by Karen Ranney
Maddock’s lips were blood red and there was blood on his teeth, which made my stomach roll. His eyes warned me that this encounter would not be merciful. He was going to do to Dan what he’d done to Mike and he was going to make me watch.
No, he was going to try.
The look my mother was giving Maddock bordered on worshipful. How sick was that?
Both Paul and Felipe moved closer to me, each of them flanking my mother. She didn’t look worried, but she should have. She smiled as she approached me, the expression making my stomach rebel again.
Dan raised his right arm and I swear, lightning traveled from his forefinger to land at my mother’s feet.
“Get away from her!”
I heard that and I didn’t have any doubt about people a couple of miles away hearing it, either.
Maddock’s face was transformed, not by fear but something more like amazement. I guess he hadn’t expected Dan to be a wizard.
My mother, though, has always been stubborn. A bit of the oak from whence this acorn fell. Or maybe it was just stupidity. She merely smiled at the hole in the floor and lunged at me.
Wouldn’t you know that the first kiss I got from dear old mom in years was the kiss of death?
Charlie charged, grabbed my mother’s thigh and hung on like a piranha. She screamed, turned to strike him and Dan threw another lightning bolt at her.
Gotta admire the guy’s theatrics. The only bad thing was that I was temporarily blinded. I saw a cloud of black, assumed it was Maddock and raised my hand to zap him. I didn’t have any trouble collecting power to throw. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was angry or if Dan was sending me some of his emotions.
Maddock lay on the floor where he’d fallen. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I stepped over my mother’s fallen body being guarded by Charlie. The Fledglings flew at me. I took great delight in zapping Meng so hard he flew up to the ceiling and knocked his widdle head on the rafters. Oops.
I didn’t recognize the other Fledglings I zapped. I thought they were Fledglings because they had that “oh shit” look when they encountered either Dan or me. Maybe a better person would have spared a little sympathy for them. After all, I’d been manipulated by Maddock, too. But this was survival and everyone I cared about was going to walk out of here on their own two feet.
I don’t know a lot about werewolves, and I think I’ve been honest on this point from the beginning. I wasn’t expecting them to savage the vampires that Dan and I felled. I wasn’t looking closely, but from all the growls and guttural sounds, I got the distinct impression that they were eating them. Vampires don’t regenerate, so if one lost an arm or a leg, it would stay missing.
Janet was still reciting a spell while Nonnie was watching my mother with a strange look in her eyes. Was she the reason Demi hadn’t moved?
I learned something very important about witches tonight. They might be very effective in certain situations, but they weren’t very fast. If you needed someone to really get the job done, make sure you have a wizard or a goddess on hand.
I was getting closer to Dan which was exciting since he was electrical. He was throwing lightning bolts everywhere and with such ease it looked like he was having fun. He raised both arms so I could get closer. Well, hell, I decided to press myself against his chest. He lowered his arms and got another vampire right in the chin. The poor thing screamed as he was hurled across the room.
“I had no idea you could be Thor,” I said.
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, babe.”
He’d never called me babe. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“Okay, babe,” I said.
He grinned down at me.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Pretty damn good,” he said. “How about you?”
I did a quick inventory. My mood had definitely improved. I wasn’t afraid. I had some fences to mend, but nothing that wouldn’t keep for a few hours.
“Pretty damn good,” I said, repeating his words. “Are you ready to go back to the castle? Or do you want to stay here and keep zapping the vampires?”
He actually gave it some thought.
“I think it’s time to leave, don’t you?” he finally asked.
I nodded.
“We need to call the police,” I said. “About my mother.”
She was still out on the floor. Nonnie was still standing over her, now making a sign in the air that looked remotely like the sign of the cross. Since my grandmother was firmly Presbyterian, it was probably a witchy sign.
“Or should we call the Council now that she’s a vampire?”
“She killed someone as a human,” he said. “That takes precedence. I think it would be better if I called from the car. Otherwise, there are a few questions I don’t particularly want to answer right now.”
I nodded and turned in his arms. Paul and Felipe were still gnawing. I made sure not to look in their direction.
“They won’t turn back anytime soon, will they?”
“Not for a little while.”
“Will they get in the car?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll grab an arm for the road.”
I glanced over my shoulder at him.
“Just kidding,” he said, still grinning at me.
He called the two of them and I got Charlie. Together, we convinced Janet to stop chanting. William, I discovered, had decided to stay with the SUVs. I couldn’t fault him for his decision.
Paul and Felipe jumped up in the back of the SUV as if they’d done it before. Charlie, however, wouldn’t go anywhere near them and I totally understood why. They looked at my dog as if Charlie might be a good dessert after their vampire entree. I held him on my lap in the passenger seat while Dan drove.
His white dress shirt was torn in two places and the cuffs were rolled up, showing the marks on his wrists. I could feel my temper rise again. My mother and Maddock had a great deal to answer for.
“How did they get you out of the castle?” I asked.
He glanced over at me, then back at the road. I had the curious thought that he was embarrassed. Okay, I once walked right into Maddock’s trap. I’d screwed up royally. I wasn’t about to condemn Dan for doing the same.
“What?” I asked when he still didn’t say anything. “Was it my purse? Diane found it on your desk.”
“In a way,” he said. “Your mother brought it to me.”
“My mother came to the castle?”
I sat there waiting, but his explanation wasn’t all that forthcoming.
“I wanted to talk to her,” he said. “In private.”
No, I hadn’t imagined it. He was definitely embarrassed.
“What about?”
“Later,” he said. “We’ll discuss it later.”
I just stared at him over Charlie’s head.
“How did they get the drop on you?” I asked.
“It was almost a cliché,” he said. “I walked out the door and someone hit me over the head.”
Dr. Fernandez was going to look him over the minute we got to the castle. And before Dr. Meng treated anyone else, I wanted to make sure she wasn’t related to the guy I’d catapulted to the ceiling tonight.
Dan and I needed to talk about a great many things. The time for secrets was up. I looked down at Charlie. Now was as good a time as any.
“Go ahead, Opie,” I said. “It’s time to let Dan know.”
Dan glanced over at me, then at Charlie before concentrating on the road again.
Opie didn’t say a damn thing.
“Really. It’s okay. He needs to know.”
“Opie?” Dan asked.
I nodded. It was easier to show him rather than telling him, but Opie had other ideas.
“He needs to know, Opie, come on.”
Charlie turned his head and licked my nose. Ouch. I needed a renewal on the healing spell.
“Okay, fine.”
“What’s that about?” Dan asked.
“Nothing,” I said.
The minute we were alone, I was going to let Opie know what I thought about letting me look like an idiot. If she was still miffed at me, that was a hell of a way to show it.
Dan shrugged. The two werewolves whined in the back. I turned and gave them a look and they shut up.
As we drove, the tips of Dan’s fingers occasionally gave off a little light along with a faint buzzing sound. Every time it happened he laughed.
Evidently, it’s good to be wizard.
Chapter Thirty-One
I'm Mad At You...Really
We pulled into the garage and got out of the cars.
Dan went up to his mother. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then he opened his arms and she began to cry, throwing herself at him. I’d done the same thing earlier. He held her gently, patting her on the back.
“It’s okay, Mom,” he said. “It’s all right.”
It took me a minute to realize why he was saying that. He hadn’t wanted the uncloaking ritual to take place.
“You’re nuts,” I said.
“My child.” Nonnie put her hand on my arm as if to stop me.
No, not after everything I’d endured tonight. Didn’t he realize how much crap I’d gone through for him? I’ve been worried, scared, more scared, terrified - and more worried. Didn’t he have a clue?
Dan turned his head and looked at me. Wizard or no wizard, he was going to get it with both barrels.
“What’s so damn wrong about being a wizard?” I asked.
He frowned at me.
“You’re a wizard. That’s what you are. Stop wishing you weren’t and be yourself. Hell, if I can learn that lesson, so can you.”
I turned and stomped away. Unfortunately, my grandmother was keeping pace.
“You really have to stop expending that much energy,” she said. “Especially the emotional kind. You have no idea how that might be affecting your child.”
We’d reached the elevators. I stopped an inch away from pushing the button and stared at her.
“What?”
“Do you deny you’re with child, Marcie?” she asked softly.
She had the sweetest smile on her face and there wasn’t the disapproval in her eyes that I’d seen before, the look that said she wished I’d been married first.
“Um.”
That’s me, queen of the quip, diva of dialogue.
“How do you know?” I finally managed to say.
“The witch test. I suspected then, but when you were able to command a vortex, I knew. A pregnant witch has incredible power. Does Dan know?”
Hell’s bells, what did I say now?
The truth was going to have to suffice.
“I don’t know if he’s the father.”
“Of course he is,” she said easily, as if there was no doubt.
I think I needed to explain the birds and the bees to my grandmother. Or maybe she was trying to explain something to me.
“Can you sense that Dan’s the father?” I asked.
“You need to go rest now,” she said, and pushed the elevator button to the third floor.
Well, she evidently knew I was staying in Dan’s room. What else did she know?
“Nonnie,” I said, keeping my voice low as the elevator traveled upward, “this is really important. Is there a way to find out for sure?”
She drew back a little, studied me in the way she had when I was a child. I’d learned, early on, never to lie to Nonnie. She had a way of finding it out, seeing it on my face. Evidently, that’s what she was doing right now.
I didn’t look away or try to hide anything from her all-seeing eyes.
“No, Marcie, there isn’t. I know of no spells or incantations that would serve your purpose. Nature will as nature will.”
Okay, then.
At Dan’s door, she pulled me down to kiss my cheek.
“You will be fine, my dear girl.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
Her brow furled with her frown. “About what?”
“My mother.”
She smiled, a little sadly, I thought. “She was always going to go her own way, that one. I’m not all that surprised she became a vampire. You were the one who surprised me. But you’re not one anymore, are you?”
“I’m not sure what I am,” I said.
“You’re a worthy mate for a wizard.” She patted my cheek. “A very powerful wizard. What a pair you’ll make.”
I stared at her, surprised.
She patted my cheek once more, smiled enigmatically, and turned and left me.
I entered the room, veered into the sitting room and flopped down on the chaise. Within seconds, I was asleep.
I dreamed that I was being carried across the land to a soothing, far off place perfumed with sandalwood and spices. In my dream, I thought it must be a sheik who bore me along on his camel. We rode over the sands, until it became so hot that my sheik stripped me of my clothes one by one, then tucked me up into his bed.
Turning to him, I murmured a question I always wanted to know about a sheik. How did he stop all that sand from getting into uncomfortable places?
His chuckle made me smile and wiggle down into my dream, holding his hand between my breasts.
Despite everything that had happened today or for the past week, I was suddenly happier than I’d ever been.
Until I woke up.
I was being seduced, expertly, sweetly, softly. I was awakened with Dan’s mouth on mine, his kiss curling my toes.
“I’m mad at you,” I whispered against his lips.
“I’m not mad at you.”
“That’s very obvious.”
He pressed against me, showing just how mad he wasn’t.
I’d never had a conversation while I was being seduced, but I found it strangely arousing.
“Why are you mad at me?”
“That’s a ridiculous question,” I said rather breathlessly, because he was doing very interesting things with his fingers.
“I never assume. If I assumed, I might be wrong. What have I done?”
Really, he was making it almost impossible to talk.
“You didn’t want to be made a wizard again.”
Speaking of being a wizard, I could swear there was a charge coming off his fingers. At least it felt that way.
“No. I just wanted a choice in the matter.”
“We didn’t have the luxury of waiting,” I said. I had to say it twice because I lost my thoughts in the middle of the sentence. “The vampires had you.”
He lowered himself over me and for several minutes we didn’t say anything but one syllable words.
“You were worried about me,” he said, some time later, kissing my neck.
“Perhaps a little,” I admitted.
“I was a little worried about myself,” he said. “Until I saw you in the vortex.”
I framed his face with my hands.
“You saw me?”
He nodded and bent to kiss me again. “Marry me.”
“What?”
Of all the things he might have said, that was totally unexpected.
“You saved me. In some cultures that means you own my life.”
“Is that the only reason?” I asked.
He’d just made love to me, sweetly and deliciously, but I wanted hearts and flowers and romance.
“I like being around you,” he said, moving to my side and pulling me to face him. “I like who I am when I’m with you.”
“A manly man,” I said, smiling at him.
“Better than I am without you.” He wasn’t smiling.
He brushed the hair away from my cheek.
Something occurred to me and I stared at him.
“Is that why you wanted to talk to my mother?” I asked. It was something he would do, something a little old fashioned and very Dan-like. “You wanted to ask her permission?”
He looked up at the ceiling, anywhere but at me. A good thing, too, because it gave me a chan
ce to brush away that silly tear.
A moment later he kissed the corner of my eye.
“I want to share my life with you, Marcie Montgomery. I want to share my dreams. I want to laugh, fight, confide in you.”
“I’m too sweet to fight with,” I lied. “I know a number of men who would tell you.”
He kissed me on the nose. Thanks to my grandmother it no longer hurt and the swelling had gone down.
“Marry me, Marcie. I have a castle I’ll give you.”
“I don’t want your castle,” I said.
“Then what do you want?”
I smiled at the corniness of what I was about to say. Sometimes, the best emotions are contained in the most clichéd expressions.
“Your heart,” I said. “If I’m in love with you, it seems to me it’s only fair for you to feel the same.”
“You love me?”
I sighed heavily. “Yes, you idiot wizard, I love you.”
“Good. I love you, too.”
I couldn’t say anything for a few minutes because I was being kissed into submission.
When he was done and I lay there quivering, he smiled down at me.
The room was colored in rose light. Masses of roses and honeysuckle and lilacs were clustered around the room. He made a gesture with one arm and the massive bed levitated, rocking back and forth gently in the air.
Living with a wizard might prove to be very, very interesting.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I Have A Secret, And One I Have To Tell You
I was due to be married in an hour, but I was one pissed puppy. Hardly the image of a smiling bride. Only a week had passed between being asked and the ceremony, but that’s not why I was irritated.
First of all, there was the red haired witch who wasn’t a real witch. I was not going to hint to Dan that I would be a happier bride if he got rid of Diane Trenton. I was not that petty. I would rise above. I would not indulge in small minded pursuits. I would ignore her. If she decided to take another job, or hook someone into matrimony, I would be the happiest of creatures for her. I’d even arrange to give her a humongous going away gift.
