Chapter Three

 

“What the heck was that, Harry?”

They’d finally gotten back to the Abbott house, their arms full of bags from their trip to the salon. Everything from charmed styling gel to killer heels. Callie dumped her purchases on her bed in the guest room, flopping in the nearest chair with a sigh.

Harrison pushed the bags out of the way and sat on the bed, watching Callie warily. “I don’t know, Cal. I swear. That was not supposed to happen.” She grimaced. “I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot lately. All I wanted was for you to have enough magic that you would be recognized as one of us. Jenner…” She hesitated, as though there was something bothering her, before shaking her head with a resigned laugh. “What I want to know is what were you and Tyghe fighting about?”

Callie’s brow furrowed and guilt had her looking away from her friend. “Why do you think we were fighting?”

Harrison held up her hand, counting off on her fingers as she spoke. “First of all, you two are always sniping at each other. Secondly, I saw him in the lobby on his way out, and if looks could kill I’d be a dead debutante right now. Plus—” she looked at Callie, the worried, wary, almost guilty look returning to her eyes, “—that kind of power burst usually only comes from intense emotion. Anger. Fear…”

Or hot, sweaty lust, Callie finished the thought in her head. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, distractedly thinking that it had never felt or looked better. It was amazing what a little magic could do.

She tilted her head, a thought suddenly occurring to her. “Would the spell make me act differently? I mean, did you add some sort of Magian aphrodisiac in there or something?”

“Aphro—no.” Harrison’s eyes went wide, her head shaking back and forth. “No, Callie, tell me you don’t mean what I think you mean.” At Callie’s blush she snorted in disbelief. “You and Tyghe?”

“No. I mean, we were just…practicing…for Triune.” It must have sounded just as lame to Harrison as it did to her, if her friend’s expression was anything to go by. “I don’t know what came over me. I really don’t. I mean—Tyghe? The boy who turned my face green the night before the first day of eighth grade? The one who cursed my bicycle to chase George Anderson home from school every day?”

Harrison held up her hands, tears of mirth flooding down her cheeks. “Even you have to admit, that was funny.”

“George didn’t think so. The poor guy was traumatized, and he never asked me out again.” Callie buried her face in her hands. “I was hoping it was your spell.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with that. I also didn’t have anything to do with the level of power you described.”

Callie didn’t like the sound of that. She looked up. “There’s more. I only told you about the energy going crazy. I didn’t tell you what I did to Tyghe.”

Harrison’s smile was hopeful. “Tell me you slapped him for touching you and my faith in womankind will be restored.”

Callie shook her head. “I made him leave.” Harrison started to interrupt her, but Callie spoke before she could. “I mean made him, Harry. I told him to get out and he left like…like he didn’t have another choice. He was pretty steamed about it too.”

Harrison stilled, her smile disappearing. “Callie, you said Charity gave you some new information about the attacks.”

The abrupt change in topic threw her for a moment. “Yeah. She told us that the women had some sort of compelling power that was fairly rare. She was surprised so many Magian’s had come out with it at the same time.”

Grey eyes narrowed on Callie. “What color was your energy, Cal?”

“Violet. Why?” But she understood. Compelling. She’d compelled Tyghe to leave. “Is that the power you gave me, Harry? The power of compulsion?”

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you. I just gave you a generic magical camouflage and pulled out your own, natural gifts. I couldn’t give you compulsion if I wanted to. Like Tyghe said, I’m not that good. You’re exhibiting all the signs of a mentalist, someone who compels others through suggestion. You’re strong, too, if you can affect a Magian as gifted as Tyghe has always been.” Harrison bit her lip worriedly. “I really need to talk to Jenner. I think we should call this off.”

Callie jumped up from her chair, grabbing Harrison’s arm before she could leave. “No way. Tyghe’s the one who suggested I was bait, right? Well, if Charity’s right, I just became an irresistible lure. We have a better chance now to catch this guy, to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else. Who knows? Now that he has a taste for violence, he may not want to stop once he gets everyone with this ability. He might move on to other powers. Other women. Poor, innocent Veronica. You.” Callie shook her head. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

Harrison looked like she wanted to argue, but something in Callie’s expression must have told her it wouldn’t work. “I should have called Tucker home. He has a compelling magic too, though his is more physical in nature. Did you know that?” Callie shook her head and Harrison sighed. “Okay, Cal. Let me go fill Jenner in, see what we can do to make sure you have the protection you need by the time Triune rolls around. If we’re doing this, I don’t want you put in any more danger than you have to be.”

She left Callie alone with a soft click of the door as it latched behind her. She looked around the room without seeing a thing. She didn’t understand. Harrison hadn’t meant to give her the compulsion ability? That meant it had to be something latent inside her.

Every being has a little magic inside them, isn’t that what she had said? But surely that wasn’t hers. She’d never been able to make anyone do what she wanted them to. Her gift had always been at deduction, at getting people to tell her their secrets. That was a sort of compulsion she supposed, though she’d always thought she just had one of those trustworthy faces.

Tyghe had been surprised. Upset. She hadn’t meant to force him to move against his will. She’d been embarrassed, confused. Scared by the power of her climax and the magical energy flowing through her. She’d wanted him to go, yes, but not that way. Not by controlling him. It was a disconcerting ability to say the least.

What if she hadn’t been able to send him away? He would have touched her again, she knew. Taken her, right there in the changing rooms, where anyone could have seen them…and Callie wouldn’t have cared.

In one day, it seemed, so much had changed. She had power. Since her experience with Tyghe she could still feel it, a steady hum beneath the surface. Waiting. And Tyghe. Had she ever thought of him as more than the gorgeous, but troublemaking older brother of her best friend? He’d gotten under her skin easier than anyone she’d ever met. A look from him was all it took to set her on edge. Had it been there even then, attraction disguised as irritation?

If so, she was in serious trouble. It seemed she was doomed to spend her life drawn to men she couldn’t have. Magians. Abbotts. First Tucker. Now Tyghe.

After this adventure was over and she graduated from the academy, she might use the money she’d been saving for a rainy day and take a cruise. Somewhere warm and tropical. Away from Boston. Away from temptation. But first, she had a criminal to catch.

It was a moment before she realized she couldn’t move. Panic was instantaneous. Was this another strange side effect of having powers? Her brain was screaming at her hands and feet to move, but her body was not responding. She opened her mouth to shout but no sound came out.

“Calm down, Callie. Nothing’s wrong. It’s me.”

Motherfuckingsonofabitch. Tyghe? She heard his voice behind her. How had he gotten in the room without her noticing? He’d done this? Immobilized her? She was going to kill him. As soon as she could move.

He circled her body until he was facing her, his grey eyes narrowing at her venomous glare. “Don’t look at me like that. I’d say we’re even now. You took my control away, now I’ve taken yours.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, the picture of frustration. “I won’t apologize. If you want sympathy find Lorie. Or Tucker. Your heroes would give you soft words and soothing smiles. But that’s not who I am.”

No it wasn’t. At the mention of her earlier actions, she felt herself calming down a little. He looked haggard, and a spark of compassion and renewed heat warmed her as she watched him. He was shirtless, the top button of his jeans undone, his hair damp as though he’d just come out of the shower.

He followed the movement of her eyes and grimaced. “Cold showers don’t work for Magians any better than I hear they work for humans. They’re just cold.” He stepped closer. “It didn’t make me stop wanting to fuck you, or take the scent of your honey from my fingers.”

She blinked. He pulled no punches with his words, but then, he never had. As simple as that, she wanted him again. The way she had only hours before. Insanely. Thoughtlessly. Wantonly. The energy inside her built, the hair rising on the back of her neck at the static charge.

Tyghe studied her intently. “Your eyes are changing, Callie. Did you know that? They’re always the clear blue of a winter sky. But now…now they look darker, like the ocean. What those eyes are telling me is that a cold shower won’t work for you either.” He looked down at her blouse, and she could feel the hard tips of her nipples scrape against the raw silk in reaction. “I’ll release you, Callie, but I warn you. If you send me away again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

With those words Callie felt her hands stretch open, her body freed from Tyghe’s powerful hold. She wobbled and sent him a rueful expression. “You know in all these years I never knew what you were capable of. I’m glad. It probably would have given me nightmares.”

“I can’t tell you how many times you tempted me to use it, brat. But nightmares aren’t what I want to give you. Never have been. I think you know it. All you have to do is say yes.”

His words started the drumbeat in her veins again. It was crazy. It was the magic. When it was over how would she be able to be a part of this family? To act like nothing had changed? But he was right, some part of her had always known that beneath all the friction between she and Tyghe there was something different. Something that made them circle each other like wary animals. Denying it now was impossible. Even thinking about the horrifying prospect of what came after couldn’t stop what was inside her. It was an instinctual need, something deep within her crying out for him. How could she do anything other than give in?

“Yes, Tyghe.”

He reached out to trace the collar of her blouse with his fingers, silver energy flickering on the rough pads and making Callie shudder. “Yes to what, baby? Anything? Because I can think of all sorts of things I’d love to do to you. Throwing you over my lap and spanking that tight little ass until it turns pink for leaving me wanting for so long comes to mind. Making you crazy again and again, not allowing you to come until you’re begging for it also has its appeal. Would you beg me, little girl? Beg for me to fuck you? To make you come?”

“Kiss my ass, Abbott.” She turned away, angry with him for using her need against her. He wanted her to beg? Why? So he could laugh at her? She wouldn’t be able to take that kind of humiliation. Not from him. Not now.

Callie felt him move behind her, and then she was on her knees on the floor beside the bed, Tyghe’s body burning her through her clothes. “Is that an order, Callie? Are you compelling me? Because you know I’ll have to obey. I wouldn’t mind, I do love your ass.” She struggled halfheartedly in his grip, and he laughed. “Yes, I’d love to spank it. I’d love to kiss it…lick it.” He leaned close to her ear, whispering, “And someday soon, I’m going to fuck it.”

A purely feminine thrill, fear mixed with excitement and curiosity ran through Callie’s limbs in a shivering rush. He felt it and groaned. “Damn it, Callie. Don’t tempt me. I need you too much to be patient.”

His actions matched his words as she felt him shift behind her, shredding her shirt from her back. His mumbled, “I’ll buy you a new one.” was followed by the sound of a button rolling across the floor as he ripped open her pants and tugged them down over her hips.

She loved it. The wildness. Their energies played off each other, growing more heated, more intense with every touch. She wanted him inside her. Wanted to be claimed. She felt primitive. A lioness craving her mate. She leaned forward on her elbows, her back arching to lift her bare ass high against him.

“Fuck, Callie.” She could feel him fumbling with his own jeans, popping open the buttons with a swiftness that made her ache for him. Now.

“Please.”

Tyghe leaned over her again, bare skin to bare skin. His thighs spread hers farther apart. The first slide of his cock against her sex had both of them gasping like they’d been touched with a live wire.

She moaned. “What is that?”

He knew she wasn’t talking about his erection, but the unusual electric sensations that occurred between them with each touch, each caress. “It’s you, Callie. I knew it would be. It doesn’t make a damn bit of sense, but it’s you.”

She cried out in pleasured surprise at his first thrust. He closed his teeth around her shoulder, shouting against her flesh as her muscles tightened around him, instinctively reacting to the stretch. He was big. Hard. He pushed through her resistance until his hips were pressed against her ass, his front against her back. On her and in her. Owning her.

Callie pressed her forehead against the floor, rocking her hips when he didn’t immediately begin the rhythm her body was desperate for. She didn’t care that she was half undressed, her pants around her knees. Didn’t care if anyone saw them. She needed to feel it again. Knew this climax would rival the last.

He moaned. He slid one hand between her legs where they were joined, the other slipping beneath her bra to cup her breast. “I’ve imagined this so many times. Fought with myself to stay away from you.” He angled his hips, going deeper, and they both groaned. “Human or not, I knew I’d never be able to let you go once I got inside you. But it wasn’t me you wanted back then was it?” He squeezed her nipple hard between his fingers, and she arched against him, crying out. She knew he was talking about Tucker. She shook her head, not wanting to hear his words, not wanting to be pulled from the moment, but this time he was the one in control. “He never did this, did he? As much as you wanted him to. Never slipped his cock between these luscious thighs. Never touched you outside of your dreams.”

Callie made a frustrated sound deep in her throat. Her body was burning with need for him, but his pillow-talk was pissing her off. “Don’t think you can match up to big brother, Tyghe? Wanna hear about all the times I touched myself in my bed at night, wishing it was him? We could always stop and talk about it.”

If he stopped now she’d kill him.

“I’m a masochist, didn’t you know?” He chuckled darkly. She pushed her hips back in hard, angry passion, and he groaned, panting against her hair. “Bad girl. You want me to lose my control, don’t you?”

She lifted her head and turned until their gazes clashed. His face was tight with restraint, his eyes dark with need. “Yeah, Tyghe, I really do. Don’t hold back. Stop talking and fuck me.” She felt the burst of energy flow from her to him, knew her need had done it again, sent a compulsion to him. She gasped as his eyes narrowed. “That’s not a command, damn it. Just a suggestion.” She didn’t want to force him. Didn’t want this strange magic within her to be the reason he took her.

Tyghe smiled. “Too late. No holding back.” His chest lifted, hands sliding from her clit to her hip, from her breast to her shoulder. “You asked for it, Callie. You fucking asked for it.”

Callie’s spine arched as he began to power into her, his hips slamming against hers, jarring her to the bone. Yes. This was what she wanted. Needed. No pretenses. No soft caresses. She wanted to be marked, taken so completely that she would never forget this feeling.

She was being thrown up into the heart of a hurricane, a tempest swirling around her as he changed the angle of his thrusts, hitting a part of her that made her cry out. “Tyghe.”

“Yes. My name, Callie.” His grip on her shoulder tightened, holding her still for his punishing pace. “I’m the one fucking you. The only one who can give you this.” The hand on her hip slid over her skin, thumb slipping between her cheeks to press against her ass. “And this.”

“Oh God.” She wanted it. She wanted his fingers, his cock everywhere, anywhere. She couldn’t get enough. Would never get enough. When his thumb pushed inside, his cock still filling her sex, she couldn’t hold back. She screamed.

“Oh, you like that, don’t you, Callie? You were made for this, made for me. Tell me you love it. That you want more. Tell me you want me to fuck your ass.”

“Yes. I love it. More.” She had become a wild thing, oblivious to anything but the sensations he was creating through her body. His thumb thrust inside her ass, short shallow thrusts that matched the movement of his cock inside her. A sudden image of another man joining Tyghe, of both of them inside her, taking her, threw her over the edge.

Violet energy exploding around them, mixed with the silver of Tyghe’s. Her body was on fire, pulsing with life, with light. She could feel how her climax was affecting him, knew he couldn’t wait to join her, to fill her with his come.

Suddenly he was there, shouting out his pleasure as he continued to pump inside her, his grip on her shoulder almost bruising her as he ground against her again and again. He bent down, and she turned her head, kissing him with all the passion inside her.

Tyghe tore his lips away, panting against her mouth. “Pull the energy back, Callie. You can do it. That’s right.” He groaned when she focused on what he said, focused on calming her energy. “You felt so good, my bad girl. You came so hard. I knew you’d be addictive. I was right. Now that I’ve been here, felt your tight, wet pussy around me… I’ll never get enough.”

Her heart jumped at his words, but she knew people said things in the moment that they didn’t always mean. She knew enough about his past with women that he wasn’t the kind of man who hung around. She needed that, more than fantastic, mind-blowing sex. She needed someone she could count on. Someone to trust.

He saw her expression change and gripped her chin with his fingers. “Don’t you dare.” He pressed his hips against her, and she could feel his cock, still hard inside her. “Don’t deny what this was. Don’t pretend that wasn’t the best fuck you’ve ever had. Or do I have to remind you again?”

“Am I interrupting something?”

Tyghe stiffened, his expression closing when he saw Callie blanch at the new voice in the room. “I’d like to say yes, but it appears as though Callie and I are done. For now. Although I think she would rather you’d knocked before you caught us in the act, so to speak.”

This was a nightmare. It had to be. Tucker Abbott was away on his yearly trip to commune with nature. He couldn’t really be standing in the doorway, watching as his brother slid out from between her thighs, leaving her half naked on all fours on the floor, the proof of their passion dripping down her thighs. There was no childhood humiliation she could think of that topped this. Child. She groaned and closed her eyes. At least she knew Magians didn’t reproduce unless they were married-matched-whatever. Something she was now incredibly grateful with Jenner for telling her. Not that it made this moment any less uncomfortable. Please let this be a dream.

Tyghe appeared beside her, shielding her body from view. “Come on now, there’s a good girl, I brought you one of your T-shirts.” He spoke over his shoulder to his brother as Callie, eyes misty and mind in chaos, allowed him to pull the shreds of her blouse from her body and slip a clean shirt over her head. “What brings you home, Tucker? You get lonely in the woods all by yourself? That’s what you get for preferring trees and rocks to soft beds and pretty women.”

He slid the washcloth between her legs with swift efficient movements, the passionate lover from moments before seemingly gone. She should slap his hand away, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Tucker had seen her with Tyghe. All the years she’d dreamed of her and Tucker being together like this. Well, not like this. In fact, this scenario had never crossed her mind.

He would never want her now.

What a perverted woman she was for even thinking about it so soon after having the best sex of her life with his brother.

“Now I have to kill you.” Tucker’s voice was low and dangerous, but his words didn’t register to her until Tyghe was yanked roughly away from her and thrown against the wall.