MagicalMistakes (5 page)

Mikayla thought of the months waiting for him to notice her
and right now, she didn’t care. The old pain was gone. Maybe he’d resisted her
at first, but this proved she’d gotten him in the end. Maybe not the way she
truly wanted but this was enough. He should know that.

Reaching down, she lifted his face to hers, forcing his
attention away from the zipper of her jeans.

“I don’t need meaningless pillow talk,” she told him. “I
know exactly what I was to you before this spell. We don’t need to pretend this
is something it isn’t.” She grinned, her eyes dropping to his mouth. “What we
have now is more than enough.”

His silver gaze grew stormy. “Pretend?”

She pushed him backward onto the bed. Rising over him, she
licked her lips slowly, loving the way his eyes followed each movement. “I’m a
sure thing. I don’t care about the past.”

His fingers flicked over her nipples. “What if I do?”

She sat back, astride his hips. “I’m still not enough for
you?” she demanded, arching a brow as if silently daring him to find fault with
her.

“You’re maddening,” he groaned, pulling her head back down
to kiss her.

Mikayla enjoyed the touch but her heart raced for a
different reason. Was he about to push her away? Surely he wouldn’t be so cruel
as to brush her off now. Not when she was half naked in his arms.

“You knew I wanted you the first time we met,” he whispered
against her lips.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “But not afterward. You didn’t want to
have anything to do with me. Hell, you barely glanced my way.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t notice you.”

She let out a puff of air.

His eyes narrowed at her reaction. “The second time we met,
you bumped into my elbow and spilled half my beer on me.”

Mikayla frowned. “So?”

“Everyone in the bar froze.”

“No doubt waiting to see what retribution you’d exact on my
clumsy head,” she pointed out. “Is there a reason for this stroll down memory
lane?”

“Your sisters looked ready to unleash all kinds of hell on
me if I so much as touched you.” He chuckled. “But you never even hesitated.
You grabbed napkins from the bar and tried to dry my shirt. You even tried to
cop a feel.”

She blushed. “I think we’re both pretty clear on what I
wanted from you.”

“You were a witch. One I’d desired before I learned the
truth about your origins. And there you were again, treating me like I wasn’t
someone to be feared.” Ciar looked up at her with gentleness in his eyes that
she’d never seen before. Not when he looked at her. “Anyone else would have run
away. You were the only one in the bar who didn’t consider how I would react.”
His hands wrapped around her waist, trailing along her skin. “You treated me
like a man,” he told her softly. “After that I couldn’t stop watching you, even
knowing what you are.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “Lies.”

“I noticed you,” he murmured. “I watched you. And most of
all,” he tangled a hand in her hair, angling her face to his, “I wanted you.”

His mouth crashed down on hers, kissing her with renewed
desperation.

“Bastard,” she charged, catching his lower lip between her
teeth. “You let me think it was all in my head.”

“There’s a reason everyone avoids my kind.” He pressed a
light kiss to the corner of her mouth. “But you are the one person I never
wanted to hurt.”

A grin curved her lips. “I’m stronger than I look.” With a
snap of her fingers, Ciar’s arms were pinned above his head.

He pulled against her magic but couldn’t win his way free.
Instead of anger, however, the lust in his eyes grew even hotter.

Had she ever seen anything so perfect? Ciar stretched out
under her, hers to command.

She pressed her hands to his chest, feeling the coiled
strength beneath her palms. This man brought his enemies to their knees and
here he was, at her mercy.

“Tricky girl,” he purred.

“I can handle demons,” she replied. She slid her hands down
his chest to slip under his t-shirt. Mikayla drew her fingertips along the
waistband of his jeans and felt his muscles clench beneath her palms. Oh yes,
she couldn’t wait to handle him.

She inched the material higher, revealing his body to her
hungry view.

“Mikayla.” Her name was a whispered plea and she was more
than happy to respond.

Bending low, she pressed her lips to his bronzed skin. Her
mouth moved higher as she let her fingers glide across the contours of his
muscles. Ciar moaned under her touch, rolling his hips against hers.

She undulated against him, rubbing her body against his
harder one. She’d never thought to touch him this way. To straddle him and see
her proud warrior laid out for her pleasure. There was no mistaking the burning
desire in his eyes but he didn’t fight her magic. If anything, his expression
dared her to go further, to satisfy her craving.

Her fingers flicked over his nipples and she hid her smile
at the guttural groan the action wrung from him. Empowered, she drew her tongue
over the sensitive skin. He bucked against her, trying to reclaim his lost
control.

“Shh,” she whispered, scooting up to reach his mouth. She
kissed him with a teasing touch meant to inflame, not soothe. Every time he
strained to deepen the contact, she pulled back, leaving him as frustrated as
he’d left her all these months.

“I want you,” he growled against her mouth.

She closed her eyes, wondering if she would ever get tired
of hearing him say that.

“Back at you.” She ran her fingers down his chest. “You’re
too perfect to be real.”

“Glad I don’t disappoint.”

Mikayla paused, drawing back to look at him. “You could
never disappoint me.” The revealing words were out before she could call them
back.

The humor left Ciar’s eyes. “Let me go, Mikayla. I want to
touch you.”

For a moment she hesitated, liking the power she held. Ciar
under her control would do less damage to her emotionally. But if this was her
one chance in his bed, she didn’t want either of them to hold anything back.
With a wave of her hand, she released the simple spell.

Ciar tugged the shirt over his head before wrapping his arms
around her. She pulled his mouth down to hers as he rolled her back onto the
bed. He slid his strong hands over her skin and Mikayla shivered at the touch.
Delicious sparks of pleasure coursed through her and all she wanted was more.

Dropping a last kiss on her lips, Ciar drew back and grinned
at her. His hands moved to the clasp of her jeans and she offered no protest as
he helped her kick free from the constricting material. She wanted to touch him
fully, nothing between them.

Ciar’s gaze burned hotly as he stared at her long legs. He
looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world and right now,
she almost believed him.

“Your turn,” she whispered, holding her breath as she waited
to see what he would reveal.

Mikayla crawled backward to give him room to strip. When he
dropped his jeans and boxers over the side of the bed she couldn’t stop her
swift inhale.

Ciar knelt at her feet, watching her with the gaze of a
hunter. The rising heat within her answered the raw desire she read in his
face. Never in her life had she wanted anyone with the desperation Ciar inspired.
Nothing was more important than getting his hands on her skin.

Mikayla rose to her knees and crawled down the bed to him.
He groaned as her fingers touched his abdomen, then trailed tantalizingly
lower.

Mikayla drew one light finger down the length of his cock.

“God,” he gasped, grabbing her wrist.

“But I want to play.” She leaned forward to brush her lips
against his. She encircled him with her fingers, stroking his cock with a
teasingly slow rhythm.

“You’ll be the end of me,” he said, his grip on her wrist
weakening as if he couldn’t help himself.

“Good.” She wanted to brand him the way he had her. Imprint
her memory in his mind so he would never forget the way she touched him.

Ciar panted as she increased her pace. She pressed her lips
to his collarbone as her fingers moved over his hard length. When her thumb
caressed the crown of his cock he bucked against her.

“Enough,” he said, catching her around the waist and
tumbling her backward onto the bed. “Or I will be of no use to you.”

The words were not the deterrent he meant them to be. She
might want him desperately but the idea of controlling his pleasure, of driving
him wild with her touch was a heady notion.

“I like to play,” she whispered, arching under him.

“So do I,” he breathed against her lips.

He gripped the small black panties she wore and stripped
them off her body, leaving her completely naked to his view. But despite her
vulnerability, Mikayla didn’t hesitate as she reached for him.

“So beautiful,” he growled to her, his hands pushing apart
her thighs.

Mikayla let her legs open at his caress. The heat of his
palms on her thighs burned away any nerves she might have felt. The only thing
that mattered was satisfying the lust spiraling through her.

But when he stroked a finger along her slit, all logical
thought fled.

Mikayla gasped, throwing back her head as he played with
her. Ciar touched her with the same maddening slowness she had tortured him
with. He flicked his fingers over her clit and nearly sent her flying from the
bed.

“More,” she pleaded as he stroked her.

One questing finger parted her folds before delving into
her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.

“Wet,” he whispered in her ear, sounding very
self-satisfied. “All for me.”

“Yes,” she panted. Anything for him.

He stroked his finger into her, making her writhe under his
touch. Her hips rocked against his as she fought for more.

“Please, Ciar,” she begged. “Please.” She wanted more than a
finger.

With a last lingering touch, he withdrew his hand. Mikayla
nearly cried out in loss.

But he didn’t leave her wanting for long. Pushing her legs
farther apart, he settled between her thighs. She undulated, loving the weight
of him on top of her.

He drew back enough to see her face and Mikayla tried to
memorize the moment. Ciar over her, gazing at her with scorching lust, while
his cock pressed intimately against her.

“Now,” she whispered.

Ciar needed no more urging. He kissed her roughly as he
thrust into her. Mikayla cried out against his lips, arching under him in
pleasure. She threw back her head as he drove into her.

He paused when he was buried to the hilt within her. Mikayla
appreciated his consideration but she needed no time to adjust, not when she
was sure she’d explode if he didn’t move soon.

Gripping her hips, he withdrew with teasing slowness. A
desperate cry escaped her when he surged forward once more.

“Again,” she demanded. Ciar clearly knew what he was doing.

He flashed a grin before thrusting back into her. With every
stroke he took her higher, building her pleasure with expert touches. His hot
breath panted against her neck as she wrapped her arms around his broad
shoulders.

Mikayla gasped as he stroked into her, her nails biting into
the bronzed skin she clutched. He was her only anchor as her body writhed with
the force of the pleasure he inspired. Instinctively she rocked her hips up to
meet his every thrust, trying to pull him even deeper into her.

She surged against him, needing more. The bed creaked under
them and for a fleeting second Mikayla prayed her sisters wouldn’t return
early. Nothing could stop her driving need for fulfillment. This all-consuming
desire left no room to concentrate on anything but the sizzling sensations Ciar
inspired within her.

More
, she wanted to cry out but she was beyond words.
Instead she moved faster, rocking her pelvis up to him. She was so close. Her
breath came in harsh pants. Ciar responded to her urgency, matching her
desperation with his own. They moved together, driving toward completion.

With a last strong thrust, Mikayla broke apart in his arms.
Her cry echoed in the room as her climax crashed over her. Pleasure more
intense than anything she’d ever experienced washed away all coherent thought.
All she could do was grip Ciar as she rode the waves of her orgasm.

Even after the pleasure had crested, Mikayla twitched in the
aftermath. By her side Ciar watched her with pleasure-glazed eyes.

Mikayla turned her head to see him, smiling weakly.

“Well, witch,” he murmured, trailing a finger along her jaw.
“We should have done that much sooner.”

“Says the man who kept us apart,” she replied, still
breathless.

He grinned and rolled closer. Mikayla smiled as he pressed a
light kiss to her lips. “My abject apologies.”

She grinned. “As long as you do this again, I’ll forgive
you.”

“Promise,” he replied, wicked plans dancing in his eyes.

He leaned back down to kiss her and Mikayla heard the
telltale “poof” signaling the end of his transformation.

Mikayla sighed as the poodle appeared next to her. Looked
like the magic had worn off and their time was up. Ciar whined in frustration
and Mikayla couldn’t help agreeing.

“At least we got through the good part,” she told the dog as
he snuggled up to her side.

Mikayla closed her eyes, absently stroking his soft fur. A
smile curved her lips. Maybe there was a chance she could be the one to break
the spell.

Even if it was only a tiny one.

Morning sunlight flooded through the room as Ciar rested his
head on his furry paws, watching the woman sleeping by his side. Normally he
wasn’t the kind of demon who enjoyed staying in his lover’s bed all night. It
was too personal, it made things complicated too fast. But with Mikayla he
hadn’t been able to tear himself away. Not even after she’d slipped into such a
deep sleep she never would have known he’d left.

What is it about this woman?
he wondered for the
hundredth time. There was a reason he kept all his relationships superficial.
Life was easier that way. And safer all around.

Except nothing was ever simple with Mikayla.

He closed his eyes, remembering the last time he’d felt this
way. It had nearly destroyed his family and sent him into exile. No, nothing
good came from caring for lovers. He’d learned his lesson, hadn’t he?

Mikayla shifted by his side. Ciar turned back to her,
helpless to do anything but enjoy the last few moments of quiet. Her sleeping
face was relaxed in a peace he never saw during the day. Usually worry filled
her eyes or, when he was lucky, lust. But she never looked as unguarded as she
did now.

Her brown hair was tangled around her face and he longed to
brush it away but for that he needed hands, not paws. He was still figuring out
this cursed spell, but the limits were frustrating. Three times the magic had
recharged enough to allow his transformation during the night and each time, he
and Mikayla had made the most of it. The memory made him smile as much as a
poodle could. She was glorious, his witch, even more so naked and writhing in
pleasure. What he wouldn’t give to claim his true form now and wake her
properly. Surely the spell would recharge soon. He just had to wait it out.

In sleep Mikayla clutched the pale-blue sheet to her chest
but it rode low on her hips. He wondered if he could pull it down with his
teeth without waking her. A night should have been enough to purge her from his
system, but he wasn’t even close to being done with her. He might never be.

Ciar sighed softly. Mikayla was twisting his whole world
around. Why was he so willing to forgive her for it?

He rested his head on his paws and settled in to wait for
her to wake. It should have been a chore, but instead Ciar found he enjoyed the
stolen moments. It was peaceful lying there, listening to her even breathing.
When was the last time he’d been so relaxed? He couldn’t even remember.

Ciar had no concept of how much time passed before Mikayla
inhaled deeply and opened her large green eyes. When her gaze landed on him she
smiled in unreserved welcome. Warmth filled him at the gesture. Had anyone ever
looked at him like that?

“Hi,” she murmured, not bothering to grab the sheet that
pooled at her waist. “Can you change back yet?”

He gave her a little whine in response.

“Too bad,” she said. “We didn’t even scratch the surface of
what I want to do with you.”

Ciar woofed in response, more than willing to pick up where
they’d left off once he could regain his own form.

“Might as well get dressed,” she sighed, “since spending the
day in bed is not an option.”

He watched her slip from beneath the covers as the familiar
tremors ran through him. They were faint, nowhere near the power needed to shed
his poodle form, but at least it was a good sign. A few more minutes and he
should be ready to strip off the sweater she was currently pulling over her
head.

Mikayla dressed quickly and Ciar mourned the necessity. He
wished he could keep her in bed all day. Or all week. If it weren’t for this
damn spell, he’d never let her leave the bedroom.

Of course, if not for the spell, he never would have made
love to her in the first place. He nearly howled at the thought.

Mikayla was almost finished dressing when her sisters burst
through the door.

Ciar growled at them instinctively. Mikayla he might
forgive, but her meddlesome sisters were a thorn in his side.

“Hey guys,” Mikayla said . “Did you just get back?”

Tamsyn nodded, glancing at Ciar. “Yeah, you sent us on a bit
of a wild ride last night.”

“Are you all right?” Mikayla demanded, her concern clear in
her voice.

Wyn waved her hand in dismissal. “What do you think? People
don’t call us witches for nothing.”

“What did you find?”

Wyn and Tamsyn exchanged a long look. “Well,” Tamsyn hedged.

“Your solution,” Wyn said, obviously not sharing her
sister’s reticence.

Ciar trotted to the edge of the bed, watching the
conversation. What was going on? Where had the troublesome sisters gone and
why? He glanced at his lover, not liking the idea of even more secrets.

“We think we found what you were looking for,” Tamsyn told
Mikayla. “And she’s waiting downstairs in the kitchen.”

Mikayla froze, still as a statue. The reaction troubled
Ciar. What had happened to put that bleak look in her eyes? She turned to him
and the expression on her face was like a dagger in his chest. He growled at
the sisters. Surely if they left he’d be able to change back. The electricity
surging through him was almost enough burst from his skin. He needed his own
body right now. Something was very wrong.

“Who is it?” Mikayla breathed, not looking away from him.

Tamsyn glanced at Ciar before murmuring, “His ex-fiancée,
Alina.”

The world whirled around him. Alina? Had the sisters just
said Alina was here? The breath froze in his tiny chest.

“Fiancée?” Mikayla whispered in horror.

Ciar launched himself from the bed. His tiny claws scraped
against the wood as he bolted from the room.

He was vaguely aware of Mikayla and her sisters racing after
him but he didn’t slow. Only one thought rang through his mind.

Alina was here.

* * * * *

Mikayla raced after Ciar. When he burst into the kitchen,
she threw out her arms to catch her sisters before they could stumble into the
room and dampen the magic. From the hallway they watched the black smoke
envelop the little dog before Ciar stepped from the wisps.

“He’s attracted to her,” she reported dully.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Tamsyn asked.

Mikayla couldn’t reply as she watched the woman waiting by
the sink turn and face the man behind her.

She was radiantly beautiful. Her hair was as dark as Ciar’s
and hung well past her waist. Silver eyes widened when she saw the man waiting
for her.

Mikayla thought she looked more like a fairy princess than a
demon. She was small and petite. The kind of delicate creature men loved to
protect. The formal blue dress she wore hugged her perfect body, accentuating
her soft curves.

Alina was beautiful, composed and worst of all, his kind.
One thing Mikayla could never be.

Mikayla leaned against the wall as she watched her lover
move toward the angelic woman as if in a trance.

“Alina.” He breathed her name like a prayer.

A smile curved Alina’s red lips as she raised a trembling
hand to Ciar.

Mikayla looked away as he pulled the foreign woman into his
arms, crushing her to him in a tight embrace.

“What are you doing here?” Ciar asked, burying his face in
her jet-black hair.

“The witches found me,” she replied in a soft, lyrical
voice. “They said you needed me. How could I stay away when you were in
trouble?”

Ciar stiffened in her arms and stepped back, his gaze
swinging to Mikayla’s as she stood at the end of the hall.

“Go,” Tamsyn whispered in her ear, pushing her forward.

Mikayla took a step forward, gliding toward the kitchen.
What happened if she stepped into the room and Ciar reverted to his dog form?
How would she survive the knowledge he no longer wanted her now that this new
woman was here?

Taking a deep breath, she stepped across the threshold.

Ciar didn’t change. He kept staring at her with eyes filled
with questions. Mikayla released a shuddering breath of relief.

“Why did you bring Alina here?” he demanded.

“We thought she might be able to help us with the spell.
Alina, welcome to our home.”

The woman regarded her with sharp eyes. “Thank you,” she
said. “I am more than willing to help.”

“Let me show you to the guest bedroom. I’m sure you two have
a lot of catching up to do.”

Alina looked up at the demon by her side and smiled. “Yes, I
believe we have.”

“Wait,” Ciar said. “First I want to know why—”

“Alina, right this way,” Wyn said, striding into the
kitchen.

With a “poof”, Ciar was back to his poodle form, growling
and snarling at their feet.

“Oh my,” Alina said, crouching down to see the dog. “He’s rather
cute this way.”

Mikayla gritted her teeth as Alina cuddled Ciar into her
arms before straightening. “Lead the way, Wyn,” Alina said to her, hugging
Ciar.

Mikayla watched her sister lead them from the room. She
didn’t want to think about what they would do in the privacy of the guestroom.

Tamsyn walked into the kitchen, watching Mikayla with
too-perceptive eyes.

“Did we act too soon?” she asked, resting a hand on
Mikayla’s shoulder. “We shouldn’t have found her yet.”

“How did you?” Mikayla whispered.

“Derric,” Tamsyn said. “You know, the vampire who owns the
Black Cat? He always seems to know everything about everyone. Turns out he
knows a great deal about Ciar’s past. I don’t know why Ciar and Alina broke off
their relationship or why he came here, but they were betrothed for years.”

Mikayla nodded, taking in the new information. “Then they
probably loved each other,” she said. “Which means it may not take long for old
feelings to resurface. Ciar might be free of the spell sooner than we thought.”

“Kay,” Tamsyn started before puffing her bangs from her eyes
as she did when agitated. “I think Ciar is a bad idea. You know that. But you
care about him, so for a second I’ll try to play the supportive sister. Did you
ever consider maybe
you
are the right woman to break this spell? There
must have been a reason you wove this magic.”

Looking toward the empty hall Ciar had disappeared down,
Mikayla said, “Looks like we’re going to find out. One way or another.”

* * * * *

“You don’t belong here,” Ciar said.

Ciar watched Alina pace the length of the guest bedroom
they’d ensconced themselves in. Away from the prying eyes of Mikayla’s infernal
sisters he’d been able to transform immediately. But whether he was a demon or
a dog, Ciar had no words for the storm this one woman was capable of stirring
up.

“You don’t either,” she said, pausing by the window to look
out at the new world.

She moved just how he remembered, with the grace of
nobility. How many times had he watched her walk, marveling that she was his?

He shook his head to clear it. The past was past.

“This is my home now.”

“Your family misses you.”

He snorted. “Misses the target so conveniently painted on my
back, maybe.”

“Ciar,” Alina said reprovingly.

“Why did the witches bring you here?”

She turned back to him with the same half-smile curving her
lips that he remembered. “They weren’t very informative. Secretive bunch,
aren’t they? But I wasn’t really in the mood to ask a lot of questions.” She
drifted closer, gliding across the distance separating them. “They said you
were in trouble, Ciar. I didn’t protest after that.”

He caught her wrist when she reached out to touch him. “Why
would you care?”

“Harsh,” she whispered.

“Fair,” he replied.

Alina didn’t try to tug her hand free. Instead she stepped
forward to press her body against his. Ciar hissed at the contact.

“I don’t know why it was so important for me to come,” she
whispered. “But I know I’m thankful for the chance.”

“You made your choice.”

“Teivel is dead.” Pain laced the quiet words. It was a pain
Ciar was more than familiar with, one he experienced every time he heard his
brother’s name.

He pushed her away roughly. “I know that.”

“Did you grieve?”

He bared his teeth at her, an inhuman gesture, but Alina had
a habit of awakening the demon in him. He’d spent months in the human world
learning to control his more basic instincts, to blend in with the mortals
around him, and within minutes Alina had managed to rip away that thin veneer
of civility. “What do you think?”

“I think many demons wouldn’t have. But you have never been
like the others, Ciar.”

“Defective, you mean?” How many times had he heard that
before? As a second son he should have been all muscle and no brain. He should
have lived to support his betters, not think for himself. He was too unpredictable
for the demon world and too violent for the human one.

She shook her head. “There is more to you than your
ambition. More than your brawn. You know as well as I that is rare among our
people.”

“Your people,” he corrected. “I left for a reason, Alina. I
have no intention of going back.”

For a moment she was silent. “Not even if you could go back
with me?” she asked finally.

Ciar paused, thinking of the years he’d spent wishing for
just that future.

“This is our second chance, Ciar,” she said. “I know I
screwed up the first time but I swear to you, I won’t repeat my mistakes.”

“A second chance,” he mused. “Perhaps it’s not one I want.”

A knowing smile curved her lips, one that said no man would
ever turn down an opportunity to be with her. The smile irritated him. It was
too knowing. Too self-assured.

Worst of all, it wasn’t Mikayla’s.

“Hell,” he swore, dragging a hand down his face. The witch
had really done a number on him if he was thinking of her while looking at the
woman he had once thought to spend his life with.