Eliza Gayle Witch Bundle (paranormal romance) Read online

  “Now that wasn't so hard, was it?” He reached with his free hand to the front of her cloak and forced it apart to expose the naked skin underneath. “Are you prepared to make the sacrifice?” He whispered the question in her ear, watching for her reaction.

  “What about Raven? You have to help me find her.”

  He jerked her head back, forcing her gaze to his. “I don't have to do anything for you, it is you who owes me now.”

  She opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it again.

  “That's more like it. Besides, I already know where she is…”

  He jerked his hand free from her hair and watched her stumble backwards a few steps.

  “Now, take off the cloak.”

  Force of Magick

  Book 3 of the Pentacles of Magick series

  ELIZA GAYLE

  Chapter One

  Raven’s back bowed up and away from the bed as she fought desperately against her restraints. Cries of anguish tore from her mouth as Denn watched her helplessly. Night after night she’d suffered nightmares to the point he had to restrain her for fear she might hurt herself. She should have awakened by now. Physically her body was ready, but something—some mental anguish, he would guess—kept her asleep.

  “She’s at it again, huh?” Jake’s smooth voice at his ear startled him from his thoughts.

  “Yes, and I don’t know what more I can do for her. It’s frustrating as hell.”

  “You’ve done a lot already, as much as you can. I assume even a witch as powerful as the great Dennison Scott has some limits that only nature can resolve.”

  Denn smiled at Jake’s words. The man had a way of knowing exactly what he was thinking. “There’s something about her.”

  “I can see that. You’ve been walking around here for days trying to hide the hard-on in your pants every time you come from this room.”

  “Don’t be crass, Jake. She’s been ill, and I’m doing all I can to heal her. Besides, it’s not as if I’m going to forget she almost killed my brother.”

  Jake shrugged. “Yeah that’s true, but some things you can’t control. You’ve learned that lesson by now.”

  “Don’t go looking for something that isn’t there, Jake.”

  “You’re just lying to yourself now. She fucking turns you on and you know it.” The hard edge to his words surprised Denn.

  “Not jealous, are you?”

  “Fuck you,” Jake snarled.

  “Anytime.”

  “Look whose being crass now. Not to mention defensive. Exactly how attracted to her are you?”

  Denn sighed, letting his shoulders relax. He didn’t want to think about Jake’s words and what they meant. His concern for the witch only stemmed from the fact that her condition hadn’t improved by much. She fluctuated day to day. Most days when he looked in on her, her color would be improved and her body shifted restlessly as if she was trying to wake up, but then by the time he got through with a physical exam she’d be still and pale, looking worse than before he started. He didn’t get it. However, these fluctuations were all good reasons to explain the amount of time he spent with her on a day-to-day basis. Simple as that.

  “I’m just concerned about her, Jake. She should be awake by now. I’m not going to deny that being near her, touching her stirs something inside me every time I touch her, but it’s not a big deal. I mean, look at her. She’s a beautiful woman and I’m not completely immune to that fact.”

  “Uh huh. Not a big deal. Gotcha.”

  Denn gave the witch on the bed one last glance before turning to look at Jake. They were about the same height, but the similarities between them stopped there. Where he was dark haired with a fair complexion, Jake had sun lightened brown hair and tanned skin. They both worked out in the gym together nearly everyday, but Jake was a runner. He left the house each morning at the crack of dawn for a long run alone through the French quarter. Denn understood Jake’s need for solace. New Orleans was an exciting city that buzzed constantly with energy that pulled people in every direction. In the early morning hours Jake could find a quiet peace within the city he dearly loved. What Jake didn’t realize was the energy he exuded when he returned. It crackled across his aura and urged Denn to partake.

  “You really do sound jealous, Jake.” Denn stepped closer as he watched the spark of anger in Jake’s eyes. His lover didn’t enjoy being called on his emotions, and Denn couldn’t resist pushing his buttons every chance he got. A riled up Jake fresh from a run came with some incredible benefits.

  “Stop doing that, Denn, you know it pisses me off.”

  “Stop doing what?” He took another step closer, bringing their bodies mere inches away from each other. Sexual energy radiated off of Jake, making his own dick even harder, if that was possible. Jake was right about one thing, touching the witch gave him a raging hard-on that he desperately needed to ease.

  “You are such a bastard, Denn.”

  “Yeah, and you love every minute of it, don’t you?” He reached down and cupped Jake’s hard cock through the flimsy material of his jogging shorts. He rubbed the silky material along the sensitive underside of Jake’s shaft until his eyes rolled back in his head. “It’s not like you could hide anything in these pants if you wanted to.”

  Jake groaned as he leaned his head back against the doorframe. Goddess, how he loved watching Jake’s reactions every time he touched him. It had taken them a long time to get to this point. Prior to meeting, neither had taken a man as a lover, and they’d fought the natural attraction between them as long as they could until one night, alone here in his house after a night of partying on Bourbon Street, they’d devoured each other in the wildest, shred the sheets on the bad, tear the house apart night of sex Denn had ever experienced. Amazingly they had both woke the next day with no regrets and had shared the same bed every night since. A fact he hadn’t yet shared with his brothers, who thought he lived alone. Even Cash hadn’t slowed down long enough to realize how close he and Jake were, and now with Raven here fucking with his body he didn’t know what to think. The woman had tried to kill his older brother so the attraction he felt messed with his head even more.

  He still needed Jake, and his body was screaming for him now, but something about the damn witch drew him as well, and Jake knew it. He needed to forget her right now and concentrate on Jake.

  Denn stripped his lover of his shorts causing Jake’s dick to pulse against his hand. With his clothing gone, the man looked like a golden warrior with his thick length jutting out proudly, and damned if he didn’t want a taste.

  Denn slipped to his knees while his hands roamed Jake’s hips and buttocks, before cupping his ball sac with a tight squeeze. The groan from Jake rumbled through his chest and spurred him to keep going. Denn slipped his hand between Jake’s ass cheeks, taking a slow leisure path until he found the tight, sensitive hole he sought and tapped lightly against it, knowing he would drive the other man crazy.

  “Denn, please,” he pleaded. At the husky, need filled tone of Jake’s voice, he smiled, a deep and dark satisfaction running through him. He might know that Raven attracted him, but he also knew the connection between he and Jake couldn’t be broken. With his ability to sense exactly what Jake needed and his lover’s open mind, the two of them couldn’t be more right for each other.

  Grasping the base of Jake’s cock, he guided it to his open and eager mouth, anticipating the smooth skin and musky flavor unique to him. He sucked the tip inside, swiping his tongue to gather the pre-cum already leaking. Jake’s taste exploded on his tongue, causing his own dick to tighten and expand to an almost painful pressure. He needed Jake’s hand or mouth or…hell, he just needed to bend the man over and fuck him. Jake was a little jealous of the witch and Denn felt the overwhelming urge to show him what was what in his house. His long dormant Dominant side roared to life as he sucked at Jake’s shaft aggressively, taking him to the back of his throat and swallowing until he thought Jake might burst or collapse.
Nothing pleased him more than watching Jake come apart, giving up all of his control.

  “Oh, oh—yes, yes," Jake’s cries of pleasure gave him little warning before the hot streams of cum exploded in his mouth. Denn didn’t stop, sucking every last drop of fluid from his cock and then some. When Jake began to soften and tried to pull away, Denn gripped him tighter and held him fast, continuing to work his mouth along the thick length, until Jake writhed and moaned in what Denn expected was a mass confusion between agony and pleasure.

  Satisfied with Jake’s reactions, Denn slid his mouth off his cock with a loud pop and stood, watching Jake’s body relax and loosen.

  “My turn now.” Jake didn’t ask, just told him, which rubbed Denn the wrong way. Jake started to slide down to his knees and Denn stopped him.

  “No, Jake.” His simple reply brought Jake up short as they locked gazes. Emotion swirled between them, thick and sweet, calling out to Denn’s magick. He didn’t tamp it down like he usually tried to, but instead let it flow between them. Dark, fluid. Jake’s eyes widened in surprise, as he too must have sensed the change.

  “What do you want, Denn?” Jake’s voice came out thick and gravelly, pulling at Denn’s groin. He hauled Jake into his embrace and nudged his head to the side, giving him full access to the flesh of Jake's neck and shoulder. He bit at the skin, working his way up to Jake’s ear, listening to the murmurs the man made.

  “I’m going to fuck you.” Denn unbuttoned his jeans, releasing his erection. He grabbed it with a tight fist, stroking up and down, watching Jake’s gaze travel down to watch. Jake’s tongue peeked out and licked his lips while he stared at Denn’s hand. “Is that what you want?” Not that it mattered at this point. Denn would have his way.

  “Yes.” Jake’s answer came out breathlessly.

  “Turn and face the wall.” Jake obediently turned as Denn reached inside the dresser drawer for the lube he kept with all of his medicinal supplies in this room. He ran his fingers against Jake’s taut, muscled ass. The man really did work his body hard everyday to keep it looking this perfect and he intended to spend every moment he could admiring it. Letting him go, Denn put a generous amount of lube into his hand, spreading a thick layer onto his cock. Denn had to bite back a groan and fight for control so as not to come on the floor. He was so turned on he didn’t think he could last long. It was always like this when he touched Jake. Intense. Breathless. Overwhelming.

  “Spread your legs some more, baby.”

  Jake did as he was told, sliding his hands up the wall and spreading those long, lean legs shoulder width apart. Denn guided his dick in between Jake’s cheeks, pressing lightly against his opening at first. When Jake's forehead hit the wall and his ass reared back oh so slightly, Denn pushed inside him slow and deep.

  Jake sucked in a ragged breath and Denn smiled, pleased with his reactions. When he was buried to the hilt, he leaned forward to lick and bite at the back of Jake’s neck.

  “Tell me, baby, tell me what you want.” He loved hearing Jake say the words.

  “Fuck me, Denn, fuck me hard.”

  The final tether holding back Denn’s magick broke free, bathing them both in a powerful mixture of dark magick and lust. He pulled back, pausing only for a second before thrusting back inside. He pumped a few more times, loving the tight squeeze of his lover’s body. He wanted to spend the whole day just like this, fucking Jake until he collapsed. His body had other ideas. He felt the cum rising when his balls tightened. Jake fisted his hands and pounded on the wall seconds before shouted out and came. His body gripped Denn tighter, leaving him no choice but to succumb. He sank to the hilt and let loose with his own release on a ragged groan.

  Collapsing against Jake, Denn laid his head on his lover’s back. “Good Goddess, but you kill me.”

  Chapter Two

  Jake wandered around the house, thinking. He couldn’t recall a time when Denn had been quite so aggressive in their sex as he’d been that morning. Although curious about the change, he couldn’t prevent a shiver of pleasure from running down his spine. The intensity had definitely brought them to a whole new level in their relationship, and he was anxious to explore that some more. Especially the incredible power he’d picked up.

  First he needed to check on a hunch.

  He glanced around the rooms as he headed for Denn’s office, admiring once again the striking old world beauty of the townhouse. Having never been to New Orleans before, when he’d first arrived he’d immediately fallen in love with the historical city. The Quarter was a perfect place to live. Lots of people with plenty to do and a lot of tradition. Denn’s three-story home dated back to the 1700’s, and he refused to allow it to be renovated. He insisted part of the charm was the patina of the place. He had told more than one reporter that he didn’t want to fool with it, and that he really liked the look of peeling paint.

  Jake had laughed the first time he heard that, but he had to admit it worked for Denn. It was old, but not crumbling. It gave the house a masculine appeal and prevented him from having to hire a decorator. Jake chuckled at the remembered look of terror on Denn’s face when someone suggested he needed to fix the place up. No, this architectural gem was perfect as is, no changes needed. He wasn’t sure he even wanted to leave here when his time came. Despite his best intentions, he’d grown attached in more ways than one…

  Jake shook the sudden melancholy from his mind.

  In the meantime, he needed to help figure out what to do about the beautiful temptress still lying in their guest room. Raven. Even with his limited medical experience, her condition didn’t make sense. She should have recovered by now. There had to be something magickal at work preventing her from healing.

  He’d listened intently to every detail of what Cash told Denn about the prophecy in their family history. Is it possible? Just how big a hand did fate really have? Jake headed into the library for Denn’s journal so he could read through it again. Something about what Cash had said nagged at him incessantly.

  He located the brown, leather bound journal in the bottom left drawer of the desk just as he’d expected. For a moment, he imagined Denn sitting here, night after night, writing out his thoughts on various events of the day, working on new potion recipes as well as spells he could use in his work. As an earth witch, Denn relied on the personal spells from which he derived all his power so he was always working on new ones.

  Jake turned the book from one side to the other. Based on the wear and tear showing its age around the edges, he’d guess that Denn had been writing in this same book since he was just a boy. For a fleeting moment he wondered if the book would be warded against evil, or any wrongdoing for that matter. Would some harm come to him if he tried to open it? He really didn’t want to wake Denn yet with his theories, not until he had a stronger sense of what was happening around them. His lover had enough on his mind without worrying him for nothing.

  What the hell. Might as well go for broke.

  He grabbed the buckle and strap, hastily unfastened it, and opened the book. He exhaled the breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding when nothing happened. No explosions and no flames.

  He slowly flipped through the worn pages briefly, skimming written spells for various physical ailments as well as an occasional one for physical power Denn could wield against enemies. According to Denn, it was a hell of a lot easier for his brothers, who could call up their elements at will and use their energy to defend and protect themselves. Denn, on the other hand, always had to plan and prepare ahead of time so as not to be caught with his proverbial pants down. Jake smiled as the image of Denn sans pants flashed through his brain. Good thing he kept meticulous records.

  He got to the next to the last page of written notes and found what he was looking for. He, Denn, and Cash had a brief conversation about their family curse before Cash had taken off to find his runaway firestarter, Selene. From everything he’d heard, it sounded like the two of them had been through the wringer to become a couple.
A mercenary trying to kill her, and a witch for hire after him. The very witch now lying in a bed upstairs. In the midst of all their running they’d discovered that Selene was the woman in the prophecy meant for Cash. Glad it was him and not Denn, that woman had been a handful.

  Jake focused on Denn’s notes and read through the first part of the prophecy:

  Two sets of male twins born with a dark curse. Unlimited power bequeathed to the four when used together. A seductive power that over time will destroy their souls. To fight the prophecy they must separate.

  Denn’s fate worried him. Most days Denn was a good witch, helping people in need, pooling his resources with some of the other Bayou clans when a boost of power was needed to combat some form of evil in one way or another. But he’d seen days where Denn was different. Darker, edgier, even a little scary. He tried to hide it, but Jake had noticed it more than once. Those days were coming more often now…

  Pushing those thoughts aside, he moved to the new piece of the puzzle that Cash had contacted Denn about. While the eldest brother Graelen’s mate, Rena, had actually figured out the meaning behind the first part through her job as a Tarot historian, a psychic had actually revealed the missing piece of the prophecy to Selene that put what was happening now in perspective.

  Looking downward, he read through the passage:

  Four women born at the same time on the same day. Empathic powers bequeathed to them all, intended to restore the balance between light and dark, if they can locate their mates.

  Could it be possible? What were the odds that the answer for Denn just dropped in their laps?

  He needed evidence, because Denn was far too logical to go there without proof. So he needed birthdays. He swiveled the chair to face the credenza behind him and powered up Denn’s laptop. Since Graelen didn’t know about he and Denn living together he’d have preferred to call Cash for help. But he had no idea how to get a hold of him. So, he had to e-mail Graelen, and pretend to be Denn. He sure hoped his hunch was right or he was going to be dealing with one pissed-off witch. Maybe two.