Page 15 of Charmed and Dangerous

The boy smiled and disappeared in a series of sparks, reappearing as a small brown bear. He swatted at Saul and roared. Saul held him by the fur at the back of his neck. “Oh my goddess. He’s so cute!”

Saul hauled her close, his arm draped around her shoulder, and spoke into her ear. “Don’t tell him that. He thinks he’s a fierce grizzly.” He raised his voice. “Hey you two lovebirds. Come get your demon spawn before I sell him to some peddlers.”

Sacha and Blaize came over, with Blaize taking Brady from him, deftly avoiding the claws still swatting. “Thanks. Maeve, do you have any more healing salve? Genius here has almost run out.”

Maeve smiled. “Already? You just bought two jars last week.”

Sacha smiled, her eyes dancing with mischief, her hand resting on her rounded belly. “Saul tends to forget that even a big tough grizzly can’t just take trays out of the hot oven. That salve is amazing.”

Saul grunted. “I can’t believe the Duprees make it.” He turned to her, eyes widening. “You make it, don’t you Maeve?”

She shifted on her feet, not meeting his gaze. “It’s my mom’s recipe, though I added Calendula to minimize scarring. I’m glad to see it helps.”

“Why do you let the Duprees take credit for it?”

She shrugged. “I don’t. They sell all kinds of potions for me. I get to test my potions and make a little extra money. I couldn’t sell them in Botanica Magica. I couldn’t even get a job there when I applied. The Duprees were kind enough to give me a job and sell my potions.”

Saul scowled. “Maybe they’re not so bad after all.” But he didn’t look completely convinced. “Why don’t you open your own shop and sell your potions directly?”

“It’s a lot of work and the town already has two potions’ shops. They can’t really support three.”

Sacha yawned, and Brady laid his head on his father’s shoulder. “And that’s my cue to get my family home. Nice meeting you, Maeve. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you. Have a great evening.”

The family headed off in a different direction from Saul’s parents and were quickly out of sight. “Does your whole family live in this area?”

Saul shrugged. “Kind of. We’re a clan. We all own this land and build a cabin when we’re ready to live on our own.”

“Are you going to show me your cabin, big guy?”

Chapter

Seven

They went to the truck to check on the delicate Thimbleberry plant and surrounding smaller plants that Cornelius Digby had created for her as a parting gift. He had created the small ecosystem for the Thimbleberry plant as a microcosm of his, to be transplanted in her own garden, which could eventually grow like his. He offered to come to her house and ensure she was all set up with the plant and system too, to ensure it thrived. She was still riding the high from that encounter, though the kiss with Saul was playing havoc with her insides. Her stomach was full of the fizzy feeling that she often felt around Saul, like the Steamy Sherry and Spirit Velour champagne she had during the last Beltane when her mother was alive. That evening she felt giddy and so happy, yet unsettled, as if she didn’t know what was going on.

She felt the same way now, as if her life was on a wild and out-of-control broomstick, racing through the night sky, doing loop-de-loops, and taking her for a ride. Her whole being was light and weightless, excited and nervous at the same time, feeling this way. Whenever she felt this happy, this wonderful, something always seemed to bring her back to reality, and that terrified her.

Maeve cast a protection spell around the ecosystem in the back of Saul’s truck as Cornelius showed her to ensure it was safe through the evening. Saul gently laid a tarp over the bed of the truck and the ecosystem to protect it further. She then turned to face the spacious log cabin and the question she’d posed to Saul a few minutes prior.

She hadn’t had a lot of experience with men. A few warlocks at the academy, though they could not be classified as men, especially not compared to Saul. Then she had dated a warlock from a good family, or so her father thought, to strengthen the magical ties between them. He was a nasally sort with questionably magical abilities and very poor manners. Kissing him has been like kissing a sponge, with more water.

Saul couldn’t have been any different. He carried himself with a quiet confidence, a raw strength that she found incredibly sexy. Even his temper didn’t disturb her anymore. He was more like an angry teddy bear she wanted to cuddle and see if he was as comforting and sexy as he appeared. Which was a bit odd since she never felt that way about any of her stuffed animals, and especially not her teddy bears.

Kissing Saul had been amazing. She had never thought just kissing someone could be that arousing. Her books that she snuck from the store in town talked about couples kissing for hours. She had always thought that was ridiculous. Why bother? It was all rather boring. But if Saul was holding her, and stroking her with that tongue of his, she could only imagine how it would feel on other parts of her.

“Do you want to go inside?” Saul asked, gesturing to the warmly lit cabin.

She definitely did. She walked up the stone pathway and onto the porch, admiring the hand carved logs that decorated the porch. “Did you build this yourself?”

He nodded. “The clan helped. We have a tradition. When a cub is ready to have their own place, they pick out the spot on clan territory and the rest of the clan helps them build it. It bonds everyone together and shows our support for the new adult in the clan.”

Tears pricked her eyes. “I love that. We give a china set. It’s an heirloom, but it’s just dishes. I like your tradition better.”

He opened the door and gestured for her to walk inside. She entered and was immediately charmed by the rustic interior, so opposite to the cold, formal house she’d grown up in. The main living room had cathedral ceilings, going up two floors. The furniture was oversized and comfortable, in warm earthy tones. He had a sectional couch facing a floor to ceiling stone fireplace that travelled the height of the two floors, with shelves jutting out from the stone and carvings on each shelf as decorations. Two oversized easy chairs were placed catty cornered with end tables between them and the couch. A wood carved coffee table made of a single piece of wood centered the space over a western-style rug. In the corner was a rocking chair that appeared to be hand carved with hand embroidered cushions on it.

She could see this was not a showpiece home, but a place where people lived. There were tiny claw marks in the wood where she suspected Brady had shifted and run amok. A sweatshirt was tossed over the back of a chair, and a blanket haphazardly lay over the arm of the couch.

Saul cursed and pushed past her to pick up some clothes scattered about. “Sorry about this. Hadn’t expected company.”

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