“I’m against the fact that you haven’t told her the truth: that she’s falling in love with you and doesn’t know that there’s an entirely different side to you,” Penny said. “I think it’s time you two were honest with each other. Clearly she’s been hiding something just like I thought.”
“What are you saying?” Justin asked, not liking the accusing tone of his sister’s voice.
Penny held up her hands. “I’m just saying that it sounds like it’s time for some honesty.” Then she got up and left the room, knowing when she’d pushed as hard as she could. But on the way out of the room, she asked, “When do I get to meet Joslin?”
Justin groaned; it was just like his sister to enjoy his discomfort, and he knew that if he didn’t introduce her, she’d go over there herself. “I’ll take you over there tomorrow, but let me talk to Annabelle first; don’t you dare just go over there.”
The last thing he heard before her bedroom door slammed was, “I wouldn’t dream of it, brother dear.”
Chapter 14
***Annabelle***
It had been two days since Annabelle had seen Justin and that time hardly counted. She knew that he was giving her some space to visit with her sister and they talked several times a day on the phone, but she couldn’t help but wonder if what she’d told him about going back home someday had caused some of the distance he was putting between them. She didn’t want to believe that, but she could understand if he was having second thoughts about getting involved with her.
His home was in Fairplay; his family had been living in the valley for generations, and she couldn’t imagine him living anywhere else. If that alone was enough to drive him away from her, she could just imagine what he’d do when she told him the truth; he’d probably put as much distance between them as he could. Even if he accepted that fact that she was a witch, she didn’t know if he’d be able to accept the full reality of her life, the huge responsibility that was thrust upon her at her birth.
If Joslin had been born first, she would have been the chosen one, but Annabelle had gotten that distinction, if only by a couple of minutes. Deep down she knew that when the time came, she’d take her place as she was supposed to and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see a place for Justin in that world. She just couldn’t see him in New York, couldn’t imagine him walking down the sidewalks, the pollution burning his nose, the skyscrapers blocking out the light.
Over the lonely days, she’d come to the decision that it was time to put their relationship to the test. It was time to tell Justin the truth, every bit of it, including the fact that she was a witch. If he reacted badly, threatened to tell the town, she’d have to use a spell to erase his memory, then break things off with him. It was a plan she hated even to consider but was forced to; it would make things that much harder, but she had to know.
However, she wasn’t ready to give Justin up just yet; she wanted one magical night with him, a night she could look back on and remember for the rest of her life. What she needed was a way to distract Joslin for a night, a way to keep her busy for the entire night without her knowing. Since she’d gotten here, she’d made it clear that she wasn’t leaving until Annabelle told Justin the truth. She seemed to think that she needed to be there to pick up the pieces. Then Penny popped into her mind, and she knew exactly what she had to do; she hated to use Penny that way and hopefully someday they’d laugh about it.
Picking up her phone, she punched in Penny’s number. After they’d exchanged some idle conversation, she got right to the point. “How would you like to go spend the weekend in Breckenridge? My sister is driving me crazy.”
“Hmm, what did you have in mind?” Penny asked, trying to sound uninterested.
“I was thinking spas and shopping, dinners out and scrumptious deserts,” Annabelle said, trying not to laugh when Penny sucked in an excited breath.
“You’re speaking my language. I’m in; when do we leave?”
She met Justin for lunch the next day on a bench in the park just down the street from the school; it wasn’t very private, but it was the best they could hope for. Annabelle only had a half an hour for lunch, so she got right to the point. “I think we should all go to Breckenridge for the weekend. I’ve got a long weekend coming up; we could leave early Friday morning,” she suggested, hoping Justin would like the idea.
He leaned over and nuzzled her neck. “What did you have in mind?”
Annabelle swatted him away, not wanting to make a public spectacle of themselves. “I was thinking the four of us could stay in a nice hotel, spend some time at the spa, and eat out a lot,” she said, knowing it wasn’t his idea of fun.
Justin frowned. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“Joslin’s driving me crazy, and I don’t think she’s ever going to leave us alone, and Penny is always at your house,” Annabelle said, feeling the blush creep up her cheeks.
“So, you were thinking about the same thing I was?” Justin asked, playfully.
Annabelle smiled at him. “I guess I was,” she said, thinking that he couldn’t possibly know just how much she was thinking about it, then forgetting where they were, she kissed him: a kiss that promised much more.
She made reservations at one of the nicest hotels in the little town, deluxe rooms that even a celebrity would love, but she only booked three. Her plan was simple; once they were there and only had three rooms, it would seem only natural for she and Justin to share. Joslin wouldn’t be able to object without making it obvious what she was up to, and if things were going as well as she planned, Penny would have her distracted.
When they all piled into Penny’s SUV for the trip to Breckenridge, there was a long silence, but before long Penny and Joslin were deep in conversation and Annabelle was sure that her plan was going to work. Joslin didn’t even bother to go with them to check into the rooms. Instead she headed straight for the spa and the massage they’d been talking about for the last few miles.
“We’ll see you later for dinner; I hear they’ve got the best steaks in town,” Penny said once she’d gotten her room key.
When the desk clerk handed Justin the key to their room, he handed it to her and said, “That worked perfectly. Let’s go check out our room,” he said, his eyes turning that shade of green that meant only one thing.
“We have to meet Penny and Joslin for dinner in a few hours,” she said, suddenly feeling shy.
“That’s plenty of time for what I have planned for you,” Justin growled into her ear as they walked to the elevator, giving her goosebumps and making her giggle.
***Justin***
As the elevator rose to the top floor, Justin looked at Annabelle, who looked up at him and smiled sweetly. “I thought that was going to be much harder,” she said, taking his hand and squeezing it.
That simple gesture held so much meaning that it took his breath away, made his head spin just a little bit. He also suddenly understood what tonight meant to their relationship: that for the first time, they’d be sleeping the entire night together, that he would wake with Annabelle in his arms. It was both wonderful and horrible at the same time.
Since their talk the day that Joslin showed up in town, things had been different between them, and he knew that part of that was his fault. There was no denying the fact that he was in love with Annabelle, but there was so much holding them back, so many things that could go wrong. He’d thought and thought about it, trying desperately to come up with a solution.
He’d tried to picture himself in her world: the skyscrapers, the crowds, and worst of all, the smog. Of course, it wouldn’t all be bad; there had to be some redeeming qualities about the city, but he just couldn’t picture himself there no matter how hard he tried. It seemed a cruel twist of fate that he’d finally found the one woman who could make him happy for the rest of his life, only to have so many obstacles thrown in their way.
As the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, Justin decided that now was the time to tel
l Annabelle. He owed her that much; his sister had been right about that: he had to tell her before she made the commitment to him she was about to make. But then she opened the door to their room and his determination to do the right thing vanished. The room was designed for romance, and he couldn’t stop the images that sprang into this mind when he saw the huge bed nestled in one corner of the room.
Abandoning his plan, he led Annabelle out onto the private balcony and guided her to the couch. “Let’s just sit here for a little while,” he said, sitting down next to her.
Annabelle was fine with that, but she wondered what had happened to the man who had been whispering dirty things in her ear just a few minutes ago. But after a few minutes, she relaxed, discovering that it was nice to just sit in silence with Justin and look at the view spread out before them. Always in tune with nature, it didn’t take Annabelle long to see the small creatures going about their business right in front of them as if they didn’t exist.
“Look at the mouse carrying that huge nut; I wonder how he plans to get it open,” Annabelle said.
Justin turned and looked at her, shocked that she’d been able to see what he had. “You can see that?” he asked.
Annabelle knew that she’d messed up; she’d been so relaxed that she’d let her powers waken, had tuned into the forest and its creatures. Being able to see them was only part of what she was capable of; if she wanted to, she could communicate with them. “Oh, I have really good eyesight,” she said, waving her hand in the air, but realizing that Justin had been able to see what she had too.
After that, they were both silent, content to sit together and watch the sun sink in the sky, but eventually, they had to get ready for dinner. Annabelle had let Joslin pick the first restaurant, and it was going to require a change of clothes. When they finally met their sisters in the lobby of the hotel, it took a second to recognize them; they’d both had full makeovers, including new hair color.
“I thought it might be nice if we looked different for a change,” she said, fluffing her short blond hair.
“I think it’s going to take more than that, but I like it,” Annabelle said, giving her sister a hug. “Now let’s go to dinner. I’m starving.”
They decided to walk; the restaurant wasn’t far, and if they didn’t want to walk back, there were lovely little carriages they could rent. The town was lit up like Christmas, but it was all rather charming, with the trees and flowers providing a warm atmosphere as they walked through the twilight. Penny and Joslin had walked ahead, showing off their new look to any man who even glanced their way, then giggled like schoolgirls when they got a response.
Justin and Annabelle were walking hand in hand behind them, enjoying the spectacle from a safe distance when four men came bursting out of a bar. The biggest one collided with Justin and a low growl erupted from his throat when he hit Justin’s solid weight. “Watch where you’re going, asshole,” he said, then shoved Justin, who didn’t even budge.
Justin recognized the man from the bar, so when their eyes locked, what passed between them didn’t surprise him. But the man had been unprepared to find himself looking into the eyes of a shifter, and the very shifter he’d been plotting and planning against for most of his life. All too soon, he regained his composure as his men filed in behind him, then he puffed up his chest and locked eyes with Justin.
Chapter 15
***Annabelle***
Justin pushed Annabelle behind him, but not before she got a good look at the man who’d bumped into him. His eyes had a strange look, and almost instantly she sensed not only evil, but an intense need for revenge. Letting her powers flare, she tried to read the man further, but Justin’s energy was blocking him: an energy she’d never felt from him before.
Shocked, she stepped back a few feet and refocused her powers on the man, brushing off what she’d felt from Justin. Again, she felt the evil emanating from the man who was now chest to chest with Justin a few feet from where she now stood. She turned to find Joslin, to see if she could feel the same thing, and found that she and Penny had silently come to stand beside her.
One look at Joslin’s face told her that she too could feel it, but she shook her head, clearly trying to tell Annabelle to stay out of it. Penny was intently focused on the man as well, but she looked as if she was ready to spring at him any second, her body tense, her eyes almost glowing with anger. After a few tense seconds, they were forced apart by a large group of people spilling out of the bar. With one last hard look, the man motioned to his friends, and they headed down the street.
They all stared after them, afraid that they were going to turn around and come back. When they finally turned a corner and disappeared, they all breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have the confrontation over. It took a few minutes for them all to relax, the energy in the air around them full of electricity, but finally, it began to calm.
Penny was the first to speak. “Well, that was fun. Shall we go to dinner now? I don’t know about you, but after that, I’m starving,” she said, clearly trying to dispel the mood that had fallen on the group.
Justin tried to smile but couldn’t quite make it look real. Clearly, he was more upset about their run-in with the men than the rest of them. “I think that’s a great idea,” he said, tucking Annabelle’s hand into his elbow and starting down the street.
But she wasn’t quite ready to let it go. “What was that all about? That man acted like he knew you,” she said, looking up at Justin whose jaw was still tense.
“It was nothing: just some idiot trying to act like a big shot in front of his friends,” Justin lied, then instantly feeling sorry that he had, he added, “I’m not sure, but I think they might be the ones causing all the trouble in the valley.”
Annabelle’s stomach clenched. “Those were some bad men, Justin. Are you sure?”
He shook his head, taking the easy way out by not saying anything more. “Let’s just forget about them and go have a good dinner,” he said, putting his arm around Annabelle and pulling her closer.
“Okay, but promise me that you won’t try to take them on; they scare me,” she said, wishing she could explain to him exactly why they scared her.
Justin didn’t want to lie to Annabelle, but he knew that he’d be meeting up with the men again, and probably sooner rather than later. “I promise I won’t take on more than I can handle,” he answered honestly.
Annabelle looked into his eyes; she knew that he’d chosen his words very carefully and that the promise he’d just given her wasn’t exactly what she’d wanted. But she also knew that it was the best she could hope for; Justin wasn’t the kind of man to run from a challenge, especially not when his home and family were at stake.
“I guess I’ll have to be happy with that,” she said, then couldn’t stop herself from adding, “But I just want you to know that my life wouldn’t be the same without you in it.”
***Justin***
The altercation with the wolf shifters had left him more worried than he’d let on, mostly due to the challenge he saw in the wolf’s brown eyes. There’d been an instant when he’d seen not only the challenge in his eyes, but something more: the intense need for revenge, and for the first time in a long time, he’d been scared. A need for revenge that intense, carried its own power, power that could make the wolf that much stronger, that much more difficult to defeat.
He knew that Penny had sensed some of what he’d been feeling; her reaction to the wolf shifter made that obvious, but she couldn’t possibly have known the depth of what he’d felt. He had the terrible sense that his time was running out, that the confrontation he’d been trying to forget was coming soon, and suddenly he wasn’t so sure that he was going to come out the winner.
Determined now more than ever to make this a night neither of them would ever forget, he pushed the coming fight from his mind and concentrated on Annabelle. If only for tonight, she was his, and he was going to see to it that she understood that. When the sun came up in the mor
ning, there could be no doubt in her mind that she belonged to him.
While Annabelle had been getting ready for dinner, he’d made a couple of phone calls and arranged a few things for their room. When they got back to the room, it would be full of flowers and candles, and a surprise for Annabelle that he was sure she’d love. Then he’d make all those fantasies he had about that big bed a reality, but first, he had to get through dinner.
***Annabelle***
Dinner was far more enjoyable than Annabelle expected it to be, but when it was over, she was more than ready to go back to their room. She’d been thinking about what would happen when they were finally alone together all through dinner, and her body was tingling with anticipation as they walked back to the hotel. When they stepped through the door to the room, she was unprepared for the sight that greeted her, and her heart did a somersault when she realized how much trouble Justin had gone through for her.
“Oh, Justin, it’s wonderful,” she said, wandering around the room to smell the flowers that filled the room. “I love these,” she said, pulling a blossom from a bouquet and taking a deep breath of its fragrance.
“I wanted tonight to be special,” Justin said, holding out a box wrapped in pale pink paper with a huge bow on top.
Annabelle looked at him, her heart nearly bursting in her chest, her head swimming with the emotion of the moment. Crossing the room, she buried herself in his arms. “Don’t you know that just being here with you makes it special. You didn’t have to do all this.”
“But I wanted to,” he said, then pulled away from her and put the box in her hands.
She looked down at the box then up at him, laughing when she saw a slightly guilty look on his face. “Something tells me that this gift is as much for you as it is for me.”
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