The Spell (8 page)

That’s it,
she thought, and leaned back to remove her arms. But Caige released the handle bars of his bike and grasped both of her wrists in his gloved fingers before she could pull away. She stilled beneath his tight grip as he turned a little to address her over his broad shoulder.

“Hold on tight, Danny,” he warned. Whether he meant for a double meaning to attach itself to his words or not, she caught one. “Don’t let go, understand?” He pulled her arms back around him and pressed her hands into his stomach.

“Got it,” she mumbled, knowing damn well that his werewolf ears would pick it up. She also knew he would be able to scent her arousal, and the shame of how much his very nearness was turning her on made her want to jump off of the bike and haul ass for the house.

But he had yet to release her wrists. It was as if he could not only scent her arousal, but her fear as well – and he wasn’t going to let her go anywhere. The thought almost turned her on more.

Finally, he let her go and returned his grips to the handle bars. He straightened out the wheel, revved the engine, shifted, and lifted his boots as the bike took off.

Danny’s heartrate kicked up a notch as he left the driveway and hit the dark stretch of road that ran along the front of the house. She glanced once behind her at the shrinking facade of her two-story house. Not for the first time that night, she thought of how crazy she was behaving. And then Caige began to pick up tremendous speed, putting distance between her and the safety of her home as if his life depended on it.

Chapter Five:
“Toil and Trouble”

She wondered where they were going. They’d been driving the mist-shrouded streets for at least ten minutes, neither of them attempting to speak over the Harley’s engine. Not that she wasn’t fine with just riding.

The September night was cool and crisp. The smell of wood smoke permeated the sky, and between the drifting, low-lying clouds, Danny could make out the thick starlit strip of the Milky Way. She was glad she’d grabbed her jacket before leaving the house. She could easily heal any malady she picked up due to a compromised immune system, but it was always easier to just not get sick in the first place.

Still, she wasn’t
completely
cold. Lucas’s body was like a furnace in front of her. Did werewolves just burn hot, or did he have a fever? He was radiating enough warmth that the only really chilly parts of her own body were her nose and ears. The smell of his aftershave, scented soap and leather jacket drifted over her, buffeted by the wind, but still strong enough to warm her on the inside as well as his nearness was warming her on the outside.

She felt comfortable there behind him. She seemed to fit there, her body pressed against his, her arms wrapped tightly around his middle. Caige carved the corners in the road as if he’d been riding for fifty years – and maybe he had. The bike seemed an extension of him more than a vehicle of any sort, and even its roar fit Lucas’s dark, un-kept character.

Every now and then, she glanced over the black leather on his broad shoulder to catch glimpses of his switching grip on the throttle, his black motorcycle boot on the gear shift, the strong line of his jaw with the five o’clock shadow… and she felt a warmth somewhere deeper. More private.

He was getting to her. Every square millimeter of the man was pure, unadulterated masculinity.

Danny closed her eyes and leaned forward to rest her cheek on the solid wall of his back. She knew she was playing with fire. Dark, black, cold-burning fire that would sear the shit out of her if she wasn’t careful. But there were the dreams to contend with. And Imani was right. Things weren’t going to get better.

The truth of it was that despite Caige’s infamous dislike of magic of any kind, Danny had always sort of admired him from afar. It was why she knew so much about him – his past, his brother, even some of his habits. She had always been interested in the black-eyed werewolf who stood apart from the others. The loner.

Of course, she’d never revealed herself to him. Now, as she rode behind him, pressed so tightly against him, she had to wonder why. Why hadn’t she ever wanted Caige to see her in person when the werewolf community called in the witches for help? Why hadn’t she ever wanted him to know she was a witch?

Because I’ve always liked him.

Danny blinked and straightened in the saddle.
Crap,
she thought
. I never wanted him to know because I didn’t want him to associate me with something he hated. I wanted him to like me instead.
Even before her dormant-induced werewolf dreams had ever started… she’d had a thing for Lucas Caige.

As this realization rolled over her like a bank of mind-numbing fog, Lucas slowed the bike down and turned onto a smaller street. Danny recognized the street, as well as the lights that were making the night time sky glow over the tree tops in the near distance.

At the moment, around the next corner, the Trinidad Fall Festival was taking place. There would be music, food, arts and crafts booths, games, a bon fire, and several performances by actors, magicians and the like. The festivities began in late afternoon and continued long into the night, when the booths took to selling hot apple cider, cocoa, and coffee.

It was the same festival that Jason Alberich, their coven leader, had demanded everyone in the coven attend tonight. Imani had made excuses for Danny, but it looked like she would be showing up anyway.

Of course
, she thought. Lucas would naturally decide to bring her here. It was the perfect date spot, really. There were lots of people, so he would assume that she’d feel safe. And the bonfire on the pristine strip of beach was very romantic. Couples could always be found snuggling together nearby.

Lucas pulled the bike into the lot and jockeyed into a protected spot between a white BMW and the brick wall that protected a private garden. Then he shut the bike down. Danny began to rise to dismount, but before she could fully stand up, Lucas was turning in his seat and grabbing her leg with his gloved hand.

The contact was only meant to still her in the saddle, but the intimacy of the touch made her breath catch. Caige’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly and speared her with their hypnotic darkness. Danny found herself easing back into the seat. Her body felt as if it were melting there beneath his gentle grasp. He glanced down at his hand and, after a moment of silent contemplation, he slowly slid his fingers off of her.

“I never asked you if you wanted to come here,” he said, his voice a little tight. “We don’t have to stay if it’s not your kind of thing.”

Danny opened her mouth to respond, but only air came out. She closed her mouth, cleared her throat, and tried again. “N-no,” she said in a strained voice. “This is great. It was a good idea.” His gentle grip had set off a heat wave that yet rippled through her body, relentlessly weakening her in the most delicious way. She was flushed now – and he’d only touched her for a moment.

Caige watched her intensely for a few seconds more, and then he smiled. “Okay then,” he said. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her with both hands around her waist. Danny barely stifled a squeal as he easily lifted her entire body off of the bike and gently set her down beside it. He didn’t let her go until she had her feet solidly beneath her. Then he quickly and gracefully dismounted himself, rising to his full height, which towered over her despite her own tall figure.

Danny swallowed hard and looked up at him, feeling unsteady even though she was standing on her own. His smile was killer. He liked surprising her, obviously.

Caige pulled off his gloves and stuffed them into the inside pocket of his leather biker jacket. “Let’s walk,” he said then, once more reaching out without warning. This time, he brazenly took her left hand in his right and wasted no time intertwining their fingers. “You look a little cold. I’ll get you something warm to drink.” His grip was strong and the heat branded her hand where he held it.

Werewolves do burn hot
, she thought to herself as he led her through the sandy parking lot and into the chaos of the festivities.
I wonder what the rest of him feels like.

The Festival stage was lit and there were actors sword fighting one another on top of it. The small crowd that had gathered cheered and clapped; Danny could make out a few of the actors’ lines even from this distance. The night was beautiful and the smell in the air was one of spice and pumpkin and apple and smoke, and she was beginning to think she might have a wonderful time with Caige tonight – when suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

His body went completely rigid, from head to boot, and his grip on her hand became painful. Danny glanced down at their hands and then looked up and all around, wondering what had happened. But she saw nothing except revelers and art booths and children with multi-colored streamers and candy apples in their hands weaving wildly around the adults. A few of the children she even recognized. There was Mischa, the six-year-old son of Rebecca and Adam, two of the coven members. Alice was there too; she was a year younger than Mischa and the daughter of Jennifer Rae, another coven member.

And then it hit Danny. Magic. It was all around them.

Oh no
, she thought, her head snapping back around to look up at Lucas. His dark eyes were sparking strangely at their centers and his mouth was closed tight.

Fangs,
she realized.
He’s trying to hide his fangs.

*****

It washed over Lucas like a crimson tide, smothering and strong and shocking to the point that his fangs instantly erupted in his mouth, and his fingertips began to ache where his nails threatened to grow.

Magic.
The scent was staggering. It was everywhere. It smelled like stardust and promises and flowers that were
almost
in bloom. The scent was indescribable really, and to most people it probably would have smelled like hope.

But to him, it was nothing short of the stench of impending death. He had no way to defend himself against magic. There was nothing he could do to protect Danny from whatever it was that was here in this crowd.

His wolf reared its head and awakened within him, snarling at the gates, clawing at the edges of his being and begging to be set free.

“Lucas, you know I just had a thought,” Danny said beside him. He looked down at her and saw her flinch.

Fuck
, he thought.
Keep it together Caige!
He barked at his wolf to heel, sending the animal within him scurrying backward long enough to keep the red in his eyes from showing any more than it most likely already did. He took a deep breath, shoved his fangs back in, and also forced his grip on his woman to loosen.

My woman
. Where the hell did that come from?

Danny slowly pulled her hand from his and had enough kind consideration not to rub it, which he knew she must want to do. He’d really been holding on. “It’s kind of crowded here,” she ventured softly, her voice like a salve on his hyper-alert nerve endings. “It might be a little quieter further down the beach. I know a short cut if you’re game.”

God bless her
, Caige thought.
Maybe I’ll manage to keep from scaring the crap out of her tonight after all.

“Danny!”

Caige’s head snapped up and around at the sound of someone calling Danny’s name. A young man dressed in Russian dancing clothes was jogging toward them. He was a fairly handsome man, probably in his mid-to-upper twenties, with thick brown hair and a slightly goofy smile. His gray-blue eyes were open and friendly.

And he smelled like magic.

“Danny, what are you doing here?” the man asked in a heavy Russian accent. Caige glanced down at the woman beside him. She looked distinctly uncomfortable, self-conscious and more than a touch afraid. Lucas’s inner wolf bared its fangs.

“Sasha!” Danny replied amidst a nervous laugh. “Is Imani here with you?” she asked then, looking around for herself.

“Yes, but –”

“Danny, what the
hell
are you doing here?” came Imani’s angry voice from behind them. Lucas and Danny both spun to see the gorgeous African-Brazilian woman standing hands-on-hips, head cocked to one side, deep chocolate eyes shooting daggers at Danny. Danny took a step back.

But Imani was having none of that. With lips pursed and gaze narrowed, the woman came forward and grabbed one of Danny’s hands. Caige fought the sudden impulse to yank her back out of the woman’s grip. That was ridiculous. The two were best friends – almost sisters. What was wrong with him?

The magic was getting to him. He needed to get out of there.

“I’m sorry, Lucas. Can I borrow her for a moment, please?” Imani asked and then didn’t wait for a reply before she was pulling Danny several yards away to speak with her in whispered tones.

Lucas felt a warning in the air. The stench of legerdemain was all around him, threatening from all sides. But it was more than that. Danny seemed scared, and for some reason that bothered him even more than the magic. Imani was also acting strange. And there was something else…. He couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Uh, it, uh, was nice meeting you,” Sasha said behind him. Lucas turned to watch the man bow a bit, his own expression very wary and distracted. And then the Russian was jogging off again, glancing once in the girls’ direction before he disappeared into the crowd.

Without thinking, Lucas tuned himself into what Danny and her friend were saying, using his sharpened senses to make out their hushed words.

“… knows you’re here! He knew the second you were within range. You two shouldn’t be here!” Imani hissed.

Danny yanked her hand out of Imani’s and narrowed her own gaze. “I don’t know what the big deal is about Jason knowing I’m here, Ima, but I’m aware that we shouldn’t be here!” she hissed back. “We were just about to leave when you showed up.”

“Why the hell are you here to begin with?”

“Lucas wanted to come – he drove us here and I didn’t know this is where we were coming. Now calm the hell down! We’re leaving.” Danny turned away from her friend to walk back toward Lucas, but stopped when the crowd suddenly gasped as one and then fell silent just as quickly.