Water Witch (13 page)

“Vincenzo! Uh, my witch, I— Please— ”

I looked down to find his face in a grimace and I froze. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t— Oh!” He thrust up and groaned and I felt a rush of warmth inside of me. He jerked his hips a few more times and whimpered an apology, which I kissed away.

“Liked that?”

He nodded and ran his hands over my thighs, watching me. I stayed on him and tilted my hips. His half hard cock still felt good inside me, and as long as he wasn’t complaining, I’d keep it there. I stroked myself and smiled down at him. When he realized what I was doing, he brushed my hand away and covered my shaft with his own palm, which again felt like a rushing fall of water.

This time it was stronger though, faster, and I was already close to coming so it took only a few strokes for him to pull an orgasm from me.

I let him slip out of me and I leaned forward, onto his chest. “Hey can you do that glamour thing to yourself?”

“No, it’s not real, it only works when I touch others. Why?”

“Too bad. That’d be a hell of a way to jerk off, and it would have totally explained the virgin thing.”

He laughed and wrapped his arms around me. “I was not a virgin. I was…inexperienced, because I knew I was meant for you. No one else felt right.”

“That is sweet. And a little weird.”

“I know.”

The fire flickered low, and even wrapped in Salil’s arms I was getting cold. We put our tunics and slippers back on, and I helped him ready the house for night. A process which involved banking up the fires in the wood stoves, putting out the fire in the fireplace, closing the thick glass doors over the hearth to keep the warmth in the house from going up the chimney, and blowing out all the lanterns and candles downstairs.

Up in his bedroom, snuggled under the blankets, I’d never felt so right and comfortable. I fell asleep quickly, and dreamed of floating in water under a shining sun, fearlessly bobbing over giant waves as I listened to them crash behind me with thunderous booms. But I laid on my back, enjoying the ride, never even turning to see the rough surf as it broke. 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

In the morning we both used the bathroom and then returned to bed. I wanted nothing more than to hold him close, with as much skin contact as possible. He had other ideas, though.

“I want you to fuck me, this time. I want to know what it’s like.”

I moaned at the suggestion, squeezing his hip. “I want that, too. But not now.”

“Why not?” He pulled away and wrinkled his brow at me.

“You deserve a perfect first time, after waiting so long. I’m not doing it without lube, plenty of time, and maybe some toys.”

That seemed to satisfy him, and he returned to snuggling me, which is what I really wanted right then. I remembered his warnings about getting addicted to touching each other, and I knew I was risking that, but hoped he would keep his head together.

The ringing of my cell phone irritated me. Who was calling me now? I reached over and checked the display. “Hi, Mom.”

“Are you all right? I got a weird feeling about you.”

“I’m fine.”

She let out a sigh. “Oh, good. Are you still with Salil? Will you be home for dinner?”

Her words confused me, and I glanced at the window. The light was dim, like afternoon. Maybe even late afternoon.
Fuck.
“Yes. I might bring him, is that okay?”

“Sure. See you soon.”

I hit “end” and stared at the phone in shock. Four forty-two. We’d been in bed all day, and Salil looked happy enough to stay there, kissing my shoulder and sliding his legs against mine. “Get up. Salil, we have to get up.”

“I know.”

“No. Now. We have to get up now.” I forced him off of me and stood, the enormity of what we’d done sinking in.

He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry. I should have been more vigilant.”

“We both let this happen, it’s not your fault. Let’s get dressed, my mom is expecting us for dinner.”

He smiled and stood, kissing me and wrapping me in his arms. Damn, I could fall into bed with him again so easily. A low rumble from his stomach pulled me back to reality. I nibbled his lip before breaking our embrace. “Let’s get ready. And we should eat something before we leave, my mom is a bit flaky with mealtimes.”

Two hours later we were clean, dressed, and in my living room awkwardly chatting with my mom. When she learned Salil had lived in the forest nearby his whole life, she warmed toward him immediately, as if it excused all his odd behavior. “If I asked why you took our stuff…?”

“I wouldn’t tell you, Maria. Please understand.” Salil looked beautiful, a long green tunic over black pants, his pale hair messy and wild, his eyes bright. I knew my mom was impressed.

“I do. But it worries me, whatever this vision—” The oven timer beeped and she shook her head, leaving her worry unspoken and returning to the kitchen.

“Okay guys, time to eat!”

I watched Salil in awe. He’d kept my mom occupied with conversations about the house, the land, the coven, her charms, and the Mabon rite, all while keeping her wineglass constantly filled. By the time I’d cleared the table and washed the dishes, they were snugged together on the couch, a photo album spread over their laps, and she was showing him my baby pictures while he laughed.

He looked up, one arm over the back of the couch behind her, “You were a beautiful baby, Vincenzo.”

“He was, wasn’t he?” She leaned into him and flipped the page, drawing his attention back to the album.

The way they looked, if I didn’t know better, I’d think they were mother and son. Maybe I should have introduced him sooner. It would have been nice to have him with us during Noni’s funeral rite.

“These are your parents? Vincenzo’s Noni and Nunu, right?” Salil pointed at a picture in the album.

“Yes. On their handfasting day.” She smiled and brushed her fingers over the old photograph. “Tell me about your parents, Salil. Why does a water Fae live in the forest?”

Salil crossed his legs, leaning back and settling in for a long talk. “My parents were both Earth based Fae, my father leaned toward the tree magic of the Dryad, and my mother was more a forest Fae, what some would call a sprite. But my great grandparents built the house in the woods, and even the water and air Fae of my line have lived there.” He looked at me as he said, “The Varman family have maintained that house for over three hundred years.”

Varman.
That was his family name. My mom smiled and nodded, not understanding the weight of the revelation. Truthfully, I didn’t understand either. I knew it held some kind of power for him, though, and that telling me this name was a risk. I didn’t have to know all the ramifications of this knowledge to appreciate the gift of it. He looked away, blushing slightly.

My mom yawned. “I am so tired. And don’t think I didn’t notice you topping off my wine all night, Salil.” She smiled at him and stood, closing the album. She kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks for cleaning up, sweetie. I’m going to bed.”

“I like your mother very much.” He still held the album, his fingers idly rubbing the leather binding.

“She seemed to like you, too.” I sat with him and took the book, placing it on the coffee table. “I wish we were in bed together.”

“Me too. But we should take a break from that. I lost control too easily today.”

“I can’t believe we lost the whole day.” I rested my head on his lap and he ran his hands over the stubble on my cheek.

“We will be more careful next time. When will that be, by the way?”

I chuckled at his eagerness. “I have four massages tomorrow, I rescheduled some from last week. But I can come over after?”

“Sounds good. Are you tired now?”

“No, I just laid around all day.” I joked, and sat up. “Want to go sit outside? It’s warm enough.”

“Sure.” We went out to the back patio and sat under the stars. “It is warm tonight. Warmer than earlier.”

“Yeah, feels like rain, too.”

“Hmm.” He turned and stared at the western sky, but said nothing.

“So, what is the deal with the last name? What kind of power does that give me?” I tried for light and funny with my tone, but he only smiled and sighed, perhaps hearing the genuine curiosity behind my words.

“You can banish me to the Fae plane for a time, if you use your power. Or you could force the truth from me. Or compel me to speak when I did not wish to.”

“Ooh. Those things could be useful.” I bumped his shoulder with mine, again trying for humor.

“They could be. I trust you to not use these powers lightly.”

“I won’t.” I promised. We held hands and I asked him more questions, which he answered patiently. He told me all about the private school he’d gone to, where most of the kids were sort of weird and he barely stuck out. I was happy to learn he was also a vegetarian, like me. He told me more about his parents’ talents, and talked about his cousins.

I yawned and pulled my knees up, twisting in the chair to lay my head on the side, and he smiled at me. “Now you are tired, don’t deny it.” He stood and pulled me up. “Go to sleep, witch. Tomorrow evening, call me when you are ready and I will pick you up.” He kissed me and turned to leave. “And thank you for introducing me to your mother.”

I just nodded and watched him walk to the edge of the woods.

The next day was windy and warm, and a hurricane warning came over the radio as we were eating breakfast. My mother didn’t seem surprised, so I guessed it had been predicted a few days earlier. I’d been in such a funk from Noni’s death I hadn’t been paying attention to the weather. The phone rang as I was leaving for my first massage appointment, and Mom waved for me to wait as she listened to whoever it was.

She scowled as she ended the call. “That was the weather service, we’re being evacuated. I’m going to pack a bag and head to Dana’s. Do you want to come with me, or go to the Covenstead?”

“No. I can stay with Salil, I was going there tonight anyway.” I looked at my cell for the time. I had ten minutes to play with, if I drove fast. “I’ll put a few things in my car in case I have to go straight there.”

I packed a bag with a few days’ worth of clothes, my phone charger, and my laptop. I looked around, but there wasn’t anything else I really needed for a day or two, so I left.

The roads were packed and I was almost late for my appointment, which left me flustered. Then the client turned out to be a slightly creepy guy around my age who had seen me in town and obviously thought booking a massage would be an easy route to a date. I’d dealt with his type before, and put him off easily enough. Still, laying my hands on someone like that was always awkward.

My next appointment made up for it, though—a pregnant woman whose husband had got her the massage as a treat. After that I had lunch in town. By the time I’d finished eating, both of my afternoon appointments had called to cancel because of the impending storm. I decided to go home and grab my bottle of lube, and maybe a few toys. If Salil and I were going to spend all afternoon in bed, I could at least make it enjoyable.

My mom was gone when I got there, her car missing and the house all locked up. She’d pulled the rocking chairs in from the patio and tied down the gas grill outside. I did a quick check of the house and scowled at the shaking windows. Stuffing the sex toys and an extra set of sweats in a bag, I decided to take a few minutes to put the boards on the windows. It might be overkill, but replacing a window was an expense we didn’t need.

I drove to the Covenstead, intending to leave the car there where it would be safer from falling branches and salty spray, and sent out a silent plea to Salil, hoping he’d know where I was. Inside, Liliana was pacing, talking to someone on the phone. She held up a finger for me to wait.

“Vincenzo, will you be staying here tonight?”

“No, I… Uh, I’m staying with a friend.” I’d known Liliana all my life, and she could read me almost as well as my mother could. I knew she’d hear the uncertainty in my answer.

She tilted her head questioningly. “Anyone I know?”

“I don’t think so. He’s a Fae…he thinks he’s my mate.”
Why did I tell her that?
I watched her face for signs of anger or disgust, but there weren’t any.

She came closer and looked into my eyes. “What do you think?”

I turned away. “He might be right.” I admitted in a small voice.

A knock at the front door startled us both, and I went with her to answer it. Salil stood there, in a light blue tunic, his blond hair drawn back in a ponytail. “Liliana, isn’t it?” He offered her his hand. “I am Salil, of the Fae. May I come in?” The wind whipped his shirt wildly, but he stood formally and waited for her to wave him in.

“Salil. It is nice to meet you, and good of you to shelter Vincenzo through this storm. Your home is away from the water, I assume?” She placed her hand on my shoulder as she spoke, making me feel like a child under her protection.

Salil smiled at her politely. “Yes, it is deep in the forest, and well warded. He will be safe.” A lock of hair had come loose from the wind, and he tucked it behind his ear, keeping his gaze on Liliana. The effect was charming. “Tell me, Liliana, would it be acceptable for me to attend one of your coven meetings? I am interested in learning more about your rituals.”

“Absolutely, we welcome the curious. I would love to see you here.”

And just like that, he’s charmed another one.

Liliana patted my shoulder. “I have a few more calls to make. I look forward to seeing you again, Salil. Vincenzo, stay safe.”

He bowed his head to her, and I noted the look of pleasure his deference put on her face. I shook my head.
Skillful
.

I slung my duffle bag over my shoulder. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Salil nodded, and again opened a portal thing with his hand in the air. He seemed to struggle with it a little in the wind, but we walked through to the circular field without any trouble. Once we got to the forest, the wind was blocked and the walking easier.

“I bought some of the beer you like, and a pizza, so we will not need to cook.” The tone of his voice was weird, restrained, like he was hiding something.

“Nice.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Anything else?”

“Was I supposed to get something else?”

“No, I mean do you have anything else to tell me?”

He shook his head but looked away, and I knew then he was definitely hiding something. But I followed him into his house without asking again. He’d tell me when he was ready.

I really wasn’t hungry, but ate a slice of pizza and sipped a beer while he watched me. “What’s with the look?”

He shook himself and smiled, a forced thing but it still looked great on him. “I was trying to read what you are thinking, but I cannot.”

“Huh, yeah. Well, I grew up with a man who could read ‘loud thoughts.’ I learned early how to hide them.”

“Your grandfather?”