Sinful Magic (16 page)

Tension built in her. “Do all these ceremonies require sex?” She weakened and glanced at Kieran.

He raised his eyebrows and grinned.

Jerking her gaze back to the view, she waited. Gwen finally said, “No. Well, you may need to gather energy in your chakras from sex before the ceremonies, but no. That kind of sex magic is very powerful and used sparingly.” She added, “Your father had no right to turn you against magic, against your heritage.”

“I don’t want to hear it, Mom. He wanted to keep me safe. If my chakras died, my schema would have vanished. The rogues would have no interest in me.” A throb started behind her eyes. She added, “Dad wanted me, he loves me.” But would he still?

“I love you, Roxy. I shouldn’t have left you alone that night. Your father was supposed to come over but canceled. I made a mistake.” She bit off the word, then said, “Your father’s the one who walked out on us. In the beginning I had my high magic and he was fine. But when the curse took away my familiar and things got rough, he walked.” She sighed and added, “All that matters is that you don’t suffer this way. Roxy, stop fighting and Awaken your magic. Wake the dragon.”

Why argue? It’s what she was going to do anyway. “I’m not doing this in a ceremony with other witches around. Tell me how to wake the dragon with just the two of us.”

Gwen hesitated again, then said, “It’s sex magic. You need your magic, then you call the dragon, he Awakens and fertilizes you.”

Roxy blinked, keeping her eyes focused on the windows. “Lovely.”

“It is!” Gwen snapped. “It was the dragon’s gift to his lover. He made love to her in human form, gifting her with fertility. He shared his own magic with her.”

It did sound romantic and lovely put like that. She looked at Key. His hand moved over the page, sure and steady, his face angled down and backlit by the windows. Even sitting he appeared big and strong, with an edge of ancient power in the lines of his muscles. She had to remind herself that it wasn’t going to be anything more than sex between them. “Thank you for the information, Mom.” Another thought occurred to her. “Please be careful. If the rogues find out you’re my mother, they might go after you to get to me.” The very idea made her queasy.

“I know how to protect myself. Roxy, you can do this, you’ll be one of the most powerful witches. And things will be

better.”

Roxy felt a weird vibration at her mother’s pause. More secrets? Or because she thought Roxy waking Dyfyr would help all the fertility witches? “Mom, what are you not telling me? I swear if you hold out—”

“Nothing. Roxy, I know you had a bad experience, but I’m not the enemy here. I’m trying to help.”

She thought it through. “What about the Dragon Tear? Do you know anything about it?”

A beat passed. “You’re being paranoid. These emotional swings are natural when you begin your Awakening. But you need to fully Awaken so that—”

Her evasion infuriated Roxy. “Mom, answer the question!”

“No. I mean I’ve heard rumors, but that’s all.”

Roxy opened her mouth, then shut it. Was her mom lying? Gwen had told her about the ceremony, so why lie about this? “I have to go. Bye.” She hung up. With her mind spinning, she reached for her mug and took a drink of tea. Holding the cup, she set the phone beside her. “You heard.”

He lifted his gaze and grinned. “I am to fertilize you. Will we need manure?”

She flushed to her roots. “Shut up.”

“Maybe I should water you, too?”

She leaned forward, grabbed a powdered-sugar donut, and threw it at him.

Key caught it and took a bite. “Fertilize, fertilize, it has such a romantic ring to it.”

“No less romantic than having sex in public,” she snapped.

“That’s not happening, not like your mom described. Now hot sex outside where no one can see us, oh yeah, that’ll happen. But it’ll be just us. You and me.”

Warmth moved through her at his throaty description.

He added, “Because it seems like I really should fertilize you outside.” Then he broke into laughter.

“Jackass.” But his laughter was infectious and she laughed, too. Finally, she said, “Did you hear anything else besides that?”

He finished the donut and went back to shading something on the drawing. “Yes. Dyfyr created fertility witches.” His eyebrows drew together and he looked up. “That makes sense. Dyfyr’s connection to fertility witches and Liam—that’s why I’m drawing it when Liam kills them. The dragon is furious.”

Roxy felt that resonate in her chakras. “Dyfyr is their creator, like Wing Slayer is yours.”

Key shifted in the chair. “Wing Slayer had a little help in my case.”

Roxy turned to study him. “What do you mean?”

“My mom got pregnant with me. She had the Tear, but she needed to bring Dyfyr back to life to get what she really wanted—immortality.”

Roxy said, “That doesn’t make sense. The Tear left other dragons mortal.”

“Yes, but I think as this story about being descended from dragons and finding the Tear was passed down in her family, it was embellished and changed.”

Roxy got it. “Like whoever found the Tear and woke the dragon would get immortality.”

He nodded. “She believed it. So much so that she became an archaeologist in preparation to find the Tear. Then when she did unearth it, she took that achievement as a sign that she would be the one to achieve immortality. But she needed the dragon, Dyfyr, for that.”

“What did she do?” Roxy wanted to know.

“When she was a few weeks pregnant with me, she went to a fertility witch. While she wore the Tear, they did some spell or ceremony that called the soul of Dyfyr into me.”

Roxy stared at him. “A fertility witch did that? Is that even possible?” Even as she said it, a memory stirred, but she couldn’t quite bring it up.

His face filled with shadows as anger rippled within him. “I’m here. They created a monster.”

No! “You’re not a monster!”

He stared at her with cold eyes. “I’m a freak of magic, Roxy. The fertility witch who did this abused her power and twisted nature by joining a fetus with the soul of Dyfyr. What would you call it?”

Her breath caught as the memory surfaced. Roxy and her mother were fighting when Roxy said she didn’t want to Awaken, she wanted to be mortal and have a real family. Gwen snapped back that fertility witches helped mortals create those families. But they do so much more, Gwen said, explaining that she had done a spell so incredible, it was bigger than the miracle of birth. That memory ignited a flush of suspicion. Her mother had been evasive when Roxy asked about the Dragon Tear. Oh God, could her mother have been the fertility witch who did this to Kieran? Merging a dragon soul into an unborn child could be considered bigger than the miracle of birth. The risk to the child

But Gwen had brushed off the risk when Roxy told her that her Awakening was a witch hunter and dangerous to her. If she’d risk her own daughter’s life, was it such a stretch to think she’d risk an unborn baby? Panic rolled through her as she stared out at the cityscape, trying to think. To Kieran, she said, “You hate fertility magic, but you said my magic was a gift.”

The coldness in his gaze melted. “You put yourself in danger to save a kid. Hell, you didn’t even want your magic. You won’t do that, Roxy. You won’t try to alter nature.”

He believed in her. And if she told him what she suspected about her mother, what would he do? Her stomach twisted in knots. She just had too much coming at her. Roxy cradled the cup of tea. Fear froze her, but she focused on Key. It was easier to think about him. “Is that why you don’t think you know how to love, to have a relationship? Have you ever been in love?”

His hand stilled, and he looked up. “Once. She died.” Then he resumed sketching, his cold dismissal a clear signal that the subject was closed.

“I’m sorry, Kieran.” He’d endured so much. He made her want to take care of him, to reach past his emotional walls and ease the pain in him. Did he still love that woman who died? She hated that he’d suffered that way. “I shouldn’t have asked, I’ll just call my father.” She’d been avoiding calling him even though he’d be worried, but now she picked up the BlackBerry and dialed.

“Heath Viking.”

His voice wrapped around her chest and squeezed. “Dad, it’s me,” she said, struggling to get control of her wildly fluctuating emotions.

“Roxy! I have people in Vegas looking for you! You checked out of your room and vanished. You didn’t get on your flight, what happened?”

She launched into the story, quickly telling him what happened and explaining that Kieran was protecting her.

“You’re choosing magic.”

The flat betrayal in his voice almost undid her. She could try to explain, but she didn’t think he’d listen, so she simply said, “Yes.” Then she added, “I’m going to work from here. I want to buy the dramatic rights to the Eternal Assassins.” She rushed on to reassure him. “As soon as I can, as soon as it’s safe, I’ll be back in the office. Nothing is going to change.”

“Roxy, don’t do this. Stop before it’s too late! We’ll find a way. Don’t do this. You’ll become

you won’t be my daughter. Your mother said the same thing all those years ago. But she changed, until I was just a means to feed her magic. And it was never enough. She

goddammit.”

His anger and disappointment made her head throb. Her chest seized, and her eyes burned. She couldn’t do this right now, so she said, “I’ve already had a preliminary meeting with the two authors, Nina and Perry, and I feel good about them. I can work up a profit and loss as soon as I get a laptop, and then I can pitch it at the meeting by video conference. This project will be perfect for Shayla to write the screenplay. It can be huge, like Twilight or X-Men.”

“You won’t even try to fight this? You’re going to let magic ruin you?” His voice dropped to angry despair.

“Dad, I don’t have a choice. Please, Dad, I swear—”

“You swore you wouldn’t choose magic. When I hired you, Roxy, you promised. You broke the promise. You’re fired.” He hung up.

She held the phone in shock, seconds ticking by. He fired her. As his employee or his daughter? Both. She knew it was both. Finally she made herself press the end button and stared out the window. It was sunny and warm. Everything that she had feared would happen was happening. Her father had fired her, hated her. Hated what she was becoming. He’d only loved her until she screwed up.

Her schema began to ache.

Key caught her attention as he got up and walked over to her. Sitting on the arm of the couch, he slid his hand to her neck and rubbed the tight muscles. “I’m going to get you your life back, Roxy. I swear it. I’m your soul mirror; you’re going to get your high magic. The sex drive is supposed to calm then. You’ll be in control, and there’s no reason you can’t keep working.”

He was right. Hope sprang up in her. Lifting her gaze, she said, “Working where? My father fired me.”

Key stared at her. “Form your own production company and kick his ass.”

The image surprised a laugh out of her. “I could, couldn’t I?” Her father’s reaction hurt down to her soul, but maybe he’d cool off, forgive her.

He nodded. “Damn right. If you need financial backing, I’m here, sweetheart. Over time, your dad will see how special you are and realize he’s an ass who should have supported you when you needed him most.”

He got it. The man who claimed not to know much about relationships understood what love was supposed to be.

“Once Liam is dead, you can work with your dad or do whatever you want. You’ll have to be careful, though. We should develop enough of a bond, a sort of psychic link that will enable you to let me know if you’re in danger from rogues or demon witches.” He slid his arm around her. “I’ll protect you. I’ll be there for you.”

She believed him. “I know you will.” She took a breath and said, “There’s no going back, so we move forward.”

His gaze burned into her. “I’m going to show you the beauty in your magic, Roxy. Show you that it’s a gift.” He rubbed his palm down her arm, then cupped his hand around her side and let his thumb slide over her rib cage.

Her nipples tightened from the feel of his thumbs caressing her through the tank. “How?” Fear twisted with her desire, confusing her. It was all happening too fast. Her world spun, her goals changed, and she couldn’t get a handle on anything.

“You were doing magic last night when you woke up and saw the dragon on the wall. Before you had a chance to think, or worry about consequences. What did that feel like?” He slid one hand up, gliding over the swell of her breast, barely skimming her nipple.

She shivered, goose bumps springing up her arms. The way he was touching her was sensual and soft, without being too invasive. Thinking back, she remembered being confused; waking up to find those men in the room. Then she saw the dragon Key had drawn. “It was like déjŕ vu, and then I felt a soft

pop is the only word I can think of

in my pelvis, and a sort of energy rising to my rib cage.”

His gaze stayed locked on to her face. “Your chakras. Your witch-shimmer came to the surface, the fiery glow of sunset. It was faint but there.”

He handed her his sketch pad and said, “Here’s how you look this morning. The light spilling in, catching the colors of your hair.”

Roxy looked down. He’d caught her sitting at an angle, facing him, and a wistful expression glazed her green eyes with her mouth soft and slightly parted, as if she were going back in time in her head. She had her head slightly tilted, exposing the lines of her neck. It was so vivid, she recognized that was the moment she was thinking about the romance of Dyfyr and his lover. Her hair was blond over a light brown base, but he’d shaded it with red, somehow capturing the true color. Her breasts rose against the small tank top as if she were sucking a breath for a sigh. “It’s lovely. I look better here than I did in the mirror.” Though she appeared a little remote and melancholy.

He tossed the tablet on the table. “That’s how I see you. But I want to see that witch-shimmer again, and your sensuality. When you’re not holding back, not consciously repressing your magic and your desire.” He throttled his voice down. “I want to bring out that sexy shimmer of yours and then capture it on paper. Show you there’s nothing to fear in your power or beauty.” He brushed his fingers up over her clavicle, along her jaw, and cupped her cheek.