Magic. He’d forgotten about that. Going to his rooms now that he knew that the books were with her, he closed his eyes and tried to think. Trying his magic out should have been the first thing he tried, he knew that. But he was afraid that he’d been singled out, and that he was no longer as powerful as she was. If he’d ever been that powerful—and he was beginning to doubt that he ever was.
After twenty minutes of trying, he realized two things. He couldn’t cast, but he could feed himself. Making himself a meal was the most menial task there was for a witch, and that was all he’d been left with. Apparently, she didn’t want him to starve.
But, and he was so glad for this, he could still play with his magic. Which meant that he couldn’t cast a spell by using books that belonged to him and him only, but he could use his magic to conjure. Most witches didn’t know that there was a difference. And hopefully the new grand witch didn’t know that either.
Almost giddy with relief that he could still kill her, he danced around the room. Then he made his way to Gray’s room, destroying all the things that he’d left behind. Even if he returned now, which was doubtful, he’d have nothing left of his own.
Going back to his room, no longer concerned with trying to hide anything from the woman, he set up his plan that he’d been working on for a while now. Not being able to cast spells on the army he had thought to raise against her was holding him back, but he was using his magic to make all manner of things into monsters. His favorite was the stove that he had never used. The heat coming off it was hotter than anything he’d ever felt.
The table and chairs were now a scorpion looking creature. The bed, usually the most harmless thing that he could think of, was ready to take her on. The way that its pointy feet were stabbing the floor, Black could see her body under it, a mass of bleeding tiny holes.
As he worked on his new plan, he kept coming back to the books that White had told him about. Could they have been nothing more than doodles? Did he only want to have them published? Those thoughts were hopeful, he knew that. Gray had been spying on him all this time, and that wasn’t right.
“Like I haven’t done so much for him.” He’d not, of course, but he didn’t think that he’d done all that much to him that would warrant him keeping notes. And what sorts of things did he write about? “Probably nothing more than a few misdeeds. Nothing to get that upset about, I’m thinking.”
But he was worried, and the worst part was, he had no knowledge as to what she was going to do to him now that she was the grand witch. Of course, he could just be paranoid about it. Likely she’d just give him the boot, as was her power, and that would be the end of it. But the note she’d left for him did say that she was coming for his ass.
“What can she do? Nothing. She cannot harm me because I’m supposedly a lesser witch than her.” He thought about the books again. “Nothing more than a few things a day that would add up to nothing. For all I know, he could have been writing down that I’d taken a crap, or that I’d not showered daily.”
Yes, he decided, that was all it was. Black knew that there wasn’t any way that Gray would have known about most of the things that he’d done. The women were always hidden away in his lair until they were dead. And the money he’d been taking from the yearly fees that had to be paid by all the witches was stashed away in a place that no one would ever find. Even the pictures that he’d taken, the ones of his play, weren’t anywhere that Gray would have been able to locate them. Black knew that he’d covered his tracks well. So well, in fact, that he couldn’t remember all that he’d done in the decades that he’d been in charge.
Black hadn’t ever been a good council head. He’d been a horrific person and hadn’t grown into anything better as he got older. From the very start he’d figured out ways that this job could benefit him and only him. There was money to be had, magic that he could take, and women to be murdered after he raped them. Nothing was out of his reach, and he made sure that if it was, he’d get to it some way or another.
Now here he was, sitting in his rooms figuring out how to keep himself from being caught. Death wasn’t an option, but she could destroy him magically. Black was going to work very hard on making sure that she didn’t have what it took to take him down. Not when he had it in him to kill her first.
It took him most of the night to finish up his plans. Nothing would come between him and what he’d come to think of as his perfect set up. When he went to clean out his office and the other things that he’d had stashed, Black felt like a new man. And he was going to win this.
Chapter 9
Noah felt his dragon move along his skin. It usually happened when something or someone was scaring him. But Noah felt fine and wasn’t the least bit afraid of the people around him. It wasn’t until he stood up that he saw the reason for it. His dragon knew that it was raining.
Here, in this place, it wasn’t necessary for it to be raining to let his beast out. But it was a habit now, and he went to the door to look out onto the wet grasses and the raindrops making beautiful circles on the pool water.
Noah was just stepping out onto the deck when he looked back at the pool. “We didn’t have this before.” He looked over at Bea when she laughed. “I love the idea of having a pool here, but we didn’t have it before, did we?”
“No. Laura, she so loves to swim. And she’s not been able to for some time now due to hurting herself a few years back. Bryce—she knew this, you see, and since she was worried for her mom going out and about with the council around, she put this in for her.” He sat down on the chair that went with the table that hadn’t been there before either. “Bryce loves the outdoors very much. I believe that she’s out getting to know the grounds with William and some of the faeries. I’d like a word or two with you.”
“All right.” He relaxed, knowing that whatever she wanted or needed of him, he’d give it to her. “By the way, I’ve spoken to the school board, and they’d be thrilled to have you as a teacher here. I think they’d like for you to take over the art classes or the history. I thought you’d be a shoe in for the history department.”
“I’d like that. Very much so. I’m not bored, but I do so love to be around children. They help us, did you know that? As a witch, we get some of their energy. Not stealing it, never that, but we can be fed from them.” He knew that. It was the same for his dragon, but with trees. They gave him energy like he’d rested for decades. “What I’d like to talk to you about—I don’t think that it’s proper for us to be living here. Well, I suppose proper is the wrong word, but I think that Laura and I should have our own place. Behind the castle. Close, but not underfoot. I’ve already signed the castle over to Bryce, and I know that she’s going to put your name on it as well, but we need a place that we can bicker in. We do that so well. It’s why I love Laura so much.”
“I don’t think you feel that way, do you? That you’re underfoot. Nor unwelcome.” She shook her head and smiled at him. “Then you’ll have to convince me why you should leave us. Not that I could or would stop you, but why? And so you know, I am aware that there is no house behind the castle. There is nothing there but a stone mountain.”
“Yes, well, if you’ll allow it, there will be a pretty little home there for us.” She looked at the pool before continuing. “Bryce needs to figure things out with you and not us. And while I know that you two talk about everything going on, Bryce is stifling her magic by being able to come to us when she thinks that she can’t do something. She’s powerful, Noah. Much more so than any other witch that I’ve encountered. And once we are out of her way, she’ll grow into what she needs to be.”
“The grand witch.” Bea nodded, her pride showing in her face and smile. “I had to find out what that meant. I could have come to you or her, but I wanted to find out for myself. Besides, I think that Bryce would have given me the definition of the title. And you would have gone on about how proud you are that she is one, so I found out what I could on my own.”
�
�I am quite proud of her, to be so young and now the ruler of it all. I could not have been more surprised that she knew how to go about it. But she’ll need that, the magic and the title. Even though she’s taken away some of the magic that Black has, it’s still going to be a fight.” Noah asked Bea if Bryce would be killed. “No. As I said, she’s much too strong for that. Besides, I think you’ve shared what you are with her. And she has immortality now. As does Laura and me. Thank you for that.”
“I would have thought that you were immortal before.” Bea explained to him what they were able to do. “I see. You aged very slowly, but you would have eventually grown old and died. I don’t want that to happen. I’ve come to love you both as much as Bryce does the two of you.”
“Thank you, young man. I’ve grown quite fond of you too. You’re a rare treat in this world—a man who loves with all that he is, and neither expects nor asks for anything in return.” She picked up a pretty little tea cup and sipped from it. He didn’t care for the brew most of the time but watched as the cup refilled itself. “But back to the house in the back.”
“You have my permission if you need it. However, I think you should talk to Bryce about it. You don’t have to tell her why you’re doing it—though I would suggest that you do—but I would prefer that you tell her that you’re doing it.” Noah thought of not having the two of them around all the time. “You will need to come and visit us daily. And to have a meal or two with us weekly. I don’t think you’ll do it every night, but I would miss you otherwise.”
“All right.” She put down her cup and it disappeared. “Black is coming here. He has it in his head that because Bryce took away his casting magic, he’s strong enough to take her on. I would hope that you’d be by her side when he comes calling. To show him that her animal to call isn’t a cat, as he is assuming.”
“My dragon would never allow anything to harm her.” Bea smiled. “You know what’s going to happen, don’t you?”
“No. I know some of it, yes. But the outcome, no. There are many factors that could change it either way for him. Bryce will be fine. And she’ll find her footing in the world of magic. But Black needs to be dealt with, and he needs to be held accountable for the things that he’s done. There are many deaths that he’s caused for no other reason than that he could.” Noah told Bea that he’d been going over some of the books with Bryce—the ones that were given to her. “Very good. Also, you may know this already, but Gray is now Allen Burch. The woman that he now cares for, she is Kelsey, and his mate. Bryce did that for the two of them. He will be working for her after this is finished.”
“And the other man, White—what happens to him?” She said nothing. “Bryce said that he isn’t fit to be on the council and is a person that is controllable—the reason that Black has gotten away with so much.”
“He will live or die depending on the way things go. I know that it’s a vague answer, but it’s the best that I can give you.” Bea kissed him on his cheek. “You’re a good man, Noah. Your parents would have been very proud of the man you turned out to be. Even more so than they were before their passing.”
He sat there for several minutes after she left him. Noah was proud of himself too. If not for meeting Bryce and her family, he didn’t know what he might have done when arriving here. As it was, he was happier than he’d been in ages.
When his dragon stirred once again, he stood up and walked to the middle of the yard. Playing in the sky, that’s what he needed. As he shifted, taking to the skies at the same time, he was pleasantly surprised to find not just Devon there, but his wife and grandmother too. They were having fun riding the winds that came off the mountain.
Flying over the castle’s rear, he could see the house that had been put there. It was a strong stone home, with a chimney that would curl smoke from it in the colder months, and an herb garden that he could see even now was bursting with fragrance. Moving along the lake that was behind the house and through the mountain, he saw that the faeries had been working too. The trees that he’d brought here were standing as tall and straight as poles. Even the gardens by the mountainside were filling in nicely with the seeds that William had been gathering and saving since he came to be with him.
He’d picked his faerie just yesterday. She was a beautiful snow faerie, and her name was Snow. She joined him as he flew over the town, where the people were waving.
“Hello, my lord. I have a few things to tell you. I had thought that you’d come to me by now, but since you have not, I have found you.” He could hear the tone she had but chose to ignore it. “The bodies that William and I have been assigned to find for Lady Bryce have been located. Their names have been put to the list that she has given us. There are a great many of them, I’m sorry to say.”
Lady Bryce is now the grand witch, so she will tell you what she needs of you and William in the future. You are my faerie, Snow, but she might have a need for your services again. Snow said that she’d gladly help in any way that she could. Thank you. And she will give you a bit more magic soon. I would say very soon.
“I will find her after I speak to you.” He nodded as he landed on the mountain top and stayed in his dragon form. Snow sat upon his nose so that he could hear her better. “There is also a witch in the hospital that she has asked us to watch. I have several of the faeries that have come with you doing that. They are seeing to it that he is acclimated to being in the human world again as well.”
Good. He is a good man and has been very helpful to her. I’m not sure what her plans are for him, but she will tell us when she decides. Snow said that she would be helpful to her when the time came. I would like for you to find us a great many house faeries. There is some work that I’d like done on the castle. Also, Lady Bea and Lady Laura are building a home behind the castle. I want you to make sure that it is as safe as you can make it. They will require some house faeries as well. Staff too.
“I will see to that.” She pulled out a tiny notebook and opened it up. After writing in it, she turned to another page. “The mayor, as you may know, needs to be terminated. Lady Laura told me what that meant. They are hoping that you take the job. There is a great deal of work that you can do that he will not for the town. Most of it has to do with funding. Like the town the marquees is working on; there is a need of jobs and newer schools there as well.”
I don’t have the funding to help much right at the moment. She said that there was plenty of funding, but that if he didn’t want to use it, she would make sure it was safe. When my parents lost our home, they were broke.
“Nay, my lord, they only lost what the accountant took. They had stashed away a great deal of funds for you in the belly of the mountain. I believe them to have passed on simply because they were tired of humans.” He still didn’t have anything to say. Well, he didn’t actually know what to say. “Shall I take you there, my lord?”
Yes. He stood up, then sat again and shifted to his human form. “With Lady Bryce. She’s my mate and should be made aware.... Why didn’t they use that instead letting the banks take it from our family?”
“I believe they knew that someday you’d return, and that the house would be in a stronger and better family. Your mother, she was brilliant in her way of thinking. I can remember her telling us all to stash away as much as we could from the home so that it might be yours again when you returned. It’s there in the belly as well, my lord. All just waiting for you to ask for someone to take you to it. You have read their letter, have you not, sir?”
He’d forgotten about the letter his solicitor had given him. Taking the stairs three at a time, he went to where he’d put his duffel when he moved in. After pulling it out of the otherwise empty closet, he pulled out the envelope before sitting on the floor. Snow came to sit on his knee.
“Will you please find Bryce for me? Tell her that it’s not an emergency, but when she has time, if she could meet me in the library.” Snow said that she could do that for him. “Thank you. And then after we read th
is letter from them, you’ll take us to see what they’ve put away for me, all right?”
“Yes, my lord. And if you do not mind me saying so, it is very smart of you to make sure that your mate is involved. It makes you a better man.” Noah told Snow that Bryce made him a better man. “You are, sir. Even before you met the young miss.”
He hoped so. For as much as he loved Bryce, he was sure that whatever his parents said in the letter was going to make him miss them twice that much. They had been his world and his center for far longer than anyone else, of course. But they had shown him the wonders of loving someone and being loved by someone too.
~*~
“My dearest son, I’m so sorry that we cannot be there when you meet your bride. Bryce has been in our sights for a great many years. Her father, Austin Frost, was one of the only warlocks that we knew that was as kind as kindness can be. You will come to love her entire family, as we have.” Bryce looked at Noah, who was sitting on the couch where he’d been when she got here. “They knew about us? They knew my father? I don’t understand this. How could they have known that my grandma would buy the castle, and that we’d come here to live?”
“My mom, she had some ability to see into the future. Not a lot of details, but enough that she’d know this or that about something. Usually when someone was coming after us, or the outcome of a skirmish across the world. She didn’t say much about it, but when she’d tell us to stay out of something or to invest, we took her word as gospel. Is that the end of the letter?” She told him there was more. “Please. Read it to me.”
Noah: House of Wilkshire ― Erotic Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance Page 11