Always Practice Safe Hex (Stay a Spell, #4)

by Juliette Cross

I couldn’t control myself. The second I laid eyes on that damn grim reaper, I bee-lined through the party, pretending my final destination wouldn’t be right by his side. There was something perversely compelling in my lust/hate roller coaster ride of emotions for this man.

To say he rubbed me wrong was an understatement. The fact that he also rubbed me so ridiculously right was absolutely maddening.

And the way he looked at me. Jesus, take the wheel. No. Jesus, look away.

Gareth Blackwater was a pleasurable and maddening shock to my senses. From his always-in-place coal-black hair to his fair complexion to his razor-edged jaw and prominent brow, he was a feast for the eyes. Also, he was a cocky, annoying know-it-all.

I’d gotten my sister Clara to give me one of her super-spells to block his powerful aura that was basically a concoction of sex-clenching, mind-buzzing lust. So far, so good.

I smiled. “They’re playing your song, Mr. Blackwater.” Of course, the slow, sultry rendition of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” reeked of sex and suggestive innuendo, which made me grimace. I didn’t want him to think I found him sexy. Which I so did. Despite my best instincts.

So much for Clara’s aura-blocking shield. He cracked it without even seeming to try. Just standing there with his ice man demeanor and aura of I-don’t-give-a-fuck, like he wasn’t slaying me with his insane sex mojo.

“I can’t help it if their grouping skills suck.”

Gareth in his usual broody, austere state was disturbingly attractive. But when he laughed? Damnation and hellfire. He was like a dark angel showering us lowly humans with a glimpse of heaven.

“the team we’ve selected as the finalists for the Garrison PR Competition are…Gareth Blackwater, Livvy Savoie, and Willard Thompson.”

It was a competition, but we’d be required to work cohesively as a team on the public relations project.

“Is it because you have to share the spotlight with two others? I’m sure that’s difficult for you.”

I couldn’t help teasing him. Something about him made me want to poke and pull and fucking misbehave.

“I’m surprised,” I said with exaggerated glee. “You should give it a try, Gareth.” He didn’t flinch. His dark gaze held tight to mine. “Why’s that?” “It might loosen you up. It’s fun to let loose and lose control sometimes.”

I realized a split second too late that Gareth Blackwater should not be poked.

“During sex,” he said in that low, deep baritone of his, leaning close and giving me a whiff of his clean, masculine scent, “being i...

I was naked and bound and bending over black, silk sheets on a large bed. I couldn’t move, then a large, gentle hand wrapped around my nape. It was Gareth standing behind me. The fiendish look of lust in his gaze turned me on as he reared his hand back and spanked my ass. I flinched, then I moaned with pleasure.

That wasn’t my vision. That was his. I stared at Gareth in shock for two reasons. One was that he’d had a deliciously filthy fantasy of me. The second was a secret I’d just learned about grim reapers. I cleared my throat and whispered, “You’re a telepath?”

Dream on, grim. It’ll never happen. You aren’t the only one who prefers control. And I’d never hand the reins over to you.

My mind was wholly distracted with thoughts of black silk sheets, pale skin, and the distinct, sharp rap of a hand smacking flesh.

Buckle up, I warned myself. This was going to be one hell of a ride.

Outwardly, I was cool as ice. Dressed in black slacks and a gray dress shirt, I rotated my wrist, feeling the comforting weight of the Smart watch I custom designed. Everything was in its place. But inwardly, I was a fucking inferno of emotions.

Today, I’d finally see Lavinia again.

I’d been spending the majority of my time trying not to think about her. So of course, I’d done nothing but.

She was an Influencer and one of the Savoie sisters’ coven, so her magic had to be to blame. That’s what I kept telling myself anyway. That the gut-ripping attraction I felt for her was nothing more than Warper magic. Influencers, also known as Warpers, typically earned the name.

Grim auras pushed others to want to do their darkest desires. The ugly or carnal ones they kept hidden away from the world.

I hated the man on sight at the semi-final interviews. For one, he emitted a dangerous kind of energy only grims could detect. Dark magic coursed through our blood. Like knew like. The second reason was the way he looked at Lavinia. Not like the average man looked at an attractive woman, but like a predator sighting his prey. Something base and violent stirred inside my chest at the memory of the way he stared at her.

Until I reined myself under control over this woman, I would pretend she had no effect on me. At least, that was the current plan.

I knew that I’d annoyed the fuck out of her on more than one occasion. But I also knew that when I’d slipped up and let her see my little fantasy of her tied up in my bedroom, she had a very different reaction than I’d expected. Arousal.

This little working relationship might get complicated really fast if she continued to react to me that way. Because I sure as hell wasn’t one to deny my urges. If she was on board, then so was I. Rivals or not.

The expensive suit and polished veneer barely masked the sinister gleam in his gray eyes. When he smiled, he reminded me of a snake opening his maw to eat something. Or someone.

Lavinia started flipping, looking for it. I couldn’t help but watch the viper in the room. It was always wise to keep your enemies in your line of sight. What kind of warlock was he? That would be my first mission when I got home tonight. Finding out the extent of his capabilities.

I fucking hated this guy. He was wrong on multiple levels. The first being the fact that he kept flirting with Lavinia and ogling her when she wasn’t watching. I was watching this asshole though. I quickly scanned all of the contest guidelines, which took me about forty-five seconds.

“I’m sure you would. But I think it best we follow the rules set forth by Mr. Garrison. After all, this is his company and his contest.”

The very edge of magic laced the room. It wasn’t mine or Lavinia’s. And certainly not Willard’s. This magic was…menacing. Right when the awkward silence became almost unbearable, Richard’s face cracked into that wide smile.

“Did you see what a misogynistic asshole he is?” When she turned to me with raised brows, I added, “He used mine and Willard’s last names properly but called you Miss Livvy. Like you’re a little girl or something.”

“If I got angry every time a man was condescending to me with sweetie, honey, baby, or any number of belittling names to knock a woman down a peg, I’d be nothing but a ball of rage.

The fact that she could brush his behavior off and return to our task so easily told me two things. First, men who treated women this way were pigs and should be taken to slaughter. And second, she was more bewitching than I ever realized.

“Violet has made us all aware that it isn’t just the Blood Moon Pack who need her charmed tattoos to help them control their werewolves. And it goes beyond that. There’s a negative stigma attached to the werewolf clans because of their tendency toward violence, which again isn’t fully in their control. This stigma has prevented them from being accepted among the supernatural guilds, which is just wrong. I want to change that. They should be included with their own guild like the rest of us.”

I knew what he was thinking, and there’s no way Ruben Dubois would allow any vampire to get away with that shit under his watch. As overlord of vampires here in New Orleans, he would never let it happen.

That was one key purpose of this PR campaign. Mr. Garrison had directed us to choose a supernatural cause that needed awareness and funding, one that could make a difference.

“My proposition is to develop a foster program for supernatural orphans.” I have no idea what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. He went on, dark eyes watchful. “Supernatural orphans are a grossly neglected population.”

“This is the problem. No one sees the need, but I can tell you definitively that a supernatural in human foster care is a living hell for a child. And that’s assuming the child is paired with a family that actually gives a shit and wants a child at all, as opposed to the government check that comes with them. If not, it can be even worse.”

There and gone in a millisecond. But I knew without a shadow of doubt that he had suffered in foster care personally.

“I can’t believe there isn’t a foster care program for supernaturals already in place.” “There’s no fleshed-out program but there’s an agency led by the High Witch Guild that places orphans via the SuperNet. However, nine times out of ten, there aren’t enough families willing to take an orphan into their home. Or the case agent is overloaded, so they farm them out to the human foster program just to get them placed.”

“A witch and warlock couple may not want to take on a werewolf. A vampire couple may not want to take on a grim.” He said this matter-of-factly but there was sharpness to his tone. “Besides, supernatural couples on the very short list looking for children who even find a match in their own designation don’t always want a child who’s too old or troubled or who has a history of violence. For werewolf children, that’s basically a given.”

“Most don’t. Unless you’ve lived it. Can you imagine being the only witch in a human family, unable to talk to anyone about your magic? About what you’re thinking and feeling or how to hide this secret while not even knowing the extent of your abilities? Can you imagine puberty among humans?”

Imagine a lonely child of our kind among people who not only may not want him but may not understand him on the most important level for a super.

The thought of Gareth suffering this way cut me to the heart. But in true Gareth fashion, he made sure I didn’t pity him for long.

“I realize that you think you’re always right, but I think we should debate whether or not your cause is the best for our campaign.” “Well, actually,” said Willard, “I think it’s pretty obvious that kids should come before misbehaving vampires.”