Magic Resistant (26 page)

Well, finding a room to hide in didn’t
alleviate my stress
, she thought ruefully.

Chapter
Twenty-One

JACKSON FIDGETED
ON the bed. He checked his phone. Yep, turned on and able to get
text messages. Gone for hours and he hadn’t heard anything from
her. He realized he was worrying for nothing. Julia was perfectly
capable of taking care of herself. She didn’t need a man to rescue
her, but damn it was hard to switch off the protective
instincts.

It wouldn’t be so bad if he had something to
occupy his time. The TV had nothing but mind-numbing shows and
there weren’t any books to read. He tried surfing the net; his mind
kept wandering, imagining all the worst case scenarios.

The soft scratch of a key entering the lock
had his body on alert. Reaching out to the wards, he identified the
other person with ease.

Calm. Project calm and relaxation
.

His back against the wall, one leg bent and
the other one splayed on the bed. A swift finger comb through his
hair, trying to control the unruly locks, although he doubted it
helped.

He didn’t want Julia thinking he’d spent most
of his time worrying, which he had. Dangerous situations were the
norm due to their job, a fact he accepted. Not worrying though
meant he didn’t care at all. And he did care. Very few made a home
in his heart and he cherished each one of them.

A small sigh of relief escaped him when he
saw her unharmed and in one piece. Then all ability to breathe left
him. She was over-the-top gorgeous. He already thought she was
good-looking, but in that dress, with that hair, and was that the
top of a stocking he saw when she moved? His brain short-circuited.
All blood flow now swiftly moved south.

“Wow. You look...” He wasn’t even aware he
spoke out loud until she gave him a shy smile and a blush crept up
her neck and onto her cheeks. How was it possible the blush made
her even sexier? He wasn’t sure he’d survive the night.

His lack of response made her bolder as she
sashayed toward him, causing the dress to rustle around her legs,
giving him peeks of her stocking clad thighs. He couldn’t tear his
eyes away, obsessed with seeing a hint of skin.

“You like?” She asked archly, stopping just
out of arm's reach. She did a slow twirl and his heart about
stopped when the front of the skirt flared. He caught a glimpse of
her garter belt and top of her thigh high stockings. Oh yes, she’ll
be keeping those on after the dress comes off. He reluctantly
dragged his eyes from her lovely legs and let them wander the rest
of the way up, wondering how long until he could get her naked.

“So, how was your night?” He asked offhanded.
His worries now paled in comparison to having her here. Mustering
up the energy to care was difficult when all he wanted to do was
pleasure Julia.

“How about we talk about my night later...
much, much later. I have other plans in mind.” The wicked grin she
gave him caused his heart to pound in anticipation. Oh, he liked
this side of her, the seductive siren toying with a willing
victim.

“I’m yours to command. Do with me what you
will.” He stood up and discreetly adjusted; his pants tight and
uncomfortable. How soon until he could get rid of them? First,
though, he wanted to peel the dress off her.

He narrowed the gap between them and wrapped
his arms around her, drew her in tight. A tiny nip on her neck as
he enjoyed the light salty taste. Licking her better, he swirled
his tongue on her skin. A deep moan from her encouraged him to kiss
his way up her neck. He nibbled on her earlobe before stealing a
kiss from her lips. Deft fingers worked the zipper on the back of
her dress while he had her distracted and he smiled against her
lips as the dress dropped to the floor. The smooth expanse of her
back felt like silk against his hands and he moved down to cup her
ass.

“Wait.” He said as he pulled back. “Let me
look at you. I want to keep this picture in my mind forever.”

He’d never forget this moment. So damn sexy,
standing in front of him in her strapless black bra and matching
thong, stockings and garter belt. A hint of lethal with her knife
strapped to her thigh.

The image burned into his mind, one he’d take
to his death-bed.

WAKING UP NEXT to Julia, could anything bring
Jackson more pleasure? Having her in his bed, in his life brought
everything into focus for him like finally discovering the hidden
image in a stereogram. He’d concentrated on his career for so long
he’d wholly overlooked what was missing.

She laid on her side with one knee drawn up
and her mouth slightly open, a light snore indicated she continued
sleeping. How adorable. He hated to wake her. Instead, he let her
sleep for a bit long as he made breakfast for them both. Nothing
fancy, eggs, bacon and toast.

Flipping the switch to turn off the automatic
timer for the coffee maker, he inhaled the rich aroma as he poured
himself a cup. He found himself humming while he cooked, something
uncommon for him (especially before he had a coffee!) and it dawned
on him he’d never felt so content, so peaceful before. As if he’d
lived in a fog before Julia.

Sure he’d been happy, he enjoyed his job and
had some great friends, but now, there was new beauty to
everything. Hell, even making breakfast was a joy simply because he
was making it for her. Smart enough to recognize this as the
“honeymoon” stage of their relationship, he hoped it never
faded.

Julia rustled in bed and realized this was
the first time he’d woken before her. Most mornings she was up,
coffee in hand for him, and eager to face the day.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. Breakfast is cooking.”
He grinned at the unintelligent mumbling coming from her direction.
Guess she wasn’t such a chipper morning person after all. She just
put on a good front. Chuckling, he listened to her stumble to the
bathroom then focused his attention back on breakfast, not wanting
to overcook the eggs.

A few minutes later Julia wrapped her arms
around his waist and snuggled into his back. Her lips pressed
against his shoulder blade. Closing his eyes, he savoured the
moment.

His previous girlfriend disliked casual
touching, thought it lead to sex. He tried to explain it made him
feel connected to her, but in her mind he was a horny teenager
unable to control himself.

Turning to steal a kiss, he jumped in pain as
a small splatter of bacon grease hit his exposed back.

“Ouch! Out, woman. You’re a distraction” He
turned back to the stove, adjusting the strips.

A firm swat on his ass followed by a giggle
had him shaking his head. Twisting to retaliate, he found Julia
already disappeared from the kitchen.

“Next time, don’t blame the innocent
bystander.” Her voice drifted to him followed by a suspicious
sound, like laughter covered by a pillow.

Breakfast now cooked, he loaded up two plates
and brought them to the small table. Julia waited for him, a sweet
smile curving her lips, one meant solely for him. In a tank top and
panties, she curled a finger at him, indicating she wanted him
closer. Leaning down, a plate in each hand, he received a heart
pounding kiss, one that called forth thoughts of sin and decadence,
dark nights and champagne.

Damn, what a way to greet the morning.

With great reluctance, he straightened,
separating their lips. The food went on the table and he drew her
into the center of the room. While he’d rather spend time
exercising in a more intimate manner, ignoring the morning routine
wasn’t possible. The werewolves already proved why he shouldn’t
rely on magic to save his ass.

Of course, he kept sneaking glances whenever
Julia bent over or raised her arms.

To watch her form, make sure she stretched
properly
. He told himself, not believing the lie for a second.
He loved the way her body moved, so graceful and in control, like a
ballet with an audience of one.

Once done, they ate breakfast in silence.
Jackson avoided working out with a full stomach, a surefire way of
cramping. Reheating it with magic was a favourite trick of Victor’s
but Jackson didn’t like the vaguely altered tasted.

Cold food no longer bothered him, conditioned
to it after so many years of stakeouts. Skipping them altogether
also occurred on several occasions; another argument starter with
the previous girlfriend. Someone who understood his bad habits and
crazy work routine was refreshing, a peaceful interlude.

Placing her hand on his knee, Julia gave him
a recap of last night’s events.

And all feelings of tranquility and
contentment evaporated, like moisture in a desert, as he struggled
to control his anger. He wanted to beat that human senseless for
threatening and attempting to abduct her. Markus couldn’t make the
interrogation painful enough to satisfy Jackson.

As she continued, unaware of his less than
pleasant ideas, she told him why her partner casted Devouring
Plague. Or, at least, why he pretended to so.

Markus hadn’t tried to kill him.

This shifted the whole picture, rearranged
the pieces in a way he didn’t understand.

One thing he knew for certain, Markus had an
agenda, one involving Jackson and that scared him. He’d be an idiot
if he assumed for a second the senior Enforcer just wanted to help
him.

At least he was willing to dig deeper. Maybe
he would find something they couldn’t, his contacts throughout the
magical community vast and enviable. As a higher rank in the
Enforcers, he was privy to more information than Jackson or Julia.
Even Victor had access to so much before he hit the ceiling.

“I texted Nathan last night, let him know to
expect Markus. I figured I’d be too distracted once you saw my
dress.” She slanted a glance at him; her seductive smile heated his
blood.

She certainly hadn’t been wrong. Damn, she
needed to wear that dress again for him.

Soon. Very soon.

The rest of the morning passed peacefully as
they spent time getting to know each other. Jackson enjoyed hearing
about her family and he could see the love she had for her parents
and three siblings; two brothers and one sister. They had monthly
dinners as they all lived in the Toronto area. Not that it made
much difference thanks to teleportation. As a family of mages, with
Julia as the sole Enforcer, they didn’t need to hire one for travel
purposes.

“So then, my youngest brother yelled,
‘
Mom, what goes through walls? Does a jackhammer break through
walls?
’ Mom yells, ‘
Yes
.’ His reply, ‘
I need a
jackhammer. With a man. A jackhammer with a man
.’ He wanted to
break down the wall between the bathroom and their closet since
that’s where they hid his birthday presents. The rule was if we
snooped, the presents were returned. This way, he didn’t get in
trouble if someone else broke the wall.” Julia giggled, the love
for her family shining through, her childhood a happy one.

A pang of envy poked him. Much of his
childhood consisted of Enforcer care with no parents. At least he’d
been one of the lucky ones. He’d shown an aptitude for magic and
avoided foster care.

He never felt like an outsider though. Many
of the kids there only interacted with their family on holidays and
occasionally on the weekends. Some parents, like Julia’s, stayed
involved with their kids while others welcomed the chance to have a
less hands on approach. As it was prestigious to have an Enforcer
child, few parents ever denied sending away their child.

Around noon, Jackson heard the ding from his
cell indicating an incoming text. He pulled the phone out of his
pocket and checked the message.

“
Turn TV to CP24. The one they’re
interviewing is the main guy, G says
.” Jackson grabbed the
remote from the table and changed the channel to CP24, the local
station for Toronto news.

The reporter was talking about the Werewolf
Treaty and how it helped integrate werewolves into society. The
man, no scratch that, the werewolf with her was terrifyingly
familiar to Jackson. Dread coated his mind, slimy and foul, as the
reality of the situation collide into him.

“Shit! Oh, shit! Julia, tell me that’s not
who I think it is. Damn it!” He threw the remote onto the bed,
unable to trust his eyes. “We need to talk to Markus
now
.
The shit will fly if this ever gets out.”

He paced the small room, dragging his fingers
through his hair, tugging at the ends. How they could possibly fix
this mess?

Julia’s fingers trembled as she called Markus
and put him on speaker phone.

“Markus, we have a problem. Our source
identified the leader. He’s on CP24 right now.” Shuffling drifted
through the speaker followed by strong cursing.

“Are you sure this is the guy? Do you know
what this means?” Markus sounded as stunned as Jackson felt.

“Yes. And it’s confirmed.” Julia replied. She
sank onto the bed, horror stamped on her face. She understood the
implications and end results as well as the two men did.

Furious thoughts slammed into Jackson’s mind.
These hunts needed to stop. If they continued, humans would begin
their own hunts, targeting everyone they assumed to be a werewolf.
The tenuous peace of the past two hundred years destroyed.

The other races would join in, grinding their
own axe in the ensuing conflicts. Millions of lives lost and all
because some asshole believed he was above the law.

Angry and infuriated, he realized there was
only one way to nail this bastard. He had to throw himself on the
grenade.

“Markus, get a full Coterie meeting set up.
All of them. Tell ‘em I’m turning myself in, but to the full
council. After eluding them for the past year, I’m sure they’d love
to witness me in handcuffs. Get it done as quickly as possible,
please.”