Chapter 21

Twenty-One

"A saint’s heart once lost is lost forever." — Sayings of the Blessed Crow.

Mara had expected Augustus to be gloating or at least teasing her, but he did none of those things. They walked in a silence that was now comfortable again.

She had been angry and melancholy for days, wanting him and hating him. Now she didn’t know what to feel apart from embarrassment.

"Are you hungry?" Augustus asked, unlocking his front door. "I’ve been worried about you for days and barely ate. Now I want to eat everything."

"I could eat too," Mara admitted, toeing off her boots. She hugged her arms around herself. "Augustus? I’m…I’m sorry."

"It’s okay. I can’t say I wouldn’t have jumped to the same conclusion if our positions were reversed." He tilted his head, thinking about it. "Actually, I wouldn’t have walked away that night. I would’ve created a scene."

Mara’s lips twitched. "Really?"

"Without a doubt. A massive one. No one can throw a tantrum like a sorcerer. I probably would have thrown a lightning bolt at the guy or something equally ridiculous," Augustus replied. He snapped his fingers, and the fireplace sparked to life.

"Get warm, little saint. I’ll get us a drink and order some food. I know an ifrit that has the best Persian food in the city. He thinks I’m too skinny, so he’s determined to overfeed me any chance he gets."

"Sounds perfect," Mara said, swallowing the lump in her throat because it was exactly what she needed. Fire, food, and his company were all she wanted.

Mara held her hands out to the fire and smiled at the warmth rushing through her. She had been cold inside for days. Now, impossibly, she was back in Augustus’s house with butterflies dancing in her stomach.

Overhead, thunder rumbled like a warning. The city had been troubled with winter storms ever since the blood moon, and Mara had done her best to ignore the taste of ozone and lightning in the air. It reminded her too much of the sorcerer she had been doing her best to avoid.

"Are you sure you’re okay and that the miracle didn’t hurt you?" Augustus asked, coming back in with two tumblers of brandy.

"I was more worried about it coming out and killing everyone like my aunty’s did," Mara explained.

"It did what?" Augustus dragged some of the couch cushions off and placed them in front of the fire. He sat and patted the place next to him.

Mara got comfortable and told him all about what Athanasius had said to her about the big miracles in her family and then about her mother. She left out Sophia wanting to stop Mara from meeting Augustus because she wasn’t sure how he would react.

Their food arrived while they talked, and Augustus dished it up before they sat down next to the fire again. There was something so casual about it that it eased any lingering anxiety Mara had.

"That’s…an awful lot to process. Your fear at the bar makes a lot more sense now," Augustus said, passing her a bowlful of Khoresh-e Ghormeh Sabzi. "I wonder what triggered it."

"You said that ambrosia would bring out whatever was buried. I think it was literal." Mara chewed a mouthful of stew and rice. "Maybe the ambrosia was breaking whatever it is that’s holding the miracle in place."

"Just as long as it was the ambrosia and not some unknown curse for you kissing me," Augustus replied, tapping his lip with his fork. "I suppose we’ll find out."

"We will? Very confident of you, sorcerer."

"Oh, I’ll definitely be kissing you again to test this theory. You know us sorcerers. We love a good experiment." Augustus had a determined look in his eye that heated her insides quicker than any stew.

"Have you looked at the hole in Melbourne’s magic? Everything has felt off since the blood moon," she said, needing to change the subject before she combusted.

"I haven’t, actually. I’ve been too worried about whether or not you were okay," Augustus admitted. He stretched his long body out on the carpet and propped his head up with his hand.

"What makes you think the magic is more off than usual?"

"The storms for a start."

"It could just be winter."

Mara shook her head. "No wonder it’s taken you so long to figure out how to close the hole in the magic. You aren’t paying attention to any of the signs."

"That’s because there hasn’t been any until you came along." Augustus gently tugged the tail of her braid. "It’s all your fault."

"My fault! You were the one that broke magic to begin with. A story you still haven’t told me," Mara argued. He continued to play with the end of her braid, and she pretended not to notice.

"I’m going to need a huge pot of tea for that one. And probably a bottle of whiskey to chase it."

Mara finished eating, put her empty bowl in his, and leaned back on her elbows beside him.

"You know you can’t avoid it forever, Augustus. You are tied to the magic, and it’s not going to heal until you do."

"I know. I just hate it. I closed that memory off for a reason. It’s ugly and makes me vulnerable, and I hate that most of all," Augustus admitted. He was close enough that Mara could see the flecks of green in his gray eyes. "I also don’t know what will happen once the hole is fixed. If I’m tied to it, it might finally kill me."

Mara swallowed hard, not wanting to consider such an unacceptable outcome. She didn’t like the worry in his eyes either.

"I have a miracle inside of me that could go off at any minute and kill me too. You’re not so special."

Augustus laughed softly. "True. At least your miracle might do some good. I feel like I’ve fucked up everything I’ve ever tried to fix."

"Every Corvo saint has been so cursed in love that until recently, I’ve avoided it my entire life."

Mara didn’t need to add that she was in love right now and that she was trying to warn him. She was sure it was written all over her.

"Well, every woman I have ever loved has died." Augustus frowned in concentration. "What do you think our chances are that your love curse and my love curse will cancel each other out?"

"Stranger things happen in magic." Mara tilted her head, her eyes drifting to his lips. "If we are both about to die under magical and mysterious circumstances, I wonder if either of the curses matters in the end."

"As a very learned and impressive sorcerer, would you like my professional opinion?" he asked.

Mara grinned. "Absolutely."

Augustus placed his palm on her cheek. "I think loving you would be worth the risk, however long it can last."

"What have I told you about reading my mind?" she whispered, right before he kissed her.

Every one of Mara’s remaining defenses melted under the heat of his lips. Augustus stroked down her side before using the belt loop of her jeans to drag her up against him.

She was enclosed in his heat, his smell of spice and magic and man flooding her senses. She ran a hand under his shirt and over the muscles underneath.

"How’s that miracle? Any problems?" he asked, pressing a line of kisses down her throat.

"Huh? Um, not that I know of?" Mara replied, far too breathily.

"That’s not a very scientific reply. You would’ve made a terrible sorcerer," Augustus murmured against her skin. "You will tell me if it starts to shift again, won’t you? I don’t want you running out in a panic."

Mara brushed her fingers through his hair. "I’m not going anywhere, Augustus. Not tonight."

"What a coincidence. I wasn’t going to let you go anywhere either."

Augustus kissed her again and slowly eased onto his back, taking her with him so she was half lying on him. He smiled up at her, looking like sin with his dark curls splayed out and eyes shining with secrets.

"I have one very serious question I need to ask you," Mara said, her fingers stroking his cheek. "The door upstairs with the golden sigils. What’s behind it? Bodies of dead wives? A sex dungeon? Another dimension? I have to know."

"You want to see?" Augustus asked, trying not to laugh. Mara nodded, and he helped her up. "Really, Mara, of all the times to ask."

"I can’t help it. The curiosity is killing me. I need to know if I’m going to fall for the same trap your other wives did," she teased.

"I love your confidence in my abilities to get more than one woman to marry me. I’m not exactly a catch, Mara," Augustus said, leading her upstairs.

Mara checked out his ass in front of her. "I don’t know. From this angle, you look pretty great."

"Flirt with me at your peril, little saint." Augustus pressed the golden sigils, infusing them with magic, and the door swung open. "Welcome to England."

"No way," Mara stepped inside a massive library and swayed with vertigo as the portal magic hit her. Augustus’s hand caught her by the elbow to steady her. "This is amazing."

"I think so. I can’t stay here long because the magic in Melbourne pulls me back. I like being close to the rest of my books, so I risk it," Augustus explained.

"Can I explore another day?" Mara asked, looking hungrily at the hundreds of books around her.

"Another day? Why not now?" he asked with a confused expression.

Mara looked back at him with a wholly different kind of hunger. "I have other business to attend to."

"Oh? And what business would that be?"

Mara pulled off her maroon knit sweater, so she stood in front of him in jeans and a plain black bra. "You’re a very clever sorcerer. I’m sure you can figure it out."

The words were barely out of her mouth when Augustus suddenly had her pinned up against the library door.

"What did I just say about flirting with me?" he demanded, his tall body caging her in. He ran his stubbled cheek down her throat. "You always smell so fucking good. Like sacred things and sin."

His mouth found hers, his kiss more urgent and demanding than it had been downstairs. Mara ran her hands over his chest, her fingers catching on the buttons of his shirt in their attempts to get to the warm skin underneath.

Augustus’s fingers stroked over her exposed rib cage. Mara made a soft, helpless sound as he hooked his finger under the center of her bra.

"May I?" he asked.

Mara didn’t trust herself to speak, so she nodded. Augustus gave her a wicked smile and tugged at the clip freeing her breasts. It wasn’t like a man had never seen her naked before, but Mara’s whole body flushed at the look he was giving her.

Augustus dropped to his knees in front of her. His tongue stroked feather-light against her as he mapped a fiery trail of kisses down her neck.

Mara couldn’t hold in soft gasps when he reached her sensitive breasts. His hand moved to stroke and tease them until Mara’s knees were going weak. His other hand cupped her between her thighs, the warmth of his palm burning through her jeans.

Augustus placed a kiss just under her right breast. "Fuck, Mara, I feel the power inside of you," he murmured. "The miracle is sitting here, isn’t it?"

"Yes, and so far, it hasn’t moved," she replied. She twined her fingers in his dark hair, feeling a strange kind of awe that she had such a powerful man on his knees. That he had put himself there.

"You are so damn beautiful," she said, bringing him close to kiss again.

Augustus’s arms wrapped around her legs, and he lifted her up as he stood. Mara let out a squeak of surprise, gripping his shoulders, so she didn’t fall.

"We need to get out of this library before the magic starts to burn me," he said, carrying her back into the hall.

The library door closed behind them as another opened. The fire leaped to life on the other side of the room, and Mara was placed down on a high mattress of a four-poster bed.

"Much better."

Mara grinned. "Debatable. You looked rather good on your knees."

"You’re the only one who I would surrender to, saint," Augustus said, placing a kiss on the soft curve of her stomach and undoing the top button of her jeans. He nipped her hip. "Lift."

Mara’s hips went up automatically at the command, and Augustus pulled off her jeans and panties with one hard tug. She reached for his shirt, dragging it off his shoulders.

She wanted to touch and taste his lean, muscular body like he had done to her. She licked his collar bone, and he pinned her wrists above her head. She felt the second his magic looped around them, and he released his hands.

"Hey, that’s not fair," she complained when he pulled out of her reach.

"What about me says I’m interested in playing fair?" Augustus said with a devilish gleam in his eye. He looked down at her body stretched out over his covers. "Yeah, it’s much better than I imagined, and my imagination is pretty damn good, Mara."

Her skin was hot all over as he stared at her until she was about to combust. Very slowly, she spread her legs wider, and his eyes glowed with a spark of silver magic. He stroked his fingers over her wet slit, his burning gaze holding hers, watching every reaction.

Mara tugged at her magical restraints, his gentle touches driving her insane. His warm mouth closed over her, and her curses turned into a helpless whimper.

Mara’s legs hooked around his ribs, holding him tight to her. She was helpless beneath him, pleasure burning through her veins.

"Augustus." Her back arched as he slid a finger inside of her, his tongue flicking her clit in a way that made her see stars.

The pressure was building inside of her, but before it could break, he pulled away. He laughed at her curse of frustration.

"Not until I’m inside of you, sweet saint," he growled, moving his body up against hers, his weight perfect between her thighs.

His strong hands gripped her hips, lifting them high and sliding inside of her in one deep stroke.

"Fuck," he groaned, not moving. Mara could barely breathe, the feel of him filling her up, robbing her of her senses. God, he was perfect. She canted her hips up, and he held her hip tight to hold her still.

Mara needed more of him. Always more.

Augustus brushed the loose hair from her face and gave her a dirty kiss. Mara moaned into his mouth as he thrust deeper, hitting her limit and sending pleasure rolling through her.

"You feel so damn good, Mara," he panted against her lips. Mara pressed her breasts up against his chest, and he cursed, pumping deeper. Augustus’s magic snapped on her wrists, and he pulled her up into his lap.

Mara wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him hard and rough. His grip on her ass tightened, and she was suddenly riding him.

She bit into his shoulder, smothering her cries as the change in angle had her hurtling through an orgasm.

"Fuck, Augustus," she panted, nails digging into him.

"Kiss me," he demanded, arms banding tight around her to keep her from shifting away.

Mara kissed him, her whole body shaking as he fucked her through her orgasm and found his own. He held her close, his face buried in her neck.

She stroked the long curve of his back, languishing in being as close to him as she could ever be to another person.

"My sorcerer, how will I ever give you up now?" she murmured.

Augustus held her tighter like he was afraid she would try and leave. "There will be no giving up for either of us. We were destined, saint. You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go."

Tears pricked Mara’s eyes. She had been unwanted for so long that she didn’t know how to process all she was feeling.

Her family had always seen her as more of a curse than a blessing, and her own mother resented her even as she claimed to love her.

To have someone want her simply for being Mara and not her miracles was too new to comprehend.

"You might have to remind me that sometimes," she whispered.

Augustus pulled back, his expression soft. "Oh, love, I’m going to be making my claim on you every damn day until I die."