“What do you want?” she snapped.
There was no need to play games. “Shut down whoever you’ve put on Gabi. I’m going to keep her.”
Jenna sighed, then shushed someone in the background. A man. No wonder she was breathless. “If you want to keep her knock her up,” she snapped. “If she has a Springer baby in her I’ll let her stay.”
He would love for Gabi to have his baby, one day. But not like this. It would be a choice they made together, when the time was right. “She stays, no matter what.”
Again, that long-suffering sigh. “We need to talk about this, face to face.”
“I can’t get away.”
“Tomorrow,” she conceded. “Surely you can find half an hour to meet me. I’ll come to you. Anywhere in town, you choose.”
“Aren’t you still keeping your presence here a secret?” he asked.
“Is it still a secret, Silas?” she asked, as if she knew he’d told. Maybe she did. “I’m not an unreasonable woman.”
She wasn’t exactly reasonable, either.
“I’ll think about it.” With that, he ended the call.
It occurred to him, as he went back into the house, that he was going to have to tell Gabi about the spell to isolate the town and everyone in it. It would be a lot to take in, after just learning about the town’s biggest secrets. But she deserved to have a choice. She deserved to know what she was getting into, by choosing to stay in Mystic Springs.
And if she deserved a choice, didn’t everyone else in town? Springer or not, there were young people out there who would never have a choice about whether to stay or go. They’d be trapped. He’d been as selfish as Jenna when he’d agreed to her plan, when he’d agreed to participate in it.
How could he possibly tell Gabi about his suspicions where Mia was concerned? That’s all they were, suspicions, but keeping that from her felt like a betrayal. He hadn’t been beholding to a human for so long, he wasn’t sure where the lines were, he wasn’t sure of his obligations.
One thing at a time.
Pissing off Jenna and the Milhouses and whoever else was in on the plan wouldn’t be the smartest thing he’d ever done. But dammit, he was about to do just that.
Jenna reclined on Blake’s bed, mostly naked, nicely rumpled, and still a little pissed that when she’d come here hoping to get pregnant with his child he’d been out, against her orders. As if he would ever take orders from a woman. She’d said she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Had she lied to him, or simply changed her mind? It mattered. No one lied to him and got away with it.
Now that he knew about the magic that had been sleeping inside him all these years, he wanted more. More knowledge. More power. What could he do, when he set his mind to it? Were there any limits at all? He loved the idea of a life with no limits. No laws, no limitations.
Wasn’t that what he’d always wanted?
Jenna liked to talk, and he let her. Every time she rambled, he learned something new. It was a lot to take in, a lot to learn. And even though her claims were outrageous, he couldn’t deny what he saw with his own eyes. What he’d discovered within himself. She wanted to close off the town, make it effectively disappear. Would he be able to take his newfound abilities with him? She never gave him a straight answer about that question.
He sat on the side of the bed and studied Jenna closely. She was beautiful, but the years were starting to show. A line here, a crinkle of skin there. Her boobs weren’t sagging yet, but they were getting there. Her underwear had been discarded, and her blouse was more off than on. She looked more disheveled than sexy, kind of like a homeless hooker. He smiled. The thought amused him.
They’d been interrupted by her phone call, and now he found he was no longer in the mood. Not for sex, anyway. He had her number, had recognized her type immediately. Jenna used her body to get men to do what she wanted. She was trying to do that to him, but he wasn’t as gullible as most men.
He saw her flaws. He saw past her deadly charm. She thought she was using him, but it was the other way around. And when he was finished with her, he’d kill her. Her refusal to give him a straight answer about how his abilities would function after she got her way was answer enough. He’d go back to being who and what he’d been before. Powerless.
Her plan to cut this town off from the rest of the world only appealed if one wanted to stay here. He did not. He wanted to be able to come and go as he pleased, and somehow, some way, he wanted to find a way to take his newfound powers with him. How could he make that happen?
Blake lifted one hand and held it aloft between him and the woman in his bed, palm forward.
Jenna tried to sit up. “What are you…”
He willed her to lie back down, imagined a physical force pushing her backward. She flew back with a squeal, bouncing on the bed with the force of his power.
After she caught her breath, she glared at him. “How dare you…”
Blake closed her mouth with his will, with a strong desire for her to shut up. Jenna’s pretty blue eyes widened in terror, but she didn’t say a word. She couldn’t. He liked it.
He leaned over her, a new idea blooming. He should’ve thought of it before! Would have, if his head hadn’t been filled with so much new information. Bolton blood. Jenna wanted his baby because it would have some sort of genetically shared power. That meant…
“If I have these amazing abilities, what about my daughter? She’s special, too, isn’t she?”
Jenna nodded her head, with effort.
All the more reason to save his child from her pathetic mother. He couldn’t let goody-goody Gabi corrupt the kid, couldn’t allow her to limit the possibilities.
They’d make a pair, wouldn’t they? Father and daughter, ruling the world. No one would defy them. And Mia was so young, she’d never remember that he’d killed her mother.
He took Jenna’s breath, leaned over her and inhaled, taking it all in. If he kept it up, she’d have no breath left. She’d die, here in this bed, untouched by his hands yet suffocated by his will. It was the kind of end she deserved.
But he had no use for a corpse. Not yet.
When she could breathe again, when he released her, Jenna tried to scoot from the bed. She didn’t get far. He wasn’t ready to let her go.
“I’m in charge, now,” he said, as he manipulated her back into place.
All she could do was nod.
“You do what I say, when I say it. No arguments, no alternate plans. You do as I command without question.”
The blonde bitch nodded once.
“Good. Do you still want my child?”
Jenna licked her lips. “I do.”
She was terrified. He saw it in her eyes, in the paleness of her skin, in the way she trembled. He had never wanted any woman more.
Chapter 16
It would be tempting to hide here in Mystic Springs, behind the locked doors of a little house that normally offered her such peace; behind Silas, who insisted that he would protect her.
She’d been hiding for so long. When would it end?
Last night she’d been ready to run, to load up her car and hit the road, taking her chances with an expired driver’s license and plate. But where would it end? If Blake could find her here, he could find her anywhere. At least here she wasn’t alone.
It was a pretty Saturday morning, and she had just a couple of appointments on the books. That was unusual. Normally Saturday was her busiest day. If she believed everything Silas said about the magic in this town she might consider that maybe some of her usual clients had psychically known it was going to be a bad day. Maybe some of them thought she’d be gone by now.
They’d almost been right.
She was tempted to hang a “closed until further notice” sign on the door, but she needed the money, dammit, and even if she didn’t, she liked her business. She liked her customers. Blake had taken a lot from her. Her sense that she lived in a safe world. Her self-worth. The idea that love conquered a
ll. She wouldn’t allow him to take this, too.
Today there was a parade between her house and the shop. She couldn’t leave Mia with Cindy or anyone else, not while Blake was in town. She’d never seen him physically hurt anyone other than her, but she didn’t doubt that he would. Since Mia was with her, naturally Judge was nearby. Silas refused to leave her behind, so he was right there with them. She didn’t mind having this small parade with her, not at all.
Gabi normally got to the shop at least half an hour before her first scheduled appointment. It took a little bit of time to set up, and she never knew who might be early. She didn’t want any client arriving to find a closed up, dark shop. Today she trembled a little as she unlocked the door, remembering what she’d found yesterday. Taking a deep, stilling breath, she pushed the door in and flipped on the light.
The shop was spotless. There was no sign of yesterday’s rodent invasion. In fact, the place had never been so clean!
“Who did this?” she asked as she walked in, her crew right behind her.
“What’s wrong?” Silas stepped around Judge to intercept whatever had alarmed her.
“Nothing. It’s sparkling clean, not a hint of… well, you know.”
Silas relaxed. “Damian’s mother. She’s a whiz.”
Gabi looked up at the ceiling fan, which had been dingy with dust the last time she’d bothered to look up. It was now spotless. There had been an old water stain in the rear right corner of the main room, but that too was gone. Her station gleamed, it was so clean.
If anything could make her believe in magic…
No, she couldn’t let her mind go there. She’d been trying to make sense of everything Silas had told her and shown her, lying awake for hours last night while he slept beside her. Her logical mind fought it. Weird town, yes. Magical village with powered people? No way. It just wasn’t possible.
At least he’d stopped trying to convince her of his ridiculous claims. He said she needed time to comprehend it all. There wasn’t nearly enough time for her to accept that she’d somehow stumbled into a bubble of magically-inclined people.
Judge and Mia kept one another entertained, as Gabi cut one head of hair and then another. If either of her clients found the crowd in the shop odd, they didn’t mention it. Seymour Walford, an older gentleman who’d only been to her a couple of times, talked to Silas as Gabi cut his hair and trimmed his ear hair. It was man talk, all about football and baseball and fishing. Lisette Miller, a teacher at the local school, talked to Gabi as usual, about her daughters and grandkids. When Lisette was finished she nodded to Silas and asked how he’d been, and as she left she smiled widely at Mia. As if nothing was at all odd, as if everything was normal.
Through it all Silas sat in one of the customer chairs, obviously uncomfortable. Those dainty chairs had not been built for a man like Silas Hollister. But he stayed, even after she told him if he had things to do he should go.
The man was stubborn.
She’d just about decided there wouldn’t be any walk-ins today, when the door burst open and two young women walked in. Felicity and Bria could be seen out and about on a regular basis, going for ice cream, or a book at the library, or for a treat at Ivy’s. They were pretty young girls who’d matured a lot in the past year. They were chatty and carefree, always wearing bright smiles. But not today.
Felicity passed Gabi and went straight to Silas. “Do you think I don’t ever want to go to the beach or the mountains again? What if I want to go to college? You can’t do this, you can’t make this decision for me and for everyone else in town.”
Gabi was completely confused, but oddly enough, Silas was not. “There are pros and cons, I know…”
“There are way more cons,” Bria said in a calmer voice than the one her friend had used.
“It wasn’t my idea,” Silas said as he stood.
“Maybe not, but you went along with it and didn’t tell anyone! What if it’s too late? What if it happens and we’re trapped here?”
Gabi moved so that she was between Silas and the girls. “Can someone explain to me what’s going on?”
“Later,” Silas said sharply.
Felicity turned to Gabi. “He’s lying to you, too. Do you know it was his job to run you out of town?”
Gabi looked at Silas. “What?”
“She asked him to do it, and he went along with her plan.”
“Who’s she?”
“Jenna Maxwell,” Bria answered. “She’s bad news, that’s what my dad says.”
“Maxwell?”
“Clint’s ex-wife,” Silas explained. “She’s remarried and has another last name now, but…”
“Not important.” Gabi snapped. She felt like her head was swimming. What plan? Lying, no different than Blake? Was the only reason Silas had started paying attention to her so he could chase her out of town?
“Girls, y’all need to go,” he said sternly.
Felicity looked Gabi square in the eye. “Not until you know what’s going on. Silas and his friends plan to cast a spell that will close this town off forever. No one will be able to get in or out. Beyond the town limits, everyone will forget about us. The town, the people, we’ll all be ghosts. I don’t want to be a ghost!” Her eyes filled with tears. “I want to live, and go where I choose to go, and one day maybe meet a boy who doesn’t live right down the street from me. I’ve never been to a big city, or flown on an airplane, or seen an elephant. I want to do all these things, but I’ll never do any of it if your boyfriend has his way.”
Bria backed away from her friend, edging closer and closer to Mia and Judge. For a moment her friend had her full attention, but then she looked down at Mia, who reached up for her. Bria obediently lifted the child, and in spite of the current mood, she smiled. Mia cooed, and played with the necklace Bria wore.
Still holding Mia, Bria turned to Gabi.
“She’s a Springer.”
Silas slipped past Felicity to address this new issue with a ferocity Gabi had not expected. “You can’t know that.”
“I do know. I feel it. Can’t you feel it?”
Silas sighed. “Sometimes.”
“What do you mean?” Gabi asked. Springers was a local term for, well, locals. As far as she knew, transplants didn’t become Springers. You were one from birth, or you weren’t.
“You’re not a Springer,” Bria said. “Mia must get it from her father.”
Gabi felt faint, for a moment. She didn’t want Mia to have anything of her father in her. “Springer doesn’t mean exactly what I thought, I take it. Is this part of the whole magic thing?”
Silas sighed and nodded.
Gabi took her daughter from Bria, walked to her station, opened a drawer, and calmly withdrew her purse. While balancing Mia on her hip she grabbed her keys, and dropped the day’s earnings into the purse. Then she turned to face the three people who watched her.
“Get out,” she said. Felicity and Bria immediately moved toward the door, heads down. Silas didn’t move, until Gabi directed her words to him. “You, too.”
“Gabi, I…”
“If your assignment was to get me out of town, congratulations. You’ve succeeded. I’ll be gone by dark.”
And she’d pray that Blake didn’t follow her. At least her ex-husband was honest about being a complete asshole. Silas was worse. He’d made her think he was a good guy, he’d made her think that he truly cared.
She held the door open for Silas. Judge stayed at her heels. It broke her heart, but she said, “Take your dog with you. I can’t take care of him on the road. I don’t know where I’ll land and a big dog…”
“You need us,” Silas argued. “Until we find your ex, you need us.”
That was her problem, wasn’t it? She always needed something, or someone. Dammit, she was tired of it all.
“Were you really trying to find a way to get me out of town?” she asked, her voice as cold as she could manage.
“In the beginning, yes.”
“Not initially, but…”
“What makes you think I need a man who would use me that way. You’re no better than Blake. You’re no better than any man I’ve ever known. I don’t need you. What I need is to get out of this damned town as soon as possible.”
Judge wanted to stay with his new people, but Silas held the bloodhound back. Judge whined, he was miserable, but he obeyed Silas’s commands. After Gabi crossed the street, they followed. She turned and looked back once, yelled at him to go away, then increased her pace.
Maybe it would be better for her to get out of town, but he had to make sure her ex didn’t show up before she made her escape.
It was for the best. Away from Mystic Springs Mia wouldn’t develop any abilities that would mark her as different. She’d never have to hide what she was, what she could do. There was a big world out there and she could be a part of it, with her mother at her side.
She could go to the beach and the mountains. Fly on an airplane. Go to college. Do all the things every young woman might want to do.
The things Felicity and Bria would never do, if Jenna got her way.
Well, shit.
Instead of heading directly for home, Gabi veered to the left and headed for Cindy and Mike’s front door. They’d become friends. Maybe she wanted to say goodbye. He stopped where he was, waiting on the sidewalk as Gabi glanced back, then closed the Benedicts’ front door behind her. He didn’t hear the lock engage, but he’d bet his last dollar…
He’d screwed up. He should’ve called Clint as soon as he’d realized what Jenna was up to, deadline be damned. He should’ve told Jenna to take a hike, and then shared her plan with the rest of the town. No one could make such an important decision for others. The people of Mystic Springs deserved the right to choose for themselves.
Sitting obediently at his side, Judge whined.
“Yeah, I know,” Silas responded. “I already miss them, too.”
Judge barked, just once, in protest.
Beauty and the Beastmaster (Mystic Springs Book 3) Page 15