Waiting for Magic

by Susan Squires

  “Good.” She took a deep breath. “I need some sleep before we see Mr. Pendragon.”

  Here they were chasing across the desert to the Hollywood Hills after a Talisman that the old woman had just decided this Pendragon guy had. How could she know?

  But his was not to question why. And he’d hate to be Pendragon if he didn’t have something she wanted.

  *****

  Devin saw the black square of the window lighten, almost imperceptibly. It would be dawn soon. He looked down to where Kee’s hair, dried now to its usual light brown, spread across his chest in a tangle. Her long lashes brushed her cheeks. The fact that he could feel the regular rise and fall of her breasts against his ribs had made him hard ever since he came out of his groggy, post-coital sleep. But he didn’t want the provocation removed. He should be ashamed of what they’d done. But he wasn’t. Nothing had ever felt so right to him in his life. He wanted to freeze this moment, right here, forever.

  But he couldn’t. He had to wake her before the household got up and started moving around. Why had she made love to him? She had come with condoms, for Christ’s sake, so it hadn’t been accidental, though they’d both been more than a little lubricated at the time. If she’d had a good reason for coming to his room, she might be okay with it this morning. Maybe she was afraid to admit to her curator that she was a virgin at twenty-three. Maybe she wanted a little experience, so she could be a generous partner in bed. Though her romance novels seemed to have given her a pretty good leg up on that. Jeez. When she had smoothed that little drop of pre-come over his….

  No. No. Can’t think about that. His cock was yelling at him, and he couldn’t think with it yelling at him.

  Part of him wanted to tell her he had the gene. Just to see if maybe.…

  Maybe what, surfer boy? The Tremaines are aristocracy, he reminded himself, like a mantra. Brian and Kemble ran a multinational corporation. They were connected to senators and governors. He was the orphan boy they’d graciously taken in. He was willing to bet their generosity wouldn’t extend to giving him Brian’s favorite daughter. Kee would be throwing herself away on him, and they’d all know it, even Kee. He wasn’t even an artist like Museum Guy, who oozed swanky, east-coast money from every pore. And there was the incest factor. Brian would love that. He might not be her real brother, but they all saw him that way. Hell, he’d always seen himself that way.

  Maybe the family would know the truth soon anyway. Kemble wasn’t going to keep Devin’s secret forever. He’d just agreed to give Devin a little time. Then what? He’d have to tell them his relationship with Sybil was fictional. They’d get the truth out of him or guess about Kee and be horrified. He could just imagine what would happen next.

  Still, it tore him up to keep secrets from Kee. And she had come to him last night….

  But the risk. What if she hated him for what he felt? What if she’d been upstairs, craving Museum Guy, and gotten herself horny and drunk, and just needed a screw? That one hurt. He took a breath and tried to settle his thoughts.

  Even her friendship might be lost if he told her he had a power and she’d raised it. It might be lost anyway if she was appalled at what happened last night.

  The square of window was definitely lighter. There would be no freezing time. It took all his courage to smooth her hair away from her cheek.

  “Hey,” he said softly. Her eyelids fluttered. “Hey.”

  *****

  Kee blinked awake slowly. She’d been so tired, she must have slept hard.

  She felt the smooth skin of Devin’s shoulder under her cheek, his arm around her shoulders, the muscles of his hard abdomen under the elbow of the arm she’d cast carelessly across him. Memories of last night came flooding back.

  She gasped and pushed herself up, scrambling away from Devin’s obviously naked body. What had she done? She clutched the sheet to her breast and put her hand to her mouth, looking around wildly as if there was some way she could take back what had happened. But the tequila bottle and the shot glass on the dresser, the two towels strewn over the floor, the … the box of condoms.… Oh, no! Kemble’s condoms. With her brother! She’d done something she couldn’t take back. She felt her breath coming in little panicked gasps. All very well to think she wanted a great sorrow in her past to make her a charismatic person and a great artist. But great sorrows weren’t that easy to deal with in the present tense.

  She glanced to the window. Almost light. Her mother was an early riser. Mother! No, no, no, no. She shook her head convulsively. Without looking at Devin, she grabbed for the spread, since taking the sheet with her would leave Devin naked. And she might see something that … that she shouldn’t see. Didn’t want to see. And had seen a whole lot of last night. What have I done? Her brain was chaotic with various, unconnected thoughts, all dire.

  She got up, and pulled the spread around her.

  She grabbed the tequila bottle and noted dumbly the nearly empty decanter that had once held Scotch beside it. That’s how all this happened. She was drunk. He was drunk. She collected the shot glass and reached down to the floor for the box of condoms. Then, what with trying to hold the spread around herself, the bottle spilled because it didn’t have a cap, and tequila was sloshing everywhere, and she dropped the box of condoms … and just stood there, staring down.

  “I’ll take care of all that.” His deep voice seemed to vibrate inside her. With remorse. She took a breath and felt it cut her from the inside out. Chancing a look back, she saw the regret etched deep in his expression.

  “I’m so sorry,” she managed, trembling.

  “Not your fault.”

  Slowly, she bent over and picked up the box of condoms. “Yes, it kind of is.” She’d tempted him, walking in here nearly naked and armed with tequila and condoms. He’d been drunk himself and reacted like any male would, and now he’d have to suffer the sorrow she’d planned only for herself. She hadn’t been thinking about how her actions would affect Devin. But she’d hurt him. She could hear it in his voice. She didn’t know what to do.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, his voice husky, after the silence had gone on for a while. “We’ll be back to being just friends in no time.”

  Kee felt a sob struggling to get out of her chest. “No, we won’t.” Because this had changed everything and she didn’t want him as just a friend anymore. She wanted the tender, passionate lover of last night. And she couldn’t have that. They’d both be scarred forever by the fact that they’d made love (well, she’d made love, for him it was just sex that presented itself on a platter) with someone who was forbidden. Brother. And he regretted it. She wanted to scream.

  Instead, she gathered the spread around her body and stumbled to the door. She’d leave him with the mess, just like she was leaving him with the other, emotional detritus of her rash action. At the door, she paused. “You won’t tell anybody, will you?”

  There was a moment of silence. “You know me better than that.” It came out as a hoarse whisper that chased her from the room.

  *****

  Devin watched her go. He hadn’t known his physical heart could ache, but it did. He couldn’t swallow and his eyes filled, just like when he got thrown against the rocks by a wave or he hit his thumb with a hammer.

  He’d hurt Kee. Oh, she’d been the instigator. She was right about that. But he should have said no, saved her from her worst self. Protected her.

  Her horrified reaction had been so painful he hadn’t known what to do, what to say. It didn’t matter. If she felt like that about what they’d done, there wasn’t much to be said. She was the soul mate of Museum Guy, and she thought what they’d done was a betrayal of her true love. And then there was the fact that Devin was her brother. For him, the night had been a beautiful gift, their lovemaking something he would treasure for the rest of his days. For her, a nightmare.

  It was clear now his days could not be spent around Kee. His presence would be a raw wound she picked at and worried over. He felt her move f
rom her room back up into her garret. He couldn’t do that to her. He had to leave, though the very thought made him want to vomit.

  He’d never belonged here. He shared the Tremaines’ special gene but that hadn’t changed anything. He was still an outsider looking in at the happiness they thought was their birthright.

  He got up and picked up Kee’s towels, the now mostly empty tequila bottle, and the box of condoms. He’d sneak them back into Kemble’s room later. Kemble didn’t go out to clubs now that they were all stuck at the Breakers, anyway. He wasn’t going to miss them. Devin got a trashcan liner from the wastebasket in his bathroom and bundled up the trash. Towels into the hamper, sheets too. After he stripped the bed in a daze, he walked into the shower and let the water sluice over him, as hot as he could stand it. Maybe he could burn Kee out of his system.

  No such luck.

  He was going to walk out of here and not look back, mainly because if he looked back, he wouldn’t go. But the Tremaines had been kind to the tanned and blond duckling in their pale Celtic brood of swans. They’d tried very hard to make him feel a loved part of the family. Just walking out didn’t seem right.

  He couldn’t tell them why he was going, of course. But maybe … maybe he could pay his debt, at least in part. He stepped out of the shower and toweled himself dry.

  It was all so clear.

  They needed Talismans to counteract Morgan Le Fay’s growing power. He could get them a Talisman. Pendragon wasn’t so much of a much. An old charlatan who liked to make up stories about himself, just for effect. The Tremaines had magnified the spookiness of his house because they’d been sneaking around in the middle of the night like kids. So, that’s what he’d do. He’d get the Talisman before he left as a parting gift to his adopted family.

  He shook his head at himself. Just like that? But looking inside, he knew he could do it. Piece started falling into place like dominoes. He knew how to get out of the compound without being seen. That would protect him from the Clan. They’d never know he’d left. He thought he might be able to locate the Talisman. And he’d seen how Pendragon looked at him. It wasn’t just Kee the old lech wanted to boink. The man would let him in the door. And if there was any danger, well, he had a power now. He needed a practice session. But he could do this.

  He reached for his phone as the gloomy, wet day began and sent a text to Pendragon at the number Kee had used when she had first called him. “Loved ur collection. Dinner 2 night?” Guy was a night owl. Devin wouldn’t get an answer for hours.

  To his surprise his phone buzzed in his hand. He flicked it awake. “Luv 2. 10?”

  Devin swallowed. Here we go. “U R on.”

  Time to get down to the beach before anybody else was up and about. He had some major preparation to do. And it would keep him from thinking about tomorrow. When he was leaving.

  *****

  Kemble stood in the doorway of his room about ten o’clock, wondering what to do. He’d finally fallen asleep, but only after a long time of ditto—wondering what to do. By the time he’d realized what and whom he was hearing, the deed was done and couldn’t be undone. It would have been bad enough if Devin had smuggled in that girl he was teaching to surf, but this…. Kemble just wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened. The burden of knowing when his father didn’t was excruciating. Should he tell Senior? The very thought made him shudder. What would his father do if he knew? He’d probably throw Devin out. Or horsewhip him. And he’d be hurt at the betrayal. The wakeful hours had settled nothing.

  After too few hours of sleep Kemble had been wakened by an earthquake.

  Lanyon breezed by, his flute trilling. He lifted it in greeting.

  “You feel the earthquake?” Kemble asked.

  Lanyon lowered his flute. “Wasn’t an earthquake. Big wave hit the bluff.”

  “Tsunami?” Kemble’s mind leapt to the consequences. “Hermosa would be destroyed.”

  Lanyon shrugged. “Hermosa’s fine. I went to the window and saw it ebbing out. Didn’t look like it hit the flat areas up the coast. Just some kind of a local surge.”

  Strange. Lanyon turned and proceeded on his way, then stopped dead in the hallway. He sniffed the air then came back a few steps to stop in front of Devin’s door. “Wow. Devin’s hole smells like a distillery.”

  “I think Devin had a late night,” Kemble said in a tone meant to cut off further conversation.

  “He must have bathed in it.” Lanyon sniffed again. “Scotch and … tequila? Dude must have one bad head today.”

  Devin came trudging through the glass-paned door at the end of the hall. He was wearing his wetsuit, the top hanging down around his hips. He looked pensive. But strong. Jane was right. His adopted brother had grown into a man. It wasn’t just that he’d filled out and gotten a man’s bulk of muscle. He had a strong center, a presence Kemble had never noticed.

  Guess he should have realized that before. He might have been able to warn Keelan.

  “Here for some hair of the dog, Dev?” Lanyon asked with a smirk. “There might be a drop of liquor left somewhere in the house.”

  Devin went beet red. “I, uh, spilled some Scotch last night.”

  “And tequila. Amazing you’re functional.”

  Kemble saw Devin gather himself. “Hmmm,” he said. “Could be because I’m not a dorky wuss like the kid with the flute.”

  Lanyon made a noise with his flute that sounded remarkably like a raspberry and turned, piping himself down the hall.

  Devin looked at Kemble’s face and went red all over again. He knows I know, Kemble thought. What did Devin see in his face? Disapproval? Maybe. But horror and anger probably aced it out. He’d thought he could control himself, but the anger gushed up from his center like a geyser. How could Devin do that? To Kemble’s little sister, whom Devin had known almost all his life, who’d been so generous to him when he’d been a scared little boy drowning in grief? Kemble knew he had to get hold of his emotions. What would his father do?

  “You got something you’d like to tell me?” Kemble asked, trying like hell to make his voice neutral.

  “No.” Devin pushed by him.

  Okay, anger wins. He shoved the door open with one hand as Devin tried to slam it shut. He must have looked fierce, because Devin backed into the room, his shoulders collapsing.

  “Look. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

  “You didn’t mean for it to happen!” Kemble exploded. “What, you’re just drilling everything in sight, and she happened to be here?”

  “No. God, no.”

  “I suppose it’s all her fault then. God damn it, Devin. We trusted you.” He ran his hands through his hair. “We made you a member of the family.”

  “Yeah. Poor little orphan boy gets above his station, is that it?” Devin’s anger was ramping up to match his own when Kemble suddenly saw him deflate.

  “Well, don't worry. I’m not gonna hang around, so she’s in no danger.”

  “Yeah, you can just take your new little true love and waltz off into a new life. But Keelan’s got to live with what you did.”

  “What we did,” Devin muttered. “And we’re both going to live with that.”

  “Well, you’ve got your power. Keelan will just have to wait around like the rest of us.” Did that come out petulant?

  “Kee’s not going to be waiting around,” Devin hissed, advancing on Kemble. “She’s got a power too. She could feel the Talisman at Pendragon’s just like I could. So she and her curator pal will do just fine, in spite of what we did last night. She was probably just practicing on me.”

  Kemble found himself blinking rapidly and backing up as he tried to assimilate his brother’s. Devin seemed to be trying to get control of himself. He sucked in a breath and let it out. “So, you can go give Pendragon’s Talisman another shot,” he continued. “But do me a favor and wait till I’m gone. I don’t want to be a part of it. You can wait one more day, right?”

  Kemble nodded. Devin was leaving the Break
ers? It seemed unthinkable. He had a power now. It was dangerous. But how could he stay with what had happened between him and Keelan? Kemble couldn’t think what to say. Should he talk Devin out of it? Or was it the best thing for all concerned? Then maybe Senior never had to know.

  “Well, don’t you tell anyone else about Kee and me. You’ll just make Kee feel worse than she already does.” Devin advanced again and poked Kemble in the shoulder. “And don’t you dare confront Kee with that … that sanctimonious look on your face.” When he slammed the door in Kemble’s face, Kemble realized he’d backed out into the hall.

  He just stood there, unable to think or move. Keelan had a power? What was it?

  What did it matter?

  Everybody in the whole damn house had a power, probably even Tammy’s goddamned cat. He turned on his heel and stalked into the kitchen. He needed coffee, immediately.

  His mother was sitting at the kitchen table that looked out over the deck. Cards were sitting in piles in front of her. As he came in she turned over another one and gasped.

  Crap in a hat. What now? He was sick of all this mumbo jumbo: Pendragon and his charlatan’s magic, his mother and her tarot cards. Why couldn’t they be a normal family with normal problems he could understand and do something about?

  She looked up as he stalked over to the coffee machine that was just finishing the last drips into a new pot. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Not now. He could not have her probing around in his emotional sewer right now. “Nothing.” He grabbed a mug. It said “Castaic Equine Rescue” on it in pink letters with hearts around the edges. Tammy’s. It figured. He might as well use a pink mug with how emasculated he felt right now. His father would know what to do about all this. But there, Devin was right. It was better nobody knew. If Senior knew what had happened under his roof last night…. Or his mother. God, he hadn’t even thought about how it would break her heart.

  “Right,” his mother said. She communicated clearly with that one word that she knew it was not “nothing,” but that she would respect his wishes and not probe. How did mothers do that? He was thirty-six years old and still living with his family, for God’s sake. Talk about being a wuss. Shouldn’t he be old enough to be spared his mother’s intuition? He needed to move out. He almost envied the fact that Devin could just decide to leave. And as long as nobody but Kemble knew Devin had a power, they probably wouldn’t try to stop him. Was that right?