Free The Spell by Heather Killough-Walden Page A

in late afternoon and continued long into the night, when the booths took to selling hot apple cider, cocoa, and coffee.
    It was the same festival that Jason Alberich, their coven leader, had demanded everyone in the coven attend tonight. Imani had made excuses for Danny, but it looked like she would be showing up anyway.
    Of course , she thought. Lucas would naturally decide to bring her here. It was the perfect date spot, really. There were lots of people, so he would assume that she’d feel safe. And the bonfire on the pristine strip of beach was very romantic. Couples could always be found snuggling together nearby.
    Lucas pulled the bike into the lot and jockeyed into a protected spot between a white BMW and the brick wall that protected a private garden. Then he shut the bike down. Danny began to rise to dismount, but before she could fully stand up, Lucas was turning in his seat and grabbing her leg with his gloved hand.
    The contact was only meant to still her in the saddle, but the intimacy of the touch made her breath catch. Caige’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly and speared her with their hypnotic darkness. Danny found herself easing back into the seat. Her body felt as if it were melting there beneath his gentle grasp. He glanced down at his hand and, after a moment of silent contemplation, he slowly slid his fingers off of her.
    “I never asked you if you wanted to come here,” he said, his voice a little tight. “We don’t have to stay if it’s not your kind of thing.”
    Danny opened her mouth to respond, but only air came out. She closed her mouth, cleared her throat, and tried again. “N-no,” she said in a strained voice. “This is great. It was a good idea.” His gentle grip had set off a heat wave that yet rippled through her body, relentlessly weakening her in the most delicious way. She was flushed now – and he’d only touched her for a moment.
    Caige watched her intensely for a few seconds more, and then he smiled. “Okay then,” he said. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her with both hands around her waist. Danny barely stifled a squeal as he easily lifted her entire body off of the bike and gently set her down beside it. He didn’t let her go until she had her feet solidly beneath her. Then he quickly and gracefully dismounted himself, rising to his full height, which towered over her despite her own tall figure.
    Danny swallowed hard and looked up at him, feeling unsteady even though she was standing on her own. His smile was killer. He liked surprising her, obviously.
    Caige pulled off his gloves and stuffed them into the inside pocket of his leather biker jacket. “Let’s walk,” he said then, once more reaching out without warning. This time, he brazenly took her left hand in his right and wasted no time intertwining their fingers. “You look a little cold. I’ll get you something warm to drink.” His grip was strong and the heat branded her hand where he held it.
    Werewolves do burn hot , she thought to herself as he led her through the sandy parking lot and into the chaos of the festivities. I wonder what the rest of him feels like.
    The Festival stage was lit and there were actors sword fighting one another on top of it. The small crowd that had gathered cheered and clapped; Danny could make out a few of the actors’ lines even from this distance. The night was beautiful and the smell in the air was one of spice and pumpkin and apple and smoke, and she was beginning to think she might have a wonderful time with Caige tonight – when suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
    His body went completely rigid, from head to boot, and his grip on her hand became painful. Danny glanced down at their hands and then looked up and all around, wondering what had happened. But she saw nothing except revelers and art booths and children with multi-colored streamers and candy apples in their hands weaving wildly around the adults. A few of the children she even recognized.