“I understand. I hate that by bringing you into my family I’ve isolated you from yours,” Leo said softly.
“But my brother does make a good point. You may not be in Selby’s good books, but our family is your family now, sister.”
“Thanks. That means a lot to me.”
“Of course it does. We’re awesome.” Dymphna won a small smile from Skylar with that. “Now calm down. It looks like we’ve been besieged by baked goods, so why don’t you get some sugar in your system and feel better.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She stood up and grabbed a cookie. “Thanks guys.”
“Like I said, we’re family.” Dymphna bit into a cupcake.
“So you felt my pain?” Skylar asked Leo.
“That’s right. We’re so closely connected that I can feel strong emotions from you no matter where you are.”
“Speaking of, I’d better go call Seb. He felt it as well and was worried for you too.”
“So you two abandoned what you were doing to come here and comfort me?”
“Yeah,” they said at the same time.
“That’s what family does,” Dymphna said as she left the room.
“Come here,” Leo entreated. He hugged her tightly. “I really am sorry for my part that drove your brother away.”
“Don’t be sorry. Like you said, if he can’t accept my decisions, I’m probably better off without him.”
“There you go.” Leo was still worried for her, but he felt she was going to pull through. “So, why don’t we get some Chinese delivery food and drown your sorrows in some delightful food that you don’t have to cook?”
“Sounds like a plan. Should we get Dymphna?”
“Nah. She always orders the chicken fried rice, and I doubt today would be any different.” Leo called in their order, and the pair sat down on the couch.
When Dymphna came back, she collapsed into her chair. “I’m almost glad Seb’s call distracted me from work. It’s been a long day.”
“You work too hard, Dymphna. It’s a Sunday.”
“I know. But this family doesn’t know how to quit working.”
“You’re right on that one.” Leo grinned.
“We’ll just have to work on that.” Skylar nodded. “Before you two work yourselves into an early grave.”
“So what’s the plan for tonight?”
“I figure we’ll finish up the Star Wars trio while eating some Chinese food.”
“Chinese sounds great. The usual?”
“Yeah.”
After starting the movie, Leo gathered Skylar close to him. As he petted her hair, he thought of just how lucky he was to have found her. He never really thought about finding someone whose magic called to his, but now that he had, he couldn’t regret it. It was nice to think that he’d have a partner to share his life with. He wasn’t really watching the movie as he enjoyed the feeling of Skylar curled up against his chest.
When the doorbell rang, Dymphna got up to get the food.
“You sure you’re alright?” Leo asked quietly.
“No. It’s not alright, but it will be. You guys are right that I’m likely better off without that kind of strife, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt.”
“You’re precious to me, Skylar. I hate that you’ve been hurt, but we’ll try to make it better, huh?”
“Alright. You know, even though it severed my relationship to my brother, I’m glad I found you.”
“So am I.”
Before they could go any further, Dymphna came back with the food and some silverware. “Hungry?”
“You betcha. Give it here.” Skylar dug into her food with vigor. “Emotions make me hungry,” she joked.
“I see that.” Dymphna dug into her own food. “Are you feeling any better?”
“Much. Thank you guys so much.”
“Anytime, girl.”
Leo ate slower than the two women. He was still considering what having Skylar in his life meant to him. He’d never be alone again, and it was an encouraging thought. But at the same time, having her was certain to mess up his neatly ordered and compartmentalized life. When there was only him and Dymphna, he could work as hard as he wanted and do as he wished. He could already tell that with Skylar, that wouldn’t be possible. She was already invading his thoughts while he was at work, and that promised nothing good for the future. He'd probably need to hire another doctor into his practice to keep up the workload and have time to be at home. Soon she’d invade his work life, his Coven membership, etc. He wasn’t totally sure how he felt about that.
By the time the movie ended, Leo still hadn’t come to any conclusions. But just the same, he grabbed up Skylar and hefted her into his arms. “Come now, my sweet, it’s time for some comforting.”
She giggled, and Dymphna laughed. “See you two tomorrow!”
Rather than levitating her up the stairs, Leo wanted to hold her. He laid her on the bed and kissed her nose. “My dear, I think I owe you some pleasure for causing such trouble.”
“You didn’t cause the trouble. Selby did.”
“All the same. I would ask permission to read your emotions tonight. It will let me know what you like best. I want to make this extra good for you.”
“Thank you for asking. I appreciate that.”
“With you I’ll never take more than is offered.”
“Thanks again. And sure, tap into my emotions.”
“Excellent. Now come here, you.”
Leo kissed her soundly, pausing only to remove her shirt. “I love these,” he said, fingering the lace bra she wore. Then he removed that too. “But not as much as I love these.” He cupped her breasts in his hand, idly toying with the nipples. He could tell she was enjoying it, and he could also tell she was nearly impatient to have him inside her. But he planned to make this last. It was the least he could do.
He slowly pulled down her pants and panties, savoring Skylar’s impatience. “Not so fast, my dear. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”
He planted a quick kiss on her lips before kissing a line down the middle of her chest, ignoring her breasts, before licking her between her legs. She moaned, and he felt her pleasure. He played with her clit with his tongue while pressing two fingers inside her. She gasped, and he moved his fingers faster.
“Come for me, Skylar,” he murmured, pulling away for only a second before returning to his sensual assault. She did indeed come, and hard. Feeling her ectasy, Leo nearly came as well. Talk about a turn-on. He’d never felt that connected to anyone, and it was exhilarating.
He hastily pulled off his own clothes. She reached for him, moving over the bed. He tossed her a cocky grin. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you.”
“Well then you shall have me. Far be it for me to deny you what you want.” He kissed her, and enjoyed her pleasure at tasting herself on his mouth. He guided himself to her passage and pushed in quickly. They both groaned at the same time. Leo had experienced it before, but he remained positive that sex with Skylar was far better than that with any other woman he had been with. Good thing, too, as she’d be the only woman for him. Ever.
He held back until he felt her come again, then moaned out his own pleasure. He looked down at her and grinned. “You’re beautiful, Skylar.”
“Thank you.”
He got up to dispose of the condom, and she rolled onto her side. Leo petted on her hair when he got back to the bed. “Do you feel better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
“Remember, you’re mine, and that means that I’ll go as far as I need to in order to protect you.”
“Again, my thanks.”
“I can’t wait to put a ring on your finger to proclaim to the world how much you mean to me.” He kissed that finger. “And that you will always be mine.”
“I’d enjoy that.”
“I know this is all a bit much and a bit fast. It’s the way of our people, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not foreign to you.�
��
“You’re right. But no matter, I’m glad to be sharing this with you.”
He pulled her close. “How about I bring the smaller television from my bedroom in here? We’ll pretend to watch a movie while we make out, and I’ll show you just how much you mean to me.”
“I’d like that.”
Leo looked around his old room and realized how differently he felt about it now that he had started sleeping in Skylar’s room. It didn’t feel nearly as much like home anymore, because that would be forevermore in his woman’s arms. He came back in and fussed with the television. He put on a cheesy monster movie, and she grinned.
“You know what I like.”
“That I do. Now get over here.” He lay down beside her and pulled her on top of him, savoring the taste of her mouth. His tongue dove between her lips, and she tangled her own tongue with his. After a while, she just rested her head on his chest while they watched.
Leo twirled a bit of her hair around his fingers and smiled. Then it hit him like a bullet: he loved Skylar. It wasn’t just her being his destined woman, but so much more. She was strong and resilient. She rolled with the punches and was generous with her affection and time. She took care of him and his sister with no prodding required, and she even saw the good in Dymhpna when few others did. He wasn’t sure how to tell her, and he really didn’t want to press his luck after all the emotional upheavals of the last few days. So he continued playing with her hair and cherished the emotions coursing through her heart.
“You’re such a sweetheart for comforting me like this,” she said, and he kissed the back of her head. He just knew things would work out alright.
Skylar had the next day off from magic lessons, but she decided to head over to the Coven House anyway.
“Hey Justin. How’s it going?”
“I thought you had today off.”
“Oh, I do. I wanted to see how the investigation is going.”
“Come on in then.” He brought her back to a large conference room with security camera monitors lining three walls and a large digital whiteboard on the other. “Linda Crowley” was written in large letters on the top, with an arrow pointing up to a question mark and a number pointing down, including one to “Roger Crowley.” Tim waved from the table.
“Good to see you, Skylar.”
“Likewise. Any luck tracking down Roger?”
“Some. He looks awfully suspicious, with a lot of money transfers to an offshore bank account, but about a month ago, he went black and we haven’t seen anything from him since.”
“That’s odd.”
“That’s what we’re thinking,” Justin said. “But I think someone made a mistake.”
“Oh?”
“A few days after Linda’s death, all the money was pulled from her bank account. We can’t tell where it ended up, but we think it was in another offshore bank account. We just don’t know how or why all the money was pulled, and it was a significant amount.”
“So now what?”
“I was thinking we’d pick your brain a little more. Maybe if we go through the evidence again, we’ll see something that we missed, or you’ll pick up something that resonates with a memory you may not have considered before.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“You’ve said that Linda and your mother were against witchcraft entirely, but did they ever say when that hatred began?”
“I’ve been thinking about this too. I remember my mom hating magic pretty much as long as I have a memory, but I think it was when my father died that it got worse. At least that’s the best I can think of from my own memories at such a young age and the few things that Selby’s told me.”
“That makes sense,” Justin muttered while scribbling in his notepad. “What about Selby, though? You’ve said that they treated him badly because they thought he had magic, and yet from your stories, it also seems that he clearly didn’t have magic.”
“My mother knew and believed that Selby had no magical talents. It was Linda who would vary between the idea that he had magic or was capable of having magic, and that either way, he was evil.”
“Did Linda make a habit of traveling outside the country?”
“No. As far as I know, she never did.”
“Do you know anything about Roger Crowley?”
“No. I’d never heard the name until Selby brought it up.”
Justin played with the tip of his pen.
“Are you starting to see some kind of pattern?”
“Maybe. But it seems more like we’ll need someone from inside to tell us what’s going on or we’ll never really figure it out. All we know right now is that there’s a high chance of more witches dying, and we don’t know why.”
“I’m sorry,” Skylar said, and patted his forearm. “But I know you’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks for your belief in me.”
“That’s what family is for, right?”
He just grinned. “You have any plans for the rest of your day off?”
“I was thinking I’d go shopping. Leo gave me some extra money and told me specifically to use it on clothes and only clothes or shoes, so I thought I’d do so.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“You almost sound like you’d like to join me.”
“No way; count me out. Besides, I’m too busy right now.”
“What a man.”
He winked. “Don’t forget it. But if you want a shopping buddy, I’m sure one of the other women would be glad to join you.”
“Thanks but no thanks. I’ll be fine on my own. If you could just point me to a department store...?”
“Certainly. And just a hint, Leo’s favorite color is blue.”
“You’re awesome.”
“Don’t forget it. Speaking of, are you ready for that party on Wednesday?”
“Excuse me?”
“Someone, I think one of Leo’s mentors, is retiring and they’re throwing him a party up at the hospital. I’m pretty sure it’s Wednesday.”
Skylar’s stomach dropped. How could he have something so important coming up and not tell her? Did he not plan to take her? Was he ashamed?
“Please tell me there’s a legitimate reason why I wouldn’t know about something of this importance.”
“Uh-oh. Maybe it just slipped his mind. But don’t tell him where you found out, alright?”
“I’ll try.”
Skylar stormed out of the Coven House with murder on her mind. When she had arrived safely enough back at Ward Manor, she called Dymphna.
“Hey, I know you’re probably really busy, but do you have a minute?”
“I’m between big cases, so I’m not as busy as usual. What’s up?”
“I accidentally found out from Justin that there’s a retirement party or something on Wednesday that Leo never mentioned to me.”
“Oh god, tell me he didn’t.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“In the interest of my dear brother, I’m going to have to say that he might have just forgotten or something.”
“That’s what Justin said.”
“Well, we do love Leo, and he I sometimes forgetful.”
“But you don’t think that’s the case this time, do you? I certainly don’t.”
“No, I don’t think it is. I know he’s never wanted to involve the rest of the family in his work or his non-Coven friends. But I had really hoped he would wake up and realize that he can’t act like that with you.”
“I almost want to drive up there and yell at him at work, but I know that’s not a great idea. I don’t want to make things worse.”
“I’d agree with you there. You need to talk to him, but be sure to be calm and collected when you do it. If you let your emotions rule you, you'll likely say something you don't mean or that can't be taken back. I've been in that situation myself, and I've had clients in the same situation, so I can tell you from experience to do this rationally. Gather your thoughts into a cohesive argument then
make your case. Don't let him get away with this.”
“I will, or rather, I won't.”
“Do you want me to stay away tonight?”
“No. I mean, if you hear us getting into this and happen to disappear upstairs, I'm not going to mind. But I'm also going to make an excellent dinner, perhaps to sway things my way, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Besides, I'm sure you didn't eat the lunch I packed you.”
“Never can find the time. But I'll be there for dinner.”
“Good.”
183
CHAPTER NINE
Skylar texted Leo, asking him if he'd be home for dinner at seven or if she should delay cooking it. Then she got out a piece of paper and started sketching out her thoughts. It took six pieces of paper before she felt good about it. Luckily, Leo texted back to say he'd try to make it by that time. So Skylar made a dinner to be proud of.
She tossed together a Chinese-style shrimp lo mein, and it was finished just as Leo let himself into the Manor. “Smells good,” he said, looking over her shoulder to see what was on the stove. “Lo mein?”
“It didn't take much to figure out that it's your favorite Chinese dish. Dymphna's note on the takeout menu that said when in doubt order lo mein for Leo.”
184
THE DOCTOR WITCH
“She's needed that note herself more than once. It's like she's filled her head so full of law that she doesn't have much room for anything else.”
“Well, tell me if it's as good as take out.”
Leo sat down and got a good forkful of noodles and shrimp. “Even better. You're a great cook.”
“Thanks.” Skylar ate her own portion, even though she wasn't very hungry. She made small talk over the food, almost trying to see if he'd slip and mention the party. He didn't slip. She cleared the table, and started the dishes soaking in the sink. She'd finish cleaning after Dymphna ate her portion.
Leo leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands over his head. “So do you want to tell me what the problem is?”
“What?”
“I'm an air witch. I try not to pry, but when someone's radiating as much emotion as you are, it's hard to miss. You've been hovering between angry, confused, and nervous all evening. I'm wondering if you're going to tell me why.”
The Doctor Witch (The Ward Witches) Page 13