The Dashing Witch (The Ward Witches)

by Lauren McMinn

  “Eccentric, huh?” Justin asked.

  “That’s for sure. It’s certainly gigantic.”

  “There’s a lot of witches who live there as well as the family and all the offices, ballrooms, dinner halls, and whatnot.”

  “Here goes nothing. Let’s get inside.”

  Melanie tried not to gasp as she got into the entrance hall, a large marble foyer with a staircase at the end and a number of rooms branching off. There were floral decorations and paintings on the walls. This was a fancier place than her coven’s meeting house back in LA, and she thought that was fancy. People sat in the side rooms or chatted in the hallway.

  “Justin!” A man in a nice blue suit descended the stairs. He looked almost exactly like Justin except for the starched clothing and demeanor.

  “Seb.” Justin looked uncomfortable and idly stroked his shirt down, as if nervous at being caught in last night’s clothes.

  “You... you bonded?” Justin’s twin, for that was what he must have been, seemed to do a double take when he saw Melanie.

  “Yeah. It’s a long story. Mind if I go get changed before the meeting today?”

  “Go ahead. I want to talk to this startling young woman.”

  Justin rolled his eyes, but ascended the stairs.

  “He lives here?”

  “Of course. Please, come with me; I’d love to get to know Justin’s new wife.”

  “Ha. I’m not used to that yet,” she laughed as Seb guided her down a hallway, smiling at people who greeted him as they went. He led her into a very masculine office, from the rosewood furniture to the neatly organized books. She could even smell something that reminded her of Justin in here. “You’re Justin’s twin, right?”

  “Exactly. And who are you? He didn’t precisely make an introduction.”

  “Melanie Reed,” she extended a hand for him to shake. “I must admit I don’t know much about Justin. Perhaps you can fill me in.”

  He gestured to a chair and she sat as he sat behind the desk, looking very comfortable in this office. “Let’s start with what you do know. I’m very curious. He’s never shown any interest in a bond before; in fact it's been precisely the opposite. You must be very special.”

  Melanie wondered how much to tell Seb. She didn’t want to give away the fact that neither one of them wanted this bond at all. “We met last night at a bar near my hotel. One thing led to another, and here we are today. I don’t know what to think; it’s all been happening so fast. I don’t even know his last name.”

  Seb looked startled. “So then you really don’t know much at all. No wonder you wanted to ask me questions. Justin should be the one talking to you, but since he hasn't, I will. He’s Justin Ward, head of Coven Protection and Second to the Duke of the Northeast Coven, which would incidentally be me.”

  Melanie gasped and covered her mouth. What the hell had she gotten herself into? “I didn’t know! How could he not tell me?”

  “Only he can answer that one. I may be an air witch, but I try not to pry. I assume you know the feeling, Melanie Reed, strongest air witch in America.”

  “So you know me.”

  “I know of you. That’s why I invited you here specifically. But please, I would rather know you as a person than your credentials.”

  “You’re right; I do try not to pry. That, I suppose, is why I didn’t know who Justin was.”

  “He’s also very good at shielding from air witches. Comes from growing up with me and Leo.”

  “I’m still reeling from the events of the last twenty four hours, Your Excellency. I don’t even know where I stand anymore.”

  “I understand. Well, sort of. And please don’t call me ‘Your Excellency.’ I hardly like the title from anyone, and you’re family now. Call me Seb.”

  “Family, huh?”

  “Of course. Welcome to the Ward family, Melanie. Everyone will be so excited to meet you.”

  “I must admit that I know very little about your family. Who all will I be meeting?”

  “After Justin and me, there’s another set of twins, Dymphna and Pantaleon, or Leo, who is married to Skylar. They’re around here somewhere. Our parents are both dead, so you don’t have to worry about those in-laws.” He winked.

  Seb got up to answer a knock at the door, said a few terse words to the person on the other side, and returned to Melanie. “I have some business to take care of before the meeting, so I must leave you. It was certainly nice to meet you. I expect you need to change your airline reservation and notify your family, so you may use my office for as long as you need it.”

  “Thank you.” He was generous, even when he didn't know that Melanie had landed herself in deep trouble.

  Melanie canceled her flight first, since she wasn’t sure how to tell the people back home.

  Luckily, her father didn’t answer, so she talked to his answering machine. “Dad, I wanted to let you know that I made it out to Boston safely. I’ll be busy at the summit, but I’ll call you back later. Love you.” It was the coward’s way out to not tell him about Justin, but she wasn’t feeling particularly brave right then.

  She also wasn’t sure how to tell Nate and Lawrence. Telling Richard would be even worse. After all, they had always assumed they would settle down together when they were ready, bonded or not. Now she was another man’s wife, and all of her previously held plans on that front were gone.

  Then she called her boss back at KYR Publicity.

  “Hey Melanie, how’s the summit going? When are you coming back again? We all miss you.” Her boss Lisa was an enthusiastic woman.

  “Here’s the problem, Lisa.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “You know I’m a witch, and that witches have a certain mate bond that ties them to another person, despite romance or dating.”

  “Sure. I knew you were a witch when I hired you. It’s part of what makes you so amazing at your job.”

  “I found him.”

  “Oh.”

  “So basically, I’m married, and I’ve got ties to Boston now.”

  “You’re quitting, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah. I hate this, and I hate doing it over the phone. You know I love my job, and I love working for you.” She knew that within a few weeks most likely, she'd be having her staged fight with Justin and leaving him. But something, some instinct, told her that it was time to quit at KYR. As an air witch with some skill for precognition, she followed her instincts. If they said to quit, she quit.

  “I actually understand. I may not have that bond that witches do, but if my husband lived elsewhere, I can see moving to be with him.”

  “Thanks for your understanding. I’ve got some things to straighten out here, but I’ll be back as soon as I can to fully brief the others on my assignments, turn those over, and clean out my desk. If you need anything in the interim, please give me a call.”

  “I will. We’ll miss you a great deal, but congratulations on getting married.”

  “Thanks. It means a lot to me that you understand and aren’t mad.”

  “If I were mad, it’s not like it would change anything. Besides, I’d rather part on good terms. If you’re ever back in LA, please stop by and visit.”

  “Will do. I’ll let you know when I’ll be back to turn over my clients.”

  “Great. Talk to you then.”

  She hung up and smiled. Maybe this would all work out for the better. She was still smiling when Justin came to get her.

  “We need to talk.”

  “The meeting’s starting,” he commented, straightening his suit jacket. “I have to be there to speak.”

  “Yes, after all, you are Justin Ward, of all people.”

  “I forgot to mention that, huh?” He gave her a disarming smile, but she would not be swayed. He was the enemy, devilishly sexy or not.

  “Deliberately didn’t mention it is more like it.”

  “Perhaps. Now please, let’s go.” She let herself be pulled towards the me
eting, promising herself to make him explain all later.

  3

  CHAPTER TWO

  Justin left Melanie in a seat near the front of the stage that had been constructed in the ballroom. He joined his brother up on the stage, sitting until it was his turn. He mostly tuned out his brother’s voice though as he thought about his current situation.

  Who would have thought that the tall brunette who positively oozed sexiness would be his mate? No wonder he was so attracted, but he really thought he was stronger than that. His whole adult life he had planned to either never meet his mate or to send her packing without him if he ever did. He not only didn’t send her away, but he completed the bond! What an idiot! Now he was stuck.

  Sure, she was beautiful, and he’d love to take her back to bed. Even better, she didn’t want this any more than he did, so they’d be able to part company amicably, and he could get back to his regularly scheduled life. He could have done worse, but he also could have done better if he had never gone back to her hotel room.

  21

  THE DASHING WITCH

  He knew too, with depressing certainty, that once he had completed the bond, he'd never be able to see other women the same way he had. Justin preferred lots of women. One for a night, or if she was lucky, a week. He didn't make commitments, and he made sure they knew that up front. But the bond meant that he'd have a hard time finding any woman but Melanie sexy, if he could manage it at all. Depressing indeed.

  Justin checked back in on the speech currently in progress. Seb was speaking of the virtues of a unified American community of witches. That was all well and good, but it would only work if everyone was as committed as Seb was.

  “Finally, I believe that we need to make the current Northeast Quadrant Coven into a National Coven and establish a new Northeast Coven. After all, the current one is the leading Coven, but it is unfair for one quadrant to be in authority over the others, leading to less attention for the members of that quadrant. I propose that this new Northeast Coven would be based in New York, and that some of the current administration would be brought under the National Coven banner. The individual sects in the quadrant would not be affected. I’m not asking anyone to decide today. I want you to get with the other members of your Coven, particularly the leader, this evening, and we’ll vote tomorrow. I will now open the floor to questions.”

  Good, that should keep them occupied for a while. He knew that Seb wanted to keep the topic on unity until it was time for lunch. After that it would be Justin’s turn. Indeed, when the questions became repetitive, and it seemed that most people were nodding in approval, Seb dismissed for lunch.

  Leo's wife Skylar and her team of assistants had gone all-out on creating a luncheon buffet for the summit, and everyone tore into it. Justin watched from the side, hoping that there would be some left by the time he got over to get a plate. If not, Skylar would probably have extra in the kitchen. He felt Melanie before he saw her, a wave of peace settling over him. She walked over to stand beside him, close but not touching. Justin was intimidated by the desire to reach out and hold her. This bond stuff was powerful.

  “Hey,” Melanie greeted him.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “Don’t you need to socialize? You know, promote the idea Seb floated of a National Coven?”

  “Nah. Seb’s idea is strong; it’ll be fine without my interference. Besides, I want to really make waves with my speech after lunch, and I want to be aloof until then. No questions before everyone hears what’s going on.” He paused and chanced a look at her. Yes, she was just as beautiful as she was last night and this morning. Damn it. “Don’t you need to catch up with the other members of your Coven? I know they’re probably worried that you didn’t come to the summit with them today.”

  “I don’t know if I’m ready for the questions yet. I don’t know if I’ll ever really be ready to talk about how I ended up married to a man who I plan to part with and never see again.” She said the last in a whisper just loud enough for him to hear, but no others.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure something out. Besides, we’re not going to tell anyone of the separation plan just yet.”

  She reached out and slipped her hand into his. Justin didn’t want to admit how good that felt. “You’re right. Besides, your family, or at least your twin, has been supportive. My Coven likely won’t be. Scratch that. My Coven definitely won't be.”

  “Do you want me to come with you when you talk to them?” He looked over at her. She was biting her lower lip and looking nervous.

  “I should be fine. But if they come demanding your blood, I warned you.”

  “Why will they not be supportive?”

  “First, they know I never planned to bond, just like you.”

  “My family accepted that I changed that.”

  “Your family cares so much about you that they want to see you happy. Mine won’t believe this will make me happy. Second, they’ll be protective of the timid woman they don’t think can protect herself.”

  “That’s hardly you. You’re strong, and you can protect yourself.”

  “Thank you. But since I'm an air witch, they've always thought of me as having no offensive skills. It's not true, but they think that way despite the proof. But third, and this is the clincher, they know I had plans to settle down with another man.”

  Justin’s heart stopped for a second at the idea that Melanie could be with someone else. Jealousy was unbecoming, especially in someone who didn’t plan to keep her, but he couldn’t help the feeling. “Please explain.” He tried to keep his voice as calm and cool as he could.

  “There’s another guy in the Coven, Richard, who happens to be here as well. Neither one of us wanted the full commitment of the bond, so we’ve been dating on and off for years. It’s hard when our magic rebels against a long term relationship, but we made it work.

  “Richard and I planned that when we were ready to settle down, we’d get married and adopt kids despite the lack of a bond. Lately, he’s been pushing that it’s time we started the plan and took the vows. I’m afraid he’ll think of this as a betrayal because it interferes with our plans. It was mostly him lately, but that won't matter in his reckoning. Now that I’m bonded, and soon to be legally married, I can hardly marry him or adopt children with him. Even if we’re separated for life, I’ll be loyal to what we have.” She looked sheepish.

  This newest revelation made Justin pause. He was still jealous, and he knew he had no right to be. He told himself he should be honored that she’d remain loyal to him, but he couldn’t get past the fact that there was another guy who wanted to marry his woman. “And do you still feel anything for him?”

  “What I did feel, or thought I felt, is now gone, eclipsed by what I feel for you. Besides, we’ve been off for a while, despite his pleading to get married already. I don’t want to go through with that plan anymore, but my feelings don’t mean that he won’t want to go through with it, particularly after we separate.”

  “I understand. Do you want me to talk to him?”

  “I don’t know yet to be honest. I appreciate the offer, though. I really do need to speak with them, test the waters. I’ll let you know if I need backup. But you’re right, I need to stop delaying the inevitable. I’ll go grab a plate and find them.”

  “You’ll be fine.” He squeezed her hand.

  “Thanks.” She looked indecisive for a second, but she leaned in to give him a quick kiss. More like a peck than what he would have wanted from her. Before he could turn that into something more, she smiled and backed away.

  Melanie filled her plate with what looked like delicious food. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to eat any of it when she got done with her chore, but she did want to have something in front of her when she talked to the Waverly brothers.

  She could hear them gasp when she sat down.

  “Melanie?” Lawrence began as she sat down, “Is there something you need to tell us?”

  “As you can tell, I
bonded last night,” she tentatively said. “We met at the bar and ended up in my hotel room.”

  Richard was searching her face for something. “What about your plans? Our plans?” He asked quietly. “I thought you were never going to bond and that we’d get married.”

  “Plans change,” Melanie tried to sound confident and dedicated to the new course of action. “We hit it off, and I realized that a married life without the bond is like missing half of what a relationship could be.”

  “Did you really think before getting into this?” Richard asked, changing demeanor from hurt to angry like lightning. “Did you consider what all the ramifications of this are? What about your job? Your position in the Coven? Anything?”

  “I’ve already called Lisa. She’s agreed to let me leave on good terms. As for the Coven, I’ll get a new position here. It’s all for the best, Richard, really. We wouldn't have been happy like that, not really. I have a chance for something better. You have a chance for something better when you meet the woman you can bond with too.”

  “Don’t think this is the end of it. I will get you back.”

  “There’s nothing to get back. We weren’t dating, and now we never will be again. Don’t you see?”

  “I don’t. You should take your food and go sit elsewhere. If you don’t want us, we don’t want you.”

  “Isn’t that harsh, Richard?” Lawrence asked.

  “It’s what she deserves. Now go.” He dismissed her and returned to eating.

  Trying to keep a little dignity, Melanie grabbed her plate and left. She saw Justin sitting on the other side of the room while Seb was holding court at their table. She slid into the seat beside him.

  “That bad?” He whispered.

  “Worse.”

  “You want to talk about it?”

  “Perhaps later.”

  “Hello,” a perky woman with a wave of long blonde hair greeted Melanie. “It’s nice to see that Justin finally found someone.”