Page 20 of A Touch Enchanted

I grabbed the mug just as she lowered herself on her toes, accidentally bumping against me. She backed into me and both of us froze. There was no mistaking what was now pressed against her tailbone. I could’ve sworn she released a low, needy groan.

Or maybe that was me.

She let out a strangled laugh. “Did you bring a flashlight with you this morning?”

“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.” As much as it pained me, I took a step back from her soft heat. I promised myself I wouldn’t cross the platonic line until she could distinguish between her needs and her magic’s needs, and I intended to honor that. “We should get down to the beach before the sun comes up.”

“Sure.” She frowned, as if she wanted to say more, but she just shook her head, poured a cup of coffee, and headed to her bedroom to change.

When she came back, dressed in a short, yellow beach cover-up that barely skimmed the bottom of her ass, I once again reminded myself of my resolve not to touch her outside of training reasons. She locked up and Sandy bounded ahead of us down the stairs and out to the beach. She never strayed too far from me, but it still made me nervous when she got close to the water, given where the curse was currently residing.

“How do you want to do this today?” I asked.

“I’d like to charge our powers, then go underwater exploring. I can’t let go of the feeling that the curse is guarding something.”

I gave her a wry grin. “And what am I supposed to do while you’re having all the fun?”

“Stay onshore. Be my lookout.”

I didn’t like the idea of her in the water alone. Granted, she was the one who’d saved my ass, but I didn’t like that I wouldn’t be able to reach her if something happened while she was down there. But what choice did I have? Talking to animals wouldn’t keep me from drowning.

She took off her beach cover-up and I forgot how to breathe. I’d seen her in a bikini hundreds of times before, but it never got easier, viewing that much of her skin and knowing I couldn’t touch any of it. I took her hand and pushed my energy into her while hers flowed into me. Her power was warm and melodic and filled my veins with the hazy feeling of making love on Sunday mornings. It was a drug I couldn’t get enough of.

Her eyes filled with heat and she looked at me like she wanted nothing more than to lower my zipper and take my cock in her gorgeous heart-shaped mouth. I clenched my teeth so hard, I was certain I’d grind my molars down to useless nubs by the time this was all said and done. Still, I didn’t make a move to take more. Even with my cock straining to break free from the confinement of my pants and my magic urging me to take what she was so willing to give. Until I could be certain she wanted me on her terms, we’d keep playing this game.

After ten minutes of holding my hand, she released her grip. “I think I’m ready.”

She didn’t sound ready, but if this partnership was going to work, I had to trust her to know her own limits. “Be careful out there.”

“I will be.” With one last, lingering look at my lips, she ran into the waves and dove headfirst into the dark waters of the ocean.

I lost sight of Violet the second she went under. Unlike the last time we did this, she wasn’t interested in frolicking in the water. She had a goal in mind and wouldn’t surface again until she either found what she was looking for or ran out of power. It didn’t stop my heart from pounding in my throat as I scanned the sea with ready and watchful eyes while Sandy paced the shore.

The moon overhead cast an eerie gray light on the beach. Sandy’s low growl pulled my attention from the water. She stood in front of me, teeth bared, ready to defend.

A man emerged from the morning mist hovering over the sand. He was vaguely familiar, like an actor you’ve seen in a dozen movies but couldn’t name to save your life. His gait was strange, jerky and uneven. He stopped twenty yards away from me and turned his head, slowly, and gave me a grin tinged with madness. Black smoke swirled in his eyes. He licked his lips with a forked tongue and raised his hands to the sky.

The sea began to churn. Choppy waves whipped the air. The water bubbled as a dense black fog rose from the surface like steam. Dozens of fish began to float belly up, smelling like charred meat. This was the man who’d called down the curse. The thirteenth descendant.

Son of Ophiuchus.

I crouched low and ran at him, prepared to tackle him to the ground, when Sandy ran in front of me. He knocked her to the side, and she let out a low whine as her legs crumpled beneath her. I changed directions to get her out of harm’s way and a crunching sound rang out in the distance. Like a snake slithering over dead leaves. Nirah continued to grin at me as a sharp snicket sounded to my left and an arrow lodged itself in my chest.

Pain seared my skin and spread through the rest of my body. A white-hot knife that sliced me open from the inside. My arms went numb as my chest continued to throb in time with my racing pulse. Fucking hell, that hurt. I gripped the shaft, afraid pulling it out would cost me too much blood, and stumbled to the water.

My fingers dug into the sand as I collapsed. I dragged myself to the edge, limbs shaking, sweat pooling at the base of my spine. I still had magic thrumming through my veins, but I didn’t have any of Finn or Thora’s healing power. If I didn’t get help soon, I’d die out here.

I dunked my head underwater. “Get her out.”

I didn’t know what I was shouting to, or if they even heard me, but Violet’s safety was my only priority. While the ocean looked like it was boiling, I knew it was only an optical illusion. A trick by the curse to send me into a panic. That still didn’t mean I wanted Violet in the water.

Nirah stood over me, the black in his eyes swirling harder. “What can your precious animals do for you now? Nothing. You’ll never be able to save her.”

I didn’t have the strength to reply, or do anything other than lay there as ocean water continued to slap me in the face. The sand opened beneath Nirah’s feet and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The water returned to calm, lapping waves. The bodies of the fish he’d killed for no other reason than to make a point about my utter powerlessness washed up onshore.

With my energy spent, my head hit the sand. Any magic I had left quickly drained out of me as all the resources in my body went toward keeping me alive. My vision began to waver and darken. This was it. This was the end.

Violet was pushed out of the water by hundreds of silver fish. Their tiny scales glinted like diamonds in the moonlight. She screamed my name as she fell on her knees before me, but I was already gone. I sent my last thought to the stars, thanking them for her safe return.

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