Page 18 of Untraced Magic (Cutters Cove Witches #1)

Tyler nodded beside me. “That would explain why you can’t sense her.”

Confusion crinkled my nose. “A spell? That’s insane. How did you possibly come up with that theory?” I questioned with a disbelieving scoff.

Wes remained unfazed by my skepticism, his arms folded across his chest. “Because I’m a sensory mage.”

I stared blankly at him.

He rushed out a frustrated breath. “My senses are heightened. Meaning I can sense magic through mind or touch, among other things.” He stilled, his attention fixed solely on me.

“The thing is, I tried to sense if you had a gift at the party and couldn’t feel your magic.

I thought you were human. That’s never happened before. ”

I passed my gaze around the group. “Why would someone cast a spell on me?”

Wes, who had been standing, sank to the floor. “ That is the question. But what I do know… is that dark magic has touched this locket.”

I threw my hands in the air. “Great! I find out I’m a witch, and already I’m downgraded to the bad kind. This is madness. I would never hurt anyone,” I insisted, exasperation filling my tone .

Tyler spoke from beside me, “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We just need to figure out what this locket has to do with everything. It was obviously left with you for a reason.”

Skye moved closer, her palm extending to the middle of the circle. “This symbol must have something to do with a coven, or a specific bloodline of witches. Maybe I can take it to the library and see if I can find anything about it. Just let me get a photo.”

I nodded, happy to have any help at this point.

She pulled out her phone and took a snap before stuffing it back in her pocket. “I’ll let you know if I find anything. Please don’t freak out. We’ll try to help any way we can.”

I smiled back at her. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

She turned to Wesley. “I’m going to need your help.”

Without a word, the pair left. But my mind was reeling, two words repeating over and over.

Dark magic.

It didn’t make any sense.

Tyler’s hand drew my chin to face him until his familiar irises locked on mine.

“Hey,” he said, caressing my cheek as tears stung my eyes. “I know it’s a lot to take in. Don’t freak out on me.” His lips curled up in a comforting smile.

A long breath shuddered in my chest, and I stilled under his touch, my eyelids flicking shut.

“I just don’t see how I fit into all of this,” I whispered, staring back up at him.

The warmth in his gaze imploded a storm of emotions inside me, and tears fell freely, ghosting wet trails down my cheeks.

“I mean, I’m just me. Plain, boring me. I’ve had a normal upbringing, with totally normal parents. I’ve never done a bad thing in my life. I would never hurt anyone.” My fingers covered his, pulling them from my face, and he laced his fingers through mine until they settled in my lap.

“Trust me when I say you’re not boring. In fact, you’re quickly becoming the most interesting person I’ve ever met.”

Through blurred vision, I stared at him as if I he was delusional. He looked back at me as if I was a wonderous gift.

With his free hand, he swiped another tear from my cheek.

I sniffled. “I need coffee.”

A grin broke over his face. “Now that I can arrange.” He pulled me to my feet. “It’s about time you introduced me to your coffee machine.”

A light laugh left my lips as I pushed away tears, motioning toward the kitchen. I raised myself until I sat on top of the kitchen counter, studying the male witch who was currently going about his way in my kitchen.

Who knew they were even a thing? When I pictured witches in my mind, I saw broomsticks and crooked noses, not ordinary people living what appeared to be ordinary lives.

I watched as corded veins ran the length of his arms, straining as Tyler’s fingers fumbled over the buttons on my coffee machine. I stifled a giggle. He couldn’t work a coffee machine, but I was certain he knew how to use those hands on a woman .

He looked sideways at me, a brow raised at my subtle laughter.

I couldn’t help myself. “Can’t you just click your finger, and a coffee will appear for us?”

Tyler shook his head. “We can’t just use magic whenever we please. It takes time to replenish, so we use it sparingly.”

I grinned, a boldness suddenly finding me. “As in… when you have a young lady wearing nothing but your shirt in the middle of the night?” I teased.

He pointed a knowing finger in my direction. “ That was an exception. There are rules you should know.”

I leaned back, my palms resting on the kitchen counter. “Rules?”

“Our magic is governed by our covens; they have rules around the use of magic.”

I knew little about covens, remembering them only vaguely being mentioned in movies. “Covens…” I repeated, deep in thought. “Will I have one?”

Tyler gripped the counter, turning his head to mine. “Yes, assuming you’re a witch, you will. Our coven is named after one of the founding families of this town. The Cutters. Our coven is called Cutters Coven.

How original.

I chewed my lip. To think somewhere I could have my own coven, that I was a part of something bigger than just me.

“Will I have the same coven as you?” I asked.

His knuckles turned white as his grip tightened. He grimaced. “Unsure. ”

I couldn’t be certain, but he seemed to be avoiding looking at me, and an uncomfortable feeling churned in the pit of my stomach.

I sat up straight, my own hands gripping the side of the counter. “Is that a problem?”

He held my gaze, pausing as if questioning his next sentence. “It really depends on which one you belong to, if I’m honest.”

“Why is that?” I said, my eyes narrowing with interest.

He looked to be choosing his words carefully, and maybe he was, for my sake.

Tyler focused back on putting together the coffee. “You’re expected to live with the coven you were born into.”

I started to speak before suddenly realizing what that could mean for me. For us. That Cutters Coven would most likely not be my coven.

I fidgeted uneasily with my necklace. “Where is the next closest coven from here?”

Tyler finally swung his gaze to mine, in a way that reminded me of the time he had backed me into the wall outside of Jinxed. His irises mirrored equal parts angst and… was that dread?

“That would be the coven at Port Fallere, Sacred Souls, but we try to keep a healthy distance between us.”

The feeling of unease churned my stomach further. I wondered what had happened in the past for them to feel this way about another coven.

“Why is that?” I asked out of pure curiosity.

Tyler’s jaw went rigid. “Sacred Souls are known for their misuse of magic. ”

I paused, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. I made a mental note to ask him about it later. For Tyler to make a statement like that, it had to be bad . He didn’t seem the type of guy to make judgement without evidence.

“Okay, so what are your rules?” I asked.

He lifted the mugs of coffee closer to me, placing them on the counter beside where I sat.

“The main one is you must only use magic for good.”

I nodded. “Got it. So, I can’t conjure up all the money I like then.”

The joke fell flat, and to be fair, I knew it would be a hard push. I was only trying to take both our minds off the elephant in the room: that living in Cutters Cove could only be a temporary stop for me.

I didn’t want to think that something so entirely out of my control could change everything. Again.

My attraction to Tyler was magnetic, the pull to him like some external force drawing us together. Physics in its purest form, you could say. I knew he felt it too, and I could tell by the way his jaw had tensed again that he was thinking about what that could mean for us also.

When he finally spoke, I knew I was right.

His voice was lower, more serious than usual.

“No, you can’t. That’s why we all have jobs.

” He pulled in a deep breath before releasing it slowly.

“Morgan, there’s so much to tell you, I don’t even know where to begin.

But for now, do you like sugar in your coffee, or are you sweet enough already? ”

He was changing the subject; that much was obvious, and to be fair, I was on board with it. I needed to push the what ifs to the back of my mind or else I’d go mad.

I stared up at him from my perch on the counter, his pupils dilated, causing a newfound intensity to claim them.

“I may need a little more sugar,” I admitted, biting my bottom lip.

Tyler shifted toward me, his hands separating my legs until he stood between them. He bolted his eyes to mine and grabbed my thighs, tugging me closer to him until I was barely on the counter anymore.

His voice came out a low husk. “Do you now?”

A shudder drove through me at both the movement and his words, my insides humming in response. His lips found mine, and a groan rumbled from him as he kissed me painfully slow, until I needed air.

We broke away, and he rested his forehead on mine, his thumb languidly sliding over my bottom lip and sending shivers down my spine.

“Morgan, what you do to me is…” His voice trailed off, and he brought his hands up to cup my face, his head dipping for a moment. “Sorry, I’m not very good at this.”

Honesty filled his features as his thumb caressed my cheek.

He took a deep breath. “You walked into Cutters Cove in those goddamn jeans like you were always meant to be here. You must be part of our coven. You have to be. ”

Tyler’s gaze hardened, and steel gray turned to thunderous clouds that crashed into mine. My lips moved, then closed again, unable to voice words. Unable to think. His intensity stole my words and consumed my mind until I finally managed a whisper.

“You don’t even know me. What if I turn out to be some sort of evil thing?” I said, tucking a stray hair behind my ear.

His hands drifted down to my thighs, mindlessly skimming over my jeans.

“Unless you’re the Queen of the Underworld or the Devil himself, I’m sure we can deal with whatever you have going on here.” He swirled his fingers in the air until his pointer finger landed between my breasts. “I know Wes has his doubts, but I don’t. I want you to know that.”

The weight of his words hit me, his stare becoming lazy and hooded. A grin spread over his face before he kissed me again. Slower this time, pulling me into his arms until I was dizzy from the exquisite taste of him.

When he pulled away, his hands eased my hips off the counter until my feet hit the ground.

He handed me a mug of coffee before we moved outside to my back deck, settling on the step, our legs seemingly gravitating toward each other.

“Any plans for the vegetable garden?” said Tyler.

I followed his line of sight to the boxed planters nearing the end of my section, filled with greenery of all sorts.

“To be honest, I’ve never been that great at keeping plants alive,” I muttered, thinking about the basil I had tried to grow in a pot on more than one occasion. I liked to think it would complement a pizza, but it only ever died.

A low laugh rumbled from Tyler. “To be fair, if you get anything to grow here, you’re doing well. We don’t get a lot of sun.”

I didn’t doubt him.

We sat in comfortable silence, watching as the wind weaved through the trees in swift movements over the mountain face in the distance.

My lips drew into a circle as I released a breath to cool the steaming coffee in my mug. “I can’t believe this is happening to me. I mean, why me? I just don’t get it.”

Tyler shrugged. “Nor me. It’s got me beat for sure.”

“Tell me everything. Who is what around here that I don’t know of? What about Skye?”

I noted the pause before he spoke again.

“Skye was also born with the element of fire, being from the same family, but she can also see and communicate with spirits.”

“Spirits?… Wow.” I blew out a long breath before taking a sip of my drink, my mind whirling. I couldn’t imagine dealing with the walking dead following me around daily; that must be so distracting.

How did Skye deal with such a thing? I would never have guessed; she hid it well.

He nodded. “Yeah. She had a hard time with it growing up.”

“You really weren’t kidding when you mentioned things from the movies. So much for the sleepy town of Cutters Cove. It couldn’t be further from the truth.” I mused .

Tyler set his drink down on his lap, as if he had something serious to say. “Morgan, I was only trying to protect you at Jinxed, I don’t think you realize how close you came to being killed.”

My throat went dry, and I gulped desperately, trying to salivate it again.

A shiver ran through me at the memory, realization hitting me of how badly that could have ended if he had not been there.

I suddenly felt terrible. “And I was so rude to you. I thought you were just jealous, sorry.”

He chuckled. “Maybe I was… a little jealous, I mean.” He tilted his head to face mine. “You were effectively off limits, but I couldn’t just ignore the situation.” He took a sip of his coffee, peering at me over the rim of his mug.

“Off limits.” I laughed lightly at the label he’d just given me. “And what about now?”

Our eyes met in a heated exchange, neither backing down from the moment that had silently crept up on us.

A smile tugged the corner of his mouth from behind his mug.

“All bets are off.”