Enchanting the Alpha (Hex My Heart, #4) Read online

  Caden & Harmony

  TALINA PERKINS

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ENCHANTING THE ALPHA

  HEX MY HEART SERIES

  Copyright© 2015 Talina Perkins

  Excerpt from BEWITCHING THE ALPHA

  copyright© 2015 Talina Perkins

  WWW.TALINAPERKINS.COM

  Edited by Em Petrova

  Cover Artist: Bookin' It Designs

  eBook ISBN: 9781310479397

  All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the permission in writing from the Author.

  DEDICATION

  For anyone that has ever taken a chance on love and trusted another with your most treasured gift... you have the bravest soul and strongest of hearts!

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Other Titles

  Bewitching the Alpha Excerpt

  About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Strong arms cradled Harmony snug against a firm chest. The thick smell of pine stroked along her senses in a sensual tease. She recognized his scent and loved the way it aroused her inner vixen. It reminded her of the long night they’d spent together not long ago.

  The woodsy and earthy aroma had soothed her then as much as it did now. It calmed and excited the earth witch in her right down to the deepest parts of her soul. She daydreamed about him and the way he caressed her curves with heated glances from afar. How his expression lit up with a simple smile from her.

  Harmony buried herself deeper into the welcomed warmth of his body and didn’t dare break the spell by opening her eyes. Not just yet.

  When she couldn’t hold back any longer, curiosity tilted her head back an inch for a better look at the man holding her. Her heart swelled with awe, then bottomed out as if she stepped off a cliff to freefall.

  His stubble-covered jaw line, long lashes and kissable, pillowy lips so close to hers caused her body to flush with more than just heated excitement. Anticipation flooded her veins and she wanted another hit of whatever he did to make her feel so lightheaded.

  In contrast to the strength that engulfed her, his gentle touch eased her nerves and she let out a slow sigh.

  He completely stole her breath away. Goddesses divine, I’ve died and found my own wicked ‘n sexy heaven.

  Cool air whooshed over them to play in the wisps of her hair. Tension knotted in her gut and the once soft undertones of the moment melted away to reveal despair, but for what she couldn’t tell. She only knew it came from him.

  Heavy fog coiled around their feet, the thick wafts of vapor blocking out the shafts of moonlight that poured over them moments before.

  She tightened her arms around his shoulders and flicked her gaze to his. The world could be on fire and in crumbled ruin all around her, but when she looked into his eyes, she felt safe. His bright crimson-tinged eyes drank her in with an intensity she’d never witnessed before and anchored her firm in this moment in time.

  Then Caden Roarke spoke. Just on the cusp of her hearing his silky baritone reached out to her. “Forever mine.” She angled her head and strained to make out the words as they floated along the air as if separated by more than just distance. As if time stood between them like an impenetrable cloak determined to keep them apart.

  Serpentine tendrils of magick burst out of the encroaching darkness to weave a glittery silver web around them, tying them together. The interlocked threads spiraled and tightened their hold, and something told her destiny wanted a say in this suspended moment in time as well.

  Caden leaned closer and brushed the tips of their noses together, caressing the gentle slope of her neck with his knuckles until he encased her shoulder in a firm yet gentle hold. “Take me now and forever. Say you will, please put my wolf and me at ease. Say yes.” The words morphed and shifted until they hit her all at once. Tender, yet she noted the fear that edged along the fringes of his plea.

  With the slightest tilt of his head, Caden captured her mouth with his. What started out as a sensual brush of his lips against hers, quickly transformed into a claiming, soul-searing kiss.

  A soft, silky caress of his tongue against her lower lip prompted her to open for him. Fingers buried into her loose hair. Her mouth fell open and he took advantage of her surprise by taking their kiss deeper. If she could describe the raw carnal need that ignited within her, the possessive way he sought to claim every crevice of her mouth, she’d say fiercely desperate. As if he was afraid she would slip away from him if he didn’t show her how he felt right here, right now. The same need he pulled from her.

  But why? Didn’t he know she’d do anything to be by his side forever?

  Heat surged through her veins until every nerve in her body flared to life from his touch. Knots tightened deep in her belly and her nipples pebbled against his bare chest as a low growl rumbled along their connected bodies.

  Harmony ran her hands around his front and anchored her palms against his taut muscle. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She loved the way he felt beneath her fingers. So masculine and he had the kind of chiseled muscles that all wet dreams should be made of, because hers definitely were.

  Caden pulled back, breaking their kiss so fast a small whimper escaped her lips. “Don’t be scared.” Emotion roughened his plea. Gently he tilted her face away from him with the pad of his thumb before she could ask what she should be afraid of.

  Pain tunneled through her body, hit bottom and backtracked, locking every muscle in place and forced her eyes shut against the pain.

  Small breaths shuddered from her as she forced back tears. Bitter cold unfurled over her and robbed her body of any warmth.

  Pitch black pushed out any traces of the silvery swaths of light. Suddenly the world spun and she freefell into the ether. The last thing she saw was her wolf, his lips stained red and eyes luminous with an ethereal blue.

  “Now and forever, you’re mine.”

  ***

  Harmony clutched her stomach and dragged in a lungful of warm herb-scented air. Her vision slowly returned, bringing her magick shoppe into focus. Low light cast a heavy shadow across multiple shelves filled with everything from homemade candles and scented oils to the more powerful ingredients such as wards against black magick and everything in between.

  Kneeling, she leaned forward to regain her strength. Each time a powerful vision barged in, her powers took a hit.

  Her shoulders slumped and she hung her head for a beat. Sometimes the psychic gig was more of a curse with claws hiding in the dark ready to jump out at her just for kicks and giggles than a gift like her mom and aunts called it.

  Hands braced on her thighs, she eyeballed the mess before her. Every container
of dry herbs and crystal potion bottles she had gathered in her arms to stow away now lay at her feet scattered across the wooden floor creating a smelly mess.

  Not that her frozen dinner for one ranked high on her to-do list, but she’d hoped to get everything put away and head home for the weekend before the big snowstorm hit. She couldn’t forget about her winged guests due to arrive at her place by the following nightfall either. By the looks of it though, she could probably count on spending at least tonight in the back room again.

  Shaking off her irritation, she gathered her hair in a high bun and bit back the groan she wanted to let out like an irritated five-year-old.

  Crushed lavender mingled with yarrow to create a purple and soft golden-hued nebula with a dusting of dried jasmine throughout that served as makeshift stars.

  Tingles ran across the bridge of her nose and then tickled the back of her throat. Great—just what she needed.

  Harmony grabbed for her stash of tissues hidden beneath the counter for when the natural ingredients played havoc with her sinuses. Kind of ironic for an earth witch, but that was fate doing the kicks and giggles thing again.

  Luckily, none of the liquids and such had broken open in their tumble. If her ill gained vial of dragon’s blood had cracked even a sliver and mixed with the Fea tears, she’d have some explainin’ to do when the Elders came calling. The combination created one helluva potent potion that only warlocks and witches practicing black magick created. The moment the blood and tears of the two creatures collided a wave of energy would release like a pulse that every witch within miles would feel. If that happened, it had the potential to set their entire collective of people back by a few hundred years to the times of the Witches and Weres War. No way in hell she wanted to be responsible for reopening that wound. So, yeah, you could bet your broomstick and cauldron the Elders would be slightly miffed with her if that ever happened.

  Even now, lying side by side, the shifter blood swirled and bubbled within its glass enclosure, ready to continue the blood drenched war.

  Dated history between the two otherworldlies would take hours to unravel and it still wouldn’t make any sense to outsiders, but long story short, bad blood separated the two and spanned several centuries. When hatred went as deep as blood, only death would end the feud and she had no intension of getting in the middle of that war.

  The pain and segregation caused by her own people’s Witches and Weres war over two hundred years ago was enough to destroy the otherworldlies. The way she saw it, there was no need to give any of them a reason to draw more blood.

  CHAPTER TWO

  A palpable thrum pulsed through the shoppe. Residual magick from the spell work with her coven sisters only a couple of hours before clung to the air, heightened by the power flowing along the ley lines. The ancient magickal lines that crisscrossed the planet fed into every otherworldly being and served as a car battery, especially for spells cast on or near them. Crank that up one hundredfold on nights like tonight. Witches celebrated the turn of each season, and tonight the winter solstice began at the stroke of midnight.

  Her head dipped and she took a slow, steady breath still shaky from her vision. Focus.

  Like her sisters, she learned as a young witch how to siphon a little off the top from the ley lines to restore her energy.

  Currents flowed along her arms, up her chest and into her body. Twenty-five years and she still hadn’t mastered the control she needed over the intrusions, for the lack of a better way to explain the overpowering visions that gave her blackouts at the oddest of times.

  When her psychic powers had something to say, they didn’t wait for her to get comfortable. They barreled through and she’d better be ready to listen. Tonight had been different, though. Something felt off about the fierceness of what she witnessed, and she couldn’t ignore the absolute powerless feeling that came over her either. It all sat heavy in the pit of her stomach. She needed more details, but she couldn’t exactly command another vision to happen. Or could she?

  Harmony sat back on her heels. The images had been so real. So... sensual and ardent. Possessive.

  She could still feel the contours of his unyielding muscles, the way his chest felt pressed against her cheek.

  Pine and fresh air lingered all around her and gave a rise to her heartbeat. Smells and sensations usually hung around a while after a vision. She was used to that, but this one hit close to home.

  The question is why?

  She pushed to her knees and started gathering the tiny multi-colored teardrop bottles when his wispy words came back to her.

  What did they mean, and were they for her? Did she have the misfortune of hearing his tender words when they were intended for another? Both options scared her and heart fractured a sliver at the thought. Nothing stood out to make her think he didn’t want a future with her. Eventually. Maybe. Hades, she never really knew with Caden. He kept so much to himself.

  Neither of them had said a word about taking their ardent affair beyond the couple of lust-filled nights of passion, but the way he held her tight and cared for her made a girl wish.

  On the best of days, it was a love-hate relationship with her psychic abilities. Helping friends, loved ones, and those in need brought a calm happiness to her life. But there were days she could leave it all behind. Witnessing the future for others came at a personal cost that kept her from peering into her own, even in passing.

  She needed to see more. Find out what the blood meant. Her future might be closed off, but how about his? Was it her fault she just happened to be in it? Would that make her guilty of breaking the rules placed on her kind?

  She smiled. The Elders would say yes, strip her of her powers, and leave her out in the cold. Kinda a done deal with them. The archaic cave-dwellers, as her sister liked to call them, never bent the rules and if they cast a truth spell over Harmony, no way she could deny knowingly reading her own future. But that was only if the Elders found out. Her smile grew.

  With her sisters all occupied with their own shifter problems tonight, Harmony had Enchanted Embers and all it offered at her fingertips. A little secretive conjuring seemed to be in order.

  She placed the potion bottles on the counter and crossed the hardwood floor to draw the curtains closed over the front display windows and flip the sign to closed. Cold metal tumbled over several times and signaled the deadbolt had slid home.

  There were three things Harmony knew she shouldn’t do.

  Playing with magick ranked up there with misusing dragon’s blood, and the third on her list was letting her clairvoyant gift ‘accidentally’ foretell her own future. Her brows pinched and she bit at her inner lip. The gray area that existed for all things magickal and the rules that surrounded them needed a little bending, in her opinion.

  Her mouth kicked up in a half grin. Except the dragon’s blood thing. Since she performed a civil duty when she confiscated the illegal vial of blood from the unsuspecting human girl last night, what harm could there be in taking a little bit for her own use before the shifters came calling? They weren’t due until tomorrow, so she had time.

  She could forget concealing the missing content when they did, but the sexy winged devils owed her for uncovering a black market of magick and exchange of otherworldly creatures happening right under their jeweled-colored snouts. They just didn’t know it yet. Something told her there would be hell to pay for some unfortunate soul trading the shifter’s blood.

  In contrast, most females—humans mostly—never saw them as a threat coming from a species of shifters that were in all honesty, crafted to make any women’s fantasies a reality. It was how the witches had used them in the war so long ago.

  Shameful and it made her sick to think about it. They were nothing more than enslaved bouncers of the supernatural world and used as sex slaves for bartering with the humans whenever it suited the needs of the Royal High Council of Witches.

  History didn’t change one fact—Dragon and wolf shifters were nat
urally sexual beasts at their core and had a way of making it worth any a woman’s wile to give them exactly what they wanted—in and out of bed. A point all the Sweet Briar Coven sisters were all discovering for themselves tonight, all but her, anyway.

  Which brought everything back into focus.

  She fumbled under the counter until she found the hidden stainless steel container she kept there. A couple of swigs of Moon Lust went a long way. Her sister’s supernatural hooch burned the back of her mouth and left a warm trail all the way to her stomach, then branched out as it hit her system full throttle.

  She took one more gulp for good luck, or bravado, and stashed the flask back in its cubbyhole.

  Harmony pressed forward and returned to the mess.

  A little boost to heighten her powers was all she needed. A small spell to get a better peek at the message she somehow knew fate wanted her to witness. Her fingers tightened around the edges of her sweatshirt. When her insides twisted and tugged at her instinct with such force, past experience taught her to listen.

  She flicked her gaze to the old-timey clock in the corner. Both hands closed in on midnight. Her heart quickened. She’d have to hurry. A small voice chimed up in the back of her mind. What if she stumbled on something not meant for her? How would she explain that to the Council? Then again, what if she never had to? That gave her pause.

  Fingers wrapped around the multiple potion bottles and herbs, Harmony stood and gave a hip bump to the floor-to-ceiling ladder connected to the equally large shelves. All alone on a Saturday night playing maid to all the conjuring for her coven sisters’ mischievous deeds stirred an idea.

  Wheels squeaked and clattered as she pushed to the different areas to stow away the magickal ingredients. With a familiar ease, she slipped the various bottles into their places, each with a soft clink against the wood.

  Similar to the system of a library she and Ember, her coven sister, kept everything organized according to their strengths and purposes. Lavender and crushed rose quartz—very hard to come by—dried marigold petals and, of course, Fea tears had its own area obviously.