Chapter 1

 

The moment he walked through The Alibi’s wooden door, the hair on Ty Wallace’s arms tingled from her power. Hell, he could even smell her–chamomile, thyme, mint, and a surprising touch of vanilla, mixed with a slight smell of sulfur. No doubt about it, somewhere in this remote dive bar crowded with humans was a witch.

Ty Wallace used his photographic memory to run through the area’s register. Unless this witch turned out to be a sixty-year-old male high school chemistry teacher, she was undocumented, therefore, his responsibility.

He glanced down at his secretary, wondering if Sally Jones knew what trouble she’d started. Her bright smile told him one thing. Clueless.

“I told you this was the best bar ever. You’d never guess how big this place is from outside. In the summer, Parris opens the garden patio. We’ll come back then.” Sally bubbled with what he assumed to be anticipation. “I’ll grab a couple beers.”

Ty watched Sally maneuver her way through the crowd toward the bar. Her tiny body usually hidden by formal business suits, seemed at home in tonight’s low hanging jeans and halter top. Coming here with her was a mistake. He hadn’t dated in years, especially not anyone he worked with. Tonight was only a favor.

A favor turning into a lucky coincidence. He scanned the rowdy crowd of customers trying to pinpoint the witch setting off his senses. Did the magic flow from the girl leaning over the pool table, her barely covered breasts threatening to fall out of the lacy bra top? No, the power she radiated was human. Ty smiled, nothing magical there.

At tables scattered across the room were couples focused only on each other, the smell of anticipated sex rolled around the bar like a turbulent sea. No doubt, those guys were getting lucky tonight. Country music poured from the wall speakers that hung in every corner, volume not too loud to disturb intense conversations.

Frowning, he skimmed the bar one more time. Everyone acted happy. Ty knew most of these neighborhood joints didn’t get this kind of a crowd on a Wednesday night. There wasn’t one lonely outcast sitting at the bar with waves of despair rolling off him. Not one.

Ty’s day job, successful trial lawyer, kept him busy. He had an innate sense of people, resulting in seating jury mixes assuring a favorable outcome. His partners believed he got extremely lucky in judge assignments. He’d never lost a case, even ones everyone knew he should have lost hands down. Talk floated around the courthouse about a judgeship in his future. Rumors about political office.

Successful, bachelor lawyer and witch hunter, guardian of The Council Code during his off hours, Ty led a full life. He’d consider a judgeship if the offer came his way but never political office. Human politics held no appeal after working under the politically driven Magic Council the last ten years. Council’s rogue hunter…his real vocation.

Still standing at the entrance, he focused on the task at hand. Finding the source of this happiness. His gaze landed on Sally talking to a woman at the ancient wooden counter.

The late twenties, raven-haired woman at the bar locked gazes with Ty, her warm smile leaving her face. Her pale, creamy white skin, grew paler as seconds passed. Her dark eyes, never flinched and seemed to infiltrate his soul, scanning his thoughts.

Impossible. If she’d read his mind right now, she’d know he wanted to undo the tight peasant corset she wore over a white cotton shirt, allowing her ample breasts to fall heavily into his hands. The way she looked was making his mouth water. She’d have him turned out on his ear.

He knew. No doubt in his mind. He’d assumed he’d come here to substitute on Sally’s dart team. He’d learned to listen to what others called coincidence. Giving thanks to fate directing him here, he had stumbled upon a new assignment.

Parris McCall, owner-operator of The Alibi, was a rogue witch.

* * * *

Watching the dark haired man at the entrance, Parris felt a wave of desire. Yummy hotness standing in her bar. Sally, the rival dart team’s captain continued talking. Parris couldn’t hear above the roaring in her ears. A warning bell went off. The man felt dangerous. Sexy and dangerous to the core. A slight smile crossed her lips.

“So, it’s okay if he substitutes? I swear he’s not some ringer I recruited to play tonight.”

Parris leaned closer, pretending noise kept her from understanding Sally’s words rather than hormones screaming Parris had found a perfect sperm donor. Not that she was looking for a baby daddy, no matter what her body said.

“The man at the door? He’s with you?” Parris wanted the pair to be dating. If he was committed, she wouldn’t give him a second, okay, maybe a fourth or fifth look. Who was counting?

“You’re perfectly in your rights to call a forfeit. John’s stuck in Portland last minute. I didn’t even convince Ty to play until twenty minutes ago.” Sally rubbed the neck of the beer bottle, her fingers collecting the condensation already dripping off the ice-cold bottle. Then Sally answered Parris’ unasked question, “And no, he’s my boss, we’re not dating.”

Parris knew Sally would quit in a heartbeat for a chance to be jumping the man’s bones. Sally dripped with a strange mix of desire tinged with admiration for the hot hunk. A mixture of musky sex and stuffy law book odor rose off Sally.

Putting her better judgment aside, Parris decided. “My team’s here, wanting to play. He can sub. If you’re scamming me…”

Sally bounced off the stool. “I’m not. I don’t even know if Ty can hit the dart board. He’s a runner.”

Parris nodded to the tall, muscular man still rooted to the spot where Sally’d left him. He still watched the women, his gaze caused her to shiver. “He looks like a runner. You might want to go collect him, before he runs, leaving you without a fourth.”

“Thanks.” Sally grabbed both bottles, weaving her way back through the crowd.

Ty. He looked more like a Luther or a Matthew. Tyler didn’t fit him either. Parris loved matching names with personalities. She could tell a lot about a person knowing his name. Something bothered her about this guy. Something she couldn’t name.

“Sweetheart? Get me another shot of whiskey,” the grizzled old guy at the bar called.

Without thinking, Parris flicked her fingers. Ed’s glass brimmed with clear amber liquid. “Six dollars.”

“What, I got to pay before you’ll pour?” Ed barked at her.

Parris broke eye contact with Ty, even though the action felt like pulling out of a tractor beam in an old sci-fi movie. “What are you talking about Ed? Your shot’s right there.”

“You haven’t poured a drop.” Ed glanced down at his full glass. Surprise filled his face. “How the hell did you do that?”

“Pouring a drink isn’t a magic trick.” Parris put her hands on her hips. Distraction always worked. Besides, the man was three sheets already; he’d forget he’d never seen her pour the whiskey. “You going to pay or not?”

“Hold on, you move too fast. Everything moves too fast these days.” Ed opened his wallet, shoving a twenty at her.

“Be right back. Or I’ll take my time since you’re all about slow these days.” Parris patted the man’s arm. Ed had become her first regular after she bought The Alibi, where for the first time in her life, Parris didn’t feel different.

She shook her head, frustrated she’d lost control again. Thank God Ed could be manipulated to believe anything. Even that he didn’t see her pour his shot or put away the bottle. The hunk of amazing standing in her bar was to blame. Ty had her feeling like a runaway roller coaster. It stopped now.

Unexplained events started happening to her on her sixteenth birthday. First, food appeared as her stomach growled. At the end of the game, her soccer uniform looked and smelled clean as when she’d dressed in the morning. Math made sense. The last straw was Brittney Sherman’s hair turning a bright pink right after she’d accidentally for the third time that month, tripped Parris in the hallway.

That night she’d finally told Grans about the strange occurrences. She knew she took a chance her grandmother wouldn’t believe her and send her to the state mental hospital. Instead, Grans taught her to control the weird occurrences by focusing. Keeping her mind in the present made sure flowers didn’t bloom out of season or cars mysteriously start up without a key.

“Focus, Parris,” she said under her breath. “Focus on the bar and tonight.”

Taking a deep breath, she counted Ed’s change, slamming the cash register shut. She hoped her grandmother’s advice worked tonight, because her body felt like all hell would explode any time. Laying money in front of him, Parris patted Ed’s hand, surging good feelings to the man through her touch.

She didn’t know where her gift came from or how she got lucky to be cursed with this power. After she’d purchased the bar, she realized it was a perfect place to work. She could hide away from people she’d grown up with. People who’d seen weird stuff happen and called her a freak. She was different. Here, at The Alibi, everyone was different.

She glanced at April, Alibi manager, night bartender, and the closest thing Parris had to a friend. April sported more piercings in her face than a normal twenty-two year old–her way of rebelling against her Baptist preacher father and dutiful housewife mother. April’s heart was good and more importantly the kid had a natural ability working with people. During the day, she attended the local university, working toward a counseling degree. She wanted to work with homeless kids, those lost on city streets.

“The bar’s yours. Holler if you need me. I’m off to kick some dart butt.” Parris grabbed her case hidden under the bar. The case sparkled with award pins. She’d added a six-dart out pin last season. Rarely, did a woman player reach that level of skill in the dart world.

“Have fun. I can handle this crowd. Will you close? I have a test early tomorrow or I’d stay.” April wiped down the counter with a clean rag.

“If business slows down, start close early. I’ll finish. You can leave after the match ends.” Parris smiled, nodding toward the dart boards where the teams practiced. Grabbing a tray filled with longnecks, she headed toward the game area. “There’s a substitute player. We should be done faster than usual.”

“That’s what I love about you, ever humble,” April called after her.

“It’s not bragging if you’re damn good,” Parris answered. Darts was a confidence game. The more confident she was, the better her aim. She’d learned this lesson early.

She felt his gaze return to her as she walked toward the game area. Dark and seeking, his look made her feel like a tiger locked in a circus cage, waiting to perform the next show. Tonight everything felt different. She placed the tray on a table, handing out bottles. “A gift from the bar,” she told the visiting team.

“Trying to get us drunk?” Sally took her bottle.

“A little good will never hurts.” She gave a beer to Ty. A jolt of energy surged through her. She froze. What the heck was happening?

She saw the feeling surprised him too. Pulling the bottle away, he mumbled, “Thanks.”

She stood there, waiting for him to say something else. Like “Wow, static electricity is strong tonight.” Or some other crazy, we are meant to be together come on line. He walked around her to throw a few practice darts.

“Are you going to practice?” Jan, her team captain asked.

Parris took a deep breath. Focus. Focus. “Give me a few darts. I’ll be ready.”

She grabbed darts–the pink flowered flights glittered in the dim light. Play time.

Four games later, The Alibi team was ahead three to one. Now, singles games started and each player threw alone. Win or lose. Parris loved singles. One-on-one competition, she’d play the other team’s best thrower. The opponent never failed to compliment her skills. For a girl.

She felt shocked to find herself feeding the machine quarters next to Ty. The machine rated him the highest player? The scent of his body, a dark heady aroma, not unlike some of the ales she kept on tap, unnerved her.

“I guess Sally knows how to recruit a substitute.” Parris looked in his brown eyes, juggling her darts hand to hand. “Are you sure you’ve never played before?”

Ty shot her a smile designed to melt the coldest of hearts. Yes, he knew what he was doing all right. At least in the flirting department. Parris’ knees felt weak looking at him.

“I swear. I’ve never played league before. Beginners luck.” Ty motioned to the dart machine. “You ready or you want to throw a few practice darts?”

Parris’ eyes narrowed. Ha. He’d said he’d never played league before, not ever played before. Sally had brought in a ringer.

Confident in her throw, she shook her head. “Not needed. I’m ready to get this over.”

“Pretty sure of yourself aren’t you?” Ty tilted his head to the side, watching her reaction.

“You don’t have to be cocky when you’re good.”

“And you think you’re good?” Ty pressed. “A natural?”

She frowned, her face crinkling. “Put it this way, I have a lot of free time on my hands here when there’s nothing to do except practice.”

“Sounds like you play a lot.”

“I know I spend more time here than you probably do inside a courtroom. Your office doesn’t have a dart board.” Parris paused trying to visualize the wood paneled office, filled with expensive leather furniture and Persian rugs. Not the kind of place one would see a dart board hanging. Then again, one never knew. “Does it?”

Ty watched her, like he knew she imagined his office. “Of course not, the partners would have a cow if I hung a board over the leather couch instead of the Picasso they gave me for last year’s bonus.”

“I figured. Kind of slumming it tonight, right?” Parris’ face burned as she imagined the division between the two worlds. Gran made sure Parris never wanted for anything and Parris in turn, kept her wants reasonable allowing a grandmother on a fixed income to raise her. Ty on the other hand was probably a trust fund baby. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the game. Another couple hours and Ty Wallace would be out of her sight, her bar, and her life. She wished erasing him from her thoughts and dreams would be as easy.

Ty watched her. She waved toward the dart board, stepping back to her table. She sipped the imported French white wine she kept on hand as her personal indulgence.

“You’re up first,” she called back, not wanting to watch Ty throw the opening darts. Not wanting to watch him lean forward, his arm centered, steady and strong. His hand, gentle yet demanding as he released. The dart flowing with an invisible current focused directly at the bullseye. The dart board’s sound card emitted a sound like a gunshot each time a dart scored a bullseye. A perfect hit. Three perfect shots.

She couldn’t watch or think about Ty. Not now, not ever. Not if she wanted a chance to win the game.

She had a little time as the dart board changed over after the machine recorded Ty’s perfect score. Needing to match his darts, she hoped he didn’t know the path to a win. Darts was a game of knowledge, skill, and a little luck. She would need all three to keep this substitute from snatching this game away.

The board flashed, time to throw her first dart.

“Come on, Parris, hat tricks are your specialty,” Jan called out. Parris walked up to the line.

“Piece of cake,” Carol added.

Parris settled herself on the throw line. She turned, squinting at Rachel.

The redhead choked on a sip of beer. Wiping her mouth, she looked wide-eyed at Parris, “What?”

“Just wondering if you wanted to add to the chatter before I threw.” Parris grinned at the woman. Rachel tended to talk first, think later. Often, she’d wait until Parris released the dart to yell some lame encouragement. The noise would cause Parris to jerk, her dart veering away from its intended target.

“You told me to be quiet, so, I’m being quiet.” Rachel went back finishing off her beer, muttering, “Jeez. Damned if I do.”

Parris turned to the dart board, focusing her attention on the result she wanted. Three darts, aimed at the bullseye. Time to play hard. She whispered a short prayer of good luck. Leaning for the throw, released her first dart. A second flew fast after. Then the final dart hit. Pleased, she walked up to the board, pulling the closely gathered darts with one hand.

Turning back, she saw Ty watched her, standing in between her and the table, blocking her path. He held his hand up waiting for a high five.

She couldn’t ignore him but one touch would take her mind to a different game, one best practiced behind closed doors. Steeling herself, she walked toward him, hand in the air.

“Nice answer.” Their hands slapped together. Parris recognized desire in the man’s eyes. And something else–surprise. Ty looked genuinely surprised.

Welcome to my world. Parris broke eye contact returning to her team table where her team congratulated her.

“See, I knew you had this game.” Jan linked her arm with Parris’. “In the bag.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Parris muttered, still refusing to watch her opponent throw. She’d know if she’d have a chance at a second round by sound alone.

When she’d heard two gunshots, she turned to watch. A triple seventeen, the game would be over. If he wasn’t a ringer, like Sally had claimed, his initial inclination would be to hit another bull, leaving one point. Crap no, Ty had moved his arm lower, aiming at the one shot to win the game, the triple seventeen,

Heat coursed through her body. This would be the first singles game she’d ever lost in league.

Miss, miss, rang through her mind. She didn’t like wishing bad luck but liked losing less.

As if he’d heard her, he turned, delaying his shot. “Not nice.”

She hadn’t spoken aloud. Shocked, she glanced around at her teammates who looked confused too. The four watched the dart fly right where he’d aimed. Ty won the game. Three hundred and one points in six darts.

Rachel broke the silence at the table. “Great game. You would have won if you’d gone first.”

“I know.” Parris didn’t know how to say what she was feeling without sounding like a spoiled brat. “It’s just…”

“You’ve never lost before. She is human, folks!” Rachel grinned, nodding to Jan. “Let’s get this match back to our favor.”

Jan took her place at the line. Rachel inched closer to Parris, whispering, “What was the chatter on the line about? You didn’t say anything.”

“Maybe he read my thoughts.” Parris whispered back, glancing over at Ty with Sally hanging on his arm, giggling over the win.

“Yeah, a man who looks like an angel and knows what a woman is thinking? Now that’s a fairy tale.” Rachel finished off her bottle, nodding toward Parris’ glass. “You need a refill?”

“Thanks.”

Rachel and Carol headed to the bar leaving Parris alone. Her mind kept wandering to Ty’s words. Did he read her thoughts?

* * * *

At the end of the night, the match went to Parris’ undefeated team. Sally didn’t seem fazed at the loss.

“We’re going to Sunshine to get breakfast before heading home. Want to come along?” Sally rested her hand on Ty’s forearm.

He looked at his secretary, hope flooding her face. Yep, this had been a bad idea. He picked up the beer he’d been nursing, finishing a last warm swig. “Sorry, I’ve got a busy day tomorrow. I think I’ll have one more beer.”

Standing, he patted her on the shoulder, dismissing her. He walked over to the bar. Time to question Parris. Maybe he’d been wrong. He’d hate to turn her into The Council if she was a low-level natural who didn’t even know her power. He’d seen witches broken during The Council’s testing process.

Parris busied herself behind the bar when he walked up. “Need one more?”

Before he answered, she’d grabbed a bottle out of the fridge and popped the top. As he reached for his wallet, she waved him off.

“On the house. Six marks earn free drinks.” She grinned. “Nice darts.”

He took a sip of ice cold beer. “You only saw the last dart.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t have to see delivery, I saw results.”

A customer waited at the cash register, credit card in hand. Parris slipped away to settle the young man’s tab.

As moments passed in silence, he watched regulars pay their tabs, calling out their good nights. The bar grew quiet around them. Ty scrutinized Parris working. Her patrons loved her. An old man, sitting a few stools down, got a cab ride home, Parris giving the driver money out of the till.

When she’d sent her last customer on his way, locking the door behind her, she turned off the open sign. Parris placed a fresh bottle in front of Ty and filled her wine glass. Coming around the bar, she climbed on a stool next to him. “Now we’re alone, do you want to tell me why you said ‘not nice’ in our game?”

Ty grinned, keeping his gaze focused on the beer. “If you tell me why a sweet girl like you would wish me to miss a winning shot.”

Parris choked. “What makes you think that?”

Ty ignored her question, glancing up at her, he took in a breath. The woman was stunning. Being this close to her, he imagined taking her in his arms, pressing his lips hard against hers, tasting wine on her lips. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he tried to banish the vision.

He wiped a drop of wine off her full, red lips with his thumb. “Is wishing your opponent loses the secret to your wins? Not very sporting, I have to say.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Parris’ eyes darkened. Ty couldn’t tell if her reaction was based in anger, or desire. He hoped the latter.

“And you didn’t answer mine.” Twisting in his stool to face her, he opened his legs and without thinking, pulled her close and kissed her. A kiss he’d wanted to take since he’d walked in tonight. Parris didn’t resist, in fact, she melted toward him, her mouth hungrily seeking his, her body soft in all the right places, making him hard.

He abandoned her arms, instead caressing her back, strong, muscular. He circled around her body to find her breasts, soft and firm. Her mouth slackened as he held the round orbs in his hands, thumbs seeking nipples. At the right spot, she groaned.

Slowly, he pulled back. He dropped his hands to his sides, regretfully leaving her soft, luscious breasts. Pulling away, ending the kiss.

Parris stood in front of him, dazed. Quickly, she followed his lead, sitting on her stool. She laughed a low, growly sound making him regret pulling back. “Wow, you could have just answered my question.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Ty said words he didn’t mean.

“Drunk sex happens. Don’t worry,” Parris responded lightly, appearing to try to match his mood.

Ty knew he wasn’t drunk. He needed to know this woman more. Losing himself in her wouldn’t be seen favorably by The Council. He took a breath. “How’d you wind up here? Owning a bar?”

Parris smiled, apparently choosing to ignore the elephant. “After graduating college with an English degree, I drifted one job to the next, not loving my choices. When I was substituting at the middle school, I came here with a group of teachers for a girl’s night out. I struck up a conversation with George, the last owner.”

“You started working here,” Ty guessed.

Parris nodded. “At first, the job paid rent. I wasn’t getting a lot of calls to sub at the time, however I’d been promised a full time teaching position the next fall. After George asked me to work night shift, the job seemed like a perfect fit.”

“But you stayed,” Ty pressed. Why hadn’t Parris been registered at sixteen like Council law demanded? Some of his kind seemed to think the gift more of a curse. Trying to hide in plain sight, to be normal.

As he listened to her life story, one thing became plain. Parris McCall’s carefully constructed world was about to blow up in front of her eyes.

And the explosion would be his fault.