Fate's Wish (2 page)

Luthian sat on the sofa across from her. He stared at her for a few long seconds, and she had to picture all kinds of disgusting things to bring her libido under control. Goddess, what the hell was wrong with her? He was not young enough to be her son, thank goddess, but he was at least eight years under her. Luthian was also the most powerful warlock she knew, a descendant of Merlin. She was his junior even with the magic that flowed through her veins.

“He’s very strong. I’ll have to look into this to know what is causing her magic’s decline. In the meantime, I suggest bringing them back together. It’s a temporary solution, but it will probably help. His power will enhance hers.”

“There is some kind of dark power trying to get at Shar. It’s been conjuring evil, and if it weren’t for all the protection spells I have placed over her combined with my constant pushing away of evil powers, it would have caught up with her already. I could easily take care of it—”

“Don’t. Give Darkrath a call. Let him handle it.” He stood to go.

At her door, he lifted her hand once again to his lips. Their gazes met and held. A wicked smile lifted his sexy lips and she gulped. Luthian had more sex appeal than any man she’d ever met. Heat unfurled inside her. Great goddess, she hoped the next time she saw him her body wouldn’t embarrass her again. Any other man but him would be less torturous to want.

After he left, she felt the air whoosh out of her lungs. She shivered, and arousal coursed through her. In agreement with Luthian, she would contact Zahir at the security agency.

* * *

Zahir took a deep breath and tried to keep his calm. “You want to run that by me again?” His hands clenched into fists.

Arcanon and another of his employees shared a look. Arcanon gave the other guy a slight nod, and he left the office. Zahir frowned. Arcanon took a seat across from him.

“Can you handle the rest of the story or not?” Arcanon leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his big chest.

Zahir ground his teeth together. “Tell me.”

Arcanon sighed. “OK. Anahid Bloom called to request protection for her daughter.”

“Sharmila.” Just saying her name made his heart squeeze in pain.

“That’s the one. She said her daughter has some kind of freak after her and she’s not able to defend herself at this time.” Arcanon frowned. “I’m not really sure what she meant by that.”

Zahir jerked up in his seat. “Why the hell can’t she defend herself? She’s a goddamn witch. She’s never had problems taking care of herself before.”

Arcanon shrugged. “She didn’t say. Wait, she did mention something about magic leaking, but I was lost right after that.”

A sledgehammer to the chest would’ve been less painful. His lungs burned, and he realized he’d stopped breathing. He’d left Shar because he thought she’d be safer without him, but now it seemed she needed him.

Zahir’s vision turned a light shade of red. “And she specifically asked for someone who’s single?” The vein on side of his temple throbbed.

“Oh yeah, she was adamant that her daughter needs to have sex. Lots of it. In fact, she told me I’d be good enough. Then, to make sure I was interested, a picture appeared in my hand. If she wasn’t your ex-wife I’d be all over this one. She’s fucking hot. Why the hell did you divorce her in the first place?” Arcanon slapped the photo on the desk.

But Shar wasn’t exactly his ex-wife. They were still legally married and bonded. She’d never pursued a divorce. Knowing someone was after her made his blood boil. She was still his, even if only from a distance.

“And she said I wasn’t to know?” Anahid had always liked him, but he understood her anger. He’d left her daughter for no apparent reason.

“Man, Zahir. I don’t know what you did to her, but she was pissed at the mention of your name. She said it was extremely important for you not to know about her request. But I can’t keep shit from you. So, what are you going to do?”

The darkness in his power pulled at him. He wanted to find the source of the problem and destroy it. “I’ll care of it. If anyone is going to protect her, it’s going to be me.”

Arcanon frowned. “You sure? I’ll be more than happy to watch her.” He flushed and shifted in his seat. “Without the sex part.”

“No. She’s mine. I’ll take care of her.”

Sharmila stared at him from the picture on his desk. Her amber eyes were bright, and her smile burst through the photo. The wispy long blonde strands curled past her shoulders. Not a single strand appeared to be similar to the next. He’d spent hours running them through his fingers while she’d slept. From almost white to wheat to a burnished gold, the long mass gave her an angelic look.

She’d changed so little since the first time he’d seen her. He had been walking past her store when energy pulled him inside. One look, and he’d been lost to her smile, her warmth, and her sexy body. Sizzling power rose around him. The room shook, his desk squealed, and furniture cracked. He couldn’t trust her safety to anyone else. Sharmila belonged to him.

Chapter Three

The smell of burnt cookies filled the apartment as Shar dropped another batch of rejects on her kitchen counter. She nibbled on one of the least mutant-looking ones and frowned. She’d been trying for years, but she was unable to master the art of cookie baking.

Her mother had taught her how to soothe, heal, and charm. Cookie baking 101 hadn’t been in her repertoire. Sucking at baking cookies was worse than her sad attempts at cooking. Cookies were lifesavers, emotional healers. If only they would bake and not burn. After an exasperated sigh, she went back to her desk.

Invoices needed to be sent out for orders received in to Fate’s Wish. The shop had so many online orders she’d need to get a part-time person to help fill them all. To her irritation, the doorbell rang twice in a row. Why did someone need to ring the bell twice in one shot? She wasn’t deaf, and her bell worked fine.

“I’m coming.” Who was here to annoy her? She wasn’t in the mood for company.

She pulled open the door to her neighbor. His frame filled her doorway, and he greeted her with a boyish smile.

“Hi, Sid. What can I do for you?” The forced smile made her cheeks hurt. If he asked her out again she might just hit him before she threw him out the door. He stepped into her apartment without being invited, walked toward her sofa, and made himself at home. What the hell was wrong with this guy? He didn’t seem to understand the meaning of
not interested
.

“Sharmila, my precious, I wanted to know if you had plans for dinner. Since there’s no one around to care for you, I feel obligated to make sure you eat.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Thank you, really. But I’m fine. In fact, right now I’m—” Her doorbell rang again. Who the heck could it be now?

Sid’s brows lifted in curiosity when the doorbell pealed. She threw open the door. Her breath hitched and froze in her lungs.

Zahir, the giant wall of muscle, stood at her doorway. She blinked. Was she imagining him? Her husband. Her estranged husband. What the hell kind of day was this?

She took an involuntary step back. Zahir scanned her from the top of her ponytail down to her bare feet. His slid his gaze past her and locked on to the other man in the room.

She stood frozen for a moment. With her eyes narrowed and lips pursed, she slapped her hands on her hips. “What the hell are
you
doing here?”

Zahir’s eyes never wavered from Sid. He stepped fully into her apartment, but left the door wide open. “Is that any way for a wife to welcome her husband home?”

She seethed with untamed fury. Anger sparked and grew until her skin blazed in heat. Magic she thought long gone swirled around her, making her voice husky and deep. “You slimy piece of shit. How dare you show your face to me. Get the fuck out of here before I do something we’ll both regret.”

“Should I get rid of him, my precious?”

Her face jerked toward her neighbor. “Leave.”

“But Shar—”

“Now!” Her chin lifted and a burst of wind pushed Sid out of the apartment. The door shut inches from his shocked red face.

Zahir leaned on her wall with his arms crossed over his massive chest. He lifted a brow while he watched her.

“Shar, we need to talk.”

“Get out!”

“Shar—”

“You left before, leave again. Get. The. Fuck. Out!” A tornado of air whipped and twirled around her. She sent raw energy careening toward him. Nothing happened. She gaped at him in stunned surprise.

He shook his head and took a step toward her as if the force of her power was nothing but a slight wind. He should have been shoved out the door just like Sid.

“Stop. You’ll never get me out, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself trying.”

If her magic couldn’t get him out, then what the hell was he?

“I’m the same man you married five years ago.”

Had she said that out loud? No, she hadn’t. He wasn’t the same man she’d married—there was no way. Never had he done that before. Read her mind? Push off her magic?

Another step brought him closer to her. Astonished, she watched him wave a hand to dismiss the torrent of wind around them. A small tremor worked through her.

She felt alarmed being near him again. He’d hurt her and she shouldn’t have any reaction other than anger toward him, yet her body wasn’t listening. His fallen angel face was almost too beautiful to look at. His dark brown eyes were still piercing and so mysterious they gave her shivers. The short spikes of his black hair and the large muscled body looked even more mouth-wateringly sexy than they had in the past.

“Why are you here?” She glowered at him.

“Because you need me.” Goosebumps broke over her skin when his heated gaze roamed over her. She was ready to deny it, but he interrupted her. “You
do
need me. You may not know it, but your mother does, and that’s why I’m here.”

Shock tore through her, and she nibbled on her lip. “My mom called you?”

His gaze fastened on her mouth. “She wanted to hire services to protect you. I’m here to take care of that.”

She turned on her heel and made a dash for her phone. While she dialed, she heard her front door close and looked up to see Zahir take a seat on one of her sofas.

“Mom? What the hell is going on?” She tried to stay calm, but her voice came out a frantic whisper.

“What do you mean?”

“Zahir is here!”

“Oh. Well, I wasn’t expecting that.”

Sharmila frowned. Was this her mother’s attempt at getting her to have sex? “
Why
is he here, Mom?” Her heart thudded in her chest. She looked away from his piercing gaze.

A wicked smile curled his lip as he stared at her chest. It was hard to hide her body’s reaction to him. Her nipples were pebbled and she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you about this darkness I’ve been seeing coming your way. I knew you needed someone to watch over you, so I hired his company. I didn’t really expect him to show up to do the job, though. You haven’t felt it because your magic has waned, but trust me, it’s there and it’s getting worse, a lot worse. I’m worried for you. I’ve been pushing it away from you, but with my upcoming trip I wanted someone with you at all times. This was the right thing to do.”

Half-listening to her mom, she watched Zahir head into her kitchen. She frowned. A moment later he walked out with a plate filled with cookie rejects. She gaped and watched him munch on her dubious cookie results. He calmly ate the test subjects and never made a face. It had been one of the things she’d loved about him. He’d eat anything she made just so she wouldn’t feel bad.

“Mom—” The uncontrolled clatter of her heart almost made it impossible to hear her mother’s words.

“Don’t argue with me.” Her command travelled clear across the line. “You know I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t necessary. Please, he’s there to do a job. This is much bigger than you can handle. I would never put you in this situation if I thought you’d be able to take care of yourself. Dark powers are coming your way, and there’s little you can do in your present condition. Whatever happened between you two is obviously over, so let it go. Focus on getting stronger and hopefully that will allow you to get rid of him faster. He stays, or I don’t go on the trip, it’s your choice.”

Her plan to visit Ireland, where she would reconnect with nature, was all her mother had spoken of for over a year. It was a sad decision to make, but her mother had to go, even if it meant Shar would spend some time with Zahir.

She turned her face away from Zahir and clenched her teeth. “You sure this isn’t your attempt at getting me to have sex?”

Her mother’s tinkling laugh filled her ear. “Sweetheart, I think I’ll leave that part to you. My main concern is to keep you safe. If you need me to find you suitable men to sleep with I will. Do you?”

“No!” She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “I mean, I’m good. I can take care of that myself. I’ll let him stay on one condition: as soon as there’s no danger, he goes.”

“But of course, darling. Now, tell me, how is your magic today?”

Chapter Four

Zahir was more than angry. That man, the one Shar had called Sid, had very sexual thoughts about her. Although the man had some powerful shields in his head, Zahir had been able to probe enough to see he wanted her for himself. Every possessive bone in his body yelled for him to rip the guy to shreds for just breathing over her. He’d calmed some when she pushed the man out the door.

He heard her conversation with her mother so clearly they could’ve been standing in front of him chatting. It was one of the perks of being his kind. Interest perked when they mentioned her lack of sex. Jealousy roared to life inside him. A haze of red colored his vision, and the blare of sirens bawled in the street. He didn’t want to know what he’d done. Instead, he focused on calming the angry beast inside.

Shar shut off her phone and turned to him. Her face was scrunched in distaste and her eyes flared. “Fine. I will agree to your staying here. We just need to set some rules. First, you are not to touch me, ever.”