Page 19 of Magic and Medicine

‘Very?’ I answered, unsure where this was headed.

‘Kiss me like you kissed him, and I will let the sirens go. No questions asked, no hard feelings. Pour your heart into it and let your kiss soothe away any animosity. After all, as you said, I must uphold my impeccable reputation, and having a taste of the Forest Lord’s woman will satisfy my pride. So what will it be? Your touch for their freedom?’

‘You are crossing the line. No one can have her but me. I told you, Sara is mine.’ Leszek moved to grab me, but I darted toward Nadolny before latching onto the surprised gangster’s mouth.

He tasted of alcohol, but I didn’t care, thinking of it as a disinfectant when I pushed my tongue between his lips. Still, I knew he told me the truth from the first touch. He wasn’t interested in me, but Leszek’s revelation made him look weak; now, he had to re-establish his position in front of his men, which was exactly what I hoped for. We could leave here without casualties if I used this ego-driven dominance battle. Now I only needed to fake an orgasm or similar nonsense, and we would be done here.

Before I could vocalise my fake pleasure, Leszek’s hand grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, pulling me away from Nadolny.

‘You got what you wanted. I expect the sirens to have their contracts torn up and released from your employment by the morning at the latest.’ He said through clenched teeth, pulling me behind him.

‘Not a word, Sara. Not a fucking word. We are going home,’ he added, squeezing my arm so tight I couldn’t even dream of escaping his grip.

I could see he was fuming, but I couldn’t understand why. Did my actions ruin his plans? It’s not like I could have hurt his feelings. Yes, we had fun on the couch, and I promised to pretend to be his girlfriend, but surely he wasn’t being serious? Besides, I was a bloody hero for ending the confrontation without violence.

Fresh air hit my face as Leszek slammed the front door back on its hinges. I tried to untangle myself from his grip, finally losing my temper, but Leszek pulled me further, right around the corner. He slammed my shoulders against the wall with bruising strength. We were in a dark alley, away from prying eyes, and I was helpless before this raging beast of a man. So vulnerable that my knees buckled.

‘When you give me your word, treat it seriously. Do not throw yourself at another man like a wanton,’ he snarled, tilting his head. I could see the muscles of his jaw pulsing as he tried to regain control.

‘You are mine, Sara, maybe only for a limited time, but you are entirely mine. You gave yourself freely, body and soul; during this time, no one else will touch you.’ His voice was low, barely audible, spoken through clenched teeth, but the implication I welcomed Nadolny’s touch was unbearable.

‘You are nuts if you think I wanted him. I would kiss a pig’s bollocks to get us out of there without bloodshed while you wanted to start a fight. We got what we wanted. Those women will be safe. I’m sorry I hurt your precious ego in front of your associates, but you can stop being an arsehole about it. You don’t own me.’ I said, despite my heart racing from fear.

When he grunted, annoyance at his arrogance replaced my fear. I looked up angrily to confront him, but the green light in his eyes and the power surrounding us caused my certainty to falter.

‘Don’t you understand, Sara? I do own you, my Firefly. You gave me your consent, your promise, and my magic sealed the pact. I was ready to tear the club to the ground, to destroy the underworld boss of Tricity for this… for you, so yes, I own you. You will not flirt with or touch another man for as long as our contract lasts; get used to it,’ he said, and I knew that, entranced by his touch, I may have made a terrible mistake.

His anger didn’t subside after he bundled me into the car and silently drove me home. I didn’t mind this, as his tantrum allowed me to sort through my feelings. I couldn’t lie to myself; we had uncovered an ugly truth tonight. Our characters were incompatible, clashing on every occasion, and I didn’t like him or the situations he put me in, but our bodies were another thing entirely.

If only I could forget who he was and what he wanted from me, I could have the best sex of my life. I was sure of it. Still, the pleasure would no doubt come with strings attached. He already thought he owned me, at least for the next three months. The last thing I wanted to do when the three months passed was to become the booty call for a paranormal mobster as well as his illicit surgeon.

Yet I’d landed myself in a situation where I was seen as both, and something in his statement told me he believed every word and would follow our agreement to the letter. I need to learn more about this world before I get into more trouble, I thought, stealing a glance at Leszek’s profile.

My titular owner was driving with an unyielding expression, making me feel tired just looking at him, the sigh it caused catching his attention, but he didn’t utter a word whilst inspecting me. Finally, wheels screeching in the parking lot, we arrived, and I prepared to flee from this uncomfortable situation.

‘Pack whatever you’ll need for the next few days. I will wait here. You won’t need much clothing, just some pyjamas for now. We can buy you the rest tomorrow.’ My hand froze on the door handle as I processed his words.

‘Sure… wait, what?’ I sat back, looking at him wide-eyed, wondering if I’d heard him right. The arsehole was smiling, and I felt like tucking my tail and fleeing from the predatory look.

‘You think what you did in the Anchor was clever, right, brave even? No, Sara. You placed a target on your back the size of a house because now, fucking everybody knows that you’re more than an empty-headed bimbo. I named you as my woman, and then you spoke out of turn, interrupting my business, yet I didn’t punish you. What impression do you think that will give people like Nadolny?’ He grimaced, shaking his head.

‘I will tell you what that mercenary bastard thinks, what they will all think; I care for you, you have me wrapped around your finger, and if something happens to you, it will be a clear sign I’m not strong enough to protect my woman or that if they threaten to harm you, they can manipulate me. So I will protect you until my enemies leave or they are dead and buried, and for me to do that, you need to live in my house.’ Leszek was visibly struggling to hold back his anger, and the steering wheel was bearing the brunt of that fight. I knew I shouldn’t, but something deep inside me wanted to soothe this raging male.

‘I’m sorry. I have little experience in such situations, but with so many deaths recently, I couldn’t face the possibility of you being hurt because of me. I will be fine, I promise. I’m not normally that stupid.’ I said, smiling and placing my hand on his face.

His eyes darkened before he closed them, pressing his bearded cheek into my palm.

‘Sara… I’m sorry. The way he looked at you, I… when you kissed him, it was too much, and I knew how much danger you were in. I apologise for my words, but they are true. Please grab whatever you need because it is not safe for you to stay here,’ he said, and suddenly, his lips were on mine. Hard and unyielding, taking me like he was trying to erase Nadolny’s touch from my mind. I gasped when pleasure shot through me, and Leszek used the moment to slide his tongue inside, possessing me completely. When he finally ended the kiss, I was panting desperately, trying to collect my thoughts while he looked at my lips smugly.

‘Look, I get it. You, me, we could have happy, fun times, but I can’t just leave,’ I said finally. ‘This is my home, and what about my cat? I can look after myself whilst pretending to be your woman. I will attend whatever functions you need me to and climb on your lap for all your men to see who is the boss, even if it costs me every drop of self-respect, but I won’t leave my home.’ I said, watching warily as his eyes darkened.

‘Do you think I want you there simply for sex?’ he asked grimly

‘Well, if not, you are doing a great job of confusing me.’

‘I told you, you need to be somewhere safe,’ he said, eyes narrowing with irritation. He huffed, raising his hands. ‘If you are so afraid of me, I can promise I won’t touch you unless you ask for it,’ he said, and I snapped, rolling my eyes.

‘It’s not that! I never said I didn’t like your touch. I like it way too much for my own good. That’s the problem! That and the fact that once you shift my sorry arse to whatever place you deem safe, I’d be dependent on you. Can’t you see where this is going? So no, I won’t leave my home,’ I said, crossing my arms on my chest, wondering what patron saint of stupid and demented ideas made me shout all this in his face.

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