by Eva Chase
Frankford looked uncertain. I didn’t want to give him too much time to think.
“I’m being generous,” I said. “I could have the files sent right now, if you’re unwilling to negotiate.”
I moved my hand toward Gabriel, and Helen Frankford raised hers to stop me. “We’ll discuss it,” she said. “We can’t swear to a binding we don’t all agree on.”
“Be quick,” I said. “Five minutes. Then the files go out.”
“I’m ready,” Gabriel said quietly.
The Frankfords gathered with the other families to consult. I waited, my body still braced to call forth more magic if I needed it, my heart thumping behind my ribs. My mind raced through the possibilities, trying to figure out if I’d left open any loopholes. Even one word out of place in the final oath, and they could still find a way to hurt us.
Of course, the same was true for us hurting them.
I caught Gabriel’s eye and glanced from the laptop to the tablet he’d left propped between the seats. “We want to be ready for any possibility,” I said.
A glint that looked like understanding lit in his eyes. He shifted his hand just slightly, opening up a new window on the computer.
The families had finished their discussion. Charles Frankford motioned to the minivan. “You will guarantee that neither you nor anyone else who’s aware of those files will make any mention of them or pass even a piece of them on to anyone else?” he said.
I nodded. “I’ll swear to that.”
“I take it the files were transferred onto that computer you have there. We also want them wiped from its hard drive.”
Exactly as I’d suspected they’d ask. “All right,” I said.
“And you’ll make no accusations against our families, including your father. You won’t speak of what you’ve learned here at all.”
I hesitated.
“Rose,” Damon protested. “You can’t let them get away with all this shit.”
My stomach twisted. I glanced at Gabriel, and he gave me a slight tip of his head. Not that the measure I hoped he’d taken would make a lot of difference once we’d sworn the oath. But it was something.
If I agreed to the Frankfords’ terms, all those other witches who’d been trapped in the portal families’ schemes, or who might be trapped later—I was abandoning them. But I couldn’t protect them and my consorts at the same time. My first loyalty had to be to the five men I loved and had sworn not to harm.
“I’ll accept those terms,” I said. “As long as you also swear that you’ll do everything in your power to ensure no further criminal charges are brought against us.”
The Frankfords exchanged a glance with the other families. Helen pursed her lips.
“All right,” she said. “There’s also the matter of your unusual consorting. You’ll make no mention of that to anyone in witching society. And your consorts must make no mention of magic to any unsparked party.”
“We wouldn’t anyway,” Gabriel said.
I’d bristled. “I won’t go shouting about my consorting,” I said. The Spark only knew what most of the more liberal witches would think of it, even. “But if I’m asked, I’ve got to be able to say something. People will be even more suspicious if I can’t say anything, and I’m not going to agree to telling a total falsehood.”
She studied Gabriel and the laptop he was holding for a moment.
“Time’s almost up,” I said, hoping I sounded less terrified than I felt. “I can give him the word right now.”
Charles Frankford grimaced at his wife. “Fine,” he said to me. “Then you won’t volunteer the information. Do we have a deal?”
I exhaled some of the tension I’d been holding in. “We do. Shall we construct the binding oath together, then?” My gaze slid back to Helen Frankford.
“Let’s get this over with,” she said briskly. At a flick of her fingers, the enforcers holding Ky and Damon dragged the guys over. I waved the other three out of the minivan. Gabriel, Seth, and Jin stood around me as the portal families clustered together across from us. Gabriel still clutched the laptop.
I weaved my hands through the air as Helen Frankford did, summoning all the power of my spark into the spell. It had to be solid and unwavering to bind them securely. Since we were creating it together, we’d both be building it strong, to prevent the other side from slipping loose.
The strands of magic hummed through the air, around me and my consorts, around the Frankfords and their associates. I spoke up first.
“If Charles and Helen Frankford and the families that stand with them swear that they will do and order no harm—to our lives, our freedom, or our happiness—to me, Rose Hallowell, any man bound to me as consort, and any member of my family, Hallowell or Levesque; that all criminal charges against us will be dropped and they will do everything in their power to prevent further ones being made; and that the inheritance of the Hallowell estate will now pass to me, then I too swear that my consorts, my family, and I will not spread the files we discovered or word of them, and will remove them from this computer; we will not speak of the criminal activities of the Frankfords, Maxim Hallowell, or their associates that we have learned about in the past month; and I will not volunteer information about my consorting, nor will my consorts speak to other unsparked parties about magic.”
Helen Rockford raised her voice in return. “As Rose Hallowell swears that she, her consorts, and her family will wipe the files they stole from the computer they loaded them onto and make no mention or transfer of them to any other party; that they will not speak of the crimes they’ve learned in relation to my family and my associates; and that she and her consorts will be circumspect about the nature of their consorting, so I, Helen Rockford, and the families that stand with me swear that we will do and order no harm to the lives, freedom or happiness of Rose Hallowell, any man bound to her as consort, or her family; that we will see them absolved of any current criminal charges and do our best to prevent any future ones; and that the Hallowell estate will now pass to her.”
“So we swear,” we said together, and our voices crackled with the charged words. The spell whirled around us and tingled into my skin. I felt the hold of it clamp around my mind for a fleeting second before the sensation faded away.
Gabriel shuddered beside me. Then his fingers moved as if on autopilot to cancel the email he’d been poised to send and then to trash the files.
Frankford held out his hands. “I think we’ll just take that.”
“And release her consorts,” Helen Frankford said to the enforcers.
The ones who’d been restraining Ky and Damon stepped back. Damon glowered at them and rubbed his arms. Ky made a strained noise as Gabriel handed over his computer.
“Well, I hadn’t gotten it that customized yet,” he said as if consoling himself.
“Back in the car,” I said to the guys, and motioned to the figures gathered around the gate. “Why don’t you clear the way?”
Frankford looked up from the computer and smiled thinly. At a gesture from his wife, the group of enforcers parted.
“There,” he said, in a tone that didn’t sound victorious or defeated. “Go on home, Rose Hallowell. And the Spark willing, our paths will never cross again.”
I returned his smile as I opened the front passenger door. “Nothing would make me happier.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rose
It’d been less than two weeks since I’d last set foot inside the manor, but somehow stepping into the wide foyer of my family home with the crystal chandeliers overhead and the curving wooden staircase ahead of me, breathing in the smells of old wood and recent polish, I felt as if I’d arrived somewhere unfamiliar. Maybe because this was the first time I’d been able to walk through those doors with my consorts at my side.
“It’s probably not a good idea for us to stay here, right?” Kyler said, looking around. “All the time, I mean.”
“If we want to avoid a whole lot of talk from p
eople in town, it’s probably better if we mostly use Seth’s house,” I said. “But I want you to feel like this is your home too. It’s the weekend. Hardly any staff are around. After everything we’ve been through, I think I deserve one night with you here.”
Jin took in the place with a grin. “I can agree to that.”
I made a shooing gesture. “For now, poke around. Get comfortable. There are half a dozen guest rooms if you want to pick one we can make yours. Nothing’s off limits. Before anything else, I am going to take a shower.” It’d been too long since my last one, and my skin still felt gritty from that scramble down the cliff face.
Upstairs, I hesitated in the hall. Technically the master bedroom that had once been my dad’s and Celestine’s was now my domain. The thought of stepping in there to the ghosts of their presences made me shiver.
I eased open the door and peeked inside. My stance relaxed. Before we’d left, I’d asked one of the cleaning staff to change the bedding. The sheets and duvet were crisply laid out, nothing about them suggesting anyone else had ever slept here. Celestine had swept her belongings off the dresser before she’d left under my compulsion. The bedroom window had been left open, a light breeze stirring the gauzy curtains. The room smelled like the summer flowers blooming outside, fresh and sweet.
If I was going to take over as lady of the house, I had to start somewhere.
I grabbed my bath supplies from the common bathroom and carried them to the master bedroom’s en-suite. I was just checking that the towels were fresh too when the floor creaked by the doorway.
“Hey,” Damon said, poking his head in. “How’d you like some company?”
I raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned in response.
“I could use a shower too, you know,” he added.
“Oh, and I’m sure that’s the only reason you’re looking for an invitation.”
“Well, no.” He sauntered over to me and looped his arms around my waist. His breath tickled my ear as he spoke. “I believe we started something in the bus a couple nights ago that we still haven’t finished.”
His touch was enough to send desire spiking up from my belly. “You make a good point. But I do still want to shower.”
“Oh, I was counting on that.”
He slid his hands to the hem of my shirt and tugged it over my head. His gaze darkened with hunger as he took in the swell of my breasts within my bra. Reaching to unclasp it, he leaned in for a kiss at the same time. I soaked in the heat of his mouth, need tingling through me, and ran my hands down his chest. With a yank, I removed his shirt in turn.
My fingers settled on the bulge beneath the fly of his jeans. I pressed against it teasingly, and Damon growled. He stripped my jeans and panties off me and nudged me up against the glass wall of the shower stall.
“Shower first,” I reminded him, breathless.
“You’d better hurry up and get me undressed then, huh?”
I wasn’t going to wait for an even more explicit invitation. I unzipped his fly, and he stepped out of his jeans, kicking his boxers after them. My rebel had an impressive body I hadn’t gotten the chance to admire in a while. I traced my fingers over the taut muscles from shoulders to abdomen, noting the little scars here and there. His cock stood at attention between us, thick and hard. Heat pooled between my legs at the thought of taking him into me.
Soon, but not yet. I turned on the water and pulled him with me into the warm spray.
Damon kissed me again as the water cascaded over us, his hands slicking up and down my arms and then cupping my breasts.
“Let’s get you clean,” he said in a meltingly low voice.
As I shampooed my hair, he soaped up his hands and ran them over my body again, gliding with that slippery sheen. Everywhere he touched, desire flared beneath my skin. He swivelled his palms against my nipples and then dipped his fingers over my clit down to my opening. A moan tumbled out of me.
But I could pay back that torture. I grabbed the soap and spread suds across that well-muscled body, all the way down to his erection. Gripping it tightly, I stroked him up and down until he pressed me up against the shower wall again.
“I’m fucking sparkling now, and so are you, angel. Time to get to the good stuff.”
No argument here. I smacked the lever down to shut off the water.
Damon scooped me off my feet, bracing me against him with my core flush against his cock, as he shoved the glass door open. He carried me across the room, and we toppled together onto the bed side by side. Our skin was still damp, but I didn’t want to wait any more than he did. He hooked one of my legs over his hip and drove into me. His cock stretched me with a burn so sweet I couldn’t hold back another moan.
I didn’t have to. There was no one in the house right now I had to hide my joy from.
We rocked together like that, facing each other on our sides. Damon brushed the damp strands of my hair away from my eyes and kissed me hard. Then he just stared into my eyes as his thrusts sped up, taking me deeper and deeper with every one. But the look in his eyes was so tender it made my heart ache. Pleasure rippled through me, filling me, lifting me.
I grasped his shoulders, trying to hold on, to keep that connection, but he plunged against the sweet spot inside me and my eyes rolled back of their own accord. My orgasm rushed through me with a bliss both demanding and loving. I cried out, arching toward him, and he groaned as he spilled himself inside me.
He stayed there as his cock softened, gathering me even more tightly against him. I tipped my head against his chest. His fingers grazed over my hair in a gentle caress.
“I meant it, you know,” he said.
“What?” I said, my lips brushing his naked skin, his bittersweet scent filling my lungs.
“When they had me, out at that guy Frankford’s house. When I told you to do what you had to do. I’d never want you to give up what matters to you for me. If I ever go down, it’ll be my own fault. Don’t you hold yourself back for me. All right?”
“Damon.”
He pulled back to look me in the eyes again. “All right?”
I grimaced at him. “You matter to me. I’m not going to give this up.”
He didn’t look completely satisfied, but he tucked his head over mine again.
The door whispered open. “Ah,” Jin’s voice said, teasing. “Getting started without the rest of us, are you?”
Damon huffed. “Not my fault if the rest of you didn’t take the same initiative. Plenty of room here. What are you waiting for?”
I laughed as not just Jin but all four of my other consorts hopped onto the bed around us.
“Group hug?” Kyler said, and Gabriel chuckled. I just sighed and nestled happily among the men I loved.
Sometime in the middle of the next morning, I wandered into the front yard where I’d spotted Gabriel from the window. He was standing by the garage, eyeing the row of parking spots, most of them now empty. I wondered if Dad would be by to pick up his other cars or if he was going to abandon them to my use. At some point I’d have to pick out one of my own, I supposed.
“You know, I don’t think it makes any sense for you to stay a Hallowell employee,” I told Gabriel, coming up beside him. “Paying you to work for me would feel really weird at this point.”
He slung his arm around me. “I can see that. Just as long as you’ll let me freeload in the garage apartment. And I should probably keep tinkering with the cars, for appearances and so I don’t die of boredom.”
I rolled my eyes. “So, you’re going to be working for me without me paying you? I’m not sure that’s better.”
He grinned and leaned in to give me a quick kiss. “I like the tinkering. I like the apartment. It’ll keep the rumors in check, right? I promise I won’t do any oil changes or engine maintenance I don’t want to.”
“I guess that’s all right then,” I grumbled.
He laughed and nuzzled my cheek. Then a shadow passed through his bright blue eyes.
&nbs
p; “We’re not leaving things here, are we? Just spending the rest of our days relaxing around the estate and pretending we’re not in one epically big relationship? Those… demons, and all the other witches Frankford and your father and the others might be hurting because of them…”
My chest tightened. “I know,” I said. “Believe me, I haven’t really stopped thinking about that. I promised not to share the files or talk about what we learned, but there have to be other ways I can take down the families involved with the portal without breaking the contract we agreed to. I should probably start by reading through those files so I know exactly what we’re up against. You’ve still got them on your tablet.”
Gabriel nodded. “I can shoot them over to your computer whenever you need them. Probably better if we have multiple copies, just in case.”
“And we have the video you took, which they didn’t even know about to include it in the binding.” I nibbled at my lower lip. “It’ll take some maneuvering, but we’re going to keep fighting. You can count on that. I just want to take the time to do it smart, now that I have a little breathing room. We were on the run too long.”
The rumble of an engine made my shoulders tense. I peered through the gate as a small dented Ford eased up outside. It wasn’t the kind of posh vehicle I’d have expected an Assembly member to be driving, but I couldn’t take that as a guarantee.
A woman who didn’t look much older than me stepped out on the driver’s side. Her fawn-brown hair was scattered around her face, her rectangular glasses askew. She pushed them farther up her nose and caught sight of us through the bars. Her body went rigid and then relaxed, just slightly.
“Is this the Hallowell estate?” she said in a soft raspy voice.
I stepped forward, Gabriel following behind me. “It is,” I said. “I’m Ro—I mean, Lady Hallowell. Can I help you?”