“Drink this.” Fiona passed a bottle to Gage. It tasted awful, but he drank the whole thing in one gulp anyway. “So I've been doing some research. Getting the taint of the blood magic out of him will be difficult, and we don't have long. Probably only a few days, if that.”
“So what are we talking about?” Dymphna asked, leaning forward.
“A magical cleansing spell. We'll basically need to take magical bleach to his body and clean out anything tainted.”
“Sounds hard,” Skylar said.
“It will be. I'll need Seb to give me extra power to do the spell. Our bond should amplify my abilities because love, or at least affection, is anathema to black magic. The really tough part comes after we do the cleansing. Since he's been so affected by the black magic for so long, the cleansing will likely strand him in his own body, and we need a way of bringing him back. If we don't, we will have healed his body, but he'll never regain consciousness.” She clearly didn't waste time on the pleasantries.
Gage swallowed hard. This whole process sounded most unpleasant.
“How are you going to bring him back?” Dymphna asked.
“It's going to have to be you who does it, Dymphna.”
“What? Why me?”
“She's pretty hard headed and oblivious, isn't she?” Fiona asked Skylar, not answering Dymphna.
Skylar laughed and nodded. “Those two are the only ones who don't see it.”
“Don't see what?” Dymphna demanded impatiently.
“He's the one,” Fiona said. Gage wasn't sure what she meant.
“The one what?” Dymphna asked. She had gone pale, so she did know what was going on, and she didn't want her suspicions confirmed.
“He's the one you can bond with,” Skylar explained.
No one spoke.
Then Dymphna broke the ice. “It's not happening.” She shook her head violently. “No. And I repeat, no.”
“What's going on?” Gage asked. “What do you mean that she can bond with me?”
Skylar sighed. “Inconvenient amnesia. As elemental witches, there's one person you can bond with. It's like a magical marriage. If you date anyone else, it'll never work out because you can never be satisfied in another relationship for long. You can only have children with your bond-mate as well. Once you cement the bond, it's there forever. It anchors you, helps you cast more powerful magic, and makes for a strong relationship.”
Gage blanched. “And Dymphna's mine?”
“Yes,” Fiona answered. “You two are meant to be together. And when you have created that bond, it will more than likely be strong enough to pull your consciousness back after we do the magical cleansing.”
“But it's like a marriage?”
“To our people, yes. And you file with the state so that it becomes legal as well,” Fiona answered.
“I'm not bonding with anyone,” Dymphna protested, but was ignored.
“I can't deny that logic, but it would be unfair to bond with Dymphna as I am. I've got amnesia so I don't remember anything of my life before a few weeks ago. I don't even know my last name. I can't get married or anything like that when I don't have anything to offer her.”
“You don't have much of a choice, either of you,” Fiona said. “If the black magic continues within his system, he either needs the cleansing or another dose of blood magic. If neither happens, he will die.” She paused, as if debating whether she wanted to continue. But then she did. “I know enough about the Dark Coven to know who you are. Your name is Gage Redman.”
Skylar sucked in a quick breath. Dymphna's eyes got wide as dinner plates.
“Hell no,” she said. “There is no way I am bonding with a Redman. I didn't want to bond in the first place, but now there's no way.”
Fiona turned a steely look on her sister-in-law. “So you'll let him die?”
“You don't get it, do you?” Dymphna's voice was almost hysterical. “I'm my mother's daughter, and I have no business entering into a bond that I will ruin from within. I won't do to him what my mother did to my father! I won't do it!” She ran out of the room.
“I didn't expect that,” Skylar said, shaking her head.
“I didn't see it coming, but I should have. Seb went through much the same. Their parents really did a number on them,” Fiona remarked.
“I'm lost,” Gage interjected.
“The Wards' parents had a destructive marriage. You see, not all bonds work. It's kind of a gamble. And they were so bad for each other. Her mother was highly religious and saw being a witch as a sin against God. Dymphna's father, the Duke, was proud of his heritage and his position in the coven. Gladys committed suicide when Dymphna and Leo were six months old. That's the abridged version, and you'll need to talk to Dymphna herself if you want to learn any more.”
“So she's afraid that a bond would end like her mother's?” Gage asked.
“That's what it sounds like,” Skylar sighed.
“So then what's the problem with my last name?”
“Your father is the leader of the Dark Order,” Fiona said. “Your father is responsible for a large number of sacrificed witches and a lot of hurt. His son is continuing the practice.”
“So that would mean that my father was the one who had me imprisoned?” Gage asked quietly. “My father is the reason I need this cleansing or I'll die?”
“No, it would have been his son, your brother,” Fiona was fierce. “He was likely trying to get you indebted to him. If you had ever given in and done black magic yourself, you'd be tied to it and no amount of cleansing could undo that tie. If you had ever done it yourself, I believe you'd be next in line to lead the Dark Order, or you'd at least be in the upper tier of hierarchy.”
“How do you know so much?”
“My parents were Dark Order as well, though I got out as an infant. I know more than most about the organization.”
“So what do I do now?” Gage asked. “I meant what I said that I have nothing for her. I should be able to offer some kind of stability and trust, if not love, when I commit to someone for life. And if she doesn't want anyone at all, I'm rather at a loss.”
“You don't have much of a choice,” Fiona said calmly. “You'll have to go talk to her. Say something to convince her. And you need to realize that whatever concept of love and security you've been holding onto needs to go. You need to have unprotected sex with her, and that will cement the bond and save your life.”
“She's a hard one,” Skylar remarked. “She's passionate and slow to warm up to someone. But if it helps, each of her brothers fought tooth and nail against the bond. And each one of them loves their wife now. But it'll be up to you to convince her that she needs to do this. Work your charm.”
“I'm not going to force her.”
“Even if it's your life on the line?” Skylar asked.
“Even if.”
“Good to hear.” Skylar smiled. “She needs someone to look after her and protect her. Now go be that person.”
Gage went downstairs to the living room, and that's where he found her, sitting on the couch brooding. Her hand idly played with a pillow on the couch, and he couldn't get enough of looking at her. He wanted those hands on him, damn it, and he didn't even totally understand why it was so powerful though Skylar and Fiona's words hinted that his attraction was tied to his magic.
“You've got a nice house,” he said, looking around the room. He wasn't sure how to start this conversation, so he tried small talk.
“You don't have to be nice to me. I know what you want.”
“Likely not.”
“Let me take a guess: you want to screw me so Fiona can do the spell to save your life.”
“No, not really.”
She looked at him suspiciously. “I don't believe you.”
“You had three brothers and you can't tell a lie from the truth?”
She recoiled, insulted. “Of course I can.”
“Then you should know I'm telling the truth. Sure I'd like to live,
and preferably without being tied to any kind of blood magic. But I'm not the kind of person who is going to get my life at the cost of someone else's. I want to get to know you. I want you to decide whether you want to share your life with me. I don't want to put pressure on you.”
“You don't?” She sounded insecure, which he could tell was not in her traditional gamut of emotions.
“No, I don't. I may not remember my history, but someone instilled enough decency in me to not take advantage of a woman.”
“I'll have to thank them. So what do you want?”
“I want to talk to you, get to know you.”
“You only have a few days, according to Fiona.”
“Then I'll have to do it fast. Do you have anything else on your schedule?”
She laughed. “No. I'm actually remarkably free in my scheduling.” He was mesmerized by her lips, especially as she laughed. He really wanted to know what those lips would taste like under his.
“That's good.” He couldn't take his eyes off her lips.
“What are you thinking? You're looking very intense.”
He barked out a laugh. “Do you really want to know?” He asked, trying to put as much intimation in his voice as he could.
“I do.” She apparently had totally missed his hints.
“I was thinking about how much I want to know what your lips taste like.”
She blushed bright red under her long blonde hair. “Oh.”
“Now the ball's in your court. Are you going to let me find out?”
Her eyes got big. She wasn't expecting that. “I suppose so. What could it hurt?”
Grateful he got the answer he wanted, he stood between her legs and claimed her mouth.
What could it hurt? Dymphna repeated to herself, cursing her own stupidity. Apparently, it could hurt her confidence and her frame of mind. She'd been kissed before, but this was different.
The kiss started out soft, and she let the breath she was holding out. But then he angled his mouth over hers, and what was comfortable turned distinctly carnal. He seemed to be trying to devour her mouth first, and she suddenly didn't mind letting him. When he pressed against her, she went, and he covered her, running his hands up and down her arms. Beyond the kiss and his hands on her arms, he didn't try anything sexual, but she felt the heat. And she appreciated him not trying to press his advantage.
Gage pulled back, breathing heavily. “I'm sorry. I got carried away.”
“No, don't be. I enjoyed that.”
“So did I. I just want to make sure that my... enjoyment... of the kiss doesn't lead to me taking advantage and doing something I can't undo.”
“Oh.” Dymphna risked a glance down and noticed a hard ridge in his pants. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
“So what would you like to do to get to know me better?” She asked, trying to diffuse the tension. By the look in his eyes, he saw the second meaning of her sentence before she was aware of it.
“Well, I haven't eaten in a while,” he said, graciously not saying anything about her double meaning. “We could get something to eat. You can tell me all about you. I don't really know anything about me, or I'd do the same.”
She laughed. “I know the way to the kitchen.”
“I'm not quite suitable to stand up yet,” he said, and he winked at her.
“Then I'll tell you about me here, I suppose, until you're ready to leave” Dymphna was glad that Skylar and Fiona had ventured to another part of the house to give them their privacy. “As you know, I've got three brothers. You met them, but I'll remind you. It's a lot of people to remember when you're introduced to everyone at once and your memory is already shot. Leo is my twin, and his wife is Skylar. My other brothers, Seb and Justin, live at the Coven House. Seb, who is Fiona's husband, is also Duke of the National Coven. Justin is Protector, and Seb's second-in-charge. He's married to Melanie. They have the twins, Jasmine and Rose. Both Fiona and Skylar are very pregnant, so we'll have a lot of babies around here soon. My brothers and I have always been close, and that made me somewhat of a tomboy when I was younger.”
“It must have been nice to have a close family.”
“The four of us were the only ones who were close. My mother killed herself when I was about six months old, and my father didn't have much time for us as Duke or as a father. It's what made us grow close.”
“Is your mother the one who gave you the unusual name?”
“Thanks for not saying 'horrible' name.”
“It's not horrible. It's got character, and it suits you. You're intriguing, and it's intriguing.”
She ignored that. “My mother was a devout Catholic late in life, and she saw her magic as the devil's handiwork. She named Seb, whose full name is Eusebius, and Justin after Catholic saints who were outspoken against witchcraft. By the time they showed their powers, she was pregnant again. She named Leo Pantaleon after the Patron Saint of Healers. He doesn't talk about it much, but I think that's why he went into medicine. I got named after the Patron Saint of the Mentally Ill of all things. And my name doesn't lend itself to a nickname.”
“There are worse things than to be named after a saint who did good work with the mentally ill. And I'd guess that you do good work for people too.”
“I make money, and I'm good at it.”
“What do you do?”
“I am a litigation lawyer.”
“Do you have a specialty?”
“Sure.” She didn't want to tell him after he looked so fondly at her when he said she likely did good work.
“Then what is it?”
“I deal in workplace harassment.”
“And you deal with the victims, don't you?”
“Well, yeah.”
“And that's not good work? You help people speak out, don't you?”
“OK, I do try to help in my own corner of the world. I admit it.”
“Why don't you like to talk about that?” He was entirely too perceptive.
She sighed. At this point, she might as well be honest. If she didn't scare him away from trying to bond with her now, she might never achieve it. “I try very hard to give off an image of a badass. I don't want people to wonder if I like them or not. I want them to assume I don't. I want people to be a little bit afraid of me. I don't want people thinking of me as a bleeding heart.”
“That's fair. But doesn't it also seem fair that if you go to lengths to speak out and care for the victims that someone should be allowed to care for you too?”
“No.” She said it with finality that she hoped he understood meant the end of that subject.
“Alright. I'm a little more decent now. Do you want to go eat?”
“Sure,” she said, grateful he picked up on her sign.
Downstairs, Dymphna discovered a note from Skylar on the kitchen table. She read it out loud. “We thought you could use some time alone. Dinner's in the fridge, and we won't be home until late evening. Have fun!”
“She's awfully optimistic,” Gage noted.
“A little too optimistic and peppy sometimes in my opinion. She really does just take everything as it comes, and everything that can be turned into something good does so around her. She's an excellent cook, too.”
In the fridge was a covered bowl of gazpacho, a Spanish soup meant to be eaten cold, and two cupcakes, each with a heart drawn on them. Gage laughed when he saw them. “Is she really like this all the time?”
“Oh yes. I've seen her cry twice, and both times were in drastic situations involving her family. Skylar is a happy woman. And she makes Leo a happy man, which is a good thing in my book.”
“That is good. Let's eat.”
Dymphna measured out two bowls, and they ate in companionable silence. They ate the cupcakes too, because why let a good cupcake go to waste because it had a heart on it?
“Do you play video games? I'm trying to learn how to Street Fighter, and it's taking a while.”
“I don't remember,” he admitted, an
d she felt bad for putting that hurt look on his face. It must be hard to really not know who you are.
“Then let's see. They say that video games have a lot to do with muscle memory. Maybe when you pick it up again, you'll remember how to play.”
“It's certainly worth a shot.”
She fired up the machine and chose her current favorite avatar, Makoto. He flipped through the catalog of characters before settling on Ken. The announcer's voice went off, and then they started. Dymphna had gotten somewhat comfortable with Makoto's basic move set, and she tried out a light kick to start. He instinctively blocked.
Then it became very clear that he did know the game. He fired off a fireball, easy as you please. Then he beat her easily.
“So you've played before.”
“Apparently. Have a go at it again?”
“Only if you'll show me how to.”
“I'll certainly try.” He switched the screen to the practice mode. He then proceeded to show her how to fire off special moves. Rita had shown her many of the same things, but the repetition helped a great deal. She started to get it too.
A little later, she stopped playing, just holding the controller.
“What's wrong?”
“It just hit me as strange that we're playing a video game while so much hangs in the balance.”
“Then don't think about it. Video games can be a form of release.”
“I suppose so. It just seems we should be trying to figure everything out.”
“Look at it this way then. We figured out that we can have fun together just playing a video game. I don't know about you, but I certainly felt at ease with you while playing.”
“That's true.”
“If you'll let me, I'd like to kiss you again. Would that help?” She didn't want to admit how much she had liked that first kiss, so she shrugged. “You'll have to say it.”
“Yes. I would like another kiss.”
“Good. It's hard to resist.”
“Then don't, I suppose.”
He started out hard this time, as if desperate. She kissed back, driving her fingers into his hair and pulling him to her. She wanted, in a way she never had before. She couldn't even describe it, just a need for him and only him. Dymphna suspected this was part of what would drive a person to make the bond. She was going crazy for wanting him.
The Responsible Witch (The Ward Witches) Page 4
