Chapter 20 #2
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
The air thickened with magic: a tangible force crackled around them.
Nia’s shadows grew denser, wrapping around the spell’s components with eerie precision.
Lochlan focused on the candles, their flames flickering but holding.
The rings and collar glowed softly, pulling energy from both of them.
Most witches could channel raw power into shared spells, but doing it well meant syncing intent.
Trusting the other person. Lochlan hadn’t expected it to come this easily with Nia.
Magic pulsed outward in a quiet wave, brushing over his skin like warm wind.
A shimmer rolled along the walls, too faint to see clearly—but it felt like a lock clicking into place.
Nia’s voice grew stronger, each word read from her mother’s diary spoken with purpose, each movement filled with focus.
Lochlan felt the magic intertwine with his own energy, strengthening the shield they were creating.
As she uttered the final words, the air shifted again: the room felt lighter, and the candlelight softer.
The rings and Jade’s collar hummed with quiet power, infused with the protective magic he and Nia had woven together.
She took a deep breath, the tension in her shoulders easing as she reached for Jade’s collar. The dog waited patiently as the collar was placed around her neck. Lochlan and Nia reached for the rings, their hands brushing awkwardly as Nia took them both then held them out.
“Oops,” Nia said with a sheepish smile. “Here.”
Lochlan hesitated. Instead of taking the signet ring, he picked up the thin band, the opal reflecting the candle light as he took Nia’s other hand in his and slid it onto her middle finger.
She glanced up at him. Then, her hands trembling slightly, she took his hand and slipped the signet ring onto his finger.
His pulse tripped as Nia’s fingers lingered, her grip warm and steady as her gaze flicked to his again—uncertain, searching.
“Fuck it,” she muttered under her breath as she pulled him to her and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss was quick and reckless, her lips gone almost as soon as Lochlan realized they were there. She pulled away looking startled, maybe even a little scared, but beneath this—
Excitement.
The corner of her lips twitched into the barest, breathless smile.
With sudden clarity and need, Lochlan realized fuck it was exactly right. He closed the distance and kissed her, longer, deeper.
Kissing Nia wasn’t like breathing; it was like drowning in fairy wine.
Each touch pulled him deeper into a sea of desire.
Every brush of her soft lips made him want more.
Endless possibilities flashed through his mind.
Kissing her good morning. Kissing her goodnight.
Kissing her because he damn well felt like it.
She let out a sharp breath as he gripped the back of her thighs and lifted her onto the counter. Nia pulled him closer, tighter, drawing him in to the space between her legs.
He ran his fingers through her hair, tilting her head so he could kiss her deeper but slower.
He needed to be careful, to grasp for control after her little excited gasp made him feel different, dangerous.
Being with Nia made Lochlan feel alive: like he was finally waking up from a long, dull dream.
She ignited something fierce and primal that yearned to protect, possess, and care for her with a passion he never knew he had.
But he still didn’t know what she wanted, or what she was willing to give.
He pulled back, breathing heavily, his forehead resting against hers. Her breathy laugh calmed the turmoil churning inside him—maybe they could do this together, carefully, one step at a time. Maybe this raw connection could be the beginning of something real.
He didn’t want to rush, not if it meant risking their chance at having this and more.
“Right,” Nia said, her voice and breath unsteady. “Wow. Okay.” She let out a shaky laugh, brushing her hair back. “So, that’s what it’s like.”
“What?”
“Kissing you,” she said, simply. For once, she didn’t sound guarded, or like she was worried about maintaining the upper hand.
“That bad?”
He meant it as a joke, but the words came out rougher, hungrier than he intended.
Her lips curved into a slow, wicked smile, her thighs tightening around his hips just enough to make his vision blur at the edges. “If you could feel my underwear right now, you’d know it wasn’t bad at all.”
That hit him like a freight train. The restraint he’d been clinging to began to slip through his fingers. His forehead pressed to hers as his voice dropped. “If we go that far, it’s going to get hard to prove to your father he was wrong about us.”
He felt her stiffen in his arms, and for a fleeting second, he wondered if he’d pushed too far—or not far enough. Lochlan exhaled and forced himself to step back and put space between them before he forgot why he needed to. Her lips were swollen from their kiss, her cheeks flushed.
Walking away from her in that moment was the hardest thing he’d done in years.
“Think about it, Nia.” His voice was carefully steady even as his resolve wavered. “Because I think we both need to. We may want this. But you want other things, too.”
He turned before he could see her reaction. The sound of her ragged breath haunted him as he slipped out of the room, every step away from her feeling heavier than the last.