Dani Harper - Storm Bound

He pulled up to the curb in front of the Handcastings shop and looked over at Felicia. She beamed at him, then made a little kissy moue in his direction. He couldn’t get around his truck fast enough to open the door for her, and she stepped out like a queen alighting from a carriage. Holding hands, they crossed the treed boulevard and sidewalk…

Until Felicia yanked her hand away and took a couple of fast steps backward.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“There’s something here…I’m…well, I think I must be allergic to something, George. Can’t you smell it?”

George sniffed the air and caught nothing but the usual pleasant scent that emanated from Handcastings. “I guess maybe there’s some dried flowers and herbs in here. Is it bothering you?”

“The doctor says it’s a mild allergy. I’m a little afraid it might trigger a headache if I go in there; you know how those things can be. I never go inside flower shops either. Why don’t I just wait in the truck while you get your friends?”

“Sure thing, if you think that would be better. I want you to feel good for our trip.” Kissing her long and deep, he whispered, “So I can make you feel even better later.” He waggled his brows, which won him a little peal of that delightful chiming laugh, and then he helped her back in the truck. “I’ll just be a minute.”

George jogged to the shop and pushed open the old oak-framed door. He immediately scratched his upper arm on something, just where the sleeve of his T-shirt ended. A goddamn nail , of all things, protruded slightly from the doorframe. As he tried to remember when his last tetanus shot had been, he was glad that he hadn’t tried to talk Felicia into coming inside. What if she’d hurt herself? “Hey, Brooke!” he yelled out. “You got a hammer or something? You got something here that needs fixing.”

“We’re in the back room, G,” she called.

He followed her voice to the former kitchen that she’d turned into an office. Aidan was holding open a small leather bag as Brooke spooned in herbs from an assortment of jars. Last, she dropped several tiny stones into the bag and softly recited a spell, one he’d heard his mom use over him when he was little and going away to summer camp. A spell of protection. He waited respectfully until she was finished before speaking.

“Hey guys, I’m really sorry I’m so late,” he said. “I just got behind, that’s all. I should have set our meet-up time for later.”

“No problem, G. It worked out well in fact. It gave us more time to put some final touches on our magical defenses,” said Brooke. “Last night I thought of a few more precautions we could take.” She drew the little bag shut, then threaded it onto a long leather thong.

“Is that what the sachet’s for?”

“It’s not a sachet. It’s a medicine bag. And I have a couple more for you and Felicia if you want them. I already charmed my SUV—I can spell Carmelita too if you like.”

George held up both hands in front of him. “No juju around Carmelita, thanks. She has her own special magic. And I don’t want to bring up charms and spells and all that shit in front of Felicia. I grew up with it, but what if she thinks it’s weird? Or downright crazy? No way am I risking my weekend in Seattle, hermanita .”

Aidan stooped a little so Brooke could hang the bag around his neck. He picked it up and examined it, then tucked it beneath his shirt out of sight. He thanked her, and she turned her full attention to George. “Are you sure, G? I know you’re probably not on the fae’s radar anyway, but better safe than sorry.”

For about three seconds, he considered it—he really did. While he didn’t practice magic himself, between his mother and grandmother he’d seen plenty of woo-woo stuff his whole life and knew it to be real. But the thought of offering the little leather pouch to the goddess in his truck just seemed wrong. Felicia should have diamonds laid at her feet, not rocks in a bag. “Naw, we’re good, thanks.”

“Well, then, Aidan and I are ready to go when you are,” said Brooke. She shouldered a bright yellow tote bag the size of Rhode Island. “Where is your new girlfriend?”

“She wanted to wait in the truck. I thought the four of us could have breakfast together, but I’ve kind of blown it now that I’ve made us all late. I told Morgan we’d be there by noon, so she’s expecting us for lunch.”

“That’ll work. We can save the visiting till we get there. Let me at least say hi to Felicia, though, since we’re taking separate vehicles.”

George led the way outside and briefly introduced Aidan and Brooke. Though she didn’t offer her hand, Felicia beamed at them, and even from the interior of the black-on-black truck, she seemed to glow with all the vitality of a beach volleyball champion. He was so effin’ proud to be seen with her that he almost puffed out his chest. Maybe he did, just a little.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” she said to his friends with enthusiasm. “George talks about you all the time.” Felicia assured them both that she was looking forward to getting to know them.

That was pretty far from a sexual comment, but damn , he found himself looking forward to getting to know some parts of her again. They’d only just engaged in some pretty wild sex, yet his jeans instantly got tight all over again. I’ll never even last till we get to Morgan’s at this rate.

Everyone finished making nice, and then his friends headed off to Brooke’s little white SUV that was parked down the street. Strangely, George was glad they were gone. It felt like an honest-to-god relief to be alone with his gorgeous goddess again. He couldn’t recall any girl ever making him feel like that before—his friends had always come first.

“I told you you’d like them,” he said to Felicia. “Brooke’s been my best friend since grade school. Kind of like another sister, you know? Aidan’s only been on the scene recently, but he seems like a stand-up kind of guy.”

“They make such a cute couple,” she said sweetly. “I hope we see more of them.”

“As soon as we get to Morgan’s place, we can all hang out for a while.”

For a fragment of a second he thought he saw a green flash in her eyes, like a feral cat’s eyes in the dark when you shone a flashlight on it. Just as quickly, though, it was gone.

Weird, George thought, but he chalked it up to the sun reflecting off the hood of the truck. It was promising to be a bright and clear day weather-wise.

A great start to a memorable weekend.

Celynnen rearranged herself on the passenger seat. Riding in the truck was fascinating, although being this close to so much iron was disconcerting. The iron was in its purer form of steel, making it particularly toxic to fae beings, and though she touched nothing made from metal, her skin tingled from the proximity of it. Any sensation, even unpleasant, possessed great novelty. Nevertheless, she would like a rest from its intensity for a short time.

She would also like more sex from her newest human toy before she tired of him. George Santiago-Callahan not only had much stamina but also was quite a bit more fun than many of her previous conquests. He didn’t know what she was, of course, but he was powerfully attracted to the appearance she’d assumed; other than that glamor, she didn’t have to use magic to draw him to her. That was a highly enjoyable part of the game, the luring and the enticement, the utter and complete deception. Later would come the best part of all—

The reveal.

Celynnen had just received a stunning revelation of her own. Aidan ap Llanfor was no longer a dog. Small wonder she’d had little success in searching for him. Of course, it had to be the fault of the silver collar; the chain-link torc had inexplicably come loose from his neck, affecting his return to mortal form. Fortunately, George Santiago-Callahan had succumbed to the siren call of the beautiful fae artifact—and had unwittingly led her directly to her true quarry.