Page 36 of The Librarian’s Familiar

“I have never slept with one of my mates twice.” And this was the first time that he wanted to.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

August stared at the witch in the bed, torn between joining him and getting the hell out of there. If he left, the bond would disappear, and everything would be fine, but that meant he could never be with Charlie again. And he liked the way Charlie was looking at him, as if the last thing he wanted was for August to walk out the door.

“I’ve never heard of your kind of magic before.”

“Most people haven’t. Most people don’t want to.”

August hadn’t wanted to know that water witches could suck moisture out of a body either, but he was learning all kinds of shit. “So your magic undoes things. How is that useful?”

“Well, I can unravel more than clothing.”

“Such as?”

“Wards. Spells…” Charlie licked his lower lip, and August sensed the lie beginning to form.

“Spit it out.”

“That’s not what you were saying before.” Charlie forced a grin. When August didn’t smile, he continued. “People.”

August blinked. Charlie could unravel people?

“I’m the last line of defense for the prison. That’s why the librarian is always Coven.”

“And now you’ve told me you have to kill me?”

Charlie shook his head. “No, it’s not a secret that it’s a Coven outpost.”

“I meant the prison bit.” He still couldn’t see Charlie as the last line of defense if someone escaped; he didn’t look like he could take a hit.

“I can feel your thoughts racing a million miles an hour, but I can’t read them. I’m used to people reacting badly to my magic. Even my parents were… Let’s say they were greatly troubled. I spent a great deal of time learning to control my magic under the supervision of the Coven.”

“They consider you dangerous?”

Charlie was silent for a moment before nodding. “They did when I was learning to control it. If I keep order around me, my magic can create a little chaos without hurting anyone.”

And he was standing there, not wearing a stitch, as if waiting for Charlie to undo him. The only way he wanted Charlie to undo him was by fucking him. Is that why it had felt so intense? Because they were mates, and Charlie’s magic was doing something to him?

“So what were you planning, to let me sleep over but avoid fucking me in the morning?”

“I don’t know. I should’ve made you leave, but I didn’t want to.” Charlie glanced away. “I would’ve come up with an excuse.”

“And next time? Or would you have ghosted me?” The idea hurt, even though he didn’t know what he wanted. When he’d thought about the risk of being fated mates, it hadn’t seemed terrible. It didn’t feel terrible, except that Charlie had had mates before and hadn’t kept any of the bonds.

“I don’t know. Maybe if we wait a few days to cool down and think about it? If you are still interested, of course. But I don’t know what will happen if we continue.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, knowing when he was being dismissed. “I need to think.” He pushed off the door frame and walked around to grab his clothes. The side seam of his boxer briefs sprung a hole as he pulled them on. He glanced at Charlie.

Charlie lifted his hands. “I’m not doing anything…but that doesn’t mean my magic didn’t already weaken the stitches. I was kind of distracted by getting you out of your clothes.”

“By any means possible, apparently.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t fine. While there were fated mates in town—and it was a romantic idea that there was someone for him—he’d never thought about finding that for himself. If he stayed away from Charlie, he wouldn’t have to. Charlie’s magic would dissolve the bond, and they could both move on, but that meant never kissing or sleeping with Charlie again.

His dick twitched as he glanced at the naked witch, sitting on the bed. All he wanted to do was join him and find out how long it took for him to be ready for round two. “I don’t want to leave.”