Bespelled

by Dani Kristoff

  ‘Because you’re in love. It’s killing you right now.’

  ‘Stop! Stop with this voodoo thing of reading me. I am not in love with her. Ask any woman who knows me. It’s impossible. I don’t fall in love with women, particularly ones that don’t want me.’

  Rory shook his head. ‘This will help, believe me.’

  ‘You’re nuts.’ Jake threw up his hands. What did he have to do to get rid of this guy?

  Rory shrugged. ‘Maybe I am. It’s not infectious, by the way, being nuts, I mean. I’ll tell you this. Once, long ago, I didn’t do something. I didn’t say the words I should have said. I suffered. I made another person suffer. The ramifications kept on spreading. I don’t want that for you. I certainly don’t want that for Elena.’

  Jake stood up, sending his chair rocking back. He leaned forward, his fists resting on the tabletop. ‘Look, old man. No offence, but I’m not in love with your daughter. I don’t give a shit about whether she suffers or not. She probably deserves it.’ He was speaking lies, yet he was too stubborn to admit it to Elena’s father, even if he acknowledged it himself.

  Penderton didn’t even flinch at Jake’s aggressive posturing. He rubbed his chin as he looked Jake up-and-down with a slight smile. ‘Have it your way, son. Call me if you change your mind.’

  He tossed his card on the desk as he stood, and then he left.

  Jake was so conflicted. What did he have to lose? What was he afraid of? It was his grandfather, someone he’d never met but had always been curious about. Switches in his brain clicked, and he was moving.

  Jake caught Penderton as he was pushing the glass door of the office open. ‘Wait. You’re right. It can’t hurt to go with you. I’ve got nothing to lose, except another day’s work.’

  Rory held the door open. ‘Come on then, son. What are you waiting for? I’ve been dying to have a ride in that flash car of yours.’

  Jake checked his pockets for his keys and grinned. ‘In that case, you’re in for a treat. Wait two minutes.’

  Jake left a scribbled note for Pen to let her know not to worry.

  * * * *

  Dead to the world, when the phone rang Elena sprang from the bed with a cry of surprise on her lips. Rubbing sleep from her face, she groped for the phone which blared impatiently at her. Looking at the display, she noted it wasn’t a number she recognised. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she answered, ‘Yes.’

  She eyed the clock. It was 10.30 a.m. She’d overslept. ‘Hello, this is Penelope Matthews, Jake’s executive assistant. We met briefly the other day.’

  Her heart thumped. Was he wanting to see her? ‘Oh yes, I remember. Good morning.’

  Elena could hear the woman shuffling papers. ‘I was wondering if Jake was with you. He’s been into the office but he’s not here now.’

  Elena swallowed her disappointment. ‘I’m sorry. He’s not with me. I don’t know where he is.’

  There was silence for a few moments. ‘Thank you. Sorry for troubling you, Miss Denholm.’

  ‘No, that’s fine. You aren’t disturbing me.’

  ‘Wait…can you tell me…is everything okay…you know…between you two?’

  Elena wanted to pretend she didn’t know what the woman was asking, but couldn’t.

  ‘We had a bit of a misunderstanding. Have you seen him?’

  The other woman let out a sigh. ‘No, not at all. But he worked all night. I can tell from the emails and the work he’s done. It’s not like him to pull an all-nighter. I’d better go. Hopefully we’ll meet again.’

  ‘Bye.’ Elena sat on the bed and stared at the phone. Jake had worked after their encounter. Obviously, she was a problem that was easily pigeonholed or compartmentalised. That’s what businesspeople did, wasn’t it? Put their emotional issues aside and continued doing their work? She had not developed that facility. Her whole life was out of kilter because of what had happened between them.

  Fel jumped on her, startling her out of a doze. Is this the best you can do?

  Elena reached for her cat. Yes.

  Her cat thought she was pathetic, a point with which she agreed. Why are you real now?

  The cat eyed her, and tilted its head. I found that I could. For the right tom, I’d do anything.

  Oh Fel. So would I.

  Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. Elena buried her face in her pillow. A few hours of misery in her bed were all she could stand. She had to get on with life, so she had a shower and dressed.

  Coming into her living area, the first thing she saw was Jake’s coat on the chair back. She picked it up and bagged it. She’d have it cleaned and then return it to him. It was the best way to talk to him again.

  After picking up some groceries, she lounged around the house all day, feeling sorry for herself. Every hour or so she’d pick up one of Grace’s magic books and study it. Sprawled on her bed with the book sliding out of her grasp was how Grace found her.

  ‘Hi there,’ Grace said brightly, as she tucked Elena’s house key into her purse. Elena hadn’t reset the ward after she came in.

  ‘Mmmpf…hi. Go away.’

  Grace sat on the bed and slapped Elena lightly on the bottom. ‘Come on, up you get.’

  Elena screwed her eyes shut. Grace’s cheerful voice grated on her. She wanted to be left alone in her misery. ‘Grace, I’m not in the mood.’

  ‘Not in the mood for one of my hugs? Preposterous!’

  Elena couldn’t hold back the smile. How could she resist that? She was miserable, and misery loved company, so they said. She crawled into a sitting position and nodded, while dragging her bedraggled hair from her face.

  Grace enveloped her in a hug. That was Elena’s undoing. All the little straps that were restraining the hurt undid themselves. Elena let go of a sob then lost herself to her tears while Grace stroked her back and soothed her.

  “Let it out, Elena. There’s no point holding it in. You’re hurting. Seeing you hurt hurts us as well.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Elena cried some more. ‘It’s all such a mess.’

  ‘It surely seems that way right now. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed. There will be sunshine in your life again.’

  Chapter 18

  Despite wishing otherwise, Jake found Rory Penderton a pleasant companion as they headed up past Gosford to Lake Macquarie. Thankfully the older man kept to neutral topics, like how long his family had been in Sydney and his views on the latest model BMWs compared to Audis. It was better than hearing more about the spell mumbo jumbo.

  The light conversation also kept Jake’s mind off things, like how much turmoil meeting his grandfather was causing him. He’d never thought it would feel like a betrayal of his own father. How easily had his father’s prejudices rubbed off on him? Up until that moment, he didn’t even realise that they had.

  A quick glance in the rear view mirror and Jake was relieved to find that he didn’t resemble his father that much. The expression of disdain his father always wore was absent from his face. His father had experienced many disappointments, particularly in love, and it showed.

  At Morriset, Jake turned off onto Macquarie Street, heading toward the waters of Lake Macquarie. Jake checked his rear view mirror as he merged with the traffic, slipping in ahead of a Combi van that chugged along the road. ‘I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what was the situation where you didn’t say what you should have — that action you regretted not taking?’

  After skimming the surface, Jake wanted to dig a little deeper. Rory Penderton had stuck his nose in Jake’s business, so he felt justified in exploring the other man’s life.

  Rory cast him a look and bit his bottom lip. He nodded, and then started talking. ‘Fair enough question. I was supposed to be with Elvira, Elena’s aunt. I’d known her most of my life. I was very happy at the prospect of being her mate — you know it’s like getting married. I remember being with her, how beautiful she was and how her energy was so light.

  ‘Pris was her elder sister, mor
e my own age. She was the opposite in personality to Elvira. She wasn’t pretty, so much, but had an austere beauty, and her energy was dark and dangerous. Being with her was a bit like putting your hand in the fire, knowing you’ll get burned. When Pris decided to be with me, things got complicated.’

  ‘Don’t they always?’ That was a throwaway line. The only woman who’d made his life complicated was Elena. The other women in his life had never got close enough to entangle themselves.

  Rory looked out the window. ‘One night Pris came to see me. Materialised right in my bedroom. Did I mention she was a very powerful witch for her age?’

  Jake’s eyes rolled up. Rory lifted a shoulder and continued with his story. ‘She was pretty full on, if you know what I mean. Sexually experienced. I wasn’t. She was my first. It was intense. So intense.

  ‘I thought I loved her because of what we’d shared. She intoxicated me with sex, with sensation. I forgot all about my commitment to Elvira. I was only thinking of the next time I’d be with Pris, the next time she would take me to a new level of ecstasy. Yet Pris didn’t really want me. It was all a tactic to her.’

  Jake could understand the older man’s pain. He had a similar experience with his first sexual encounter with a more experienced older woman. It was probably that along with his view of his parents’ relationship that sealed his heart shut.

  ‘And then what happened?’

  Rory’s voice thickened. ‘Elvira caught us together. Not just together, but in the thick of it. I’ll never forget the pain in her face. The betrayal I saw in her eyes. Pris, though, was shattered. She was shaking after the encounter, crying up a storm, too. She was a feisty woman, full of her own destiny but I gathered from her that Elvira was the only person she loved. She hated her parents, hated the rules. She didn’t know that Elvira truly loved me. She thought Elvira was being obedient in agreeing to mate with me. That night she left Sydney, never to return.’

  ‘So this Pris, this is Elena’s mother we’re speaking of, isn’t it?’ Rory nodded. ‘Did she not say anything to you?’

  ‘I can remember every word as if it was yesterday, but I won’t repeat what she said verbatim. It was something along the lines of I was a useless fuck, that she hated every moment we were together and that she was using me to stop Elvira being with me.’

  Jake swallowed. ‘Ouch.’ He turned into Fishery Point Rd, heading for Sugar Bay. ‘So did you try to talk to Elvira again? Make things right?’

  Rory’s voice was even thicker. ‘No. I thought about sending her a message saying I was sorry, but didn’t. I never heard or spoke to her again. What could I say? I was a mess, confused, hurt, angry. Most of all, I was ashamed. I had hurt someone I cared about.

  ‘I met Drew’s mother not long after, and fell into a disastrous relationship with her. I knew I deserved it for what I’d done. I was still confused, too. It took me a few years to sort the lust from the love. I had loved Elvira. I never told her, never asked for forgiveness, never gave us a chance. For near on 27 years she’s hated me with a vengeance.’

  ‘That’s it?’

  Rory’s brow furrowed as he cast another glance to Jake. ‘I withdrew from the community, the coven, to keep out of her way. I watched from the distance as she had a child with Ernst Riordon. I watched her spend ten years of her life with a man she didn’t love all because of my mistake.’

  Jake slowed down to match the speed limit in a residential zone. ‘I can see that could weigh heavily. You still love Elvira now, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes, I met with her yesterday. It was a rather emotional encounter, but she loves me, even though I don’t deserve it. I don’t think she has totally forgiven me yet. Finding out I was Elena’s father changed everything for us both.

  ‘We have a future together. However, there have been many years wasted, years we can’t have back, children we can’t make.’

  Jake sucked in a breath. There was so much hope and pain in Rory’s words. He tried not to think about Elena but the memory of her sweet face kept arising unbidden. ‘We are nearly at Gregor’s house.’

  ‘I know. Slow down and turn right here.’

  Jake’s heart raced. He closed his eyes and breathed deep when he killed the engine. They’d pulled up outside a two-storey split-level beach house with a boat floating next to a jetty at the rear. Jake looked to the lake and was astounded by the view. It was a dream house; quiet, water, sun and a boat.

  Gregor Royston came out of the front door and onto the lawn to greet them. A tingling raced all over Jake’s skin, a sensation he put down to anxiety.

  Jake stood stock-still after climbing out of the car. His grandfather looked a lot like him. He sensed great energy from Gregor; he looked way too young to be his grandfather, no more than late 40s, yet he had to be 80 if he was a day. He looked younger than his own father did.

  Their eyes met. An electric charge shot right into him. He shook himself. What was that?

  Gregor stopped. ‘Penderton, thank you for bringing him. Go up into the house. My granddaughter Bethanea will fix you a drink, make you comfortable.’

  Rory nodded and left them alone. Jake had only that moment to pull himself together. He put out his hand. ‘I’m Jake.’

  Gregor looked at his hand and then up at him. There were tears in the old man’s eyes. His grandfather opened his arms and launched himself at him. ‘I’m so happy to see you, son.’ He grabbed Jake to him with a surprisingly strong grip. At first Jake wanted to pull away, unused to physical contact, but then he relaxed as his grandfather patted him on the back. ‘Welcome, welcome. I knew about you. I’d almost given up hope of ever meeting you.’

  Holding him by the shoulders, Gregor looked Jake over. ‘You look like me when I was a young buck. How’s your father?’

  ‘The same.’

  Gregor studied him for a minute or two and nodded, his eyes trailing down and then up. ‘You’re a mess. What’s been going on?’

  ‘Rory thinks I was hit by a love spell that went bad. I think he’s crazy.’

  Gregor laughed. ‘We’ll see about that. You’re a mess, and it’s not just the spell. You’re full of knots of emotion, so tangled it’s amazing you can even think. We’ll have to work hard to clean you up. You’ll stay, won’t you? Stay a few days?’

  A crevice of hope opened up inside Jake. He liked Gregor. He wanted to stay. He’d put up with the mumbo jumbo if he had to. He looked to the lake; it had been a long time since he’d been out on a boat.

  Gregor led him inside, arm around his shoulder. ‘Yes, we can even go out on the lake while you are here.’

  Jake settled into Gregor’s household. He met his cousin, Nea, a shortened version of the name Bethanea, who was a very attractive 21 year-old, with dark red hair down to her waist, white skin and a lot of freckles. Her eyes were the same vivid blue as his own, a trait handed down from Gregor, he assumed. Nea bestowed a big hug on him and called him cuz.

  A guest room at the back of the house on the ground floor had been given to him for his stay. It held a large bed and had its own en suite. He’d love to bring Elena here. He stopped himself at the thought. Closing his eyes, he held the bridge of his nose. Tears threatened. He couldn’t keep bottling up his emotions. On the one hand, he wanted Elena, a future with her, and on the other, he couldn’t bear the agony of her rejection. He couldn’t shake it off.

  After getting a grip on himself he opened the sliding doors to the little veranda and studied the jetty and the large cruiser moored there. A small beach curved around to join the rest of the bay. Jake left the door open so he could listen to the lake lap against the shore.

  At dinner, where Gregor barbequed fish and Nea provided an array of salads, they sat around and chatted. ‘Don’t be shy, cuz,’ she quipped as she set down a bowl of homemade aioli. ‘You’re among family now.’

  Jake couldn’t help but smile at her. Her mood was infectious. The welcome feeling that at first seemed odd was natural to him after only a few hours. It was weird.
He’d had very little family life once he’d been sent to boarding school.

  They sat around while eating the fresh-caught fish and chatted about the lake, the weather and family. Jake did his best to keep up with the names of people he hadn’t met. He had an uncle that his father had never mentioned, Nea’s dad. Gregor’s wife had passed away a few years before, so Nea had moved in to keep house for him.

  They finished eating dessert, a freshly made pavlova with an amazing fruit salad on the side, when the general discussion quieted. ‘So Jake,’ Gregor said, as he sat back to take a sip of his cider. ‘How long have you known you were a warlock?’

  Jake nearly choked on the beer he was drinking. ‘Warlock?’

  Gregor turned to Rory and lifted an eyebrow. ‘He doesn’t know, or doesn’t believe?’

  ‘Both,’ Jake supplied.

  Rory tilted his head. ‘I suspected he was, but he was never going to believe me. He moved through my house with ease, the wards didn’t touch him. I thought it best to bring him here. It would explain why that love spell went bad so quickly. It would explain why Elena couldn’t resist the attraction. His prime talent is persuasion. I bet he’s been using it all his life without realising it.’

  ‘Look, you guys, I’m really enjoying myself here. Don’t start with this spell business.’

  Gregor drew his brows down and glared at him. ‘Peter never told you, then?’

  ‘Dad? Told me what?’

  ‘Call him. Ask him why he left, ask him why he never sees me.’

  Jake patted the phone in his pocket and fished it out to check the charge. He had enough juice to make the call. He’d left his charger in the office.

  With a nod to the others, he left the house and took a walk along the beach. His father picked up and, probably for the first time in his life, he was honest with him.

  It was difficult. His father yelled and ranted when he heard Jake was with Gregor, and got downright nasty when he caught on that Jake might have talent. ‘It’s his fault. He married a human,’ Peter said derisively. ‘I don’t want anything to do with them, or you, if you stay with them.’