Chapter 42

Gryph

I’d been into a few of these meetings, but this was my first time being in one of the rooms where affinity tests were administered. From what I’d been told, no other witch business was conducted in these rooms in an attempt to keep them untainted by other forms of magic. There were even limits on the magical items people could bring into the room. Since I’d driven, the only magical item Julia had was her phone with the tracking spell.

“We’ll need to take your phones,” a warlock at the door told us.

Julia frowned. “Is this a new procedure?”

The warlock nodded. “They just passed down the rule, so notification hasn’t been sent out yet.”

Julia handed over her phone before explaining, “Gryph’s phone has no spells on it.”

The warlock gave me a weary smile. “Sorry, but I have to take it, anyway. It’s not the spell that’s the problem. We’ve had too many people taking videos or live-streaming the tests.”

Julia nodded her understanding. “It’s bad enough couples have to take the test in front of a crowd.”

“I’m glad you understand,” the warlock said in a tone that made me think he’d already dealt with quite a few arguments that day.

I handed over my phone, and we made our way further into the room.

A warlock I assumed to be Julia’s father waved to us from the center of the room. Unlike Julia, he had brown hair and eyes. “I’ll meet you near the front of the room after I’m done prepping the testing area,” her father called out.

Julia nodded before turning to me. “Walk right behind me. It’s important to stay far from the testing area.”

I nodded and followed Julia into the room. We’d barely taken five steps when it happened. I don’t even know how to describe it. My dick was suddenly rock hard and aching to get inside Julia. I let out a loud hiss before looking over at her, hoping she could offer some explanation. She turned toward me, eyes wide with shock.

“Holy hex,” she muttered before moaning.

Distantly, I heard the commotion in the room, but I was too distracted with what was happening between me and Julia to focus on anything else. I could suddenly see the wispy threads Jolie had referred to. They were hazy, like purple wisps of smoke billowing up from a fire. The smoke flowed between us and swirled around our bodies, caressing my skin. It felt as if Julia’s hands were moving along my body. A loud groan escaped my lips, and I clenched my fist tightly in an effort to resist the urge to pull Julia into my arms. I wanted to claim her in front of this room full of people. The strands tightened until I took an involuntary step toward Julia. She seemed to be struggling against the same pull.

“Don’t fight it,” Julia’s father spoke from close to us. I felt the push of his power. His magic was likely the only reason I could understand him when everyone else sounded more like background noise.

“This can’t be happening,” Julia argued, sounding frightened.

Her fear called to my wolf. He clawed at the surface of my body and pushed me toward her.

“Anything is possible,” her father soothed. “Stop fighting and let the magic guide you.”

My wolf reminded me of the need to soothe my mate. I stopped fighting and allowed the magic to pull me closer to Julia. I don’t know who moved first, but soon, we were kissing. The magic slid along my body faster. My aching dick throbbed in time with my pulse, and that’s when I heard the steady beating of our hearts. No other sounds could be heard. The beats weren’t in sync, not at first. My heart began to beat slower, matching Julia’s. My wolf ceased to struggle as the magic swirled around him, soothing him.

Just as Julia began to tear at my clothing, a cold breeze blew through the room, pulling us back to reality. Julia’s hands remained under my shirt. Our lips separated by only a fraction of an inch when we broke our kiss.

“This is an abomination!” shouted a warlock just before the room erupted in shouts.

“Let’s get you out of here before Gryph kills someone,” Julia’s father said with a kind smile as he guided us toward the back of the meeting room where there was an exit marked for council members only.

Once we were in an empty hallway, Julia finally spoke. “Sorry for disrupting the test.”

Her father waved off her apology. “It’s my fault. I should have anticipated something this intense happening when dealing with a witch of your talent.”

“What the hell just happened?” I demanded.

“I bound my witch magic to your werewolf magic,” Julia admitted softly. She looked shaken.

I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “That happened before today. I felt it happen.”

“No,” she replied. “Our power mixed some, but had we decided to break it, it would have returned to each of us.”

“And now?” I asked.

“I don’t honestly know,” she admitted. “If you were a warlock, breaking this bond would mean each of us would lose power. Something feels incomplete.”

“I witnessed it, and everything seemed complete,” her father argued.

“Werewolves have their own process for claiming their mate,” I reminded them.

“That’s right,” Julia mused. “This was only half the process.”

“I recommend completing the rest soon,” her father advised. “Your power is definitely calling to hers, and it will only get stronger.”

I said nothing. Julia seemed shaken enough without adding me biting her to our day. I needed to get my dick under control.

“Again, I’m sorry for interfering with the test you were supposed to perform,” Julia told her father with a wobbly smile.

“Don’t be,” her father insisted. “While I didn’t expect anything quite this spectacular, I’d hoped your power would react when you were in the room.”

“I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” I told him.

“Julia’s power is very strong,” he began. “She can easily determine whether a match is good or not. Since Trevor had already told me he thought you were the one for my girl, I wanted to see how her magic reacted to you. I’d expected something more subtle.”

“You set me up?” Julia demanded, eyes narrowed.

“I suppose I did,” her father admitted with a sheepish grin. “Don’t be too angry with me, Julia.”

“We’ll have to talk about how mad I am about being manipulated later. For now, I’m too busy dealing with the shock. I still can’t believe this is possible,” Julia admitted.

“Are you okay, Sass?” I asked when I saw a fine tremor run through her body.

Her father laughed. “There are some very intense side effects from the bonding,” he began. “You should take Julia out of here so you can deal with them. Welcome to the family, Gryph.” His gaze shifted to Julia. “Trust your instincts. You know a good match when you see one. You and Gryph are a good match.”

Without waiting for a reply, he returned to the meeting room.

While I’d hoped Julia’s family would approve of me, I’d never expected them to encourage us. This day had definitely taken an unexpected turn.