The threat was gentle, but direct not to harm Petunia, but he didn't have to worry. Jaqarg found the lovely Petunia quite interesting. Her womanly curves were a temptation he didn't need and yet her lips were like a siren calling to him.
Oh, Jaqarg would like nothing better than to carry the little witch into his chambers and have his way with her--but that was not possible.
Turning toward the kitchen, the open box lay on the counter, the mirror sitting in the tissue paper where Petunia had tossed the glass. What about the package upset her and sent her fleeing the house?
Walking to the shelf, he glanced inside and saw the odd gift. He picked it up and saw his own face in the glass. Placing it in the box, he looked at the note. Scanning the message, he read her grandmother's directive.
Your mating season is upon you. Any man you date hold the mirror to his face and if there is no reflection, he is not your love. But if you see his face, you must mate and make him your own. Love you, Astor
He was her mate? How could that be? On Bierilla, one mated to satisfy physical demand or to procreate. Mating meant the act itself. No hidden meanings, no hearts and flowers, and no declarations of love. Was her grandmother telling her to mate with him? His reflection had been in the glass.
Was this a trick?
He had every intention of returning to his Bierilla and leaving Petunia behind. There was no place in his world for a woman while he fought to prove his innocence. And there was no room in his life for a woman when he protected the royal family.
The idea of joining with Petunia made his blood surge toward his manhood, his thoughts turning to the feel of her in his arms and the way her lips made his heart pound. Yes, he definitely wanted to join with her, but did she desire him?
Storming out of the house, he didn't understand what caused her distress and her need to escape. Maybe he should have stopped her, but it seemed like she needed some time alone.
He had to find her. He had to tell her he wanted to copulate with her too. If her coven said it was time, he could help her mate.
No, no, no...she thought as she strolled the streets of Magic. Grandmother's package confirmed what her heart and head had known, but she refused to accept that Jaqarg from Bierilla was her mate. She didn't want a mate.
The sun had long set in the town of Magic and as she walked, she released the frustration building inside her.
Being the reason why her mother and sister died changed her from a peace loving person to someone who sought revenge.
The moon went behind a cloud and a tremor of unease trickled like cold water down her spine alerting her. She'd never been afraid in Magic before. The occupants of the small town protected one another.
The scent of a warlock tickled her nose and her blood froze. Good witches never had the scent of hell and death on them. This one stunk. She moved into the middle of the street where she could see from what direction the evil came.
He laughed, the sound perilous and cold and wicked. What had caused such hate?
"I hear you want to fight me, witch," he said from the darkness, his voice deep and echoing against the buildings.
"Wouldn't you want to kill the person who murdered members of your family?"
"It wasn't murder, but self-defense in a duel," Kaine said and she looked up and down the darkened lane trying to locate him. Why wouldn't he show himself?
"Oh no, you just cast the sleeping spell that killed them," she said, looking around.
“What sleeping incantation?” he asked, closer, his tone deep almost hypnotizing.
Speaking the words, she created a ring of fire that would protect her from his magic. He couldn't step inside the circle or be burned.
"Nice," he said. "Your magic is strong."
"Why did you kill Ianthe and Mother?" she asked. She'd never understood how a man her family trusted could have fooled them with his evilness. "We accepted you into our coven and treated you like you were one of us."
He laughed. "Your grandmother has brainwashed you. I didn't put the sleeping spell on your mother and sister. Why do you think the federation has never banished me? You can’t convict unless beyond a reasonable doubt. Ask your grandmother what really happened."
Rain started to fall in the area where her ring of fire protected her. In horror, she watched the flames sputter and die.
Kaine materialized in front of her as fear bubbled up from within. Her bondage magic would not hold him. With the strength of his magic, he would snap the shackles.
Circling him, she waited, hoping to put a half-nelson move on him, immobilizing his limbs, and then cast the frozen spell. But he wouldn't get close enough.
Smelling smoke at first, she didn't think anything until she realized her dress was on fire. Quickly, she recited a protective spell that would keep the fire from reaching her skin, but keeping the spell in place was difficult as panic gripped her.
He'd put the Joan of Arc spell on her, binding her with invisible ropes. Unable to move, she stood watching flames lick higher. Using the same rain spell he'd used, her hopes were dashed when he created an umbrella spell over her. The water repelled outside the reach of the blaze.
"Now all the Blanchet girls must die. I will eradicate every one of you because of your mother."
"My mother didn't mistreat you."
"Your mother is just an excuse," he said. "Ask her what I did to Ianthe. Ask her why she wanted to kill me."
Kaine's voice was a low rumble, and yet there was something malicious in its tone. She couldn't think about his taunts now. She was in trouble. Deadly trouble.
Hysteria crawled up her spine. Terror gripped her as smoke spiraled around her, wrapping her in a cocoon. And then she heard his voice.
"Get away from her," Jaqarg yelled as he charged the warlock.
Chanting the words, she put a protection spell on Jaqarg as he threw a punch at the male witch, connecting with his jaw. Kaine only laughed and bounced up from the ground where he'd landed.
"By the time you finish with me, she'll be toast," he hissed.
He aimed his fingertips at Jaqarg who dodged the electric pulses and dove for the warlock's feet, knocking him down.
If the flames weren't doused soon, she'd lose consciousness and then her armor spells would be broken. She would be consumed in the blaze and Jaqarg could be killed.
"Alien, my fight is not with you," he commanded, rising from the ground.
"You would harm Petunia. I owe her my life. I will shield and defend her with my dying breath," Jaqarg responded and Petunia realized how to stop the heinous warlock.
In a steady voice, she started to chant. The words were possibly her last as the smoke continued to rise around her filling her lungs.
Snowflakes began to fall from the sky and each time the cold flakes landed on Kaine's skin, it sizzled and burned. He was wicked and the pureness of the water scorched him.
He glared at her, his eyes filled with hate, his flesh already beginning to darken in spots where the pure ice touched.
"You win this round, but I will finish you off the next time we meet."
"Bring it on," Petunia spat. "I'm not afraid."
Kaine disappeared and Jaqarg ran to her side. Ripping off her skirt, he threw it to the ground. She stood in the middle of main street in her underwear. Kneeling before her, he checked her legs.
"Where are you hurt?"
Her heart warmed and she had the urge to reach down and run her hands through his dark hair. He was soothing and kind and she was fighting her attraction for him consuming her.
"I'm okay. You stopped him and the fire hadn't reached me yet."
He glanced up at her and stared in disbelief. "How? I feared you were seriously hurt."
"I put a protection spell on my skin and also on you."
He rose from where he'd been kneeling, his shoulders rigid, his back straight. "I'm a warrior. I don't need your protection spells."
She smiled. He appeared so muscular and virile standing there that i
f she weren't so drained, she would take him home and mate with him right this moment.
"You're not a warlock and I knew he would use his powerful magic on you. He tried, but it didn't work."
He glared at her. "What is that white stuff falling from the sky?"
"Snow."
"That's ice. How did it burn him?"
"He's from hell, and water, especially ice or snow, will burn a vicious warlock."
She shivered as the night seem to catch up with her. Tonight, she'd faced evil, and though victory was still illusive, at least she survived the event. But the evil monger left so many questions. Why had he said she was brainwashed, and could it be true?
Exhausted, she stared at Jaqarg.
Staring at her, he scooped her up into his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking you home. You're spent, warrior witch."
The feel of his strong arms wrapped around her was a welcome respite and she snuggled against him.
This was her mate. The alien she would pledge to spend forever with and while he'd kissed her, he'd never attempted anything beyond a kiss. Would she let him?
When they arrived at the house, Petunia saw the open box and realized she'd hurried out the door, leaving the mirror and her grandmother's note accessible. Anyone could have taken the heirloom. Anyone could have read the message from her grandmother.
Hurriedly, she wrapped it up and put it away in her closet.
As she came out of the bedroom, she watched him tinkering with the tyrochromaticon.
"One more part is all I need and then I think it will work. Tomorrow, I will complete it. Tonight..." he glanced at her and left the question open.
How could she respond when she had to speak with her mother first? She swallowed ignoring his query. "I'm going to reach out to Mother again. I'll see you in the morning."
Reaching the door, he said. "Sweet dreams, Petunia."
Walking into the bedroom, she gazed at the box in her closet. Did he read the note? Even before she'd been drawn to him, he said he would leave and now she feared a broken heart.
Unable to resist, she returned to the kitchen and stared inquisitively toward him. "The children are expecting you at tomorrow’s class. Are you going to be there?"
"Of course," he said. "It will be my last visit."
Pain centered in her chest at the realization he would soon be leaving her. She didn't want him to leave, but what could she say to stop him.
"Good," she said and entered the bedroom.
It would do no good to fall in love with him. With a lurch, her stomach squeezed painfully at the thought. And she could not mate with anyone else. She was doomed.
Sinking onto the bed, she realized the extent of her weariness. It was never safe for a witch to overtire herself. If attacked in an exhausted state, she had no defense until her body recharged.
Lying back on the bed, her mother's hand stroked her hair. "What happened? You're too tired," she said.
"Kaine found me alone. We fought."
"Are you all right?"
"Jaqarg saved me until I used the snowflake incantation. Then Kaine vanished."
Kaine's words echoed in her mind and she had to know the truth.
"How did you attempt to kill Kaine?” Petunia asked. “I'd always thought you and Ianthe were put under his spell and that's how you died. But he told me differently. Kaine accused grandmother of brainwashing me."
Her mother's hand ceased and she heard her hiss, the sound furious. "Even now, he tries to enrage me with his callous words. I would never let anyone brainwash my child."
An uneasiness settled in Petunia's stomach, making her nauseous. "Did he end your life with the sleeping spell? Be honest with me."
Tension filled the air and she realized her mother had lied. Had she been attempting to kill a man for all the wrong reasons?
"You were a child. I tried to protect you from the knowledge of how I was killed, so you wouldn't seek revenge. I've already lost one daughter. I couldn't bear to lose another. If you girls grew up knowing what happened..."
Terror rose in her throat, and she sat up in bed facing her mother. "Grandmother told me there was a great battle. In the end, you and Ianthe were killed by his spell. The sleeping spell."
Looking down, her mother raised her eyes, they glimmered and glowed. "Part of that is true. Your grandmother promised not to tell you the truth because if you knew what happened, you would never give up on retribution. I feared for your safety. I still worry he will harm you. His magic is strong and powerful."
Petunia thought back to that time so long ago. A blossoming girl so young, so innocent, just a child and he'd wrecked her home life, plunging her into grief at the death of her mother and sister.
Kaine had been a teacher at her school. A man she trusted. An impressionable student, she had no idea how dangerous he was and never suspected he would destroy their family.
Because of her, Kaine came into their home and devastated their happiness, leaving herself and her sisters heartbroken.
"Don't you see, I believed in him. He was my teacher. Since I brought him into our lives, I deserve to know what happened. I need to understand."
With a shake of her head, her mother's gaze reflected pain so compelling, Petunia feared what she would learn. "Ianthe was eighteen, beautiful. A virgin."
A ripple of anguish went through her mother and her voice turned dull. "Your grandmother promised not to let you know the truth and to protect you as long as possible. That cursed warlock forced himself upon Ianthe. Kaine was not her mate and his seed killed her."
"No!" Petunia wailed. "No, please, I..."
Closing her eyes against the pain, her mother pulled Petunia into her arms. Though she couldn't feel her limbs, love and warmth exuded from her mother.
The shock, terror, revulsion everything coursed through Petunia causing anger to roar through her. "That sick piece of scum."
"Shhhh...I understand what you're feeling. Finding Ianthe after he raped her, dying, I felt the fury, the outrage, the urge to kill him. But I acted on my emotions, not my logic."
A flood of tears streamed down Petunia's cheeks, her chest aching from the hole in her heart. Her body's reaction to the reason for her sister’s and mother's deaths kept from her all these years.
"You're not responsible for what happened to us," she whispered. "It's not your fault. Kaine is a predator. A killer. And somehow he convinced the Federation he was the wronged witch.”
Petunia recognized her mother wanted to protect her, but still if she hadn't brought him home, they would be alive.
"That twisted, sick warlock is going to die," she promised, sobbing. "He's not going to live."
"Stop," her mother said, shaking her until she stared into her eyes. "Don't make the same mistake I made. I let my emotions, my fury, control me and I lost because my judgement was clouded with rage. Be wiser and stronger than me."
"I can't," Petunia said. "He needs to suffer for what he's done."
"Kaine will be stronger this time. He'll be even more dangerous now that he knows the strength of your magic. Do not react to your emotions. That's how he killed me. You're angry, right now. You'd like to rip his head off his body. Put all that fury into a box and lock it away. Think only about how to beat him in a duel."
The urge to go running, screaming out the door into the darkened streets to tackle him once again had her chest pounding. Her brain was telling her no, while her heart begged for revenge.
"When you fight him, you must think with logic and coolness. Outsmart him by surprising him, just like you did tonight."
What would have happened if she'd known this before his attack? A shudder ran through her at the thought. She would have fought harder to kill him. Or he would have killed her.
Rocking Petunia in her arms, her mother's emotions surrounded her, cradling her, and touching her with love. "My precious girls mean so much to me. I don't want any of you harmed. I'm so afraid for you, my da
ughter. This is why I didn't want you to fight him."
"Poor Ianthe," Petunia said.
"Shh... Ianthe is happy. She's smiling and feels honored you want to avenge her death. More than anything, she just wants you to be okay."
No way would Kaine win this battle. Even if he killed her, she would battle the evil warlock from the grave and then she would serve his man parts to the birds.
More determined than ever, she laid her head back, and gazed at her mother. "I'll be fine. I'm going to practice harder and longer and I'm going to think of some way to outmaneuver him. The day we fight is his last day on earth."
Chapter 5
Jaqarg heard Petunia early the next morning before the sun rose in the sunroom practicing her magic. Rising from bed, he made his way to the door and watched her. Never would she have the physical strength, be strong enough to beat this warlock. Even her spells didn't seem as powerful as Kaine's.
Walking into the room, he stood before her and grabbed her by the arms. "Break my hold."
At first, she tried to twist away from him.
"No, use a spell on me," he said.
She disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the room.
"That's good."
"He knows ways to block my magic," she responded determination in her stance.
"Do you have any weapons?" he asked.
"Only my wand," she replied, her eyes dark with fear.
"Before I took over security for the royal family of Bierilla, I instructed the young recruits in force. Let me teach you some defensive moves to help you gain confidence. The fighting maneuvers along with your magic are your best tools."
For the next hour, he trained her how to block and throw punches and kicks. She started to add her spells hiding and disappearing, zapping, and throwing.
During a break, he bent over, breathing hard, and stared up at her. "There is a move that my students must learn to pass the class. It's difficult, but it can save your life. I'll show you."
Standing in front of her, he had her jump into his arms and he caught her. "Eventually, you will grasp how to leap over me, tuck your head in and roll to a standing position. A challenging move, but worth learning. Let's practice."
Magic, New Mexico: Touch of Deceit (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Magic Mirror Book 2) Page 5