Love Charms (4 page)

Raven was ready to spit nails. She was
fuming, and glared at her brother. “It’s my life, don’t you forget it. I’m
tired of everyone always interfering. And who was here when you showed up at my
door after Charlene kicked you out?”

“You’re my baby sister. I just want you
to be safe. I get that you want love, but Raven, have you really thought it all
the way through? What happens if you commit to this guy?”

She looked away. Of course she’d thought
about it.

Picking up the note from her father, she
read his words. “You haven’t visited in a while. Maybe it’s time to come say
hello. In the meantime, you may want to keep this nearby. Your mother insisted
I send it your way.”

The amulet was like a world within
itself, holding all of the four elements. A small ocean churned at the bottom,
as an angry sky flashed lightening. It represented air, fire, wind, and earth,
the four classes of energy in the universe. It was meant to protect the one who
wore it. Only, she didn’t need protecting from Derek.

To an outsider, it simply looked like a
glass bead swirled with color. To Raven’s eyes, it shone the truth. She knew
what it was, what it represented, and why it was sent to her. It was to ground
her to her roots…her witch roots.

Raven wiped her finger across the note,
and the words disappeared. A new note appeared from her mother. “I want you to
be happy, but please use caution. Love, Mom.” Another swipe of her finger, and
the note turned to blank paper.

She’d sent it to keep her daughter safe,
not to tell her to avoid mortals. Dad, on the other hand, didn’t like her
dating mortals at all. It was a conversation they’d had before.

And who were they truly protecting her
from, herself? Was she afraid she wouldn’t offer them purebred witch
grandchildren? Rolling her eyes, she hated the thoughts she was forced to
confront. How was she supposed to deal with her own feelings when everybody was
already bombarding her with their own?

“Are you going to wear it?”

“I don’t know. I know she means well…”
Raven sighed. “I get that they’re full of wisdom, but they’re set in their
ways. I just want to live my own life out in this world.”

“It’s appealing. I get that. On the other
hand, it won’t hurt you to wear it, right? It’s just for protection.”

“It’s grounding me to my witch roots. You
know what they’re saying. It’s more than an amulet, it’s a statement. I love
being a witch, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that Mom and Dad have other plans
for me. Ziara is the same way, trying to steer me back to our own ways.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do.”

“There’s vanilla ice cream in the fridge,
by the way. I picked some up this morning before I went to my appointment.”

“Thanks.” Benji slinked off to the
kitchen.

Raven picked up the phone and dialed
Ziara’s house. Ziara knew who it was before she answered it. “Before you say
anything….”

“Stop! You don’t get to talk first. You
told Mom and Dad. How could you?”

“Raven, I worry about you. You keep
dabbling with mortals, and it’s a dangerous game to play. What happens if you
end up falling in love with him, then what?”

She was silent.

“Oh, don’t you dare tell me…shit.”

“I didn’t mean to fall in love.”

“That’s the problem.  You love the
build-up, but now that you’re there – it’s going to get complicated.”

“You think I don’t know that?” She
sneered through her teeth. “Now I’ll have Dad breathing down my neck. He’s
mentioned I haven’t been there in a while. And if I visit, it won’t be pretty.”

“Raven, just really think about this before
you go forward, that’s all I’m asking. This doesn’t just touch your life. Think
about his life and having to hold a secret so important. Think about it…kids,
cross-marriage… if you end up getting serious with this guy, it could all
crumble when he finds out the truth. Your heart would end up broken, or you’d
have to give up some very important things that you might not think you want
now. What if you want them later, then what?”

She made good, strong points, but Raven
didn’t have an answer. She simply knew that her heart melted when she thought
of Derek and that she needed more time with him.

“I’ll think about it,” she said
begrudgingly. “I’m going to hang up. I need to think.”

“I love you, sis.” Ziara snapped in
before Raven could hang up the phone.

It was two nights later when she saw him.
They met for a casual dinner. Kissing his sweet lips, she knew she was in
trouble. She was already in too deep. It was love, she was sure of it. Her
mind, body, and soul were all feeling gooey sitting beside him.

As they sat and ordered, food was the
last thing on their minds. Breaking free from the restaurant seemed to become a
common goal. The desire to touch each other, get naked, and feel their bodies
pressed together became overwhelming. Making love was the only thing Raven
could think about, and Derek shared her hunger. Rushing through their meal,
they quickly headed back to his place.

They stripped off their clothes the
moment they were safely inside Derek’s condo. The urgency, yanking, ripping,
tearing…a trail of clothing started at the door. Derek led Raven to an
oversized living room chair and guided her to the edge. With her legs draped
over the arms, she was left naked, open and exposed. Kneeling before her, his
mouth explored Raven’s body, his lips flicking, teasing, and lighting her nerve
endings on fire. Calling out with pleasure, Raven bucked her hips up. Derek
stroked her inner thighs, enjoying the newly relaxed look that spread across
her face. It was mesmerizing to see her like this.

Giving her only a few moments to relax,
Derek adjusted himself and penetrated her fast and hard. With each thrust, she
felt him deeper, bringing her to the edge of ecstasy. Raven’s thighs gripped
tightly around him as he grunted with release, his seed draining deeply inside
of her.

 With the fast, heady need out of the
way, they’d be able to slow down and take their time.

Standing up, Raven’s knees wobbled. “You
broke me.” She laughed, trying to regain the strength in her legs.

His fingers came up and touched the amulet
she was wearing. “This is pretty,” he said. His fingers grazed her neckline.

“Thanks. Just a little gift from my mom,”
she answered.
Yes, I put it on. Happy now?

It’s not like she needed protection. It
just felt rude not to at least wear the thing after her mother had gone through
the trouble of sending it Raven’s way. Being a witch and having elemental
energies in her amulet was a nice thing. She just hated what it represented to
them. To Raven, it was a tiny piece of who she was, something she needed to
consider carefully if she went forward.

Raven couldn’t get enough of Derek, and
knew her feelings would intensify. There was no denying it. If she went too
far, there’d be no going back. He didn’t even know what he was getting into,
and that hardly seemed fair. Yet based on the witch’s by-laws, he couldn’t know
until he committed to a bond of matrimony. Even then he could choose to back
out, but if he did she’d have to erase all of his memories of their time
together. Otherwise it could threaten the witch community. He’d barely remember
who she was. He’d never remember the special moments. The thought alone crushed
her. She couldn’t imagine life without him.

Raven was banking on a long relationship,
but honestly it was a gamble this early into the game. Choosing a mortal forced
her hand. She either had to walk away or risk them both hurting later. She
hated the weight sitting on her shoulders. The burden of truth didn’t make it
easy. She’d walked away from mortal relationships in the past, but this time Raven
wasn’t so sure she’d be able to. Derek was special.

Of course, if she’d picked someone like
Miko, Jory’s brother, she’d simply have a love caster give her a potion and it
would be a done deal. She’d be in love, happy, but there was none of the
build-up, no passion, none of the tingling feelings like when she fell in love
with a mortal. They’d basically drink a potion and snap their fingers, and
they’d be a couple already in love. It felt void of real feelings. It was a
simple solution in the witch world, but she’d risk it all for a taste of
falling in love… a slow, delicate dance between two souls.

The couple moved to the bedroom and
locked in an embrace again, melting into one another. Hungry, deep kisses left
their hands open to explore. Mouths followed hands, and as Derek moved across
her shoulder and down her arm, he stopped to suck her fingers into his mouth.
Tasting, touching, licking every inch of her, she felt his warm breath on her
skin. It sent shivers through her, his tongue light and teasing. She ached for
more.

Turning the tables, Raven pulled herself
up and aggressively straddled over his face. He held her fast and pulled her
hips down closer. His lips connected to her wetness. She was a bundle of
nerves, flinching and bucking with each stroke of his tongue. Reaching down,
she rubbed herself in unison and felt the orgasm rip through her, ricocheting
out of control. Cumming fast and hard, she fell off of him and sprawled across
the bed.

“I love a woman that knows what she
likes.” His face glistened from her wetness.

She grinned. “I may have a bit of a wild
child in me.”

“Mmm, roll over. It’s my turn to take
what I want.”

“You’re naughty.”

“If you want naughty, I’m the man for the
job.”

Raven loved how natural it felt to be
playful in bed as well as passionate. Something just felt right about Derek.

She would have stayed all night, but she
didn’t have an overnight bag with her. Besides, it felt presumptuous, and they
might not have been at that point yet. They were obviously a couple, but planting
a toothbrush and clothes here felt like another big step. She wasn’t ready to
push his comfort level.

By the time she got home, Benji was
asleep in the living room. She tried not to hit the creaky spots on the
hardwood floors, but it didn’t matter.

“It’s late,” he said.

“Yeah, sorry I woke you.”

“I was worried about you.”

“I’m okay, Benji. I spent some extra time
with Derek.”

“The more time you spend with him, the
harder it will be to break free. You know that, Raven.”

“I don’t think I want to break free.” She
flushed. “Can we talk tomorrow? I’m tired.”

“Yeah, sure thing.”

She didn’t want to talk at all. She
wanted to sort out her feelings before sharing them with somebody else.
Besides, her family would just knock down her feelings or play devil’s advocate
every step of the way. It’s not that she blamed Benji; she’d be in his business
if it was him. She knew he was looking out for her best interests. He’d always
been a good brother to her, even if he wasn’t always a good husband to
Charlene.

Morning snuck in way too quickly. Sitting
with a cup of tea, still half asleep, Benji approached the subject with his
sister.

“Morning, sunshine. Late night, huh?”

“Yeah.” She didn’t want to talk.

“Raven, I know you’re avoiding it, but
he’s fool’s gold.”

“Not now.” Her hand shot up.

“You can’t avoid it forever. It’s time to
talk. He’s all shiny and handsome on the outside, but he’s a mortal. He’s not a
witch. You know what that means. He’s never going to change. You can love him
and keep him around, and then what? Marry him? Is that even an option? What
about kids? You truly don’t want to pass your gift down to them? I’m just
asking you to take some time and honestly think this through. Look through
clear vision, not vision clouded by love and lust.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it. I
already love him. I don’t think I can walk way, not yet, and maybe not at all.”

“At least go talk to Mom and Dad, it’s
only fair. There’s a lot at stake.”

Raven nodded. Ziara and Benji had both
stressed that she needed to go home. It was time to talk to her parents. She’d
purposely avoided them the last couple of months as her relationship
progressed. After more discussion, she agreed to go home and talk to them.

When Derek called, he asked about going
away over the weekend. Raven hesitated, and finally told him she couldn’t get
anyone to watch Benji.

He offered to spend the weekend at
Raven’s house, so they could stay in and snuggle all weekend. Then she wouldn’t
have to worry about her dog.

Raven agreed, and then went into a panic.
An entire weekend?  What did she need to hide? What about Benji and his
talking? How would she keep Ziara away?  Her head started to spin, realizing
how many little things she’d have to explain away or tuck aside.

Raven sat and cried into her hands. Was
it going to be a chore every time he came over, rather than exciting? She
wanted to see him, to spend time with him, but her home wasn’t like his. Would
he notice the fine details, like the titles on some of her books? Would he
notice the bottles of potions, herbs, leaves, well-labeled beakers and tubes
that she kept out time to time?  For a quick visit when he’d come by, it was
easy to tuck things aside as she’d done in the past…but a full weekend? There
was too much to hide, including a talking dog’s voice.