As if he could read her mind, he said, “I love watching your face while we make love, Dallas. It tells me all I need to know on whether or not you like what I’m doing.”
She gave him a soft smile as he sped up the pace. His control was waning. She could see that by the tightly controlled expression on his face. He was about to reach his climax and so was she. Their love for each other enveloped the room and as her world shattered into a blissful orgasm she heard him call out her name in ecstasy. She knew that no matter where she was, as long as she and Oliver were together, they’d always be home.
* * * * *
They’d spent the rest of the day in bed, neither one willing to leave it for long. They’d even eaten in bed. She watched as Oliver slept. She should be more tired than what she was and yet she felt as if she were going to bounce off the walls. She couldn’t stop worrying about what her father might try to do to Oliver. She knew he wouldn’t get far if he tried something but she really didn’t want Oliver transforming her father into a rat no matter how tempting the idea might be at the moment. She pulled on her jeans, T-shirt and leather jacket and quietly left the room. Finding her boots, she slipped those on as well, and not hearing him stir, she left the cottage.
She’d found Oliver’s keys and would drive his car back to Redgrave House where she’d finally make her peace with her father. Hopefully that would get him out of her hair and out of Oliver’s way.
Dallas spent the short ride with only her thoughts to keep her company. Oliver would have had music blaring through the car but tonight she wasn’t in the mood. As she pulled up to Redgrave House, she was amazed at the lively look it had to it. Her father had it lit up like a Christmas tree and white lights hung from the hawthorn and oak trees that surrounded the house. She slammed the car door shut and walked briskly up the lane. The cold edge in the air told her that it wouldn’t be long before the festive season was upon them all. Her mother had always decorated the house for Christmas right after Halloween, and for Halloween she’d decked the house in shades of autumn along with pumpkins and other magical decorations. Adding to the air of mystery, she’d lit the house with white lights. As Dallas climbed up the steps to the wraparound porch, she looked at her mother’s decorative broom that she always had sitting by the front door during the Halloween season.
Her heart thrilled as childhood memories flooded back to her. She used her key to open the front door and stepped inside. Sure enough, the house was bedecked with Halloween decorations. Candles and figurines of elves, witches and fairies adorned the front entryway. She could only imagine what the rest of the house sported. Her father had been a very busy bee, or more likely, he’d asked her brother to speed up things by using a bit of good old-fashioned magic. If he thought he was going to soften her heart toward him, he was mistaken. If he couldn’t accept Oliver, she had absolutely no words to say to him.
“Anya, is that you?” Her father’s voice carried to her from afar. By the sounds of it, he was in the kitchen.
“No,” she replied. “It’s just little old me.”
Dishes clattering filled the air and she heard him swear a blue streak. She stood in the kitchen doorway and watched with a bit of amusement as her father attempted to hide a rather lopsided double-layered cake he’d been icing. Her father was many things, but a proficient baker was not one of them, though he fancied he had a talent as his mother had been widely revered for her culinary prowess.
“I take it you’ve heard from Anya and she’s arriving shortly?” she asked, trying to keep all trace of emotion out of her voice.
“Aye,” he answered, wiping his hands on the frilly apron he wore.
She couldn’t smile. She couldn’t laugh. Her burly father was built like a tank and looked like a weathered football player. Seeing him dressed in a flowery, frilly apron was quite the sight, and yet he still looked manly.
“And Adrian?” she demanded.
“He’s out at the pub, playing pool and flirting with the local girls most likely.”
“Good luck with that. There aren’t too many local girls in his age range who aren’t already taken.”
“Well, he’s not gun-shy when it comes to flirting, no matter their relationship status.”
She groaned. She figured that. Adrian used to get in many scrapes by not following those simple rules. He’d be fine as long as he didn’t hit on another warlock’s girl, but if that happened, he might come back with a few bruises to show for his weakness for the women.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence. She wanted to sit down but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her father’s presence made her acutely aware that this had been his house first and now she felt like a stranger inside it.
“Is what Marion told me true?” he asked, finally breaking the silence.
“That depends on what Marion told you. I take it when she contacted you that you were close to Earth.”
“We were on Jupiter,” he answered. “But you’re trying to avoid answering my question, Dallas. I want to know if you can open a window in time and travel back to the day that your mother died.”
She sucked in a lungful of air and felt her heart clench with apprehension. So that’s why he’d returned. Not because he was concerned about her, not because he feared she was going to be taken by a witch hunter, and most of all, not because she was dating Oliver White. It was all about him. That was why he had the house decorated. He’d done it for her mother—he had some foolish notion in his head that Dallas was going to put everything back on track, that she was going to save her mother and he’d have the love of his life back.
“I was considering it, but even if I did go back to that moment in time and save mother, there is no telling how it would impact our timeline. I might create a totally separate timeline that would fracture into another reality—a reality that is not our own.”
“Is there a way for you to take me to that reality?” he asked, hope glimmering in his eyes.
She shook her head, amazed at what she was hearing. “You never really cared about Adrian or me, did you, Father? All you’ve ever wanted was Mother. You only had enough room in your heart for her.” Her heart broke as she finally came to terms with something she’d long suspected. Her father didn’t have the ability to love anyone else. His love for her mother was all-encompassing and that wasn’t a bad thing, but the fact that he couldn’t love the children they’d created together was truly deplorable.
“If you love Oliver the way I love your mother you would understand.”
“No, I don’t think I do. I would never forsake my children for the love of my life, no matter what happened. You are pathetic,” she spat out. “I was going to ask you to leave Gerrans as soon as possible but now I don’t care if you stay in this house and rot. I’m going to have Oliver take me as far away from Earth as he can. Maybe we can go back to Vanguard and make our life there.”
“You will go to that demonic planet over my dead body,” he bellowed, rushing to intercept her as she went to leave the kitchen.
“Get out of my way, Ashley,” she said, steel in her voice.
“You will show me respect. You will call me Father or Dad, but never, ever call me Ashley again. Do you understand, Dallas?”
“I don’t think you understand. You are talking to a grown woman and a witch at that. If I wanted to, I could turn you into a toad.”
At this statement, he started laughing uproariously. “My darling daughter, you couldn’t turn me into a toad if your life depended on it.”
At that exact moment they were both thrown off their feet as the front door was blown apart by dark magic. She landed hard on her back, and as her head slammed against the hardwood floor, she barely heard a woman speaking in a thickly accented voice before she lost consciousness.
“We have her, my mistress. Now you can get everything you deserve.”
“Yes, my darling girl, I can.” This voice set her skin to pricking with goose bumps. She had to fight the encroaching darkness. She h
ad to stay awake. But she was fighting a losing battle and her entire body shuddered as it was engulfed by blackness.
Chapter Ten
Cold dread enveloped her as she awoke and stared straight into the green eyes of a large cat. She swallowed nervously. She’d never really been a cat person, but cats always loved her so maybe this one would as well?
She felt so drowsy. It would be easy to drift back into that cold darkness from which she’d emerged.
“You must wake up. My mistress needs your gift.”
At those bloodcurdling words, her body stiffened. “Your mistress can’t have my gift.”
“Oh, she doesn’t want your gift, child. She wants you to use your gift to rid her of a terrible burden.”
“I won’t do it. She can torture me all she likes and I won’t do it.”
“Oh, dear one, I think you are out of your league. My mistress won’t torture you. She prefers to torture those you love instead.”
She swallowed. Her eyes cleared and she finally realized she was in the library. Her father was nowhere to be found.
Sourness filled her mouth. She disliked her father intensely but could she actually watch him being tortured? Did his negligence when it came to his family deserve that punishment?
“What does your mistress want?” she asked.
The cat shifted into a beautiful female humanoid. She still had a tail and her skin was the most gorgeous shade of amethyst. “I thought you would come to your senses. Save yourself the grief and do what she wants before she begins to terrorize him… Her bloodlust is insatiable. I should know.” The cat shifter’s eyes filled with deep sorrow, and though Dallas shouldn’t be feeling anything for the woman, she did pity her.
“My power is unstable. I have no way of knowing if I will do what she wants.”
“Is that the truth?” the cat asked, sniffing her. Could the cat tell if she was lying just by the way she smelled? Dallas couldn’t be sure, but she had nothing to worry about since she was telling the truth.
“Yes,” she said, her voice unwavering.
“Then you should do what you have to do and let fate carry us to our destinies.”
“What is your name?” she asked, realizing they were on borrowed time. The cat shifter’s mistress would be checking in with them shortly, as she reasoned that the woman was on a very short leash based on the captivity collar that glowed red around her neck.
“My name is Neha. My mistress has branded me with the name of Precious.”
Branded, that was the only word she needed to hear. “You are on Earth now. You realize how close you are to freedom, don’t you?”
“My life is on Vanguard Prime. Unfortunately, many of my kind still live in the darkness that your aunt lived in all those years ago.”
Hearing that she was talking to a slave and not a loyal servant made her feel even more sympathy for the woman named Neha.
“What is your mistress’s name?” Dallas asked, dread coiling in her gut.
“Precious, bring the little time-manipulating brat to me.” The woman’s cold voice traveled to them from the front entryway.
“Her name is Rebecca White.” Neha’s voice dropped to a whisper. “She is a witch, and her power far outweighs your own…”
“Not if Oliver comes in time,” Dallas’s words elicited a most unusual response from Neha.
“Master Oliver must stay away from my mistress. It is not safe for him.”
“Why?” Dallas asked.
“Because my mistress wants him erased from the sands of time.”
“Over my dead body.”
“That can be arranged, sweetie,” Rebecca murmured silkily. Slowly, Dallas met Rebecca’s gaze. The woman had lifeless eyes—the palest shade of blue, almost white.
“Go to hell,” Dallas spat.
Rebecca smiled. “I see you have spirit. I respect strong women. Weak women are so tiresome. They don’t give me any kind of entertainment. Now then, let’s get down to business. Johnny, darling, please bring in Ashley Redgrave.”
She felt the use of dark magic pulling at her magical senses. She strengthened her resolve as memories of the night she’d been tortured washed over her in tidal waves. The warlock Rebecca had called Johnny strode into the library, pulling her father along behind him, locked in an invisible magical grip. Her father didn’t look as if he was in pain, which mean Johnny was only using his magic to drag Ashley behind him. He hadn’t started to torture him—yet.
“Are you okay, Dallas?” her father asked. She nodded, still not willing to meet his gaze. How she wished Oliver were here so she would have someone on her side to fight this battle with her. Already a plan was percolating in her mind. She didn’t know if it would work but she had to try. No matter what this bitch wanted her to do, she wasn’t going to do it—she would not risk erasing Oliver from her life regardless of what they threatened.
“Dallas, snap out of it. Speak to me for the love of God,” Her father’s strained voice assailed her ears as she gradually made her way out of the terrifying vision.
“I’m okay,” she muttered. The vision made her feel as if it would happen shortly. They didn’t have much time to prepare for what was coming. “We have to get out of here, through the back door,” she said, trying to pull her father along with her to make their escape. “We have to get a message to Oliver. He is the only one who can help us now.”
“We don’t need that little witch hunter to help us. I can protect my own family,” her father declared.
“Not from this threat you can’t. Please, let’s go.” She tried dragging him along with her but he remained steadfast. “Why do you have to be so damn bullheaded?”
“It runs in the family,” he retorted hotly.
She could sense dark magic—it was too late, they were here. “They have arrived.” The horrifying reality of her nightmarish vision was about to come true.
“Who’s here?”
“The woman who wants to twist time to her own vile means. Get away from the front door.” She pulled him away and they managed to avoid most of the blowback from the explosion. At least this time she wouldn’t lose consciousness. “Oliver,” she screamed. “I need you.”
The purple-black shifter cat entered the house first. She sniffed her way over to Dallas.
“Hello, Neha,” Dallas said.
The cat held her face a hairsbreadth away from her.
“Get away from my daughter,” her father shouted as he lunged at Neha.
“Stop it, Dad. Neha won’t hurt me,” she said. “Your mistress is taking a while to catch up. I guess she’s so proud of herself that she has to revel in the moment of Oliver’s downfall.”
The cat’s emerald-green eyes gleamed with pain. “You are a seer,” Neha said, startling her father out of his wits.
“Shit, a shifter. I’ve run into these kinds of cats before. They are like witches and warlocks, except they have one hell of a bite if need be,” he muttered, backing away from Neha.
“She never told me you were a seer. Seers are sacred among my kind. I can’t let her hurt you—and I won’t let her hurt your mate.”
So, Neha knew. Dallas supposed she had Oliver’s scent on her.
“I fail to see how you can do anything to stop it,” her father said. “She’s got you enslaved.” Bitterness and anger filled his voice.
“I will die for them if I have to,” Neha proclaimed.
“You won’t have to die for us, Neha. I twisted my ankle when we fell from the explosion. At least this time I wasn’t knocked out. All you have to do is find Oliver. You will see the way when I touch you. In your cat form you can run much faster than my father or I could ever hope to. Tell him what’s going on so he’s prepared. May I touch your skin?” Dallas asked.
Neha regally dropped her head so Dallas could touch her on the star-shaped mark on her head. Her fur was soft, so very soft. She thought for a moment and gave Neha the vision she would need in order to find Oliver.
“Go, now, befor
e the bitch gets in here,” Dallas said.
Neha looked up and quickly gave her a lick across her face. “I will return,” Neha said as she darted out of the house in a shockingly fast blur.
“I forgot how fast those creatures could go,” her father muttered. “Did you actually hurt your ankle, because I didn’t see you fall?”
“No, I didn’t. I had to say that in order for Neha to leave. Oliver will know how to get that damn collar off her—or at least, I hope he does.”
“Why do you want her free?”
“Because no one deserves to be a slave, and Neha has a lust for revenge that has been building inside her for over twenty years. I think she should have that lust fulfilled tonight, don’t you?”
He solemnly nodded. “It’s going to get ugly.”
“Yeah, but this time I’m ready for the fight. I don’t know what Rebecca is doing but she’s taking her own sweet time, which buys us enough time to get to the library and find the Hyde family spell book that has the information I need right now.”
“Do you think you can cast one that will take care of Rebecca?”
“I’m not sure. If I can’t, I’ll have to move to plan B.”
“And what’s plan B?”
“It involves taking us all back in time and erasing Rebecca from existence.”
“I like the sound of that. Let’s get cooking,” he said as they made their way to the library.
Chapter Eleven
Oliver shot upright in bed as Dallas’s scream reverberated through his head. He flung off the covers and snapped his fingers so he stood ready for a fight, dressed in his black trench coat, leather pants and boots, the Ross Amulet warming his skin where it hung around his neck. If anyone thought they were taking Dallas away from him, they were gravely mistaken.
He knew she was at Redgrave House—he didn’t know how, but he did. He moved to the door, opened it and swore when he discovered that she’d taken his ride. He was about to magically pop himself over to Redgrave House when he saw a streak of amethyst bounding toward him. He wouldn’t be breaking the rules today, unfortunately. It couldn’t be, and yet, it looked remarkably like her…
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