“Are you ok? Is Caroline ok? You didn’t say either way in the text and I’ve been frantic all the way over here.” He crushed his mouth against hers, relishing the warm feel of her against him.
She pulled away slightly and looked up at him. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes looked worried. “I’m fine, she’s fine. She’s upstairs pretending like this never happened.”
“I guess that’s probably just as well for her; she’s most likely in shock.”
“Emily’s coming over soon to help me strengthen the wards on the house. Oh, and I need to call the shop and tell them I’m going to be off for a few weeks until we figure this out.”
Jilly grabbed her phone and made the call. Tanya sounded worried when she told her she was taking off, but she quickly told her she was just taking a vacation since Caroline was in town. She hated to lie to her, but it was better that she didn’t know any specifics.
“Can I make you some coffee?” she asked as she walked over to the coffee maker and went about preparing the machine.
William nodded and came over and leaned against the counter behind her. “So tell me what happened. Don’t leave anything out.”
She launched into the story and when she finished he rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a minute before speaking. “That will have been Liam then; I wondered which side he would land on in all of this. He’s always been a bit of a rogue.”
“Oh, I think it’s safe to say he’s chosen,” Jilly said caustically. She brought the pot and two mugs over to the table, and asked William to grab the cream from the fridge.
Once they were seated with their coffee in front of them, William reached across the table and grabbed Jilly’s hand. Although she was expecting it, she still was shocked by the jolt she felt when he touched her skin. After a few seconds, it dulled down to a nice tingling sensation in her fingers.
“I was so worried, Jilly. I’ve not cared for someone like this in many years.”
Jilly’s face was a mask as she thought about how to respond. “Is it really me you care for, or is it Liza? Do you see me, or is it Liza’s face you see when you look in my eyes?”
William sat quietly for a second, lips pressed into a hard line, obviously irritated that she would even ask that.
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. Yes, I loved Liza, but believe me, you are nothing like her. You may look like her, but that’s about where the similarities end.” He was angry, and it made Jilly a little nervous. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held on firmly.
“I had another dream last night. You never told me you loved her,” Jilly said quietly.
William dropped her hand and stepped back. “What do you mean?”
“How you felt was written all over your face, William. It was awkward for me to be in Sabine’s body while you were kissing her.”
William dropped his eyes. “I’m sorry, Jilly. I’m not a saint, and I was very young. I thought for a while that I did love her, but I was wrong,” he said quietly.
Jilly didn’t know what to say, so they just looked at each other, both feeling uncomfortable.
Emily’s voice coming in the door broke the tension in the room. They both went out to meet Emily in the living room. Although her words were bright, Jilly could see the worry in her friend’s eyes. She shot her a look that said “everything’s fine now” and walked over and hugged her. William went out back to take a look around while the girls set about their work.
*
Two hours later they were finished and exhausted. William made them lunch while they sat at the table, trying to regain some of the energy they had just expended.
“Ok,” Jilly said in between bites, “where do we go from here? Do we wait for another attack, or should I agree to this meeting she wants?”
William hesitated for a moment before speaking, chewing on his lower lip while he was thinking. “I think we should let things cool off for a few days. Sabine is going to be angry when she finds out Liam let you escape. She’ll most likely wait a few days before she tries for you again. In the meantime, I think you should stay in the house; Caroline too.” He nodded in Emily’s direction and said, “You should probably stay away until this is done. I’m sure I can speak for Jilly when I say I don’t want to risk the life that you carry within you.”
Emily started to protest, but Jilly silenced her with a look and turned to her. “Em, he’s right; it’s too dangerous for you and the baby. Adam would never forgive me if I let something happen to you. I think you should go as soon as we finish lunch. William will follow you home to make sure you’re safe,” she said, looking at William for confirmation. He nodded in agreement, and the girls finished their lunch in heavy silence.
Jilly could feel the concern coming off Emily like it was salt being thrown on her wounds. She felt so guilty that she was putting her and the baby in danger. She knew that Emily would worry, but it was better for her to worry at home safely than to be here and possibly die.
When they finished clearing away the plates, Emily grabbed Jilly’s hand and drew her in for a hug, squeezing her tightly.
“Be careful, stay smart, listen to William, and take care of Caroline. Actually, she can stay with Adam and me if you want; we have tons of space.”
“I’ll ask her when she wakes up. That may work out great for all of us.”
Jilly walked them both to the door and said good-bye as she watched them get into their respective cars and pull out of the driveway. She let out a long sigh as she leaned against the door frame, watching the cars until they disappeared around the bend.
She felt so helpless being stuck in the house doing nothing. Then she got an idea, ran into the kitchen, and grabbed her grimoire. Seated in the big chair by the fireplace, she tucked her legs underneath her and began flipping through the pages. She was looking for something, but she didn’t know what it was yet. She kept thinking that something was just going to jump out at her or light up or something. She wished her mother were here to give her the guidance she needed so desperately right now. She felt so alone, cut off from everyone she loved by either death or circumstance.
After thirty minutes of fruitless searching, she gave up and closed the book with a sigh of frustration. She got up and wandered out into the living room. She walked around the room slowly, looking at all of the photographs and trinkets that made this house her home. She stopped in front of an old photo of her and Caroline and took it down off the shelf. The photo showed them at age ten, sitting on the back steps, beaming at the camera with chocolate ice cream smeared all over their faces. If only we could go back to that time, she thought to herself as she set the photo back on the shelf. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
William returned with a small overnight bag in his hand and a laptop. “Planning a trip?” Jilly asked him as she let him in.
“I’m staying here until we see this through. I don’t like being so far away if you should need me. I know you have a few guest rooms upstairs; I’ll stay in the one closest to your room if that’s amenable to you.”
“That should be fine. I would normally argue with you about this, but I just don’t have the energy for it.” She led him upstairs to the room next to hers. “Here, you can stay in here if you want. There are clean towels in the linen closet in the hall. You have a private bathroom in here, so you won’t have to worry about running into us in the night. I’m going to go and lie down for a while; I’m spent after all the spell work I did,” she said, stifling a yawn.
“You go ahead and sleep. I’ll keep watch for you,” William said as she closed the door to her room.
Jilly quickly peeled off her sweaty running clothes and contemplated a shower, but thought better of it and threw on an old t-shirt of her dad’s and some sweats and jumped into bed. She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.
She dreamt of her mom. They were sitting on the porch talking, like they used to when she was young. Her mom was telling her to trust in herself, that t
he answers were within her. She also told her to keep watch over Caroline; her life would be taking her in a different direction than anyone had thought. Her mom said to love Caroline and help her on whatever journey she chose. It felt so comfortable and right to Jilly, sitting with her mom, even just hearing her mother’s soft voice.
She must have been crying in her sleep because when she woke up two hours later, her face was wet from the tears. Her heart ached from missing her mother as she sat up in bed crying.
William must have heard her because there was a light knock on the door followed by his gentle voice. “Can I come in, Jilly?”
“Yes,” she said, quickly wiping away her tears.
He sat down next to her on the bed and folded her into his arms. She tried to pull away, but he held her a little tighter and she finally relaxed.
“You need to let me in, Jill. I want to help you. You can’t take all of this on your shoulders; it’s not good for you,” he murmured into her hair as he held her.
“How can I let you in? I don’t even know you,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t you? Look inside yourself and tell me that you don’t know me.”
There was such tenderness in his voice, Jilly melted into his arms. She cried harder now, for the loss of her mother, and for the feeling of helplessness she felt now. She cried until finally she was out of tears, and William gently let her go and wiped away her tears with his hands. He looked deeply into her eyes, and kissed her softly on the lips before standing up.
“I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready to come out. I’m going to scrounge around for something for dinner.”
When he was gone, Jilly got up and took a long hot shower, letting the hot spray wash away all her doubts and fears. She felt immensely better when she walked out of her room thirty minutes later. Whether from the crying or the shower, she wasn’t sure.
She found William in the kitchen, reading the cooking instructions on a frozen pizza. He looked up when she came in. She eyed the box when she walked over. “It was either this or sandwiches again, and I figured since we had them for lunch this would be better.” He raised his eyebrows in question.
“That’s fine. At this point I’m so hungry I would probably eat the box it came in and be happy,” Jilly said with a laugh. William smiled at her and started rummaging in the cabinets for a pan. Jilly rounded the island and pointed him in the right direction before perching herself on a bar stool.
Once the pizza was in the oven and the timer was set, he grabbed a few Cokes out of the fridge and joined her at the counter. “Feeling better now?” he asked with a voice dripping with concern.
“I do actually. I’m not sure if it’s from the crying, or the shower, but I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest. Thank you for being there. I didn’t realize how much I had been holding in and how alone I was feeling.” She looked down at her hands as she spoke, feeling the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks.
“I’m here, and I’ll be here as long as you want me to be. I have nothing but time,” William said with a wry smile.
Jilly changed the subject and asked him to tell her about his travels.
“Well, let’s see, first I was in England, and I traveled north into Scotland for a while, and then I stayed in London for a time. I enjoyed my time there very much; I met a great many people whom I will never forget and whom I’m proud to say were my friends. After that I went to France, as you know, but I didn’t stay long because of Sabine. Then I traveled as far east as I could go, ending up in Russia. I stopped in many tiny countries that no longer exist along the way; I met a few people like myself, one in particular in Russia named Nikolai. He and his wife Katya were the first of my kind who I had met that were not mad with power. I stayed with them for many years; we traveled together for sixty years or so before they returned home to Russia.” He had a wistful expression that Jilly found very appealing for some reason.
“I’ve never been anywhere,” she said with a touch of longing in her voice. “I’ve always wanted to go to England and Ireland, and Rome. Rome seems so romantic and full of culture.” She blushed slightly when William looked at her.
“Oh, Italy is very romantic, Rome is beautiful, and Venice and Florence are superb. We should go in the summer, when the air is warm and sweet. We could rent a villa in Tuscany, or Rome if you prefer.”
The slight blush was full blown now, and Jilly was at a loss for words. Luckily the buzzer on the oven went off and she was saved from having to respond. As William got the pizza out, she set the table and brought over a trivet for the pan.
Once they were seated, he took his first bite and said, “You know, this isn’t half bad for frozen pizza.”
“I know, right? It’s one of my guilty pleasures. This and chocolate ice cream I can’t live without.”
They both laughed and continued eating in silence.
Caroline finally emerged from her cocoon of sleep about an hour after they finished eating. She looked sleepy, but otherwise ok. “We saved you some pizza; it’s in the oven on the pan still,” Jilly told her sister.
“Thanks,” she mumbled in response as she shuffled over to the oven. Once she had her plate full of food, she joined them at the table to eat. “So, what have I missed since I’ve been in my drug induced coma?”
“Not much actually,” Jilly replied. “Em and I reinforced the wards on the house, and William is staying here for a while. Emily says you can crash at her place until this all blows over if you want.” She looked at her sister, trying to gauge her feelings by her face.
“Ok, well I guess it’s reasonable that William stays here; we have the room, right? As for staying at Emily’s, I think I’ll pass; I wouldn’t feel right abandoning you with all of this.”
“You wouldn’t be, you would just be staying safe.”
“I don’t see it that way, Jill. If you’re in this, I’m in this,” Caroline said, her words as fierce as her expression.
Jilly was surprised. This was a side of Caroline she hadn’t seen in a long time. “I’ll call and tell her you’re staying here then,” she said with a proud smile.
They chatted about nothing in particular while Caroline ate, enjoying each other’s company.
Once she was finished eating, Caroline pushed her plate away and looked from Jilly to William. “So what’s our plan of attack?”
“As of right now, we don’t have one. We’re waiting to see what Sabine does next,” William said. “I think we should give it a few days before we do anything. I told Jilly she has to stay in the house since it’s protected, and that goes for you as well since you’re staying.”
“Ok, I can do that.” Caroline turned and faced Jilly. “I’ve been thinking a lot the last few days, and I think I might want to start some training. What you said made sense; it is reckless to be in possession of something so dangerous and not know a thing about it.” She had a shy smile on her face, her tone sheepish.
Jilly was shocked; never in her wildest dreams did she think her sister would ever want to claim her heritage. She tried not to let her surprise show on her face. “I guess since we’ll have a few days at home we can start you off with a few basic spells. We can begin in the morning if that’s ok with you?”
“I appreciate this, Jill. I know it’s rotten timing, with everything that’s going on. But I never want to feel as defenseless as I felt when that man attacked us in the forest.” She stood up and put her plate in the sink. “I’m going up to my room to watch some TV and relax; I should be in there for the rest of the night if you need me.”
She washed her hands and climbed the stairs to her room. They heard the click from her door closing, and Jilly suggested they move to the living room where it was more comfortable.
*
When they sat down on the couch, Jilly felt a little awkward; she was unsure of how close to sit to William. After the closeness they shared in her room, she wasn’t quite sure where things stood between them. William made
the decision for her, and he pulled her in close as he looked over at the fireplace. Flames suddenly erupted out of nowhere, bathing the room in a soft orange glow. Jilly looked over at it and said in wonder, “I’m never going to get used to that.”
She leaned back into his arm and they sat quietly for a while. It was nice to just be for a while, to not think about anything or worry that something was happening outside of their control. She could still feel the small tingles where his skin touched hers and it was a pleasant feeling.
Suddenly she became all too aware of the heat of his body against hers, and she felt a little lightheaded. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, feeling suddenly shy being so close to him.
Using the bathroom as an excuse, she fled the room quickly. Splashing water on her burning cheeks, she looked at herself in the mirror. Get a grip, he’s just a boy, she said to herself, trying to work up the courage to go back out to him. She finally calmed down and walked back out to the living room.
Wanting to break some of the tension, she grabbed the remote and turned the TV on before sitting back down. William must have noticed her change in demeanor, because he looked at her sideways before settling back into the cushions. She made a point to sit a little away from him, but he slid over and put his arm around her. She gave up trying to fight it and just let herself relax into him as they watched TV.
An hour later, they were both getting tired. Jilly turned off the TV and they both got up and stretched.
“I’m ready for bed I think, but you’re more than welcome to stay up if you want. I have a ton of books in the den, or you can watch more TV if you want to.”
“No, I think I’m ready for bed too.”
They walked upstairs side by side in silence. When they reached her door, William took Jilly in his arms and kissed her. Not the kind of kiss that he had given her before either. She was totally unprepared for the heat behind it. Her whole body turned into molten lava. As the kiss deepened, her hands explored the muscles of his back. Without warning, he pulled away.
Mark of the Witch (Boston Witches) Page 6