Despite Roman’s determination to love Wren endlessly in bed, the shower, on the kitchen table, and everywhere else in her house, he lost steam during their third day together. For the first time, he actually missed his vampire prowess. The one thing to keep him going like a romance novel hero high on performance-enhancing drugs.

Sprawled on the sheepskin rug in her living room, he struggled to speak between his strained breaths. “Give me a sec and I’ll be good to go for the next round.”

Deep in thought, she paced. When she reached the wall, she crawled up it and across the ceiling, her hair dangling down.

He wanted to tell her not to worry but figured he wouldn’t be convincing. They couldn’t go on like this forever. Already they’d torn apart her place looking for her magic books and found nada. He’d suggested checking her computer hard drive or the Cloud. No luck in either spot. Since she feared her increasing thirst for blood, she’d canceled her meetings with the teen girls she mentored and hadn’t been back to the club for her shifts.

Surely, Dimitri knew he’d forced her into hiding here and likely celebrated his victory by being a dick to someone else.

This had to stop. Only how? Outside of Lael, Roman didn’t know any witches other than Wren.

He ground his fists into his eyes, stifled another yawn, then bolted to a sitting position. “Shit. That’s it.”

She halted mid-crawl then fell to the floor on her naked feet, boobs bouncing. “That’s what?”

Hopefully, the end to her misery and his worry over her. “I know you said your witch friends can’t match Dimitri’s power, but which ones have the most? And please tell me you guys aren’t on the outs, like you are with your family, given how you feel about your heritage.”

“Of course we’re not. They know my beliefs and love me for who I am. Why are you asking?”

“They have magic books like you do, right? Ones you can borrow and use to relearn this stuff?” Damn, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t considered this before. It was so easy. Possibly too much so, but also represented a chance.

Although sleep deprivation had put dark shadows beneath her eyes, her beautiful face lit up. “Yeah, they do have volumes. I could scour them to find something to defeat Dimitri.”

“We can. I’m in this with you the entire way.” It was only right, though he didn’t dare suggest she help him hone his feeble skills. Curious about them, he’d used magic to turn on a burner to make omelets for breakfast but set a plant on fire instead. His efforts to get the water temperature right in the bathroom had melted the sink. Never would he have guessed this shit was so hard. “Call them now. Please.”

“On it.” During her conversation with each woman, she dashed around the room, her hope returned, her form a blur.

Trish arrived first. Busty with auburn hair and a penchant for beaded vintage clothing, she hugged Wren and wiggled her fingers at Roman. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He lifted his hand in greeting and planted the other one on his junk. In his excitement over the new plan, he’d forgotten he was naked. “Be back in a sec.” Still facing her, he exited the room and padded down the hall.

By the time he’d tugged on his jeans and returned with Wren’s robe, Sabrina had popped in. Tallish, she’d donned a tank top and short-shorts, wore her black hair in a boyish cut shorter than his had ever been, and was as slender as a prepubescent girl. She, Wren, and Trish stopped gabbing long enough for Sabrina to hug him. “Hey. Nice to meet you.”

“Same here. Thanks for coming.”

“For Wren? Anything. Always.”

He was glad she had such a devoted posse.

Cassie rounded out the group, arriving in a puff of black smoke, her Goth makeup and clothing as dramatic as her entrance and platinum hair. She embraced her friends then pointed at his tat. “Nice. The rest of you isn’t too bad either.” She took him in slowly then grinned at Wren. “You lucky dog.”

The ladies giggled.

While they got down to business, conjuring up enough magic volumes to cover both chairs, the cocktail table, and the rug, he retreated to the kitchen. “Would you ladies like something to drink? Eat?”

“Sounds good.” Trish waved her hand. Pizzas, chips, dip, soft drinks, beer, and salads appeared on tables that hadn’t been here a second earlier.

Wren elbowed her. “Roman likes pepper poppers.”

“His craving is my command.” A new table appeared, appetizers heaped on top.

This was great, except for one thing he’d just considered. “I hate to put a damper on this gathering, but will Dimitri be able to overhear what you’re talking about and planning?” He spoke to Wren. “I’m guessing he knows where you live, as a good stalker should, right?”

She slumped.

Sabrina, Trish, and Cassie exchanged a glance. Trish spoke first. “We need to leave now.”

“Hold on.” Roman rushed to her. “Wren needs your help. You can’t cut out before you’ve taught her how to do magic.”

Trish made a face. “Who said we’re abandoning her. Hang on.” She tapped her chin.

In a flash, Wren’s house disappeared, replaced by a mansion he’d never seen before. He and the others were outside by the Olympic-sized pool, the water sparking, the air heated, the sun intense.

Wren blinked repeatedly, shaded her eyes, and shrank back.

He grabbed a towel from a chaise lounge and draped it over her head. “Can you ladies do something to fix her sensitivity so she can enjoy the day like everyone else?”

Wren gripped his wrist. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not.” He spoke to her friends. “Please?”

“Of course.” Sabrina waved her hands. Within seconds, Wren’s skin shone, a transparent lotion coating it. She sported sunglasses and a hot-pink bikini rather than the towel and her robe.

“My sunscreen won’t let one ray through.” Sabrina grinned. “Promise.”

Wren regarded her arms. “Thanks. Is this waterproof, too?”

“What else? But we need to tutor you before anyone plays.”

Dutifully, Wren sank to a chaise near the others. The magic books and food surrounded them. Each young woman had switched to swimwear, Cassie’s a black bikini, Sabrina’s a blue one-piece, Trish’s also a bikini, but green and sparkly from beads.

Behind them, the mansion loomed, three stories high and stucco, a Spanish design. Roman scratched his bristly cheek. “Are we still in Vegas?”

Cassie spoke around a chip in her mouth. “Yep.”

He didn’t like her answer. “Won’t Dimitri find this place like he did the club and Wren’s house?”

Trish shook her head, bit into her pizza wedge, and chewed. “We put up a force field to hide it from him.”

“Great.” Who knew witches could be so handy. “Is this your place?”

Sabrina finished her soda. “Belongs to a mortal. He’s away for a month. The Feds are questioning him about something. You know what they say: behind every great fortune is a great crime. Anyway, he’ll never know we’ve been here. Music guys?”

They nodded.

Kelly Clarkson’s “Heartbeat Song” filled the air.

Everyone tapped their fingers to the peppy tune, except for Wren. She flipped pages in the magic book resting on her lap, face tight in concentration.

Roman sat next to her. The sunscreen smelled like coconut and peaches. He liked her natural fragrance better. “Anything coming back?”

She moaned. “It’s like I’m trying to read Greek. I don’t understand a word.” She shoved the book at him. “Is this in a foreign language?”

The text had an old-fashioned look, as it would during medieval times, but was still standard English.

Her friends had fallen silent and regarded her worriedly. Trish spoke first. “Start on page three, past the index. It’s the easiest spell.”

Wren flipped back to the front of the book, stared, then bit her lip.

As far as Roman could see, there was a simple ingredient list and instructions on what to mix for a potion to help plants grow. Uncomplicated stuff. He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Do you mind reading this aloud for me?”

“I can’t.” Misery filled her face. “I don’t understand the words. I can’t even pronounce them.” She covered her eyes and trembled.

Exactly as she did whenever her craving for blood intensified, which always happened when she was depressed or horny. He caressed her closer and spoke to her friends. “She needs to feed. I hate to ask, but can you guys give her a few drops? Not enough for her to turn you, but to relieve her agony?”

“No.” Wren slapped her hand over his mouth. “Never ask anyone that on my behalf.”

Trish stood. “He shouldn’t have to. We should’ve offered.”

The three witches pulled Wren from the chaise and toward a nearby cabana. Cassie spoke over her shoulder to him. “Give us a few minutes.”

He nodded, understanding their need for privacy.

Wren argued the entire way, refusing to use them for her base desires.

Trish tried to reason. Sabrina pleaded. Cassie smacked Wren’s ass and scowled. “Quiet. We’re doing this, so get with the program.”

They disappeared behind a black-and-white striped curtain.

Not wanting to eavesdrop, he scoured the text. Surprisingly, he found the spells and potions easy to read and understand. However, none provided magic to defeat a warlock. He plowed through the other volumes and eventually found an ancient spell to use against a demon.

“We’re back.”

He glanced up at Cassie’s voice.

Wren’s complexion had pinked up, her craving gone for the moment, her mouth still turned down.

He joined her. “What’s the matter?”

The others backed away.

Wren kept her face lowered. “I’m ashamed to have done that.”

“Don’t be. You were hurting. Friends are supposed to help you get past the worst shit. Right guys?”

The ladies nodded.

He lifted the book he’d been reading. “I found a spell to annihilate a demon. Can you adjust it to work on a warlock?”

“Let’s see.” Trish took the book from him and read, the same as Cassie on her right side and Sabrina on her left.

He kissed Wren’s temple. “How’s your stomach?”

She shrugged.

“Not good?”

“If you’re wondering if it hurts any longer, it doesn’t.” She chewed her thumb then froze.

He wasn’t sure why. “What is it?”

“My shadow. Yours…”

His pointed in the correct direction given the angle of the sun, hers in the other. “I should have warned you. Since being turned, my shadow goes the wrong way. Or did before Dimitri switched our powers.”

She turned, trying to get her shadow to right itself. No dice. “What else haven’t you told me?”

“Nothing major. Dogs growl when I approach, but, for some reason, I seem to draw cats. Other than those things—”

“Did you still have a reflection before you got my powers? Will I have one now that I have yours?” She grabbed a spoon to check.

He took it from her. “My reflection was still there, but flipped, like my shadow was.”

She threw a fork. The tines embedded in the mansion wall. “This whole situation sucks.”

He couldn’t argue the point. “Maybe since you’re no longer hungry for…ah… You might be able to concentrate.” He opened another book and held it between them. “Let’s see if this baby has anything we can use.”

She glanced at it then away.

His gut clenched. “Still Greek?”

“I could be wrong, but the words look like Russian to me.”

The text was English and confirmed the awful truth. Not only had Dimitri obliterated her magic knowledge, he’d made it impossible for her to regain it. Fucking prick. However, he’d never defeat them. Roman wouldn’t allow it. He spoke to her friends. “You guys are going to have to teach me this stuff.”

Wren made a face.

The others lifted their eyebrows.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” He jabbed the book. “I can read this. Wren can’t. Granted, I haven’t been good at the magic I’ve tried, but—”

“Not good?” Wren flapped her hands. “That’s the understatement of the millennium. You melted my sink. You set my okra on fire.”

“Only because I didn’t know what I was doing. Your buddies can teach me.” He hoped. “Right, ladies?”

“We’ll try.” Cassie pointed to the lounges. “Everyone sit. We have lots to go through. First, we’ll look for the correct spell, then we’ll teach Roman how to use it.”

Sabrina and Trish nodded.

Wren raced around the pool, faster than a whirlwind.

Before he could follow her, Cassie clutched his wrist. “Don’t interfere. She needs to run off her anxiety.”

Currently, she was skittering up the mansion wall toward the second story. “Tell me what we’re doing will work.” He kept his voice low. “It has to.”

“We’ll do all we can.”

“We should call Lael, too.” He’d just remembered her. “She’s working on a solution. Anyone have a phone?”

Trish pulled out hers and made the call. She and Lael spoke for minutes, Trish’s voice too low for Roman to catch details. She ended the call. “Lael hasn’t come up with anything yet, but said we’re doing the right thing by surrounding Wren with our love and protecting her with it.”

He would have liked something more concrete. “Think Dimitri will care?”

Cassie tossed a book. It hit Roman in his chest. “Start looking for spells we can use.” She pointed at Sabrina and Trish. “You guys, too.”

Everyone hunkered down and worked.

Wren paced the mansion roof.

He almost shouted for her to be careful but didn’t. It wasn’t necessary. Given her new powers, she could fall off the building, land on her head as he had, then walk away unscathed.

This goddamn blew.

Afternoon turned to evening. The ladies conjured tiki torches to eat away the gloom. Steaks sizzled on the grill, Cassie’s magic flipping them for an even sear. Potato salad, slaw, corn on the cob, and other sides filled a poolside table.

Sabrina played Barry Manilow tunes until the others complained and replaced him with Justin Timberlake’s newest recording.

Cassie finished her beer and stifled a belch. “Let’s compare notes.”

Each in the group had found several spells to defeat dark magic. Unfortunately, for the conjuring to work, the demon—or, in this case, the warlock—had to be subdued first. They couldn’t simply use the spell on Wren and get the result they wanted without Dimitri’s cooperation.

Having returned from her mad pacing and climbing, Wren rocked on the chaise. Her shoulders drooped, but at least she seemed weary to Roman rather than craving.

He rubbed her knee. “Doing okay?”

She nodded. “Think you’ll be able to get the magic right?”

If not, he’d die trying. “Sure.” He spoke to the others. “Tell me what to do.”

Cassie wiggled her finger at the steaks, making them flip over again. The grease popped and sizzled. “First, you have to believe magic in your gut. It has to become a part of you like your DNA. Otherwise, you’ll never get this right.”

“Okay. How do I do that?”

“The usual way.” Sabrina scooped potato salad onto her plate.” You have to open your heart to all possibilities.” She frowned. “Do you still have a heart?”

It wasn’t beating, but it had to be there. “You bet.”

Trish leaned up. “Close your eyes and drain everything from your thoughts. Let magic approach and fill you.”

Sounded like a yoga exercise. “You bet.” He did as they said. Sounds intruded. The breeze wafted past, cooling his sweaty skin. The steaks smelled awesome, even better than pepper poppers. Something whisked past. He guessed a bug.

Wren bumped his shoulder. “How are you doing?”

“Lousy. Maybe you guys should leave.”

“Nope.” Cassie lounged in her chair. “Keep practicing.”

Hours passed, the ladies’ meal long over. He should have been hungry and exhausted, but his concern for Wren kept him alert and cluttered his brain. Come on, you can do this.

He—they—had no choice.

Eventually, his mind cleared and he relaxed. Hell, he soared. Something akin to joy and peace filled him, though these feelings owned an edge, making him tingle every-fucking-where.

His lids snapped up.

Dawn had arrived.

Cassie was asleep, her mouth hanging open. Sabrina was out, too, curled in a tight ball, loose fists to her heart. Trish sprawled on the lounge chair, her snores constant and loud.

Wren was back on the roof.

He shouted, “It worked!”

She somersaulted through air, landed on her feet, and raced to him. “You accepted magic?”

“I think it accepted me.” He told her what he’d felt.

“That’s it.” She clapped her hands.

The others had awakened.

Cassie pointed at him. “Time to teach you some spells and put you through your paces.”

 

*****

 

With her blood lust calmed for the moment, and Roman having succeeded in welcoming magic, Wren wanted to dance around the pool. This might just work, which would return her to normal and put him back to where he’d been before. Craving and miserable.

She sank to the concrete.

He looked over and put up his hand, stopping Cassie’s newest order. “Hold it.” He spoke to Wren. “What’s wrong?”

She pleaded with her friends. “We have to find a spell to help him, too. I won’t do this until you promise me we’ll ease his suffering. And no way am I feeding on you guys again. It. Won’t. Happen.”

“Relax.” Trish finished her Pop-Tart and conjured another, this one also strawberry. “We’ll put a spell for him on our agenda. But this first.”

Cassie guzzled her coffee, used magic to refill her cup, and gave him her hardest stare. “Read the first spell on this sheet.” She tossed it to him. “Feel the words in your heart and soul, if you still have one.”

“He does.” Wren rubbed his thigh. “He’s a good man.”

He beamed, mouthed the spell to himself, then frowned. “This is for me to conjure a pool boy named Nuncio.”

Cassie nodded. “Baby steps. You need to prove you have what it takes before we allow you to do the serious stuff. Go on. We need Nuncio to serve us a proper breakfast.”

Sabrina giggled. “Make him hot. Give him a tat like yours.”

Roman twisted his mouth but finally recited the spell, enunciating each word.

Wren held her breath.

Nothing happened.

“Shit.” He rubbed his forehead.

“Again.” Cassie shot him a snotty look. “And mean what you say this time.”

“He already did.” Wren gave her friend the finger. “Be nice.”

“Are you saying you don’t want out of this mess? You’d rather join hands and sing Kumbaya?”

“I. Never. Implied. That.”

“Ladies. Let’s focus.” He lifted the sheet. “I’m doing this until I get it right. No, wait. I won’t settle for anything less than perfect.” He squared his shoulders and mouthed the spell.

My hero. Tears filled Wren’s eyes.

“Okay, stand back.” Roman raised his face and said the spell, his voice resonant and firm, but also laced with tenderness.

Men’s swim trunks appeared then dropped to the concrete.

Wren squealed. “You did it!”

“Almost.” Trish licked strawberry filling off her lips. “Again.”

He repeated the spell so many times, his voice grew hoarse. In addition to more swimwear, body parts appeared: a finger, toe, hair, eyelashes, a front tooth.

“God.” He rocked on the chaise. “This is fucking impossible.”

“Nonsense.” Cassie bit into her jelly donut. “A five-year-old witch could do this.”

“Oh yeah?” He bared his teeth. “A five-year-old mortal can code. Can you?”

She ignored him.

Wren kissed his knuckles. “You need a break. Preferably a nap. You’ve been up twenty-four hours straight.”

“I’m fine. Let’s do this.”

Doggedly, he persisted despite what a workable spell would bring. Him returning to his vampire hell, existing rather than living through each slow minute of every endless day.

Wren hurt for him as she never had for anyone else and longed for a spell or potion to make him human again so he could start over.

At this moment, peace seemed a distant memory.

Sweat poured down his face and chest. He’d tensed his muscles to the point they bulged. A vein popped out on his temple. If he hadn’t been a para, she would have feared him dying. Right now, she worried about his sanity. “Maybe we should stop for a few minutes.”

“No.” He gripped the paper and said the spell again.

A hot Latin guy appeared next to Cassie.

She pumped her fist. Sabrina waved shyly. Trish gaped.

Wren threw her arms around Roman. “You did it!”

“Not entirely. He’s not wearing swim trunks.”

Cassie ogled his rigid cock and tight balls. “All the better.”

“Wrong. I have to get this perfect.” He read the spell backwards, as they’d taught him. Naked Nuncio disappeared. “Let’s do it again.”

Took him fifty tries, but, at last, Nuncio was clothed and sporting a tat.

Wren’s friends squealed in delight.

Roman collapsed on the chaise, dead to the world.

“Let him sleep.” Wren shot a warning look at everyone. “He deserves it.”

No one challenged her command. They crowded Nuncio, flirting with him. He flashed a smile, his teeth impossibly white against his coppery skin.

Wren wanted to use the time to search for a spell or potion to help Roman, but each book appeared in a language she didn’t understand. Several scripts looked as if they belonged to an alien civilization. Giving up, she watched over him, her concern and affection crowding out her craving. For a few minutes.

Her urge to feed returned with ruthless ferocity, blasting into her, crawling through her veins clear to her marrow.

No. Perspiring badly, she fought her weakness, refusing to indulge in blood again, or ever.

Cassie, Trish, and Sabrina horsed around with Nuncio. One by one, he tossed them in the water. They shrieked and laughed.

Roman woke.

Crud. “Is the noise bothering you? Want to go inside?”

He rubbed his face. “No, I’m fine. Let’s get back to it.” He made Nuncio disappear seconds before he hit the water.

Cassie swore.

“Out of the pool and into your seats.” Roman pointed at her and the others. “You need to help me practice.”

As he did, Wren tried to absorb the magic or at least make sense of it. No good. This was like listening to a physician explain a complicated medical procedure in Swahili.

Goddamn you, Dimitri. If it took eternity, she’d get him for this.

Roman practiced increasingly difficult spells. Hours passed. Twilight turned to night. The tiki torches blazed. Burgers and hot dogs roasted on the grill.

If they smelled good, Wren didn’t notice. Everyone’s blood scent drew her. Like Roman, her friends were also AB positive. The perfect donors.

She tensed and pushed the thought from her brain.

It returned and persisted.

Unglued, she grabbed Roman’s hand.

He looked up from the spell he was reciting, his eyes glittering in the subdued light. “What?”

She yanked him off the chaise, lifted him above her head, and threw him into the pool.

He sank to the bottom then popped back up and broke the surface. “Hey!”

“Stay there.” She spoke to her friends. “I need privacy. Now.”

They rushed into the mansion.

Wren tore off her bikini. “Ditch the jeans.”

“What? Why?”

She was hungrier than she’d ever been. Hoping for calm, she took several deep breaths and lifted her face to the sky. A billion stars winked at her. “Why do you think?”

“Oh…you need a booster shot?”

“Badly.” She couldn’t keep still.

“Give me a sec.” He paddled to the shallow end.

As he peeled his sodden jeans away, she knifed into the water and swam as quickly as she ran, reaching him faster than a torpedo would have. “Are you up to this?” She kissed his throat and pecs. “Did you rest enough?” She pressed her cheek to his and cupped his balls. “Do you need—”

“Quiet.” He claimed her mouth, his kiss wild, as she liked. He pushed her against the wall, his size holding her prisoner.

She surrendered as she always would with him, whether blood lust was in the equation or not. He was her guy. The man she’d searched for from the moment she became a woman. Without him, she’d have no reason to go on.

He plunged his tongue deeper and fondled her boobs, his touch rough.

Heaven for a horny witch.

Uncivilized sounds poured from him, exciting her more. His cock blossomed against her thigh, tapping it, demanding entrance into her pussy.

Fine with her.

She spread her legs, her sheath aching for his rod.

On a coarse grunt, he pulled his mouth free, lifted her out of the water, and plopped her on the still-toasty concrete.

“What are you doing?” She tried to slide back into the water.

He stopped her. “Lie back, lift and spread your legs. Display yourself for me.”

Now he was talking. She did as he’d demanded, arms above her head.

Carefully, he stroked her mound. “Do you always shave here?”

“Do you prefer a bush?”

“On you, everything is good.” He licked her cleft.

She clawed the concrete, breaking several nails. The pain didn’t register, only pleasure did, warming her faster than the sun ever had, stealing her strength, preparing her for passion.

Roman propped her legs onto his shoulders, held her clit between his teeth, and licked vigorously. Trapping, using, arousing her.

She gripped his hair, needing it to moor her. Her delight was so intense she feared she might explode into a zillion pieces he wouldn’t be able to put back together.

She panted and swore.

He persisted, driving two fingers into her channel, stretching her brazenly, then licked her clit and stroked her anus.

Breathing became impossible. Her heart couldn’t have pounded faster without bursting. Perspiration clung to her throat and between her breasts.

If she didn’t break soon…

He released her, tugged her back into the water, pulled her into his arms, and sank his cock deep within her pussy.

Ah. Her head fell back.

After bracing himself against the pool wall, he thrust into her, stroked her clit, and reclaimed her mouth, his kiss as impassioned as his lovemaking. As though he couldn’t get close enough or experience her to the fullest.

The same as she felt about him.

They squirmed and writhed, explored and enjoyed, each coming on a joyous shout.

Gasping, he collapsed against the wall, bringing her with him.

She smoothed back his hair and caught another breath. “Good?”

His laughter filled the steamy night. “I’ll say.” He squeezed his eyes tight then forced them open. They slid back to half-mast. “How about for you?”

He wanted to know if the craving had subsided. Thankfully, it was no more than a painful memory at the moment, warmth and joy filling her instead. “I’m great.” She stroked his eyebrows. “You should sleep.”

“Plenty of time to do so later.”

Not if the spell worked and he returned to his normal, or abnormal, self. Crud, she hated their options.

He caught her concern, sadness touching his eyes. “Whatever happens, please believe I want you to have your life back. If I was at peace, but you weren’t…” He lowered his face. “That would kill me. I can’t stand to see you cry. I hate when I piss you off. I know you can’t be happy all the time, but—”

She stopped him with her kiss, tears dampening her cheeks. He couldn’t have been mortal before being turned. He must have been an angel who’d lost his way and ended up on Earth. A crazy and corny notion, she knew, but he was too good for this planet.

If things had been up to her, she would never have budged from this spot.

Too quickly, he ended their kiss and gulped air.

She tried to recapture his mouth, but he wouldn’t let her. “Too tired to neck?”

“Huh? No. I had an idea about Dimitri.”

There wasn’t a quicker way to kill the magic they’d created between them. “You finally realized he’s the ultimate SOB?”

“That’s a given.” He lifted her from the pool then pulled himself out and grabbed her hand. “Call your friends back. I want to discuss my thinking with them.”

“Try me first.” She touched his tat. “What’s your idea?”

“Are you afraid when I tell Cassie, she’ll give me a hard time?”

“If she does, I’ll have you turn her into Nuncio. No telling what will happen with your magic.”

“Hey, I’m trying.” He brushed water off his hair. “But I think we’re looking at this the wrong way.”

“How?”

He settled her on their chaise and lay beside her, their skin coolish from the water. “We’re only thinking about spells we can use on Dimitri. Magic.”

“Yeah. The only stuff that will work. Machetes, assault rifles, bazookas, and nuclear bombs are useless. If they weren’t, I would have tried them by now.”

“You’re not listening.” He tapped her nose. “What’s the most powerful magic on Earth?”

She considered drugs, but they were death, not sorcery.

He played with her boob. “I know you know this. Think. Open your heart and soul to the truth.”

Her nipple puckered from his gentle stroking, sending heated currents through her. Thinking didn’t come easy. “Uh…I… Wait.” She gripped his hand. “Love. Affection and tenderness for another person. Nothing’s more powerful.”

“Exactly. Not even dark power or hate can defeat it. When Trish called Lael to find out if she’d found a spell we could use, which she hasn’t, Lael said we were doing the right thing by surrounding and protecting you with our love.”

“Makes sense.”

“That’s not all.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Do you recall what I said about the power of three?”

“Uh-huh. You liked Charmed, or rather the hot babes on it.”

“Be thankful they caught my attention. It may have been a dumb TV series, but most shows and stories have some truth from the real world; otherwise, no one would read or watch them. From childhood on, we’re taught united we stand, divided we fall. That’s the power of three or four or two, or whatever number you want to come up with against someone. Throughout history, people have risked everything for love and have won. No matter how awful a situation is, love does, or will, conquer everything. Including that fucker Dimitri.”