Authors: Diana Bocco
Corneliu’s
feet were lifted off the ground. It was just a few inches, but it was enough to get him into a frenzy. “Put me down!” he howled.
Alex lowered his hand, and
Corneliu’s
feet hit the floor again with a heavy thump.
“This is not over.
Pe
curând
,
frate
.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Corneliu walked out without looking back. Alex could hear him leave, his thoughts shouting through the rooms and into his own mind.
When he turned to face Laurie, he saw she was pale and breathing heavily.
Laurie took a sip of cold water and tried to slow her breathing. The last twenty minutes had been surreal. If it wasn’t for the broken windows, she would question whether it had all happened.
Alex sat down next to her on the couch. He looked calm and composed. He looked powerful. Part of her wanted to get out and pretend this night had never happened, but her brain was telling her that she was a lot safer here than out there, with a madman looking for her. She tried to steady the beating of her heart, but her chest was fighting against her.
“Why?” Her voice came out half-broken, quivering.
“It’s long and complicated. And it involves things I’m not sure you’ll believe are possible.”
She looked into the blackness of his eyes. They were sharp but also inviting, almost urgent.
“I just saw things flying through the air and bouncing off invisible walls. And I just saw you lift a man off the ground using … I don’t know, your mind? Whatever it is you have to tell me, it can’t be more impossible to believe than that.”
Alex let out a sigh and dropped against the back of the sofa. “We’re warlocks, Corneliu and I. In fact, a large number of men in our family are.”
She blinked twice before any sound came out of her mouth. “Warlocks.”
“It’s not what you think. We’re all different, with different gifts.”
“You mean dark powers?”
“No, not dark. The powers are neither dark nor light. We can choose what to do with them.” He turned to look at her. “And you can obviously tell what Corneliu has chosen to do with his.”
“So he’s family.”
“Cousin.”
Laurie could hear her heart thumping in her ears. It was so loud, she was afraid she was going to have a heart attack any second. Her breathing was still heavy and labored.
“So you knew what he was doing?”
“Not until after I talked to you. Listen, Laurie, this is complicated. The short version of it is that he’s trying to perform a ritual to increase his powers.”
“A ritual?”
Her mind was spinning. This was too much. Magic wasn’t real! There were no warlocks, and rituals were something magical boys performed in fantasy books. Still, she couldn’t deny what she had seen, could she?
“It has to happen on
Samhain
,” he was saying, and she made an effort to follow the words. “Halloween night. And he needs a woman born on one of the Sabbaths for the ritual.”
Laurie’s eyes got bigger.
“He needs … a woman?”
“All the women who disappeared, they were all born on special days. And you, well, you were born on the most powerful one.”
“Does that mean he’ll keep coming after me?”
“Yes.”
Laurie snatched her bag from the floor and started searching for her cell phone. “I need to call the police.”
He shook his head. “Forget it. They’ll never believe you.
You’re
having a hard time with it, and you saw what he can do.”
“Then what?”
Alex’s eyes were fixed on hers. They looked inviting, safe. She wanted to believe he could protect her.
“I could perform the ritual.”
Laurie scrambled to her feet. He got up too and reached for her arm. His fingers felt like fire on her skin.
“Wait, it’s not what you think. I’m not going to hurt you.” And to try and convince her of that, he let go of her arm. “If I complete the ritual, he won’t be able to, and I’ll get the powers. But I need your help with it.”
Laurie shook her head. Helping him gather power from a supernatural force? How did she know he wasn’t going to use it for the same purposes Corneliu had in mind?
Alex took a step towards her. He was so tall and big. Pure muscle, pure might.
“Remember yesterday in the study? You actually heard me think the name Corneliu. I think you and I have a special connection that could make the ritual even more powerful.”
He reached for her waist and she immediately tensed up, but she didn’t pull away. His body exuded some sort of energy that made her skin feel electric.
“Relax. Let me try something.”
Before she realized what was happening, he rested his hand on the back of her head and bent down to kiss her.
There was no hesitation in the move, no tentative touch. Just heat flowing from him right into her, and his scent rolling over her and filling her throat with desire. She groaned and parted her lips, wanting more, offering more. His tongue tangled with hers, sending flashes of lighting and fire through her body. She felt her knees weaken as he pressed harder against her, molding her body to his. A growl lingered in the room as his hands moved lower, reaching for her hips.
The sounds of the room seemed to disappear as his heat rolled over her. The electricity she had felt in the air the day before was rushing into her body. It was almost as if her cells were vibrating with it. And then, without warning, her whole body seemed to light up in a flash. In the midst of it, she heard Alex’s voice dancing in her head.
I’ll keep you safe, Laurie
.
She broke the kiss and staggered backwards. Her chest was rising rapidly, and so was his. His eyes were dark, and she could feel the air heavy with electricity, with hunger.
“You heard me, didn’t you?” he said in between heavy breaths.
“That … that felt….”
“I know.”
She turned away from him and closed her eyes for a second, trying to regain her composure. The kiss had felt unreal. No, magical. It had felt magical.
When she turned back, she could feel her face burning red.
“Did you do anything to make the kiss feel like that?”
Alex smiled. “No. That was just us.”
Laurie looked down, very aware of the energy flowing between them and its effect on her body. Every cell in her body was alive and calling for him.
“The women Corneliu took, are they dead?”
“I’m pretty sure they are. But I’m not suggesting you let me kill you, Laurie. There would be another way to perform the ritual, as long as I had a willing participant.”
His body exuded so much heat, she couldn’t think straight. “What way?” she asked shakily.
Alex closed the distance between them with a single step. His mouth moved close to her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “Sex.”
Laurie held her breath in surprise, but she didn’t move. He moved his mouth away from her ear and close to her mouth, until their lips were almost touching.
“Don’t tell me that doesn’t sound tempting.”
Blood was rushing in her head so fast, she felt dizzy. Every coherent thought went flying out the window, and her body almost melted against his.
Alex slid an arm around her waist and brought her even closer against him, until their bodies were melting into a single form. She felt his erection pressing against her, and her pulse exploded.
She tried to focus on anything else to try and calm the rushing of her mind, but it was hard to ignore him. His fingers left a trail of fire everywhere they touched, even
through
her clothing.
“How…?”
“Sex is a powerful force, Laurie,” he whispered against her lips. “And you and I together?” His lips pressed against hers again, his tongue slipping in and claiming hers.
She felt the buzzing of energy picking up again, extending through her body, and she knew he was right. It would be amazing. She broke the kiss long enough to ask, “Is this a trick to get me into bed?”
His lips curved in a smile. “Does it seem like I would need a trick for that?”
No, he wouldn’t. She was about ready to undress right now.
Even before she said the words, her face went even redder. “Okay.”
Alex blinked in surprise and let her go.
“I mean, I need to know what … how … but okay.”
He smiled broadly, a flash of white teeth. “I hope you didn’t have plans tonight, Laurie. I need to make a phone call and bring somebody over to explain the ritual in detail.”
Where else was she going to go?
Anton arrived just an hour later with a box full of papers and artifacts. When Alex opened the door, Anton smiled and handed him the box.
“You work fast. How did you manage to find the right woman in less than 24 hours?”
“Let’s say she found me.”
Alex walked towards the study, with Anton following close behind.
“And with your luck, she’s probably even beautiful.”
Alex stepped into the study and motioned towards Laurie, who was sitting in one of the armchairs near the desk. “You can see for yourself. Anton, this is Laurie.”
Anton froze for a second, and then his eyes turned to Alex, full of unasked questions. He shook Laurie’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Laurie.”
Alex poured a drink for himself and one for Anton. Then he turned to Laurie, who nodded. “I think I’m going to need a drink for this, so yes, please.”
Alex smiled. “Sit down, Anton. And start talking. Laurie and I are really curious about what we’re supposed to be doing in bed tomorrow night.”