could think clearly, and make decisions for myself that most my age didn’t have to. Who at nineteen thought about buying a house and all the security they needed to put into place at their new home to be safe? Who at my age had exits strategies on top of exit strategies? Not many had to think about having a job, supporting themselves, or standing up against the sharks who circled them, waiting for the blood to hit the water before moving in and eating them alive. They didn’t need to worry about being used for their abilities or about how they could be killed or how people could so easily be turned against them. That just wasn’t part of most people’s lives at my age.

  But me? And others like me? We had those issues drilled into us at a young age.

  Davies’ sister had never had to deal with that, and I was happy for her. But she was an adult now. Her big brother was going to have to learn to take a step back and let her make her own choices. He couldn’t always be there.

  I sensed Davies as he followed me through the streets. I ignored him, needing to rein in my anger. There was no reason to feel like this. At least Davies let me walk off my anger until finally I slowed down enough for him to walk next to me.

  “I’m scared,” he said.

  “I know you are. No one wants to think about their loved ones being in trouble and not being there to protect them. It’s heartbreaking to think that someone you care about is suffering and you’re not able to help them.”

  “She comes to me for everything.”

  “Even boys?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “Treasure that. Be there for her. But step back. Do it slowly. Instead of saying no when she wants to try something, say yes, and if it’s a bad idea and it doesn’t go well, be there so she can cry on your shoulder. That’s what you should do.”

  “Just thinking about it sends me into a panic.”

  “You protected her for a long time. You have a good reason to. But she’s an adult now. She needs to leave the little nest you built for her. Let her fly.”

  He snorted and then chuckled. “That was a shit analogy.”

  “I never claimed to be a poet.”

  Davies wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him, kissing my forehead. “I know you say this because you never had someone there. I know this doesn’t change anything, but if I’d known you when you were growing up, I would have been there. I would have pushed the bullies away and yelled at the adults. I would have called them all stupid for you.”

  I laughed and nudged him with my elbow. “I’m glad I didn’t know you. Then I’d be trapped in the same situation as your sister. I don’t regret my past. It was hard and painful at times. Most of it was confusing too, but I wouldn’t be here, as I am now, without it. I love who I am.” I eyed him. “And I’m pretty damn sure you wouldn’t love me.”

  “I think you’re too stubborn to be anyone but who you are now, even if you had a better past.”

  We laughed, the tension between us disappearing. We passed a high fence, and my nose picked up the scent of water and chlorine. I paused and glanced at the house, sending out my power to sense it. Empty.

  “What?” Davies asked, recognizing the expression on my face. He understood the mischief in the curve of my smile.

  “Up for an adventure?”

  “Will we get arrested?”

  “We could.”

  “Then yes.”

  I laughed and continued walking until we were at the front entrance. It was a gated home, large, with a pool off to the side.

  “The owners aren’t home and their security system is shit. It’s all electronics, no wards.”

  He saw where I was going with this and returned my evil smile. “Let’s do it.”

  We casually walked around the property, trying to find a good spot. I wasn’t sure what was on the other side, so it wasn’t like I could teleport us.

  “Here,” I said. We were between two properties, with shrubbery hiding us from the road. Both houses currently didn’t have anyone home, but the other had magical wards instead of cameras.

  “How are we doing this?” Davies asked, trusting that I had a solution.

  “Ready to fly?” I asked.

  He gave me a wary look. “The last time I flew, I landed hard on my ass. I had a bruise for weeks.”

  I snickered. He had tried one of my prototypes. It didn’t last as long as it normally did because he weighed too much, and he crashed hard.

  “Well, this time you’re going to hold onto my hand and instead of having to rely on a toy, you’re going to rely on me.”

  “I don’t think I trust you to not give me a bruise.”

  “I, Dr. Laila Porter, promise on my reputation that I will not let you bruise your ass while I fly us over the property.”

  “Your reputation is pretty damn good.”

  “I know.”

  “Fine.”

  Smiling, I grabbed his hand.

  “How are you going to keep the cameras from spotting us?”

  “Another spell. I’m thinking rich magicless people live here, so they don’t consider what magic can do to help them. I’ll hide us with a spell, and then put up a small ward while we have our fun.” I let him see the heat that had been slowly filling me as we planned our little adventure.

  He blinked and then smirked. “Sounds good to me. Just don’t accidentally blow up the house or something.”

  “Atasha has been giving me lessons every day. This is simple enough, so we’ll be fine.”

  “Okay.” He still looked unsure.

  I reached into my reserve of power and at the same time touched the cold wind that brushed against us. The only downfall to this was that it only worked outside. The air, the wind, and my magic—or, I guess now power—made it possible. Without the wind, this wouldn
’t work so well.

  Once the wind was connected with my power, I wrapped more or it around me and through my contact, with Davies.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “Do it.” There was a slight flush to his cheeks that hadn’t been there a moment ago, and I briefly wondered what my power felt like to him. Did he feel anything? Or was it the anticipation that was getting to him. I knew it was getting to me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do while we swam, I just hoped Davies would be up for it.

  The way Davies’ face was set, he was definitely up for it too.

  After I was confident we’d get into the air, I lifted us up. We rose, higher and higher, until we were on top of the fence. It had to be a ten foot fence. They definitely wanted their privacy. Going down was easier. We landed softly on our feet.

  “Wow,” I said, staring at the pool. It was huge, the crystal blue water tempting. Steam rose from it. “And it’s heated too. Lucky.”

  “Yeah, the cold doesn’t do well for my balls.”

  I snickered as I undid my winter coat. Davies stared as I grabbed the hem of my sweater and then pulled upward so he could see my stomach. I paused just below my breasts.

  “I refuse to be the only one to strip down.”

  He mirrored me as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it off. I did the same. We made quick work until we were down to our underwear, freezing cold since we weren’t in the water yet.

  “Where did that come from?” I asked, staring at a tattoo. I hadn’t even realized he had one. It was along his ribcage in beautiful script and said, “Goodbyes hurt the most when the story isn’t finished…”

  He glanced down and frowned at it. “I’ve had it for a while now.”

  “How did I not notice?” I stepped closer, completely transfixed. Realization dawned on me. This was the first time I was seeing the front of him without a shirt. I had only seen his back and I wouldn’t have seen the tattoo from that angle. He didn’t move as I reached out and traced it, knowing exactly what he was referencing.

  It was in honor of his family. When he was eight, his parents and older brother had been torn apart by shifters. His baby sister was two at the time. Since then, he’d done everything he needed to do to make sure Piper didn’t suffer for the lack of parents. He’d become her whole family, doing everything for her happiness.

  I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to lose parents at the age of eight and two. I’d never even had a chance to know mine. They were killed shortly after I was born and tossed away thanks to my birthmother. That woman was a mystery I was beginning to realize I’d never have answers for. Atasha seemed to be completely confused by her.

  Davies shuddered against my touch, his eyelids lowering to hide his eyes. The moment he stepped away, I missed the feel of his skin against my finger. Luckily, I didn’t miss it for long as he moved fast, kicking off his boots, and shedding off the rest of his clothes. Without waiting for me, he let out a whoop and launched himself into the pool with a huge splash.

  He was lucky I set the ward up the moment we landed. It was a simple ward to block out sound and hide us from the cameras for a short time. If there was a magical ward or anything, it wouldn’t have worked at all. Definitely cocky homeowners, or maybe they never had to deal with criminals in their life. The fence was high enough to block out the view of us so I didn’t worry about hiding us from the natural eye.

  “Fuck this is so nice. Hurry! Get naked and get in here,” he said.

  “I’m coming,” I said. I stripped down, making sure to create a neat pile of my clothes unlike Davies’ scattered pieces. My inner self basked in the way Davies appreciated my body as I jumped into the water.

  The water was perfect as it washed away my stress. It seeped deep into my muscles and relaxed, almost at Jacuzzi level. When I came up for air, I laughed.

  “This is amazing,” I said and floated on my back.

  Davies swam up next to me and helped me stay on my back. I wasn’t the best swimmer, there weren’t many opportunities to swim around here. We stayed like that for a few minutes, just floating around in silence, Davies making sure my head stayed above water. The water tried to drown me once or twice.

  “What would I do if you weren’t here?” I asked, laughing.

  “Probably drown. Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t swim?” He narrowed his eyes at me.

  “I can swim.”

  “Barely,” he muttered. As if to prove his point, he let me go, and I did a very good job of sinking.

  “Shit, Davies,” I said, popping back up and glaring at him.

  He laughed and moved closer to me. When he was close enough, I wrapped my arms and legs around him.

  “You won’t let me sink, will you?” I asked.

  He squeezed me tight against him, his hand cupping my ass. “Never.”

  “I like this position,” I said in a low voice. I was slightly above him as he kept me afloat. His eyes dipped down to my breasts and stayed there.

  “Lech.” I leaned forward and kissed him. He responded with fervor, slipping his tongue inside of my mouth. We were at the edge of the pool, his back pressed against it, and I rested a hand on the ledge to help me stay up.

  “This could be uncomfortable for you if we stay like this,” Davies said.

  “I’ll be fine.” I moved my hips forward, feeling his hardness at my core.

  “Laila.” He moaned, tilting his head back as he enjoyed the sensation. “I’ve wanted this for so long. How can you drive me so crazy?”

  “I could ask the same about you.”

  “The first time I saw you, I thought, ‘Shit, this chick is going to be awesome.’ ” He leaned forward and nibbled my neck for a moment. I shuddered as he found some of my most sensitive spots along my neck. “I’ve been a goner since, Babe. You drive me wild, you make me want to take bigger risks.” He bit my shoulders and then relieved the pain with a kiss.

  “I don’t think you realize it, but you make me braver, Davies. You aren’t the only person who has been affected.”

  “Fuck, you really are amazing.” He kissed me again and moved his hips forward so that I felt him brush against me. I gasped as anticipation built inside of me.

  Our kissing grew heated, and we touched each other intimately. Every brush of his hand against me was a burn of pleasure, the heated pool only adding to it. I couldn’t breathe, wanting more of him.

  I didn’t know how he managed to keep up above the water as he touched me, but he did it. His hand lowered to my core, and he dragged a finger through the folds of my pussy, finding my clit. I gasped as he inserted a finger and trailed kisses along my neck.

  When our eyes met, Davies drowned me—not in water—but with his hunger for me. His lust was full blast, all of it aimed at me. He bucked his hips, his cock so dangerously close to where I wanted it.

  “In me, please,” I said.

  “Not yet.” His voice was strained.

  “Fuck me, please,” I said breathlessly.

  “Not. Yet.” He pumped his finger and inserted another one as I loosened for him. Waves of pleasure consumed me, and I gasped.

  “Now I will,” I heard him say. I was too busy, lost in all the pleasure he sent running through my body.

  He shifted me until we were lined up. “Hands on the ledge,” he gritted out.

  I did as he said, his head pressed between my chest. I thought I would smother him, but he just turned his head and took a nipple into his mouth.

  “Damn.” I moaned.

  He chuckled before biting lightly and then drawing the nipple in further. I held myself up as best as I could as both his hands went to my waist. Before I could say anything. He pushed me down, the water lapping at our body. His cock was pushed inside of me with a slight burn. I wanted that pain, it entwining deliciously with the pleasure running through me.

  “Oh, Goddess.” I used the ledge to help move me as he managed to move his hips. I wasn’t even sure how he did it in the water. Either way, I didn’t care. I ju
st wanted to feel more of him. Our lips crashed together as our bodies moved. The slight burn from him entering slipped away into pure bliss.

  Tension built up inside of me as my arousal consumed me. Our pace sped up the longer we went, reaching for our peak. The sound of the water splashing surrounded us. I gasped for breath, unable to catch my breath as he hit just the right spot inside of me. My pussy clenched around him.

  “Fuck.” He thrust harder as I squeezed him tighter, my orgasm just a few moments away from overtaking me.

  I shuddered and had to clamp down on my orgasm, wanting to stretch it out more. I wanted to come when he did, and he wasn’t ready. Soon though. So fucking close. The pressure was too much. I was ready to burst.

  Davies thrust into me hard. Once. Twice. And on the third time, he screamed his release. I was right there with him as my power wrapped around us and pushed us deeper into our orgasms.

  I became nothing but an explosion of ecstasy, barely aware of Davies’ grunts. Time passed as we both calmed down from our orgasms, breathing heavily. My lungs burned. The warm water soothed me, and I was draped over Davies.

  “How did we not drown doing that?” I asked.

  Davies chuckled.

  “We’re in the shallow end. If I stand straight up, the water goes to my lower chest.”

  I thought about that before laughing. “Thank Goddess. I thought you were doing some of your own magic there.”

  “I love that you leaned on me the whole time. That you trusted I’d do what needed to be done without getting you killed.”

  I laughed, resting my head on his shoulders, my head turned into his neck, taking in the smell of him mixed in with the scent of chlorine. He had an addicting scent of sandalwood that I loved.

  A sound caught my attention, and I stiffened. Davies felt it and the hand that had been tracing lazy circles on my back stopped.

  “Laila?”

  “Shit, we need to go.”

  “What the fuck?” A woman screeched. Davies’ eyes widened, matching my own. We jumped out of the water and dove for our clothes. Not giving it much thought, I wrapped power around the both of us, grabbed Davies’ arm, and imagined home.

  After a brief feeling of moving fast, the ground shifting beneath our feet, we landed in my bedroom, soaking wet and in a heaping pile of limbs.