by Neely Powell
Jake put a hand on her shoulder. “Let it go, Brenna. I’m not upset with Sarah’s accusations. This was a terrible night and everyone’s feeling the strain.”
“Can I come with you?” she asked. “I don’t want to go home and argue about all of this any longer.” When he hesitated, she added, “I need to get my car, as well. It’s still sitting in your yard where I left it last night.”
He nodded and led her to the cruiser. Brenna saw Sarah look her way and turned her head. Maybe Maggie had the right idea. Maybe all of them should run and hide.
Chapter Nineteen
“Sarah and I fought off the Woman in White with magic tonight. I need to know if that has been done before,” Brenna said as they entered Jake’s living room. “There’s so much I need to know. If no one’s going to help me, I’ll just have to do what’s needed on my own.”
“And how do you think you’ll do that?” Jake put his hat on a table near the door, removed his holster and put his gun in the safe on top of a bookcase. “The whole coven hasn’t defeated whatever this is, a lone witch may not fair too well.”
“Do you think Aunt Celia’s spirit was the demon?” Brenna followed him to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She set a bottle for him on the counter.
She was making herself at home, Jake noted with discomfort. “I don’t know,” he asked her with a frown. “Do you think she was real?”
“I’m asking for your opinion.”
“I may be a shifter, but I don’t know much about demons and ghosts.”
His answer seemed to upset her. “You’re still angry about Sarah’s accusations, aren’t you?”
“I told you I wasn’t.” If anything, Sarah’s words reminded him of who he was and what he was capable of. He needed to keep that foremost in his mind to keep Brenna at arm’s length.
She regarded him with her head cocked to the side. “You don’t have much faith in yourself, do you?”
“Why do you say that?”
“What you said tonight about control.”
“In a blink of an eye, I am a predator,” Jake reminded her. “I’d be foolish not to acknowledge that.”
“It’s more than that. What’s made you this way, Jake?”
He had a flash of memory, of blood and gore. Carnage wrought by him. He took a step back. She was in his space, meddling in matters that were none of her concern. What happened to keeping it casual?
He took a deep breath and released it slowly, working hard to resist anger. “How about we see about your car? If we can’t get it out without further damage, I’ll take you home.”
Brenna studied him in silence. “Okay, I’ll leave if you want me to.”
What he wanted was a jumble in his mind. He could barely think. He should push Brenna away. So why did he want to hold her? “It’s late,” was his lame reply. “And it was a terrible day.”
“I don’t want to go home.” The admission seemed torn from Brenna. “I just want to run away, and I hate myself for it.”
Her name was a sigh on his lips as he acted on instinct and pulled her close. “What do you want to run from most? Your family or the Woman and her curse?”
She turned her face into his chest. “Both of them. I’m angry with Sarah because she’s not taking advantage of the strength of the family. She’s trying to make all the decisions alone.”
“And your parents?” he prompted.
She was silent. “I was surprised how they defended you tonight. How logical they were.”
“Makes it hard to hate them so much, right?”
She groaned and put her arms around him. “It’s very disconcerting that you understand me.”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far. After all, you’re a witch.”
She tipped her head back and looked up at him. “Does that bother you?”
“Why would it?”
“So you’ve known witches other than us Connellys?”
“One really well. I was about eighteen, living in Boston. As you know, we shifters are often able to sense one another. I ended up with some other kids with special abilities who were on the streets. There was a witch who used to let us sleep at her house now and again.”
“Another good witch like Eva Grace.”
He shook his head. “Not entirely. She made a living working for a couple of mobsters, brewed up potions for them to use on their enemies.”
Brenna frowned. “The craft says do no harm.”
“She had lost her way. Her family shunned her.”
She shivered. Even though she moved away, her family’s power and strength reached across the miles to steady and comfort her. Their teachings and creed of honor were her foundation. “Do you know why her family put her out?”
“It had something to do with a wizard she fell in love with. He wasn’t the best sort, I guess. Her family asked her to give him up and she wouldn’t. They made her choose. She took him, but in the end he left her alone. It confirmed my feelings about the uselessness of love and commitment.”
“Confirmed?”
“Yeah, the worst thing my mother ever did was love my father.” His admission slipped out, but before Brenna could pursue it, he released her and stepped back, picking up the bottle of water. He was done with true confessions for the night, but he couldn’t send her away either. “You can stay here,” he said. “I understand not wanting to go home.”
Brenna hesitated, but then gave in. “I really don’t want to see Sarah or my parents, but I’m worried about Eva Grace and Fiona. Maybe I should call them.”
“It’s late. Hopefully they’re asleep.”
“Fiona was terrified that Aunt Celia’s ghost was actually the demon in disguise. At the same time, she doesn’t want to believe there’s a traitor in our midst, either.”
Jake shook his head and drank some water. “None of this feels right to me. Despite your differences, your family is strong when you’re together. Tonight, your power was amazing.”
“But someone broke the circle.” Brenna bit her lip.
“Who do you think it was?”
She sighed, but she didn’t hesitate to answer. “It could be my mother.”
The response didn’t shock Jake, but he didn’t see the logic. “Why would your mother try to put more hurt on your family than what the Woman in White can inflict?”
“She left here to live a life separate from our family. Maybe she didn’t intend to break the circle tonight, but she’s not really a part of us any longer.”
“You could have fooled me. She jumped right in to save Doris.”
“That might have been for show.”
Jake still wasn’t buying the theory. “I know I’m an outsider, and I never met her before now, but to me, she cares about what happens. She and your father warned Sarah against the spell.”
Brenna didn’t like his defense of her mother. “If not Delia, then who? Not Fiona or Eva Grace. And Doris was the one attacked. What’s your theory?”
“Oh, no, I’m not playing that game.” Jake drained his water. “While it’s fine for you to criticize everyone in your family, I’m not going to. And the truth is, I don’t have any idea.”
“Damn.” Brenna dragged a hand through her hair. Her expression was fearful. “What if it’s Sarah, Jake?” She began to pace, her body vibrating with anger and tension. She moved from the kitchen to the living room and back again. “What if something happened to Sarah that we don’t understand? She’s been neglecting the coven. She ignored good advice about tonight. Willow says she’s losing control. She didn’t have enough strength to fight the Woman in White until I joined her. “
“But together you sent her running. Maybe you can do the same when she comes back.”
“When will that be? When Aunt Celia was taken, she was with my mother. They were alone at the falls. There was no one there to help my mother fight for her sister’s life. The Woman took her right there. Just like she took Garth.”
Brenna’s agitation was stirring t
he air. The candles on the stone fireplace mantle lit and extinguished repeatedly. Kitchen cabinets opened and closed. The unopened mail on Jake’s dining room scattered.
He took Brenna by the shoulders. “You need to calm down.” He knew better than to suggest she try to rest, even though it was after 1:00 a.m. and neither of them had gotten any real rest during the day. “Why don’t we see what we can find on the Internet?”
“We won’t find any answers there. The answers are in missing pieces of The Connelly Book of Magic and in the history of this town.” Brenna walked away from him and tossed her empty bottle in the recycle bin beside the back door. “I think I need to talk to Willow. Can you run me over there?”
“I don’t think you need to do that either. Going to see Willow will make Sarah angry.”
“But if she’s the traitor, maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Jake went back to the kitchen, and took a bottle of Jameson and two heavy, old-fashioned glasses out of the cabinet. “I don’t usually drink liquor when I might be called in, but we’ve both had a long, hard day. In addition to the stress you endured when your aunt was injured, I suspect you used some huge energy helping with the restoration spell.”
He poured three fingers of whiskey in each glass. “You also put a lot of yourself into helping Sarah battle the Woman in White.” He pushed one of the glasses in front of the chair across from him. “It’s late, Brenna. You don’t need to go anywhere else tonight.”
With a sound of reluctance, Brenna reached for the glass he held out to her. “I’m not much for drinking whiskey.”
“Considering Garth gave me this for Christmas two years ago and it’s still more than half full, I can say the same.” Jake held up the glass and studied the amber liquid in the light. “According to Garth, there’s no wrong way to drink Jameson, but the best way is to take a sip, hold it on your tongue until the burn goes away, and then swallow. You get the full flavor of the whiskey without dulling your taste buds.” He lifted his drink. “Shall we?”
Brenna tipped her glass against his and said, “Sláinte.”
Though her eyes watered a little, Brenna smiled when she swallowed the heady drink. “Garth was right. I’ve always had it with cranberry juice or ginger ale, but you really do get a better experience of the flavor this way. I think I’ll finish mine during a hot bath.”
“Good idea. Towels are in the hall closet, and I’ll get you a T-shirt and the robe I never use,” Jake said. “I’ll throw your jeans and T-shirt in the wash although it’s doubtful the blood will come out entirely.” He gave a rueful glance at his own blood-spattered khaki uniform. “I think our clothes are toast.”
Brenna set her glass down and walked into his arms. “Thank you for letting me stay.” She stepped away from him and grinned. “Just remember, shifter, you have to tell me if you really don’t want me here.”
Jake watched her walk away. Despite their interaction, things were back to normal between them. Sex, maybe. Nothing more than friendship otherwise.
After imagining Brenna’s naked body reclined in his tub, he opted to get the T-shirt and robe for her and close the bathroom door. He went to the cluttered desk that served as his home office, awoke his sleeping laptop and checked the few people who were available to him through instant messaging.
Dr. Rodric McGuire was online as usual. It was morning in Edinburgh, Scotland and Jake knew his studious friend would be retiring soon after a night of work. As a paranormal researcher, Rodric spent most of his nights in the historic city of Edinburgh in a castle or another building older than America waiting for ghosts, demons and other beings that enjoyed darkness. Rodric was a researcher who had done a study of shifters in Special Ops in the military. He, Garth and Jake became fast friends, and usually met once a year in Scotland for hunting, drinking and vicious games of chess.
Rodric had been distressed when Jake sent him a message about Garth’s death, but with the events in New Mourne, there had been little time for Jake to speak with him since.
Five minutes after Jake sent his message, his phone rang. He grabbed it before it disturbed Brenna and greeted his old friend.
“I’m so glad to speak to you at last.” The lyrical tones of his Scottish brogue sang in the doctor’s reply. “I can’t believe Garth is gone.”
“None of us can.” Fresh grief roughened Jake’s voice.
Rodric asked about Eva Grace and Garth’s aunt, and then got straight to the matter. “You said in your IM that you need my help.”
Jake related the situation in New Mourne, including the attack by the vine on Brenna, the death of Sandy Murphy, and tonight’s spell gone wrong that left an elder aunt in ICU.
Rodric cursed Celtic gods, goddesses and various other deities. “There’s more going on than the family curse. That’s obvious to me.”
“To Brenna too. The rest of the family seems reluctant to accept that, although the elders have admitted tangling with a demon in the past.”
“Then it could well be the same now,” Rodric said.
“One more thing you might be interested in.” Jake paused for effect. “Aiden and Delia Burns are here.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Rodric said and hung up.
Smiling, Jake placed the portable phone back on its charger. He wasn’t surprised Rodric knew of the famed mystical researchers. The good doctor would want a part in the resolution of the Connelly’s family drama. What Jake hoped was Rodric would be able to help them figure some of this out. The sooner he arrived, the better.
He turned as Brenna appeared in the doorway from the hall. She looked like a creamy cupcake, her skin soft and damp, her auburn curls drying in disarray around her face. Her robe opened to reveal smooth, silky legs beneath his baggy white T-shirt.
“Want to go to bed?” she asked.
He moved toward her, grinning. “There’s nothing I’d like better, but you’re exhausted, and I’m not a desperate teenager.” Jake realized his loins didn’t agree with that statement, but he fought down his desire.
He kissed her softly, threading his hands through her hair. Then he took her hand and led her down the hall. “Come on. Let me tuck you in and you’ll have sweet dreams for sure.”
She gave him token resistance, but he insisted she climb into his big oak bed and try to settle down. He sat by the bed as she mumbled about what she needed to do tomorrow and drifted to sleep. When her breathing was steady, he slipped out and gazed longingly at the dark woods behind his house. He needed a run, but he wasn’t comfortable leaving Brenna alone.
A loud hissing sound pulled him to the back door. The now familiar owl was perched on the lower limb of the red oak just beyond the house.
“So you’re back again.” He admired the pale brown wings and stark white face in the moonlight.
The owl watched him, eyes steady and true.
“You’ll keep her safe?” Jake asked.
The owl hissed again. Feeling he had protection in place, Jake let go of the restraints of his human form. The tiger took control and in moments he was racing through the undergrowth chasing a rabbit that would serve as a nice appetizer.
An hour later, refreshed and sated, Jake stood under a hot shower feeling better than he had in days. His mind was clear and his body loose. He knew he was ready to help Brenna intensify her search for answers.
Brenna stirred as he slipped in beside her and she snuggled against him. This time Jake didn’t argue with his libido. Surrounded by the scent of honeysuckle and Brenna’s supple skin, he buried his face against her warm throat. When he licked the delicate skin, Brenna came awake with a moan.
He slipped his hands under the T-shirt and slid it over her head. His hands glided over her body, appreciating the curves and muscles. When his fingers grazed her hip, she pressed herself against him.
Jake took her lips and nibbled. She ran a palm across his chest and he deepened the kiss, drinking from her like a dying man. He pulled her close and pressed his erection
against her. Brenna parted her legs and made little movements that made him glad he was male.
He moved his hand down her body, slipping his fingers inside her. She responded with abandon. As she moved with his hand, he took her nipple into his mouth. She rode the crest and slumped against him when she came. Before he could enter her, she pushed him down and crawled on top, taking him in as she straddled his thighs.
She set a slow, mesmerizing pace that left Jake helpless to do more than hold on to her. Watching her beautiful body move above him, Jake felt more than physical response. He tried to push the feelings away, but Brenna touched his core in an unfamiliar way. She brought him to completion and then draped herself over his body, looking as satisfied as he was.
Before his breathing slowed, Brenna gave him a wicked grin. He thought she was going to suggest they make love again. Even though he was supernatural, he didn’t know if that was possible.
She laughed as if reading his thoughts. “I’m starving, shifter. Got anything to eat?”
Chapter Twenty
Since the phone didn’t wake them during the night, Brenna assumed the town was still peaceful. Eva Grace called to tell her Doris had made it through the night and was doing better than expected. Brenna and Jake slept in, made love again and enjoyed the breakfast he prepared.
Although she knew why she wanted to stay with Jake last night, she was surprised at her reluctance to go home in the morning. She was almost disappointed when he successfully moved her SUV away from the tree and onto the road.
“I like this,” she admitted to herself as she drove away.
In the rearview mirror, she saw him watching her leave. She felt a strong temptation to turn around, to wrap herself around his long, lean body, and have her way with him once again. She was well acquainted with passion, but Jake took her to new heights. At the same time, he made her feel comfortable. There was no pretense. She could be herself with him.
An ill-advised development, she reminded herself. She would not get involved while in line to die. Jake was a distraction. Her sole concern should be breaking the curse. Connellys before her focused on their normal lives—Sarah wrapped up in raising her daughters’ children and Delia wrapped up in Aiden. They might have made progress if they had stayed the course.