Scattered Magic (The Sidhe (Urban Fantasy Series) Book 1) by S. Ravynheart, S.A. Archer

still moved inside her. When she closed her eyes, visions of dark clouds rolled in her mind. The fresh scent of rain clung to her. The pressure of his lips left a ghostly impression of a kiss. Wiping at it didn’t make it fade any faster.
    Rico might be gone physically, but his essence drenched her. Her thoughts tangled in fantasies about him, and she didn’t even like him.
    London scrambled from the parlor. Yards ahead of her, Selena leaned back against the bouncer. His arms circled her, hands absently rubbing at her silk-covered stomach. They had the vibe of casual lovers, but London knew the Mistress controlled all of her men with velvet-lined handcuffs. They loitered at the end of the hall, where they could watch the party inside the club, but were not a part of it. Selena saw London coming and, from the look of it, she hadn’t expected to see her in this state.
    “You let him Touch you?”
    “There was no ‘letting’ involved.” London clutched Selena’s upper arms, demanding. “What did he do, Selena? Huh? You know what he did, don’t you? What happened? What is Rico?”
    Selena brushed off the man’s hands before drawing London back to the privacy of the parlor. She closed the door, cutting off the music from the club.
    London touched her fingers to her lips. Coming back to this room spiraled a mixture of emotions through her belly, making her nauseated like a fun house ride that was never going to end. The kiss hovered ever present on her lips, as if stained by magic. The afterglow of the orgasm buzzed within her, her traitorous body reveling in it even now. At what price, though? What price for this unwanted pleasure?
    Other people got themselves into trouble. She got them out of it. She was not the one who stepped on landmines. She found ways to sidestep them. There had to be a way to sidestep this. There had to be! “Tell me what you know, Selena. Please!”
    “Rico is a Sidhe, one of the noble elves. His boys are fey, too, but not Sidhe. You can’t mistake anyone for the Sidhe once you’ve encountered one.”
    “Sidhe? I thought the Sidhe weren’t around anymore.” London stared at the vampire as realization sunk in. “Oh, don’t tell me. No… No…” She shook her head, refusing to believe, refusing to look at Selena for fear of seeing the truth in her eyes. “No, he did not curse me. No. It is not possible.”
    “London…”
    “I said no, Selena! I won’t have it!”
    “I honestly didn’t think he would Touch you. He’s always dismissed the notion of Touching humans. They aren’t normally to his taste. I can’t imagine why…” she paused, and then tilted her head. “Why did he Touch you?”
    “He wants me to work for him.” She heard the waver in her voice.
    “Work for him? He shouldn’t have cursed you for that. I wouldn’t have turned someone for a quick job. Only if I had long-term plans and couldn’t cajole them any other way.”
    “Not everyone thinks like you, Selena.” London hugged herself. “I feel his power inside me. Feeling all glorious and sexual. Is there no way to get it out?”
    “Getting it out isn’t the problem now. The magic will fade in time. When it does, that is when your trouble will begin.”
    London cut a sharp glance over her shoulder back at Selena. “That ache?”
    “It will only get worse, the longer you’re without the Touch.”
    “Until what?”
    “You commit suicide, most likely. To end the agony.” Selena never sugarcoated things. The vampire’s thin hand squeezed London’s shoulder. “Unless he gives you the Touch again. But each Touch only buys you time. Each time the magic will fade again.”
    London shivered. “Has he Touched you? Is that what was going on earlier?”
    “The Touch does not affect vampires as it does humans.” Selena purred, “Their blood holds magic. The taste is like nothing else. Quite addicting. A younger vampire could turn feral if tempted with it. The fey are intensely succulent, and the Sidhe