12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

O livia woke to sunlight streaming in from unfamiliar windows. At first, there was some confusion. This wasn't her bed or her room or her house. She was aching in places no one had touched in so long. But, after a quick second, it all came flooding back to her and the confusion melted into something so much better: real and unyielding happiness.

The comfort she found in Draven’s arms last night was amazing and unlike anything she had ever known. Right now, she was curled into him, feeling all of the warmth and safety he could provide. Her sleeping self had entangled herself here all night.

She had bared her soul to him. He asked her directly about her Cerebral Palsy and she told him everything she could manage. Talking about it was never easy, but she appreciated the way he wanted to get to know every part of her. While her disability was only a piece of who she was, it did impact the way she moved through the world. It was important to her that he understood the limitations she sometimes faced.

She first explained how the doctors hadn’t known the exact cause of her Cerebral Palsy, how they assumed she would never be able to walk or have any typical brain function. It was this information, she assumed, that caused her birth parents to surrender her to the state, maybe feeling as if they wouldn’t be able to give her the care she needed.

“Did that make it hard to find a family for you?” he asked.

“I would assume so. It’s why I had to be moved around so much. I had to be carried until I was three years old. I finally took my first steps after my third birthday with the help of physical therapy through the Birth to Three program. I’m sure it was a lot for a foster family to take on. I was smart though, really smart. Doctors were always surprised by that. Unfortunately for me, it meant I picked up on a lot. I can remember feeling very unwanted at a very young age.”

He lay next to her, stroking her cheek. “I’m so sorry, Liv.”

She explained how physical therapy was the norm for years, until it was determined her legs would never get better beyond a certain point. She would never be able to extend either leg fully. Her muscles would always be tensed, which was sometimes painful and caused her to walk on her tiptoes. Which, of course, meant she was bullied endlessly as a child.

He listened patiently while she explained that she had a lazy eye, had to wear glasses to read and that her depth perception was terrible. No surgery (though she had gone through several as a baby) or glasses could ever fix that.

He held her hand as she explained that the muscles on the right side of her body were so underdeveloped that she leaned permanently to that side. This was why she could never drive, swim, or ride a bike; she was constantly fighting her body's urge to tip her over.

She cried as she told him how lonely her childhood had been. She always felt like a burden because she could not do things other kids could. She could not walk as far; she could not run as fast. She always needed a railing to go up and down the stairs and when she was pregnant with Daniel, she lived in constant fear that she would lose her balance and hurt him.

Through her recollections, he remained a steady presence at her side, listening to her story and offering comfort where and when he could. She had never felt more beautiful or confident than she had in those moments.

In a single word, last night was fantastic. No other man had ever been able to read her wants and needs so clearly and bring her such pure and unadulterated pleasure. She had never felt a connection like the one she had with Draven. It was so strong and so bright and yet effortless in all of its complexity.

The suspicion was still there in the back of her mind, though, nagging at her that this was too good to be true. Those old doubts and fears were never far away. But she shoved them aside for the moment, choosing to focus on only the good things.

She was still dizzy from it all these hours later. As her eyes gazed at him, trailing first down his body and then back up to his face, which was relaxed in sleep, she could not help but smile. It was a victory for her to still be here.

Sleepovers were never her thing in the past. But this was natural and instinctive.

She stretched around a languid yawn and raised her sleep heavy limbs above her head before turning onto her side. Draven’s back was to her, his hair an inky black mess on his head, and his shoulders were dusted with freckles that trailed down the length of his back until they disappeared completely.

Fascinated and intrigued, she extended a hand out to touch them, luxuriating in the warmth and texture of his skin beneath her fingers.

He stirred slightly, the smallest intake of air expanding in his chest before he settled again. She held still until he slipped back into sleep before replacing her hand with the gentle press of her lips. His skin carried the tang of salt and vanilla and amber and something very distinctly him. She inhaled deeply as warmth curled through her body. She loved the way he smelled; she was quickly becoming addicted to this mix of him and her together.

The wet press of her tongue revealed that his freckles tasted simply like him. She sighed happily as his scent filled her nose again before kissing a path across the span of his shoulders and down the shallow knobs of his spine.

She pushed her hair off her face and moistened her lips before leaning back in, trailing her mouth the length of his back while listening to his breathing shift. He stirred again beneath her lips as she continued her gentle ministrations, blazing a path up and over to his arm before gently kissing the tattoo displayed there.

A rose for his mother, he had explained last night. What was it about roses? They seemed to pop up everywhere between the two of them. Maybe that would be their thing.

He stirred again. She should have stopped; she didn’t want to wake him. After all that hard work last night, the man had definitely earned a little extra sleep.

She smiled again, toes curling at the memories.

The clock on his nightstand indicated she still had several hours before Daniel would be home.

She wanted to show her appreciation for Draven and she could think of no better way to do that right now than to head downstairs and make them some breakfast. Who knew? Maybe he would wake up and find her and they could fulfill a fantasy she had had a time or two, of her and him together on his kitchen counter.

That thought alone was enough to get her moving. Before she disentangled herself from him, she pressed a kiss to his chest right above his heart, smiling when his lips twitched as if his dream had taken a particularly good turn.

Heading downstairs, she gathered everything she would need for pancakes from the cupboards and the fridge, collecting them together with a bowl, tossing ingredients in as fast as she could. By the time he was in the kitchen, his arms wrapped around her, she was well on her way.

Instinctively, she melted into him.

“You had me worried for a minute when I woke up alone. But now I see you've been making breakfast and my feelings on the matter have shifted.”

“Have they?” she asked, her voice charged with want. He made her whole body sing.

"Yes. I've always been fond of pancakes,” he said as his lips came to brush the spot just behind her ear. She sighed into the sensation, opening herself up better to him as her hands gripped the counter.

“Is that all you're fond of?” she asked, teasing him as she turned around in his arms. He growled low at the insinuation, his hands coming to hold her more firmly as if he were scared that she would slip from his grasp. Those eyes of his expressed all her feelings back at her and she was caught in them.

“If you have to ask that after last night, I did not do my job right,” he replied, and she licked her lips as her eyes moved down to his mouth.

She gulped and shook her head. “No, you did. More than once.”

Then his lips were on hers. She opened her mouth for him and the things he did with his tongue were delicious. A tiny moan escaped from the back of her throat and he bit down on her lower lip as he pulled her closer by her waist. It was dizzying, being kissed by him. He acted like he was starving and she was his last meal.

They broke apart after a few heated moments, both pulling in ragged breaths as their hands wandered over each other’s bodies.

God, he was so sexy. His body was so hard and warm it left her feeling weak in the knees.

She glanced down; the sight of how much he wanted her called to something deep inside her. How long had it been since she’d felt this desirable?

She wanted to return the favor, so without any hesitation, she pulled his sweatpants down and drew in a sharp breath when she saw him, so hard and red—already leaking. She wrapped her hand around his shaft and began to kneel when he suddenly stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She looked up, confused. Had she done something wrong?

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he inhaled sharply. “Liv. Wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, just, you first.”

He sunk to his knees on the floor in front of her, his breathing labored as he gingerly tugged at her panties, slowly sliding them off and letting them fall to the floor.

He trailed kisses down her hips to her thighs, hooking his arms behind her legs so he could pull her closer to him and then his tongue is gliding between her folds, drawing a low moan out of her.

“Draven. Fuck.”

She could feel his smug grin against her cunt.

He devoured her, licking and sucking at her with the same fevered intensity with which he had kissed her.

He groaned against her like he was somehow enjoying this more than she was.

She knotted her hands in his hair, rolling her hips and grinding her pussy against his face, his nose providing delicious friction against her clit.

“Draven,” she whimpered. “Draven, fuck, I’m gonna—”

Her vision whited out and she had to cover her mouth to muffle what was nearly a scream. Her whole body spasmed as her orgasm crashed over her, heartbeat drumming in her ears as she struggled to catch her breath. Wave after wave of intense pleasure coursed through her.

A few moments later, she registered his lips on hers and she could taste herself on his mouth and his tongue.

“You taste so fucking good, baby, so sweet,” he crooned, making her shiver.

Now it was her turn to sink to her knees. His cock was only inches from her face. She drew in a sharp breath.

She took it in her hand and stroked it a few times, hesitantly at first. His lips parted, eyes fluttering shut.

She looked up at him as she licked a long, hot stripe down his length, all the way to the tip.

“Fuck,” he breathed out.

There was something intoxicating about watching him come apart with a simple flick of her tongue.

She took a deep breath and eased him inside of her mouth. She hollowed out her cheeks so she could take more of him, desperate to taste every inch of him, sucking up each drop of his pre-cum.

She glanced up at him again and he was completely undone, groaning and flushed and so responsive to even the slightest shift of her mouth. His hands came down and knotted into her hair. She bobbed her head up and down his length, sucking fervently, desperately.

She whimpered as she sucked and sucked at him, and he cried out her name in a strangled groan as he came, spilling onto her tongue and down her throat.

He smiled down at her and then helped her to her feet.

“I’m definitely famished now,” he said with a laugh.

Olivia breathed a sigh of contentment. She and Draven were currently curled up on her porch swing, waiting for Daniel to come home. All she could think was that she wanted this thing between them to have a chance to grow.

She wanted to be honest with him in every way. She wanted to dare to dream of things she had long given up on.

After breakfast, they showered together. He washed her hair and then kissed her until her lips were swollen and her whole body was shaking. Then he fucked her hard and fast, whispering filthy things in her ear as he did.

Her hands clung to his shoulders and she whimpered softly against his lips as he thrust his swollen cock into her with ease. Her head reclined against the shower wall’s cool porcelain tile, focusing on that pleasurable fullness he gave her.

He flourished kisses over the wet skin along the column of her neck as he drove them towards that sweet climax.

Clinging to him like a lifeline, her body trembled and shuddered against his, crying into his shoulder as a feeling of ecstasy flowed through her. He ceased his movement and held her hips firmly to his, releasing his spend deep inside her, planting a sweet kiss on her forehead.

After toweling off, they got dressed quickly so as not to get distracted by each other’s nakedness. It mostly worked. Then they made their way over to her house and settled on the porch. She marveled again about how much could change in such a short amount of time. Suddenly Draven living next door was exciting and incredibly convenient, instead of an annoying hindrance.

He had been asking questions about her magic for the past twenty minutes, wanting to know how she first realized she was a witch and what kinds of spells she used most often.

“You don’t always have to say a spell to use magic?” he asked.

She laughed. “Nope. My magic comes from me. Spells and casts help with certain things and they help focus the magic. Like if I wanted to find a lost object or maybe make it snow. But other things, like when you saw my spoon stirring itself, that was just me. Sometimes when I’m sufficiently distracted or particularly upset, the magic just kind of comes out.”

Draven hummed in response, his eyes growing distant.

She guessed what he was thinking about. “You said your mom had magic.”

Draven nodded. “After she passed away, I cleaned out her house. I found a box of her things. Journals, letters, pictures. A few letters from someone who lives here or did live here. That’s how I found the town.”

“Why didn’t you want anyone to know?”

He shrugged. “I guess I just needed to be sure I was in the right place. I couldn’t very well just show up and start asking people, hey, are you a witch? Did you know my mother? I also wasn’t sure what people would think of me.”

She laughed. “No, I guess not and I can understand being scared. Well, I can certainly ask around for you if you want. Parker’s abuelita might know something about her.”

“That would be great, thanks. She wrote a lot in her journals about her life here. But I’d love to talk to some people who actually knew her. All I really know about why she left is that she lost her magic.”

Her brow furrowed. “Lost it? I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before. It’s a part of us. Nothing but a spell from the book could take it away.”

“The book?”

She laughed. “Right, sorry, I forgot you would not know about that. There’s a book that gives magic to the town. One of the original witches that founded the town put some of her magic in the book to help keep the town safe. There are some pretty hefty spells in there.”

“Does the book give you your magic?”

She shook her head. “No. I had magic before I lived here and there are plenty of other magical people out there in the world. But the book does enhance my magic, so I’m able to protect the town.”

“What would happen if you didn’t have the book?”

“Well, things would certainly be a lot more difficult. We like to think of it as an instruction manual passed down through the generations. It helps guide us. We don’t know for sure, but it’s possible that without the book, our magic would eventually die out and we wouldn’t be able to pass it on anymore. Each of us puts a little bit of our own magic into the book to help keep it going. If we lost it, we let’s just say it would not be good.”

He looked up from his mother’s journal and the light from the small desk lamp burned his eyes. Hours after spending the day with Olivia and Daniel, sleep would not come. The three of them had gone down to the beach, keeping the tradition of searching for a shell. Then he had taken them sailing, borrowing the boat from Jill’s husband, Malcolm.

Daniel threw every question he could at Draven about sailing. By the end of the day, the kid had learned the nautical terms for left and right and how to tie a slip knot. He was well on his way to becoming an expert sailor. Or so Daniel said.

But the wonderful day had also brought back a lot of memories of every moment spent with his brother on their little sailboat. Now, they were tinged with so much sadness. As much as he enjoyed watching Daniel, it served as a brutal reminder of everything he had lost over the past six months. What Olivia had said about the book weighed heavy on his mind. He looked to his mother’s journals for comfort. The clock on his phone read one a.m.

I’ve lost my magic. Maybe I should be angry. But really, I just feel free. I don’t think Eric feels the same, even though he says he does. But he loves me and I love him, so I think we can make this work.

We’re leaving tonight. Off to New York to start over. I’m sad to be leaving my friends and family behind. But I think it’s the right thing to do. Because everything is different now.

Somehow his mother had lost her magic and he was sure that book had something to do with it. There was possibility there. Maybe a way to do more than just expose the town’s magic, though he could not be sure yet. But he had to keep looking. Because no matter what he felt for Olivia, his intentions had not changed.

Olivia talked about how she had found a family here, how they had welcomed her with open arms. Yet, his mother had lived her life completely cut off from the people here. Whether it was by her own choice or not, she had been wronged. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair. So maybe he could use what was in this book to make it right. Maybe he could take away their magic. Give them a taste of their own medicine. A witch’s blood ran in his veins after all.

Maybe he could use that to make some magic of his own.