The sound of unsteady breathing broke me from the fantasy I’d gotten lost in. Something in her eyes made me think she knew exactly what I’d been thinking about and why I hadn’t slept well.
She walked toward me purposefully, stopping directly in front of me, a literal hairsbreadth from our touching. Her eyes had me mesmerized, the blue shifting from dark to light as emotions raced through them.
“I choose you.” She whispered before her lips were pressed against mine, and all thought was lost to the swirl of emotions her touch evoked. Lightening crackled through me and into her, sizzling our blood as the magic pulsed. Heat flashed over every inch of me, literally branding me to her, and I knew there would never be a day I wouldn’t need her like my next breath. She wound her arms around my neck as I pulled her close, needing every inch of her to touch me as our kiss sealed the promises our magic had made to one another.
My hand tangled in her hair, destroying the bun as I finally felt the curls I’d dreamed about wrapping around my fingers. Our kiss deepened as her mouth opened and I ran my tongue along hers. The world dissolved as images flickered through my mind. Two women surrounded by blue light, a woman dying inside of the crushed frame of a car, a little boy handing me ice cream with a sad smile, and then a woman’s gentle voice saying, “I love you, Guinea girl.”
Our lips broke apart as I stepped back with a gasp. She appeared as stunned as I felt as her fingers reached up to touch her swollen lips. I couldn’t resist the urge to tuck one of her escaped curls behind her ear, and she captured my hand, her fingers curling around mine. Our easy touches felt natural, the constant strain to stop ourselves gone.
“I saw your past?” She asked me with a confused expression.
I nodded, knowing I’d seen images from her past as well. It was a highlight reel of who she loved, and moments that had shaped her. I wondered what she’d seen of my life, no doubt my sister, Portia, but who or what else was uncertain.
“It’s not as scary as I thought it would be.”
I chuckled, grasping what she meant instantly.
“The whole profound, meant for one another, hope Fate didn’t fuck it up?”
“Yep, that.” We shared a grin, and the moment lingered as we searched each other’s faces, our heartbeats finding the same rhythm. The idea of not being with her was impossible to me, of never touching her again completely improbable, as the feel of our hands locked together made me wonder how I’d lasted as long as I had.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” Evan’s booming voice had us jumping apart in surprise.
“Geez, Evan, give a girl a heart attack.”
“Considering the many enemies you have, I would think you’d be a little more alert.” He retorted, eyeing us curiously. “Did you finally bond?”
“It’s that obvious?” I asked ruefully, shoving the hair off my forehead. I needed to cut it, but that was low on the priority list at the moment.
“I saw a pair of clippers in the drawer of the bathroom. It would only take a few minutes to trim it. You do look a bit ragged to be dating my granddaughter.” Evan commented drily, stepping aside as Kai walked by.
“Did you just read my mind?” My eyes popped open in surprise at his words, as Kincaid looked between us.
“Yeah, that came out of nowhere.” She mentioned, stroking Kai’s head.
“I must have, but it’s never been that simple. Random thoughts, but I’ve never just read someone’s mind, especially someone not related to me.”
“See being mate bound isn’t so bad.” Kai murmured, nudging Kincaid.
“Agreed. In fact it’s the best feeling in the world.” I replied, slipping my arm around Kincaid before answering Evan. “Maybe because I’m connected to Kincaid now?”
“I wasn’t talking to you.” Kai rumbled, eyeing me.
“But I heard you loud and clear.”
“Not cool. How am I going to talk about you to Kincaid when you can hear me?” I’d never contemplated the ramifications of a gossiping wolf in my life, but he was damn near pouting at the thought.
“I heard you yesterday.” I replied logically.
“Because I wanted you to. Not the case today.”
“Wait, you can direct your mental conversations? So you can talk to Evan if you wanted?”
“Well, yeah.” His derision made me flush, but I’d never dealt with a guardian familiar. “I’m not your run of the mill wolf, dude.”
“I grasped that. Thank you. But you’re not a regular old familiar either.” I rubbed my eyes, the morning’s events taking their toll on me. “I’m sure with your superior intelligence you can figure out how to block me when you want to talk to Kincaid.”
“Damn straight.”
“Along with me figuring out how to block Evan’s mind reading.”
“I second that.” Kincaid’s smile was determined, and slightly uncomfortable. As our kiss flashed through my mind, I silently decided it would be my top priority.
“Please do. I’d rather not hear it.” Evan’s dry voice had my eyes closing, and Kincaid blushing.
“We need to go.”
“Go where?” Kai and I asked her in unison.
“Work.” She answered like it was the most logical thing in the world. “Sinclair is coming.”
“Oh, well off to work we go.”
After a few futile minutes arguing with Kai about coming with us, we gave up. It was better if we stayed together, even if hiding an oversize wolf seemed impossible. We were parked in the garage at her work as we discussed how to get him in the building.
“Can you cloak him?” Evan’s question was reasonable, and I glanced at Kincaid. Spells weren’t my thing even with the new resurgence of magic running through me. She shrugged and said, “I should be able to.”
A few muttered words later and she sat back, her forehead wrinkled as we all stared at a clearly visible Kai.
“Well, that’s weird. I mean it’s been a while since I’ve done a cloaking spell, but it should have worked.” She tapped her finger against her lip, studying him. “You’re not blocking the spell, are you?”
Kai rolled his eyes, the action so human it made me chuckle. “I like incognito, remember. Why would I block the spell?”
“It might not be intentional.” She grumbled as I looked around the garage to see if anyone had noticed us. Three adults and a large wolf would be a memorable sight for most.
“Um, Kincaid…”
“What? I’m trying to figure it out. I don’t know why he’s not cloaked.”
“I’m pretty sure I know.”
“What? How?”
“Look around.”
“Oh. Craaaap.”
“You cloaked the whole building!” Kai chuffed, clearly laughing and I whispered, “Damn.” The spell was tricky and for her to be able to cast it over the entire building and not just Kai was incredible.
I watched her take a deep breath to focus and then felt a pop as the spell released. She bit her lip, glancing between us as she asked, “You think anybody noticed?”
We all shook our heads, not wanting to make her feel worse by saying there was no way someone hadn’t noticed. We could only hope her sister showed up before her father did. With the kind of magic she’d just done there was no way it wouldn’t be a red flag to him. He knew she was nearby. Rumors of a disappearing building would only draw him closer to her.
She sighed, her face expressing doubt at our sincerity.
“Let’s go. Hopefully Sinclair is on her way.”
“Hey!”
“What, Kai?” She turned back and blinked at him. “Oh, yeah.” A minute later he was gone, at least until I tried to get out of the car and felt him leap over me.
“Nothing weird about an invisible wolf.”
We walked through the lobby casually, Evan had done his best to straighten his clothing and I was still in the outfit Kincaid had given me the day before. She was confident no one would question her as long as Evan was with us, and as we p
assed offices it seemed she was right.
“Miss Kincaid, so glad you could make it back to work.”
Irritation flashed across her face before she slapped on a smile.
“What can I do for you, Derrick?” Her casual use of his first name had his eyes narrowing, but as soon as he spotted Evan he changed his tune.
“You rushed out of here so quickly yesterday. I was concerned there was a family emergency.” He oozed sympathy as he stretched his hand out to Evan. “It’s good to see you here, Evan.”
“Mr. Marshall to you, Derrick.” The frown didn’t leave Evan’s face as he ignored the outstretched hand and smarmy smile. “Kincaid was gracious enough to come to my assistance yesterday. I would hope you would be understanding.”
“Of course. Of course. Anything I can be of assistance with?” The man was damn near simpering at Evan, and I raised my eyebrows at the sight. Kincaid had tipped me off that Evan was a rich dude, but this guy was damn near ready to give him a blow job. I didn’t know there was enough money in the world for all that.
“There is.”
Derrick threw a smug look toward Kincaid, but I’d seen Evan’s expression so I waited for it.
“Anything at all, Mr. Marshall.”
“A coffee, two sugars for me, black for him, and get Kincaid a hot chocolate. We’ll be in her office. Don’t dilly dally.” I smirked as the sharp words registered with him and his face pinched. I gave him a wink as I walked past. “I prefer dark roast.”
Kincaid led us to a large room with wide windows on both sides. We had views of the outside street and the lobby. She closed the door with a thump, her attempt to slam it, I suspected.
“My office is too small, and this way we can see if anything is coming toward us.” She was tense as she paced the room, her dislike at having to wait obvious. We needed Sinclair to come to us so we could move forward with finding Quinn. We all felt like time was running out.
I moved toward Kincaid to comfort her, but wound up tripping over Kai.
“Hey, watch it.”
“Kinda hard to do when I can’t see you.” I groaned, rubbing my shin where it had hit the chair when I’d caught myself. She drifted over to me and reached for my hand. Heat flared as our hands met, but with it came an immediate calm. When we touched it felt like we could conquer the world.
The door opening drew our attention and I felt her hand slid from mine as her ex-fiancé walked in with a tray. Amusement at his task warred with irritation at him. He’d disappeared last night, and yeah, getting dumped sucked but I was suspicious of him. He’d been with Kincaid for years, and he had to know what she was capable of. For him to just walk away after her calling it off was odd. I never doubted my instincts and they were telling me to watch him.
“Mr. Marshall, it’s good to see you, sir.” He attempted to be upbeat, but we could all see the lingering effects of his hangover. Maybe he had found a bar to drown his sorrows in after he’d disappeared from the apartment.
“Guinea.” Her name was quiet as he set the tray down on the table and met her eyes.
“Scott, glad you’re okay.” The words were stilted as she shifted uncomfortably. I guess when you worked with the guy you broke things off with it could be a bit awkward. I kept my place next to Kincaid. I could admit I was jealous of Scott. He’d been there for her when I hadn’t been. He’d proposed and she’d accepted even if she’d never actually intended to marry him. I knew what they’d had was nothing compared to our bond, but I didn’t have to like her seeing him.
His gaze flickered to me and I watched his eyes narrow. He suspected something was between us, and the less he knew the better in my opinion.
“Thank you, Scott, for the coffee. You may go.” Evan’s command pulled him from our staring match, but I caught the considering look he gave me. Something about him didn’t sit right. He didn’t act heartbroken in the least. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to crawl out of bed if Kincaid left me, and this guy was more concerned about making a good impression with Evan.
“Sinclair.” I heard her breathe the name and then she was racing past me. I followed her, concerned their reunion would not go as planned. Kai must have felt the same because I tripped over him again as we both tried to squeeze through the door.
“Dude, seriously are you trying to trip me?” I grumbled, stumbling my way through the door. Evan was right behind me, and even Scott trailed along. I couldn’t take my eyes off Kincaid as she slowed to a walk as she approached her sister. Those eyes were unmistakable. If I’d never known anything else about either of them I’d know they belonged to one another with those blue eyes. The room seemed to hold its breath as they whispered each other’s names, and tears spilled down their cheeks as they threw their arms around each other. A charge went through the room as they embraced for the first time. We all felt the jolt as their magic reconnected. The power they could wield together boggled my mind. The stories I’d heard over the years were all true. The trinity possessed magic far outside of anything I’d ever known and I was bound to one of them heart and soul.
“Milo?” Her voice was tiny as she whispered my name disbelievingly. I turned, finally noticing the group of people that had accompanied Sinclair and shock held me in place at the sight of her.
“Portia.”
“Milo!” She ran to me and I automatically opened my arms as she jumped me in excitement. She squeezed my neck, a small hiccup in my ear told me tears were imminent, and I patted her back. “Portia.” Disbelief had me tightening my grip and as she whispered, “I missed you, Milo,” I saw him, standing next to a tall black man wearing lime green pants and a neon pink shirt. The sight was painful for multiple reasons, but my instinctive protectiveness for Kincaid had me moving closer.
“Dad.”
Chapter Eleven
The word was barely a whisper, but I heard it. I loosened the tight grip I had on my sister and swung around. Milo had a woman wrapped around him and if I hadn’t already recognized her from the flashes of his past, I would have been insanely jealous. She was adorable and there was no mistaking their connection. But it was the other word that had me ready to fight.
“Where?”
Milo glanced at me in surprise as he pointed to a thin man standing next to an obviously color blind black man. I ignored the shocking color combination of his friend, and marched over to the father of my mate. He didn’t resemble Milo at all which made it really easy for me to slam my fist in his face.
His head snapped back and I heard a satisfying crunch when his nose broke.
“Ooooh, damn girl. I thought your sister was something, but you’re something else.” The black dude next to me held up his hand for a high five so I gave him one. “You’re not going to hit me now, are you?” He stepped back gingerly, eyeing me and I gave him a quick once-over.
“You trying to kill me?”
“Oh, no. I know better.” He pointed to Sinclair. “I’ve been hanging around her for a few years. I wouldn’t mess with a Davis girl.”
“No worries then.” I held my hand out to him. “Kincaid.”
“Garvin. Like Marvin Gaye.”
“Marvin?”
“Garvin. G.A.R.V.I.N. Garvin.”
“Got it.” I nodded sharply, releasing his hand. He might be the worst dressed man I’d ever seen in my life, but he was cool. I knew that instantly. The man next to him holding his gushing nose, however, was not on my list of friendlies.
“She punched Dad in the nose.” The woman clinging to my boyfriend…mate...protector…whatever the hell he was, gave me an awed look.
“Never a dull moment around you.” The man who said it had his hand on Sinclair’s back, and I realized she had found her protector too. He noticed my scrutiny, and held out his hand. I grasped it, feeling the familiar tingle of kinship as I did.
“Luke. I’m with her.” He jerked his head to Sinclair, and she gave him a soft smile.
Sinclair said to me, “His sister is the one who lead us to you. She recog
nized you from your sorority.” My eyebrows arched at her explanation, but she stared at me with so much pride I couldn’t say anything. “I was so happy to find out you graduated from college. You’ve done well.”
“Thank you.” My own response was quiet as I felt her joy and pride in me. She took my hand, and with a quick brush of her fingers over mine, healed the split on my knuckles.
“Perhaps we should move this to a more private area.” Evan had hovered in the background as we greeted one another, but I could feel his anxiousness to meet his other granddaughter. Milo’s hand brushed mine and our fingers curled together. He kept his sister, Portia, tucked under his other arm as we walked back to the conference room. He hadn’t spared a glance for his father since I punched him and a quick peek up at him revealed a proud smile on his face. I didn’t know why his dad was with my sister, but I didn’t regret breaking his nose. He deserved it for the childhood he’d subjected Milo too.
When we opened the door to the conference room, we could hear barking. There was a beautiful black cat lounging on the conference room table and my invisible wolf was insanely barking at it.
“Where did the cat come from?”
“What is barking?”
“Serafin!”
“Kai! Shut up!”
I groaned at Kai’s insistence on barking at the cat. You’d think he’d be past that behavior since he was a guardian, but no. He barked at cats and this cat didn’t seem concerned at all. I noticed Sinclair had called her Serafin, so she must be her familiar. I released the cloaking spell on Kai just as Garvin walked past him.
“Holy Jesus! There’s a hellhound in here.” He made the sign of the cross madly, his back pressed to the wall as he stared at my wolf with terrorized eyes.
Found (The Trinity Sisters Book 2) Page 10
