Wizard in a Witchy World (17 page)

I awoke suddenly at four o’clock the next morning, having only fallen asleep two hours previous. After running out on dinner, I'd grabbed a burger and then set about cleaning the apartment, a task I reserved for times when my mind was too occupied for anything else.

Violent banging on my front door spurred me to action and I stumbled from bed, grateful that I'd cleaned up and didn't have to pick my way around a mess. With a wave of my hand, I unlocked the door and opened it to Amak, who swung a clenched fist clumsily, recognizing too late I'd opened up. I dodged her awkward swing as she twisted, falling into me. The smell of booze followed her across the threshold like a tsunami.

"Whoa, hold on there, killer," I said, catching her.

"Booty call!" she announced, wrapping her arms around me awkwardly as we fell into the apartment.

"Shhh, you'll wake my landlady," I said, swinging the door closed with my foot. I was grateful that Mrs. Willoughby took her hearing aids out at night and nothing short of a gas explosion would wake her. Amak pulled off her sequined top, tossed it to the side and pushed me onto the couch, following my progress and landing roughly on me.

As beautiful as I found Amak, we hadn't had the same night. She'd been drinking and was already in overdrive, ready to go. My baser instincts wanted to fulfil her expectations, but I was having a hard time catching up.

"Hold on, Amak," I said, between her rough kisses. The smell of alcohol wasn’t doing much to encourage me.

"Playing hard to get?" Amak asked as her hands slid under my belt, searching.

"You're way ahead of me here," I said. "I just woke up." The irony of having this conversation with a woman, albeit a troll woman, was not lost on me.

"I just want to have fun. You can still pine after that witch if you want. I don't care," she said.

That got my attention. I pushed her back and scooted to the corner of the couch, disentangling.

"That's a horrible thing to say, Amak," I said. "I really like you, and I'd like to think…"

"What? You'd like to think we could be together? Don't make this more than it is, Slade. We have fun together. No strings. I thought you got that," she said.

"Is that how you see us?" I asked.

"Oh, don't get huffy. Humans have been taking advantage of trolls for millennia. I'm just being a realist," she said.

"I'd like to know
you
, Amak. I'm not plaything material," I said.

"You want to cuddle and talk it out?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"You're drunk and you aren’t listening."

"Gods, but you can be a buzz kill. Do you have any idea how much I have to drink to even get a buzz?" she asked.

I took my shirt off and handed it to her. "Put this on. I can't have a conversation with you if you're hanging out like that," I said.

She smiled at me mischievously and ran her fingers around her breasts suggestively. To my dismay, I was unable to take my eyes off her as she did. She ran her fingers down her firm stomach and when they reached the band of her leather skirt, I broke eye contact and stood, turning away.

"You smell like you're ready. Why are you holding back?" Amak had silently stood and her breath blew hot on my neck.

"I'm not that guy, Amak."

"You have feelings for that witch and you're still messing around. What would you have me think?" She wrapped her arms around my waist, her breasts pressing into my back. Fortunately, she kept her hands north of the danger zone.

"It's not as clear to me as it is to you, Amak. I think we could have something, it's just so confusing," I said. "What I know is that I don't want to lose you as a friend. If I just turn into your booty call, I won't be able to handle it."

She grabbed my shoulders and gently turned me around. She was still naked. Her glamour had faded so that I saw her as she really was – a gorgeous troll warrior. Her aura was no longer projecting lust as much as confusion and even hope.

"You're saying you just want to be friends?" she asked.

I shook my head, looking at the ground. "When you say it that way, it sounds terrible."

She gave her head a shake, confusion written across her face. "This is new territory for me."

I inspected her face to help me understand what she was saying, her eyes glistening in the dark of the apartment. I didn't want to hurt her, but this was a critical point in our relationship and I had to be honest.

"I don't know where our relationship is going, Amak. What I do know is that you've become important to me. I can't lose you."

"And, you'd give up sex for that?"

"Absolutely."

"You are an unusual man, Felix Slade. I've only known those who wanted a physical relationship and then tire of me and move on. Yet you, who see me as I am and desire to join with me physically, abstain from this to keep me as your friend."

"It'll sound less stupid to me when you have a shirt on and I've taken a cold shower," I said.

She stepped forward and slid her arms around my back, tipping her head over to rest her cheek on my own.

"You know. Trolls don't have the same hang-ups about sex and relationships. We could just be – I believe you call it – friends with benefits." She gently shook her chest, once again catching my eye.

I averted my gaze and tossed her my shirt again. "No. Stop. You're so naughty."

"How does this work?" she asked, pulling the shirt over her head. "Should I leave?"

"You shouldn't drive in your condition. Stay here tonight."

"And, what happens when your girlfriend shows up in the morning?"

"One of the benefits of being friends. We can have all the sleepovers we want. Are you hungry? I still have these frozen cookies from Mrs. Willoughby," I said.

"No. Sleep is probably a good idea."

I pulled a blanket and pillow from the closet and tossed them on the couch. "You take my bed, you're too long for the couch."

"Nah. This'll work just fine." Amak fell onto the couch, dangling her legs off the end and pulling the blanket over her shoulders.

"Seriously, it's not a problem," I said.

"Go to bed, Slade," she said, rolling over. I smiled. The woman could change gears faster than a Nascar driver.

"'Night." I turned off the hall light on my way back to bed.

***

Buzzing woke me from a deep sleep and I tried to turn over, but a long arm lay across my chest, inhibiting movement. At some point in the night, Amak had joined me in the bed. The presence of my shirt on her sleeping form reassured me that we hadn't done anything more than sleep. Gently, I moved her arm so I could retrieve my phone. It was just after eight and I'd missed a call from Gabriella. When I entered the security code, I discovered I'd also missed more than a few texts as well. I dialed her back and slid out of bed.

"Did you remember your appointment with Phibbly?" She didn't bother greeting me.

"Who?" I asked. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"At the bank. You're meeting him at nine," she said.

"Crap, I totally forgot," I said.

"Are you okay? You ran out of Chatty Katty's pretty fast last night. Willow and the sisters were concerned," she said.

"I can't talk about it."

There was a long pause before she continued. "That bad?"

"Just painful," I said. "I'll apologize to the sisters. It wasn't Willow's fault."

"Everyone has baggage, Felix. Willow was concerned for you more than anything else. She's very perceptive. You don't need to apologize."

"I feel like a heel. I knew she was reaching out to me and I rejected her."

"Then talk to her. She won't pry, but don't let it fester."

"When did you get so wise?"

"It's easier when I'm not involved. And you better get rolling," she said.

"Thanks for the call, Gabriella. I'll talk to you later," I said, hanging up.

I had only forty-five minutes to get cleaned up and to the bank for my meeting with David Phibbly, trust administrator. I jumped in the shower and was toweling off when Amak knocked on the bathroom door.

"Just a minute." I wrapped the towel around my waist and opened the door. "It's all yours." I gestured grandly to the tiny bathroom.

"You're up early. Do you have plans for the morning?"

"Banking," I said, squeezing past her into the hallway.

Amak straightened as I spoke and turned to me. "Slade, I hate to ask, but does this have anything to do with 230 Happy Hollow?"

"That's quite a leap from banking to that old run-down mansion."

"Don't mess with me. Does it?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Liise Straightrod compelled me to ask," she said. "I can't leave without getting an answer I believe."

"Do the witches really have that much control over you?"

"She does, yes. Please tell me," she said, her eyes begging me not to.

"I'm not much of a secret keeper, Amak. I've learned that my name is on a trust and it has something to do with that old mansion. I'm going to talk with them about it."

"I can't let you go," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm to detain you and call Liise," she said. "I'm to use whatever force or tricks work."

"Wait, what? Has Liise compelled you to sleep with me to get information? I thought it was Camille who was asking for information."

"Camille asked for information, but Liise compelled me to use whatever means were necessary."

"Camille knew this?"

"No. Camille would never go that far."

"But, she'd still use her power to command you," I said hotly.

"Witches and trolls have been enemies for centuries. My service to the witches is voluntary as part of a truce. Their control of us is a condition of that truce," she said.

"That's too much. It's slavery," I said.

"My mother wouldn't like what's being done, but I don't know if she'd break the truce just because one witch is abusing her power," she said. I filed that little bit of information away. I needed to meet her mother.

"So what do we need to do?"

"I can't let you go this morning," she said.

"Fine. I won't go," I said. "I don't really want to anyway. How about some breakfast?"

She smiled, stress draining out of her face. "Do you have anything?"

"Steak and eggs," I said. "Take a shower, I'll have it up by the time you're out."

"Promise me you won't leave before I get out," she said.

"I promise. On our friendship, I'll be waiting for you."

She turned and started removing her clothing. I pulled the door closed behind me, dressed quickly and got to work in the kitchen. If I were going to make my meeting, I'd need to hustle.

Fifteen minutes later, Amak walked into the kitchen, wearing another pair of my jeans and a clean t-shirt. I mentally noted that I needed to purchase more clothing if I was going to be sharing at this level in the future.

"As promised," I said, sliding plates of scrambled eggs and steak onto the table.

"This smells delicious," she said. "I can't believe you're being such a good sport."

"Coffee?" I asked.

"Water would be good," she said, digging in.

I got up from the table and pulled a cardboard bottle of salt from a shelf and poured it on the ground, completing a spell circle behind Amak.

"What are you…?"

"
Sphaera
." A translucent bubble popped into existence, separating us.

"…up to?" She completed her sentence, her voice taking on the tinny characteristics caused by communicating through the impervious spell wall.

"Sorry for the deception, but I can't let Liise Straightrod decide what I can and cannot do. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. Feel free to eat my eggs," I said.

"Do not leave, Slade. The consequences will be grave. Straightrod is up to something."

"What's it got to do with me?"

"I don't know. I just know she wants you and Gabriella dead."

"Would you kill me if she required it?"

"No. There are limits," she said.

"Do you believe you can get out of my spell circle?"

"No."

"Good. I'll see you in an hour or so," I said. "Enjoy the eggs."

I waved to her over my back as I walked out the front door, locking it behind me.

I was five minutes late for my appointment.

"Can I help you?" An older woman, seated at a reception desk asked as I entered through the second set of double doors.

"I've an appointment with David Phibbly," I said.

"I'll let him know you're here." She smiled a practiced smile and lifted the receiver on her phone, cradling it on her shoulder and gesturing at a row of empty seats.