Mystical Seduction: full-length sensual paranormal romance (The Protectors) by Dorothy McFalls Read Free Book Online

six years
earlier Horace had disappeared for two solid years. Two years that Horace couldn’t
really explain or remember.
    He didn’t want to remember.
    “I can’t talk about it.” Horace slashed an angry hand
through the air.
    That piqued Stone’s interest. “Can’t or won’t?”
    “Both.”
    Stone shrugged and appeared willing to let the matter drop,
for now. “She must have soaked up your energy. I’m sure it’s only a temporary
thing. Nothing to worry about.”
    Only Stone did look worried. His frown deepened. He flicked
a glance in Faith’s direction. “We’ll need to deal with her.”
    “Deal…with…?” Horace asked. The Protectors rarely
harmed the humans. Like a band of wizards living in a tower they watched over
the humans, kept them safe from malevolent forces. All of the Protectors believed they existed on earth to do just that. No one had ever given them a
mission statement, or even told them what they were or where they came from.
But watching over the humans seemed like a pretty obvious reason for their
existence.
    They had powers and abilities far beyond anything the humans
would believe. And yet, every single one of the Protectors had been born
to humble beginnings, made to suffer as children. It only made sense that they
existed so they could ease suffering. To help. Not harm.
    But that didn’t mean they never harmed a human.
    The Protector’s had a council, a formalized justice
system. Unlike the human court of law, their justice tended to be swift and often
extremely brutal. And one of the most staunchly held laws of their kind was that
they couldn’t reveal their powers to the humans.
    What would the council say when they heard that a human had
borrowed Horace’s powers? Would they consider Faith a danger? Would they call
for her death?
    Horace rubbed his tired eyes. “I don’t have any healing
abilities. I’m not convinced she used my power.”
    Stone nodded again. It was a noncommittal gesture.
Meaningless. Unreadable. But Horace knew one thing for a certainty—Stone
protected his own. He would walk through fire before letting anything bad
happen any of them. Even if that meant keeping secrets from their council.
    “Ms. Summers, may I speak with you for a moment?” Stone
called.
    Faith pushed up from the office chair and walked cautiously
over to them. She still looked shell-shocked. Horace put his arm around her
shoulder, not because he felt a need to touch her, to connect with her, but
because she looked like she could use the support. He’d gotten rid of any
tender yearnings to connect with others in that manner years ago…hadn’t he?
    “Who are you people?” she demanded. She looked and sounded
fearless. But she shivered in the circle of Horace’s arms. “ What are
you?”
    “It really doesn’t matter,” Stone said. His voice sounded
soft and gentle. Safe. He focused all his attention on Faith. Horace, standing
so close, could feel the waves of Stone’s magical power rolling over him. He
tried not to imagine what such intense power must have been doing to Faith.
    Faith blinked up at Stone. Her expression relaxed, and then
went blank.
    “Nothing out of the ordinary happened tonight,” Stone told
her, using his powers to bend her memories.
    Faith nodded.
    “You had fun with your friends and then went home at
closing.”
    Faith nodded again.
    “You had a good night’s sleep. And you will wake up in the
morning feeling happy and rested.”
    “ Yes ,” Faith said, her voice was flat, lifeless.
Stone rifled through her purse and handed her a set of car keys.
    “Will she be okay to drive like that?” Horace asked. Faith
seemed so out of it. Like a vital part of her had been pushed away.
    “She should be.”
    And just like that, it was all over.
    Just a few months earlier Brendan had been furious when
Stone had used his powers to control Dallas’s mind.
    Horace, oddly enough, felt faintly relieved that someone
else was handling matters. Of course, there was