"If I'm going to read you, I'm going to make sure it's extra good. Now relax so I can connect to you."
Making the connection this time was faster, and he felt her excitement. He crouched before her and eased her legs apart. When she realized what he was going to do, he felt her get wetter and ready for him. And when he licked her, he felt as well as tasted her delight. It was certainly a learning experience to be able to feel what she liked best, then do that more. From the noises she was making as well as what he was feeling through her, she had no objection. She came against his mouth, and he pulled away.
Then he let her put the condom on him. As soon as he was protected, he thrust into her. He took his time making love to her, savoring each bit of enjoyment he could give her. They moved together until they both came simultaneously.
"Wow," Dymphna managed to get out a short while later. "That was amazing."
"I'm glad. It was pretty revolutionary for me too."
"I think I'm done for the night. I have to wind down from that. Do you want to watch another movie?"
"Sure. What do you have in mind?"
"Fiona's favorite Vincent Price character is Dr. Phibes, and there's two movies about him. You'll totally impress her if you can talk about him."
"Bring it on."
She set the movie to play and curled up with him on the bed. He pulled out of her mind and just enjoyed holding her. She was precious to him, and now that she'd admit she loved him too, his wife was even more precious. Dymphna was special, and she was all his. One day they'd have kids, and that would just add to the happy family.
Gage was happy, but he was afraid that it was too good to last. If his brother and the Dark Order had anything to say about it, his good fortune wouldn't last. Hopefully his mother would come to Boston with the answers that would let Justin and his Coven Protection team get rid of the Order sooner rather than later. They'd find out what she knew tomorrow.
157
CHAPTER NINE
The next morning, Gage got a call from Seb.
"What's up?"
"I think it's time you start looking into your other abilities. I know Skylar's been working with you on fire magic, and Dymphna texted me this morning to say that you tried some air magic last night." Gage didn't want to think about what he did with his air magic while on the phone with her brother. "I think you should head over here this morning, and we'll see if we can't link you with some mentors. I'm sure Dymphna can find something to do while you're working over here."
"OK. We also need to go to the airport at 3:10 to pick up my mother."
"Dymphna didn't mention that she was coming today. We'll be sure to call it quits before that. Given that, I assume you'll want to get her settled somewhere, and then I'd like to talk to her as soon as possible."
"I'd agree. She wants to go to a motel, and I need to ask Dymphna and Skylar if she can stay at the Manor instead. I know she won't be able to come to the Coven House because of the protection against blood witches there.”
“Of course. Why don't you give me a call when she's settled, and we'll all get together at Ward Manor?”
“I can do that. Let me tell Dymphna the plan, and we'll be right over.”
“I'll see you shortly.”
He sat down with the women in the kitchen, and he waited until they were done eating to tell them what Seb said.
“I hope it works out well for you,” Skylar said. “You've been picking up the fire magic fast, and I hope the others come as easily.”
“Thank you. I need to be ready so that I can do something to stop Eric.”
“Did you know Eric?” Dymphna asked, realizing that he had never mentioned having a brother except in the context of the Order.
“No. Denise mentioned that my father had cheated on her and had another child, but she was already on the run from that life so we never met him. But that doesn't mean I'm not somewhat responsible. It's my family, and I should have done something.”
“You're being irrational about that,” Dymphna told him. “It's not your fault. I understand that you want to help take him down, but you need to want that because it's the right thing to do and not because you share any of his guilt.”
Gage wasn't sure he agreed with that assessment, but he'd go with it anyway. “I needed to ask you two something, since you two are in charge of the house.”
“I don't know if you can say that,” Skylar objected.
“My mother raised me to respect that the woman rules the house, and the men should honor that. It's not meant to be offensive, it's just more old-fashioned.”
“Alright,” she capitulated. “So what did you need to ask?”
“Denise is coming into town this afternoon. She said she wanted to stay at a motel, but I was hoping to have her stay here. But I understand if you're uncomfortable with that at all.”
“I'm fine with it,” Dymphna said first. “She's your mother, and the Wards know how to take care of family. Sending her to a hotel isn't taking care of family.”
“I'm with her. Invite her to stay here.”
“It might be awkward to have my new mother-in-law living with us. I sure hope she doesn't find fault at my housekeeping.”
“What housekeeping?” Skylar joked, poking her in the arm. “I do the housekeeping!”
“That's for sure. Have I told you lately how much I appreciate that?”
“No, but I know. I'm sure between the four of us, we can impress her.”
“Thanks.”
“So, while you two are at the Coven House, I'll clean out the spare bedroom. It's in Dymphna's half of the house anyway.”
“I can't have you lifting all that heavy stuff, Skylar,” Gage objected.
“Too true,” Dymphna agreed. “I'm your water witch, and I'm saying no. I'll drop Gage over at the Coven House and come back to take care of it.”
“I don't like that idea either,” Gage said.
“You can be old-fashioned all you want, but I'm a capable woman, and I'm going to do it.”
“You're right. I'm constantly amazed at just what all you can do. Good luck, and let me know if I can do anything to help out.”
“I will.”
“I'll at least get some fresh sheets and towels out,” Skylar offered. “I don't want to be totally useless.”
“You're hardly useless. And thank you both for helping me and my mother out.”
“Like Dymphna said, we take care of family. Get over to the Coven House before Seb gets impatient and calls again. I'll see you later.”
“Sure thing.”
“Are you really nervous about meeting my mother?” He asked in the car.
“Yeah. I mean, she's important to you.”
“I wouldn't worry too much about it. Remember, my mother is a blood witch, and she's been using that same magic on me since I was a child.”
“That's true. How do you feel about that?”
“I don't like it. It makes me feel dirty, to be honest. But at the same time, I know she thought it was best. She didn't think she could take me to a coven and get a cleansing. And based on Fiona's experience, even if she had, there was no guarantee they could do it right. So she took steps to make sure I was alive and healthy, and she managed to do it in a way that wouldn't result in my being a blood witch as well. I know she did it out of love, but it still feels wrong.”
“At least you know she did it for you. I know you well enough to know that you'll forgive her and get past it. You're close enough to her that you can fix whatever breach in your relationship came with her admission.”
“You're right. You don't mind dropping me off to go back and clean out that room?”
“No, it's not a problem. I need something to do while you're in training anyway. Both Street Fighter Four and Skyrim can wait.”
“OK.”
They pulled up, and Dymphna decided not to brave the cold just to go in and say hello, so Gage went in alone as she drove off.
He hadn't been to the Coven House b
efore, and it boggled his mind. It looked like an architect had lost his mind. Every wing was a bit different, and the whole of it became a rather ugly conglomeration. Knowing what he did about how the Coven expanded, the effect probably came from different architects adding different wings as they were needed. He also knew that there were twenty witches who worked for the Coven in residence as well as the Wards, so they would need all that space. But knowing that didn't mean it was any less ugly.
Knocking the snow off his feet, he barely got through the door when he saw Melanie. She was playing with her daughters in a small sitting room off the main entryway.
“How are you, Melanie?”
“I'm doing great. The twins and I were just waiting for you to arrive.”
He crouched next to them and reached out a hand to one of them, watching her fingers grab his much bigger one. “How old are they?”
“They're just now six months. I like working in the same house because I can give the babysitter a break and take some time with them during the day.”
“That makes sense. It's Rose and Jasmine, right?”
“Yes,” she said, clearly pleased that he remembered. “This one's Jasmine, and the one who has your finger is Rose.”
“Good to meet you, Rose,” he said, and she gurgled.
“I should really give them back to the babysitter and get you started.”
“I don't want to rush you.”
“No, it's no problem. Seb was thinking that if Skylar was a good match for you in teaching you fire magic, I might be a good match for your air magic and Fiona might be good for your water and earth magic.”
“That makes sense to me. I'll carry Rose back to the nursery with you if you'd like.”
“That would be great.”
Melanie led him down the hallways, and Gage was sure that without her he'd get lost. He was entranced by the infant, too, who looked up at him like he was great. She made him think about his conversation with Dymphna and how wonderful it would be to hold his own child. One day, that's for sure.
Melanie stopped at a room decorated with bright colors and strewn with toys and other children's things. “This is the nursery. Mine are the only children who live here, but Justin's father started a service years ago where witches can pay for daycare here. Since they're magical children, and often before they can understand why they need to control their magic, it makes sense to have them all together. The witches in charge keep them from doing something dangerous with their magic and keep them happy at the same time.”
“That sounds like a good plan.”
They handed off the infants, and Gage followed Melanie down more twisting hallways with unlabeled doors. “How do you find your way around here?”
“It just comes from being here for what seems like a long time. If you get lost, there's usually someone around to point you back in the right direction. One thing I love about living here is that everyone who does is so nice. They live here because they want to be part of the community. The witches who want to be part of the Coven, but not the more close-knit community or have families just come to the meetings and don't live here. I wouldn't have thought it would work, but it does.”
“Don't they have disagreements though?”
“Of course. Any group of people living together is going to have its disagreements. But Fiona serves as a kind of house mom and manages disputes and such. She's fair and honest, and people appreciate that. Before her, Seb did it, and he wasn't nearly as successful.”
“It's good to hear that even the great Seb can have weak areas.”
She laughed. “Oh he certainly does, but don't tell him I said that.”
“Your secret is safe with me. Where are we going to start?”
“We're headed to the magic gym in the basement. There's a gym down there with the typical weight machines and bikes and such, and there's one that's heavily warded that we use for training our magic.”
It did look like a gym with its two walls of mirrors and cushioned mats on the floor. Melanie headed over to a closet and brought out two folding chairs, setting them up facing each other, and three balls of various sizes.
“There's no reason to sit on the floor for this, so I'm going to at least go for the uncomfortable chairs. Now, I assume you remember when Skylar tested your magical compatibility as mentor and student.”
“Yes.”
“I'm going to do the same. Relax.”
Gage did, and he watched as a thread of her magic reached for him. Like with Skylar, it felt comfortable, and Melanie clearly agreed.
“Good thing we work. That will make this all a lot easier. What have you tried with your air magic?”
“Not much. I did a reading on Dymphna, and that's about it.”
“That's a good place to start. I want you to keep practicing that with her because you can do that anywhere, and it's pretty clear if it's working or not. Try to improve your speed, and work on reading direct thoughts as well as feelings. Does that sound reasonable?”
“Sure.”
“In here, we're going to work on levitation. First we'll work with the golf ball. You're going to concentrate on it, and in your mind, envision it rising to your hand. Then, you're going to impose the force of your will on the ball and make it rise to your hand, just as you saw in your mind. It might help to concentrate on a thread of magic that will get it done, or it might not. Give it a try.”
He did, and nothing happened. So he kept trying. It took until one that afternoon, but he lifted the golf ball, the beach ball, and the bowling ball with minimal effort.
“Good work. You actually picked it up pretty quickly. Next time we'll try moving them about rather than just lifting. I know you and Dymphna need to go pick up your mother, so we'll quit for the day. Remember to practice with your reading skills.”
“I will. Thanks for the lesson.”
“Sure thing. I'll see you tomorrow.”
Due to traffic and a confusing airport layout, Dymphna and Gage arrived there with barely any time to get to Denise's plane. As much as he told her she didn't need to make a good impression on his mom, she felt she did. In fact, she had gone to extra lengths to make that spare bedroom impressive. She had gone with Skylar to the mall to get a bedspread and some other decorations for the room after it was cleared. It certainly looked a lot better than it had. Gage would have likely said all that was unnecessary, but it made her feel better for having done it.
Dymphna had never done the meet-the-mother thing before, and she was determined to do it right since this would be her only time.
She knew the moment Gage spotted his mother because he released the breath he probably didn't even know he was holding, and in one fluid movement, he surged forward to greet her, still holding Dymphna's hand. Denise was short with gray hair tied back in a knot. She wore a blue jacket over a tan shirt and black pants.
But what struck Dymphna the hardest was the general feeling of ill health about her. Fiona had mentioned a similar finding in her birth parents, who were also blood witches, when she was kidnapped six months earlier, but it still unsettled Dymphna. Blood magic had its price, and since it functioned best on human subjects, Denise wouldn't be able to fully keep up her health with blood from a butcher's.
It was actually rather impressive that she would chose to stick to using only animal blood. That she changed to it after she had her son, and even killed someone to stop his sacrificing innocents, spoke volumes about how she loved Gage.
Having Gage in their lives had changed both women. Dymphna had been worried about not having anything in common with the older woman, but they did share something: love for Gage. Dymphna hadn't been married to him long, but she'd do anything for him. His mother had already proved that she'd do anything for him as well, and that would include trying to get along with his new wife. If they both tried to get along, they more than likely would.
Feeling like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders, Dymphna extended a hand to Denise. But Denise rejecte
d that and pulled her in for a hug.
“It's good to meet you,” Dymphna said as they pulled back.
“Likewise. Gage speaks so well of you, and I'm so glad he found someone to love. You must be very special.”
Dymphna blushed. “And he is special to me. Let's get out to the car so we can hopefully miss the worst of the traffic. The drive will likely take forty five minutes anyway at this time of day.”
Gage grabbed his mother's suitcase, and they hurried to the car.
“It's awfully cold, isn't it?” Denise asked as Dymphna started up the heater and the seat warmers. Gage had offered to sit in the back so the women could have warm seats.
“It's December in Boston. It's pretty damn cold.”
“I don't know if I have enough warm clothes.”
“We'll get you some,” Dymphna offered. “After helping Gage get clothes for our climate up here, I know exactly where to look.”
“That's so nice of you. It might be nice to go shopping with you and get to know you better.”
“I'd like that. Gage is in training at the Coven House to master his magic, and we can go shopping while he's there.”
“Is there a motel near your home where I can stay?”
“Actually, Mom, we wanted to talk to you about that. We have a spare bedroom at the Manor, and we'd like you to stay there.”
“Oh, I don't know. I don't want to impose.”
“It's no trouble at all,” Dymphna assured her. “It'll be easier if you're nearby, especially since neither you nor Gage has a car. Our house is really way too big for just the people who live there, but my brother and I were used to big houses and big events when we purchased it. I can't honestly say we used very good logic when we chose such a big place. Help us by taking up some of the space there so it's not quite so empty”
“Alright. If you want me to stay there, I will.”
“After we get you settled, we'll call Justin, and I'm sure the rest of Dymphna's family will come with him to hear what you have to say.”
The Responsible Witch (The Ward Witches) Page 13
