Fate's Wish(3)

After he left, she felt the air whoosh out of her lungs. She shivered, and arousal coursed through her. In agreement with Luthian, she would contact Zahir at the security agency.



* * *





Zahir took a deep breath and tried to keep his calm. “You want to run that by me again?” His hands clenched into fists.

Arcanon and another of his employees shared a look. Arcanon gave the other guy a slight nod, and he left the office. Zahir frowned. Arcanon took a seat across from him.

“Can you handle the rest of the story or not?” Arcanon leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his big chest.

Zahir ground his teeth together. “Tell me.”

Arcanon sighed. “OK. Anahid Bloom called to request protection for her daughter.”

“Sharmila.” Just saying her name made his heart squeeze in pain.

“That’s the one. She said her daughter has some kind of freak after her and she’s not able to defend herself at this time.” Arcanon frowned. “I’m not really sure what she meant by that.”

Zahir jerked up in his seat. “Why the hell can’t she defend herself? She’s a goddamn witch. She’s never had problems taking care of herself before.”

Arcanon shrugged. “She didn’t say. Wait, she did mention something about magic leaking, but I was lost right after that.”

A sledgehammer to the chest would’ve been less painful. His lungs burned, and he realized he’d stopped breathing. He’d left Shar because he thought she’d be safer without him, but now it seemed she needed him.

Zahir’s vision turned a light shade of red. “And she specifically asked for someone who’s single?” The vein on side of his temple throbbed.

“Oh yeah, she was adamant that her daughter needs to have sex. Lots of it. In fact, she told me I’d be good enough. Then, to make sure I was interested, a picture appeared in my hand. If she wasn’t your ex-wife I’d be all over this one. She’s fucking hot. Why the hell did you divorce her in the first place?” Arcanon slapped the photo on the desk.

But Shar wasn’t exactly his ex-wife. They were still legally married and bonded. She’d never pursued a divorce. Knowing someone was after her made his blood boil. She was still his, even if only from a distance.

“And she said I wasn’t to know?” Anahid had always liked him, but he understood her anger. He’d left her daughter for no apparent reason.

“Man, Zahir. I don’t know what you did to her, but she was pissed at the mention of your name. She said it was extremely important for you not to know about her request. But I can’t keep shit from you. So, what are you going to do?”

The darkness in his power pulled at him. He wanted to find the source of the problem and destroy it. “I’ll care of it. If anyone is going to protect her, it’s going to be me.”

Arcanon frowned. “You sure? I’ll be more than happy to watch her.” He flushed and shifted in his seat. “Without the sex part.”

“No. She’s mine. I’ll take care of her.”

Sharmila stared at him from the picture on his desk. Her amber eyes were bright, and her smile burst through the photo. The wispy long blonde strands curled past her shoulders. Not a single strand appeared to be similar to the next. He’d spent hours running them through his fingers while she’d slept. From almost white to wheat to a burnished gold, the long mass gave her an angelic look.

She’d changed so little since the first time he’d seen her. He had been walking past her store when energy pulled him inside. One look, and he’d been lost to her smile, her warmth, and her sexy body. Sizzling power rose around him. The room shook, his desk squealed, and furniture cracked. He couldn’t trust her safety to anyone else. Sharmila belonged to him.





Chapter Three





The smell of burnt cookies filled the apartment as Shar dropped another batch of rejects on her kitchen counter. She nibbled on one of the least mutant-looking ones and frowned. She’d been trying for years, but she was unable to master the art of cookie baking.

Her mother had taught her how to soothe, heal, and charm. Cookie baking 101 hadn’t been in her repertoire. Sucking at baking cookies was worse than her sad attempts at cooking. Cookies were lifesavers, emotional healers. If only they would bake and not burn. After an exasperated sigh, she went back to her desk.

Invoices needed to be sent out for orders received in to Fate’s Wish. The shop had so many online orders she’d need to get a part-time person to help fill them all. To her irritation, the doorbell rang twice in a row. Why did someone need to ring the bell twice in one shot? She wasn’t deaf, and her bell worked fine.