Bound by Magick 4-in-1 Box Set (Pentacles of Magick) (19 page)

Neither of them spoke as they each struggled with catching
their breath and recovering. Denn had known fucking her would be good but damn,
this was off the charts. If she wasn’t already his captive he would drag her inside
and lock her up so as not to let her get away. He’d never had sex like that.

Immediately guilt stabbed through him at that thought.
Thoughts of Jake and their mind-blowing sex flooded him. This was different. He
already loved Jake, and now this woman sprawled across him naked and in the
sunshine, was working her way inside him almost against his will. Would he have
to choose between them? Or could he possibly convince them both that they
belonged with him?

Hell, who was he kidding?

“Raven?”

“Mmhmm?” Her voice sounded sleepy and far off. He hated to
break the mood, he liked the idea of keeping her naked next to him a lot.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on between us?”

Her head shot up and she looked at him. “Yeah, great sex.
Well, that and the fact that you are holding me here against my will. So I’m
still technically your prisoner.” She smirked at the last part.

“I think there’s more to it than just great sex.”

“C'mon, Denn, don’t go taking this so seriously. We had fun,
please don’t kill it with emotion.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, either.”

She looked at him quizzically. “What then?”

“Our magick. Together it’s different.”

“We’re both witches, what did you expect? Power begets power
like this. Haven’t you ever had sex with a witch before?”

“So, you’ve had sex with other witches and felt something
like this before?” The thought burned inside him.

She turned away, resting her cheek against his chest again.
“I’ve had sex before, Denn, I’m no innocent.”

“I didn’t mean that as an insult, Raven. I just wanted to
know if you’d experienced a power change like that. I’ve had sex before, too,
and never have I felt anything like that.”

“I don’t think you should read anything into this, it’s
probably just a fluke.”

He wondered if she realized that her thumb stroked his chest
as she spoke or if it was an unconscious gesture. To him that soft caress meant
the world. It spoke volumes about what went on inside her pretty head besides
killing and running.

“I think there is something you need to know, Raven.” It was
time to tell her about the prophecy. If she was who they thought she was, they
could trust her.

“Looks like I missed the party?” Jake's voice had them both
jumping.
 

Raven pushed against Denn, looking around frantically for
her discarded clothes, but Denn gripped her arms tight and held her in place
plastered across his body. She twisted back around to look at him and his eyes
bore into her with a dark warning look. He obviously didn’t want her going
anywhere yet. But damn, she didn’t want to be in the middle of a potential
lover’s quarrel, if that’s what they are.

“No, Jake, the party has barely begun.”

Raven looked up at Jake then and recognized the myriad of
emotions in his eyes. Jealousy, pain, and more than a little curiosity if the
state of his cock was any indication.
Oh
no, I definitely can’t be doing this
. The alarms going off in her head told
her to get up and get out fast, but her body betrayed her once again. She felt
a familiar tingling of arousal sneak up on her. Something about these two men
had a hold on her and not for the first time she wondered if there was
something magickal at play here.
 

“Uh huh. So, did you tell her yet?”

“Tell me what?” She looked back and forth between the two,
suddenly feeling a little out of the loop. Obviously they had some information
that she needed to know. She struggled in Denn’s arms, trying to work herself
free. Just like her, his body was stirring again, and if she didn’t get some
distance between them she’d be begging to be fucked again and this time it
wouldn’t just be Denn. “Let go of me. Now.” She stared at Denn, willing him to
release her. Finally he did and she scrambled from the chair and scooped her
clothes from the patio, intent on getting away from these two as fast as she
could.

She strode towards Jake, knowing she had to walk past him
fully naked to get back to the house. Despite how she looked she held her head
high and walked by…almost.

Jake swung out his arm in front of her, stopping her in her
tracks. “Don’t go.”

His simple statement gave her pause. While it wasn’t a
question neither did it feel like a demand. In fact, it had almost sounded like
a plea. She looked at his arm, tan with a light dusting of brown hair, and
lean, corded muscles running the entire length. His hand looked like it had
seen its fair share of work with rougher skin and a couple of calluses. A
shiver worked through her. She well remembered the feel of that same hand
stroking her belly and legs as she’d lain in her bed. His touch had managed to
turn her inside out until she wanted to scream with want for him. And now here
she stood, just having fucked one man and now desiring another.
 
What the hell had gotten into her? She
needed out of this house. Something was wrong with her.

“Don’t,” she pleaded. “Something is wrong with me.”

“Nothing is wrong with you.” His hand curled gently around
her arm. “Please let me touch you again.”

Her heart lurched at his whispered words. When he continued
to stroke up her arm to the curve of her shoulder her eyes slid shut. She
wanted this. No matter how fucked up it was, she wanted both Jake and Denn, and
she didn’t have it in her to deny it.

When a warm naked body pressed against her backside she
moaned aloud. Denn now nibbled along the back of her neck and shoulders and
Jake worked his way around the front. On a soft sigh, she gave in, dropping her
clothes to the ground. She reached up and slowly undid the buttons of Jake’s
shirt, revealing a sculpted chest she longed to touch. Raven slid her hands
underneath the soft fabric of his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. He
released her arm just long enough to get it off before bringing his lips to
hers in a crushing kiss.
 

Denn’s hands moved down to her ass, where he massaged each
globe as he teased the seam of her bottom with a finger, alternately running
the length and dipping inward to tap at her tighter, smaller opening. “Mine,”
he growled.

Uncontrollable desire licked at Raven as Jake plundered her
mouth and Denn worked her ass. She reached down to feel Jake’s hardness through
his jeans, itching to touch his bare, heated skin against her own. She fumbled
with the buttons of his fly, desperate to release his cock. Buttons undone, she
was beyond pleased to discover that he wore no underwear, and she hastily freed
him from the stifling confines of his pants. A choked noise came from him as he
broke their kiss. “Oh God, yes, Raven, your hands are so soft. More baby,
please.”

She wrapped her hand around his thick shaft, squeezing
harder before moving her hand back and forth against the silky skin. He leaned
in and rested his forehead against hers while he bucked his hips in rhythm with
her movements. Her thumb flicked over the head, spreading his pre cum around
and against the sensitive underside. She wanted to taste him, find out firsthand
if he tasted as good as he looked.

She couldn’t keep that train of thought for long as Denn’s
finger dipped into her pussy and began spreading her moisture to her back
entrance. Over and over he added more, lubricating her. She tensed up when his
finger pushed its way against the tight ring of muscle.

“Relax, Raven, I’m going to do this nice and slow, baby. I
don’t want to hurt you and believe me, any pain you feel will dissipate if you
just relax.”

“Do you know this from experience or are you just making that
up?” she breathlessly whispered.

“Hmm, would you really like to know?”

She didn’t get a chance to answer because Denn sank the rest
of his finger deep in her ass, taking her breath away. She hissed at the
whisper of pain but quickly forgot when he stroked across a sensitive spot she
didn’t know she had. So much pleasure…

“Oh damn, Jake, she is so fucking tight back here.”

“Be gentle with her, Denn, we don’t know yet if she can take
it the way you like it.” Jake leaned close to her ear. “He likes things a
little rough sometimes, baby.”

She shook her head through her lust-fogged thoughts to focus
on what Jake had said. “What are you talking about, Jake? What does he like?
And how do you know?”

He flashed a devilish grin at her before giving her a quick
smack on the lips. “Don’t worry, Raven, I won’t let him hurt you this time.”

“This time?” She gulped in air, trying to catch her breath.
It was hard to have a conversation with Jake while Denn worked on her. Not to
mention the trail Jake was making down her body with his tongue. Her followed
her neck to her chest and then swirled around her breasts before finally taking
a nipple in his mouth. He passed back and forth between them, leaving them
aching for more when he moved on.

As he moved downward she was forced to release his cock and
grab his shoulders to steady herself. His tongue briefly delved into her belly
button before he continued on.
 

“You’re doing great, Raven, relax and lean up against Jake.”
She heard his words but didn’t comprehend them. Jake’s tongue trailed quickly
through the curls covering her sex only seconds away from her nirvana. At the
first touch of his warm, firm tongue against her clit she screamed out and Denn
slid a second finger into her passage. Pain and pleasure exploded around her as
both men moved in a quick rhythm that complemented each other. Jake’s tongue
and teeth worked her clit and Denn’s fingers dipped in and out of her with
swift movements, alternating a sensual pain with exquisite pleasure every time
he withdrew.

When Jake’s fingers joined his tongue she dug into his
shoulder and let loose with a moan of sheer delight.

“She’s close, Jake. Her ass is gripping and pulsing against
my fingers”

Jake increased the pressure against her clit until Raven
thought she would faint. Then he pushed two fingers into her pussy and the wave
of her orgasm burst free and swamped her. She screamed and bucked against their
fingers, unable to stop or get enough. They continued finger fucking her like
that for what seemed like hours until she collapsed. Jake caught her from
falling onto the hard ground.

She struggled for breath as Jake held her tightly in his
arms, brushing her hair away from her face. His tender movements comforted at
the same time stark fear shook her. Something intense was happening between
them and she didn’t understand it. They talked in riddles around her and she
needed to hear what they had to say, but first she needed to clean up and put
on some clean clothes. Honestly she just needed some more time alone to
consider what was going on in this house. And for that matter, inside her.

She struggled to sit up.

“What’s wrong, Raven?” Jake looked at her with a crease of
concern running across his forehead.

“Nothing. I just need a shower and some clean clothes.” She
stood on shaky legs, careful not to make any sharp moves.

“Wait, let us take care of you.”

“No, Jake, not this time. Right now I need some time alone
and a long hot shower.”

“We need to talk. Explain, actually.” Denn’s voice sounded
strong and clear behind her. She would bet that he always got what he wanted,
what with that incredible aura of authority that surrounded him, although there
was a darkness to it. She could feel the anger in his power every time he came
near. It confused her as much as it drew her.

“Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much? 'Cause I would
understand it if they did.”

“This is serious, Raven,” Denn warned.

“Of course it is. But it’s going to have to wait for a
little while longer, okay?” The last line was delivered with more sarcasm than she
had intended, but dammit she needed to get away from them right now. As she
turned and walked away she heard Jake say something puzzling in a quiet voice.

“Hope it won’t be too late.”

Chapter Six

 
“What the hell
is that supposed to mean?” Denn asked, reaching for his jeans, he tugged them
on over his hips but left them unfastened. He watched Jake do the same,
remembering that he was the only one in the house who hadn’t had an orgasm
today.
 

“She’s behaving like a petulant child, refusing to listen
when we both know how important she is.”

“Maybe we’re wrong.”

Jake started to say something and Denn put up his hand to
stop him. “Seriously, Jake, it’s not as if we have an instruction manual on how
this is supposed to work. But I would imagine that despite the prophecy we
still have to deal with freewill and all that jazz.”

“Please tell me you aren’t trying to say that what just
happened with her was against her will. You did see the way she responded to
the both of us.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” He scrubbed his fingers
through his hair. “I won’t deny there is a strong sexual chemistry and even our
magick is affected. But let’s not forget what brought her here and what keeps
her here. If we were to let her go today, what would happen? She doesn’t look
or act like she wants to stay here.”

“Now turn that around, Denn. If you didn’t know she was your
woman from the prophecy would you want her to stay?”

Jake had a point there. He couldn’t say for sure what would
be happening if they hadn’t figured out who she was. Even before Jake had told
him, he’d known something was different about her, but he’d been torn.
 
He already had a solid relationship
with Jake and wasn’t looking to change that.
 

“You and I—”

“I know, Denn. You weren’t looking for this and neither was
I.” He turned away and headed towards the house. Denn stared after him, trying
to understand the conflict surrounding them.
 
He wanted Jake, there was no doubt about that, and it wasn’t
just the sex. No, their relationship had developed beyond the sexual
exploration a while back. But, he also wanted Raven.
 

“Jake,” he called out. When the other man stopped he
continued. “I don’t want you to leave.” He moved forward, bringing himself
closer. “Nothing has changed between us. I need you to stay.”

“But the witch…”

“We’re going to work it out. I’ve been giving this a lot of
thought. Maybe she is meant to be with us both. It’s not just me that she is
drawn to, you know. I’ve seen the way you two long for each other when you
think no one is watching.”

“Come on, Denn, us both? That sounds like a stretch.”

“Yeah, maybe, and then again maybe not. The whole situation
is beyond unconventional, so who's to say what’s right or wrong here?
 
Can everything we feel be wrong? I
don’t think so. She fits well with us. Perfectly, in fact.”

“We need to talk to her.”

“Agreed.” Denn had a feeling they needed to do it sooner
rather than later. His magick buzzed more than normal. It had him on alert. It
made him think of Noah. Normally a surge like this came from his connection
with his twin, but it had been weeks since he’d spoken with his brother. He’d
gone off on a new quest to find a missing person and likely would continue to
be out of touch until he’d found who he was looking for. He tended to have a
single-minded focus when it came to his work.

Hell, Noah didn’t even know about the changes with Grae or
Cash yet.

“You okay, Denn?”

Jake’s words broke through his thoughts of his brother and
brought him back to the present. “Yeah.” He needed to read through his journal,
make some notes and adjustments. He had a feeling the more he documented the
more he could make sense of it.

“You worry too much, Denn.” Jake touched his shoulder,
moving his fingers in a strong massaging motion. “Your muscles are all tense
again. I believe that whatever is meant to happen with Raven will happen on its
own. She isn’t going anywhere, so let’s just see where this goes, okay?”

Denn relaxed under his lover’s attempts to release his
tension. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have found Jake. It restored
in his faith in fate.

* * *

 
“I need to get
out of here.” She rubbed her arms and crouched by the door, anxious.

“What’s wrong, Raven?” Denn asked.

“This isn’t right. Holding me here like this. I need to get
away before something happens.”

“Like what?”

She didn’t answer right away. What could she say? An energy
buzzed under her skin and she didn’t know how to explain it, nor did she know
what to do with it. With her magick bound some of her normal coping mechanisms
were missing.

“Does this have to do with being held against your will or
with what happened between the three of us?”

She just stared at him. Unseeing. She stayed back by the
door, afraid to get to close. Something about being in his proximity made her
crazy.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” He came around the desk, headed in
her general direction.

“No, stay back. Don’t come any closer." Panic rose
within her, her heart raced, and her skin crawled.

“Raven, baby, what is it?”

“I don’t know, something is happening.” She couldn’t
breathe. She held up her hands and focused on the energy in the room. She
imagined the moisture in the air and mist rained down on them.
 

“What the hell? How are you doing that? Your magick is
bound. I did it myself.”

She concentrated harder past the pain of pushing at the
barrier. Deep breaths in and out and it burst. Pain shot through her body as
magick filled the room. She briefly looked at the shock on Denn’s face as the
flood of power swamped her. She ran past Denn and out the French doors into the
courtyard. The mist changed to a soft rain that her skin soaked up greedily.
She tilted her face skyward, using her freed power to call more water until the
rain turned into a torrential downpour, flooding the courtyard and boosting her
beyond measure.

Now this is more like
it.

After weeks of being trapped in a powerless body her energy
and magick were back and she was free.
 

As the rain soaked her hair and clothes it dawned on her
that whatever magick had been not only binding her magick, but also holding her
in Denn’s home, had been broken. She could finally leave.

Her breath halted.
I
can leave
. Her mind automatically flashed to Denn and Jake. Her sexy dark
witch and fair-haired sweetheart, but her thoughts darkened when she remembered
the journal entries she had read early that morning. Curious about what they
were up to but not yet ready to face them, she’d snuck into Denn’s office and
found his journal.

No, Denn and Jake weren’t with her out of some kind of
fanciful love. Her heart fractured when she’d read that they thought she was
the woman prophesied for Denn. His savior. Tears welled and she lifted her head
again, letting the rains cleanse her of them.

She wasn’t anyone’s savior. She wasn’t even a very nice
person. Raised in a coven that believed in a cause she didn’t understand, her
whole life had been focused on nothing but honing her craft and training to be
a hunter. A job she was really good at. At least, until now. Now she would be
the hunted. Something she couldn’t tolerate and had to fix.

She followed the winding path through the courtyard,
refusing to look in the direction of the sitting area, where the lounge chairs
were. Where they’d…

It was time to go.
 

Her feet moved faster, changing from a walk to a run as she
streaked through the gardens and slipped into the kitchen, heading full force
for her room and what little belongings she could take with her.

The house was eerily quiet, yet the magick buzzed stronger
than ever before. It was soft and familiar, encouraging her to hurry.

In her room she grabbed the duffel bag she’d confiscated
earlier in the week, already packed with necessities from the clothes and
things Jake had bought her. On the dresser there was a small frame that held a
picture of Denn and his twin brother Noah. She swiped it and dropped it in her
bag.

With no time to waste, and not knowing who might be coming
up behind her, she swung her legs out the window and down the fire escape she
had scoped out the first week she’d been awake.

As she climbed down the ladder she thought about New Orleans
and what she could remember of it from her last visit, which had been many
years ago. There was a large coven nearby but she imagined that Denn knew them
well and would look for her there first. Her own coven may be looking for her
as well, and with her recent failed mission she wasn’t sure she could trust
them to keep her safe, either. She needed to talk to Scott, but on her own
terms and from a safe location. His reach was long and wide and if he had plans
to eliminate her or worse, she couldn’t just pop up on his radar.
 

That left her with only one desperate option. Severina. A
voodoo priestess in the quarter that Raven had sought in the past. She’d been
here on a job and needed some sensitive information and a friend had
recommended Severina’s services to her. In exchange for the information she
sought, she helped the woman out with a little extermination problem. It had
been an uneasy alliance because Severina disapproved of her and her connection
to Scott, but she was a woman of honor and her word was solid.
 

Now all she could do was seek her out again and see if they
could once again do business. She didn’t have much to bargain with but she did
have her magick, which in New Orleans used to be a highly valued commodity.

Turning down Benton Street, she thought about the house
she’d just left behind. Or, more to the point, the men she’d run from. Before
Denn had come into the office she had been rummaging through his desk looking
for something, anything that would help free her.

As she methodically searched his desk, magick had crawled
across her body. A different sensation filled the room than what had been there
when she arrived. Something was happening. She’d shoved the contents she’d
removed back in the drawer and headed for the door when Denn entered from the
courtyard.

Now, as she moved farther and farther away from the safety
of Denn and Jake she wondered what had happened back there. Denn had been
genuinely shocked when her magick had returned. What did it matter? She was
free. She was with the one person she knew she could trust no matter what
happened. Herself.

Finally reaching Bourbon Street, she turned right and fell
into the crowd, absorbing the familiar sights and sounds of the heart of the
Quarter. It may have been a long time since she’d walked this path, but New
Orleans was one of those cities you never forgot.

After about fifteen minutes of walking she found the
alleyway she was looking for. There was litter and trash strewn across the
entryway and as soon as she turned in, the odor of rotten filthy waste assailed
her.
 
Wrinkling her face and
opening her mouth to breathe, she pushed on knowing this was her best shot at
success.

Thirty yards later she found herself at a black metal door
that merely said
Severina
across it.
She didn’t need to advertise what she did. All the locals knew exactly who and
what she was, and anyone not a local didn’t find Severina unless someone local
referred them and gave them directions.

She twisted the knob and pushed open the heavy metal door.
Once inside her eyes had to adjust to the dark interior after the bright sun
outside. The first thing to strike her was the aroma of the store. There were
rows and rows of candles and aromatic oils in a variety of ritual scents and
colors. The racks in the middle of the floor were covered in a wide assortment
of dolls in every variation of dress as well as baskets of gris-gris bags.
Every available surface was covered with every item you could think of as
necessary for a ritual. And Raven knew if she didn’t have it here in the store,
Severina would have it in the back just waiting for a customer to ask for it.

“Who's there?” A strong female voice sounded from the
backroom.

“Raven.” She hesitated. “Raven St. Claire.”

The sound of glass crashing onto the ground and splintering
into tiny tinkling pieces came from behind the counter, along with a string of
curse words in a thick Cajun accent. More rustling before the tall,
dark-skinned woman finally stepped through the walkway and stopped at the
counter in front of Raven. Dressed in worn jeans and a red t-shirt, with no
make up and a scarf covering her head, she didn’t really seem what a tourist
might have expected. But Raven was no tourist, and she already knew exactly
what Severina was capable of.

“I thought we agreed our business was taken care of,
witch
.” The last word was emphasized
with a distinct flavor of distaste. Raven knew this wouldn’t be easy.

“Yes, you were correct. Unfortunately I have found myself in
a bind with nowhere to turn.”

“You reap what you sow. Even you should know this. I warned
you, it was only a matter of time before it would catch you. I take it you
didn’t listen.” Severina looked at her sharply.

“Yes, of course you were right. I see that now.” Raven had
to tread carefully here or she would find herself thrown out in the alley,
alone.

“I can’t help you.”

Raven reached out and touched the woman on the arm, prepared
to plead. When her cold hands touched the other woman’s warm skin, Severina’s
eyes opened wide in alarm. She grabbed Raven’s hand with her free hand and
leaned forward.

“What have you done to him?”

“Who? What are you talking about?”