I leaned back and stared at him. “Oh my god... you’re...”
He waited and the chill returned to the room.
No! He was expecting a rejection.
I lifted my gaze and let all the heat from my desire burn through me. “So perfect!”
He possessed a real warrior’s body, with old battle wounds and scars covering him. But that didn’t detract from the muscles... the strength... the sheer beauty of him as a man.
I grinned and grabbed around his biceps, pulling him hard against me.
He pulled me into his body and sunk his teeth into my neck. I shuddered, not sure how to stop the moans that were rising in my throat.
I wrapped my still dressed legs around his waist and pulled his head up so that I could kiss him again. He froze, and cocked his head as though listening.
His gaze met mine and all the heat that had been there moments ago, was gone.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered, my lips still dangerously close to his.
Surely the virgin thing hadn’t put him off? I mean, he knew that before he started kissing me, so I imagined he was okay with it. He was willing to work with me.
“Someone’s here,” he said, his voice like sandpaper.
That doused the flames of my desire pretty fast. “What?”
“I think it’s the... High Warlock. Though he shouldn’t be here without an escort.”
“What?!” My father was here? I pushed Tavlor back and jumped off the bench he’d conjured for me to sit on. “What’s he doing here?”
Tavlor flicked his wrist and he was fully clothed and I was not as dishevelled as I used to be.
What was my father doing here? And if he was supposed to have an escort, why was he here alone?
The door opened and the most powerful warlock in the realm, walked in the door. He wore long, black robes and the silver highlights in his dark hair were more obvious in the day light.
Tavlor strode straight over to him. “Sir. Did I miss your call? Do you need me? Why are you here?”
Matlock, stepped around Tavlor and walked over to me.
“I’m here to see Ava,” he said, barely acknowledging Tavlor’s presence. I hoped it was because he was so focused on finding me and not because he, too, thought he was less of a magical being because of his parentage. “The time for your trial has been confirmed and it will be early tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow!” I exclaimed.
His eyebrows flicked up and I forced myself to take a deep breath in order to control myself. “I’m sorry,” I said quickly, my heart still hammering against my chest. “I just thought I’d have more time to prepare. I feel so... dumb, when it comes to everything here. I’m not sure if I’ll do things the right way. What if Mother taught us wrong?”
Matlock smiled as he reached out and squeezed my hand, and then dropped it as though he remembered where we were. “You’ll be fine,” he insisted.
I pressed my lips together and looked away, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. I hoped Tavlor didn’t realize it. Then again, he was more perceptive than ever before. “Your mother blew everyone away at her trial.”
“Yeah and look what happened to her,” I said. I wasn’t trying to be a smartass, but if my mother was so damn good at magic, how did she let magic kill her the way it had? I wanted to reach up and touch my locket, to ask her, but I didn’t. Not here. Not in front of Matlock, and especially not in front of Tavlor.
Silence fell like the death knell and I regretted the move instantly.
The locket around my neck that had been silent and col
d through my time with Tavlor began to burn.
Yeah, Mother, I know. Don’t piss off Dad.