Magical Acts: (Skeleton Key) (7 page)

R
in stood in the bedroom
, a wizened crone, eyes blazing. “You will not have happiness, Auron.” She pointed an arthritic finger at the couple.

Natalie would not let the bitch harm Auron ever again. Before he could stop her, Natalie dove off the bed and knocked Rin off her feet.

She may have looked old, but she was spry. She rolled Natalie onto her back and squeezed at her neck.

Auron grabbed Rin by the shoulders and pulled her off. He held her by the hair with one hand, and in the other, he conjured a blade made from blue crystal.

Rin cackled. “Harm none,” she cried triumphantly. “No mage may kill. Or you break the laws of the Goddess.”

Auron’s hand trembled, his furious gaze on the woman who’d brought so much pain and sorrow into their lives. Natalie knew he was contemplating slashing her throat anyway, but she couldn’t let him do it.

She grabbed his arm and pulled the blade from it.

Rin’s black gaze held arrogance and hatred. “Harm none,” she repeated gleefully.

“Guess what, bitch?” Natalie plunged the blade into the hag’s black heart. “I’m not a mage.”

Rin’s eyes widened, and blood began to pour from her wound. But she pointed a trembling finger at Natalie and released a black cloud of awful magic.

“Natalie!”

Rin fell to the floor, dead. Natalie dropped the blade, her terrified gaze on Auron. He tried to reach for her through the magic, but he could not break through.

“Auron,” she screamed. “Auron!”

* * *

N
atalie bolted upright
, dropping her tablet onto the floor. Confused, she looked around.

I’m home?

Had she experienced a vivid dream?

Or had she truly been transported into another world?

She grabbed the tablet and swiped it open.

No book.

She looked in her downloads, in her cloud, and in her backup book files.

Magical Acts
had disappeared.

An ache welled in her chest, and she pressed her fist to her mouth. Tears fell.

She would never see Auron again.

* * *

T
he next day
, Natalie returned to the shopping district and hurried to the place called Strange Magic. She needed to buy another key. Tara must surely have more than one. It was the only way to get back to her love. She believed now. She believed with all her heart that she’d been transported to the Barrows and had fallen in love with a mage.

And she wanted him back, damn it.

Strange Magic was gone.

Not an empty, abandoned storefront.

No, it was like the place never existed.

She sucked in a shuddering breath. No book. No key. No hope.

* * *

N
atalie wore
a black miniskirt with no stockings and black stilettos. Even her underwear and bra were new, black lace thongs and a barely-there bra. She’d taken a spa day with Eliana, even agreeing to a spray tan, and she felt utterly pampered by the time they’d slipped into their party clothes.

But her heart still ached for Auron.

She didn’t want to be here, but she’d promised Elaina.

Hot Pepper was packed with people drinking, dancing, and groping. She’d gone to the VIP room and stepped onto the balcony for some fresh air. She was alone, thank goodness. The party scene wasn’t really for her.

“Natalie.”

She turned and found herself looking at Tara. The woman wore a black sheath dress and high-heeled boots. Her hair was piled in ringlets on top of her head. Her amber eyes gleamed and still had that amazing gold tint.

“Hi,” said Natalie, incredulous that Tara was standing less than a foot away. Was that a coincidence? “Your shop is gone.”

“Yes. It served its purpose.” Tara took Natalie’s hands and squeezed them. “Auron is inconsolable. It seems you are, too.”

Natalie’s heart skipped a beat. “You sent me there.”

“You sent yourself there. The key would’ve only worked for Auron’s mate, and only if she were willing.” She brought Natalie closer. “The spell I created to bring you two together dissipated the moment you crossed into the Barrows.”

Realization hit her hard. “You’re the Goddess?”

Tara inclined her head.

“How do I get back to him?”

Tara’s smile dimmed. “You’re mated and your bond is strong, but the only way to return to Auron is to leave this world behind—and all who are in it—forever. Love requires sacrifice, and this is yours.”

“My sister. She’ll worry.”

“I will handle that, Natalie. She’ll be okay.” Tara’s eyes gleamed gold. “What is your decision?”

“I choose Auron.”

G
old light surrounded Natalie
. In one instant she was standing on the balcony of Hot Pepper and in the next, she appeared in the bedroom of her mate.

With her true love.

“You’re here,” Auron said. He cupped her face and brushed his lips across hers. Then he did it again, only, this time, his lips melded to hers. Heat poured through her, and need, and oh he tasted good.

He clutched her hands, his blue gaze filled with love. “You read my story. You thought it was fiction, but it wasn’t. You read it so many times that you became part of my world. I knew you. Your face. Your life. Your sorrows. I fell in love with you.”

“And I fell in love with you.” She practically threw herself into his arms. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“Never.”

He gently the thumbed the tear that slid down her face. “Oh, my wondrous love. You broke my curse. You gave me your heart.”

“Yes,” she said. She’d felt the same way as Auron, as if her own curse had been lifted. For so long she’d wanted nothing more than to love and be loved, but she’d never believed it could happen. Not for her.

The book, the dream, the love had always belonged to Natalie. She understood that now. This was the life she wanted—the love she’d been waiting for.

“You are so beautiful.” He pushed down the top of her dress and gazed at her breasts. He cupped them, tested their weight, and then brought his mouth to one turgid nipple. The warmth and motion of his tongue made her flesh tingle.

Natalie reached for him.

He took her hands and kissed each of her fingertips. “Let me give you pleasure, my love.”

“Yes,” she whispered as his mouth encircled one nipple, teasing it with brief suckles, before attending to the other in the same manner. His hands kneaded the mounds as he played his torturous game. Sensations twirled, making her writhe with the joyous pain of anticipation. Heat coiled in her belly, spun down to her woman’s core. “Auron,” she moaned. “Please…”

His tongue lapped at her nipples, trading one for the other rapidly. She strained upward, her hips moving against his erection barred by their clothing.

His gaze was filled with his love, his lust, and his joy. How happy he made her.

“Take me,” she whispered, hitching up her dress. “Mate with me.”

He undid his pants and shoved them down, along with his underwear. His cock looked as big and thick and as
whoa-baby
as she remembered.

Her hand dipped to his shaft, but he captured her fingers and nibbled on them one at a time. He swung her around and backed her toward the wall as she kissed the strong column of his neck, the rough line of his jaw, the dip in his chin.

This time, when she reached for his cock, he didn’t stop her. She encircled the smooth, warm flesh then trailed her fingers from the base to its tip.

Auron lifted her and pinned her to the wall, his eyes were glazed and his breath harsh. Beneath the fingertips of the hand splayed on his chest, she could feel the ragged beat of his heart, which matched hers. She felt hot all over, her womanhood ready and wet and swollen.

He guided his cock inside her. He filled her, completed her. His arms hooked under her shoulders. Her breath caught in her throat when he began thrusting into her, his head cradled in the crook of her neck. Sweat rolled down her breasts, but all she felt was the need filling her, the spark ignited by his motions.

“Natalie,” he muttered. “My very heart.”

She shattered into light and sound and feeling. Still, he took her, harder and faster … and oh God, another pleasurable sensation built and burst inside her.

“Auron,” she said hoarsely. “Oh, yes.
Yes.
”

She licked the sweat from his neck, grazing the flesh with her teeth. Her hands grasped his shoulders, her nails digging into his shirt to pierce to the skin underneath.

Auron cried out her name, embedding himself deeply as he found his release. He held onto her tightly, almost as though he was afraid she would disappear again.

Then Auron lifted his head and gazed into Natalie’s eyes. “This is how I want to spend eternity. With you in my arms.” He pulled her closer. “I love you.”

Natalie’s heart swelled to the point of bursting. She was no longer the unlucky sister. If Eliana could see her now. She smiled. Her sister would dance for Natalie’s joy. She gazed at Auron, resisting the urge to pinch herself. “For the first time, I know where I belong. With you.” She warmed as he kissed her gently. “I love you too.”

* * *

I
n the dark
lands of the Barrows, the sun peeked over the craggy, mountains, showering the black castle with its warmth and its light. Inside the stone confines were two people who fought for love.

And won.

Some say mages have no hearts.

But the truth is that a mage cannot find his heart … until his finds his mate.

And they lived happily ever after.