Bound by Magick 4-in-1 Box Set (Pentacles of Magick) (17 page)

Jake stared at him, longing evident in his slitted eyes and
the soft slash of his lips. Need gripped Denn by the balls. With the potent
combination of anger and magick, he couldn’t resist Jake now if he tried. This
close he already felt the heat of Jake’s skin soaking into him. He dipped his
head and pressed a crushing kiss to his lover’s lips, forcing his tongue inside
to revel in Jake's hot, masculine mouth.
 

A growl rumbled in his throat as the joining turned deeper
and more intimate than before.

His thoughts strayed back to the luscious curve of ruby red
lips tempting him with every sigh. The agony of those thoughts wrenched him
away from Jake and forced him two steps back. “What are we going to do if she
dies? What then? I might not have much time.” His voice came out harsher than
he intended, but he had to break the moment or he would be fucking Jake right
here in his office as he fantasized about the woman.
Not a great scenario there, Denn.

“You’re still not listening, Denn. What I’ve been trying to
tell you is I think the healing issue is basically because of who you are and
who she is to you.”

Denn furrowed his brows at Jake.

“If she is meant to take on the negative aspects of your
magick when you touch, maybe that is what is preventing her healing. Wouldn’t
it make sense that right now she might not be strong enough to do her job?”

Finally Jake’s words hit home, the light bulb turned on and
Denn knew. He’d noticed a difference in his magick since she’d been around, but
he hadn’t ever considered it might have something to do with her.
Fuck.

All the while he’d been trying to heal her, he’d actually
been harming her. Without even knowing it he’d gone from Dennison Scott the
healer to Dennison Scott the killer.

Chapter
Three

Jake rubbed the herbal potion in a circular pattern across
Raven’s bare, flat stomach. The contrast between his work roughened hands and
her unblemished skin thrilled him. So much so that his cock was now pressed so
tight against his zipper he wondered if he might break it. He could certainly
hammer fucking nails with it.

No wonder Denn had spent so much time in here. Just touching
her was like a sexual aphrodisiac, the effect so strong that he found himself
spending a lot more time in here than he needed to. Were all witches this
potent?

With Denn unable to touch her, Jake followed his directions
and took care of her all day and evening. Occasionally he would find Denn
standing in the doorway watching her. Yearning for her, if the look on his face
was any indication of what was really going on with him. If he hadn’t
experienced some of the same feelings and desires toward the witch, he might be
jealous. Denn was
his
lover, after
all.

Between Denn’s confusion and his guilt they’d certainly
become the pair. What a fucked up mess he’d landed in. Not that he’d trade a
second of his time with Denn for anything.

Once all the lotion had been applied, he loosened the rope
on her left wrist. God, how he hated that they had to restrain her but afraid
she would hurt herself in her nightmares, they’d had no choice. There were
fresh red streaks on the inside of her wrist from her latest episode that his
thumb passed over in a caressing motion. Unable to resist, he brought her wrist
to his lips and rained kisses all around her weary skin.
 

Not paying attention to anything but the chafed skin of his
patient’s wrist, he was shocked when her hand jerked out of his grasp and
fastened around his throat in the blink of an eye. Her fingers dug into the
vulnerable skin between his jaw and shoulder blade, nearly rendering him
helpless. He looked into her midnight blue eyes and saw pure rage and
fear—she wanted her freedom. His throat constricted as she cut off his
air supply, and he swung his arm down in a circular motion, hitting at the weak
part of the wrist, forcing her fingers apart long enough for him to twist out
of her grasp and rocket off the chair next to the bed.

“Dammit, woman, are you trying to kill me?” He massaged his
throat as she continued to stare at him with a venomous anger that might maim
him if he got even an inch closer.

“Where am I? What the hell is going on? Why the fuck am I
tied to a bed? Untie me right now,” she ordered.

“If you’ll calm down for a minute, I’ll get Denn and we can
explain what happened to you. Jesus, chill.” He watched her lips move again,
but the sound coming out was whispered and fast. On and on, she spoke.

“What? I can’t understand you.” Still, she didn’t stop, and
it finally dawned on him that she wasn’t trying to talk to him but instead was
chanting. Fuck, she was trying to work a spell. Panic flooded him as he reached
for an idea to protect himself.
 

Calm down, Jake, you
know her magick won’t work in this house
.

Denn made sure of that as soon as he brought her home. Yet
the more she chanted the louder she got. The fine hairs on his arms stood on
end as a whisper of power buzzed around his body.

“Denn!” he shouted. Where the fuck was he?

“Your magick won’t work here, Raven.” Her chant ceased
abruptly as she lifted her cold gaze back to his face. “That’s right. This
house has been warded up tight against witches like you. The only magick that
works in here is Scott Magick.”

“I demand to be released. You can’t hold me here like this.
My coven will be searching for me and when they find me you can be sure there
will be hell to pay for this.”

“Are you sure about that, witch?
 
You’ve been here for weeks and we haven’t heard a peep about
you from any coven, local or in Boston.” Again her gaze registered shock at his
words. “Yes, we know exactly who you are. Hell, with Gralen’s research we
probably know more about you than you know yourself. You’ve got quite the
colorful past.”

Her eyes turned hard again. “Why am I being held here? I’ve
never known the Scott clan to be violent.” Her voice grew stronger with every
word out of her mouth. Already she had gained some strength since she woke up.
Amazing, really, how well Denn’s magick could work when applied correctly.

“You’ve been ill. You fell sick in Boston and Denn brought
you here to heal.”

“Kidnapped, you mean. And I didn’t exactly ‘fall’ sick now,
did I? That bastard Cash almost killed me.” She struggled with the loose bed
sheet, trying to pull it up, until finally it gave and she was able to cover
her partial nudity. “I’ve heard rumors for years about the depraved sexual
practices of the Scott twins.” She struggled against the ropes. “But this is a
little ridiculous, don’t you think? They really have to resort to unwilling
victims now?”

Jake bit back a laugh at the incredulous look on her face.
She sure was a sassy little thing. “You’re only tied up because we were afraid
you were going to hurt yourself in your sleep.” She fell silent at his statement,
not only that but she also she turned her face away, focusing on the far wall.
“I take it you’re not surprised by that fact?” Still she said nothing.

Several awkward minutes later she spoke. “So, who are you?
You don’t look familiar to me, you can’t be a Scott.”

“You know all of them, huh? Not just the one you were trying
to kill?”

“Hey, everyone has to make a living.”

“Oh, please, don’t give me that bullshit. What kind of
living includes killing someone?”

“A lucrative one.” Her voice sounded as icy as her eyes had
looked staring him down earlier. “So are you going to untie me or not?”

She has balls that’s for sure. Rubbing his throat, he
responded. “I’m thinking not. I’ll wait for Denn to get here and see what he
thinks we should do with you.”

“Ohhh, I get it. You’re Denn Scott’s new flunkie.” She
looked at him then, a measure of spark and sarcasm shining from her face.

What the hell was with this woman?

Unable to stop, a low chuckle sounded from his throat.
“Flunkie, now there’s a thought. I’m going to have to remember that one. Should
be good for a laugh later tonight.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “So, what are you going to do with me
then? My legs are hurting and I really need to pee. Surely you’re not afraid of
little ole me.”

“You really do have a smart mouth on you. Keep it up and I’m
sure to find something creative for you to do with it.” He smiled again.

“What the hell is going on?” They both jerked at Denn’s
voice from the open doorway.

“Your witch woke up and tried to choke the life out of me.
And she has quite an attitude.” Once again he gently rubbed his throat with his
fingers, remembering the inhumanly strong grip she had managed.

“Oh, as if you wouldn’t have an attitude if you woke up tied
to a strange bed,” she spat.

“See what I mean?”

“Well, I guess this proves once and for all that your theory
was right, Jake. This is going to be one hell of a situation and I doubt she is
going to like it.”

“Hey, I’m right here.” She waved her free hand in front of
her face. “Someone care to tell me what is going on and when exactly you are
planning to let me go?”

Denn walked over to the bed and began untying the rope from
around her bound wrist. Jake noticed he took extra care to not touch her skin.
Although, despite that lack of skin-to-skin connection, the energy in the room
changed, thickened. He backed away from the bed, letting Raven reach for her
ankles and untie them herself.

“We only tied you up to keep you safe.”

“Yeah, yeah, your boy over there already told me that.”

Denn choked on her words. “My boy?” He turned toward Jake
with an odd look of confusion.

“Yes, Raven and I had been having a rather surreal
conversation before you arrived, and needless to say she has some rather
strange opinions. Apparently I am your flunkie.” Denn had moved away from the
bed and Jake watched cautiously as Raven finished untying the last knot holding
her to the bed. She no sooner got free than she bolted to the door. “Shit.” He
saw her slip out the door just as he started after her.

“Wait.” Denn’s voice boomed through the room.

“But she’s—”

Denn held up his hand, cutting off his statement. “Going
nowhere. I told you I spelled the house. That includes a lockdown for her. In
fact… “Denn headed for the door. “ This ought to be amusing.”

“You’re dark, Denn, real dark.”

A crash from across the house reminded them that they had a
wild, angry witch loose in the house. “Maybe we should go make sure she doesn’t
hurt herself or destroy the house.”

“Good idea.”

Jake followed Denn through the house, searching room by room
for Raven, for once cursing the size and three levels of the townhouse.
Eventually they wandered into the courtyard and found Raven alternately yanking
on the door, trying to open it, and pounding on it as hard as she could while
screaming for help.

“Raven, enough. The entire property is protected from the
inside out and your magick is not only too weak to break it, but it's actually
completely useless as long as you’re here. You have been bound, sweetheart.”

She turned and looked at him. She panted from the exertion
of running and fighting against his wards. Sweat covered her brow and she
looked even paler than before. “I. Am. Not. Your. Sweetheart.”

“Don’t I know that.”

Jake watched the compelling dynamic between the two people
in front of him. They stood only inches apart and their gazes were locked on
one another, tension sizzling in the air. He needed to break this up before
Denn lost control of his restraint and reached for her. As fun as that sounded,
watching the two of them combust together, he wasn’t sure her health could take
it yet. He strode forward and stepped between them.

“Raven, you are barely awake from a weeks long coma, I don’t
think this is such a great idea.” He grabbed her arm with the intention of
leading her back to bed and away from Denn. She wrenched her arm from his grip,
twisting and turning.

“Let me go. I’m fine, I just need to get the hell away from
here. Away from the two of you.” She pressed her palm against his chest and the
heat of it nearly burned him. Her magick may be ineffective here, but her
attempt at using it had really ramped her up. She definitely needed to cool
down.

“You are not fine, you’re burning up.”

“What? Let me see.” Denn tried to elbow Jake aside.

“No Denn, you know you can’t touch her. Not yet.”

He growled at him. “This is getting really old, Jake. She’s
awake. I need to help her.”

“Didn’t we—”

“Oh, dear Goddess, would the two of you shut up already? I’m
perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Been doing it a long time.” She
lifted her chin and straightened her spine. “Now point me to a shower and bring
me some damn clothes to wear.” They both looked down at her dressed in just one
of Denn’s soft gray t-shirts that came to mid thigh on her. Jake swallowed.
Both he and Denn knew from experience she wore nothing else under that shirt
except a teeny tiny pair of white panties. Something neither of them needed to
be thinking about. Jake blew out a harsh breath.

This was going to be a long damn day.

Chapter
Four

Hot water sluiced over her shoulders and slid down her back,
the warmth seeping into her skin. Goddess that felt good. Her thoughts wandered
to just a short while ago when she had awakened to the unfamiliar sensation of
a large male hand stroking her bare belly and heat pooling in her lower body in
response. She’d cracked open her eyes to find an incredibly built man sitting
next to her bed applying some sort of herbal lotion to her skin. His light
brown wavy hair fell across his face as he bent down to his task. Thinking now,
she knew waking up like that should have not only shocked her, but by every
right she should have attacked him then. Yet something about him soothed her.
His familiar voice lulled her, while he continued talking to her as if she
still slept.

Eventually the fog in her brain his touch created dissipated
and she’d realized she had to take action to get him away from her. It was
either that or she was going to start moaning from the touch of a perfect
stranger. The whole situation made absolutely no sense to her.
 

She’d heard stories about the incredible power that Cash and
his brothers could wield, but when she’d gone after Cash for the Reverend,
she’d miscalculated his strong moral code and found herself helpless underneath
Cash’s attack.

But she wasn’t in Boston anymore, just the few glimpses out
the windows as she’d ran from room to room looking for a way out had given her
a pretty good view of Bourbon Street in the distance. She was in New Orleans.
On vacation she would have been celebrating, as this town was her favorite to
escape to, but Dennison Scott and his unknown friend were holding her captive.
He wasn’t exactly unknown, though, was he? She knew his name was Jake and she
had strange recollections of him caring for her the last few days. A reverent
touch. Well-placed kisses to her heated skin…

Her soapy hands roamed over her body, lingering around her
sensitive breasts and their hardened tips. Why did thoughts of a certain tall
man with light hair and amber-colored eyes have her body burning with desire
despite the obvious danger? Her fingertips grazed against her nipples where she
couldn’t resist pulling and teasing them a little more. Sensation sizzled
through her as the heat climbed higher in her body. A slight moan sounded in
her throat at the delicious tingling in her breasts and pussy. The temptation
to touch her clit and bring herself to orgasm rattled through as she fought to
regain control over her traitorous body.

Stop it. What are you
doing?

Her brain finally registered her lack of focus on the
reality of her situation. She stopped rubbing her body. Determined to put these
insane thoughts out of her head, Raven turned the water to an almost frigid
temperature and quickly finished her shower. Drying off with the towel, she
contemplated her options. Physical escape didn’t seem possible. Denn’s magick
was far greater than hers, and as long as she was in this house she could
barely even call up a wisp of her own power. Her temples pounded. Just trying
it had given her the headache from hell.

First things first. Exactly how much time had passed since
the fight with Cash? She walked over to the door and hollered through it. “How
long was I unconscious, Jake?”

She heard muffled voices but no one answered her. She raised
her fist and pounded on the door. “Can you hear me out there?”

“You were asleep for more than two weeks, Raven.” A strong
but quiet voice spoke just on the other side of the door. Not Jake, though.
Dennison. A chill swept over her skin, raising goose bumps and sending a shiver
up her spine. She’d only seen him for a short time, but like Jake, there was
something familiar about him as well. When he’d stood so close to her at the
courtyard door, his clean male scent assaulted her senses and for a brief
moment he’d paralyzed her. If she closed her eyes now and concentrated she
could almost smell him again. Raven inhaled. What would it be like to run her
naked body against his? Blend their scents together?

Oh, Goddess, she was in so much trouble in this house. What
the hell was wrong with her? Her brain should be calculating every avenue of
potential escape from them. The only thing that mattered was formulating a
plan. She needed to report back to the Rev. What must he be thinking about her
disappearance by now? And why the hell hadn’t he figured out where she was? He
had said all of the brothers were under surveillance.

“Raven, are you okay in there? Do you need anything? Are you
sure you don’t want one of us to help you? You’ve been very ill, you need to be
careful not to overdo it.”

“Don’t worry, mother hen, I’m going to be fine.” She leaned
into the door, smiling. Denn seemed to have a soft side. Perfect. A weakness to
exploit. She pushed off the door and reached for the clean clothes they had
provided. Really large sweat pants and another soft gray t-shirt. No bra or
panties, so if she continued to get aroused around them she was going to have a
damn hard time hiding it. She sighed as she knotted the corner of the overly
large pants at her waist. That would at least hold them up.

First thing she needed to do was find a way to get a message
to her coven or Scott. Preferably Scott. She wasn’t sure she could trust anyone
in the group to actually convey a message to the Reverend. They were all scared
to death of him. Hell,
she
was afraid
of him. Not that they didn’t have good reason for their feelings. He had a
habit of doling out pretty severe punishments every time one of the witches
failed any of his missions. Failure wasn’t an option, and luckily they were the
best at what they did—the loss of a target was extremely rare amongst
them.

As she slipped the warm athletic socks onto her feet, she
stopped. Would being in the house with one of the twins outweigh the fact that
another had bested her? Would her failure this time finally be the last straw
he’d been threatening for a good long time? A chill swept through her. She
shook her head. It didn’t do a bit of good to think like that. She had a job to
do and it’s what she needed to focus on. Getting out of here any which way she
could. Raven hesitated at the door and listened intently. There was nothing she
wasn’t willing to do to reach her objective.
Nothing.

She quietly turned the knob, hoping the room outside would
be empty so she could continue her reconnaissance around the house. If she
couldn’t leave then she’d spend some time learning everything she could. Easing
her body between a small opening in the door, she stopped in her tracks.
 
Both Jake and Denn stood across the
room, deep in conversation. She couldn’t quite make out what they were saying,
but Jake’s hand rested on Denn’s shoulder, caressing the spot in a rather
intimate way.

Oh my Goddess, are
they?
She stood transfixed, curious about the familiar way their bodies
angled into each other. Lean muscle against dark brawn. She could almost
picture their lips touching, hands roaming…
Oh,
my
. Not wanting them to see her, she quickly eased back through the opening
and pulled the door closed with little sound. She leaned forward and rested her
forehead on the door.
 

Were Denn and Jake lovers? She thought hard about the
implications of that information and figured there had to be a way to take
advantage of it, but all she could focus on was the two of them standing so
close to one another. If Jake had leaned slightly forward his lips would have
been touching Denn’s. She groaned at the image. What would it be like to watch
the two of them together? Her pussy pulsed at the thought of the two men
pressed up against each other, one dominating the other.
Holy fucking hell
. What the hell was in that lotion that Jake
rubbed on her?
 

Raven began to doubt what she had seen. More than likely her
brain was fried from her ordeal and she’d imagined more than what was really
there. Obviously the two of them were close friends. Seeing them as friends was
easy, imagining them as lovers was quite a leap from a slight shoulder rub.
Get a grip, Raven
.

First, she pulled herself upright and forced herself to
think about the Reverend and what he would do when he found her. She had to
stay strong and focus on her job. She didn’t want them to know she’d seen
anything so she shuffled around the door, even knocking into it a couple of
times so the men would hear her coming this time. There’d be another chance to
look around the house, she was sure of it.

Walking from the bathroom, she found Jake and Denn standing
side by side, watching her entrance carefully. Their quiet moment was gone, and
now it was her turn to be scrutinized. She stood there in her oversized
clothing with the two men staring so intensely at her, she wondered if they
could see through them. Goddess now she was just being silly. So why exactly
was moisture gathering between her legs?

“You hungry?” Jake smiled at her.

He had no idea. “Yeah, I could eat,” she whispered, praying
they wouldn’t notice the arousal roughened tone of her voice. Two seconds
later, her stomach growled.

“That’s some answer. How about I cook us something?” Jake
grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. “Cajun food is my new
specialty. Got any favorites?”

She shot a look at Denn who simply shrugged his shoulders.
She was on her own.

* * *

"It’s about time you showed up. You have kept me
waiting for almost an hour. Considering your already tenuous situation, do you
really think that was a good idea?”

Jake looked at the pompous older man now sitting across from
him in the little street café. It was easy to see he was related to Denn. They
had the same dark hair, similar build and a bump on his nose that nearly
matched the one his lover had. Inside they couldn’t be more night and day. This
man possessed a black heart from hell, although he hid it well from the public
behind his religion. How the hell did he ever think it was a good idea to get
hooked up with such a crooked man, and a Reverend at that? Well, it wasn’t as
if he’d had a choice.

“My delay couldn’t be avoided. I have to be extra cautious
these days. Your bounty hunter has more than complicated things lately.” He
watched Scott’s eyes narrow at him over the mention of Raven, his hunter.

“Yes, about her. Why have I not received any reports on her
status lately? Has she recovered yet? What is that nasty nephew of mine doing
to her these days? It’s hard to believe the infamous healer Dennison Scott
can’t help her.”

“You know, he actually does have a remarkable ability with
his potions. I’ve seen him cure some things everyone was certain could not be
cured, help people in hopeless situations. You ever think you don’t give him
enough credit?”

“Jake, you’re not going soft on me, are you? Don’t tell me
he’s starting to fool you too with all of his do-gooder nonsense.” Scott raked
a sharpened nail across the table, menace dripping from his voice. “It would be
a real shame to have to get rid of you, too.”

Jake leaned across the table, lowering his voice so the
other patrons couldn’t hear him. “Don’t even try to threaten me again, old man.
I have done more than I ever signed on to do, and I’m here, aren’t I, so don’t
go giving me your melodramatic bullshit. Save it for your blind sheep.”

Jake watched the fire of anger stoke in the other man’s eyes
as the atmosphere in the room changed, becoming almost stifling with a blast of
power. Jake laughed. “Careful, old man, your true colors are showing. You do
remember we’re in a very public place, right?”

“Enough! I will not accept such insolence from the likes of
you. Either tell me what I came here to find out or deal with the consequences.
Are you prepared for that, my boy?” Scott leaned close to Jake’s head. Close
enough for him to smell his putrid breath. “And believe me, boy, when I am
done, even the fire and brimstone of Hell won’t want the remains.”

Jake swallowed hard, remembering all too clearly why he was
here. Because of that he refrained from either laughing in the man’s face or
beating him to a bloody pulp right here in front of the customers. One of these
days…

“Are you ready to order, sirs?” the waiter broke into their
conversation and Jake decided restraint the best course of action. He glanced
up at the young man and saw the drawn worry lines across his forehead and the
embarrassment in his eyes. Apparently he and Scott had been making more of a
scene than they realized if the waiter looked that frightened.

“I’ll take coffee, thick and black, if you don’t mind, and a
beignet
, warm.”

“Certainly. And you, sir?” He looked hesitantly at the
Reverend.

“I’ll have a triple shot mocha espresso and some of your
homemade sweet cake.” He turned a smile on the waiter, full of his trademark
charm, and the waiter visibly relaxed.

“Yes, sir, right away.” He took the menus from the table and
hurried off to the kitchen.

“Start talking, boy, and quit giving me a hard time. You're
embarrassing yourself.”

Jake let the comment pass. “Raven is awake now and working
hard to find a way free.”

“About damn time. Now tell me what you’re going to do to
help her. Actually, I need to speak with her.”

“That’s going to be a little hard to do at the moment. Denn
is watching her like a hawk and that house is magickally locked down tight. She
is helpless against it.” Jake watched the other man's nails tap against the
table as he processed what Jake told him.
 

“This only affects her obviously. You got here okay. I have
someone who can help with that. Bring me a copy of the spells he used to ward
the house and I will get it taken care of. Then you can bring her to me.”