Love Charms (2 page)

Chapter
2

It was a gorgeous warm day. The sun shone
brightly and a gentle breeze offered a bit of relief from the heat. Mortals
called it summer, but for witches it was simply known as the warm season. That
meant there was only one more season before “Season of the Witch”, otherwise
known as the breeding season.

Ziara was worried that Raven might miss
her opportunity, but Raven had other ideas. Ziara was a great mom. She was
always responsible and nurturing; it was a natural fit for her. Raven, on the
other hand, was more of a free spirit. She wasn’t ready to be a mother,
regardless of her age. She knew she’d be ready some day, but not yet. She hated
how everyone rushed her, like she’d lose her chance. Ziara was the absolute
worst, always nagging her.

Pulling into the park, they collected
their things and went to find a special spot. Derek carefully spread out a
blanket on the lake’s shore. Sprawling across it, Raven noticed how tall he
was, his feet extending farther than her own. She loved being in his arms. He
was big and strong, and perfect for snuggling into.

Lingering on the buzz of wine and good
company, Raven nuzzled in closer. Derek’s fingers lazily played in her hair. 
His hands soon took liberties and started to roam. The couple tried to police
themselves, being in a public park, but it was getting harder to do. The
foreplay aroused them more than they anticipated. 

Each touch left Raven dizzy. The little
hairs stood on the nape of her neck, and each time he leaned in to kiss her she
melted just a little more. Every time they were together, flirting, fooling
around, and snuggling close, she thought about what came next. They hadn’t gone
‘there’ yet. She hoped to wait a little longer, but it was getting more
difficult to hold back.  

Every single time he kissed her, Raven
knew she’d be giving in sooner than she planned. She reeled herself back in.
Confronting the reality of her life and him not knowing she was a witch, she forced
herself to wait. It’s not that she didn’t want to have sex with him, but she
knew that once she did her emotions would be out of control. It would
impossible to make a rational decision if she got intimate.

Raven let her fingers run over the bulge
of Derek’s bicep. His skin was warm from the sun. She loved the curve of his
arm. The urge to touch him, feel him, and be with him was overwhelming. She
drew her fingers across his hard, muscled chest. She sighed. This wasn’t going
to be easy.

Derek was feeling it too. Their bodies
were on fire together, a spark waiting to ignite. The hunger was intense. There
was only one thing left on Derek’s mind.

“Come back to my place.” It was more of a
statement than a question, but he already knew the answer. They were both ready
for more.

Raven nodded quietly and leaned in for
another kiss. The tender intimacy bathed her in sexual awakenings. His lips
were soft. She was thirsty for a taste of him, and as their mouths lingered
together, her entire body filled with electricity.

Gathering their belongings, they strolled
back to the car hand in hand. Derek packed the blanket and basket into the
trunk of the car. Before opening the car door, he needed another taste of
Raven. He pressed her to the curved outline of the vehicle, his body strong
against her own, and lowered his mouth to hers.

“You are delicious,” his voice was low
and textured with gravel. His mouth was hungry this time, wanting more. Passion
ran between them, sparks flying, chemistry burning, and as his tongue pressed
into her mouth, Raven let out a tiny sigh.

After the sigh, Raven was on the verge of
a whimper, with the overwhelming need to strip off Derek’s clothes and touch
every last inch of his body. She couldn’t wait anymore. She had to feel him, be
with him, share a moment.

They remained in an embrace, locking
lips. Derek pulled her in tighter. She would have happily stayed right there
all night long, but in the privacy of his home they could share even more
intimacy. Slowly they pulled themselves apart and Derek opened Raven’s door. 

Derek walked to the other side of the
car. His tall frame, enhanced by broad shoulders and a handsome face, left her
feeling all gooey inside, like melting taffy. She felt like a schoolgirl, giddy
with lust.

He wore his brown hair parted to the side
and cropped short. Clean and neat, he always looked well put together. While
most times he was clear of stubble, on the days he let a bit come in, it only
enhanced his strong jawline in the perfect shade of sexy.

They were quiet as they drove, both lost
in their own thoughts. Raven was nervous though excited, but she couldn’t help
thinking of Ziara’s frustration with her. She could almost hear her voice.
“Miko is a great guy.  He really likes you. All it would take is a simple love
casting, and you would be ready for Season of the Witch.”

Only Raven didn’t want Miko. She didn’t
want a potion made in a cauldron and cast on her. That took the romance out of
it. She wanted to feel real love, the kind that starts in the body and mind.
She wanted to choose love.  Ziara just didn’t get that, she always followed the
code.

Raven wondered if Derek’s family put
pressure on him. Did they want him to settle down and start a family, too? Or
was that not a thing in the mortal world?

And dating a witch… how would she ever
tell him? What would he say? It’s not like she could mention it anyway, unless
they were close to marriage. While Raven had never shared that fact with a
mortal yet, she knew others that had and it rarely went over well. Before long,
they’d have to cast a spell. They’d split up, and the mortal wouldn’t remember
any of it. Cross breeding didn’t happen often because of the differences and
complications.

With such a huge secret to share, she
needed to be sure she could trust him. It was crucial for the witch community
if they wanted to survive living amongst mortals.

Raven was lost in thought. Would they
ever get to that point? Would she be able to tell him? Would he tear away from
her, horrified at her truth? She hated that it was on her mind, but how could
it not be? If they were going to share their bodies…there was so much to think
about.

She knew once they were intimate, her
emotions would flood through her and she’d be forced to make a decision. If she
continued, she risked her own feelings down the line. Would it be better to let
him go before both of them got hurt? It rarely ended well when it came to
dating mortals. Sadly, it was a vice she wasn’t ready to let go of yet. Romance
offered her tingling sensations that she couldn’t experience elsewhere.

Was she only in it for those feelings? It
felt almost selfish. She pushed the thoughts away; she’d deal with them later.

Derek parked the car in front of his
condo. Taking a deep breath, Raven knew what was about to happen. Clothes would
be shed, bodies would connect, love would be made…and while she wanted to do
this, she was wondering if it was wrong. Would it be a mistake she couldn’t
take back? Would she regret not waiting come morning?

She hated even hesitating to think. She
wanted to taste his skin, kiss and lick his body, feel him inside her, but when
it came down to it she knew her emotions would get tangled into a big ball of
knots. Emotions were never easy, especially when there are secrets.

Was it too late to turn back? She was
already drawn to the man beside her. Intimacy seemed like a natural step. How
fair was it to let him go in blindly? It’s not like she really had a choice. It
wouldn’t change his world until they were committed, but it would change hers
forever.

“Derek, before we go in, there’s
something I have to tell you.” She drew a deep breath. She couldn’t very well
tell him that she was a witch. Besides, that was forbidden unless you were a
fully-committed couple. It’s just that it was only fair to let him know things
might get a wee bit more complicated.

“Hmm?” He looked at her dreamily.

Raven swallowed hard. “My family is
complicated. I think it’s only fair to let you know they can be difficult. They
even want to interfere in my relationships at times. If we do this,” she
hesitated, “if we make love, I’ll consider us a couple. You know, like
exclusively dating. If you’re not ready to commit to a relationship you need to
tell me now.”

 “How committed are you talking? We’ve
only been dating for a short while. If you mean will I only be having sexual
relations with one person at a time, monogamous, then the answer is yes. If
you’re talking about a long term relationship, I can’t make promises. Neither
of us knows where this will lead.”

“Yes, monogamous. I’m not asking for a
promise of a long term commitment. I guess I just need to know that I’m the
only one you’re dating.”

“You are. Quite honestly, you’re all I
can think about. I can commit to monogamy, but I can’t predict or make promises
about how long our relationship will last.”

Forever was a long time. Neither of them
was ready to promise forever, but for now, the two of them as a couple, that
would work.

“Thanks. I know it’s awkward, but I take
this stuff seriously.” She blushed, embarrassed to even ask. She felt childish,
even though she was a full grown woman.

“I understand. I appreciate the honesty.
Do you still want to go inside, or have you changed your mind?”

“I’d very much like to go inside.” Raven
felt the weight dropping off her shoulders and smiled at Derek. This might get
sticky, but for now at least they were on the same wave length.

That’s when Benji popped into her head,
quite literally.
Benji get out of my head!

“Hey sis, I’ll just be a minute. Could
you stop and get some vanilla ice cream on the way home?”

Not now, Benji!

“Bad timing?”

Very! I’ll bring you ice cream later.
Now, go away!

“Thanks, sis!”

She hated how he had that ability, but he
didn’t have many left now that he was stuck in bulldog form. She couldn’t take
that away from him. She just didn’t want to see his face pop up during…well,
you know! Talk about bad timing. It was hard to believe he’d been in animal
form for so long now. If he’d just learn to keep his pants on, this would have
never happened.

Raven pretended he was a familiar, or pet
to the mortal world, but what else could she do? Benji didn’t need the entire
world to know he was a shape shifting falcon and man trapped in a dog’s body.
It was a curse, plain and simple, and there’d be no shifting until Charlene’s
curse put him through the paces.

Charlene was way too harsh on him, even
if she was hurt by his dalliance with her sister. That’s a lot of seasons for
him to be out of his male witch form body….first a toad, then a dog. She made
her point.

Benji moved in with Raven after their
split, but she truly hadn’t expected a talking toad when she got home that
first day.

Raven put in a doggy door so he could
come and go. When the transformation took place to his next form, it seemed
appropriate. They were left guessing how long the rest of the spell would last
until Benji finally confronted Charlene.

Unfortunately, she had her father lock
the spell in place, and he’s a high wizard so you couldn’t just undo something
like that with a simple potion. He’d made his doggy bed, and now he had to lie
in it. They weren’t quite as harsh on Charlene’s sister, but she got into her
own mess of trouble.

Derek unlocked the door and led Raven
past the living room, down the hallway, and straight into his bedroom. He wasn’t
wasting any time. Raven happily followed along, ready to surrender her body,
mind, and soul to him.  Sex in the mortal world was slow and passionate. It was
a complex dance of feeling out your partner and working toward an apex of
pleasure. It’s not that witches didn’t have sex; it’s just that it was
different.

Usually a caster uses a potion which
causes the couple to fall in love. The process is immediate. A mate is
selected, or they have one selected for them. The potion puts the lust and
desire within them. It seemed so basic and drab. Raven liked the slow,
lingering buildup that mortals enjoyed. Once she had a taste of the delicious
tension that grew between a couple, she was hooked.

Ziara didn’t understand. She never felt
the sensual seduction of a new love. She relied on a love potion and chose a
suitable male witch. Just like that, they were connected. Of course their
parents were pleased with her choice. Jork had been crushing on Ziara most of
his life, anyway. When she finally decided she was ready for a family, a love
caster gave them a potion and it was love for both of them. To her, it was a
matter of following the witch’s code. It’s just what you did. The idea of Raven
wanting to waste her time with mortals was something she couldn’t relate to.

Benji and Charlene fell into each other’s
graces at a witch gathering. Honestly, it probably had more to do with Charlene
trying to rebel against her powerful father. Choosing Benji, a more common
witch, gave her the leverage to piss him off. 

A potion was cast, but unfortunately
Benji found sex with someone off limits titillating. Too bad they don’t rally
that problem with the potion. There are no promises, just certain expectations.
Soon he was doing Charlene’s sister, and once a fool always a fool, they got
caught. It didn’t end well, obviously. Who knows why sometimes a potion works
better than other times? Unfortunately for Charlene, she got a witch with a
wondering eye.