The Dashing Witch (The Ward Witches)

by Lauren McMinn

  “What’s going on? I got a weird reading from Justin, even all the way over here, and now you’re calling.” He paused a second. “As is Justin.”

  “I had passed out from the healer’s visit when I felt something probing around in my head. It was like there was another person in my body, and I barely managed to tear back control before it went too far. The only thing I can think was that it was Justin, in my head. Has that ever happened to you?”

  “Yes, actually. When particularly emotional, Skylar’s dreams have landed her in my body if the conditions are right.”

  “How do you stop it?”

  “Still working on that. Do you know what he found out?”

  “I know he saw the plane ticket. He tried to grab it, but I don’t think he found out where I was going.”

  “You do have to tell him, you know. I understand you’re hurt, confused, and somewhat vulnerable. But he does have a right to know he’s having a baby. He came over here, extremely emotional. We didn’t tell him anything, but you should hear him out.”

  “You’re right. In your opinion should I tell him now while I’m still on the other side of the country or should I wait until I can see him in person again?”

  “I think he’ll surprise you either way, Melanie. But remember, he does have certain rights. Dymphna hasn’t told you because she likes to act invincible, but she can’t take all of your care on all by herself. He’s your husband. You can’t go on like this.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Now sleep. I’ll have Skylar call you in the morning.”

  “Thank you, Leo.”

  “Anytime. Now I’ve got to sleep; I’ve got surgery in the morning.”

  Melanie was able to get back to sleep faster than she expected, and she didn’t have any more dreams.

  73

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The next day, Skylar’s call woke Melanie. They talked for a while, Skylar urging her to call Justin and at least hear his story. By this point, Melanie was feeling like the others were right. Maybe she should talk to him after all. They knew him better than she did, and maybe she should fix that. Melanie knew she still loved Justin, and she really wanted to believe that things would be alright in the end. She promised Skylar that she would talk to Justin, and gave the other woman all the flight details.

  “So I’ll be there tomorrow, but I’m going to pack things up today, and I’ll send along enough stuff to last me the next nine months.”

  “Are you going to ship your car?”

  86

  THE DASHING WITCH

  “Yes. It should get there soon after I do. I'm breaking my lease today, and all other things tying me to LA.”

  “Not a problem. I’m getting a call from Leo, so I’ll see you tomorrow at the airport, OK?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Taking everyone’s advice, Melanie didn’t push it, and she took her time to pack up what she was bringing with her and what she was shipping. Yet by the time the man came to take her boxes and her car away, she was exhausted. Just as well, she had a Terminator movie to finish.

  Justin deliberately lost himself in the work the next day. He had put out some tracing probes for the past few days, and finally it seemed that some of the suspected Dark Order members owned some various properties in less populated areas around the country. The next step would be to send people to wander around out there, just in case someone could stumble onto something. It was a long shot, but worth a try.

  By the time he had arranged for agents to investigate the first round of properties in the next few days, it was time for dinner. He had forgotten all about calling Skylar, and he decided that he should heed his family’s urgings and leave it alone. For now.

  Melanie’s plane flight was tiring, but she didn’t have the problem with motion sickness that she had had on the previous flight. Skylar was waiting with a goofy sign that had Melanie’s name in bright letters.

  “Inconspicuous, huh?”

  “I try not to do things by half measures,” the other woman explained.

  Melanie leaned the chair in the car back and napped until they reached Ward Manor.

  “Thank you so much. I know I’m imposing on your family and your home. I appreciate what you all are doing for me.”

  “No need to worry. You’re family now, remember?”

  “I know. But my own family has cast me aside, and it’s still startling to realize how much Justin’s family is here for me despite our separation.”

  “You still think that will work with a baby?”

  “I don’t know anything at the moment. I’m just taking it one moment at a time.”

  “Fair enough.”

  When they got there, Skylar took all of Melanie’s bags upstairs and came back with a devious grin. “Now I’m going to go run some errands and be gone for a few hours. I think you should call a certain someone and have a certain visitor.”

  Melanie smiled at Skylar’s subtle scheming. “Alright. But can you give me a certain someone’s phone number?”

  “Gladly.”

  Once Skylar left, Melanie stared at her cell phone for a long time. She knew she needed to call, but it was a lot more intimidating once she actually had the number in hand. She took a deep breath, dialed the number, and hit ‘call’ before she had a chance to stop herself.

  “What is it?” Justin’s tone was harsh. Melanie's fears looked like they were well-founded.

  “Maybe I called at a bad time…” She ventured.

  “Oh! Melanie! No, I thought it was someone else. One second, let me get some privacy.” She heard him yelling in the background, then the distinct sound of a slamming door. “That’s better.”

  “We need to talk.”

  “Definitely.”

  “If now’s not a good time, I can call back later.”

  “Lately, it’s never a good time for anything, so you have to make your own opportunities.” He sighed. “Let’s talk.”

  “I’m in Boston, over at Ward Manor. Do you think you could get away and we could talk over here? I’d like to explain in person, if possible.”

  “You’re in Boston?” He paused, and she was afraid her secret was out. “Yeah. I’ll be right over. Just let me delegate some work, and I’ll be on my way.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Believe it or not, I’m glad to be able to explain myself.” She sure hoped he'd be as willing to talk when she got done with what she had to say.

  It was twenty minutes before Justin could get himself away from Coven Headquarters. His heart was hammering the whole time. She had called. He could clear things up and move forward.

  He was nearly out the door when a thought made him change out of his sweaty work clothes and into something cleaner and more respectable-looking. He needed every advantage he could get at this point.

  Thirty minutes after Melanie's call, he was knocking on the door at Ward Manor, feeling a lot like a preteen on his first date. It wasn’t a feeling he enjoyed. When he saw her, he let out a sigh of relief. She looked beautiful. His body sprung to life, and he wanted nothing more than to drag his bond-mate into his arms and kiss her senseless. He thought he could even see her wanting the same thing. But that wouldn’t help the current situation, no matter how much his body ached for hers. He needed to explain, and keep his mind on explaining.

  “Come in, please. Skylar made a particular point in telling me that she won’t be home for a while, so we’ve got the place to ourselves.”

  “It’s nice to be away from the problems over at Coven HQ recently.”

  “The Dark Order?”

  “Yeah. Nothing solid yet, but we’re following leads. You look great.”

  She sat down on the couch and gestured for him to take the other. He wasn’t about to let her put that physical barrier between them when he so wanted to touch her. He sat down on the couch next to her and took her hand within both of his.

  “Thanks. Dymphna’s been a great help.”

  His heart s
kipped a beat. “Are you sick? Do you mind if I take a look?”

  He saw her eyes get big, but her face settled, and she nodded resolutely. “Might as well find out for yourself, then.”

  He looked for illness and found… a baby? “You’re pregnant?” He was feeling a mixture of both surprise, some anger for not knowing sooner, and nerves.

  “Yeah. I was a coward, and when I found out, after finding you… like that, I fled. But apparently, I need Dymphna’s magic to add to my own to make sure the baby matures properly.” She blushed, and looked more nervous than he had ever seen her.

  “Is it mine?” The bond meant that she could only conceive by him, but he had to check. It was a baby, and he was unprepared for that news.

  “Yes. There’s no one else who could be the father. And I can feel it. Remember, we’re bonded, and only a bonded pair can produce a child.”

  “You’re right, of course. But wow.”

  “I should have stuck around and told you.” She was playing with some imaginary lint on the couch, not meeting his eyes.

  “Probably. But I’m also to blame for not explaining myself to you either and making you feel like you needed to run from me. I didn’t cheat on you, Melanie. I need you to know that. Kelsey was mad she wasn’t going to be with me anymore. I had maintained no illusions of such when we had a relationship, but she thought there was something lasting between us. She tried to push herself on me, and I admittedly wasn’t fast enough to fight her off. I didn’t expect it, but that’s no excuse. I’m sorry.”

  Unexpectedly, she reached over and hugged him tightly. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

  “Looking back, you were likely also hormonal.”

  “That’s true too, but that's no excuse either.”

  “I had never expected to say this, but let’s give this thing a try. Our magic is bonded, and that will never go away. Even when we've tried, we've found ourselves stuck together. Maybe we should stop fighting that. I think I’d like to try to be a husband, if you’ll agree, for at least as long as your pregnancy. Everyone’s been telling me that this is an opportunity, and maybe I’d be an idiot to let my wife and my child go so easily without even trying to see if it would work out between us. I'll take you on dates; I'll treat you the way you should be treated. I'll put my best into being a husband, and if it works, it works. If we give it a good try, and we still can't make it work by the time you have the baby, we know.”

  She smiled. “I’d agree. We rushed into a bonding, and we rushed away from the results. I didn’t want to have a bond-mate, and I know you didn’t, but I certainly don’t see anything for us to lose in trying it out, and there’s a possibility we’ve got a lot to gain.”

  Justin gave in to his body’s urgings, and he kissed her. He planned just a light peck, but before he even made the decision consciously, he had her on her back and was plundering her mouth for all he was worth. To be fair, she was kissing him right back. He propped himself up on his hands.

  “Damn but you’re wicked tasty. This could definitely be fun if nothing else.”

  “Not like we need to worry about birth control.” Her smile warmed something deep in him that he’d rather not investigate.

  “You realize you’re not going to be staying here, right?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I want you with me. I’ve got the second-best apartment in the Coven House, remember? Besides, if someone’s going to be giving my baby a magical infusion, it’s going to be me as much as possible.” She looked so happy he couldn’t help but sample her mouth again. “Your bags are upstairs?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I’m taking you home with me.”

  Melanie was feeling positively giddy when they got up to the guest room to get her bags. He wanted to give it a chance! She loved him, and maybe she had a chance to get him to love her in return.

  When he leaned over to get the bags, Melanie closed the door behind them. He looked confused, even as she lowered the bags back to the floor. She got on her toes to whisper in his ear, “I see a big bed here with no one about but the two of us. I think it’s time we had a little non-alcohol induced fun.”

  “You’re pregnant.” His objection sounded futile.

  “Yeah, and you got me that way. Besides, I’m pregnant, not dead.” She sucked his ear into her mouth and played with it with her tongue. When he moaned slightly and didn’t pull away, she dropped one hand to tease him down his front and land on his zipper. He still didn’t pull away.

  She figured that was as good of a sign of consent as the bulge beneath her hand was. She stopped playing with his ear to turn her attention to his mouth. As he tangled his tongue with hers, she hastily unfastened the buttons on his shirt. He drew away just far enough to get her shirt over her head and his off his chest. The front clasp of her bra provided little resistance to his dedicated hands.

  “I’ll make you beg for mercy,” he whispered.

  “Not if I make you do so first.”

  Melanie barely noted how their pants and shoes disappeared because suddenly they were in the bed, both totally naked.

  “No second thoughts?” He asked.

  “Far too late for that, my dear.” She almost said ‘my love,’ but stopped herself in time.

  She made a disapproving noise when he left her mouth, but couldn’t object when he kissed a steaming trail down her middle. Melanie cried out when he reached her most sensitive spot and began to lick her in earnest.

  “Oh Justin!” His purr of approval resonated within her.

  After bringing her to heaven, twice nonetheless, he returned to kissing her lips. “My beautiful, sweet wife.”

  “Please!” Melanie cried out.

  “Please what?”

  “You know precisely what I want.” She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “You!”

  “I want you to open to me.”

  “I already am, you tease!”

  He looked more serious for a second. “I mean magically. Leo’s always said that sex is all the better when he’s got full access to the woman’s, or rather Skylar's, mind. I want this to be like that for you. My mind is an open book to you today, all for your pleasure.”

  “I’ve never tried that.”

  “Even better. Go for it.”

  As he suggested, she tapped into his thoughts and was swept away by the depth of the desire she found there. Experimenting, she kissed each of his nipples in turn, surprised by the way she could both feel herself doing it and him enjoying it.

  “That’s heady.”

  “Good.” He tried to push her onto her back, presumably for better access, but she was having none of it. This new set of sensations intrigued her too much to let the opportunity to revel in experimentation pass. She giggled and batted away his hands. Swiftly, she moved down and took him in her mouth. He moaned and gasped in surprise and pleasure, and Melanie felt all of it. She felt just where he liked her tongue the most, and she enjoyed those spots the most.

  She could feel when he was getting too close, and pulled away.

  “So?” He asked, trying to catch his breath.

  “More than I ever realized. Thank you for trusting me enough.”

  “Don’t worry about the like right now. Worry about how you’re going to stave me off as I advance on you to get what I’ve been craving since I met you.”

  “I don’t need to stave you off, just to encourage you.”

  That was, indeed, all the encouragement he needed to get on top of her, and finally, in her. They both cried out with the pleasure, and no matter their best intentions for making it last, their coupling was strong and quick.

  “Will they miss you at the Coven House?”

  “Oh, I’m sure they already have. I had something that was supposedly more important to be doing. Though I don't think it was truly any more important than getting things settled with you. But you’re right that I should be getting back. Get dressed and we’ll go back there.”

  “You need to get
dressed yourself. As much as I like your nude Adonis self here in private, I think they’d have a fit if you arrived back at the Coven House like that.” He laughed. “And I’ll need to leave your mind to you again.” She removed her tie to his mind, sorely disappointed. But she also didn’t want to know anything about how he felt about her. She loved him too much, and even more with their reuniting and possibility of a future, to know that he did not care as much for her as she did for him.

  She sat down heavily on the bed, the room spinning around her. “Justin, suddenly I’m very tired.”

  “Oh damn. Of course that would wear you out.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I’ll give you the infusion, and I’ll reluctantly leave you here. I’ll be back after work to get you. Now lay down so I can get started.”

  Unlike Carol, his hands warmed her with more than magic. The sensation was stronger, and she felt both as if she were floating and as if her entire body would contract on the two points where his hands touched her stomach.

  “Sleep, my beautiful wife. I’ll be back for you soon.” With a kiss on the forehead and a last look back, he left her to her rest.

  Justin did indeed return to work, but he wasn’t nearly as productive as he had been. He attributed the change to a certain afterglow that prevented him from working up a good mad-on to yell at his employees with.

  Seb, of course, noticed the change. “It’ll do you a great deal more good to yell less, you know. Good to know you’ve found something to calm that wicked temper of yours. I assume she’s upstairs?”

  “No. We have much to discuss, Seb.”

  But some messenger came and pressed papers into Justin’s hands. “Urgent I hear.”

  “Tonight. We’ll all talk over at Ward Manor. I can feel her there.”

  “You feel all too much. But yes, tonight. I’ll tell Skylar and Melanie.”

  The news was urgent: a report on one of the properties that might possibly lead to one of the suspected Dark Order. A long shot for sure, but he would have to try.