Free Enchanting Absinthe (Sex with Strings, Book Four) by Shona Husk

hormones.
    The dreams she had about him couldn’t be blamed on anything. Her body craved him. She’d wake up tangled in the sheets, the long healed bite mark throbbing and her blood hot. After the first couple, she’d realized why. When she’d used magic to assist with making the baby, she’d created a bond between them. No doubt when she was getting hot and sweaty, so was he. The idea that he was screwing someone in the back of a club made her sick with jealousy. It shouldn’t.
    He didn’t owe her anything and meant nothing to her. But it was lies, all lies. Otherwise the roses wouldn’t be cluttering up her bathroom vanity.
    Her fingertips whitened as she pressed them against the counter. Claire closed her eyes and felt along the connection that bound her to Absinthe. Every morning she’d thought about cutting it, but she wasn’t sure how. It wasn’t just joined to her, it was part of the baby too and she wasn’t doing anything to put the child at risk.
    Part of her hoped the baby would have Absinthe’s green eyes. She rested her hand over her stomach. She’d tried really hard not to read the band’s updates on social media or follow the reviews. But the truth was that even if she did see him again, she didn’t know what she’d say. And she didn’t know how to tell him he was going to be a father and she’d used magic to conceive. He wouldn’t take that well. Would he even want to know, since his child would be Shaman? Or would that be another reason to sneer and rail at her? She sighed and hung her head, but couldn’t regret what she’d done. The baby the Council demanded, but done her way.
    She opened her third eye, a lashless match to her other eyes, and touched the magical bond. It vibrated with life and was getting stronger without her doing anything. Did he feel it? Did he care? Had he paused for one moment to think of her?
    Probably not. The show must go on and all of that. She tugged on her suit and smoothed her hair again, closing her third eye and concealing it behind her natural dark-blonde bangs. Then she forced a smile, nodded to herself and grabbed her handbag, ready to sell a house to Mr. Black.
    * * * * *
     
    William strode past the park, knowing no one would look at him twice. The big advantage of performing half naked and with lots of eyeliner was that most people didn’t recognize him on the street bundled up in a jacket. His jaw worked as he walked. The last time he’d been in Sydney something had gone horribly wrong. Since then he hadn’t been able to work up an enchantment to save himself.
    He hadn’t had sex in two months. His hand didn’t count.
    It had taken that long to track her down and have a long enough break to fly back to Australia. Tansy Claire Winters had really done a number on him and the closer he got to her, the more appealing it became to let her do it again.
    He’d been angry, hurt, confused and vengeful—and that was just after the first show when he’d realized what had happened and had gotten very drunk instead of banging some groupie. It had been Owen who’d told him to go back and find her and Katya who’d helped. His lips twisted. Owen was trying to see him settled. Ha, the bastard.
    But with the other three guys happy in the arms of the same person every night, he was beginning to feel as though he was missing out. Right up until he remembered what had gone wrong the first two times.
    Except Claire was immune—he couldn’t think of her as Tansy, it didn’t suit her, even if that was her Shaman name—he couldn’t break her because she was everything he hated. And he was pretty sure the Shamanic Council would be less than impressed with one of their precious females hooking up with a Vampire. Even if he was half Shaman.
    It had taken a month to realize it wasn’t about his missing magic, he was just missing Claire. She’d worked out what he was and hadn’t cared and he’d thrown it back at her like a petulant child.
    Then there were the