“Where have you been?” she coolly asked.
“That’s none of your business,” he returned, heading for the house.
“Fine,” she huffed, following like a lovesick puppy, “don’t tell me. I already know. You were with that witch from the party yesterday, the one from Oregon.”
Aedan halted, finding Medea’s pleading stare. “Why are you here?”
“Because,” she pouted, “I thought we had something special. It’s been months and I miss the way I feel when I’m with you. We could be great together, Aedan.”
“I’ve told you every way I know how,” he firmly replied, “I don’t feel that way about you. You need to move on.”
“You’re lying. You have to be, because I feel a lasting connection between us.”
Aedan scowled and slowly shook his head. “I’m not lying, and there is no us. No connection exists. You and I are nothing, Medea. You have to get that through your head.”
She fumed for another few seconds. Then her anger drained away, replaced by doe-eyed innocence. “Look, Aedan, I’m willing to be patient. Maybe you don’t feel that way yet, but I can change your mind. We have something to work with or you wouldn’t have asked me out. Why fight it? Neither of us is seeing someone else. Why not give each other a chance?”
She stepped closer, raising a hand to his chest, but he quickly grabbed her wrist, returning it to her side. “No.”
“Why not?” she demanded, stomping a foot.
“Because I don’t want you,” he returned, frowning at her immaturity. “And I am seeing someone else.”
“Who? The witch from yesterday?”
“Yes.”
Medea rolled her eyes, smirking her relief. “She’s leaving Saturday, going home to Oregon. I’ll still be here. Blondie’s a temporary distraction. In six days, she’ll be gone.”
Aedan disliked that Medea knew so much about Rhosewen. “Not if I can help it.”
Medea threw her head back and laughed. “You think she’ll stay in Virginia for someone she barely knows?”
“Maybe,” he answered, growing increasingly nervous over Medea’s roller-coaster emotions. “Or maybe I’ll move to Oregon.”
Medea froze, narrowing her eyes as her hands clenched into fists. “You lie.”
“No,” he asserted. “Everything I’ve said is true. I don’t know what will happen Saturday, but I have no intention of letting her leave without me.”
“But you just met her!” Medea shrilled.
Aedan shrugged, figuring he would hear that a lot. He might as well get used to it. “It doesn’t matter how long I’ve known her.”
He spoke the truth. If Rhosewen were to leave Saturday, he’d leave with her. The decision was made. It didn’t scare or worry him. It relieved him. He’d be with Rhosewen next week and the week after, as long as she’d have him.
Medea lost her cool, vibrating from head to toe. “You can’t do this!” she shrieked, falling to her knees and clutching his cloak. “Please.”
Aedan was shocked, absolutely appalled by her reaction. He knew she liked him and was teetering on obsession, but he had no idea she would take his rejection this hard. “Let go, Medea,” he demanded, taking a few steps back, but she held firm and fell to the ground, screaming into the grass.
This is bad, Aedan thought. No, he corrected. An emotionally unstable witch is bad, but he was dealing with an emotionally unstable witch who felt betrayed, which could be disastrous. “Look,” he said, keeping his voice even, “I’m no good for you. I can’t give you what you want. You deserve someone who can love you, and that’s not me.”
Medea released his cloak and sat up. “I don’t want someone else,” she simmered. “I want you.”
“You can’t have me, Medea.”
“I always get what I want,” she whispered.
Aedan shook his head, his patience spent. “Not this time. I want you to leave me alone. And you need to leave Rhosewen alone. She has nothing to do with my decision not to be with you. Now leave my lawn. You have no reason to be here.”
Medea made no effort to comply.
Aedan watched her blank expression and absent gaze for another moment then sighed and walked home. When he got to his bedroom, he left the lights off and looked out the window. She hadn’t budged. Thirty minutes later, once he’d showered, she still hadn’t moved.
He cursed as he got into bed. If he’d known things would turn out this way, he never would have dated her. He felt weak and irresponsible for letting an unstable witch into his life.
These and other worrisome thoughts kept him awake for over an hour, and at three in the morning, he was up again, jolting into consciousness.
Rhosewen had been calling to him in his dream, and he’d been searching, dread tightening his gut. When he found her back, he flew toward her, relieved, but then she turned and it was no longer Rhosewen. It was Medea.
Aedan jumped out of bed and moved to the window, scanning the lawn and surrounding forest. He spotted a glow to the south and focused, watching Medea’s aura fade into timber. He couldn’t prove it, but knew she’d planted the dream in his head.
Aching with worry, he returned to bed, telling himself Medea wasn’t stupid enough to hurt Rhosewen. Then he recalled the hysterics on his lawn and realized he didn’t know Medea at all. He couldn’t count on her to be rational.
Monday morning, as Aedan caught up with weekend orders, he searched for a way to tell his parents he’d fallen in love with someone he’d only known for two days and was considering a move to Oregon to be with her.
He remained clueless when he sat down to lunch, so he was unusually quiet when his dad sat across from him, summoning a plate of spaghetti and toast.
“What’s new with you, son?” Serafin asked. “Anything?”
Aedan eyed him, thinking he might already know. “Yeah, actually, there is something new.”
Serafin’s nod confirmed Aedan’s suspicion, so he continued his confession. “I met a girl at the party Saturday. Rhosewen Conn.”
“Pretty name,” Serafin replied.
“Yes it is.”
“Pretty girl?”
“The prettiest.”
“Don’t let your mom hear that,” Serafin joked. “After all these years of being your number one gal, it would break her heart.”
Aedan laughed as he pretended to lock his lips and throw away the key. Then he took a few silent bites, bracing himself to disappoint the man who’d given him everything.
“I may be leaving Saturday,” he revealed, preparing for a look of shock, anger or sadness.
Serafin nodded, and Aedan exhaled, furrowing his eyebrows as he scanned his dad’s aura. “You already knew,” he concluded.
“I saw something,” Serafin confirmed, “but I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t a done deal, too many undecided factors.”
“Were you checking up on me?” Aedan asked.
“Always,” Serafin confessed, and Aedan experienced a strong rush of affection for his dad.
“So what do you think?”
“I only saw the possibility of you leaving, not the why. You’ll have to fill me in on the details. I assume it has something to do with the prettiest girl?”
“You assume correctly.”
Serafin scanned his son’s aura then went back to his spaghetti. “Where does the blue-eyed beauty live?”
“Oregon.”
Serafin frowned, but was quick to smooth his expression. “A beautiful state. You’d enjoy it.”
“You’re not going to try to talk me out of it?” Aedan asked. “Or lecture me on my haste?”
Serafin met Aedan’s stare, their eyes exactly the same save for minuscule wrinkles of wisdom under one pair. “You’re a fine young man, Aedan, mature beyond your years, even for a wizard. You’re dedicated, determined and responsible, and you’ve never given me a reason to mistrust your judgment or regret your decisions. You aren’t the type who loses his head over a girl, so if you want to follow Rhosewen acros
s the country, I have to believe it’s the real deal. I trust you, son, so does your mom. You’ll have our support in whatever decision you make. We’ll mourn your move, but we live for your happiness as much as our own. Besides,” he added, pointing his fork, “I’m not blind. Your aura is quite clear to me. I’d be concerned if I saw it looking like this and you weren’t taking action. I’d think I raised a layabout rather than a man who knows how to get things done.”
Aedan was stunned and touched by the vote of confidence. “Thanks, Dad. Your support means a lot to me.”
Serafin smiled then turned his moist gaze to his plate. “I do think we should get to meet the young lady taking our only child from home. Are you seeing her tonight?”
“Yeah,” Aedan answered, going back to his meal. “She and her parents are staying with the Ballard/Lancing coven. I’m joining them for dinner on their lawn.”
“That would be a good opportunity to meet Rhosewen and her parents.”
“You might already know her mom,” Aedan revealed. “She’s Ellena Ballard’s sister.”
“The one who bonded?”
“Yeah, with a man from Oregon—Caitrin Conn.”
“That’s right,” Serafin recalled. “Morrigan. She and Ellena grew up in the Murray/Hughes coven.”
“Yes,” Aedan confirmed.
“Then I have met her,” Serafin replied, “but it’s been years. So Rhosewen’s a bonded child.”
“Yes,” Aedan answered.
“Hmm. . .” Serafin mumbled. “I look forward to meeting her. Will it be tonight?”
“I don’t know, Dad. I haven’t said anything to her about the commitment of relocating, and you weren’t invited. I don’t want to be rude.”
“Nonsense. I’ll give Ellena an innocent call. If she extends an invitation, I promise not to let the cat out of the cauldron.”
“Okay,” Aedan agreed. “If you get invited.”
“Great,” Serafin approved, cleaning up his mess. Then he stood and walked to the door.
“Dad,” Aedan called.
Serafin halted, running a hand through his dark brown hair as he turned back. “Yeah?”
“Thanks again. For everything.”
“Sure,” Serafin replied, his chest noticeably rising and falling. Then he cleared his throat and left the room.
Rhosewen hummed happily as she walked through her aunt’s garden, searching for things that didn’t belong. She hadn’t gone to Cape Charles after all and was keeping herself busy by doing chores around the house. She pointed at a weed pitifully poking from the ground, and it gracefully grew, transforming into a pink belladonna lily. She smiled, but not at the flower. She was picturing Aedan, imagining his tender touch.
Her smile widened as she headed for the back garden. Then the hair at the nape of her neck stood on end and she spun around, finding Medea less than ten feet away.
Rhosewen scanned the witch, focusing on her expression, fingers and aura, searching for threatening signs, but she found nothing immediately dangerous. Only curiosity, jealousy and blossoming instability.
Rhosewen remained wary. She hated confrontation and did her best to avoid it, but she wouldn’t hesitate to defend herself. “Medea,” she calmly greeted. “May I help you with something?”
Medea took a quick step forward, frowning when her competition failed to flinch. “So Aedan’s told you about me,” she said, searching Rhosewen’s aura. “What did he say? That I’m a crazy witch who won’t leave him alone?”
“He never said you were crazy,” Rhosewen replied. “But he did say you’re persistent and having a hard time letting go.”
Medea’s upper lip curled. “And you believe him?”
“Yes. Would you like to share your side of the story?”
“It’s none of your business,” Medea snapped. “You’re the outsider here.”
“I beg to differ,” Rhosewen chided. “It’s my family’s lawn you’re standing on.”
Medea took a small step back as fear tweaked her features. Then she hurriedly composed herself, but her aura remained frozen as she scanned Rhosewen from head to toe.
After ten seconds of silence, Rhosewen took a step forward, and Medea took another faltering step back.
“Is there a reason why you’re here?” Rhosewen asked. “If not, you should leave. I have things to do.”
Medea lifted her chin and pushed her shoulders back. “I want to know when you’re leaving.”
“Saturday,” Rhosewen answered. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Medea shook her head no, and Rhosewen took another step. “Then you should go.”
Medea sniffed, glared for another ten seconds then shot into the air.
Rhosewen sighed as she watched her go, glad to be done with the meeting and hoping there wouldn’t be another. She hated confrontation.
Serafin’s plan succeeded. Within minutes of calling Ellena, he and Daleen were invited to dinner, so Aedan and his parents flew to the Ballard/Lancing community together.
Aedan could tell his mom was putting on a brave face. Her aura told him everything she was trying to hide, and it squeezed his heart to see her so sad, but picturing Rhosewen’s face was the perfect antidote. He couldn’t wait to see the real thing.
The moment he landed, he found Rhosewen’s gaze, and their faces brightened with smiles they couldn’t contain. She tried to keep her pace casual, but practically bounced across the lawn.
“Hi,” she beamed.
“Hi,” he returned, scanning her sparkling eyes and curved lips. He wanted to pull her into his arms, kiss her as deeply as he had the night before, but her family was watching, so he merely took her hand, kissing her fingers as he placed a pure white rose in her palm. “A rose for a Rose,” he whispered.
She grinned and smelled her gift. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
He winked then turned toward his parents. “Mom, Dad, this is Rhosewen Conn.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Daleen greeted, taking Rhosewen’s hands.
“You, too,” Rhosewen replied. “Both of you.”
Serafin flashed a broad smile as he stepped forward. “We’ve heard good things about you from your Grandma Adonia. You’re even lovelier than your photos suggest.”
“Thank you,” Rhosewen returned. Then she wrinkled her nose at Aedan. “Good to know Grandma Addy’s been telling tales and flashing my picture around.”
“She’s proud of her family,” Serafin laughed.
“And we’re proud of her,” Rhosewen replied, gesturing toward her approaching parents. “This is my mom and dad—Caitrin and Morrigan Conn. This is Aedan’s parents,” she announced, flipping the introductions around, “Serafin and Daleen Donnelly.”
The two golden couples greeted one another. Then Serafin and Morrigan recalled their last meeting as they accompanied their spouses to the dinner table.
Their conversation faded, so Aedan looked to Rhosewen, sighing as he took her hands. “You look beautiful this evening, Rose.”
She wore the shirt from the alpaca farm, which fit her perfectly, begging him to cuddle her.
“Thank you,” she returned, grinning from one pink cheek to the other.
Aedan gently touched his forehead to hers, lightly wiggling the tip of her nose with his own. Then he gave it a soft kiss before leading her to the table.
After a long dinner slowed by abundant conversation, Daleen and Serafin returned home, but Aedan stayed behind, waiting for the lawn to clear. When he and Rhosewen were alone at last, he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped her in a hug, burrowing his nose in her hair.
“I’ve been waiting all day to do this,” he mumbled, finding her neck. “Mmm . . . There it is.”
Goosebumps stretched across Rhosewen’s chest and back, and she sighed, slipping her tingling fingers into his hair.
They silently held each other for several minutes, soaking up the peace. Then Rhosewen shattered it. “I had a visitor today.”
“Oh yeah?
” he mumbled, sweeping his nose across the hollow of her throat. “Who?”
“Medea.”
Aedan jerked his head back. “What was she doing here?”
“She wanted to know when I was leaving.”
“You talked to her?”
“Briefly.”
“Please be careful around her, Rose. If she comes back, stay cautious. Or just steer clear of her altogether. Let someone else get rid of her.”
Rhosewen ran her fingers along his rigid jaw then touched his creased brow. “Okay, but I doubt she’ll do anything. She took a long look at my aura today, and I think she figured out I’m a bonded child.”
Aedan closed his eyes and smoothed his forehead, so Rhosewen stroked his eyelids. “You’re more worried about her today than you were yesterday,” she noted.
“Yes,” he confessed, opening his eyes.
“Why?”
“Because she was on my porch when I got home last night. She knew I’d been with you. She knows too much about you—where you live and when you’re leaving. She didn’t come here to find that out. She already knew, which means she went out of her way to gather information on you.”
“Is that why you’re so worried?” Rhosewen pressed.
“Yes. I don’t want her anywhere near you. She’s unstable. I saw a side of her last night I’ve never seen before. When I told her I was with you, she lost it. I’m worried she’s gone off the deep end.”
“You said she already knew we were together.”
“She knew we’d been together, but she didn’t know I was serious about you. She thought you’d leave Saturday and that would be the end of it.”
Rhosewen completely forgot about Medea as a thousand butterflies swarmed her belly, fluttering with hope and desire. “Isn’t it?” she asked, pushing the premature expectations away. “How could it possibly work with an entire country between us?”
Aedan watched her hopeful yet cautious expression as he thought about what he would say, regretting a conversation about Medea had led to it. Ideally, it would be said under far sweeter circumstances. But he needed to know if Rhosewen felt the same. If so, they only had five days to prepare themselves.
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