The Goddess Redemption #2 - Spellbound (a Paranormal Romance) by Kelli Lockheart Read Free Book Online

The man outside was a little portly around the middle, but his arms were strong and muscular as he held the little girl in them. Victor could see a tear slide down the man’s cheek.
    “Where is your mother, Seline?” he asked, standing up and moving his daughter behind him , protectively, when he noticed Victor standing in the doorway.
    “Asleep, papa ,” the little girl said. Sara had come to stand next to Victor, finally roused out of her stupor by the commotion at her front door.
    “I’ll get her ,” Sara said, but the man reached out and grabbed her hand. “I don’t know how you saved her, but thank you.” He reached down and lifted his daughter into his arms, hugging her tightly.
    Victor remained at the door, while Sara retrieved the girl’s mother.
    “She’s fine.” He heard Sara whisper behind him. “Your husband is here. She is with him.” A moment or two later the woman scooted past Victor and rejoined her family outside on the stoop. Victor watched her kiss the child in her husband’s arms and the moment was so intimate that he felt as though he was intruding.
    “You are more than welcome to stay here for the night ,” Sara said as she came around to stand by him.
    “ There is no need. They never attacked the village tonight. Why?” the man asked in bewilderment. “They have come every night for nearly a year, but not tonight.” Sara just shook her head; she had no answer for the man.
    “They took Meg, Papa!” the little girl cried and buried her head in the man’s chest. The man looked at Sara in question, and Victor watched her nod briefly as tears welled in her eyes once again.
    “I’m so sorry. What can I do?” he asked, though Victor could tell his eyes held little hope for the blonde witch.
    “Silver ,” Sara said. “It kills them, when pierced through the heart. Tell the blacksmith and gather all the silver you can find. Melt it down and forge weapons. Protect her.” Sara told him, motioning toward the child, her voice petering out to no more than a whisper.
    “I will ,” he promised and turned his family away from the cabin. Victor watched them until they were swallowed up by the night then closed the door. The sound of the door closing sent fresh tears cascading down her cheeks and Victor could not take it anymore. He gathered her in his arms and held her there until her sobs lessened.
    ****
    Sara didn’t know how long she stood there as Victor held her to his bare chest. It was hard muscle under her cheek. His touch was more than comforting around the hole in her heart and she clung to him desperately. Try as she might, she couldn’t figure out why they had taken Meg. It made no sense. The shifters were known for their savagery against the humans. They had injured, murdered, and infected. But, they had never kidnapped anyone.
    How long she stood there against him, she couldn’t say, but she was all cried out by the time she finally pulled back and looked at him. The moment she did, a blue light erupted from behind him and her mind was overloaded with memories of the man in front of her, the man she had met just that morning. But that wasn’t the first time they had met. They had first met a long, long time ago.
    She studied his face, haloed in soft blue light and her heart took to flight. Her eyes welled once again, but this time not out of loss. Happiness wet her cheeks in the form of tears. She could see in his eyes that he was remembering her and she waited , breathless, in anticipation.
    She watched the love spread over him like a soft cozy blanket, warming his expression. When he leaned down and kissed her, she kissed him back, slowly tickling his lips apart with her tongue.
    “It’s you,” he said, talking through her kiss. She listened to him breathe in deep, filling his lungs.
    ****
    He breathed her in. Her skin smelled of lavender, her hair scented with vanilla, and her tongue tasted of the dark red wine she had sipped on when he brought her inside. He had