Dark Tide (A Mated by Magic Novel) Read Online Free

hadn’t seen or heard from the Yank. Feeling guilty, she’d checked the weather report. With no storms on the radar, she’d headed out to the island. But in mere minutes, the sky had filled in and the freak clouds and the wind had begun. In all her life, she’d never seen the weather change so quickly or so violently, unless...unless influenced by magic. There must’ve been an undercurrent of the paranormal mixed within those storm clouds.
    But something of that magnitude was impossible, even for the strongest of witches.
    Still.
    The wind whipped violently against the boarded up windows. Even inside, the weird energy hung in the humid air like a heartbeat. A pulse. Usually her perception was spot on, but the signature of this magic was muffled. Air. Water. Fire. Earth. It was as if all the elements were mashed together, creating chaos.
    She finished her shower, and wrapped one towel around her hair and another around her body.
    Josh chose that moment to come back into the room and his brows furrowed. “Do you have to do that?”
    “Shower? Yeah, I did.” She narrowed her gaze.
    “No. Be such a tease.” He crossed both arms over his chest and glowered.
    The man was insufferable and that just didn’t deserve a comeback. She shot daggers in what she hoped was an exact imitation of his expression, then stomped back toward the shower where she’d left his t-shirt.
    He stepped in to block her way and pointedly stared at the discarded shorts on the bed, then back at her, as if there was something she should do about them.
    “You can’t be serious. They’re huge.” She reached to pick them up by the waistband and compared them to her small frame to emphasize her point.
    “Well, find something to cover up with.” Walking down the hall, he muttered something about not being a fucking saint.
    What an ass. She donned the t-shirt, washed out her undies and put them on wet. Then, she angrily combed out the snarls in her hair with a ridiculously small tooth comb. A couple of broken plastic teeth later, and with her scalp throbbing, she finished.
    After searching all his drawers, she found a pair of plaid boxers and rolled down the waistband. She still had to tie a knot in the fabric to keep them from falling off.
    Deciding she’d done her best, she grabbed the candle and headed into the kitchen. The normally bright and airy space seemed oppressive with the shutters closed. An LED battery lamp glowed, casting stainless steel appliances in blue.
    He must’ve heated the oven’s burners with his internal energy because he handed her a mug of steaming hot coffee. Then he placed a plate of something brown and unrecognizable on the table in front of her. Her hands still shook uncontrollably as she put the cup to her lips. She managed a sip, and sighed.
    “Thanks.”
    A crack of thunder made her jump, and she nearly spilled the hot liquid into her lap.
    “It doesn’t seem to be settling down.” Like a caged tiger, he paced the small space in front of the shuttered glass, lips pulled down.
    “I think it’s about to.” She shook her head. “It’s odd. Do you feel it?”
    “Feel what?” He stopped near her chair. If his frown got any lower, she’d need to shovel it off the floor.
    She stared right back, not intimidated by his mood. “The storm. It doesn’t feel…natural.”
    “Why do you say that?” He raked his palm over the dark scruff on his chin, eyes narrowing on her.
    “I don’t know. Something isn’t natural.” She conjured a small ball of water and lifted it to his face, hoping she could make him understand. The swirls, normally like clouds over the earth’s globe, had one mean eye, like the storm of Jupiter.
    “You think it’s magic?” He scoffed, “No magic could produce a storm that big.”
    She shrugged. Why should she give a rat’s ass what he thought? “Whatever.”
    “You should eat.”
    Glancing down at the brown mush, she crinkled her nose. “Thanks, but I’ll stick to