I crossed the small space and leaned against the counter. I didn’t have it in me to beat around the bush, so I got straight to the point. “What did the FBI want?”
He chuckled and went back to his recipe. “Don’t you worry about them. I can handle those two bumbling idiots. Now, do your dad a favor and hand me the black salt.”
I searched the shelf until I found the jar filled with what looked like granulated ash. “What’s this for?”
Dad took the bottle from my hand and waved me off. “Never you mind about that. Some things are best left to the seasoned professional.”
I gasped as his off-hand comment tripped my defenses and glared at the back of his head while I pulled my thoughts together. “Oh, you mean like binding spells?”
He fumbled the bottle, spilling about a teaspoon’s worth of black salt onto the polished wood floor. He swiped at it with his foot, focusing his attention on anything but me. “What do you know about binding spells?”
“Well, thanks to Daddy Whatnot, Chloe’s witch doctor friend, I—”
“Jack, now isn’t the best time to speak with Angus. He’s in the middle of—” Mom’s frantic voice came from the top of the stairs just before Jack bounded down the steps.
“Unless he’s in the middle of a coma, he’s going to hear what I have to say.” He came to a screeching halt directly in front of me, and the air whooshed out of his lungs. “Ivie.”
“Jack.” I tucked my arms around my middle to keep myself from wrapping them around him.
“What can I do for you, Jack?” My father stepped around me. He looked relieved to have a distraction from our conversation.
Jack’s nostrils flared as he came toe to toe with my dad. “You can remove the fucking binding spell you put on Ivie.”
The relief drained from my father’s face, along with every drop of color.
“Yeah, that’s right. I know about the binding spell. I haven’t figured out your reasons yet, but I know you want Ivie with Liam. And I’m here to tell you, that’ll only happen over my dead body.”
“I’m fine with that.” Liam danced down the steps with my mother close on his heels.
“I’m sorry, dear. He just popped in.” She snapped her fingers, and I knew she meant he’d apparated into the house—a trick I still hadn’t figured out.
“It’s okay, Mom. Liam isn’t planning on staying.”
“I’m staying as long as he’s here.” He nodded toward Jack.
“I’ll give the three of you some privacy.” Dad hurried past Jack and Liam. “Rose, I need to have a word.”
My parents disappeared up the stairs, leaving me alone with Jack and Liam. Their mutual rage vibrated like a living being.
“Did you know?” Jack ground out the words directed at Liam.
Liam crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “I know a lot of things. You’ll have to be more specific.”
Jack let out a growl. “Did you know about the binding spell?”
Liam grinned, and I took that as confirmation.
“You knew?” Betrayal burned my throat.
The grin slid off his face, and he turned to me. “You don’t understand what’s at stake here, Ivie.” He threw a heated glance toward Jack. “And you don’t know what the magician is capable of.”
“What I’m capable of?”
“Liam, I think you’re confused.” I laid my hand on his arm and tilted my head to gaze into his eyes. “Jack’s a veterinarian.”
“Jack’s a lying son of a goat.”
“Who’s calling who a liar? You’ve done nothing but lie to her since you got here.” Jack shoved Liam toward the steps. “Taking advantage of her weakness after doing magic… Pushing your way into her dreams…”
“Ah, and what wonderful dreams she has,” Liam purred as his eyes practically licked my body from top to bottom.
The muscle in Jack’s jaw ticked right before he reached out, taking me by surprise and wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me against him. He spoke to Liam, but his eyes never left mine. “I hate to tell you, buddy, but even the best dreams come a sad second to reality.” He had me caught in his net as he bent down and pressed his lips to mine.
“You. Know. Nothing!” Liam bellowed so loud the jars along the wall trembled, clanking into each other. “I reside within her. With every breath she takes, I’m there, under her skin. No matter where she is, or what she’s doing, I feel her. You may have had her body—though I shared every touch, every glance while you did—but her soul is mine.”
Chapter 15
“You sonofabitch.” Jack stalked toward Liam, hands balled into tight fists at his sides.
Before my brain even registered what was happening, he’d shifted his weight from one foot to the other and thrown a fist toward Liam’s face—or rather where he’d last seen Liam’s face. Liam disapparated before Jack’s arm completed the full motion, making Jack stumble over his own feet.
“What the hell?” Somehow, he managed to catch himself before falling, but Liam reappeared in front of him, taking advantage of Jack’s disorientation by sucker-punching him in the gut. Jack doubled over, going down like a ton of bricks.
“Jack!” I rushed to his side, but he waved me off, coughing and sputtering for me to get out of his way.
Jack staggered toward Liam again. “Stand still, you fucking wizard.”
“Sorcerer,” Liam taunted.
“Liam, don’t.” I shoved Liam from behind, but he ignored me and went after Jack. “Leave him alone!”
Jack brought his fist up again, throwing all his weight into an uppercut that never connected. Liam disappeared then reappeared an instant later, punching Jack square in the face.
I screamed, and my hands flew up to cover my mouth. Even the ringing in my ears couldn’t block out the sickening sound of bones cracking as Liam’s fist connected with Jack’s cheek.
I tried to reach Jack before he hit the floor, but without Liam’s vanishing trick, it was hopeless. Jack slumped to the ground in a heap, barely conscious with blood oozing from a cut below his eye.
“Look what you’ve done!” I yelled at Liam, and a loud pop sounded from inside me as fury bubbled over, and the magic blew out like a backdraft, shattering glass all around us.
My parents came flying down the stairs as if the house were on fire. And maybe it was. I didn’t notice anything outside my little field of view.
“Ivie!” My mother grabbed a damp rag from the sink before dropping to her knees beside me. “What’s going on? What happened? Why is Jack bleeding?”
“They fought… and Liam. Too fast.” Sobs choked me as I cleaned Jack’s cut. I stared up at my father through the blur of tears. “Will he be okay?”
“I’ll take care of it.” Liam bent down toward Jack.
I flinched away from him, covering Jack’s body with mine. “Haven’t you done enough?”
“Please let me help, Ivie.” Liam held out his hand again, and I didn’t know why, but I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. He took my place beside Jack, laying his hands along Jack’s face as he spoke words I couldn’t comprehend. Less than a minute later, Jack pulled away from Liam and hauled himself to his feet.
We all stood frozen in place as my mother crossed the room with a purpose and shoved a finger into my father’s chest. “Angus Donald McKie, I’m only going to say this once. It’s time for the secrets and lies to end. This has gone on long enough. You need to tell her the truth.” Mom gave him one last jab then planted her hands on her hips. She glowered at Dad for a long moment before shifting her focus to me and flashing a sad smile. “For my part in this, I’m sorry.”
“Mom?”
“Come on, boys. We need to leave them alone to talk.” She didn’t leave a whisper of room for argument in her tone, and both Jack an
d Liam nodded, following her up the stairs.
Liam was gone before I’d reached the top. And when I reached for Jack, he shook me off.
“Jack… I’m so sorry.”
“Talk to your dad, sweetheart.” He flashed a sad smile. “I’ll call you later.”
Mom pulled me in for a quick hug then patted my cheek but didn’t say another word before turning and walking out the front door behind Jack.
As soon as they were gone, I wheeled on Dad. “What did she mean by, ‘it’s time for the secrets and lies to end’? Aside from the binding spell, what other secrets have you been keeping from me?”
My father pulled out a dining room chair and waved me over, his face a mask of grim determination. “Sit down, Ivie.”
I crossed my arms and turned my back on him. “I think I’d rather stand.”
“I said…” My father’s tone went from pleading to exasperated in a flash. “Sit. Down!” He scraped a dining chair across the floor with a loud screech.
Like a mindless robot, I followed his instruction, closing the distance between us and sitting in the chair he held out for me. Dad waited for me to get situated before taking his seat and folding his hands in front of him. The fourth finger on his left hand bulged around his plain gold wedding band, and I wanted to reposition it for him. It looked uncomfortable.
He caught me staring and shifted his hands. He studied me across the table for a long moment before speaking. “I know you’re angry with me, and I don’t blame you. I haven’t exactly been forthcoming with information as of late.”
I opened my mouth to wholeheartedly agree, but he held up a hand to stop me.
“Believe me, I’ve had my reasons, flawed as they may be.” He pressed out a remorseful smile, and I noticed a new crop of wrinkles forming around the edges of his mouth. “But your mother’s right. You’re a grown woman, and you deserve the truth.”
My fingers tingled, and my leg bounced under the table as pent-up energy fought to break free. Wanting to know the truth and actually listening to his confession were two different things. I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear what he had to say.
“Where shall I begin?” Dad tapped a finger against his lips in a nervous habit I recognized all too well.
I cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting my bare forearms against the cool table as I stared into his seaweed-green eyes as if I could pull the information out of their murky depths. “Why don’t you start with the spell?”
“Ah, yes. The spell.” He chuckled. “I should have known you would figure that out. You were always an incredibly bright girl. But I admit, I never expected you to seek out a shaman. Our kinds don’t normally run in the same circles.”
“Come on, Dad. Can we try to stay on task here?”
“Of course. Sorry.” He didn’t look a bit sorry. His eyes danced with amusement, as if he took some sick pleasure in dragging this out. And if I wasn’t mistaken, a little spark of pride glowed in there as well.
“Why would you put a love spell on me, binding me to someone else, when you knew how I felt about Jack?” Even thinking about Jack made my heart break all over again. What if it was too late to remove the spell? What if I was doomed to spend the rest of my life in love with two different men but unable to commit to either? My insides twisted into painful knots.
“Why? Well, that’s the most difficult question to answer sometimes, isn’t it? Why do any of us do the things we do? Why does your mother put up with me after all these years and all the trouble I’ve brought her? Why do you continue to dabble in magic when you’re unwilling to take the time to truly learn your craft?” He held my attention for a moment longer than was comfortable.
“Daddy, please.” My voice came out in a whine, making me feel like a small child again.
“Yes, yes. Of course.” He reached out to give my hand a squeeze then pulled it back just as quickly. “In order to explain the various whys, I have to go back to the time before you were born.”
I waited while he collected his thoughts then sat back as he launched into what was bound to be a protracted history lesson.
“The sorcery clans in Scotland have a long-standing tradition of arranged marriages. For centuries, the clans have engaged in careful planning to determine the best matches to strengthen the bloodlines, oftentimes reaching out to distant clans as the best way to ensure the continuation of our kind. Where one clan has a weakness, another may show strength, and by combining the gene pools, the clans basically create the perfect sorcerers. ”
The back of my neck prickled. “You talk as if this practice is still going on.”
“Aye. ’Tis, especially in the more powerful clans. It is rare indeed to find a pairing not preordained by the—”
“Like you and Mom?” I interrupted his story. “Your marriage wasn’t arranged. I mean, Mom isn’t even a sorceress.”
Dad sputtered for a moment, reaching for a glass of water I hadn’t even noticed. He took a sip then cleared his throat. “Yes, your mother and I went against the norm. But for most, it starts from the moment a babe is born. An immediate plan is set in motion to find their perfect match—sometimes, even further back than that. Some marriages were arranged when their parents were still children.
“But once the matched couple reaches maturity—traditionally this occurs around age twelve or thirteen years—”
“You mean puberty?” My mouth hung open as what he’d said sank in. In what world would a twelve-year-old ever be considered mature?
“Yes, I suppose that’s correct. Once they reach puberty, they’re brought together to begin bonding. Then upon reaching adulthood, they’re joined in the traditional binding ceremony—much like a wedding. This is where the couple is bound together for eternity. Even death cannot separate them.”
“Arranged marriages? Binding ceremonies? I’m not sure what any of this has to do with me, Dad. I’m an American. We don’t do that here. As far as I know, we don’t even have sorcery clans or covens in this country.” And I’d never been happier to be a US citizen.
“You are correct. There are no clans in America. But just because this is your home, that doesn’t change your heritage. As early as conception, you became one of us. You are part of the Scottish clans. And from the moment you were born, you were betrothed to Liam.”
Betrothed to Liam?
My mouth opened, and my lips moved, but the words wouldn’t come.
My dad continued as if he were reciting a grocery list. “Of course, he was just a baby himself back then. But a promise is a promise.”
A promise is a promise? Was he kidding? My heart clawed its way into my throat, making my head spin. If I hadn’t been sitting, I would have dropped to the floor in a heap. “I don’t understand. How could I be promised to someone an ocean away? Why would you and Mom allow something like that? And why wasn’t I told that I’d been betrothed to someone before I was even born?”
“Believe me, I never thought I’d have to have this conversation with you.”
“What, you were just going to spring it on me on my wedding day?”
“No, of course not.” He jumped up from his chair to pace. “That’s not at all what I meant.”
I would have followed him to my feet, but my legs had turned to rubber. “Then please, enlighten me. What did you mean? When were you planning on telling me about this ‘forced marriage’ scenario?”
Dad’s upper lip curled as if he smelled something foul. “Forced is such a strong word. We prefer ‘arranged.’”
“Well, just so you know, I’m not okay with an arranged marriage either. But that doesn’t exactly explain why you put a spell on me.”
“Ah…” His face became more animated. “I had no choice in that matter.”
I leveled a bitter scowl at him. “There’s always a choice. You
could have chosen to let things be—let me have my happily ever after with Jack.” If the whole binding spell had never come up, I would have never known my entire relationship with Jack was based on nothing but magic. I could have lived a long and happy life, blissfully unaware.
“I tried that. Believe me, I did. You have no idea what I’ve sacrificed for your happiness!”
“What you’ve…” Red-hot anger spiked through me, and I quickly tamped it down before I did something I’d regret. “Are you kidding?”
“Why do you think your mother and I fled Scotland?” Dad couldn’t even look me in the eyes. He focused on an arbitrary spot on the wall behind me as he continued with his explanation. “We’d chosen to live outside of the clans, but the minute you were conceived—the moment I discovered your mother was carrying you—I packed up everything we could carry, and we hopped the next plane to America. Your mother’s family—God bless them—took us in until I could find work. I had absolutely no intention of letting my baby girl get wrapped up in any of that old-world nonsense.”
I finally found my sea legs and dragged myself out of my chair. “So if you and Mom left Scotland and the clans behind, why are we even having this conversation?”
My father slammed his fist against the table so hard the windows rattled. “Because no matter how hard I tried to protect you, the clans are part of your heritage. I knew it would only be a matter of time before they came for you.”
His sinister tone sent a ripple of fear down my spine. “Came for me?”
“It didn’t take long for me to know you’d inherited the sorceress gene. Your poor mother was clueless, of course, but the signs were obvious to anyone who knew what to look for. Of course, I’d always known there was a better than fifty-fifty chance of our child inheriting my magical powers, but I’d still held out hope that it would skip a generation. But we weren’t that lucky. When your powers began to emerge, I had no choice but to block your magic at every turn. And the closer you got to your twelfth birthday, the more frightened I became. I knew the clans would be keeping track of you through me. And unfortunately, my fear spilled over onto your mother. She begged me to do something. So I did the only thing I could do. I attempted something that would prevent them from using a locator spell on me.” He let out a breath in a loud whoosh.
Suddenly Spellbound Page 14