Spellbound by Emmie Dark

never responded to her touches the way Nick did. Maybe she wasn’t as hopeless in bed as Tony made her think she was. Maybe the real Belle was the sexy, interesting person she felt she could be when Nick was around.
    She’d been like that before.
    Before Tony.
    Yes.
    The thoughts powered her, and her steps sped up as her mind raced.
    Her job – she was very good at that. And she had lots of friends. She always had a great time with them – except for when they went out to bars to pick up men. Her birthday last month had been fancy dress – she’d worn a ball gown she’d borrowed and gone as Cinderella – and the room had been filled with people, family and friends, all there to help her celebrate.
    And even though she wasn’t a very good witch, her mother and father loved her fiercely and seemed perfectly fine about the fact that they couldn’t boast about her achievements at the academy. In fact, they liked to boast about her job, about how she earned money in the human world, without the use of magic – enough to buy an expensive apartment and travel the world.
    Belle walked faster, her mind consumed with thoughts. The details of her surroundings blurred. The only outside sensation to penetrate was the strange heat that seemed to be growing between her breasts. Was it her imagination? The crystal actually seemed to be warming against her skin. It wasn’t surprising, given that she was all sweaty and hot.
    Now that Belle thought about it, her life was pretty good. The kind of life that a man should want to be part of. Be proud to be part of. Damn it, she was successful, and sexy, and not too bad looking, and a downright nice person! She gave money to charity, was a good friend, had plenty of interests and was smart enough to hold a decent conversation – but not so smart as she wasn’t prepared to learn from others. She was a catch , Goddess-dammit! A man would be lucky to have her!
    A man like Nick.
    She sighed.
    Why couldn’t she have him? Belle couldn’t think of a single good reason – apart from his utter distaste about her magical tendencies. Oh, and the fact that he thought she was a thief who’d cast a spell on him. But she could tell him she’d renounce witchcraft. She didn’t know if there was a way to do that, but if there was, she’d do it – for him. She just had to find the confidence to go after him again. All that was getting in the way was her own negative attitude about herself and this damn spell.
    ‘Ouch!’
    Belle stopped suddenly and scrabbled inside her T-shirt. The crystal had definitely begun to warm, but within seconds it was hot to the point of burning. She grabbed at the ribbon and lifted the rock out of her top, away from her skin.
    She held it up to the light, peering at it through the satin ribbon binding. It was still green, but something inside it was glowing. Something silvery and glittering. Belle touched a fingertip to it and then pulled away fast.
    ‘Hot,’ she muttered around the burnt finger she shoved into her mouth. ‘Really hot.’
    Why? And if this crystal had the ability to cause or prevent Nick from experiencing pain, what did that mean? A deep sense of worry grew in Belle’s stomach. She had to make sure he was okay.
    Belle half-ran, half-walked until she found a main road, pacing up and down until she managed to hail a cab. She sat in the back seat fidgeting until the taxi reached her apartment building and then, not willing to wait for the slow old lift, took the stairs two at a time until she was standing, breathing heavily, at Nick’s door. She knocked furiously, not letting up until Nick stood there, staring at her through the open door.
    Relief washed over Belle at the visible reassurance that Nick seemed to be perfectly all right. He took her breath away, as per usual, but this time Belle pushed all that aside.
    ‘Are you okay?’ she asked, puffing hard from her exertions.
    ‘I’m fine,’ he answered, before frowning at her. ‘Are you