But not Tyghe.
The mahogany-haired scoundrel had teased her unmercifully all through her teen years. Made her feel somehow lacking because she wasn’t like them. Wasn’t Magian. And his piercing grey eyes had always noticed everything. Even the things she didn’t want anyone to see, like the way she reacted to his older brother.
Tyghe smiled as though he knew she was cursing his arrival. “I don’t know if you can do it, Harry.” He tilted his head, studying Callie in her comfortable sweats and hooded sweatshirt. “You’re good. But are you
that
good? Can you turn this ordinary human into a wicked witch?”
Harrison glared at her brother in warning. “Shut up, Tyghe. You’re not helping.”
Tyghe placed a hand to his chest, drawing Callie’s unwilling gaze to his lean, muscled physique. Her mouth went dry. Damn Abbott men. Did they all have to be so stunning? How could she get a good hate on for someone she wanted to lick?
His sigh drew everyone’s attention. “My dear, sweet sister. That’s exactly what I came here to do. Help. Show a little gratitude.”
“He knows?” Callie crossed her arms defensively. She didn’t like the way Tyghe was looking at her.
“I had no other choice.” Harrison wrinkled her nose. “Tucker was already gone on his annual hike into the wilderness before the first attack. Besides, he definitely wouldn’t approve of us trying to catch this guy on our own. And Lorie…well, you know Lorie.”
She did. Lorie was a good guy when he was around, but he wasn’t the most dependable member of the Abbott family. The dreamer, his mother often called him. Since they were children, he’d rather find some remote corner in a dusty Magian library and read then be apart of any of their adventures.
Tyghe came closer. “
I
know that for once Harrison is right. Each one of the attacks, from what I’ve been hearing, has gotten successively worse. And the lack of evidence makes them highly suspicious. Even those of us who
don’t
have a Nancy Drew complex,” he looked pointedly at Callie, “still know something is wrong. We can’t take a chance that my sister could be the psycho’s next target. I’m just not sure she’s thought her plan through. Using a human as bait is all well and good, but getting the bait inside is only half the battle. She wouldn’t be able to participate in the seeking process. Not unless the men she was with were in on it.”
Men? Bait?
“Okay, time out. Is Tyghe right, Harry? You want me to go in undercover and flush this guy out?”
Jenner glared at Tyghe before gripping Callie’s elbow comfortingly. “He’s never been known for his subtly, but he has a point. We have no intention of using you as bait, dear. We, Harrison and I, both trust your instincts. You may see something our kind has missed. But you
would
be in danger. Just of another sort. We can get you inside, but with the magic Harrison will cloak you with, you’ll also have to deal with potential suitors as you search for clues.”
“And they will love her. Those big, innocent eyes? That naïve sensuality? The sharks would start circling in no time. And her cover would be blown.” Callie’s chin jerked sharply at the compliment. At least, she thought it was a compliment. From Tyghe, she could never be sure.
“I wasn’t planning on leaving my best friend alone in that place,” Harrison grumbled. “Jenner and I would be there with her at all times. All she’d have to do is use that intuition of hers—an intuition not even Tucker can match by the way, and I would zap the son of a bitch until he squealed.”
Callie felt her lips twitch. She’d seen Harrison angry, seen the electricity she could generate when she gathered her power close. She knew her friend would protect her. Maybe she’d get in a few good punches herself. What kind of creep went around terrorizing young females? Witches or not, those women had no doubt been at their most vulnerable, searching for love. The last thing one of them would expect was an attack by another Magian at such a sacred event. “I’m in.”
“So am I. That’s what I’m trying to say. I can attach myself to Callie as a potential suitor, even with the distant cousin story you’ve decided to run with. I’ll turn away any thirds I find unsuitable, which will be all of them, and keep an eye on my troublemaking sister at the same time.”
Callie and Harrison made sounds of denial, but Tyghe wasn’t backing down. “Ask Jenner. This is the only way your plan will work. Either I join you for her preparations and the Triune, or I will call in the rest of the family. Your choice.”
Jenner tilted her head, a small sparrow studying Tyghe with a strange, knowing expression. “He’s right, girls. We need a man to make this work.”
Tyghe snickered. “Words to live by.”
“Don’t get cocky, boy. I can still take you over my knee.”
Callie looked Jenner up and down, doubting the tiny woman could make good on her threat, but Tyghe looked duly chastised.
Harrison threw her arms in the air. “Fine. You’re in. But don’t interfere with our investigation. You aren’t exactly known for being discreet. As soon as I glamour Callie, we have to start preparing her, getting the word out that there’s a new Magian in town. And that she’ll be coming to the this quarter’s Triune.”
What had she gotten herself into? Callie sat on Harrison’s luxurious bed in nothing but a small towel, watching the two women muttering to each other as they gathered their supplies. This was what she’d always wanted. Sort of. She’d wanted to be an Abbott, truly to be a Magian born. Harrison’s temporary fix would have to do.
If it worked, she could finally see the people and places Harrison would tell her about late into the night during those lucky occasions when her foster mother allowed her to sleep over. And those stories Jenner wove at the kitchen table before anyone else was awake. Stories about Storm battles and the origins of the Magians. Tales that took her away from her awkward, unhappy life just long enough to give her hope for something more. Something magical.
Please let this work
.
Callie wasn’t afraid of the mysterious Magian they were searching for. They’d given her so much, it was nice to be needed by them for once. And she was looking forward to using the skills she’d been learning at the police academy. Harrison was right, other than Uncle Jackson being her friend’s second father, Callie had an uncanny knack for finding out the truth. It had always been that way. Call it instinct or luck—most of the time it was a double-edged sword. From discovering her foster family believed her a nuisance they’d only kept around for the money, to finding out her math teacher was engaging in extra-curricular activities with the football coach, she’d just always…known. Like a tickle up her spine. And she was always proven right.
The only thing she wasn’t looking forward to was being Tyghe’s pretend love interest for the next week. She could hardly imagine it. Okay, that was a lie. She didn’t
want
to imagine it, but since the idea had been presented it was practically all she could think about.
He was a jerk, but he was a sexy jerk. Always had been. And he knew it too, the arrogant ass. Harrison was always telling her one wild story or another, usually revolving around Tyghe and his kinky predilections. He’d already been reprimanded twice by the Magian law for using his magic in public, and, according to his sister, sex had usually been involved.
Sex with Tyghe in public. She could never be so bold, so brazen. Her skin heated as she closed her eyes, instantly envisioning the stormy-eyed Magian pressing her against a wall and taking her as a crowd of people looked on. He wanted them to look, to know how crazy she made him. Wanted them to know she was his.
“Don’t be nervous, Cal. I promise I know what I’m doing.”
Callie’s eyes popped open and she blushed, shrugging. “I know you do, Harry. I trust you not to turn me into a hamster…again.”
“Never gonna let me forget that are you?”
“Not a chance.”
Jenner smiled, coming to stand on the other side of the bed. “The spirits blessed the two of you when they brought you to each other. It was fate. The bonds of friendship are more powerful than any magic you could name.” She sniffled, and the two younger women rolled their eyes, pretending they weren’t moved by their gentle companion’s words. “I just think it’s wonderful that you’ve agreed to do this, Calliope. That it’s finally happening. I only wish it wasn’t under these circumstances, but I know you’re old enough to take care of yourself.”
“What do you mean finally hap—?”
“Please—” Callie reached out to shake Jenner’s arm playfully, interrupting Harrison’s startled question, “—don’t call me that. I’ll never understand why the woman who brought me to the home had apparently been so adamant about my name. Calliope? That’s just adding insult to injury. ‘Here, we don’t want you, but we want to give you a name to ensure you get picked on by the other children.’” She sighed dramatically, knowing Harrison would smile.
“Calliope was the muse of epic poetry. The hero’s odyssey. It’s a lovely name.” Jenner sounded miffed on behalf of the monstrosity of a name.
Harrison chuckled at Jenner, but Callie heard an unusual note in her voice. “Yes, well, you can’t be trusted. You thought
all
our names were wonderful. I don’t believe a woman should be allowed to name her children until she’s recovered from childbirth. Especially not
my
mother.”
Jenner harrumphed before resting her hand on Callie’s shoulder. “She knew exactly what she was doing. She named you after a wonderful young Magian. A man who died before his time, and one of her closest childhood friends. And I believe I’ve kept enough of your secrets, Harrison
Jennera
Abbott, for you to trust me with your life, which should be easy since I helped to bring you to it.” She pursed her lips. “Now it’s time. We should do this soon so she has a chance to recuperate before tomorrow’s salon and fitting appointments.”
“Salon? Fitting?” Callie’s voice squeaked. The idea of that was far more terrifying than a crazy glamour spell. Enough to distract her from the palpable tension in the air, as well as the origins of Harrison’s name.
Harrison smirked. “Uh huh. Did I forget to mention that? It’s part of the preparation. What every Magian female about to participate at Triune does. That means the four victims will have gone to the same places we’re going, gossiped with the same old biddies, gotten fitted for the, ah, appropriate attire.”
“Oh lord. Can I change my mind?” Callie blinked in surprise when her friend gripped her chin between her long, elegant fingers.
Harrison’s face was somber, worried. “Yes, Cal. But if you’re going to, you need to do it now. Once we start you’ll be on everybody’s radar. The Magian world will sense your presence, sense your magic, real or not. Not only that, this spell is glamour mixed with a kind of soul calling that Jenner has been teaching me for the last few years. Every being has a little magic inside them—it’s just a matter of pulling it out and intertwining the truth with the illusion.”
Callie smiled. “Sounds complicated. Don’t think you can pull it off, Harry? Don’t think you can turn me into a real, live witch?”
Harrison smiled, recognizing the challenge for the answer it was. “Oh I can do it, all right. With Jenner’s guidance, I’m fairly certain it will be a perfect success. I’m just not sure what a Cal with magic will be like. You’re already impossible now.”
“Bring it on, Glenda.”
“Zip it, or I’ll slip and turn you into a pair of Tyghe’s gym socks.”
”Consider it zipped.” Callie let Jenner lay her down on the silken, ruby comforter, watching Harrison set a bag of herbs, a crystal and some kind of liquid with paint brush beside it on the bed.
This must be a big spell. Harrison had told her once that, though magic was present in every Magian, there were some spells that needed a little extra encouragement. A potion, a ritual, a chant to bring the energy to the surface—to focus the power.
She could only imagine.
Jenner began to mutter rhythmically under her breath, and Callie lowered her lids until she could watch them both through her lashes. She tensed a little as Harrison slid the towel down to her hips, but these women knew her as well as they knew themselves. She breathed out, relaxing against the soft mattress.
Harrison set the small quartz below her belly button, cupping her hands over it and closing eyes that were a darker grey than Tyghe’s, but just as stormy.
Callie gasped and felt the tiny hairs on her arms rise as an electric blue light began to flicker between Harrison’s fingers. It was riveting. Hypnotic, the way the arcing light circled her hand like a living thing, growing before her eyes until it was all she could see.
She felt her stomach warm, a pulsing sensation against her flesh where the crystal was resting. When she glanced down she realized it was glowing, mimicking Harrison’s energy. It felt as though liquid heat was being absorbed into her skin, deep inside her.
Jenner’s chant grew louder, and Callie could see her lit with a sunshine yellow energy, joyous, powerful—so big for her dainty frame. She closed her eyes, but she could still see them both as Harrison reached for the small paintbrush, dipping it in the soothingly scented oil and painting it onto Callie’s skin. Her neck. Behind her ears. Around her nipples.
It was a sensual feeling. The wet bristles scraping, feather light against her skin. Like a man’s stubble. Once more the image of Tyghe pressing her against an outside wall sprang to mind. Only this time, Callie wasn’t embarrassed. This time she took him with as much ferocity and need as he was taking her. She didn’t care about the crowd. Didn’t care about losing control. She reveled in it. Wanted it. Wanted to claim him.
Callie was so lost in the fantasy that the flash of blue-green energy took her by surprise, an electric shock whipping through her system and arching her off the bed.
Something was inside her, reacting to Harrison and Jenner’s energy, reaching for it. Her spine was buzzing, bones vibrating almost painfully. Had something gone wrong? Was it working?
As if from far away she could hear Harrison’s gasp and Jenner’s serene response. “There now. You did a good job, dear.”