Cauldrons and Confessions (Warlocks MacGregor Book 4)

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Malina, this conversation isn’t over,” Niall warned. “I felt ya trying to push me out with your magick. It won’t work. I’m not leaving without—”

  “Leave them be, Niall, ya are beginning to bore me,” Raibeart decreed, “by order of the council of elders. Malina married him there is nothing ya can do about it. But, I think ya know that. It’s why ya never told us what ya two had been up to in Vegas. Ya have a lot of accounting to do. We give ya free rein to hunt, but only if ya are full and truly honest about it.”

  “Ya give me?” Niall shot incredulously.

  “Aye, laddie, give,” Raibeart said. “Now get in the car.”

  “Malina, promise me ya won’t take off that control ring,” Niall demanded.

  She glanced guiltily at the floor and gave a quick nod of agreement.

  Niall pointed at Dar. “Ya are on thin ice, buddy. I’m watching ya. One misstep and I don’t care what the elders say. And if ya hurt her…”

  “Sounds kinky,” Dar taunted with a lazy grin she remembered so well. A hint of who he’d used to be filtered through his expression. It caused an ache in her chest. “You better run. Your elder is calling you.”

  Niall growled and stormed out of the room. His voice came from outside as he walked away. “Raibeart, this isn’t over. The only reason I’m leaving is because of that damn control ring. Just as soon as everyone gets back, I’m convening the elders and overriding your decision.”

  Chapter 12

  Malina drew her hand through the air and magickally slammed the hotel door shut behind her brother. In all honesty, she had no idea if she were making the right decision. All she knew is that she had desperately wanted her uncle and brother to leave and they had as if her willing it to happen somehow influenced reality. “I can’t believe they left.”

  “That’s luck for you. First, you wanted them to save you, and then you wanted them to leave. I gave you a pretty powerful dose.” Dar didn’t move from his place near the wall. “That’s what they call a lucky break.”

  “Is Charlotte going to be all right with what you gave her? She’s not going to be one of those people who dies because it’s luckier than living, will she?” Malina’s skin tingled almost to the point of itching. She felt the power inside of her, the longing, the promise of pleasure and the memory of pain.

  “If she dies it won’t be because of anything I did,” Dar assured her. “I’m not the one who scrambled her brains.”

  “You don’t understand. She had witnessed too much. These awful paranormal creatures kidnapped her and attempted to siphon my brother Iain’s powers through her body. She was traumatized. We took her memories from her for her own good, and we’ve been trying to help her ever since.”

  “Her own good, or to limit your clan’s exposure to the human world?” Dar was partially right, and his expression said he knew it.

  “Aye, family survival was also a consideration,” Malina admitted. “I suppose neither one of us is completely altruistic, are we?”

  “So what now?” Dar manipulated the ring, twisting it around his finger. He pulled it off and set it on the dresser near the television. The second he let go, the ring flew right back onto his finger. “I always thought that was because I was holding on to so much anger at your betrayal.”

  “If it helps, I didn’t know what it was when I gave it to you.” It had never been her intention to enslave anyone, but now that she had that safeguard against him, she did feel a little more at ease. In a perfect world, there would have been trust between them. Then again, in a perfect world, she wouldn’t have attempted to send her husband to hell on their wedding night, and he wouldn’t have tried to scare her to death with supernatural creatures fifty-some-odd-years later. Under her breath, she said, “I guess no marriage is perfect.”

  Dar mistook her comment as he touched his ring finger. “I suppose not. Though I can honestly say, I didn’t predict it would include a djinn curse. It appears you have all the control in this relationship. So, what now, my liege?”

  “Don’t be like that,” she reprimanded.

  “As you wish, doll face,” he answered with a mocking bow. It was then she noticed the slight narrowing of his eyes. He looked upset.

  “I promise you that I didn’t know what the ring did when I gave it to you.” Malina insisted. If he was free, he might not stop the attacks on her family. There was a certain amount of safety in having him under her command. She didn’t have to assert that control, but it was nice knowing it was there if she needed it. Plus, she did promise Niall that she’d not release him.

  “Then undo it,” he said. “Free me from it.”

  Malina averted her gaze. “I don’t know how it works. It might take a while to figure it out. It’s not like I’ve ever seen these things in action.”

  “Command me to take it off, order me free,” Dar lifted his ring finger before her face. “Or you take it off.”

  Malina stared at the stone. A tremor worked its way through her. She started to reach for it, only to stop. “I don’t think I can.”

  “Try.”

  “First, I need something from you.” She took his hand and brought it from before her face to hold it in front of her as she studied his expression. “I need your word that you’ll call off the attacks on my family, and you’ll get the ghosts, goblin, and all the unexpected guests out of our house.”

  “If you’re going to make me wear it, at least command me to do something fun.” Dar’s voice dipped meaningfully as he glanced over her body.

  “I don’t want to command you to do anything.” She took a deep breath. “So it is your intention to do harm to my family.”

  “Honestly, darling, would you believe me if I promised?” Dar laughed. “What’s the point of giving you my word if you don’t trust me? We both know you don’t want me to take it off. But, fine, if you think you need protection from me, then leave it on. I’ll not make any bargains with you.”

  “I would…” Her breathing deepened, and she felt her heartbeat picking up. “I would give you the chance to prove your word.”

  Dar pulled her hard against his chest. “You are so aggravating. I don’t remember you being this frustrating in Vegas. I came here with a clear purpose and now, seeing you again, I’m not sure I can promise I won’t attack you or your family if you release me. You see, doll face, I can’t make that promise because I don’t trust you either.”

  Confess.

  Malina heard the past begging in the back of her mind. When he touched her, it was madness. The rush of emotion surging inside her couldn’t be contained. She lifted on her toes and kissed him. Her lips had parted before they met his. Her arms wrapped around his neck to hold him closer.

  He felt so familiar as if no time had passed since she’d lain in his arms. Strange how a few short weeks so many years ago could remain embedded in her body’s memory. Lovers had come and gone, each a mere passing fling, but with Dar it was different. Her body recognized him—the way his chest pressed into hers, the way his breath caught before he sighed her name, the pressure of his fingers gliding down her back. Each intimate touch was emblazoned on her. This was the feeling she’d been searching for.

  Few relationships that were built on something more than the customary—a convergence of mismatched souls that bound together like magnets to defy all logic. Sanity had no place between them. It never had. When they came together, it was instinct and insanity. The feel of flesh was an addiction. A kiss only made the need worse. Release would only make the hunger grow.

  Music notes from the past clouded her mind, adding a soundtrack to the rhythm of their bodies. She felt her magick surge as she slowly undressed him. The ache became unbearable. Her hands moved to cup his ass, loving the smooth texture to her palms. Her clothing disappeared by sheer will of her desires. Soon there were no barriers.

  The present merged with the past as they made love. The floral comforter transformed into blue silk sheets only to return. Their movements were reminiscent
of long ago when they had been in this position. He touched her in the same way as if trying to rekindle the innocent fever they’d had before. The lingering smell of cheap whiskey was replaced by a fine scotch.

  Time held no meaning.

  Malina gazed into his beautiful eyes. Tears threatened as he drew his arousal along her sex. She felt the power building inside her, a pure, erotic outpouring of magick and luck.

  Dar thrust, filling her completely. The room faded and changed around them as if it couldn’t decide which memory they belonged in. Gentle lovemaking turned into a feverish need. The present won as their actions became aching and desperate. He pumped his hips hard, driving her into the bed as if he couldn’t decide if he was loving her or punishing her. She pressed a hand against the old headboard for leverage, as she clawed at his back, giving as good as he gave.

  Climax came in an explosive wave. There was no secret to hide. He knew what she was. Her magick burst out of her, unable to be contained. The television flashed, flipping through random channels. Lights flickered. The ugly landscape fell from the wall and the dark frame cracked upon hitting the floor. The shower turned on, blasting steam out of the bathroom door. Even the toilet flushed of its own accord.

  Breathing hard, he looked around the destroyed room in amazement. “I’m taking it, by your reaction, that it was good for you.”

  She chuckled, too relaxed to take offense. “Is that you seeking validation?”

  “Depends, are you giving it to me?”

  “Sex was always something we seemed to get right. We’re like two chemical bombs colliding.” Malina reached for his cheek and lightly ran her thumb along the corner of his mouth. “I honestly don’t know anything at this moment except my legs feel like jelly, and I missed you.”

  Dar rolled off of her and sat on the bed. He placed his feet on the floor and leaned his elbows on his knees as he braced his head. “What am I doing?”

  Malina doubted the question was meant for her. She sat behind him and gently caressed along his spine, moving from his shoulders toward his ass and back up again. “Confess.”

  “What?” He stiffened.

  “That’s the first word you said to me. Confess,” she said.

  “I remember.”

  “Better late than never, I guess, but here it goes. This is my confession to you. Dar, I’m sorry about what happened. I wish I could take it back. I don’t blame you if you hate me. I had so much to prove to my family. I wanted them to see me as a true MacGregor, not just the English rose outcast who’d been sent away and raised by outsiders. When Niall came to me and told me you were using me, I didn’t want to believe him even though a lifetime of experiences told me Niall was never wrong when it came to good and evil. So, I demanded proof. Then I saw that shooting, I…” Her voice choked. The numbness in her hand returned, and she rubbed her arm. If she was to give herself another heart attack, then she needed to get her confession out. “I convinced myself that you had to be destroyed, or I wasn’t worthy of my warlock heritage. I was angry you lied to me about who you were. I thought you were a demon, that you were evil, that you were using me. I know being a dumbass is no excuse, especially from a woman well over four hundred years old, but there you have it. I was a dumbass still trying to prove something to my brothers and parents. You were the one decision I had made without thought of my Scottish clan, or my reputation, or the desires of my family, and I was embarrassed when I thought that rebellion proved them all right, that I was a foolish chit and you knew who I was along and exploited my weaknesses.”

  He slowly turned to look at her. She let her fingers drop from his back.

  “It turns out they were right about me.” Malina sniffed as a tear rolled over her cheek. She didn’t bother to hide her nakedness or her emotions. Let him see her vulnerability. He deserved to know everything after what she’d done, and the truth flowed from her in a nearly incoherent wave. “I am a naïve, rash, impetuous screw-up. I tried to murder the one person who wanted me for me—not because I was a MacGregor, or a warlock, or powerful, or had a wealthy family. I didn’t trust my instincts when it mattered. I deferred to my brother who meant well but didn’t know you like I did. It should have been me convincing him, not the other way around.”

  “Why did you hide who you were? You were lying to me before your brother came.” He didn’t move to touch her, but he also didn’t pull away.

  “I guess I could ask you the same thing, and perhaps some of our reasons would be the same as well. It’s difficult to talk about what we are to outsiders.” She pushed her hair out of her face and made a small noise of self-reproach. This was to be a confession, not an excuse. “No, it’s more than that for me. I didn’t tell you who I was because I liked not being seen as a MacGregor. I was just Malina.”

  His gaze roamed over her features. She couldn’t blame him for not trusting her.

  “After we…” She hesitated, having a hard time saying the actual words. “Afterward, like a coward, I couldn’t even face what I’d done. Instead, I made Niall promise never to mention it to the others, and then I had him lock the most painful of those memories away inside my brain so that you only lived in the edge of my dreams. I knew I had been married, I believed I’d been betrayed, and I knew we had stopped you. I didn’t want to forget those facts because I never wanted to be taken advantage of again. What I did forget were the details, and how I felt when I was with you.”

  “I don’t know what you expect me to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I want you to hear me and then do what you will with that. Trust me, don’t trust me. Believe me, or don’t.” She took a deep breath. “As I was saying, afterward, I made myself forget, but only my consciousness. My subconscious remembered. I’d wake up with this feeling I couldn’t explain, a tightness in my chest. It was the notion that something was there that I should think about but couldn’t quite pin down. It was dread, and longing, and sadness, an inescapable feeling that couldn’t be described with words. It was you, Dar. It was the feeling of losing you, of losing what we had. I must have relived our weeks together almost every night until that feeling of panic became normal, and I stopped trying to remember the dreams.”

  He gave a heavy sigh, and she hurried on before he could speak.

  “I don’t expect anything to excuse the fact that we did what we did to you. I don’t blame you for wanting revenge, or if you hate me. And now you know everything.” She held out her hand. “By order of the MacGregor, I command you to be free of the djinn ring. Hand it to me.”

  Dar cried out in surprise and grabbed his hand. He shook it violently, gingerly bouncing his fingers against the band as if he was being electrocuted. When he finally pulled it off, he tossed it at her. Malina caught it. She felt the hot metal against her palm and dropped it to keep from being burned. The ring fell, but instead of landing on the mattress, it returned to his finger.

  “Ok, so the setting you free thing didn’t work,” Malina said in surprise. She flicked her burned hand a few times. “Do you want me to try to take it off you?” She reached out her hand as if to pull the ring from him.

  “No, no, I’m good.” He cradled his hand to his chest so she couldn’t reach it. “Maybe another time.”

  “You must hate me now.” The pain in her arm wouldn’t go away. She massaged the muscle trying to get it to stop.

  “I don’t hate you,” he admitted. “I should, but I don’t.”

  “You’d be justified,” she insisted, rubbing her numb arm faster. “I’d hate me if I were you. I mean—”

  “Can you stop talking for a moment and let a guy think?” he interrupted.

  Malina nodded. “Aye, I can do that.” He didn’t speak for several seconds, and she couldn’t handle the silence. “So what are you thinking about? Because I’d like to point out that you tried to kill me too. Sure, I did it first, but you’re doing it second.”

  He arched a brow. A small smile curled his lips. The expression gave her hope. “The M
acGregor reputation is greatly inflated if a couple of ghosts, fairies, and a goblin is considered a legitimate murder attempt.”

  “You forgot about the bog dweller crawling out of the bathroom floor.” Malina naturally leaned into him, wanting a kiss.

  He chuckled. “Nice try. I think I’d know if I gave luck to bog dweller. I don’t even know what manner of creature that would be.”

  Malina stopped mid-motion in confusion. “But…?”

  “What?”

  “I don’t get why you’re laughing.” She distinctly remembered the scary creature pawing Euann’s fuel tank. “There was a bog thing crawling out of the floor of our guest bathroom. I imagine he’s made it out of there by now.”

  His expression fell, and he stood from the bed. “Explain what you mean by bog dweller.”

  She was slower to stand. “I don’t know. His skin looked like lava from a volcano that started to cool when the outside turns black and the cracks glow with red. He was crawling out of some kind of wet portal in the floor. His smell reminded me of the peat bogs. I’m guessing he arrived with the Leprechauns.”

  Dar took hold of her numb arm to keep her attention on him. “What did this creature say?”

  “Say?” She glanced down in distraction. For whatever reason, his touch was easing the tingling sensation.

  “Yes, what did he say?” He gave her a little shake as if to demand she focused her attention on what he was asking. His grip tightened.

  “Ow!” She jerked her arm away. “Jeez, take it easy. He didn’t say anything. He just gurgled at me like he was pissed off and his throat was full of water. It’s not like I tried to have a conversation with the thing. I was busy trying to fight off a ghost mob.”

  “Malina, this is very important.” He reached to pull his pants off the floor and slid them over his naked hips. “What other demons have your family tried to kill besides me?”