Free BeMyWarlockTonight by Renee Field Page B

you can’t change what you are. You’re a Darklander witch through and through, and even if you weren’t it wouldn’t change how I feel about you. In fact, when I didn’t know you were a witch I asked you out. Sadly though you refused me. Twice as I recall.”
    “I only did that—”
    He silenced her protest by placing a finger on her lips. “I don’t care for the reasons. The magic of the universe works in mysterious ways. If you’re asking, am I disappointed in discovering you’re a witch and a Darklander Stephanopoulos witch at that, I will admit at one time I would have said yes. But now…” Lance took the time to stare into her eyes, ensuring she listened to his choice of words. “Now that I know you, my answer is most definitely no. I love you…Cindy Stephanopoulos Frost. You and only you. Screw the curse. I don’t care that I can only wield magic at night. So what? I want to make you happy. I want to spend the rest of my life slaying all those drákon just for you. You feel me?”
    Tears pooled into Cindy’s eyes. Shit, this is not what I expected.
    She sniffled and then flashed a searing smile up at him. “Lance, I think you need to understand why I wanted to give up my magic.”
    He nodded, encouraging her on, not trusting himself to speak.
    “I gave it up because I could never measure up to my mother. Every spell I did wasn’t good enough for her. So for all my life I doubted my abilities and I grew to hate what I inherently was. I grew to hate everything about my culture, my identity and I didn’t trust my own magic.”
    “But you’re a great witch,” he said, interrupting her.
    “Thank you. Coming from you that means a lot. I had to escape my predestined path. I knew my mother was grooming me to join the Witches’ Coven and that wasn’t something I wanted. Can you imagine spending every waking moment with my mother?”
    She laughed, the sound light and airy. Lance felt hope magically soar through his heart. “Honestly, nope. Your mother is scary.”
    “Trust me on that one, I know. She doesn’t mean to be and I truly think she did have my best interests at heart but being a member of the Coven doesn’t allow for a child like me. A child who never measures up to her mother.”
    It was a telling statement coming from Cindy. Lance couldn’t have cared if she ever measured up to her mother but to think she thought herself unworthy when she was so much more than that caused his pain to morph into anger.
    “If you’re telling me you can’t love me because of your mother, I’m going to spank you.”
    She giggled. “You don’t really want me. You’re just doing this to free your family from the curse.”
    Totally exasperated, Lance didn’t know what to do to make her listen to the truth of his words so the warlock he was decided he’d kiss away all her self-doubt. Then it dawned on him, he did have another option.
    Intimately touching his forehead to hers, he snapped his fingers, sending them both spiraling into the future. Two paths lay before them. One dark, the other filled with laughter and light.
    “You choose.”
    “We’re not allowed to do this,” she said, caution edging into her voice.
    “Before you pick the path you want us to walk down let’s see our options. I won’t tell anyone.” Lance flashed them into the void of the future. He linked his fingers through hers, nudging Cindy forward. “Pick.”
    “I don’t think I want to see it.”
    “I never expected Cindy Stephanopoulos Frost to be a coward,” Lance purposely taunted her, hoping it would spring her backbone back into place. She unhooked her fingers from his.
    “Fine.”
    Lance watched her move toward the light. He followed on her heels and gulped. The scene blazed bright and caught at every one of his heart strings. There before him on a beach was Cindy, bouncing a toddler on her lap, her belly round and full with a second child. Her face beamed with hope and happiness, while she cast a gaze up at