Chapter 6
“We have to pay extra for luggage? How are people supposed to travel without luggage?”
“The first one is free.” The woman behind the counter eyed her four suitcases.
“Most people figure out how to travel lighter,” Dante said, his single bag slung over one shoulder.
“This is light.” She was acting like a brat, but couldn’t help it. Her energies were all over the place and coherency was difficult. And, yes, she was spoiled. And annoyed.
Dante took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “You’ll be fine.” His energies flowed into and around her. Grounding her own erratic source.
She placed her forehead on his chest and breathed him in. “You’re right. Sorry.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he slid a credit card over to the flight attendant. She should have known the luggage was an issue when the guy that flew them up from Cavern City Air Terminal about blew a gasket because he had to de-fuel to make the weight limits. Two of the bags had been crammed in on top of them for the short hop.
“I really hope we can take a portal home.”
“Gotta say I’d rather fly.”
“Have you ever used a portal?”
“No.”
“Talk to me after. You’ll never go back.”
“And with you as my mate, I won’t have to.”
They’d figured out pretty quickly that if Dante kept a hold of her in someway, it stabilized her energies. She’d never had the kind of relationship that involved a lot of public display of affection, but she wasn’t arguing. Anything to keep that horrible agitation at bay.
The looks they got from other passengers tended toward envy. They made a striking couple, and who wouldn’t be lusting over an alpha wolf?
The cost of the flights had floored her. She had no idea it was so expensive to travel.
They boarded the 737 death-can with the rest of the first-class passengers, and took their seats in the last row of the cabin.
“This is first class?” There wasn’t much room.
“Sugar, look.” Dante tilted his head to the rear of the plane.
“Oh my god.” She walked past business class and stared at the tiny seats in the main cabin.
Dante came up behind her. “See? It could be worse.”
“You wouldn’t even fit in one of these things. How are they supposed to sit in that for hours?”
He laughed as he led her back to their seats. They looked a lot better now.
It took a ridiculous amount of time to get the plane loaded. “At least they give everyone drinks before takeoff. You’d need to take the edge off if you had to sit back there.”
Dante snorted loud enough to get the stewards attention. He waved off the attentive woman. “Only first and business class get drinks.”
“Oh, that is truly inhumane. They have to walk past us. Why do they put up with this? I can’t believe there hasn’t been a revolution over this appalling situation.”
Dante’s chuckle reverberated through her. She leaned her elbow on the armrest between them and inhaled long and slow.
He met her halfway and nuzzled at her neck, teasing the hollow at her collar bone. Goddess, that was a sweet spot. Chills washed over her from head to toe. She closed her eyes and simply focused on the moment. Being here. Now.
Her gut tightened every time she thought about the coven.
“What’s rattling around in that pretty head of yours, sugar?”
“Just being present. This. Now. It’s so right. And yet just days ago, everything was different. How did we get to this normal so quickly?”
The wolf did a funny little growl-purr combination.
It was loud enough to have the gray-haired woman in the seat in front of them turn and look over at them. “You don’t have a dog back there, do you? I’m allergic. I can’t be anywhere near those foul creatures. The airline promised there wouldn’t be any dogs.” She squinted at Arabella.
“No dogs back here, ma’am,” Dante said with a sexy grin.
Arabella rolled her eyes.
“Oh, well. All right then.” The woman batted her eyes at Dante. She was actually flirting with him.
Arabella stifled a laugh.
The woman began to sit back down when Dante added, “We prefer wolves.”
Arabella laughed as the woman retreated, looking rather confused.
“Bad boy,” Arabella said.
“Oh, sugar, you have no idea.”
She didn’t either. They’d only been together twice now. She tilted her head and flashed him a demure smile. “Anything I should know about my bad-boy wolf?”
His look turned serious, in such a good way. “So much I want you to know.”
“Any kinky sexual preferences I need to know about?”
His smile was pure sin. “One step at a time.”
It was a good call. She liked the element of mystery.
The stewardess came and took their empty glasses, then prepared for takeoff. The thought of blasting into the air in this thing was disturbing at best.
Dante sensed her nerves and took her hand in his. “It’s fine. People fly in these all the time.”
“Not witches.”
“Enjoy it, because the next memorable ride you take is going to be on my rock-hard shaft.”
A squeak emitted from the stewardess as she passed. She tossed Arabella an envious look.
“Works for me. Might be a while though. Not sure how the accommodations in the coven are going to work.”
“Sugar, I’ll wait a lifetime for you.”
He would, too. Just like she’d do for him.
She relaxed substantially after they were airborne. She’d read the stats. Most problems with flying were upon takeoff and landing.
“So,” Dante said once they had drinks in hand. “Tell me about you.”
“I grew up in the Starfall coven near Edinburgh,” Arabella said. “That’s why I don’t have a strong Scottish accent. It’s more of a mild blend of the regional dialects. I didn’t leave the coven until I attended a university in Edinburgh. It had human students that knew of us, but most didn’t. I found them fascinating, but never compelling. Anything other than sex would never have happened. It wasn’t until I started my travels that I realized how naive I was, how truly isolated my life had been.”
“How could your parents send you out so unprepared?”
“I’m not sure I know the answer to that. Not in hind-sight. It’s a right of passage, though, for witches and warlocks my age to travel. I met some Australians in Edinburgh. A year or so abroad is common among their people.”
“Not a year with witches, I’d wager,” Dante said.
“No. But they were affiliated with an Australian coven.”
She filled him in on her university years and life as the daughter of the High Priestess. She’d truly never appreciated just how privileged her life had been.
The second leg of the trip was better. It was on a death-can called a Boeing 757, and the first-class accommodations were larger and newer than the smaller can.
The poor souls in the backend were still utterly screwed.
After they’d eaten a decent meal, the cabin was settling in for the night.
“I’ve spent all this time talking about me. Your turn.”
“I grew up in a large pack in the Gila National Forest. I was trouble from the start. My parents died when I was young, and my grandmother raised me.”
“What happened to your parents.”
The darkness that surrounded this question was staggering in its weight. “That’s a long story. One for another time, okay?”
“Okay.” She wanted to ease his pain, not push.
“Anyway, I was always acting out, being disruptive, when a boy not much older than me busted my ass one night in a brawl. We started out opposed to each other, and ended up covering each other’s asses. I didn’t know who he was, but we bonded that night. He took me under his wing and got me into the
training program for the Alpha’s security team.”
“But, you’re an alpha, correct?”
“True, doesn’t mean pack leader. The lead alpha is responsible for the wellbeing of the pack. Enforces security, justice. We don’t abide by human laws. We have our own. Anyway, training was brutal and exactly what a wayward wolf needed. I was two years in before I found out Hunter was the Alpha’s son.”
“Our Hunter?”
“The same.”
“I don’t understand. What are you doing here if he’s the son of the Alpha of an entire pack?”
More pain in those eyes.
“Hunter became Alpha when his father was killed. He lasted five years before being ousted himself. He was lucky to get away alive. The man responsible was the same one who killed my parents. There’s evil there, but we had no proof. And Hunter was set up. Everything, including his own father’s death, was blamed on him. There would be no justice there for him, so we left.”
Clearly this was only the tip of the iceberg. “That’s awful. Any chance of going back?”
“Not now, but the only thing that stays the same in this world is change. We’re keeping our eye on the pack.”
“So what is Hunter to you?”
Dante toyed with a strand of her hair as he contemplated his response. “I owe him my life. He will always have my loyalty. I understand duty. Loyalty to family and pack. That’s why I tried to let you go. I didn’t want to be the reason you had to choose.”
Arabella kissed his hand. “Life is more complicated than that, though, isn’t it?”
It was a wry smile. “Yes.”
“Is that why he’s the pseudo-sheriff of Haven?”
“I suppose. He’s a protector by nature.”
There was a great deal she didn’t know about the workings of the world, and her naiveté was disturbing. But there was something right about the whole thing, too. She’d never be here were it not for Dante. Never be learning about the world in which she lived at this level. Never seeing with eyes not veiled by her Wiccan past.
Destiny whispered in the drone of the engines in the cabin. Her energies settled for the first time since she shifted back from feral. She sighed in relief.
Dante turned her chin to face him. “Haven’t seen you smile like that in a while.”
“This is all happening for a reason. I’m where I’m supposed to be. With you. Flying in a death-can. Seeing how the humans live. I have no idea why, or what, exactly, we’re supposed to learn or do, but it’s all for a reason.”
“The enlightened don’t sleep through life. They walk through the dream we have all created and shape their reality.”
Arabella curled her legs in her lap and faced him. “Is that part of your religion?”
“Not a religion so much as a philosophy. Reality is nothing more than the dream we have created with our thoughts and energies of this lifetime.”
“Yes. We believe a very similar thing. Most of the religions of the world tell the same story.” Excitement trickled through her. She put her hand on Dante’s leg. “Being with you has been an awakening for me. I had no idea my eyes weren’t open.”
Dante leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Something tells me life with you is going to be interesting.” His gaze sobered. “And important. We were meant to find each other. What a witch and a wolf are supposed to do is beyond me.”
“We’ll find out in due time.”
She yawned and stretched her back. The day was catching up with her.
“Try and sleep,” Dante said. “We’ve got five hours and a world of change ahead of us.”
Sleep didn’t come easy for Arabella, although the constant hum of the engines was relaxing. She thought of all the threads of her life and how they had played out over the past year, and especially the past weeks.
Her coven had been everything to her when she’d left. Not returning had never been an option. Even a week ago, she would have deemed it impossible. But, now, it was all different.
How something that would have been seen as a horrific event had become a beautiful transformation was a marvel in itself. She finally drifted off in a state of blissful acceptance.
A bitter wind stung Arabella’s cheeks as they waited for the car her mother had sent. The early morning clouds threatened rain, and were a foreboding backdrop to the day ahead.
Dante kept his hand firmly pressed to the small of her back. A type of grounding she’d never known she needed.
Due to buffeting winds, the landing had been rough. Dante had startled the entire cabin with his laugh when she stated she was going to be very upset if they died so soon after finding one another.
She hadn’t found it the least bit amusing. The damn plane had been shaking with violent force.
A black sedan pulled to the curb in front of them. Her family’s driver, Carl, emerged and fetched the luggage after a brief nod of greeting. “Traveling light, I see.”
She threw Dante an “I told you so” look that had his wolf snorting with laughter.
To her utter surprise, her father stepped out, a blank expression his face as he quickly scanned their surroundings before landing his attention on her.
Arabella straightened and extended her energies to Dante. Control was returning, as was her resonance, but it was erratic at best. “Our greetings, my father.”
“Daughter.” He stood a pace away and regarded Dante next.
She knew he studied the aura surrounding them.
The corner of his lip curved upward and he drew Arabella into a full-press hug.
The relief was instant. She hadn’t known how this would play out, but honestly had never thought he’d hug her in public.
After kissing her forehead, he faced Dante.
“Father,” Arabella said. “This is Dante Liekos.” She faltered from saying anything further.
“Your mate.” He finished for her.
“Yes.”
The two alphas appraised each other in the way only men did. Women facing each other was an entirely different game. One of energies, strategy, and something more. But not men. Theirs was a more primal dance.
She nudged Dante.
“Most respectful greetings, father of my mate.” There was the slightest emphasis on the last.
Arabella rolled her eyes. “Right then, are we done with the macho shit?”
Her father’s laugh was one she’d never heard before. “I see travel abroad has been good for you.” Something had shifted between them. Something fundamental. He was treating her as an equal. It was a stunning revelation.
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dante Liekos. I am Jorah Visante. High Priest of the Coven Starfall.”
They both nodded.
“Come, time to meet the real power of the Coven.” He waved his hand and the back door opened. He motioned for Arabella to step inside first.
She blinked at the dark interior. Before she could orientate herself, her mother’s energy engulfed her.
“Sit next to me, child.”
“Mother!” Having both the Priest and Priestess greet them was unprecedented. Then again, her whole life was unprecedented at the moment. Once seated, her mother kissed each cheek. The warmth of her love engulfed her.
Dante climbed in next and sat on Arabella’s other side. By tradition, he should have sat next to her father, but she loved him for the breach. Not many men would have dared such an act, but then, Dante wasn’t “many men.”
“Thank you for greeting us,” Arabella said. Her new-found elevation of status extended to her mother as well, apparently.
“We wanted the time to talk in private.” Her father motioned with one finger, and a spell engulfed them.
“Are you worried about Carl?” Arabella asked.
“We trust him implicitly,” her father said, “but what he doesn’t know can’t be used against him. Dante, this is our High Priestess, Serina Visante.”
Serina nodded her greeting, then took Arabella’s hand. “I fea
r it will not go well with the coven.”
“I assumed as much,” Arabella said.
Her mother’s touch was soft, warm. “And I assume you’ll be okay with whatever they decide under the circumstances?”
Arabella placed her other hand on Dante’s knee.
“Yes. Dante and I belong together. If we can’t do that within the scope the coven, so be it.”
“Whatever happens,” her father said, “you have our blessings.”
“Thank you.” She and Dante answered together.
Arabella leaned into the crook of Dante’s arm, his fingers laced through her hair. His possessive manners would have annoyed her coming from anyone else.
Her mother sat back against the seat. A display of her own ease. “I had an interesting visit the other day.”
“Oh? From who?” Arabella asked.
“Topper and The Fates.”
“The Fates came to see you?” Things certainly were getting interesting.
“Caused quite the stir in the coven,” her father said.
“It was a disturbance the coven is not yet ready for,” her mother brushed at imaginary lint on her slacks. “But their visit will not be forgotten. One day, its significance will be understood.”
“What did they say?”
“One does not divulge discussions with the Fates. Suffice to say it was eye-opening.”
Interesting phrase, given her own recent development. “Things are changing, aren’t they?”
“Things are always changing,” Sirena said. “It’s just that some developments have far greater impact than others.”
For the rest of the journey, her parents peppered Dante with questions. The easy atmosphere in the vehicle was more than she could have hoped for.
Passing through the coven’s gates was bittersweet. There was a real chance this would be her last time for the foreseeable future. Possibly for forever.
Arabella closed her eyes and let the energy of the place play across her senses. This was her childhood home. Where she’d grown into a woman. A very sheltered woman.
It was late morning, and the coven was busy with the start of the day. Eyes followed the car as they passed.
“They know it’s me.”
“It was supposed to be kept quiet, so yes, they know it’s you,” Jorah said.
Magic, New Mexico: Tainted Magic (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 7