"Aren't you supposed to be busy?" I approached the car with trepidation, my heart thundering in my chest with every click of my heel.
Magnus had a smile on, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Am I?" he inquired innocently. "I'm free now."
"Why are you here, Alpha Magnus?"
"Please." Magnus' jaw instantly clenched. "Just Magnus."
I sighed at his disregard for formalities.
"Fine, then I'm just Lena, too. Why are you here, Magnus?"
Magnus' gaze softened and his charming smile came back at full force, causing my stomach to flip.
"I was afraid you might get lost again," he teased, not really answering my question.
"Contrary to what you think, I'm a powerful enchantress," I said, resisting the urge to stick out my tongue, "not some common 'wee' witch."
Magnus looked skeptical but he didn't say anything, choosing instead to exit the car and saunter over to face me.
He was in a suit, I noticed, the cool grey fabric complementing his slim navy tie.
It was the same suit, or rather, identical to the one he was wearing on the night of the General Meeting. I could tell by the relaxed fit of his blazer that he wasn't much of a risk-taker.
And yet here he was with me.
The air around us grew heavy, and I got a whiff of his addictive, masculine scent.
Cedar and expensive leather.
"Get in, Lena Winterhaven." He opened the car door and nodded towards it.
Magnus seemed like he was used to giving orders and having them obeyed, so I did the opposite.
"And let you feed me to your pack? No, thank you," I answered with folded arms.
His lips parted into a laugh. It was a hearty, booming sound that made my skin vibrate.
"I'll be a good boy, I promise," Magnus said and crossed his heart like a boy's scout.
The act was so endearing it chipped my defences. And those icy greys didn't help either.
I considered the broomstick in my clutch bag; it was one of those mini portable ones made in China that didn't quite fly right and jerked every time I went too fast.
Honestly, the thought of using it didn't seem as appealing as riding home in a car, safe from the cold night chill.
"Alright," I gave in after a dramatic pause. "But only because it's freezing."
"Oh aye, if you say so. Next time maybe you should dress for the weather."
I had the sudden urge to smack the blasted smile off his face, but he didn't deserve to know how he riled me up.
Ignoring his comment, I slid into the buttery leather seat, painfully aware that Magnus' eyes followed my every move. Once I was properly seated, he shut the door gently, trapping me in the cedar and leather-perfumed vessel designed to make my knees weak.
Damn.
What was it about Magnus MacCallan that made me so flustered? Even now, I was trying my best to quell the strange sensation pooling in my nether regions.
"You can do this," I muttered, taking in shallow breaths. "He's a werewolf. You're a witch. He's beneath you, remember?"
When Magnus entered the car, my brain quieted.
YOU ARE READING
BEWITCHED & BOTHERED
Paranormal☆ 2022 WATTYS SHORTLIST ☆ Leonora 'Lena' Winterhaven is a witch on a dry spell. Somehow, she is the only one left in her coven (and possibly all of New York!) to still have her virtue intact at the age of twenty-nine. This would be fine and dandy, i...
