Sadness swept through his eyes. He lifted his hand and ran the back of it down my cheek. The hibernating butterflies all shocked into flight at once. I was a goner. Dammit. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I wasn’t trying to.”
I smiled. “I know. It’s my own stupid brain misinterpreting things.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t misinterpret anything, Lily. You do drive me crazy, but generally, it’s a good kind of crazy. I wasn’t lying when I told you I didn’t want to get into a relationship with anyone, but as much as I’ve tried to talk myself out of us, I’ve run out of reasons. Dana hurt me, but that is truly in the past. I can’t live in the shadows of pain I should’ve discarded ages ago. We only get one life, and I want to explore us. But I know you need time, and to be honest, I do too. These last few weeks have been trying for both of us, but if you think you can trust me again, I’d like to try.” He smiled, his dimples doing stupid, irresistibly dimply things.
“I’d like to trust you, and I’m down with giving us a go too, but taking it slowly would be a great idea.” Okay, this was my brain talking. My libido had other ideas, but it wasn’t in charge… at least not this time.
“So, I’m thinking we should start with a morning run on Saturday. It’s a long way to a dinner date from there, so we’ll both be safe.”
“Okay. I would love to.”
If anyone had walked in on us, they would have rolled their eyes and gagged: we were staring at each other with goofy grins like a couple of teenagers who’d never dated anyone before. We were adults, for goodness’ sake. But it felt wonderful to be happy, as if my chest was going to burst from being filled with all the good things.
He tapped my nose, his gaze travelling to my mouth. The room was so quiet. Could he hear how loudly I was breathing? Was I ready to kiss him? Was he even thinking of kissing me? Gah! I wanted out of my head. It was hell in here.
My phone rang, and I jumped. He dropped his arms, and I reached into my back pocket to grab it. “Hello?”
“Lily, we’re waiting for you and William. Please hurry it along.” Angelica sounded two parts stern, one part amused. I blushed.
“Ah, yes, Ma’am. We’ll be right there.”
I hung up. Will grinned. “Shall we?” He opened the door and followed me through. On the way to the conference room, I turned my phone off. Dana may not still be spying, but I wasn’t taking that chance.
When we reached the conference room, everyone was indeed waiting. Angelica was at the head of the table, James to her left and Beren to her right. But that was it. The other agents had left.
My cheeks heated at James’s, Beren’s, and Angelica’s knowing smirks. Why was I even embarrassed? It’s not as if we’d actually done anything remotely R-rated. Sheesh.
We quickly sat.
Angelica nodded. “Good, now that we’re all here, we can start. I won’t keep you long. It’s been a trying few weeks, and I’m afraid the PIB’s been turned upside down. It will take a few days for us to get everything back in order, but I don’t foresee too many problems. I’ve spoken to one of our directors. He’s sent me documentation appointing me as Agent Pembleton’s replacement.” She paused, and we all took a moment to think of him and reflect on this afternoon’s tragedy.
Then she continued. “James will be my replacement. Congratulations, Agent Bianchi.” Angelica smiled and shook his hand. I grinned. It wasn’t every day I got to see my awesome brother promoted.
“Thank you, Agent DuPree.” He gave her a nod.
“Now, on a more serious note.” She waved her hand in an arc: her silent cue that she’d created a bubble of silence. “What I’m about to tell you comes under our top-secret investigations. None of this is to ever be spoken about to anyone but each other, Millicent, or Olivia. They will also be brought into this secret task force.”
Were we going to investigate where Dana went? That would seem like a job for the PIB, not something secret.
“Lily, those photos you took at the warehouse contained an unknown man.”
“Yes. Do you know who he is?”
“No, but he had a distinctive snake tattoo on his neck, which we’ve matched with a similar, smaller tattoo that was on both of the men you killed in the last few weeks.”
Way to make me feel guilty. “It was in self-defence.” I folded my arms and wriggled lower in my chair.
“We know that, Lily. I’m not criticising you. But this is a valuable piece of information.”
Oh, crap, it totally was. I was such an idiot sometimes. Focus, Lily. “Sorry, Ma’am. You’re right.”
“Do you know what that tattoo means?”
Everyone shook their heads.
She held her gaze on me. “I can only assume it’s some kind of group that Dana may have been working for. Your kidnappers also worked for the same group.”
No. Freaking. Way. Where she was going with this, I did not want to follow. Dana had been out to get me the whole time? But how did she even know I’d ever show up? She’d been working at the PIB for years. Had she been planted to lie in wait just in case daughter followed mother into the witch-criminal catching business?
Will and James traded “oh, crap” looks.
“I see the penny has dropped for all of you. Good. She didn’t come back for a promotion—she came back for Lily. Although why she didn’t kidnap her, I don’t know. We’ll work on finding that out as we go. Also, there’s one more piece of information I have. The tattoo was a snake with the word ‘regula’ before it and ‘issam’ after it.”
“Do you know what it means?” I asked, because everyone else was busy thinking it through, probably trying to figure it out, but I didn’t have the brainpower left. I needed this handed to me on a silver platter. I deserved that much after the day I’d had.
Angelica looked at me when she spoke. “The snake isn’t just any snake; it’s a python. Paired with issam, it forms the Latin word pythonissam. Regula is Latin for ‘rule’. So, essentially the tattoo is stating Rule of the Witch. We have a lot of research to undertake, but I think we’ve found who’s after you, and who took your parents.” It was as if someone had punched me in the gut. I stopped breathing for a few beats. Her gaze shifted to James. His face was carefully neutral, but he blinked a few times. He’d been here for years trying to find any clue as to what happened to our parents. This would have shocked him too.
James turned my way. We stared at each other, and I knew neither of us would give up until we discovered the truth. This also meant I had a chance finding who was trying to kidnap me and stopping them. But how big was this group, and how powerful were they?
“If they supplied Dana with that ring, it would indicate they’re well connected, or at least have lots of money and knowledge, wouldn’t it?”
Angelica raised her chin in a half nod. “Yes, Lily, but until we know more, let’s not assume the worst. So far, they’ve failed every time they’ve tried to take you. Now we have a real chance to find and neutralise them, and they don’t know about any of the information we have on them. As far as they’re concerned, we’re no closer to catching them than we were yesterday or a month ago.”
Well, that was something. I shut my eyes, needing some space from everything. Today had been another crazy rollercoaster of witchdom. I needed to get off the ride for a while.
“It’s okay, Lily. I think we all feel a bit that way. Why don’t we reconvene lunchtime tomorrow at my place?”
I opened my eyes. “That would be great, thanks. Oh, and can you get my phone looked at? Dana was tracking me with it.” I slid it across the table.
James grabbed it. “I’ll drop it into Tim on my way out tonight.”
“Thanks.”
“Good afternoon, team. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She stood, and we all did the same. James and Angelica started a conversation and left together. Beren gave me a quick hug and winked as he left. He was too cheeky for his own good, but I’d get my own back one day if he ever asked Olivia out.
“Ha ha, no, but even if I had my phone, I wouldn’t be answering any calls. I think I’m going to sleep for a week.”
“You can’t do that. You’ll miss our Saturday-morning run.”
“Hmm, sleep or a first date with you?” I tapped my chin, pretending to think.
He grinned and grabbed me in a hug. “Once you’ve had one date with me, you’ll want more. I promise.”
“Mr Confident, aren’t you.”
“They don’t call me Mr Tight Buns for nothing.”
I laughed, remembering that night in the car when we’d been teasing Will about nude modelling for my art class. “I suppose they don’t.” I squeezed his bum cheek. What the hell was wrong with me? My hand had a mind of its own.
“That was rather cheeky, Lily.”
“Oops, sorry. You said tight buns, and I had to check. My bad.”
“Seriously, though, I’ll make it up to you.” There was no hint of joking in his voice, and I believed him. He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. I lifted my face and kissed his cheek, lingering for a moment longer than normal before pulling back and stepping out of his arms. If I didn’t leave now, I didn’t think I could trust myself to not grab him and kiss the hell out of him, and I was pretty sure neither of us was ready for that yet.
“I’ll see you Saturday, Will.” I was about to make my door when he spoke.
“Oh, and, Lily?”
“Yes?”
“You’re not the only one who’s waited a long time for this.” He flashed his dimples one last time, stepped through his door, and disappeared.
As I made my door and travelled to Angelica’s reception room, I couldn’t get the stupid smile off my face. If anyone had told me today was going to end with my heart bursting with happiness, I never would have believed them. Not that life was perfect with a crazy witch and her equally nutty but powerful society after me, but at least we had somewhere to start.
I unlocked the door and made my way into the house, my grin still in place. “Hey, Liv,” I called out.
“Lily!” she yelled from upstairs.
I started walking the two flights to her room. “Guess what?”
She met me at the first-floor landing. “What?”
I was surprised my idiotic grin hadn’t given things away. “I think Will really likes me. We’re going to start dating.”
She jumped up and down, then hugged me. Today I’d filled my yearly quota of cuddles. “I told you he liked you. That’s the best news ever.”
“Wanna go downstairs and make some pancakes?” It was too early for dinner, but I needed food, some laughs with my best friend, and then sleep.
“You read my mind.”
We linked arms and walked down the stairs. All my friends loved me again, the violence would stop because we’d caught the perpetrator—well, one of them—and things were temporarily right with my world.
Maybe being a witch was going to be okay after all. I guessed I’d find out soon enough, but at least I’d have backup this time.
We made it to the kitchen, which was thankfully devoid of the witch cage. I turned the coffee machine on and took out the ingredients for pancakes. As I got to work, I looked at Olivia. “Aren’t you going to boil the kettle for a cup of tea?”
She shook her head. “I’m going to steer clear of tea for a while. I’m thinking a mocha coffee would be a good alternative.”
“Coffee and chocolate. You can’t go wrong.” I grinned and got another cup out of the cupboard. Olivia grabbed a pan and put it on the stove. As we cooked, I thought about everything that had transpired that day.
The possibility of finding out what had happened to my parents terrified me, but at the same time, I was desperate to know. And if we found who was involved, we could finally bring them to justice. That was something worth working towards. James and I had ten years of justice to dispense. Suddenly, torture didn’t seem as evil as I’d thought.
Olivia ladled pancake batter into the pan. “Lily, why are you smiling?”
“Oh, nothing. Just thinking about the future.” And what I could do to those bastards who took my parents.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be awesome from here on in. We’re going to be working together, you’re dating Will, and the baby’s coming. So much cool stuff is happening.” She grinned.
She was right: so much cool stuff was happening. I shrugged off thoughts of revenge and gave her a genuine smile, one borne from happiness. “I have a feeling you’re right, Liv. And what better way to begin the rest of our awesome lives than eating pancakes together?”
We clinked coffee mugs in cheers, and Liv said, “Here’s to the future. May it bring us everything we’ve ever wished for.”
That was something I could totally drink to. And we weren’t asking for much, right?
Yeah, right.
Acknowledgments
To my much-loved editors, Becky and Chryse. Thank you both for helping Lily shin. And a special shoutout to my cover designer, Robert Baird. This could be my favourite cover of the whole series. I just love how you take my ideas and make them come to life in the most perfect way.
And thank you to all the readers who are joining me on Lily’s journey. To know you’re enjoying the series brings me a crazy amount of joy.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author, Dionne Lister is a Sydneysider with a degree in creative writing, two Siamese cats, and is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Daydreaming has always been her passion, so writing was a natural progression from staring out the window in primary school, and being an author was a dream she held since childhood.
Unfortunately, writing was only a hobby while Dionne worked as a property valuer in Sydney, until her mid-thirties when she returned to study and completed her creative writing degree. Since then, she has indulged her passion for writing while raising two children with her husband. Her books have attracted praise from Apple iBooks and have reached #1 on Amazon and iBooks charts worldwide, frequently occupying top 100 lists in fantasy. She’s excited to add cozy mystery to the list of genres she writes. Magic and danger are always a heady combination.
Also by Dionne Lister
Paranormal Investigation Bureau
Witchnapped in Westerham #1
Witch Swindled in Westerham #2
Witch Undercover in Westerham #3
Witch Silenced in Westerham #5
The Circle of Talia
(YA Epic Fantasy)
Shadows of the Realm
A Time of Darkness
Realm of Blood and Fire
* * *
The Rose of Nerine
(Epic Fantasy)
Tempering the Rose
Witchslapped in Westerham Page 19
