Page 13 of Untraced Magic (Cutters Cove Witches #1)

“Everyone’s high on magic right now.” His ice-blue gaze swept between us.

“Ride it with caution.” He circled his glass in his hand again.

“Either way, it needs to be handled delicately. If she doesn’t know, we can’t make a scene.

If she does…” His voice trailed off, and I knew what he was getting at.

It was none of our business.

I didn’t know what to believe, but I couldn’t ignore the overwhelming need to protect her. If I was going to do this, I would look like the guy who didn’t want her but wanted no one else to have her either.

It was a lose-lose situation. And she’d probably hate me.

Colt straightened in his seat. “Remember, Ty, subtle.”

I nodded before downing the rest of my glass and lifting from the booth .

Approaching the bar through the swarm of people, a wash of unease nestled in my stomach. Morgan had her back toward me, and as I got closer, I eyed those same black jeans that no matter how much jerking off I did, still tortured my mind every evening.

I extended to my full height as I stepped toward the guy, stopping short of him a few paces. The vampire turned, sensing my presence, rising from his bar stool.

The weighted stares of Wes and Colt hit hard on my back as the stranger turned to me.

We stood face to face glaring at each other. All Morgan was to this vamp was prey. If he got his way, she’d end up beside a dumpster with two neat holes in her neck and lifeless eyes staring blankly into the distance.

I couldn’t let it happen.

I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Fuck off if you know what’s good for you,” I warned. He held my gaze, motionless save for the deadly narrowing of his eyes.

I was oblivious to the crowd, wild for the grungy beat resounding through the bar as they danced under the dull light flicking over the dance floor.

The ground beneath us tremored as if a train was passing close by, but I knew better.

His glare broke from mine, shifting over to where the guys sat back in the booth.

Colt’s magic vibrated off him, enough to serve as a warning but still remain discreet, the two of them locked in a standoff from afar.

Eventually the guy returned his attention back to me, taking a step closer in my direction until we stood chest to chest. I held my ground, and his head tilted to the side with a smirk. He grabbed his drink from the bar before disappearing into the crowd. I had a sinking feeling that he’d be back.

Seconds later, Morgan turned around, confusion blanketing her features. No doubt wondering where the leech had gone.

Leave it to me to burst her bubble.

“You need to stay away from that guy. He’s bad news.”

She grabbed at the edge of the bar, her arms spread wide. “Excuse me?” she scoffed in disbelief. A bitterness drenched her tone, as if she knew I was the reason the parasite had fucked off.

“You need to stay clear of him,” I repeated.

She folded her arms across her chest. “And why is that, exactly?” Morgan demanded.

I wished I could give her an explanation, but what could I say? The guy’s a vampire and wants to drain your body of blood? Good luck with that one.

My lips thinned. “I can’t explain. I just need you to trust me.”

“So you keep saying.” She rolled her eyes.

“Please, Morgan,” I pleaded over the thumping music of the bar, needing her to listen. Begging her.

“Are you serious right now?” She took my silence as confirmation, shaking her head. “You are, aren’t you?”

I hated how every second of this was playing out, but there was no alternative. I couldn’t just tell her about our kinds . Reid chose that moment to appear from the kitchen, and he stopped short under the door frame, spotting our hostility .

Morgan continued. “How dare you have the audacity to demand who I can and cannot talk to. I can’t believe you!”

“Morgan…” I started, but she turned her back on me, storming off to the opposite side of the bar, every movement sharp, agitated.

I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this. The venom on her tongue cut deep, like my own self-inflicted poison. If only she knew my true intentions. I only wanted to protect her. People like us, the supernatural in this town? Most were dangerous.

Especially that bloodsucking vamp.

Look at me , I willed her. See it in my eyes .

But she didn’t, huffing her way through her next few rounds of drinks like she was about to blow her lid.

Reid caught my eye, stifling an amused look.

Fair enough. If I was honest with myself, I’d probably react the same way. Rage pumped through my veins, having to play the bad guy, but I couldn’t let her get killed. The least I could do was make sure that creep didn’t come near her for the rest of the night.

I didn’t leave my seat at the bar and found her blatant ignorance of my company irritating. I was just trying to fucking help.

Then everything changed.

Everything I thought I knew flipped on its axis and threw me a giant told you so .

Morgan went to pick up an empty glass off the bar, but before her hands connected with it, it flew off the counter, shattering as it hit the ground.

A wave of magic slammed into the room, knocking me off my stool to the floor. I quickly rose to my feet, noting couches upturned and people scarpering in every direction, unsure what had happened.

Holy. Fuck.

My attention moved back to Morgan, who stood anchored in place as if her life depended on it, her mouth agape. Time stood still as I tried to comprehend what I’d just seen.

My heart thumped in my chest as if clawing its way from within me to find her. Speechless, I stood paralyzed in the moment. Morgan took a step back, fear exploding from her irises as they landed on mine, speaking a thousand words without sounding a single one.

I attempted to say something, but my voice cracked in my throat.

Then she ran.

“Morgan!” I finally yelled, but she was already gone.

Those tight black jeans fleeing out the back door of the bar at a pace worthy of a goddamn Olympic medal.

Instinct hit me, and I sprinted around the side of the bar, pushing past the chef, a crash of plates echoing behind me. Barreling through the back door, crisp air whipped my neck as sheets of rain pelted my face.

Then I saw her.

In the middle of the alley behind Jinxed, her silhouette was hunched over, her hands clutching her knees.

“Hey!” I yelled again.

Blind rage streaked through my veins as I strode up behind her, my hand clamping down hard on her shoulder.

She inhaled a deep breath as I spun her towards me .

“What the hell was that?” I yelled as the rain soaked our hair, dripping down our faces.

Wrenching my arm off her, she cried out, “Leave me alone! I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her trembling form retreated to a nearby doorstep, hardly a shelter against the elements.

Was Wes right all along? If he couldn’t sense her, what the fuck was she?

When I paced over, she saw me following and inched back against the door like a deer stuck in headlights.

Like a little fucking doe caught where it shouldn’t be.

I closed the space between us until only inches separated our dampened frames, strategically placing my arms against the wall on either side of her shoulders.

I couldn’t underestimate this woman.

Was Morgan even her real name?

My eyes moved within inches of hers, two dark storms colliding. Dueling.

My voice dipped so low, I barely recognized it. “Who are you, and why can’t we sense you?” I seethed.

She glared at me, the bite in her stare fierce. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Back off, would you!”

She slammed her hands into my chest, but I wasn’t moving an inch. Not until I figured this thing out. Namely, what the fuck just happened.

She was a mess. A sexy-as-all-hell mess. Even when her hair clung to her cheeks in matted strands under the rain .

My finger lifted her chin until she stared directly up at me, and I felt the moment her breath hiked, when an undeniable heat fell between us. Our lips tasted the same air. Our breath found the same rhythm. It took every ounce of my being not to punish her lips with mine.

I lowered my voice further, needing her to know how serious I was. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, little doe.”

Her dark orbs went wide, igniting at the new pet name.

“I saw everything . The glass … I know it was you who did it.” I paused, lowering my voice even further. “So let me make this very clear. If you’re here to stir shit in Cutters Cove, you’ve picked the wrong town to fuck with.”

Her doe eyes widened at my accusation, but she couldn’t deny what happened.

She considered her next sentence carefully, lowering her voice to match mine. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I just don’t know what’s going on with me and how this is happening, so mind your own business.”

And that one sentence broke me.