by Tena Stetler
“No doubt.” He moved closer, took her chin with his thumb and forefinger, and tipped it up. Leaning down, he gazed into her eyes.
She couldn’t breathe. He was too close. She could feel his heat. Putting her hands on his broad, muscular chest, she meant to push him away. Instead she traced the outlines of the contours of his muscles with her fingertips. Before she realized, her hands had slid around his neck, pulling his full lips to hers.
The tip of his tongue traced her lips, teased them apart, and slipped inside for moment. Then he eased away, taking her hands from around his neck. “Don’t misunderstand, I want you as much as I ever did, but I don’t think you’re ready. I’m not going to put either one of us through this unless we are ready to commit to each other and this relationship.” He held her hands a minute longer then released her. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. The other night— No, let me start over. Are you still having nightmares? Could you be broadcasting those?”
She worried her bottom lip with her front teeth and gave a slight nod of her head. No use lying to him. “Yes, still having nightmares. The other night it was bad.”
“Yeah.” He described the dream in every graphic detail.
“That was exactly like mine. I almost called you. Just to talk,” she clarified. “But didn’t want to wake you at that hour. You had to be at work early the next morning.”
He sighed. “You should have. I was up anyway. I have to wonder if these nightmares are of your own making or if somehow he’s still able to control your dreams and subconscious. Whether unintentional or intentional it’s serious enough that I’d like to talk with Bruce or Tristian. See if there’s been any chatter. Would you have a problem with that?”
She stared at the ground for a long time. When she raised her eyes to meet his, in a quiet voice she said, “I’ve been thinking the same thing. I don’t want to bother either of them, but the last nightmare wasn’t like the others I had when I first came here. It was a feeling…”
“Want me to stay in the cottage with you?” He offered reaching out, stroking her hair, twisting a curl around his finger, then letting it spring free.
“That’s not in our agreement.”
“Neither are the terrifying nightmares we seem to be sharing. Makes it damn hard to get up early in the morning after a night of those.” He paced along the fence like a caged animal.
Her gazed followed him until Storm begin chewing on her shoe. “Leave it,” she commanded, pushing the pup away with her shoe. Storm blinked up at her and barked. Ready to pounce at any moment, her butt was in the air, tail wiggling, and front end on the ground.
“She wants you to play.” He stomped on the ground close to the puppy. Storm took off barking, circled, and came back to nip at his booted foot. “Best not get her wound up, if you want to go to bed.”
“Oh yeah, I’m the one stomping my foot at her.” She sighed. “Our little conversation isn’t good for my psyche. Now I’ll have more nightmares.” She threw up her arms in frustration.
“Sorry. As long as we brought this out in the open, I might as well tell you…”
She held her hand up.” No. Nothing more tonight. It’s late. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She glanced up at the clear sky. The rain-washed air was warmer than previous evenings. Maybe summer was on the way.
He nodded, kissed her on the cheek, and walked to the truck. Pausing before he stepped into the truck, he turned toward her. “Listen for her whines and let her out right away or you’ll have a mess to clean up.” Chuckling, he climbed into his vehicle, rolled the window down, and waved as he drove away.
She looped the rope leash around Storm and tugged in an attempt to get the pup to follow along. The fur ball had other ideas. She chewed on the leash, rolled over on her back, took the leash in her mouth, and tugged in the opposite direction that Synn was trying to get her to go. Finally, too tired to fight her any more, Synn scooped the pup up, hugged her, then returned to the cottage. “We’re going to be best friends.” Storm looked up and licked her face. Synn giggled. “Tomorrow we get you a proper leash, and you’ll learn to walk on it… I hope.”
Once inside, she put the pup on the floor, picked up the cardboard box, and examined it. Pretty flimsy. First, she touched the corners. A blue glow came from her hands as she reinforced the box with a little magic. She hoped it wouldn’t draw attention to her from the magic community. Nor did she want to break the conditions Bruce had imposed when he’d given her freedom, but…maybe Gavin was right.
She straightened out the blankets in Storm’s box, put the container at the foot of her bed, and placed the pup inside. At first Storm cried, scratched, and whined. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she ignored her. Soon snoring came from the makeshift cardboard crate. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, and her body slumped.
Leaving her clothes in a heap on the floor, she trudged to the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the shower. Inside the warm water cascaded over her tired body easing the aches and pains created by hefting the heavy trays. Her muscles weren’t used to that type of work anymore. But she liked talking to customers and her co-workers. Each day was easier. Lathering up the nylon scrubby she’d bought during her outing with the girls, she washed and rinsed.
When she pushed aside the shower curtain, steam bellowed out into the tiny room. She dried off, then used the towel to wipe the moisture from the mirror and paused a couple of beats. Even without the glamour, the woman in the mirror looked better. Now, if I can only get some sleep.
Padding into the kitchen, she opened the shopping bags she’d dropped off before going to work and put her purchases away except the red bra and panty set. Those she held up to admire. She would wear the red set tomorrow. A smile crossed her lips, and she fell into bed.
Moonlight flooded through the window in her cottage when something woke her. The trees outside swayed in the breeze casting moving shadows on a silvery background against the walls. She rolled over and wondered at the whining noises coming from the bottom of her bed. The whines evolved into cries then barks. Her brain fuzzy from sleep, it took several minutes before she finally recalled the events of last night, and the poor little puppy she’d taken home.
With the magic reinforcement, no way that pup would be able to get out on her own. She rubbed her eyes, leaned up on her elbow, and looked at the clock. Four in the morning. She flopped back down on the bed. Gavin’s warning had her bolting upright and pulling on a robe and slippers.
Flicking on the light, she reached in the box and picked up the wriggling ball of motion. Hugging Storm, she hurried to the back door. “Just hold on a minute more.” There were no close neighbors, so she put the rope leash on the pup and shuffled outside in her robe. The minute she put the pup down Storm squatted. Whew. That was close. After several additional minutes of sniffing around, she insisted that Storm come back inside. Taking her off lead, she put the creature back in the box, and crawled into bed pulling the covers over her head.
When she opened her eyes again, an orange glow shown through the space where the curtains didn’t quite come together. A thin orange line peeked across the horizon. Maybe it would be a nice day. Ireland’s spring was colder than she’d expected. After the recent rains, she’d noticed green sprouts poking out of the ground in what she’d assumed was a flower garden in front of her cottage. The brown grass had green blades mixed in now. Hopefully the world wouldn’t seem so dreary.
Slipping on her silky, red bra and panties, she wondered what Gavin’s hands would feel like caressing… Stop it. She yanked on her black jeans and pulled a new light blue sweater over her head. The girls said the color accentuated her aqua eyes. Now looking in the mirror, she would have to agree with them. She brushed her hair and braided it, then let the pup out of the box. “Come on, girl; let’s go for a walk.”
Storm charged out the door and down the path. She ran to keep up with her, snatched her up, and put the rope leash on the pup. Lesson number one, don’t open the door bef
ore leashing the pup. She was glad Gavin hadn’t been around to see that mistake. Rather than take the path to the beach, the pup paused at the fork in the path then bounced up the rocky trail to the cliffs, nose high in the air.
She saw a couple meandering along the cliffs as the sunrise spread across the sky in fingers of orange, red and yellow. Idly she thought about Colleen’s questions yesterday. She considered how terrible it would be never to walk in the sun or enjoy a spectacular sunrise or set. If you believed the folk tale, Erin had given it all up because her family didn’t like that the witch had fallen in love with a faery.
She took a moment to appreciate this sunrise, thinking about other’s she’d seen over the years but hadn’t given a second thought. The beauty of the world was lost on the young warrior programed only to do her master’s bidding. Storm tugged at the leash and yipped. She shook her head in an attempt to displace the thoughts of her early capture at Baltizar’s hands. His brutal domination of the child she was and forcing her into submission of his every desire—she wouldn’t go there.
Letting the full length of the rope out allowed Storm to explore the area. She eased down on a rock out cropping and watched the colors fade into the cerulean sky as the sun rose higher. A rustling sound in the brush startled her. She jerked her head around. Standing behind her stood a tall willowy woman with auburn hair flowing to her waist and misty blue eyes. She had a wistful smile.
“’Tis not so bad, when you have the love of a man you desired more than life itself,” the woman said.
“Who are— How do you— What are—” she spluttered, tugging the rope in and bringing Storm to her without taking her eyes off the woman. Small gold sparks flickered at the ends of her fingertips. She closed her fists in an effort to hide her magic.
The woman tilted her head. “Lass, do you ever finish a sentence?” A melodic laugh burbled up from her throat. “So you are Gavin’s heart? Wasn’t sure that lad would ever settle down,” the woman mused moving closer to her. “But that’s neither here nor there. You’ve nothing to fear from me.” The woman held out her petite hand. “I’m Erin, and you are?”
“Synn,” she said in a wavering voice and clasping the woman’s hand. “So it’s true. They broke the curse. You’re— Your husband is—” She blew out a breath and gathered her thoughts. Sounding like an idiot wasn’t to her benefit. She could finish sentences.
“Her husband be Tiarnan, King of the faeries.” His voice boomed off the rock faces.
She jumped then blinked, shading her eyes against the sun. This was not happening. She blinked again. Still a man several inches taller than Erin, with long tresses the color of straw, dressed in jeans, and a shimmering multicolored sweater stood before her. “Who might you be?”
“Synn.” She twisted around to face him.
“Oh the demon warrior that lent a hand to Bruce and his group. Correct? Nice job.”
She narrowed her eyes and stared suspiciously from one to the other. Gathering Storm up in her lap, she held her tight. The pup covered her face with kisses. “What do you two want with me?”
Erin rested her hand on Tiarnan’s arm. “Dear, you’re making her nervous. Could you give us a few minutes?”
“Of course.” He leaned down and kissed his wife. “I’ll not be far, should you have need of me.” The mist thickened where he stood then disappeared on the breeze leaving only a wisp floating along the ground.
Her eyes widened, and she stared at Erin.
“Oh don’t mind him. He loves to make an entrance and exit especially around those who aren’t sure what they’re seeing.” She waved her hand dismissively.
“’Tis true witch, vampire, demon, and gryphon broke the curse when Brandy began weaving her spell.” A far-away look clouded Erin’s eyes, and she sighed. “Bruce stood beside Angelique, Hannah by Tristian, as they joined her, each murmuring different incantations. The three Books of Shadows lay open on hallowed ground glowing as they turned into soft, rich liquid gold, flowed into each other, they did, forming one. The wind howled around the stone formations and whipped around the couples as dark clouds formed and floated across the full moon. Darkness enveloped the land.” Erin wrapped her arms around herself. “Only the golden glow of the Books remained.” Erin paused to glance at her for a couple beats. ’Twas a glorious day—night.”
Mesmerized, she leaned forward, intent on every word. When Erin didn’t continue right away, she whispered, “What happened then?”
Erin smiled. “It was silent. When the storm clouds parted, the moon shone blood-red with a muted ring of rainbow colors encircling it. The chanting ceased, and the books slowly separated, returning to their ancient leather-bound form.”
She sucked in a breath. “And the curse was broken?”
“Yes, and the spells bound the gates of Hell tight. The portals were destroyed, and the fabric of time strengthened so there was no possibility of escape. For now.” Erin’s eyes cleared and a faint smile curved her lips.
“For now?” she squeaked.
“Yes, for now. The remainder of the legend has yet to come full circle. And is not my tale to tell. We cannot control the behavior of man, so there will always be a need to patrol magic kind. Tristian and Bruce do a great job with the help of other magic creatures. You see…we must all work together.”
“I see.” She wished she could have been there and witnessed the ceremony with her own eyes.
“I’m afraid you don’t. Love is a magical gift that you must not ignore.” Erin pinned her with her gaze.
“You know, in my short lifetime, I’ve had enough of people telling me how to live, what to do and…who to…”
“I’m not doing any of those things. Only here to warn you dark times may be on the horizon. The man who walks beside you is your mate and will be of great help to you when the time comes. Don’t shut him out. He’s already committed to you, and you know what that means for a gryphon.”
“I can’t endanger anyone should trouble come my way again. I’m not as I once was.” She stared sadly at her defective leg.
“That’s where you’re wrong. Everyone in this life has a purpose. You can’t just throw that away because you’re afraid.” Erin gently touched her shoulder. “Gavin has already given—” She paused a couple beats. “Gryphons take only one mate, and that is for eternity. You knew that, right?”
“Brandy shouted something like that at me during one of our arguments. Said her brother would never be whole thanks to me.”
Erin shook her head sadly. “If something happens to that mate, the other will spend the rest of their life alone and never search for another. Some choose to follow their mate in death. The act of lovemaking seals that bond. It’s a hell of a commitment for anyone other than a gryphon to understand—let alone agree.”
She flinched choosing not to discuss the intimate details of her life with a person—a witch—she’d known only a short time. “Afraid. Me.” She snorted. “You have no idea who I am, or what I’ve endured. I’m not afraid. I’ve earned the right to decide… As far as Gavin and me, it’s private.”
The witch raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. A polite smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “True. There are different kinds of fear. And I know you don’t fear battle. It’s matters of the heart that confound you. But your purpose has yet to run its full course. Believe me when I tell you the risk will be worth the reward.”
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest in a sign of defiance.
“Visit Gale, she can help heal that limp. The problem be not physical. Dark magic inadvertently transferred from Baltizar when he used it against you and needs to be drawn out. She can help. You’ll need to learn to control his dark magic and use it to your benefit. We doubt—” Erin glanced around “—that Baltizar knows the magic was transferred. Gale will be indispensable when the time comes.”
“So the legend claims you were from a very powerful family of witches. Is Gale a relative then?” she asked.
She shifted her gaze from Erin to the fading colors of dawn as the sun shone bright in the blue sky. “I hate to cut this conversation short, but Gavin will be here soon to pick up Storm and me. We are having dinner with his family.” She put Storm on the ground and released a little of the rope.
“That’s wonderful. Please heed what I’ve told you. If you ever need Tiarnan’s or my help, you can find us on the cliffs at sunrise,” Erin said.
Because her neck was getting sore being twisted at such an angle, she shifted on the rock. When she turned back around to face Erin, she was gone. Did I really see—have a conversation—or is my imagination working overtime? Sitting still for a couple beats, she surveyed the area. No sign of anyone. She sighed.
“Looks like Tiarnan isn’t the only one who disappears without warning,” she grumbled shoving up from the rock. Brushing her hands together to remove the tiny rock particles, she tugged on the rope then called to Storm, who ignored her. She tugged on the rope harder then started down the path. The pup chewed on the leash and barked as she was forced to follow. At least this time, she didn’t roll over, or become limp as a rag in protest forcing her to pick her up. She smiled. They were making progress.
When they rounded the bend in the trail, Gavin’s truck was parked in front of her cottage. He was unloading several bags and setting them on the porch. As she approached, he smiled making her feel all warm inside. Do I tell him? Will he think I’ve lost it? Better keep it to myself for the time being. What about the warning? Her thoughts were spinning in all directions. She shoved the whole incident to the back of her mind to deal with later.
Gavin held up a bag and swung it back and forth in front of her.
“What have you brought us?” She made a quick swipe for the bag and missed.