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saw in her eyes.
Know what your problem is? she asked, walking backward away from him.
Please enlighten me.
Things have been too easy on you. You need a challenge.
Raine wanted to laugh, so he frowned instead. You think things have been easy for
me?
Sure. You live in a mysterious castle with friends. Eat whatever you want, fuck
whoever you want, she blushed as she said the words. But you re just sitting around.
You need someone to challenge you. Your magic will come back on its own.
My magic is back. I just can t control it yet. And when did you become such an
expert on wizards?
When I met you.
Since you know so much about me, what do you suggest I do?
Callie didn t respond and began to walk backward toward the boulder. With her
back only a foot from the rock, she cocked her head and smiled seductively at him.
Raine tensed when she pulled two short bladed knifes from her leather vambraces and
dropped to a crouch. By the god, he hadn t known she was armed.
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Wizard s Thief
I suggest you defend yourself, Wizard.
Faster than he thought possible, Callie bolted at him full speed. Raine barely had
time to react when she let out a frightful scream and launched her body at him. Her
weight sent him flying backward and he landed on the ground with a thud that
knocked the air out of his lungs. Before he could grab her, she d rolled off of him and
out of arms reach. It took a second, but he rolled over and braced his hands against the
ground.
Callie was crouched once again, a predatory grin fixed on her face. Missed me.
He felt the growl erupt from him, but made no movement toward her.
Come on, Wizard.
You re insane.
No, I m your source. And you need a kick in the ass.
She lunged at him again, but this time Raine was ready. He rolled away and
withdrew his knife from the sheath on his thigh. They circled each other once, Raine
never taking his eyes from her.
That s better, she said and chuckled. First blood?
I don t want to hurt you. But he did want to fight. For the first time in seven
years, perhaps longer, he felt alive.
Callie lunged at him with one of her daggers and it took every bit of his
concentration to move his body out of the way.
What makes you think you re going to hurt me? she taunted.
When their blades connected, Raine felt the sting of the impact travel up his arm.
But as fast as it was there, it was gone again. Callie kicked at him, pushing him off
balance and giving her a chance to back up. His growl of frustration was echoed by a
distant rumble of thunder. They both stopped and looked to the sky.
That sounds like progress, she said with a smile.
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Christine d Abo
The fact he was feeling the energy, the magic, encouraged him. But he still couldn t
control it.
Callie stood there staring at him, knives in her hands, grinning like a fool. So can
you fire that lightning bolt yet?
Raine looked at her and felt a smile threaten to crack his lips. I might kill you if I
tried.
Like I said, you ll have to catch me first.
This time she didn t run at him, instead bolting off to the side toward the woods. In
a single smooth motion, she jumped over the fence and, laughing, disappeared into the
brush. Raine didn t hesitate and ran after her.
By the time he made it over the fence and into the brush, Callie had disappeared.
Forced to come to a stop and listen, Raine closed his eyes and tried to reach out. The
increasingly familiar tingle of his magic was racing through him now, making his ears
buzz. His body felt energized and he was surprisingly in control. Somehow, being with
Callie helped the connection, made it stronger. Nothing like the link he d shared with
Sasha.
You re not going to find me standing there.
Raine spun around, but he couldn t see her. Callie?
Silence answered him. He tried to use his senses and their connection to find her,
with no luck. She wasn t far away, but he couldn t hone in on her yet. The wind picked
up, masking any sounds she would be making. He reached out and calmed the light
breeze. When everything stilled, Raine couldn t believe it.
From out of nowhere, one of her blades slipped around his throat, the cold press of
metal making him freeze.
Boo, she whispered.
He felt her body press against his, her breath coming out in pants by his shoulder.
The fact she d gotten so close to him without him sensing her was impressive. But now,
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Wizard s Thief
with her beside him, Raine s body reacted. His cock went painfully rigid and he felt his
breathing increase to match hers.
I surrender, he said the words quietly.
Callie didn t release him right away and, for a moment, he thought she would make
good on her promise to kill him. Instead, she slowly lowered the knife, her fingers
caressing his neck as she did. She was about to pull her hand back completely when
Raine caught it. He didn t want her to move away, despite the wariness he felt about
getting too close. It had been too long since he d reacted emotionally to anyone, much
less a woman. And for once he didn t want to let it go.
When she tried to tug her arm away again, Raine moved quickly. In a single
motion, he spun her around, pushing her back against the nearest tree. Their eyes
locked and he could see she was struggling with her feelings just as he was. His magic
forgotten, he completely focused on her, to touch her the way he wanted.
He traced a line along her jaw and down her throat, enjoying the feeling of her soft
skin. Her tight leather bindings held her breasts, hiding them from his hungry gaze.
More than anything, he wanted to tug the top of the binding down to free her swollen
nipples and devour them. When he looked back into her eyes, he saw she was blushing
furiously. Obviously, she d never been the object of any man s sexual desire, but he was
surprised to find just how virginal she really was.
A very large part of him liked it.
Where did you learn to sneak up on someone like that?
Raine kept his voice low, smooth, not wanting to spook her. Callie frowned and he
could see she still didn t trust him. Not that he blamed her. Instead of pushing further,
he leaned in and kissed her neck. She shivered, her breath hitched and her fingers
squeezed his arms. Her reaction sent the blood flowing harder to his cock.
My boss. If you re not a quiet thief, you re dead.
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