Authors: Stacie Simpson
M&L03 - SS
| ML03 - SS |
| Unknown |
| (2014) |
Books by Stacie Simpson
The Myths and Legends Series
Releasing the Dragon
Destined for Time
Tempting Magic
The McKenzie Chronicles Short Stories
A Naughty Christmas Eve
Tempting Magic
Myths and Legends, Book Three
Stacie Simpson
Tempting Magic: Myths and Legends, Book Three
Copyright 2014 Stacie Simpson
Kindle Edition
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License Notes
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Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely
coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and
are used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank all my readers, especially those
of you who have written reviews or reached out through social media to let me
know how much you enjoy reading my books. Your continued enthusiasm is what
motivates me to keep writing. Another big thank you goes out to my friends and
family, as well as my beta readers Marcia, Diane, Katy and Lin. Once again, I’d
like to tip my hat and say thank you to Fiona Jayde Media for the wonderful
cover image.
~ Solomon ~
Here I was again, on the same
street, in the same town, in the same maddening dream I’d been having for
months now.
Going by the old stone
buildings and the narrow road winding between them, I would guess I was
somewhere in Europe. It was late at night or early morning when everything was
quiet and there were very few lights on in the windows.
The sense that I needed to be
somewhere, to find something, was stronger than ever but I still had no idea
where or what.
Taking advice from Donovan
Drake, our king who was affectionately known as Dragon, I stripped down to let
the fox out. Once he was free, he immediately began trotting down the road. He
stopped several times to take in the scents around us but continued his trek
until the homes and businesses crowded together in town were nowhere in sight.
After several miles of countryside, he finally turned left onto a dirt path
that led to a small house surrounded by lush green trees and beautiful gardens.
It was a two-story house with
white exterior walls and natural stone steps leading down to a thick wooden
door. Wrapping myself in the shadows, I crept around the building looking for
another way in. On both side walls there were long rectangular windows about
five feet off the ground and another one just like them on the upper level in
the front of the house. The three windows were equipped with sturdy shutters
that would effectively block out the sun during the day. Moving around to the
back yard, I was finally able to get a good look inside because the entire back
wall of the structure was made of glass.
The floor plan inside the
house was open but warm with cozy furnishings, wooden beams lining the ceiling
and smooth hardwood floors. Just inside the glass there was a large stone
fireplace and a sunken pool of water with steam rising from its surface. A few
steps down from there, a large area was being used for both a living room and a
dining room. Just past that was a small kitchen. On the left, was a door that I
suspected led to a bathroom and a corkscrew spiral staircase was located
between the dining room and the kitchen. The upstairs was a loft with a sitting
area and a bedroom beyond that, which I could see a portion of, but the door
was only slightly ajar.
The house and its
surroundings had a European flare, possibly Italian, with a good mix of country
charm thrown in.
The gothic images covering
the walls however, made me think the occupant of this home wasn’t entirely fond
of the country or its charm.
Seeing no movement inside and
no way in through the glass wall, I went back around to the front where I heard
singing coming from the upstairs window. The voice was female and utterly
hypnotic. I didn’t recognize the song but the words weren’t important anyway.
It was the voice that I came here for - the sound of an angel whispering on the
wind.
The fox wanted me to go to
her right away but I couldn’t move a muscle no matter how hard I tried.
Eventually I realized that was only true as long as my intent was to approach
the owner of the voice. The instant my intent changed I was free to move again.
Circling the house, I looked
for anything that could be used in a spell to block me from entering the house.
On my third pass, I finally found what I was looking for. Peering in through
the glass wall at the back of the house, I saw a small amulet hanging above the
front door. It was well hidden and almost looked like part of the painting it was
attached to, but I had no doubts as to what it was, or the reason it was there.
Someone was using magic to
keep me away from my mate.
I tried for hours to get her
attention but nothing worked, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t go to
her. Eventually I decided I needed another approach, a way to counter whatever
magic was being used against me. I was about to leave when I took one last look
inside and saw her bare legs start down the spiral staircase near the kitchen.
Hope sang through me as she continued her descent and my eyes drifted slowly up
her shapely calves, then her creamy white thighs...
I came awake in my bed
gasping for breath.
No!
I was so close to finding out who she was.
With a furious growl, I leapt
from my bed and went straight to my library to research the amulet. It was
vaguely familiar and though I couldn’t quite recall where I’d seen it before, I
knew I’d find it in one of these books along with a way to circumvent its
power. Then I’d be able to approach my mate and once I knew her identity, I’d
be able to find the person who was keeping me away from her.
Then we’d see who could wield
the best magic, because no one would get awa
y with keeping me from
my mate.
~ Solomon ~
I was supposed to be
watching the TV screen in front of me and the music videos playing on it, but I
couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from the beautiful young woman sitting
beside me. Two months ago, I received a call from my friend Arthur, an earth
demon I knew from way back, telling me he had someone he thought I should meet.
He knew I’d been looking for an assistant and he thought she would be perfect
for the job. As it turned out, he was right, only I wanted far more from her
than any employer should ever want from his employee.
Renee Jacobs was everything I
could ask for in a woman and a partner.
She was small and thin with
subtle curves, and in her opinion nothing special, but hers was the kind of
beauty that came from within and drew me like a moth to a flame. I could drown
in her emerald green eyes, get lost in the silken strands of her long, auburn
hair, and forget to breathe when she sends me one of her enchanting smiles.
Every part of her was beautiful right down to the adorable little freckles
sprinkled across her nose.
Beyond her beauty, Renee was
funny, outgoing and energetic. We enjoyed the same music and food, movies and
television shows, and we both loved to entertain people whether we were onstage
or behind the scenes.
Renee glanced my way, and then
her hand flew up to her head. “What are you staring at? Do I have something in
my hair?”
I smiled and reached over to
stop the playback. “Your hair is fine Renee, it’s just, there’s something I’d
like to talk to you about and I’m not sure how you’re going to react.”
She swiveled her chair
towards me, her face alight with curiosity. “I’m all ears.”
“First I’d like to say that
I’ve really enjoyed working with you for the past two months. You’re energetic,
adaptable, creative and efficient and nothing gets past you. You’re also a
talented dancer, a fair singer and a brilliant choreographer. I’ve seen the
tapes of every music video and stage performance you’ve choreographed and you
have a lot of fresh ideas that I find very interesting.”
Swinging her chair back and
forth, she gave me a shy smile. “Thank you Solomon, I’ve enjoyed working with
you too.”
“That’s good because I’d like
to continue working with you.”
“But I thought you had to leave
in the morning.”
I met her curious green eyes,
gauging her reaction when I said, “I do, and I want you to come with me.”
Her mouth opened then closed
again.
“Look Renee, I’m the
Entertainment Director for all the properties owned by Drake International.
That includes various clubs, hotels, resorts and restaurants. I need an
assistant, someone who can keep me organized and on track, but who also
understands what drives me creatively. I want someone I can bounce ideas off of
that will give me useful feedback, someone who really gets what I’m trying to
do and understands what it takes to stay on top in the entertainment industry.
That someone is you.”
After a moment, she let out a
breath and said, “While I am flattered, I can’t just leave Arthur high and dry.
He’s been like a father to me.”
“Arthur asked me here
specifically to meet you because he knew I was looking for an assistant.”
Her face fell. “Why would
Arthur try to get rid of me?”
I shook my head. “That’s not
what he was doing Renee. Arthur loves you as much as you love him. He told me
he believes you deserve more than an ordinary life and he knows I can give that
to you.”
Lines creased her forehead as
her brows drew together. “What does that mean?”
Now came the hard part. How
do you tell someone you’re a nightshifter - a cursed fox shifter who can no
longer change shapes that was turned into a vampire against his will? Or that
you’re a four hundred thirty-eight year old sorcerer and there are hundreds of
thousands of supernatural beings like yourself living amongst the humans in
this realm?
Before I could come up with
the right words, there was a knock at the door and I turned around to see
Tracey and Stacey standing in the doorway. Tracey was wearing a short
iridescent green mini dress with a zipper that started between her breasts and
snaked down and right to the hemline where it was left undone up to the very
top of her thigh. Stacey’s dress was the same style but fuchsia instead of
green. Both women wore four-inch heels, a pound of makeup and their long blonde
hair was teased to perfection.
“I guess playtime with
Skipper is over, the Barbie twins are ready to go,” Renee remarked.
I chuckled and asked her to
give me a moment while I went out in the hall and asked the twins to go on to
the club without me. I’d spent a lot of time with them while I was in town but
tonight I wanted to focus on Renee.
When I came back into the
room Renee was standing and I stopped directly in front of her. At five-ten, I
wasn’t used to towering over people, not even women, but Renee was only
five-two and to date, I’d never seen her wear anything but high-top sneakers.
She liked to wear them with tight jeans and sweatshirts that hang off her
shoulder like the Misfits one she was wearing now.
“You’re not leaving?” she
asked.
“We weren’t finished with our
conversation.”
“Oh, I just figured... Well
you know... You always go out with them or the other women I’ve seen you with.”
Was that a hint of jealousy
in her voice? A man could only hope. “While the twins and the other women have
been entertaining, they’re not the ones I’m asking to leave town with me.”
“But that’s just a job offer
right? You don’t expect me to do what they do for you - right?” She put her
hands on her hips, which she now had cocked to one side. “Because I’ll tell you
now, we won’t be sleeping together if I decide to work for you.”
I had to smile, so much spunk
in such a little package. “That’s not part of the job description, but I can’t
promise I won’t try to change your mind from time to time. You’re a beautiful
woman Renee and I’d love to get to know you better on a personal level, but for
now we can keep things professional.”
Her head tilted to the side
while she studied me with narrowed eyes for a moment. Finally, she asked, “And
you were going to explain the ordinary life comment now weren’t you?”
My smile widened and I
decided what the hell, I may as well show her all my cards. If she took it
badly I could always erase her memories later, although I fervently hoped it
wouldn’t come to that. “Yes I was, but first I want you to tell me something.
Say you could go anywhere in the world right now. Where would you go?”
“What...”
“Just humor me, please.”
“I don’t know... The Statue
of Liberty. Aren’t you supposed to help your friend David make it disappear
next week?”
My heart sped with a mixture
of anticipation and trepidation as I wondered how the next few moments would
play out. “Yes I am. Now take my hand,” I said offering her my hand. When she
only raised an eyebrow I added, “I promise not to bite unless you ask me to.”
She laughed and came forward
to take my hand. Holding her tiny hand in mine, I whispered the ancient words
that would open a portal, making sure I added the necessary incantation for
humans to travel through when accompanied by supernaturals.
When the shimmering rainbow
of colors manifested in front of us, Renee gasped. “What is that?”
“Look through it Renee. What
do you see on the other side?”
She peered through the
translucent barrier then turned to me with wonder in her wide eyes. “Is that
the Statue of Liberty?”
I nodded. “Do you want to see
it?”
Her head turned back towards
the portal and she started to pull her hand away from mine.
“If you let go, you won’t see
it anymore and you won’t be able to travel through it with me.”
“What is it Solomon?”
“It’s a portal; a gateway
through time and space that I’ve created so we can go to the Statue of
Liberty.”
From the way she was looking
at the portal I knew she wanted to go through it, but something was holding her
back. I whispered in her mind,
“You can trust me Renee. Let me show you a
whole new world of possibilities.”
Her head spun towards me so
fast I was surprised she didn’t get whiplash. “How did you do that?”
“That’s only the tip of the
iceberg Renee. There are so many things I want to tell you and show you, all
you have to do is say you want to join me in my extraordinary life. Tell me
you’ll work for me, and trust me to take care of you.”
Her green eyes met mine, open
and sincere, “I trust you Solomon. I don’t understand why, but I do trust you.”
“I’m glad to hear that
Renee,” I told her, then after a quick reassuring squeeze of her hand, I led
her through the portal to Liberty Island...
“Earth to Solomon. Is this
it?” Rachel asked.
“Huh?”
“Solomon, were you
daydreaming again? I swear you have the attention span of a two year old these
days.”
I sat up straighter in my
chair. We were seated at the thick mahogany table in my private library. All
around us, the shelves reaching from the floor to the ceiling overflowed with
ancient tomes and magical texts. For the past three weeks, I’d spent almost
every waking moment combing through these books, searching for a way to break
the spell that was keeping me away from my mate.
Rachel tossed a book across
the table for me to look at.
“Rachel please be careful,
some of these books are thousands of years old.”
“Sorry,” she said smacking
her gum. “Maybe you should start scanning them into the computer before they
all turn into piles of dust.”
“That’s actually a very good
idea. Perhaps after we return from the annual tournament you could get started
on that project.”
Since graduating from high
school a few months ago, Rachel had been working here at the resort learning
the various jobs and filling in wherever we were shorthanded. She enjoyed the
assignments that allowed her to flirt with guests, but whined and complained
when she had to do actual work. She did that now, and I tuned her out to
compare the amulet in the book to my memories of the one in my dreams.
“Are you paying any attention
to me?”
I met her annoyed gaze and
said, “I’m sorry Rachel, and no, this isn’t the right amulet.” I placed the
book gently back in front of her. “It’s very similar, but it’s not quite the
same.”
“I don’t know why you’re
going to all this trouble anyway. Every time you walk out of this apartment
there are women lining up for a chance to sleep with you. And hell, if I
thought you’d give me the time of day I’d be right there with them.”
“Rachel...”
“I know, I know. You’re
hundreds of years older than me. Blah, blah, blah. How old were you when you
met that girl Renee you keep dreaming about? From what I’ve heard, you were
pushing four hundred forty and she was what - twenty-three? Sure, you’re thirty
years older now and I’m just now coming up on my nineteenth birthday, but I
don’t see how our situation is all that different. Besides, you only look a
year or two older than me.”
I rubbed my hands over my
face and sighed. Rachel was beautiful. She was five-five with dark blonde hair,
green eyes and the kind of body that could drive a man crazy, but emotionally,
she was still very much a child. “Rachel, I can’t help the way I feel about
you. You just give me that little sister vibe. Maybe with time, as you mature,
that would change but it doesn’t matter because it’s only a matter of time
before I find my mate.”
She threw her hands in the
air. “But that’s my point. Why do you want to find your mate and be stuck with
the same person for the rest of your life? As long as someone is keeping you
away from her you’re free to do whatever you want, with whoever you want to do
it with.”
“I’ve had centuries to do
whatever I want Rachel. Now that I know my mate is out there, I need more than
sex. I need the other half of my soul.”
An image of Renee’s smiling
face flashed before my eyes. Could she possibly be my mate? Was the only woman
to ever capture my heart actually destined to be mine?
Rachel huffed, her breath
making her bangs rise briefly. “Whatever. I don’t think I’ll ever want to
settle down with one guy forever.”
Leaning back, I chose my next
words carefully. “Look Rachel, you’re very young, especially by supernatural
standards, but you’re also an adult so I’m not going to tell you how to live
your life. I will however suggest that you keep an open mind. Being mated or
being in a relationship does not mean you’re in prison and neither one
automatically translates into monogamy.”
Rachel sat up with interest.
“I thought mates are always faithful to each other. I mean; how the hell do you
cheat when your mate can feel your emotions through the mating bond?”
I rolled my eyes, shaking my
head. “I’m not talking about cheating Rachel. Mates are always faithful to each
other and their relationship, but sometimes as a couple they choose to include
someone else in their sexual encounters.”