“Crap.” Chris sat back and rubbed wearily at his face, settling his glasses back on his nose when he was done. “This isn’t over. If the king dies before withdrawing Cole’s name, he could have a legitimate claim to the throne.”
“Nope, not over by a long shot.” Gareth sat back, looking more serious. “I think it’s time to call in the cavalry.”
Chris shivered. “Not yet.”
“Who’s the cavalry?” Lana saved her work and shut down for the day, logging out of her company’s servers.
“Our brothers.”
“Brothers? I thought you only had Daniel.” She sat back with a grimace. The chair wasn’t the most comfortable one in the world, and hunching forward to work on the laptop for the second day in a row had her back calling her all sorts of filthy names.
Chris frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“The Registry only listed Gareth, you and Daniel.”
“Huh.” Chris rocked back in his chair. The brothers exchanged a look. “Nope, we have another brother, and Gareth’s right. We need to call them in.”
“Why? Wouldn’t that put them in the line of fire too?”
Gareth stood and walked to the window. “I think it’s time. They need to be aware of what’s going on, and we definitely need to … tell… Guys?” There was an odd tone in Gareth’s voice. He stared out the window, horror growing on his face.
“What?” Christopher stood, the look on his brother’s face pushing him to his brother’s side.
Gareth pointed. “Look outside.”
Lana joined them out the window to see what Gareth was looking at. Chris was stunned, the sight of what was rolling towards them leaving him speechless.
“Holy fuck.” Lana leaned forward, wide-eyed at the huge bank of storm clouds racing in their direction. Lightning arched from cloud to cloud in a dazzling, lethal display. The clouds were a sickly greenish gray. “That’s no ordinary storm.”
The brothers exchanged glances. “It’s Cole.” Christopher pulled Lana to him protectively, tucking her under his arm. “We need to stop it before an innocent gets hurt.”
Gareth started to disrobe, much to Lana’s obvious delight. Christopher turned her and blocked her view of his almost naked brother. “Open the window. I’ll go scout and see what I can find out. Maybe he’s holed up nearby.”
Christopher opened the window in time for Gareth, now in wolf form, to leap through. He landed on the ground a story below and took off with a brief bark up at them.
*
“Whoa.”
He couldn’t help himself. He slapped Lana on the ass. “What were you doing looking?”
She rubbed her ass. “Hello! Hunk getting some naked time. You expected me to not look?”
“When we have a few free hours we’re going to have to explore this whole concept of naked time.” He strode for the door. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be in my work room trying to figure out what the hell Cole is up to.”
“I might be able to help.”
He smiled back at her. “Wizard and witch, remember, sweetheart?” He frowned. He couldn’t keep doing that to her. She’d more than proved herself, no matter how much he wanted her to stay out of it. “No. I know you held off the wolf in the car. If you want to try and work it out on your own, feel free. But without knowing Cole, you’ll be at a serious disadvantage.” He couldn’t protect her while he tried to unravel the storm, but he knew someone who could. “If you’re really planning on trying something, see if Annabelle can help.” When he’d last seen Annabelle she’d been attempting to scry once more on Cole, but she’d drop it in a heartbeat if she thought Alannah was in any danger.
Lana’s grin looked almost evil. “Oh, I think I can come up with something that will brighten Cole’s day.”
He strode back to her and chucked her under the chin. He was worried. What if she tried something when he wasn’t there to protect her and Cole’s protections lashed out? Maybe encouraging her isn’t such a good idea. “Stay out of trouble.”
She blinked up at him, all sweet innocence. “Trouble? Moi?”
He couldn’t keep the slow smile off his face. “You’re going to drive me insane, aren’t you?” He didn’t let her answer, just took advantage of her open lips to lay siege to the inside of her mouth.
She was absolutely delicious. He would never get enough of her taste. He threaded his fingers through her thick hair, holding her in place while he slowly devoured her mouth. After only a moment’s hesitation, her lips joined his in the dance, moving against his own in a shy exploration that had him weak in the knees and rock hard in seconds. He realized he’d never tire of the sweet moans that poured from her mouth. The fact that her kisses were still shy after the incredible sex they’d been having was, to his mind, a good thing. It meant she was taking it, taking them, seriously.
Lightning lit the room, followed by the booming crash of thunder. Christopher pulled back, allowing himself to linger for just a moment. He stared down at her, amazed at how quickly his little witch had wormed her way into his heart. From the dazed look on her face, perhaps she was finally starting to see him as something more than a wizard, too. Maybe she was finally seeing him as a man.
It was going to be a pain doing spell work with a hard-on, but if Cole’s games were going to be stopped, he’d have to get to work. “Stay inside where it’s safe, sweetheart. Please. I don’t want you outside where Cole could find you.”
He waited for her to nod, but was forced to accept her shrug. Vaguely dissatisfied, he headed to his workroom to try and untangle the knotted roots of Cole’s storm, hoping that Lana was smart enough to stay safe.
* * * *
“Chris?”
“Hmm?”
“Can I borrow some feathers?”
He blinked, looking up from his big old book in the middle of the table. Cute glasses were perched on the end of his nose. He looked incredibly intelligent and sexy, like one of those hunky college professors girls dreamed of getting and never actually did. Those glasses were probably going to be the final nail in her denial’s coffin. “Feathers?”
“Mm-hmm. White, blue, yellow and black.”
He sat back. “All on one or one of each?”
“One of each.”
He reached into a cupboard behind him and pulled out the feathers she asked for.
“Thanks!” She took the feathers, planted a kiss on his cheek, and hustled out of his workroom, knowing he was shaking his head at her.
Lana had already ransacked his cupboards and pantry for the other ingredients she needed. The feathers had been the last bit. He’d even had the black rope she needed in his bedroom. And if he’d used it for what she thought he’d used it for, it was better going where she planned to send it.
If he wanted to play those kinds of games with her he could damn well buy new rope.
She ran out the back door and onto the patio, into the teeth of the storm, ignoring the fact that she’d been turned on at the thought of playing those kinds of games with Chris. Just not with the rope he used with other women. Not if she had anything to say about it.
She had to work fast. Lightning was beginning to strike all around the house, the flashes coming closer and closer together, forming a cage that they might not be able to break free from. If Chris or Annabelle caught her out here she’d never hear the end of it. She just knew what she had planned would work, but she needed the time to make it work.
She took the large glass mixing bowl and put the feathers inside. Holding them down with one hand she began to pour salt over the feathers. The salt was meant to ground the wind, represented by the feathers.
At first she wasn’t certain it was working, but she persevered. She visualized the winds dying down gradually, and it began to work. When the last feather was covered the winds had died down until only a light, natural breeze remained. The lightning stopped, but the tang of ozone was still in the air.
Nodding in satisfaction, she took two wooden mixin
g spoons and bound them together in the shape of an x. She set the x on the wet ground just off the concrete patio and began pouring the salt over it.
“Evil storm that rides the sky,
it is time for you to fly.
Lord and Lady hear my plea.
As I will so mote it be.”
The rain stopped. There was a sense of expectation to the air, like the lightning was poised to strike again at any moment. If it did, her spell would be undone.
Damn, Cole is strong. The storm should have been wiped out, but some force behind it was keeping it in place. Better work fast. She pulled out the black rope, carefully cut down to thirteen inches, and began tying it in knots. With each knot she chanted, pouring her power into each knot until her hands were shaking with fatigue. If this didn’t work, the storm would come back full force.
“Knot of one my spell begun.
Knot of two my words are true.
Knot of three it comes to be.
Knot of four the storm is no more.
Knot of five this spell is alive.
Knot of six my protection fix.
Knot of seven, power is given.
Knot of eight protect my mate.
Knot of nine completes my rhyme.”
With a satisfied smile she saw the clouds begin to break up. She took the spoons and the rope, wrapped them in some white cheesecloth and began digging in the dirt.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
She ignored Chris’s irate voice in favor of burying the spoons and knots. If she didn’t hurry, the spell could still be undone. She could feel Cole’s power testing the knots, trying to pull the storm free of the binding spell. The binding needed the grounding of the earth to hold it in place. Without that, her knots could be unraveled, and she’d have to start all over again, and she was already exhausted.
“Cole’s storm packed one hell of a punch,” she muttered, patting the wet soil down over the spell with a final surge of power. Now nothing could get to it. She sat back on her heels, closing her eyes and lifting her face to the sky. The cool wet air wafted over her face, soothing now without the wizard fury behind it.
“You should have let me deal with it.” She found herself lifted off the ground, not that she cared. Her legs were shaking so badly she wasn’t certain they would hold her up.
“Sorry, Chris. There was something about that storm, something not right. It needed to be gone.”
He sighed. “This is why you can’t deal with Cole, sweetheart.”
“Mmm?” Man, she couldn’t remember the last time spell work had tired her out so much. It usually left her feeling like she needed a good nap, but this? She felt like she could sleep for a week!
“I told you before. Wizards do things slowly, in stages, needing only one small component at the end of the spell to activate it. We usually have several charms on our person at any given time, only needing the right words to activate the spells. Witches do everything at once, in one big bang. No way could you take on the multiple spells Cole would be casting. Remember how tired you were from the spell you did in the car?”
She opened one bleary eye and stared up at him. His expression was full of annoyed concern. “’Kay.”
One dark brow rose in disbelief. “Really? Not going to argue with me anymore on that?”
She burrowed closer to his chest. “Sleepy. Don’t wanna argue.”
He sighed and settled her down on something soft. Bed, her tired brain registered. “That was a very powerful storm. No wonder you’re a tired little witch.” She felt him remove her shoes. “Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you.”
“’Kay.” She struggled through the thick layers of tired to reach for him. “Chris?”
“Hmm?”
“Night.”
She felt his lips brush hers before falling back through those layers and into the arms of Morpheus.
* * * *
“Your little witch is extremely powerful, Christopher.”
“Yes, she is.” Christopher sipped at his tea, staring at the roaring fire. Lana had slept through dinner. He didn’t expect her to wake until morning, and that was fine with him. At least he knew what she was up to. Part of him was furious at her for putting herself in danger; the other part was furious with himself for not realizing what she’d been up to. “It’s a good thing I felt her spell taking hold. I’d already started to cast mine. Things might have gotten … interesting if they’d clashed.”
“Drought for certain, not sure what else.” Gareth stretched. “Why don’t you go for a run? I’ll keep an eye on your little witch, keep her safe.”
“From outside the bedroom?” Christopher mock-glared at his brother. He knew that Gareth would lay down his life for Lana. It was the Beckett way, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, Lana was most definitely a Beckett.
Gareth laughed. “From outside the bedroom.” He laid a hand on Christopher’s shoulder. “Go on. Your wolf must be getting restless. I’ve already had my run.”
Christopher nodded. His wolf was dying to get outdoors, but they were both leery of leaving their mate unprotected in their den while there was an enemy nearby. Christopher knew he could trust his big brother. Gareth would have to be dead for Cole to get one finger near Lana at this point.
He stood and headed to the patio. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Take your time, bro. I’m not going anywhere.”
He shot his brother a grin on his way out the door. “Gareth? Thanks.”
Gareth nodded, looking determined. “Becketts stick together.”
He shifted, taking joy in the night air and the knowledge that his mate was safely inside, sleeping in his bed.
“Becketts stick together.”
He was halfway into the woods before he realized what that meant.
Shit. Gareth had already called in the cavalry. He wondered when they would arrive and if he’d have time to warn Lana about the bevy of Becketts about to descend on them.
Chapter Eight
Christopher got back from his run to find all three of his brothers waiting for him.
“Any problems?” Gareth held out his pants with a smirk.
He shifted back, used to being naked in front of his brothers. “Nope.” He’d been surprised to find the run uneventful. He had to smile at the thought that the unraveling of Cole’s spell had left the other wizard too tired to pull any further crap for the night. He had his little witch to thank for that.
Still, he’d been hoping he’d been wrong and his brothers wouldn’t be here quite so soon. It was bad enough he had to share space with Gareth; he knew from experience that now Daniel and Zachary were here he wasn’t getting rid of them any time soon. “You had to call them, didn’t you?”
Zachary, the youngest, tossed a peanut MandM up in the air, catching it with his mouth. “Heard you had some problems.”
Daniel, the next youngest, caught Zach’s next candy and popped it in his own mouth. “From what Gareth said you could use some help.”
Zach shoved Daniel. “Hey! That was mine, asshole.”
“You’re the one who threw a perfectly good MandM.” Daniel smirked.
Christopher finished dressing, still glaring at Gareth. “Remind me again why we need them?”
Zachary grinned. “Dude, one Beckett has problems, all the Becketts have … hello.” Zachary stopped, his expression turning wicked, his eyes glued to the doorway into the great room.
Christopher turned, knowing what Zachary was staring at with such fascination. Lana stood in the doorway, looking startled and deliciously rumpled. She was wearing one of his shirts. Thank the Gods it hung low on her thighs or he’d be forced to pluck his brothers’ eyeballs out. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“A, I’m an adult, I can get out of bed in the middle of the night. B, I was thirsty.” She pointed a thumb at his brothers. “When did the rest of the litter get here?”
Daniel’s brows rose into his hair. “Litter?”
Christopher walked over to Lana, ignoring Gareth’s chuckles, and pulled her into a light hold. “Lana, I’d like you to meet my brothers.” He pointed to Zachary, the only one of the brothers with eyes that weren’t gold. They were a soft misty blue, and chock full of mischief. “Zachary Beckett, the youngest.”
Zachary leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Daniel, the next youngest.”
Daniel merely nodded, but his serious gaze never left Lana’s face.
Lana yawned. “Nice to meet you.” She turned in Christopher’s embrace. “You’re out of milk.”
He blinked. “Since when? I bought a quart yesterday morning.”
“And this evening I finished it.” She bit her lip. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ll send one of the boys out for more.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Anything else you need?”
“More milk?”
He smiled down at her. “I’ll make sure you have some for breakfast. Go on back to bed, you look exhausted.” When she frowned, he decided to play dirty. “Please, sweetheart. If you’re going to help me figure out how to deal with Cole, I need you well rested.”
She made a cute little face before pulling out of his arms. He was gratified to see the reluctance. “All right. But only because you asked so nicely.” She smiled up at him. “Good night, Chris.” She peeked around him and waved languidly, tipping her head back and yawning so wide he thought he could see straight to her feet. “Good night, Beckett pups.”
Gareth grinned, Zachary laughed outright, and Daniel just shook his head.
He kept an eye on her until he saw her start up the stairs, then turned to face his brothers with a warning growl. “Paws off my mate, Zachary.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Zachary waved him off, his expression sobering. “She can’t fight Cole, Chris.”
“I know that. She seems to think otherwise.”
“You’re mate’s a witch.” Daniel was studying him, his expression revealing nothing.
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