The Nightshade Guild: Mage You Look Read online

  Waving at the accumulated snow already on the ground, I just pushed ahead with my plan to help my friend out. That was all we were was friends. All we could ever be, for reasons.

  “Dude, I’m not leaving here tonight. There’s already six inches of snow on the ground, and it’s not even the worst of the storm yet. I’ll have to stay here tonight. Now, this dirty diaper is our main priority, and then we’ll get her highness fed and warm. Come on. I’m turning into an icicle. Let’s get inside.”

  Not waiting for an acknowledgment, I walked into Finnegan’s cabin in search of the princess’s diaper bag, ready to give the big bad Mage his very first baby lesson.

  Chapter 3

  Finnegan

  Damn, Henry was pushy. I really liked it.

  Probably more than I should.

  He had just taken charge and left me on the porch like a big dolt. Mentally slapping myself, I followed him into the cabin and closed the door on the plummeting temperatures. We did need to get the things unloaded, but he was right on two accounts. The baby came first, and there was no way I would let him go down the mountain tonight in the storm.

  When I turned the corner from the entryway into the kitchen, I saw that Henry had already found the diaper bag and found a towel to spread out on the kitchen table to create a temporary changing table. He had opened the diaper, and already the smell had hit me even this far away. I was sure I was going to gag again. It was worse than the worst troll slime. I should at least offer to help, even if I really, really didn’t want to.

  “Did you find everything you need, Henry? Do you need anything?”

  Please say no! Please say no!

  “Yeah. Come over here and give me a hand.”

  Damn.

  I went over slowly, taking off my cloak and laying it over one of the chairs, then moved it out of the way so I could shift my big body next to him. Ameria was on her back with a huge grin on her face, holding her feet up, alternating between giggling and sucking on her toes.

  “She seems really happy.”

  Henry snorted a laugh, then motioned toward the diaper bag. “Wouldn’t you be thrilled to get out of pants you’d shit in? Hand me the wipes and a diaper, please.”

  I did as asked, and then Henry started changing the diaper with a running monologue for my benefit.

  “Okay, baby school is in session. First, never let the diaper down until you’re ready to wipe and replace, especially with boys. They’ll feel free to pee all over the place as soon as they’re free to be. So now that we’re ready, take the diaper down and wipe with the front back to get as many gooey bits as you can in the diaper.”

  He continued to show me how to wipe, powder, and diaper with all kinds of advice thrown in, and by the time he was done, I was smiling at his humor under such dire circumstances.

  “Now, you wrap the wipes up in the diaper, close it all up, and put it in the trash.” He sniffed the diaper and pulled back in horror. “Maybe we can put a can on your back porch? This would be great to fumigate, but we’d have to wear gas masks, not my best look.”

  “I’ll take it downstairs to the can in the garage. Critters outside might get into the trash on the porch. And I’ll make sure to double bag before you take my trash down for me at the end of the week.”

  Living on the mountain, I didn’t have garbage service. My recycling and trash had to be taken down to the facility in town. I couldn’t tell him I didn’t want evidence of a baby here, and I didn’t want any paranormals to get curious about the trash and get him into trouble. If anyone hurt Henry, I would be seriously pissed.

  “That’s fine.” He took the outfit I’d gotten for her and got her dressed faster than I could follow. There were so many snaps, and the way it went on was odd, but when he was done, she was all cozy in a blue all-in-one sleeper with feet attached. “Well, missy ma’am. You’re all clean, but from watching you and those toes, I’ll bet you’re hungry.”

  Henry had pulled her up to standing, holding her under her little arms to help her balance on her feet. At the word hungry, she started to bounce up and down and laugh. “Yes, you’re hungry?” She laughed some more and danced around with her tiny feet, bouncing on her toes with him holding her up. She exuded pure joy just because she was able to communicate that she was hungry. Henry was so good with her. Was it weird that seeing him with the baby made him even more attractive?

  I was brought out of my thoughts when Henry motioned for me to move forward. “Here. Finn. You hold her, and I’ll get her bottle ready. Where’s her other things?”

  “Umm, no, I’ll do it. It’s a special formula, and they already explained to me how to mix it. I’ll be right back.”

  Running from my stray thoughts and the object of my growing attraction, I walked through the living room, past the pallet I’d made for Ameria to nap, and into my bedroom. I’d put the bag holding the tin with her magical formula powder that the Elvin council had given us in there to keep it safe. There was nothing odd about the tin or the powder itself, but I didn’t need Henry noticing that the powder tin was always full no matter how many times we used it.

  I got a bottle out of the same bag, put some powder in, and then returned to the kitchen to fill it with water before returning to the table where Henry had already bundled up the towel and cleaned the table.

  “Here’s the bottle. Do you want to feed her too?”

  “Oh, no, we’re still in baby school. You’re her babysitter, so it’s time for you to step in, Uncle Finn. Go sit in that huge chair over there that’s got to be your favorite and hold her while she eats. I’ll throw this towel in the hamper and take care of this nuclear waste and get started unloading the truck.”

  “I should help you. Some of that stuff is too heavy for you.”

  “Dude. I loaded that crap in the truck, to begin with. I’ll be fine. You need to get to know little miss. Go sit, and I’ll have this done in no time.”

  I reluctantly picked Ameria up and carried her over to my chair. It was big to suit my size, so Henry was spot on. I sat, making sure my forest plaid kilt was tucked under my legs. There was nothing worse than cold leather on your bum. I settled the baby in the crook of my arm and handed her the bottle, which she held up and attacked. When she got comfortable enough to hold the bottle with one hand, she reached up and touched my face with the other.

  In a flash, images and feelings started pouring into my head. I felt happiness with an image of Henry, then a flash of my suspicious and stern face and a feeling of anxiety. I got a complete rundown of everything that had happened since Henry got here with images and feelings. When she finished the bottle, she removed her hand from my cheek, removed the bottle from her mouth, and gave out a very loud belch.

  “Was that our little princess burping like a sailor?” Henry yelled from the front door. He didn’t wait for an answer, but he was laughing as he went out to get another load.

  It was beyond belief, but she had just told me exactly how she’d felt for the last hour. She couldn’t speak much beyond ramblings of ma ma ma ma or da da da da. No, she couldn’t talk, but she could make her feelings known without a doubt. This was amazing.

  Amazing, but dangerous. What if she did that to Henry? How on earth would I explain that to a human? I looked out the large picture window next to me, and even through the darkness, I could tell this was going to be a big storm. Henry probably would be stuck here for days, and I was going to have to hide all aspects of magic from him while he was here. I was going to be using a lot of power to create an illusion that everything was normal. Looking down at the baby babbling in my lap and playing with the scarf I still had around my neck, I thought I’d try to explain the situation and see if she could understand. She was exceptionally bright, so maybe she could help me out. Lowering my voice so Henry wouldn’t possibly overhear, I gave it a try.

  “Ameria. Henry is going to be staying with us for a while.” Her little face lit up and she giggled, clapping her hands like she wanted me to give Henry t
o her. That was a good start. “Yes, I like him too. But he doesn’t know about magic. He can’t know about our magic, or he won’t be safe.” She frowned and shook her head. Hmm. “I don’t want him to be in danger, and knowing about our magic might make him not safe, so please try to not do any magic around him, okay?”

  Ameria scrunched up her face and shook her head again. Umm. What did that mean?

  “I know, I know, but please just don’t put pictures in his mind like you just did for me, okay?”

  She stuck her bottom lip out, started sniffling, and threw her bottle on the ground before she started genuinely wailing like I’d taken her bottle before she was finished. I tried to soothe her, but nothing worked. She was getting more and more upset when I looked out the window and noticed the storm, which had been a steady snowfall just a few minutes ago, was now a verified blizzard. I’d been told she could create storms when she was upset, but now she was obviously able to create snowstorms too. Henry bustled in with a box, and the door slammed against the wall from the raging wind outside. He had to put all his weight into closing it against the wind, then leaned against the thick oak door.

  “This is the weirdest storm I’ve ever seen! All of a sudden, the wind starts whipping the trees every which way and the snow started dumping down. It’s a whiteout. I can’t even see the driveway past the truck now.”

  He dropped the box and took his boots off before coming over to where I was standing at the window, looking out and trying to bounce and soothe the screaming baby.

  “What is all this noise? Are you making all this ruckus, little missy ma’am?”

  Ameria stopped crying when she heard Henry talking to her. She reached for him, and he took her from my arms to give her a hug and nuzzle his chin on the top of her curly head. She had stopped her tantrum, but she was still sniffling, coming down from her high emotions.

  “Now, there’s no need to cry, sweet girl. The storm is bad, but it’ll be better tomorrow. Now, look. See? The storm is getting better already.”

  She raised her head and looked up at him, then yawned. He hugged her again and then gave her back to me.

  “Someone’s so sleepy. Uncle Finn is going to recheck your diaper while I get your pack-and-play crib set up. It’s almost bedtime.”

  I took Ameria back into my arms, and she snuggled against my chest as if she’d never acted like a brat minutes before. She reached her hand up and placed it on my cheek, then showed me images of Henry and me standing beside each other and feelings of happiness.

  Damn. She liked him. She liked us together.

  A long walk in the woods was going to be needed very soon to replenish my power after what I imagined the next few days would be like. I was going to have a shit ton of magic to hide.

  Chapter 4

  Henry

  The snow wasn’t melting this high on the mountain. Even after a week, we would still get flurries every day. They seemed to coincide with Ameria’s moods. She already had very powerful magic. It was amazing, and at times adorable. Other times, like now, it was incredibly inconvenient.

  “Princess, it’s time for your nap, now. You don’t want to be grumpy and tired later, do you?”

  She pouted her lower lip and was about to start crying when Finn appeared behind me with a stuffed dog that had been in one of the boxes that I’d hauled up here in my delivery.

  “Here’s your puppy. Snuggle puppy and help him take a nap. Look. His eyes are so sleepy. Can you curl up and help puppy take a nap?”

  She cuddled the fluffy white puppy with pastel polka dots tight and rocked it back and forth, mimicking the way Finn or I would rock her to get her to calm down and rest. After a minute, she yawned and curled up in her crib for her nap.

  Finn had placed her crib in the bedroom upstairs off a loft area, so she would be able to rest in peace while we cleaned up or talked when she slept. Or didn’t talk, usually. I liked Finn. I enjoyed his company, but getting him to open up was harder than trying to chip a diamond.

  This last week we had fallen into a routine. We would both take care of the baby during the early day, but when nap time came, Finn would disappear into the woods. He said he was checking the snow levels and the roads’ condition, but he was probably doing Mage stuff he didn’t think me as a human should know about.

  I was so jealous he got to go out. I didn’t want to go tromping in the snow on a mountain, but I was getting stir crazy in this cabin. I had thought being stuck here would have led to us finally having a chance to get to know each other, maybe lead to some sexy times. But all I’d been doing was teaching him things and playing babysitter. This was not what I’d had planned.

  As usual, as soon as the baby went down for her nap, Finn threw his cloak on over his heavy kilt and sweater to go out. He wasn’t wearing long breeches under the kilt today as it had warmed up overnight. His furry legs were sexy under all that plaid. Being cooped up with the man of my fantasies for a week without any action was wreaking havoc on my hormones. The only explanation I had for my next question was that I was sexually frustrated enough to make a move.

  “You’re not wearing your breeches today. You going commando under there, Finn?”

  I should have been embarrassed blurting out a question like that, but I didn’t care. I needed some conversation. Honestly, I needed some dick, but I’d take a simple conversation at this point. If flirting got me some of anything, then I was completely down with that. His blush on his pale cheeks was almost as red as his beard when Finn cleared his throat and answered, “Do you want the honest answer, Henry?”

  Ohhh fun! He’s rolling with it!

  I got even bolder and walked over to him by the sofa—the sofa that had been my bed for a week. Was it comfortable? Technically, yes, it was, but I would have rather snuggled up with a red bear of a Mage than a throw pillow on a couch.

  When I got close enough to touch him, I reached out and ran a hand lightly over the soft woolen fabric of his kilt on his hip, sliding my hand down to the hem and picking it up slightly before making eye contact with him through my lashes. In my most seductive voice, I responded, “I always want the truth, Finn.” I played with the fabric between us, moving it higher and higher until it was almost to showtime. I bit my lower lip when I glanced down at his exposed thighs, then had to lick my lips to hide any drool that might have escaped. Fuck, even his thick thighs were furry with that red hair.

  If his pubes are fiery red, kill me now because I made it back into heaven.

  Clearing my throat, I got back to the task at hand.

  “If I pick this all the way up, Finn, what will I see?”

  His breathing has gotten heavier the higher I lifted the hem of the kilt. Now my other hand reached out and rested lightly on his shoulder so I could move closer; only a few inches separated us now. Finn’s eyes were dilating with desire, and when he licked his lips before answering, I had to stop myself from leaning up and tasting him. The only thing that stopped me was wanting to hear his answer.

  “You won’t see anythin’ there, Henry. Because there’s nothin’ ta see but what I was born with.”

  Dear gods, that was the answer I wanted. An accent, maybe Scottish, had made an appearance with his heightened emotions. Glancing down quickly to his lips, then up again, I begged for what I wanted. Now that I knew he was into me as much as I was interested in him, I had no trouble asking for it.

  He leaned down like he was about to kiss me, and I was so happy he read my signal. Sliding my eyes closed and pulling him closer to me in anticipation of finally, freaking finally, feeling his soft lips against mine, I was close enough to feel how much he was interested. It poked me in my stomach, so I rubbed my belly back and forth against him to show my appreciation. His low growly moan was almost enough to make me come before we’d even kissed. It was insane the connection we were creating together.

  I was no virgin by any means, so I was used to chemistry. This…whatever it was between us. This was something different. It was a little i
ntense, but I wanted it all. I wanted his strong arms around me. I wanted to feel that soft beard in all my interesting and intimate places. I felt his breath, heavy and erratic, on my lips for a fleeting moment. He was close, and my anticipation was on the edge of insanity. The magic moment when I could at last kiss Finn was just about to happen. Then, the unmistakable sound of the baby crying upstairs hit us both like a bucket of snow.

  The moment was shattered.

  Finn stepped back so fast, my hands fell to my sides, and I had to regain my balance by holding the back of the sofa. Desire still flushed his face, but there was a panicked look in his eyes that did an even better job of dampening my desire than the crying baby had.

  “I need to go out and check the roads. With the snow melting and the warmer weather, you should be able to make it down soon if I don’t find any washout. Can you go get Ameria? I won’t be long.”

  Finn made his excuse and nearly ran out the door. Disappointment was an old friend of mine, but it was never more piercing than this moment. I had fooled myself into thinking this was just a flirtation with Finn, but I knew the truth now. I really liked him, more than friends or business. I wanted him in my life.

  And he didn’t want me at all.

  It looked like I’d been put in my place, back to playing manny and nothing more. I walked up the stairs, soothing my sadness by reminding myself that I’d made some progress before getting shut down. Finn was interested, but he was holding back. Could it be something to do with the Guild? Or was it the fact that he thought I was human that was holding him back? Was this even worth a fight?

  I would take that thought up later. Right now, a fussy princess needed my attention. At least she couldn’t run out on me. Plus, she loved my hugs and kisses.

  When I got upstairs, I found what had caused all the fuss. The stuffed puppy had gotten tangled in the baby’s blanket and she couldn’t get him out to hold. I rescued the pooch and tried to get her to settle back down, but it was no use. Nap time was over for now.