Just as it always was with Sebastian, Yardley made it seem like he had nothing better to do than spend his day keeping her company. He kept a distant eye on her as she worked magic in the backyard, giving her space, but never letting her feel alone or unsafe.
When Sebastian woke, he instantly felt her there and rushed to find out what had happened. Hearing the news from the detective was unsettling. If there was one thing he was certain of after so much time in this realm, it was that humans were by far the most dangerous of creatures that inhabited it, monsters included. Before they put the garments on, he watched as she showed him what she had been practicing, and how she did alone.
“That's very impressive. I think we might want to test this in practice since the threat is so real and so close.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I want you to use these forces against a person, a moving, frightening person.”
“No. I assume you mean you, and I am not going to do that.”
“Using this aimed at still targets, or imagined threats is a wholly different thing than using this when you are afraid. Your concentration will be hard to control if you are fearful. I can make you afraid.”
“No. Please, I am still working on getting beyond being afraid of you. We don't need any more of that between us.”
That struck him close to the heart. It wasn't that long ago when he wasn't sure she would ever see him in any kind, light frame of mind. “Very well. Start at the beginning and do it again.”
They worked late into the night and she found that he was a particularly hard taskmaster that night. Maybe the news about her uncle had struck him as deeply as it had her. This was clearly a sick man who had no issues with killing family. Not even his own brother.
“Once more,” he said, while she cleared the last bit of magic she just worked.
“Really? I'm tired,” she said. “Are we going to practice with the communication again?”
He looked at her weary eyes and frowned, realizing he had worked her pretty hard that night. “I'm sorry. Let's go inside.”
As they sat on the lounger in front of the fire, relaxing, they put on their garments and allowed themselves more time to get used to how the connection felt.
They talked about everything from Lewis and the brother, to the festival and what things would be like after the drama was over.
“What happens to us when there is no danger?” she asked, leaning back against him and stretching her legs.
“I suppose we will figure that out if there ever is no danger.”
“That's a mean thing to say. You know all I want is a normal day.”
“You are a demanding witch, aren't you?”
They both laughed at that, and he stroked her hair, wishing it weren't so likely that she was wishing for a time that would never come. She felt his soothing presence so close when they both had on the garments and it wasn't long before she drifted off.
While she slept, he painted her and thought about what things might be like if the danger ever did pass. She was probably always going to be plagued by something, being as strong as she was, that just seemed like the logical reality.
As he painted her features, his mind drifted to the peace she gave him. Did he deserve that peace? He knew he didn't. There was no way he could ever change his past. He couldn't undo it. He couldn't forgive himself. He did not deserve peace. He craved it though. He craved her. Her smile warmed his soul. Her touch stopped the regret from eating away at him. Could he offer anything that would be as valuable? Sweet and gentle as she was, if he left her on her path she would find someone who was what she deserved.
The brush smoothed the paint into even strokes. He could be gentle. He could love her with a passion that ran deep and lasted forever. Pureness he could not do. He knew deep down the best he could do for her was guide her, build her up and then watch her fly. Perhaps on her own. Certainly not with him. He was a creature of practiced restraint. He could be a friend as he was with Lizzy.
Just be what she needed.
He put the brush down and carried her to the guest room, gently tucking her in. He leaned down, kissing her forehead, his lips lingered, pressed against her skin. “I love you, mi belleza. Sweetest dreams.”
Her eyes fluttered a little and she rolled over. “I love you, my beast.”
Her sleepy words touched him deeper than they should have and he turned and left. He made his way outside and stood just off the porch watching the trees, listening to various animals scurrying around.
“You are troubled sir,” Yardley said, standing beside him.
“Sometimes the right thing is more troubling than one would think.”
“That is most often the case, my friend.”
“I hope I can be trusted to do the right thing when the time comes.”
“I've no doubt you will, sir.”
“Sadly, so do I,” he said and fought back tears as he tried to let go of the idea of her in his arms.
Sebastian stood beside his old friend a little longer before Yardley walked back inside. Sebastian made his way to the lake to think a little more. He knew she would be safe with Yardley. He was faithful and may have appeared as just a servant, but he was no sheep and anyone who thought so would feel his teeth.
The fresh night air didn't ease the concerns he had. How had a person as bad as this brother managed to stay in town without him ever sensing them? It was possible the man was a total psychopath which would make him impossible to sense. He wouldn't have guilt or any of the things that would normally make a bad person easy to pick out.
The thought that Gwen could have been standing next to, shopping with, or even chatting with a dangerous psychopath made him angry. Where the hell was Lewis? She needed someone during the day. The thought of Lewis also made him angry.
He hoped whatever reason Lewis had taken her hair he had changed his mind. Most things that needed a token like that were not good. Not even remotely good. And if he gave it to Fannie. The thought hung unfinished on the night air.
Sebastian paced and tried to control his anger that he felt start to boil up. If Lewis wasn't called back and punished by the collective, Sebastian would do it himself. If he hurt her in any way, he would enjoy doing it himself. That thought startled him.
“Your monster is showing,” he said to himself, watching as his words made a cloud in the cold air.
When he walked back inside, he let the sensation of her presence wash the anger away. He could still smell her in the hall. She left a trail of roses and peace everywhere she went.
“Not for you,” he reminded himself and then bolted the door for the day.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
G wen tugged the shawl around her shoulders, enjoying both the warmth and security it gave. There was added security in Sebastian's arm being around her as well. It seemed like every step they took was stopped by someone from town that knew either her or him.
After a few sideways looks, they made an effort not to be holding hands or have arms draping over each other. She imagined most of the looks came from the fact that he appeared so much older than her.
Eventually, the crowd felt like it was closing in on her and she started to wonder if every face was hiding a killer. Every set of eyes became scary as she thought about what menacing thoughts might be hiding behind them.
“Relax. I am right here. No one will even have a cross thought about you while you are at my side,” he said, and she felt his presence hug her gently.
“Thank you.” She wasn't sure why she was feeling so edgy tonight in particular, and just wrote it off to the fact that everyone was there. Everyone probably included the killer. She saw the imposing figure of Curtis walking toward them. Even out of uniform, he did command attention with his self-assured posture and gait.
“Evening, Miss Gwen, Sebastian,” Curtis said, as he looked at them with judgmental eyes, as usual.
“Curtis, good to see you taking time to relax,” Sebastian said.
Gwen smiled a
t him and listened as the men talked about idle matters. Her mind drifted to the way he always seemed to be lurking around every corner, judging her. He was like the father she never had, and she imagined how she felt about him was the equivalent to how a teenager might feel about their parents.
“Did you find anything interesting in the juvenile records? Or at Mike's?” Gwen asked, when the men had finished talking. She felt Curtis bristle at the question.
His attention shifted from the crowd and Sebastian, and focused on her. His eyes were particularly piercing as he assessed her, and then they lightened. “This is a celebration, Gwen. Why don't you enjoy your time and leave that mess for next week?” He smiled. It was an awkward, forced smile.
She watched as he smiled at her, but her gut feeling said he did know something. Something he wasn't going to tell her. Not now and not next week. She considered pressing him further.
“Leave it,” Sebastian whispered in her mind, as his hand rested protectively on the small of her back.
She cut her eyes at him and frowned. “Of course. Enjoy yourself too,” she said, and after they said goodbye, they walked away toward the games.
“Something is off with him,” she said, and then tossed a ball, which missed the entire stack of bottles. The ball she threw hit the back wall with the force of her frustration and rolled back toward her.
“Focus, my dear,” Sebastian said. “I felt your impression of him stronger than the impression he was putting out. That worries me.”
“How so?” she said, and tossed another ball, missing again.
“I trust your instincts. If you don't like him then there is reason. I'm not saying it is anything other than the way he makes you feel judged, but I'd like to know what it is for sure before we write him off.” Sebastian thought back to his past interactions with Curtis. He had never felt anything off with him. He never felt much of anything about him at all. He seemed focused and even-tempered. Except tonight. Tonight, he felt something. Curtis was nervous. That was uncharacteristic for him, even if it was very subtle.
“I wonder if I just have authority issues or if we just started on the wrong footing. Whatever it is, he makes me edgy. He has since the very start.”
“No I agree, at least tonight he was cagey,” Sebastian said, and paid for another set of balls. This time he tossed one and the entire stack tumbled down. He tossed the other two with the same results. “Pick your prize, love.”
Gwen picked a big pink teddy bear, which he carried as they walked toward the rides.
“Did you want to go on any of these things?” he asked.
She could tell from his tone and the feeling he was sending out that he wasn't looking forward to any of them. She also knew that he would still go on any of them that she wanted to.
“What about the Ferris wheel? We could look at the whole town from up there. It would be like flying together.”
He pursed his lips. Did he really want to be alone with her on top of the world with the stars as the backdrop? That could be romantic. He was finding it hard to keep his hand out of hers as it was. Had she not been so distracted trying to spy a killer, she would have picked up on how much he just wanted to be near her, and how conflicted that was making him feel.
“If you want to, then we can,” he finally answered.
He was almost relieved that as they stood in line, Kathy and Trisha joined them. There was no alone at the top of the world. Instead, there was a lot of women who were happy to see the town from way up there.
They all found it magical to see the town from that vantage point.
He enjoyed feeling her thoughts as she relaxed, and the idea of this being her home gave her peace.
After they said goodbye to Kathy and Trisha they rode a few of the more mellow rides, the teddy bear making a needed barrier between them while he struggled with the intimacy of their connection and the urge to hold her.
“A re you going to the bizarre tomorrow?” Sebastian asked Gwen, as they drove to his house.
“The ladies would have my head if I didn't show up for everything. Besides that, so far it's been a nice distraction from all of the seriousness. I've enjoyed feeling mostly normal. Plus, my house needs some bizarre things to make it feel more me.”
“I did like the shift in your thoughts toward the end tonight,” he said, and held her hand in his.
Once they had run into Kathy and Trisha, she had stopped looking for killers in the crowd, and he felt her enjoy a little of the peace she gave to everyone else.
At his house she walked in with him, not really sure for what, other than she was enjoying his company and wasn't ready to be away from him just yet. They kept things light and she relaxed by the fire while he painted her. She was getting excited to see the results, especially because he was being very secretive with it while it was in progress.
“Did you want to stay here tonight?” he asked, as the night wore on and she started to look tired.
“I should go home. I am pretty good with some of the elemental stuff now. Water and fire at least.”
“You are magnificent as I said. If you need anything, call the main house and Yardley will be there for you.”
She sat up and looked around the room, making sure they were alone, then remembered she could just whisper in his mind. “Is he like us? I don't feel magic in him.”
“He is not a magical creature, no. He is not a mere mortal either. What he is, is something you can count on if you need help. He is in my debt as much as I am in his. You can trust him.”
The word something stuck in her mind. Not a mere mortal. Was he even human? “I am not going to ask. The last thing you thought I was better off waiting to know, I was better off waiting to know.”
He smiled and then frowned. “Yes. Sometimes the illumination of truth makes things darker.”
He offered her a place to stay again, and again she declined.
As she drove away, she tugged her shawl closed. The sensation of him being with her was still very strong and comforting as she pulled onto the dark road. There were still several hours of night and she was glad to be able to talk with him in case being alone ended up getting on her nerves. She might try to talk to him anyway, it would give her good practice communicating over some distance with him.
Since she was connected with him and her senses were keener, she felt Lewis as soon as she drove up. It wasn't the normal internal feeling she got from him. His presence bristled against hers as a strange outside force. She wasn't sure if she was happy or scared to know he was around.
“Lewis,” she said as she stepped out of the truck. She let the thought drift on the air so that both Lewis and Sebastian could hear it.
Her eyes scanned the woods to either side of the house, looking for movement while she tried to pinpoint where his presence was coming from.
He stepped into the light. It startled her as he seemed to appear from nowhere. “Gwen,” he said, his tone even.
“I missed you,” she said, still standing beside her truck as she tried to get a feel for where his mind was tonight. That he called her Gwen rather than his witch made her feel sad. Didn't he feel like she was his witch?
“Did you?” he asked, feeling she was too afraid to even move. “That's not the impression you are giving me now.”
“You didn't exactly leave here in the kindest manner.”
“No. I guess I didn't,” he said and looked away.
“Are you feeling better? Did you want to come in?” she asked, still trying, but unable to get a gauge of what he was thinking. The vibration he was sending out still felt like a mix of things. There was still anger. She felt that for sure. But there was also love, she recognized his love.
“Do you love him?” he asked.
“Lewis, what is going on with you?”
“I am asking questions now. Can you answer me?”
She felt herself getting a little angry. “Like you answered me about Fannie?”
“Is that why? You ran to h
is arms because I lied to you? Did he tell you about it all now?”
“No, we didn't even talk about it.”
“Take off the shawl.” His voice was still flat and firm as he made his demand.
She swallowed. “He wants me to take off the shawl,” she sent to Sebastian.
“No,” she got back.
“Why?” she asked Lewis. “He can't hear us. It isn't like that.”
“Just like you and he were not lovers?”
“Lovers?”
“Yes, Gwen, I saw you in his arms.”
“I don't know what you saw, but we are not and have never been lovers. What if we were? Seriously, you are going to pick my lovers now? Come inside and let's stop this silliness,” she said, and started toward the door.
He stood in the path, watching her as she neared him. “Take it off. It reeks of him.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No, Lewis, you scared me. I don't know why you decided to behave that way, but I'm not sure I want to be alone with you.”
“Fine, we will talk tomorrow in the crowd at the bazaar,” he said, and shifted, flying away.
“He's gone,” she said to Sebastian as she let herself in and pulled the door closed, locking it behind her.
“You can stay here,” he said. Even with the distance, he could still feel a free flow of her thoughts and emotion, and right now she was scared.
“No, I'm going to lay down now. Sleep well.”
“Sweet dreams,” he said to her, and then walked outside to make sure Lewis had left the area.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
G wen was contemplating a steam-punk lamp when she felt Lewis approaching. She expected him, or at least hoped for him to come, so she had left the shawl and charm in the truck for the day. She knew the shawl was useless during the day and didn't think she would need the charm, not yet, but she knew for sure, either of them would add to the already volatile tension between them.
“What do you think about this for the office?” she asked, and turned to see him standing just behind her.
“It suits you,” he said. “I could see adding something pink to it though. Maybe paint this pink.” He pointed to one of the gauges near the on/off switch.
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