He didn't want her to think he found her anything but delightful.

Will settled comfortably on a carefully duct-taped vinyl bench seat and accepted the faded menu. The table was the kind of moulded plastic some inventor on crack must have thought looked like real wood.

Scanning the list of food, he was almost certain the menu exceeded the abilities of any one cook. Eight pages long, the extensive volume listed everything from a thick steak to poached eggs. He couldn't even imagine the cost of keeping so many ingredients on hand.

"Have you decided, hon?" the waitress asked. She pulled a cheap ballpoint pen out from behind her ear and a pad of paper from her apron pocket. Pinning him with a www.totallybound.com surprisingly clear gaze, she waited for his order as if he were going to reveal the secrets to the universe in six easy steps.

"I'll have a burger, medium rare."

Even an inept cook could make a decent burger.

She nodded, quietly applauding his choice as waiters sometimes did. "Potato salad or fries?"

"Are they thin or thick?"

"Steak fries." Her tone implied disapproval of anything less.

Will reflectively nodded along with her like one of those bobble-headed dolls before he caught himself. "I'll have those with ranch dressing."

"Anything to drink? We make a nice milkshake."

He shook his head. "Too heavy I'll have to jog at least ten miles to burn off the burger calories."

The waitress looked him over again. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, hon."

"Not if I jog," Will agreed. Although he had a reputation in his family for laziness, he took care of his body with weights and running regularly. "I'll take a diet soda."

As she scribbled down his order, Will wondered if her mother had had a premonition at her birth. Why else would you look at your newborn infant and think I'll name her Hazel?

As the waitress turned away, Will grabbed her wrist.

"Sorry," he said, letting go at her surprised look. "Could you tell me who's good at fixing things around here?" Every town had one. A Mr Fix-it who could drive by your house and tell you your water heater was set too high and your air conditioner would die next month.

"What kinds of things?"

Thinking over the condition of his house, Will flashed a self-conscious smile. "Someone who's good with plumbing, flooring, painting, drywall, roofing...that sort of thing."

"Good lord, what house did you buy?"

"The painted lady on Mulberry Street." Another reason he'd bought the house. Who could resist living on Mulberry Street? And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street had been his favourite Dr Seuss book as a child.

www.totallybound.com "You bought that!" The waitress's voice scraped like rough sandpaper across his senses.

"Yes," Will admitted.

"You are either the richest man I ever met, or the dumbest."

He couldn't help laughing. "I'm probably a mixture of the two."

A considering look entered Hazel's eyes. "Let me put in your order and I'll be right back," she said before hurrying off as quickly as her orthopaedic sneakers could carry her.

Not five minutes later she returned, sliding into the seat across from him.

"I have a nephew who has a knack for fixing things," Hazel stated in a low, confidential tone. "He's been laid off, but he worked for a homebuilder before the housing crash. I know he'd do a good job for you." She twisted her fingers together as she spoke. "If you could hire him to help around your house and let him rent one of your rooms, I'd be mighty grateful.

His landlord just sold the place he was renting, and I live in a one-bedroom apartment."

Will thought about the situation for a moment. Having another person in the enormous house would be comforting. "Is he likely to kill me in my sleep and steal my china set?"

Hazel laughed-a low, smoke-roughened sound. "No. He's a good boy, but he's big and some people find him scary." She frowned for a moment, looking concerned. "That isn't a problem for you, is it, mister?"

"Call me Will," he said with a smile. "I'm sure everything will work out fine." Will found the situation touching. With an aunt this sweet, how bad could a guy be? "Tell your nephew he can come work for me. I'll give him a few jobs around the house and see how things work out. What's his name?" If the guy turned out to be a creep, Will could call a few of his cousins and have the jerk evicted.

"Cassius, but everyone calls him Cash."

Of course they do.

"Order up," the cook called from the pass-through window.

Hazel got to her feet. "Thank you, Will. I'll tell Cash to come see you. When is a good time?"

"Whenever," Will said, shrugging. "As long as it's after noon." He didn't do mornings.

"Thanks. The burger is on me."

He would've objected, but he could see her pride was on the line after she had all but begged a total stranger to hire her nephew.

www.totallybound.com "Thank you, Hazel."

She gave him a nicotine-stained smile, even more charming for the faded dimples and the sparkle in her eyes.

Moments later she put a burger in front of him, and Will found a new respect for the little diner. After polishing off the entire thing, including the steak fries, he tossed a twenty on the table for her tip and waddled to the register.

Hazel looked up from counting the cash drawer. "What did you think?"

"I think your cook is a genius. That was the best damn burger I ever ate," he said honestly.

Will wasn't exaggerating either. The man was magic in the kitchen.

"Good. I'll send Cash by your house later today."

"Thanks, Hazel," Will said, flashing her a smile. With a nod, he left the restaurant.

About the Author.

Amber is one of those quiet people they always tell you to watch out for. She lives in Seattle with her husband, two sons, two cats and one extremely stupid dog.

Wizard's Touch.

Elijah's Ghost.

Amber Kell.

It only takes one event to change the world.

Elijah Trenton had always been considered a weak wizard. With little magic and an overpowering father he'd expected to spend his life teaching. When an accident reveals his ability to talk to the dead, new possibilities open up.

Devin Stewartson had been eyeing Elijah for months. The shy redhead drew his eye from that first day, and only the thought of a relationship had him shying away. When Elijah saves Devin's life, Devin decides that some things are worth a chance.

Old enemies and new adversaries try to tear the two men apart, but love can withstand most anything and even death can't part two men fated to be together.

Dedication.

To Teena who helped name Reaper, And to my fans who enjoy mayhem and magic!.

Chapter One.

Elijah Trenton watched as the professor's assistant held up cards that broke down Professor Kalvin's long-winded speeches into short, memorable paragraphs and timelines. He didn't know her name since the professor had never introduced her-one more strike against the pompous ass in Eli's opinion. Eli appreciated all her help because History of Spell Casting definitely wasn't one of his strengths.

His father would say that Eli didn't have strengths of any kind.

Eli wrote down her shortcuts quickly, his hand flying across the paper. He could review them later when he had more time, but from experience he knew her notes would make a great deal more sense than the professor's rambling lecture. Professor Kalvin took great delight in testing students on the minutest details instead of the broader scope of important history. Eli didn't know a single student who enjoyed the class. Unfortunately it was a pre-requisite to anything more interesting. He could've pushed it off a few more years, but Eli was of the rip-the-bandage off train of thought. He'd rather finish it now than have to anticipate it a few years down the road.

Besides, there was a perk to the class, in the form of Devin Stewartson. The sexy man sat two rows ahead of Eli and to the right. Eli spent a great deal of time ignoring the professor and staring at the gorgeous triplet. It just wasn't fair that there were three of them. He'd heard around campus that Dan had bonded with a fire wizard and Dean was straight-that left Devin as his only option. Not that it mattered-he'd always been attracted to Devin more than his brothers. Devin's upbeat personality pulled at Eli. Maybe because Eli didn't have a bubbly personality, Devin's charm called to him.

"If you stare at him any harder he's going to get a hole in the back of his head," Porter whispered.

"Shut up." Eli shoved his friend on the shoulder good-naturedly. The professor gave them a strange look but carried on with his boring lecture.

Eli returned his attention to the assistant. She hadn't moved on to the next card. Instead, she froze as if listening to something no one else could hear. Her eyes widened and she pinned Eli with a frightened look.

"Duck!" she shouted.

She'd never spoken before, but her terror transmitted to Eli as if she'd injected it directly into his veins. Without hesitation, he dropped his pen and slid beneath his desk.

"What are you doing?" whispered Porter.

Porter peered at Eli hiding beneath his desk, his blond hair flopping across his curious brown eyes. Porter was Eli's best friend and generally tended to follow Eli's lead even if he didn't know where he was going.

Eli grabbed Porter's jacket, yanked him beneath the desk and shouted, "Everyone, get down!"

"Shit!" Porter yelled as he tumbled to the floor. "You're going to get into trouble."

He tried to get up, but Eli kept a tight hold on his friend's shirt, keeping him by Eli's side. "Stay." He didn't know what was going on, but something was coming, something bad. He could feel it in his bones.

"Mr Trenton, is there a reason you're underneath your desk?" the professor asked in his slow, dry voice. The sound always brought to Eli's mind the image of crispy fall leaves and zombies. A strange combination, but he refused to claim responsibility for his bizarre daydreams. Sometimes his brain went off on tangents.

Eli didn't get out from beneath the desk to respond, even if it was completely unfair that the teacher didn't even ask about Porter. Porter got away with everything, while the professor commented on Eli's every action. He wondered if his father had talked to the professor. Any teacher's evil fixation on Eli was usually the result of his father's interference. Conrad Trenton had a way of bulldozing over people and not considering anyone's concerns but his own and sometimes those of Eli's older brother.

The pressure in the air raised the hair on Eli's arms in tingly bursts of electricity. "Don't you feel that? Everyone get under your desks!" he yelled. He kept his white-knuckled grip on Porter's shirt, refusing to let his friend even lift his head. Eli relaxed a bit when he saw that Devin had taken his advice. He didn't know what was coming, but he couldn't stand it if his crush became injured.

Eli gritted his teeth as wild magic flooded the room. Electricity snapped and crackled through the air, slamming into desks and people with equal fervor. Screams pierced Eli's ears and a low hum vibrated down his spine.

Unable to stand to look, Eli squeezed his eyes shut. The combined stench of burning flesh and ozone singed his nose and had his stomach threatening to revolt. Students continued to scream as wicked pops of energy found new places to land. Not daring to peek, Eli and Porter remained frozen on the floor until the only sounds were the moans of the injured and the frantic whimpers of the other students.

When all electrical sounds had faded, Eli opened his eyes. The students in the row ahead of him peered at him from beneath their desks.

"Stay down!" Eli raised his head to take a quick look around the room. Professor Kalvin lay still on the floor and many students were crying brokenly as they cradled their injuries.

The blonde assistant motioned to Eli that it was safe to stand. He wondered how she'd escaped injury. She hadn't hidden at all, yet miraculously she didn't have any damage. Many others hadn't been so lucky.

"Porter, you can get up now," Eli said, releasing his hold.

Porter cautiously scooted out from under the desk. Eli's gaze slid over to Devin, who smiled at him and gave him two thumbs up. Eli's heartbeat smoothed from a frantic thundering to its usual steady rhythm. No one he cared about had been injured. Tension eased along his spine as he walked to the front of the room to check out the professor.

The teacher lay on the floor, his face serene, but lightning had punched a hole through his shirt and burned out a spot where Professor Kalvin's heart used to be. He wouldn't be sharing his boring lectures ever again. Guilt swamped Eli. The poor professor hadn't done him any true harm and yet he wasn't the least bit upset over his death. Eli vowed to be a better person. He'd hate to be the one zapped with no one caring if he passed.

No one spoke again for a while until Devin's voice broke through the heavy silence. "What in the ten hells was that all about?"

Eli shrugged. "Someone's magic probably got away from them."

It happened sometimes if a young prodigy lost control. The wards were beginning to fade on a lot of the older buildings. The headmaster had improved the protection on some parts of campus but must not have gotten to this one yet, probably because there weren't supposed to be any active magic classes scheduled there.

"I thought there weren't any practice classes here," Devin said, echoing Eli's thoughts.

Eli shrugged. He didn't know all the classes that went on in the building, but something had gotten loose. "I didn't think so either, but someone's magic got away from its caster."

Walking over to the professor's desk, Eli reached beneath the lip and pressed the emergency button. Each class was equipped with one in case of the school being taken over or a student becoming more than the teacher could handle. Eli knew pressing it would bring help. Some students needed medical assistance and a few of them were obviously in shock, not to mention that something had to be done with the professor's body. Luckily it didn't appear as if any of the students had suffered fatal injuries.