Page 32 of Cursed (Witchbane #8)

“Let us know if any of your other witches are in the Charleston area,” Teag said to Kinsley as he and Rowan headed back to where they were staying. “We’re happy to help in person if we can, and always with lore and research.”

“Thank you,” Seth told their friends as they shook hands. “And if you need anything we’ve researched, just call.”

Pax and Tony slipped away next, clearly lost in each other and ready to celebrate their engagement. Before they headed out, they thanked Nash and Caden, then hugged Seth and Evan. After that, Kinsley and Tristan said farewell.

“Don’t be strangers,” Kinsley told Seth and Evan, and Tristan nodded his agreement. “Call us if we can help.”

“Guess we’ve closed the party,” Seth joked as he and Evan went to say goodbye to Caden and Nash. “You were both awesome wingmen. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“You seem to have eliminating crazy witches down to a science,” Caden said. “I’m grateful for anything that makes Savannah a safer place to live. We’ve got one less serial killer because of you. That makes me a very happy cop.”

Seth and Evan agreed to stay in touch with Caden and Nash and then drove back to where the RV was parked. Seth couldn’t help thinking about the commitment Pax and Tony made, and how much he wanted the same with Evan.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Evan said as they walked into the travel trailer.

As soon as Seth locked the door behind them, he pulled Evan into his arms and kissed him deep and slow.

“Okay,” Evan said, drawing the word out when they drew back. “I kinda figured that was on the menu for tonight…”

“When all this is over, do you want to get married?” Seth blurted and found himself holding his breath.

He watched a range of expressions cross Evan’s face as he processed the question. “Married?”

“Not right now maybe or until we finish the job,” Seth hurried to clarify. “But in the end, when we’re done, we talked about settling down somewhere. Getting a real house. Not chasing monsters anymore. That’s when we could, you know, make it official.”

“Did you just ask me to marry you?” Evan’s lips flirted with a sexy smile.

“I guess so. If you want to. Yes.” Seth didn’t expect his heart to beat like he was facing down a rampaging dark witch.

“Yes. Definitely yes.” Evan threw his arms around Seth and kissed him breathless. “I didn’t know whether you were holding back until we were done with the disciples, or just not the marrying kind,” Evan said.

Seth chuckled. “And here I was, worried that you’d have all kinds of reasons to wait even just to get engaged.” He sobered. “I just worked up the nerve seeing Pax and Tony tonight. I don’t have rings yet. Sorry.”

Evan leaned in for another kiss that went straight to Seth’s cock. “We’ve got plenty of time for that. Why don’t we go seal the deal the old-fashioned way by fucking like bunnies?”

“You romantic devil, you,” Seth replied.

They shed their clothing before they got to the bedroom and fell onto the bed together, busy with lips and hands. Evan rolled them so Seth was on top, settling between his legs.

“Want to feel you as deep as you can go,” Evan murmured close to Seth’s ear. One hand tweaked Seth’s nipple while the other primed Seth’s stiff cock.

“Need to get you ready,” Seth replied, but Evan gave him a knowing grin.

“I kinda figured we’d get busy when we got home, so I put a plug in,” Evan told him. “I’m all ready for you.”

Seth grinned. “I like how you think.” He eased the plug out of Evan’s pert ass, slicked his own cock with lube, and shifted into position. Sliding into Evan’s hot, tight hole made Seth groan with pleasure.

“That’s it. Let me feel you,” Evan murmured, moving so Seth penetrated even deeper. “Make it so I feel you in the morning.”

Seth leaned down to plunder Evan’s mouth, kissing him deep and slow as he set up a rhythm with his hips. Evan held on tightly to Seth’s shoulders, letting his head fall back and baring his throat to Seth’s lips and tongue.

Every time Evan came near to climax, Seth changed the pace, drawing out their pleasure until Evan begged for release.

“Please, Seth. Please.”

Hearing his lover nearly incoherent with want pushed Seth over the edge. He pounded into Evan, drawing a groan as his fiancé’s whole form shook while ecstasy seized him.

They collapsed onto the mattress, sticky with sweat and come, breathing hard, and utterly spent.

“How about tomorrow, in between the other things, we look at rings?” Seth combed his fingers through Evan’s hair. “Maybe we’ll find the right ones and maybe not, but it could be fun to see what’s out there. And I like the idea of everyone knowing that you’re taken.”

Evan chuckled. “Gotta say, I like it too, and for you as well. Sure. This is Savannah, we might even find a shop that adds some magic to their jewelry.”

Seth wiped them off with his shirt. Despite having slept in that morning and taking the day easy, he knew the stress of the past week was still catching up with them.

“I’ll ask Nash about jewelers in the morning,” Seth promised and kissed him slow and gentle. “After round two.”

“Uh-huh,” Evan replied, sated and sleepy. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

They made good on another round before breakfast. Seth briefly fantasized about not leaving the bed at all, but he knew Evan was looking forward to the day’s plans, which started with breakfast sandwiches and coffee at a place Pax had recommended.

He pulled out his phone and brought up Nash’s number before texting.

Seth: Know a good jeweler in town? I just proposed to Evan.

Nash didn’t wait to text a reply, and Seth’s phone rang right away. “Congratulations! Was this planned or spur-of-the-moment?”

“A little of both,” Seth confessed as Evan snickered. “I’d been thinking about it for a while, but seeing Pax and Tony make the move made me realize that time goes by quickly.” He left unsaid that the danger in their lives made it unwise to take anything for granted.

Nash rattled off the names of a couple of jewelers. “Those are the ones we looked at when we got our rings. They’re all known for good quality and excellent service, so you won’t go wrong with any of them. It’s just a matter of where you find what you want.”

“Thank you,” Seth and Evan said almost in unison. “We’ll let you know if we find what we’re looking for.”

“Have fun, you crazy kids,” Nash joked. “Send pictures.”

“What do you want to do first?” Seth asked when he ended the call.

Evan checked the time. “It’s still probably a little early for shops to be open, but we’ve got tickets for the history and food tour at ten. That’ll give us a chance to stretch our legs and wake up a little, and it should take all morning and feed us lunch too.”

“You woke me up just fine.” Seth dropped his voice low. “I didn’t have any problem getting up .”

“No, you definitely didn’t.” Evan chuckled.

They joined fifteen other visitors for the walking tour, which led them down cobblestone streets and along avenues that looked unchanged since the city’s early days and heard about the historic locations they passed.

Along the way, they stopped in more than half a dozen storied restaurants to sample some of their most famous small plates and appetizers.

“I’m glad we’re walking because otherwise I’d be in a food coma,” Evan remarked.

When the tour ended, Seth and Evan realized they were close to the shops Nash had recommended.

“Ready?” He asked Evan. Happy as Seth was to actually be taking this step with his beloved, he still felt butterflies in his stomach.

“Absolutely,” Evan replied. The certainty in his voice stilled Seth’s concern. “Let’s do this!”

Seth had worried that he and Evan might not get a warm reception as two men looking for wedding rings for each other in a town so steeped in Southern tradition, but Nash’s recommendations soothed his concern.

At the first store, a bell over the door chimed when they walked in. Two clerks were busy with customers, but one looked up with a smile to greet them. “One of us will be with you very soon,” she said. “Please have a look around.”

The shop wasn’t a national chain, and the glass-and-wood cabinets that held the merchandise looked like they had been around for a long time. “They have nice stuff,” Evan commented as they walked around the showroom. They found the wedding rings and leaned in for a closer look.

“See anything you like?” Seth asked Evan.

“I guess I never realized there were so many to pick from,” Evan admitted. “My parents just had plain silver bands—I think they had the date engraved inside.”

Seth nodded. “My folks had gold bands, but they weren’t fancy, either. I guess I never really thought about there being any other choices.”

“Hello, gentlemen. Looking for something special? I’m Edie, and I’m happy to help you find the perfect rings,” the blond clerk told them as she joined them behind the counter.

“I’m Seth, and this is Evan. We just got engaged?—”

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you.” Seth gave Evan’s hand a reassuring squeeze below the counter level. “We’re just beginning to look at rings, so we don’t really know what the options are, but there seem like so many.”

Edie chuckled. “There are, but don’t let that put you off. There are a couple of basic choices and then variations within each type. Do you have your hearts set on a particular metal like gold, silver, or platinum?”

Seth looked to Evan, who shook his head. “We’re open to ideas,” Evan replied. “But we both work with our hands, so the rings should be durable and not easily damaged.”

Edie nodded. “Okay, that helps. Do you like a shiny finish or matte?”

“Probably matte,” Seth replied and Evan nodded. Seth figured they were both thinking that if they didn’t want to remove their rings before every encounter, they should avoid anything with enough gleam to give them away.

“Can we start with silver?” Seth asked, thinking about the metal’s protective qualities against the supernatural.