Blood Tied by Jacob Z. Flores Page B

semblance of control, I was going to hyperventilate.
    “He’s very handsome.”
    I jumped at the sound of Ben’s voice behind me.
    “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “You didn’t,” I lied. Was that disappointment I saw in his eyes?
    Whatever the emotion was, he blinked it away. “I can see why you’re so taken with him.”
    “I’m not. I’m just….” I didn’t know how to finish that statement.
    He nudged into my shoulder, leaning against me. “For a warlock, you’re not a very good liar.”
    The weight and warmth of Ben’s body set my already churning passions on a tilt-a-whirl. Images of Ben naked underneath me replaced my fantasies of Aiden. It was Ben’s body I touched. His coppery kisses I tasted. His ass wrapped around my cock. My sudden desire for him returned like a tsunami threatening to drown me in one massive wave if I didn’t get out of its way. “Well, he is a fire fairy,” I finally managed. “I’m sure you feel the same thing.”
    “I don’t,” Ben replied with a firm shake of his head. “I mean, is he hot? Yeah. If he asked me to fuck him, I would. Other than that?” He shrugged before locking his gaze on mine. “Why?”
    “You don’t feel drawn to him?” I asked, glancing at Aiden. Like a beacon in the middle of treacherous, rock-laden waters, he called to me. His presence cut through the musky fog of desire Ben’s touch and proximity had briefly created.
    “No,” he replied. The tautness of his reply caught my attention. He studied Aiden intently, as if searching for a solution to some complicated situation. A scowl slowly crept across his lips, and his eyes drew into slits.
    Was this the jealousy I had sensed earlier? Ben had made it clear in the kitchen he wanted to pursue something with me, but ever since Aiden’s arrival, a scowl had taken permanent residence on his face.
    “I think we need to talk,” I said.
    “Later,” Ben said. “I think the others are ready to get started.” He walked away without another word.
    I followed him to the other side of the library, where Mr. Stonewall cast one final judgmental glance my way before clearing his voice. “Are we ready to begin?”
    “What’s the plan?” I asked.
    Mrs. Stonewall shook her head slowly at me. “If you weren’t so distracted by your suitors, you wouldn’t need to ask such questions.”
    I visibly bristled, and my face grew hot. Who the hell did she think she was? I was a fucking warlock, and no damn wizard was going to get away with talking to me that way. I was just about to launch a return salvo when a hand rested on my shoulder.
    It was Charlotte. She’d realized I was about to lose control. Her comforting gesture turned a hose on my hot temper. She was right. Now was not the time, so I clung tightly to the reins I used to keep me in check. When was this emotional roller coaster I’d boarded ever going to stop?
    “I still think this will be faster if you just let me electrocute them,” Pierce said with a smirk.
    “I would agree,” Aiden said. He stood at the front with my brother. He clearly preferred Pierce’s method of interrogation.
    “We have already discussed this,” Mr. Stonewall said. Whenever he spoke this seriously, the light in his blue eyes faded until they were almost as dark as his skin. “You’re powerful, but you lack the finesse that is needed here, and it is finesse that I can provide.”
    Their exchange told me all I needed to know. Lawrence Stonewall planned on using his mind control abilities. It was a rare yet powerful wizard trait. Unlike most warlocks and witches, who received their gifts from the four elements, wizards tapped into the fifth and more ethereal element—spirit.
    It was considered the most powerful of the five, which was why gray magic could harness it. Since wizards took a more logical and neutral perspective on life, the gift would most likely not be corrupted because it couldn’t be swayed by the pull of white or