Christmas Wizardry
© 2002 by Jaci Burton

“Excuse me, sir, but your balls are dangling in my face.”
Melinda blew at the feather toys obstructing her vision of the customer.
Minx laughed at her and said, “He’s the one I told you about, Mel. See? Told ya he’d be here soon.”
 She glared at the male Siamese cat on top of the counter., still refusing to believe that the cats at the Southtown Vet Clinic had begun talking to her. She was simply having a breakdown. 
It was the holidays. Tomorrow was Christmas, she’d been working like a wild woman the past few weeks, and really needed some down time.
To do what, she didn’t know. Probably spend another Christmas alone. It sucked not to have any living relatives, and her friends were all busy. Oh well, not like this would be any different than any other Christmas.
“Sorry,” replied the sexy male voice she still couldn’t put a face to. “It’s my cat’s favorite toy. Thought I’d bring it along so Jasper wouldn’t have a fit about getting his shots.”
The voice sent shivers down her spine. She waved the stick with the attached toys away from her face and caught her first glimpse of the handsomest man she’d ever seen.
“Hot isn’t he?”
She ignored the cat who wasn’t really talking to her, and said, “What can I help you with, sir?”
“My name is Jared Smith. I have an appointment. This is my cat, Jasper.”
The Persian stretched, unsheathing its claws, and promptly rubbed against her arm. “Listen to Jared. He has a proposition for you.”
Great. Now she heard the customers’ cats talking to her. She needed a vacation. “Come with me.”
She stepped around the counter and motioned to the tall stranger who was much too good looking to be real. He walked next to  her, petting Jasper in a soft, sensuous way that immediately made her wish he were stroking her instead.
Yep, definitely needed a vacation. Someplace tropical, with near-naked cabana boys that would pet her all day long.
When she turned to Jared, one dark brow as arched and she noticed for the first time his purple eyes. Purple. The same color as the dangling feather balls on the stick.
Wow.
As soon as she shut the door to the exam room, he grinned and said, “I have an ulterior motive for being here.”
Her mind didn’t register what he meant. “Huh?”
“I’m here for you.”
She turned around, thinking Dr. Tanner had just walked in. She realized they were alone in the room. “You’re here for me.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t. But I’m about to show you. Here, hold this.”
He handed her the stick with the furry toys. As soon as she touched it, a fine mist filled the examination room. Melinda frowned, not understanding what was happening. Purple colors shimmered before her. Her body felt funny, like her stomach was jittering around. Dizziness assailed her and she grabbed onto the counter for balance. 
Then she was weightless and floating in the darkness, her body tumbling into space. 
She’d fainted. Obviously. How embarrassing.
Just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. She blinked to focus her eyes, because what she saw couldn’t be. 
She was no longer at the Cat Clinic. She was in some strange room. Like a shop or something, with weird stuff all around. Apothecary jars, long sticks of varying sizes and cubby holes behind a very large, very old wooden counter.
The stick with the furry toys vibrated in her hand. She tossed it on the counter.
“That’s yours.”
She whirled at the deep voice behind her to find Jared, leaning against a thick wooden beam and grinning.
“That’s my what?”
“Your wand.”
She turned back to the cat toy and then back at him, her mind too confused to process a damn thing. “First off, what the hell happened, second, where the hell am I, and third, what the hell are you talking about?”
He walked toward her. She refused to find his walk attractive. Even if it was sexy as hell. Without a word he beckoned her into another room. 
She followed. Why not? This was all some weird dream anyway. 
They stepped into an old fashioned kitchen where Jared put a tea kettle on the ancient white stove. He motioned to her to sit at the huge oak table centering the room. She plopped down into the chair, her body suddenly feeling weak.
“The dizziness will pass. It’s the portal that does it. Happened to me the first few times, too.”
“Portal.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not even going to ask.”
“No need. I’ll explain everything to you as soon as I fix you some tea.”
Tea sounded good. Dream tea, that’s what it would be, because she had passed out, no doubt conked her head on the exam table, and was either unconscious or in a coma. Might as well enjoy the dream while she had it.
Jared poured the steaming water into a cup filled with some kind of greenish blue tea concoction. Good thing this was a dream because in her reality she’d never drink crap that looked like that.
“Trust me,” he said, handing her the cup. “It’s quite tasty.”
Uh huh. Looked like pea soup. But she sipped it anyway, surprised at the  sweet flavor “Tastes like some kind of fruit mixed in with the tea.”
He pulled out a chair next to hers and sat down, his purple eyes focused on her face. “Something like that.”
The tea warmed her, flowing from her chest and down her  arms, settling in her middle before shocking the hell out of her by hitting her between the legs. Warmth spread deep inside her  and she squeezed her legs together. She looked up at Jared in shock.
He shrugged. “A pretty nice after effect, don’t you think?”
How he knew what she was experiencing was beyond her, but this wasn’t reality anyway. And she refused to answer his question.
She put the tea down, glaring at it like it had just sprouted horns. “Okay, now explain where I am.” Besides in a dream.
“My shop.”
“Uh huh. And where is your shop?”
“Hard to explain.”
“Try.”
“It’s not so much a where, as a when.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Would you just explain this to me? I’m dying to know. I don’t normally dream this vividly.”
He leaned next to her, his purple eyes darkening. So close she smelled his scent. Musky, mysterious, sexy as hell. “This isn’t a dream, Melinda. This is your new reality.”
Her mind tried to focus on anything but his jet black hair, the dark spiky eyelashes that were so long they brushed his brow, the way he smelled, the way his eyes seemed to hypnotize her, the way her body reacted to him. “Uh huh. Reality. Right.”
Only in her dreams would she find a guy that knocked her socks off and made her wet without even touching her.
He reached out, his hand brushing her forearm. His fingers tickled the fine hairs there, and then he pinched her. Hard.
“Ouch! Goddamit that hurt, you bastard!”
His lips curled. “Just trying to prove you’re not dreaming.”
“Well, hell!” She rubbed her arms, still refusing to put credence to his claims. 
Jared’s cat, Jasper, brushed up against her legs before hopping onto the table. “Believe him, Melinda. It is true.”
“Oh please. Now the cat speaks to me again.”
“Just like all the cats at the clinic have been speaking to you for the past week, isn’t that right?”
Now how did he know that?
“I knew because I initiated it. It was your time.”
A frightening reality began to intrude on her enjoyment of her dream. “What do you mean, my time?”
“I was in need of a new apprentice. I chose you. You should be very honored, actually. It was a difficult decision.”
“Apprentice? What kind of apprentice?”
“I am Jared, Master Wizard.”
“Wizard, like in witch?”
He frowned. “No. Witches are females, and a completely different type of magical entity. I am a Wizard, and I have selected you as my new apprentice.”
She stood and paced the length of the kitchen. “You’ll forgive me if it this is all a bit much to swallow. You’re a wizard and you chose me as your new apprentice. Why?”
“Because you have magic within you, Melinda. Untapped and raw, but still there.”
“What, is there a list somewhere? Earth girls who are magical?”
His gaze followed her. “You could say that.”
No. She didn’t believe it, refused to believe it. And yet, she remembered her childhood. Those feelings she used to get where she just knew if she tried hard enough, she could levitate that pencil, or move that apple across the table. But that had been a child’s wishful thinking, right?
“Your memories are correct, Melinda. You did have magic then. It was simply too soon for you to be taught how to use it. And of course, you didn’t have a master at the time.”
He read her mind, too. Holy hell, she wondered if he’d caught all that stuff she’d thought about how good looking and sexy he was? She looked over at him, his knowing smile wickedly arousing.
 Oh yeah. He’d caught that, all right.
“Okay, so you’re telling me I’m not dreaming. You’ve whisked me away to some, I don’t know, alternate universe or something, and now I’m supposed to become the sorcerer’s apprentice?”
“Without the Mickey Mouse ears, of course.”
“Funny.” 
“Shall we get started?”
Started? She was still trying to adjust to flying through a violet cloud and realizing that cats could, in fact, talk. And that this gorgeous hunk of man was her new…
“Did you say Master?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think so.”
“What don’t’ you think so?”
“Master. I don’t do Master.”
“It’s a connotation, not a way of life, pet.”
She should kick his ass for calling her pet. Then again, she kind of liked it. Maybe she’d let that one pass. “Okay, so tell me how this is gonna work. How long is the training? Do I get to go back home after I train?”
He stood and she followed him out to the front of the shop. “Training will last as long as it takes for you to master the art of wizardry. As far as you going home, that’s up to you to decide once your training is complete. Your powers will be used to conjure spells and help people who need it. It will require you to travel the world, the very galaxies. Your life will never be the same again, Melinda. You can speak now and deny your destiny and I’ll return you to the clinic and never contact you again.”
Oh man, talk about a tough choice. This whole wizardry thing scared the life out of her. Then again, it excited her like nothing ever had before. What else did she have going on in her life, in her future? She had a dead-end job and no family. Why not take a chance?  God knows she needed a little magic in her life.
She was certifiably insane, but she nodded her assent. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Then let’s begin your training.”
The way he said “training” conjured up images she did not want to be having. And none of those images had anything to do with waving a wand around. Well not, a magic wand, anyway.
“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice like hot buttered rum on a wintry day. 
“I guess so.”
She followed him to the cubby holes behind the counter.
“These are magical wands bought by wizards the world over. You will learn which types of wands performs which types of magic, but don’t worry, I will be very thorough when I teach you.”
And there went her wayward thoughts again. Thoughts of how thorough he could be and just what he would teach her.
“It’s all in the feel of the magic, pet. Come, stand here and let me show you.”
She sidled up next to him and he stepped behind her, his arms encircling her body. A strange heat emanated from him, filtering from his body into hers. Her toes curled at the sensual delights trickling over her skin.
He picked up the wand placed it in her hand. “Close your fingers around it. Feel it’s weight.”
Visions of closing her hand around something else popped into her head. 
Stop that! Bad mind. Bad, bad bad!
Her eyes widened and she glanced over her shoulder to find him grinning at her. She quickly looked away and tried to make the naughty thoughts in her head disappear. The wand was heavier than she’d thought it would be, and vibrated slightly as soon as she touched it.
“It’s acclimating its magic to your essence. Just hold on tight for a few seconds.
She clutched the wand in her hand.
“Not so tight, pet. Just relax.” Jared wrapped his hand around hers and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations. Her body tingled, her nipples pebbled and a sweet aching sensation formed between her legs.
“This feels strange.”
His light laugh vibrated against her back. “You have powerful magic, Melinda. Let it out.”
She should be afraid. She wasn’t. Excitement bubbled up within her and she couldn’t wait to see what the wand could do. “When can I do something magical with it?”
His breath sailed past her cheek as he spoke. “Later. Right now I just want you to feel the magic within you. You and I are bonding together right now.”
Yeah, she’d like to bond together with him. Then she remembered he read her thoughts and her face flamed hot. When he removed his hand from hers and began to caress her arms, she was afraid she’d fall to the floor. Something about Jared affected her. All of her.
She had to get her mind straight. She was about to become his apprentice, not his lover.
Oh, but what a Christmas present that would be!
Jared fought the emotions swirling through him, unable to believe his reaction to Melinda. 
Her mind touched his in ways he’d never been touched before. He fought to keep his baser thoughts under control. After all, his job was to teach her wizardry, not make love to her.
When he first made contact with her at the clinic, he was stunned by his own reaction. A pretty little brunette with eyes like sapphires, he’d felt the vibrations emanating from her and it rocked him backwards.
Never had he had a reaction like that before. He was the master wizard, always in control. And he never, ever got personally involved with his apprentices. His duty was to remain emotionless, to train the apprentices and send them out through the galaxies to perform magic.
Melinda had performed magic on him, instead. And when they touched, sparks of desire electrified him.
This wouldn’t do at all. 
“Concentrate on the wand, Melinda,” he said, suddenly wishing she were grasping his wand instead. He hardened. She felt it, because her body stilled.
Then she did something that shocked him. She moved back against his erection. A subtle movement, but he felt her need, her desire. She was aroused and he knew it through every fiber of his being.
What was this magical connection between them? He hadn’t been prepared for his reaction to her, his desire to turn her around and kiss her pert little mouth and see if she tasted as good as she felt..
“Melinda,” he warned. ”Pay attention.”
“I’m trying. You’re making it hard, though.”
No, she was making it hard. Painfully. “Concentrate on the wand. Feel the power gathering inside you.”
“I’m having a difficult time concentrating here, Jared.”
He blew out a sigh of frustration. He knew the feeling. “Why?”
“Because…um, because…well, I don’t know!”
He knew why. The same reason he couldn’t keep his mind on the subject at hand. She smelled like peppermint, cool and fresh. He wanted to taste her, lick that pulse point at her neck, touch her skin and bury himself deep inside her.”
“Oh my God!” she said, then turned and looked at him.
“What?”
“I just heard your thoughts.”
Impossible. “You did not.”
“I did. How could that happen?”
How could it, indeed? He was used to getting inside the minds of his apprentices, but never in all the centuries he’d been a wizard master had anyone been able to touch his thoughts.
“What did you hear?”
“That I smelled like peppermint. That you wanted to taste me, lick my neck and—“
“Okay, you’re right. You were inside my head.” His gaze traveled over her. She was simply dressed in a long, black  skirt and a red sweater that had a moose with jingle bells on its antlers .Now how could a woman dressed like that be as sexy as she was?
“You think I’m sexy?” she asked.
“Stop that!” Was damned disconcerting to have someone read his thoughts.
She smirked. “Now you know how I feel.”
He didn’t like this one bit. How could Melinda read his thoughts? She was a raw, untrained apprentice wizard. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“So, do you really?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Do I really what?”
“Think I’m sexy.”
Damn the stars. “Yes.”
Her blue eyes sparkled, her full lips widening in a smile. “I think you’re pretty damn sexy, too.”
“Well, that’s not really the. . . you do?”
“Of course. C’mon Jared. You’re gorgeous. You probably have women, or wizardesses, or whatever type of female you associate with, crawling all over you.”
Yeah, right. As a wizard he was untouchable. His power frightened most females, mortal and wizard alike.  Except for Melinda. “I don’t scare you?”
“No. Are you supposed to?”
Good question. He’d accepted his fate many years ago, resigned to the fact he’d simply never find a mate. Was this woman his destiny?
Jared reached for her, trailing his fingers over her cheek. She blushed and heated, her skin making contact with his in a way that fired his blood and made his magic roar to life. 
“Uhh, Jared?”
“Yes?”
“You’re glowing.”
“Yes. It happens.”
She swallowed. “It’s kinda sexy.”
He laughed. “Glad you think so.” He took a step forward. She didn’t back away. “Melinda, I’m going to kiss you.”
She swallowed again. “Okay.”
This whole thing was so strange, and yet he welcomed the powerful, aching desire for her. She parted her lips as he drew closer. When his mouth met hers, their magic merged and turned his entire world upside down.
Melinda saw the blue sparks flying around them, but for the life of her couldn’t focus on anything but Jared’s lips teasing hers. His mouth was warm, a sensual delight of taste and sensation that sent her pulse racing. She closed her eyes and shut out the fireworks going off around her, instead concentrating on the sparks of desire shooting through her body.
Jared gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeper, his tongue sliding inside her mouth and teasing her, coaxing a response she didn’t even know she was capable of.
Was that her whimpering? Her moaning? She couldn’t get close enough to this magic man to relieve the burgeoning desire coursing through her like a wildfire.
In an hour her life had changed dramatically. Beyond her wildest imaginings. And now she felt feverish, aroused, and wanting things she hadn’t wanted in a very long time.
“What do you want, Melinda?”
She searched her heart for the truth, knowing what she wanted was just beyond her reach and yet afraid to ask for it. 
“Tell me your Christmas wish, Melinda, and I will grant it for you.”
Christmas. What did she want for Christmas? “I don’t know.”
His gaze caught and held hers, his violet eyes showing his desire for her. “Want to hear what I want?” 
“Yes.” But did she really want to know? Could she handle hearing it?
“I want a partner. A woman whose desires match my own. Someone with so much magic inside them they can hear my every thought, feel my every emotion, and touch me deeply. You are that partner, Melinda. And I want you.”
She  closed her eyes, realizing she’d waited her lifetime for this man. The fact he’d come from another world was irrelevant. She’d connected with him instantly, and fighting that fact would do her no good.
She’d truly been given the Christmas gift of her dreams. “I want you too, Jared. Make love to me, make me yours.”
He lifted her into his arms, cradling her close to his chest. His heart pounded against her breast as he carried her through the door and into a bedroom.
Bedroom, hell it was a sensual paradise! Stars floated above them. No, not the funny plastic kind, but real stars. She reached up, surprised to find her hand could move through them. He laid her on the bed, his gaze never leaving her face, and began to remove his clothes.
Melinda licked her lips and swallowed, wishing for another sip of that weird tea to bathe her suddenly dry throat. Jared was magnificent, his body perfect. Tall, lean, muscled in all the right places. 
She glanced between his legs. Oh yeah, definitely muscled in all the right places!
He leaned on the bed and grabbed her legs, his hands slipping under her dress. Melinda sucked in a breath at the touch of his fingers against her knees. He slilpped off her boots, trailing his fingers over her calves and feet, then pulled her to the edge of the bed and reached for the waistband of her skirt.
In short order, he’d dispatched her of her skirt and her sweater.
“Damn, woman. For someone who wears such funky out clothes, your underwear is hot as hell.”
She looked down at the black lacy demi-bra and matching thong panties. Okay, so underwear was her vice. No one had to know but her. 
Sadly, no one had known but her. For a very, very long time. “I happen to like sexy underthings.”
He scanned her body appreciatively. “So do I. Now let’s get these off you.”
Skimming his hands over her hips and belly, he blazed a trail of scorching, questing fingers, stopping at the swell of her breasts. With agonizingly slow movements, he traced the spot where her breasts swelled over the top of her bra, then leaned in and kissed her there.
Her breath caught on a gasp. His lips were magic, burning her, arousing her. She threaded her fingers through his hair  and held him against her breast. When he slid one lacy cup down and took her nipple in his mouth to suckle, she whimpered.
This was heaven.
This was hell.
She hoped he wouldn’t stop there. 
He didn’t. Without even touching her, the clasp on her bra came loose and he reached for it, discarding it to the floor. Jared stood and reached for her panties, sliding them slowly off her legs.
He devoured her with his eyes, his gaze traveling over every inch of her.
‘You’re beautiful, Melinda. And soon, you’ll be mine.”
Not soon enough for her. He slipped next to her on the bed and pulled her close. Her breasts brushed against the crisp hairs on his chest, her nipples hardening. He reached between them and rolled one taut buds between his thumb and forefinger, sending pulses of delight between her legs. 
“Jared?”
“Yeah,” he murmured while kissing her neck.
Oh, yes, that was nice. She shivered and goosebumps appeared on her skin. “Does the magic you possess extend to, uh, other areas?”
He rolled her over on her back, spreading her legs apart with his knee. “You tell me,” he said, then entered her with one quick thrust.
She blinked, her eyes shot open and she uttered a cry of delight as his cock sent sparks of pleasure through every part of her body. He pulled out and thrust again, and she held on to his shoulders, taking the ride of her life.
Yes, he’d answered her question. Everything about him was magical, from his looks to his voice to his extremely talented way with making love. In an instant they were transported out of the bedroom and into space, no longer stars floating above the ceiling, but they lay in the midst of the galaxy.
“Jared, it’s beautiful.”
He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her, moving lightly against her. “No, you’re beautiful.”
He quickened his pace, plunging faster and deeper. Then the stars she saw were inside her head as magical bursts of delight spread through her. She wrapped her legs tight around his waist and took the plunge into ecstacy with him. Her orgasm was like nothing she’d ever felt before. Jared coming with her only enhanced her own pleasure.
He held her tight, raining kisses over her face and neck. When she could breathe again, she said, “Thank you.”
He looked up. “For what?”
“For giving me a magical Christmas.”
Jared grinned and kissed her again. “That wasn’t just for Christmas, pet. It will always be like this.”