Shifter Magnetism (3 page)

“That’s enough! Nic!” Leila’s voice was frantic as she pushed against his arm.

He looked at her.

She shook her head. “Hal and I aren’t together anymore. Not that it’s any of your business.”

He was appeased she’d said the last part so low it was likely only he’d heard her. He eased the pressure on the guy’s hand and wrist. He’d stay between them, though. If good ole Hal tried anything, he’d be more than happy to break a few of his bones.

She made a chopping motion toward the sweating Hal. “We’re over, Hal. Or did I suddenly lose a few pounds? Go away. I don’t like you.”

Nic released the man with a shove. “Take her advice and stay away.” He watched as Hal stumbled back among the ring of gawkers.

“You.”

He turned back to Leila as she poked him in the side.

“I’m going to say this in a whisper because I’m assuming by all the growling coming from your throat you have pretty good hearing. What you did was unnecessary. I can defend myself.”

“Don’t ever try to control me again.”
Witch.

“Try not to need to be controlled. What am I saying? There won’t be a next time. We’re complete strangers. Hopefully this will be the last time we ever meet.” She turned and pushed her way through the crowd.

He admired her ass as she walked away. He loved the way she placed one foot almost in front of the other, so each hip cocked with every step. He could watch her walk all day. He came to his senses when she was swallowed up in the crowd. He moved then. He wouldn’t crowd her, but he would follow her. She was wrong. She’d be seeing him very soon.

OUT OF ALL the men to meet tonight, Leila would run into a shifter. She didn’t know what his animal was, yet she was sure she wouldn’t like it. Arrogant man.
Sexy beast.

She wasn’t going to deny it. His beautiful, sharp features spoke of his Latin roots. Over six feet tall, broad shouldered, and darkly tanned, Nic was a hard man to resist. When she’d gotten closer to the bar, she’d felt the tingle in her limbs alerting her there was a magical being nearby. Nic’s shifter pheromones explained the immediate attraction she’d felt for him. Shifters were primal, carnal beings. Women of almost every species found it hard to resist them.

Leila stomped up the steps to the coat check. She’d worn a light trench coat since she really was indecently exposed. The only reason she’d decided on the costume was for revenge. She looked around at her frenemies staring at her from across the room. She smiled and pinky waved at the bitches. Their mouths fell open before they turned away.

Earlier in the day, she’d peered down from her hidden spot decorating the club’s balcony at Deidre, Amy, and Li, who were doing the same in the main room below.

Deidre had tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear before marking off an item on her checklist.
“Ooh, I can’t stand her. What did Hal ever see in her?”

Li’s wimpy behind had chimed in too.
“She dresses in such bright colors. It’s so gaudy.”

“And she’s too big for all those colors,”
Amy had said.

When the women laughed, Leila’s hand had begun to glow a faint blue neon as energy swirled and gathered in her palm. She’d contemplated just hitting them with a mild spark. It wouldn’t have hurt…much. She’d closed her hands and eyes slowly, and the energy ball had dissipated. She couldn’t do it then. She wouldn’t do it now, either. Her grandmother had always warned her about being careful with the intent behind her magic. Using it for petty revenge would rebound against her.

She’d thought the women were her friends. Their conversation proved how wrong she’d been. They were just jealous, anyway. Each of their boyfriends had hit on her in the last twelve months. She was fat all right.
PHAT—pretty, hot, and tempting.

She’d settled on the gladiator costume rather than the more conservative nurse she’d planned to be for the costume party. She’d wanted all eyes on her, and they were. Including the shifter’s.

She sensed him watching her. She looked around as she put on her trench. She didn’t see him. Why did he have to be a super-alpha jerk shifter? She and the sexy Latino should have been headed back to her place right now. She could still feel every place he’d touched her. Her pussy continued to throb. Her nipples rubbed against the constricting fabric of her bra.

What a waste.
Shifters and witches didn’t mix. At least not in this town. Coldwell had one hard-and-fast rule for its magical inhabitants. She’d been raised to believe shifters were crude and animalistic, fae were untrustworthy tricksters, immortals were meddlesome and coldhearted. The list went on and on. Even humans were said to be dangerous, fearful, and judgmental. Her mother hadn’t been too happy when she’d decided to associate with them.

She thought of her former friends and ex-boyfriend. Maybe her teachers had been right. Having personal relationships with other species was unwise. What would Deidre have done with the knowledge if she’d known Leila was a witch? She shuddered.

Everyone knew to stick to their own kind. She’d learned her lesson. She and the shifter were a bad idea. So it would be another lonely night with just her and her vibrator, Sam.

The club was in a renovated warehouse at the edge of town. The parking lot was lit brighter closer to the club and dimmer farther back where she’d parked. Walking all alone in a poorly lit, deserted parking lot was the price she paid for wanting to make an entrance. She could just hear her mother asking her if she intended to be a mugging waiting to happen.

Her mind turned back to Nic, and she stopped. She’d promised herself she would take a chance with the next guy she felt chemistry with.
But a shifter?
Did it matter? She’d felt the desire between them. It was a smoldering fire all over her body, and she couldn’t deny it. If she was honest, prejudice had forced her out of the club and away from Mr. Hotness. A woman confident in her sexuality would go back.

The hint of magic touched her before the sound of footsteps did. A hand closed around her mouth just as a black-clothed arm wound around her neck. She was jerked back forcefully. Heart racing, she struggled. She scratched and pulled against her assailant. Her nails slid off the fabric. Quickly, she reached for her power. It surged within her, bright and familiar. She was about to give this bastard the shock of his life, then run like hell.

Except her power began to dim almost immediately. He didn’t release her. He dragged her deeper into the shadows. Her limbs began to tire first, and her head hurt. Her power faded. Was he sucking it from her? She tried to struggle, but she was so tired. Her eyelids drooped and closed despite her attempts to stay alert.

Her eyes cracked open when she heard the growl. She sighted a gray blur. A large wolf barreled toward them, teeth bared. Her attacker released her, and she dropped to the ground, unable to support her weight. Her entire body tingled and throbbed as hands did when they fell asleep. Behind her she heard running feet and snarls.

She knew Nic was the wolf. She felt it deep within. She mustered her final bit of energy. “Nic.”

Would he leave her there? She didn’t want to die in the parking lot outside a stupid costume party. She should probably be grateful he’d run her attacker off. Would she have been as helpful, or would she have seen a shifter fighting and fled the scene, shaking her head about how violent and beastly they were?

The thoughts grew vague as her mind fogged. Her heartbeat, loud and slow in her ears, reminded her she was alive. She willed her limbs to move, but they remained useless. She was going to slip away, a nameless victim killed within rows of cars, discarded and alone.

Suddenly, a wet nose nudged her cheek, then her hand. She opened her eyes enough to see the large gray wolf. Tears welled. Nic hadn’t left her to die alone. He shimmered before her, and she watched in awe as bones contorted, popped, and reformed. It appeared painful and somehow grotesquely beautiful.

His magic pressed against her, and she absorbed a bit. She couldn’t help it. She knew she was close to dying. She’d be ashamed of the forbidden act later.

“Sorry.” She wouldn’t steal any more of his energy.

Nic squatted before her, beautifully naked. “Don’t worry. You need it. I have to get you to a hospital.”

He lifted her into his arms. She felt so weak. So empty. More tears slid down her cheeks as his face blurred and wavered before her.

She needed a supernatural healer, not a hospital. “Mama Tui.”

“You need medical—”

“Medicine can’t help me. I’m dying.”

“You won’t die. I won’t let you.”

His voice was determined. Somehow she believed him. He moved swiftly in the dark. Her eyes closed, and she forced herself to focus as she was jostled. He opened the door to a black SUV and deposited her on the passenger seat.

“Did it help when you touched my spirit wolf before?”

Was that what she’d done when she’d repurposed his life energy? “Yes, but I shouldn’t have. It is forbidden to take someone’s energy the way I did, and I don’t know what damage I’ve caused.”

He took her hand in both of his. Warmth traveled up her arm, and she realized she had been cold since he’d released her.

“My wolf didn’t mind. He liked it.”

Before she could protest again, he shifted, and she automatically reached out and absorbed a little more of his magic. The pressure in her chest eased, and her head cleared. She only took a little, but it was enough. She could make it to Mama Tui.

Able to focus again, she watched as Nic pulled on a shirt and pants. Where had he hidden clothes? She missed the warmth from his body. She was so cold.

“Better?”

She nodded. He closed her door before walking around the SUV to the driver’s side. He pulled his cell phone from the glove compartment and dialed.

“This is Detective Lobo. There has been an attack at 4902 Talen Lane.”

He was a detective. If he hadn’t been there, she would be dead now. Was it his role as a policeman allowing him to help her? Or was it something intrinsic about Nic? Was this wolf a better person than most witches she knew? He’d come back for her, gathered her up, and was helping her get help. He’d even allowed her to steal his magic without trying to kill her.

She stared at him as he made his call. His midnight hair was cut close on the sides and longer on the top. His golden skin stretched taut across his strong jaw as he rattled off information and orders over the phone. His hand dwarfed his cell phone.

Ending his call, he glanced at her. His deep brown eyes showed his concern.

“Thank you, Nic.”

“We’re a few miles away from the healer.” He slid his hand along her arm and then released her to grip the wheel.

So he wasn’t good with gratitude. He would have hers forever.

Chapter Three

Nic had almost lost Leila on the same night he’d found her. If he’d been one second later, the killer would have sapped the last of her life force right out of her. The realization had devastated him when she’d touched his spirit wolf. She’d been almost completely depleted. He’d gladly shared his strength with her. He couldn’t allow her to die. Her magical touch had confirmed something he’d only suspected earlier in the night.

She was his mate.

Fate could be cruel sometimes. His alpha hated nonshifters. There was no way his pack would accept his witch mate. He wouldn’t be able to claim her yet. He had to find the sorcerer who’d tried to kill her sooner rather than later. He couldn’t hunt him down if he was banished from the area. He would catch him.

He would have captured him tonight, except he’d heard Leila call his name. He’d been moments away from overtaking the sorcerer when her voice had floated to him. She’d sounded so weak. He couldn’t ignore her to pursue her attacker. He would always choose her.

Nic turned onto the dirt lane he knew led to Mama Tui’s rambler. The older witch stood on the porch of the old home. She was a short, fair-skinned African-American woman. He guessed her age at around sixty. She wore a long multicolored caftan and turban. He wasn’t surprised she knew they were coming. No one was sure what her powers were, only that she had great healing ability.

Nic parked and hurried around to the passenger side. Leila had fallen asleep again. He’d tried keeping her awake, but she’d been too exhausted to respond to any of his questions coherently. He was simply happy her breathing was steady, not disjointed as it had been immediately after her attack.

“Bring her in, wolf.”

He clutched Leila tighter. The healer made him nervous. Power swirled around the woman in invisible eddies. He only willingly walked into the witch’s home to save his mate. He followed her through a long hallway to a room off the kitchen. Painted symbols covered the walls; shelves of herbs, vials, and books surrounded them. There were wooden chairs pressed against the walls, with one long table in the center.

“Lay her on the table.”

He did as he was told. He stood near Leila’s head.

Mama Tui touched Leila’s forehead and chest. The older witch turned her head as if listening before nodding. “Wake up, little witch,” she whispered.

Leila blinked, then stared up into the healer’s face. “Nic?”

Satisfaction coursed through him. “I’m here.” She might not know it yet, but she was his.

Mama Tui patted Leila’s arm. “Your wolf is fine. He saved your life. It was good you reached out to the wolf and let him help. He belongs to you now.”

“What?” Leila asked.

Mama Tui laughed and walked to one of her shelves. “You traded bits of your soul. But the wolf already belonged to you. He’ll explain when he’s ready.”

When Leila turned to him with questions in her pretty brown eyes, he shook his head sharply. He wasn’t prepared to explain what she meant to him at that moment. She nodded, but the look she gave him was full of curiosity.

He had questions too. If they’d traded pieces of their souls, was she now a wolf? Was he now a…? He couldn’t even think the word.

Mama Tui began mixing herbs and liquid in a bowl. “You have the sorcerer’s scent, wolf?”

“Yes. My name is Nic. Nic Lobo.”