Constant Cravings (6 page)

31

Tracey H. Kitts

“Fuck it,” I said, rising from my place in front of the fire.

I had already taken a drop of the nightmare prevention potion an hour before. I didn’t have to worry about nightmares because I couldn’t sleep. I also couldn’t meditate. Maybe it was the nearly half-pot of coffee I drank earlier, or perhaps I was just nervous about all that was going on.

A bottle of my favorite wine was in the fridge and under the circumstances I saw no reason not to indulge. I rationalized this out loud as I took a glass down from the cabinet.

“My friend is dead, the whole world has changed, and apparently I’m too horny to meditate. All my appointments are cancelled. Why not?” It had been awhile since I’d had very much to drink. I had nothing against alcohol, I just tried not to take in too many calories this way. I’m not one of those women obsessed with being thin. My breasts are naturally large, D cup to be exact. If I gain weight they grow, and if they grow any more I might tip over. Okay, so that’s an exaggeration, but larger breasts would give me back problems that I do not want. This also runs in my family and though many women would consider it a blessing, every time I go shopping, I consider it a curse. So for that reason, I do my best to stay fit.

It had been several months since I’d indulged so much. By the time I drank half the bottle I was
very
drunk. I was also no longer concerned about the cold. I’d stripped down to my underwear and my favorite silk robe. Both were black with aqua-blue trim.

All thoughts of my grandmother’s warnings were now long gone as I went into the back room and picked up the book of love spells. How great would it be to take the guesswork out of finding your true love? Or so I thought.

While I flipped through the pages I started talking to myself. “Since I met him, all I can think about is Liam. That’s not like me. A man has never affected me this way before. What if he isn’t even meant to be with me?” I paused as flashes of another sexual fantasy flickered through my mind. It was like watching stills from a porno. “If that’s the case, maybe I could at least sleep with him?” I laughed at how ridiculous I sounded. I poured myself another ice-cold glass of red wine and started gathering ingredients from the kitchen. My computer was still on where I’d used it for more research on the fae earlier. Now I pulled up the media player and selected my favorite R&B playlist.

I swayed to the slow, grinding rhythm as I lit the candles around the back room.

Without realizing what I was doing, I was casting a circle with both my intent and the way the candles ringed the room.

I placed the ingredients on the small table in the center, starting with a large pink candle. According to the book, pink represented romantic love. It seemed like a more appropriate choice for summoning a true love than lusty red.

I sprinkled cinnamon around the dish where the candle stood, before rubbing the candle down with cinnamon oil. I kept the first type of cinnamon around for baking and the second because it smelled good. As I anointed the candle, stroking its length, I 32

Constant Cravings

pictured Liam’s long, full cock. I remembered him standing in my shower and my pussy started to ache with desire. I was so tense. I needed to be fucked good and hard, just like Nym had done to Tina. Images of him pumping in and out of her filled my mind as I continued to stroke the candle. Unknowingly, I was charging the spell with all my sexual energy.

I put the candle back on the plate and lit some sandalwood incense. I also kept this around because I liked the rich, earthy fragrance. These were all the magical ingredients I could find in my kitchen. I would have to do the rest with my words. The book also stated that the most powerful spells are the ones people write themselves.

Making up my own spell seemed like a good idea at the time, especially since my vision was starting to blur and I couldn’t read the spells in the book. I lit the pink candle and thought for a moment about what I would say.

I finished my glass of wine and lifted my arms to the ceiling as if petitioning the sky for help.

“Goddess of love and God of desire, I summon you now by the light of this fire.” Emotion suddenly choked me as I realized just how much I wanted to be loved. I was alone, perhaps more than I’d ever been. When I continued the spell, it was more than desire that inspired me—it was a need to belong, to know I had a place.

“I want nothing that is not meant to be and ask for love that is only given free. I ask that you do this by your divine power. Send to me my true love no matter the hour.” I paused to remember the words to close the spell. “So mote it be.” 33

Tracey H. Kitts

Chapter Four

In a rush the candles went out. All except the pink one sitting in the middle of the table. I’m surprised this didn’t sober me up, but it didn’t. I moved back to the living room and fell asleep as I stared into the fireplace.

I woke suddenly, unsure how much time had passed. The sweet smell of cinnamon mixed with the rich undertone of sandalwood drifted toward me. At first I thought I was dreaming. Liam was standing over me wearing nothing but a long, purple robe.

The fabric looked like velvet and the way it hung open in front revealed much of his gorgeous body.

“The potion is ready,” he said. His deep voice was smoother than I remembered and it flowed over me as he spoke.

“It hasn’t been two days yet, has it?” I blinked several times to be sure he was real.

“How did you get in here?”

He smiled and when the fire reflected off his violet eyes my heart fluttered. I knew then, perhaps because of our connection, that his eyes changed shades according to his mood. As he looked down at me, reclining there with my robe completely open, they turned as dark as the rich shade of his robe.

“This spell came together faster than I’d expected, but only by a few hours. Thanks to the connection we share, I don’t need a key.” He moved closer and sat beside me.

“Did you summon me on purpose this time or was it an accident?”

“Well, I—”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, placing his finger over my lips. “I was coming for you anyway.”

I was still a little tipsy, but sober enough to remember every detail of the spell I performed. I chose not to mention this to Liam. Besides, he might already know.

“Why were you coming for me?” I asked, wondering if I should take his appearance as an answer to my spell.

“The potion can only be taken during the witching hour.”

“Midnight?”

He smiled as he reached for me, helping me to a sitting position. “It’s past midnight, sweetheart. The witching hour lasts from midnight to three in the morning.” I sighed, enjoying the sound of his voice. I liked it when he called me sweetheart.

“So, it’s sort of like happy hour?”

“Sort of. It’s one o’clock. The sooner you take the potion, the better you’ll feel.” 34

Constant Cravings

All of a sudden I felt sad at the thought of losing the pain, of being rid of that ache in my chest. After all, it was all I had left of Rachel. Perhaps Liam could sense my sadness or maybe he just read my expression. Whatever the reason, he reached for me and I let him wrap me inside the robe against his chest. For the moment it didn’t matter that he was naked beneath the soft fabric. What mattered was that he was next to me and the feel of his skin gave me more strength and reassurance than I ever thought possible.

“You’ll never lose her memory,” he said. He stroked my hair as he whispered softly in a language I didn’t understand. “You must ease the pain in order to see this through.

Grief and horror cloud your vision quite literally. I have no idea what to expect as we explore this further, only that something is not right. It would take years for your pain to fade naturally. My potion will not harm your memories of Rachel, only make it not hurt when you think of her.”

He hugged me tighter and began to whisper to me again. I snuggled my face underneath his chin and sighed.

“Are your words magic?” I asked.

“The robe is too,” he said. “Does it help?”

I took another deep breath, savoring the fresh smell of his skin mingled with cologne.

“It helps.”

After another few minutes, Liam rose to his feet. “You should come with me,” he said, stretching his hand toward me.

“It’s freezing outside. Can I at least get my coat?” The soft, sexy rumble of his laughter made me want to pull him close again.

“Kiss me again and you won’t need a coat, or a key to my house.” How could I refuse an offer like that? He reached into an inner pocket and pulled out what looked like a sugar cube.

“What is that, LSD?”

He burst out laughing. “Not even close. Summoning is different for humans. You can bring me here no problem. But for me to bring you somewhere, I need an extra bit of magic.”

“You’re half-human, does that affect you being summoned?”

“I’m not sure yet. You’re the only one who has ever summoned me.” I smiled. “You mean you’ve never kissed a human with psychic ability before?” He winked. “Not the way I kissed you.”

His answer took me by surprise and when I paused he added, “I promise I’m not a drug addict and this cube is mostly sugar.”

“Mostly?”

35

Tracey H. Kitts

He reached down and turned off the electric fireplace before offering me his hand again. “We might be gone awhile.”

I took his hand and as he pulled me against him, Liam placed the cube on his tongue. Anticipation made me shiver as his lips hovered above mine.

“Hold on,” he whispered.

The gentle warmth of his lips burned through me, spreading from the point of contact all the way to my toes. He held me tighter and opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. His tongue plunged inside my mouth and the instant I touched the cube the room started to spin.

Wind rushed over me, whipping Liam’s hair across my face. I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the gentle press of his lips and the feel of his skin beneath the robe. The world fell away and when Liam pulled back from me, we were at his place.

We were standing beside
his
fireplace. It was a massive collection of stones, most larger than my head. The hearth had a rounded half-moon shape and stuck out into the room, allowing more space for the big logs burning there.

I turned to scan the rest of the room and was greeted by the earthy smell of incense and fresh flowers. The wooden floors were highly polished and had a reddish tint.

White paper lanterns were strung across the ceiling in rows like you might see at an outdoor café. This soft light added warmth to the loft-style apartment.

Plants were placed at seemingly random locations. A vine of lavender morning glories grew on a shelf, hanging down over one window like it was part of the curtain.

“Wow.”

“Glad you like it.”

Liam’s robe trailed the floor behind him as he moved farther into the apartment.

When he neared a dungeon-style door at the back of the room I asked, “Where are you going?”

He glanced back at me and smiled. “To the bedroom. That’s where I left the potion.” He turned back, took two steps and paused again. This time he turned completely around and his robe fell open once more, giving me a much-appreciated view of his muscular thighs and his nice big cock.

“Do you have a particular aversion to following me into my bedroom?” he teased.

“Well, I didn’t until I saw that door.”

He laughed. “It adds a certain something to the room, don’t you think?”

“Where did you find it, Dungeons ‘R’ Us?”

“I wish there was such a thing,” he said, moving back toward the door. “This beauty here came with the place. It’s made of iron and plated with silver. Keeps out other fairies and werewolves.”

I assumed he left out vampires because some of them could resist the effects of silver or so I had heard.

36

Constant Cravings

“What about vampires?”

“I grow garlic in my bathroom.”

I burst out laughing and he said, “I’m only kidding. A wizard lived here before me, because I’m sure you were wondering who would have a door like this installed.”

“Actually, I was just about to ask. What about you? I read that iron hurts fairies.

How do you open it without feeling pain?”

He shrugged. “It’s a side effect of my humanity. I’m completely immune to the effects of iron. Plus, silver is good at holding in magical energy. That makes my bedroom the perfect place to work spells.”

As he opened the door I moved closer behind him. “Is it true that a fairy can only be killed with an iron weapon?”

“In most cases, yes.”

I wanted to ask more. I wanted to know if the man I found myself so drawn to was immortal like his legendary ancestors. But just then he finished opening the door and I was distracted by the sight of his bedroom.

The bed was enormous and sat in the far left corner of the room. A canopy of sheer curtains hung to the floor, covering the bed except for the side facing us where they were parted. The color of the curtains was difficult to describe. It wasn’t exactly black, but more like the darkest plum I’d ever seen. A lush comforter was pulled back enough to show sheets of the same shade, covered with a pattern of silver moons and stars. I’d never seen anything more decadent and inviting. Instead of lanterns, there was a string of lights in the shape of dragonflies across the top of the dresser.

There was another fireplace against the right wall. In front of this was a velvet sofa that matched the bed. Along the back wall was a large bookshelf stuffed to overflowing with numerous volumes. And directly in the center of the room was a magic circle of what looked like salt. Inside the circle was the shape of the pentagram and at each point of the star was a different color candle. Within the circle there was a scattering of dried herbs and a cauldron sitting atop a small burner. The mixture inside was silver and it bubbled loudly.

“We should hurry,” Liam said.

He walked past me and I followed him into the bathroom. My entire apartment could have fit in his bedroom, so as you could imagine I was in awe of his bathroom.