Natasha didn’t see the room at first, her entire focus on Willow. “Are you okay? That was quite a bit...” she started, but her words trailed off when she saw the room.
Willow shut the door, then said, “It was like this when I came up here.”
Natasha walked around the room, shuddered when she saw the burn mark on the floor, then turned back to Willow. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I know this must seem like a lot to take, but you're strong enough to handle it.”
She shook her head. “There are things you don’t know, reasons why this is all wrong.”
“Maybe you should share those reasons with me, because all I see is two people who are drawn together; that can’t be such a bad thing,” Natasha said.
Willow sighed. “I wish it were that simple.”
***Taylor***
Taylor emerged from his meeting with his brother feeling better, but desperate to see Willow, to reassure himself that she was still there. But he soon discovered that Natasha had already gone up to see her and that she was sleeping.
“What did she say?” he asked, disappointment washing over him.
“She’s not ready to see anyone right now,” Natasha said, “so you’ll just have to be patient and wait until dinner to see her.”
“But what did she say?” he asked, again.
“I think you two need to talk,” Natasha said, frustrating him further.
He spent his time until dinner pacing the house and staring out the window. He’d been upset too when they figured out that they’d been thrown together for what looked like a grand purpose, but then he’d realized talking to Daniel that it didn’t really matter.
There was something between them, and no matter the reason for that attraction, he’d be a fool to turn his back on that just because he felt like a pawn in someone else’s game. But it took two to make that happen, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that Willow wasn’t going to be there much longer.
When she came down for dinner, she was pale and looked tired, but he kept his mouth shut and helped her to her chair. The smile that she gave him when he sat down next to her made his heart leap with joy, but it was the only sign she gave all through dinner about how she was feeling.
By the time they got up to have dessert in the study, he was ready to burst with anticipation, all the things he wanted to say to her clogging up his mind and making it difficult to concentrate on his dinner. He finally pushed it away half eaten and waited for everyone to finish, planning to pull Willow out onto the patio when they were done.
As soon as she put her fork down, hers only half eaten as well, he said, “I was hoping we could talk for a minute out on the patio.”
Willow looked at him, and his heart plummeted when all he saw was sorrow in her eyes. When she finally nodded, he got to his feet and held out his hand, then together they walked outside into the warm night. He led her over to the edge of the patio and looked up at the stars.
“There’s so much I want to say, I’m not sure where to start,” he said, looking down at her and smiling.
She returned his smile, but he could see that she was only smiling on the surface. “Willow,” he began, taking her hand, “I know this must all seem so crazy to you, you’ve suddenly become involved in something far bigger than anything you expected, but I promise you it’s going to be okay.”
“But it’s not going to be okay, Taylor; no matter what we do, it’s not going to be okay,” she said, the conviction in her voice scaring him.
“You don’t know that,” he said. “We’ve beaten Lucas before. We’ll do it again.”
Willow shook her head. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about us, Taylor. There’s no future for us; no matter what we do, it’s going to end badly.”
Taylor was starting to get mad, wondered what happened to the woman who had been so full of fight only a few hours ago. “You can’t know that for sure; the prophecy and the notebook make it pretty clear that we’re supposed to be together. We’re perfect for each other, Willow; I’ve known that from the first minute I saw you,” he said, desperate to pull her into his arms but afraid that she’d push him away.
“We’re perfect for each other now, when it serves a purpose, but it won’t last,” she said, her voice hard. “I’ve seen it, Taylor; I know what’s going to happen.”
It took him a second to fully understand her words. “What do you mean you know what’s going to happen?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. “Do you have your magic back?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head, “that would be better.”
“Better than what? I’m confused, Willow,” he said, turning her to face him fully.
She looked up at him, gasped a little, as if she’d been hurt, then said, “I dreamed about us, Taylor, and not just one dream, but many. They always started out with us happy together, deeply in love, and then something happened and you were gone.”
“You were just dreaming, Willow,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
She sighed, then pushed away from him. “They weren’t just dreams, Taylor; they were glimpses of the past, different times, and different lives, and each time we were ripped apart. Fate may have put us together but it doesn’t plan to keep us that way, and I can’t take that kind of disappointment.”
When she was finished, there were tears running down her cheeks, and he knew that she was going to run back into the house, so he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms again. As wrong as he knew it was, there was only one thing he could do at that point to try and convince Willow to stay.
She clung to him for only a second before trying to pull away, but he held on tight. When she finally looked up at him, he said, “What we’ve started is something special, Willow. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before, and I don’t want to let you go.”
Then he lowered his mouth to hers and gently brushed her lips with his, igniting the passion they shared instantly. Willow sighed and opened her mouth to him, letting his tongue slip inside, and desire fill them both. He kissed her until they were both breathless, then pulled back to look into her eyes again.
“If you want to leave, I won’t stop you,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb, “but first you have to tell me that you didn’t feel what I just felt.”
Willow reached up and stroked his cheek. “If I could, this wouldn’t be so hard, Taylor, but don’t you see that I have to go? It’s the only way to keep your family and my heart safe,” she said, then fled into the house.
“What about my heart?” Taylor asked, but she was already gone.
Chapter Thirteen
***Willow***
Willow shut the door to her room, turned the lock, then leaned against it, knowing that she’d just done the hardest thing she would ever do. Walking away from Taylor and all the happiness she knew he could bring her had been the most painful experience of her life, but deep down, she knew that pain was nothing compared to what she’d feel if she stayed.
Fate had looped them into something wonderful but impossible, and this time, she wasn’t going to let it destroy her. She was going to take control, stop the cycle before it started, and hopefully for at least this lifetime, there would be no pain. But she mourned the joy and pleasure that also wouldn’t be and knew that for the rest of her life, she’d feel an empty place in her heart.
Fighting the tears that threatened, she pushed her thoughts of Taylor and what she was losing to the back of her mind. She was more determined than ever to get away from the estate, put some distance between herself and all of the Carlsons, not just Taylor. Over and over she told herself that she wasn’t the witch they were looking for; as strong as her magic had been, it was nothing compared to a witch like Michelle.
Thinking of Michelle made tears pop into her eyes again when she realized that by leaving, she’d also be severing her contact with Michelle. It had been so long since someone like Michelle had been in her life, and she’d been hoping that Michelle would ev
entually take her on as an apprentice.
She was really too old for that, but she’d never had any formal training, and Michelle would have been perfect. Feeling her resolve beginning to slip, she got up and began to pace the room, then realized that she needed to leave right then. Waiting any longer was only going to make it harder; she’d leave a note saying goodbye and disappear into the night.
It wasn’t hard to slip out of the house as everyone had gone to bed, and the servants were gone for the day. She’d slung a backpack from her closet over her shoulder, stuffed as full as she could get it with clothes and toiletries, picked up some food from the kitchen, and was ready to go.
The note she’d written was on her pillow, and stepping out of the house, she felt only a moment's pang of indecision. Taking a deep breath of the cool night air, she zipped up her jacket and headed for the woods and the path to the little town a few miles away. From there, she wasn’t sure what she’d do, probably hitch a ride into the city where she’d stashed some money.
It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to rent a room somewhere in the city until she figured out where Professor Miller was. Remembering the notebook tucked into the front of her pants, she felt a pang of guilt; it was the only thing she’d taken of real value, but there hadn’t been time to copy it.
She hadn’t meant to take it, but at the last minute, she’d detoured into Daniel’s study and grabbed it, unable to leave the house without it. Stopping on the trail, she pulled it out of her pants and put it in the backpack, carefully zipping it closed, wondering if she should take it back. In the end, she knew she’d never be able to and started back down the path, feeling the notebook’s weight on her back.
The woods were dark and quiet as she walked, but she didn’t feel scared. Instead she absorbed the quiet, feeling it calm her. When the trail came out of the woods, she found herself on the road that lead to the estate and knew that the little town was only a few more miles away.
Sure that she’d made her escape, she headed for town, wondering how hard it would be to find a ride. It would still be dark when she got there, but she remembered a little park where she’d be able to curl up and sleep for a few hours. Feeling like the last two years had been stripped away, she prepared herself for her first night sleeping outside.
Two hours later, she walked into town, so exhausted that even sleeping in the park sounded good. But then she realized that she didn’t have her magic, that there wouldn’t be any magical pillows or warm blankets that night, and she couldn’t help but shiver. Resigned to a long few hours, she headed for the park. But when she got there, a familiar car was parked in the parking lot, its lights glowing brightly in the dark night like a beacon calling to her.
Taylor was out of the car before she could turn and disappear into the night. “I thought you might head here,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “I would have gone hiking with you if that’s what you wanted.”
Willow sighed, his attempt at keeping things light just as annoying as the fact that he’d followed her. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, walking just close enough so that she didn’t have to yell.
“I saw you leaving the house, so I followed you,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “You didn’t really think I was going to let you leave alone, did you?”
“Were you watching me?” she asked, not sure how that made her feel.
“Yes,” he admitted, then added, “but it’s a good thing I was.”
Willow felt her anger rising. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
Taylor smiled and shook his head. “I’m sure you are, but something keeps telling me to protect you, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
“And if I don’t want you to?” she asked, afraid of the answer she was going to get.
“I don’t think you have any choice. I’m going with you one way or the other. We can go where it is you’re going together, or I’ll follow you,” he said, walking back over to the car and leaning up against it. “You decide.”
***Taylor***
Taylor was sure that his heart was going to fly out of his chest; he’d rehearsed what he was going to say to Willow when he caught up to her, but he hadn’t said a single word of what he’d planned. Now, he’d given her an ultimatum that he wasn’t sure he could follow through on, and she was staring at him, waiting for him to back down.
But he wasn’t going to back down; he would follow her if he had to, even if it meant sleeping on the streets. She must have realized that he was just as stubborn as she was because she finally started toward the car, but when she got to the passenger door, she paused.
“I’ll let you take me as far as the city, but then you have to leave me alone,” she said, then opened the door and got in.
Taylor let out his breath in a huge whoosh, just then realizing that he’d been holding it, and got in the car. He could feel Willow’s anger and frustration in the air and decided that the best course of action right then was silence, so he started the car and pulled away.
They rode in silence Willow; turned away from him watching the trees pass by, her shoulders hunched. When the sun began to rise, he felt the hazy feeling that comes with too little sleep and knew that he was going to have to stop. He wasn’t sure he could trust Willow not to run away while he was sleeping, but the lure of sleep was stronger.
He pulled into the first reasonably clean motel he found and stopped in front of the office. “I have to get some sleep before we go any further,” he said. “I bet you’re tired too.”
“I could use some sleep,” she said, being reasonable for the first time in hours. “But I’m not sleeping in the same bed as you.”
Taylor sighed; clearly, she was still mad at him. “I’ll get a room with two beds,” he said, getting out of the car.
When he came back with the key and got into the car, she was still hunched in her seat, but he could see that she was almost asleep and tenderness washed over him. She was a stubborn woman, and at times it drove him crazy, but she was also strong and capable when she needed to be.
“Are you hungry? There’s a little diner down the street; they’re already open for breakfast,” he asked when she turned and looked at him.
“I don’t think I’m in any shape to go inside anywhere to eat,” she said, running her fingers through her hair and pulling out a leaf.
Taylor suppressed the urge to laugh, knowing it wouldn’t help him any, and instead suggested, “How about I go pick up breakfast while you take a shower.”
Willow gave him the first smile he’d seen in hours and said, “That would be wonderful; thank you.”
When he got back to the room a half an hour later, he stood in front of the door, hands full of takeout bags, and took a deep breath. He knew that there was a chance that he’d open the door and find the room empty, that Willow would have taken the opportunity and run.
But when he opened the door, the room wasn’t empty; in fact, it was far from it. Willow, dressed in a long tee-shirt, her hair still wet from the shower, was curled up on one of the beds, watching the television. Her legs were uncovered, shapely and muscular; he had the urge to run the palms of his hands over them.
Pushing the thought away, afraid of where it might lead, he smiled and said, “Breakfast is served. I didn’t know what you’d want so I got a little of everything, but we’d better eat before it gets cold.”
Willow looked up at him sleepily from the bed, her eyes half closed, and a sharp pang of desire shot through him. His groin tightened, and he knew he was about to embarrass himself, so he headed over to the table with the food and began unpacking it.
They sat down to eat in silence, Taylor all too aware of Willow across from him in only her tee-shirt. “I paid for two nights so we can sleep as long as we want,” he finally said to break the silence.
“We should get back on the road soon,” she said, “but you sleep as long as you need.”
The convers
ation died after that, and soon they were both curled up in their separate beds. Taylor wanted desperately to hold Willow, to feel her skin against his, but settled for turning on his side and watching her sleep for a few minutes before his eyes finally closed.
Hours later, the sound of wind and rain woke him from a deep sleep. At first, he couldn’t figure out where he was; the room was dark, with only a small slit of light coming in through the curtains. But then it all came rushing back to him, and he sat up in bed, looked over at the other bed, and sighed with relief.
He stumbled over to the window and peeked through the curtains; the sight that greeted him not unwelcome. While they’d been sleeping, a storm had come in, and from the looks of things, it wasn’t going away any time soon. He couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face when he realized that they were stuck here until the storm weakened and it was safe to travel again.
Chapter Fourteen
***Willow***
Willow woke to the sound of thunder and for a second was drawn back in time, fear racing through her. But then she opened her eyes and saw Taylor standing by the window, and the fear disappeared. She must have made a sound because he turned from where he was standing at the window and smiled at her.
“Looks like mother nature felt the need to show us that she’s still in control,” he said, opening the curtains just a little more.
“What time is it?” she asked, getting out of bed, then noticing how cold it was in the room, crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s freezing in here.”
“It’s a little before five,” Taylor said, checking his phone on the desk.
“I guess we’re not going anywhere tonight,” she said, walking over to stand with him at the window.
Dragon's Flame (Dragons Secret Society Book 3) Page 8
