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

by Juliette Cross

“I apologize.” A frown marred Gareth’s usually smooth expression. “I’m afraid my topic of conversation killed your appetite.”

“I’m not trying to malign your independence, Lavinia. You can pick up the bill next time.”

Sex was one thing, and that was if I decided to give into that urge. But dating was quite another. While I could be grown up enough to admit that he would be a catch for anyone else, the two of us would kill each other within the first month. Week, even.

Just when I’d managed to corral my wits and put my libido in check, he did something like this. Like stand so close I could see that his eyes weren’t black anymore. The deepest coffee-brown surrounded dilated pupils.

“Oh, Lavinia,” he purred, smoothing the lapels of my collar after finishing the last button, dark eyes glinting. Then with a lascivious smile, he opened an intimate link and messaged me mind to mind. There will most definitely be a next time.

As I pulled my car into the garage of my home on Prytania Street, I was still reeling from dinner with Lavinia. I’d never intended to confess my sordid past as an orphan. I’d never meant to tell her about Dennis. And though I hadn’t told her everything, I nearly thought she was using one of her persuasion charms as an Influencer to get the truth out of me. But she hadn’t. I’d never detected one spark of magic in the air between us.

That wasn’t her using magic on me, however. That was fate laughing in my fucking face. Up to this point, my relationships with women had been calculated and brief. As I preferred them. A few nights together for sexual release then move on. Emotional dependency was uncomfortable, inconvenient, and unnecessary in my life. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d lost my parents so young, and avoiding attachments kept that kind of brutal, gutting pain out of my life. Or if I’d simply learned remaining single was the best choice after living around Uncle Silas—the cold, hard-hearted bachelor after he divorced Henry’s mother. Not that I would ever model myself after my asshole of an uncle, but he was successful. And I’d yearned for that more than anything after being a poverty-stricken orphan with nobody and nothing to call my own.

Either way, I’d not once considered taking a woman for more than a month at a time. There simply wasn’t any need beyond pleasuring each other in the bedroom. That’s what had always worked for me. But now... Lavinia. It wasn’t just her body that I desired. I wanted her mind, her heart, and he...

Queenie, my three-legged Maltese, yipped excitedly and danced in circles.

There were no basements in Louisiana. The soft soil would never allow it. But this house had been built on a slight incline where the second floor was actually the main living space. The third where the bedrooms were. I’d bought it, because the first was a wide, enclosed space with few windows that the first owner had used as a home theater. It served perfectly for my elaborate computer system with multiple monitors.

Perhaps my fascination with Lavinia didn’t stem from desire but empathy. A need to protect. I knew what it felt like to be hunted. And whether she took me seriously or not, she was being hunted.

My instincts were never wrong about the evil of other men. Darkness swirled in my chest, whispering and wanting to climb to the surface. I banked the feeling back down, locking it tight behind the wall I’d built to keep it at bay. All grims learned how to do this at a young age. Or at least, they were supposed to learn. Considering I had no teacher when it first manifested, I couldn’t blame myself for what had happened to Dennis. A vision of his rounded eyes and twisted limbs flashed to mind.

That was because he was deviously good at not getting caught. Not because there wasn’t anything to find. The certainty of it hummed bone-deep.

“There was one odd thing though when I did a background check into his family.” “What’s that?” “About ten years ago, his sister’s teenage daughter Priscilla went missing. They live on the East Coast and he doesn’t see them often. Richard brought several Seers to the case to try to find her, but the family never found out what happened.”

A dark stirring from that deep chasm swirled. A primal rumble rose from the caged depths, weaving to the surface. Killer, the demon told me. My entire body went rigid, understanding that my demon recognized monsters like himself.

The problem was, I couldn’t go around calling people murderers without definitive proof. Especially not a powerful man like Davis. And I certainly wasn’t going to Victor Garrison and telling him, you see, this demon that lives inside me told me he’s a murderer. That’s how I know. Grims were already considered odd to most witches and warlocks. Plus, I couldn’t make a confession like that on a whim, knowing I’d be breaking the almighty grim code to keep our secrets secret.

“No. He didn’t. He pushed the asshole down the stairs with his TK.” I winced. “Fuck.” “Pushed him so hard, the kid broke his arm and fractured his wrist. Right before he fell, Sean told him to ‘have a nice trip’.”

Grims weren’t supposed to use telepathy to invade minds. No supernatural was. It was a violation. As much as I’d wanted to take a peek into Lavinia’s, I’d kept out. Now if she invited me in, that would be a different story.

“He was pissed as fucking hell,” Henry broke into my thoughts. “But I didn’t trust him to tell me the whole story, and I was right. He’d left that part out.” His expression hardened. “His TK is strong, Gareth. Like yours. And it’s growing stronger.”

“Do you think he’s a grimlock?” Like me. Henry seemed to deliberate for a few seconds, then gave a stiff nod. “His abilities remind me of when you first got yours. When you first came to live with us.”

“He doesn’t have the control that you have.” His voice was low and soft. “I’m afraid he’ll do something terrible that he can’t take back. Something worse than breaking arms.” “He could just be a top tier TK. Not necessarily a grimlock.” “Possibly,” Henry agreed. “But my senses tell me otherwise.” And we both knew that Henry’s senses were better than even mine. He went on. “He doesn’t seem to want to hold the smoke. He wants to let it out. He relishes it.”

The smoke was what grims sometimes called the dark essence that lived in all of us. I never called it something as benign as that. Because mine was truly a monster. We’d been taught how to cage it and keep it under control. Our Aunt Lucille, Uncle Silas’s sister, had taught us Blackwater boys at a young age. For me, it was almost the day I came to live here. Uncle Silas knew better than to neglect this teaching I needed so much. But some grims preferred not to cage it. Some opted to let it run wild, to lead them on dangerous paths. Those grims would eventually lose their humanity, bathing in dark pursuits and evil pathways.

“Those fucking werewolves are all over the place. Hanging out at the Cauldron all the damn time.” “Ah.” I grinned. He didn’t notice as he went on. “And if that fucking redhead doesn’t stop staring at Clara, I’m going to rip his eyeballs out.”

“It’s nicotine gum. I’m trying to quit smoking, okay?” he snapped angrily. “That seems to be going well.” “I need to quit.” “Why exactly? Not that I’ve ever cared for your habit, but it does help you with your nerves.” And by nerves, I meant the repercussions of him going against his grim nature. “She—” he paused then, “it’s bad for you.” “You can’t die from lung cancer.” Grims weren’t affected by diseases like cancer. He was pacing nervously like an expectant father on six cups of coffee. “Mm. I think I liked you better as a smoker.”

Unperturbed by Henry’s outburst since I knew why his emotions were explosive at the moment,

Lavinia. A flash of her in that pea coat, a red that matched her lips, electric blue eyes, and soft expression crossed my mind. Something twisted in my chest, a yearning that felt different than the ravenous lust I typically associated with her.

Or as best I could with a beautiful, black-haired witch haunting my every waking—and sleeping—moment.

The only thing that would quench this burn was to be buried balls-deep inside of her. Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure if that would even do it. I sure as fuck planned to try. It was just a matter of time until she agreed to let me come aboard.

She stiffened when Richard dropped his arm into her personal space to grab the handout in front of her, brushing the bare curve of her neck with the back of his hand. On fucking purpose.

There was no doubt that my darkness recognized something evil inside this man. And if he didn’t keep his hands off Lavinia, I was going to fucking kill him.

“How’d you get this kind of information?” he asked accusingly. “We’ve mentioned to you that you can’t use criminal hacking skills for this project.”

I was also trying to calm the burning desire to throw Richard through the wall of windows and listen to the pleasant sound of his terrified yell as he plummeted to the street far below. Murder was a bit much this early in the morning. Even for this prick. Time to set him straight.

“The data I collect is procured from my own software. It isn’t illegal.”

“You created the software to get this information?” Richard’s brows rose in shock and interest. “I’m sure Victor would be interested in purchasing it for the company.” “It’s not for sale.”

A flare of menacing magic slithered into the room and skated over my skin. I knew exactly where it came from. Richard wasn’t dumb enough to try to use his nulling powers without a judge or jury present. Simply because I’d pissed him off? I didn’t think so. I smiled at him condescendingly. I’d love to see him fucking try. Even if he att...

Richard’s hand landed on her shoulder for a quick squeeze. Lavinia stood suddenly with her packet in hand, stepping away to face Richard.

Hes gonna die i tell you

“Mr. Davis, I just wanted to let you know I’m not comfortable with people touching me like that in the workplace.” “Oh. It was meant as a friendly gesture.” He sounded like the excuse-making asshat that he was. “I’m sure. But I wanted to be clear how I feel about it.” “Of course.” I glanced up to catch him smiling like he thought her adorable. “It won’t happen again.”

“You know, stop giving Richard murderous looks like you’re about to choke him.” She was close, I’ll give her that. I’d been contemplating something more bloody, like dismemberment. But choking was a pleasant thought.

I caught Lavinia checking me out as I passed by her desk. There was a distinct difference in her eyes when she was contemplating strangling me or fucking me. I winked as I passed and headed into the copy room next door to our office.

“You know I want you. It won’t affect the competition.”

I’m considering what it would be like to kiss you right now, she telepathed to me. Fuck. Now I was really stiff all over. Not only had she opened a mind-to-mind link, which felt magnificently intimate, but she was flirting. Quite aggressively. She was making me harder by the second. You’re more than welcome to come find out, I told her.

I liked her games. I wanted to play with her.

I was aware that my obsession was borderline neurotic. Still, I couldn’t control myself. A very uncomfortable feeling for me.

“Don’t let it get to your head. Anyway, isn’t it a given that all grims are tech savvy? Maybe you’re just average for a grim and not that impressive at all.” Her brow rose haughtily. I’d never wanted to fuck her more. I eased a step closer. “If you’d let me, I’d show you how non-average I am.”

I turned and strode toward my car, exhaling a heavy breath, knowing exactly what my plans were for the evening.

“Yes, your greatest wet dream come to life.” “This is not my greatest wet dream.” Instantly, black silk sheets and a cool, controlled man standing behind me flashed to mind.

“You don’t even have to say a word. It’s that grim.” I let my forehead fall to the bar top. “Kaya,” I mumbled. “Why is this happening to me?” I straightened. “Pfft. Because you need a good, hard fuck, Livvy.”

“You know it’s true. You always choose partners who are meek and mild. Tender and sweet.”

“I didn’t mean it as an insult. Of course you like tender and sweet. Who doesn’t? What I mean is, you tend to choose men and women you can dominate. And from what you’ve told me about Gareth, he does not fit into that category.”

“You’re captivated because he won’t bow down and do your bidding. I think you need a challenge,” Kaya added gently, “someone who can take the reins for a while. Don’t you ever get tired of being the one in control all the time?”