The Wizard's Staff [Anthology]

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…The oak shaft measured a good twelve inches in length and nearly two inches in diameter. With the bulbous crystal giving it a phallic shape, she hadn’t been far off the mark. “Oh, my,” she murmured. The thought flitted across her mind… If she lubricated it enough, would it fit inside her? Hilary lifted the staff and ran her hand up the hard length of the handle, cupping her palm around the crystal. When her fingers closed around it, the crystal flashed brightly and another jolt entered the center of her palm. The current shot up her arm, through her torso, and straight to her pussy. Her juices flowed and wet her panties as her womb clenched. Her clit throbbed harder, almost painfully, and her nipples tightened more. With her other hand, she pulled the long skirt of her costume up over her knees. She wouldn’t need any more lubrication than she already had. She was grappling with her panties, to get them out of the way, when Shadow jumped up on the couch and rubbed into her arm, his tail trailing across her face as he turned. Her arm recoiled from the pressure of the cat, and the staff slipped from her hand. Almost instantly, she felt as if a cloud had been removed from her mind. She couldn’t believe what she’d been about to do! She dropped her skirt and looked down at the staff. “What’s happening?” she whispered, but she received no answer, not even a comforting meow from Shadow…

ALSO BY LANI AAMES Gillian’s Island Moonstoned Valiant Welcome To My Nightmare Starkissed (writing as Lanette Curington)

THE WIZARD’S STAFF BY LANI AAMES

AMBER QUILL PRESS, LLC http://www.amberquill.com

THE WIZARD’S STAFF AN AMBER QUILL PRESS BOOK This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. Amber Quill Press, LLC http://www.amberquill.com All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review. Copyright © 2005 by Lanette Curington ISBN 1-59279-442-4 Cover Art © 2005 Trace Edward Zaber

Layout and Formatting provided by: ElementalAlchemy.com

PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

To Mae—again, thanks for all your help!

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CHAPTER 1

October 31… Halloween—a time of bedazzling possibilities. The thought crossed Hilary Ewing’s mind as she waved to the group of trick-or-treaters and closed the door, locking it. She flipped the sign and switched off the strands of orange and purple twinkle lights. Her shop, Charming Things, part New Age and part fantasy, was officially closed for the night. She looked through the window into the chill October darkness, but the last of the children had disappeared and not even a car passed on the street. She shivered, a frisson that had nothing to do with the temperature. Something magickal permeated the air, as tangible as electricity but just as invisible. It had begun sometime that afternoon, a tingle in the roots of her hair. At first, she thought it was only static, but she could never ground 1

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herself and get rid of the charge. A few of her more intuitive customers sensed it, too, and commented upon it. By late afternoon, it had become a steady hum, but something she felt rather than heard. And now, she still felt it…tingling, rippling, undulating just beneath her skin. The voluminous skirts of her witch costume rustled and something rubbed against her leg. She looked down and smiled. “I haven’t forgotten about you, Shadow.” The sleek black cat meowed at the sound of his name, turned around, and rubbed again. “As soon as I change clothes, we’ll have dinner.” Frowning, Hilary crossed the room with Shadow keeping pace beside her. She’d had the costume made for her first Halloween after Charming Things had opened, a black satin pointy hat and floor-length dress decorated with tiny hand-painted silver stars that shimmered as she moved in the light. When she took off the costume, it would go back into a box in the closet to wait another year. Too bad every day couldn’t be Halloween! She loved the atmosphere, the spookiness, the possibilities this time of year brought. There was that word again. Was it true that anything was possible? Behind the counter, she paused to flip off the back lights. The deeper she moved into the shop, the stronger the sensation affected her. Her fingers trembled on the light-switch. The tips of her breasts ached, and she throbbed between her thighs. What had come over her? She wanted…no, needed physical relief from the constant onslaught. She had been able to disregard it while busy with customers and trick-or-treaters, but now she could ignore it no longer. Her body burned with unreleased tension. She needed a man. That’s all it is. Too long since the last time I got laid. I need to get out more, meet new people…men! Mostly women and teenagers patronized Charming Things. It was difficult to meet eligible men while spending most of her time running a business geared toward women 2

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and young adults. In some Pagan traditions, Halloween signified the end of the year. Perhaps she should make a New Year’s resolution to take time to meet someone to share her life with. Of course, resolving to do so didn’t mean it would happen, but it would never happen if she didn’t try. That didn’t explain why a few of her customers had felt it, too. Perhaps they were latent empaths and had picked up on her desperate needs. How embarrassing! Now, she forced the feelings aside. There were more pressing matters to attend to—dinner for Shadow and herself, and the package that had been delivered after lunch. With only the soft glow from the stairwell to guide her, Hilary went to the cardboard carton she’d left on her worktable. In the excitement of handing out candy to the little monsters, she’d forgotten how thrilled she was the delivery had finally come. She took it in her arms and carefully climbed the steps, Shadow bounding ahead of her. In her upstairs apartment, she set it on the coffee table. She turned to go to the bedroom to change clothes, but stopped. “It’s still Halloween, isn’t it? I can wear the costume if I want.” The cat had no opinion one way or the other. He merely stared at her, his orange eyes as large as harvest moons. “Since you have no objections, I think I’ll wear it the rest of the evening.” In the kitchen, she opened a small can of cat food and emptied it into Shadow’s food bowl. While he ate, she took a frozen dinner from the freezer, removed the packaging, and popped it in the oven. She picked up a knife from the utility drawer, and returned to the living room. She perched on the edge of the couch, squirming in her seat. She really, really needed to get out and find a man. And soon. Even the pressure from the edge of the couch felt too good. She exaggerated a shudder, trying to shake off the sensations that plagued her. It was time to open the carton. 3

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She’d purchased it from an estate sale in an online auction. The bulk lot of items had cost too much, but the sale of the included Tarot deck would cover the price and net her a tidy profit, too. With the utility knife, Hilary cut open the packing tape and pulled back the carton’s flaps. After discarding mounds of crushed newspaper and bubble wrap, she found the Tarot deck. She turned over the small box, then opened it and slipped out the cards. The thick vellum felt as smooth as satin. Shadow had finished his supper and sauntered in. He sat nearby, washing up. “The Tarot deck is exactly what Taryn Andrews is looking for.” She quickly flipped through the cards, counting, but none were missing or damaged. “I’ll have to call Taryn first thing in the morning. She’s been frantic to find this particular design to add to her collection.” She set aside the deck and pulled out a bag of assorted crystals and gemstones and several small fantasy statues of dragons, wizards, and castles. She took out the padded wooden box last. She slit the bubble wrap, and when it fell away and she touched the box, a jolt of electricity skittered up her arm. She almost dropped it, but caught it in time, half expecting another jolt. When nothing happened, she passed off the first shock as static. Hilary did, however, notice an increase in the tingling sensations in her skin, breasts, and clit, driving her wild with need. Toys or fingers wouldn’t do. She needed a cock imbedded inside her, one she could ride hard and fast. She wiggled in her seat, and her hands trembled as she pried off the wooden top. In a bed of dark blue velvet lay a wooden staff with a plum-sized crystal attached to one end. Its once-textured surface had been worn smooth by handling and time, and the crystal reflected light in a sparkling array from each of its many facets. At first glance, nearly blinded by the need to be fucked, she thought it was some kind of 4

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stylized dildo. She blinked to clear her vision and realized it was what had been listed among the items she’d purchased as a wizard’s staff. The oak shaft measured a good twelve inches in length and nearly two inches in diameter. With the bulbous crystal giving it a phallic shape, she hadn’t been far off the mark. “Oh, my,” she murmured. The thought flitted across her mind… If she lubricated it enough, would it fit inside her? Hilary lifted the staff and ran her hand up the hard length of the handle, cupping her palm around the crystal. When her fingers closed around it, the crystal flashed brightly and another jolt entered the center of her palm. The current shot up her arm, through her torso, and straight to her pussy. Her juices flowed and wet her panties as her womb clenched. Her clit throbbed harder, almost painfully, and her nipples tightened more. With her other hand, she pulled the long skirt of her costume up over her knees. She wouldn’t need any more lubrication than she already had. She was grappling with her panties, to get them out of the way, when Shadow jumped up on the couch and rubbed into her arm, his tail trailing across her face as he turned. Her arm recoiled from the pressure of the cat, and the staff slipped from her hand. Almost instantly, she felt as if a cloud had been removed from her mind. She couldn’t believe what she’d been about to do! She dropped her skirt and looked down at the staff. “What’s happening?” she whispered, but she received no answer, not even a comforting meow from Shadow. The crystal started to glow, a pulsing incandescent light that mesmerized her. Sparkling rays shot out a few inches in all different directions, one from each facet. Then one larger ray, like a concentrated laser beam, burst from the tip to the center of the room. A seven-foot cone of light flared up, and when it died away and the beam dissipated, 5

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Hilary could only stare in awe and wonder. A naked man stood with his eyes closed, his arms hanging straight at his sides, and a hard-on as big as the wooden staff itself.

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CHAPTER 2

Perhaps not quite as big. The wooden handle was at least twelve inches, but he wasn’t that long…only eight or nine. Hilary wasn’t good at guessing lengths, but he was longer than most she had personally seen. His engorged cock head did come close to the same size as the crystal. She approached the man cautiously and circled him slowly. He was tall, over six feet. His body was lean, but his muscles were well defined. Ice white hair, thick and luxurious as a hank of silk thread, hung halfway down his back. The color belied his true age. He appeared to be around thirty, not much older than she. The images of what she could do with the wooden staff were replaced with what she could do with the man’s. It stood out straight from his body with a gentle upward curve. Without thinking, she reached out and touched the bulging head. Pale light played over his body from the tip of his cock to the soles 7

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of his feet and the ends of his hair. His eyes flew open, revealing flawless azure irises. He gasped, a sharp intake of breath, as if he hadn’t breathed for a very long time. Both of her hands automatically enclosed his thick erection. He pushed into her grip with a groan, and he looked into her eyes. He spoke, hesitantly at first, then with more confidence as he continued to pump into her hands. When he stopped talking, to take another deep breath, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying.” His brow wrinkled as if he, too, didn’t comprehend her words. Then he smiled, his sensual lips curving at a tilt. His hands moved toward her, fingers sliding up into her hair and cupping her head, thumbs resting in front of her ears. He moved in close, bending his head. Hilary’s lips parted. She thought he meant to kiss her. Instead, his forehead touched hers, and she felt a sharp tickle between her eyebrows. It lasted for a full minute and kept her immobilized. She lost all sense of time and place, forgetting who and where she was. She was only aware of another presence in her mind, and the thickness of a cock thrusting back and forth in her hands. Then the sensation halted abruptly, the presence withdrew, and she was Hilary again, standing in her living room with a naked man who had popped out of a crystal. “You’re Magnum de Brun, and you’re a wizard,” she whispered breathlessly. She didn’t have time to react to the rest of the information she had received from him, the almost shocking revelation of the place and time where he originated. He withdrew his forehead from hers, but didn’t release her. He nodded. “You—are—Hilary Ewing.” He had trouble speaking at all because of his pain. The words came out short and choppy, but understandable this time. Then he bent toward her again, and this time he did kiss her, his lips gliding across 8

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hers. She touched her tongue to his, and the tingle that ran through her had nothing to do with magick. Pure physical need raced through her body at the speed of light. Her hand tightened on his cock, and he groaned, a sound from deep in his throat. His hands slid down her neck and throat to the swell of her breasts, and his warmth permeated her skin. Wanting more, Hilary moaned, a soft sound like the mewl of a kitten. Her back arched, thrusting her hardened peaks toward him. Accepting her offering, his fingers followed the plunging neckline of her chemise and dipped below the edge. He shuddered, hard and uncontrollably, and his face pinched in agony, but he plucked the bow from the top of her bodice, pulling the string from its lacing. He drew the elasticized edge over her shoulders and breasts. He lowered his head and suckled one pebbled nipple. Heat coursed through her, a raging inferno of need and desire. Her whole body quivered with it, and she was afraid it would consume her on the spot. She worked his erection with even strokes, and as he continued to thrust in and out of her hands, he pushed her loosened clothing down her arms to her waist and hips. She freed one arm and then the other, never having both hands off his cock. Her costume fell into a starstudded heap around her feet. He moved to her other breast, teasing that nipple with tongue and lips. His hands, resting on her hips, slid to her rear, his fingers splaying across her skin. He squeezed and drew her closer until his cock head bumped into her mound. Blood pounded in her ears, and her clit throbbed to the same rhythm. She slid her free hand into the hair at the back of his head, her fingers threading in the thick strands. A moan escaped her lips. She had never felt such intense desire. She wanted him now, needed him to plunge his cock inside of her. She toed off her slippers and stepped out of the crumpled midnight of her costume. 9

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She had never had sex with someone she didn’t know, but he didn’t seem like a stranger to her after their minds had mingled. She had learned so much about him in those few moments when their essences had touched. She had felt the excruciating pain he suffered from nearly fifteen hundred years of full arousal while imprisoned in the crystal. She gasped when he lifted her into his arms and carried her across the room to the couch. He swept the packing material from the cushions and laid her down, kneeling between her thighs and fitting himself to her. She released his erection and bent her legs around his hips. She held her breath, waiting for the precious moment. He wasted no time. He leaned forward to gather her into his arms, and he thrust inside her in the same moment. One of his arms went around her, but his free hand grasped one butt cheek, to use as leverage to delve even deeper inside her. She cried out and her hips rose, crushing her pussy into him. He pumped into her, each stroke bringing them nearer the edge.

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CHAPTER 3

He rode her harder and faster than any man had before. His feverish body broke into a sweat, slick against her skin. She bucked with him, matching his rhythm, and her hands tightened on his back, her fingers digging into his hard, straining muscles. The couch creaked and groaned with the force of their frenzied thrusts, and Hilary thought it might collapse. Then she didn’t think at all as ecstasy seized her and carried her away. Her spine bowed with the powerful heat that washed over her. Her head thrown back, she screamed, and was only barely aware when Magnum’s joined hers. His body jerked, wracked with spasms, as he poured himself into her. When he finally stopped, long after her own blast of passion had subsided, his body sagged and he fell on his side next to her. She turned, nestling against him. She felt the erratic beating of his heart and heard the deep, catchy breaths he took. She was afraid that the sudden orgasm after such a long time of withholding it might give him a heart 11

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attack or a stroke. Soon his breathing grew calmer and more even, and his heart beat at a steadier tempo. He didn’t move, but she allowed herself to relax and bask in the afterglow of their union. She thought he slept, but he surprised her by covering her hand with his as she drew the throw blanket from the back of the couch over them. His lids opened to reveal his intense blue eyes. “Thank you, Hilary.” His voice sounded stronger—tired, but no longer tinged with pain and discomfort. He squeezed her fingers. “I thought I would die if I didn’t find relief. You gave me this.” She didn’t know what to say, so she smiled and tightened her hold on his hand, too. He shifted, pulling her closer to him. “The spell on the crystal affected you, too, didn’t it?” “Yes. I had sensed it all afternoon, but when I touched the crystal, its energy surged through me.” Hilary looked down at their hands, wishing their bodies were entwined instead, but there were so many questions she wanted to ask him. “Were you really imprisoned inside the crystal for fifteen hundred years?” “That long?” Furrows appeared in his forehead and his smooth white eyebrows knitted in bewilderment, then he nodded. “Yes, I know it is the twenty-first century from my mind’s contact with yours. In some ways, it doesn’t seem that long.” “And…” She could hardly believe her next question to verify what she had discovered in his mind. “You were an apprentice to Merlin?” He must have caught a hint of astonishment in the tone of her voice because he frowned. Then his mouth turned up in a smile. “Oh, yes, you do know of Merlin. Fifteen hundred years and his name is still remembered.” Hilary nodded. “He is part of myth and legend. We also know of King Arthur, Guinevere, the Knights of the Round Table, and Morgan 12

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Le Fay.” “Morgan!” He scowled at the mention of her name. Then he raised up to locate the staff on the floor and held it up. “She is the one who imprisoned me in the crystal of my own staff. The handle is different, of course. During fifteen hundred years, the wood would need to be replaced. But the crystal is mine, a gift from Merlin for successfully completing my first year of study with him.” Hilary tentatively touched the crystal—afraid of another reaction as well as in awe of possessing something that the great wizard Merlin had held. Relief swept over her when no rays of light or electric tingle happened. “You and Morgan Le Fay were lovers,” Hilary stated. It wasn’t a question because she knew it to be true—one of many things she had learned while their minds were one. “Yes, Merlin warned me, but I didn’t listen. The only time I didn’t follow his instruction.” Magnum laid the staff on the coffee table. “After five years of devoted study, I was allowed physical pleasure again. The enchanting and sensual Morgan had directed bawdy hints at me before, and as soon as I was able, I accepted. My lust for her consumed me until I could no longer do my work with Merlin. I knew I had to choose between the two. Hilary ran her hand over the hard contours of his chest and the stiff peaks of his nipples. His erection prodded her thighs. “You chose magick.” Magnum nodded. “Morgan swore I would regret the decision. Yet, time passed and nothing happened. I assumed her anger had cooled, and she had put it all behind her.” Sliding under the blanket, Hilary moved her hand over his ribs and flat stomach. “But she hadn’t.” “No. She took especial care in crafting her spells of revenge. She didn’t want Merlin or anyone else to be able to break them and free me. 13

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I awoke one night to find her kneeling beside my bed and holding a lock of my hair.” He shook his head until he found a strand several inches shorter than the rest and held it up. “She laughed and reminded me that she had told me I would regret not choosing her. I wasn’t in love with Morgan—no one could love her—but she roused a passion in me I never want to experience again. Even as she said the words that would bind me inside the crystal, I wanted her. The physical evidence of my lust merely made her second spell easier.” Hilary’s hand went lower, her fingers playing along the length of his cock. It jerked at her touch, and then she gripped it, her thumb unable to meet the tips of her fingers around its enormous thickness. “It was like a small dark room but with crystal facets for walls, ceiling, and floor,” Magnum continued. “I could see her through one of them, and still she laughed. Then she uttered the sex spell on the crystal, and everything went dark around me. I was completely consumed with lust, but I was unable to find relief no matter what I tried. I spent most of the time in a meditative state to keep from going mad and to conserve my energy, hoping I could break the spell by sheer force. I never thought it would take fifteen hundred years. It would have been longer if your energy hadn’t combined with mine.” Hilary pushed the blanket down past his groin, and his cock stood straight up from his body. She rubbed her closed hand up and down on it and felt it stiffen more. “I guess you could say I had built up my own energy reserves. I spend most of my time running the shop—the store I own in the part of the building below us—and never get out and meet anyone. My cat Shadow has been my only companion for longer than I care to think about.” A bubble of fluid appeared in his slit, and she used the lubricant to massage the soft spot below it with her thumb. He groaned, a hoarse sound from deep inside his chest, and his back arched. His cock stiffened more, and with a long, guttural cry, his entire body went rigid. 14

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Thick, white fluid spurted into the air, and his cock jerked with each eruption. She massaged him, milking as much semen out of him as she could. When it stopped, she turned him loose and rested her head on his shoulder. His body went slack, his cock now limp and pliable. Even at rest, it trailed halfway down his thigh. His breaths came heavily and deep, but his face relaxed, free of distress. He was a handsome man, his strong features—long nose, prominent cheekbones, and angled jaw— softened by white hair and azure eyes now hidden by closed lids. Strands of his hair lay tangled across his cheek and forehead, and she reached out to smooth them back. His hair had once been brown, but it had turned white as the result of an experiment gone wrong early in his apprenticeship. She remembered this from when their minds had touched. The complete strangeness of the situation hit her all at once. An apprentice of Merlin, imprisoned in a crystal for fifteen centuries, rested here on her couch, and they had just finished having incredible sex. The night had certainly turned out to be one of possibilities…and impossibilities, as well.

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CHAPTER 4

Hilary left an exhausted Magnum sound asleep on the couch. Quietly, she grabbed her robe out of the bedroom. She slipped it on and tied the belt as she tiptoed to the kitchen. What was I thinking? She dropped into a kitchen chair and covered her face with her hands. She never had sex with perfect strangers, especially strangers who were fifteen hundred years old and popped out of crystals! How could she have done such a thing? But how could she not do it when he was in such desperate physical need? At least she didn’t have to be concerned about contracting a fatal disease from him. Nor did she have to fret over getting pregnant because she was on the patch. She really didn’t have anything to worry about except what to do with a fifteen-hundred-year-old wizard! The hair at the nape of her neck tickled as if there were another presence in the room. She raised her head and came eye to eye with 16

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Shadow sitting directly in front of her. Hilary frowned. “You know you’re not supposed to sit on the table,” she scolded. Shadow licked one paw and meticulously smoothed his whiskers. “And you know you weren’t supposed to fuck the wizard.” Hilary blinked and leaned against the back of the chair. “He’s the one? Oh…he’s the one! Why didn’t you warn me?” “You read the cards.” Shadow’s tail curled tightly around his front paws. “It’s up to you to decide to abide by what they tell you. Or not. You’re supposed to be on the lookout for the result of your readings at all times, you know.” “Right.” Hilary threw up her hands and stood to pace the floor. “I was picking up on the crystal all afternoon and didn’t know it. It clouded my thinking. And I siphoned off some of the spell when I touched it. I wasn’t expecting that.” “You were horny,” Shadow observed dryly. “You’ve experienced that before.” Hilary whirled to face him. “Yes, I have. And too much lately. But how am I supposed to develop any kind of a relationship with any man when there’s a smart-assed cat always underfoot!” Shadow lay down, his paws tucked in beneath him and his tail fitted snugly around his body. “As if felines don’t have to contend with dumb-assed humans underpaw. How many pieces of string have I dangled in front of your nose?” Hilary glared at him. “You’re never going to forgive me for that, are you? I’ve apologized a thousand times. I told you, I didn’t have any idea who you were.” “And you still don’t,” he said smugly. No, she didn’t. He’d been with her since the first day she opened Charming Things five years ago. He walked in like he owned the place and wouldn’t leave. She fed him tuna that night, and he fell asleep in her lap. His purring soothed her soul, and she decided to keep him. 17

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Weeks later, when she was working a charm, he nonchalantly corrected her spell work. After she recovered from the shock of a talking cat, he informed her that he was her familiar, a helper to aid her in her magick, but he’d never told her who sent him or his real identity. And the charm had worked…well, like a charm. Most of the time, he was a joy to have around. There were days, weeks, even months when he never said a word. He acted like a perfectly normal cat, and she almost forgot what he really was. And then there were days when she couldn’t shut him up. Still, she couldn’t imagine not having him around. “Don’t you remember what the cards said?” Shadow asked. Hilary flopped down in the chair again. “Yes. They said a magickal man would come into my life, but I shouldn’t get physical with him or the world would be in turmoil.” She had thrown the cards about a month ago, and the spread had delivered nearly all Major Arcana cards: The Magician, The Lovers— reversed, The World, and The Tower, which indicated chaos. The Death card, which didn’t mean a literal death but instead meant a major change in one’s life as in the ending of the old and the beginning of the new, and the Two of Cups, which could mean friendship or love, were in the spread, too. Hilary hadn’t quite understood what the cards were trying to tell her, and Shadow only gave her minimal help in interpreting them. She suspected he wasn’t much better at reading the Tarot than she. The cards had seemed to contradict themselves, but she knew she just didn’t completely understand. Because the Nine of Cups, the wish card, had been in the spot of the Ultimate Outcome. She had a thriving business and her health, what more could she wish for than someone to share it with? But if she wasn’t supposed to become intimately involved with him, how would she get her wish? 18

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“When your energy joined with his, because he is out of his time, you caused a rift in the time/space continuum.” Shadow’s whiskers twitched reproachfully. “And you know this…how?” Hilary arched one eyebrow at him. “How doesn’t matter.” He blinked once. “Strange things will start to happen—” “A talking cat. How clever!” Magnum interrupted from the doorway. “You must be a very powerful witch.” Hilary sat up straight and looked at him. He’d taken the blanket from the couch and draped it over one arm, folding it securely around his waist. The shapeless blanket didn’t hide the lines of his welldefined muscles…or the outstanding rigidity of his cock. She didn’t have to wonder long what to do with a fifteen-hundred-year-old wizard. She knew exactly what to do with him in that state. He followed her line of vision, then looked back at her. He grinned and shrugged as if in apology. Hilary felt warmth infuse her cheeks. Blushing like a schoolgirl! She had to get a hold of herself so they could figure out what to do…but she wanted only for Magnum to get a hold of her again. She shook her head to deny his assumption as much as to shake some sense into her muddled brain. “No, I’m not powerful at all. Shadow just showed up at my door one day and wouldn’t go away.” “I’m her familiar.” Shadow raised up straight and tall. “She has potential, and I’m here to see that she meets it.” “Very wise.” Magnum stepped farther into the kitchen, eyeing the appliances she took for granted every day. “So much has changed.” “Most of it only in the last couple of hundred years.” Hilary looked around her at the refrigerator, the microwave, the oven. She had forgotten about her dinner! She had set the timer so it hadn’t burned, but it would be cold. “You must be hungry.” She stood and retrieved the tray, stopping to nuke it for a few 19

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minutes to reheat it. Then she set it and a knife and fork in front of Magnum. She explained about frozen dinners, the freezer, the oven, and the microwave as she showed him how to use the fork. “Nearly everything has changed.” Magnum dipped the fork into mashed potatoes and raised an eyebrow. “But I doubt the rules of magick have altered. For every action, there is a reaction. Just as your familiar has said, by combining our energies, we have caused space and time to rumple.” “Rumple?” Hilary frowned in puzzlement. “Merlin has—or I should say, had a theory.” Magnum moved the fork from the potatoes to poke at the kernels of corn. “He thought time and space were woven together, like a tapestry. If you fold the tapestry where one corner touches another, you could go instantly between the two without traveling all the way across the tapestry. If Merlin was correct, then I think when our energies combined with the spell that Morgan put on the crystal, we caused the tapestry to rumple.” Hilary wasn’t a quantum physicist, so she had no idea if what Magnum said was even possible. It sounded very like a string theory she’d heard on a television show some years ago, but that was fiction as far as she knew. Hunger overcame suspicion, and Magnum ate the food he’d never seen before. They didn’t have corn or potatoes in the place he came from during his time. They didn’t have forks either, but he handled the utensil well. He ate every morsel and even sopped up the meat gravy with some rolls Hilary brought from the breadbox. Afterwards, he drank water that came out of a faucet right in the house and didn’t have to be drawn from a well or carried from a stream. “Your time is fascinating. So many conveniences.” He held his hand beneath the running water and jumped when Hilary turned the handle. “Now it’s hot! People in your time are very fortunate.” “In a way, yes.” Hilary frowned and turned off the water. 20

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“Unfortunately, you have to have the money to pay for all these conveniences, and for the average person, it isn’t easy sometimes.” He drained the glass she had filled with cold water, not even commenting about the chlorine taste. He set the empty glass on the counter. “The same as in my time.” He pulled her into his arms. “The rumple in the tapestry will take time to correct itself. I can use it to go back to my time, but if my calculations are sound, I have about a month before the correction is complete. I would like to stay here with you, Hilary. I want to learn as much as I can about the time you live in before I return to mine.” She looked up at him, into the depths of his azure eyes. “You’re welcome to stay here with me.” “Thank you.” He bent to kiss her, then drew her up against his body. His erection pressed into her, and she slipped her hand between them, putting her hand around its thick length. When the kiss ended, she licked her lips. “I have a bedroom where we can continue this if you like.” He nodded. “I don’t want to take advantage of you. I appreciate what you did when I broke free of the crystal, but I don’t expect you to continue.” “I want to.” She massaged his stiff shaft to emphasize her desire. “I think I’m still under the influence of the spell on the crystal, too. I think we should continue until we get it out of both our systems.” He grinned and his light eyes sparkled, apparently understanding her joke. “I think that’s a wonderful plan…just to get rid of the spell residue, of course.” She raised her lips to his and desire dashed through her as their tongues mingled. They parted again, and Hilary nodded. “Of course.” She led him to the bedroom where they spent most of the rest of the 21

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night ridding themselves of the last of Morgan’s spell. Afterwards, Hilary smiled as she drifted off to sleep. The next month would be wonderful indeed.

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CHAPTER 5

A month later… Hilary stood behind the counter and looked through the doorway into her transformed workspace. Chairs and stools had been added to the tables and counters, and on a cold, blustery Saturday every seat was filled by a child or teen—with their parents’ permission, of course. Each one of them watched in rapt attention as Magnum performed his magick show. No pulling rabbits out of hats or sleight of hand. Magnum explained the fundamentals of the craft in such a way that even the youngest of his students easily understood and demonstrated what he said so that their attention did not wander. He had a wonderful way with children. Here, in this time and place, he was the master, not the apprentice. The rift in the space/time continuum had almost completely corrected itself, but the past month had been fascinating and frightful. 23

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The day after Halloween, reports had started to come in over the news—a tyrannosaurus rex had been seen in Central Park, Neanderthals on the front lawn of the White House, a Viking ship sailing on the Mississippi River, hovercars from some future date zipping along in the airspace above the Autobahn, an Egyptian Pharaoh in an Antarctic station…the list was endless. Early one morning, Hilary had come down and found a Pilgrim standing in the middle of her shop. The woman had a bewildered expression on her face. Hilary opened her mouth to reassure her, but she disappeared before Hilary could say a word. And people from the present vanished briefly, returning after a few moments with strange stories of the places and times they’d visited. Through good fortune, the anomalies lasted only seconds and no one was injured. Dozens of people witnessed most of the sightings, so they were not attributed to the psychoses of individuals. Doomsayers proclaimed it the end of the world. Psychologists called it a new twist on mass hysteria. Scientists knew it was a shakeup in time/space, but didn’t have a clue what had caused it or how to fix it. Only Hilary and Magnum—and Shadow—knew the reason, and they weren’t talking. After a couple of weeks, the anomalies slowed geometrically. Now, the reports were down to dozens a day instead of thousands. The continuum was correcting itself just as Magnum had said it would. He only had a few more days to use the rift to return to his own time and place and continue his apprenticeship with Merlin…and possibly be subjected to Morgan Le Fay’s wrath again. Hilary bit her lip and blinked back tears. She would miss him, and not just the fiery, all-consuming sex they enjoyed together. She would miss the wonder in his eyes when he discovered a new modern marvel, his devotion to the craft, the day-to-day companionship of someone who understood her work completely. How could she return to her 24

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lonely existence after sharing this time with a man like Magnum de Brun? Where could she possibly find another like him? Shadow leapt up on the counter, purring to gain her attention. She wiped her eyes then turned to him. She ran her hand over his sleek fur. “Are you talking today?” His whiskers twitched. “Purrrhaps.” She smiled. “You always make me happy. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He rubbed his head into her palm and licked her once, his rough tongue swiping across her skin. Then he jumped down and trotted to the front door. Hilary frowned. “You want to go out in this weather?” She crossed the room and opened the door. A cold wind blew in and swirled around them. He rubbed against her leg, then darted outside. She wondered what he was up to, but arriving parents distracted her. Magnum dismissed his class, and children and parents left. Hilary called for Shadow, but he didn’t come. The crazy cat would appear later at her kitchen window, and she would let him in then. She locked the door and turned the sign, closing the shop for the rest of the weekend. Magnum stepped up behind her and pulled her into his arms. She leaned back against him, placing her hands over his. Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she had to ask. “Have you figured out a way to return to your own time?” He turned her to face him. She didn’t want to look at him, but he cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up. “Yes, I have, but I need one more thing before I go.” Hilary’s heart tore into a thousand pieces and fell to the pit of her stomach. She swallowed hard, keeping back the tears. “What do you need?” He looked into her eyes. “I need to know one thing… Do you want 25

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me to go?” She started to be polite and tell him she only wanted what would make him happy, but she couldn’t be polite. When she shook her head, his hand fell from her chin and both rested on her shoulders. “No, I want you to stay here with me.” A smile of relief spread across his sensual lips, and his hands tightened on her. “I want to stay with you, too. Your time is fascinating, and I have learned and experienced so much. I could go back with a wealth of information just from the short while I’ve been here. But none of it means anything without you. I can’t take you back with me, so I’ll stay here with you. I’m falling in love with you, Hilary.” Tears filled her eyes, and she threw her arms around his neck. “I feel the same, Magnum. The past few weeks have been agony when I’d think of losing you.” She turned her head, her lips sliding into his for a kiss. Magnum’s arms tightened around her, and he swung her up into his arms. They kissed all the way to the back of the shop where Magnum stopped to switch off the lights, then he slowly took the stairs up to the apartment. He carried her through to the bedroom before he set her on her feet. Between lingering, passionate kisses that made her body thrum with desire, they undressed, scattering clothes across the floor on the way to the bed. Their mouths slanted together first one way, then the other. Their bodies molded together, skin to skin, until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the mattress. She fell to a sitting position, and Magnum went to his knees. He trailed kisses from between her breasts to her ribs, the heat of his lips burning her skin. She leaned back on her hands, then her elbows as he moved even lower. When he reached her mound, he hooked one of her legs over his shoulder, and she lay flat across the bed. 26

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She quivered with intense need and shifted her hips so he could reach her better. He held her leg steady, and with his tongue, traced the inside of her thigh until he was at her patch and tangled in her curls. He licked down one side of her labia and up the other, then flicked her swollen nub. Shivers of delight passed through her. She writhed against his mouth, undulating with his quick, teasing touches. His hands slid underneath her butt, driving her pussy against his tongue. Her hands fisted in the quilt covering the bed. Her body quaked and rose, and when the explosion came, she rocked into him, crying out his name, “Oh, oh, Magnum.” As her body settled, he kissed her once again, a tender caress on her sensitive clit that sent another shiver through her. She smiled at him as he stood. He tossed back the bedding and helped her beneath it, pulling the covers over them and taking her into his arms. “Of all the things I’ve learned in your world,” he murmured, sliding one leg in to separate hers, “how to taste your cunny is my favorite.” Hilary spread her thighs until his hips were between them, his rigid cock nudging her mound. She put her arms around him. “Mine, too.” “Before I chose to apprentice with Merlin, there were quick couplings with wenches who bent over with their skirts raised.” He shifted until the tip of his cock rested against her labia. “But even Morgan didn’t demand that service from me.” Hilary wiggled until he slipped inside her. She sighed as he filled her up, pulled back, and thrust in once more. She didn’t think she would be able to orgasm again this quickly, but each slow stroke caused ripples of desire to build in her. She looked up into his handsome face, tense with need, and his azure eyes were dark with passion. “I love you, Magnum. I love the way you make me feel, and I’m so happy you chose to stay with me.” He drove into her harder. “I love you, too, Hilary. I wouldn’t want 27

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to be anywhere else.” At the moment that his body spasmed, hers did, too. They rode the wave of ecstasy until their bodies collapsed and they melted into one another. Hilary held him close, listened to the beating of his heart and his gasping breaths. She would share her life with this magickal man, and that made her happiest of all.

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EPILOGUE

Shadow sat beneath the evergreen bush, hidden by its foliage, and watched as Hilary called to him. Guilt washed over him for not responding, but it would only prolong the inevitable. Through the window, he saw Magnum embrace her from behind. They talked a few moments, then Hilary threw her arms around him, happiness written all over her face. Of course, Magnum had chosen to stay with her. Shadow had watched them fall deeply in love over the past month. He would miss Hilary and the shop, but his work here was done. He had taught her all he could, and now the wizard Magnum would continue her education. She would eventually become a powerful witch and do great things. Bad times were coming, but Hilary would be ready. When Hilary and Magnum moved from his view, Shadow stood and left the protection of the bush. The cold wind ruffled his fur as he raced 29

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down the block. He veered off into an empty alley and transformed. His limbs elongated, and his torso grew in size and morphed in shape. Fur receded and whiskers disappeared. By the time he reached the other end, he was a human man walking on two legs and stood well over six feet tall. He emerged from the alley and paused, running his hands through his sleek black hair to smooth the tousled strands. His golden brown eyes surveyed his surroundings as he decided how best to proceed. Another witch needed his help. She had often come into the shop, and he had watched her with longing and desire. He had come to love Hilary as a dear friend, but he was powerfully attracted to the other woman. He couldn’t act on the attraction while helping Hilary, but now he was free of the obligation. He would not approach the fledgling witch as a cat. He wanted the woman to see him as a man. Deciding on a course of action, Shadow smiled and turned up the collar of his black leather jacket. He stepped off the curb and into the street, following his own destiny.

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LANI AAMES

Lani Aames (who also writes as Lanette Curington) was born and raised in west Tennessee. She resides there with her husband, two daughters, and eight cats. Starkissed was an Eppie 2001 finalist and PEARL nominee. She is also the author of At the Stroke of Midnight and—writing as Lani Aames—Desperate Hearts, Gillian’s Island, Moonstoned, Valiant, and many other manuscripts, both completed and in progress. She is also presently working on her next novel, Immortal Conquest, a mythological romance. *

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Don’t miss Moonstoned, by Lani Aames, Available from Amber Quill Press, LLC

With the help of a charmed moonstone, werewolf Erich Lambert must find and marry his moonmate before the next full moon or, as the result of a witch’s ancient curse, he’ll remain in wolf form forever. Riviera Owens is surprised to find Erich in her life once again, and she’s shocked to discover what he’d hidden from her in the past. The moonstone works its magic, but even as Riviera comes to grips with Erich’s revelation, it jeopardizes everything that she holds dear…

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