Angus

by Melissa Schroeder

  "Yes. She told me that I wasn't going to be the only woman around here. Apparently, she didn't count Anice."

  "None of us do."

  "Something that will...how does Fletcher put it? Oh, bite you in the arse in the end, but that is a discussion for another time. Back to Beatrice."

  "Why does that matter? I stopped chatting with her months ago."

  She chuckled. "Is that what you call it?"

  For a second he said nothing, then shook his head. "You've been spending too much time around Fletcher."

  "Maybe. And now that he's not trying to charm me, he tells me all kinds of things."

  Oh, that couldn't be good. Looking at the sparkle in her eye and the way she was smiling, he was going to have to beat the bloody hell out of his cousin.

  "Is there anything else?"

  "I didn't finish talking about your witch."

  "She's not my witch."

  "Angus, I know out of all the cousins you disdain Magick most."

  Yes, he did. Even more than Callum, but his roots went deeper in his dislike.

  "Are you ever going to accept the fact that you have had to deal with it all these years?"

  Anger surged. "I think I've had enough talk about Magick."

  "Is that so? Well, maybe I haven't. You want to walk around here mopping about what you perceive as some kind of insanity bringing in a witch."

  "I am the one who brought her here."

  "Yes, and I am glad you did. I've enjoyed getting to know her and I cannot help but say I love Jack."

  For a second, his mood lightened. The boy had become a constant companion for the male cousins in the family. He followed all of them around as if he were their little brother.

  "He's definitely brightened up the house."

  She laughed. "Yes. I do like that he is here. But I am happy that she is here too. I think she might help you."

  "Help me?"

  "Yes. I think she can help you accept it isn't your fault."

  He blinked. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

  She studied him for a second or two. That was always a bad sign with Phoebe. When she felt she had to be careful with what she said, there was always hell to be paid for the conversation.

  "I know how you think."

  "You do?"

  She rolled her eyes and kicked his foot with the tip of hers in a playful manner. "I do know how you think. Are you forgetting I am the other scientist here? Okay, so I am not a scientist like you, but I look at the world as you do."

  "I don't think any of us can look at the world the way you do."

  "That sounded like an insult, but I'll address it later. Mainly because I know you are trying to change the subject. If I had been you, I would have been furious that I hadn't figured a way out of the curse. Callum, he was so furious with himself and your grandfather. He felt he was at fault."

  "That's stupid."

  She nodded. "I agree. It's why he was such a grumpy man for the last two hundred years."

  He was a ruthless predator and a mean son of a bitch in business, but then again, Phoebe did look at the world a lot differently than they did.

  "It made him impossible on some days to deal with, still does. But as the oldest and now acting Laird, he saw it as his duty to protect you from this. He thinks he failed."

  "And you think I think that way too."

  "You all feel responsible in a way, but I think you and Callum are the worst of the lot. You are a scientist, a man of facts. The idea that Magick has defeated you is almost too much to bear."

  "But I have found a way."

  "Using Magick. Really, can't you see that bringing a witch here is probably what has your knickers in a twist?"

  "That is absurd."

  "Is it?”

  Oh, he hated that tone. Worse, he had used it more than once with his cousins. Having it thrown back on him was a bit unnerving. "So, you think I harbor some kind of need to reject what can save us?"

  She tilted her head to the side and studied him. "No, I think you have a problem accepting it, but, like everyone else around here, you will do what is right for the Clan."

  "And that would be?"

  "That would be accepting that you have to work with Maggie; although, you don't understand why."

  He scoffed at that and her eyes narrowed.

  "Listen, Angus, no one else will talk to you about this."

  "I find that hard to believe."

  "Okay," she said with a shrug, "I am trying to save you from dealing with Callum. I can tell he is getting frustrated and he will explode at some point. You know how he is."

  No, he didn't. Until Phoebe came along, Callum was smooth as glass. Now, he seemed more...human.

  "And so, what would you have me do?"

  "I would have you know that before you touch her—because I know you want to—accept her for who she is in this world. A totally unique and gifted woman."

  "I know—"

  "I'm not done. She is a woman who will always be steeped in Magick. Even if she loses the ability again, which I doubt, she will have her son. There is no doubt in my mind that Jack is going to be very powerful when he reaches adulthood."

  "Are you telling me to back away?"

  "I'm telling you to be very sure of what you are doing before you go any further. It just isn't going to end well for either of you if you don't."

  She stood, apparently ignoring his irritation as she smiled at him. "I told all of you that you are Magick. I can't understand why you cannot accept it."

  She started to leave but he stopped her by grabbing her hand. "Do you think she knows about us?"

  Phoebe shrugged again. "I'm not completely sure. The truth is, I think that she might know there is something up with you. Magickal people can sense things...as she said, a sixth sense."

  "But do you think she knows?"

  "I know that she knows you all are not normal. Jack definitely knows something is up from what he says. But at the moment, I can't tell you any more than that."

  He nodded and let go of her hand.

  "I just want you to be happy, Angus. I don't want you to get hurt."

  "You think she will hurt me?"

  "I think she could. I also think you could hurt her and that would be more painful for you."

  She left him alone then. It didn’t seem to matter. He couldn't seem to resist the pull Maggie had on him. Maggie was, as he thought before, illogical. She believed in things without proof. Her son could see auras and dreamed of coming events. She didn't seem at all phased by that. She treated it as if her son were just learning his colors. Still, there was something to her, something that pulled at his gut and made him want to be with her. He wanted to bed her, that was for sure, but there was something else there. Even with their illogical differences, there was some peacefulness when he was in her presence he couldn't resist.

  "Are you thinking?"

  He turned to find Jack studying him.

  "In a way."

  "Mum said to leave you alone when you are deep in thought."

  "Is that a fact?"

  He nodded. "But, you didn't seemed to be in a meditation so I thought maybe I would ask."

  "Do you meditate?"

  He nodded. "I used to hear lots of voices and see things. Mum taught me how to get away from that.”

  “I thought you would be with your mum.”

  He shook his head. “I had some biscuits with Belvidore.”

  “But your mother is busy practicing?”

  Jack shrugged. “I guess. Not sure how much she is getting done with Fletcher there.”

  Suspicion lanced through him. “Fletcher?”

  “Yes, he was wondering what Mum was up to, but he didn’t seem that interested in what she was doing.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  Jack nodded as he walked toward the window. “His colors change when he is around her.”

  That brought him up short. “Colors.”

  “Yes, usually he’
s cool blues…all of you are. But when he is around Mum, he’s more white hot.”

  Angus was up and out of his chair before he could say another word. “Come on, Jack. I think I need to have a word with my cousin.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  "So you are just testing out your theories?" Fletcher asked.

  Maggie fought the urge to roll her eyes. For the last thirty minutes, Fletcher had been here bugging her. At first, she thought it was his natural way of being nosey, and not trusting her. It wasn't anything she wasn't used to by now. Unfortunately, she had been wrong.

  "No. I am testing my abilities."

  "You’re not sure of them?"

  The question was half insult, half intrigue and complete rubbish. He didn't care what she was doing. Apparently, he had decided to try to seduce her. If they were not about the same age, she would have said he was eighteen and trying to get an older woman in bed. He was so bloody obvious. In fact, it was a little insulting to her.

  "Of course I'm not sure of them. I haven't had them for the past few years. It's like I'm a newly ordained witch."

  There was a beat of silence because she knew Fletcher was trying to decide which way to go. Did he push her on her information, or did he flirt some more and ask her about being a witch? Both would probably get him what he wanted in the end, or he thought they would.

  "Ordained witch. I thought you were born this way?"

  Flirting it was.

  "Yes. We are born but most people don't exhibit their abilities until right around puberty. Hormones going crazy and all that."

  She tried to make a note to get some more distance. It was easy to come by but there was no reason to run out. She used it on a regular basis.

  "Hormones you say?"

  Oh, no. She heard the tone in his voice and she just didn't have time for him. He was a nice enough man now that he wasn't accusing her of all kinds of horrible things. But she needed to get this practice in. She had less than two days until the event, and she seriously didn't know if she was going to be ready in time. Everything depended on it. The approaching evil had something to do with Dylan, but she sensed something worse on the horizon. She wanted to be long gone before it affected the Clan.

  "Yes. Your body changes and the power shifts."

  He stepped closer and his voice was lower the next time he spoke. "Funny you should bring up hormones and power shifts."

  Oh, for the love of Goddess. She didn't have time for nonsense. "I didn't bring it up. You asked me the question and I answered."

  "Most of the time women notice when I am trying to flirt."

  "I noticed, but I'm not all that impressed."

  That set him back for a second and it gave her time to walk to the cupboard and grab the book of spells Phoebe had found for her. The conjuring act she usually did was better with two witches. Jack wasn't a witch of that kind; he didn't have enough power yet. She also didn't want to bring him into this mess.

  "Maggie."

  She blinked as she looked up from the text. Fletcher was giving her an exasperated look.

  "What?"

  "I said your name four times. I didn't know if you went into a trance."

  "Sorry. It has been so long since I have looked for these things. I just...well...got lost."

  He frowned at her. "I was addressing the issue of my flirting.

  "Yes, and I said I noticed and I wasn't impressed."

  "Most women are."

  She snorted. "I'm sure the sad creatures are, but as you pointed out once, I have been on the grift for over half my life. I know when someone is blowing smoke up my skirt."

  He smiled and opened his mouth but she held up her hand.

  "No, please, don't. I am not in the mood for such idiocy. I have too much going on to deal with you. I knew a man like you once; one that flirted his way around, and he never said a truthful thing in his life. Then, when I finally realized what was going on, it was almost too late. I almost lost my life."

  "Are you saying I'm dangerous?"

  "Not to me. But I know your kind."

  He wasn't like Ian. Sure he could talk a good game, but there were, as Jack said, deep blue colors, cool yet warm that spoke of love of family and a good sense of decency.

  "I haven't blasted you before because you're a Lennon. While I don't like your behavior, I know it doesn't define you."

  "Is that a fact?"

  "Yes. You might be a manwhore, but you love your family. Not all do."

  An unreadable expression moved over his face before he gave her a self-deprecating smile. "Really?"

  "Yeah, you do. And you are a good man. While you probably have a string of broken hearts, you are still friends with many of them I bet. You do love your family. It is easy to see how much you love your sister and your cousins. Phoebe is like a sister to you. So, I would say that you are a good man with bad tendencies."

  "A good man, huh?"

  She nodded. "Believe me, you don't want to be a bad man with good tendencies."

  "Why not?"

  "Bad men don't understand the difference between good and evil. All they understand is that they have to achieve their objective. Very Machiavellian. That's not you."

  "Shhh, I have a reputation to uphold."

  She smiled and rose to her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

  "Your secret is safe with me."

  "Now, just what is going on here?" Angus asked.

  Fletcher winked at her and turned around. “Just keeping Maggie company.”

  Angus crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as he studied Fletcher. Right beside him, Jack assumed the same position. She would have laughed if she weren’t so irritated with Angus’ behavior.

  “Yes. It gets really boring going through these books sometimes.”

  “But you said you loved it, Mum.” Lord, why did she ever tell him he could talk to her about anything? Now he just blurted things out. He would never be a child who understood the complexities of a little white lie.

  “Don’t you have a meeting today?” Angus asked.

  Fletcher gave his cousin a smile. “I guess I can head into Edinburgh early.”

  He took Maggie’s hand and lifted it to his lips. She wanted to scream at him, but with Jack and Angus looking on, Maggie felt she had to keep her cool. Maybe she would do something to him later, like make him think he was losing his hair. That would kill a man like Fletcher.

  “Until later, Maggie.” Then, he dropped her hand and headed for the door. “My man Jack, how about a little bite to eat before I head out.”

  “Cook has some biscuits.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  They walked out the door, leaving her with a very irritated and very annoying Angus.

  “So, let’s have it because I don’t have time to deal with you right now.”

  “What?”

  “I said, let’s have it out. I really don’t have the time for this and I need to get work done, so let’s get it over with,” she said, anger sparking and electricity sizzling in the air around her. She ignored it as she continued to stare at him, waiting for his answer.

  He watched her for a few seconds, then he strode over to the door, slamming it and locking it. When he turned around, the anger she felt was reflected in his expression.

  “Yes, I think it’s time to have at it.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Angus strode deeper into the room as Maggie backed away. Her wide gaze showed her surprise. Satisfaction filled him at the expression on her face. It should bother him that she was a little afraid of him, but another part of him wanted that. Angus wanted her to know that he was dangerous. She should want to run in the opposite direction. The scenarios running through his head at the moment would probably scare any sane woman.

  "What’s wrong with you?" Maggie asked. He heard the quiver in her voice. He didn’t know if she was really scared or angry. From the look in her eyes, probably a little of both. There was something in the air. Just like before, there w
as an energy in the air, something telling him that her emotions weren’t as calm as she wanted him to believe.

  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard the warning bells going off. This wasn't something that he should be doing. Her son was just down that hall, and there were people all around them. Still, he was having issues dealing with seeing her with Fletcher. Jealousy was a new emotion for him. He’d never really felt the depth of it like he did now. The fact that Fletcher was involved didn’t make it any easier. Over the last couple of centuries, Fletcher had slept with more women than any man should. He had probably broken some kind of record. And knowing his cousin, he had each and every conquest noted somewhere.

  "I was going to ask you the same thing." Even Angus heard the danger dripping from his words. The threat was there, as was the accusation. He didn’t have a right to imply either but he really didn’t give a damn.

  She ran into the table in front of the window and stopped. Her brow furrowed as she crossed her arms. The soft flesh of her breasts rose lifted against the neckline of her blouse. He had spent more time than he wanted to admit—even to himself—how much he wanted to trail his fingers along her skin.

  "Stop it,” she said. He could tell she was trying to gain the upper hand by ordering him around. Angus wasn’t in the mood to be handled. Not in that way.

  He inched closer. "Stop what?"

  Her tongue darted out over her lips, leaving the damp and inviting. Lust twisted through his blood as he felt his cock harden. He wanted her, needed her on some level that even he didn’t understand. Until this moment, he didn’t realize how much.

  She straightened her back even more trying to look down her nose at him. It didn’t really work seeing that she was so much shorter than he was. It made her look like a very grumpy fairy. The mass of curls that dripped over her shoulders, along with the green eyes and the airy blouse and skirt lent to her Magickal background.

  "Angus Lennon, stop trying to intimidate me. I won't stand for it."

  “Is that a fact?"

  It was wrong to be acting this way. Every bit of his upbringing told him that. He had been taught to show women respect, but the primal need that surged at the scent of her was something he couldn’t seem to control. He didn’t want to. His blood pumped through him, carrying the beat of ancient desires. Never in all his years had he wanted to lay claim to a woman in this way.