Page 59 of The Magic of Discovery
“That sounds great,” my little witch mumbled around another yawn.
Sloane and Fischer hopped up, eager to help wherever they’d be needed. Good guys, the both of them.
“Whatever you did out there was next level, Red. I’ll continue doing some digging and see if I can find anything that relates to the signatures I saw in your magic. Fischer, see what you can find in the magical archives database tomorrow. There’s got to be something that we’re missing,” Sloane grumbled. He never could stand not knowing all of the facts. At least he was being more cordial to her, so that was a win. She must have really impressed him out there, but that wasn’t surprising to me in the least because I’d known she’d win him over, just like she’d done with the rest of us.
“Let’s get you to bed, Sprout.” Kai bent down and lifted her into his arms, and I had to fight the urge to clamp my arms around her and refuse to let him take her. She wasn’t only mine, and satisfaction thrummed through my veins at the thought of all of us protecting her. It was enough to finally return my heart to a normal rhythm.
Fish stepped up to them, running a hand down her mud-speckled cheek. Leaning in, he kissed her gently and whispered something in her ear that in turn produced a sleepy smile on her face. When Fischer stepped back, Saige’s eyes searched the room, and I was about to step forward to see what she needed, but then her body relaxed. Curious, I followed her line of sight, shocked that she was staring at Sloane. His blue eyes studied her face in return, his features softening. Realization crept down my spine, my eyes flicking between Sloane and Saige.Holy shit.
“Oh, fuck it,” Sloane huffed, dropping his arms and closing the small distance. I swore on Jupiter’s cock my mouth fell open when he grabbed the back of her head and crashed his lips against hers. This was no gentle kiss like she’d just received; oh no, he wasdevouringher. Lifting my gaze up to Kai, shock was evident from his raised eyebrows and widened eyes. Guess he didn’t know about this new development either.
A movement to my right pulled my attention, and I caught Fish adjusting his obvious hard on while he watched them kiss. Well, he wasn’t shocked in the fuckin’ least. Guess there was more going on out in the gardens than magic. Sloane broke away, winking before letting us know he was heading back to the apartment. Fischer followed him out of the room after his own farewells
“Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch, Sprout. That was like, the fourth hottest thing I’ve ever seen. When did that happen? Damn, I love plot twists. Totally did not seethatone coming.”
They were already heading up the stairs, Saige laughing at his antics before she paused. The creaking steps silenced, and I was about to charge up there to see what the hell was going on when her smooth, sweet voice carried to me.
“Cam?”
I swallowed. “Yeah, baby?”
“Are you coming up? I, uh... need you tonight.” Her vulnerability was clear as day, but did she really think I would leave her alone, especially after earlier’s shit show?
“Be right there, little witch. I’ll clean up down here, and then I’ll be up. K will help you get ready for bed.”
A moment later, the sound of them climbing the stairs resumed, and I quickly made my way to the kitchen to make sure everything was put away. We’d done most of the cleanup duty while she’d been out with Sloane and Fish, but when I walked into the kitchen, a pair of blue eyes narrowed. Maven was sitting beside his empty bowl, so I gave him a couple of scoops of food and freshened up his water bowl.
Pulling out the trash can and a small handheld broom, I swept the glass that had fallen from the cracked window. The damn vine had stopped growing, but it was wound tightly around the curtain rod, so I decided to leave that to the older green witch to deal with in the morning.What a weird fucking day.
The raw power that Saige had blasted through the landscape was astounding. I mean, my brothers and I were all powerful, thanks to years of training and honing our affinities, but Saige had no such training, and when we used our magic, it didn’t own us. Being in control of your abilities was crucial in the field. The thought of any one of us losing that hold was sobering; the results would be devastating. Leaning over the kitchen island, my thick golden hair fell forward, and I took a deep breath. We were no closer to getting any leads on Laura, but I had a feeling that she would somehow be connected to what was happening. A sleepy town didn’t go from predictable and tranquil to chaotic and wicked overnight. Not knowing who all the players were in this game had me growling low in my throat.Fuck!
The little witch had infiltrated my mind, body, and heart. When I wasn’t with her, I was thinking about her, wondering if she was smiling or how I could ensure that she would be. There had never been a shortage of women for myself and my brothers, but it was a cold day in hell if I ever slept with one more than once. Being constantly on the move contributed, I mean, fucking of course it did. Nikki, the one official girlfriend that I’d ever had, was responsible for her share of my emotional damage too. She’d cheated on me after claiming I was incapable of letting my walls down to let her in. When she’d first brought that up, I remember feeling blindsided. I’d opened myself up more with her than any other person aside from my crew. To hear that wasn’t enough, when it had been so painstakingly difficult for me to tear down the barriers that locked my heart safely inside my chest, felt like getting kicked right in the dick.
Throwing rock salt into the wound, she’d sought out another mage’s cock to ride while still hounding me about showing hermore, beingmore, givingmore. And fuck if I didn’t try. When the cheating bitch was exposed, every little crumble and stone that had come down went right back where they belonged, and I mentally solidified that bitch in cement and mortar.
So when my little witch showed up with sticks of dynamite and started demolishing that wall around my heart, and I let her, I knew she was different, I knew she was mine.
The fear I’d felt earlier at the prospect of her being hurt... Christ, I’d barely registered the trek through the yard, all of the grass and plants brushing against my legs causing me to push harder, the invisible tether that bound my soul to hers pulling me along like a fish on a line. I knew then, I’d never give her up, I couldn’t.
Standing up, I stretched and pulled my hair up into a knot on the top of my head. Sounds of movement from upstairs put my feet into motion, and I drifted through the house like an apparition finally being called to the light. That light being a curvy, strong, and bratty goddess, and I wanted nothing more than to bask in her brightness, hoping that it might purge some of the darkness hidden inside me so that I could be worthy of her.
Pushing open her bedroom door, my eyes landed on Kai’s. His tall body looked ridiculous on the hot pink loveseat in the corner. The sound of running water had me assuming our girl was still in the shower.
“What in the fresh fuck was all of that? One minute, you’re getting grinded on by a mini Magic Mike-grandma, and the next, someone started playing gods damn Jumanji! And then Sloane is making out with our girl? My brain feels like someone reached inside my skull with spirit fingers and wiggled them around just enough to slightly fuck me up,” Kai blurted. When he was on a rant, it was really just best to let the man do his thing. Just as I was about to respond, the water in the bathroom shut off, and my brother and I froze, looking at each other.
Shaking myself, I had to ask, “How is she?”
Running a hand through his jet black hair, he sighed. “She’s tired, man. Took a lot of energy to raise a rainforest like that in North America. A shower will do her good, though. Either she’ll be a whole new witch with a second wind when she emerges, or she’s going to pass out within minutes. Guess we’ll see.”
And see, we did.
The bathroom door flew open, and a towel-wrapped Saige strutted into the room, steam billowing out of the open doorway. She was a sight to see, damp hair, not an ounce of makeup on her perfect face, her radiant skin glowing faintly.
“Oh good, you’re both here. Thank you guys so much for everything,” she said over her shoulder while digging around in her dresser for a moment before tossing a pair of panties on the bed behind her. “That was some weird shit earlier, huh?”
“Huh?” I mocked, not believing the lightness in her voice.
Kai stood and walked over to stand beside me. “Yeah, Cam, pretty weird shit, huh?” He raised both eyebrows at me, his signature shocked look almost shaking loose a laugh. Saige shot us both a look over her shoulder and smiled.
