He shook his head and dropped his gaze. The cold left him suddenly as if sucked back into its source.
Ted looked from one to the other, unsure of what to do. “Do you want me to take notes, Sheriff?”
Alex glanced over at him and nodded.
Ted took out his notebook and sat down in the other chair across the table from Anisa.
“Let’s start over, shall we?”
“I’d really appreciate if you tell what is going on.
I’m feeling very…persecuted right now.”
“Persecuted? Interesting word choice. Why would you say that?”
“Well, you’re obviously here because Ted told you that Stan and I never got along. You’re also here because Stan’s death was not accidental, and you’re here because Ted told you I’m a witch. So yeah, persecuted, I think, is the correct word for the situation, don’t you think?”
“You admit to being a witch?”
“Yes. You admit to being an a**hole?”
Ted coughed, then brought his hand up to his mouth to hide the smile that crept to his lips.
Alex tilted his head and grinned. Okay, the game was on. He could play this one. This was where he excelled. She had no clue who she was dealing with.
His ex-wife didn’t call him the Game Master for no reason.
“Where’s your crystal ball?”
“I don’t have one. You have me confused with a psychic.”
“Okay, where’s your broomstick?”
“In the corner.” She gestured to the right corner behind him. “But I don’t use it to fly, I use it to sweep away negative energies. Something I’m going to have to do again, once you leave.”
She was good. He liked that. It distracted him from the constant thumping of his heart, and the ache that throbbed painfully in his groin.
“Do you conjure spells?”
“Yes.”
“Can you put spells on people?”
She leaned back in her chair and narrowed her eyes. “No.”
Alex took a step forward and looked down at her.
“No?”
“No. Spells are only suggestions, nothing more.”
“So, you could do an evil spell, on say, me…and make a suggestion that I…hmm, that I take a flying leap off a bridge?”
“Magic does no harm.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means, Sheriff, that magic itself is only a tool. It is neutral. There is no such thing as an evil spell.”
“How about an evil person? Is there such thing as an evil person?’
“I suppose.”
Alex touched a finger to his mouth as if in thought.
“What if this evil person knew magic? What then?”
Anisa uncrossed her legs and sat forward in her chair defiantly looking up at Alex. “Then, I suppose, you’d have one hell of a problem on your hands, Sheriff.”
“Would I?”
“Oh, yes.”
Again, her eyes flashed. Alex sucked in a breath as a hot wind blew on his face and wrapped itself around his throat. He could feel its blazing tendrils slither down over his chest and down into his pants.
He closed his eyes as heat enveloped his cock. He could feel himself grow hard with arousal.
Ted stood up abruptly from the table and knocked his chair over. The resonating sound bolted Alex from his trance. His eyes snapped open and he took a shaky step back from Anisa.
“Okay, I think we’ve bothered you enough, Anisa.
We’ll just get going.” Ted stepped up to Alex and put a hand on his arm.
Alex shook his head clear of the film that seemed to cloud his mind. He glanced over at Ted, and noticed the worry in his eyes. He looked back down at Anisa. She still sat forward, but her hands were now pressed down on the chair between her legs, as if she was about to spring up and attack, like a cat ready to pounce.
“I’ll be following up with you, Ms. Crowley, so don’t think of leaving town.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it, Sheriff.”
Ted steered Alex out of the room and quickly escorted him out of the shop. When they were back in the Sheriff’s car, Ted looked at him strangely.
“What was that all about?”
“I’m not sure. I was feeling a little dizzy. It was some damn hot in there.”
“It wasn’t, Sheriff.”
Alex glanced over at Ted’s concerned face.
“Really?” He wiped a hand over his brow. Sweat glistened on his palm
“She’s bewitched you.”
“What? Don’t be an idiot.”
“She has.”
“I’m just coming down with the flu or something. I got up too early and haven’t had any breakfast.”
“Anisa Crowley has bewitched you. She’s done it before, you know?”
Alex smirked. “Oh, yeah? Where is this dumb shit, maybe I’ll have a word with him.”
“Nick Hand? He’s dead.”
Chapter Four
Anisa inhaled deeply as she opened the doors to Aher deck. The sweet smell of jasmine, lavender and freesia wafted to her nose from the garden in the backyard. She took in another deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.
Ever since Sheriff Alex Branwell had entered her shop and befuddled her senses, she had been on edge, unnerved. She had never met a man with his energies.
It floated off of him like heat waves, causing severe short-circuiting in her own high-energy wiring. The man had no idea what he was doing to her.
After he had left the shop, Anisa had to sit still in her chair for another half-hour before she could trust her legs to support her. He had caught her off-guard.
She had not expected to see him so soon. She knew that he would have sought her out eventually, having no choice in the matter. His aura would have recognized hers in time. But coming face to face with him, without her shields in place, nearly drained all her powers. If the man had had any focus, she would have been done for.
Anisa turned from the open door and drew her attention back to the tincture brewing on the stove.
She made her own lotions, bath salts, and oils. Right now, she was making a special sensual oil. It was a homemade aphrodisiac.
She put her nose over the pot and breathed in the scent of jasmine, patchouli and nutmeg. She closed her eyes and felt an immediate tightening deep in her belly. She picked up the pot and set it on the warmer to cool. She smiled to herself.
“Trespassing is against the law in this state…Sheriff.” She turned around slowly.
He stood in her open door, his head nearly touching the frame. He looked dishelved and brooding, and extremely sexy.
“Would you like some herbal tea? You look like you need some.” Anisa grabbed the teapot and filled it up with water. She set it on the stove and turned on the heat.
She turned back to him. He had not moved from his spot, as if he was rooted there and afraid to pull out his footing. She leaned back on the counter and looked at him.
“Have you bewitched me?” His voice was low and rough.
“The tea will be ready in a moment. Why don’t you come in and sit down?”
He moved like lightening. She barely had time to lift her hand before he was standing in front of her, his hands gripping her upper arms, fingers digging into her flesh.
“Have you bewitched me?” he demanded, his voice shaking with anger.
Anisa raised her head defiantly and stared him in the cold blue depths of his eyes. “No more than you have enraptured me.”
Alex bent down toward her mouth. She could feel his hot breath on her face as he neared her lips. She parted for him, wanting desperately to taste him.
He swore and pushed away from her, releasing his grip on her arms. He stumbled back and ran a trembling hand through his ruffled hair.
“I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. Your face occupies my vision. I can smell your scent on my clothes, on my skin. I showered and scrubbed till I was red and raw, but your smell still lingered.” He turned on her, fists clenched. “What is that, if not bewitched?”
Anisa turned around, facing the counter, and poured the tea. She took two cups and turned to place them on the table. She handed one to Alex.
“Take your tea. We will talk.”
Alex swiped at her hand, knocking the teacup from it. It shattered into pieces on the tiled floor.
“I don’t want your f**king tea!”
The rage pouring out of him surged over Anisa.
She gasped and felt her knees go weak. She put out hand on the table to steady her stance. Her breath came in short gasps and she had trouble swallowing.
The ache in her belly slipped lower. It centered and intensified in her sex. She could feel her panties moisten and her thighs quiver.
“Alex, you need to calm down.”
“I can’t, when all I want to do, is rip away your dress, push you onto the table and ram my c*ck into your cunt.”
His energy crackled around her body. She could feel it biting into her skin, clawing at her flesh, trying desperately to gain entrance. Anisa moaned lightly and looked away from his electrifying gaze. She could feel droplets of lust dribbling down her thighs. She could smell her own scent, musky and cloying.
Alex moved closer to her. He sniffed the air and leered down at her. “I can smell you. Your cunt is hot and wet, dripping for me.”
She put out a hand to ward him off. “It is too soon.
I can not protect myself.”
He stepped into her hand, pushing against it. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back. He moved in close to her, a breath away from her face.
“You smell like a whore. A whore ready to be f**ked. Is that what you want from me, witch? You want me to f**k you?”
Anisa could no longer think. All she could see was Alex, his eyes dark and dangerous, his mouth twisted into a cruel smile. She could smell him. His sweat, a trace of cologne, and underneath that his musky male scent. She could feel his iron-hard erection pressed painfully against her leg as he ground into her.
“Yes,’ she murmured.
“What? I couldn’t hear you.” He spoke into her mouth; his lips hovered a whisper away.