Magical Midlife Meeting (Leveling Up 5)

“Maybe we’ll try again on Ivy House and let him at it, but let’s keep those meadow flowers normal, okay?”

“Yes, Jessie. I was just tending them—like normal. Just the normal tending.” He paused for a moment, and I wondered why he was hiding the squirt bottle if it contained nothing but the normal elixir… “I must admit, the possibility of militarized flowers has really gotten my ideas flowing. Have you thought about trying to make a potion or elixir that allows plants to speak? Or…maybe not speak but squeal? If someone tricked Ivy House again, and got onto the property without any of us knowing, then the flowers could all squeal and alert us. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Just this morning I found out the dolls could squeal, Edgar.” The music twanged, Austin’s fingers scraping across the strings. “I’m not ready for flowers.”

“Sure. Yes, it is a little progressive.” Edgar nodded. “I’ve always been a little ahead of my time. Don’t worry, Jessie, I’ll keep thinking.”

“Great,” I said dryly.

Spray bottle still behind his back, he started to wander deeper into the woods.

I frowned at him. “Did you plant more flowers in the woods?”

“Oh no. Who would see them? I don’t even think animals come around here—they’re afraid of the big bad bear.” He sang the last part. “No, I’ll just stick around for a while and make sure nothing tries to sneak up on you.”

“The gargoyles are here. I think we’re covered. I’d hate to keep you away from home all night.”

“The thing about the gargoyles is, when they’re in their other form…their heads are made of rock.” Edgar stared at me. “Their brains are stone.”

I stared back at him, not quite sure what to say.

“Can’t argue with reason,” Austin murmured, and laughter bubbled up inside me.

“I don’t mind, Jessie, really.” Edgar stepped farther away. “It’s refreshing to explore a new area. Maybe some night hikers will wander this way. Or some shifters who plan to attack the alpha and will instead make an unexpected blood donation.”

I watched him take incremental steps until he finally stepped behind a tree and disappeared from sight.

“You are the only reason why I allow that sort of madness near my home, I hope you know that,” Austin said as I shook my head and took a seat next to him. The flames licked the small logs within the pit and danced into the air. “If you ever wonder how much you mean to me, look no further than Edgar hanging out in my yard with a spray bottle.”

“What about Mr. Tom?” I turned my chair with an evil smile, slipped off my shoes, and propped my feet on his thigh. “If you let Mr. Tom hover around in the mornings, getting us stuff, being his weird self, what will that say about your feelings for me?”

The tune he played was soft and sweet, slow and delicious. His fingers moved deftly over the strings, strumming or plucking, sliding and pressing. He didn’t speak for a moment, playing that gorgeous melody.

Finally he said, “It would say that I was lost to you, completely, without regret. That I would give you the world if it would make your heart sing.” His gaze met mine. “That I would stop at nothing to make you happy and comfortable. It would be my greatest joy as your mate and your lover.”

I gulped, feeling something deep move within me. A pinkish-purple halo rose from my skin, shimmering in the air. Pressure filled my chest, and his heart beat a little stronger within me.

“It’s my gargoyle magic,” I said with a tight throat, blinking back tears. The world stilled again, like it had in the kitchen. “The colors…it’s pure magic, oozing out of me. I think it’s because I’m opening up to my gargoyle, like when I hide myself near buildings.”

“You’re giving way to your beast,” he whispered, our gazes locked. He kept picking, the melody seeming to swirl within my magic. “It is an incredibly intoxicating sight. You’re beautiful, Jacinta. Fierce.”

Another question rose, unbidden, as though bobbing to the surface from the very depths of my being. The question tasted sweet on my lips, but my voice turned rough with it. “And what if I were in danger? How would you show you cared for me then?”

His eyes sparked like embers in the growing darkness. Crackling rage pumped through the Ivy House link. Power blasted from his person, so potent and intense, so incredibly dominating, that it made me gasp.

When he finally spoke, his tone made my small hairs stand on end and set my pulse to racing. “I would tear the world apart and shed blood on its ruin. No one will ever harm you, Jacinta, not while I am alive. No one,” he growled.

I was up and ripping at his belt before I could think. He walked me backward into the house, the twang of his dropped guitar following us through the door neither of us bothered to close. He shoved at my pants and massaged the center of me while I pushed down his jeans and boxers. He tore off my shirt and bra without ceremony before bending and fastening a hot mouth to my budded nipple.