Blood Flame (Flame 1)

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east he hadn’t refused her outright. “Because we have an unusual connection and we need to explore it. I think it means something, but I’m not sure what. Do you recall how you felt right after you fed from me? Can you describe it?”

He shook his head, his gaze scattering for a moment. She let him process.

Even as she waited, Iris knew instinctively she’d wandered into dangerous territory, and that wasn’t the witch in her talking, but her female intuition.

Setting aside Connor’s male gorgeousness and that he’d given her the best sex of her life the night before, she knew something was off with him and not because he was a vampire. He’d suffered in some way that had shattered him deep inside, maybe when he first went through the alter.

He was a broken, damaged man and all the spells in the world couldn’t fix that. Only Connor could reach into his own soul and perform the healing he needed. But like most men, she doubted he had a clue where to start, even if he wanted to.

Despite all that, the vampire had a pull on her she’d never experienced in her life. He was tall, strong and rugged looking. Some vampires, like those addicted to any of the numerous flame drugs, eventually started looking like their movie brethren with extremely pale skin and almost skeletal bodies. They were hard to look at, especially if they flashed some fang.

But Connor was a different animal, and her heart beat hard as she waited for his answer.

As for her enthrallment powers, these were mostly a matter of long-term training by her witch elder, a good-hearted woman named Eliza who lived a very secluded life at the cul-de-sac end of Iris’s street. She had a full acre to her name and Iris had gotten many cuttings, tubers, and full grown plants from the woman when she’d begun creating her own spell-support garden.

Eliza had trained her to focus inward on her heart, the source of desire, then to want to bring the object of her thrall under her control. For whatever reason, Iris had found the process simple and exhilarating. The latter reaction, however, had warned her to be very careful when and how she employed this ability. The spell at Big Nuts’s place was a perfect example.

Although on some level, she still couldn’t believe she’d been able not only to enthrall everyone in two rooms, but to release part of the thrall selectively. Connor had been exempted and when needed, Big Nuts as well.

Connor rose from his seat. “I’ve narrowed it down to this. Your blood gave me power, real physical power. I could have fought better right then if we’d been attacked. It was an amazing sensation. And ever since, I’ve felt connected to you in a way I don’t get. I’ve also craved repeating the whole thing. If you feel a need to enthrall me, I’ll allow it.”

Iris had reached a serious crossroads in her life. If she moved forward and attempted the thrall, she had a powerful prescience she’d never be able to go back, that her life would be forever changed.

The problem was she didn’t know in what way, and that scared her.

Yet something had happened during the lovemaking to her as well, beyond the pleasure and fulfillment of the act. She thought back to the moment their energies had become one. She glanced up at Connor who stood nearby, arms over his chest. He frowned at her, watching her closely as though he too understood the importance of this moment.

“You don’t have to do this, Iris. If you have any doubt, it might be better to wait, to hold back. But I’m open.”

She rose from her chair and moved close to him, placing her hand on his arm. “Do you feel that?”

“I do. Like a soft jolt of electricity, not as bad as before.”

She offered a half-smile. “No dirt bikes racing downhill?”

“No. This is good. Pleasant even. But tell me what you’re looking for, what you hope to achieve.”

“That’s just it. I don’t know. I’m going with my instincts. There’s something unusual between us and it might be critical. I don’t pretend to understand how you and I came to be together. But Violet actually guards your presence here, my garden seems to adore you if you haven’t yet noticed, and both Sebastien and Pips have bestowed their not-easily-won approval.

“All these elements have my witch senses lit up. Beyond that, I don’t have an answer for you. But would you be willing to explore it with me? And for that, I have to ask the hard question: Do you trust me?”

For some reason, as Connor stared back at her and appeared to consider his answer, she felt as though her entire future depended on him saying yes to her. Again, she didn’t know why. But her witchness was in full bore.

“You could have spelled me to get me to acquiesce.”

“Yes, but why would I do that?”

Connor’s stern expression relaxed. “The fact that you responded with exactly that question is the reason I’m saying yes.”

Iris blinked several times. She honestly didn’t understand and felt as though she’d missed something. “Connor, I’ve never used my powers to trick anyone. And you have no idea how easy it would be to employ my spells all the time, even to get a better position in line for coffee. But I don’t do that.”

“The more I’m around you,” he gestured to the protection spell covering her property, “the more I’m understanding your level of power. So, how do we do this, witch?”

“I’ll need to be close because you’re as strong as you are. And I’ll want to touch you.”

His lips twisted. “I’m liking this already.”