Witch In Charge - Celia Kyle Page 0,9

to pull up in the massive driveway and lift the thing through the wide main doors.

I’ll just whisk it upstairs and then I can finally lie down! It felt strange to be awake at this ungodly hour and be completely sober. Normally, when she saw the wrong side of the dawn, she was still stuck in full-time party mode.

She stifled a yawn as she came into the foyer, losing her focus for a moment. The mattress suddenly fell, slamming into the hardwood floor, raising an enormous dust cloud.

“What the hell?” she whispered.

She looked around suspiciously, but she was the only one in the room. The yawn must have broken the spell. She shook her head then stretched out her hand, trying to lift the mattress again. It remained stubbornly on the floor.

Just as she looked around herself again, all the drawers in a nearby cabinet opened and slammed shut again loudly. Books shot out from shelves and statues rocked as if a firm hand was trying to knock them over.

“Hey!” she yelled. “What’s the deal?”

The commotion settled but didn’t stop. The little ripple of energy which flowed around the room, teasing the furniture, had the air of a child caught deep in a tantrum. Kelly frowned as she tried to magic the mattress again, but it was no good. The thing was grounded.

Swearing in fury, she grabbed one end and tried valiantly to shove it up the stairs. After a lot of shoving and panting—and more swearing—she’d made it up a few steps before swearing even more as she fell into a heap on top of the mattress. She sighed in defeat. There'd be no rest for her anytime soon.

“What are you doing?”

Kelly squealed in surprise at the unfamiliar voice and jumped to her feet. Spinning around to face the entrance to the kitchen, she was more than surprised to see a tall, strapping vampire watching her. He was utterly gorgeous, with high cheekbones, electric blue eyes, and thick waves of hair that looked dark in the half-light. The most striking thing about him was his lack of a shirt. His arms were folded over his bare chest, barely obscuring the view of his bulging pecs and rippling abs. Snug black leather pants showed off his muscular legs and narrow hips. Even though he was facing her, Kelly suspected his ass was just as hot as the rest of him.

“Um…” She struggled to find words, any words.

He smirked with lush lips and shook his head.

“I’m Nathan. And you are?”

“This is my house!” she blurted, without thinking. Apparently, she still hadn't recovered her faculties over the surprise appearance of the most beautiful vampire in the known universe.

“Hi, This-is-my-house. How do you do?” His smirk turned into a sardonic grin.

“I-I’m Kelly. Kelly Holloway.”

“Ah, that explains a lot.”

She'd finally regained some of her senses—if sass counted as a sense. “Mind if I ask… Who the hell are you?”

“I thought we'd already established that. I’m Nathan. Nathan D’Orlock. I live in the basement.”

“The…basement?” There was too much information flying at Kelly for her to think very quickly. “Wait, you live here?”

“Did I stutter the first time?”

Ooh, snarky. She liked him immediately.

“But…Louie never mentioned you.”

He sniffed. “The Holloway coven isn't exactly thrilled I can come and go as I please when they can't even keep this place rented. You see, the house and I came to an understanding centuries ago, so…”

“And you live in the basement?”

His sigh was full of impatience at having to repeat himself to the dolt of a witch daring to move in. He didn't even bother answering.

“Isn’t it, like, dark and dingy down there?” Kelly asked.

He shrugged. “I like it that way. Vampire’s Paradise.”

“Oh! Does that mean you sleep in a coffin?”

He looked annoyed for all of five seconds before shaking his head. “You’ve seen too many movies.”

“Well, you do kind of look like…” Kelly paused, drawing a mental blank on the name of the character in that old vampire movie.

“Brad Pitt?”

“Yes!”

“I’m flattered.” He gave a low bow, every muscle glowing like he'd freshly oiled his upper half.

The moment stretched out. They didn’t take their eyes off each other. As shocking as his appearance—not to mention living situation—was, Kelly felt a strong connection binding them together. A smile curved her lips as her eyes devoured this mouthwatering piece of man meat standing boldly in front of her. Just as she was about to give him her best come-hither look, the mattress slid down the stairs and almost knocked her off balance.

“Hey!”