Witch Darkness Follows (Maeren Series Book 3)

by Mercedes Jade

  Yet, he was going to let her walk out of here unaccompanied to talk to Jill. She wouldn’t betray his trust again and run.

  She dropped the air-barrier and turned her head to look at Jaeson.

  “I want my bath tonight,” she said to him.

  He smiled, the worry on his face covered over by a more pleased expression.

  Her father released her arm.

  “Do make him work for it, daughter. He’s become a bit lazy in his potions making without anyone to practice his skills upon.”

  “You can depend upon it,” Kaila told her father, exiting his circle.

  Family never made it easy, but they were worth it.

  Different Strengths

  Jill

  Her mother had trembled.

  It had started with a nervous tap of her foot.

  Jill had been looking down at the floor. She’d ducked her head as her mother had spoken about that horrible night they’d left Maeren, no Victor here to remind Jill to face her fears head on.

  Her mother had been barefoot, sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. That ankle had been weakened by its old injury, so it was prone to fatigue.

  Her mother could have been absentmindedly stretching out the twisted muscles, but the movement of her mother’s foot drew Jill’s gaze.

  Nervously scratching her fingers over her clothes, covering Victor’s claiming tattoo, Jill had dropped to her knees and grabbed for her mother’s foot to massage it.

  That had been when Jill felt the fine tremor her eyes has failed to pick up. There was a nervous energy buzzing underneath her mother’s skin. It was pure magic bursting to get out.

  Her mother had been holding it in.

  “Don’t worry about that,” her mother said, wiggling her foot out of Jill’s now slack grasp. “I’ll have a bath tonight to soothe the ache. We have a journey ahead of us to prepare for, Jill.”

  Jill sat back on her bottom, hugging her knees, and finally, looking up.

  “Are you sure it’s not our father?” she asked.

  “Positive. I used earth and my own hands to end his life. That was murder, you understand. I’ve explained to you girls before why I felt it was necessary. I make no excuses, only the facts, and—”

  Jill cut her mother off.

  “He wanted to start over without us. He would have let his brother steal our lives and our magic to get themselves stronger. Elizabeth remembers what he said and thought that day. I know, Mom.”

  “Well, I take responsibility for his death, as well as for not making sure that I killed the demon that tempted your father.”

  “I-I wish Elizabeth was here,” Jill stuttered.

  “When did she last contact you?”

  “The first day I was here—not long after we were all kidnapped. She’s with George—as you know—although, Prince Daemon wasn’t with her when she contacted me. She did say she would try again, but . . . ?”

  “Do you think Prince Daemon has stopped her?” Mother asked.

  Jill nodded, feeling a lump in her throat suddenly that she couldn’t talk around.

  “No, Jill. Prince Daemon wound not have done so purposefully. He went to the Wastes to protect your sister. It was all a misunderstanding at court. I told you that he saved the king and William is the culprit behind that poisoning. Perhaps the magic Daemon used to travel across realms—so unconventionally—is what has stopped Elizabeth from communicating further. Or they could simply be on the move to Dragos and too far for Elizabeth’s lightning to cross.”

  “To the dragon’s caves? Why?” Jill asked, horror pushing past that lump in her throat.

  Her sister was in grave danger, without her family there to help her.

  Dragons were frightfully strong.

  “The king tasked Daemon with mending the relationship with the dragons, so he would better be able to confront William. He needs troops—strong soldiers—if he wants to dethrone William,” her mother explained.

  “I thought Phillip was the king now?”

  “A puppet king, although he may yet be unaware. I hope he’s not involved in the conspiracy against our king.”

  Her mother uncrossed her legs and re-crossed them the other way, but even the weight of her good leg over the bad couldn’t stop the tremble that had restarted again.

  “I don’t think so,” Jill said. “Phillip never spoke against his father, although William sometimes complained . . . William was the one not allowed a harem.”

  “True, it’s doubtful that Phillip had any quarrel with his father. That doesn’t mean you can trust him, Jill. He’s the crowned king now, and we know it was wrongly done.”

  “What are we going to do?” Jill asked, her mind racing. It was hard to sit there instead of pacing.

  “I don’t know.”

  Jill looked her mother in the eyes.

  “You don’t know?”

  “The captured witch revealed that your demon uncle lives . . . in front of my father and Jaeson. We won’t be able to act without them. I’ll have a talk with them, once they’ve finished the interrogation.”

  “Are you in trouble? Should we leave?”

  Her mother shook her head.

  “No. I mean, I might have some heated words with the two of them later, especially as I should have asked for help twenty years ago when this all started. My father has excellent resources. I’m sure he’s already put some of those in play, such as his private army from our clan.”

  They’d been alone for so long, it was hard for Jill to wrap her mind around it.

  An entire army to protect them?

  “Will we have to go live with grandfather’s earth clan to stay safe?” Jill asked.

  That might not actually be such a bad idea.

  Her mother looked surprised. “I’m not sure yet. We still have work to do for the king and your sister to find.”

  “Would we be safe there? Once we find Elizabeth, of course. What was it like growing up in your clan?” Jill asked, suddenly full of questions.

  “I miss it,” her mother answered. “You should talk to Alexander. He’s clan, and I’m sure he can tell you more about what it is like now. When I grew up, I was mostly with Jaeson—he was assigned to guard me. We were apart from many of the other clan members because of my birth status and power.”

  There was a firm knock on the door.

  Jill turned her head and her mother called out for whoever it was to ‘come in’.

  Jaeson open the door.

  “Kaila, if I could talk to you privately?”

  “Yes. Jill, I’ll come to your room after supper and we can talk more. In the meantime, try not to worry too much. We will deal with this new problem together with Jaeson and my father,” her mother said, rising to her feet.

  “I already gave my promise to your daughter. Two dead bodies. Tell your prince that I claimed this demon for my own first,” Jaeson said, sounding rather stern.

  Her mother used air to carry her shoes over to her—by the bed—and slipped them on. It partly covered up her bad ankle.

  “Jill, is what Jaeson said true? Did he promise vengeance for you?” her mother asked.

  Jill looked between her mother and Jaeson, feeling very much stuck in the middle of them.

  “Uh, he didn’t know what he was promising. I didn’t spill our secrets. Only that there were two bodies that we left behind at the castle.”

  “Does Victor know who the second body is yet?” Jaeson asked.

  “No,” Jill answered.

  “The general will want to share with your claimed why we’ll be hunting down your father’s brother. Personally, I’m fine with taking on this mission alone,” Jaeson said.

  “I want to be there,” her mother said.

  “Elizabeth wouldn’t want us to separate,” Jill said.

  She didn’t want to be the one to tell Victor the horror of her past.

  Staying here—without her mother—when monsters still lurked wasn’t something Jill wanted to contemplate either,
but for less cowardly reasons.

  Jill should be the one to slay this childhood demon. She was grown up and powerful now. Her mother shouldn’t have to live through their nightmare again.

  It was one thing to want to do it and another to be faced with the reality of doing it.

  Jaeson wasn’t going to dawdle while Jill got her courage up.

  “Go, talk to your friends. They will need to know, Jill,” her mother said.

  Jill ducked her head and walked towards the door. She didn’t even give Jaeson a look.

  That’s why his sudden hug caught her by surprise.

  “We work well together, Jill, remember? This isn’t someone that one of us has to deal with alone. Not Kaila, not yourself. And when we find Elizabeth, we’ll help her, too.”

  Like family should, although Jaeson didn’t say that out loud.

  Ironically, they were taking down a demon with a blooded connection to them.

  Jaeson felt more like an uncle ought to than her real one.

  She whispered in Jaeson’s ear, before he let her go.

  A little spontaneous advice.

  “My mom really likes foot massages, even if you have to sit on her to get her to stop moving and stay still for one.”

  Jill wiggled from Jaeson’s embrace and darted out the doorway, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

  Her mother would not appreciate Jill’s interference, although someone had to help Jaeson. He really seemed sweet inside, an interesting contrast to her mother’s abrasive attitude around most males.

  It would be interesting to see if her mother melted a little around him.

  “Whoa! Slow down!”

  The warning came too late from the hard body she plowed into as she ran down the hallway, looking down instead of up.

  It wasn’t Victor—by his voice—but the command for ‘eyes up’ rang in her head as she was caught in strong arms.

  Alexander’s broad smile met her gaze.

  “Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” Jill explained.

  At least her red cheeks could be explained away as embarrassment for running into him instead of what she’d said to Jaeson.

  “I was looking for you, but you were coming much too fast. Where are you running away from?” Alexander asked.

  He was still holding her. She went to back up and his hands tightened.

  Alexander hadn’t really pitted his earth strength against hers yet, not even in practice.

  She wasn’t sure she could break free if he was serious about holding her.

  Was it worth fighting him over it?

  “My mother had to tell me some bad news. Jaeson wanted to talk to her afterwards, so I was leaving them for privacy reasons. I guess I was preoccupied with what I heard and not watching where I was going, that’s all,” she told him.

  Alexander’s broad smile dimmed.

  “The general’s probably telling the prince and princess that ‘bad news’ as well right now. He sent me up to you.”

  “For what reason?” Jill asked, puzzled.

  “To talk.”

  Alexander was practically a stranger to her.

  Victor and Victoria had gotten closer, but really, nobody knew her as well as her mother.

  What would her grandfather have expected Alexander to do?

  Her mother had said Alexander would know more about clan life.

  “Uh, does that mean we’re not going downstairs?” Jill asked, rethinking Alexander’s reason for holding onto her.

  He was stopping her from going into the main pub.

  “I don’t want you going downstairs alone. I can accompany you down for something to eat if you prefer. The others are in their rooms, talking privately. The general doesn’t want you left unguarded.”

  She didn’t really want to face a bunch of strangers with her emotions rioting inside.

  Who knew what would set her off in another panic attack?

  “Where else would we go?” she asked.

  “Come up to my room. It’s on the third floor. We could talk and I could ring for some refreshments,” Alexander proposed.

  He let her go, so she had the space she needed to make her decision.

  She paced a little circle in the hallway.

  He didn’t push her for an answer, although his big body thoroughly blocked the stairs, leading up from the main floor.

  He growled over his shoulder to someone trying to get past, telling whoever it was ‘to come back in five minutes.’

  “Alex, that’s rude!” Jill said to him.

  It was too late. Whoever he’d growled that command at had left. The order had sounded much more like Victor than something Alexander would say.

  “Vic said you prefer direction. As long as you consent. I want to carry you up to my room, then order some tea and soup. You will finish all of it before you tell me what is wrong.”

  Jill stopped pacing. She kept looking at the floor.

  “Yes,” she simply answered.

  Alexander approached on quiet feet. He bent over and picked her up under her knees and the middle of her back, lifting her into his arms princess style.

  It stopped Jill from hiding her red cheeks, although she did try to turn her face into his chest.

  “Look at me, Jill,” Alexander said.

  His request was softly spoken. No order in it, like Victor. Alexander coaxed.

  She flicked her gaze up at him and then turned her face back into his chest with a deeper blush.

  He’d looked down at her so intently, it was as if he’d been examining her every feature for hints to her thoughts.

  Alexander had that earnest type of gaze that could make her confess her every fear to him. He only wanted to help.

  “Are you sure Victor is going to be okay with this?” Jill asked as Alexander started carrying her up the stairs.

  “He’s busy, but I have your grandfather’s permission.”

  In other words, doubtful, and if they got caught, Jill was in trouble with Victor.

  The prince had been fairly possessive over her, not letting any of the pub patrons even get close enough to brush against her sleeve.

  Victor had said she could pursue Alexander, but she wasn’t sure if he had been serious.

  “Would you have done this without permission?” Jill asked, not quite sure why she wanted to know.

  Alexander smiled fully. “Most definitely. Ever since you tasted my blood, I’ve had an open invite, Jill. Victor may fuss, but he’s left the choice up to you.”

  “So, why wait?”

  Alexander shuffled her body, so he only needed one hand to hold her, the other hand free to open his door. It wasn’t locked, although she was sure he had earth-shielded the entrance, feeling magic tickle at her senses before he carried her into the room.

  “I’m not in a rush, and you weren’t ready,” Alexander answered. “I did have the captured witch in my rooms, most recently. Hopefully, she’ll be transferred into quarters that are easier to secure soon and I won’t have that duty to worry over.”

  “Oh. Where did she sleep?” Jill asked, eyeing the generous double bed as Alexander carried her into the room.

  “I slept on the floor, in front of the door. She was encircled for her safety.”

  He must have fed on her, but he didn’t say a word about it.

  She was hesitant to ask. There was no claim between her and Alexander.

  He didn’t let her down, still holding her as he walked over to a small table with a simple pencil and paper lying on the top.

  “Beef-barley soup and green-jasmine tea? Some bread?” he asked her, writing down the items—again, one-handed, the other still holding her.

  She could have been a little kitten in his arms, a small burden that he hardly noticed, content to be carried around while he went about his daily chores.

  “Yes, that sounds fine,” Jill agreed, squirming a little.

  Alexander put the pencil down and cupped the back of her head. He leaned over, so her l
ips met his in a soft kiss.

  His mouth lingered over hers, until she forgot about ordering food or the monster coming back for her from her childhood.

  She pleasantly thought only of the feel of Alexander’s lips against hers.

  He kissed her sweetly. It was a little like indulging in her favourite, weekly chocolate eclair—not the exact taste, but the way he savoured her.

  Licks of the cream from the centre as he tongued the seam of her lips, then nibbles of airy pastry as he let her feel his fangs, and finally, the melty finish of dark chocolate ganache on her tongue as he thrust into her mouth and let her taste his unique flavour.

  Actually, that was a lot like chocolate.

  She pulled back. He let her, still supporting her head from behind. She tentatively put an arm around his neck and smiled up at him.

  “You taste like chocolate,” she said.

  “Victoria told me to buy it from a vendor. I tried a sample,” he admitted. “Do you like it?”

  “Chocolate kisses from you?” she asked. “Yes, I liked it very much.”

  “Supper before dessert,” he said, although he had a big smile on his face.

  He leaned over to pick up the paper that he’d written on, crumpling it into a ball.

  Pulling a slot open in the wall, he dropped the ball down the opening.

  Lastly, he closed the slot and pulled the string for the bell.

  The bell’s use was familiar to Jill, but the paper balls were new.

  The hospital had transported important labs and messages via a vacuum tube system, but that was too technological for Maeren.

  Curiosity must have lit up her features because Alexander answered her question before she asked it.

  “There’s a hole in the wall, with a slide for the messages to roll down. Ringing the bell will tell the staff which room to watch for a message. They’ll use the dumb waiter to send our food up when it’s ready. Saves old servant knees.”

  Jill nodded her understanding.

  “Shouldn’t you let me down, so we can get ready to eat?” she asked, feeling a bit awkward in his arms.

  They kissed!

  Now that he was back to doing mundane things, the itch and burn from the priming he’d started was making her restless. She either needed to rub up against him or pace the room.