Fire Spell (22 page)

I hooked my heels around his lower back, dragging him to me. “You? Me? Hot water?” I looked at the ceiling, pretending as if there was something to debate. He knew he could have me in a garden shed if he wanted.

“Whoa, whoa. What is going on?” Ian walked into the kitchen, shielding his eyes with his hand.

I started to giggle again. Nothing like flustering your older brother with a little PDA. “Good morning, Ian.” I waved.

He staggered toward the table and reached for a plate of waffles. “I don’t want to know.” He backed out of the kitchen. “I’m taking these. Don’t say anything. Nothing.”

“Yep, later, man.” Finn darted to the waffle maker; the steam had doubled. “These are ready. Want to eat?” He looked at me.

“I’m starving.” Something about emotional, mind-blowing sex really works up a girl’s appetite. I had never cried so much from someone else’s anguish or been so starved. I eagerly accepted the plate he handed me.

After we had shared all of the pain and emotion surging through us, today we both woke up lighter. I felt like a teenager whose crush had asked her to the prom. It was a strange mix of euphoric bliss and heavy emotion, but with Finn, I felt like I could handle it.

I watched as he cut into a bite of waffle and waved it in front of my mouth.

“Wait.” He held up a finger dotted with syrup and wiped it along my bottom lip. His mouth was on mine, licking and sucking the syrup until I felt his tongue working its way deep inside. I groaned. Most definitely, the best breakfast ever.

“Hold that thought. I’ve got another one coming up.” He raced over to the waffle iron, checking the latest batch.

He was in such a good mood that it seemed like a good time to ask about the house. “So, you said last night this was Leo’s house?”

He raised the lid and pressed the top of the waffle before closing it again. “Yep. Sure was.”

“And is it yours now or something?” I hoped he would open up and tell me the family details.

He flashed a wink from across the kitchen. “Yep. Sure is.”

I knew when I wasn’t going to get much information from him. This seemed liked one of those times. “Congratulations, I guess. The house is amazing.”

It was well preserved. It had been updated, but with designs that kept the home’s architectural integrity. I loved it. It would be the perfect place for a
Time Spell
. It had layers of history, like an onion. I could feel the energy buzzing inside the walls.

“Thanks, babe.” He walked toward me, armed with another plate of hot waffles. He placed it on the counter next to me. “My grandfather made sure the house was given to me at just the right time.” He tilted his head, his eyes locked on mine. “And now I know it was perfect timing. Kind of like this.” He kissed me again, and I tasted the sweet syrup on his lips.

“Uh, I’m just going to drive back to Charleston,” I heard Ian call from the kitchen door. “Why don’t you two just take the day and reconnect for the spell.” He coughed. “Or whatever spell prep you need. See you back tonight.”

Before I could try to assure my brother we’d make it before then, he was gone. Finn laughed. “I guess we made him a little uncomfortable.”

I giggled. “Bye, Ian,” I called.

I looped my hands around Finn’s neck. All I wanted was more delicious Finn lips.

The water trickled along my shoulders, and I saw it gather and pool around the drain. I glanced down to see Finn’s hands circle my stomach, his fingers splayed against my navel. My head rocked back on his chest as his fingers descended between my legs. There was no way I would ever get tired of the way he touched me. We had been together and apart, and every time our bodies realigned, there was always no going back, no matter how many months built between us.

“How does that feel?” He nipped my ear as he rolled my nipple between his thumb and finger while the other hand spread my legs farther apart, giving him all the access he wanted. I reached behind me for his neck, hoping my legs didn’t buckle under the intense pressure building in my core.

He didn’t seem to mind that I didn’t respond. He continued to torture the sensitive areas until I was panting for more. The pressure built from my core, and he worked faster to bring me to the point of pure pleasure. The water sprayed over my breasts and between my legs as the screams rose from my throat. I couldn’t hold back, and I knew he didn’t want me to.

The surges of ecstasy wrapped heated waves over my nerves, filling my veins and spreading through my limbs until I was warm and limp with exhaustion. Finn’s arms kept me from slumping to the shower floor.

Gently, he rotated me to face him. The water trailed between my shoulder blades. I kissed the smooth skin at the top of his chest.

“Feel good?” He smiled devilishly.

“Mmm…hmm.” I stepped on my toes to kiss his shoulder. I reached for the soap and lathered it between my hands. I smiled at him as my palms slid along his torso with the ease of the bubbles.

I explored the lines of his ribs and circled to his back when I felt a ridge along his skin. I saw him wince and I traced over it again with my fingertips. I twisted to the side so I could see what it was. A gash below his lower ribs wrapped around his side. The edges were red and puffy, but the center looked like it was mostly healed. How did I not notice this last night?

My eyes shot to his.

“Finn, what happened? Did someone stab you?” I realized all of last night’s discussions focused on the
Fire Spell
and the breaking
Protection Spells
, but shouldn’t he have mentioned it?

“It’s nothing, babe, just a flesh wound.” He moved my hair off my shoulder and kissed my neck.

“There is no way that’s nothing.” I looked at the gash again. It was practically six inches long and as wide as a thick knife blade.

He reached behind me and cut the water off. Two seconds later, he wrapped me in a white towel and secured another one around his waist. I knew this technique—total Finn avoidance.

“Are you going to tell me what happened to you?” I stood in front of the bathroom door, unwilling to let him pass me.

“No, I’m not.”

“What?” It wasn’t the answer I expected or wanted.

He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking some of the water from the ends. It looked longer than I remembered ever seeing it.

“You don’t want to talk about it, and I can’t, so I’m not discussing it.”

I glared at him. “I do want to talk about
this
. If someone tried to hurt you, I think I should know.”

He sighed. “You know it doesn’t work that way. Don’t get mad at me over something I can’t control.”

“Don’t you realize we have let other people, magical rules, and codes we don’t even understand dictate our lives? I thought that was why you wanted to do the
Fire Spell,
because you wanted to stop other people from controlling us.” I lowered my eyes. “I thought it was different this time.” I didn’t wait for his smooth explanation. I slammed the door behind me and left him standing in the bathroom holding his towel.

“Babe, you have to talk to me at some point.”

We left Savannah thirty minutes ago, and I had managed not to say a word since the bathroom. It helped that I was the one driving. I could pretend to focus on the road.

“Ivy, don’t do this. Not after last night.” He reached across the console and squeezed my leg.

I rolled my eyes. Thirty minutes in the car must have been my max silent treatment limit, because the words started to fly.

“Exactly! After last night, I can’t believe you would consider keeping anything from me. But, as usual, I fell for your seduction…like I always do…and you’re doing what you always do.” I groaned. “I’m an idiot. I believed with every ounce of my being that you wouldn’t leave again, but I’ve been wrong about you before.” I pressed harder on the accelerator. “Why should I think you’d tell me anything about your grandfather and the house, or oh yeah, how someone clearly was trying to kill you? Stupid me. How are we supposed to do the spell now? The magical world is falling apart, and I put all my faith and trust in you. I can’t trust you.” The ride with Finn always made me dizzy.

“Pull over.” He pointed to a dirt road ahead.

“No.” I wasn’t going to let him derail my anger.

“Pull the car over there
now
.” His eyes were fiery.

My hands shook and I was angry, ready to defy anything he suggested, but I pulled onto the road as he directed. I needed a second to cool off anyway. I parked under an oak tree at the end of the drive. There were no other cars.

“Follow me.” Finn hopped out of the car and disappeared into a nearby path.

What in the hell? He wanted me to follow him in the middle of nowhere? My entire body shook now. He had just taken avoidance to an entirely new level.

I slammed the door behind me and charged after him into the thick brush. This is exactly what I was talking about. I couldn’t address our relationship with him. I lost him on the trail. The trees had grown so thick together it was as if they formed a tunnel. Where in the hell was he going? I chased after him, determined that, if this was really the last time we were going to break up, I would say everything I had to say. I wasn’t going to leave a word unspoken.

I ducked under a low limb and emerged into a clearing, the sun hitting me in the face. In the center were the ruins of what might have been a temple. All I could see were the stone pillars and steps of the foundation. The columns reached toward the sky, only there was no roof for them to hold. What was this place? It was magical and haunting. There was a stillness and beauty to the ruins.

I noticed as I took the first step that the stone stairs were littered with colored rose petals. Delicate leaves dotted the crumbling walkway and formed a trail. I looked forward. Finn stood in the center of the columns, his palm stretched upward. I was almost walking in slow motion as I followed the path of petals to where he stood. This was surreal, like a movie scene. The sun dazzled overhead, and in this spot, it was warm, even in winter. The closer I got, I realized what was lying in his hand.

I reached the center of the petal circle when the colorful leaves began to flutter and swarm around us like butterflies. They formed a soft whirling cyclone of pastel colors. I searched Finn’s eyes for an explanation, but he dropped to one knee. He held the ring toward me.

“This wasn’t how I planned to do this, but I can’t stand for you to think I’m leaving again.”

I bit my lower lip. Was this actually happening? All the anger washed from my limbs.

He continued. “I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow night or the next day, but what I do know is that I love you, Ivy Grace. I have always loved you. Even when we were apart, I was always making my way back to you. To you, the most beautiful, the sexiest, the smartest, most loving woman I have shared a single second with. It has always been you. I swear I will never leave you. Will you marry me?”

The ring glistened in the sun as the pink and yellow petals floated through the air. I had never seen a more perfect diamond, or a more perfect witch down on his knee. I didn’t need to make a pro and con list, or rehash our past mistakes. I knew my answer.

“Yes.” I nodded, feeling a grin spread across my face. “Yes, yes, yes.”