“What?”
“Gremains.” He sighed in frustration. “Bad plumbing, bad wiring, broken generator…we probably have one hiding out in the building somewhere. It’ll keep breaking things until I catch it.”
“Is that a kind of gremlin?”
“Aye.” Niall sat up on the bed, mentally listing all the things he needed to take care of. “They’re mischievous little pains in the arse that like to disassemble anything mechanical or electrical, basically anything that can be taken apart.”
“What is it? What’s wrong? Why did your expression go all,” Charlotte gestured at his face, “dark and gloomy?”
“I shouldn’t be lying around. My ma sent Uncle Raibeart to deal with the fairies and goblins, so either he’s tied up and trapped inside a goblin’s den or engaged to a fairy. Either way, he’ll need rescuing. I’ll get the gremain out of the apartment building, but there is at least one more in the forest who will be looking for a new home to destroy. The hauntings can wait, except for that wraith. It’s going to be tricky figuring out why she’s here.”
“This is what I mean when I say you’re burdened,” Charlotte said. “Surely Raibeart can take care of himself.”
Niall wasn’t so sure. How his uncle managed to survive each year was a mystery.
“Fine, if not himself, then surely someone else in the family can look after him.”
“They could, but Malina is busy reconciling with Dar and probably trying to avoid our ma. Margareta won’t lend a hand. She and Cait hate goblins. Erik will be helping at Lydia’s. That leaves Rory and Euann, and those two would end up captured next to Raibeart because they probably couldn’t stop bickering long enough to get the job done.”
“I think maybe you’re underestimating your family,” she said.
“I didn’t say they weren’t capable, I just know from experience they’ll come to me to take care of it.” Niall made a move to sit up. He didn’t want to leave her, but he knew he should.
“Wait.” Her hand on his arm stopped him, keeping him on the bed more effectively than a petrifying spell. He felt her move on the bed behind him. Her hand moved up his arm to his face, turning his cheek to look at her.
“I don’t regret what we did. For some reason, I think you might.” Charlotte’s eyes gazed into his. Hope filled him at her words, tempting him with dreams he never allowed himself to have. “We clearly do not get along on a day-to-day basis, and I’m not saying we should go steady or anything, but you have to admit the sex was great. We’re both adults. I may be delusional about a lot of things in my life, but I know what this is. You don’t love me, and that’s okay. I don’t expect you to. I’m not asking for romantic dinners and promises, but if we enjoy—”
“Ya want us to be lovers.” He tried to condense her point to get her to stop talking about it. All the pleasure he felt faded at her notion of what he felt, and what they could be to each other.
“Why not?” She smiled. Damn, but it was a beautiful smile.
I would let ya see the truth if that meant ya would look at me once the way I see ya every day.
The words from the past whispered through his mind, but he would never say them, not when she was conscious and looking at him.
When he didn’t readily answer, she added, “Maybe the sex was so good because we’re always arguing.”
“And how would this arrangement work?” The idea of his family finding out that Charlotte wanted to use him for his body but nothing else didn’t settle well with him. His siblings would tease him relentlessly about it, and each time he’d be reminded of what he couldn’t have.
“Well, you see, when a girl likes a boy,” she moved to her knees and kissed the corner of his mouth, “and when a boy likes a girl,” she kissed him again.
“I meant other people,” he explained, resisting the temptation to throw her down on the bed and continue the game she’d started.
“Oh.” Her expression fell somewhat. “I mean, I suppose, if you wanted, you could be with other…”
The words hit him worse than the time he’d been kicked in the gut by a possessed donkey. “I meant, do we tell other people?”
She looked at him for a long moment before shaking her head. “I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business what we do.”
He desired her almost as much as he wanted to yell at her. This woman was the most frustrating, stubborn, aggravating…
Charlotte kissed him, cutting off all thoughts. He felt the warmth of her tongue poking between his lips. He was hers to command.
Niall ran his hand up her thigh, pulling her so that she fell back onto the mattress. He tugged her bra strap to free a breast. Just as his mouth was lowering, voices invaded from the outside hall. He paused, lips hovering over a tight nipple.
“Erik, no, I don’t care what you say right now,” Lydia’s said from outside his door. “She’s my best friend, and I can’t stand that she thinks I wanted to hurt her. I need to make sure she’s all right and that your family didn’t try to petrify her again or—”
Niall pulled his mouth away. Both he and Charlotte glanced toward the door.
“Lydia, wait—” Erik protested.
“She can hate me all she wants, but I’m going to check on her,” Lydia said sternly. Charlotte gasped and scrambled beneath him to get up.
Niall lifted his hand to magickally turn the latch in the door to lock Lydia out. He rolled to the side and reached for his jeans. The doorknob jiggled. He didn’t have time to dress the usual way; he waved his hand over his body, materializing the clothes to hide his nakedness.
“Help,” Charlotte whispered. She’d righted her bra and was rummaging around the bed for her sweater.
“Open it,” Lydia demanded. “Your brother better not be messing with her thoughts again. He promised me that he wouldn’t harm her.”
Niall magickally dressed Charlotte in one of his old T-shirts and sweatpants. They were too big for her, but at least they were clean. She grabbed her sweater and threw it toward the corner of the room before trying to smooth the covers.
“Open it, or so help me, Erik MacGregor, I’ll lay a hand on you and suck all your magickal power out and do it myself,” Lydia said.
The door unlocked.
“Thank you,” Lydia huffed. “Now move.”
Charlotte pushed her hair back. Niall stood beside the bed.
Lydia pushed into the room. “Charlotte, I know you’re in here. I need to talk to you.”
Charlotte pretended to yawn.
“I know you’re mad at me, but I can—” Lydia skidded to a stop as she saw Niall was also in the room. “Niall, what did you do? I told you, we can’t take anything else from her. It’s not right. I shouldn’t have let you in the first place.”
“I didn’t,” Niall protested.
“He didn’t,” Charlotte said at the same time. “In fact, he’s the only one who’s told me the truth.”
“She remembers everything,” Niall said.
“Hey, sorry about the intrusion.” Erik appeared from behind his wife. His gaze moved over Charlotte and his brother before going to the floor. He tried to pull Lydia’s arm. “Fíorghrá, we should let Charlotte rest.”
“No, not until she forgives me.” Lydia stepped deeper into the room. “Char, please, I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you everything.”
“Maybe I should go.” Niall started to leave, but Erik was staring at him strangely and he stopped.
Lydia teared up and sniffed. “I’m sorry. Please, Char, you can’t hate me. I didn’t know how to help you. When you saw Erik shift on my lawn, you were so freaked out. You started babbling about aliens and all kinds of crazy things. Then later, when Brad and Joe took us to Sheriff Johnson’s house, you nearly died by taking in Iain’s magick. I think you might have died. I would have agreed to anything to have you back. You haven’t even been able to go near Iain without the both of you feeling sick. Please, you can’t hate me! You can’t quit our friendship. You must forgive me. I lov
e you. You’re the sister I never had.”
“Of course, I forgive you.” Charlotte tossed the covers aside and slid off the bed. She caught the waistband of the sweatpants with a fist to keep them from falling.
Lydia hurried to give Charlotte a hug. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” Charlotte answered. “I was just angry earlier and needed time to try to sort things out.”
“Well, I’ll tell you everything.” Lydia smiled, even as tears wet her cheeks. “I want to tell you everything.”
Charlotte went in for another hug, but Lydia stopped and looked down.
Niall glanced around the side of the bed to find Lydia standing on Charlotte’s discarded underwear. Lydia lifted her foot and frowned. She looked first at Charlotte and then over at Niall.
“We should let Charlotte rest,” Erik said. It was then Niall realized his brother had spotted the underwear when he walked in and had instantly suspected what had happened.
“Charlotte?” Lydia asked. She looked at her friend and then Niall again. “Are you…? Did you…?”
Charlotte looked helplessly at him.
“Are you sleeping with Niall?” Lydia blurted, as if she couldn’t believe such a fantastical thing. “But, I thought you hated him?” Lydia turned to Niall. “I thought you hated her?”
“We should go.” Erik grabbed Lydia a little more forcibly and pulled her with him. “Charlotte, I’m happy to see you’re feeling better. Lydia and I would love it if ya came by the house as soon as you’re able. I’m sure there is much for ya two to talk about.”
“But…” Lydia said in shock. Erik managed to get her out of the room, pulling the door shut as they left. Through the door, he heard Lydia say, “But they don’t like each other!”
“So much for keeping it a secret.” Charlotte gave a small laugh.
“Yeah, I should go take care of those things before…” Niall’s words trailed off as he followed Lydia and Erik out of the room. He couldn’t listen to another of Charlotte’s definitions of their just-secret-lovers relationship status.
He hid around a corner until he was sure Lydia and Erik had left. He didn’t want to explain, especially when he didn’t know the answers himself.
Chapter Thirteen
“Okay, spill it.” Lydia placed a plate of spaghetti and meatballs down on the table in front of Charlotte. “How did this happen?”
“Where’s Erik?” Charlotte asked.
“I sent him away. I wanted time to talk, just us,” Lydia answered.
“Is this Gramma Annabelle’s secret spaghetti recipe?” Charlotte leaned over to look closer at the plate.
“The secret is pimiento and a pinch of nutmeg,” Lydia dismissed.
She knew Lydia wanted details about Niall, but at the same time, Charlotte didn’t know what to say about what had happened.
As Charlotte had gone on and on, trying to tell Niall what he wanted to hear, she kept hoping he’d stop her. Instead, he nodded as if her proposal to be secret lovers was a good one.
Idiot. Of course she didn’t want a relationship without feelings involved. Of course she felt more when Niall touched her than she let on. Of course she wanted romantic dinners and dates and walks in the moonlight that didn’t include goblins or wraiths. Just thinking of him made her tremble with mixed emotions.
“Now spill,” Lydia said. “How in the world did you start dating Niall MacGregor? I thought you couldn’t stand him. When did this happen?”
“Gramma is not going to be happy you told her secret family recipe.” Charlotte picked up a fork and twirled it in the pasta.
“I guess you and Niall make sense, in a way.” Lydia tried to force Charlotte to look at her. Charlotte shoved the spaghetti into her mouth to keep from having to answer.
Lydia knew her better than anyone. In many ways, they were opposites, but those differences seemed to fill a place within the other, making them best friends. Lydia had always been reserved. Charlotte had been known to speak first and think later. As girls, Lydia wouldn’t stand up for herself when being teased by the other kids about her grandmother being the “Witch on the Hill.” Charlotte had been sent to detention more than once sticking up for Lydia. But when Charlotte had a problem, Lydia had always been the first one trying to solve it.
“Niall always comes off a little gruff, but I never thought him capable of…” Lydia took a deep breath. “Char, did he hurt you? Because family or not, I promise Erik will make sure he pays.”
Charlotte twirled the fork, loading it with pasta before slowly setting it down. She placed her hands on her lap. “The MacGregors, I get. They were protecting their family and their supernatural secret. I spazzed out when I saw Erik shift, and—”
“Sweetie, it was more than spazzing out. You had a nervous breakdown.”
“Fine. I had a nervous breakdown when I saw Erik shift and throw magick balls at his sister,” she amended, “but that doesn’t explain why you never told me what was happening. I would have believed you. I might not have remembered it happening, but I would have believed you if you’d told me.”
“I wanted to tell you everything,” Lydia said. She sat down at the table and reached forward. Her arm slid the spaghetti plate aside as she offered her hands to Charlotte.
“But you didn’t.” Charlotte didn’t take Lydia’s hands. She clutched hers in her lap, weaving the fingers tightly together. “I thought I had something seriously wrong with me, Lyd. I was terrified I was clinically insane, or had some kind of brain tumor. The doctors couldn’t explain why I was losing time, having seizures, why I would have these nightmares and wake up with a knife on my nightstand. I started locking myself in my apartment with these elaborate obstacles just so I wouldn’t sleepwalk into the halls and stab a neighbor. I’d see shadow figures dancing on the walls. Ghosts started talking to me and I couldn’t tell if they were really there or if I was just hallucinating. I knew Gramma Annabelle was really here, but that didn’t mean the others were.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were worried about your health?” Lydia scolded. “Doctors? How many did you go to?”
“Five. I didn’t want you to worry.” Charlotte finally lifted her hands to take Lydia’s. “You have been so happy with Erik and starting your new life and I didn’t want to bog you down with my stuff.”
“Dammit, Charlotte.” Lydia leaned forward for a hug. “New friend rule. If you think you have a brain tumor, you tell me. Got it? I had no idea it was that bad. I thought you were just spacy from the magick.”
“Fine. But if some warlock erases part of my brain, you tell me,” Charlotte countered. She let go and Lydia sat back in the chair.
“So, Niall.” Lydia gave her a pointed look. “I mean, I do sort of get the two of you. He doesn’t seem like he scares too easily, and you can rip a guy of his masculine pride with just a sentence and a look.”
“Ha ha,” Charlotte drawled sarcastically. “Thanks a lot.”
“How many times have you sat at this very table and made me listen to your speech on how men weren’t confident anymore?” Lydia reached for Charlotte’s plate and slid it in front of her again. “How did you put it? There are no warriors left in the world who fiercely protect their women. Society has driven fear into men, and something-something base urges are no longer allowed to something.”
“If I said all that, I’m an idiot.” Charlotte vaguely recalled saying something along those lines, but what did she know? It’s not like she had any serious relationship experience. “You make it sound like I advocated wanting a caveman to hit a woman over the head and drag her away to a cave.”
“I don’t remember a caveman being part of your theory, but I will say you knew Erik and I were meant to be together before I even did.” Lydia smiled and stood to get herself a plate of food. She sat next to Charlotte at the table. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed being me,” Charlotte admitted. “Now, tell me everything that happened when I was busy being crazy. Don�
��t leave a single thing out.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Lydia sent me to find out what your intentions are with Charlotte.”
Niall frowned at Erik’s words, as he kept his eyes on the goblin’s burning den. It was his excuse for refusing to look up at his brother, who spoke to him in Gaelic, as if that would somehow force Niall to answer. He didn’t.
The orange flames turned the den to ash while killing most of the smell. As suspected, Raibeart had become distracted from his task. He’d managed to send several of the fairies through the veil, but then wandered off before the job was done.
“I’m curious myself,” Erik insisted.
Niall lifted his hands as he concentrated magick in his palms. “Help me smother this fire.”
Erik took control of the weather, forcing the air to stir toward him as he stole the oxygen from the flames. Niall pushed his power at the fire, and together they stifled it.
“Good riddance,” Erik muttered. “I’m not sure what to think about this new brother of ours. I can’t believe ya didn’t tell any of us that Malina married a guy in Vegas in the sixties. Though, I’ll give him this much, Dar entered the family with a bang.”
“I’m not sure I’d call attacking us with bad luck a bang,” Niall grumbled. Sure, it was easy for everyone else to laugh it off, but it was Niall who had to go hunt down a wraith and make sure nothing else was roaming the forest. All the others had to do was a little magickal housekeeping.
“Ya know what I mean,” Erik dismissed. “What else can I help with?”
The offer took Niall by surprise. He picked up a messenger bag from the ground and looped it over his head. “Ya can get Iain to put in the putting green.”
“I’ve been trying. I was thinking this town needs a good golf course,” Erik agreed. He kicked the remains of the goblin den, knocking down what little frame remained.
“In the coming days, we’ll have to watch for other dens, but if we keep burning them the goblin will lose interest and move deeper into the earth to hibernate.”
Spirits and Spells (Warlocks MacGregor Book 5) Page 10