Mystical Seduction: full-length sensual paranormal romance (The Protectors) by Dorothy McFalls

Oblique Café pushed
a cup of piping hot chocolate into Faith’s hands. If not for his tight grip on
her shoulders, Horace guessed Faith would have bolted out the door and had run
halfway back to campus by now. He could feel her muscles trembling underneath
his fingers.
    No matter how brave Faith appeared on the surface, Horace
could understand why she’d be skittish around Jake. With his gray goatee and
long face, he looked rather goat-like with some demon thrown in for good
measure. The battered old T-shirt, with “The Oblique Café” printed across the
chest didn’t make the best impression, either.
    But Faith didn’t seem to be interested in Jake or the rest
of the Protectors crowded in the rather narrow brick walled café. Her
wide-eyed gaze remained glued on the rich cup of hot chocolate.
    Hot chocolate, the drink Jake served all the New Ones, the
foundlings who are just coming into their powers, had soothed many jittery
nerves throughout the years. But Faith wasn’t a New One, which probably made
the shock of discovering The Oblique Café all the more sharp. She clutched the
white ceramic cup as if it were a lifeline.
    “Go ahead and take a sip,” Horace said gently. “Jake uses
the best chocolates imported from the far corners of the world. I guarantee
you’ve never tasted anything this rich before.”
    She slowly raised the cup to her lips. And after breathing
in the rich aromas that even made his mouth water, she took a tentative sip.
And then, another.
    “Hmmm…” Her voice wavered. “This-this is good. Like a rich
dark chocolate bar. I’ve never tasted anything like this before. Thank you.”
    Jake gave her a toothy grin. “Glad to hear it. You’re the
first human to ever taste it. I wasn’t sure if it would suit your palate or
not.”
    “What is a human doing here?” Kara had shouted that
question. Her short brown hair bounced with agitation. “The rules explicitly
state that no human know about us.”
    Kara had once set her sights on Brendan, but that had been
before Dallas had come into the picture. Ever since Brendan and Dallas’s wedding,
Kara had been dropping not-so-subtle hints that she now wanted to hook up with
Horace. Even if he’d been tempted, which he wasn’t, his pride would have never
accepted being someone’s second choice.
    “Meet the Protectors ,” Horace said, figuring it best to
ignore Kara. “We’re…we’re…”
    How should he explain what he didn’t understand himself?
    Faith glanced uneasily up at him. “V-vampires?”
    That made him chuckle. “No, sweet. Not vampires.”
    “I-I just thought…You’ve been biting me!”
    Brendan, with a devilish sparkle in his eyes, snuggled up to
Faith. “I bet he has been.” He pried one of Faith’s hands from the mug she clutched
and caressed her knuckles. “I’m Brendan Cromerty. And Horace’s best friend.”
    “And married,” Horace quickly added. He snatched Faith’s
hand away from Brendan’s caressing fingers.
    “So…” Faith drew out the word. She took another sip of her
drink. Horace had to give Jake credit for giving her the hot chocolate. The
soothing flavors did seem to bolster her courage. “If not vampires, what are
you? The Protectors ? That makes you sound if as you should be gathering
at the Hall of Justice with the other superheroes.”
    “I like her spunk,” Brendan said with a bright grin.
    Faith smiled back, sending a spurt of jealousy roiling
through Horace’s chest. Damn . She wasn’t his to be jealous over.
    All the same, Brendan was married. He shouldn’t be
flirting with anyone. Horace glanced around, searching for Dallas. She stood
nearby. And she didn’t look concerned or jealous at all.
    “I’ve been telling them all along that they need to make a
handbook for moments like this. With lots of visuals. Stone won’t listen to me,”
Dallas said with a huff. “We’re not quite human. And we have special powers.
I’m sure you’ve already figured that out,