Seductively Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 3) Page 2

  “What?” I demanded by way of greeting. Phone etiquette wasn’t one of my strong suits.

  Allie’s laughter came over the line. “We really need to work on your phone skills, Gryph.”

  “Nah, then folks will be calling me all the time. You know how popular I am,” I joked. “What can I do for you?”

  “I was wondering if you had some time to do a little security work at Bliss,” she began. “There was a threat made recently.”

  “What kind of threat?” I growled. It was harder for me to control my wolf when my emotions ran high, and threats at Bliss triggered my emotions for two reasons. First, Allie was not only my friend; she’d saved my life when she didn’t even know me. Allie had talked me out of jumping off a bridge during my darkest time. No matter how hard I’d tried to push her away, the stubborn witch kept coming by to check on me and make sure I had food. The second reason had to do with an annoying witch who had me torn between wanting to spank her cute little ass and wanting to fuck her until neither of us could walk. She’d have let me do either with the understanding that it meant nothing. No strings attached. That’s all I’d ever wanted before meeting Julia, but it wasn’t enough with her. My wolf and I were in total agreement on this subject; that sassy witch was my mate, and she wasn’t going to downplay what we meant to each other. I’d expected her to see reason by now, but she hadn’t.

  “We received an email threatening Julia,” Allie explained. “Julia isn’t sure what to think. It’s kind of vague, so she wasn’t convinced we should call the police.”

  My temper was running high with a threat to Julia and even higher realizing she’d considered ignoring it. “No threat should be ignored, Allie. I hope you decided to call the police. If not, you should call them now.”

  “We called them,” she assured me. “The police seem to think it’s nothing, but we’re both concerned. To be honest, the police didn’t seem interested in doing much to investigate the email. They suggested we bring in extra security but claimed one vague email wasn’t enough to warrant an investigation. I’m the most worried. Considering what happened with me, I’m overly cautious. Julia agreed we should play it safe and have a guard with her at all times.”

  I could certainly see why Allie was more wary than most. Just over a year ago, a serial killer had been targeting succubi, and she’d nearly ended up being a victim herself.

  “You’ve got good reason to be cautious. Besides, cautious is smart,” I told her. “That kind of vigilance will keep you alive. I’m not really sure who to refer you to with the pack since I’ve been gone so long, but if you’d like, I could make some calls to other packs. The leader of the Sonoma pack will still talk to me. I can see if he’ll send some wolves down here.”

  “I know this may be awkward considering your past,” Allie began. “The local pack can always help me if you can’t handle this, but you’re my first choice. I trust you, Gryph.”

  “While I appreciate your trust, we both know Julia wouldn’t want me to be the one guarding her,” I told her.

  “She was the one who suggested hiring you,” Allie explained.

  “Why didn’t she call?” I asked suspiciously. It’s not that I didn’t want to be the one keeping Julia safe. I was simply concerned she’d fight me every step of the way, making it impossible to protect her.

  “She was worried you’d be more likely to say no if she asked,” Allie explained. “I disagreed, but she’s concerned because things ended on a negative note between the two of you.”

  That was certainly an understatement. I tamped down my anger at Julia for thinking I’d let what happened before prevent me from keeping her safe. “Where is she now?” I asked. It didn’t matter how difficult this made my life. I was going to make sure that sassy witch was safe.

  Chapter 3

  Julia

  I was nervous, which was absolutely insane. I’m not the type to get nervous, especially about a guy. As much as I refused to admit it to anyone, Gryph was more than just some guy. He was the first guy I’d been interested in for a very long time. There’s no tragic back story that turned me off men. I’ve just usually preferred the company of women. I’ve had flings with men, but nothing more, and even that hadn’t happened in several years.

  Gryph is a strange exception for me. It’s not just about him being a man, or even him being a werewolf. He’s tough on the outside, the type of alpha male I usually want to smack. Beneath all that, there’s something vulnerable about him. I know enough about werewolf politics to realize he would have been close to very few members of his pack. He’d been an enforcer—a high-ranking one. His position had meant maintaining his emotional distance from most pack members in case he needed to kill someone. Still, I knew he missed his pack, missed the bonds. We’d never discussed his friends or family, but I was certain he’d left loved ones behind. Even with my limited knowledge of werewolves, I recognized that instinct, rather than emotion, had driven him to claim me as his. It shouldn’t have bothered me, but it did.

  My family administers the affinity tests and bonding ceremonies among witches, so I grew up seeing that there is more than love at play in a successful relationship. If you asked most witches, they would assure you love was never an important consideration. It might sound cold, but it’s true. Falling in love first often complicates matters. Witches and warlocks with compatible magic fall in love. The reverse isn’t true. Even a couple who was desperately in love could have incompatible magic, and it wouldn’t change. Naturally, there were gray areas and extremely rare exceptions. With my background, I definitely shouldn’t be a romantic. Still, I apparently had some carryover from my youth when I’d dreamt of finding true love—the kind my parents have.

  To keep myself busy, I was reorganizing one of our three fantasy prop display rooms. This room had floggers, riding crops, paddles and restraints, but they were all on the tame side, designed for those who wanted to be a little kinky. The props were just for display so customers could get a better idea of what they wanted to try out. They also helped us decide what needed to be purchased for a couple’s fantasy when they weren’t completely certain. If a couple gravitated toward the bondage toys, we would mark that down. Even their negative reactions helped us when planning a fantasy. It was nice knowing what areas they had no interest in exploring. The room we took clients to depended on how they answered the initial questionnaire. If people were looking for something outside of what we normally offered, we went shopping with them for an added charge. Not all couples, or in some cases groups, needed to go to the prop room to plan their fantasy. Some were really just looking for rose petals and scented candles.

  “Are you sure about this plan?” Allie asked as she walked into the room to hand me the box of costumes we’d just gotten in.

  “It’s the only way to get Gryph out of my system,” I said decisively as I examined the wall where the costumes would be displayed. “Do you think we should get some mannequins to put these on?”

  Allie shook her head. “I can see why some would like seeing them on a mannequin, but the oddly shaped demons might feel like they aren’t designed for them. We should just hang them up. You should try dating Gryph instead of seducing him,” Allie suggested, coming around beside me to remove a paddle I’d just added to another display. “This is too much.”

  I frowned when she waved the heavy cherry wood paddle in the air. “What was I thinking?” Looking down at the new box of props we’d received, I realized I should have sorted it better before entering the room. The alligator nipple clamps at the top of the box were also too extreme for this room. I’d have to work on the costumes now and sort the rest again later.

  “You were thinking that Gryph will be here any minute,” Allie replied with a smile, bumping her hip against mine. “You should let me sort this stuff, at least until after you get over your nerves about seeing Gryph again. Even Persephone could have sorted this better,” she remarked as she removed a leather collar with the studs on the inside.
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br />   Persephone was our recently-hired receptionist, and to say she was a bit innocent would be an understatement. While I wanted to argue that I could sort better than Persephone, my friend made a good point. I didn’t seem capable of focusing on any task knowing Gryph would be arriving soon. I was excited about finally getting a chance to deal with my crazy obsession with the werewolf, but I was also nervous, almost like prey hiding from a dangerous predator. That seemed like a good description of Gryph. He was a werewolf, and while my magic made me dangerous in my own right, Gryph was physically more powerful than me. He’d also been furious with me the last time I’d seen him.

  “Earth to Julia,” Allie called out, interrupting my thoughts by waving a hand in front of my face.

  “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?” I asked. Allie had been pretty close-lipped about her opinion of my plan to seduce Gryph, other than suggesting I date him.

  Allie hesitated.

  “Come on, Allie,” I coaxed. “We’re friends. You’ve listened to me complain about Gryph without sharing your opinion. I get that you’re in a tough position because you care a great deal for him. I know you’re trying to avoid taking sides, but I really need to hear what you think about me seducing Gryph.”

  “You’re being unfair to Gryph,” she told me.

  “So, you don’t think I should seduce him?” I asked.

  “I didn’t say that,” she replied. “Seducing him might make you realize how unfair you’re being to him and to yourself.”

  “But you understand it would just be sex,” I reminded her. “I’m not interested in anything more with Gryph, or with anyone else.”

  “Then why are you so nervous about seeing him?” Allie asked. “In some ways, I can understand what you’re going through with Gryph. I was determined to keep things casual with Dylan in the beginning, too. He wanted more, but I truly believed it would be best if all we had was sex.”

  “That’s different from my situation with Gryph,” I argued. “Dylan wasn’t calling you his mate.”

  Allie laughed at my argument. “Dylan insisted I was his witch. That’s not exactly the same thing, but you know as well as I do that it has nothing to do with love. That’s what this is about, isn’t it? It bothers you that Gryph isn’t in love with you, yet he still insists you’re his.”

  It amazed me how easily Allie had picked up on my fears involving Gryph. I didn’t want to admit to feeling that way, but I did. “That is a big part of it,” I confessed. This was the first time I’d admitted that concern out loud. “There’s this big part of me that wants what my parents have.”

  “You’re such a romantic,” Allie accused.

  “I’ve spent the last few days trying to convince myself I’m not, but you’re right,” I admitted. “I had two witches in here yesterday, and they were so in love, I tossed in some extras with their package.”

  “Are you worried about getting involved with Gryph because he’s not the romantic type?” Allie asked.

  I laughed and shook my head. “Can you imagine Gryph buying flowers?”

  “No, but you don’t seem like the type to want flowers,” Allie remarked.

  “I’m definitely not the type who needs flowers or other romantic gestures,” I assured her.

  “Are you sure part of this isn’t because he’s a werewolf?” she asked hesitantly. One of her hands rested on my shoulder. Allie was a few inches shorter than me, and since she’d slipped off her shoes, she had to look up to meet my eyes. I clearly saw her concern.

  I shook my head. “No. While the werewolf packs and the Council of Witches frown on relationships between werewolves and witches, my parents are much more enlightened and accepting.”

  To say the council was against relationships between witches and werewolves would be an understatement. Many older witches argued it should be outlawed. Witches were elitists by nature and tended to look down on any half-breeds. Allie’s mother was a succubus and her father a warlock, so Allie had dealt with her share of discrimination. My brother’s fiancée was half-demon, and while the council didn’t like her, more than one influential family had her back. She was also incredibly powerful, and most weren’t willing to challenge her. There were definitely times when the Council of Witches accepted the relationship between a witch and a powerful demon, but they were not accepting of intermingling with any other species. The council had arguments for their prejudices against each species.

  In the case of werewolves, they couldn’t procreate with witches in most cases. There were rare occasions when it was possible, but more often than not, the couple had no offspring. In my opinion, there were plenty of witches already. We lived hundreds of years, and most families had several children. Unfortunately, quite a few members of the council were old-fashioned and still believed we needed more witches, just in case we had to go to war. Others were just bigots who believed the difficulty in procreating with werewolves proved it was unnatural for a werewolf to be with a witch.

  “If you don’t have any issues with Gryph being a werewolf, why are you so determined to avoid dating him?” she asked.

  “Do werewolves really date?” It was something I’d wondered before.

  “They don’t always find their perfect mate, so I assume some date,” she replied. “Stop trying to avoid my question.”

  “I don’t want to be a hopeless romantic anymore,” I finally admitted. “I’m tired of falling in love with people I have no future with. It seems to be a family curse that we fall in love easily. My parents were lucky. They fell in love with the right person. Their magic is a perfect match, and they’ve been together for forty years. I fell in love with Katherine, knowing our magic wasn’t a good match, yet somehow believing it would all work out because love conquers all. She’s not the only person that’s happened with. In the end, love doesn’t conquer all.”

  “You’re too young to be this jaded,” Allie said with a sad sigh.

  I was about to argue when I heard Persephone’s loud gasp. It seemed Gryph had arrived.

  Chapter 4

  Gryph

  It had been months since I’d seen Julia. No matter how I felt about her, I was determined to keep this professional. She’d turned me down, and I wasn’t about to act like some lovesick pup following her around, hoping she’d fall for me. My wolf disagreed. That side of me wanted her in every way imaginable. He was clawing at my insides and howling for his mate. With the duality of my existence, the man in me dealt with logic while the wolf was ruled by instinct.

  Hoping to at least have my lust under control when I saw Julia again, I’d jerked off in the shower before heading to Bliss. I was sated, so I expected to be fine in Julia’s presence, proving I was an idiot. The moment I walked into the building and caught her scent, I knew I was in trouble. Releasing a harsh breath through my teeth, I reminded myself I couldn’t just walk in there and fuck her senseless. I was certain she’d let me, but only because she didn’t understand what it would mean. There was no casual sex between mates. Once I took her, she was mine. Over the years, I’d been accused of being less than civilized; the fact that I wasn’t acting on my instinct to claim Julia proved those accusations wrong.

  When I stepped out of the elevator and into the Bliss lobby, Julia’s scent grew stronger. Inhaling deeply, I groaned. She smelled so damn good. I’d missed everything about her. This was going to be harder than I’d thought.

  The little redhead behind the desk gasped loudly. When I glanced her way, I noticed her eyes were moving along me with a weary expression. I got that a lot. At six feet six inches tall, I was intimidating. Even if it weren’t for my large frame and height, my missing arm usually caught the attention of others. Since I’d started doing security again, I had someone alter my shirts, sewing up the arm. Dangling fabric could be dangerous in a fight. With the alteration to the shirt, my missing arm was more obvious.

  The receptionist’s unease helped me work past my reaction to Julia’s scent. She was a tiny woman, and I certainly did
n’t want to frighten her. Moving forward, I kept my eyes locked on the nervous witch at the reception desk. The weariness in her large green eyes quickly faded to be replaced by fascination.

  “You’re a werewolf,” she stated excitedly as she met my gaze. In general, it was foolish to look a werewolf in the eye, but something told me this little mouse didn’t know much about the world. She had an almost childlike innocence to her.

  “Yeah,” I replied gruffly.

  “That is so exciting!” she chirped, oblivious to my bad mood. “My name is Persephone. You’re the first werewolf I’ve ever met. Are you planning to turn into a wolf while you’re here?”

  “No,” I assured her. “I’ll stay in this form.”

  Rather than looking relieved that a giant wolf wouldn’t be wandering around the office, she seemed disappointed. “I suppose I’ll have to see a werewolf in wolf form another time,” she said with a sigh.

  Before I could point out that wolves were dangerous and she might want to avoid them, Allie emerged from a room to the right of the lobby.

  “Gryph!” she greeted me. Julia’s scent wafted out of the room Allie had just exited.

  I struggled against the temptation to head back there immediately. With a forced smile, I greeted Allie. “How are you doing, Allie? Is your puny warlock still taking good care of you?”

  “Don’t insult Dylan,” she told me before continuing. “Thank you so much for coming. I appreciate it and so does Julia.”

  I shrugged. “You knew I’d come for her,” I replied.

  “You didn’t have to come for her,” Allie added.

  She was wrong. Even though I’d pretended I could allow someone else to protect my mate, my wolf had rebelled against the idea.

  “Should I set up a meeting room?” Persephone interrupted, sounding professional and polite.

  “Why don’t you take off for the day, Persephone?” Allie suggested. “We don’t have any other appointments.”