Page 5 of Resurrecting the Witch
Patrick steered me back into the restaurant toward an empty booth in the back without waiting for my answer, coincidentally the same one Merrick pointed at earlier. The control Patrick had over something so simple already had my mind whirring in anticipation of what else he could take control of for me.
Who are you, sexy Irish man-bun man?
I didn’t sense he was a witch, or at least any type of witch that I’d encountered; typically, my magick sang to other witches like a soft song in my blood rising to the surface. With Patrick, I felt something pulling me to him, similar in that way but not in a sign of familiarity, but another show of intense feeling that reminded me of when I filled out that app for Guillermo. Guillermo knew my tragic history intimately, and my senses had been tingling when he made me complete my profile on the app; I had known something more might have been afoot, but I trusted Guillermo more than I trusted myself most days.
Depending on what Patrick was, he could probably sense relief at the small gesture of him leading me to the table, and judging by the continued smirk of pride on his perfectly handsome face—the cutest dimple hadn’t left his cheeks—he could tell how he knew how at ease he was putting me. I tapped into my magick and confirmed his spirit was definitely cocky, probably a fire sign.
I could have left if I really wanted. I could have told him “no” and that we would reschedule. I wasn’t just any witch; I was the last living, direct descendant of the most powerful line in the Pacific Northwest territory of magickal beings. My entire family’s magick, every drop from the infamous Ó Cuinn Coven, ran through my veins since none of them were left. So, whether Patrick realized it or not, if I let him be in charge of anything, it was a façade. He was as much of a threat to me as Merrick Hemlock, especially on this island that was warded in every conceivable way against attacks. I never really needed to have my guard up as much as I had for the last five years.
But I didn’t want to leave. My face was already painted on with the years-old makeup I dug out for the occasion. Lennox had helped me since this was more of her area of expertise anyway. I even bought and stretched new shapewear over my thick thighs and my stomach’s generous curves, for no other reason than I wanted to feel like I put in extra effort. It didn’t do much to hide my shape, and I never wanted to hide myself anyway, but it did help me feel contained in my skin. There was a comfort to being held in by stretchy fabric I couldn’t quite explain.
And did I mention how Patrick’s dimple was just… there?
Dimpling right in my face?
Taunting me?
Patrick motioned for me to enter the half-circle booth before him. I took a deep breath because I already knew I was sitting down to one of Mamma Adelaide’s classic recipes with someone who could change how my predictable and somewhat intentionally boring future unfolded.
Chapter 2
Isqueezed into the booth that wasn’t near wide enough for me and stared at the most enchanting female I’d ever seen. I knew as soon as I whispered in Cliona’s ear that I’d have to say the words I struggled with more than anything else in the world during my next session with Dr. Luna: You were right.
And that he was.
The bastard was so very right, and I would happily let him know.
Because this female waseverything.
I hadn’t wanted to go on what the present year referred to as ablind dateat all. I had scoffed at the idea of even joining the dating service, especially when Dr. Luna presented the idea (an app on the feckin’ phone of all things) to the rest of the Alpha Group. He told all of us it didn’t allow pictures due to the amount of different magickal beings that lived in Haven Pass and the rest of the island. He also said the app creators wanted to encourage a genuine connection instead of superficial, that the physical details the app asked for were only to ensure breeding compatibility, not for any personal preferences.
I told him it was dumb. I told him I’d be doing no such thing.
I told him, and everyone else in the twice-a-week Alpha Group meeting, that I had the right to see whoever the mysterious app creators wanted me to take as a mate. I didn’t want to end up with some foul creature just because their life landed them on this island like me. Anything could have shown up to this date, a pooka or even a sasquatch since we were in their territory if you ventured to the mainland. There were so many trees it was hard to find your bearings if you ventured out of town, and I was not about to feck a wild beast because a phone told me to. I stood strong in that belief and had most of the other alpha’s support; I may be a fae warrior awake in a different century, but I could very well find a mate without Dr. Luna’s help.
I thought I’d maybe even find mytruemate on this island, something I’d given up on long before I took my last breath hundreds of years ago. However, and unfortunately, what I noticed was a common occurrence, Dr. Luna didn’t give a flying feck what I wanted and told me he wouldn’t sign my paperwork to retain my HOMES residency if I didn’t go on at least one date.
But none of that mattered now. The beautiful bastard would get my favor for this; for putting his foot down and making me come here. I owed him a fierce debt, and I doubted I’d ever been thankful to be afeckin’ gobshitein all my life, because the sight of the soft, sinfully curved female looking up to me when I caught her trying to run away was something I never wanted to forget. I knew a picture wouldn’t have done her justice if it had tried, so the lack of one on the app didn’t matter. Cliona was feckin’ perfection wrapped in a deliciously human body I couldn’t wait to devour. Her hair was the darkest ebony with a blue undertone that shined like a painting of the night sky in the low light of the restaurant. Her skin was pale and contrasted so starkly with the dark color of her hair, as if she glowed like a bright star guiding me home. I had spent time with many witches back in the day, something I didn’t want to consider now that I had her in front of me. So, I knew the ring of emerald around her gray-colored irises said she was an earth witch.
Myearth witch.
She was surprised I bypassed her deep well of magick to calm her down, and to be honest, I was shocked myself. Either she hadn’t used enough lately so it was built up, or she might be the most powerful witch I’d ever met. I’d be ajammybastard if she’d use some of that power on me in some fun ways. My cock twitched at the thought of what all that magick could do, especially an earth witch—all those vines would come in handy for some things I had in mind formo peataalready.
“When’s your birthday?” I asked even though we hadn’t really settled into the conversation part of the date yet.
I mean, according to the first date homework Dr. Luna had given the Alpha Group, this was standard conversation, especially with witches, since the stars ruled their whole feckin’ lives. This was another difference I still had trouble adjusting to. We weren’t so fussy before I died. The stars were only given thought when witches involved themselves in fae matters. But it seemed everyone on all the dating programs we were forced to watch in Alpha Group always asked what someone’s sun sign was, as if that was an indicator of their personality instead of the rest of their entire natal chart.Gobshites, the lot of ‘em. But now I had to trust that research from Dr. Luna because I had a witch to impress, so I was going to call on every tip, trick, and detail I gleaned from my time spent with the Irish witches back in my original days in Ireland, and even the painfully, mostly horrible but oddly entertaining, reality shows I was forced to watch as homework since I woke up from the grave almost a year ago.
This was a date, and I was supposed to get to know my mate.
Wait.
Mymate?
The involuntary thought settled quick into my bones as if my body and soul united in this one realization to embrace the truth before Cliona answered. This beautiful, tempting creature was my true mate. My perfect match. My everything.
Apparently, I needed to die and then be brought back to life on Samhain by magick I didn’t understand to find her.
No one ever said finding love was easy.
