Magic and Mayhem Read online

  Magic & Mayhem

  Cathryn Fox & Sylvia Day

  * * *

  Magic

  Cathryn Fox

  Mayhem

  Sylvia Day

  Contents

  Magic

  Chapter 1

  “COME ON, BRIANNA, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.”

  Chapter 2

  XANDER TORE HIS GAZE FROM THE SEXY WOMAN INSIDE THE…

  Chapter 3

  XANDER SMOOTHED DOWN THE COLLAR ON HIS PIRATE COSTUME and…

  Chapter 4

  XANDER GLANCED AT THE GORGEOUS WOMAN BENEATH HIM. HIS COCK…

  Mayhem

  Chapter 1

  SIN AND SEX ON A STICK, THAT WAS SHANE MARKHAM.

  Chapter 2

  ABBY HEAVED OUT HER BREATH AND TWISTED FROM SIDE TO…

  Chapter 3

  AS SHANE’S LARGE HAND SLIPPED BENEATH ABBY’S TOP AND cupped…

  Chapter 4

  ABBY WOKE TO THE WONDERFUL FEELING OF A WARM, HARD…

  Epilogue

  “WOW, LOOK AT THAT ROCK.” KAYLA WHISTLED. “ANOTHER ‘Most Eligible…

  About the Authors

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Magic

  Cathryn Fox

  To the wonderful and talented Sylvia Day,

  who made writing this story so much fun.

  Chapter 1

  OCTOBER 31

  “COME ON, BRIANNA, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.”

  Brianna James angled her head and shot her best friend Kayla Pierce a sidelong glance. Not only was Kayla her closest friend, she was also her most valued employee. With her marketing background and merchandising skills, Kayla had helped increase sales and profits at Conjure, Brianna’s very own magic boutique centrally located in the quaint little town of Wilkins, Massachusetts.

  Keeping a telltale grin from her face, Brianna folded her arms in defiance, and replied with casual nonchalance, “Who says I want to?”

  Kayla refilled the crystal decanter with jasmine incense and then leaned into Brianna. She arched one brow, pursed her full lips, and whispered in a low, sultry tone, “You do, with your eyes and your body.”

  Well, she certainly had her with that, Brianna mused, noting with dismay how easily her friend could read her. Once again Brianna stole a glance at the guy meandering through her magic boutique. Okay, so there was no denying she wanted to gobble him up like a scrumptious Halloween treat. But good God, did Kayla so blatantly have to point it out?

  Brianna’s lascivious gaze swept the length of his long, muscular torso. Her body reacted to the gorgeous specimen before her, tingling and warming in her most private places. Even the short blond hairs at the nape of her neck bristled in erotic delight. Squirming on her stool, Brianna ran her damp palms over her jeans and resisted the urge to lick her freshly painted lips. Obviously, it had been far too long since she’d sampled anything so fine.

  Every few minutes Mr. Sexy Adonis would cast her a suggestive look. One that said he was less interested in the Halloween costumes, magical charms, and novelties in the showroom and more interested in the merchandise behind the glass counter. Despite the sexual sparks between them, Brianna smoothed the hem on her navy knit sweater and averted her gaze, taking care not to send out the wrong signals.

  Kayla’s sharp intake of air gained her attention. Brianna twisted sideways to watch her friend’s hazel eyes light with excitement. “Why don’t you invite him to Abby’s Halloween bash tonight?”

  Brianna grabbed the book of spells from under the desk, dropped it onto the counter with a clunk, and absentmindedly fingered the aged, yellow pages. She rolled one shoulder casually. “Because I’m not going, I have work to do. Inventory is next week, and I want to get a head start.”

  “Come on Brianna, it’s Halloween, and…” she said, stretching that one word out, “it’s your birthday. Double the reason to celebrate.” Kayla got quiet for a moment, crinkled her cute little nose, and added, “Is it because you don’t have a date?” She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead she waved her hand toward the showroom, and said, “If it is, then ask him—” She stopped midsentence when she spotted Mr. Sexy Adonis exiting the store.

  Brianna gave a resigned sigh. Even though Kayla was her closest friend, Kayla had no idea what or who Brianna really was. Which was the main reason why Brianna had given up dating in the first place. After the last fiasco, when her date had nearly discovered she had special powers, Brianna wasn’t about to risk having her true identity revealed. Fortunately for her, the night she had misused her magic, her date had been drinking heavily, thus enabling her to pass her slip-up on his inebriation.

  She hadn’t meant to cast a spell on that bimbo and give her lopsided boobs. Really, she hadn’t. It was just that sometimes her temper got the better of her. And honestly, that slut shouldn’t have been all over Brianna’s date in the first place. Council had nearly had her ass for that one. And messing with Council’s stringent rules was something she’d rather avoid.

  She shivered and linked her fingers together as her thoughts wandered to the legend of Xander. Apparently, decades ago, Xander, the bad boy of all bad boys, had used his magic for his own personal gain, not the betterment of mankind. His misuse had landed him in a heap of trouble. To teach him a lesson, Council had cast its own spell on him and transformed him into a pussycat…meow. Brianna cringed. She had no desire to roam the earth for centuries as any type of animal, never to be heard from again.

  Speaking of animals, her pet cat Max jumped on the counter and rubbed up against her. “Hey, Max,” she cooed, stroking his silky black fur. She’d found the little guy just over a year ago, hanging around outside her shop. She’d taken him in, and they’d been best buds ever since. Unlike all the other males in her life, Max was always there for her, on the coldest of days and the loneliest of nights. He was there to comfort her and keep her warm. Truth be told, she’d shared all her secrets and heart’s desires with him, things she never felt comfortable telling anyone else. Although Kayla was her closest friend, the fact that Brianna was a witch forced her to keep a modicum of distance. So when it really came down to it, she’d have to call Max her very best friend.

  Max stretched out his paws and swatted at an imaginary object. A moment later, he circled around the book of spells. Brianna narrowed her eyes in concern, assessing him, noting that he’d been acting odd all day. Perhaps it had something to do with the full moon. On Halloween. On her birthday.

  The three elements needed to conjure a new spell. Or so the legend says.

  A shiver came out of nowhere and raced down her spine.

  Pushing those thoughts to the far corners of her mind, she glanced out the store’s front window and watched Mr. Sexy Adonis weave his way through traffic and cross to the other side of the street. Of course, even if he had stuck around, she had no intention of asking him out.

  A few months back it had occurred to her that she had very little control over her emotions or her wild temper. She figured the best way to keep her identity intact and avoid future disasters was to steer clear of men, especially those who got her panties in a twist. And that guy definitely got her panties in a twist. Anyway, since she’d begun stocking those cute little toys called The Magic Bullet, she saw no real need for the opposite sex anymore. Okay, so the bullets weren’t really magical per se, but boy oh boy, they sure did magical things to her body. One part in particular.

  Kayla’s voice pulled her from her musings. “Hey, maybe there is a magical spell in that book of yours that can help you find a date. A man who will fulfill your deepest, darkest desires,” Kayla added, fingering the aged parchment paper with longing.

  Brianna chuckled and kept her tone light. “I
wish.” Fortunately, Kayla was oblivious to the fact that the weathered book before them was indeed the real thing. Otherwise, Brianna had no idea what kind of trouble her friend would get herself into. As it stood now, Kayla barely spared the book a glance, assuming it was merely a prop to authenticate the magic boutique.

  Kayla drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her eyes glossed with desire. “Can you imagine if there was such a spell? I could finally fulfill my deepest, darkest desire to be a Kayla sandwich. Oh yeah, I can see it now, me sandwiched between two muscled, well-endowed hunks.” She shivered, almost violently. “Simply delicious.”

  Brianna grinned at her friend’s antics and let her own mind stray. For a brief moment she wondered what it would be like to conjure a spell that would fulfill her deepest, darkest desires and bring forth the man destined to be her perfect lover. A man who knew what she wanted long before she did and knew how to give it to her. Over and over again. Heat rushed through her and moistened her panties. Before Brianna realized what she was doing, she found herself flipping through the pages like a junkie in need of a fix.

  The bell over the door chimed and helped pull her from her musings.

  Dear God, what the hell am I doing? Berating herself, she marshaled her thoughts and summoned what little control she had left.

  “Abby,” Kayla shouted, and stepped out from behind the counter to greet her friend. “We were just talking about you.”

  Abby finger combed her windblown ponytail and loosened the multicolored scarf around her neck. “You were?” she asked. Abby turned sideways and smiled at Brianna, her pretty blue eyes lighting up. “What’s up?”

  Kayla piped in. “I was just telling Brianna that she should come to your party.”

  Abby’s smile widened. “She absolutely should.” Abby reached into her bag and pulled out a flyer. She crossed the floor and handed it to Brianna. “Come, it will be fun.”

  After they exchanged a few more pleasantries, Abby turned back to Kayla. “Now show me these costumes you were talking about.”

  Brianna turned her attention to the inventory sheets before her, taking stock. For some unexplainable reason she found it hard to concentrate, something kept nagging at her, yet she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Max paced around the counter, restless. Then he did the strangest thing. Using his paw, he flipped open the book of spells, walked over the page, and purred louder.

  Brianna gathered him into her arms and stroked his back. She glanced at the love spell that he’d flipped to. “Well, well, Max, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you and Kayla were in cahoots.” Of course the spell he’d flipped to wasn’t exactly what she needed. In fact, there was no such spell to match her wild imagination.

  That doesn’t mean I couldn’t conjure one, especially now, with all the elements in place.

  Brianna drew her bottom lip between her teeth. Naturally it’d be wrong, forbidden even, to write such a self-fulfilling spell. Even if it’d make one hell of a birthday present to herself.

  Her glance went to the stack of Magic Bullets. She took an extra moment to consider things further. Okay, so maybe her little sex toy wasn’t as great as the real thing. And maybe she did crave the sensual feel of flesh on flesh, skin on skin. And maybe she could write a spell that would bring forth the perfect lover and have him disappear by midnight.

  Oh God, I can’t really be considering something so scandalous, so forbidden. Can I?

  It’s far too risky.

  Far too inappropriate.

  Far too tempting.

  I’m going to do it.

  Oh hell!

  Before she could stop herself, she grabbed a pen and flipped open the book of spells, turning to a blank parchment page, where she jotted down an incantation.

  Mystical, magical, mayhem, and more

  Bring me a lover with the stamina of four.

  A lover who’ll awaken my darkest desires

  and last through one night stoking the fires.

  Mystical, magical, mayhem, and more

  Let the lover of my dreams walk through the door.

  Once complete, she stood back and studied the words, knowing her incantation wouldn’t come true until she sprinkled it with cat’s claw. She took a moment of reprieve and did a quick consultation with her conscience.

  Ah hell.

  Shaking her head, she drew a deep breath and straightened her spine, her damn conscience overruling her salacious libido. Deep in her gut she knew she couldn’t go through with something so risky, no matter how deliciously tempting, no matter how fabulous a birthday present it would make.

  Suddenly, out of nowhere Max pounced, knocking over a vial of cat’s claw, spilling it on the parchment paper.

  Spilling it onto her incantation.

  Oh boy!

  Just then Kayla and Abby approached the counter. Flustered, Brianna ripped the page out and tucked it inside one of their store flyers, out of view. The bells over the door chimed and automatically drew her focus. Brianna glanced up in time to see a tall, dark-haired man exit the store. Strange. She hadn’t noticed him come in earlier. Pushing that thought to the recesses of her mind, she turned her attention to the crisis at hand.

  God Max, what have you done?

  Her pulse leapt in her throat. Perhaps it was just a legend and it wouldn’t come true, after all.

  Then again, perhaps it would.

  Her stomach knotted with equal measures of apprehension and excitement.

  She scanned the store, searching for Max, but he was nowhere to be found. “Max? Where are you?” Brianna stepped out from behind the counter.

  “I’ll ring in Abby’s purchase,” Kayla piped in, moving in to take Brianna’s place behind the register.

  Brianna stepped out from behind the counter and perused the shop, hunting for her cat, hoping he hadn’t slipped out the door behind that tall, dark-haired man. Lately, Max seemed so restless, wandering off at will.

  As she searched, that same tall, dark man lingered on the curb outside, drawing her attention. Oddly enough, as she angled her head for a better look, sparks shot through her body, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck began tingling in anticipation. Anticipation of what, she couldn’t be sure. Her palms grew moist, her pulse kicked up a notch.

  The man twisted around to face her and shot her a panty-soaking smile. Her hormones rocketed to life like they never had before. His sensuous lips turned up over perfect white teeth, his strong athletic body beckoned hers. When his mesmerizing green eyes locked on hers, her breath caught on a gasp. Lust slammed into her, forcing her to bite down on her bottom lips to avoid a breathy moan. The heat and longing in his eyes licked over her flesh. Her skin grew tight with dark desire, and she began to ache, deep between her legs. Brianna squeezed her thighs together, hyperaware of the dampness pooling in her panties.

  Oh God! Those eyes.

  They were so familiar.

  So. Hauntingly. Familiar.

  Max?

  Chapter 2

  XANDER TORE HIS GAZE FROM THE SEXY WOMAN INSIDE THE magic boutique, a woman who’d been getting under his skin for the last year without even trying. She’d made him wild with the need to touch her, to taste her, and to feel her heat between his legs. He longed to anchor her body to his and gaze into her dark brown eyes. He longed to run his fingers through her honey blond hair and cover her mouth with his. But mostly he longed to bury himself in her silken sheath and make sweet passionate love to her all night long.

  Soon, he promised himself. Soon.

  He took a moment to stretch out his arms and legs, enjoying the way his long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans felt against his skin. After glancing up and down the street, orienting himself in his environment, he moved swiftly down the sidewalk. He loved the way the midday autumn sun warmed his face, loved the way the breeze bristled his hair, but what he loved the most was walking on two feet instead of four paws.

  In an automatic gesture, he brought his hand to his mouth and licked, grooming hi
mself. As his tongue connected with skin, not fur, a soft chuckle rose from the depths of his throat. That was definitely going to take some getting used to, especially after living in feline form for the last few decades.

  Feline form.

  He scoffed. Thanks to the spell Council had cast on him many moons ago.

  Okay, so maybe he’d gotten a little out of control in the past, using his powers for personal gain and not for the betterment of mankind, and maybe he needed to be taught a lesson, but Jesus, roaming the earth as a real tomcat certainly seemed a bit excessive to him.

  Now, thanks to Brianna, he was human again, and he had absolutely no intention of ever going back to walking on all furry fours.

  Brianna. Sweet, temperamental Brianna.

  Little did she know that her incantation to bring forth her perfect lover, one who knew her better than she knew herself, one who could fulfill her deepest darkest desires, would temporarily break the spell on him. Because he, and only he, fit that bill to a T.

  Over the past year, not knowing who he really was, Brianna had whispered all her sinful little secrets to him. She’d murmured all the naughty, delicious things she’d like done to her, over and over again, and tonight he had every intention of fulfilling her fantasies until they were both sated and drained.

  Should Brianna fall in love with him in the process, and kiss him, like she really meant it, before the stroke of midnight, before her dream lover was destined to disappear, then and only then would the feline spell be broken forever.

  As Xander negotiated his way through the crowd, a bevy of flyers stapled to a post caught his eye. He stepped up to them. “Ah, yes the Halloween bash.” He grinned. The perfect setting to seduce his sweet Brianna and make all her dreams come true. The perfect setting to get her to kiss him.