Arcane (Halfblood Club Book 1) Read online

  Apparently, Junior had come to when he brought her upstairs because their bodies were still twisted together with the scent of sex in the air.

  He was holding her gently against him, his body covering hers in a protective manner.

  Isobel turned to leave after feeling the energy flowing between the two. They were well and truly bonded now. They were sharing the energy that he had in his body to replace hers. Isobel had been ready to supplement them, but it was unnecessary. They were doing fine on their own.

  She left the room and stopped short at the gathering in the hall. Sirus was blocking the hallway, using his energy to keep the Sterlings at bay.

  “We need to leave now, folks, they just need sleep.” She stepped forward, “And I think that waking would be more pleasant if we weren’t here.”

  “The house is warded, the estate is gated, and the doors lock. They’ll be fine.” Sirus stepped forward and shooed the others down the stairs. “We should go. Now.”

  And so it was that the Marlins drove the Sterlings from their son’s house and waited until they transported before putting a lock on the house. Only Izzy or James could open it. And Cheeves of course. That would give them time to recover.

  “Did we do the right thing?” Isobel asked him as they prepared to leave.

  “We did what we could. He was her choice after all.” And he wrapped his worried wife in his arms and took them home.

  Chapter Nine

  Izzy felt like she had been run over. Every part of her body hurt. Only the gently swirling and retraction of the magical energy within her soothed her frazzled nerves. But the magic felt weird like it was masculine in nature.

  Her eyes creaked open, and she met James’ concerned gaze with her own bleary one.

  Her voice was a croak, but she cleared it to say, “I choose you, James Sterling. For better, for worse, for beyond the year. I have chosen you.”

  His eyes widened. “For better, for worse, for the rest of our lives, I choose you, Isobel Marlin, Junior.”

  What followed was the sweetest kiss that two half-conscious people could have. And then the consciousness left again, only the gentle energy of their vows wrapped around them proved their bond.

  * * * *

  It was afternoon before James raised his head out of the pillows. Isobel was nowhere to be seen. But based on the trail of clothes from the closet, she had headed downstairs for food. He was on his own. So, completely naked, he left his bedroom and wandered down the stairs.

  There she was, her back to him, jeans and a t-shirt covering the body that he loved. A hand was raised up to give him a backward wave, and she kicked a chair out for him as she continued to eat as if days had passed.

  Maybe they had. “Cheeves, how long were we out?”

  “Three days and, Izzy, thank your mother for me. Vreda is going to send her a fruit basket; it was the best sex we had had in years.” Cheeves looked tired but happy, all of his eyes glowing with satisfaction.

  “Uh, I will. You probably deserved it.” After finishing the protein that he had laid out for her, she was starting on the fruit. She knew her priorities.

  James, meanwhile, had scooted in next to her and was filching pieces of fruit off her place while Cheeves wielded his pans and spatulas with a vengeance.

  “Izzy, did we wake up and...”

  “Take life mate vows? Yeah. We did.”

  “Are you surprised?”

  “Nope, I am not. You?”

  “No. Surprisingly.”

  “Oh, James. There is a meeting of the Half-Blood Club in a few weeks. You might want to leave the house that night. We can get a little rowdy.”

  “The Half-Blood Club? What the hell is that?”

  “George, Hookey, and Jinx. I called them all this morning, and they are making arrangements to be here for two weeks, for a sleepover. Oh, you might have to deal with one werewolf, two elves, and the dragon that you met at the investigation. Maybe you could form some sort of poker night...”

  He sat there for long minutes pondering his fate. This woman was quicksilver. Whenever he thought she was under control, she slipped away. He should just be thankful that she warned him.

  “Your friends are welcome in our house anytime.”

  Suddenly, he was holding a lap full of mage. “Thank you for that.”

  “What, the girls’ night?”

  “No, the ‘our house’.” She gave him a slow kiss that curled his toes. “It means that I can move my stuff in and feel at home. And that we are truly bonded, whether we planned it or not.”

  “So, we can skip the girls’ night?” He looked pathetically hopeful.

  She threw her head back and laughed. “Not a chance. Love me, love my friends.”

  “Well. At least loving you is easy.” He shook his head then dumped her back on her chair, and ate his breakfast.

  “Ah, you say that now, but wait until we host the Goblin Birthday Party. I’ll quiz you after that.” She grinned and then started laughing in earnest. Life had turned her plans upside down, and she couldn’t be more pleased. A magus and a warlock, who would have thought?

  About the Author

  Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

  An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.