by T. M. Cromer
“What the hell? Where are we?”
“Your new sanctuary is there.” He pointed to the west of their location.
Summer could just make out the top of her new home. “You’re so close! I should be able to see your place from mine.”
“It’s cloaked.” He squeezed her hand and released it. “No one knows it’s here. I’m trusting you to keep quiet about the location, child. I’ve made my share of enemies.”
The weight of responsibility hung heavily around her neck, yet she nodded all the same. “I promise.”
“Come. Let’s see your mother.”
As they walked the maze of corridors, he spoke. “I understand you and Cooper have patched up your differences.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She stopped short, surprised he approved. “What the… I thought you didn’t think he was good enough for me.”
“No one will be good enough for you.” He glanced at Holly. “Or you.” He ran a hand down Summer’s hair. “But if he makes you happy, I’ll let him live.”
“You’re a scary man, Alastair.”
His deep chuckle made her lips twitch. She couldn’t help it; his black sense of humor triggered her funny bone.
“Aurora is through that door.” He said when they came to a stop a few minutes later. “I assume you want time alone with her.”
“Thank you, F-father.” It was the closest Summer could come to calling him Dad. Alastair wasn’t the warm, fuzzy daddy-like figure she associated with a parent. Preston hadn’t been either, but he’d been more approachable.
Alastair frowned, and his lids lowered to hide his thoughts. It was a long moment before he nodded and left.
“Did you get the impression he was overwhelmed?” Holly asked as they watched him retreat down the hall.
“Yeah. You?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe he isn’t the monster we were all led to believe,” Summer mused. “I think he’s lonely.”
“He may be. But he makes it difficult to get to know him. I’ve tried.”
Alastair was a problem without a solution. The man was practically an outlaw in the witch community. He appeared cold, uncaring, and arrogant. Yet, on more than one occasion, he displayed glimpses of genuine humor or affection.
Summer found herself warming toward him, and it bothered her. Alastair wasn’t above using her for his own ends.
“Let’s go see our mother,” Summer suggested as she shrugged off her dark thoughts.
The room where their mother resided in her current state was bright and airy. Classical music played on a low volume. A massive vase with dozens of fresh red roses occupied the nightstand next to the bed.
Holly’s eyes followed her line of sight to the flowers. “I’m surprised the table can hold that thing.”
Summer snorted. “Seems our father is a romantic at heart.”
They approached the bed, one on either side.
The frail woman lying there didn’t resemble the mother Summer remembered from her youth. Hints of her mother’s beauty could be seen beneath the ravages of time’s cruel hand. Her high cheekbones emphasized the stark, hollow areas below her eyes. Once porcelain skin was now underlined with the gray pallor of impending death. Black hair was lank and rested on the rise of her chest. It contrasted sharply with the high-necked white nightgown and pale ivory sheet.
“Goddess! She looks like a vampire,” Holly whispered.
Summer silently agreed. At any second, she expected her mother to bolt upright and reveal a set of two-inch fangs.
“Think we should touch her?” Holly asked.
Apprehension gripped Summer. She didn’t want to be here. Didn’t want to see her vibrant mother in this condition. Didn’t want to remember her like this if she never recovered.
“I can’t… I can’t…” The panic attack hit without warning, and she dropped to her knees beside the bed. Breathing became a chore. The sharp, stabbing pain in her chest terrified her further. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was having a heart attack.
Holly was beside her in an instant. “Breathe, Summer. In and out.”
Black spots danced across her vision. “Can’t,” she gasped.
Oddly, she wasn’t surprised when large, warm arms scooped her up and carried her out of the room. Once she cleared the doorway, her breathing came more naturally.
“I’ve got you, child. You’re safe.”
The sobs came from deep within. Big ugly gasps that contracted her lungs and stomach.
“Shhh. It’s going to be all right, my girl.”
Alastair came to rest in an armchair before a blazing fire in his great room. While she cried out her grief, her father held her to his chest and stroked her hair.
She could feel the words meant to comfort rumble inside his chest, but she was deaf to all but the feeling behind them. The deep baritone soothed her. How long they sat that way would’ve been anyone’s guess, and Summer didn’t care. She clung to him and absorbed his strength.
A tumbler with amber liquid appeared in his hand, and he urged it into hers. “Drink, child. You’ll feel better.”
Summer took a tentative sip and gasped as the liquid burned its way down to her belly.
“Again,” Alastair commanded.
The second sip wasn’t as fiery as the first. It went down smoother and warmed her from the inside. By her third sip, she began to enjoy the alcohol.
“What is this? I need to get some.”
He laughed and hugged her tighter. “Cognac. I’ll have a bottle delivered to you.”
“Is it weird that I don’t want to move? It’s as if I…” she cut herself off.
“As if you feel our bond as father and daughter?”
She glanced up and nodded.
The bittersweet smile that twisted his lips closed her throat.
“I feel it too, child.” He shifted his gaze to the dancing flames of the fireplace. “So many years wasted.”
“I’m sorry.”
Based on Alastair’s slack-jawed expression, her apology had shocked him. “Whatever for?”
“That we didn’t have a relationship. That I misjudged you.”
Their eyes met and held. “Don’t build me up or put me on a pedestal, Summer. I’ve earned my reputation.”
“I don’t believe you’re all bad,” she said softly.
“I’m not. But neither am I good. No one person is. Nothing is black and white.” He cleared his throat and removed the glass from her hand.
“How do you stand looking at her like that? If it was Coop, I think I’d go insane.”
“Hope is a funny thing. It digs its heels in deep and refuses to let go.” His eyes lost focus, and Alastair’s thoughts turned inward for a moment before he shook his head and dispelled whatever demons haunted him. “I don’t live for the past. I live for the hope that one day she’ll return to me.”
“I think that’s the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever heard. And the most beautiful,” Summer whispered past the emotion clogging her throat.
“I miss her laugh most of all. Do you remember it?”
“I do.”
“Your mother’s laugh was like the brightest star on the darkest night.”
They both quieted in remembrance.
Finally, when the silence had gone on too long, Alastair cleared his throat. “Are you ready to head home?”
“Not really.”
His genuine smile warmed her more than the alcohol. “Will you stay for lunch?”
“I’d like that.”
He lifted her easily and set her back in the plush leather chair. “I’ll find your sister and see if she cares to join us.”
“Father?”
He turned in the doorway.
“Holly might take longer to come around. She resents that you kept us apart.”
“For the record, that was your mother’s doing. But thank you. It gives me a better understanding.”
At dusk, Summ
er walked the aisle of the animal barn and checked in case Saul and the squirrel mafia had decided to spring the locks. All seemed secure, but she experienced a sense that everything was not as it should be. Something was off, and she was unable to put her finger on what or why.
The rawness she experienced when she saw her mother earlier could be to blame. Or it could be that she was here and Coop was in Leiper’s Fork. She desperately needed to see him. Hold him. Hear his murmured words of love.
Her phone rang, and she checked the screen.
Coop.
It was as if he sensed her need.
“Hey.”
“Hey, sweetheart. How did today go with Alastair and your mom?”
“Oh, Coop. I don’t know how he stands it.”
“That bad, huh?”
“I have no words.”
“Are you coming over tonight?”
“I can’t. Holly took off to parts unknown. She claimed she needed to clear her head after today. I’m the only one here on call for the office and sanctuary.”
“I have the weekend off. I can drive there in less than five hours.”
Five hours was five too many. She wanted him here with her now. “Or I can call Winnie and you can be here in five minutes,” she suggested.
“Works for me. I’ll pack a bag and see you soon.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up. Summer shot a quick text to Winnie, who agreed to shuttle Coop.
As she glanced back down the barn’s aisle, her unease grew stronger. What was she missing? Had the shadows in the back shifted?
“Who’s there?” she called out.
A light footfall sounded behind her. Summer whirled around in time to duck the bat aimed at her head. From her squatted position, she visualized the interior of her house. In a second, she teleported.
As she ran to lock the door, a crash emanated from her kitchen. Perhaps her sister came back early and met up with Summer’s attacker?
“Holly?”
The tall blond man who stepped into sight sent chills down her spine. In his hand was an aluminum bat identical to the one swung at her in the barn. She should know, she had an up close and personal view of it.
If he’d gotten to her kitchen that fast, it meant he had the ability to teleport. That ability screamed warlock.
“Who are you?”
Perhaps she could stall long enough for Coop and Winnie to arrive. Magical backup was always appreciated considering she might blow her own house apart if she fucked up.
The man sneered.
“Not in a talkative mood?” she asked.
He frowned and lifted the bat.
Now, she had one of two choices. She could rush him and take the chance of getting her brains bashed in, or she could pop home to the Thorne estate in Leiper’s Fork. If she missed Winnie and Coop in transit, they could be walking into a dangerous situation. But if she stayed, they could find her dead body in the living room.
“Look, I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you leave me no choice,” she bluffed.
“Your left eye twitches when you lie. Did you know that?”
Huh. Maybe that’s how Alastair knew she’d lied on the beach that day.
“I didn’t. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll work on that.”
Damn! She just admitted to lying about her ability.
Her intruder’s lips twitched then compressed into a flat line.
She took a deep breath and inched around the sofa as he moved farther into the room.
“Maybe if you tell me what I’ve done to piss you off, I can set about rectifying my mistake.” Summer offered up what she hoped was a genuine smile but feared was more of a grimace.
“I want the stone.” His voice was deep and husky as if he’d just sampled some of Alastair’s expensive cognac.
“What stone?”
His smile wasn’t nearly as nice as hers had been. “I think you know.”
“I don’t have it.”
He frowned and lowered the bat a fraction. “You know, I almost believe you.”
“You should totally believe me because I’m telling the truth.” She pointed to her left eye. “See? No twitch.”
Again, his lips spasmed as if he fought a smile. “Where is it?”
She eyed the blue bat. Her heart contracted when she realized where she’d seen it—other than in the crazy warlock’s tightly fisted hands. Morty!
“That bat belongs to my chimpanzee. How did you get it?” Tears burned her eyes, and she blinked in rapid succession to dispel the moisture and focus on the man in front of her.
“I didn’t hurt him if that’s what you’re asking. He’s sleeping.”
“As in, you put him to sleep with magic?”
“Yes.”
“But he’s not hurt?” She chanced a look at the stairs.
“Didn’t I just say so?” the man snapped.
“Like I’m going to believe you!” she retorted. Anger built, and her power pulsed.
“What the fuck do you take me for?” He promptly sneezed.
“You sneezed!” Nothing like stating the obvious, Summer.
His scowl darkened when the scratching started at the back slider.
A quick glance showed a small cluster of raccoons.
“If I had to guess, I’d say you’re related to me,” she mused aloud.
His jade-colored eyes flew to hers.
“I’ll ask again. Who are you?” Her voice was shaky, but it was with good reason.
“Don’t recognize your long-lost brother, sister dear?”
“Holy shitballs!” She sneezed as violently as she swore.
Her army of mice weren’t far behind.
“Mice?” His incredulous expression nearly made her laugh.
“Yeah, I think you lucked out with the raccoons if we’re being honest.”
He lost his fight with laughter. As he doubled over she inched toward the door.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Summer.”
She squinted and curled her nose. “Um, yeah. Pardon me if I have trouble believing you. The bat arching toward my head in the barn painted a different story.”
He tossed Morty’s bat on the sofa and held up his hands. “It was a simple scare tactic.”
Summer held out her hand and called the bat to her. When it was firmly in her grip, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, as scare tactics go, it worked. What if I hadn’t ducked?”
“Overdramatic much?” he mocked.
The words were eerily familiar to Autumn’s the day of the Great Goat Escapade. Too exact. “How long have you been watching me?”
Intelligence shone in his jade eyes, and his delighted smile told her that he appreciated she’d picked up on the clue. “Let’s say the goats were inspired.”
“I’m totally creeped out.” If he’d been watching her all this time, what else had he seen?
“No need. I have a cosmic alert system in place.” Her frown provoked a continued explanation. “It tells me when you are awake and active. I don’t spy on your private moments. Not since the first kiss in the barn with your sheriff.” He mock shuddered. “It was more than I cared to see.”
“Not any less creeped out here. Witches have a scrying code, dude.”
He shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or another. “Look, tell me where the stone is, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“As much as I’d like to, I can’t. I honestly don’t know.”
“Your eye twitched,” he said dryly.
She scowled and lifted a hand to her lid. “Okay, so I may have an idea where it might be. But honestly, I don’t have it.”
“That I believe.”
“Look, why don’t we meet tomorrow morning for a cup of coffee, preferably in a well populated area, and we can discuss it then.”
He studied her for a long moment before coming to some sort of decision. “I’m going to ask you not to tell Alastair I’ve been here. I’m not on his list of favorite people. Nor is he on
mine.” He snapped his hand and produced a business card. “This is my private number. Call me in the morning.”
Envy reared its ugly little head. Her voice was on the testy side when she asked, “Magic comes easily to you, doesn’t it?”
He didn’t bother to contain his grin. “My name is Nash. I’ll be expecting your call, sister.”
He disappeared, and all that remained of his visit was the ivory business card on the coffee table.
Summer picked it up and turned it over. Nash Thorne, CEO of Thorne Industries. Well, he was a new wrinkle in the fabric of her life.
Her brother! How many other family members were going to crawl out of the woodwork? She needed to have a serious talk with Alastair.
She sat down heavily on the sofa and rested her head back against the pillows. Her life was never going to be the same.
30
“What did he want?” Coop demanded as he studied the business card again.
Summer wasn’t sure why he did. It wasn’t as if it would provide him with any more answers.
“The Chintamani Stone.”
“I wish we’d never heard of that damned stone,” Winnie blew out a disgusted sigh. “But another sibling? This is insane.”
“Yeah, you can’t make this stuff up,” Summer agreed. “I couldn’t say for sure, but I got the impression Nash is Alastair’s son and he doesn’t particularly care for our sire.”
Winnie plopped on the sofa next to her. “I wonder if Holly knows about or has met him?”
All questions for tomorrow. All Summer wanted was for this day to be over. The emotional drain was off the charts.
“What did he look like?” Coop asked.
Both sisters stared at him in surprise. “That’s an odd question,” Summer said.
“Humor me.”
“Tall. Maybe six-three? Sandy blond hair on the long side. He wasn’t overly muscular or bulky, but he did have a don’t-mess-with-me air about him. Nice dresser for a bat-wielding intruder.” She recalled the intelligence in his gaze. “Light green eyes that missed nothing. The man strikes me as highly intelligent.”
“If he’s the CEO of a company, it stands to reason he is,” Coop said wryly.
“True. But there was something more I couldn’t put my finger on.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “He could’ve easily hurt or killed me if he wanted. And while he held the bat, I felt no real threat from him.”
