Her grandmother had always insisted that their neighbors, the Puritans, were good people at heart, though they took themselves too seriously. But then, so did the Magians. When she lived, Sarah had seen a dozen matches denied, despite their clear magical connection, for the sake of a name. A family name.
She had watched some go mad with the grief of finding, and losing, their heart’s desire. But even after she’d finished her debut, knowing she would have no family of her own—she saw the rules begin to change. Glimpses of a return to what they called the old ways. Ways the Magians of lesser houses had followed for ages. Honoring the magic, and the Magian, by allowing true triads to form regardless of station. A genuine communion brought lasting power into the family…and love.
To experience that connection was every girl’s dream. Even Sarah’s. Aaron Winston, on the other hand, had been her nightmare. He was just prominent enough to make her life difficult. To delay deliveries to her family home and cause the older women to whisper when she entered a room. If it weren’t for Thalia and her grandmother, Sarah would have never gone outside, never been part of the community—not if it meant having to listen to the vulgarity and endless threats that inevitably came with Aaron’s confrontations.
He wanted her. He hated that he wanted her. He hated the societal rules that prevented him from merely taking what he wanted. She did not realize until it was too late just how much he despised his own desires.
“Sarah? Is everything okay? Where were you just now?”
She’d been staring sightlessly out the window, lost in the past. She saw the road sign and her body tensed. “I was where I am now. Salem? Do you think the book is here?”
Lorie, who was in the driver’s seat, bit his full lower lip the way she wanted to every time she saw it. “Possibly. Harrison might be the greatest witch of our generation, but I’ve perfected locator spells. Especially when it comes to books. I thought we might stay at our family’s place while we check it out. It’s empty, so we won’t be disturbed.”
Empty? She shifted in her seat, suddenly very much aware of the two men closed in with her. Con was in the backseat, lounging. She glanced at him casually over her shoulder, not surprised to see his green eyes fixed on her. Was he still upset?
He winked, momentarily dispelling her concern. “I think we’ve had enough human tourist role-play for one day, babe. Though I have to admit, seeing it all through your eyes has been…enlightening. Still, I’m ready to spend the evening at the Salem house. You’ll love it. We’ll make sure of that.”
“That sounds acceptable.” Wicked. The way he was looking at her, the tone in his voice—it sounded wicked. “Are there enough rooms for us?”
“For what he has in mind?” Lorie chuckled. “Probably not.”
Sarah chewed the inside of her cheek to restrain herself from smiling while they watched. But why? Denying herself was one feminine habit she wanted to abandon. There was nothing coy or shy about what she was feeling. Knowing that she could be taken from this—from them—at any moment only made her needs intensify. She wanted to experience as much as she could before she was lost again. She wanted a memory so powerful that no amount of suffering could make it fade. And she wanted it with them. “How close are we?”
Con groaned and sat up behind her. “You’re killing me. But impatience is the magic word.” He chanted the spell beneath his breath and Lorie joined him. Sarah watched through the front window of the SUV as the road was replaced by a drive up to a large, rambling white house.
“How did you do that?”
Con laughed. “My theory is that spell was invented during the first traffic jam, but don’t quote me. I’m no history buff.”
Her gaze now fixed on the house, Sarah could tell that some parts of it were older than others. It looked so familiar she had to catch her breath as happy memories of simpler pleasures assailed her.
“What’s wrong?” Lorie’s voice was low. Close.
“Nothing at all. It feels right. Your family has a beautiful home.”
The SUV door opened and Con was holding out his hand. “Wait until you see the inside.”
Sarah slid her palm against his, feeling the instant reaction along her skin, seeing the intensity of the energy around their fingers. The sensation echoed low in her stomach. Made her thighs tremble as she stepped onto the gravel drive.
Images of them together flooded her mind. They were against the door. The same fingers she was clutching had been thrusting inside her. She gasped for breath, tugging her hand out of his in the hopes that it would calm her desires.