didn’t make sense that he would ask her – a mere human – for such a simple thing. “If sanctuary is what you require than I will offer sanctuary.”
He leaned back against the cushions, the smile returning to his full lips, softening his expression. His hazel eyes twinkled once more as he got back to the business at hand. “Good; now let’s see. Protection from a memory spell…. Can you give me any specific information? How was it cast, its effectiveness,” he paused. Catching her eyes with his, he grinned, “Who cast it?”
“His name is Armand,” she answered dumbly, noticing the slightest flash of something in the man’s hazel eyes.
“Do you know why he cast it?”
“Um, to keep me away from his brother?” Melanie cringed as she heard the question in her voice.
“Last night’s sex partner,” he said; it was not a question.
Her blush was so hot it was almost painful and Melanie was pretty sure that her cheeks were going to be red permanently. At least she no longer had to worry about freezing to death on the way home; she doubted even the sub-zero wind-chill was going to do much to quell the heat in her face.
“Er, last night, before anything, uh, happened, he told me to forget,” she explained, wondering why she was being to open with a complete stranger. Maybe he cast a blabbing spell on her and she was doomed to spill all of her secrets. She should stop talking and yet despite her resolve to shut up, she continued, “It didn’t seem to work, which I think surprised him. Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize he was trying to mess with my memory. That didn’t happen until three o’clock this morning.”
“What happened at three o’clock this morning?” he asked.
She clamped her lips together but it wasn’t enough to stop the explanation from coming out. “He… he came to my bed, only he was in a sort of mist form so I don’t think he realized he had the wrong girl.”
Omari popped the one eyebrow again and Melanie felt obliged to explain. “It was kind of sexual in nature, not me and my friend but the spell, and I was able to recognize his voice. And when I actually paid attention to his words he was telling me – er, my friend – to forget everything about him and his brothers.”
“You said sexual?” he asked, impossibly even more intrigued.
“Well, yes,” she nodded, moistening her lips with her tongue. She tried, she really did, to stop her ramblings but she just couldn’t. It didn’t matter that her cheeks were most likely glowing in mortification. “My friend stripped down to her bare skin and, um, well, yeah. It was sexual.”
Thank God she was able to stop herself from telling him exactly what it was her friend did and with what she did it. Unfortunately, Omari seemed to understand without her having to say it out loud, which was just as embarrassing. Lowering her lashes, she asked, “So, can you help me?”
“I have a charm that will shield you from a variety of… mischief, spells included,” he told her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a long, silver chain with a small, flat disc attached. He held it out and she could see that what appeared to be a simple piece of metal actually contained a small, pale green stone, surrounded by letters in a foreign language. It was exquisite.
She lifted her eyes to his, and in a soft, reverent voice, asked, “What does it say?”
Leaning forward, he clasped it around her neck and she absently realized that the smell of freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon was coming from him. She swallowed as he let his fingers move down the chain to the pendant as it lay between her breasts. Even through her clothes she could feel the energy pulsing from the piece of jewelry. Unless that was Omari.
“Basically, it says, ‘Protect the wearer of this charm against all harm,’” he said, his voice
He leaned back against the cushions, the smile returning to his full lips, softening his expression. His hazel eyes twinkled once more as he got back to the business at hand. “Good; now let’s see. Protection from a memory spell…. Can you give me any specific information? How was it cast, its effectiveness,” he paused. Catching her eyes with his, he grinned, “Who cast it?”
“His name is Armand,” she answered dumbly, noticing the slightest flash of something in the man’s hazel eyes.
“Do you know why he cast it?”
“Um, to keep me away from his brother?” Melanie cringed as she heard the question in her voice.
“Last night’s sex partner,” he said; it was not a question.
Her blush was so hot it was almost painful and Melanie was pretty sure that her cheeks were going to be red permanently. At least she no longer had to worry about freezing to death on the way home; she doubted even the sub-zero wind-chill was going to do much to quell the heat in her face.
“Er, last night, before anything, uh, happened, he told me to forget,” she explained, wondering why she was being to open with a complete stranger. Maybe he cast a blabbing spell on her and she was doomed to spill all of her secrets. She should stop talking and yet despite her resolve to shut up, she continued, “It didn’t seem to work, which I think surprised him. Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize he was trying to mess with my memory. That didn’t happen until three o’clock this morning.”
“What happened at three o’clock this morning?” he asked.
She clamped her lips together but it wasn’t enough to stop the explanation from coming out. “He… he came to my bed, only he was in a sort of mist form so I don’t think he realized he had the wrong girl.”
Omari popped the one eyebrow again and Melanie felt obliged to explain. “It was kind of sexual in nature, not me and my friend but the spell, and I was able to recognize his voice. And when I actually paid attention to his words he was telling me – er, my friend – to forget everything about him and his brothers.”
“You said sexual?” he asked, impossibly even more intrigued.
“Well, yes,” she nodded, moistening her lips with her tongue. She tried, she really did, to stop her ramblings but she just couldn’t. It didn’t matter that her cheeks were most likely glowing in mortification. “My friend stripped down to her bare skin and, um, well, yeah. It was sexual.”
Thank God she was able to stop herself from telling him exactly what it was her friend did and with what she did it. Unfortunately, Omari seemed to understand without her having to say it out loud, which was just as embarrassing. Lowering her lashes, she asked, “So, can you help me?”
“I have a charm that will shield you from a variety of… mischief, spells included,” he told her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a long, silver chain with a small, flat disc attached. He held it out and she could see that what appeared to be a simple piece of metal actually contained a small, pale green stone, surrounded by letters in a foreign language. It was exquisite.
She lifted her eyes to his, and in a soft, reverent voice, asked, “What does it say?”
Leaning forward, he clasped it around her neck and she absently realized that the smell of freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon was coming from him. She swallowed as he let his fingers move down the chain to the pendant as it lay between her breasts. Even through her clothes she could feel the energy pulsing from the piece of jewelry. Unless that was Omari.
“Basically, it says, ‘Protect the wearer of this charm against all harm,’” he said, his voice
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