Suddenly Sorceress (13 page)

Sixteen

T
wo hours and one over-the-top
magic show later, we were ushered into a lavish dressing room in the Luxor Hotel. The moment the door swung open, the stench of stale beer and lavender soap pricked at my nose. My shoes sank into the thick gold shag carpeting as I spun around, trying to take it all in.

I didn’t know where to look first. Egyptian murals in shades of red, gold, and black covered three of the four walls. Red silk curtains framed the fourth, a solid wall of windows that showcased the glittering lights of the Strip below. An enormous button-tufted sofa in blood-red mohair anchored the center of the room, and my fingers itched to touch it.

“Were you scared, Jacky?” Jonathan smacked Jack across the back.

Jack’s brother didn’t look much like him. He was attractive and I couldn’t miss the family resemblance, but he was darker, less friendly. I wouldn’t have walked alone into the woods with
that
Blake brother, for sure.

“Hell yeah, I was scared. Why didn’t you answer any of my calls?”

“You know”—he shrugged—“got busy. First we hit the casino for a few hours—totally lost my shirt throwing dice—then one of the guys suggested a day trip to the dam. Can you believe in all the times I’ve been out here, I’ve never been? We lost track of time, just tooling around.” Jonathan took a long pull from his bottle of imported ale.

“Tooling around? Are you serious?” Chloe pulled herself up to her full height beside the towering Jonathan Blake. “We’ve been chased, manhandled, almost shot, and Ivie ruined one of my absolute favorite pairs of shoes.” She counted off each item with her fingers. Even
I
had a hard time taking her seriously in fishnets and lace.

Jonathan stuck his thumb in Chloe’s direction. “So what’s with the hooker?”

“Hooker?” Chloe shrieked. “Why does everyone think I’m a hooker?”

Jack coughed back a laugh. “No, it’s not like that. This is Chloe, Ivie’s best friend.”

“She’s a little pushy, isn’t she?” Jonathan said.

Chloe’s mouth dropped open, and she turned to me. “Did you just hear him call me pushy?” Her voice ratcheted up an octave. “First I’m a hooker, now I’m pushy?” She made a move toward Jonathan with her hands balled into tight fists, and I had to snag her skirt and yank her back. “I hate this guy already.”

Jonathan leaned in to whisper in Jack’s ear. I only caught part of what he said, but based on the way they were looking at Chloe, it was about her.

Chloe, drawing from her years of practice, pulled out her best debutante impression—arms folded neatly, long blond hair elegantly tossed over her shoulder, nose slightly in the air, and beautiful face set in a graceful scowl. “I don’t care how much money he makes. He’s a jerk.”

“Come on, Chloe, he could help. Flash that perfect smile I know you have hiding in there, and be nice.”

Her delicate features morphed into an appalled expression. “Are you really asking me to be nice to that ass?”

“Geez, I’m not asking you to marry the guy… just be nice to him.” I bit back a smile. “That’s all.”

“I can’t promise anything.”

My mouth snapped shut before I put my foot in it.

Jonathan sat on the arm of the plush sofa and leaned forward. “So what’s this big secret that had you flying all the way to Las Vegas?”

“We—or rather, I—need your help with some magic,” I said, tugging on the ridiculous skirt riding up my thighs again.

“You came all this way for me to teach you a magic trick?” He laughed.

“Not exactly a trick,” I said. “What I need is some help channeling energy so I can do the spell myself.”

Jonathan scoffed and turned to Jack.

“Ivie’s a witch,” Jack said.

Jonathan held a straight face for a minute before barking out a laugh. “So tell me, Jacky, does Mom know you’re taking drugs?” He stood up, downed the rest of his beer, and grabbed a pair of small wooden balls from the table. He rotated them in his hands, making one then the other disappear and re-appear. “Whatever you’re on, pass it over. I’ve had a really long day.”

“Such a busy life you lead,” Chloe scoffed, practically vibrating with annoyance. “The Amazing Jonathan Blake, blowing money at the craps table and making drunken trips across the desert. Your mother must be so proud.”

Jon’s face broke out in a wide smile. “This chick’s a trip.” He may have been darker than Jack—darker hair, darker eyes, much darker humor—but they had that same sexy smile.

“Listen, I’m not on anything. I’m serious.” Jack snatched one of the balls out of Jon’s hand. “Ivie really is a witch.”

“Come on, bro, you didn’t fly all the way from Atlanta to jerk my chain, did you?” He grabbed the ball back, slapped Jack across the shoulder, then pulled him in for a bear hug. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have set something up for you.” He winked then shot a cursory glance my way. “So what’s the deal with Ann-Margret over there? A witch, huh? Too bad, she’s cute.” He winked at me. I couldn’t stop myself from shuddering.

“Not that kind of witch.” Jack laughed. “She does magic. Could probably teach you a thing or two.”

Jonathan smirked and nodded in my direction. “So show me.”

My nose wrinkled all on its own. Smile or no smile, I was with Chloe. I definitely didn’t like the elder Blake brother very much.

As usual, Chloe came to my rescue and hauled up the dog carrier until it reached her eye level. “See this?”

Jack’s brother peered into the carrier. “What’s with the pooch, Jacky? Bringing your work home with you now?”

Chloe let out an exasperated sigh. “This
pooch
is Ivie’s fiancé.”

“
Ex
-fiancé,” I said.

“Right.” Chloe nodded. “Ex-fiancé. I didn’t much like him as a human, but now the police think he’s missing, so it’s sort of important she change him back before someone arrests her.”

“You people are either crazy or drunk.” Jonathan shook his head and tossed the wooden balls into a silk duffel bag on the floor. He pulled another beer from the mini-fridge and cracked it open on the side of the table. “I, for one, hope you’re drunk. Just give me a minute. I’ll catch up.”

Jon’s flippancy irritated me, and I let that annoyance fester into something more tangible. Though not quite the same intensity of fury as the other times, I still felt tiny bursts of energy rippling under my skin. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, letting the heat flow through me, and concentrated everything to the tips of my fingers. The sensation started as a light prickling just beneath my fingernails. Not strong enough to hurt, but enough I couldn’t ignore it. When it was ready, like water just reaching a rolling boil, I opened my eyes, stretched my hand toward Jonathan Blake, and brushed his sleeve lightly.

He flinched away from my touch as if I’d burned him then stood frozen in a pair of loose-fitting SpongeBob boxers and nothing else. His eyes went wide, and his mouth hung open. “What the hell was that?”

A surge of pride rushed through me, and I giggled. “That’s a little something I like to call…
magic
.”

“Nice SquarePants.” Chloe nodded to Jon then nudged my shoulder. “Told you you didn’t need the cat.”

“What the fuck happened to my clothes?” He spun around as if they might be on the floor behind him.

“I’m not exactly sure.” I sort of wondered that myself, but in the grand scheme of things, Jon’s clothes were the least of my worries. “I have no idea where things go. I may have actually disintegrated them.”

With a fresh batch of butterflies in my stomach and a deep ache in my core, I stared at the remarkably well-built and almost completely undressed Jonathan Blake—until Jack cleared his throat. I’d almost forgotten he and Chloe were in the room.

“How the
hell
did she do that?” Jonathan gaped at Jack.

Jack smirked. “You should have seen her turn a snake into a dog.” He pointed to Matt in the carrier.

“So you really are a witch?” Jonathan slowly backed away until his calves hit the huge sofa, and he fell into the cushions without spilling a drop of his beer. Then he downed the entire bottle without taking a breath and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Like a witch witch? Broomstick, cauldron, black cat? That kind of witch?”

“I have a black cat.” My thoughts did a hasty about-face from images of Karma to visions of broomsticks dancing in my head.

I’d never actually considered flying, but I couldn’t help imagining the possibilities. I’d have to conquer my fear of heights. Would that even be feasible? What if I did start zipping across the Atlanta skyline? Would the FAA arrest me? Were other witches out there whizzing around on broomsticks, turning unsuspecting fiancés into wild animals or household pets? Were there even other witches out there? Did they know about me? Should I be worried about that?

“Is she even listening to us?” Jon asked.

“Hmmm?” I shook my head to bring myself back to reality. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about—it doesn’t matter. What did you say?”

Jonathan zipped a pair of black jeans with shaky hands. “I said I don’t know how I can help you. Your magic is in a totally different league from mine.”

“What do you mean?” Hit with an unexpected wave of panic, I spun around to confront Jack. “You said he was the real deal.”

“Real deal, yes. Some sort of wizard? No,” Jonathan said. “You’re looking for Harry Potter. What I do is illusion. It’s magic, but not out-of-this-world magic. You can actually conjure, my dear. That’s something so far above me, I’m embarrassed to even admit it.”

“What are we supposed to do now?” The residual prickling took on an uncomfortable edge, transforming the butterflies in my stomach into bats. I looked from Jonathan to Jack.

“What you’re going to do now is exactly what we came here to do—channel his energy and try the spell again.” Chloe pushed past Jonathan then opened the dog carrier. Matt rubbed against her legs, and she rolled her eyes. “The sooner we change this little idiot back, the better. I think I’m starting to like him.”

Seventeen

“O
h, no, Jonathan Blake.” I
spit out his name like a sour grape. “I may have fallen for that line once”—I glared at Jack as a shudder ran through me—“but that does not mean I’ll fall for it again.”

“Jacky, I’m so proud of you. You were paying attention. I don’t think even
I
would’ve had the balls to strip in the woods. I mean, dude… shrinkage?” Jonathan put his hand up for a high five that Jack had the good sense to ignore. “Hey, whatever, man. I just can’t believe you pulled that off. Impressive.”

Jack approached me slowly, both hands shielding his package as if I were a rabid dog or something. “Of course you don’t have to take your clothes off.” He turned to his brother. “Does she, Jon?”

“Seriously, it couldn’t hurt.” Jon winked.

Jack shot him a death glare that shut him up fast then turned his eyes back to me. He cupped my chin, and for a second, I thought he might kiss me. “Just channel his energy. Nothing more. Try to pull whatever power you can from Jon and focus it on Matt.”

With a nod, I sucked in a deep breath, struggling to remember the last time I’d tried that spell. It hadn’t worked then, but I’d gotten a better handle on controlling the energy flowing through me, so maybe it would work.

My eyes closed as I ran the words through my head a few times for practice. “From man to beast in error changed, this spell I now undo, your situation rearranged, and change you back to you.”

“What the hell is she muttering?” Jonathan whispered to Chloe.

“Shut up, it’s a spell.”

Jonathan laughed. “That’s the most pathetic excuse for a spell I’ve ever heard.”

I popped one eye open. “You two are not helping me concentrate.”

“Sorry,” Chloe mouthed. She put her thumb and forefinger to her lips, twisting them sideways, and pretended to throw a key over her shoulder. “Lips are sealed.”

Closing my eyes again, I cracked my neck to one side then the other and gave my hands a good shake before taking three deep cleansing breaths. Energy pulsated in the air around me, and I stroked the pads of my fingers with my thumbs, trying to build up the charge. I felt a bit like a boxer preparing for a fight.

“Does she always do this?” Jonathan asked.

“
Shhh
,” Chloe warned.

“You know, it’s almost a shame to change him back,” Jonathan prattled on. “He’s pretty cute. At least he’s small. Seriously, he could have ended up as a big, drooling St. Bernard or a Great Dane or something. Can you imagine?”

A gust of breath blew past my lips. “Would you please shut up?” With a quick shake of my head, I struggled to push the image of Matt as a giant dog out of my mind and concentrate on the ripple building in my fingertips. I opened my eyes just in time to see the faint blue light glinting from them.

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Jon interrupted again. “A Great Dane would be a lot harder to tote around.”

Chloe’s hand connected with the back of Jon’s head just as
my
hands reached toward Matt’s furry form, and he whimpered as the static charge crackling between us made his fur stand on end.

I cleared my throat and spoke slowly.

“From man to beast in error changed,

this spell I now undo.

Your situation rearranged,

and change you back to you.”

Like blowing out a candle—as I’d seen it do so many times already—the light vanished and returned just as quickly.

“Oh shit,” Chloe exclaimed.

“N-no way,” Jonathan stammered.

Jack leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Houston, I think we have a problem.”

I blinked a few times, unsure if I really saw what I thought I saw. It couldn’t be.
Not again.

“Everyone else saw that too, right?” Jonathan choked out as he pointed to the spot where the Scottish terrier had been. “Seriously, is that a—”

Did I really just transform Matt into…
“A Great Dane?” I sputtered, choking on my own saliva.
Yep. A giant, drooling, black Dane with a gray muzzle.
Once my coughing fit died down, I turned around and narrowed my eyes in Jon’s direction. “Yes. As a matter of fact, it is. Thanks to
someone
putting the idea in my head while I recited the spell.”

Chloe exhaled without a single drop of her usual grace and picked up the red Sherpa dog carrier. “He’s not going to fit into this for the ride home.”

“Okay, let’s not panic.” Jack shot a quick glance at Jon as he ran his hands through his hair so vigorously I thought it might fall out.

“Oh, I’m not panicking. I’m just going to kill your brother.” I pointed to the huge dog lolling his head to one side, big sloppy tongue hanging out. “How are we going to get that…
thing
on the plane? He’s as big as a person.”

“Just put him back. Back to the little dog size. We can at least cart him around like that.” Chloe shook the carrier as if it she expected me to pull a terrier out of it.

“Just let me think.” My head throbbed as I sat on the spongy carpet. I tried replaying the spell in my mind, rewinding each scene to find exactly where I’d gone wrong—a futile exercise that yielded zero results.

Matt lumbered over to me and barked out one thunderous objection.

“I don’t want to hear it. This is your fault. You were the cheating, lying dog in this relationship, not me.”

He growled and bared his teeth.

My self-control snapped, letting loose the torrent of emotions I’d worked so hard to contain. “You’d better behave, Matthew Green. One bite, and I don’t
ever
change you back. Do you hear me? This time, I’m serious. You can live out the rest of your days chained to an engine block in someone’s back yard for all I care.”

He whined and dropped to the floor beside me, his wet nose nudging my knee until my jeans were damp.

A twinge of conscience pinched me. “Enough with the guilt trip. I’m doing the best I can.”

How did I end up responsible for a dog nearly twice my size? And how would I possibly find my way out of that predicament?
Isn’t this a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into?
Exhausted, I let my face fall into my hands. My stomach growled, giving the dog a run for his money. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. Worst of all, I was all kinds of horny again.

The air shifted around me, and I knew I wasn’t alone.

Jack squatted beside me and smoothed my hair away from my face. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure something out. Maybe Chloe’s right. You
could
try to turn him into a little dog again.”

“No.” I shook my head so hard, I saw stars. “I don’t want to try again. I’m tired of trying. Besides, I don’t think I can concentrate anymore. The magic makes me so, umm, you know…
tense
.” With every touch of Jack’s fingers, I grew more and more aroused, but I wasn’t about to say that. “I don’t even want to ask about my hair, and my bra is so tight it hurts.” I forced a laugh when all I wanted to do was cry. “I must be the only woman alive to complain about a free boob job.”

“It’s definitely made things more interesting.” He nudged me with his shoulder.

“Jack, can I, um, talk to you in private?” I peeked over my shoulder and tried to keep my voice low. Chloe gave me a weak smile then went back to bickering with Jon.

“Uh, sure.” Jack stood then pulled me to my feet. “Do you want to step into the hall for a minute?”

“No!” My hands shot up to cover my mouth as I struggled to regain some of my runaway self-control. “I mean, no, I’d rather not go where someone can hear us.” Or see us.

Jack’s eyebrows pulled together for a minute until my meaning sank in, then they shot up and his eyes went wide. “Oh! Yeah, um…” He turned to look around the room. “The bathroom?”

Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, I nodded. Slipping my hand into his, I let Jack lead the way.

Much like the main room, the bathroom was a study in extravagance. Gold-tone faucets and a stack of thick red terrycloth punctuated the black marble fixtures. The walk-in shower for two—or more—displayed a mural more fitting for King Tut’s tomb than a vacation mecca.

“Over the top,” he mumbled as I closed and locked the door.

I shoved his shoulders, knocking him off balance enough to make him stumble against the wall.

“Damn, Ivie, what the hell?”

“We don’t have much time before they wonder where we are and what we’re doing, so off with the pants and get with the doing.” My fingers worked the laces on my stolen outfit, and I released the stranglehold on my growing breasts with a groan. “God, that feels so much better.”

Jack zeroed in on my heaving bosom and licked his lips. “They’ve, umm… wow.”

With my best come-hither grin, I wriggled out of the hooker skirt. “Come on, Houdini, get your pants off.”

Jack closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. “Ivie, no. We can’t.”

I heard him speaking, but his words made no sense. Both his tone and the bulge straining against the front of his jeans told me he didn’t mean it, but he’d said it nonetheless. “What do you mean we can’t?”

“God, I can’t believe I’m saying this.” Jack pushed a hand through his hair and exhaled in a gust. “I don’t want to have meaningless sex with you.”

My stomach plummeted at his confession.

My expression must have changed because he put his hands up in front of him and shook his head. “No, wait, that’s not what I meant. I don’t mean sex with you is meaningless. It’s not. Dammit...” He groaned. “The thing is, I want to have sex with you. Lots and lots of sex. I just want it to mean something, and not just as a way for you to blow off steam after a spell.”

“Oh.” I stared at his serious expression. Was I ready for a
meaningful
relationship? I hadn’t even recovered from the
meaningless
one. Mr. Meaningless himself was drooling all over the carpet in the next room. But Jack was different. I knew that much after spending less than twenty-four hours with him.

He cupped my face. “Please don’t think I don’t want you. Because, truly, I do.”

After taking a long moment to process what he’d said, I gave him a shaky smile and a quick kiss. “I appreciate what you’re saying, but…” Meaningful could wait. My fingers found their way to his zipper. “What I really need right now is this.” I cupped his hardness and leaned in to capture his lips again, lingering as I worked his pants down his legs. “Please?”

Jack let his head fall back and banged it against the wall repeatedly. “Why can’t I say no to you?”

The sweet taste of victory flooded my senses, and I wrapped a leg around his hips, lining myself up to where I wanted to be. “Just take me, Jack. Fast and hard. In fact, the harder, the better.”

After expending every drop of energy within me—twice—Jack tugged his shirt over my head. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants from my bag and helped me step into them before joining the others in the main room.

“Told you.” Chloe held out her hand, and Jon slapped a twenty into her palm. He turned to Jack, holding his hand up for a high five.

Jack shook his head. I think even the dog rolled his eyes.

“I need to lie down.” I leaned into Jack, craving his touch like a drug. I was certain it was him, not simply the magic, making me feel that way.

“Come on, we need to find you a bed. Jon, do you have a room in this hotel?”

Jon fell into a chair and pulled his knees to his chest as he stared at the huge dog. “We can’t take that
beast
to my room.”

“Can’t we stay in here?” I asked. “I just want to go to sleep for a little while.”

“Here, lay on the couch.” Jack gave me a little shove, and I sank into the scratchy mohair. “Sleep.”

The last thing I remembered was Jack’s lips whispering against my forehead.

My stomach rumbled with the ferocity of Mount Vesuvius, interrupting the strangest dream I’d ever had. I wrapped my fingers around the silky sheet, tugging it up to my chin. The tinge of pyrotechnics and sweat stung my nose. Instead of four-hundred-fifty-thread-count Egyptian cotton, I had Jonathan Blake’s red satin cape wrapped around me like a blanket.
Guess it wasn’t a dream after all.
Other than the glow coming from a muted television, the room was dark. For all I knew, it could have been day or night. If the vibrations in my stomach were any indication, I’d slept for days.

I blinked the sand out of my eyes and cleared my throat. “Do I smell food?”
Mmm, bacon and eggs.

Jack leaned over the back of the couch to look at me. “Are you hungry?”

“Are you kidding? I could eat a horse.”

We looked at the oversized dog sleeping on the floor beside me.

“That’s one way to take care of him, I suppose,” Jack said.

“Not funny.” Memories of Karma practically acting out a MasterChef Mystery Box Challenge flooded back to me. “Where’re Chloe and Jon?” I pulled myself up when I realized we were alone.

“Interesting you should ask that.” He shoveled a forkful of omelet into my open mouth, effectively stopping my next question.

My mouth was full of food, and he wasn’t forthcoming with any information, so I poked him.

“Watch what you do with those fingers. They’re dangerous.” He grinned at me as I chewed and swallowed.

“Are you going to tell me where your brother took my best friend or not?”

He stabbed at another bite of egg and held it up like a weapon. “What makes you think it was my brother doing the taking?”