Read Online Moon Bound by Stephanie Julian - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephanie Julian
Tags: Darkly Enchanted#2
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briefcases and a whole crowd of seniors dressed in polo shirts and casual slacks. And white sneakers. Every single one of them. Smiling, she wondered if there was a shop that only sold white sneakers to seniors. Must have a booming business.
She closed her eyes and took a breath, sorting through the smells to pick out a few people with magic, none strong enough to worry about.
Wait. What was that? She’d caught a hint of something…different. Her eyes shot open.
Power, strong and nearly feral. Drawn from the same source as hers but more inherent, more a fiber of his being.
A grigorio.
Rising and slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder, she wandered toward the news stand farther up the concourse, discreetly sniffing.
She turned right when she came to the hallway that led back to the security metal detectors and ended up in front of the small snack bar serving muffins, sandwiches and other finger foods.
“Hello, Princess. Took you long enough. Must be slacking off.”
* * *
Watching Charles’ door for the slightest movement, Steven began chanting, a bare whisper of sound. His skills were rusty, but he performed the spell without screwing it up, testing for wards of protection around the building.
He found what he was looking for then thanked the Blessed Goddess Charles relied more on technology than he did magic. He still had no idea how Charles had hidden his Mal background from Steven. It didn’t seem possible. He must have a shitload of power.
The words were coming back to him now, his Etruscan gaining momentum as he began the spell that would make him invisible to the cameras.
Even with just these simple spells, he could feel the darker magic trying to consume his will. Whispering to him, trying to seduce him with possibilities.
Battling back, he spoke the last word as Tiffani stepped into the hall, followed by her father. Steven froze, but they never glanced his way.
“I think I’m going to stop at Steven’s, maybe hang out until he gets home,” Tiffani said as she pressed the button for the elevator. “A naked woman in his bed might finally break down his reserve.”
Charles winced but chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll find a way, dear. But I don’t need to know details.”
The elevator dinged and the doors slid back silently. Charles and Tiffani entered and disappeared while Steven stood there.
It took him several minutes to unfreeze his muscles, to make sure his power wasn’t leaking out of him and affecting the environment around him.
A buzz sounded in his ears and his muscles twitched with the sparks of magic.
Gods-be-damned, it felt good. Wonderful. Fucking amazing.
And he couldn’t let it.
As if he was tearing pieces of his flesh from his body, he forced the magic back into that black hole inside his chest. Where it brooded and sulked and grew.
Then he walked down the stairs to the first floor.
* * *
“Diego!”
Bella swung around and leaped at the dark-haired man, throwing her arms around him for a hug, knowing it would exasperate the quiet grigorio . “What are you doing here?”
She pulled back and looked at the gorgeous man her brother had hoped she’d marry some day. Never gonna happen, but…oh, my.
Diego shook his head, brown waves falling to his shoulders. Those copper-colored eyes held amusement but his unsmiling mouth and handsome face with all those broad Latin planes looked tense.
“Your brother asked me to keep an eye on you. I was going to New Orleans for congress anyway, so I agreed.”
She liked Diego, she really did. He didn’t believe in giving you a line of crap. Her brother, however… She was going to kill him.
Her eyes narrowed. “So, Cole asked you to babysit, too? Quinn had his turn in Reading.”
He shrugged. “I guess you can look at it that way. I look at it as companionship.”
She glared at Diego for several seconds until he lifted one perfectly dark eyebrow. “You gonna sulk the entire flight or do you want to get a drink?”
They
She closed her eyes and took a breath, sorting through the smells to pick out a few people with magic, none strong enough to worry about.
Wait. What was that? She’d caught a hint of something…different. Her eyes shot open.
Power, strong and nearly feral. Drawn from the same source as hers but more inherent, more a fiber of his being.
A grigorio.
Rising and slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder, she wandered toward the news stand farther up the concourse, discreetly sniffing.
She turned right when she came to the hallway that led back to the security metal detectors and ended up in front of the small snack bar serving muffins, sandwiches and other finger foods.
“Hello, Princess. Took you long enough. Must be slacking off.”
* * *
Watching Charles’ door for the slightest movement, Steven began chanting, a bare whisper of sound. His skills were rusty, but he performed the spell without screwing it up, testing for wards of protection around the building.
He found what he was looking for then thanked the Blessed Goddess Charles relied more on technology than he did magic. He still had no idea how Charles had hidden his Mal background from Steven. It didn’t seem possible. He must have a shitload of power.
The words were coming back to him now, his Etruscan gaining momentum as he began the spell that would make him invisible to the cameras.
Even with just these simple spells, he could feel the darker magic trying to consume his will. Whispering to him, trying to seduce him with possibilities.
Battling back, he spoke the last word as Tiffani stepped into the hall, followed by her father. Steven froze, but they never glanced his way.
“I think I’m going to stop at Steven’s, maybe hang out until he gets home,” Tiffani said as she pressed the button for the elevator. “A naked woman in his bed might finally break down his reserve.”
Charles winced but chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll find a way, dear. But I don’t need to know details.”
The elevator dinged and the doors slid back silently. Charles and Tiffani entered and disappeared while Steven stood there.
It took him several minutes to unfreeze his muscles, to make sure his power wasn’t leaking out of him and affecting the environment around him.
A buzz sounded in his ears and his muscles twitched with the sparks of magic.
Gods-be-damned, it felt good. Wonderful. Fucking amazing.
And he couldn’t let it.
As if he was tearing pieces of his flesh from his body, he forced the magic back into that black hole inside his chest. Where it brooded and sulked and grew.
Then he walked down the stairs to the first floor.
* * *
“Diego!”
Bella swung around and leaped at the dark-haired man, throwing her arms around him for a hug, knowing it would exasperate the quiet grigorio . “What are you doing here?”
She pulled back and looked at the gorgeous man her brother had hoped she’d marry some day. Never gonna happen, but…oh, my.
Diego shook his head, brown waves falling to his shoulders. Those copper-colored eyes held amusement but his unsmiling mouth and handsome face with all those broad Latin planes looked tense.
“Your brother asked me to keep an eye on you. I was going to New Orleans for congress anyway, so I agreed.”
She liked Diego, she really did. He didn’t believe in giving you a line of crap. Her brother, however… She was going to kill him.
Her eyes narrowed. “So, Cole asked you to babysit, too? Quinn had his turn in Reading.”
He shrugged. “I guess you can look at it that way. I look at it as companionship.”
She glared at Diego for several seconds until he lifted one perfectly dark eyebrow. “You gonna sulk the entire flight or do you want to get a drink?”
They
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