Cherie Colyer - Hold Tight

“I was worried that your mom or dad might come downstairs.” I nibbled on his bottom lip. “But I think I’m willing to risk it.”

He pulled me on top of him, kissing me tenderly. The thin T-shirt he’d lent me was the only thing between us. His hands traveled down my back and over my waist, stopping on my butt. Mine were tangled in his hair. His arms around me felt right. Being with him felt right. I wanted to spend the morning exploring his body.

“Isaac!” Mr. Addington’s voice rang down the stairs.

“Is the whole house up before the sun?” Isaac groaned as he grabbed a pair of sweats and a T-shirt off the floor and put them on. On his way up the stairs, he said to his dad, “Madison’s still asleep.”

That was all I heard of their conversation, but I took the hint not to let on that I was up too. Although, having the parent of my boyfriend interrupt our make-out session was enough to kill the mood for me.

I slid out of bed and into Isaac’s bathroom. By the time I had freshened up, he was back. He looked at me: fully dressed, hair brushed, and makeup on.

“No morning shower?” he asked, playfully.

“Not if there’s a chance your parents are going to call again.”

He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. “There’s not. My aunt is having problems with her heat. Dad and Mom are going to see if there’s anything they can do to help. But I’ll take a rain check on the shower. How about breakfast?”

I kissed him. “Perfect.”

Isaac and I stood in his driveway with winter’s breeze ruffling our hair and our mouths hanging open. His Jeep was covered in a thick layer of ice.

“What the hell,” Isaac said.

“Humans always have such colorful ways of expressing themselves,” Reed said from behind us.

Isaac and I spun around. Reed stood near the garage. He hadn’t bothered with his glamour, and the fact that we could see him meant he wanted us to know he was there. Isaac raised his hand, sending a gust of hot air to circle his Jeep. The ice glistened and began to melt, but at the rate it was thawing, it would take several minutes before we could open a door.

The hunger I had quelled the night before came flooding back. I took a step away from the house, knowing the best way to fight the emptiness inside me was to keep my distance from Reed. Isaac gave me a sideways glance, and then spearmint and vanilla enveloped me, wrapping me in his powers and effectively blocking Reed’s magic.

Reed took a step forward, his hands relaxed at his side. He looked at Isaac and said, “I didn’t come to fight. I have a proposition for Madison.”

The breeze circled us and brought with it the sweet aroma of bacca wine.

I glared at Reed, knowing he’d created the wind to prove Isaac’s powers weren’t strong enough to negate the pull he had on me. “Bastard.”

Reed grinned.

“Enough games, Reed,” Isaac said. “Let’s hear it.”

“I never play games,” Reed replied. “If Madison accompanies me to the Winter Solstice Celebration, I will leave the people she loves alone. One day, then she can choose if she wishes to stay in Sanctus or return here.”

“You’ll promise never to harm my family and friends?” I asked, mildly intrigued that he’d agree to let me come home. But then again, his realm was one big drug to humans. It would mess with my mind like the breeze was doing now.

Reed inclined his head. “Not even Isaac, who has gotten on my last nerve.”

“It’s a trick,” Isaac said.

“I know.” I had only made the offer to test if it was a myth that humans couldn’t return from Sanctus. “Is there no spell to protect me while there?”

“I’ve read every book there is on Fae and Sanctus, Madison. That type of spell doesn’t exist.”

“ It’s an offer I will only make once ,” Reed said telepathically. His scent brushed my skin, making it hard to think straight.

I felt myself become weightless. I knew Isaac planned to teleport me to the safety of his room, but before I disappeared, an ice prison surrounded me.

“Tsk, tsk,” Reed scolded, his finger waggling from side to side. “I will not have you excluding Madison from this discussion.”

“You just don’t want her having the ability to think straight.” With a flick of his wrist, Isaac held a bright orange orb of fire. His brow pulled low over his narrowed eyes. “Release her!”

“No.”

Isaac rocketed the flames at Reed, who vanished, then reappeared the moment the fireball had passed. Reed spat something in a language I couldn’t understand. Then in English he said, “Are you trying to burn your house down?”

“The only thing these flames will burn is Fae.” Isaac whipped another fireball at him.

“What, no eternal flames in your realm?” Reed taunted.

Isaac shrugged. “I’m not suicidal.”

“Some would say challenging a Winter Fae is suicide,” Reed said.

Isaac smirked. “What, didn’t tell anyone back home how I kicked your ass last time?”

“As I recall, you struggled to hold your own,” Reed retorted. He threw a black dagger.

Isaac deflected it easily. In the next moment, over a dozen foot-long icicles hovered around Reed—each pointed at Isaac. Reed signaled with a flick of his hand, and the icicles sailed toward Isaac at a frightening speed. Isaac thrust his hands forward, palms flat as if he’d slammed them against an invisible wall. The icy rods crashed into his magical barrier.

“Stop!” I screamed, sending out a gust of my power in an effort to weaken my prison. Again and again I did it. Small cracks formed in the wall in front of me. I kept at it as they kept battling.

“It’s too late for her. She needs me to survive,” Reed gloated.

With him nearby, hearing his voice again, I feared he was right.

“Does she have the shakes?” he asked menacingly. “Has she told you she thinks of me when I’m not around?”

Isaac’s gaze darted to me. No guy wanted to find out his girlfriend thought about another guy—especially not after the night we’d just shared. I wanted to explain, to reassure him, but I could smell Reed—a crisp, icy river laced with tantalizing wine—and I didn’t trust my words not to betray me.

“How about we let Madison choose if I stay or go.”

No, no, no. Not a good idea. I both wanted him to go away and wished they’d stop arguing already so Reed would give me what I needed to fill the growing void inside me.

Isaac widened his stance, his hands held at his side and his palms facing forward. With barely a jerk of his arm, a blue stream of power shot up at Reed. He missed.

Reed retaliated with two black daggers aimed at Isaac’s chest. Isaac barely had time to create a new shield. The daggers collided with it, falling to the asphalt with a clatter. Had Isaac been a microsecond slower, one would have pierced his heart.

“Enough!” a voice bellowed.

I tore my gaze from the daggers at Isaac’s feet. Wearing only a pair of faded jeans, Caden stood between Reed and Isaac. Flames suddenly licked at the outside of my prison, quickly melting the ice.

“Since when do Fae attack humans?” Caden asked.

“He attacked. I defended,” Reed replied. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Isaac.

“Your fight threatens a human who owes me. Leave or you will be fighting me and Isaac.”

Holding two more daggers, Reed looked at Caden. Isaac armed himself with energy balls. Caden raised his hands—one palm facing Isaac and the other facing Reed—as if ready to knock them both out with magic of his own.