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  Admittedly, her explanation of how the font worked had made him feel better. Not that he really had that much of a choice. She’d been absolutely right when she’d said he didn’t have the skill to keep the wards and other spells working on his own. And he didn’t want any part in exposing his own people by being a selfish sloppy asshole.

  “Yes. My permission is freely given.”

  Chapter 5

  SHE nodded and took a deep breath and her energy actually moved, like the tide, around him. Wow.

  “Freely taken.” Efficiently, she took her boots off and padded over to the door, drawing sigils in the air as she spoke under her breath. He only had the barest knowledge of the sort of magick she made as he watched her work. So much skill. She worked the spell, weaving it all together, fitting it perfectly together until it caught hold and came into being.

  What he’d tasted of her just moments before had been a whisper of what it was like now. It was as if what he’d experienced had been through a filter, and he supposed that was true; shields were created to keep a witch’s power under control.

  He’d never had a taste of another witch so powerful. His skin itched as he watched her set the circle. His body ached for her, drawn to her. His power pressed against his skin.

  “I invite you into the circle.” Her eyes lit with the power she’d unleashed, her creamy-pale skin took on a pearlescent glow. Taking in that beauty for long moments, he snapped out of it and stepped in with her, clasping her hands. And for a second everything in him and all around him settled and was totally silent, as if holding a breath.

  “I’m just going to key you in. It shouldn’t take very long. Let my power recognize yours and get your signature. Open yourself and let me in.” She paused when he didn’t comply right away. He wasn’t sure what to do. It wasn’t like he ever let anyone in like she was asking. And that tautened sense of something about to happen rode his senses so hard it made him suspicious of it.

  She pressed a hand at his sternum. “Your magick lives here. And our shields are a sort of cork, right?”

  He nodded, following the logic.

  “So it’s useful to have a visual for some witches. Me, for instance. Even when you remove your shields, your tendency will be to hold it back. Those control lessons are the first most of us learn. I sometimes think of a handful of sand. Just unclench and the magick will spill. I’ll catch it.”

  Looking deep into her eyes, he knew he could trust her. Not the whys just yet, but he rarely ignored his gut. So he took her advice and threw the locks on his power. It opened up and she flowed in. Like, literally. He felt her energy float into his and suddenly, the circle expanded, tightening to the point of near bursting as magickal feedback screamed. He held on, not knowing what would happen if he let go. So he kept feeding her power to try to even things out.

  Her eyes, which had been blurred as she worked, snapped into focus and she looked at him, surprise ghosting over her features before she tipped her head back and laughed. The sound of it filled the circle, stroked his skin, tingling. Their magick suddenly eased and mingled in a way so intimate it felt as if it whispered sweet nothings in his ear.

  He’d never felt so exposed in his life. Laid bare and undone and yet it felt so good that it was her who’d drawn away all his defenses and left him this way.

  “It’s the energy of all the witches who give to the font. The flavor of Clan Owen.” Her murmured words reassured and soothed him past that panicked spot as he let himself truly examine this new connection he had to this font of theirs.

  MERIEL looked at him again as he keyed into the font and all that magick and community settled into his system. The wonder and confusion on his face told her that he had no idea it would feel so lovely to be connected to a font. And most likely that he had no idea why their individual magicks had interacted that way.

  But she’d grown up around witches and in a clan. She knew what it felt like to share magick, both sexually and metaphysically. Nothing she’d done could compare to what she’d just shared with Dominic.

  Not only had every last bit of her magick sprung to her intent nearly instantly, but her ability to work the spells had sharpened. She saw the spell glimmering around them. Vibrant, with all the threads she’d used humming with realized magick.

  All in reaction to and in conjunction with his power. It was the combination of their magicks that had ripened into something far more powerful and intense. Dominic Bright was her bond-mate. He clearly had no idea, but it made her happy nonetheless. Simply being with him in a circle made her nearly drunk with the way their power intermingled and caressed.

  “This feels amazing,” Dominic murmured. “Does it always feel this way when you work magick with a full-council witch?”

  She shook her head. “Working magick with another witch usually feels good, yes. But … Have you never done that before? Felt this level of interconnectedness and power levels with another witch?”

  He took a deep breath, leaning in closer and she had to lock her knees to keep from swooning.

  “Yes, yes, of course, I’ve worked magick with other witches. My foster father taught me growing up. I’ve learned from teachers. Other witches I met here and there. Though I’ve not let anyone in as far as you. It never felt this good in the past. Christ, Meriel, when it feels like this I can sort of understand why witches get stuck.”

  Stuck was slang for a witch who’d become addicted to magic. Magick came to a witch naturally. Each is born with a set of gifts. Some have very little power. A very small group had a great deal of power. Most had aptitude for certain kinds of magick and excelled on some level but overall were just everyday witches with moderate power levels.

  Some people got off on that rush of pleasure when magick rushes through your body. And she got that; it felt good after all. But some witches couldn’t get enough and started stealing energy through rites and spells. This unnatural and stolen energy was magic, like what a magician uses. Less powerful and didn’t replenish. Most involved theft of energy from other beings. Most involved pain or blood. Sometimes worse. The more they resorted to magic over their own inherent magickal gifts, the quicker it stripped a witch of their power because it attacked their connection to the earth all around them. Without that connection, the natural connection between witch and ground is broken.

  What she had with Dominic wasn’t anything at all like being stuck. Though he had no idea what it was he was feeling, it galled her nonetheless that he seemed unaware that it was special. Which was unfair because he’d clearly felt something major happen and she was all over the map with her emotions.

  She mentally slapped herself. “Stealing magick and destroying everything we stand for wouldn’t feel like this. This is something specific and right.” She hesitated for a moment, wondering how exactly to tell him just exactly why.

  “There’s something you aren’t saying. Tell me.”

  So much for that. Best to be blunt and hope he knew what she was talking about. “We’re bond-mates, Dominic. That’s why it feels this way. Our magick was made to work together. Meant to, as it happens.”

  He stood up straighter. “Bond-mates? Sorry, but from what I understand that’s only for council witches. I’m not full-council, Meriel.”

  Of course it wasn’t going to be easy. She’d just coached Nell through a mating with a man who despite wanting it couldn’t admit it for some time. “Yes, you are. Or you certainly wouldn’t be my bond-mate. Or anyone else’s. Someone in your line was full-council at some point.”

  She touched his temple, the warmth of his skin against her fingertips. A lock of his hair brushed against the back of her hand. She only barely resisted her urge to laugh at the look on his face. Confusion, wonder, anger, denial. He was such an open book. As a full-council witch, she’d grown up knowing at some point she’d ascend to her true power level once she united her magick with her bond-mate. Part of her had figured her bond-mate probably wouldn’t even be a romantic or sexual mating, but one o
f power only, like the one her mother had.

  But the man just a foot away was far more than just a compatriot in magick. This man was meant to be hers in a way she could see on his face he did not begin to understand. Hell, she’d grown up expecting this and she wasn’t sure she completely understood it all.

  Nor did it look like he wanted to deal with it just yet. He leaned into her touch nonetheless, feeling the same irresistible lure she did. It would always be that way between them. Now that she’d tasted his magick, she’d crave more.

  And to be honest with herself, she was sure that regardless of the bond, she’d be drawn to the man she stood so deliciously close to.

  The storm of what ifs and when will it bes that had been laying waste to her thoughts, churning in her gut, had all quieted. Gone. It wouldn’t be easy with this man. She knew it like she knew her name. He had trouble written all over him.

  But there was something else too. Something beyond the beauty of the skin stretched taut over muscles. A body she wanted to caress and lick from head to toe. Beyond the cant of the smile that promised very bad and enjoyable things. He was so incredibly beautiful, cocky, self-sufficient. And yet there was a vulnerability there she’d just seen glimpses of. There was something in his eyes that gave her an absolute surety that he’d be worth the struggle.

  She expected scientific proof of many things. But sometimes fate was just fate. And he was hers.

  Sliding her fingertips down his temple, she found the warmth of his jaw, the softness just beneath, the fragility of him just there. His pulse thundered against her touch as a sound broke from his lips — a ragged moan that tore at her self-control. Opening her hand, she luxuriated in the feel of him against her palm when she slid it around his neck, the hardness of him sending need through her, flooding, intoxicating.

  The warmth of his body brought his essence, man and magick, rising to her nose and she shivered at how delicious he was. Her mouth watered as she wanted. Wanted to taste, to lick and kiss and to be licked and kissed.

  His eyes, half-mast and burning with some inner light, locked onto hers and nearly sent her to her knees. She paused, not a bad idea really. She wanted to devour him. It hit her with so much force her hands began to tremble.

  And then she closed her eyes. Just for a moment.

  A vision of him above her, of sliding against him, sweat-slicked skin. Of him inside her hit her and rebounded back to him. With a gasp she opened her eyes, needing to see him, needing to know if she was alone or if he had, indeed felt what she had.

  The pale green gaze she found locked on her face told her she wasn’t alone, which sent heat through her anew. His eyes darkened. The flutter of his pulse at the base of his throat caught her eye and she licked her lips.

  With a soft intake of breath, he banded her waist with his arm and hauled her against his body. His mouth covered hers and the sweetness of his desire bled through her, saturating every single cell. Need ravaged through her as he drove out all the emptiness in a way she was certain only he was capable of.

  She swallowed his ragged moan and dug her nails into his biceps. She’d never wanted anyone before with such raw power, such craven greed. Her skin itched with it, her insides melted as the flames of his energy licked through her.

  He tore his mouth away, chest heaving as he strained to breathe. His cock burned into her lower belly where it was quite clear he felt the same way she did.

  “I can’t be your bond-mate.” The statement was laced with desperation, but he knew it wasn’t true.

  She laughed. “You are and you know it. But it’s sudden. I get that. I can wait until you’re ready.” He would be. It’d just take time. He’d need to get to know her before he could commit. In the meantime, there was no reason at all why they shouldn’t be together, get to know each other. And, um, have sex and stuff. A lot of it.

  But not right away. Sex would only make the need grow, only strengthen the connection they had. And there was no way she wanted him to ever wonder if he rushed into things or if he’d been swayed by the scorching-hot sex. And she knew without any doubt at all it would be just that.

  She cleared her throat after her mouth had gone dry at the very idea of what they’d be like in bed. “I need to break the circle, all right?”

  He nodded, his arm still banded around her waist, making it absolutely clear he had no plans to let go. Yum. Gooseflesh worked over her. She loved an in-charge male and this one spilled magick and testosterone until she drowned in it.

  Even when she broke the circle, the intensity of their attraction still made it hard to think straight.

  “Just so you know this, whatever else is happening between us, I need you.” He pressed his mouth to the place where her neck met her shoulder and took a long, deep breath.

  Swoon.

  “I plan to need you more than once.”

  His voice made her nipples harden to the point of pain. Yep, not just a bonding of like powers. This was a deep, DNA tingling, supercharged fuckfest of a bonding. Two lives united to heighten power was a given of the magick bond. But Dominic Bright was her heart’s mate as well as her magick’s mate, even if he wasn’t ready to know or accept that part yet.

  But she was certain. If he was simply a magickal mate, their connection wouldn’t have been sensual or sexual at all. But it sure as heck was sexual. All her parts paid attention in an oh-let’s-make-babies sort of way when their energies mixed.

  That knowing appealed to the organizer, the control freak within, satisfied her in a way she’d been totally surprised by.

  She shivered when his lips brushed over the outer shell of her ear as he whispered, “Six blocks. I live six blocks from here. I’d take you right here if I didn’t know the door would be pounded on sixteen times in the next hour. I’m in no mood to be interrupted.”

  “I’m across the lake in Bellevue.” She tried to move back but he held her in place. “We need to take this slowly. We can talk at your place. Unless it’s all stunk up with other women.”

  He laughed, taking two handfuls of her ass and snugging her against him even tighter. “I don’t play with women at my apartment. But I’m going to play with you there.”

  “Play?” She swallowed. What had she gotten herself into and could she get there faster? No! No, she needed to keep her mind above her waistline and be smart, damn it.

  He let go, only stepping a few feet away to pick up the phone, giving directions as his gaze greedily roved over her body like a roughened caress. “I can get us a taxi or we can walk. It’s up to you. Tell me and I’ll make it happen.”

  Goddess, she wanted him to kiss her again.

  She cleared her throat, lecturing herself to hold it together. She was a powerful witch, a smart woman and if she rushed into this without thinking, she might miss something good. This man was the rest of her life; it would be a crime to not pay attention.

  Yes, what they had together was intoxicating, but there were real-life considerations to be made. He didn’t trust or apparently understand much about clans and it would be a wedge between them if they didn’t address it.

  Clans were everything Meriel was. She was proud of what her foremothers had done before her to protect their people. As next in line, she’d run Owen one day. If he accepted her, he’d have to accept that too.

  But none of that was necessary right at that moment. Just then she wanted to be alone with him, to touch and be touched. She needed him all to herself.

  She smirked up at him. “My car is in valet. Some sad little wannabe named Spider, who’d piss his pants if a real vampire ever showed him fang, parked it. Better not have scratched it either. Really, Dominic, Spider?”

  His lips quivered as he tried not to smile. “I don’t name them. They come with names you know. I walked so I’ll let you drive, although I sense that may be a mistake. Give me the tag, I’ll have it brought around.”

  She handed it to him, both of them shivering a bit as their fingertips brushed, and he called quickly. A
tap on the door sounded. Meriel opened the wards and Simon walked in. He took in the sight of her and cut his gaze to Dominic, looking mighty annoyed.

  “Damn it, Dom. You’re poaching.” He looked very handsome and territorial standing there. Until his nostrils flared and his spine lost its rigidity. “She’s got your damned scent all over her. Outclan witches like you have mates? You’re like one of those full-council guys and you didn’t tell me?”

  Dominic snorted. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know and I’m still not convinced.” Meriel locked her jaw, holding her words back. Instead she rolled her eyes.

  Which Dominic didn’t notice as there was some sort of dick-measuring moment taking place between the two men. She sighed loudly and grabbed her bag. This startled them both and Dominic put his hand on her elbow.

  “Simon, you’ve met Meriel. I hope you enjoyed touching her because that was the last time it’ll ever happen. We’re going now. I’ll see you tomorrow. Keep an eye on the vampires near the back bar.”

  Dominic put his body between them, his arm tight around her and walked her out the back door where her car waited. Interesting. She’d never experienced that level of possessiveness before and goddess help her, she liked it.

  He stared at the powerful Camaro rumbling there. Waiting. “You said car. This isn’t a car. This is a dream. I’m impressed.” He moved the valet out of the way to hold her door open himself.

  She walked around and got in. “It’s not mine. It’s my best friend Nell’s. She’s on her honeymoon so I’m driving it in her absence.”

  He slid inside, his large form looking hot, even as he also appeared completely capable of violence if necessary.

  “Oh, I’m so going to fuck you in this car, maybe on it as we’re both tall. I’m at 2nd and Broad. The garage entrance is on Broad.”

  She didn’t tell him Nell would kill her for having sex in or on this car. It sounded really hot anyway. She followed his directions and they arrived in under two minutes. Neither spoke in that short time but for a few directional words from Dominic. The tension felt unbearably good.