Sinfully Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 1) Read online

  Sinfully

  Spellbound

  ~~~

  Cassandra Lawson

  Copyright ©2016 Cassandra Lawson

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Image © Fotolia/Honored

  Proofreading by Kendra’s Editing and Book Services

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters and events are creations of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by federal law enforcement agencies and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Also by Cassandra Lawson

  Moon Virus Series

  Raven’s Blood (Book 1)

  Embrace the Heat (Book 2)

  Seducing Death (Book 3)

  Shattered Restraint (Book 4)

  Psy-Vamp Series

  Vampires and Vixens (Book 1)

  Safe Hex With a Vampire (Book 2)

  Vampires Prefer Blondes (Book 3)

  The Vampire Will See You Now (Book 4)

  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank my fabulous beta readers who give me invaluable feedback. Thank you Amber, Kari, Levenia, and Ria. You ladies are beyond awesome. I also want to thank Levenia and Kari for putting up with my endless changes during the cover design process. As an author, I rely heavily on bloggers and readers. You are all wonderful, and I appreciate your support.

  Table of Contents

  Also by Cassandra Lawson

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Shamelessly Spellbound

  Author’s Note

  About The Author

  Prologue

  The Hunter

  You never really forget your first kill. Though it had been many decades, I could still hear her screams when I closed my eyes, and that memory was enough to arouse me to the point of pain. It hadn’t been my intention to kill that first one, but it had been a different time, when humans were considered disposable. In all honesty, we’d considered other preternatural creatures to be disposable, too. To survive, you had to kill or be killed. Luckily, I’d been blessed with the ability to find pleasure in killing.

  Reaching a hand down to my uncomfortably tight pants, I stroked my erection through the fabric, enjoying the memory and the anticipation of what was to come. Thoughts of killing have always had this effect on me. While many masturbated, fantasizing about sex, I could only get myself off thinking about the agonized screams of those unlucky enough to die at my hands. Sadly, there weren’t many recent memories for me to savor.

  While the laws of the preternatural community gave us some protection, they also bound all preternatural beings by asinine rules that required us to act more human. Sure, it was nice not worrying constantly about someone trying to kill me, but it limited my ability to find real pleasure.

  Forcing my mind from thoughts of past kills and preternatural laws, I considered what I’d learned earlier today. There had always been rumors of something like this being possible, but I’d never heard of anyone actually doing it. The prospect was exciting for many reasons. Aside from the kill, there was the challenge involved.

  Grabbing my phone, I focused on the important business at hand. The phone rang only once before he answered—no surprise, since I suspected the person I was calling had been waiting anxiously for my reply. Each of us had our own reasons for considering this partnership.

  “Have you decided?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t care one way or another.

  “Before I agree to anything, there are a few requirements that must be met,” I began.

  There was a long pause, and I could picture him struggling with his temper. One thing we had in common was that neither of us liked losing control, a fact that would make this all the more fun because he needed me, which put me in a position of power. Sure, I needed him, as well, but I wasn’t as desperate.

  “What requirements?” he snapped impatiently.

  “You’ll have to do some of the hunting,” I said. “I’m not going to be the only one risking my ass for this little scheme.”

  “Are you saying you’re afraid you’ll ruin your manicure if you do all the killing?” he mocked.

  “Listen, asshole, you need me, not the other way around, so I suggest you stop acting like a prick about the whole thing. I’m not your fucking employee. Got it?” My voice remained calm, which was a struggle when dealing with this bastard. The sooner he learned respect, the better it would be for both of us.

  “Fine, I’ll do some of the hunting,” he agreed in a bored tone.

  “Don’t worry,” I assured him with a grin that I couldn’t hold back. “I’ll take the first one. Tomorrow night, we’ll have our first succubus.”

  “Don’t forget the timeline,” he warned.

  “Just worry about your end and set up the ritual room,” I said before ending the call. The new moon cycle started tomorrow, and I was going to mark it with a satisfying kill.

  Chapter One

  Dylan

  Lunch with Trevor was proving to be a major pain in the ass, which wasn’t exactly a surprise since he’d been getting on my nerves all day. The decision to ask him to join me for lunch had not been one of my best. Yes, it had been my mother’s idea, but I should have found a way out of it as soon as Trevor started pushing me to go to the party at his house tonight. While I’d grown out of parties and clubs, Trevor hadn’t. In fact, today, he was determined to talk me into reliving
our early twenties, which had involved me doing plenty of stupid shit I’d rather not remember.

  How Trevor managed it, I had no clue. We were both successful preternatural attorneys with our own firm—an impressive accomplishment for two warlocks in our early thirties. That success was owed largely to the hard work we put into building a name for our firm. We both worked long hours, but Trevor, apparently, didn’t need as much sleep as I did.

  “Why are we in this crappy hole in the wall?” Trevor asked testily after responding to the fifth text message he’d received since leaving the office, and that’s when I caught on to what was really going on with Trevor today. He was having witch problems—again. I decided it was best to change the subject to the reason we were at this little sandwich shop today—my mother’s desire to see me settle down with a nice witch. That was probably the best way to keep Trevor from bemoaning the tragedy that was his love life.

  “My mom insisted we come here for lunch,” I reminded him.

  Trevor chuckled. “That’s right! Guess there must be some poor little witch working here your mother wants you to meet, and you’re not going to give her a chance, are you?”

  “You got that right,” I muttered. My mother’s sole mission in life was finding me a witch so I could give her grandchildren. Since my goal was the exact opposite, I didn’t get involved with witches, not even for casual affairs. I preferred to steer clear of all preternatural creatures because there always seemed to be issues, regardless of the species. It was also more likely to get back to my mother. One-night stands with humans had far fewer complications since the Council of Witches would seriously frown on my having any kind of long-term relationship with a human.

  “Why’d she want me here?” Trevor asked, looking at his phone again.

  I raised an eyebrow at his ridiculous question, and Trevor laughed. “Your mom is crazy,” he said with a shake of his head. “She knows I’m not in that field.”

  “But your family administers the affinity tests, so she thinks you’ll encourage me if you sense the witch is right for me,” I explained.

  “What is it with her getting you married off, anyway?” he asked. “Why not your brothers?”

  “That is a question I find myself asking all the time,” I said. “It seems she gave up on Asher and decided to focus on me.”

  “I’m surprised she’s not pushing Gray to find a nice warlock and get themselves a witch surrogate. And why not push Asher to find a witch? He’s fifty years older than you,” Trevor added.

  My brothers, Grayson and Asher, were both much older than I was, so it made sense that she’d be pushing them harder than me. I should say it made sense to everyone except her. Due to our age differences, I wasn’t close to my brothers. Trevor had always been more like a brother to me. We could easily pass for brothers; both of us had brown hair and stood at just over six feet tall. We ran together four times a week and used the weight room at the gym in our office building at least three times a week, so we were fit. There were differences—my eyes were blue while his were brown, and my face was more harsh lines and planes compared to Trevor’s—but not enough that people wouldn’t believe me if I said Trevor was my brother.

  “Oh, I’m sure she’s pushing Gray on that subject all the time. In fact, he’s complained about it at family dinners. As for Asher, my mom’s pretty much given up on him settling down.”

  Trevor checked his latest text message and muttered something I couldn’t make out before falling silent, which was a relief because I expected him to start grumbling about his witch at any moment.

  If we were here too much longer, I was going to risk my mother’s anger and leave. How long could it take to make sandwiches? We’d been here nearly fifteen minutes, and the line had barely moved.

  At least, the show outside the sandwich shop window was entertaining. It was just after noon, and the guy across the street had his girl pushed up against a wall while he kissed her. No, kiss wasn’t the right word for what he was doing to her mouth. He was ravaging her mouth, claiming her. That girl was going to have bruised lips when he finally released her. One hand was edging up under her shirt, and I had no shame watching them. I wasn’t the only voyeur enjoying the show they were putting on for everyone in downtown Oakland.

  “That’s the crazy kind of shit I’m always talking about,” Trevor said, pulling my attention from the PDA across the street. Listening to Trevor talk, no one would ever guess he was a successful lawyer, but he could act more like an adult when he wanted to.

  I stared at him with one raised eyebrow because I had no idea what he was talking about. Honestly, I’d only been half-listening to most of his complaints since we’d entered the shop because they were probably just repeats of the complaints from earlier that day. Once he started bitching about witches again, I started watching the couple fooling around outside and returned to ignoring him.

  “Are you even listening to me?” Trevor asked with a huff.

  “Seriously, don’t get all pissy on me, Trev. I’ve been too busy wondering how far that girl’s going to let him go before she puts the brakes on everything and leaves that poor guy with a massive case of blue balls.”

  “That’s the thing, she won’t put the brakes on things,” Trevor said.

  The look I gave him clearly conveyed my doubt in his assessment of the situation. Unless she was a sex demon of some kind, there was no way she’d let him go further with an audience.

  “Seriously, Dylan,” he said. “That’s Theresa, one of the legal aides from the law offices on the third floor.”

  “The ones who represent werewolves in pack disputes?” I asked. That was a booming business to be in, but very stressful. While we worked with some werewolves, we did not get involved in any pack disputes. If she was a werewolf, that might explain her being more daring with her mate.

  “Yeah, and that’s her husband with her. Both are human, and they do this shit all the time. I was tempted to complain to her boss when I caught them fucking in our copy room.”

  “Why didn’t you?” I asked.

  Trevor grinned. “And interrupt the show? I’m not that stupid. Theresa’s pretty fucking hot, and this has made my Wednesdays much more interesting.”

  “Now I know where you disappear to every Wednesday afternoon,” I said with a chuckle.

  He shrugged. “It seems unfair to ask our assistants to make copies for us when they’re already busy.”

  “How very kind of you.” I returned my attention to the couple outside.

  “How the fuck are they still hot for each other when they’re married?” Trevor continued. “I can’t even fathom staying interested in the same woman for a month, let alone years. Don’t get me wrong—unlike you, I’d love to find the right witch to settle down with, but it seems impossible.”

  “How long have you been seeing Cheryl?” I asked, because I knew that’s what Trevor wanted to talk about, even if I didn’t want to hear about Trevor’s ongoing witch problems.

  “Lindsey,” he corrected. “And you’re an asshole because I’ve been complaining about her since we left the office, yet you still can’t remember her name.”

  “Sorry, man.” I genuinely felt like a prick for tuning out my best friend. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “I swear I’m going to have to fake my own death to get rid of this witch,” Trevor said in an overly dramatic tone.

  “You’ve only been going out about two weeks,” I reminded him, even though two weeks tended to be Trevor’s limit with women. It’s not that he wasn’t looking for more; Trevor just tended to fall in love far too quickly—before he really knew the woman.

  “That’s about one week too long,” he complained. “The girl is already way too clingy and wants to know where I am every second of the day. When I told her I couldn’t meet her for lunch today, she lost it. Literally—screaming voicemails accusing me of cheating—lost it. Two days ago, I told her things just weren’t going to work between us, so I don’t see how I could
be cheating. No matter how many times I tell her we broke up, she just says we need more time to work things out. Seriously, why can’t there be more women like Allie?”

  This was the fourth time Trevor had brought up the mysterious Allie since we’d left the office for lunch today. He’d been bringing her up on and off for about a month, and I figured she’d end up on his crazy ex list eventually, but he just kept insisting he’d never date Allie. He had yet to say anything negative about the woman, so I couldn’t figure out what to make of it. I’d yet to meet her, and I was beginning to wonder if there was more to her story than Trevor had let on. “Are you sure you don’t have a thing for this Allie girl? Did she turn you down and now you’ve put her up on some pedestal?”

  Trevor laughed. “Are you fucking kidding me? Allie’s like one of the guys. We can just hang out and talk. She doesn’t even get offended when I talk about sex. There is no way I’d want to mess that up.”

  “How long have you known this girl?” I asked.

  Trevor thought for a moment. “We reconnected about a month ago, but I didn’t really know her very well before that.”

  Apparently, I wasn’t going to get more explanation about how he’d met Allie. “And you really don’t want to fuck her?”

  “Like I said, Allie’s nice, but I’d never fuck around with her,” Trevor insisted.

  Translation—she’s not very attractive. Actually, she had to be pretty damn hard to look at for Trevor to say something like this. My friend might be an asshole, but he had an innate way of seeing the beauty in all women. It was part of his gift, or his curse depending on how you looked at it. The downside of Trevor’s power was that it meant he rarely met a witch he didn’t want to fuck, and it also meant he fell a little in love with the witches he fucked because he only saw the good at first.

  “You should come over and hang with us tonight.” Trevor tried once again to get me to go to his party.

  “Maybe,” I said noncommittally because I really didn’t want to go no matter how curious I was about Allie.

  “I’m beginning to think we aren’t really friends anymore,” Trevor complained with a pout.