A Magic Redemption Read online

  He grinned. “Oh, you’re more than a yank… That’s why you’re so damn attractive.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I’m anything but.” She put her hands to her cheeks as they warmed. “Don’t do that in public.”

  Ignoring her comment, he continued. “So you say. Don’t over think it. You’re brilliant. You’ll learn the duties in no time. Bridget isn’t much older than you, might enjoy the company. Da, Ma, and I will always have your back. You’ll be great.”

  With a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, he grinned wider. She should have anticipated what came next. That Irishman had an ornery streak a mile wide.

  Quick as a wink, he bent over and brushed his lips over hers murmuring, “Don’t want any of these lads trying to steal me girl.”

  Her lips parted to object. He covered her mouth with his and his tongue swept inside. Her traitorous body responded before she could think, arms wrapping around his neck, and her lips responding to his kiss. Hell, her body had a mind of its own. He felt so good. Desire spiraled through her body warming her lower regions as he eased away stroking her lips with the tip of his tongue.

  “Way to go, laddie. Kiss her again,” demanded the crowd through whistles and friendly shouts.

  Her hands flew to her face, and she rushed into the ladies’ room. How could I ever face anyone again? Let alone work here?

  After a couple of minutes, Bridget bounced in face flushed and laughing. “Looks like you’ve taken the most eligible bachelor out of circulation.” She patted her back. “Well done.”

  “What? I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Lass, I’ve never seen him kiss a woman like that in all my life. And I’ve known him since he was in nappies.” She lowered her voice. “There was a time I yearned for him to kiss me like that.” Bridget’s expression went dreamy for a second, then she waved her hand dismissively. “Those times are long gone since I met me Quinn.” Bridget fanned herself with a paper towel. “That man’s got moves. Know what I mean?”

  She had no idea how to react. Giving a quick nod, she shoved her sweaty hands in her pockets and stood there.

  Without missing a beat, Bridget said, “Mary tells me you might be helping out around here while she plans Brandy’s wedding.” She snickered. “Says she’s gonna help her plan the wedding, but we all know the truth.” Bridget cackled again grabbing her by the arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here. ’Tis early and Gavin has the night off. He’ll be waiting on you.” She waggled her eyebrows. “And Tim will take me to task for disappearing during my shift.”

  Stumbling as Bridget dragged her out of the ladies’ room, she regained her footing but couldn’t avoid bumping into Bridget when she stopped short. “See, what’d I tell you.” Pointing to Gavin waiting outside the doorway, she gave her a little shove and winked at him. “Best keep track of your lass, boyo, less other lads get ideas.”

  Bridget sashayed through the crowd, batted a couple men’s wandering hands away from her ass. She stopped at the bar, picked up a tray of pints, and delivered them to a table in the center of the room. On her way back, she thrust a piece of paper in her hand. “Give me a call. We’ll get together on my day off and have some fun.”

  When she unfolded the paper, Bridget’s name and phone number were scribbled inside.

  “Well looks like you’ve met Bridget. Making friends already, are ya?” He glanced toward the fireplace. “We seemed to have lost our seats. How about a dance?”

  She shook her head. Even as he swung her into a jig, the band played a lively tune.

  She tried to keep up, but her bum leg kept her off balance at times. No one seemed to notice. At the end of the dance, he put his hands around her waist, picked her up, whirled her around, and kissed her again before setting her on her feet. Quick and flirty, not like the soul-searing kiss he’d planted on her earlier. Still he left her tingling to her toes. She smiled. This was fun.

  He grabbed a couple of pints, handed one to her, and introduced her around the pub. It was well past midnight when he swung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. “Ready to get out of here? You can talk with Ma tomorrow about a job.”

  “Back to my cottage?”

  “Of course. Unless you want to come home with me?” he teased.

  Eyes wide, she stared at him too tired to come up with a witty answer.

  “Only kidding.” He paused his expression turned serious. “But one day I won’t be.” He helped her on with her coat and waited for her to put on her hat and gloves.

  When they reached the car, he turned her to face him and pressed her against the passenger door with the length of his body. His mouth took hers with heated passion. She was shocked at her own eager response to his lips. Her body melted into him. Through their winter attire, she could feel his heat.

  With hesitation he lifted his mouth from hers and trailed kisses down her neck. His hand slid up her side then he raised his head pursing his lips. “I think we better get you home, before I…”

  The last thing she wanted to do was return to her empty cottage. But the alternative was even more scary—or was it?

  Chapter Two

  First it was the Challenge, then the Allure of Synn

  Gavin closed the door to his home with a bang and kicked off his shoes. After starting a fire in the stone hearth, he grabbed a glass from the kitchen cupboard and poured two fingers of whiskey. Taking a swig, he hissed as it slid down his throat. Picking up the bottle, he ambled to the living room careful not to spill his drink. He plopped down on the comfortable couch. In his opinion, furniture was to be used, not admired. He set the bottle on the wooden table beside the sofa.

  This house had been his ma and da’s first home. Sometimes he imagined the laughter and fun they’d shared as a family inside these walls. Family meetings were always held in the kitchen around a large wooden table. Good news or bad it was shared as they all sat around the worn piece of furniture. Idly he wondered whatever happened to it.

  His parents had built a bigger house designed to keep his sisters from killing each other as they reached their teenage years. Their fights were epic, but you wouldn’t know it now. Living across the pond, they’d grown closer than they’d ever been. Sometimes he felt like the odd man out, but when they came home, it was grand. After college, they’d decided to remain in America. He’d moved in to claim the family’s first home for his own, after the last set of renters left.

  His feet ached. It had been a long day when he’d glanced out the pub windows and seen Synn wandering aimlessly on the beach. Plain and simple, he’d panicked, afraid she’d given up or retreated into the dark secrets she refused to talk about. She’d revealed none of her life before her contact with Bruce, claiming it was too horrible to relive. Someday, sooner than later, he’d get her to trust him and confide in him. Until then, he’d wait.

  Dropping Synn off at her cottage, he’d sensed she didn’t want him to leave. But their agreement, when she decided to stay in Ireland, was that she had to find her own way before they could resume any kind of intimate relationship.

  It had been several months since his sister, Brandy, caught him and Synn in the kitchen at the pub. Brandy had thrown a conniption fit. She dragged Synn out of the kitchen, shoving her at Bruce, the Demon Overlord, and Angie, his mate, who had been seated at the table with friends and family.

  Brandy issued an ultimatum that couldn’t stand. Stefan, her fiancé, had talked her down and made her see that Gavin had the right to make his own choices. It was a good thing the pub was closed at the time. He grinned. After all who was she to say who he could date? She was engaged to a vampire.

  None of them had remained true to their gryphon roots. He shook his head. Funny how that happens. Hannah the oldest, married a powerful warlock, who served at the pleasure of the Demon Overlord as his assassin. Now Tristian managed his teams that made sure the laws of creatures were observed. Justice was swift and deadly for those outside the law
.

  Brandy would soon wed a vampire, Stefan, whose previous history included a stint as assassin for The Vampire Council. He’d traded his weapons for a microphone and was a DJ for a radio station in a tiny town in Montana. What a strange turn of events. But Stefan was a good man.

  His thoughts wandered back to that day in the pub. At the time the whole thing had been innocent. Synn had been helping him rinse and stack the dirty dishes in the washer. But from the moment he’d seen her, his attraction was undeniable. Eventually, they’d become friends with benefits. Her assistance to Bruce was invaluable in helping to locate a missing Book of Shadows and stop the migration of the dark demons in a world already on a destructive course.

  Eventually, Brandy and her soon to be husband, along with Hannah, Gavin’s other sister, and her husband, Tristian; and Angie and Bruce had combined magic and woven spells to seal the portals to Hell restoring the balance of magic.

  For her efforts, Bruce had given Synn her freedom with a couple conditions. She’d decided to stay in Ireland and try to make a life here. He wanted to believe part of the reason she remained was because of him. But who knows?

  He’d had his fair share of women, none holding his interest for very long. Most he’d known the majority of his life. Settling down with a wife and children was not on his radar, though his parents thought it was time. Ma and Da were talking retirement, and Ma wanted to travel the world. Da not so much, but he would follow his bride of over forty years anywhere she wanted to go. He smiled. When that happened, he’d take over the family pub and enjoy the life.

  Pushing up from the couch, he walked to the windows that overlooked the moody sea and pushed one open a crack. The waves crashed against the shore, scent of the brine and the ocean washed over him cleansing his melancholy mood. He showered and fell into bed. Disturbing dreams awakened him in the middle of the night. The foreboding feeling that had plagued him on and off over the last week was back with a vengeance. He reached for the phone and tapped in Synn’s number. She answered on the first ring.

  “Gavin. I’m so glad it’s you.” She was out a breath.

  He sat up in bed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing that I know of, but I can’t get to sleep. When I do, it’s only for a few minutes, and Baltizar is controlling me again. I relive the horror over and over.” Her voice trembled.

  “When he injured you?” She’d told him a bit of what had happened. Brandy had filled him in on the rest, probably to discourage him from seeing Synn, and partly because Brandy really felt sorry for her. At least that’s what he liked to think.

  “Yes. It was…”

  “I’m coming over.”

  “No, no that’s not necessary. I know you have to work the early shift. I feel better hearing your voice. I’ll be fine.”

  “Bollocks to that. I know better. I can… I’ll be over shortly.” He hopped out of bed, stripped his pajama bottoms off inside the front door. Stuffed jeans, a sweater, and boots in his go bag, then he yanked open the door and shifted into his gryphon form. The door banged shut. He picked up the bag in his beak, unfurled his wings, and pushed off into the moonless night.

  Over the tree tops he soared loving the freedom of flight. The wind lifted him higher and higher as he dipped, caught the air currents, and banked left. It had been too long since he’d enjoyed the experience. His job, keeping an eye on Synn, and family obligations had kept him grounded. Fun and pleasure were in short supply. It’s about time for a change.

  Quietly landing among the trees a few yards from her porch, he shifted into human form. He yanked on his jeans, pulled the sweater over his head, and slid his feet into his scuffed, brown boots.

  When he looked up, she stood in the open doorway dressed in only one of his black T-shirts. She’d apparently absconded with it after one of their trysts months ago. The shirt engulfed her. But he loved the fact that she wore it to bed. At least part of him was in bed with her. How pathetic. She’d fanned his flame into a raging bonfire and sated it. Oh God had she sated it. Shit. I’m hard just thinking about it—her. But those days were over—for now. Maybe forever.

  She bounced on her toes as he approached. “You didn’t need to come. I’ve got to learn to handle this on my own. Remember our agreement.” Yet she slithered against him, wrapping her arms around his neck pressing into him. Resting her cheek on his chest, she closed her eyes.

  Talk about mixed messages. Her words say one thing. Her body is saying something entirely different. He slid his arms around her, allowed them to slip to the small of her back, and brushed his lips over her cheek when she turned to him. “Synn, maybe living alone wasn’t the best idea for you, yet,” he murmured against her face.

  “Okay, if not now—when?” she demanded. “Is it me—or the sex you miss?” Her mouth formed a thin line, but her eyes glittered for only a moment with what appeared to be unshed tears. She took a deep breath.

  “Both,” he shot back before he thought.

  A single tear rolled down her cheek. She buried her face in his chest. “Will it always be this way? As long as he’s out there I’ll never be completely free.”

  “Not true. You’re a captive of your own memories, fears, and feelings. You can’t just walk away from something like you’ve endured most of your adult life and expect it not to leave scars. I can help you heal those scars. If you let me in. Trust me or someone enough to share those…” His voice trailed off, and he eased away from her. “Let’s go into the house, fix tea, or something stronger, and talk about what’s spooked you tonight.”

  Turning in the doorway, she stepped inside the sparsely furnished front room. She padded across the hardwood floor to the kitchen, where a small table and two chairs occupied the majority of the space in the tiny area. Placing the kettle on the stove, she flipped on the burner and turned to him. “That night when he punished me for losing Brandy and Stefan keeps playing in my head like a horror movie when I try to sleep, rest, or even close my eyes. It’s getting worse, not better.”

  “You’re dwelling on your past too much. Need something to keep you busy and your mind occupied. For now, take the job at the pub. You’ll be surrounded by people that know and understand you. Learning the job will take your mind off of that situation. At the end of the day, you will be so tired, chances are you’ll fall into bed and not wake till the next morning.”

  “I don’t know.” She hesitated a couple beats and shook her head. “What if I can’t do it?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” He softened his tone. “Bridget can teach anyone.” He bit his lip and back peddled. “What I meant to say was, if I understand part of your previous situation—the reason Baltizar took you was your keen intelligence and many talents.” He reached out and caressed her shoulder. “Waitressing isn’t complicated. It will be a snap for you.” He grinned. “Don’t tell Bridget what I said. She’ll skin me alive.”

  She scrubbed her hand over her face and straightened her shoulders. “You’re right. But I don’t want your family’s charity. I’ll earn my way. Thank you.” The kettle whistled. Taking it off the stove, she poured the steaming water over a tea infuser in both mugs and handed one to Gavin.

  He grabbed her hand. “Got anything a bit stronger, lass?”

  She sniffed and smiled. “I think you’ve had enough for tonight.”

  They walked into the front room. He started a fire in the hearth, then settled down beside her. She snuggled into him and sipped her tea. After only a few minutes, her mug slipped from her hand. In one swift movement, he caught it without spilling a drop, leaned over, and set it on the floor. Her breath slowed to an even rhythm. She was asleep. Shifting a little in an effort to get comfortable, he rested his head against the back of the couch. Tomorrow—scratch that—today will be another long day.

  A bright, Irish jig playing on his phone woke him. She shot out of his arms and landed in the middle of the floor in a crouched position. She wiped her face, eyes wide and gaze darting from side to side. Her cheeks fl
ushed bright red.

  “’Tis all right, lass. ’Tis only my phone.” He waggled the offending device back and forth in his hand then peered at the screen. Grimacing, he put the cell to his ear. “Hi Da, I know—I’m late. Be there shortly.” He disconnected the call and scrubbed his hand over the scruff of his beard. “I gotta get cleaned up and head to work. I’ll tell Ma you’ll be at the pub by noon to help her with the dinner menu. Tonight, Bridget will show you the secrets of waitressing. You okay with all that?”

  She blinked, yawned wide, and nodded. “Guess so.” Straightening, she took a more relaxed stance, picked up the mugs, turned, and started toward the kitchen.

  “Yep, me too. But if I gotta work, with so little sleep—so do you.” He tousled her hair with his fingertips. “Better get moving.” He knew better but couldn’t help himself as he swatted her firm round butt hesitating only a beat to feel the warm female flesh. A beat too long.

  She whirled around, the mugs crashed to the floor, and she planted her tiny fist in his gut.

  He bent over at the waist. “What the hell was that for?” He wheezed trying to catch his breath.

  Chapter Three

  A New Job, a Fresh Start, no Punching the Customers

  “I’m so sorry.” She patted his back. “Lately, it’s an automatic response. Been on edge and I don’t know why.”

  “I strongly suggest you get a grip on that response before working with the customers tonight.” He paused and straightened. “They can be a bit grabby after a few pints.”

  “And you think that’s all right?” she asked hands fisted on her hips trying to keep her temper from spiking.

  “No, it’s not all right. But Bridget knows how to handle the unruly ones without knocking the air out of them. Most don’t mean anything, it’s the alcohol. No excuses. The ones who persist, we toss out with a warning not to return. The lessor offenders we threaten to inform their wives.” He shrugged one shoulder.

  A retort popped in her mind, but she didn’t let it slip through her lips. She ambled into the bathroom and returned with a small leather bag. “You left this when we decided I should have my own place. Never had an opportunity to return it.” Her gaze wandered over him. “Your clothes are clean. A shower and shave should get you on your way quickly rather than returning to your place.”