Bound by Magick 4-in-1 Box Set (Pentacles of Magick) (2 page)

“Convenient, wouldn't you say?” he retorted.

This conversation was getting away from her, and she needed
to get it back on track. She needed him to focus on what she had to tell him,
not the actual location of the cards or why she studied them.

“Mr. Scott, please. I wasn't aware of any issues with these
cards being in my possession, and if you have proof of ownership I’m sure that
matter can be resolved. However, that's obviously not the reason I’ve come all
this way. I'm here because of what I discovered in these cards.” She reached
into her backpack and pulled out the black velvet sack that contained the rest
of the tarot deck. She moved a few items on his desk to clear an area for her to
work and immediately began a detailed layout with some of the cards.

Grae eased back in his chair, watching this stranger and her
delicate hands finger the cards one by one as she arranged a Celtic Cross
layout on his desk. Her nails were clipped short and free of fancy polish, but
the shape of her fingers and their graceful movements lured him into watching
her every move. He had to fight an inexplicable urge to cover her hands with
his own.

“Mr. Scott—” Dragging his gaze back to her face, her
eyes shone with purpose.

“Please, call me Graelen.”

“Fine, Graelen, this arrangement is called a Celtic Cross
layout.”

He compressed his lips to keep his amusement inside so as
not to insult this unusual woman who mistakenly thought he needed a Tarot
lesson. She continued on to explain the traditional meaning and placement of
each card. She seemed very thorough, if a bit mechanical, in her Tarot
knowledge.

“I didn't find a lot of differences until I got to this
card, the Ten of Pentacles.” Her hand shook as she placed it down on the desk
in the final slot of the layout.

A small stream of power rose in the room, enough to raise
the hair on his arms.

Graelen leaned across the desk to examine the card closely.
“Uh, Ms. Gallagher—may I call you Rena?” She nodded her assent. “I don't
see anything different about this card.” Although the increase in power
concerned him. A civilian like her should not be able to have this affect.
“It's been in our family for generations and, while it is a beautiful
depiction, I don't see what has piqued your interest.” His hand reached for the
card and brushed against hers for a brief moment. A whisper of power sparked
through his arm and his heart stuttered in shock. Her sharp intake of breath
told him she had felt it, too.

“There—there is a hidden story in these cards, and I
believe this card is the key to the answers.”

Withdrawing his hand, he stared into her eyes. His power
stirred through his body with it’s all too familiar seductive call, and he knew
his eyes had darkened.

Danger.

 
Something about
this woman was pulling at him.

“This—this card, when I touched it I felt something. A
pull. As if being tugged into the scene on the card.”

He found himself physically drawn to her voice, her passion,
as she reluctantly told him the story. The story of his family she had found
depicted in the cards, the curse of he and his brothers lives.

Four male witches born every other generation. Two sets of
twins bound to carry The Power through the family line, if they could avoid the
seductive call of the darkness every time they used their powers. The combined
power of the four would be unlike any other, but the cravings created from
using their magick would darken their souls piece by piece until the ability to
tell right from wrong would disappear, and the magick would quickly destroy
their life forces.

Anger, greed, and lust, all luring them to the evil
potential of their magick.

He watched her fidget nervously with the card, her agitation
growing as she continued through the family story she had managed to decipher
from a seemingly typical deck of cards.

“Until this card…” He sat forward placing his hand over
hers, giving in to temptation as well as attempting to reassure her, to calm
her obviously frazzled nerves. When his hand covered hers atop the Ten of
Pentacles a streak of energy surged through her hand into his body, slamming
him back in his chair and pushing it against the shelves behind him.

He gulped in air as magick flooded his body. In his fight to
hold it in check he almost missed the difference. Instead of the dark weighty
feel of his typical powers, this magick was light and bright with a different
feel altogether.

What the fuck?

“It's true then? You’re a witch.” Her hands trembled as she
knotted and twisted them together.

He wanted to deny her claim. To excise her from his house as
quickly as possible before anything more happened. But as he sat there
struggling to maintain his composure, a free flow of energy swept through his
system, making it impossible to deny. He didn’t need a mirror to know his
appearance had changed. Years of living and breathing magick twenty four seven
had taught him a certain amount of control and in seconds this Ms. Gallagher
had wiped that from him.

Without it his eyes turned black and his skin grew itchy and
hot until he did something to expel the excess energy. Not to mention she sat
in front of him staring—eyes wide in disbelief at the truth before her.
She’d obviously come here knowing and just needed some evidence to prove her
theory. So he’d play along—for now.

“Yes. I’m a witch, and the story you just told is my
family's history.” With the last of his shredded control, he pulled his chair
to the desk and leaned forward tapping the Ten of Pentacles with his finger.
“And what exactly do you think is so important about this card? It's just a
simple depiction of a flourishing wealthy family.”

“You're right. That's what I thought the first hundred times
I looked at it as well. Until…” She bent down to rummage through her backpack,
making the sexiest little grunting noises in apparent frustration, before
finally pulling out a small magnifying glass. “Until I found something a little
unusual. A symbol here in this spot.” She pointed to a family banner placed on
the wall in the background.

Grae sighed. This was going nowhere. “Rena, that symbol
simply represents one of the brothers. There are four of them throughout the
card.”

She shook her head furiously. “Hold on. Let me finish.
That's what I thought, too. But more research and digging into the symbol tell
things differently. In the 1800s when your crest was developed, that symbol
didn't stand for a witch but a different being all together. An empath.”

Chapter
Two

“What? That's not possible.” His patience appeared to wear
thin. “There are four of those symbols in the family banners and they represent
each male witch born to the curse. The damn curse that kept my brothers and me
virtually apart since we became adults.” He slammed his fist down on the table,
scattering the cards. “Ms. Gallagher, I don't know what game you're playing
here but I've had enough.” He stalked around the desk and grabbed her arm.

His anger seared her body like the sharp edge of a knife
thrust into her arm. The emotions poured through her as she tried to sift
through his pain and anger of the suffering he and his brothers had endured
over the years. The pent up frustrations slammed into her body with the force
of a Mack truck, and spots appeared in her vision as the blood rushed from her
head.

“What the hell?” He jerked his hand back from her arm as if
he'd been burned. “What is going on here?” He shook his hand and arm,
attempting to shake her off.

She wondered if he even realized that his dark emotions were
now swimming through her system, fighting for purchase. She'd learned to fend
off many different feelings from people around her, and for the most part was
successful. But this—she hesitated, testing the sensations, seemed
different. Stronger and aggressive. A battle waged within her as his passion
and drive struggled to survive inside her.

“I think I'm going to faint,” she barely whispered, then
suddenly pitched forward in the chair, noticing the unmistakable look of horror
that crossed his face as she fell.

Rena woke with a start. Her eyes darted around the room as
she tried to figure out what happened and where she was. She couldn't remember
where she'd last been. Looking to her right, her eyes fixated on a bureau with
some books and papers stacked on top of it. As she continued to take in her
surroundings her thoughts focused, and she remembered she had come to visit
Graelen Scott to tell him what she'd found. The memory of his anger over her
information rushed through her as she recalled the level of fury and distrust
that had transferred to her when he touched her. The intensity arching between
them in that moment frightened her.

Lifting her head, she swung her gaze in the opposite
direction to realize she was lying in a bed and she wasn't alone. Without
looking at his face, she instantly knew that Graelen lay beside her. After that
touch she'd recognize his aura anywhere from now on. He’d crossed his arms over
his chest and his hands rested on the sleek fabric of his shirt. Inexplicably,
she found herself imagining what he would look like without clothes. His slacks
molded to lean, muscular legs and cupped an impressive package, considering his
relaxed state.

Wouldn't I like to know what he's dreaming about?

Rena laughed at the incredulous thought and jerked her gaze
away. She barely knew this man yet now she was wondering about his sexual
dreams. That must have been some touch. Was there such a thing as sexual power
when it came to people like him?

She gingerly touched the soft tips of her fingers to her
forehead searching for a sore spot. With the crazy train of her thoughts she must
have suffered a head wound when she fell.

When she found nothing her gaze drifted back to Graelen and
continued its path across his flat and likely rock hard abs, barely disguised
under the thin cotton of his shirt. But what really caught her eyes were his
well-toned chest and arms. The urge to trace a path along the veins of his
forearms overwhelmed her. She'd always admired men with well-toned torsos and
ached to see what his would feel like under the pads of her fingertips. She
didn't think one touch would hurt anything. Who would know?

She eased her hands towards his chest, hovering just above
his cloth-covered flesh. Just as she was about to land her palm on his body,
his hand snaked out and grasped her by the wrist, stopping her in mid motion.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” he snarled. “I bite.”

She jerked her arm, attempting to free it as her heart
stammered. Adrenalin and fear rushed through her veins from the shock of being
caught in the act. His quick reflexes and masculine grasp held her tight,
leaving her speechless and gasping for breath.

“I'm—I'm sorry. I didn't know you were awake.”

“Rena, you don't have to look at me like that. I wasn't
really planning to bite you. At least, not so you wouldn't like it.”

She must have looked like a frightened deer caught in the
headlights. She turned her head and attempted to regain her composure. Nearly
every thought in head since she’d woken had been about him and sex. He had
every right to be pissed. His hand loosened and his thumb caressed the sensitive
skin of the inside of her wrist. Lust shot through her body in a direct line to
her sex, heating her blood.

Rena's head spun when his lips replaced his fingers and
trailed hot kisses along her arm. Oh God, this wasn’t happening. She barely
knew this man, yet his touch scorched her soul. Even his controlled passion
beat at her emotional barriers. Her breasts tingled and the tightened tips
rubbed the cloth of her bra, inciting her nerve endings. She wanted nothing
more than to lose herself in his arms.

“Rena, look at me.” She turned to meet his gaze, searching
those gorgeous jade eyes for guidance. “Do you still want to touch me?”

She nodded. Boy, did she. Since the moment she'd first
looked into his eyes she'd had a hard time focusing on her job. Wrong or right,
she yearned to touch this man.

“Do it.” He released her arm and lay back down on the bed,
resting his arms at his sides.

She spied his enormous erection, barely contained inside his
trousers, and itched to touch it. But first she wanted to continue what she'd
started earlier. Her hand trembled as she reached for him, gently resting her
palm on the flat plane of his abs.

Graelen sighed. “Mmm…”

He raised his hand to her face and stroked down her cheek.
Unable to resist, she leaned into his hand, inhaling the scent of his skin.
Warm, masculine spice. Her heart leapt when he touched her lips with a soft,
gentle caress. She looked up to find him staring at her, bold need and desire
blazing in his eyes, startling her.

Oh God, that look. It drew her like a magnet. He pushed
forward, bringing his lips so close. The warmth of his breath moved across her
skin, tickling her.

“I'm going to kiss you now. Are you ready?” He didn't give
her a chance to answer, instead his lips pressed against her own, soft and
gentle. Where she had expected hard and urgent he took his time tracing his
tongue along the outline of her lips. The sensation sent a tremor through her
body as her fingers curled around his shirt, nails scraping through the fabric.

On a barely whispered moan her lips parted and his tongue
slipped inside. With little thought to control or resistance, she kissed him
back with a hungry need that would not be denied.

Leaving her mouth burning for more, he traveled down her
throat with gentle bites and scalding kisses, swirling his tongue against her
bare skin.

She squeaked in surprise when fingers brushed against her
breast, sliding along the curved mounds before tweaking her nipples through her
clothes. His large hands twisted and plucked at her tips until they ached and
pulsed. She arched her back, encouraging more of his attention while her own
hand found its way underneath his shirt to the silky, ridged skin of his
stomach. The flesh was warm and sprinkled with a fine dusting of hair that
narrowed into his pants. Infused with sudden bravery, she trailed that patch,
slipping her fingers underneath the waistband of his pants, her fingernails
just grazing the head of his cock.

“Careful, Rena, you're on dangerous ground again. Consider
before you keep going.”

She smiled and continued her path, attempting to wrap her
hands around his thick erection, applying a tight squeeze as she did.

His hips bucked off the bed, forcing her to release him.
With a wicked smile she withdrew her hand just as he surged toward her, flattening
her against the bed.

“I should probably warn you that I am not an easy man.”

She looked into his now darkened eyes for the meaning of his
words. His head dipped to lick the edges of her lips until she opened for his
entry. His musky taste swirled in her head as his hand found the fastening of
her jeans and deftly opened them, working the zipper down.

“I generally take what I want, and right now what I want is
to touch your pussy. Feel the deeper heat within.”

She sucked in a deep breath and her belly cramped with want.
His bold and brazen way of telling her what he wanted far more of a turn on
than she'd expected.

His hand slid inside her simple cotton panties and he dipped
his long finger into her center. “Mmm… so wet and hot, just like I knew you
would be.”

Rena couldn't talk, the sensations were driving her wild as
she wiggled and arched against his hand. Her fingers clawed at his chest and
shoulders in a desperate attempt to get closer. She wanted more. His finger
caressed her inner walls with subtle circling movements. The rising tremors
began to spiral out of control.

“Are you going to come for me, baby?”

“Yes” she whispered breathlessly, jerking her hips harder
against him.

“Good girl, Rena.” He added another finger to her clenching
sex. “Fuck my fingers.” His rough words fueled her hunger as the sensations
drove her closer to the release she needed. Rising to meet him, he increased
the rhythm of his hand.

His thumb circled and stroked her clit as his fingers thrust
into her with more force than before. “Oh, God…” she couldn't stand it. “ So
close,” she panted, “please don't stop”.

“Come for me, Rena. Come now.” His hard voice vibrated in
her mind pushing her to—

“Graelen!” She groaned loudly as the shock of the orgasm
shook her body as she squeezed her thighs around his hand. She bucked and rode
his fingers through the exploding passion until finally collapsing against the
bed, exhausted.

Graelen releasing his fingers from within her body shocked
her back to the present. Realizing what had just happened and how she had
behaved, embarrassment washed over her. What had she been thinking? What had
come over her? Oh God, what must he think of her now?

The heat of humiliation warmed her face as she stood from
the bed, adjusting her clothes. She took in the sight of his huge, lake-sized
bed, covered in green silk sheets, and the man still lying there smug
satisfaction written all over his face. He watched her flee with an amused
expression, looking sexy as sin. He folded his hands behind his head and waited,
and all Rena could think about was sex. That man and his bed were made for
nothing but hot, sweaty sex, something she didn't have a whole lot of
experience with.

Sure, she'd had sex before, but nothing worth writing home
about. Her instincts told her that sex with Graelen would be different. All
consuming. Alarm bells sounded in her mind as she realized she was in way over
her head with Graelen Scott. This kind of man knew what he was doing when it
came to women.

“I—Uh—” She didn't know what to say. “This wasn't
supposed to happen.”

“Why not? You wanted it and I wanted it, so what's the
problem?” His nonchalance flustered her even further.

“Business.” It was hard to speak with her throat constricted
in fear. “Here for business.”

She was here for business reasons and she had to get her
mind back on business. That damn card had tortured her for weeks and now she
was close to the answer why. She wouldn't give up now.

“Rena, do you want to explain to me what happened back in my
office?” His demeanor instantly changed as he got up off the bed and stormed
across the room towards her. The memory flash of his anger and pain flooding
her body threatened to take over again. With all of her will she pushed it back
and refused to succumb to it. “You're obviously an empath. What else did you
leave out of your story downstairs?”

She stared at him carefully, considering her response. After
all, he'd just confirmed that he was indeed a witch. And she had no idea what
that really meant. Did he and his brothers really have the powers alluded to in
the cards, or was it a metaphor for something else? Could they command the
elements and use them as a power source? She wondered which element Graelen
would command.

She had never shared her empathic abilities with anyone for
fear of recrimination. She had a hard enough time dealing with it herself
without the doubt and pity someone else would no doubt heap on her if she
shared the truth.

“Yes.” Her voice was barely audible when she spoke.
Admitting it turned out to be even harder than she thought. She watched him
carefully for a response, and for a moment something flared in his eyes and
then was gone. His face remained a carefully schooled blankness.

“More, Rena, I want to hear it all.” She shook her head no,
unwilling to share everything about herself.

“Graelen, I barely know you. To tell you all my secrets is
to imply that we can trust each other. We can't. We’re virtually strangers to
each other, albeit with a common interest.” She turned away from his
reproachful gaze. She couldn't take the pressure of the intensity and questions
that resided there.

“You came to me, babe. You started this. You wanted answers
from me, but did you really think it would be that easy? That I wouldn't demand
the same from you?” The intimate moment between them disappeared in a haze of
disapproval. “Maybe before you tease the magick again, you’d better figure out
what you want. In fact, here’s your first lesson. Power creates energy and when
it does it has to have somewhere to go.”