Annie’s cry had everyone turning in my direction. I hadn’t taken three steps down before Drew reached me. For a moment, he stood there, looking at me as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. Then he gently lifted me in his arms and carried me down the rest of the steps. As he did, Annie scooted to the near end of the sofa. She and Drew exchanged a look and he settled me at the other end, helping me lean back before lifting my feet onto the cushions.
“You shouldn’t be up.” He knelt next to the sofa, his hands holding mine.
“No, you shouldn’t,” Miss Serena said as she followed Judith down the stairs.
Neither woman looked pleased with me and I fought the urge to duck my head. Instead, I opted for the truth. “I need to know what happened.” Then, remembering Annie laying into her brother, I looked at her in concern. “Are you all right?”
She looked at me as if I’d grown a second head.
“Am I all right?” she demanded.
“Yeah.” I leaned forward, hissing as pain lanced through my side. Damn it, what happened to me? “Annie, I heard you yelling at Drew when I first woke up. Now you look like you haven’t slept in days. Hell, Annie, you look about like I feel right now.” Which wasn’t good.
She opened her mouth and then closed it with a snap. As she did, Quinn lightly rested a hand on her shoulder. They said nothing, not that they needed to.
“Meg, we’ve been scared shitless, all of us,” Quinn said softly, and the others nodded. “Can you tell us what happened?”
“Not until she’s had her tea and I’ve checked her wound,” Miss Serena said firmly.
She snapped her fingers and the dogs moved to sit next to Lucas’ chair. Then she looked at Drew, just looked at him. He leaned forward and gently kissed me before climbing to his feet. He stepped back just enough for her to take his place.
“And you, young lady, are not to get off this sofa without help until Judith or I say you can. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Just then, she reminded me very much of my mother when she’d been worried about me after I’d done something incredibly stupid.
While Judith ushered everyone except for Drew into the kitchen, Miss Serena pushed my tee shirt up to expose the bandage on my side. Gently, she eased the tape holding the bandage in place from my skin. I lifted my head, trying to see but her head was in my way. Drew’s expression, however, told me more than I wanted to know. He paled and a muscle in his jaw worked as he clenched his teeth together so tightly I could almost hear them grinding.
“Tell me.”
“You’re healing. That’s what you need to remember.”
Miss Serena lightly traced the edges of what I assumed was a wound of some sort. The skin tingled for a moment before heating. The warmth spread outward from her hand and the pain began to ease. As it did, I took my first easy breath since waking.
Seeing Drew watching, his expression strained, I held out my hand. The moment our fingers touched, I felt better. Our energies merged and I drew on them, letting them bolster Miss Serena’s healing energies.
“Who hit you?” I asked softly.
He rubbed his bruised jaw as if he’d forgotten it. “Quinn.” When I opened my mouth, he shook his head. “Don’t. She’s apologized and, to be honest, I deserved it.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Then I nodded. They had a history I didn’t know yet and wasn’t sure I wanted to. No woman wants to know one of her best friends – and I couldn’t deny it any longer. Quinn and Annie had become the best friends I’d ever had – had slept with her boyfriend.
“There.” Miss Serena replaced the bandage and pulled my shirt down. Then she pulled a quilt from the back of the sofa and covered my legs. When she finally looked up at me, she smiled slightly, relief reflected in her eyes. “Another day or two and you’ll be fine. But you have to take it easy and do as Judith and I tell you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I released Drew’s hand and reached for hers. “I’m sorry.”
She brushed a lock of hair from my forehead and looked at me in question. “For what?”
“For worrying you.”
She closed her eyes and a myriad of emotions washed across her face. When she looked at me again, tears shone in her eyes and she bent to kiss my forehead. “Meg, you have nothing to apologize for. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s the rest of us. I’m simply relieved you’re going to be all right. I’ve already lost your mother, twice now. I don’t want to lose you.”
Emotion choked me and I swallowed hard. Carefully, I pushed into a sitting position. As I did, Drew carefully arranged the pillows behind me. Then he stepped back, sensing this needed to be between Miss Serena and me and no one else.
“You aren’t going to lose me,” I said softly.
Maybe it was being near death and, even though they hadn’t said it, I knew I had been. Nothing else could explain how tired they all looked or how worried. Maybe it was telling Annie before I did my face-plant at the café that I’d join the practice. All I knew for sure was I needed to say this, and Miss Serena needed to hear it. So, I held her hand in both of mine and hoped I didn’t botch it.
“Miss Serena, Mom told me long ago that we were lucky. We got to choose our family because, other than the two of us, we had no blood ties.” Tears stung my eyes as I remembered that conversation. I’d been fourteen, maybe fifteen, and we’d been sitting at the kitchen table, working on one of my homework assignments. “You, if you’ll have me, are my family. You and Amy. Mom loved you. She wouldn’t have sent me here if she didn’t and if she didn’t want me to come to know you and love you too. She knew I needed you, needed Mossy Creek.”
A single tear ran down her cheek and she sat on the edge of the sofa and carefully pulled me to her. For a long time, we sat there, our arms around each other. Comforting and giving comfort. I felt Drew nearby. Relief and approval radiated from him. When Miss Serena helped me lie back, it didn’t surprise me to see the others hovering nearby.
Miss Serena smiled down at me as she gently cupped her hand against my cheek. “We are family, Meg.” She sniffled and then smiled. “Welcome home.” She kissed my cheek and then stood.
I glanced around, seeing the worried yet hopeful expressions the others wore.
“I don’t know if Annie told you.” I paused, looking at her and she shook her head. “I agreed to join her practice before everything happened. You, each of you, not to mention this crazy house.” I swear the house laughed in the back of my mind. “Helped me see that I’ve come home. That explains at least one of the reasons why Mom sent me here. Like Miss Serena, you’ve become friends and family quicker than I’d ever have thought possible and I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“I’ll repeat what Serena said, you have nothing to apologize for,” Judith said firmly. “Quinn, you can help me get breakfast for everyone. Annie, sit or I will call your grandmother and tell her you aren’t taking care of yourself.” She waited until the redhead sat on the far end of the sofa. “And you, Andrew Grissom, can quit hovering over Meg and go shower and change clothes.”
“But—”
“I’m all right, love. Go.”
He looked at me for a moment, a small, satisfied smile lifting the corners of his lips. Then he dropped to a knee next to the sofa. With everyone looking on, he kissed me. As he leaned back, he winked, and I shook my head. He’d staked his claim in front of people we both cared for. Not that I minded one bit.
An hour later, my friends – my new family – filled the living room. Sam, Beth, Amy, Lucas and even Miss Peggy joined us. Lucas, dressed in jeans and a polo shirt with the sheriff’s logo embroidered on it, sat in a chair near the sofa. Quinn sat on the arm of his chair. Sam sat on the floor at Annie’s feet. Everyone else had found places to sit, some of the floor, others on chairs. No one seemed the least bit surprised when Drew sat on the sofa, shifting me so I rested against his chest. With his arms gently cradling me, I knew it was time to get down to business.
“Can you tell us what happened, Meg?” Luca
s asked gently.
“Before I do, I need some answers.” To more than a few questions. “What day it is?” I had a feeling I’d been out of it more than a few hours and that scared me.
“Thursday.” Miss Serena held my gaze, letting me see I no longer had anything to worry about.
“T-Thursday?” I swallowed hard.
“Shh,” Drew soothed. “It’s all right. You’re all right.”
But I hadn’t been. Not by a long shot.
“Meg, we’ll tell you everything, but I need to know what happened to you.” Lucas waited until I nodded, still too stunned to speak.
I closed my eyes and thought back. I started by telling them about arriving at the office. From time to time, Annie or Beth added a detail. By the time it came to telling about how Beth and Annie left for Annie’s doctor’s appointment, I’d gotten into the rhythm of it all.
No, nothing of note happened at the office after they left. Nothing felt off and the dogs hadn’t seemed bothered by anything. I remembered Drew calling to see if I wanted to meet for lunch. When I talked about looking forward to seeing him soon, he bent and lightly kissed the curve of my neck. It wasn’t much, but it reminded me I wasn’t alone and never had to be again.
“What about when you left the office?” Lucas asked.
“I remember thinking what a nice day it was as the dogs and I walked down the street toward the café. There were others out, as you’d expect.” And maybe I hadn’t been paying as close attention as I should have.
I closed my eyes again, thinking. “Someone bumped into me.” My brow furrowed, and I focused on what happened. “We were maybe two doors down from the café when this guy all but knocked me over. He hit me so hard, I fell against the wall of the bank. It jarred me pretty good. My shoulder hurt where I hit the brick. I turned to rip the guy a new one, but he was already disappearing down the corner.”
“Can you describe him?” Lucas asked.
“Screw that,” Quinn said coldly. “Did you recognize him?”
I shook my head, eyes still closed as I visualized the scene. “His head was down, hands in his pockets, He wore a hoodie and the hood was up. I didn’t see his face. I don’t think he even looked up and he didn’t say anything. He just kept barreling down the sidewalk.”
“Height? Weight?”
“Sorry, Lucas. I shrugged it off, pissed because he hadn’t even apologized.”
“It’s okay, babe. What then?” Drew shifted me slightly on his lap, holding me even closer if possible.
“The dogs knew something was wrong.” I reached down to caress first Athena’s ears and then Apollo’s. “I didn’t.” I shook my head. That wasn’t quite right. “I couldn’t.” I went on to describe the pain and how the world seemed to fog over. “I knew I needed to get to the café.” I looked up at Drew. “I knew you’d be there and you’d take care of me.”
“Always.”
“What did he do to me?”
For a moment, no one spoke. They looked from one to the other, their expressions ranging from worried and angry. Then, to my surprise, Amy spoke.
“He stabbed you with a very narrow blade, Meg. I’m talking almost needle thin. That’s probably why you didn’t realize right away you’d been hurt. Fortunately, you reacted, probably on instinct, and that kept the blade from hitting anything vital. But you bled, a lot.”
“But there’s more.” The fact they’d stood watch over me for so long told me that much.
“There is,” Miss Serena confirmed. “The blade was magicked.”
My mouth went dry and my hands closed around Drew’s forearms. Mom had taught me the danger of abusing my talents, but I was no witch. My biggest temptation was letting anger rule and take control of my abilities. But for a witch to abuse his or her talents… . I swallowed against the bile in my throat and drew a deep, shuddering breath.
“Meg, look at me.” Judith spoke firmly and waited until I did. “We’re not going to lie to you. It was touch and go for a bit. We had to identify what he’d done and how. But the three of us —” She indicated herself, Miss Serena and Amy – “are three of the strongest healers you’ll ever find, especially Amy. Amy held you here, feeding you the energies you needed to stay alive while Serena and I identified the spells and potions he used. “You’re not only alive but you are almost healed now. The biggest problem we had was in stopping the bleeding. Now you just need to rest, eat and build your strength back up.”
“And now that we have a bit more to go on, I will get back to work.” Lucas climbed to his feet and moved to the sofa. Tears stung my eyes when he bent and kissed my cheek, telling me to take care of myself. “Drew, you have the rest of the day off, but I need you back on duty tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Lucas.” Drew nuzzled my neck before continuing. “For everything.”
“Been there, man. I understand.” He rested his hand on Drew’s shoulder for a moment and then stepped back. “I’ll be back later.”
“Let me know if you find anything,” Quinn said as she walked him to the door.
“Drew, take her back upstairs and both of you get some rest. I’ll check on you later,” Miss Serena said.
Even if I’d wanted to protest, Drew didn’t give me time. He gathered me in his arms and stood. Miss Serena kissed my cheek and told me not to worry. Everything was going to be all right. I hoped she was right.
Chapter 22
“What are you doing up and where’s my brother?”
Annie set the book she’d been reading to one side and looked at me in disapproval. As she did, Brigid lifted her head, as if making sure I didn’t present a threat. Then she rested her snout on her paws and once against closed her eyes. Instead of answering immediately, I looked around. No one else appeared to be downstairs. Relieved, I took a seat next to Annie. Apollo and Athena settled at my feet.
“Drew’s sleeping.” I took a careful breath, relieved it didn’t hurt. “Be honest, Annie. Are you all right?”
She looked at me for a moment before answering. Then she sighed. When she did, she looked as tired as Drew had when he’d carried me upstairs an hour earlier.
“I’ve been so worried about you.” She pressed the fingers of her right hand to her eyes. I waited, giving her time. To my surprise, when she looked at me a few moments later, she smiled. “One good thing did come out of what happened.”
I felt my right brow wing up in surprise. Of everything she could have said, that was the last thing I expected.
“What?” I asked suspiciously.
“We no longer represent Claire Brumfield. Beth delivered a motion to the court yesterday asking for us to be removed. I’m too far along in my pregnancy and you have been injured and we don’t know when you will return to work.” Her eyes sparkled, and I laughed a little painfully. “Brumfield tried to object but the judge ruled it was in her best interest to have new counsel appointed.”
No wonder she smiled. I did too. In the short time I’d been in town, I’d seen and heard enough about the case to know it would be nothing but trouble. Still, she hadn’t answered my question. “Annie,” I prompted.
“I’m fine. Just tired. The others made sure I rested, but I didn’t want to leave until I knew you were all right.”
I leaned over and hugged her. “I’m fine. I want you to go home to Sam and Robbie.”
“They’re picking me up later.”
Relieved, not only because I worried about her but because it meant I was getting better, I relaxed. “What else?”
“Quinn tried to take my brother’s head off.” She grinned, and I wondered how she could be so nonchalant about it.
“I remember waking the first time and hearing people arguing. Was that when she did it?”
“Probably.” She gave a slight shrug before rubbing her belly. From her private little smile, I guessed the baby was kicking.
“What?”
“Those two are very much alike and more likely to try to pound one another into the ground than deal with wha
tever’s bothering them. Watching them right after you were hurt was like watching them when we were ten or so. Scared, angry because they couldn’t do anything to help you, they took it out on each other. Quinn got in a lucky shot.”
“Lucky my ass,” Quinn said as she came down the stairs. She kissed first Annie’s cheek and then mine. “Let me put the dogs out to run and then we need to talk.”
Worried, I told Apollo and Athena to go with her. As she led her Mals, as well as Brigid and my dogs out of the room, I looked at Annie in question. She shrugged. Whatever Quinn had on her mind, she hadn’t shared it. Why didn’t that make me feel any better?
“All right, before everyone gets here, we need to talk,” Quinn commented as she returned. She dropped onto one the chairs and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “Lucas is pulling security video from the businesses between your office and the café. The bank will turn over their security video, not only from their cameras but from the ATM as soon as he has a subpoena. Judge Caldwell is waiting to sign the paperwork as soon as it’s ready.”
“But?” There had to be a but. She wouldn’t be a serious if that was all she had to tell us.
“But Tommy Caulfield, one of the reserve deputies, was leaving his mother’s real estate office about the time you were stabbed and saw an older model, dark blue sedan speeding away from downtown. He got a partial plate.”
“And?” Annie reached across the sofa for my hand and held it.
“It was a partial only, but it could be a match to a sedan registered to a connection of your mother’s birth parents.”
I stared at her, not sure I’d heard correctly. She had to be mistaken. The Luíseachs might hate me, just as they’d hated my mother, but they wouldn’t have used an Other to harm me. Wouldn’t they have found a more conventional way of trying to deal with me? Hell, wouldn’t using an Other be against everything they stood for?
“Like I said, it was just a partial, but Lucas is going to have to talk to them. Is there anything you know or can think of that can help him?”
I wished there were. “No.”
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