It was more than the beauty of the outdoors that called him to Wisconsin. They needed nature to fuel their magick. Power had to come from some place and though sexual energy could give a rush, it wasn’t as steady and strong of a power source, not like borrowing from nature. Here the MacGregors could take from the forest as a whole rather than kill a single tree. They tried to live in peace with nature, which was why Iain was so conscious to plant trees.
Sometimes, though, magick didn’t always go as planned, and there had been times they’d taken out a giant section of forest while fighting a powerful foe. Ah, but such were the good old days. Now the biggest threat to the clan seemed to be the members in it. Mischievousness ran in the bloodline.
“Very good, sir. As I was saying, the house has over twenty thousand square feet total and there are well over sixty-five separate rooms. There are also some outbuildings, including an old coach house from the late eighteen hundreds that could easily be turned into a garage or stables. There is only one road access in or out. The entire hillside you saw on the way up also comes with the property—all but a small lot. It will ensure the utmost privacy, just like you requested.”
“What do ya mean, all but a small lot?” Erik broke in before the man could continue. He openly frowned, not happy to hear the latest glitch in his plans.
“The Victorian house you might have seen on the way up. It belongs to one of the locals. She’s a nice woman and shouldn’t give you any trouble.”
Erik’s frown deepened. So much for Green Vallis being perfect. He should’ve known not to get his hopes up. “So it isn’t a rental? I thought ya said this property was completely secluded from the rest of town. My family is very private.”
“A row of trees separates the two properties so you’ll hardly even know she’s there,” Frank assured him.
“Will she sell her property?” Erik ran his hands through his hair. Maybe the town wouldn’t be a complete loss. They could well afford it. Hell, given enough time, they’d probably end up owning half the town—like they did everywhere they went. “I suppose I could buy it as well.”
“Uh…”
Erik felt that the man considered lying to him. He turned around, giving him a hard look of warning.
“Uh, no, no I don’t think she will.” Frank admitted the truth after all. “But, she’s a nice lady. Owns her own business. Very quiet. Never causes trouble.”
Erik paused, tilting his head. “A business? What business?”
“Ah, you know, products for females. Lotions, bath soaps, candles, tea, that sort of thing.” Frank swallowed anxiously. “She does a lot of internet business. Very respectable. Not a trouble maker at all. I assure you, you will have no problems with her. I doubt you’ll even know she’s there.”
The man was nervous. However, excitement flooded Erik’s veins overtaking his disappointment, as he asked, “Love Potions?”
Frank’s mouth gaped open, as if he couldn’t believe Erik knew that.
“I make a point of researching everything about the towns I’m thinking about moving to,” Erik’s voice was hard, but as he turned his back, he let a small smile come over his face. So, Lydia’s house was just a few steps away, sharing the hill with this property. If he bought this house, it would be several weeks until the rest of the MacGregors joined him in full force. They’d wrap up their affairs and get the old house packed while he and a couple of his brothers got the new house ready.
He’d seen Lydia, how little and frail she appeared. Getting the mortal to sell her house shouldn’t be a problem—after he had plenty of time to seduce her first. What better way to ease the tension caused by the stress of moving? His arousal hadn’t gone down since meeting her, but the pressure had lessened. Just thinking of her being so accessible made his body stir anew. Holding up his hand so the realtor wouldn’t follow him, Erik said, “Ya wait right here. I’m going to look around.”
“But—” Frank began, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief. Erik shot him a look and the man instantly stopped protesting. “Yes, sir, I’ll be right here if you need me.”
“Very well.” Erik decided to start at the top and work his way down. He climbed the long, wide tread, marble staircase. The craftsmanship of the woodwork was remarkable. It was the real deal—done in a time when people took pride in their trade. He threaded his fingers behind his back, not touching the dust on the old oak banister.
Erik was pleased to discover that some of the old furnishings were still in the home, covered by yellowed sheets. Many of them required small repairs, but were really a great find. With a little elbow grease and family magick, they’d be as good as new. The house was idyllic for what they needed with enough rooms upstairs for all of the MacGregors—Erik, his brothers and sister, their father, cousins, uncles and aunts. The whole clan could easily fit, each having their own private area. Those that chose to stay in the house would, anyway. The others could find places in town—close to the family, but away enough to be on their own. One thing was for sure. MacGregors always stuck together, from those early days in the barbaric Scottish countryside to today.
The first level was just as grand. As he walked by Frank, Erik again held up his hand, not saying a word. The man nodded and stepped back, letting him be. Erik was glad. Anything the man had to tell him he could see for himself.
The dining room was huge, perfect for large family meals together. There was space for the elders to practice their magick and still have a separate office to work out of. The vast MacGregor Empire only kept growing with each new property they acquired. It took all of them to keep the family business in order.
Beyond the offices, an entire back wing sprawled out with more bedrooms than he cared to count and plenty of space to build more bathrooms. After about an hour of poking around, he nodded to himself in satisfaction. This was it. This was their new home. He could well contain the situation with Lydia, and if worse came to worse, they’d cast a spell to get her to move. Women always seemed to respond unfavorably enough to a plague of spiders and roaches. The idea of muscling her out didn’t set well with him, but the needs of the clan had to come first and they’d give her a more than fair price for her trouble.
“I’ll take it,” Erik said, coming back into the reception hall where Frank waited. The man’s jaw fell open in surprise. The agape mouth seemed to be a favorite expression of his. Erik looked away. “I’ll take possession now. I expect the paperwork to be drawn up tonight, and I’ll be to your office first thing tomorrow to sign. The money will be wired to whichever account ya specify soon after. It will be paid all in cash, asking price minus ten thousand because ya didn’t tell me about the other resident on the hill. Unless that isn’t good for ya?”
“Ah, no, it’s fine. Thank you, sir.”
“And I’ll need a complete list of available properties in town, including any downtown apartments and business fronts for the rest of my family to look over. If they’re interested they’ll contact ya. I’ll need a street map of the Green Vallis, numbers for all the city departments, a list of all local businesses and their owners, an aerial view photograph of this property and the names and phone numbers of all our neighbors.” Erik held out his hand. It was a simple enough trick to get the realtor not to question his terms. Frank glanced at his palm, confused. “My keys.”
“Oh, yes, yes, of course.” The stunned realtor fumbled with his pocket before producing the keys.
“Good day, Mr. Fenton,” Erik dismissed.
“Good day, sir,” Frank answered, hurrying out of the house as if he was afraid Erik might change his mind.
Erik chuckled when he was alone. Frank would probably become a rich man off the MacGregor family. They could well afford the extra ten thousand for the house, but this man needed to understand no shady half-facts would be accepted. If he misled or neglected to reveal part of a situation again, one of his cousins would start a realty business and put him under. If Frank played his cards right, by the time they were done setting up busi
nesses and investing in the town, he could retire off the commissions he made. No doubt the man had never had such an easy sell.
As a warlock, Erik knew to trust his gut. His magick told him this was the place that had been calling to his clan. There was something powerful about it, unlike the other houses they’d lived in over the centuries. Just standing in the hall made him feel stronger, more powerful. He couldn’t ignore it. This was the place they were going to be living—at least until it was time to move on.
Erik walked out the front door, making a slight motion with his hand to lock it. He glanced around the long drive of the front yard. Green grass rolled over the property. It had been freshly cut—no doubt by Frank because of his coming. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he pressed redial.
“Erik?” the voice answered.
“Aye, it’s me, da,” Erik said in Gaelic. “This is the one.”
“You’re sure?” his father answered in the same language.
“Have I ever not been?”
“Don’t get smart with me,” his father answered. Erik grinned. “And wipe that look from your face.”
Erik obliged, not at all surprised by his father’s intuition. Angus MacGregor was a very powerful warlock. “My powers feel stronger here. Stronger than they’ve felt in a long time.”
A tingle worked its way over Erik’s body. Someone was watching him. Closing his eyes, he sniffed.
Mm, lavender and mint. Lydia.
“Da, I have to go.”
“Aye. I know,” his father answered. “I’ll tell the others ya found it. Good job, laddie.”
…
Lydia bit her lip, trying not to meet the accusation in Charlotte’s gaze as they hid behind a giant shrub. She tilted her head to the side, trying to see what she could of Erik through the dense leaves. Charlotte poked her hard in the side with her finger, forcing Lydia to finally pay attention.
“He. Is. Fucking. Hot,” Charlotte mouthed slowly, her eyes round with meaning.
Lydia nodded. What else could she do? Erik was sexier than anyone she’d ever seen before in her life. Considering him a second time didn’t do a thing to harm her first impression of him. If anything, it made the longing inside her worse.
She motioned for Charlotte to be quiet as she continued to look at him through the thick shrub. It was hard, but she finally managed to get a great view of his tight ass beneath the gray pants. His back was to them as he talked on the phone. She couldn’t make out his foreign words, but did detect the thick burr of his accent on the breeze.
“Damn, I would give anything to see that man naked,” Charlotte whispered. “How could you only say he was ‘all right’? Shit, hon, I’d love to see what you thought went into the ‘sexy as sin’ category.”
“Shh,” Lydia scolded. “I don’t want him to hear us.”
“Lydia Barratt.” Erik said. “I can’t see ya, love, but I know your there.”
Lydia froze. She made a motion to Charlotte to run seconds before she tried to herself. Charlotte giggled, grabbed Lydia’s arm and pulled. Lydia tumbled out from behind the shrub.
“There ya are.” Erik grinned, his eyes alighting with amusement as he looked at her on the ground.
“How’d you know I was here?” Lydia slowly picked herself up off the grass, doing her best not to make eye contact. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment.
“I know your smell. Lavender and mint.”
“Oh.” Embarrassment? Make that intense, flaming desire that flushed her face and made her whole body shake. Never had a man done this to her. And what exactly did he mean, he knew her smell?
His brow arched, incorrigibly sexy. “Spying on me?”
Say something incredibly smart. Don’t let him see you’re flustered.
“Ah, no,” Lydia denied weakly, brushing off her sleeves though they were clean. She’d never been a good liar.
Very suave, Lydia, she thought dryly. Movement caught her eye, and she peeked through the sides of her lashes to see Charlotte wiggling her fingers, grinning like a fool as she stayed hidden.
“No?”
“I was looking for…ah…Frank. I saw his car. I wanted to talk to him about this estate. I didn’t realize he was showing it today or else I’d have called him.”
Erik grinned. His look said he didn’t believe her. “Sorry, love, but I already bought it. You’re too late.”
“Oh, I can’t afford a place like this.” The response was automatic. She shook her head. In her dreams, she could afford a place like this. Actually, growing up she’d often dreamed that this was her house.
She forced a calming breath. Knowing he was her new neighbor pretty much threw cold water on all her fantasies of him. The last thing she needed was to get involved with a rich, handsome Scotsman who lived in town. It wouldn’t take him long to hear all the rumors about her family’s past and get all freaked out. “Well, nice to see you again. Welcome to the neighborhood.”
“Actually, ya want to poke around a wee bit? I was going to walk the back gardens, see what I’ve gotten myself into.”
“No, thank you. I’ve seen the house before.” Lydia started to back away. “I own the place just down the hill and used to come up here as a child. I know every inch. Oh, which reminds me…”
She continued to back up as she pointed toward the mansion’s back yard. When he looked, she motioned frantically for Charlotte to run. Charlotte stubbornly shook her head and indicated that Lydia should go back up to the main house with Erik.
“…there’s a cellar window, three from the left on the back side that can be opened with a key hidden beneath the fifth stone out from the, ah,” she motioned at Charlotte again when he wasn’t looking, jerking her thumb down the hill, “second stone vase in the back. I don’t think many people know the key’s there, but it’s a secret entrance into the house. You might want to check on it so there are no surprises.”
Erik’s grin widened, watching her retreat through narrowed eyes. He didn’t look worried. “Ya know a lot about the house, then?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Kind of hard not to, living beneath it my whole life.”
“I’d consider it a favor if ya walked the property with me.” Erik made a motion toward Charlotte. “Your friend can join us if she likes.”
Charlotte popped out from behind the shrub. “No, thank you, but no. I’ve got to be going to work. My boss is a real tyrant.”
Lydia shot her friend a bemused glance. She was Charlotte’s boss. Seeing the mischievous look on her friend’s face, she mused that she might not be her boss for long. When this was over, Lydia just might just fire the meddlesome woman.
“But Lydia would love to show you around.” Charlotte appeared completely unconcerned by Lydia’s expression of warning. “She knows everything about this estate. Don’t you, Lyd? She even did a research paper about its history in high school. Got an A.”
Kill me now, she thought. This is going to be torture.
“Wonderful,” Erik exclaimed.
Lydia knew when she was beat. Charlotte pushed at her back. Erik’s almost wicked smile drew her from the front. Before she knew what had happened, she stood alone with him on the mansion’s front lawn.
“I don’t know exactly what I can tell you that you don’t already know about the place.” Lydia weakly motioned in the direction of the back garden. She took a step, pausing until he moved to follow her. It was nerve-racking being so close to him, and she was having a really hard time concentrating. “It’s been dormant my whole life. A few people have looked at it over the years, but there have been no takers.”
“Hum,” was all he said.
“Anyway, you might want to consider putting up a perimeter fence of some sort, not that we’ve had too many problems with the—what?” Lydia stopped. His grin had widened as if he laughed silently at her.
“The protection of the house is well in hand, lassie,” he assured her. “My brother, Euann will take care of it as soon as he arrives. He always does.”
“Oh,” Lydia nodded, slightly irritated. “I only meant that we’ve had some vandalism around here as of late. I’d hate to see inverted pentagrams and whatnot spray painted on your walls, or carved into the oak molding around the doors. Honestly, many of us are surprised this house was never hit, being as it’s so secluded and the sheriff hardly ever sends patrol cars up—well, unless I call and ask him to.”
“I’ll tell Euann to be on watch,” Erik assured her, “but ya need not concern yourself.”
What was the point of her showing him around if he wasn’t going to listen to her? They strolled down the wide cobblestone path leading from the house to the main gardens. Grass poked from between the stones. Overgrown shrubbery and tree limbs blocked part of the walkway, forcing them onto the grass at times.
“So, are you…?” she began, only to let her voice taper off. Were his intentions really any of her business?
“Am I what?” Erik reached for her, brushing a small bug off her shoulder. His hand paused briefly in mid-action, barely touching her as he whispered something. She leaned closer, but couldn’t understand what he said.
Tingling erupted on her shoulder, making a quick trip to her neck and chin. She dashed the back of her fingers over her jaw, trying to stop the mystical sensation with the firm press of reality. It didn’t work. The electricity of it grew, traveling like a static charge down her arm and across her chest. Her body jerked. To her horror, she realized that she still didn’t have a bra on. She’d been so frazzled earlier when Charlotte insisted they sneak up the hill to spy on Erik that she’d forgotten about it.
Lydia turned slightly under the pretense of glancing around so she could sneak a peek at her chest. It was as she feared. Her nipples poked against her shirt like two little traitors saluting the enemy. When she managed to finally look at his face, she admitted, “It’s really none of my business, but I was going to ask if you were opening a business here with your brother.”
“Why wouldn’t that be your business?” he inquired, unconcerned. “Ya own land on the hill as well and ya have a business too.”
Love Potions Page 3
