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He nods without a speck of hesitation, and I really, really start to doubt he’s guilty. I need to be positively sure, though, so I slip my hand down to my pocket to grab my wand, only to remember …
“Dammit, that stupid little troll demon broke my wand.”
“That’s okay.” He retrieves his from his back pocket. “We can use mine.”
“But I need to do my own spell to make the contract binding. And then …” I bite down on my lip, feeling awful for what I’m about to say. “And then, after we do that contract, I need to do another promise contract with you.”
His brows pull together. “You need to do two?”
I hesitantly nod. “One for you to promise not to get mad at me for what I’m about to ask, and then one to promise that you’re telling the truth about the answer you give me for the question I have to ask.”
Hurt flashes in his eyes. “You can’t just trust me?”
“I want to—and I really don’t think it’s you—but I need to be positive.” I pause, chewing on my bottom lip, guilt choking me. “I’m sorry. It’s just that … this has to do with my sister.”
If he knows what I’m talking about, he makes no move to acknowledge it. Instead, he slowly nods. “If that’s what you need me to do, then I’ll do it.” He moves his wand between us. “We’re going to have to share my magic in order to create the contracts.”
He’s suggesting sharing magic again? For the second time in one day? What is with him lately!
I nervously nod, wondering how this is going to work out for us since sharing magic can be an intimate experience and Hunter doesn’t see me like that. I, on the other hand, see him like that all the damn time.
What happens if I try to kiss him or something?
I swallow anxiously at the thought and fold my fingers around Hunter’s wand.
“I-I’ve never done this before, so you’re going to have to w-walk me through t-this.” For the love of all wizards, I sound like a nervous wreck.
“You don’t need to be nervous, Eva. It’s just me.” He strokes my side with his his free hand, trying to comfort me. If anything, the gesture makes my nerves bubble more. “And I’ve never done this before, either,” he adds with a trace of a nervous smile. “You get to be my first.”
“I just hope I don’t disappoint you,” I tell him, thinking of my limited magic abilities.
He must take what I say the wrong way, because an artful smirk curves up his face.
“I’m sure you won’t. In fact, I’m betting you’re really good.”
It takes me a handful of glittery seconds to catch on to his meaning, and when I do, I swat his chest.
“Gross, dude.” But so not gross. Not even close. “Since when do you use your dirty lines on me?”
“All the time,” he admits shamelessly. “You usually don’t catch on, though.”
Unsure whether he’s teasing me or being truthful, I clear my throat and focus on making the contract. “So, are we going to do this or what?”
“Nice subject change,” he teases, and then grows serious as he slides his hand upward on his wand, stopping when the sides of our pinkies are touching. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
The silence that follows makes me want to bang my head against the truck.
“So … are you going to start?” I ask, worried he’s backing out.
He studies me for a skip of a heartbeat longer before swallowing and nodding.
His edginess immediately makes me more uneasy.
Why is he nervous? Because he really doesn’t want to do this?
Before my thoughts delve too far into that question, his lips move and the spell drips off his tongue like warm, melted chocolate.
I’m not great at memorizing spells, but I know enough that I’m almost positive he’s creating the first promise contract of not hating me when this is all over.
Once he finishes, his intense gaze carries mine. “Now, repeat exactly what I just said.”
I release a shaky breath and nod. “Okay.” Then I shut my eyes and whisper the spell softly.
Unlike Hunter, the words don’t roll off my tongue as easily. I stutter and stammer, yet I miraculously manage to get the entire spell out without too many glitches.
As the last syllable rolls off my tongue, I open my eyes and smile, proud of myself. Then my smile soon vanishes as Hunter’s magic pours through me in a powerful, potent, wonderful wave.
I gasp as the power soars straight into my heart, nearly knocking the breath out of me.
“Oh, my … Wow,” the moan of words that falls from my lips sounds foreign, static, electric, full of power. “Is this what you feel every day?”
Hunter has his eyes shut as he unsteadily nods. “You have … no … idea …” He drops his forehead against mine, taking ravenous breaths as glittery magic and purple, hazy smoke whispers from the end of the wand and circles around us. “Absolutely no idea.”
The air grows quiet as the smoke and glitter evaporate, sealing the contract. I wait for him to move on to the next one, but he makes no indication of doing anything.
Worried that perhaps my wonky spell skills somehow injured him, I lift my free hand and mold my palm against his cheek.
“Hunter, are you okay? I didn’t … I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
He shakes his head from side to side, keeping his forehead against mine. “Not at all.”
“Good.” I let a minute dance by before I press, “Are you going to do the next contract?”
He digs his fingers into my waist. “I forgot there was another one …” He gives a long pause. “Yeah, we’re going to do it.”
I grow more concerned over his strange behavior. “Are you sure you want to do it now? If you want, we can wait until I get a new wand so I can use my own magic?”
“No,” he says firmly then quickly clears his throat. When he speaks again, his voice is steadier. “I mean, I think it’s better if we just get this over with so you can have peace of mind from whatever’s bothering you.”
“Okay.” I wait a beat or two before adding, “You’re going to have to go first since it’s your magic.”
“I know … I just need a few more seconds to calm myself down.” He sucks in a deep breath and frees it, his grip on my waist easing up. “Okay, I’m ready.”
I nod, worry continuing to plague my mind. Why does he seem so hesitant and uneasy? Is it because he’s worried about the promise? Or is sharing magic with me hard for him?
Before I can arrive at a conclusion, he begins uttering the words to the next contract promise. This time, he sounds more in pain, his body rigid, his fingers tense.
Despite all the butterflies fluttering in my stomach and the electric kisses tingling across every inch of my skin, I feel absolutely awful for causing him so much discomfort.
This was a really bad idea.
When he tells me to repeat the spell, I sputter the words as quickly as I can, wanting to ease his discomfort as quickly as possible.
The second the final word falls from my lips, his wand spews a bright sequence of vibrant, sparkling colors all over us and the ground.
My skin begins to warm, delicious heat whipping throughout my body, and a moan escapes me. I’d be totally mortified if Hunter wasn’t gasping so loudly that he probably couldn’t even hear me.
Once the magic simmers down and the air around us darkens once again, Hunter tilts his head away from mine. However, instead of moving backward, he dips his face toward my neck.
I open my mouth to ask him what he’s doing, but then his lips are brushing over my pulse, causing any coherent thought to evacuate my brain.
“Are you okay?” he asks, kissing my pulse again. “Your heart’s beating really fast.”
That’s because you’re practically making out with my neck!
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I reply hoarsely. “Are you?” I want to tact on a, why in the holy mother of all vampire fetishes are you
making out with my neck? but I don’t have the witch’s balls.
What if this is just some weird aftereffect of sharing magic?
“Yep.” Another touch of his lips, and then he pulls back to look me in the eyes.
He appears exactly like the Hunter I’ve always known: blond hair, blue eyes, an easy smile. I don’t know what I expected after what just went down, but for some stupid reason, I thought he might seem a bit different.
Because I sure feel different.
