High Witch (High Witch Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

frowned. Bothered him. He decided he didn’t like this man.
    “Your uncle — is that who you — left?”
    “Yes,” Ariel said, “but it had nothing to do with magic. My uncle wanted me to get married to someone I’d never met. He said a man had asked to marry me, and he’d promised me to him. I wasn’t allowed to stay with my uncle anymore, and I wasn’t about to marry a complete stranger, so I fled. I don’t have a lot of money. Beyond about a month, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
    Brayden disliked her uncle even more. “We’ll sort something out,” he said. “You’ll be alright.”
    She nodded, but he knew she wasn’t reassured. He stroked her hair.
    “Do you want to sit down?” he asked. She nodded again. They walked to the bed and sat beside each other. He took her hand.
    “We need to talk about training you. You have so much power, but it’s lying dormant inside of you. You need to be able to bring it out, but also be able to control it. I’ll help you as much as I can. The most important thing is to learn to protect yourself against anyone who tries to trap you.”
    Ariel looked at him sadly for a moment, then put her arms around his neck, hugging him. Brayden was a little taken aback, then he held her. He loved the feeling of her softness against him. He felt her breath on his neck, and he trembled.
    “I’m frightened,” she whispered. He stroked her back.
    “It’s alright. Remember, you can do practically anything. You just need to be told how.”
    She laughed softly. “Can you handle it?” she asked him. “I mean, if I really let go.”
    He was quiet, imagining her using her full strength. He knew it would be astonishing. He wondered if he could handle training her.
    “I’ll be there for you,” he said. She moved her head to face him, gazing into his eyes. She moistened her lips, and he felt his heartbeat quicken. He moved his mouth close to hers, then kissed her, softly at first, gently moving his lips against hers. She responded to him, sighing, curling her fingers in his hair. He held her tightly, increasing the intensity of the kiss, moving his tongue in her mouth. He inhaled her scent, breathed her in, tasted her. He desperately wanted her, and before he knew it they fell back on the bed. He told himself he should stop — she could become pregnant, it was too soon. But she moaned, and he could barely breathe.
    He kissed her neck, then moved his lips lower. She kept sighing, her hands still in his hair. He made himself stop, lifted himself to look in her eyes. He was trembling.
    “Are you sure?” he asked. She leaned up and kissed him. He didn’t hold back anymore.

    ***
    Brayden awoke very early in the morning, lying on his back in Ariel’s bed. She was snuggled against him, her head against his chest, her arm across him. Her hair was flowing down her back. He let out a deep breath, feeling more content than he ever had before. He stroked her arm, and she murmured sleepily, moving her hand over his chest. He felt her wake up, move her head to look at him. He turned on his side, still holding her.
    “Good morning,” he said, smiling. She smiled back shyly, touching his face. She nestled against him, her face in his neck. He held her closely, loving the feel of her skin against his. He ran his hand over her shoulder.
    “Are you feeling alright?” he asked her. He was worried she would regret it. Worried she would be upset they rushed into things. It was her first time. He hoped she wasn’t in any pain.
    “I’m fine,” she said quietly. She kissed his neck. He sighed with relief
    “I didn’t tell you much last night, did I?” he said. “We became — distracted.”
    She giggled. “There’s time,” she said. “There’s time.”
    They lay there in silence, holding each other. It was early enough that he could stay for a while, before having to go to work. He wanted to absorb every moment.
    “I’m so glad I met you,” she said softly. “Glad I