Suzanne McLeod - The Bitter Seed of Magic

Tavish’s handprint spell on my stomach.

‘Can you show me?’ he asked, frowning in concern.

‘Yep,’ I said, and undid my jeans, leaned back along the bench seat and managed to reveal most of the black handprint without losing too much modesty.

Finn’s green eyes filled with alarm and … anger. He moved closer and gently pushed up my top to uncover the mass of purple bruising. ‘You’ve been injured, Gen?’

‘Ah.’ I pulled a face. ‘I ran into a bit of a problem last night.’

‘A bit of a problem?’

‘You should see the other guy,’ I quipped, thinking that while Mad Max hadn’t personally injured me, he was ultimately responsible. I was pretty sure that despite being a vamp he looked worse than me right now. ‘Hey, and painkillers work wonders.’

‘What other guy?’ A muscle in Finn’s jaw twitched in anger. ‘It’s that sucker, isn’t it? Did he do this?’

So much for keeping things light. ‘No.’ I pulled my top down over my unzipped jeans. ‘He helped’—mostly—‘and I’m fine.’ I caught his hand. Time for a truth he didn’t want to hear—and one I hated to admit. ‘Finn, the vamps—Malik al-Khan, at any rate—they’re probably always going to be a part of my life. Whatever happens. I can’t change that, so it’s pointless getting all worked up over it, okay?’

He gave me a long, considering look, then pulled his hand from mine. ‘I’m sorry, Gen, but I’m not sure it is okay. I need to know what “being part of your life” means. I’m not prepared to share, so you need to know that. And if that’s not what you want, then there isn’t any future for us, curse or no curse.’

My heart stalled, then thumped fast in sudden fear. I swallowed, my hands curling against my thighs. Did he mean he’d walk away? I suddenly realised how much I didn’t want to lose him, both as a friend, or maybe more. ‘I don’t know what to tell you,’ I said, the words catching in my throat.

‘Are you sleeping with him?’

‘No.’ I paused, then a niggle of magic made me add, ‘Not in the way you mean.’

‘Gen—’

‘Finn,’ I said earnestly, ‘I can’t lie, you know that. I’m not even going to try and prevaricate, but if you want straight answers, you need to ask straight questions.’ I smoothed my suddenly sweaty hands down my thighs before I remembered I was wearing my velvet jeans. ‘I’m not having sexual intercourse with him, but yes, I did sleep in the same bed as him last night.’ Then I took a deep breath and explained how I’d freely given Malik my blood, and what sort of power it gave him over me: that even without the 3V disadvantage, if he wanted something, all he needed to do was order me and I couldn’t refuse.

Finn was staring out of the limo window by the time I finished. After a long silence where I glowered at the glossy wood of the limo’s bar (a couple of whorls in particular resembled a Rorschach of a dead bat, and I didn’t need a psychiatrist to tell me what that meant), he turned back to me and said flatly, ‘What if he didn’t order you? Would you want to have sexual intercourse with him then?’

Straight questions are so overrated. I made myself meet his eyes. ‘I don’t know, Finn. I’m attracted to him physically, but …’ He confuses me, he ’ s arrogant, I don ’ t trust him, I haven’t a clue what he wants, and part of me never wants to see him again, but— ‘It wouldn’t be something I’d choose, if I were already in a relationship.’

He blinked, then a slow smile appeared on his face. ‘Good.’

‘Good?’ I questioned.

‘Yeah.’ His smile widened, a hint of mischief glinting in his eyes. ‘Now how about I check out your new spell?’

Relief bubbled up inside me, making me light-headed. I gave him a cautious smile back. ‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea.’ It sounded more like playing with fire to me. ‘What if the magic decides to take a hand in things?’

‘Up to you, Gen,’ he said, momentarily serious again. ‘But I want to know what spell Tavish and the Morrígan have tagged you with, even if you don’t.’

I did. ‘Okay, then yes.’

‘Here and now’s as good a place as any.’ He waved at the limo’s plush interior. ‘The car’s private, and after your little mind trick on your solicitor, we’re not likely to be disturbed.’

I checked my watch: there was still plenty of time before I was supposed to meet the ravens, and the limo was private. I narrowed my eyes at him in mock suspicion. ‘Just what sort of checking out did you have in mind, Mr Panos?’

A wicked glint lit his eyes. ‘I think the spell needs a thorough examination, don’t you, Ms Taylor?’

Oh boy.

‘If you’d like to take your jacket off, my lady, it’ll make the … examination easier.’

Air in the car suddenly seemed in short supply. I looked down at the long leather bench seat and back up at Finn. He raised his brows expectantly. I hesitated, then … Damn, I was tired of being sensible, and this was Finn, I trusted him, so what harm could it do? I lost the jacket and my boots and swung my legs up.

Leaning back I propped myself on my elbows and batted my eyelashes at him. ‘How’s this for easier?’ I said in my best husky voice.

‘Much better, but …’ He stripped out of his own jacket, and folded it inside out behind me. Holding his hands up, he waggled his fingers and flashed me a leering grin. ‘Why don’t you lie back, and let me work my sex-god magic on you, my lady?’

‘Your lines don’t get any better, do they?’ I teased.

He gently pushed me back and gave me a quelling look. ‘I think you’ll find you’ll appreciate my mouth a lot more’—he leaned down and nipped my earlobe hard enough to make me yelp—‘once I really get down to things, my lady.’

‘Promises, promises,’ I said, more breathlessly than I’d intended, then stifled the urge to turn my face into the jacket’s silky lining as his scent of warm berries and woodsy male enveloped me.

He knelt next to the seat and stroked a finger over my hip. ‘I like the velvet, Gen,’ he murmured, then his grin was back. ‘But the jeans are tight enough, that you’ll need to lift up and wriggle a bit.’ I stuck my tongue out at him and wriggled, sliding them all the way off, and the appreciative look on Finn’s face made me thankful I’d somehow managed to go for black and sexy underwear when I’d dressed. He plucked at the hem of my lacy silk top with another suggestive look. ‘Think this might get in the way, don’t you?’ One second later and I had it off and out the way, to another even more appreciative look. I lay back again, anticipation fizzing through my veins. He skimmed a teasing finger over the lace edge of my bra, and then down until he came to the spell. He traced its outline, and I gasped as he lowered and licked a lingering line across the handprint. A quiver fluttered in my stomach as he licked another hot line, trailing wet heat up my body to place butterfly kisses between my breasts. He raised his eyes to look up at me, his breath a warm weight along my skin.

‘Tell me what you’re feeling, Gen,’ he murmured.

Feeling? I was feeling … ? I frowned. Finn was getting all sex god with me, and yeah, he was hot, and yeah, I sort of wanted him—but there was something missing. Lying here half-naked, cocooned from the rest of the world, with the soft leather seat and the low purr of the luxury car rumbling beneath me … and Finn’s mouth on my flesh … I should be a shuddering mess of lust and hormones.

I wasn’t.

‘Hmm. Maybe not quite as turned on as I could be?’ I said ruefully.

‘I thought so,’ he murmured. ‘Let’s try this.’ He clasped my face and gently pressed his mouth to mine. As he kissed me his lips were everything I wanted: firm and warm and with a hint of demand, and when I slipped my tongue into his heated mouth, he tasted like sweet, ripe berries. His fingers slid under my hair to rest at my nape as he took the kiss deeper … and we kissed, and kissed, and the feel of his lips on mine, our tongues exploring each other’s mouths was enjoyable, and satisfying, and … not at all heart-stopping, not like the quick, hard, glorious kiss he’d given me before.