Her Wild Magic by Karen Benjamin Read Free Book Online

frills kind of guy; going commando wouldn’t faze him in the least.
    “Here,” he said, tossing a pair of gray sweats and a matching top onto the bed. “These are too big, but they’ll have to do. Your sneakers are under the bed. Take them and anything else you might need to the bathroom and get dressed.”
    When Max made no effort to move, he paused in pulling on his boots and looked up at her. “Problem?”
    “A little information would be appreciated here.” She climbed off the bed to stand across from him. “Like, who this person is you’re going to meet? When you’ll be back? What I’m supposed to do if you don’t come back.” The fear in her voice almost made her wince. What was the matter with her? She was acting like a wife, for God’s sake. If she didn’t get a grip, the big guy would have her barefoot and pregnant in no time flat.
    Max shook her head in disgust and turned away from him. But before she could take a step, Caleb grabbed her from behind and buried his face in the curve of her neck.
    “I’m meeting Stefan,” he said gruffly, nuzzling along the side of her throat. “He’s one of my oldest friends. I’ll be back within the hour, and if I’m not, Stefan will come for you.” He released her and then slapped her firmly on the bottom. “Questions answered, mate. Now move.”
    Max tossed a dark look over her shoulder, pretending to be annoyed as she snatched up the clothes he’d tossed on the bed. “No need for police brutality, Sheriff McCain. I was moving.”
    “But not fast enough to suit me,” Caleb shot back. “When I say move, woman, I mean move, or you’re going to feel the sting of my hand on that kissable little ass of yours.”
    Max lifted her hand, flipping him off, and Caleb moaned.
    “You gotta stop doing things like that, baby. It makes me hot as hell. Now I’ve got to meet my friend with a hard-on big enough to poke him in the eye. He’ll never let me live it down.”
    Max rolled her eyes. “I’m beginning to think just about anything makes you hot as hell. You’ve probably spent half your life taking cold showers.”
    Satisfied at having the last word, Max closed the bathroom door, intent on dressing, when she realized she had no idea what Stefan looked like. “Hey,” she called out, “if you send Stefan to get me, how am I supposed to recognize him? I mean, anyone could turn up claiming to be your friend.”
    “Easy enough,” he shot back. “Stefan is a vampire.”
    “Ha, ha very funny,” Max said jerking open the bathroom door to poke her head out. But the room was empty.
    Max frowned. He was joking, right?
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
Chapter Five
     
     
     
    Caleb waited, concealed in the dense pines surrounding the cabin. When he heard the click of the bathroom door lock, he closed his eyes and focused inward, checking the strength of the wards safeguarding the cabin. They held, stronger than ever, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders.
    Certain he’d done everything possible to keep her safe, he put on a burst of speed that blurred his image as he ran though the heavy foliage and up the hills overshadowing the cabin. His passage was silent, his image so vague it blended almost seamlessly into his surroundings. In a matter of seconds, he was nearly a mile away, standing on a rocky ledge high above the town of Haven.
    “Stefan,” Caleb whispered, his senses confirming what he already knew. “You never cease to amaze me. My senses tell me you are near, yet I cannot pinpoint your exact location.”
    A man materialized directly in front of him, no more than six feet away. He was unusually tall, dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and elegant dark slacks. His face was that of a fallen angel, harsh, aristocratic, yet too beautiful in its perfection to be entirely human. He appeared no more than thirty-five, but he had walked the earth for over a century.
    “Time grows short,” Stephan replied in a lightly