by Alex Lux
He sank into his chair and covered his face with his hand. "You have no idea how scared that makes me, and how grief-stricken I am about this. Your mother is devastated and is hardly eating or sleeping. Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened to Dean, but we have to use our heads and not run in half-cocked and ready to destroy them. We don't know who did this or why. We don't know how many members of the coven are a part of what's happening. Would you want to destroy innocent lives by mistake?"
I hadn't thought of that, that there might be members of the coven who weren't involved in this. But that didn't change the fact that we had to do something soon. And we had to find a way to fix my brother.
But looking at my father's face, at the lines that had grown deeper even in the time I'd been home, the way his eyes had dulled, I couldn't bring myself to keep arguing with him.
Dad stood, hugged me, then let me go. "I love you, son. I love all three of you more than you'll ever know. But you know the Druids have a violent history. Do you remember what I taught you?"
"Of course, I remember." I didn't roll my eyes, out of respect for my father, but I'd heard this a thousand times. "The Druids once used human sacrifice and blood magic to enhance their powers. Our ancestors destroyed all records of those before us, and passed down those histories orally as they worked to create a magic that would free us from those early times."
He nodded. "That's right. We have that power now, and we have to be careful how we use it, lest we return to the ways of old and destroy ourselves, and others, in the process."
My father took his role as leader seriously and it was for that reason, because of that solemnness, that I knew I could never lead in his place. I had to leave as soon as we'd found a way to cure Dean. I'd let my brother challenge me and win, then I'd leave and never come home. It was the only way to keep my family safe.
SEVEN
Sin From Thy Lips
ROSE
Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.
— William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Dear Diary,
What can I say about Seattle that you haven't already seen in movies? It has a flavor to it that's distinct from all other cities. In New York, you have a fast-paced energy, a frenetic heartbeat that makes the New York minute seem much shorter than any other.
In San Francisco, there's an artistic haze of searching and not finding, as if all the lost, brilliant pieces of life have come together in a mosaic that is full of color and friction.
But in Seattle, you get an earthy rightness with the wonder of art and city life. Imagine a fishing village, perched on the waters that give it sustenance, combined with the culture of art-loving free thinkers, and then add a dash of the wild outdoors, where jeans replace dress pants and hiking boots replace heels, and you get a sense of what Seattle is about.
We have the World's Largest Ferris Wheel, the Seattle Space Needle, The Pacific Science Center and Seattle's Best Coffee.
And we have fish and seafood and nightlife and camping, and tall buildings lit up at night like lighthouses that lost their way.
Seattle is for people who love culture, but refuse to sacrifice their wild nature to attain it.
"I CAN'T GO. It's too risky." I yanked off the ridiculously high heels Ocean had shoved my feet into and flopped back on the bed. "I have to focus on protecting the coven. And I want to find out more about these Druids. They have to have a motive, some end game other than just terrorizing us. Maybe if I can figure out what it is, it'll help us defeat them."
"News flash: Going on a date with a hot guy is not going to put anyone at risk. Put your shoes back on, he'll be here in a minute." She handed me the evil torture devices covered in red satin, and I slipped them on my already sore feet.
"I'm not going to be able to walk in these, you know." I looked down at them suspiciously. "Falling on your ass isn't sexy on dates, I've heard."
She flipped her hair over her shoulders. "Nonsense. It'll give him a chance to rescue you. Men like to rescue damsels in distress."
"I'm not a damsel and I don't need rescuing." I lifted my foot as evidence. "But I am in distress, that part is true." Still, I surrendered and allowed her to apply another coat of mascara to my already black eyelashes. "Besides, what's the point? I can't touch him, or kiss him, or… you know…. "
"Do him?" She wagged her eyebrows and laughed. "Who says? You didn't lose control of your powers the other night, you used them to protect your mother."
"But when I was six—"
"When you were six, you were six! Get it? A kid. Kids aren't known for self-control, but guess what? You're not a kid anymore. You don't have to be ruled by fear of your own abilities, and it's time you saw that for yourself." She used another tool in her bag to curl my eyelashes, then applied another coat of red lipstick to my lips and declared me fit for dating.
I stood carefully and hobbled to my full-length mirror to review the extent of the damage she had inflicted on me. I sucked in my breath when I saw myself. I looked…
"Beautiful. You are stunning!" Ocean smiled and took a bow. "Though, I really can't claim much credit, it's all you, I just helped you bring it out."
I tugged on the too short red dress and messed with my hair. She slapped my hands away. "Don't touch, you'll ruin the perfection."
"What if he's dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, I'll look stupid." I wish he'd told me where he was taking me, so I'd know if I was overdressed. Of course, I could've asked, if I'd been thinking clearly.
"A woman can never be overdressed. You'll be fine." She checked her watch. "He'll be here any minute, let's go. We don't want tongues wagging. I'll drive you to the front gate and wait with you until he comes."
Sandy walked up to me and sat at my heel. "Sorry, girl, I can't take you this time. Maybe next time." I sure hoped Derek liked dogs, otherwise this relationship was doomed before it started.
I grabbed my nicest coat and slipped gloves over my freshly painted, and finally dried, red nails. Ocean scowled at me. "You can't cover up your pretty hands." She yanked the gloves off, and I looked down at my flesh, panic rising in my throat. "I can't go gloveless, not with him, not after what happened. It's too soon, Ocean."
She sighed dramatically but handed me back my gloves. "Fine, but try not to act weird and nervous. Just relax and be yourself."
"If I was being myself I'd be in jeans and a cotton shirt, not dressed up like Pretty Woman."
She pulled me through the door and into the night. "Ha, ha! Very funny. Let's go get you laid."
"Ocean, I'm so not having sex tonight. I just met him."
Her car alarm clicked off, and we both slid in. "Well, at least get a good kiss in. It's the least you can do after all the work I put in on you."
"Remind me again why we're best friends."
The car rumbled to life, and she pulled out onto the dirt road that led to the main gate. "Because, I'm charming, fun, beautiful, and I make you laugh."
"I suppose that's all true. You're also irritating."
She smiled. "It's one of my many charms."
We arrived at the gate just as Derek pulled up in a black Mercedes.
Ocean whistled under her breath. "Who knew Mr. Hot Stuff was loaded. You sure know how to pick them, girlfriend."
Rich and gorgeous? I was so out of my league.
He pulled his car to the side and stepped out. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw his pressed, pinstriped suit and tie. His dark hair still had a wildness about it, though I could tell he'd tried to tame it with product. The suit fit him in a way only tailored suits fit, and I wondered why he was working at the martial arts studio when he clearly didn't need money.
I leaned in and whispered to Ocean, "Thank you." I would have been mortified if I'd shown up in jeans.
She held out a thumbs-up and drove away after I slammed the door shut.
Feeling very exposed, I teetered over to him, and he rushed to hold his door open for
me. He leaned in close, nearly grazing my shoulder with his chin. "You look incredible."
My heart stammered and stuttered and I'm sure I turned the same color as my dress. "Thanks. So do you."
I slipped into the most comfortable leather seat I'd ever been in. In that moment I understood why someone would spend an obscene amount of money on a car. I wanted to sink into the cushions and never get out.
When he returned to the driver's seat and closed the door, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding in. "Nice car."
"Oh, this isn't mine. It's my sister's. I didn't think you'd want to drive all the way to Seattle on a motorcycle." He grinned, and the dimple in his chin deepened. I had a sudden urge to glide my tongue over his chin and suck on his bottom lip.
Oh my! I needed to keep my head clear. "Um, yeah, that would have been tricky, at least in this dress." I motioned down to my exposed legs and the dress that wouldn't have even allowed me to straddle a bike, let alone ride on it for over an hour.
"So, we're going to Seattle?" Yeah, because that's the height of intelligent conversation, repeating back to him what he'd just said. Good going, Rose.
He frowned. "Yes, that was the plan, unless you'd rather stay local? Do you have to be back by a certain time?"
"No, I'm free for the evening, and Seattle sounds nice. I haven't been there in a long time."
"Great! Let's get going." He pulled out and turned the car around, then headed back to the main street.
Warm air blew on my legs, thawing them from their brief exposure to the cold. I hoped he didn't have a lot of outdoor plans in mind.
At first I worried we wouldn't have much to talk about during the long drive, but it turned out we had a lot in common. We enjoyed many of the same bands, and hated a lot of the same foods—like oysters and clam chowder. "It's the texture, right? It's just too chewy!"
"Exactly," he said. "It's like eating one of those blobs that kids play with, you know what I mean?"
I nodded. "Yes, I think I had one of those when I was a kid."
He glanced over at me, then back to the road. "You're even more beautiful when you smile, you know that?"
There went my heart again. "Um, thanks."
"You don't like being complimented very much, do you?"
I shifted in my seat, positioning myself so I could look at him better. "It's not that. I'm just never sure how to respond without sounding cocky or self-effacing. Now Ocean, she knows how to take a compliment and make it sing for her."
"Have you two been friends long?"
I thought back to the day we met, when we were six years old and I tore the life from another girl in our class. Ocean didn't judge me or tell on me when she realized I was to blame. She just hugged me and then convinced her parents to join our coven. They died in a car crash when she was thirteen and the coven had been her only family ever since.
But of course, I couldn't tell him any of that. "We've known each other since we were kids. She's like a sister to me, closer than my own sister, actually. What about you? What's your family like?"
"I have a sister and a brother. They're twins, so I'm always the odd man out, but it's okay. We're all still pretty tight."
He pulled off the highway and slowed to stop at a red light, then turned to look at me as we talked.
"What about your parents?" I asked. "Are you close to them?"
His face expressed a range of conflicting emotion, and I knew there was a story behind it, but I didn't press for more. If we got through a first date, I'm sure he'd share more about his life eventually. I certainly had a lot about my own family and history that I wasn't willing to share tonight.
"I love my parents, but we don't always see eye to eye on what my life should look like, you know?"
I nodded. "I do know. I think everyone has that problem with their parents to some degree. They want a certain kind of life for us, and I'm sure it's hard for them to let go long enough to let us make our own choices, especially if they believe our choices are hurting us or others." I thought of what Mother would say about this date and how dangerous it could be getting close to a man.
He raised an eyebrow. "You're very wise."
"Not really. Just observant. There's a difference."
The light turned green, and he focused back on the road. "I'd wager a bet that you're both observant and wise. I'm a pretty good read of people, so I wouldn't argue with me if I were you."
I laughed. "Well, far be it from me to challenge your people reading skills."
His lips turned up in a half grin. "Indeed."
"So, where are we going?"
"An Italian restaurant my sister told me about. It's supposed to have the best meatballs in Seattle."
He already knew how much I loved Italian food from the getting to know each other question and answer phase of our date. "Sounds delicious."
Couples walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk as we pulled into our parking spot. On the way in, Derek purchased a single white rose from a man selling them and handed it to me. "A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Though I do believe you outshine even the loveliest of roses."
"Sweet words. I hope they have some meat behind them as well."
"Nothing I say is without substance and truth." A devil of a gleam shined behind his eyes, and I flushed in the few parts covered by Ocean's dress.
As soon as Derek gave his name, we were ushered to a table in a private corner, complete with candlelight and live violin music.
I'd never been on a date before, so I had no real life experience to compare this with, but if I had to judge based on movies and romance novels, I'd have said this ranked as one of the best, most romantic dates ever.
"You sure know how to make a girl feel special," I said as he pulled out my seat for me.
He sat across from me, and the candlelight danced in his eyes as he stared at me.
Had this been Blake, the attention would have made my skin crawl, but with Derek it felt so natural, so right. I couldn't avert my gaze from him either.
Two hours later, I acknowledged that he had been right. They made the best meatballs I'd ever had, not to mention the dessert.
But the best part about the evening had been getting to know Derek. His wit, intelligence and sheer animal magnetism made him impossible to resist.
As we left, he offered his arm to me. "Are you up for an adventure?"
I wrapped my arm around his, enjoying the feel of the hard muscles under his jacket. I longed to feel his body pressed against mine, those strong arms wrapped around my whole body, our flesh touching. It created an ache somewhere deep inside me, made worse by his proximity. In that moment I knew I'd do just about anything he wanted as long as we could spend more time together.
"Sure, as long as it's physically possible with my current outfit. I didn't think to bring a change of clothes."
"You'll be fine with what you're wearing, though maybe a bit chilly. But if you'll let me, I can help keep you warm." With that, he pulled his arm out of mine and wrapped it around my shoulders, holding me close to him as we walked back to the car.
He smelled of aftershave and mint, and I didn't want him to ever let me go.
When we reached his car, he pressed me against it and leaned into me. "Rose, would it be too forward of me to kiss you right now?"
That swarm of butterflies living in my stomach staged a revolt, leaving me breathless with heart pounding need. His lips had paused mere inches from mine, waiting for my response. My heart screamed yes, my body screamed yes, and my mind tried to calm everyone down, to no avail.
I tilted my head back, my lips parting a fraction, and nodded. He didn't hesitate to claim my lips with his as one arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me tight against him and his other hand cupped the back of my head, pulling me deeper into his kiss.
His lips tasted of wine and, when he parted my lips with his tongue, I eagerly met him with my own. My nipples hardened from the friction against the lace bra I'd worn
, and heat flooded my belly.
I moaned against his mouth, and his fingers tugged at my hair, pressing me even closer to him.
Nothing in my life had ever felt this good, this full of bliss and pleasure.
His hand dipped down the small of my back and covered part of my ass. With more pressure, he closed whatever distance still remained between our hips, and I felt him harden against my stomach.
Time slipped away and fireworks danced beneath my eyelids as our bodies fought through layers of clothing to find each other.
Control slipped, and the core of my power bubbled to life, summoned by intense emotion. It latched onto our passion, ready to unleash itself in our moment of surrender.
All at once my world lit on fire within me, and I pushed him away, stifling a cry.
He stumbled back, more from shock than from my overwhelming strength. "I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you? I didn't mean to get so excited."
I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't process what I had almost done. Another moment and he could be laying on the cold cement, a husk of his formal self.
My power still buzzed inside me, and I hated myself for who I was and what I could do. Tears threatened to spill down my face, and, for a fraction of a second, I worried about all the makeup Ocean had put on me. I'd look like a dying clown if I cried.
Overwhelmed, scared, and nearly out of control, I kicked off the stupid heels I was wearing and ran away into the night.
I heard footsteps behind me and Derek calling my name, but as if from a dream.
All that mattered was getting away, saving him from me and my dark gift from hell.
I turned down a corner and disappeared into the night.
EIGHT
Fortune's Fool
