Magical Redemption

by Corinne Davies

  “It’s not like that. We would have—”

  “That’s what I thought. Out you go, young man, while I make certain that she is all right.”

  Maddoc turned and looked at Dani. His brows were drawn down, his jaw clenched. He looked absolutely furious. And gorgeous… Dani banished the stray thought. He and his brother might be the most handsome men she’d ever met, but considering the circumstances, she needed to leave.

  “You call my name if you need me, Dani. I’ll hear you.” Maddoc turned and stalked out the door, leaving her with Jilly.

  “You poor thing, they have done a hell of a job taking care of you.”

  Dani was confused because she’d been certain that this woman didn’t like her being here, but now she was acting completely different.

  “That’s none of their business. If you can show me to the door, I’ll take care of myself.”

  “Sweetheart, I know they have been a tad…well, a lot Neanderthal-ish, but I swear they don’t mean you any harm. I saw you when you came in, and you look much better now that you’re awake.” She waved to the tray she’d sat on a bench at the end of the bed. “There is some nice strong tea, some ibuprofen, and a couple muffins if you’re hungry.”

  Dani’s stomach took the opportunity to rumble and announce that she hadn’t eaten anything since dinner last night, and consumed a large amount of alcohol afterwards.

  “I thought so.” Jilly strode across the floor and opened a wooden door across from the bed. “There is a bathroom through there. Why don’t you have a nice long soak in the tub, and I’ll find something warm and cozy for you to wear. If you want to leave after that, then I’ll make sure the boys listen to you.”

  “Thank you, Jilly. You’re very kind.”

  “No, not really, I’m not, but I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.” She headed back to the bedroom door. The sound of rushing water started, and then Jilly came back out. “There is a lock on the inside of all the doors in here. If it makes you more comfortable, then you go ahead and use them. I’ll knock and wait for you to answer when I come back.”

  The woman left without a second glance, leaving Dani sitting curled up in the middle of the monstrous bed wondering what the hell had just happened. For the first time, she took a good look around the room. It was big but felt bigger because of the high ceiling, allowing the height of the four posters at the corner of the bed. It almost looked like the canopy bed she’s always wanted as a child but without the canopy.

  There were three wardrobes, two on either side of the door Jilly had pointed out and a third next to the door to the hallway. There was also an old antique-looking makeup table on the same wall. It was unlikely they were attempting to keep her against her will since across from the table were several large windows and a pair of glass doors leading out onto a patio.

  Keeping the blanket around her shoulders, Dani slid off the bed, her bare feet touching a soft area rug that sat under the bed. The rest of the floor was all hardwood. She padded over to the glass doors and tried the handle. The door easily swung open, allowing in the fresh air and the sound of crickets and other night animals. Large trees lined the backyard, blocking out the view from the street behind them. There was a large courtyard beneath the balcony that looked to link the back of the surrounding houses. Dani expected to hear the normal sounds from the city, but it was strangely quiet except for the insects.

  Knowing she could escape if needed, she made her way to the washroom. She turned off the water so the tub didn’t overflow if they didn’t come back to turn it off in time. This room looked much like the bedroom in the old-fashioned design, but she noticed the modern upgrades. The dark wood furniture carried into here and created a dramatic contrast to the willow-green walls and cream fixtures. The tile floor was warm under her feet, which meant they must be heated, and there was a small MP3 port next to one of the outlets. Above that was a timer, possibly for a whirlpool. A glance in the bathtub confirmed her thoughts. The tub might look like an old-fashioned claw-foot tub, but not only was it big enough to hold three people comfortably, there were also spouts for jets. There were three thick pillar candles sitting on a table next to the tub, with a few plush, ivory towels folded on the shelf underneath. A large glass shower stall ran along the opposite wall in the same cream tile as the floor.

  The water in the tub was hot but not too hot. Jilly must have put some bath salts in it, because Dani could smell lavender and vanilla in the steam. Her curiosity and the siren’s call of such luxury got the better of Dani. Perhaps a bath isn’t such a bad idea.

  She dashed out and locked the patio doors and the hall door, pulling a nearby chair in front of the door and setting the glass vase from the makeup table on the seat. If anyone tried to open the door, she’d hear them before they got in the room. Dani locked herself in the bathroom and slipped out of her costume. Lighting the candles with the lighter on the shelf next to them, she turned the dial for the jets and then turned out the lights before slipping into the tub. The water felt like silk as it bubbled against her skin, and she stretched out her entire body, a luxury she’d never been able to do before. She and her mom only ever had a small bathroom in their tiny house, and her apartment was even smaller.

  This is exactly what her overworked senses needed. Holding her breath, she slipped beneath the water’s surface and let the sensory deprivation soothe her agitated nerves. She stayed under as long as she could hold her breath, floating in the peaceful silence. She had a moment’s anxiety when she surfaced, as if she expected Maddoc or Gavin to have somehow entered the room without her knowledge, but the flickering shadows were empty as she blinked the droplets of water off her lashes.

  Another wave of serenity washed over her and she felt her entire body relax, allowing her to calmly think about the situation she was in. Embarrassment scratched along her senses at what they must have thought about her having a meltdown like she had. They probably think I’m an escaped mental patient. She’d learned over the years to recognize when she was about to be overwhelmed with stimulus, but between the number of drinks she’d consumed at the bar and then the supernatural chaos that reined in the cemetery, it was no wonder she didn’t realize, until it was too late, how close to the edge she’d been.

  It was too bad, because now that she was in a better frame of mind she could truly appreciate how gorgeous Maddoc and Gavin were. She’d read lots of erotic romance novels about twins and had countless fantasies about her being in the middle of a pair, but that was fantasy and this was reality. She knew damn well there was no way they would look at her with anything but pity now.

  * * * *

  Maddoc paced the hallway outside Dani’s bedroom, adjusting his jeans to make room for his cock. The head on his shoulders knew that he wasn’t going to get to touch the woman currently in the bathtub on the other side of the wall, but his cock hadn’t gotten the message. Jilly had somehow managed to convince Dani to stay for a little while, and Maddoc had thought that a small wave of calming energy would be good for her. What he hadn’t expected was the erotic image of Dani between him and Gavin to suddenly permeate in thoughts. Never in his life had he connected with another being like that. The sharp tang of anxiety flooded his system as he drew the negative energy from her and pushed a gentle wave of tranquility back at her.

  The thought of her naked body floating in that big was almost too much. He leaned back against the wall and fought the urge to cup his cock in his own hand. Besides the fact that he didn’t want to get caught jacking off in the hallway, he wanted to savor the anticipation of touching Dani’s silky skin.

  She was an enigmatic creature. Innocence blended seamlessly with a straightforward way of thinking. Until she was willing to answer some of his questions, he couldn’t truly trust her, but he felt in his gut that she’d been born to be between him and his brother. They’d always had a close connection to their family, but to be able to feel this woman’s natural energy so clearly was more proof. They just had t
o somehow convince her of the truth of werewolves, ghosts, demons, vampires, and destiny. If he could get her to believe all that, then he might have a chance convincing her that he and his brother were a few centuries old and descendants of one of the most powerful druidic families ever born to the isles. No problem.

  “There you are.” Duggan was jogging up the stairs and started talking the moment he saw Maddoc. “I think you need to reconsider your plans for the woman you brought here tonight. She’s not one of us.”

  “I’m well aware of that, Duggan, but did you expect us to just leave her to be slaughtered?”

  “No, of course not, but to have her in that room…” Duggan waved his hand toward Dani’s bedroom door. “It’s not right.”

  Maddoc felt an irrational fury build up in his body. The room they’d chosen to put Dani in was exactly where she belonged. She was going to be their wife and the mother of their children, and her place was in the one room that had been built for the three. No woman had ever been in that bed before Dannika, and no woman would be after. “That’s not your call, Duggan. Gavin and I decided to put her in that room while she is here. You have no right to question that decision.”

  “You’re going to take that tone with me?” Duggan crossed his arms over his burly chest. “I have been with you since I was a child. I’ve watched your back and never questioned any request you made of me, and you’re talking to me as if I mean nothing to this family? Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time the two of you snapped to a decision involving a woman?”

  “I’m sorry, Duggan. You’re right. I apologize.” Maddoc didn’t appreciate the man’s tone, but he hadn’t meant to be disrespectful. His mother would smack him in the back of the head for talking to an elder like that. “But there’s something special about her. Gavin thinks she might be the one mentioned in a family prophecy he read about in one of the scrolls.”

  “Really? That would make a difference.” Everyone knew Duggan’s interest in prophecies and the old scrolls that Gavin liked to read but Maddoc avoided. “Do you know which one he was thinking of?”

  “No. He mentioned it earlier tonight but hasn’t had a chance to show me.”

  “I’ll ask him and see what he has to say. I don’t remember one off the top of my head, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be true. I’ll take a look and we can discuss it later.”

  “There is nothing to discuss, Duggan. Gavin and I have made our decision.” Maddoc did his best to temper his tone with him. He’d give Duggan the respect the old man deserved, but he wasn’t going to have his and his brother’s choices undermined. Not when it came to Dani.

  “Are you so certain that she isn’t a danger to us? Katie told me about how a group of humans managed to get past your wards. I know you and your brother wouldn’t have allowed any mistakes in your spell, so that points to only one other possibility.”

  Maddoc clenched his jaw and bit back the silencing spell that was on the tip of his tongue. He didn’t want to hear what Duggan had to say, but he knew he couldn’t curse a family member just because he didn’t like their point of view. “Duggan, Dani is human. Not a witch, not a sorceress. She doesn’t have the ability to circumvent our powers. Gavin and I must have made a mistake.”

  “I remember you and Gavin being so positive that Morgana was human. In fact, you pleaded with me to allow her into the hall because she was hurt and she was no danger to anyone.”

  “We were no more than teenagers at the time and thinking with our cocks, Duggan.”

  “And what is different about this time? You brought a woman you met under impossible circumstances into our home and are insisting that she is harmless. I hope you’re not wrong this time and death doesn’t pay us another visit.” Duggan nodded his head and turned away, jogging down the stairs as Maddoc fought the urge to hurl an energy ball at his head. Duggan had never pulled punches when it came to his opinion, and there was a lot of truth to what he said, even if Maddoc didn’t want to hear it.

  It’s different this time.

  Maddoc paced the hallway, the ache in his cock deflated by the weight of remembered guilt. Duggan was right. This circumstance was similar to that night so long ago, but there was a vital difference. Morgana had manipulated him and his brother from the first moment they’d laid eyes on her. She’d lied about her injuries in order to get into their home and beds. Her goal had been to siphon as much power from their family as possible, and when their guards were down, her people attacked. Their younger sister Rhiannon had been ordered to hide, but true to her nature she’d refused. He and Gavin were battling a dozen guards in the courtyard while she rained poison-tipped bolts around them, protecting them as best she could. They’d been so arrogant in their abilities then. He still remembered the agonizing pain he felt the moment her life energy dissipated into the air.

  But, Dani was different. She had no idea who they were—did she? He grabbed the handle and gave it a turn. The door didn’t easily swing open like it normally would have, and a quick scan with his extended senses alerted him to the booby trap she’d set. If she wanted to seduce us, why would she be so concerned about her own safety?

  He looked back down the hallway toward the direction Duggan had gone. No. He had to be wrong. He stretched out his senses and felt her energy through the wall. Her senses had quietened and she’d started to feel hungry. Maddoc headed down the back staircase to the kitchen to make her something more substantial than the pitchers of margaritas he’d seen in her thoughts. He’d make her something to eat and use that as a tactic to get closer to her. It smacked of a bit of manipulation, a path he didn’t want to go down, but at the moment he would try anything to get to know more about her.

  Chapter Five

  Shit, this is not good. Gavin stood in the doorway of Dani’s hotel room, eyeing the man across the hall from him.

  Seeing Dani in the grips of a panic attack had torn at him, and he’d done the only thing he thought would help—getting her belongings. Dani was obviously not a high-maintenance woman if her compact suitcase was anything to go by. It hadn’t taken him long to pack up her things, but he’d learned a lot about her. She was incredibly organized. All her belongings were neat as a pin in her room. What had fascinated Gavin was the astrolabe sitting on the nightstand. Dani’s energy radiated like a beacon off of it, which meant it had to be very important to her. He tucked that into the inside pocket of his coat. That way he knew it was safe, and he had the added bonus of feeling her against his chest.

  But he hadn’t expected to bump into Elijah Moreau.

  The vampire was far out of his area, as they usually kept to the Garden District. What concerned him was that Dani had said that her friend’s room was across the hall from hers. He didn’t relish the idea of going home and telling her that her friend might be in the company of vampires. Although, he’d be more concerned if Mikael had been the one coming out of the room. At least Elijah was a bit more level-headed and less likely to have killed Erin.

  “Vampire,” he said as a greeting. There’d been enough fighting tonight, and Gavin wasn’t about to restart one in the middle of a hotel hallway.

  “Witch,” Elijah said back, using the same snarky tone.

  Gavin rolled his eyes and reconsidered punching Elijah in the face, even if he was the one who started it. The fight tonight had been started by Mikael, and he wanted to know what the hell their plan was. If he knew Dani’s friend, did he know Dani? Was she planted by them?

  “Bright green pom-poms on your luggage? Are you afraid someone might steal your girly bag?” Elijah’s smirking grin grated on Gavin’s nerves. He wasn’t in the mood to chit-chat. He wanted to get home and see if Maddoc had been able to calm her. He thought that Dani was brilliant with the way she had marked her bag. He’d stood in front of an airport carousel watching hundreds of bags pass that looked so similar he wasn’t certain which was his.

  “You know how it is.” Gavin shrugged. I can do snark, too, asshole. “You can never be to
o safe. What brings you to this part of the city? Shouldn’t you be skulking around the alleyways hunting down dinner?”

  “You need to crawl out of your cauldron and embrace the twentieth century, McDryw. Things are changing, and those who are stuck in their ways aren’t going to make it.” Elijah passed by him with the suitcases in his hands. “If you’ll excuse me, I have more important matters to deal with.”

  Gavin rubbed the stubble on his jaw as he watched the vampire head down the hall. There was something much bigger going on here. He was sure of it. What really concerned him was how Dani and her friends fit into it all.

  He double checked Dani’s room, making certain he got all her belongings before tucking her key in his pocket. He wasn’t going to check her out yet. Something told him to hold off on that step till later. He didn’t want Dani to feel as though she was trapped—not that he had any immediate intention of letting her leave the house. Keeping her safe in their home would allow he and Maddoc to figure out what was going on, and he wanted to make certain she understood the seriousness of her secrecy.

  * * * *

  “Maddoc, if I call my friends will that put them in danger? If that demon is really after me, then would he go after my friends?” Dani sat in the middle of the large bed wrapped in a plush black robe that Jilly had brought up for her. It was way too big for her, but the moment she put it on she realized that she recognised the soft masculine scent collar. It belonged to Maddoc, and she couldn’t help the feeling of safety that washed over her when she buried her nose in the material.

  She couldn’t stand the thought of her friends being hurt because of her, only she couldn’t help needing to talk to them. “I need to warn them, to be careful. I need to know that Erin is okay. Something was really wrong with her last night, and I left her.” The guilt was riding Dani hard. She should have tried harder, or brought Erin with her. What kind of friend leaves someone behind?