Impractical Magic Part 26

"Dear Lord." His voice came out in a rasp. He couldn't stop staring until Rose wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You have magic, Brand," she whispered. "The real thing."

"How?" He'd been happy enough to have Rose by his side. This ... this was beyond comprehension.

"I don't know. Have you felt the tingling before?"

"Yes." He hugged her close to him. "A few times. Always when we made love. I thought it was you."

Her smile held more than a trace of sensual appeal. "Me. And you, I think. Us together."

"You think your magic did this?"

"I think that you have your father's Fae blood, as you've always said. He gave up his magic, but it was still there, dormant somehow." Rose's voice held unconfined excitement. "What if making love triggered it somehow? What if my magic awakened your magic?"

Her explanation sounded almost plausible. "Can that happen?"

"I don't know. You and I are odd ones, Brand. We both had Fae parents outside the magical realm. Why wouldn't it be possible?"

He examined his palm, searching for some outward sign that he was different. Aside from the tingling that even now waned within him, he felt the same. "Am I Fae now? Am I immortal?"

"Why not?" Rose smiled and pulled his lips to hers. "Anything is possible where magic is concerned."

Her lips met his with a fierceness that replaced his tingling with an inward pa.s.sion. He couldn't imagine a life without her, without needing her.

The blare of sirens jerked him back to awareness. "Take us to your room," Rose whispered.

He hesitated. Could he do it? Holding her close, he imagined them in his suite, imagined peeling her clothing off her as he explored her curves.

The heat and tingle tore through him again, stealing his breath. He closed his eyes as he struggled for air. Was it supposed to be like this or was it his lack of experience?

Opening his eyes he discovered they stood in his suite, Rose still within his embrace. Even better, their clothing had vanished en route. Not altogether a bad thing.

Rose produced an impish smile. "I can see where you're going to be very dangerous now."

He bent to nibble on her earlobe. "You have no idea." Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s swelled against his chest, triggering an equal swelling in his lower extremities. "You have to marry me, you know."

He wasn't sure what kind of future they had-perhaps forever-but they would be together.

"Oh, I have to, do I?" Rose drew away, but he found her breast, thumbing her peak until she moaned.

Drawing on his new power, he imagined an engagement ring on her finger. It appeared, a gold band containing a brilliant blue topaz that matched her eyes. "You do. I love you, Rose. I'm not letting you get away."

"Good." She smiled at the ring, then slid her arms around his neck. "I love you, too."

"Magic and all?" Would this change in him affect her feelings?

Rose laughed. "Magic and all."

He kissed her, long and slow until the need to bury himself in her had him pressing her down against the bed. How could he be so lucky?

He had true magic. He had established peace with his father. Most important, he had the woman he loved, who loved him.

For the first time in his life, he no longer needed illusions. He had the real thing. Dear Reader, I hope you enjoyed Brand and Rose's story. I had such fun with it. I knew once Rose was born in b.u.t.tercup Baby that she needed her own story, but I couldn't decide who was the man for her. After discarding several ideas, Robin and Kate's (Prince of Charming) son, Brandon, who also made his appearance in b.u.t.tercup Baby, insisted he was the one. How right he was.

I learned a lot about illusionists while researching this book and even had the opportunity to see David Cop-perfield in action, which gave me a whole new respect for these talented individuals. For that reason I deliberately didn't reveal any secrets in this book. Let's believe it's magic.

I hope to continue writing stories about the Fae if you're willing to keep reading them. After all, I really want to know if Ewan is going to come back for Sequoia, don't you?

I love to hear from my readers. You can e-mail me at or write me at P.O. Box 31541, Colorado Springs, CO 80931-1541.

Karen Fox.

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