Beyond Magic (Magical Love Book 1)
Page 23
The blood drained from Lane Williams’s face and he swayed, grabbing the mantel to brace his large frame. “Emily.” The name came out as barely a whisper, and his blue eyes darkened.
He straightened to his full height and shot a dark look at Cori. “Why are you asking about Emily?” Then he focused on Emma. “Excuse me, ladies.” Lane almost ran from the room.
Cori’s eyes filled with tears and she turned to Emma. “What the hell just happened?”
If she’s confused, how does she think I feel?
“Damned if I know. You’re the one who knows him.”
“I thought I did.” Cori plopped down in the closet chair and shook her head. “It appears I don’t know him as well as I thought.”
They turned and watched the lone figure now sitting on a rock at the cliff bottom below ignoring the waves that splashed around him from the rising tide in silence. Emma could almost feel his pain as he stared out across the water toward the horizon. After what seemed like forever to her, Lane stood and started his return over the slippery rocks that covered the shore and up the steep stairs set into the hillside.
“He’s on his way back.” Cori dived for the couch and settled back against the cushions. “Act normal.”
“I’d love to act normal as you so aptly put it, if I knew what the hell normal is under the current circumstances.” Emma hoped the glare she shot her roommate scorched a bit of her supposed psychic reading ability.
She turned back to watch the waves crash against the rocks and ignored the nervous Cori. Okay, she was anxious too. Why had Lane abruptly disappeared at the mention of Emily’s name? Could it be possibly he was the same Lane Williams who had stolen her mother’s heart and left her with a bun in the oven?
Emma heard the door open but decided to let him explain to Cori why he bolted. She’d always loved watching the waves and a few more minutes of doing something that soothed her wouldn’t hurt.
“Dad, you had me wor—”
Cori’s greeting ended before it finished, leaving Emma almost curious enough to turn and see what transpired between father and daughter.
“Emma.”
Lane caressed her name in the way he said it. She could almost feel his touch on her head and definitely her heart.
“We need to talk.” He stood behind her now, and the hand on her shoulder wasn’t in her mind. Gently he turned her to face him. “I should have known when I saw you.”
Lane appraised her with such intensity she could almost feel him touch her soul, and he offered a smile so sad it took her breath away.
“What should you have known?” Her throat was so tight she barely forced the words out, and for some crazy reason, she wanted to burst into tears and bury her head against his chest.
“That you were Emily’s daughter. I knew your mother, and you’re almost her spitting image. Seeing you took me by surprise, since I’ve tried to block the memory for so long. Then Cori saying her name was a shock. I had to have a few minutes to myself. Forgive my rudeness?”
If hearing Emily’s name shocked him, what would the next bombshell do to him?
“Not a problem.” Emma forced her lips to twist into what could be taken for a smile. “But there’s more to the story.”
His eyes darkened and he shook his head. “More?”
Cori moved from her slouched vantage point on the couch and came to stand beside her father. “Dad, I think you’d better sit down.”
Lane didn’t argue and took the closest chair. His body language spewed apprehension as he shifted his gaze back and forth between Cori and Emma.
Emma shared a glance with Cori, hoping she’d take the lead. A slight nod of the head told her no way. The ball was in her court now, and it was up to her to serve. Taking a deep breath, she forced her eyes to meet Lane’s troubled stare. “I think I may be the daughter that resulted from your relationship with Emily.”
There, she’d said it. Maybe blurting it out hadn’t been the best way, but how else did one break the news? Lane’s face turned a pasty hue.
Did warlocks have heart attacks? It sure looked like the one sitting in front of her was on the verge. Crap. Her being his daughter wasn’t that horrible, was it?
Lane rose, walked to the fireplace, and leaned against the stone wall, his back to them. Finally, he turned and faced the room. An attempt at a smile pulled up one corner of his mouth. “Then I guess I need to share with both of you how you came to be.”
He lifted his hand and pointed across the room at a wall of built-in cabinets. A top door opened and a book floated across to him. He moved to the couch and sat with the book in his lap. Patting the spaces on either side of him, he said. “Come, my daughters, and let me tell you a story.”
“Emily was the love of my life.” He patted Cori’s hand. “Sorry, dear, but it’s true.”
The book on his lap opened, and a picture floated into his hand. “This is the only memento I have of my time with Emily.” He glanced at Emma. “Until now, that is.”
Emma stared at the picture of a couple laughing into each other’s eyes. Love radiated from the black-and-white photo, leaving no doubt as to their deep attachment. Her mother had been so young then, and Lane’s hair didn’t have the silver touches at the temples it now had.
“She brought out a side of me I didn’t know existed.” He stared off into the distance and glazed over with the memories. “You could say I’d been around the block quite a bit in the magical world. I’m not proud of the fact, but I even dabbled in the dark arts for a brief time. And it was right after that period of my life that I met Emily. I had been pulled before the Warlock Council and read the riot act since my family lineage determined I was to become a council member when I matured. It made me angry and resentful, ready to give up life as a warlock.” He shook his head.
Emma and Cori watched in silence, allowing him to gather his thoughts and continue with the story.
“Then Emily came into my life. I learned to laugh and love beyond a depth I thought was possible.” He turned and looked at Emma. “You have her smile as well. I bet when I get to know you, I’ll discover her sense of humor, too.”
“I’m not so sure about that. You see, Emily didn’t raise me. Her father made her give me to her sister to pass off as her own. I didn’t know about Emily or you until I went back to Charleston recently.”
Lane’s mouth tightened, and he squeezed her hand. “Yes. I can see your grandfather doing something like that. He forced me out of town with the help of his lawman friend. They told me if I tried to connect with Emily again, they’d file statutory rape charges against me and I’d spend the rest of my life on the chain-gang.” A bitter smile briefly spread across his full lips and he seemed to will it away. “I could have flattened them and anyone who came after me, but thought it better if I left for a while. Once I got settled, I’d planned to go back for Emily.”
“What happened?” Like most men, had Lane become distracted by another woman, or had it been an “out of sight, out of mind” relationship?
“I sent a letter in care of Vinnie, the woman she lived with. I never heard back and figured she’d moved on with a life that didn’t include me.” Lane leaned back against the sofa cushions and wiped a hand across his eyes. “Isn’t it ironic how life evolves?”
He turned to Cori. “I met your mother in a bar one night when I was feeling low. Turns out she’d been dumped a couple of months earlier and wasn’t at the top of her game either. We ended up at the little apartment she had and spent the night together. It seemed to help us both, so we continued to see each other for a while.”
He shrugged. “It reached the point, though, where we both knew it wasn’t working. By mutual agreement we decided to call it off. We kept bumping into each other and it was always a “nice to see you” type thing until one evening your mother said we needed to talk. She was pregnant with you and didn’t know what to do. I manned up and asked her to marry me.” He shook his head and chuckled. “We both know how that ended up.”
“You know, I’ve always felt the Fates held something back from me by the little comments they’ve occasionally dropped over the years. Now I know what.”
Turning around, Lane gifted them with a smile, the first real one since he’d greeted Cori when they first arrived. “So if you’re both my daughters, what does that make you?”
Emma’s heart jumped. Now she understood the connection she’d felt from the first moment she met Cori.
“Sisters,” they cried in unison and reached for each other. Their longstanding friendship was now solidified by blood. Would that change things?
Chapter Twenty Nine
Her curiosity won the battle that had waged inside her the past hour. The Cailleach pulled her crystal ball from the cabinet and shuffled over to the table. Easing her aching bones into a chair, she waved her gnarled hands above the glass and grinned.
“’Tis nosey you are, DooNell, but how else do you keep track of what goes on with the Powers’ will?”
Three people came into view, and she tapped the glass to hear their conversation. It only took a moment for her to know Emma had made contact with her father. DooNell smiled at the happy reunion.
Now that she knows the bloodline she descends from, maybe the lass can open her heart and accept that magic exists.
The hag waved again, and the scene changed. The craggy cliffs that overlooked the sea at by the Scottish castle came into view. Once again, the laird sat on a rock and stared out at the water. She sighed and shook her head as she studied the sad face. Could it be the Powers were wrong in creating this union? It appeared to bring more pain than joy to the couple. DooNell ended her spying and wandered to the window.
Did the Supreme One know of what the other Powers were up to? He had the final decision in all things, and if the Powers didn’t go through him before they directed her to interfere in so many lives, they could all be in trouble if their efforts failed. She knew from experience he didn’t take kindly when someone messed with mortals. Her knees still quaked when she thought about her first and hopefully last appearance before him.
She’d let her temper get the best of her the time she overheard the constant complaints of a group of humans about the weather. Winter had come early that year, and it had been brutal. The suffering among mortals was great, and before the Crone knew it, she stood in front of the Supreme One. Turned out, He had a temper too.
The early spring that year brought about many celebrations and cries of “thanks” to He who rules all.
Humans weren’t the only ones thankful. DooNell promised herself she’d never end up before Him again. Had she broken that vow when she followed the direction of the Powers?
If so, I am doomed for an encore appearance before the Supreme One.
Children! Aphrodite was none too fond of some of hers, especially one of them right now. The god who had the ability to change from an adorable fluttering cherub to a drop-dead hunk annoyed her with his little swooping guy routine at times, but at this moment, the hunk side of him just plain pissed her off. He was a son to be proud of most days, but today wasn’t one of them.
“Eros, I need to speak with you—now!” Her clenched jaw ached in her attempt not to chew his ass in front of the bimbo bobbing in her pool.
She slammed the door to the library and whirled. “What in Hades do you think you’re doing? I’ve told you not to bring your trashy pick-ups into my home to entertain.”
“Ah, Ma.”
“Don’t call me, Ma. You’re not a calf.”
“Very well, Mother dearest.” Eros quirked an eyebrow and grinned.
Aphrodite crossed her arms and refused to smile at his attempt to tease.
“Oh, all right. I’m not sure what you’ve got your knickers in a bunch over. You’ve been a grouch since you came back from Denver.” Eros kicked at the leg of her favorite ottoman. Not getting a reaction, he flopped into a chair, a sulky expression on his face. “How do you expect a guy to get his freak on when you start playing the uptight mother?” He cast a glare in his mother’s direction. “It’s not like you don’t bring the pretty boys here that you pick up on the beach or wherever.”
“Yes, but you forget one minor detail, my horny son. This is my home, and I can bring anyone I choose here. If you want the same privilege, I suggest you invest in your own place.” The goddess wandered over to the window and watched the nude young woman prance around the pool, her up-tilted breast offering not so much as a jiggle. “Wonder who paid for the silicon balloons?”
Eros shrugged. “Who knows, and who cares? She’s the flavor of the moment. A diversion from the yawners you hook me up with.”
“Let’s not go there again.” Tired of the sulky bad boy routine, Aphrodite placed her hands on her hips and glared. “You’re not a spoiled Beverly Hills rich kid. There are people who need all the help in the love department they can get, especially in this town where appearance is everything. If they don’t have the money to invest in a plastic surgeon, their self-esteem is in the toilet, and it’s our job to help them.”
“That’s right.” Eros’s expression brightened. “And I consider it my duty to teach the women the art of love, especially the beautiful ones.”
Aphrodite threw up her hands and headed for the door, almost colliding with the butler.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Madame, but your guests have arrived.”
“Thank you, Miles. Let them know I’ll be there shortly.” She spun around and skewered Eros with her blue eyes. “You, my darling son, get rid of your current flavor and get dressed. It won’t hurt you to attend this little family powwow.”
Eros’s startled expression still warmed her heart as she entered the room where her guests clustered. “Odin.” She offered her cheek to the God of Wisdom for a kiss.
“Oberon.” The goddess bent to receive a dry smack from the Faerie King.
“And Tanna. Don’t you look radiant as always?” The Faerie Queen smiled.
The goddess glanced around and frowned. “It seems we’re missing a couple of guests.”
“Shaylee and your son will arrive soon.” Tanna floated over and placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “They are finishing up an assignment from Oberon to help out a mortal family.”
“I see. Not a problem, since we have another member of our little party who is late also.”
“Who?” Odin’s thunderous voice echoed off the marble arches and bounced around the room. “I know of no other.”
“I think Mother’s referring to me.” Eros stood in the doorway, his short blond hair spiked with enough gel to hold up a train trestle and dressed in torn jeans, worn sneakers, and a leather vest.
He offered a smile and a nod of his head to the males and swiftly made his way to Tanna and bent down on one knee, taking her small hand in his larger one and kissing the delicate fingers. “Greetings, my queen. It is always a pleasure to see you. Too much time has passed since I’ve laid eyes upon your beauty.”
Tanna blushed to her blonde roots and giggled.
Aphrodite gave a mental sigh. When would her Lover Boy son learn that any heterosexual male, no matter his realm didn’t appreciate the way Eros came on to their women?
“Sorry we’re late.” Shaylee floated into the room.
The Goddess of Love watched her son follow behind Shaylee like a well-heeled puppy. How had this slip of a faerie gained so much power over Annarr? He worshiped the ground she floated over. Would he have been more his own individual if she’d been a better mother? She stifled the sigh that almost escaped. Too late to worry about that. She needed to defend Ian’s choice in mates and keep the others from interfering any more than the Powers already had.
Smiling sweetly, Aphrodite turned to Odin. “Tell me, Oh Wise One, why did you call for a meetin
g of the clan? Do we have a particular family problem to discuss?”
The God of Wisdom choked on the drink he’d just sipped and glared at Aphrodite. “You know very well we have a family issue. Our grandson is miserable, thanks to the meddling of that infernal Cailleach.” The intensity of the light in his magical eye increased when he shot a glance in Oberon’s direction. “Some of us can’t control our subjects.”
Aphrodite’s attempt to not laugh resulted in a most unladylike snort. The old fool had his nerve, bitching about Oberon’s inability to control. He needed to take a look around Asgard at the gods and demigods who ignored him.
“I’m aware of Ian’s pain.” Aphrodite ignored Odin’s attempt to lock stares and drifted over to an area in the room with better lightning. Even a goddess needed soft light to show off her best features. “I also know the woman. Emma cares for him, too. DooNell has assured me the Powers who set forth this connection know what they are doing.” She met Odin’s glare. “Do you dare question their knowledge?”
“Well, no.” Odin dropped his gaze. “I’m still not convinced it wasn’t the hag who took this upon herself and laid blame on the Powers when the situation fell apart.”
Aphrodite covered her ears at the furor that erupted. The faerie clan was none too happy with the Nord questioning the honesty of one of their own. Even Annarr appeared to be upset with his father, but of course, he’d side with Shaylee unless he wanted to discover the joys of sleeping on the couch…alone.
“Enough.” Annarr’s bellow rose above the argument. “What’s done is done. It doesn’t matter if the Cailleach got a wild hair and put the spell into play or the Powers directed her. It happened. All we can do is be here for Ian when and if he needs us.”
By all the gods, my son does have a set of balls!
He walked over and stood nose-to-nose with Odin. “Father, you had no need to call this meeting. You’ve met this Emma, and you know she has character, even if she is mortal.”
“I have to disagree with you there, brother.” Eros stood beside Annarr and placed a hand on his shoulder. “She’s not fully mortal. She’s a witch.”