Mystical Seduction: full-length sensual paranormal romance (The Protectors) (18 page)

“Marriage?” he asked.

She nodded. He’d stripped her ability to speak with that
magical tongue of his.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s what your
parents and friends will all be expecting.”

He sounded so reasonable, so accommodating. This
out-of-character behavior of his naturally piqued her suspicious mind.

He chuckled lightly. “Don’t glare at me so. You’ll hurt your
eyes.”

“You’re being too agreeable. It makes me nervous,” Faith
told him, which made Horace laugh in earnest.

“We’re already bound together for all eternity. So why am I
going to object to making it official in the eyes of the law?”

She touched her flat belly. Perhaps they could be married
before she started to show.

“About that,” he said, suddenly serious again. He closed his
hand over hers. “I’m sterile.”

“No, that can’t be right.”

Not that she believed in a sixth sense or anything. But she
felt fairly certain that his seed was more than potent enough to fill her womb
with life.

“All of
the Protectors
are sterile.”

She shook her head. “But—but—what about Dallas?”

“She’s sterile, too. Not that Dallas had been pleased to
learn about it. Brendan had left out that little detail when they were dating.
She didn’t find out until after their marriage. She still insists that there
has to be a way around it. But I doubt she’s going to succeed where centuries
of
Protectors
have failed.”

“But-but I’m human.” Faith knew she was grasping at straws.
But dammit, he was wrong. What she felt in her heart had to be true. They were
going to have children together.

And soon.

“I’m not human. I’m sorry, Faith. I couldn’t get you
pregnant even if I wanted to.”

“I was hoping for children,” she said while fighting off a
dizzying wave of confusion. What he said couldn’t be true. “You had told me
that I could have a whole brood if I wanted.”

* * * *

He faintly remembered telling her that. And it hadn’t been a
lie. Not precisely. At the time, he hadn’t expected they’d have a relationship.
But now they were in one and tied together with a bond more permanent than the
vows of matrimony.

She stroked the primitive mark of the lion on his arm. It
shimmered and glowed. Only she could make the tattoo light up like that. It
made him smile.

“I suppose we could always adopt,” she said with a wistful
sigh. He could picture it now. She’d be wearing an apron and have a couple of
tots underfoot. And they’d move into a tidy cottage with a white picket fence
and a large friendly dog to lick them when they returned home. If it made Faith
happy, he supposed he could suffer through such a domestic lifestyle.

Unfortunately, their nice, normal life would have to wait
until after he tracked down Manelin, and discovered why the bastard wanted the
both of them dead.

Horace dragged himself from the bed early the next morning.
He slipped on a pair of khakis and nothing else. Faith didn’t move. She still
slept deeply, which didn’t surprise him. They’d been up most of the night
worshiping each other’s bodies.

His muscles ached. He could only imagine how sore she’d be
when she finally did awaken. Since she was human, she had to work harder to
match his stamina. He needed to be more careful with her.

She rolled over and wrapped her legs around a long silk
pillow. It was one hell of a seductive sight. Horace dragged in a deep breath
and fought an urge to crawl back into the bed. He couldn’t, though. He’d put
off investigating the murderous Manelin long enough.

Besides, he’d probably kill both her and himself if he
crawled back into bed with her so soon after that last time. His head was still
spinning from the impact. No woman had affected him so completely, like he’d
been swept off a cliff and into the ocean. It frightened him.

He needed the time away from her and the drugging desire he
felt whenever she was around him. He needed time away so he could think.

He stumbled down the long staircase to the café. The shop was
quiet this early in the morning. He heard the muffled sounds of pans clattering
around from the direction of the kitchen. The heavenly smell of fresh pastries
perfumed the air.

The only patron at this pre-dawn hour sat at a small round table
near the back of the Café.
Stone
. He glanced up from the newspaper he’d
been reading.

“Have you found out anything?” Horace asked.

Stone had an uncanny knack of knowing when to be in the
right place at the right time. It used to bother Horace, but this morning he
was glad to find Stone waiting for him.

“Sorry, no leads. No one asking around for you. Nothing,” Stone
said. He handed Horace a fresh cup of coffee. “And we haven’t found anyone in
the city going by Manelin or any derivation of that name. There are several
Mannys, but they don’t match our description of a prince with murder on his
mind. They are ordinary men leading ordinary lives.” He took a sip of his own
cup of coffee. “How’s the honeymoon going? It’s been what, a week and a half
now? Her family has filed a missing person’s report, you know.”

Horace felt his face heat. He hadn’t realized he’d kept Faith
locked up in the guest bedroom above the café for so long. She’d complained
that he’d used his powers to keep her in a constant state of arousal. He wasn’t
doing anything of the sort. If anything, she was the one turning
his life
upside down.

“I’ll make sure she visits her parents today. It should be
safe enough.”

“Don’t let her go alone.”

He wouldn’t. He couldn’t risk letting her too far out of his
sight. Just thinking about spending time away from her made him feel fevered
and a little out of control.

“I do need to spend some time investigating on my own today,
though.” His fingers curled into a pair of tight fists as he remembered how
close he’d come to losing Faith. “Manelin, whoever the hell he is, won’t get
away with threatening Faith’s life.”

Brendan and Dallas, both dressed for the office, entered the
café on the heels of that hotly made vow. “Does this mean you have your powers
back?” Brendan asked. “Or do you plan to take on this unknown entity using
nothing more than brute force?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Horace said, an empty boast.
Brendan was right. While Horace had some ability to control Faith, he still couldn’t
call upon his powers to do anything useful.

Brendan’s relationship with Dallas had enhanced his friend’s
abilities. Being with Faith seemed to be doing the opposite to Horace’s. Which
was one more aspect of this relationship that scared the hell out of Horace.

He set his coffee cup on the table without taking much more
than a sip. A shame, too. He could use the caffeine and a cold shower. Drawing
in a deep breath, Horace took a step back and held out his hand. Levitation had
always come easily.

He focused on the plain white cup.

It refused to budge.

It didn’t even wobble.

He drew another breath and tried again. He really
concentrated this time.

Almost immediately, the cup flew into the air and smacked
against his hand, sloshing half of the steaming coffee onto his bare toes.

“Good to see I’m wrong,” Brendan said with a laugh. He
banged his and against Horace’s back. “Not executed with your normal finesse,
but damn, there was a great deal of power behind it.”

Yet Horace knew his powers hadn’t called the cup to him. He
slowly turned toward the back stairs and found Faith leaning against the wall
about halfway up. She gave him a wry smile.

The sight of her caused his body to stir to life. She wore
nothing more than a pink satin robe that she must have found in the closet. Her
lips were still swollen and red from their pre-morning tumble in the sheets. A
pink glow brightened her cheeks. And when she pushed away from the wall, her
movements were stiff, like she’d been spending too much time on the back of a
horse.

One look at her and no one would doubt what they’d been
doing for the past week and a half. She had the unmistakable glow of a woman
well-loved.

“I didn’t mean to spill your coffee,” she said sweetly.

“You shouldn’t be down here. You know I didn’t want you to
leave the bedroom without my permission,” he scolded, for all the good it did
him. She was stubborn to the core. And she didn’t seem to understand the grave
danger they faced.

“You’re not going anywhere without me,” she said. Her voice,
thick and sultry, carried one hell of a mind push. Good God, she thought she
could use his powers to push on his mind, to try and turn his will?

“Stop that.” He shook his head, willing away the compulsion
to give into her. “I won’t let you put your life in danger.”

“Horace, did I tell you that I like her?” Brendan said,
laughing again.

“I like her, too.” Dallas crossed the room to the back
stairs and put her arm around Faith’s shoulders. “Look at what he’s done to
you, you lucky girl. I bet you could probably sleep for a week.”

“I won’t let Horace lock me away while he goes charging
after Manelin,” Faith said with the ferocity of a lioness, even though she
allowed herself be led to the closest table. Dallas pulled out a chair for her.
Faith winced as she sat down on the hard wooden seat. “He won’t tell me
anything, but I know what he’s planning. He wouldn’t have…
you know
…with
such determination this morning and then slipped out the moment I fell asleep
otherwise. I’ll not let him do it.”

“Of course not. We can’t let the men bully us. Horace, he’s
a Leo, which makes him prone to taking the reins.”

“I’m a Leo, too. Our birthdays are on the same day.”

“Oh, dear.” Dallas flashed Horace a pitying look. “That must
make for some pretty interesting…um…”

“Fireworks,” Horace supplied.

Okay, so maybe things weren’t perfect between him and Faith.
She sapped his powers and made him cross barriers that he’d once thought
unbreachable. But the world hadn’t come crashing to an end. And he’d always
liked challenges. Life wouldn’t be worth living if it came at him too easily.

“I don’t remember seeing you look so content, so happy,” Brendan
leaned toward Horace and whispered. “She’s good for you.”

“That’s why I need to keep her safe. Will you help me?” Short
of tying her to the bed again, he doubted he’d be able to keep her from
following along with him.

“Don’t you dare try it,” Faith said. She was halfway across
the café and still she’d seemed able to hear his whispered words. Or had she
read his thoughts? He’d started to ask, but stopped himself.

He really didn’t want to know.

“I think we all agree,” Stone said before Horace had a
chance to really stoke Faith’s temper by telling her he’d not only tie her to
the bed, but also put guards at the door, if she refused to obey him. “We need
to find and confront Manelin. We can’t risk letting him strike again.”

No one argued with that.

“I won’t let you go looking for Manelin without me,” Faith
said. “You need me.”

“I don’t need
anyone
,” Horace grumbled under his
breath and folded his arms over his chest. He’d never needed anyone. Very few
had helped him before
the Protectors
had found him, and he’d done just
fine. No matter how sexy or alluring, he couldn’t let Faith start changing his
life.

This relationship would be so much easier if she’d simply
follow his orders.

“You’re my servant,” he said, using all of his powers to
push against the mental barriers she’d been trying to build up against him.
“You have no choice but to do as I command.”

The fire dimmed from her beautiful summer blue eyes.

She slowly rose and turned to face him. The movement looked
mechanical—tense.

Good.

That meant she’d fallen under his control. He preferred her
submissive. She’d be safer that way.

“You will go back upstairs and wait for me there. You will
not leave that bedroom until I come for you.”

“
Your servant
?” she whispered through clenched teeth.
“That’s all I am to you?”

Horace crossed the room and put his hands on her shoulders.
“You
will obey me,”
he pressed the command into her thoughts.
“You have no
choice. I am your master in this and in all things.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “The hell you are!” she spat. But
her feet moved her toward the stairs. He could tell she fought his power with
every step.

This was the only way to keep her safe
,
he told
himself.

The only way to keep your heart safe
, another
voice—one that was tiptoeing through his thoughts without his
permission—scolded.

“Brendan, don’t whisper your thoughts in my head,” Horace
warned.

“What?” The startled expression on his friend’s face
couldn’t have been faked. Not a good sign.

If not Brendan, who had popped into his head with him? And
what in the hell would that person know about keeping his heart safe?

Faith had reached the stairs. She put one foot on the bottom
tread then stopped. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She curled her hands into a
pair of fists and strained against the compulsion to obey him.

“I wish I’d never met you, Horace West,” she choked out. And
then with an amazing burst of power, she broke free of his spell and charged
toward the glass door.

She ran like a doe in a field, swift and graceful. He almost
didn’t catch her before she’d managed to blast her way out onto the street. He
spun her into his arms just as the glass in the door shattered.

“Not again!” Jake cried as he rushed out from the kitchens.

Horace ignored the commotion behind him. He pulled Faith
tight against his chest while she beat her fists against his chest. After
suffering several wicked blows, he finally managed to trap her arms.