by Ann Gimpel
“I’m not in favor of—” Arlen began.
Liliana kept on talking. “Lots of effective angles here. You could complain Mom and I kept you in the dark regarding your witch heritage. I don’t have all the details about her dragging you backward in time from the Cameron crypt behind Inverlochy Castle’s ruins, but you wouldn’t be lying if you said you reacted badly because you were shocked by her revelation you were a witch.”
Katerina nodded. “Yes. And now I’ve had time to think about it, to experiment with my power, I want more of it. Black magic will provide what’s missing. Hell, if I take full advantage of it, I could displace every other cultural anthropology researcher, become the preeminent academic in my field.”
“Perfect.” Liliana tilted her head to one side, regarding her daughter. “I believe you could pull it off.”
“And if she can’t?” Arlen’s tone could have etched glass.
Liliana leveled a pointed glance his way. “Well then, you and I will be engaged in a pitched battle to save her.”
“Along with me and Sean and everyone else here,” Gloria spoke up.
Sean waited. Would Arlen agree? If he didn’t, they could still proceed, but it would be awkward. He tried out—and discarded—things he might say. Arlen didn’t require prodding, though. And he was so edgy, he’d resent almost anything that emerged from Sean’s mouth.
Liliana’s head snapped up. A smile illuminated her face, and the haunted look in her eyes receded. Witch magic crackled and sparked, turning the far side of the room incandescent.
The owl shot through a cloud of glimmering mist. Liliana ran toward it, catching it in her arms and transferring it to a shoulder. Sean expected the magical cloud to dissipate, but instead it thickened. The scents of leather and candlewax filled the room.
“Katerina.” Liliana summoned her daughter.
Perhaps responding to the heady magic filling the room, Kat trotted lightly to her mother’s side without asking a single question. Gloria joined them, an expectant expression illuminating her ageless face.
“How did you—?” she began, but Liliana waved her to silence.
Sean moved closer. Something momentous was unfolding, something ethereal. He sensed it, every magical antenna quivering with anticipation.
“Katerina Roskelly, daughter of witches,” Liliana intoned in Gaelic. “Ye are but recently come into your magic, but a familiar seeks you. Do ye accept the bond with a pure heart and of your own free will? Acceptance means ye will value and nurture the familiar offering itself to you for the remainder of your life. No excuses. No regrets. ’Tis a lifetime commitment.”
“I understand.” Kat’s voice trembled, but wonder shone from her eyes. “And I accept.”
Amid a whooshing rush of air, the mist parted a second time. A mottled, dark brown eagle blasted through. Wings flapping furiously, it flew around Katerina’s head as if taking her measure.
She held out her arm, and the bird settled onto it. Woman and bird regarded one another. Magic thickened and flowed between them, forming the same streamers Sean had seen connecting the other Roskelly women with their familiars.
Emotion thickened his throat. The bird was beautiful, magnificent. He’d wondered about the ceremonial aspect, and it had just unfolded before his eyes. Had Liliana sent her owl in search of a familiar for her daughter? It seemed likely.
Arlen made his way to his wife and her eagle. He bowed before the bird, addressing it in Gaelic. “’Tis an honor ye’ve bestowed on my mate. We both thank you.”
The eagle cawed, hooted, and cawed once again.
The corners of Arlen’s mouth twitched. “So that’s how it is, eh?”
More cawing followed.
Sean smiled, wondering what the bird had said. Arlen wrapped Kat’s hand in his. “Your proposal is sound, darling. It’s the most logical path forward, and I offer my support.”
Sean blew out a tight breath. Even if it likely came at the eagle’s behest, Arlen’s acquiescence meant a lot. Their energies wouldn’t be split. Such a simple thing might make all the difference. He started to ask about timing and where Katerina would go to maximize her attempt to summon Rhea.
Arlen saved him the trouble. “Today is mostly done,” he said, addressing everyone in the room. “Eat and rest. Tomorrow near sundown, we’ll travel to Inverlochy Castle. The Cameron crypt drew Rhea before, so ’tis the likeliest spot for Katerina to split the veils of time and talk with her kinswoman.”
“I will tell her I’ve missed her,” Katerina said. “Up until she tried to force me to her will, it was true enough. I will invite her to demonstrate her goodwill toward me by meeting with me in my own time.”
“Non-negotiable,” Gloria put in. “It might work. She’ll respect you more if you come from a place of strength.”
The eagle squawked, ruffling its feathers.
“So something like saying that this is my first, last, and only offer?” Kat furled her brows.
“Aye,” Arlen replied. “Under no circumstance will ye retreat to the 1700s to parlay with her.”
“No worries on that front.” Kat thinned her mouth into a firm line. “Been there. Done that. Twice. Didn’t like it much.”
“We’re agreed.” Arm in arm with his wife, eagle still riding on her shoulder, they walked slowly from the room.
The magical nimbus the birds had emerged from was fading, leaving sparkly air and the faint scents of candle wax and oiled leather. Sean made his way to Liliana and her owl.
“I still want to know how you finessed that.” Gloria looked askance at her daughter.
The owl hooted, fluffing its feathers. “Not her. Me.” Its telepathic communication, pride laced into its words, was so clear, Sean heard it.
“You’ve done a most exceptional day’s work,” Liliana murmured and stroked the owl’s golden-hued plumage.
“It truly has,” Gloria said. “It simplified the process, and more importantly, cut the time factor.”
“How does a witch normally find her familiar?” Sean asked, curious as always about how magical things worked.
“It takes weeks.” Liliana still stroked the owl. “We fast and pray and enter trance states where we shroud ourselves in magic while remaining open to spirits flitting around us. I can’t speak to how it is for other witches, but when the owl found me, I knew it was mine.”
“I was there the entire time,” Gloria said. “I formalized their bond with the ceremonial words that just passed between Lil and Kat.”
“So it requires at least two of you?” Sean clarified.
“When there were more of us, the whole community of witches was involved,” Gloria said. “A White Witch bonding with her familiar is a rite of passage, part of her journey to fully embrace her magic.”
The owl hooted sagely, perhaps in agreement with Gloria’s description.
“I make a point not to get too far ahead of the curve,” Gloria went on, “but we’ve had a few key items go our way.” She clicked them off on her fingers. “Kat and Arlen are married. Arlen’s on board with Kat’s plan to lure Rhea. Kat has her own familiar.”
Sean nodded, hoping the items Gloria had mentioned would be sufficient. The slimy, nasty feel of Rhea’s magic lingered, and his face still burned from where she’d branded him with her broken, filthy fingernails.
Liliana tapped her mother’s shoulder. “You missed something.”
“I don’t think I did, dear.”
“I’ve finally fully accepted my power. Surely it counts for something.”
Sean looked from one Roskelly to the other, waiting. He’d done a lot of that today, but sometimes it was better than leaping forward and stuffing both feet into his mouth.
Gloria’s imposing expression softened, and she replied in Gaelic. “Aye, daughter. It counts for more than ye’ll ever know.”
Liliana clearly hadn’t expected her mother’s answer. Her eyes sheened with tears. “Thanks.”
“No need to thank me for speaking the truth.�
� Gloria’s tone was crisp. Turning, she walked briskly from the room.
Liliana turned to Sean. “Those abrasions on your cheek aren’t looking all that swift. Come with me so I can clean them up.”
He started to protest he could heal his wounds with magic, but he liked the thought of her touching him, fussing over him. Liked it enough to follow her as she hurried toward the archway at the end of the room.
The owl left her shoulder and flew in circles around them, hooting softly before it vanished. “Where does it go?” he asked.
“The familiars have their own place, not on Earth, but their own world. The owl accomplished a miracle today coming up with Kat’s eagle. My guess is it’s resting up, conserving its magic for tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry it left so soon. I was planning to offer it carte blanche in the kitchen. Anything it wanted.”
“I’m sure it’ll take a raincheck on that.” Liliana smiled and turned on the light in the first bathroom they came to. After flipping the hot water tap, she drew a washcloth from the rack and a scented soap ball from a dish on the tiled ledge.
Once she had a soapy mix in the cloth, she washed the wounded place on his face. “There,” she said. “Now bend over the sink and rinse it.”
He complied. “Why not simply use magic?” he asked.
“That comes next,” she said and laid her fingertips on the hurt place.
A jolt of power rocked him, followed by intense heat that began in his belly and radiated to every cell in his body. He opened all his senses, human and Druid, desperately aware of Liliana standing inches away from him. Her scent. Her curves. Her sheer femaleness stole his breath.
Her green eyes had darkened to a mossy shade. Her mouth curved into a soft smile. “I’d take my time, be more elegant if we weren’t heading into a full-blown confrontation with my witch ancestors tomorrow.” She ran her tongue over her full lips. “My bird approves of you. It wasn’t exactly a gamechanger for me, but it helps to have my familiar’s blessing.”
He gazed at her, drinking her in. “Tell your owl I appreciate its vote of confidence. Beyond that, what are you saying, lass?” He thought he knew, but he didn’t want to mistake her intent.
“If you’ll have me, I’d like for us to…” Color spread from her neck over her face, and she looked down for a moment, long lashes brushing her cheeks.
Sean had never felt more alive, more present. “I’m honored, and I’d like nothing better, but I have a condition.”
“Only one?” She arched a dark brow.
“Aye, only one. Will ye join your life with mine. Not just in my bed right now, but forever more?” The words hurtled from a primal part of him. They shocked him yet felt right in a way very little else had for a long time.
She favored him with a smile worthy of Aphrodite and answered in Gaelic. “If ’tis the only way I can get ye out of those clothes, of course.”
He scooped her into his arms and crushed his mouth atop hers. They had all night. This time, he wouldn’t have to pull his mouth from hers before he was ready. As she molded into his arms, all heat and curves and need, his cock rose, pressing into her belly.
He groaned, desire rising in waves. While he could still think, he swept an arm beneath her legs and carried her out of the bathroom and down the branching maze of hallways to his rooms.
Chapter 11
Liliana welcomed the press of Sean’s lips, the surge of his tongue inside her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck about the time he gathered her into his arms and carried her out of the bathroom and down the warren of halls that bisected the castle, never breaking their kiss.
The owl had been full of surprises today. First, the eagle. She had no idea what inducements the owl had offered. Or perhaps merely putting out a distress call to other potential familiars had been adequately motivating. Once the bird was done preening and prancing on her shoulder, its parting shot had been to not let Sean get away.
All her years with Warren, the owl had been vocal about its disapproval. Even though Warren couldn’t see her familiar, the bird had played tricks on him. Moving items to a different spot or brushing a wingtip across his face. If Liliana chided it, the owl told her to fess up and tell her husband what she was.
She’d tried. Sought out opportunities, but how do you tell a human magic is real? Every time she’d started to stumble through an explanation, Warren had broken in, come up with a reason for why she’d slipped into Never Never Land. She was tired, overwrought. She’d be more balanced in the morning, or after she slept or ate something.
Gazing at the love and trust shining from his eyes, she’d never had the stomach to disclose that their entire life together was based on a lie. A damned big one.
Once he was dead—and she was wallowing in bitter guilt—it had been easy to build walls, ignoring her owl. Eventually, it gave up trying to reach her, but its absence added to her shame. The bond was forever.
She’d failed on yet one more front.
It didn’t help when her mother peppered her with “I told you so” commentary. If she hadn’t had raising her daughter as a focal point—and her job at the hospital—she might have lost it. No wonder she’d done everything in her power to shield Katerina from knowing anything about her witch heritage…
A door opened before them, and Sean carried her into a generous room lined with windows. A large bed covered with a quilted duvet cover and many pillows was tucked into one corner. A generous desk loaded with computer equipment into another. Stout carved wooden furniture was scattered about. Mostly dressers and shelves overflowing with books and scrolls. The overall impression was homey, but with a definite masculine flavor. Doors were cut into two walls, presumably one led to a bathroom.
She still had her arms twined around his shoulders, and her mouth glued to his. The air around them flared with magical energy, and his clean fresh scent, wet moorlands, heather, and gorse filled her nostrils.
She inhaled hungrily. A woman could live on that smell, absorb it into her pores. Into her soul. And keep returning to the well for more.
Sean broke their kiss and set her on her feet, his dark gaze boring into her. “Are ye certain of this, lass?”
Liliana nodded. He must have tapped into her roiling thoughts as he carried her the length of the castle. “More certain than I’ve been of anything for a long time. I attempted to build a life with someone who wasn’t magical. I was foolish to try and too self-righteous to admit I was wrong—until it was too late.”
“Can ye clear your mind of aught but us?”
“I already have.” She pushed his sweater, a creamy-soft cashmere affair, off his shoulders and attacked the buttons holding his shirt together. The last one was tangled up in thread. In the end, she broke it and shoved the linen aside, running her fingertips across acres of muscled skin. Sean rolled his shoulders, and his shirt fell to the floor. His torso was sculpted, gorgeous. A study in Greek god perfection. Slabs of muscle wound down his upper arms. A dusting of dark hair ringed copper-gold nipples puckered with sexual heat.
He watched her intently, dark eyes burning with need. A quick flash of magic removed the long ivory tunic she’d layered over a colorful skirt. One minute, it swathed her. The next it joined his shirt on the floor. Liliana grinned. “Neat trick. You’ll have to teach it to me.”
“Trade secrets, lass.” He grappled with the hooks holding her bra in place and tugged until it fell aside, freeing her breasts.
Suddenly shy, she looked away. No one had viewed her body in years. Would he find it pleasing? A strangled-sounding gasp rose from him just before he filled his hands with her breasts.
“Beautiful, lassie. So beautiful. Ye’re like a goddess.” He rubbed her stiff nipples between his fingers sending jolts of sensation cascading through her. She darted forward and licked one of his nipples. He made a decidedly male sound. She took it as encouragement and sucked on the bit of flesh until it hardened still more.
He was doing wicked things to her breas
ts with his fingers, and she leaned into his touch, savoring everything about being with a man again. Damn but she’d missed the warmth and intimacy, the shared confidences, the sense of having a special safe place with her closest friend. She’d missed sex too. The heat. The excitement. The barely being able to breathe sensation as need tightened her belly.
She lifted her head from swirling her tongue around his nipples. Bending forward, he crushed his lips atop hers again. She opened her mouth to his kiss, welcoming the thrust of his tongue as he explored. Arousal tingled and zapped, making her lightheaded as she kissed him back. His lips were full, firm, and insistent, asking for more.
Demanding everything she had to give.
She opened her heart and soul to him, holding nothing back.
He strung kisses over to her neck and ear before returning to her mouth, all the while teasing her nipples. She sucked his lower lip, ran her lips over his stubble-covered cheeks and chin before settling them on his again. Her legs felt shaky, arousal so thick she inhaled it with every breath. Where he rubbed them, her nipples swelled to greater fullness, and her breasts grew heavy with need.
He straightened, gazing at her as if she were every wonderful gift he’d ever received rolled into one. Dropping his hands to her waist, he undid the fastenings holding her skirt in place. It had a complicated button closure pattern, but he didn’t miss a beat. The garment slithered to her feet where it pooled in a heap of silk and organdy, an old-fashioned cotton fabric. She hadn’t bothered with underwear, and her feet were bare, courtesy of her frantic dash downstairs after Gloria’s summons.
So much had happened in such a short time, she felt caught up in a whirlwind of demon attacks, weddings, witch strikes, and now a surfeit of sensation courtesy of the Druid looking at her with fire burning in the depths of his eyes.
Fire that would sear her soul now that she’d dropped her barriers and let him in.
“Not fair,” she managed. Every drop of moisture in her body had headed south, and her throat was so dry the sides rubbed together.