Bound by Magick 4-in-1 Box Set (Pentacles of Magick) (25 page)

Jessie moaned and bucked against him. “Oh yes. Fuuuck.”
She scratched at his arms and back, fighting for more until he pinned her
shoulders with bruising force to the bed and hammered his cock, burying himself
in her heat as far as possible, over and over until she exploded in a burst of
magick and light underneath him.

* * *

Her screams of pleasure filled the room as her pussy
tightened and pulsed around him—driving him fucking wild as the pressure
built in his own body. He wanted to take her like this for hours, but her
tight and thrashing body pushed him to far too fast and forced his orgasm to
rocket through him. 

When his mind and body finally came back to the present, he
noticed Jessie holding him tight and close. It made him think that she
might be afraid he was going somewhere. Possessiveness roared through him as
the aftershocks of their sex throbbed in his groin. He pressed a gentle kiss on
her cheek before sliding from her body to lie next to her on the bed. He had no
intentions of going anywhere without her ever again. Now he just needed to
figure out what spooked her the first time and make sure it didn’t happen
again. He relaxed back against his arm underneath his head, tucking her
firmly against his chest. For the first time in a long while his magick
rested inside him. No darkness pushed at his mind and will. No constant
need to escape. Noah closed his eyes and let the sleep creep in, he
couldn’t resist it…but…why was Jessie’s heart racing…

Chapter Four

Jessie trembled as she made her way through the cabin as far
away as possible from the bedroom where Noah slept. The powerful yet familiar
rush of Noah’s magick during sex hadn’t taken her by surprise, as they were
both lost in the moment of desperate need and pleasure until Noah’s
orgasm. With it had come a potent force of dark power she was helpless
against with her own magick stripped. 

Now her body swirled with a shadowy force that fed into her
more primal side. The side where the beast lived. Or, at least, where
it used to live. She wasn’t altogether certain if her magick would ever return.
Scott had been pretty thorough each time he had her stripped of her power to
transfer it to himself.  It was a volatile ceremony to complete, yet he
did it over and over with both witches and demons, feeding himself with more
and more magick. She wondered what the repercussions were for
that. So far he had gotten everything he wanted, well, except his
nephews. She didn’t understand what his plans were, but his hatred for
them bordered on the insane. 

He didn’t appear to want them dead, yet he always needed
more power to fight them. It seemed to her that something big was brewing and
she had landed smack dab in the middle. How the reverend had even found
out about her magick, she didn’t know.  There were only a few people who
knew, and all but one were family members.

Her stomach heaved again, reminding her to hurry. This
magick needed an outlet, and since she didn’t know what would happen she
preferred a big open space. She threw back the dead bolt lock and unlatched the
sensors as she’d seen Noah do before hurtling herself through the door. On
the porch she gulped in lungfuls of the humid but fresh air until her chest
burned with the effort. Sweat broke out on her forehead as the blood pounded in
her ears. She took two steps from the porch and swung her arms above her
head in the hopes that she could direct the energy as it expelled from her.

The darkness sizzled inside her until she cried out in
pain. A tight coil began to unravel in her chest. Her beast was there
and it stirred again, stretching. Heat built under her skin and raised the
fine hairs of her arms as she watched the energy form into blue streaks along
her forearms. With a soul splitting burst, all the pent up darkness flung
up and out of her body, lighting up the dusky sky for a few brief
moments. 

Jessie collapsed on the grass, weak and empty. Her
beast and its magick had attempted to unfurl inside of her, but
failed. With Noah’s magick gone, she was simply left with a low level
buzzing of power. 
Well, it’s something
.

Exhausted and worried, Jessie thought about going back to
bed and curling up with Noah. She dragged herself from the ground and
stumbled up the steps once again, grateful for the peace and quiet surrounding
the cabin. Her head still pounded from her ordeal, so she decided to head
for the kitchen to search for water and, if she was lucky, some aspirin. After
a lengthy search, she came up with a bottle of water but no painkillers. 
Sleep.
I need sleep
.

She closed her eyes and hung her head over the sink, willing
the pain to go away. Times like this made her thankful she’d been born
with demon blood, as it helped her heal at a much faster rate than most
people. 

“Jessie, what’s going on? Are you all right?”

Her head popped up, causing the sensation of thousands of
needles pushing into her skull. She moaned.

“What happened?”

“Headache. Bad one.” She whispered.

“Good Goddess, woman, why didn’t you wake me?” He scooped
her into his arms, taking care to cradle her head in the crook of his arm. “No,
don’t even answer that, you know how much I hate excuses. You’ll just make me
want to turn you over my knee for the long overdue spanking that you need.”

She wanted to laugh, but could barely manage a curve of her
lips into a tiny smile. She did relax into his arms and shut her eyes to the
already fading light in the room, grateful for the comfort of his strong arms
minus the surge of dark magick. 

“How are you, Noah?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Let’s get you to feeling
better, and then I think we better talk. I have something I should probably
share.”

For a moment she thought about what he said, but it soon
proved to be too painful. She refocused her efforts instead on easing the
tension from her body and mind because whatever Noah wanted to say could wait
until the pain in her body subsided.

Besides, what could he say that would be more damaging to
their fragile relationship than her admission of being born from a demon and a
witch? She would have to tell him this time and take her chances…when the
time was right.

If he chose to kill her, well, at least then her head
wouldn’t hurt anymore.

She sighed contentedly when her bare back hit the cool
sheets of his bed. The room smelled of hot sex and spicy male, reminding
her of the delicious time they had shared earlier.

“I’m going to lift your head and help you take these pills,
okay?”

“Yes.”

He lifted her smoothly and fed her three tiny white tablets
and water until she got them all down. “Thank you.”

“No more talking, Jessie. You need to rest. I need
you well in order for us to start working on a plan after we discuss what we
are up against. Being out here, while safe from outsiders, is only temporary
until we’re ready to help my brothers and their mates.”

Mates? Did he say mates? People still say that?

Her thoughts blurred as the tension in her head dissipated
some. Unable to keep her eyes open or her brain functioning, she slid into
sleep wondering what the hell he gave her.

* * *

Scott watched his guard dragging the beautiful dark-skinned
woman into his office. She kicked and screamed and fought them tooth and nail
every step of the way. Blood oozed from her lip, and one of her eyes was
partially swollen where they’d obviously had to hit her just to get her this
far. When her foot kicked out and struck one of the guards in the balls he
wanted to laugh out loud. Her will was so strong, just like her magick,
not to mention she could be mean as dirt when the situation warranted
it. It was those exact things combined that made her one of the most
sought after voodoo priestesses in New Orleans. Everyone in the Quarter as well
as every Parrish in Louisiana came to her when they needed the impossible
done. And on the rare occasions she couldn’t give them what they were
willing to pay for well, then she would call in his nephew.

Anger boiled in his veins every time he thought about the
power his nephews abused while he had virtually none of his own. At least
nothing like each one of those cursed boys had. He instead had to resort
to ritual after ritual to stay in power. Those bastards didn’t deserve to
possess it let alone wield it. Good thing that wouldn’t be an issue for much
longer.

While the one guard was doubled over howling about his nuts,
the woman took two steps toward the other and stomped on his foot with all her
strength. Bones crunched and the guard screamed like a girl.

“Enough.” His command came out loud and strong in the
cavernous room.

She looked up then, noticing whose office she now occupied
and fear flooded her eyes as she spat just to spite him. Tired of her
disrespect, he waved his hand in her direction and watched with amusement as
her eyes bugged open as she realized she’d just been bound to the floor and had
her vocal chords frozen.

“Now, that’s more like it, Severina, isn’t it?” He knew
exactly what kind of panic and agony raced through her mind as he spoke. “Just
stay calm and I won’t keep you that way for long. But give me any more
trouble and I will leave you like that for a week. Do you understand?” He’d
lowered his voice, allowing it to caress over her. He couldn’t resist
imagining her shivering underneath him. His dick hardened at the thought
of mounting her from behind, his dominance over her complete.

He walked around his desk to stand in front of her. The
first time he’d met her he’d been shocked to discover one so powerful could be
so young. He touched his fingers to the side of her face, letting them
slide down her cheek, a soft and sensual caress. A touch she had been quite
eager for a few years ago. Oh yes, she had given him much pleasure over
many nights until he finally fucked her, and her magick had seen inside him to
the truth.

He’d tried to kill her then, but he’d yet to perfect his
ceremonial skills and the ritual had gone terribly wrong. Broken and
bleeding, he’d left her on her own to die. Instead a group of locals had
found her, and one of them knew of a witch who could save her, and thus her
alliance to his nephew had been forged.

Until now.

The power he wielded today was far more powerful than either
a voodoo priestess or a witch. He should have considered demon magick long
ago. Normally summoning a demon to this realm was a risky and difficult
prospect, but when he’d discovered that half demons could supply him with a
similar, albeit slightly weaker version, he had taken the time to hone his
craft and perfect the ritual with black magick and little repercussions to
himself. 

But the half demon, half witch magick had surpassed all
others and he wanted more, and if anyone could tell him how to find them it
would be this bitch standing in front of him. He released her voice.

“It’s been a long time, baby.”

“Not long enough, you sick son of a—”

Scott grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her head back
hard. She cried out in pain and his cock got harder. “I’d be careful what you
say to me. If you want to live through the night, that is.”

“Do whatever you want. I won’t help you.” Her lips trembled.

“Ahh, self sacrifice, such a waste of a human trait.
Everyone who comes in here is so fucking predictable it makes my stomach turn.”
He grazed is teeth along her neck, biting down until she bled. Dark, rich, and
spicy, just how he liked his women. 
What a shame
. “So, if
everyone does the same damn thing and I need you to cooperate, what do you think
I’m going to do? Just kill you and move on? Is that what you’re banking
on, you stupid whore?” He released her head and wiped the blood from his lips.
He stepped in front of her and moved in close to her face. “So what the fuck am
I going to do, Severina? Tell me.” His words roared through the room so loud
the guards on the other side of the house probably heard him. She didn’t
even flinch.

“Kiss my ass.” His hand struck out, slapping her face so
hard, spittle flew from her mouth.

“Fine. For that you will pay.” He looked beyond her at the
guard by the door. “Bring her in.”

Severina’s head whipped around, and when she saw the young
woman dragged into the room she let out a piercing cry. The girl burst into
tears.

“I’m sorry, Mom, I tried.”

“Hush,
cherie
, it’s okay. I will take care of
everything.”

“Of course you will. Everyone is so fucking
predictable.” Scott rolled his eyes.

“So, stop dicking around, Scott, and tell me what you want.”
Severina’s eyes blazed in fury.

“Didn’t I warn you about your mouth? Did you think I was
kidding?” He looked at the girl. “Derek, bring me a finger.”

“No, Scott, please, I’m sorry. Please I will do what
you want, just please let her go.”

A satisfied smile bloomed from within. “Of course you will,
baby, and for now Derek won’t touch her, but you won’t get another warning.”

She bowed her head. “What can I do for you?”

“I want Dennison and Noah.”

Chapter Five

Jessie woke to warm sunshine on her face streaming in
through the window, and sore limbs when she stretched across the bed. Sweet
memories of her and Noah the evening before tingled her body, especially
between her thighs. Her body might ache but she blushed with happiness over
every single sore spot.

The magick, on the other hand, was a problem. She eased
from the bed and searched the floor for her clothes or bag. She found both
sitting neatly under the window. She began to redress in the shorts and
t-shirt when she noticed the big button down shirt lying across the chest next
to the bed.  She dropped the clothes and grabbed Noah’s shirt instead,
lifting it to her nose to inhale the scent of man, magick, and sex. Dear
Goddess, she was in heaven.

Jessie slid the soft fabric over her head, loving the feel
of Noah next to her skin. The shirt fell to her knees and the long sleeves
well beyond her hands. She rolled the sleeves to a more comfortable level as
she padded to the kitchen in search of Noah and some food. Sex and magick
left her hungry as a bear the next day.

Not finding Noah, she started to pull food from the fridge.
Eggs, butter, and cheese. Surely she could cook up a couple of omelets
and—she looked around the counter and spied what she was looking for.
Toast. Perfect. 

She set herself to making food when tanned, strong arms
wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. “I didn’t hear you get up,
cherie
.”

“I haven’t been up long, but I woke up starving. I hope you
don’t mind.”

“What man in his right mind would be bothered by a beautiful
woman cooking in his kitchen?” His laughter rumbled at her ear, putting her at
ease. She really wasn’t sure how he would feel this morning. She knew
he would demand an explanation before long and she didn’t think she could lie
to him. But the truth would destroy them both.

She slid the omelets and toast onto the plates she’d found
earlier and handed one over to Noah. “Where shall we eat?” 

He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I have an idea.”

She knocked him on the shoulder and pushed him away from
her. “Yeah, I just bet you do, but I just want to eat. A girl needs her
nourishment.”

He laughed. “Yes, I suppose she does. Well, how about
the deck out back then? It’s not too hot yet and the view is not half bad, if I
say so myself.” He led the way through the living room to the bank of windows
overlooking the backyard. Although backyard wasn’t exactly what one would
call it. On the deck she set down her plate and stood at the railing,
absorbing the beautiful view. The property off the back of the deck dipped
sharply, straight into the water. Steps from the house deck led to the dock
spanning the length of the house and around the sides. The airboat they had
arrived in now sat in the water attached to the far end of the dock, as well as
a small green two-man boat like the one they’d used when they’d left the
Reverend’s property.

“Oh, Noah, it’s gorgeous out here. So serene.  I can
see why you like this place so much.”

“I like the peace of it. The wild habitat mixed with the
modern comforts of the house are perfect for me. I can stay connected with the
world if I want or go native and spend my days on the water.”

Jessie took a seat at the table to eat her breakfast but
couldn’t tear her eyes from the beautiful surroundings. She could be happy
in a place like this, far away from a civilization that couldn’t tolerate
knowing the truth about her, a refuge for her when she couldn’t control
herself. If only she didn’t have to hide from Noah.

“Jessie, look at me.”

She turned her head and settled her gaze on Noah’s chiseled
face. She admired the firm set of his jaw, the slightly crooked nose and the sparkling
emerald eyes that at the moment looked haunted. Her stomach clenched in fear
and her appetite for the omelet disappeared. Whatever Noah wanted to say seemed
serious.

“Do you remember what I told you about my family? About the
reason my brothers and I all live apart?”

She nodded. She remembered the strange family curse
that Noah dismissed as fallacy yet still managed to live by everyday, keeping
himself away from his twin. Something she knew bothered him more than he’d ever
admit.

“Over the last few months some clues to our past have been
revealed, through the family tarot of all things.”

Disbelief rolled off him just as fast as the words out of
his mouth. He certainly was a paradox, a witch with enormous power who looked
down his nose at the basic history of his own legacy. 

“The prophecy we were given as children was only a
partial. Either the whole of it was lost or withheld. With the way
Uncle Scott is acting out against us as of late, I would tend to lean towards
withheld. What really baffles me is how you got involved with Scott and now end
up being a part of the solution. It’s too coincidental, too pat.”

“Noah, stop.” That got her attention. “You’ve
completely lost me along the way. How has the prophecy changed and what
does that have to do with me being held prisoner by Scott?”

“According to the prophecy there are four women, all born on
the same day at the same time. The women are destined to bring balance to
the magick of the twins. All three of my brothers have found their mate and
swear to me that their magick has changed. That they are less driven by
the dark and what dark magick they use, the residual effects are absorbed by
their empathic women.”

“They are all empaths?”

“Yes.”

“What does this have to do with—” Oh, no no no, he
couldn’t be implying what she thought he was. Fear knifed through her as the
answer ricocheted inside her before she even asked the question. “What is their
birth date?”

He looked at her with a knowing gaze. “Yes, Jessie, it’s the
same as yours.” She’d known before he even said it. It explained so much,
yet made everything that much harder. This couldn’t be happening.

“This can’t be right. It’s impossible.”

“Normally I would completely agree with you. I have thought
all along that this family prophecy was complete bullshit and have ignored it
as much as possible. But I have always known there was something different
about you since the first time I touched you. Maybe that has nothing to do
with this, but for now we need to keep an open mind to all the possibilities.
Don’t you think?”

Her heart broke at his words. Despite her leaving him
without a word, he still had faith in her. Believed in her. Maybe even had
feelings for her. 

But how did you tell the man you loved more than anything in
the world that you aren’t at all who he thinks you are?  That instead you
are the one thing he hates more than anything in this world? 

If she went along with him and his brothers, searching for
the truth in all this, one thing would be certain. She and Noah would not
survive, one way or another.

“No, I don’t. There has to be a mistake. I can’t
be the woman you seek. There must be another.” The thought of Noah leaving her
to search for another woman threatened to tear her in two. The heat of
that pain built inside her to a near impossible level. She couldn’t stand
by and be a part of this. She had to escape, find another place or another
person to keep her safe from the plans the Reverend had for her.

“Maybe. But if there’s another woman, according to my
brother, we only have until our birthday to find her and sort this out.”

“What?”

“That’s right. The final clue that was received just
before they contacted me for my help said that each twin had to find his woman
before the youngest reached the age of thirty. My thirtieth birthday is in
two days.”

Jessie sprang from her chair, unable to sit and listen any
longer. Everything had changed in the blink of an eye and the surprises
kept on coming. What would be next? Her big revelation? No. She
couldn’t tell him, wouldn’t do that to him. Not yet. Her mind swirled with
all the possibilities and implications of everything around them. 

“Jessie, I know this is hard to hear. Hell, I haven’t been
handling it very well myself. But something is happening here. I feel
better this morning than I have since you left. Less consumed with dark
thoughts and compulsive needs, at least when it comes to my magick.”

He hadn’t moved from the table, yet she felt the caress of
his words sliding against her skin, like threads of silk trailing across her
body. Did he understand the effect he had on her? 

“We can’t do this, Noah, it’s a really bad idea.”

“What is?”

“You. Me. Us together. It will never work.”

“Why? What are you afraid of?”

She looked out over the water of the bayou, longing for the
sensation of peace that she saw every time she looked out over the
marsh. Even here in the quiet solitude she couldn’t escape who or what she
was. A demon. Born of evil. A vessel of destruction.

As if on cue, the coil in her chest unfurled a fraction or
two more. 

“I’m broken, Noah.” She wrapped her arms around her middle,
comforting herself. “I’m not sure if I can be fixed.”

Noah’s chair scraped against the wood of the deck as he
rose, his boots pounding with each step he took towards her. He rested his
hands on her shoulder and her body shuddered underneath him. “What did he
do to you, Jessie? Tell me about it.”

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs, holding the air
until her chest ached before exhaling with a slow hiss. “There was a
ritual he performed.” She hesitated, unsure where to start or how much to
tell. She didn’t want to relive the painful process again. “The night I
was brought to him, a coven of witches joined him there. In order for him to
steal and use my magick against my will I had to be branded.” She recalled the
men who stripped her clothing and held her down as the witches chanted around
her and Scott pressed the branding rod to her shoulder. The searing pain
and burning flesh had made her violently ill through the entire process.

“Do you mean that figuratively?”

“No, he physically branded me. It made it easier for
him to transfer my power to him for every raping after the first.”

Fury beat at Noah as he pictured her body being
burned. If he’d entertained thoughts of killing his uncle before it was
nothing compared to what he felt now. Darkness erupted inside him, the
heat building under his skin until tiny flames licked at his veins. He
lifted his hands from Jessie, not wanting to burn her.

“Where? I didn’t notice a brand.”

“My shoulder.”

“Show me.” When she didn’t move he insisted. “Please.”

Her hands moved in front of her body where he couldn’t see
them to unbutton his shirt he presumed. Her shoulders lifted slightly as she
allowed the left sleeve to slide partially off her shoulder. The bandage.
Of course. He’d noticed it the other day and had forgotten about it in
their rush to get here and then well, he just forgot.

He lifted his hands to the gauze and gently lifted the tape
to reveal a section of branded skin in the process of healing. Pulling the
bandage completely to the side, he made out exactly what the symbol was. A
Pentacle, burned deep into her shoulder. With fire as the element he could
wield, he fully understood the intense agony that kind of heat and pressure in
a  branding had to have cost her. But a pentacle? The irony of the whole
thing was beyond twisted. 

A well of protectiveness overwhelmed his thoughts as he
gathered her in his arms. Before he even realized what he was doing, he
bent his head and pressed his lips to the tender flesh of her injury. He
had to soothe and heal them both before she got carried away with her fear and
shut him out. He couldn’t let her go again.

When his lips traveled her neck and back a deep sigh
vibrated under her skin, a sound that went straight to his groin. As sexy as
she looked dressed in his shirt, he wanted her naked and bare to him, so he
peeled the rest of the shirt from her shoulders and arms and let it fall to the
ground to pool at their feet. He continued his sensual assault on her body
by kissing and touching every inch of honeyed skin he could reach. 

“I won’t let him hurt you again, Jessie, I promise.”

She turned in his arms and he was met with a gaze shadowed
with pain. A look that would haunt him for a very long time. “Oh, Noah.”
She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her face to his chest. His heart
lurched at the way she clung to him as he struggled to restrain himself, but
when she tilted her head to look at him once again the sheen of tears at the
corners of her eyes did him in. 

“Don’t cry, baby, it’s over now.” His kissed the corner of
her eyes, tasting the salty wetness there, taking the tears away.

“I’m not so sure about that.”

His hands roamed down her back until his fingers massaged
the soft skin of her ass. His cock beat against his zipper, needing to be
buried deep inside her. Possessing her. Loving her. He pushed her back
against the railing, his hard body pressed against the length of her soft,
sweet skin. Heat ignited between them as his lips crushed hers, his tongue
thrusting deep inside her mouth to tangle and taste every inch of her.

Jessie’s fingers dug into his shoulders and back with an
almost desperate intensity, surprising him with her own need. She needed
this as much as he did, if not more, and he wanted her to have it all. He
wanted to wipe away her fear and pain with every kiss or touch, even if only
for a short while. He could chase away her demons.

She squirmed in his arms, her marble hard nipples poking him
through his shirt until he ached to feel her skin against his. As if
reading his mind, she pulled her mouth away from his just enough to speak. “Too
many clothes, Noah.” Her fingers shook slightly as she struggled with the
buttons of his shirt until he gave her some space and she got it open. Noah
sucked in a sharp breath at the first touch of her cool hands on his heated
skin, such a delicious feeling.