Only Skin Deep: Paranormal MMM Romance, page 23
The group agreed seconds before another knock sounded at the door. Luca rose again, opening it to what appeared to be the entire coven converging outside their apartment. Smiling faces met Luca’s gaze.
“We understand our newest coven members have needs?” Delilah, one of the elder coven females, asked, hefting a full basket in her hands. White and gray had overtaken her once black hair. Luca wasn’t sure her age—only that she had a mother’s heart and had been kind to him since he’d joined Enchanted Ink.
He’d expected her at the earlier meeting, but Luca realized she’d likely led the charge to aid Colby and Daniel. It was her nature. “Thank you.”
Delilah paused beside him with a loving smile. She caressed his cheek. “You’re quite welcome, my boy.”
The rest of the coven poured in after her, most with arms laden with goods. He smiled as he closed the door, thankful for their generosity.
Ash’s head spun as the crowd grew thicker and thicker within their small apartment—which suddenly grew to accommodate the lot of them. He was sure the walls were sliding back to create more space. Ash glanced to the side and noted the coven architect waving his wand as he stood facing one of the main walls.
When the witch noticed Ash staring, he shrugged. “You need more room with two recent additions.”
“Appreciated.” A thought came to Ash’s mind, and he moved closer. “What’s the limit of what can be built inside an apartment?”
“The only limit is your imagination.”
Ash grinned. “Can we talk later?”
The man nodded before going back to his Alteration spell.
Ash turned, seeing a PlayStation pass by, along with a stack of games in the arms of a few coven members. When he heard the resounding hoot a bit later, he assumed Daniel was pleased. He eyed Colby, who was being measured by two of the coven’s female witches, while another took notes with parchment and quill. Why, he wasn’t sure. They’d simply magic Colby a new wardrobe that fit perfectly.
Witches tended to be extra. Why he bothered wondering, he didn’t know. He moved closer, sensing a bit of panic coming from their human.
Colby lifted his gaze, and it locked with his. Ash smiled, offering comfort. He’d been in Colby’s shoes years before. Meeting that ragtag bunch of witches had been overwhelming for the first time. He mouthed, “You’re safe.”
Colby nodded.
“This curse is unique,” Delilah said, sliding a finger along Colby’s swirling skin inside his inner arm. “I’ve not seen it’s like in some time.”
Luca appeared from nowhere. “You’ve seen something like this before, Dee?”
“Perhaps,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “I’ll do a bit of research.”
“We know what it is,” Luca said. “What we need is a spell to break it.”
The woman narrowed her eyes, gazing at the mark while whispering an incantation to herself.
“Good luck,” Atlas said, walking by with a black Solo cup with vapor steaming over the edge in one hand. “I’ve been researching all week and haven’t come up with anything.” He glared at Luca. “And no one has helped, either.”
“I’ve been busy,” Luca snapped.
“Surrrre,” Atlas purred. “You offer to help and then abandon me.”
“You aren’t the only one with knowledge,” the woman at Colby’s side said to Atlas. “Books are wonderful to learn from, but experience begets knowledge you will never understand.”
Atlas lowered the cup from his lips. “Are you suggesting I’m inexperienced, Dee? Because I will tell you now that I’ve seen a lot in my time on this earth.”
“I’ve outlived you by a century,” Delilah replied with a wicked grin. “You’re an infant by comparison.”
“A century?” Colby asked, eyes wide.
Luca’s head swiveled to Cassius. “The Ancient One. He might be able to give us information on this curse.”
“Who?” Ash asked.
“I wouldn’t tempt Fate there, Luc,” Cassius replied.
“Who?” Ash asked again, more forcefully than the last.
“The proprietor of the Wandering Wicca,” Luca answered, turning to Ash. He refocused on Colby. “A treasure trove of magical junk.” His gaze flipped back to Ash. “The witch who runs it is what Cassius called an Ancient One.”
Delilah chuckled. “I’d stay away from that one. He loves to stir the cauldron, if you catch my meaning.”
“But he might’ve seen this type of curse before. He’s been around forever,” Luca said. “We need to break Colby’s curse.”
“He’s dangerous,” Cassius insisted. “Let Delilah dig about.”
“When a trip to the Wandering Wicca might end his pain?” Luca asked.
“I’m not in any pain,” Colby mumbled. “Not anymore. Just a little stiff.”
No one else seemed to acknowledge him but Ash.
“Luca,” Cassius said. “You don’t know if he’d give you something to break the curse or make it worse. He cannot be trusted.”
Luca growled and stormed into the bedroom. Ash turned to Colby.
“Go after him.” Colby watched the witches still measuring him—even though he assumed they should’ve been done. “I’ll be okay.”
“I’ll stick close,” Cassius said.
“Thanks,” Ash said, clapping Cassius’ shoulder. He wended his way through the coven and entered his bedroom. Luca sat on the edge of their bed, head in his hands.
“Colby isn’t in pain. The solstice will come, and he’ll be made whole.”
“You didn’t see the look in his eyes when he challenged me earlier. I felt like a fool.”
Ash frowned. “Challenged you?”
“When he said I hadn’t fixed him.”
Ash knelt at Luca’s feet. “He spoke out of anger—but not at you. You were the closest target. He apologized for that, and you accepted that apology. Remember?”
“Doesn’t take the truth or sting out of his words.” Luca stared at his hands. “My power… it’s not coming back, Ash. I won’t be able to help save him.”
“Give it time.”
“We all had sex.”
“And?”
“I assumed the sex we had to restore my power didn’t work because we’d recently found our third… and he wasn’t with us. I suspected that if we three were together, my magic would return.” He sighed. “But that didn’t happen.”
“Perhaps once Cassius is back to full strength, he can jumpstart you?”
“In some ways, he already did. During the tattoo on his human. I felt the residual magic, but it faded fast. I don’t think he can help me.”
“What else can we do?” Ash asked.
“I don’t know,” Luca whispered. “This might be the end of my magic.” He looked away. “But maybe… maybe I can still be the one to find the spell to break Colby’s curse. At least then, I would have contributed in some way.”
“You brought him back from the brink of death. You’ve contributed.”
Luca shook his head. “It wasn’t enough.”
“It was,” Ash said, cupping the side of Luca’s face. “It was everything. Without you, we’d have lost him.”
Luca met his gaze.
“It was everything, Luca.”
Luca nodded, but Ash could see he wasn’t convinced.
Someone knocked on the bedroom door.
“Come in,” Ash called over his shoulder.
The door opened, and Pierre—Eli’s familiar—appeared. “Can I have a moment?”
Ash rose. “Yeah, sure.”
Pierre slunk into the room, clinging close to the wall, and shut the door. He focused on Luca. “I’ve heard that you’ve been struggling with your power.”
Luca nodded. “Read something in Quilliam’s shop to help me?”
Pierre worked at Parchment and Quills and had toyed with a little magic he’d found in an old tome there—with dire circumstances.
“No, nothing there. I’m much more careful around the spell books these days,” Pierre said. “But… I still owe you for the tattoo you gave me.”
Luca had given the skunk shifter a tattoo to prevent him from stinking up the place with his misfiring skill. Ash didn’t want to image Luca’s tattooing an intimate spot like that and purposefully put it out of his mind. That had been years ago…
Just before…
He gasped inwardly. Just before Eli and Pierre had lost their human mate.
Ash regarded Pierre with a newfound sympathy. He hadn’t quite sensed the depth of that pain—only in the abstract. After finding Colby, he better understood what they’d lost, but still couldn’t imagine the totality of it even then.
While it had only been days since they’d met their third, the thought of losing their bond with Colby made his knees weak. He sat on the bed beside Luca.
“I told you I would come to you when I needed something,” Luca said. “And that day hasn’t arrived.”
“It’s been six years, Luca,” Pierre said. “When are you going to ask me?”
“I’m saving it for a rainy day.”
“Is it not raining?” Ash asked.
Pierre scoffed. “If I were to repay you, your magic might strengthen a little, right?”
Luca nodded. “Perhaps, but our deal was our deal. When I need help, I’ll find you.”
Pierre grinned. “What if I have the means to get you something I'm sure you need?”
Luca and Ash both stared at Pierre.
“Like what?” Luca asked.
“I won’t ruin the surprise,” Pierre said, grinning broadly. “But I believe it will repay my debt to you.”
“What are you planning?” Ash asked. “Nothing dangerous, I hope.”
“Oh, no,” Pierre replied. “Never.”
Ash wasn’t so sure that was the whole truth. His senses told him Pierre might be tempting Fate once more.
“I promise it’s safe,” Pierre added.
“Then I await repayment,” Luca murmured with a half-smile. “Bring me that which you think I need.”
“Wonderful,” Pierre said before he opened the door. He offered one last smile before he departed.
“We should get back out there and make sure Colby and Daniel aren’t overwhelmed,” Ash said. “Why did they all have to come? I mean, come on.”
“They wanted to check out their new coven member,” Luca said. “They did the same thing when we met.”
“I recall. And it was insanity. I was wholly unprepared—hence the reason I realize we need to get back out there and make sure they’re okay.”
Before they walked out, Ash snagged a kiss.
Luca smiled at him.
“You’re okay?” Ash asked, squeezing Luca’s arms.
“I’m okay,” Luca replied.
Ash took his hand and led them back out into the coven of chaos—only to find Daniel and Colby laughing and utterly entranced.
“They put a spell on Colby,” Luca muttered under his breath. “I’d lay odds.”
“Mmmhmm,” Ash purred. “He’s had a shit week. It’ll help relax him.”
“Yeah, but they should’ve asked me first,” Luca shot back.
“It’s not the worst thing to forget the pain for a little while. It’s not dangerous.”
“Depends on who gave him the spell and how much juice they used,” Luca said. “I’ve seen magic hangovers before.”
Ash wrapped an arm around Luca’s waist. “Maybe someone can give you one for the day after tomorrow.”
“What?” Luca frowned… but his eyes soon widened. “Oh, yeah. I don’t think I’m going to go.”
“You’re not going to Mrs. Stephenson’s funeral?”
Luca stiffened. “We’d be open to attack out there. It’s not a good idea.”
“Okay. If that’s what you want. I just want to be sure you won’t regret not going and paying your respects. I know how important funerals are for your kind.”
The majority of human society honored their dead. Witches and shifters were not much different from humans in that regard. All held some type of service for their loved ones and had since the dawn of time—but with witches, a memorial held a deeper meaning. Witches connected with one another via their magic, creating ties that bound them. With death, the connection with another’s energy was severed, and that loss was felt more profoundly. Like losing a limb.
Sending that person off to the next realm of existence was vital. If death was losing a limb, the service was cauterizing the wound.
Most witches also loved a cemetery. The energy there held an allure, drawing their kind for eons. Luca wasn’t like most witches in that regard. Ash had seen Luca actively avoid them, yet never explained why. Was that the reason he didn’t want to go?
“Mrs. Stephenson wasn’t a witch,” Luca said.
“Wasn’t it you who told me she had her own kind of magic?”
Luca’s gaze turned to his, but he said nothing.
“Go. Don’t go. It’s your choice,” Ash said. “I support your decision either way.”
Luca nodded. “Thank you.”
Ash hugged Luca before they rejoined the chaos.
Chapter
Seventeen
A giant sob awoke Luca from a dead sleep. He rolled over in the ravening dark, reaching for warm flesh under his fingers. The second he met it, Colby trembled against his touch. Luca drew him close as another sob wracked their human’s body.
“Let it out…” he murmured, cupping the back of Colby’s head.
The night had been chaotic, at best. The entire coven inside their apartment had likely been too much for their new roommates—even with the addition of space, thanks to the coven architect. Earlier that night, he’d carried a sleeping Colby into their bed—worn out from his introduction—as Ash had led Daniel to his new bedroom, already filled with video games, Legos, clothes, and books.
The coven had spoiled their recent additions, which was a good sign. Not all received as strong a welcome as the pair had. Although, neither was technically a part of the coven. Yet.
“It’s going to be okay,” Luca whispered.
Colby pulled away. “Okay? It’s never going to be okay again.”
Luca flipped on the lamp at their bedside, an arc of light slicing through the darkness. Shadows swirled on the walls, recoiling from the illumination. Colby scrambled from between him and Ash and padded on hands and knees to the foot of the bed.
Ash lifted his head, rubbing one eye with a meaty fist. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Luca murmured. He turned his attention to Colby, who appeared almost feral in the low light. His eyes were wide and shining as he watched them, skittering back like a frightened prey animal. Sitting on his knees in only a pair of briefs, Colby was beautiful in his wildness. Luca’s chest ached from the sight of him and his emotions.
Another sob tore from Colby’s chest, and it nearly caused Luca to cry. The weight of Colby’s sorrow settled in his chest, making it harder to breathe.
“What is it?” Ash asked, rising to sit fully. “Colby?”
“I…” Another sob tore from Colby’s lips. Tears spilled over his cheeks. “I'm… miserable.” He sobbed. “Wretched.” He attempted to drag air into his lungs, shuddering as he did. “I can’t… it’s too much.”
Suddenly, it all made sense to Luca. “The spell.”
A tear slipped down Colby’s cheek. “What? Do you mean the curse?”
“No,” Luca murmured. “Did someone offer you a drink last night specifically saying it was to calm your nerves?”
“Yeah… the older lady who was measuring me.” Colby swiped at his cheek. “Dee, I think?”
“Yeah, I’d lay odds it was a spell,” Luca said. He scooted a little closer, in reach of Colby, but no closer. “Were you overwhelmed when everyone came in?”
“Yeah. It was… a lot.”
“She gave you something to relax you. I’m almost sure.” Luca smiled outwardly, though a part of him was seething inside. He should’ve been asked before someone in the coven gave their mate a spell. “I’ve been on the other end of one of Delilah’s calming spells. You feel wonderful during, but they work by bottling up the negative emotions you have, leaving only contentment. When the spell ends, all those feelings can hit at once and… when you’re in a bad way, it can be overwhelming.”
“I don’t like this,” Colby whispered.
“We just need to ride it out,” Luca said. If he had his magic, he could ease it a bit. “It’ll pass soon.”
“All I can think about is the fire… and where we’re going to live… and what I’m going to do for work… How are we going to survive this? I was barely holding on before the fire.” His face twisted with sorrow. “What do I do?”
Luca slid closer, as did Ash. He lifted his gaze to his familiar for a split second, communicating volumes at that moment. Instinct roared that he drag Colby into his arms and comfort the man, but he’d already been denied once.
It needed to be Colby’s choice, not his. Opening his arms, he held their human’s gaze.
Another sob wracked his body before Colby crawled closer and slipped between Luca’s arms. He squeezed Luca’s waist tight, hiding his face. Luca caressed the back of Colby’s head.
The tears, hot and wet, fell against his chest where Colby hid his face. Hid from the emotions he was experiencing. Luca recognized that it was a gift to be allowed to witness those emotions and to be there to comfort their mate. He lifted his gaze to Ash, who slid in behind Colby and rubbed their mate’s back. A few minutes passed, and Luca winced at the sounds of Colby’s sorrow.
Their human had lost so much in a short amount of time. His parents. His freedom when he’d taken over care of his brother. His appearance and the use of his hand when the curse wreaked havoc. His childhood home and source of income from the fire. All in the matter of a few years. Luca wanted to give him everything he needed and more. If only Colby would let him.
If only his magic would return.
“I think you know you have a home here, if you choose it,” Luca murmured, eyeing Ash.
