Dark Vortex: Mated by Magic Read online

  “Don’t even think about it.” She pointed a finger at him. “She’s a minimally talented healer at best, not a warrior. Mating with her won’t work.”

  He shook his head and almost contradicted her. Zoe wasn’t from the healer clan. She was a strong warring talent. And yet she’d healed him. Impossible. That was the thread he was trying to remember.

  Good God.

  The sleeping Zoe was one badass warring witch with powers that had to match his own or he wouldn’t feel this irresistible urge to mate.

  But Olivia was never wrong.

  Maybe the deathblow had affected his reason. He swallowed hard. “That reminds me. Our deal was that you would keep the shop open during the nights of solstice. Where were you tonight?”

  “I was open.” Olivia went back to sniffing at teas, holding them up in the air. Seeing things he couldn’t.

  “Well, in the future try to keep your cell phone on. That’s what your retainer is for.”

  “When I got Stan’s message, I rushed back as fast as I could.” Her eyes narrowed. “By the way, just how did Zoe find the herbs to heal you? I thought she was aura colorblind.”

  “Dunno. I was out cold. Ask her when she wakes up.” What else could he say? Jack Fialko, leader of the Iesco clan, was rendered stupid?

  He slid over to his solstice choice, took Zoe’s hand, and tried to reach into her sleeping mind. Olivia just had to be wrong. Years of looking and he’d never before craved a woman–not like this. He gently removed her glasses and was surprised to see a beautiful eastern European face hiding behind the thick lenses. His cock took more interest than he’d thought possible.

  “I’m staying here tonight. Too tired to leave. I’ll take the small spare room.” He wasn’t taking any chances that the woman would escape.

  “That’s not part of our deal.” She placed a cup of tea on the table and motioned him to sit. “It’s going to take me a week to get the stinking darkness out of here as it is.”

  “It’s not up for discussion. I’m staying.” He gave her a lopsided grin and sat down at the table. “Least you can do for almost letting me die.”

  Olivia put a hand to Zoe’s forehead and frowned.

  “I don’t like this. Why don’t you give my tea a minute to douse that lust of yours? She can’t be a match.” Under her breath she said, “At least I don’t think so.”

  “You know something?” Jack tore off the edges of three sugar packs at once and raised an eyebrow.

  “To be honest, I can’t quite read her aura.” Olivia shook her head, causing her dark red curls to bounce around her pixie-like face. “I’m missing something critical. I’ll be damned if I know what it is.”

  “What about her parents?”

  “Never met them. Apparently, they died when she was little. She was put up for adoption. Raised by humans. I still don’t think she really believes in any of this.”

  “Shit,” Jack muttered. That could complicate things. But if she was truly untrained, then how had she produced the vortex?

  “I’ll be back in a few. I meant what I said.” Olivia gave him her best don’t-screw-up face. “She’s not one of your witches to be fucked and discarded.”

  Jack winced. She was right about one thing, this Zoe wasn’t a woman to be discarded. She was, however, a woman to fuck. And he had every intention of doing so.

  Carrying two mugs of tea, Olivia disappeared through the door. Mist and wind rushed in, the ocean crashed, and doorbells clanged. Then, all was quiet.

  Alone at last. Jack sat down on the bed and brushed the dark hair off Zoe’s forehead. For the first time in years, he allowed himself to imagine what it might be like to pass on his powerful genes to children. To know his clan would be safe for another generation.

  Her lashes fluttered open, and her brows drew down when her eyes focused on him.

  “You’re okay?” she whispered.

  “Oh, no. I’m definitely not okay, Zoe.” He let the Z linger across his tongue. He breathed in her exotic scent and cupped her cheek in one hand. Oh man. She got to him.

  “What? Is the darkness back? Is Olivia here?” She reached blindly over the driftwood side-table and on the floor beside the bed. “Where’re my glasses?”

  “No. It’s not the darkness.” His hands shook when he placed her glasses on her nose. Her big brown eyes focused on him behind the thick lenses. Overwhelmed, he choked out the words he’d longed to say for years. “I want you for my mate.”

  “What?” Her eyes went huge. She shuffled to a sitting position with her back pressed tightly against the headboard.

  Holy Goddess. Her body said yes and her mouth said no. Olivia had to be wrong. Zoe was perfectly trained for the ritual about to unfold.

  He placed his hand on her bare thigh, just below where her shorts ended, and allowed his heat and energy to infuse her. She squirmed, pulling her legs together. So nice. So sweet. He added tiny jolts of electricity as he stroked her bare leg, and chuckled at her responsiveness. Her full lips parted, and her gaze went to his mouth.

  Not yet, Angel.

  “I’ve been looking for you for a lifetime.” He touched a lock of her dark hair. “You’re my hope. My salvation.”

  “I can’t be.” Her soft breath hit his nostrils with a scent that spoke of sex.

  His brothers had warned him about the hot and the cold of the mating ritual, but how could anyone truly be prepared?

  “You’re not already mated?” He held his breath.

  She shook her head and her lips parted.

  He exhaled. “You’ll be mine, now. Forever.”

  Reaching out, he gently pulled the elastic from her hair, and the long, dark locks fell over her shoulders. She closed her eyes and moaned. He moved closer, caressing her cheek, inhaling her intoxicating scent. Strawberries and beach sand. His cock swelled.

  She whimpered.

  His tongue glued to the roof of his mouth. Never had he imagined that his clan’s sacred oath would be so hard to say.

  “Fight me off, witch.”

  Her eyes went wide and then she dissed him with a flawless amount of disdain. “I am not a witch.”

  He laughed. Her act couldn’t be any better.

  She placed her hands on his chest and gave him a small shove. “Listen, what’s your name? Jack? You’re very…attractive…but this is so not going to happen.”

  “You know how this works. Either fight me off or kiss me. Decide.” There wasn’t a whole lot of rational thought left in Jack’s mating-brain.

  “Okay. I choose to fight.” She scrunched up her face, raised her arm, and screamed. A violet vortex zoomed out of her hand and hit him dead center in the chest.

  He was thrown clear across the room and lay on the floor with his eyes closed. Her sweet, beautiful energy exploded into his torso. Her essence was laced with stars, ocean breeze, and a silver moon. God almighty, he was so hard that he wasn’t sure if he’d last another minute.

  “I knew you wanted me! Stop messing with me.” He needed to get the pressure off his dick. He unfastened his jeans, pulled his t-shirt over his head, and opened his arms wide. “Go ahead. Throw everything you have at me.”

  “Dammit. What part of no are you not getting?” Her mouth curled down and she scooted into a corner of the daybed, as far away from him as possible.

  Was that fear he saw in her eyes?

  Something was off. He’d heard all the stories of mating from his brothers, friends, and even his father. Every woman was different, but at some point, they turned as lusty as the male. But fear was never a part of it. What was going on? He’d give her anything she asked to feel that vortex rock his balls again.

  He crossed the room and tried a different tact. “Give me your hand.”

  She slid further into the corner, but after a moment, she held out a tentative hand.

  The hair on his arms stood on end as he gathered all the spare electrons in the room to him. He laced the energy with his fierce lust, his dreams, his everything. He
put his whole heart out on the line as far as it would go. This moment was the most important one of his entire life and he wasn’t going to blow it. He gave her it all.

  Her eyes went round, her legs fell open, and her head fell back. She panted and gasped for breath. He forced another surge of erotic energy into her body and a keening wail tore from her throat.

  He smiled at the lust that infused her eyes. “You want more?”

  She nodded hesitantly, biting her lip.

  Thank fucking God. He pulled her down on the bed, under him. Through her thin shorts, he could feel her wet heat against his bare waist. The air sizzled around them. Desire, a living, breathing entity that pushed him close to the edge.

  She was trembling, shaking against him. Her mouth opened in invitation. It was all he needed. He covered her lips with his, and the whole world exploded. His fingers clenched in her hair, and he tasted her. Sweet, perfection.

  His brain was dazed with the overload of sensations. It was so fucking good, but not enough.

  Barely able to pull away, he rasped, “What are you waiting for, angel? Fill me with your energy. Fight me.”

  Her brows creased. “Fight you? I thought you said you wanted me.”

  “I do.” He gritted his teeth and pushed himself off the bed. What game was she playing? “But not like this.”

  “I don’t understand.” Her lips trembled.

  Why wouldn’t she fight him?

  She tucked her hair behind her ears. Her eyes wide, innocent, and yet filled with cock-swelling lust.

  He moved quickly, boxing her against the wall, his palms firmly planted beside her head.

  “Stop playing around and fight me.” He counted the awful seconds that felt like eternity.

  “What the hell?” Anger glittered in her eyes and flushed her face. “You said kiss you or fight you off. I kissed you.”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you? You really don’t know?” He gave a hard shake of his head and stared back at her incredulously. The tips of Jack’s ears throbbed and his gut wrenched. He’d tried cocaine once as a teenager. His heart had raced, his hands had shook, and he’d wondered how the hell to get more… and then more. This was so much worse.

  He took a fist and hit the drywall beside the bed, creating a gaping hole. The pain in his hand eased the one clutching at his gut.

  Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open, tears swelling in her eyes.

  Great. Can I fuck this up any worse?

  “Dammit all to hell.” He wiped his hands over his face and fought for control. “You’re not a healer. That vortex is a warrior trait. It’s for fighting enemies, not curing headaches.”

  “What?” Her voice squeaked up an octave.

  “Know how long I’ve been looking for you? Ten years. Ten fucking long years and I finally find you and you’re clueless. I could’ve killed you. You could’ve killed me. I need to get out of here before I do something stupid and try to start this up again.”

  Jack tore out the front door and let his cursing bring up a fierce storm. He stayed on the beach until the frigid pelts of water doused his raging lust.

  Chapter 3

  Zoe rubbed her palms over her arms and legs and briefly closed her eyes. What had just happened? Her body was still vibrating from the pleasure of the man’s touch. Never had she felt anything like the raging desire he stirred in her. It was just her luck that the man was stark, raving mad. She pulled the pillow over her face and groaned into it.

  Olivia came back into the shop and raised a brow at her. “You’re awake.”

  “Yeah.” Zoe tried to adjust her hair and clothes but it was obvious she was sex-mussed. Humiliation mixed with her confusion and she let out a rough sigh.

  “I just saw Jack down on the beach with his family.” Olivia deposited the empty mugs she carried into the sink, then turned and leaned against the counter, arms crossed over her chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him angrier. What happened?”

  “Oh, Liv. I don’t even know.” She threw her hands up. “I know I’m not privy to all your weird shit, but I’m really at a serious disadvantage here. What the hell’s going on?”

  Olivia nodded at the new hole in the wall. “You didn’t by any chance throw some kind of energy into him?”

  “I guess.” She looked down at her hands and cringed, remembering. Her voice was weak when she spoke again, “I blasted him, but that was before he punched the wall.”

  Olivia frowned, pursed her lips, and narrowed her gaze. “Exactly what was his reaction when you…blasted him?”

  “He laughed.” Zoe put her legs to her chest and thumped her forehead against her knees. If she hadn’t needed a therapist before, she definitely needed one now. The thought of driving the short distance from the Jersey Shore to New York to visit Dr. Larry seemed like a reasonable option.

  “And… did he do the same thing to you?” Olivia sat down next to her and put out her hand to stop the head-banging. “Blast you with energy?”

  “No. I mean…he just touched my hand and I went all ga-ga. His touch went straight between my thighs. I’ve never been that into a guy before, let alone ready to tear his clothes off.” She covered her face with her hands and moaned. “He said I was his freaking mate.”

  “Oh shit,” Olivia muttered, standing abruptly. “We’ve got to talk. But first, I need to cleanse the shop. Give me a few minutes. The aura in here is all fucked up.”

  It was more than the aura in the room that was fucked up. Zoe clamped her lips and kept that thought to herself.

  Olivia pulled out a huge crock-pot shaped like a big black cauldron and started throwing herbs and spices into in it. It dwarfed the small stove. Occasionally she glanced up at Zoe and frowned.

  Could the day get any weirder?

  “While I’m cleaning, read this.” Olivia placed a book the size of a medieval bible on the tiny tea table. Dust flew up from it and clogged the air.

  “Seriously?” Zoe stood and eyed the huge book.

  “Seriously,” Olivia said with a stern nod. “You’re in deep shit and you better know what you’re in for. How the hell did I miss you having a strong warring talent? I don’t even want to speculate on what that means.”

  Zoe sat down and opened the musty smelling book, titled ‘Witches of the Warring Clan.’

  “Liv, I’ve told you. I’m not into this witchcraft stuff. It freaks me out.”

  Olivia shook her head and went back to her pot. “Just read.”

  Zoe flipped the pages and started reading. The book was filled with outlandish tales of ancient lore. It had The Hobbit beat by a long shot.

  Hours passed before Zoe finally pushed her chair back, stood, and stretched her sleeping muscles.

  Olivia chanted while adding peppermint and anise to a blackened iron pot.

  Brownies baked in one oven and chocolate chip cookies in another. The whole house smelled of yumminess.

  “There’s no dark aura in the world that can compete with this.” Olivia grabbed a hot mitt, and removed the steaming confection from the oven rack.

  Olivia sliced two hot gooey squares, gingerly put them in bowls, and scooped vanilla ice cream over the top. Two perfect volcanoes. Sweet creamy lava spread over the chocolate landscape.

  After a couple bites, Zoe almost felt normal.

  If nothing else, tonight she’d learned her libido wasn’t broken after all. The man she’d healed gave her panty-twisting, breast-aching, gotta-have-him lust. But that didn’t mean he was her mate, or that she was somehow from some warring clan.

  “Oh heavenly Goddess, we’ll have to work out for days for this sinful calorie intake,” Olivia said, in between mouthfuls.

  “But it’s so worth it.” Zoe smiled, then frowned when she remembered something she’d read. She still didn’t know what to believe, but she couldn’t help but be curious. “The book mentioned a perfect match. Do you know anything about it?”

  “Most likely a myth.” Olivia shrugged. “The talents of two witch
es combine when the two match, making both more powerful. The closer the match, the more power is shared. A perfect match would result in complete harmony of power. I’ve never seen it happen but Jack swears he has.”

  The hairs on the back of Zoe’s neck and arms stood on end as if electricity had suddenly shot through her body.

  “Who is the clan warring with?” Zoe asked, changing the subject. “Doesn’t say anything about that in the book.”

  “They don’t war with anyone anymore. They’ve signed treaties with most of the other clans.”

  “Then why call them warring?”

  “The term is centuries old.” Olivia shrugged and licked her spoon. “Let’s just say they have a tendency to fight for what they want.”

  “And the men, tonight. They’re part of this…warring clan?”

  “They’re Iesco. The most powerful clan on the east coast.” Olivia’s face went tight. “Jack’s their leader.”

  Zoe shivered and heat spread through her limbs at the mention of the man’s name.

  “So, what powers do they use? To fight with, I mean.”

  “Warring witches capture the electrons around them. They can focus them on a target. Most can only generate a mild electric current.”

  “Can you?”

  “Definitely not.” Olivia shook her head. “Healers see auras and sense people’s illnesses. We use that knowledge to heal. I’ve already shown you just about everything I can do.”

  “So what about my tornado thingy?”

  Olivia paused mid-bite and stared open-mouthed at her. “You conjured a vortex? I’ve never seen anything stronger than what Jack’s family doles out. I thought the rest pure myth.”

  This time when Zoe shivered, it was fear that sent a chill down her spine. She still didn’t want to believe that any of this was real, but how could she doubt what she’d seen with her own eyes?

  Chapter 4

  Two months prior

  Ivar smiled to himself and hummed a Russian folk tune. Perhaps in a day or so, he would call his clan leader in Moscow and let him know of his progress. Perhaps not. Soon he would not have to beg and bow to that pompous ass.