Fire & Ice Read online

  She stepped closer, observing it in the dim lighting. “That’s so sweet, Vance. I love it.”

  For some reason, I felt strangely pleased to have her approval. Turning the other way, I showed her the one on my left shoulder—a pair of wings with the number thirty-four tattooed in the middle. “This one is actually for a good buddy of mine. He was an amazing football player, and thirty-four was his number.”

  “Was?” she asked, catching my use of the past tense.

  “He was killed in a car accident, unfortunately. He was the only other person, besides you, that I’d trusted to keep my secret.”

  “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.” Her sadness poured off her and I knew she meant what she said. My attention was quickly diverted when she began tracing the tattoo down my side. I stopped breathing, my abdominal muscles tightening.

  “What’s this one say?” Her fingers felt so good on my skin.

  “Two things, actually. Turn your head to the side and read it.”

  She did as I asked, continuing to trace the letters.

  “It says Carpe Diem this way.”

  “Seize the day,” she replied, translating the familiar phrase.

  I nodded. “Yes. And if you read it the other way, it says Dei Gratia. It means God’s Grace.”

  “Wow.” She seemed surprise. “That’s kind of deep.”

  I shrugged. “I have my moments.”

  “What inspired you to get it?”

  Sighing, I leaned against one of the braces under the stands. “All this running has taught me to live in the moment because life is short. If you want something, you should reach out with both hands and seize it. God’s Grace is something we can never earn, but it’s something He still gives us freely.”

  “So, don’t waste the chances God gives you?”

  “Exactly.” She understood perfectly. I loved that about her. Staring, I pulled her closer. “Being with you is a chance I’m not gonna waste.” I kissed her again, and this time she moved her hands to the bare skin on my back, stroking it.

  “Mmm, that feels good,” I whispered against her mouth before releasing a small moan. I wished I could keep her here a lot longer than the time we had available. “I guess I should get you to class before we both get detention.”

  “Yes, you should.” She sighed too. “I don’t want to go back.”

  “Me, neither.” I kissed her quickly one last time, then stepped away to put my shirt back on.

  We separated and made our way to our classes. I knew I should leave her alone, but I found all this mind connection quite entertaining, and enjoyed seeing how often I could trip her up. Her laughter was contagious and warmed my soul. She shot a look like daggers at me when she met me in the hall, but I pretended to be completely oblivious. She scowled harder, until we both burst out laughing.

  “You’re such a pain,” she said, shaking her head as she opened her locker.

  “Yes, I am.” I grinned, totally enjoying being a nuisance to her. “It’s not my fault the chemicals made me sneeze and it scared you.”

  She glowered at me. “You left the link open between us. I screamed out loud in the middle of class!”

  Uncontrolled laughter bubbled from inside me at the memory. “Saying you saw a spider was pure genius, though. I’ve never heard so many girls yelp all at once. You successfully directed the attention away from yourself and the school will probably have an exterminator in by morning.”

  She rolled her eyes. “No thanks to you. You’re not even a bit repentant, are you?”

  I shook my head. “Not even a little. So, can I come get you at seven tonight?”

  “I’ll count the minutes until then,” she replied with a smile.

  “Good.” I leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the lips. I was extremely nervous about tonight, but very excited for it too. Hopefully she would feel the same when all was said and done.

  Borrowing Marsha’s car to set things up for the evening had been the right thing to do. I glanced around, surveying my handiwork, declaring everything ready to go before trekking back to the car. This was something I’d never considered doing before; but when I’d stumbled across something similar online in my research of the connection between me and Portia, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do. Immediately, I’d set out to writing a spell that would fit the two of us personally, and, while I was nervous about it, I was also extremely excited to share this with her.

  My cell phone went off when I drove into text range. I glanced down, seeing it was from Laramie Jackson, telling me the custom wheel designs I’d ordered for Bruce’s motorcycle were ready. Perfect! I was near his location now, and I could swing by to get them.

  Slowly finagling my way through the groups of people crossing the road, I finally managed to find a parking spot that wasn’t too far away from the store. Stepping on the sidewalk, I hurried along, only to find my attention diverted as I glanced in the window of a jewelry store.

  A beautiful diamond ring caught my eye, and instantly I knew I had to get it for Portia. The voice of reason inside my head argued with me, telling me it was way too soon to be thinking of getting this; but my heart—that part of me that had to have her—screamed this was her ring and I had to buy it.

  “Can I help you?” a pretty, petite saleswoman standing near the doorway asked me with a smile as I entered.

  “I’ve got this, Jeanette,” a woman behind the counter spoke sharply, narrowing her eyes a bit as she glanced at my plain t-shirt and holey jeans.

  “Yes. I’d like to purchase the ring you have on display in the center of the window.” I shoved my hands into my pocket.

  She glanced that direction, but made no sign of moving to get it. “Are you sure?” She gave me a condescending smile. “That ring is pretty expensive.”

  I found myself getting slightly irritated. “Well, unless it’s more than a million dollars, money shouldn’t be an issue.” I could be bitchy too.

  Her eyes widened and she immediately glanced over my shoulder. “Jeanette! Get that ring, please.”

  Jeanette hurried to do as she’d been told, quickly retrieving it. “This ring is pretty small. Do you know what size you need?” She held the box out for me.

  Carefully lifting the ring, I observed it closely. “My girlfriend has very thin fingers. I think this ought to be okay for her. If not we can get it resized. The style is perfect.”

  “You have very good taste,” Jeanette said, smiling again.

  The woman behind the counter glared at Jeanette. “You can continue with inventory. I’ll take care of this sale.” Turning to me she briskly continued. “Very well. Are you ready to check out then?”

  I didn’t like this lady, and I was certain she was trying to steal the sales commission from the other shop girl. “No. Show me what you have in the way of diamond earrings.”

  Her face lit up even more, confirming my suspicions. “Certainly. Right this way. We have a whole tray of diamond studs. The price will go higher based on clarity, of course.” She led me farther down the glass case.

  Glancing at the items, I didn’t really see anything that stood out. I wanted something really special. “Hmmm. I don’t know. These are kind of small. Do you have anything bigger? And don’t waste your time with bad clarity.”

  “Well, we do have this tray of nice champagne earrings right here, but they’re pretty expensive.” She pointed to the next display.

  “Those are nice. Which pair would you pick?” I asked.

  She smiled haughtily. “I’d pick this one.” She pointed to a very sparkly set showcased in the middle. “I’ve had my eye on them for a while. They’d look perfect with a dress I’m wearing to a business party.”

  “That’s great. I’ll take them.”

  “But I didn’t tell you the price.”

  “I don’t need to know the price. I said I’d take them.” I stared coolly at her.

  “Yes, sir.” Now she was going to be polite.

  She carefully wrapped bo
th purchases nicely in their boxes and rang them up. I handed her my card and she asked to see my ID. “I hope your girlfriend knows how lucky she is,” she said as she handed the card back to me.

  “She does,” I replied as she tucked the receipt into my bag and gave it to me.

  “Have a nice day,” she said sweetly.

  “I will.” Turning, I found Jeanette watching us with a disappointed look on her face. I reached into my bag and pulled out the earrings. “These are for you, Jeanette. You may do whatever you want with them. Thanks for your help today.”

  Her eyes widened as she stared at the gift in her hand, obviously speechless. Leaving the store without glancing back, I still heard the indignant gasp of the woman behind the counter.

  “Thank you!” Jeanette called after me.

  Day made. Smiling, I continued down the sidewalk to Laramie’s shop.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Journal Entry:

  It’s time. Now that I have it all ready to go, I’m second-guessing myself. Definitely holding off on giving her the ring I purchased today. That would scare her for sure. But I think everything else will be good. If not, I’m about to find out. I don’t think girls realize that guys get nervous about all this stuff too.

  ***

  “Hi.” She answered the door with a soft smile and, for a moment, I forgot to breathe. Unable to speak, I let my eyes travel over her, taking in her prettily fixed hair and the purple and black shirt she wore. It brought out her dark eyes as well as the deep color of her hair, not to mention the magical amulet that always hung from her neck. A blush spread across her face at my blatant stare of appreciation.

  “You look great!” I held a hand out and she took it, allowing me to pull her next to me. Immediately, I sought her lips, feeling the temperature instantly ignite between us. I didn’t care. I continued to kiss her until we both had to stop and catch our breath. “Sorry,” I apologized, not really meaning it, as I raked my fingers through my hair, attempting to cool my raging hormones.

  “No apology needed,” she replied with a smile. “I enjoyed it.”

  I believed her. There was no way I could miss the desire coursing through her body in reaction to mine. “Me too. A little too much, I think. Kissing you is like a drug. One I can’t get enough of,” I added seriously. “Sometimes it scares me.”

  “Why?” she asked, appearing surprised by the admission.

  Taking a step closer, I cupped her cheek in my palm, I decided it was better to warn her now and let her ponder on what I had to say. “Because, I could allow myself to lose control so easily.” There was no doubt in my mind that she was still a virgin. Her thoughts had proved that on many occasions, but we needed to be careful if we were going to keep things that way. I was still determined not to cross certain lines.

  We stood staring at each other for a moment, before I took her hand and led her out to my motorcycle. Marsha would’ve let me take the car tonight, but I selfishly wanted Portia hanging onto me tightly. I loved having her ride with me. Offering her my helmet, she surprised me when she shook her head.

  “It’ll ruin my hair,” she complained.

  “Better messy hair than a broken head.” I pushed the helmet toward her again. Her safety was my number one priority. There was no way I’d put her at risk, even if I was making her grumble as she begrudgingly took it. Besides, I knew she simply wanted to look nice for me, and I thought she looked gorgeous all the time.

  All of my thoughts drifted away, though, when she climbed on and slipped her arms around me. The tension left my body and I felt more relaxed than I had for hours. Turning, I drove toward Oak Creek, leaning heavily into the twists and turns as we made our way up the canyon. We parked in my usual spot and I helped her remove the helmet, leaving it on the seat and taking her hand once more.

  “Let’s go.”

  The sun had sunk beyond the horizon, but there was still the smallest bit of dusky light as we made our way through the dense foliage. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the pillar candles I’d left their earlier, commanding the wicks to burst into flame and activating the levitation magic that would make them float at different levels in the air.

  As we stepped through the trees onto the flat rock, I heard her gasp. The candles, of all sizes and varieties, formed a large circle around a small table with several magical items I’d set up there. Casting a soft glow on the stone and into the space around us, it did appear quite impressive.

  “This is beautiful!” she said, the light catching her eyes as they flickered, wide with wonder.

  “I need to ask you something important,” I said, plunging right in when we reached the edge of the circle, before my anxiety could rise any higher.

  “Okay.” Nervousness poured off of her in waves, clearly signifying she understood something important was about to happen here.

  Taking both her hands in mine, I faced her, searching her eyes as I spoke the words that were constantly tumbling about in my heart. “Portia, I love you.”

  She nodded, lifting a hand to my chest and resting it there softly, her fingers stroking against the fabric of my shirt. “I know you do. I can feel it.”

  I loved having this kind of connection with her. It only served as proof of the truth between us. There was no guessing—we could actually feel each other.

  “I've loved you for a long time, even though you didn’t know it. During that time, I became very good at reading you and your emotions, so I’m aware of your feelings toward me.”

  She nodded again, speaking softly. “You know I love you with every fiber of my being.”

  “Yes, I do.” Needing to touch her, I ran my cupped hand down the side of her cheek. “And I can’t stop being awed by it.”

  She nuzzled into it, closing her eyes for a moment, and I took a moment to stare at this gorgeous creature in front of me. Perfection couldn’t have taken a better form as far as I was concerned.

  “This is happening really fast,” I said.

  Her eyes popped open and she straightened her head so quickly I was surprised she didn’t snap it. “Not too fast for me. I may be new to all of this, but it doesn't mean my feelings are any less real.”

  Chuckling, I placed a finger on her lips to quiet her. She had no idea how much her protest warmed me. It was exactly the sort of response I’d been hoping for from her. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m not asking you to slow things down. I’m asking you to speed things up.”

  “Speed things up?” Her eyes searched mine, looking for answers.

  “Portia, I know this is all new to you—magic, covens, and even me—but I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Two years to be exact. I’ve known from the beginning, since the first day I connected with your feelings, you were the one for me. I started viewing you as my friend, my partner, even my soul mate, for lack of a better term. It may seem strange for me to say I loved you before you knew me. I understand how crazy all this must seem to you.” I wished I knew a better way to describe things—words seemed so limited.

  She shook her head. “It’s not crazy. There’s something that feels complete when I’m with you.”

  She understood and it made me smile. I was pretty sure it would never cease to awe me. “I know, huh?” Brushing my fingers across her pretty lips, I continued. “It’s amazing, and it’s what brings me to this moment. My desire is to be with you for—well, forever. Under normal circumstances, two people would get married. However, you’re sixteen and I’m eighteen. I think most of society, including your parents, would probably frown on such a union right now.” The diamond ring was in my pocket, even though I knew it would stay there, for now.

  “I agree,” she responded getting a wispy far away look in her eyes. Her thoughts suggested she wasn’t opposed to the idea at all, but I pulled away from them, giving her some privacy.

  “I guess I thought this would be the next best thing.” I gestured to the candlelit scene behind me that was waiting for us. “It’s a binding ceremony, which is a
very special ritual that’ll seal two souls together.”

  She didn’t speak, only stared, and suddenly I wondered if I’d made an error in judgment. My temperature spiked as worry coursed through me.

  “If I’m misreading you or moving too fast, just tell me, and we can table this discussion for later.” I shifted my weight nervously, grasping for any straw that might help her to understand. “I’m more than slightly neurotic when it comes to loved ones, I’m afraid. Losing my family tends to make me feel a little desperate about wanting you. Having you in my life is the closest thing I’ve had to real family in a long time. I want you to be my family.”

  Smiling, she grabbed me, hugging me tightly. “We don’t need to table this for later, Vance,” she said, her voice cracking a bit as she rushed to reassure me. “I would be honored to be included in your family.”

  Gently, I pushed her away so I could see her face. “Then answer me this. Do you, Portia Mullins, consent of your own free will to join with me in a binding ceremony that will hold our hearts together from this time forward? And will you do it with the intent that, when the time is appropriate, we’ll be married—bound together by the laws of both God and man?” I held my breath in anticipation of her answer.

  She blushed furiously from head to toe. “Yes, Vance. I will consent to this binding.”

  Relief and pleasure infused me and I waved at the candles, parting them and guiding her inside the circle they created, closing them behind us.

  Leading her to the right side of the waist-high table, I took my place on the left and lifted two large red roses in full bloom. I handed one to her and kept the other. Slowly, I peeled the rose petals away one by one, placing them in the crystal dish on the table. Motioning for her to do the same, I watched as she followed me. This was really going to happen. We were working the spell together.

  “These red rose petals signify the passion of our love,” I said, beginning the ritual I’d written. “As we mix these petals together, our hearts will become as one.” We layered them together until there were no more left on the stems.