Wanted: Hexed or Alive (2 page)
“You could have, at the very least, allowed me to chop this lemon before expecting me to fight a damn pirate,” Randall growled under his breath.
Rowena, along with her sisters Katrina and Selena, were better known as the Three Fates. She would like to think, with all the power she possessed, that she could handle any problem on her own. The pirate Red Count was a problem for which she’d been unprepared.
It sucked that she could see the past, present, and future of almost every living soul except for her own. It was even more unfortunate that “living” was the key word and she could not see Red Count.
“Avast, me proud beauty!” Red cried.
“Shut the fuck up, Nicholas,” Rowena replied, intentionally using his real name.
Red Count was actually Count Nicholas O’Hare, a voodooist who’d used his magic to gain infamy and to go on long after his death. Unfortunately, it was also the same expertise he’d used to take control of her mind and powers.
Nicholas sneered at the name, but dropped the act. Pacing back and forth in front of them, he clasped his hands, or hand, rather, behind his back.
“The lady Fate,” he remarked. “I have to wonder what brings you to my humble ship on such a fair day.”
Rowena rolled her eyes. Not only was there nothing humble about his ship, the Sea was at its roughest from recent storms. Bracing his feet apart, Nicholas stopped in front of Randall. “And, I see you’ve gotten yourself a new toy,” he added.
“Fate. Toy,” Randall repeated as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and drawing her attention his way.
At six-foot-one, Randall matched Nicholas in height, but the pirate easily had fifty pounds over him. Despite Randall’s thin physique, she could feel the powerful energy rolling from inside of him, and his sleek muscle hinted at his active lifestyle.
The most important thing that Randall possessed was a sharp mind, which was evident in his intelligent blue eyes. The wind flattened his sandy-brown hair, and his face was hard with anger.
“Did he just refer to me as your toy?” Randall asked Rowena while keeping his gaze locked on Nicholas. She smiled at the bite in his tone.
“Yes,” she agreed, attempting to keep the humor from her voice. “I believe that he did.”
“Well, fuck that,” he grumbled, and dropped the load of supplies on the deck. The bottles burst upon impact and Randall stomped his foot on the lemon, causing its juices to squirt into the mixture. Waving his hand over it, the mess turned into a powdery mix that rose into the air. It hovered between them and Nicholas.
The pirate tried pushing forward, but the mist was impenetrable. On contact, his body froze as if paralyzed.
Glancing over at Rowena, Randall added, “Not that I wouldn’t mind acting as your plaything occasionally.”
With a wink, he thrust the mist forward until it surrounded Nicholas like a bubble. Randall walked in a circle around the pirate.
“You are a scourge upon the sea. It is my joy to set it free. What once was yours shall now be mine, in recompense for your crimes.”
A golden light shimmered around Nicholas before moving to engulf Randall. He absorbed it without so much as blinking and Nicholas fell to his knees. Stooping, Randall met his eyes.
“The mist from the sea will eventually break down the spell that is paralyzing you. By then, we’ll be long gone. However,” he added, his voice taking on a hard edge. “I must warn you, if you ever think to seek me out, I will destroy you.”
Unfortunately, no sooner than the words left Randall’s mouth, the sky opened up, dumping a deluge of water on their heads and dissolving the powder.
Nicholas lunged forward, tackling him to the deck. They both got in a few solid blows, but Nicholas used his weight against Randall while Randall tried to avoid Nicholas’ hook. Rowena hopped from foot to foot, searching for a way to intervene. As the pair scrambled closer to the edge of the ship, Rowena saw her worst fears come to life as Randall fell over the side.
A scream tore from her throat and she immediately flashed into the water to save him.
The impact of the water knocked the air from his lungs and he struggled to surface. One second he was pushing himself upwards against the weight of the water, and the next he was sitting, soaking wet, in the middle of the French Quarter. He blinked owlishly at the passing floats as his mind fought to catch up with his surroundings. Rowena panted for breath at his side, appearing as a drowned rat. The sound of cannon fire drew his gaze to the sky and Rowena groaned.
“Oh no. I have to get help,” she told him before disappearing, but he barely spared her a glance. The sight above the city held him in fascination.
The ship sailing across the sky became smaller and smaller until it was the perfect size in order to move through the thoroughfare. Randall found himself mere feet from the enraged pirate. The tipsy horde of people lining the street began to applaud at the sight of the craft joining the line of Mardi Gras floats, and the crowd began to chant.
“Beads. Beads. Beads.”
At least three women cheered and lifted their shirts, exposing their bare breasts.
“What devilry is this?” Nicholas called loudly. The confusion in his voice matched the expression on his face. Tam appeared at Randall’s side, taking him by surprise and he clutched his chest to still his racing heart. Tossing him a wink, she joined the crowd. Her wings fluttered wildly, but no one batted a single eyelash at the oddity. In New Orleans, everyone is strange.
“He has no beads!” Tam yelled, inciting the already overexcited and heavily intoxicated mob. Disappearing and reappearing on the opposite side of the ship, Tam changed her looks into those of a college-age girl.
“He’s robbing us of our treasure, ladies! Let’s take it,” Tam screamed, before changing spots and appearance again, faster than the eye could see.
“Get that pirate’s booty,” she called, this time as twenty-something male.
The people rushed forward, chanting, “Booty. Booty. Booty.”
The ship began to rock from side to side under the onslaught of looters and a panicked look crossed Nicholas’ face. As the vessel began to turn on its side, Tam swooped in, rescuing Nicholas before he could hit the ground. Holding him just inches from the screaming mob, Tam hauled the man closer so that their noses nearly brushed.
“I’m a good girl, ‘kay? But if you screw around with my peeps, that really pisses me off. Now, I’m gonna drop ya and it’s gonna hurt, but you ain’t gonna remember it, so it’ll be all right.”
With a final shake for good measure, Tam let go and allowed Nicholas to fall onto the sidewalk below where he was immediately swarmed by the waiting horde. Flashing away, she appeared beside Randall once more.
“He’s not much, is he?” she asked, and they both tilted their head in attempt to see what was happening to the pirate.
Giving up with a shrug, Randall said, “I did expect more. I mean, he took control of a Fate.”
It was Tam’s turn to shrug. “Love makes people blind.”
“And loneliness does strange things to people’s mind,” Rowena said behind them, causing them both to jump in surprise.
Tam and Randall exchanged a guilty look.
“I wanted to thank you and…” Rowena trailed off.
“And?” he asked with a flick of his wrist, gesturing for her to continue.
Rowena released a heavy sigh. “And I’m sorry,” she said quickly, as if ripping off a Band-Aid.
A smile broke out across his face at her petulant tone.
“Okay, then.”
Her brow furrowed at his easy acquiescence. “That’s it?” she asked skeptically.
“Oh, you’re going to make it up to me,” he assured her as he snagged the front of her shirt and hauled her forward. She let out a tiny squeak of surprise before he swallowed the sound with his kiss.
Tam cleared her throat. “Hmm, well I think that’s my cue to leave.”
Rowena met him stroke for stroke, and when he pulled away, he felt a hint of pride over the glazed look in her eyes.
“I’ll be seeing you again, Lady Fate,” he promised.
Grasping the lapels of his coat, Rowena pulled him closer for a moment before releasing him and stepping away.
“You’ll not remember me,” Rowena commanded, and he felt a burst of magic slam into him as she disappeared.
Randall stared at the spot where she had been and felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. How cute. She thought that she could make him forget. He wondered exactly how long it would take her to realize that he now possessed the power that once belonged to Red Count.
The End
Look for the first book in the “Sexy Witches” series from Charity Parkerson, and check out this sample:
The Sexy and the Undead.
“This place flipping sucks,” Tam said, using her whiniest voice.
She didn’t get to visit with her friend, Lena, very often since she lived amongst the humans, and Tam was stuck living in the Hall of the Gods. She was taking full advantage of the rare social call by laying all her problems on the Seer as thick as possible. “I mean, look around,” she added, gearing up for a full rant. “There’s not one man in this joint I’d be willing to sleep with.”
Lena’s bright pink hair, which stood out in a spike above her head, tilted from side to side as she did as Tam ordered. Her eyes widened, showing her confusion.
“Are you insane?”
Disbelief laced her words. Lifting one beautifully manicured finger, she pointed out a blond angel that was guarding a nearby door. “What about that one?” Before Tam could answer, Lena added, “or that one?”
Tam didn’t bother glancing in the redhead’s direction. She knew without looking that both men wore matching black kilts and nothing else. Their golden muscular bodies were a common sight in the Heavens.
“Bloody freaking hell, Lena. All these guys are three feet taller than me. What am I supposed to do with them, I ask you? Their,” she made a swirling gesture with her index finger, searching for the right term. “Pricks. Yes,” she said with a nod, deciding that she liked that word. “They are probably the size of my leg. I’d be killed.”
A snort of laughter escaped Lena, but she covered her mouth as if attempting to hold it in. Tam’s nerve endings lit up at the sound. Most people believe that chanting their belief in fairies will cause one to grow strong, but in truth laughter was the key to pixie power. A day with Lena was equivalent to a day at the spa for Tam. Not only was Lena the clumsiest immortal in all the realms, she was also a regular hoot.
Feeling encouraged, she grew even more outrageous. “Take that one, for example.” Tam nodded toward a dark-haired angel that stood a few inches taller than the rest. “Notice that his kilt falls to his shins instead of his knees,” she pointed out.
Lena nodded. “I did think that was odd, but then again, what isn’t here?”
It was Tam’s turn to snort. “Well, his is not a fashion statement. I heard that he tried wearing the standard uniform when he first arrived, but everyone got sick of seeing that huge one-eyed monster slapping his kneecaps every step that he took. Mistress Katrina finally made him wear a longer one.”
Lena openly gawked at the man in question. Leaning over in her chair, she tried to peek under his pleat before losing her balance and almost landing on her face.
Catching her stare, the man began to inch the plaid upward as if fully prepared to relieve Lena’s curiosity.
“Thomas!” Tam cried, admonishing the wicked angel.
With a wink in Lena’s direction, he turned away, but Lena didn’t look the least bit ashamed as she attempted to right herself.
“Too bad,” she sighed. “I’ve never seen a knee-slapping monster before. Why don’t you just leave?”
Wasn’t that the million-dollar question? Tam’s wings drooped, mimicking her inner deflation. “I want a normal man,” she confessed to Lena. “An ordinary man who won’t squash my twat,” she added miserably.
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