RM - JW.pdf - Rowan McBride - SilverWitch

A Dark Eden Press Publication

www.darkedenpress.com

Edited by Gretchen Neeley.

Cover art by Missy Hanson.

Electronic book Publication: July 2007

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without

written permission from the publisher, Dark Eden Press, Inc. ® 8824 Jeanes Lane, Alvarado, TX

76009

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is

purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Just Wait

Rowan McBride

For Liam, whose quest to transcend time is so cool.

Rowan McBride

Just Wait

“Are you sure about this, Mark?”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

I glanced around the weight-room, practically overflowing with college jocks.

“Wh-What if we get caught?”

Mark grinned at me, his mischievous green eyes sparkling. “Don’t get caught.”

Hard to believe we were brothers. Twins, even. We were identical once, but now

his hair was jet-black while mine remained brown, and he was a few inches taller. Mark

loved to use his powers, and his had eclipsed mine by the time we were five. At

eighteen, he had more magic than our parents. Maybe put together.

Speaking of which...

“How am I even supposed to win this game?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Your Drain is so much stronger than mine.”

His grin pulled wider. “I told you—we’ll limit the touch to one second per

person.” He held up a finger. “That’s one Mississippi, Trav.”

That should level the field pretty well. Hard to get a lock on a person in less than

five seconds. Mark was stronger, but I was quicker. “And the first one to pop a seam in

his clothing wins?”

“Yep. Ready?”

I frowned. “We’ll give it all back once it’s done, right?”

He hesitated.

“Right?” It wasn’t an issue for me—I could only borrow. But Mark could take ,

and our family would skin him alive if he took too much and sparked a modern day witch

hunt.

“Fine,” he muttered. “ Now are you ready?”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “I’m rea—”

But he’d already strode into the room.

Darn it! I stumbled inside, fell against a football jock as he shook out his pumped

muscles.

One Mississippi...

I straightened and murmured an apology, trying to gage the tightness under my

skin. Walking forward, I let my shoulder brush against another jock, lingering the full

Rowan McBride

Just Wait

second. This time my whole body tingled, and I tried not to sigh out loud as a fraction of

the boy’s size seeped into my body. I always forgot how good this felt. It was always a

pleasure to rediscover it.

Chancing a glance at my brother, I saw him clapping people on the shoulder,

grinning broadly as he shook hands with everyone he passed. Each contact altered how

the folds of his shirt draped over his chest and arms, how his jeans hugged his legs.

No one minded his presence. Mark was one of the most popular guys in school—

handsome, smart, and talented in music, art and sports. Even I didn’t know for sure how

much of that was him and how much of it was magic.

Me, I was more or less stuck with what I’d been born with. I was cute and

everything, but I was shy and preferred to watch Mark do his thing. So I traveled the

room more slowly, trying to make my own touches as inconspicuous as possible:

skimming the back of my hand against a baseball player, touching my fingers to the back

of a guy totally engrossed with bicep curls. Every touch made my muscles swell, inched

me closer to popping a seam in my shirt or slacks. A good strategy.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

A big hand grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and dragged me to my toes.

Shocked, I looked up, right into Ryan Gibson’s face.

Aw, crap. The biggest guy on campus had a hold of me! “H-Hey Ryan.”

His grip tightened—if I hadn’t Drained half a dozen guys already he would have

crushed the cords in my neck. “Did you think we wouldn’t notice, you sick perv?”

Noticed? One second per person... no one should have noticed! “I—”

“Tryin’ to sneak touches of every guy in the room! We don’t play like that here,

fag.”

Oh, that. Looked like Mark’s strategy was better than mine, after all.

Ryan gave me a rough shake. “Got any last words?”

I stared at his body. Hard to believe he was a freshman, just like us. He was

huge . Well over six feet, easily three hundred pounds. All of it was hard, cut muscle.

Whatever I said next would definitely be my last words. My only defense was my magic,

and I’d need to use a lot to take this one down. Couldn’t do that out in the open. “I’m

sorry,” I said, knowing no way a simple apology would get me out of this.

RM - JW.pdf

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