Myths and Gargoyles by Jamie Hawke (interesting books to read in english txt) 📕

me like I’m some random witch. Well guess what? Not all Legends are there by choice—most of us witches got lumped in because we’re not perfect. All of you are? I doubt it. Have I done horrible things? Despicable? Certainly! But I’m here to turn over a new leaf, and no, not just because Chris here is hot and sexy and there’s something about him being tied up that gets my steam going.”

“Too much information,” Pucky hissed.

“You want me to prove myself?” Hekate said, ignoring her. “Fuck it. Point me in the right direction.”

“We’ll talk specifics when it’s time,” Elisa said with a satisfied grin. There was something else to that smile, a victorious, almost gloating look I hadn’t seen on her before. It didn’t quite fit the often calm, take-charge type woman I’d started to know her to be.

It was hot.

“How long will it take you to make the portal?” Red asked.

Hekate held out her hands, accepting the dagger. She closed her eyes and a dull glow emitted from the blade. “It’s been some time since it was in his hands. I’d say it’ll take at least thirty minutes.”

“Please begin.”

“Everyone prepare defenses and set up comms in case they come again,” Mowgli said, addressing the others. Then he turned to us and said, “We at least know what to expect this time, so should be ready, though I don’t expect another attack like that again.”

“We’ll prepare,” Elisa said. “I have some armor for the boys.”

“Armor?” Chris said, excitedly.

“Boys?” I said, with less enthusiasm. Even if I was potentially centuries younger than her, it didn’t sound right.

She smiled, running a hand along my chest and looking me in the eyes as she said, “Sorry. Men.”

“Call me a baby, I don’t care,” Chris said. “Just point me to the armor.”

Hekate gave us a sideways, jealous glance as we headed back with Elisa, but then returned her focus to the dark waves of energy starting to form in front of her.

In the lobby, Elisa waved over a short man who was dressed like one of the Munchkins and said, “Did you manage to grab it?”

He grinned and handed over a black gym bag before replying in a squeaky voice, “I had to run back in, but you made it sound important. What’s in there, anyway?”

“Shirts,” she said with a laugh.

He frowned, but his eyes went wide when she unzipped the bag and pulled out two shirts of nettles.

“These were originally made to break curses,” she said, handing one to me and the other to Chris. “I had made them for Jack, but you might need it where you’re going.”

“Am I going to find out more about that?” he asked, accepting the shirt and then yelping, instantly dropping it. I wasn’t sure what to do with the thing, as holding it was like holding a ball of needles, but made sure not to drop it or grip it too tightly.

Elisa, to her credit, simply laughed. “You’ll have to get used to it, but the pain is fleeting. Come, remove your shirt.”

He glanced back toward the door, uncertain. “Um…”

“Are you worried I’ll try to seduce you, or put the shirt on you?”

“Both?”

“Only the latter,” she assured him, though I had to admit that didn’t sound great. “That is, unless you want to return to your family and put them at risk. When you’re one of us, our magic keeps them from being found, but if you’re not…”

He grumbled, removing his shirt and standing there, waiting. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but jumped when she pulled the shirt over his head and lines of red followed. Grunts of pain came from within the shirt, and then his face was exposed and it was covered in blood—straight nasty, and she kept pulling the shirt!

“The fuck are you doing?” I asked, grabbing her arm and about to step in.

“Trust me,” Elisa said with a reassuring stare.

I did, as crazy as that seemed at that moment, so I released her arm and stepped back, still in shock. Only, as I looked at Chris the shirt was morphing around him, not even needing his arms for the sleeves, and the wounds on his face had healed, the blood gone.

He stared at her in confusion, blinking.

“Is the pain gone?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, meekly.

“Magic. That’s the price.” She adjusted the shirt, and it took on the look of a tan, cloth shirt. “Only put it on in private, as you’ll experience that same sensation each time. This will tells us once and for all if the witch has put a curse on you or any sort of spell to earn your affection.”

“Her name is Hekate,” he said, annoyed. “And of course she didn’t.”

“But now we’ll know for sure,” Elisa said. “And even if you already do, I have to be as positive as you are.”

“A small price for me to pay for your peace of mind,” he said, his sarcasm clearly missed by her, as evidenced by her smile.

“And why do I need one?” I asked.

“You don’t, necessarily,” she admitted. “But… it can fight off the werewolf. Sharon has agreed to take one as well, though… if she wants to transform now, she’ll have to take it off—which could be awkward in the middle of a fight.”

I tried to not imagine Sharon tearing off her shirt mid-fight, to keep my mind focused on anything other than the thought of her breasts jiggling as she prepared to kick ass. Trying was futile, and Elisa had to laugh.

“Be more obvious, next time,” she said, earning a blush from me.

“Hey, your fault—not mine.”

“Yes, well… She’s in, you know.”

I frowned, unsure where she was going with that and not wanting to be presumptuous. “In…?”

“The team. We’ll talk with the others, but I’m sure they’ll come around. Red is the most hesitant, but Sharon would like to be part of it, I can tell, and I want to make it happen for her.

Chris gave me a very impressed look, but then frowned again. “Wait,