“Wait here,” she instructed him. “I’m not finished with you.”
She ignored his barely concealed amusement as she marched back to her car. As much as she’d like to ignore Jinx she didn’t want him ripping up her dashboard in his desire to consort with the enemy. She opened the car door and bent down to block the dog’s escape.
“Hush, Jinx,” she scolded him. “You’re going to be silent or--”
But the rest of her threat died on her lips. The rotten minx wiggled past her and shot out of the car. Before she could grab his collar he raced over to the mustang and jumped up on Liam, his yips of joy left no doubt of his delight at being reunited with his favorite human. Tessa grabbed Jinx’s leash and slammed the door shut.
She watched as Liam bent down to greet Jinx but she turned away after a moment. Liam Kennedy, every handsome, sexy inch of him, was too easy on the eyes. And easy was not good, not safe. The ease with which she let him into her heart had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
Liam straightened and snapped his fingers. Jinx sat and looked up obediently, adoringly, at him. Liam smiled at her. “It feels good for the three of us to be together like this.”
“We’re not together,” Tessa snapped, trying to ignore the way Liam’s white t-shirt and faded jeans fit him like it was no one’s business. “I’m on my way home, and you’re obviously lost.”
“I’m lost without you, you’ve got that right.” He took a step toward her. She took a step backward.
She didn’t want him to touch her. She did want him to touch her. Heaven help her. “What do you want, Liam?”
“You.”
She’d walked right into that one. This conversation was quickly becoming verbal quick sand. She had to escape. “Not going to happen. Ever.”
“You’re not being fair, Tessa.”
The word fair shattered her tenuous self-restraint. Fair? He dared to speak to her of fairness? He who stole her job out from under her? She didn’t care about the damn job any longer. It meant nothing to her now, she’d figured that much out in Chicago. It was the thought of not seeing Liam, of not being with him, of not sharing her days with him…that was the loss that filled her with pain.
She brought her hands together and her fingers flew as she cast a spell. To her immense relief it worked. Liam’s mustang morphed into a rusted out, bulky three wheeled bicycle fit for an old woman on her way to the market.
“Enjoy your new ride,” she said, lunging after Jinx before he could dash off. She didn’t trust him to come when called, not when he had his precious Liam to run to. She snapped the leash onto the collar and strode to her car, dragging a reluctant Jinx along with her.
“Shit.”
The sound of Liam’s curse brought a smile to Tessa’s lips for the first time in days.
It served him right. Let him pedal furiously wherever he wanted to, she only wanted to go home.
She reached for the door handle but before she could open it, Liam’s hand closed over hers.
“You little witch.” He spun her around to face him. He moved in, pinning her body against the car. He sounded uncharacteristically out of patience. “Quit hiding behind your magic.”
“Don’t you dare--”
Liam didn’t allow her to finish her threat. He silenced her by taking her face in his hands and kissing her.
Tessa’s mind ordered her to struggle against his kiss but she couldn’t bring herself to obey such a rational thought. Liam’s touch was a form of magic she was powerless against. The strength in his body, the kindness in his eyes, the goodness in his heart, she’d wanted it all. And it hurt like hell to know she’d never have it.
Just when desire threatened her sanity, Liam released his hold on her. Tessa didn’t try to move, she needed the support of the Mercedes because her knees were too weak to hold her up.
“Now will you hear me out?” His voice was low, breathless.
“No.” She didn’t trust herself to say more. Her voice, just like her dog, was bound to betray her.
“You’re so damn stubborn.” He shook his head. “You don’t know what’s going on, why I did what I did or the way things have changed.”
He had nerve to talk to her about change. She’d gained one hundred pounds overnight and had to bust her backside to get most of it off. She’d lost her magic and had to struggle to learn how to cope the way mortals did, with mere words. She’d watched her black cat turn into a white bundle of fur and misplaced loyalty. She’d had enough change to last her several hundred years.
“What can I do to get through to you?” Liam demanded.
“Nothing.” Tessa put her hands on her hips so he couldn’t see them shake. She drew a deep breath and mustered every bit of defiance and disdain she could before she narrowed her eyes. “I want to be far away from you. For good.”
Silence stretched between them. Tessa knew Liam was waiting for her to take it back, to say she didn’t mean it, but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t open herself up to the possibility of being hurt again.
“It’s your decision, Tessa.” Liam reached out, lightly tracing her cheek bone with his thumb. “You want to be with me or you don’t. Which way is this going to go?”
Tessa shivered. Their chemistry was too much, too powerful. Too scary.
“I want you to leave me alone.”
A sudden flurry of gold glitter surrounded them both. She couldn’t see anything and the only sound she heard was Jinx’s plaintive whining. She closed her eyes until she sensed the swirl had settled down. Cautiously, she opened them and looked around. She was still in the middle of the road, but she was now alone with Jinx and her car.
Liam was gone. Really gone.
Chapter Fifteen
Once they arrived at her aunt’s home, Tessa held the car door open for Jinx. “Well, come on then, we can’t stay out here all day.” She waited while he jumped down and ran over to sniff the flower bed by the front steps.
How many times had she gone in and out of Aunt Trudy’s front door without ever noticing the flowers? It pained her to think of how many beautiful days she’d neglected to take a moment and savor the warmth of the sun on her face. Had Aunt Trudy always loved gardening? Tessa had no idea. And that was sad.
“Don’t dig, Jinx.” Tessa fumbled in her pocket for the tiny bag of dog treats she had taken to carrying around. Precious Pup Pops they were called, or something like that. Oh, how life had changed in a mere month. Four short weeks ago she’d been callous and careless with other people’s feelings. She’d had a cat and never suspected she’d ever own a dog. And she hadn’t ever been in love.
“Come,” she called to her familiar. Once he did she held up the treat. “Sit.” She reached down and gave him the promised Pup Pop. “Good boy. Now, don’t embarrass me in there. Come on, it’s time to face the music.”
The trip down the hallway felt longer than Tessa remembered. She couldn’t remember ever approaching a council meeting with such apprehension. Or nervousness. Anger, frustration and impatience, yes. Apprehension? Never.
She took a deep breath before she pushed open the doors. Silence rapidly replaced the din of chatter. Every witch present turned to face Tessa. To her utter amazement, an overwhelming sense of relief flooded through her. It felt right to be back. To be home.
“Welcome, my dear.” Aunt Trudy gathered Tessa into her arms and hugged her for a long moment. “I’m happy you’re with us again.”
Tessa was reluctant to let her aunt go. “I’m happy to be back.” She waved to the assembled coven members. “Hello, everyone.”
“Have a seat, Contessa.” Amelia Fairweather pointed to Tessa’s empty seat at the oak table. “You have much to tell us.”
Tessa sank into her chair, scooped up the dog and settled him on her lap. “You all remember Jinx.”
Just as she had predicted, the transformation of her black cat into a frisky white Westie evoked mixed emotions. She listened quietly as each of the twelve women in turn shared thei
r thoughts on Jinx’s canine form.
“Disgraceful,” Clarissa Goodbody weighed in. “Really, Tessa, what were you thinking? How many witches do you know who have a dog for a familiar? Hmm? Name one.”
“It certainly wasn’t anything I planned, Clarissa.” Tessa kept one hand on Jinx’s back, in part to restrain him if necessary. His ever so slight growl was inaudible to the others, or so she hoped. “It seemed the only compassionate choice to make. Jinx seemed much happier as a dog, and I wanted to respect who and what he is.”
“Well, I’m proud of you, Contessa,” Amelia Fairweather piped up. “You’re a good girl to respect his wishes.”
To her great surprise, it didn’t bother her to be called a good girl. Why it ever had, she couldn’t fathom. Amelia always meant well.
Aunt Trudy smiled fondly. “We’re all so proud of you, my dear, and not just for letting Jinx be who he is meant to be either. You worked incredibly hard while you were gone. We were watching you know, cheering you on. We even purchased one of those elliptical machines.”
Tessa smiled. “Really? I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be,” another witch piped up. “We haven’t used it yet. We’ve got a few robes hanging on it at the moment.”
“Once you make it a habit you’ll enjoy it,” Tessa assured the group. “Or at least feel really good after your workout is over.”
“Tell us about your friends,” Evelyne Allswell said. “And don’t look surprised, we know all about them. Start with that Marcus fellow. He was easy on the eyes but half the time I didn’t know what he was talking about.”
Tessa launched into a description of the people she’d met. She told them about Marcus, Claudia and Bethany. She avoided mentioning Liam or Europe. They’d ask soon enough but she didn’t have the heart to bring it up.
When she was finished, her fellow coven members peppered her with more questions, which she was happy to answer.
“You look wonderful,” her Aunt Trudy finally said. “I think the little bit of weight you’ve still got on suits you. Now, to celebrate your return we chipped in and bought you a gift.”
“You didn’t have to,” Tessa protested.
“Wanted to,” Clarissa said. She fingered a quick spell and a set of matching luggage appeared in the middle of the table.
Tessa’s first instinct was to admire the fine Italian leather. She’d never owned anything so lovely. Or so useless. She wasn’t going anywhere and it was time she told them so.
“There’s something we need to talk about.” Tessa cleared her throat. She hadn’t realized how difficult this was going to be. “No one’s asked me about the council position in Europe yet.”
“And no one’s going to either,” the witch at the far end of the table said.
Tessa looked around, deeply grateful for the supportive expressions on everyone’s face. She could hardly speak. She tapped her fingers against her palm and traced a quick spell. She needed a glass of water. Within a second a drink appeared, but it wasn’t water. It was a steaming cup of hot chocolate complete with tiny, floating marshmallows.
She stared at the cup, incredulous. She tried another spell but this one was worse. Instead of a glass of water, a bottle of champagne appeared, complete with an ice bucket and two crystal flutes. She glanced up anxiously. “I don’t know what’s wrong, Aunt Trudy. I thought my magic was back.”
“It is my dear, don’t worry. It just needs a little fine tuning.”
Fine tuning? That didn’t begin to describe what it would take to get Liam Kennedy out of her mind, or out of her heart.
“Let me,” her Aunt Trudy said. Her fingers flew and a glass of ice water appeared on the table. Tessa smiled her thanks and took a sip.
“You’ve all been very kind to not ask me about the United Paranormal Council position but I have to tell you what’s happened.” She hated this. Admitting failure didn’t come easily, not when they’d been counting on her. The loss of the council seat itself didn’t matter to her. Not anymore. It was Liam’s betrayal, his choice to leave her that made her heart ache. She took another deep breath. “The luggage is gorgeous, really I love it. But I have no use for it. I’m not going to Europe.”
“We know,” several of the women chorused.
“You know,” Tessa repeated.
They all nodded.
Tessa was at a rare loss for words. She struggled to keep her tears at bay. They knew she’d ruined the opportunity for them and they were still being so kind. Marcus, Claudia and Bethany had given her the gift of friendship. These women, her coven of silent spell witches, had given her the gift of family.
“How?” she finally managed to ask. “How did you find out?”
“It was that nice fairy who told us,” Amelia said.
“Liam was here?” Tessa’s heart began to race.
“No, dear,” Aunt Trudy clarified, “it wasn’t your young man. It was his assistant Fiona. She came to explain everything.”
“I’m sure she did.” Tessa felt a stab of annoyance, but she knew it was just masking a terrible disappointment that Liam hadn’t come himself. He was probably too busy packing. “And Liam Kennedy is not my man.”
“I want to be.”
Tessa froze. He was here. At the sound of Liam’s voice, Jinx jumped off of her lap and raced to the door, tail wagging. Tessa didn’t turn around. She didn’t trust herself. She kept her eyes on her hands while Liam fussed over Jinx.
What was he doing here?
“Ladies,” Liam greeted the coven with a nod. He came to stand beside Tessa’s chair.
She turned to look up at him. Oh, heaven help her, her heart was desperately happy to see him even though she knew it was just going to hurt worse once he left again. “Hello, Liam.”
“Contessa.” He knelt beside her chair.
“What can I do for you?” She struggled to keep her voice even. His nearness made it impossible for her to appear unaffected. “Are you here to borrow my luggage?”
“No, I’m already packed.”
She forced herself to look into his eyes. “What do you want from me?”
He reached for her hand and held it in his. She wanted to snatch it back, she really did. But she couldn’t. The warmth of his touch was too strong a pull.
“I want forever.” Not taking his gaze from hers, Liam reached up and touched her cheek with his fingertips. “If you’ll have me.”
Tears welled in Tessa’s eyes. “I don’t understand. What about the Council seat? You wanted--”
He interrupted her by placing a finger over her lips. “I wanted you from the moment I first saw you,” he said. “Accepting the job was a stupid mistake. I don’t want it, I want you. The council seat is yours. Just say the word.”
“No, no.” Tessa didn’t need a moment to think. She didn’t want the job. The only thing she wanted was Liam. All to herself. Forever. “I don’t need to think about it. I want to be with you.”
Suddenly remembering they weren’t alone, she glanced around the table, anxious to judge the coven’s reaction. Their sappy grins and moist eyes told her all she needed to know. She looked at her Aunt Trudy.
The older woman nodded and smiled. “Go with our blessing.”
“You’re sure?” Tessa held tight to Liam’s hand.
“Of course we are,” her aunt said. She pointed to the mug of cocoa and the champagne. “You’ve obviously missed our clues. And the luggage too. Do you really think we would have bought luggage for you if we already knew you weren’t going to Europe? My girl, we may be older than you by a few hundred years but give us some credit.”
After their laughter subsided, Tessa shook her head. “The champagne I understand but what is the luggage for?”
“Let me show her, Trudy,” Clarissa called out. The old witch snapped her fingers and the lid of the top suitcase popped open. A black cashmere sweater floated out, followed by a pair of black wool slacks and a pair of leather boots. A ski parka was next. So they all knew about the trip to t
he mountain cabin. Tessa glanced over at Liam but his smile was nowhere as embarrassed as hers. He looked happy. Tessa knew she wanted to spend forever making sure that he stayed that way.
“Thank you all. I cannot tell you how much your support means to me. To us.” She started as an emerald green silk negligee floated out of the suitcase. When a black satin teddy started its assent she blushed. “Stop, stop…thank you but please don’t bring out anything else.”
Their laughter continued as they hugged her goodbye. Everyone, including Clarissa, waited in turn to give Liam a farewell kiss.
“Be happy, children.” Aunt Trudy waved and blew them a kiss before the entire coven disappeared at once.
Liam drew Tessa to him, nuzzling her hair. “We’re finally alone, my Contessa.”
She pulled back, not out of his embrace, but just far enough to look into his eyes. “Not exactly, Jinx is going with us, isn’t he?”
“Of course he is. The four of us will get along perfectly well I’m sure,” Liam said.
“Four?” Tessa’s eyes widened. “What haven’t you told me?”
He grinned. “I have a little present for you.”
Tessa watched as he pulled a remote from his pocket and pushed a button. A small cloud of gold sparkles swirled over the table. Jinx began to bark furiously but Tessa ignored him, her eyes intent on the gold cloud.
Finally the sparkles settled and a tiny, furry black kitten stood on the table. Its back was arched and it hissed furiously at them.
Joy such as she’d never experienced filled Tessa. She laughed. “He’s for me?”
“She. And yes, she’s yours.” Liam scooped up the miniature feline and handed it to her. “Jinx seems a bit attached to me so it only seems fair that you have someone on your side.”
Tessa laughed as Liam placed the kitten into her hands. It immediately bit one of her fingers, its tiny white teeth so small that the bite actually tickled.
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