Warlock's Charm (4 page)

Her saving grace came in the form of Anya’s father. He’d
been a smuggler and though his morals were twisted slightly, he had never
supported the Black Market Intergalactic Slave Trade, and when he’d found her
mother hiding on his ship, he’d done all in his power to keep her safe and
disable the collar on her neck that had kept her powers inactive.

Angelica fell madly in love with Alexander Redgrave because,
as she’d told Anya, he was unlike any other man she’d ever encountered. He
didn’t want to use her for her body. Instead, he was quite happy with getting
to know who she was as a person first.

Moreover, he wasn’t threatened by the prospect of her being
a witch with the freedom to use her powers as she saw fit. He’d even done all
he could to get the collar off her. Once he’d freed her of the vile article,
he’d stepped back and allowed her to have free range as a witch.

She’d told Anya he sometimes didn’t understand her abilities.
And at times they’d caused him some grief, but he’d never wanted her to change
for him and that was what she wanted Anya to find, a man who could accept her
for who and what she was with no resentment or inhibitions.

Once her mother’s powers were released, no man could ever do
her harm again. She’d changed in the years she’d spent as a powerless slave and
emerged a much more cynical and bitter person when it came to the outside
world.

The only men she’d ever trusted were Anya’s father and his
brother. Anya often wondered how her mother would react to Damien if she and
her father hadn’t been swept away into the wild and unchartered sector of space
known as the Badlands six years ago.

“You are the one who should be down on your knees before me,
Damien. You made me fall in love with you while knowing that I would never be
able to continue loving the person you truly are.”

Her voice broke with emotion, hot tears were going to start
streaming down her face any minute now and she couldn’t hold them back no
matter how hard she tried. She’d been afraid of this. She knew she had the
possibility of losing it this way—her mother had always told her she was too
much like her father. She’d told her that her emotions ruled her judgment and
that in order to see things clearly, she had to control her heart and use only
her brain.

Anya inherited her father’s lust for adventure and his
uneven temper, which included having devilish mood swings and wearing her heart
on her sleeve. Her mother, bless her, tried to steer her away from being a
mercurial creature and she’d insisted that Anya be raised with her feet firmly
on Earth’s soil until she’d reached the age of sixteen.

When she’d turned sixteen, her father whisked both her and
her mother away to the stars and he’d showed Anya his world. In doing so, he’d
opened her heart to another life. Still, she preferred the existence her mother
crafted for her and she would pick a life on solid ground over artificial
gravity any day.

Fortunately for her, her father’s hand in her life taught
her how to be fleet of foot, sleight of hand, and eagle eyed, while also being
crafty when it came to knowing how to evade anyone pursuing her. Her mother’s
influence gave her the magical ability to be an independent woman as she was
able to defend herself against any bodily threat.

Feeling Damien’s piercing gaze, she returned her attention
to him. He hadn’t stopped looking at her with love in his eyes. Why couldn’t he
be as angry as she was…he’d drugged her, god dammit!

“My darling wife, if you want me on my knees in front of
you, just give me the word. I would love to pleasure you with my mouth. Your
sweet pussy pleases me greatly.”

She shivered. The sexual longing for him stirred inside of
her. She could feel herself getting wet as she imagined him in that particular
position, pleasuring her with his mouth as he had done many times before.

The thought of his cock driving her to untold peaks made her
want to throw in the towel and give herself completely to him. She didn’t know
if she could forgive him yet for what he’d done to her but she didn’t know how
much longer she could deprive herself of the pleasures his body could give her.

Still, she had to get it through his thick skull that she
would only allow him certain liberties. He couldn’t be allowed to drug her ever
again. It was beyond the pale, and she was going to draw the line in the sand
so they knew where they stood.

“You drugged me,” she pointed out, her voice clipped and
almost hoarse. Emotion stormed through her, she had to fight the inclination to
react out of spite toward him. She had to maintain a level head.

“I had to do it in order to speak to you like an adult. You
gave me no other options. We see how the witch hunters sent to retrieve you
fared after bearing the brunt of your childish temper tantrums.”

He couldn’t tell her that he admired her greatly for how she
handled the witch hunters. He’d given them strict instructions not to hurt her,
he only wanted them to bring her back so he could talk some sense into her.

Many wondered why he didn’t pursue her himself and sometimes
he wondered as well, but he didn’t want to take any further chances. He still
hadn’t known if she was intent upon making herself a widow.

Now that he could see the look of love in her eyes, he knew
she had no intentions of harming him.

“If you keep telling me I’m immature, you will never get me
into that bed,” she said, her eyes darting quickly to the four-poster bed that
looked so bloody inviting.

“You’re not immature, Anya. You only act like it sometimes. You
are my wicked wanton witch.”

She shivered. His voice caressed her skin, making her tingle
all over. She had to fight it, she had to keep her willpower strong or he would
break past her defenses and they’d be fucking like horny rabbits.

Oh hell, would it really be that bad if she gave in to him?
They had missed out on their wedding night after all, and she did want him
terribly.

He had done a great many things to her leading up to this
point but he’d never been an uncaring or selfish brute when it came to
lovemaking. Sex was his personal forte and he was a lover of the highest
caliber.

Unfortunately, Damien was her one weakness. He made her want
to jump onto the bed and spread her legs for him without giving any thought to
the possible consequences of doing so.

Damien always had that unfortunate effect on her, he could
cause her to lose her wits and drop her guard like no other man before him. He
made her feel like a giddy teenager, he made her feel like she could do
anything so long as he was by her side, and now that that was no longer an
option for her she was literally heartsick.

“And you are my charming warlock. You enchanted me from our
first meeting—now I wonder if our love is true or if you hit me with some sort
of a love potion!”

Genuine pain glimmered in his brilliant blue eyes. He
actually looked as if she’d slapped him or hit him with an energy ball. It had
really given him quite the turn.

”How can you make light of what we feel for each other, Anya?
I would use a great many potions on you but never would I use a love potion to
twist your affections for me.

“Besides, you know as well as I do that no love potion can
simulate true love and what I feel for you is the truest purest form of love in
existence! And I might be a great many things but I am an honorable warlock.
You know as well as I do that dealing in love potions is an unethical practice
for most witches and warlocks out there. Any love you feel for me is purely
natural. We are fated for each other, darling!”

“Was it just fate that led us to each other or did you
orchestrate our first meeting? We met in the rain in San Francisco on Earth
near the Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered Convention, at which I was a
keynote speaker. You knew I was going to be there for the entire event, you had
to have known. The event was advertised for over a year in
Dragon’s Digest
,
Fairy Dust Housekeeping
and right here on Vanguard in
Vanguard Verry
and in the local free press,
The Sylvan Star
. They publicized it early
and widely before it actually took place so they could get the word out to the
Colonies.”

Recently, she’d been named Witch of the Year in
Hourglass
Magazine
and by
Pixilated Weekly
.

Tight knots twisted in the pit of her stomach, again her
breathing went shallow, and heat flushed her cheeks. He’d been following her
for a long time—that was the only way to explain the strange coincidences that
surrounded their courtship.

Nothing had been predestined. Damien carefully and
deliberately plotted every single stage of their romance. Almost as if he’d
stalked her.

She’d married her own stalker and not even been privy to it
until now—worse than that, she had been fooled. He had manipulated her—and they
called her the greatest witch of her generation. She didn’t deserve to hold
that title, she felt so ashamed and so very stupid!

It was clear to her that she should have run straight back
to Earth. Her romance with Damien had started there and it should have ended
there. She knew that Dallas would have been able to make her feel better.

She needed someone who would understand how she felt right
now, and that someone obviously wasn’t Damien. All he could think of was the
fact that he needed her.

He couldn’t think about how rotten she felt knowing she’d
fallen in love with a man who hailed from the family who had caused her mother
and her grandmother so much damn grief.

Turnabout was clearly fair play when it came to dealing with
someone like Damien. He wanted to seduce her. So there was only one thing for
her to do. She’d have to make sweet love to him and show him just how much he
was going to miss out on once she’d abandoned him forever.

She was going to give him the shagging of a lifetime! She
was going to fuck him until his eyeballs rolled back into his head. She would
make sure he had that look of euphoria on his face every single time he came.

When she finally left him for good, he would be haunted by
their last sexual encounters.

“You wound me to the core, Anya. I understand why you’re
angry with me but you can’t hold the sins of my grandfathers against me. Tell
me how to get past the resentment you hold for me, please!”

How could he get past it?

She didn’t even know how to get past it herself. She only
had one life to live and she thought she’d live it with her true love—her
Damien.

Fate mocked her. There was only one conceivable way to deal
with Damien—he had to be defused and he was on the romantic war path. The only
way to steer him off that war path was to give him what he needed. After which,
she would disappear from his life for the rest of their lives.

She’d hide better than she had before and she wouldn’t fall
prey to her feelings of curiosity and guilt that had brought her back to
Vanguard straight to his waiting arms.

She’d give him what he wanted and what she’d been secretly
craving for the last few months but she wasn’t going to make it easy for him
and she planned on having some fun along the way.

He liked to be playful when it came to their lovemaking
sessions so she was about to give him the time of his life. Smiling deviously,
she conjured an energy ball and held it in the palm of her hand.

Damien’s eyes widened. He obviously thought she meant to do
him bodily harm, but he’d soon find out the energy ball she’d conjured wouldn’t
harm him—it was going to arouse him. Still, it did pack quite the punch.

She threw it at him and it connected solidly with his chest,
sending him flying up into the air. He grunted as he was thrown backward and
slammed into the large silver wood oak wardrobe behind him.

The silver wood trees native to Vanguard made beautiful
furniture, and they were resiliently strong. Even his substantial weight didn’t
hurt it.

* * * * *

Damien grunted, rubbing at the back of his head.

“You could have knocked me for a loop there, Anya.” He looked
up and locked gazes with her. Burning lust blazed in her dark eyes. His heart
skipped in his chest. He’d been waiting far too long to see that look of want
from Anya, and his blood warmed. Standing up, he regained control of his senses
and smiled wickedly at her. “Two can play the game you just started, darling
Anya.”

She laughed and the rich melodious sound made his stomach
dip. She’d always been able to weave a spell around him and her accusations
held some truth to them.

He had pursued her as soon as he’d realized that Ebony Ross’
legacy was alive and well but his heart had always been true when it came to
Anya. He hadn’t expected to fall so madly and deeply in love with her upon
their first meeting but he had and he wouldn’t wish for anything different.

If she thought he’d harbored some ulterior motives as in
putting a collar on her and using it to redirect her powers so he could use
them for his own gain, she was dead wrong.

In fact, he’d given her Ebony’s amulet so she could harness
the magic stored within its black tourmaline depths and therefore amplify her
already strong gift of magic.

He was wrenched out of his brooding when her eyes devoured
him hungrily. They gobbled him up like he was a tasty dessert.

She wanted him desperately and despite that clear look of
longing she had reservations. He had a huge job ahead of him; he had to change
her outlook toward him. He had to call to her heart and hope it would finally
overwhelm her sensibilities.

“I obviously knocked you silly and slow,” she remarked,
lunging herself at him. She knocked him down again and landed on top of him.

She straddled him and he inhaled deeply. If she sat there
much longer they’d have to finish what she started. “It’s good to see your
little warlock still responds so quickly to my touch.”