Blooming Black: Rosewood Academy of Witches and Mages (Darkly Sweet Book 4)

by Juliann Whicker

  How did she get here? Where was Zach? How could she possibly follow me when I was giving her space so nobly and out of the abysmally small goodness of my heart? I walked over to her, letting my boots hit the floor heavily. I stood beside the pile of convulsing glory.

  “How are things?” I finally asked.

  She raised up enough I could see her pale face and enormous eyes before everything tightened up and she disappeared beneath the avalanche of hair.

  “Are you a stowaway or are you taking your position as Stoneburrow employee too seriously?”

  She whimpered. “Go away.”

  “It’s been awhile since we bonded. I suppose now is as good a time as any.” I picked her up, careful not to pull her hair, holding her against my chest while she curled up, wearing her lace robe and something silky and pink polkadotted beneath. She had no shoes. She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my neck. Her lips were soft, her cheekbone hard, her eyelashes the sweetest butterfly brushes.

  I carried her into the main compartment where I could sit down on the couch, holding her on my lap, inhaling her, touching her as I’d ached to do for an eternity. She trembled in my arms, but didn’t look at me for the rest of the flight. It was too short. When we landed, when the irritating flight attendant came out to talk about seatbelt safety, she pushed away from me and stumbled across the corridor to the ladder.

  She would have fallen down if I hadn’t grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against me. She elbowed me in the ribs, but I ignored it as I walked slowly, holding her carefully but very firmly. She couldn’t just stow away on my plane and then leave the moment we landed. She was mine and I wasn’t ever going to let her go again.

  When we reached the tarmac, she slipped out of my arms and hit the ground, pressing her cheek and palms against it. I stood there clenching and unclenching my fists, watching her worship solid ground instead of me. How had she gotten away from me? I’d been holding her too carefully so I wouldn’t hurt her internal organs beneath where her ribs had been.

  I glanced out over the wide stretch of runway, the wind rustling my hair across my forehead irritatingly. This wasn’t a pleasure trip, and Penny was what I’d been trying to leave behind. If she didn’t want to stay in my arms, she shouldn’t have followed me.

  “So, this is fun. Penny Lane, do you want to tell me what you’re doing here?”

  She raised her head slowly, eyes enormous, pink lips trembling. She was so deliciously mussed and rumpled, her lace robe falling off of her shoulder and revealing the silky pale skin with a narrow pink polka dot strap.

  “No. Also, I think I’m going to puke.” She did. On my shoes. I snapped my fingers and green sparks ate away everything. She would be starving after this. She must be tired as well. It had been a long flight and she’d been trembling and clinging the entire time. That took energy. I’d been trying not to cling which was equally exhausting and twice as irritating.

  “Charming. I can’t begin to understand why I didn’t propose to you sooner. Are you finished?”

  She looked up at me, horror, embarrassment, self-loathing all clearly evident in her eyes before she peeled herself off the pavement and staggered away. I followed, impatience and anger building with every step. Where did she think she was going?

  She stopped at the edge of the pavement, staring at the ocean beyond the six-foot scrap of brush. “Where are we?” she whispered.

  “An island paradise, at least it was until you arrived. Did you have a reason for stowing away on my jet?”

  She frowned at me, eyes growing dark in spite of her trembling. Maybe she’d hurt me. I’d enjoy that so much. “Your jet?” She raised her shaky hand to point at the jet. “That insignia is carved into my hip, not my shoulder. That’s Zach’s, not yours. I have as much right to be in a Stoneburrow airplane as you do.”

  I nodded, pressing my lips together because all the things I wanted to say were apologies and accusations. I wasn’t allowed to be attached to her. I pulled out my phone and called Zach.

  “How did you like it?” he asked as soon as he answered.

  “Where’s Penny Lane?”

  “She stayed in her room all day. Why?”

  “A witch who looks exactly like Penny Lane in a lace robe just threw up on my shoes.”

  It was quiet for a second. “You took Penny with you? Why would you do that?”

  Penny grabbed my phone away from me and turned, taking two steps away. “Zach, can you come and get me? Maybe bring a boat or a submarine. I don’t know. I’m not sure if I can ever do a jet again. Hold on.” She turned and threw up again, bending down, her hair swinging forward into the mess. Not catching her hair was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

  “So,” she whispered in a raspy voice before she plopped down on the pavement, pale and perspiring, “Can you come?”

  She frowned before she finally held my phone out to me. I gave her a tight smile and took it. How dare she take my phone and then not say thank you or anything else to me? “How did you let this happen?” Zach roared. “You took Penny Lane on an International flight without any protection, no backup, no plan, just you being a complete…”

  I held the phone away from my ear and listened to the waves crash, the wind whisper, Zach’s voice a vaguely annoying distant buzz until I couldn’t hear it anymore and I brought the phone back to my ear.

  “Yes, it is irritating, I agree,” I said glancing pointedly at Penny. She didn’t notice because her head was hanging between her knees while she panted, still clearly feeling the effects of the curse. “Apparently she’s been stealth stalking me. I didn’t even realize she wasn’t avoiding me until I found her convulsing in the cargo bay. It’s a very nice cargo area. I particularly like the LED floor lights.”

  “Fine. If you really want me to think that you can drive for two hours with Penny Lane in your car and not notice, fine. Of course you didn’t want to take her to an island paradise in her grandmama’s lace robe to finish what you started.”

  “That’s an idea. That hadn’t occurred to me, but you’re right. It would be a waste.”

  Penny shuddered. “What’s wrong with me? This is as bad as after a tourney.”

  “Send the coordinates to Peres and I’ll be there in six hours.”

  I hesitated as I stared at Penny. “I can’t do that. This plane and pilot could return here, but no one who wasn’t carrying a Huntsman could find it, not even Peres. I’ll bring her back when I’m done here.”

  “She isn’t yours, Drake. Try to remember that. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

  I curled my lips and hung up. I tucked the phone back into my pocket and swaggered over to Penny Lane. I dropped onto my heels then pushed her hair out of her face so I could examine her. “You look terrible. I should leave you here until I’m ready to return.”

  “That’s fine with me.” Her furious voice matched the darkness in her eyes. Her darkness was so beautiful. Did she have any idea?

  I snapped my fingers, dissolving the mess and leaving sparks that made her blink and flinch. “Zach specifically asked me not to. It’s almost like he wants you to think that he cares. We both know it’s impossible for a mage to actually care about you. You should be careful with him.” As an aberration she was exactly what any mage could care about. So many lies.

  She smiled a sudden sweet smile that made my heart pound. “It’s okay. I’m never going to fall for another mage. I should probably thank you for breaking my heart, getting it over with. It’s a huge relief.”

  I smiled back at her and offered my hand. “I’m so delighted to be of service. Come on, Penny Lane. Walking might help. Perhaps the brisk sea breeze will as well.”

  She stood but didn’t take my hand. Instead, she crossed her arms and walked with determination in the wrong direction.

  I cleared my throat. “That’s the way to Rosewood. The house is actually behind me.”

  She stopped walking, hands in tight fists before she whirled around and stalked pa
st me in the other direction. She stopped to throw up twice before we’d left the tarmac. She was seriously sick. I tapped my fingers on my pants before I began to mutter under my breath the spell that would take the edge off her curse.

  I gave her a few more instructions, but I let her lead the way. That way I could watch her walk, the sway of her hips, the way her hair caught the sunshine, her beautiful ankles and bare feet. We left the airstrip and took a small trail through the thick undergrowth towards my mother’s beach house mausoleum.

  Chapter 32

  Witch

  “Why did you take off for an island holiday in the middle of a school week?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at him.

  He gestured with one perfectly formed hand, “It’s family business.”

  “Family or business?”

  “My family is a business. Didn’t we already cover this topic exhaustively?”

  I winced. Yes, we’d had that conversation back in my dismal garret a world away from this lush tropical paradise, the water crashing and beckoning, as alive and compelling as the mage I’d accidentally stalked. I stepped carefully over the thick roots that lay across the path. “It seems like a really long trip for a business meeting.”

  “Does it? You haven’t had a lot of business meetings.”

  I stopped walking and turned around, arms crossed over my chest to keep from accidentally caressing or killing him. I kept my chin up even though my stomach tied itself in knots. “If you’re done playing with me, does that include Darkly Sweet?”

  “How can we have a business meeting without Señor Mort and Professor Cadaver?”

  My heart pounded. Talking to him like this was so difficult. “Is that a no?”

  He glanced away from me, staring at the ocean before he gave me an indifferent shrug. “Your business is safe from me. I haven’t touched it and don’t intend to. You can go back to being a small, insignificant brand with no money but an excess of soul. Anything else?”

  I pressed my lips together to keep the words back, angry, weak, pleading words that would only irritate him. I walked without saying anything else for a long time. I didn’t comment on the lush greenery or the flowers that dripped from trees.

  When we got to the bridge over the stream, I paused and gripped the railing as I stared at the waterfall. I could see a rainbow in the spray as it hung, dazzling around the rocks. I’d always thought that pictures like that weren’t real. I shook my head and continued on. What was I doing there? I’d been sleeping in his car when he climbed in. I’d thought I could just stay there while he went to town and back, but the trip was long enough I wouldn’t be able to walk back on my own. Then at the airfield, I’d seen him walking, seen the jet, and couldn’t help myself. Yes. I’d crept into the cargo hold, because I wanted to see Drake. I hadn’t meant to get stuck there when the men loading the cargo closed it up. Idiotic of me, but I’d never been to an airport much less on any kind of plane. He must think I was the most pathetic creature in the world. He must be so glad he hadn’t married me.

  Still. “It’s beautiful here,” I admitted in a soft voice he shouldn’t have heard.

  “Yes. The view is almost worth the flight.” His voice wasn’t quiet or gentle. He sounded irritated.

  He grabbed my arm and swung me around, his eyes narrowed as he studied me, critically taking in my pasty skin and pale lips. I was probably going to throw up again. His lip curled. “Don’t get excited, Penny Lane. I just realized that you need sunscreen. If you’d rather burn and I heal you later, I suppose that’s an option.”

  I bit my lip and closed my eyes. I waited, pathetically enjoying his hand on my arm, that contact that made me thrum and ache at the same time. It seemed to take a very long time. “Are you done?”

  I opened my eyes and saw his magic dance along my skin, green sparks sliding over my flesh, a dance that smelled like black cherry. I pulled away and started walking. Why would he smell like that, even if only for a moment?

  “Such an impatient witch.”

  “As though witches were supposed to be virtuous.”

  “It’s peculiar. You claim to be in love with me, but you aren’t staring at me rapturously. Clearly you’re still stalking me or you wouldn’t be here, but you do it so terribly.”

  “I’m not stalking you.” No, I wasn’t a virtuous anything, but I’d tried so hard not to stalk him. Surely that counted for something.

  “Then what were you doing in my car?”

  I hesitated before marching even faster. I stepped on a hard rock and limped, muttering candies under my breath. “It’s none of your business.”

  “I beg your pardon. I forgot for a moment that my car wasn’t any of my concern. How idiotic of me to have such a lapse in mental acuity.”

  I glared at him. My foot hurt, I was going to throw up a million times even though my stomach was empty, and I’d tried so hard to not be just another pathetic girl in love with Drake Huntsman. “I sleep better there. It has nothing to do with stalking you. We both know that I could break into your room and sleep in your bed any time I wanted.”

  The scent of black cherry was unmistakable and more delicious than ever. “You’ve been sleeping in my car regularly? I’m going to have to start charging you rent. Should it be nightly or hourly? Which would make me more money? I have to be very careful with money these days, business being what it is.”

  Business. Of course. I turned, continuing my march away from him. Even if he felt vague desire for me from time to time, it wasn’t anything serious. It didn’t mean anything. “Are you going to marry a witch for money?”

  “That’s an idea. Do you have any recommendations? Marrying for money is about as heartless as marrying to stay in a will.”

  “Now I’m heartless? Macaroons and Bonbons, you’re annoying. Can’t you just stop talking? How far is it to the house, and how long will it take for Zach to get here?”

  “What’s with the sweets thing? Is that how your mother talks?”

  “Sweets is to remind me not to kill people. I’m a macaroon, not a Pitch. Sometimes it’s hard to remember.”

  “Ah, so you want to kill me? That’s good.”

  I whirled around, the green in his eyes bright, hungry. “How is that good? You don’t know good because you’re a mage, but me, I understand good because I don’t have magic. It isn’t good to kill people out of anger or hurt. It’s not good to kill anyone in anything other than defense of either yourself or someone you love. Me killing you would be the opposite of good.”

  He took a step towards me and for a moment I thought his gaze dropped to my mouth. “Opposite of good, hm, would that be bad? I’m a bit new to this whole concept, but it is fascinating to be taught about morality by someone who has no problem with theft or prevarication. I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective, but then it wouldn’t be called morality but preference.”

  I jabbed his chest feeling the bond beneath his clothing, beneath the glamour. He belonged to me. He was mine. “You think I’m a liar?”

  He caught my finger and held it, tight enough that I couldn’t get away, but gentle enough not to bruise me. “You lie to cover up Pitch. You lie to catch yourself a husband. You lie when you look at me and tell me that you aren’t stalking me. You’re assuming that I have something against liars. I adore prevarication. There is an art to it, layering on meanings that have just the right tint of misdirection; a well-told lie is a beautiful thing.”

  The scent of black cherry was everywhere, so sweet and burning, ashes and a hint of blood, dragon and ocean, salt and tears. “Why didn’t you tell me that you loved me?” I shouldn’t have said that. My heart pounded while I ached for the mage that didn’t love me, didn’t want me, but had to deal with me because I’d been stupid enough to follow him onto a jet.

  He raised his perfectly formed eyebrows. “Would that be a good lie? I suppose I didn’t think of it. That wasn’t the game. The game was making you love me even though you knew that I never loved you. It was a good
game. A pity it ended so abruptly.”

  My heart broke all over again. I whirled around and he let go of my hand. The rest of the walk was a blur, a million picture perfect scenes that blended into one throbbing heartache. I should have stayed at the island airport in spite of the men who had looked at me, at what I’d been wearing in a way that made my skin crawl. I needed more serious pajamas. I needed one of those nice thick flannel robes that stayed closed.

  I pulled my robe up again, holding together the fronts to keep them in place. We walked in silence until we reached the stretch of white sand at the base of the craggy rocks. An enormous house that looked like a glass and metal sculpture perched above us at the end of the long white beach.

  I’d never seen so much sand. It felt so nice under my toes. I kicked it up, enjoying the sensation in spite of myself. The stupid motion sickness had almost worn off.

  Drake said, “You should come back down here after you get changed, put on some real sunscreen and a swimming suit. You should relax until Zach comes to rescue you. The curse seems worse this time.”

  I kicked the sand a little harder. “Why do you always call it a curse?”

  “What else could it be?”

  I shook my head. “How am I supposed to relax? You’re right. It’s never been so bad and I’m not sure…” I shivered at the thought of climbing back on that jet, the engines screaming and my whole body trying to shake itself apart. “It’s not like you don’t know how pathetic I am. I really don’t want to do that again.”