A Perfect Man for Christmas
An erotic serial in 12 parts
Blog HOP
12th Day of Christmas
by Brenna Zinn
Morgan,
curses, debts, a perfect man, sacrifice…
Morgan,
curses, debts, a perfect man, sacrifice…
Try
as she might to search for the perfect man, all Wynter’s thoughts
focused on Morgan, curses, debts, a perfect man, and sacrifice.
Again and again, the mantra replayed in a tireless loop through her
mind as though the words themselves held the key to solving her
predicament.
If
only such a thing were possible.
Wynter
rubbed her slim neck, fully appreciating her entire body being in one
piece. Michael wouldn’t really cut off her head at the solstice
festival if she failed her task, would he? With Morgan, that tricky
witch, demanding her dues from him, did he have a choice?
She
pondered the second question, not truly knowing the answer.
A
cold wind blew down the street, lifting and tossing the red and gold
stands of her long hair in the air. Above her, the sun peaked in the
brilliant blue sky on this, the shortest day of the year. The winter
solstice. Time was running out. In a few short hours, the alignment
of the stars, moon, and planets with the solstice festival would take
place.
She
still needed to find the perfect man.
The
sad fact of the matter was, she knew the perfect guy. And, if she
were completely honest with herself, she loved him. Tall, handsome,
magical and kinky as hell, Michael was the perfect man…for her. He
would easily be too much for a normal human woman, but she was none
of those things aside from the woman part. As a phoenix shifter, she
was as far from being a normal human as Santa Claus. Well, actually
more. And although she could be reborn from her ashes, she’d need
to wait at least 500 years to be mature enough to fly, let alone have
sex again with Michael. Where was the fun in that? Five hundred
years was too freaking long to wait.
Why
hadn’t she realized she loved him before? She’d picked a hell of
a time, or lack thereof, to finally figure that out.
Morgan,
curses, debts, a perfect man, sacrifice…
There
has to be a way out of this mess.
When
did this crazy situation start? How did it start? Where could she
find the answers? Not from Michael or Morgan. They’d never tell
her. Her family had gone deep into hiding almost a thousand years
ago. No way of knowing where they were to ask them. Phoenix shifters
tended to stay to themselves, even away from other shifter family
members. Hard to catch and hard to hold. That was their way and
always had been.
When
she arrived home, she stomped the snow from her boots and tossed her
coat aside, determined to find some miracle that would keep her head
atop her shoulders. After pouring herself a glass of wine, she pulled
the heavy Five Golden Rings tome from its place on the shelf
and settled in for some serious researching. Page after page, she
combed through each spell and the various handwritten notes on the
margins, losing herself in the familiar magic. Then she came across a
page she’d never noticed before. Not once since she’d been given
the tome so many centuries ago had she seen its red and green print
or the colorful illustration of an oak mistletoe branch.
Oak
mistletoe, she recalled, was sacred. The plant bestowed life and
fertility, and was considered a powerful aphrodisiac. The berries and
stiff barbed leaves had been regarded as a sexual symbol throughout
history.
It
was also Michael’s sigil.
She
flipped the page back and forth several times, trying to make sense
of the extra sheet. The spell on the page before and the notes on the
page after were ones she’d read dozens of times. How had she
possibly overlooked this particular spell all these years?
She
leaned in and read the first paragraph of the unfamiliar page. Then
the second, and then the third. Each word caused her heart to beat a
fraction harder. By the time she’d finished the page, it thudded
deep in her chest as though being pounded by twelve drummers drumming
The
hell?
Michael’s
beast of a car roared in her driveway, pulling her attention from the
book. She glanced at the clock. Exactly four o’clock. He was on
time, as always.
Wynter
met him at the door, her heart still hammering.
“Why
didn’t you tell me?” she asked before he stepped into her house.
With a shaking finger, she pointed to Five Golden Rings tome
on the table. “Why was this-all of this--kept from me?”
His
eyebrows knitted, creating a deep valley between his emerald eyes.
“I’m
not sure what you’re talking about. Tell you what?”
“I
read the spell, Michael, and the notes. I know.”
“Spell?”
“Don’t
play stupid with me.” She swallowed back the strong emotions rising
within her. “Not now.”
For
a brief moment, he looked as though he might attempt to carry on his
charade of confusion, then he shook his head and smiled wanly. “If
you’ve seen the page, the time has come for us to talk.” He took
her hand and led her to the couch in the living room. “Here.
Take a
seat. You may need it.”
They
both sat, still holding hands, she at the edge of the seat. Despite
his palm warm against her skin, her insides pricked and shivered as
though exposed to frigid gusts of wind.
“Do
you remember me before I stole the tome?”
His
question caught her off guard.
“No.
What does that matter?”
“Everything.”
He sucked in a long breath and slowly released it. “Before I stole
the Five Golden Rings tome, I was a mortal man. We lived in
the same hamlet back in England. I would see you each day when you
walked by the fields I worked in. I knew from the moment I first saw
you,” he stopped for a moment and stared longingly into her eyes,
“that I loved you.”
You
love me?
His
unexpected confession sent a jolt of electricity down her spine
that
sizzled through her arms and legs, making sitting upright difficult.
She braced herself with her free hand, her body swaying slightly. She
started to speak, but he placed a finger on her mouth.
“Let
me finish. There’s much to say.” He cleared his throat. “You
never noticed me. So beautiful, wild and free, why would you? I was a
simple farmer’s son. But I knew I had to have you. That I would die
a thousand deaths to make you my own. So, I went to Morgan, the most
powerful witch in the country, and asked for her help.”
Wynter
felt her eyes widen.
“She
told me you were a magical being, and that you could never be with a
human man. The only way I could have you was to become a magical
being too. She said she would do this for me under three conditions.
I would have to provide a perfect man to sate her appetite each
solstice when stars, moon, and planets all aligned. And, the perfect
man would have to be selected by you, my chosen love. If you failed
your task, I would have to behead you.”
A
gasp escaped from her mouth. “That is how this all started?”
He
nodded. “There’s more. To complete my transformation, I would
need to give her the tome. She needed a spell within it. Once she had
the book and the deed was done, she used magic to hide the page.
Morgan said that only when you fell in love with me would my debt be
paid in full and the page would be revealed.”
Unbidden
tears welled and slid down her face.
“I’m
so sorry, Wynter.” Michel brushed her wet cheek. “I loved you for
so long and wanted you with all my heart. At the time, I would have
done anything to make you mine. I never meant to cause you any harm,
but there was no other way.”
Too
choked with emotion to speak, she simply shook her head.
“Now
that you know the truth, can you ever forgive me?”
He
spoke in a voice wracked with concern. Pain and worry filled his
eyes. In all their years together, she’d never seen him so
wretched. His clear suffering both touched her heart and tore at her
soul. At that moment she couldn’t imagine anyone loving someone
more than she loved him.
Michael
opened his mouth to speak, but this time it was she that quieted him
by placing her lips on his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and
he drew her in close, deepening their kiss. When they finally parted,
she smiled.
“Morgan’s
going to be pissed,” she said, still finding her breath.
“She’s
not going to be sated with my help tonight or ever again.”
“You
forgive me?”
Wynter
grabbed his hand and stood. “You’ve got a lot of sucking up to
do. A lot.” She pulled him up and headed to the bedroom. “And I
think I know the perfect way to start your penance. This is the
longest night of the year, and you won’t be sleeping one second of
it. Just be careful of all the feathers when we get in there. If you
ever buy me another bird for Christmas, I’ll personally make sure
you get on your hands and knees cleaning up after it. Then again,
having you on your hands and knees doesn’t sound too bad.”
THE END
Check of Brenna's books at http://www.brennazinn.com/
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...
The authors have hoped you enjoyed this erotic
tale in 12 parts! Check out their other amazing
works and thank you to all the blogs that
participated in the blog hop.
tale in 12 parts! Check out their other amazing
works and thank you to all the blogs that
participated in the blog hop.
And
don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win a $25
Amazon gift card, courtesy of the Inner Goddess Blog!
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