“Maddy, this is Gabriel. He guards the children.”
Maddy sensed neither human nor lycan in him, but she sensed his immense power and it startled her. He was a vampire! “Nice...nice to meet you,” she said.
He flashed a charming smile and she blinked at his perfect, white set of teeth. “The pleasure is all mine, Maddy.”
“If you and Effy would like to have a bite to eat,” Viktor began, “tell Jenny and she will summon me.”
Maddy thanked him and he bowed graciously before he left. Maddy turned her attention back to Gabriel and noticed the curious look he gave her.
“You’re overwhelmed by this place, aren’t you?” He remarked casually.
“Yes,” Maddy said, releasing a pent up breath.
“And of me,” he remarked slowly.
Her face grew warm. “Was I that obvious? I’m sorry. You’re the first vampire I’ve been formally introduced to.”
“I’m just a regular guy.”
Maddy couldn’t help, but smile. “From what I know of vampires, they’re not that regular.” She paused, worry lining her brow. “You...you’re not reading my mind, are you?”
He offered her a lazy grin. “Should I?”
Maddy laughed. “Definitely not.”
“Don’t worry. After reading people’s minds for four hundred years, the novelty tends to wear off. I stopped reading thoughts a long time ago. It gets old hearing the same things over and over again. You’d be surprised that reading minds isn’t all that exciting.”
“You’re four hundred years old?”
“Yep. I’ve been around longer than most people I know. You?”
“Twenty-seven.”
He smiled. “A baby.”
“Coming from you, I’m more like a newborn,” she said, returning his smile.
“Ouch. Are you implying I’m old?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“No offense taken.”
He was so easy to talk to, and they chatted for close to the hour as Maddy flicked periodic gazes to Effy to make sure she was having fun. Their conversation ranged from Maddy telling him about her job as a freelance writer to Gabriel discussing how much a person could accomplish in four centuries. She’d learned he spoke fluently in eight languages and played nearly all the instruments in an orchestra. She was amazed at his feats. Maddy kept the conversation flowing away from herself and she managed to avoid answering any personal questions.
“So how long have you been working here, Gabriel?”
“I started last week. I love children, the pay’s good, and I work underground, away from the sun. All my jobs have been night shifts. Working with children gives me a chance to wind down and relax from the chaos of all those night clubs I worked at as a bouncer.”
“What a fascinating life you have led,” Maddy said.
“I am happy to see you have been entertained in my absence, my dear.”
The deep sound of Matt’s voice thrilled her and Maddy spun around to see him standing behind her. “I’m so glad you’re back. Matt, this is Gabriel. He’s been keeping me company while Effy’s been making new friends.”
“You don’t say,” Matt replied smoothly. He inclined his head briefly to Gabriel. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”
“I started last week.” He looked from Matt to Maddy and back to Matt again, his expression revealing flickers of dismay. “And you’re the husband?”
“Soon to be husband,” Matt replied.
Gabriel recovered quickly from his disappointment and flashed Maddy a warm smile. “It figures the one woman who’s charmed me in a long time is engaged.” He glanced back at Matt. “I should have asked Maddy if she was taken as soon as I met her, that way I would not have allowed myself to be so enchanted by her.”
Matt didn’t immediately respond as he regarded Gabriel silently. “I can’t complain about your taste, my friend,” he finally said.
Maddy tensed, noticing Matt’s smile did not reach his eyes. She watched him catch Jenny’s gaze. He nodded and Jenny smiled. Maddy watched her walk up to Effy and say something to her. Effy nodded and ran to Maddy.
“Are we leaving?” Her niece asked.
“Yes, we are,” Maddy said.
She bade Gabriel good bye. “It was a pleasure chatting with you.”
He took her hand and placed a light kiss on it. “The pleasure was all mine,” he said. He looked at Matt and extended his hand. “Matt.”
“Gabriel,” Matt replied smoothly, shaking his hand.
Maddy was relieved when they left the play room and walked away.
She didn’t know how she felt about the obvious display of jealousy Matt demonstrated. It may not have been overly aggressive, but she was disturbed by it, nonetheless.
“Matt, do you trust me?” She asked softly as they walked past the restaurant area.
He stopped abruptly and faced her, Effy coming to a standstill beside them. “With my life,” he replied.
“Then you shouldn’t have felt threatened by Gabriel. He was harmless.”
His eyes darkened with concern. “Maddy, vampires are not harmless. They’re powerful beings who not only read minds, but control them, as well.”
She gasped. “You think he was doing something to my mind?”
After a long pause, he said, “No.” He released a heavy sigh and glanced down at Effy who was distracted by a waiter manoeuvring a huge tray laden with plates in his hands. He returned his gaze to Maddy. “I love you and I trust you.”
She smiled. “That’s all I need to know.”
A small commotion erupted from the entrance. “Get out of my way, insolent man! I do not want a tour of this forsaken place!” That voice! Maddy stiffened as dread rose slowly from her limbs and settled in her chest. She dragged her gaze to the entrance and saw the mistress arguing with Viktor.
Maddy watched her brush an angry hand in the air as she made her way into the room. She hadn’t seen the mistress in over a year and she marveled how little the older woman had changed. The mistress was as regal and beautiful as ever, with long, shiny black hair, and a tall, slim body draped in tight, burgundy silk.
“Oh no,” Maddy whispered.
“Do you know her?” Matt asked.
Maddy sighed, her unease growing when she caught the mistress’s gaze land on her. “That’s the mistress of the coven.” She groaned. “And by the look on her face, she’s not very happy.”
He placed a protective arm around Maddy’s waist. “What is she doing here?”
“Apparently looking for me.”
Maddy held her breath as the mistress stopped before them. She glanced down at Effy. “Hello, child.”
“Hi, mistress,” Effy replied in a small voice.
“I hope you have been practicing your gift everyday as I told you.”
Effy blinked. “No. Auntie Mad doesn’t want me to.”
The mistress snapped an infuriated glare at Maddy. “What is the meaning of this?”
Maddy sighed wearily. “She’s still a child. Effy needs to adapt to her gift gradually.”
“Very well, but don’t wait too long. I want the child to focus on improving her skills.”
“Reading minds is a little more than a skill,” Maddy murmured.
“Watch your tone with me, young lady.”
“I’m sorry.” And she was. Maddy paused to ease the tension around her. “What are you doing here?”
“Where else would I be?” The mistress asked, her voice tight with anger. “Madison O’Reilly, I am severely disappointed in you. I had to discover the truth through my crystal ball.”
Maddy cringed as Matt stiffened beside her. “Mistress, I want to introduce you to—”
“First things first,” the mistress said, ignoring Matt. “Where is the wand?”
Maddy’s stomach dropped. “At home, in my purse.”
“That isn’t very convenient now, is it?”
“We were going to see you tomorrow,” Maddy said quickly.
The mistress’s delicately winged brow rose. “We?”
“Matt and I, and Effy, of course,” she added, glancing down at her niece who was looking at the mistress with big eyes. Maddy groaned inwardly. Effy was just as terrified as she was.
“You know the rules, Madison. You must have visitors cleared with me first. We can’t have everyone in New York knowing our location.”
“Yes, mistress, but Matt is—”
“I know who Matthew Walker is and it doesn’t change our rules,” the mistress said coldly.
For the first time, the mistress looked at Matt, her brows raised haughtily. Maddy felt so awful for him. What a terrible first meeting. “Mistress, I’m sorry I didn’t immediately notify you of the wand. So much has happened, I didn’t have time.”
“The wand is one of the reasons I am here,” the mistress said, directing her attention back to Maddy. “I have already sent word out to the other covens around the world that your mission was a success. You’re somewhat of a celebrity in our circle now.”
Maddy didn’t feel like a celebrity. She’d only wanted to accomplish her mission so no one else suffered her fate. Her thoughts went to father and her sister. “I’m just happy it’s over.”
For a split second, the mistress’s expression faltered, revealing a flicker of compassion, surprising Maddy. “I know you are.” Maddy must have imagined the mistress’s face softening because her mouth was hard again, her eyes cold. “Now that we have that discussion out of the way, onto more important matters.” She cast a distasteful look around the room, clicking her tongue. “How do people stand it here? It’s so confining, positively stifling.” She scowled as she glanced up at the ceiling. “No sky!”
“Mistress, please,” Maddy said with exasperation. She marveled at Matt’s self restrain. He stood tight-lipped beside her, regarding the mistress with a silence Maddy was beginning to find increasingly alarming. She was afraid he was going to snap.
“All right. All right,” the mistress said. “Madison, you and Effy are coming with me.”
Maddy tensed. “Excuse me?”
“Since I discovered you are a white witch, your safety is my top priority. I must teach you to develop your powers. You must learn how to protect yourself. Come, you and Effy are going to stay with me at the coven until your training is complete.”
Matt growled. “Maddy and Effy are staying with me,” he said, enunciating each word slowly.
The mistress shot him a doubtful look tinged with irritation. “You cannot protect them as well as I can.”
“I can and I will,” he said with dead calm.
“Stop it. Both of you.” Maddy was beginning to feel more than a little distressed. “Mistress, I understand you want to protect me, but I’m staying with Matt.”
“I was afraid you would say that.”
“We’re getting married. Matt is my one.”
“I am well aware of that.”
“How?”
“Why, my ball, of course.”
Suspicion welled in Maddy’s breast. “Why...why have you been looking at me in your ball?” She asked.
For the first time, the mistress released a weary breath. “I have been keeping a very close eye on you and Effy since your mother and sister died.”
“Why?” Maddy was confused and it showed on her face. “I thought you were disappointed I wasn’t born with the gift. I thought you wanted nothing more to do with me.”
The mistress shook her head. “Silly girl,” she said more calmly, as though all the anger had left her system. “The coven is a family. We are all sisters. I gave you your space because I felt you needed time to adjust to your human life. My crystal ball, however, always made sure I was near you.”
“I didn’t know.”
“No, of course you didn’t. How could you? Our crystal balls reveal all the truths to us and since you didn’t have one, how could you have known? It’s a shame your sister’s ball was destroyed in the car accident. I always knew it wasn’t safe for her to lug it everywhere with her. You could have inherited it. No matter, once Leo and Matt steal the ball back from Garos, you can have that one.” Matt inhaled sharply and she shot him a raised brow. “Oh, come now. It’s obvious that will be Leo’s next plan of attack.”
“Of course, but I would like to think our plans are top secret,” he remarked dryly. “Is there anything you don’t know?”
She gave him a haughty look. “Only things that do not concern me or my coven. I respect people’s privacy.” She dismissed Matt and looked at Maddy. “My dear, you have always been and always will be one of us.”
Maddy chewed her lip. Not quite, she thought. “On the next full moon I’m turning into a lycan.”
“I know.”
“Oh.”
The mistress narrowed her dark gaze on Matt. “Maddy and Effy will be powerful forces one day. The ones who have strayed to the dark side will want to control them. Give me your word no harm will ever come to them.”
Matt drew his arms around Maddy and Effy, his expression firm and unyielding. “I would give my life to protect them.”
The mistress stared at Matt for so long, Maddy was afraid of what she was going to say. Finally, her expression eased. “That will do. I will be off now.” She nodded briefly at Maddy and Effy. “I expect you two to visit us. The sisters miss you.”
Maddy nodded, her throat choked up. “Thank you,” she said softly.
The mistress shot Matt an imperious look. “You can come, too, I suppose. By the way, if Leo ever needs our help with Garos, all he has to do is ask. Tell him I am grateful for his help at ridding us of Catherine.”
Matt nodded brusquely.
Maddy inhaled slowly, afraid to ask the mistress what she wanted to know. “Mistress, do you think...do you think I can cure my grandmother’s condition one day?”
The mistress didn’t respond right away. “I don’t know, Madison. In time, we will know what you can accomplish.”
The mistress turned to walk away, but not before she gave Maddy one last look. For a split second, Maddy saw a flash of warmth in her eyes.
The mistress left as quickly as she arrived. Maddy leaned her head against Matt’s strong shoulder and closed her eyes. “That was interesting,” she said.
“I’ll say,” Matt replied dryly.
He kissed her on the top of her head and bent to lift Effy in his arms. “Come on. It’s time to go. We need to make a detour to my place so I can collect some things.”
Maddy nodded and they all made their way to the door, her spirits high at the discovery she’d just made.
The mistress always cared for her.
Chapter Nine
Maddy closed the front door behind them as Matt placed his bags on the floor in the hall and Effy went into the living room. Maddy was still reeling from her new discovery. Matt’s place was hardly a place. It was more of a mansion.
“When you live for two hundred years and invest properly, you acquire a lot of wealth,” he’d remarked casually. “Maddy, you should know my worth is in the millions.”
The news had staggered her and she’d wondered what else she didn’t know about him.
Matt straightened from placing his bags on the floor in her hall and turned to face Maddy. “I made a quick call while I was packing my things. I have someone coming tomorrow to repair the door properly.”
Maddy smiled. “Thank you, Matt. Although I must say, your temporary job isn’t that bad.”
“After I was a black smith, I was a carpenter. That was a long time ago, but I suppose it’s like riding a bike.”
Maddy smiled at him as placed her keys on the hall table. She lowered herself to the floor and peered under the table. She reached for her purse and rose, opening it. Her wand was right where she’d placed it when she’d been at Leo’s office. Maddy pulled it out and stared at it. The family curse preyed on her mind more than ever now and she wished they could leave for the coven tonight.
Matt caught her gaze
. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry. By tomorrow afternoon, your coven mistress will destroy Catherine’s curse and you never have to worry about my safety again.”
She wished she was as confident as Matt. “There’s been many cases where the curse struck soon after one of Catherine’s descendants fell in love.”
“Maddy, only silver can kill me and I have avoided it for two hundred years. One more day won’t make a difference.”
She placed the wand on the hall table. “I hope you’re right.”
His cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket as Maddy went into the living room to check on Effy. Her mind was on the curse and she hoped Matt was right. He may have avoided silver in all his battles, but Maddy knew the dark force behind Catherine’s spell was powerful.
Her niece was engrossed in a picture she was colouring and in spite of Maddy’s dark thoughts, she smiled. She was so happy Effy was excited Matt would be staying with them. Maddy rested her gaze on Effy’s intent profile and a rush of love melted her heart.
“Honey, we’re having an early dinner in about an hour,” she said.
“I’m not hungry,” Effy mumbled without raising her head. “You made me a big breakfast.”
“I know, honey, but we skipped lunch.”
“Okay.”
Matt walked into the living room with the phone on his ear. Maddy didn’t like the look on his face and worry dampened her spirits.
****
“Matt, I just got a call from Garos,” James said. “You have to get Maddy and Effy out of there. He just sent a team to Maddy’s house.”
Matt growled, his gaze holding Maddy’s. “How many are there? Dammit, James, the child is here.”
“I know. Five are on their way. Get out, now.”
Tall Dark Handsome Lycan, Book 4 Page 8