A Warlock's Secrets

by Tena Stetler

  She reviewed the map and pointed to the Kalalau trail along the Napali Coast.

  “That’s an eleven-mile hike. But we have time to do the first two miles, which leads to Hanakapiai Beach and has amazing views of Kauai’s North Shore.”

  “Good enough,” Hannah added to her growing photo collection of Kauai as they hiked the trail. Upon returning to the vehicle, she took her shoes and socks off. “I feel like I’ve hiked the entire island over these two weeks.” She wiggled her toes and relaxed against the seat.

  “You probably have. It’s the best way to see Kauai since ninety percent of the island is inaccessible by road. That’s why I like it.”

  Arriving back home, Tristian suggested they spend their last evening on the beach watching the sunset and finish their final bottle of wine. Hannah nodded in agreement.

  Daewon would pick them up before the crack of dawn and drive them to the airport where The Wycked Hair’s private jet would be waiting. This trip had confirmed Tristian’s feelings, now he had to figure out how to make it all work.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Homecoming to Unexpected Guests and Problems

  Carefully, Hannah picked her way up the stairs to the private jet and felt Tristian’s mood change as he walked beside her. The carefree, fun man she’d spent the last two weeks with was gone. Laptop in hand, he was somber and thoughtful, with an air of foreboding mixed in. Holding her laptop in one hand, purse slung over her shoulder, she followed him into the plane. I should have discussed our relationship situation before we left the islands.

  She touched his hand as they settled into the roomy leather seats for the flight home. Turning to her, a smile curled his kissable lips. The man was sex on a stick when he wanted to be, but now it was only a companionable smile. She could feel him at war with himself again, as his professional persona took over. Learning to live with both Tristians would take some doing, but she was up to the task. If only he’d let her.

  The decision to consummate their relationship had been the toughest thing she’d ever done. Tying herself to a warlock for life, whether he committed to her or not, may have been the worst decision she’d ever made. Still, she could only hope that he’d come around. Telling her parents would not be easy. Her sister—that was entirely different matter. As children, she’d been Brandy’s confidant. When they reached adulthood, she’d always told her sister everything and vice versa. Brandy would know if she held anything back. What was she supposed to tell her? That she’d fallen in love with not only a warlock, but an assassin for the Demon Overlord of the Western Hemisphere. Yeah, that would bring Brandy running. The last call Hannah had made to Brandy went to voice mail, so Hannah left a message about leaving on vacation and would call when she returned. The coward’s way out.

  Usually, they talked at least once a week, more often depending on what was going on in their lives. It had been nearly a month since…

  As if Brandy felt her turmoil, Hannah’s phone chimed an incoming text message from her sister. “Where the hell are you?” Hannah bit her lip and glanced over at Tristian bent over his laptop working. His forehead creased in concentration.

  His gaze met hers giving her a slight grin. “Anything wrong?”

  She shook her head and he returned his attention to the laptop. Her fingers skimmed over the phone texting back. “On my way home from Hawaii. I’ll call and tell you all about it tomorrow.” Brandy texted back. “U better, Ma & Da are worried sick. Need to call them also.”

  “K” she typed in then held the phone to her chest and sighed. Time to pay the piper. A tear trickled down her cheek.

  Tristian reached up and wiped the tear away with his thumb. She didn’t know how long he’d been watching her, but his eyes were clouded with concern as he twisted in his seat to face her.

  “No secrets,” he said as a firm reminder.

  Still holding her phone, her hand came to rest on her lap. Glancing at her phone, she raised it up again. “It’s my sister.” Hannah paused and pursed her lips. “And Ma and Da. Haven’t talked to them since D.C. Brandy knows something’s up. She has a talent for knowing these things.” Raising her gaze to meet Tristian’s, she said, “I’ve got to tell her about us.”

  Tristian frowned. “Okay—tell her you’ve met someone special.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that will work. She’ll want to know all about you. I wouldn’t put it past her to fly out to Misty Harbor unannounced to meet you.”

  “That would be a problem. Right now, Angie and Willow want you back in D.C. Bruce is chomping at the bit for my return. Apparently, the reports filed while I was gone are…problematic.”

  “I can’t—I won’t—alienate my family. Not even for you. Nor will I lie to them. Then there is the little matter of my job, the citizenship test. My life doesn’t revolve completely around you.”

  Tristian glowered at the computer screen, closed it and raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m well aware of that. But as far as your family is concerned, it’s too dangerous to drag them into to my—our world. I’m still working out how to keep you safe—your extended family… I can’t. Not yet.”

  She stiffened, clenched her teeth. “So, what then?”

  His fingers tapped lightly on the top of his black laptop. “Tell them about us. Tell them you don’t know where the relationship is going yet. And you don’t want to jinx it by divulging too much.”

  “That’s a lie. Our relationship has gone a lot farther than that, and you know it. So will Brandy.”

  Tristian unfastened his seatbelt, pushed up from his seat, and paced. On the second pass, he paused in front of her, blew out a breath, and plopped in his seat. Shifting, he faced her and took her hands in his, gaze locked on her. “Okay, how about you tell Brandy I’ve asked you to attend my sister’s wedding. That alone should tell her we are serious. Let her know you are nervous about it and will be leaving soon. Remind her you have the citizenship test to take the day after tomorrow. Suggest that when you get back from the wedding, she should come for a visit.”

  “Really?” Can she visit? You’ll meet her?” She eyed him suspiciously.

  His devilish grin was back, making her feel more at ease. “Of course. By that time, I hope to have worked out a few changes I’m considering with Bruce. No promises, but it’s a start. Right?” Tristian’s gaze flicked over her cheeks, her eyes, and lingered on her mouth.

  She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “I hope so. My sister is tenacious and protective.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt. But you’re the same with those you love. I can see it. Family trait?”

  “Probably.” She drew her bottom lip through her front teeth. “It just might work, for now. But Ma and Da.”

  “Same story, go ahead and tell them I took you to Hawaii to relax. If what I do for a living comes up.” He paused. “We’ll say I work security and can’t talk about my job. Compare it to your cyber security. Imply they understand things like that. Most people won’t admit they don’t.”

  “Jetting off to Hawaii with you will tell them our relationship is serious, without telling them about the wedding. I have to tell them you are not one of us. Trust me, they’ll ask.”

  “I can’t believe that’ll come as a surprise to them.” He stroked the couple days’ stubble on his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “If a gryphon was what you were looking for, you’d stayed in Ireland.”

  Her eyebrow quirked up, and she gave him a hard stare.

  “Look, I’ve traveled the Western Hemisphere for years on business. Dealt with numerous paranormal creatures but never ran across a gryphon. Until you, I thought they were mythical creatures.” He shrugged and opened his laptop. “You proved me wrong.”

  Hannah grinned, opened her laptop, and wrote an email to her sister. Giving her enough information, Hannah hoped might satisfy her, so Brandy wouldn’t bombard her with questions that she couldn’t answer. Finished, Hannah closed the laptop and snuggled against Tristian, her eyelids dr
ooping.

  When the plane touched down in Misty Harbor, Hannah stepped out onto the stairs of the plane and glanced around in the crisp night air. She spotted Tristian’s sports car parked under a nearby light. “How’d that get here?”

  He smirked winding an arm around her waist. “Magic.”

  She raised an eyebrow and gave him a dubious stare. “Yeah, right.”

  “I asked Sean to leave it here on his way home. Figured we’d arrived late, didn’t want to inconvenience him.”

  “So, you had him go out of his way to drop off your car. How did he get home?”

  “Rena, his wife, is my housekeeper. I imagine she followed him here and picked him up.” A knowing grin spread across his face. “Sean sure loves to drive that car.” He shrugged. “I like to keep my employees happy. That’s one thing Bruce and I agree on. Good help is hard to find. Treat them good, hopefully, they’ll be loyal.”

  “That would be important in your line of work.” Hannah trotted over to the sports car, reached for the handle as Tristian slid his hand under hers, and opened the door.

  “I don’t see why you can’t wait for me to open the door.” He held it open while she slid in, then closed it quietly.

  When he folded himself in the driver’s seat, she smiled at him. “Too independent for your likes?”

  His eyebrow winged up as the car rumbled to life. “Obviously not.” He touched the gas, and the vehicle sped down the road. “But Dad always insisted on opening the doors for Mom and Angie. Part of being a gentleman, he always said.”

  “Okay, I see your point.” She jerked her head to the right. “Hey, you missed the turn to my house.”

  “I wasn’t going to your house.”

  “Well, it’s not up to you. I want to go home. I need to study for the test tomorrow and…”

  “You don’t have any food in the house. I can help you study, but I don’t think you need it. In D.C., you had everything down pat. Anyway my house should be fully stocked, if we want a bite before we go to…”

  She groaned. “My fridge is going to smell to high heaven.”

  Waving a hand dismissively, he turned up the road to his home. “Not exactly. When we left for Hawaii, I had Rena pop over to your cottage and clean out the fridge.”

  Jerking around in her seat, she stared in disbelief. “Without my permission and you don’t have a key?”

  “Don’t need one. Rena is half demon and witch.”

  “But still it’s my cottage, you need permission to… You had no right.” Pick your battles. That’s what Da always said. Her temper vibrated, but she kept her mouth clamped shut in a thin line. Now was not the time to start an argument. The discussion about privacy would have to wait until her brain was alert. Besides, he had a point the fridge would stink horribly. She grimaced wrinkling her nose. The deed was done. I’ll make sure it wouldn’t happen again. Her jaw popped as she covered a yawn with the back of her hand.

  At Hannah’s less than pleased expression, he said, “It was my fault you left in a hurry with no idea how long you’d be gone. Sorry about that. But then our impromptu vacation, I thought you’d appreciate not coming home to that mess.”

  “True, but you need to respect my privacy.” She gave him a withering look. “A locked door in my world means you have to ask permission to enter, not barge in with magic because you want. Understand?”

  “Got it.” He nodded and squinted at shadows moving across his porch.

  “You just expect me to spend the night with you?” she asked incredulously.

  “I’ve learned not to expect anything where you’re concerned. Don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted, so a snack and bed sounds pretty good.”

  “Yes, I guess it does. Tomorrow…”

  “I’ll take you to the cottage, if that’s what you want.” His gaze flicked from her to the porch.

  “I’d like to be well rested for my exam.”

  “Understood.” Tristian turned up the driveway to his home. The porch light was on, and two individuals were seated on his Adirondack chairs. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is an unexpected turn of events.”

  Hannah, who was watching out the window glad to see familiar surroundings, followed his gaze. “Oh…it’s Willow…and who’s the young man with her?”

  “That would be Caleb, her fiancé. A better question is why are they on my porch at…” He glanced at the digital clock on the dash. “…Two o’clock in the damn morning?” His voice held a hint of irritation.

  “Bet we’re about to find out.” When the car stopped in front of his house, Hannah waited patiently for Tristian to open her door. What a pain. Taking his hand, she stepped out of the car. He turned abruptly and strode toward the door.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure.” He extended his hand to Caleb first, then gave Willow a nod. “Got your days and nights mixed up?”

  “We didn’t expect you home ’til tomorrow.”

  “Obviously.” Tristian unlocked the door, stood to the side, waved the luggage into the house, then looked from Willow to Caleb and back. “So, are you spending the night? Or…”

  “Guess we better go to Mom and Dad’s house.” Willow said with such reluctance that Hannah sidled up to Willow and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I can tell you what’s wrong,” Tristian said grumpily. “Birch and Freesia are not as understanding as anticipated.”

  “Sort of,” Willow admitted.

  “Come on in. We’ll put the coffee on and hash this out. Unless you just want to spend the night and settle it tomorrow.”

  At Willow’s hopeful expression, Hannah nudged Tristian into the kitchen. “Why would her parents object? Birch and Freesia are her parents. Correct?”

  “Yes. Because Caleb is a Satyr. Mixing bloodlines in the magical world is frowned on to say the least. Things are changing, but…” He scooped coffee in the maker, filled the pot with water, and poured it into the reserve, then quickly slid the pot underneath.

  “So, there is a problem with warlocks and gryphons?” she whispered, opening cupboards looking for mugs.

  He huffed out a breath. “No…not exactly…hell, if a demon overlord can take a witch for a mate, anything is possible.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “But as Bruce’s position afforded him leeway, you bet mine does too.” Tristian pointed to a cabinet where he kept the mugs.

  “I see.” She opened the cupboard door and pulled out four mugs, set them beside the coffee maker.

  “No, you don’t.” He hesitated for a couple beats. “One problem at a time. Let’s take care of Willow and Caleb, so we can get to bed. Okay?” Opening the refrigerator, he pulled out a covered dish with a note, read the note, and glanced at the covered tortilla warmer on the counter.

  “Maybe best if I go on up to bed? Got a long day tomorrow.” Hannah sighed.

  “Suit yourself, but you’re the one that asked what’s wrong.” He shot back. “And you’ll miss out on the best enchilada casserole in the world.” Holding the dish up, he looked at the microwave, then passed a hand over the container. The mouthwatering aroma wafted from the dish as steam rose around the edges of the lid.

  She eyed him speculatively. “And you couldn’t tell Willow was upset?”

  He shrugged. “Sure. But I don’t stick my nose where it doesn’t belong. In my business, that will get you killed.” Dark liquid streamed into the glass pot and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixed with enchiladas filled the kitchen.

  Hands on hips, she glared at him. “I see through that tough façade you project.”

  “Okay…yes I knew she was upset, and I planned to address the issue, hopefully in the morning—if necessary—But obviously, that isn’t going to work.” He waved the food under her nose, set it on the table, along with plates and silverware.

  Hannah threw up her hands. “I give up. Good thing my test is late tomorrow afternoon. I’m starved.” She paused and poked her finger in his chest. “And you are going to help me do one last quick
study.”

  “Of course.” He winked at her, filled the mugs with coffee, and put them on the table.

  “Hey, did Rena leave her enchilada casserole for you?” Willow said gliding into the kitchen, Caleb followed.

  “Yep,” Tristian said smugly, waving to the kitchen table. “So, the real reason you are camped on my porch is revealed.” Waggling a finger at them, he said. “You two owe me.” He glowered at them and pulled the chair out for Hannah. By way of introduction, he said, “You know Willow, but her young man—” Willow glared at him. “Oh, I’m sorry, Caleb is her fiancé.” Tristian added emphases to the last two words. “Which is the second reason we found them on my doorstep.”

  Caleb stretched out his hand, and Hannah took it. “Nice to meet you.”

  “I’m sorry to crash your homecoming. We thought”—he paused a beat to look at Willow—“Tristian would be alone,” Caleb said with a chagrined expression.

  Willow elbowed him in the ribs. “Caleb.”

  “So, this was planned. You want me to smooth things over with your parents.” He cut his gaze to Willow, then to Caleb. “What does your family think of Willow?”

  “They love her. Our family is a mixed group, I’m a throwback from a union that was kept under wraps for years. So, my marrying a fairy is no big deal. Now who performs the ceremony and where is another thing entirely.” He shrugged.

  “Birch and Freesia are aware?” Tristian scooped up a huge bite of enchilada, blew on it, and popped the tasty morsel in his mouth. Picked up a tortilla and rolled it up.

  “Not exactly.” Willow shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “We didn’t get a chance; they knew what he was when we walked through the door. Dad didn’t—”

  “It’s been a rough patch for your parents, what with my—well, it’s been rough. So, your unexpected announcement was probably the last straw. Tomorrow things will look diff—”

  A loud knock sounded at the door. “Shit—now what.” Tristian pushed to his feet, crossed to the door, and yanked it open. He stared at Birch. “Of course—Come on in.” After Birch strode in, Tristian stuck his head out the door. “Where’s Freesia?”