by Moni Boyce
Something occurred that had not before. An inner voice spoke.
‘Show me.’
After the voice spoke, her eyes flew open, and she fell into a trance. The flood of imagery that usually rushed through her mind slowed down and became mini silent films in her mind. There were some images she still couldn’t make sense of their purpose because there wasn’t enough context: images of Phaedra yelling at Samson, the dagger that Eli had given her, an unkempt Eli with a full beard weeping, a female hand not touched by age resting on a large leather-bound book that appeared ancient, and her standing in front of Killian with a hooded figure standing behind him in the background. One image that stuck out in her mind was of her kissing a very willing and enthusiastic Eli. The images cut off, and she blinked.
“Willow?” His troubled look eased some when she met his eyes. “Your eyes turned a milky white when you...” His voice drifted off and he stared at her. “That didn’t happen last time.”
“I believe it’s because I saw the future this time... well snippets of the future.” The trembling in her body should have been because of the images of impending doom, instead the single image of her in a heated lip lock with Eli was what caused palpitations. She couldn’t stop staring at him.
“You’ve had flashes before...”
“This was different.” Her eyes raked over his face. “They were slower. Like home movies, but not grainy or anything. They were coming in like HD clear.”
“That’s great, Willow. You did it. I told you, you could do it.”
Before she could react, he pulled her into a tight hug. It was surreal.
“Come have dinner with me.” He pulled away from her with a joyous expression and looked at her.
“What?” She felt breathless as she looked at him stunned. Did he just ask her out on a date? Maybe he said it in the heat of the moment. They were both on a high from her being able to recall the future images that had come across in her mind. Could the image she saw be true? Her heart sped up at the thought.
“My mother’s been dying to meet you and it’s our last night here. Come to dinner and meet my parents. We can celebrate.”
Wasn’t meeting the parents something that came much later? She’d never progressed to that point in a relationship where anyone had wanted her to meet their parents.
“You must still be in shock from whatever you saw for it to leave you speechless. Let’s have dinner and then you can tell me about it later tonight.” He stood.
All she could do was nod like a bobble head. He reached his hand out to help her up, and she took it and let him pull her to her feet.
“We both stink.” Broken out of her dazed state, she laughed. He grinned.
“Lets both shower and change and I’ll pick you up from your room for dinner.”
She looked away, trying to hide the flush that crept across her face at the mention of showering. It was obvious he meant separately, but since seeing the kiss, her mind was turning everything into dirty innuendo.
CHAPTER 22
Eli
It was shocking to find the rest of the Protectors dressed up and seated at the table when they arrived. He’d been unsure whether it was his mother or father’s doing. Not that this was a date or anything. Between Phaedra and his father, he wasn’t sure who had sent him more disparaging looks. He avoided them throughout the meal and focused on the other conversations happening at the table, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself from looking at Willow time and time again.
The taste of the food had yet to register in his brain. He sat across from her and all he could think about was when she opened the door earlier this evening. He’d never seen her look lovelier. The short, sleeveless, diaphanous, pale pink dress gave her the magical appearance of a faery. It was moments like this that had his years of training and discipline taking a backseat to his heart that frightened him. He swallowed down the mass of food that sat in his mouth and tuned in to listen to Mathilda’s excited banter.
“And then I mixed more sage and thistle root to the brew instead of burdock root and I was able to create the potion to the exact specifications I needed.” Mathilda concluded her tale of potion mixing. His mother had sat her and Zoriana next to each other, but it was clear the chasm between them still hadn’t been breached. Mathilda told him she would try to mend things. It hadn’t happened, or it didn’t work. He wasn’t sure which.
“She’s a natural.” Morgana rubbed her back while she praised her. A quick glance at Zoriana revealed a hurt look she quickly tried to mask. Her eyes dropped to the table, and she took a small bite of her food. The chatter resumed, and he resolved that he would make them sit in a room together until they fixed what was between them.
“Everything’s delicious.” Vigorous nods, murmurs of agreement and sounds of forks scraping nearly empty plates followed Max’s compliment.
“More broccoli, dear? It’s great brain food and I’ve heard how hard you’ve been working.” His mother beamed at Willow while she offered the green vegetable from the platter that hovered in the air near her.
“Thank you.” She graciously accepted more.
“You’re leaving here tomorrow. Is there a plan?” The question from his father brought everything to a grinding halt. Leave it to him to ruin the mood and cross-examine him in front of everyone.
“Well, we would never stay here at the coven indefinitely. It’s only a matter of time before Killian knows exactly who she is, if he doesn’t already. I won’t endanger the people here by staying. We have to keep moving.” His mouth tightened at being second-guessed over his leadership skills. The cool water glass he reached for helped to quell some of his growing anger once he took a sip.
“That’s fine, but...” His father’s attempt to keep the interrogation going at the dinner table in front of everyone had him gripping the glass tighter. If it shattered into shards in his hand, he’d welcome the pain of the jagged glass in his palm if it stopped the anger that was quickly boiling over to the point of eruption.
“I know whatever Eli has planned will keep us all safe.”
His head whipped towards Willow.
“I trust him completely.” She stared back at him with an amount of surety in his ability he didn’t expect to see there. Even though she had no idea how deep and twisted the roots ran on the dysfunction of his relationship with his father or the role she played in their growing animosity, he was grateful to her for standing up for him.
‘THANK YOU.’ He delivered his gratitude through their mind link. She looked up and gifted him with a small smile.
There was no time to ponder or linger over her coming to his rescue because he knew without looking at his father what kind of expression he would find on his face after hearing Willow interject on his behalf. His father disapproved of him training her alone. He didn’t trust that Eli would stay true to the Protector’s commandment and not become romantically involved with her.
Phaedra came to the rescue before anything could get out of hand. “Eli knows the more he trains Willow her visions will grow stronger and eventually give us insight into how to defeat Killian. Until then, we must keep moving so it is harder for him to find her. There is a method to the madness.”
Eli gave her an imperceptible nod of thanks and she returned it with a look of ‘I got you.’ He was always thankful to have her in his corner. His father respected her opinion. This time was no different. He resumed eating his food and the talk at the table returned to mundane things.
The rest of the meal passed without a repeat inquisition from his father. At the end of the dinner party, he said his goodbyes to his parents knowing they would get on the road first thing in the morning. He reminded everyone to be at the RV bright and early ready to pack up and move on. Afterward he escorted Willow to her room.
“Do you want to come in?”
He stuffed his hand into his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck with the other. “Um.”
“Just for a little while?” The soft femi
nine plea so unlike her, made him cave.
“Sure.”
She closed the door once he stepped inside. Awkwardness ensued as they fidgeted and looked anywhere, but at each other.
“There’s a bar. Did you want a nightcap?” She walked across the room to the sideboard that hid a stash of various liquors. Her nimble fingers made quick work of filling two tumblers with a smoky, amber colored liquid. When she walked back and placed the glass in his hands she stood close. As she tipped the glass back and drank down the fiery beverage, his eyes were riveted on her. She winced. “That’s stronger than I thought.” A cough and a small giggle followed that teased of flirtation.
The smile she wore was not the smile of a woman skilled in the art of seduction, but that of an innocent girl, newly ripe for romance. He had a hard time not smiling back. Although his smile felt more like a grimace you gave when you’d eaten something bad, but you were trying hard to act like you were unaffected. He had yet to take a sip of alcohol. If he was honest, he was feeling a bit intoxicated already. It was probably because of their proximity or her body language cues he was sure he was not misreading.
“Maybe I should let you get some sleep, since we have an early day tomorrow.” The glass landed on the coffee table a little harder than he planned in his clumsy haste to get out of there. He’d nearly reached the door when her voice stopped him.
“Wait.” Some unseen force anchored him to the ground at that one word. He couldn’t leave. When he turned back, she had closed the distance between them. “Don’t go.”
In her eyes, he saw the unspoken emotions that lay between them. He didn’t want to put a name to any of it, because he had been trying so hard not to lay claim to any of the strong feelings he felt himself. She was about to say something.
“Don’t Willow.” He could use his magic to will her to stay silent and not do or say whatever she was about to do, but the idea died just as quickly as it sprung up in his mind. She placed her hand over his mouth and the scent of jasmine and lavender from whatever lotion she used earlier wafted up his nostrils.
“I need to say this to you, Eli, even though I’m nervous and scared as hell.”
She was standing so close to him that as he stared at her, for the first time, he noticed there were tiny golden flecks in the browns of her eyes.
“Ever since I first saw you at the office, I was attracted to you. When you didn’t speak to me that day I was hurt... so when I found out everything and learned that you were only being rude because you didn’t want me to find out you were a witch and my protector,” She gave another nervous giggle, “You know that whole story... anyway, since then, my feelings have grown stronger for you. And before you say anything, it’s not because you’ve been protecting me, because honestly sometimes you’ve been an ass to me...”
Any other day, her frankness might have made him chuckle, right now his arms hung limply at his sides and he felt like a stunned bird that had made the mistake of flying into a window.
“What I’m trying to say is...” She expelled a breath and with her heart shining in her eyes professed the way she felt like she was a death row inmate making her final plea on execution day. “I think I’m in love with you.” In a gesture he assumed allowed him to speak, she removed her hand from his mouth, but before he could say anything she kissed him. It was the kind of kiss that stole your breath, stopped your heart, but then in a split second resuscitated you and brought you back to life, made you realize how sweet life could be.
Before he could stop himself his arms wound themselves around her lower back and waist and he pulled her closer, his lips clamored for more of the taste of her. Her body was soft in all the right places. He savored the taste of brandy that lingered on her tongue and lips when he sucked her succulent bottom lip into his mouth. A small moan of pleasure escaped her and he hardened at the sound and pressed his erection against her.
Her response spurred him on and he deepened the kiss. It was surprising when she allowed him to take the lead. With all the sparring and back and forth they’d had in their interactions with one another he’d assumed he’d have to bend her to his will. He thoroughly enjoyed her sweetness, but if he was honest with himself, he enjoyed her strong-willed nature and wanted the same in a sexual relationship. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip and he felt her smile against his mouth. He knew that smile. It was a smile that said, ‘I’m a little kinky, but I wasn’t sure you were.’ When she sank her teeth into his bottom lip, he let out a groan of pleasure. She licked the indentation of her teeth marks to take away the sweet sting, before their tongues dueled for dominance and he found it sexy as hell.
She was walking backwards and pulling him towards the sofa when reality finally crash-landed in his brain. He wasn’t supposed to be kissing her. It was forbidden. His father would relish the thought of him not being able to honor the code he’d sworn to when he became a Protector. As much as he wanted her, he couldn’t go through with this.
Instinctively, he pulled back from her. Her eyes were still clouded with lust as she reached for him, her lips puckered, bee stung and ready for another make-out session. Gripping her hands between his own, he panted. “I can’t.” He took a few staggering steps away from her. If he didn’t put some distance between them, he would take her in his arms again and next time he wouldn’t stop. He’d brand every inch of her flesh with his mouth and tongue before making her body his. It cut him to the quick to see the varying emotions transform her face from confused to embarrassed and eventually to wounded once realization set in that he was rejecting her.
“I don’t understand.” Her slender fingers rubbed her lips before touching her cheek. She stepped towards him like her invasion of his personal space would entice him to continue or change his mind. In the next instant, her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly before her mouth snapped shut and tightened into a grim line. She dropped her eyes to the floor and took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself.
Even though she no longer looked at him, he could see her watery eyes trying to withstand her broken heart. It made him sick to his stomach she had unpacked her feelings like a long-time traveler that had finally found somewhere to call home; only to be told there was no vacancy. Revealed what lay in her heart and laid it at his feet and he’d stepped on it and crushed it and ground it into dust. He swallowed and tried to find the words to repair what he’d broken. “Willow, I...”
“Just go.” The anguished tremor her voice became continued to tear out his guts. On the slow walk to the door, he thought about casting a spell to reverse time and take him back to just before she invited him inside for a nightcap. He could politely decline and never have to hurt her. He held the door open unable to walk through just yet. One more glance back showed a single tear running down her cheek. “I’m sorry.” It was pathetic and lame, and the only words he could manage.
“Go!” The ragged sob ripped itself from her throat and she turned her back.
He knew it was wrong and unfair of him to linger and attempt to plead his case any further. She was hurting and angry and she deserved to be left alone. Once the door closed, and he stood on the other side, he heard the soul-crushing wail she’d stifled before he walked out. He pressed his forehead and palm against the door. It took every fiber of his being not to race back inside and try to comfort her, but he was the last person she wanted to see at this moment.
CHAPTER 23
Willow
She’d never been the woman that cried over men, but the tear stains covering her pillow showed otherwise. When he rebuffed her before with his chilly reception at the office that day she’d been able to deal. She had her crummy job, an aspiring music career, her dog and a few friendly colleagues she hung with. Right now it felt like she had nothing. Her music career would never happen. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to go home again. Essentially, she was a vagabond, tooling around with a group of virtual strangers. She didn’t even have her dog anymore. Plus, it seemed like she would n
ever master powers that were supposed to be her birthright.
And now someone that could be one of the few good things in her life rejected her... again. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much if she hadn’t grown so close to him over the last couple months. After her mother died, and they moved her to a new state she found it hard to make friends. When you were someone who grew up having no best friends, and you finally made a connection with someone, it hurt deeply when it was ripped away. Not only had he broken her heart last night, she felt like she’d lost a good friend. How could things ever go back to what they had before this happened? It was impossible.
When she dragged herself under the hot spray of the showerhead, she hoped the water would soothe her, but it didn’t. Her heart still ached and bled with pain. Why had the vision shown him kissing her, if he was only going to reject her? Confusion twisted itself into knotted balls of yarn inside her head. She needed to understand more about how her visions worked. Was it just glimmers of events? Could things be altered or changed? Were they just possibilities that held various outcomes?
When she stepped from the shower, someone was knocking on her door. The fluffy bathrobe that lay nearby covered her wet nakedness before she padded to the door in bare feet. She answered without a greeting and found Mathilda waiting there. It was hard trying to push through her heartache and offer a false smile.
“You okay?” Mathilda looked at her with deep concern.
“I’m fine.” She shifted her gaze, attempting to hide her red-rimmed eyes. The protruding design of the doorknob would leave an imprint in her palm she gripped it so tightly. She pushed the door slightly to hide more of herself. “Did you want something?” She didn’t mean to sound so cold to the girl, but if Eli had sent her to convey some message, she didn’t want to hear it.