Page 8 of Untraced Magic (Cutters Cove Witches #1)

Tyler

Like a hunter to prey, my eyes followed her from the moment she entered Jinxed, shadows hiding me from where I sat at the back of the bar as I watched them sing and dance among the wrath on the dance floor.

Morgan and Skye looked completely out of place dressed the way they were, but they didn’t seem to care.

Oblivious to the creatures around her, Morgan’s movements seduced animalistic eyes from all corners of the room as she moved to the music.

There were other humans in here undoubtedly, but that red lipstick screamed prey.

It would be the end of her.

And possibly me.

What did Skye think she was doing, befriending this innocent woman?

Let alone bringing her to a bar full of us .

She had a throw-yourself-into-it-and-think-about-the-consequences-later type of attitude that came from our mother, and it got her into trouble more often than not.

I tensed, tightening my gaze.

A guy had his hands on Morgan, and I shifted in my seat, unable to look elsewhere.

A feeling I wasn’t used to crept over me. White-hot jealously. It had been a long while since I’d felt its presence, the green-eyed bite both unexpected and unwelcome.

Unbuttoning the top of my shirt, I adjusted the collar, swiping the nape of my neck. It was normal to run hot being a thermo mage, but this was different, and I mentally zoned into the thermostat of the bar, turning up the air con. Being able to create and control heat certainly had its perks.

I watched as the stranger ran a finger down the length of her neck, furious heat streaking through my veins, flooding my nervous system.

Vampire.

I emptied the rest of my drink.

“Wes, go get that leech off Morgan before she becomes his next Bloody Mary,” I ordered, unable to move from my place in the booth from between everyone else.

Wes followed my train of sight, his eyes morphing to a terrifying shade of black.

“Wes.” I kicked him under the table. “You good?”

He snapped out of it, jumping down from the booth and storming off towards the dance floor.

Colt stiffened beside me, setting his glass back on the table. “That’s not like him to lose control,” he said, glowering towards Wes’s disappearing form .

Colt was the eldest of the group and sourced his magic from the earth. He was the strong, silent type. A thinker. He seemed to struggle with women more than the rest of us, and I never quite understood why.

Where we all had a mop of brown hair, he was the polar opposite. Blond with blue eyes, you would think he’d have the women hanging off him, but not Colt. He was the responsible one, the one we went to when we were deep in shit, because being an earth mage, his intuition was usually spot on.

“Agreed,” I replied, brows furrowing. “What’s going on with him?”

Colt thrummed the side of his glass with a shrug. “Unsure.”

I watched as Wes fended off a stunning blonde eager for his attention, but he dismissed her, wrenching some guy off Skye who was closest, followed by Morgan.

He returned with them in tow, and fuck if I couldn’t predict it would happen, Morgan slid across the leather booth beside me, with Skye and Wes on the other side of her.

Her dress hitched high up her creamy thighs as she shuffled closer, trying to make room for everyone in the now overcrowded booth.

“Hey, you made it,” she said to me in a breathy gasp.

Nodding stiffly, I retorted, “Yeah, here I am.”

I shuffled along, attempting to make extra room, but I was crammed in between her and Colt, with Scarlet who had just arrived on the other side of him. It left Morgan’s arm and thigh bolted to mine, spreading heat between us with every movement .

“Letting off some steam out there?” I remarked, attempting to make small talk.

The corners of her lips curled up into a smile, and it lit up every delicate edge of her face. “Definitely. This place is something else…”

A familiar voice came from the head of the table. “Well, this place is mine, so thanks, I’ll claim that one.”

Morgan’s eyes shot over to Reid leaning casually against the end of the booth. He’d bought and revamped the oldest bar in town, and he’d done a killer job.

Reid had the darkest gift of the group. A blood mage with the ability to heal, and with that sort of power came huge sacrifice.

I knew his bravado act was just a front hiding a world of pain, but he kept it to himself.

His natural charm and rough around the edges look of tattoos and brown hair made him a fan of most women, but he had no plans to settle down anytime soon, even when the four of us guys were pushing thirty.

My attention turned back to the group, where Morgan looked more relaxed now, both giving and taking the banter around the table. Funny how alcohol did that to a person.

Reid eyed me. “Ty, when will you have that Mustang finished?”

I felt Morgan’s gaze return to me, and I straightened, causing her skin to brush against mine again. I adjusted in my seat, trying to regain some space, but it was no use.

Clearing my throat, I told him, “Just have to replace the leather, then a lick of paint and it should be done.”

Reid grinned. “Sweet, new wheels in town. I swear I get high off a new fit out.” He chuckled .

He was right. The hit of a new leather interior was dopamine at its best.

“So, you’re not a mechanic,” said Morgan, a curiosity wavering into her tone. “You restore cars?” She raised a brow.

I slid my gaze to hers, adjusting my collar. There were barely inches separating us; being this close to her in any other situation would be borderline intimate.

Colt slid a beer in my direction, and I took a drink.

“The workshop was my grandfather’s; it was left to me when he passed. I restore classics, and the Mustang was his. He never got to finish it,” I explained.

Her face fell the tiniest bit. “Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that. But it’s nice you’re able to finish it for him.”

“It is,” I stated simply with a nod. “He was one of a kind, taught me to drive in it.”

Her eyes held mine for a passing moment until I had to look away. I tightened my grip on my beer.

“My dad had a classic.” My ears pricked at her comment. “An original Ford Escort.”

“Yeah?” I took another swig of my drink.

She nodded. “It was his pride and joy. Drove it round town like a hobnob.”

I stifled a laugh but couldn’t stop the slight smile turning up my mouth. “Was? Did he sell it?”

She shifted in her seat, and the motion grazed the side of her leg over mine once more. Her body seemed to tense, and she fiddled with her necklace again .

Before she could answer, a bell sounded from the bar.

“Who’s keen on a dance before last drinks?” said Skye, her voice commanding the table.

Relief washed over me when the girls disappeared to the dance floor, even if it wasn’t ideal. The vacant space beside me was now a much-welcomed pocket of solace.

“This place reeks of vamps,” said Wes, wrinkling his nose. He emptied the rest of his drink in one smooth gulp. “Let’s get out of here.”

Colt pushed his empty glass away from him. “Good luck trying to drag that lot out the door.” He nodded towards the girls.

Reid smirked. “I’ve clocked off for the night. Let’s get them out of here before this place turns into a meat fest.”

All in agreement, we made our way to the dance floor, with Wes leading the way. I shook my head with a laugh as he put himself between Skye and another guy. She stared daggers at him. Brave man.

To my right, Reid and Colt approached Scarlet and Jade, who I hadn’t seen arrive. The guys looked like they wanted to get the hell out of there as the two girls bounced between them.

Morgan caught my eye as she lifted her shoulders, her hand extending to me.

Bad idea.

“Can you dance, or will I be sporting bruises on my toes tomorrow?” she asked with an alcohol-fueled smile, her irises glinting with mischief.

Grazing the stubble on my chin, I let out a light laugh .

I should walk away. Get her out of here.

But as much as I didn’t need this, her sass fired me up.

“I have a few moves up my sleeve.” I countered.

I stepped closer, my palm slipping into hers, the other molding to the curve of her hip until only inches separated us.

Forcing her away, she spun around in a circle, and I tugged her back towards me harder than intended, causing her to land firmly against my chest.

Dick move. There was a line, and I didn’t just cross it. I’d hauled my ass commando-style right the fuck through it.

I looked down to her chest where a sinful cleavage pressed against me, and I loosened my hands, giving her the chance to pull away.

She didn’t.

Looking up again, I found that her eyes bore into mine, the dark storm thumping between us thick and charged with lust.

Her eyes mirrored a matte black sky until they morphed, and a playfulness joined the party. That sass was back, locked and loaded. It made me wonder what look I’d get if I were between her thighs. A thought I knew I shouldn’t have, but my liquor-fueled self-restraint now hung on by mere threads.

I never backed down from a challenge, and I wouldn’t bow to her boldness. If anything, it only spurred me on.

I wasn’t used to a woman like this and couldn’t help myself.

My lips grazed her ear. “Keep looking at me like that, and we’re going to have a problem.” My gaze met irises that never wavered, like she was turning the pages to my soul one by one .

Her touch traced a line down the nape of my neck, and desire licked my insides.

Raw. Carnal.

Everything my body ached for.

I pulled her hips to mine, molding us together, the sexual tension between us so fucking obvious, I was sure.

We danced like no one was watching. Like it should be fucking illegal.

A voice in the back of my mind willed me to end it, to walk away while I still could, as if my past was haunting me. It was the ultimate torture of wanting what I couldn’t have, another human life I couldn’t risk.

But as I stared into the eyes of this one, she had me fired on every edge of caution known to man.