I pulled out of his arms and turned to face him. “Have you really thought about this? Because they won’t be like you. They’ll be mongrels.”
“I know. They’ll have a fifty-fifty chance of being able to shift, and I won’t love them any less if they can’t. The question is, do you want children with me?”
“Of course. I want a big family too.” I rested my hand on his leg as I considered Drina’s pregnancy. She and Victor had been married for less than six months. “But I don’t want to get pregnant right away.”
“That’s fine with me. Just means I’ll have you all to myself longer.” His gaze lowered to my lips as if he knew exactly what thought had just crossed my mind. We were finally alone. No Victor. No Markus. Just me and Kaleb.
“I love it when you wear your hair down.” He touched the strands of hair that tickled my cheek and tucked them behind my ear. “By the way, I talked to my parents. When I get back Saturday morning, I’ll take you to Norwood Isle.”
“I can’t. Mom and I are heading to Dover on Thursday and won’t be back until Saturday night.”
“Then I’ll take you on Sunday.” He covered my mouth with his, kissing me gently as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Holding me close, he lowered me onto the couch.
“When are you leaving?” I asked, my back pressing against the couch and Kaleb’s face hovering mere inches from mine.
“Tonight.” He moved my hair aside and kissed my neck, sending tingles shooting all over my body. “I’ve asked Carmel to keep an eye on you. She’ll keep her distance, but you can’t expect me to leave town and not have someone protect you.”
“Okay.” I gasped, closing my eyes. “Your sister isn’t happy about us.”
“It doesn’t matter. She knows I’ve claimed you.”
My eyes flew open as I thought of my conversation with Garrett. I put my hand on Kaleb’s chest, halting his kisses. “There’s something I need to show you.”
“Can it wait until later?” He ran a hand along my side, his gaze following his touch. As his eyes darkened and his skin flushed, his breathing became heavier. I couldn’t recall him ever looking at me that way.
“No. I need you to see it now.” I lifted the side of my shirt, expecting him to be shocked.
Instead, he groaned as he moved down and kissed my waist. Placing both hands on my hips, he kissed my bare skin repeatedly—my waist, my stomach, moving up to the edge of my bra.
“Kaleb.” I gasped, not wanting him to stop, but he needed to see the missing mark. “You really need to—”
“Sorry.” He kissed my stomach again as he ran a hand over my breast. Then he moved onto his side next to me and pulled my shirt down. “I got a little carried away.”
“That’s not what I meant. I didn’t want you to stop.” I touched the side of his face and ran my fingers across his soft lips.
“Well, in that case…” He kissed my fingers as he slipped his hand under my shirt to caress my waist. Then he pressed his lips against mine, kissing me hard as he moved back on top of me.
Although I knew I should stop him, should tell him about the missing mark, all I could think was later.
We’d discuss it later.
A week without each other was too long—we needed this. I needed this.
I needed to kiss him, to touch him. I needed to show Kaleb how much I loved him before he fought for us by facing the Rocklin alpha.
Chapter 11
Drina invited me over for lunch on Thursday. Mom stayed home to pack for our trip to Dover as we were leaving that night. After her doctor’s appointment tomorrow, we’d spend the day looking at wedding dresses and then drive home on Saturday. Hopefully, Kaleb and Markus would be back in town by then, assuming things went as planned.
I couldn’t wait to see Kaleb. I missed him, and every time I thought about us on the couch in the sheriff’s office, I couldn’t help but blush. When we’d kissed goodbye, he’d said he had an important question to ask me and something to give me when we went to Norwood Isle. I couldn’t wait to say ‘yes’ and have a ring on my finger. We’d stand together, fight together, and not let anyone keep us apart.
“Have you heard from Kaleb?” Uncle Henry asked. He took another bite of his sandwich and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He’d showed up at Drina and Victor’s house unexpectedly, wanting to talk to me.
“No.” I pushed aside my half-eaten sandwich and closed my eyes as I rubbed my temples. Another headache, but this one felt different. More intense.
“Are you okay?” Drina touched my hand.
I nodded, opening my eyes. “I’m just tired.”
“Have you set a date for the wedding?” Uncle Henry asked.
“Not yet. But we’re going to Norwood Isle on Sunday.” As I looked at Drina, a wide smile crossed her face. I’d told her everything Kaleb had said at Wendy’s party. She knew Kaleb was going to propose and give me a ring.
I just didn’t feel the need to tell Uncle Henry or anyone else except for Drina and Mom. I’d confided in Mom a few days ago, leaving out the part where Kaleb and I made out. Definitely not something she wanted to hear, especially when neither of our chaperones had been around. Of course, Mom was excited to hear the news and had started jotting down engagement party ideas.
“You going to Norwood Isle is important,” Uncle Henry said. “But we need to set a wedding date. The Town Council and the Elders are concerned. They’ve heard you and Kaleb were fighting at Wendy’s party. From what everyone said, he became enraged when he saw you with the warlock.”
“What?” Drina dropped her sandwich onto her plate. “You didn’t tell me about a warlock.”
“It wasn’t a big deal.” I shrugged, upset my every move was being reported to the Town Council and the Elders. The Norwood wolves weren’t around at the time, and Kaleb wouldn’t have said anything. The spy had to be someone at the party. Someone who couldn’t mind their own business.
“You’re dating an olden. It’s a big deal,” Victor said. He’d remained silent until now, allowing Uncle Henry to dominate the conversation. “What did the warlock want?”
“Nothing,” I replied. “Carmel asked me to talk to him. She wanted to know what they were looking for, but Garrett didn’t know.”
“The witches don’t trust Garrett. He’s only here because his mom sent him with Calandra,” Uncle Henry said. “So, you straightened things out with Kaleb?”
I nodded, not daring to look at Uncle Henry. If he knew about the fight with Kaleb and me talking to Garrett, then he also knew we’d been alone in the sheriff’s office. “We talked.”
“You talked?” Uncle Henry clasped his hands together on the table and looked over at Victor and Drina. “I need to talk to Sienna. Privately.”
Victor glanced at me as they headed into the kitchen. He certainly didn’t know anything, and although I’d made Drina swear to secrecy, I knew he’d get the information out of her and lecture me later about Romani rules and customs.
“The Elders wanted me to ask you something.” He cleared his throat. “We know you and Kaleb were alone in the sheriff’s office, without your chaperones. Is there anything you need to tell me?”
“We talked. That’s all.” I crossed my fingers under the table, hoping that was the only question the Elders wanted to ask. “Nothing happened.”
“You didn’t have sex with him?” he asked awkwardly as he shifted in his chair.
I looked at Uncle Henry, surprised I didn’t feel more embarrassed by his question. Maybe because everyone kept asking about me and Kaleb. “Of course not. I’m a Romani. I know if we had sex before marriage, it would taint our family name.”
“That’s true, but Kaleb’s not a Romani.” He tapped his fingers on the table as he stared at me. Did he think I could read his mind?
“Was there something else?”
“The Elders…” He paused, rubbing a hand over his face. “They’re giving you permission to have sex with Kaleb. They also want you to elope with him next wee
k.”
OMG.
If I decided to have sex with Kaleb, I certainly didn’t need anyone’s permission. Especially not the Elders’. It was my body, and I could do as I pleased.
“They can’t be serious,” I scoffed. Never mind their permission to have sex with Kaleb; why did they want us to elope? There was no way Uncle Henry had agreed to this. Well, maybe. He had agreed to an arranged marriage without asking me or Mom. “What did you tell them?”
“I said I’d talk to you and give you my honest opinion as your uncle.”
“And what’s your honest opinion?”
“I don’t think you should have sex until you’re married, but…” He scratched his jaw. “There’s a lot at stake here. More than you know. I wish I could tell you everything, but I can’t. Can you please talk to Kaleb about eloping? Whatever you decide, I’ll stand by your decision.”
I nodded, pressing my lips together. At least Uncle Henry had my back. He’d even said please, but there was no way Kaleb and I were eloping. Marrying him was forever, and I wanted a wedding. Nothing big or fancy. Just Kaleb in a tuxedo, watching me walk down the aisle in my white wedding dress.
Two hours later, Drina walked me to their front door. She and Victor had insisted I stay until Uncle Henry left. Once he’d gone, they bombarded me with questions about the warlock and what Uncle Henry had said. Since he hadn’t sworn me to secrecy, I told them everything—about how the Elders were okay with us having sex and how they wanted us to elope.
Victor had remained quiet, but Drina was furious. She insisted I do things the Romani way. Get engaged, have a big wedding, and then have wild sex with Kaleb. I couldn’t help but giggle when she said, ‘wild sex.’ Of course, Victor didn’t find it at all amusing.
“I should drive you home,” Drina said as she opened the front door. Victor had an upset stomach and was resting on the couch.
“It’s only a few blocks. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” She glanced around the yard.
I patted the side of my boot. “I have my knife, and the Norwood wolves are watching me.”
“Okay, but text me when you get home.” She pulled me into a hug. “Remember what I said. Don’t let them bully you into eloping with Kaleb. It’s your life! And remember to take pictures of the wedding dresses you try on. I want to see them all.”
“I will.” I smiled, grateful she was my cousin. Drina always knew what to say. I waved to her as I walked down the sidewalk then turned and headed for home.
The sky was clear, and everything was quiet. No one loitered in the streets or walked their dog. If the Norwood wolves were nearby, they kept out of sight. I hadn’t seen Carmel since the night of Wendy’s party, which came as a relief. Maybe she’d warm to the idea of me being her sister-in-law once the Rocklin pack said they have no issues with me.
I took a deep breath, eyeing the swaying pine trees in the distance as I thought about Kaleb. After he’d proposed, we’d pick a wedding date. I didn’t want the Town Council or the Elders pushing us to elope. At least if we set a date, it would make them happy. A late-summer wedding sounded nice, before the weather turned cold, or we could even wait until the following spring.
I was home in less than ten minutes, as I picked up my pace and jogged. Mom had wanted me home two hours ago so we could get to Dover before it got dark. But when I called her and told her Uncle Henry needed to talk to me, she’d insisted I take my time.
Two wolves sat to the side of our house, watching me as I walked to the front porch. After I pulled the house key from my purse, they disappeared into the woods.
The front door slowly opened as I pushed the key into the lock. Mom must have forgotten to lock the door again. She was way too trusting of the Norwood wolves, even after I’d insisted that they couldn’t all be trusted. Not until Kaleb and I had completed our bond.
I set my purse on the console table in the foyer, wanting to change into something more comfortable than jeans. Maybe even take a quick shower. As I glanced at my cell phone, voices from the living room drifted into the hallway. I recognized Mom’s voice, but the woman’s voice wasn’t familiar. Both sounded upset.
“I won’t listen to this nonsense,” Mom insisted.
“You don’t have a choice,” the woman responded. Her voice sounded strained and frustrated. “You agreed to this. The last thing you’re supposed to—”
“You know why I came back. I had no choice,” Mom said. “I’ve kept an eye on things. There’s no sign of the bloodline.”
After tucking my cell phone into my back pocket, I crept down the hallway. Who was Mom talking to, and why was she saying she had no choice?
“Coming back to Woodlake was a mistake. A big mistake. You have no idea what you’ve done,” the woman said.
“I know what I’m doing,” Mom replied.
“No, you don’t.”
I pressed my back against the wall. Mom shouldn’t be talking so openly with this woman. She knew the wolves were outside, listening. Why had this woman said coming back to Woodlake was a mistake?
“If you’re worried about the wolves—”
“This isn’t about the wolves,” the woman interrupted. “Grace couldn’t read her mind. That’s why I’m here. The High Council wants to know who she is.”
Garrett had mentioned a High Council, but I’d been too intimidated to ask him who, or what, it was.
“She’s normal,” Mom said. “Sienna has no powers.”
I froze, sucking in a sharp breath. They were fighting about me? About a bloodline, powers, and the wolves? None of it made any sense.
“She’s not normal. I talked to her at the kris. I couldn’t read her mind, and even basic spells won’t work on her. When Kaleb finds out what she is, he’ll kill her.”
I stormed into the living room, realizing exactly who Mom was talking to. Calandra was trying to convince Mom I was someone else. Someone she thought Kaleb would kill.
“Sienna.” Mom jumped to her feet, visibly shaking and tears running down her cheeks.
I glared at Calandra as she slowly got to her feet. She didn’t seem surprised to see me. Did she know I’d been listening to their conversation? “You need to leave.”
“I can’t.” Calandra folded her arms. “You need to know the truth.”
“What ‘truth’?” I snapped.
An unpleasant metallic smell assaulted my nostrils, and I turned to see a strange symbol—a five-pointed star with a circle in the middle and two crossed arrows—smeared in red on our living room walls. “Is that blood on our walls? What have you done to our house?”
“It’s a privacy spell,” Calandra replied. “No one outside can hear anything being said in this room.”
“I guess you’re not great with spells then.” I smirked. “I wasn’t in the room, and I heard everything. Something about a bloodline and Mom making a mistake by coming back to Woodlake.”
“That’s not possible.” Mom’s face went white as she crumpled, sobbing, to the couch.
“It’s okay.” I kneeled next to her and took her hand. “You don’t have to listen to her or do what she says. I’ll talk to Kaleb. He’ll fix this.”
“You’ll be signing her death sentence if you tell him,” Calandra insisted.
I shook my head. “Kaleb would never hurt my mom.”
“She’s not your mom,” Calandra said, her voice full of spite.
My throat tightened as her words echoed in my head—She’s not your mom.
That couldn’t be true. Sure, Mom and I didn’t look alike, but everyone had always said I favored my dad.
“Of course, she’s my mom.” I stood and glared at Calandra, clenching my hands into fists. “You’re a liar. Everyone knows you can’t trust witches.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you. Not about this.” Calandra unfolded her arms and moved to stand in front of the fireplace. “Go ahead and ask her. She’ll tell you it’s true.”
“Mom.” My voice cracked as I stared at Mom, who’
d remained silent. “Tell her it’s not true. Tell her—”
“She’s right,” Mom said. “I didn’t give birth to you.”
“What did you say?” I asked. Obviously, I’d misheard her.
“I’m not your mom.” Mom got to her feet and grasped my shoulders. “Your birth mom’s a powerful Romani witch. And that means you’re a—”
“A witch?” I choked out, the words burning my throat.
“It’s okay.” Mom squeezed my shoulders. “We can figure this out. We’ll leave—”
“How can we figure this out? You lied to me.” I shook her off and ran through the kitchen to the back door. Without looking back, I ran across the backyard and straight into the woods.
Clutching my stomach, I fell to the ground and cried. Mom had promised no more secrets. No more lies. She knew the wolves hated the witches. How could she have kept this from me?
Chapter 12
With tears streaming down my face, I struggled to my feet and stood in the woods, hoping the Norwood wolves weren’t nearby. I needed time to think. Time to breathe. Time to figure this out. I studied my hands, wiggling my fingers. Did I really have power flowing through my veins?
NO. I couldn’t be a witch.
The back door squeaked open and slammed shut.
“Sienna,” Mom yelled.
I quickly hid behind a tree and held my breath as Mom and Calandra moved around the backyard. No doubt they were searching the bushes and trees that lined the edges of the yard, but I’d gone much deeper into the woods.
“She can’t have gone far,” Calandra said.
“This is all your fault.” Mom’s voice cracked. “You should’ve left her alone. She didn’t need to know.”
“You couldn’t keep the truth from her any longer. She needs to embrace who she is,” Calandra responded. “You need to leave for Dover, go to your appointment. I’ll keep an eye on her until you get back.”
“I can’t leave,” Mom replied, sounding shocked by Calandra’s suggestion.
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