Page 28 of Untraced Magic (Cutters Cove Witches #1)

I followed her train of sight as they took in every inch of the warehouse covered in plants. The foliage crawled across the walls, twisted around beams, and covered the ground in separate beds of every kind of living fauna imaginable.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Morgan whispered. “I don’t even know these plants… didn’t know they existed.” She admired a bright purple flower in bloom, tentatively reaching out to stroke its petals.

“They don’t,” came Colt’s voice from above. “Not outside of here.”

I looked up to find him descending the stairs from the loft on the second floor, where I knew his living quarters were. When he reached the ground, he walked toward us, his strides casual and unhurried.

“I grow these for Scarlet’s Apothecary. She purchases them from me,” he explained .

“Stunning,” remarked Morgan, more to herself than anyone else.

Colt moved closer, his blue faded jeans ripped at the knees and a white tee hugging his torso. “It’s one of a kind. Flowers once every five years.”

“Colton, this place is incredible.” Morgan gaped in wonder at the other plants, hesitantly walking around the space.

He laughed. “Thanks. It’s not for everyone. Here to train I hear,” he stated.

Morgan’s gaze moved between the two of us. “Apparently so.”

I innocently raised my hands in the air. “Hey, if you’re going to learn, you should learn from the best.” I pointed at Colt. “And I learned from him.”

She placed her hands on her hips with an amused grin. “Okay, so where do we begin?”

Colt moved away from us, his finger curling toward him. “This way.” He led us through what I could only describe as the greenhouse into a separate room set out like a gym with an assortment of weight machines against all four walls. In the middle was vacant space.

He veered his gaze to me. “First rule…?”

Morgan beat me to it. “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”

Colt’s knuckles grazed the light stubble on his jaw, his head turning to mine with amusement in his eyes. He moved to the center of the room, motioning for us to follow again.

He was a man of few words, but over time I’d gotten used to it .

“Rule number two,” he continued, “wherever you are, be aware of your surroundings. If you’re inside, know where the exits are. Read the room or the situation. You can tell a lot from body language, but ultimately, your gut instincts will tell you if something is not right.”

Morgan nodded, listening, but she remained silent.

It was the longest sentence I’d ever heard come from his mouth.

Colt circled us as he spoke, his presence a natural energy that I could only imagine came from an earth mage.

He was always calm and collected, had been for as long as I’d known him, and that was a long time. Having grown up in the same town, our parents were good friends. It took a lot to ruffle his feathers so to speak, and even more to piss him off.

He came closer, throwing an unexpected hook to my side that I swiftly blocked. I grinned at him, knowing he wasn’t expecting my reaction, but he’d trained me well.

“Rule number three,” he said, turning his attention back to Morgan, who appeared to be quite enjoying the entertainment, “think ahead. Whatever the situation, you need to be on your toes, gauging what their next move will be.”

He swiftly threw his other arm up about to connect with my chest, and I fended him off again.

He nodded in approval. “Whether that be in combat or not,” he added.

“I thought you were going to teach me to fight?” Morgan said, her brows creasing together, arms folding across her chest .

Colt squared his shoulders, his hands dropping to his sides. “We will. But these are the foundations of self-defense. The basics.”

She dipped her head to the side in agreement.

“Ty… you know the next one,” Colt said, looking at me. He took a few steps back, giving us some space.

“Rule number four,” I said, moving closer to her, slowly. Deliberately .

I let the dominant side of me pulse through my every vein, and I knew she could sense it rippling off me, but I needed her to feel it, right down into her marrow.

It wasn’t something I did often, not without intention. But I needed to show her this.

I moved closer again. “Never show weakness. Ever.”

Morgan watched my every move, her doe eyes a brutal shade of earth as they studied me with interest.

“No matter what the situation. To show your weakness gives them the upper hand.”

She stared me down, unblinking, and fuck it took all of my control to rein myself in. To remind myself we had company. That I couldn’t have her screaming my name right here and now.

“Show me confidence. No weakness,” I ordered, and her pupils blew out.

She liked that.

Morgan straightened, her chin tilting ever so slightly with a confidence I needed from her. I remembered the last time she’d done that, backed into the wall that night in the alley, before our first kiss. The memory alone made my dick ache .

I nodded. “Good. Now, if it comes down to combat, you must be ready to move quickly. If you bend your knees slightly, this will help you balance.”

She shifted, following my order. “Like this?”

“Yes, like that. Now, lift your hands up here.” I lifted mine into the defense position in front of me.

She followed my instructions, and damn if she didn’t look hot as hell like this.

“Now what?” she said, a slight pull on the side of her lips.

“Hit him,” Colt ordered.

I could see him out of the corner of my eye slowly pacing the room.

Without warning, she flew at me with an outstretched arm, and I ducked away, grabbing it in my hand.

I didn’t let go. “You’re a feisty little thing when you fight,” I said, not able to contain the heat in my eyes any longer. I didn’t expect her to lunge at me that quickly, and it turned me the fuck on.

“I think you need to let me go, mage,” Morgan said, her irises filling with a cheeky glint.

Desire crawled down my spine, lodging itself at the base of my stomach.

“Fight me,” I challenged.

She took one look at Colt, then catching me off guard, jabbed me in the stomach, causing me to release her hand. Before I figured out what was going on, she flew in the air, landing a roundhouse kick to my side.

What the fuck ?

I pulled myself together, grabbing her leg as it connected with me, pulling her from her feet until she landed on the ground with me on top. I hovered over her, a leg on either side of her waist, pinning her hands above her head.

She flashed a cocky smirk. “Rule number five: Keep your strengths to yourself.”

“You can fight?” I said incredulously.

I threw a glance at Colt who had a huge smile on his face, holding back a laugh.

Her smirk grew to a smile as she stared up at me. “Maybe.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe you let me think I needed to train you,” I said, half pissed but mostly impressed.

She shrugged. “Father had me in lessons since I was young. He always said to only use self-defense if necessary.”

I laughed. “And I was the ‘necessary’?”

“Yeah, sorry. I was in too deep to back out once I got here.”

She rocked her hips against mine, just enough so Colton didn’t notice.

A moan threatened to loosen from my lips, but I knew Colt wasn’t stupid, knew he could feel the vibrations pushing off me onto the earth beneath us as I held it together. I jumped up, offering her my outstretched arm and pulled her to her feet.

Colt chuckled. “Well… I think we’re sorted in that department then.”

“Sorry.” She shot him an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean to waste your time. ”

He pointed in my direction. “Seeing you almost put him on his ass was worth every second.” He shook his head ruefully.

“Oh c’mon, she wasn’t even close,” I argued, nudging Morgan in the side with my elbow.

Colt raised his brows, turning away and walking back to the door toward the greenhouse. We followed him into the main area of greenery where he proceeded to inspect some vines before turning to Morgan.

“When do you catch up with Betty next? It would be helpful to know more about your history.” He said.

I knew where he was coming from. If she was part of Port Fallere, her magic could be swayed by their influence if she were to move back there. I’d heard tales of it happening before.

Morgan ran a hand along some flowers with a shrug. “I’m meeting Betty later this week. She said she would fill me in on everything I needed to know. She just had to make a few calls, see if there was word on my parents.”

My insides turned over. See what danger we were facing sounded more like it. If what Betty said was true about Morgan’s mother turning into a madwoman, Betty would be trying to find out everything possible to gauge the risk. Eliminate it, even.

Colt folded his arms over his chest. “Let me know if you need any help,”

I nodded, knowing his intention.

He addressed Morgan again, “My father is part of the witch council. I could try and get you a meeting in the chambers if needed.”

I shook his hand. “Thanks.”

“I appreciate the offer,” added Morgan.

We headed back to the van, and I dropped Morgan home before heading into my workshop.

Who would have thought Morgan could kick ass? It was both a turn-on and a comfort knowing that even though her magic hadn’t come to her yet, at least she knew the basics of combat.

A niggling sensation, however, ate away at me. How would I explain to Morgan that she was my mate without freaking her out? I needed to think this one through. It had to be done right. There was only one place I did my most productive thinking, and that was under the hood of a car.