“Yup.” Kelly giggled, sounding so happy it made Kerry’s heart hurt.
Her sister should always sound that good. While Kerry couldn’t stand Dennis, Kelly worshipped the ground the man walked on. Dennis returned the feeling, and that was enough to make Kerry tolerate him. But this? This she wasn’t ready for.
“We’re pregnant!”
“Holy crap.” Kerry sat down, unable to continue standing. She was going to be an aunt. “How far along are you?”
“Eight weeks and counting. You need to come over so I can show you the ultrasound pictures.”
Aw, shit. How did she explain to her twin that what she was asking for wasn’t possible? “I, ah…”
“Kerry? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She was lying through her teeth, but what was the alternative? So she spit out the only thing she could think of. “Daniel and I are together.”
“It’s about goddamn time!” Kelly sighed dramatically. “I was wondering when you two would finally start dating.”
They were doing so much more than dating, but that wasn’t something she could share with Kelly. They were twins, but there were some things that were fundamentally different between them. Kelly was much more conservative than Kerry. “Yup. Totally dating.”
“And boinking?”
Boinking? Kerry burst into laughter. “Boinking? You’re a grown-ass woman, you know. You can say fu—”
“Not in front of the children!”
Kerry continued to laugh. “I’m pretty sure the kidney bean has no idea what we’re talking about, sis.”
“Oh, no. You are not naming my child Bean.”
Well, that settled that. Kerry grinned, imagining all the fun she could have with her niece or nephew, fun that would drive stuck-up Dennis up the wall. “Of course I am. I’m the cool aunt.”
“So, when are you stopping by? I tried to call you at work, but they said you were on leave. Is everything okay?”
Kerry took a deep breath. This was the part she knew her sister was going to fight her on. She wasn’t ready to tell her she was already gone. “I’m moving to New York.”
Dead silence. The kind of silence that made one wonder if the other person had accidentally hung up on you.
“Kelly?”
Still nothing. Then, in a rapid burst, Kelly began to speak. “You can’t move to New York. I need you here. You have to go with me to Lamaze classes and go shopping for baby clothes and the nursery furniture and I can’t let you move, damn it.”
Kerry blinked. Kelly almost never cursed. She must be seriously losing it. “Kelly, Daniel lives in New York now. He works for his brother Gareth at the hotel.”
“Fine.” Kelly’s voice was shaking with anger. Kelly always hated it when Kerry argued with her, especially when Kelly’s mind was made up over something. “Then date someone else. You don’t need him if he won’t stay here in Pennsylvania.”
“Kelly—”
“No. You can’t move and that’s final.”
Maybe Dennis could get through to Kelly. “Can you put Dennis on the phone?”
“No.” Kelly was getting the stubborn tone Kerry knew well. “You can deal with me.”
Kelly would have been pissed if she hadn’t heard the sheer panic in Kelly’s voice. “You’re going to be fine, sis.”
“No, I’m not.” Kelly was beginning to cry. “You won’t be here.”
Had the pregnancy hormones kicked in, or was Kelly having one of her normal meltdowns? “I’m not dead, you know. I’m only one state up.”
“What if I need you to babysit? Huh? Or…Or if I need you to check the baby when she has a fever.”
“If you need a babysitter, ask Dennis to ask one of his sisters or his brother. He’s got, like, twenty siblings.”
“That’s not funny. He only has six.”
“See?” Kerry tried to interject some humor. “Babysitters galore. And if the baby gets sick, call me and tell me the symptoms. I’ll tell you if I think she needs the doctor or the hospital, I promise.”
Kelly blew out a breath. “I don’t like it.”
“Aw, don’t pout. You need to be where you are, and I need to be where I am.”
“But why?” The whine was also familiar. Kelly had used it to her advantage more than once. “Can’t you do what you need here?”
“Nope.” Kelly couldn’t allow herself to be swayed as she had in the past. People often thought she was the dominant twin, but the truth was Kelly got her way more often than not when it was just between the two of them. Kerry couldn’t allow her sister to cajole her into moving back to Pennsylvania. It just wasn’t possible. Even if she wasn’t mated to Daniel, her powers weren’t bound yet. Until she found an elemental she could work with and gain power from, there was no way she could go to Pennsylvania, even for a visit.
She especially didn’t want demons whispering in her ears while she was around her pregnant sister. Who knew what could happen to Bean? Could the demon take over the baby’s body? Could she accidentally unbind the child’s magic? She needed to talk to Gen before going to see Kelly and her baby. She wouldn’t endanger either with her wonky magic powers.
“What do you mean ‘nope’?” Kelly’s voice became a whisper. “Is he in the room?”
Kerry rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Is he deliberately keeping you away from me?”
What the fuck? Was Kelly saying what she thought her sister was saying? “No, he’s not abusing me, or separating me from friends or family, or doing any of the things assholes do before they abuse their significant other. He’s actually in the other room, doing his own thing with his brother, Gareth.”
“Is he building a dungeon where he’ll flog you?”
Kerry choked. “What?”
“I’ve seen that movie, you know. He’s going to make you his sex slave.”
“First off, I can’t believe you watched that horrible movie.”
“I kind of liked it,” Kelly muttered.
“Oh, do you want Dennis to enact some of the scenes?” Kelly gagged. “Ugh. Now I have to get that image out of my head.”
“You leave my Denny alone. He’s not some kinky freak like Daniel.”
Kelly couldn’t help it. “But you watched a kinky movie together, right? Did you and Dennis get your freak on when it was over?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“C’mon, Kelly.” Kerry spoke soothingly. This panic attack was so typically Kelly that Kerry had the lines down almost perfectly. She’d figure out how to get her twin out of her funk. And if that didn’t work, she’d sic Lana on her. “You know things will work out fine.”
“No, I don’t. I keep dreaming that you’re in trouble. I want you to come home, so I can see for myself that you’re okay.”
“I swear to you that I’m fine, Kelly.” Again, utter bullshit, but she couldn’t tell Kelly what was really going on. She’d probably never be able to tell Kelly about her magic, or the potential Bean would have to become magical. “Maybe Daniel and I can move back at some point.”
“You’re lying to me. You’re never coming back.”
“Kelly,” Kerry sighed. “You don’t know that.”
“I do.” A wet sniffle signaled the crying portion of Kelly’s upcoming breakdown. “You’re abandoning me.”
Melodrama, thy name is Kelly. “I am not!”
The sniffles became outright crying. “My baby won’t even know you.”
“Stop it.” If Kelly kept going she’d work herself into greater hysterics. “I’m not abandoning you, not for Daniel or anyone else. But I have to do what I have to do, just like you did. New York is my home now.”
“You said now,” Kelly whispered.
Kerry grunted. “I’m already here. Things…happened, and I didn’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice, Kerry. And you chose him.”
“Kelly, don’t do this.” Kelly wasn’t crying anymore. She was shutting Kerry out, something she only did when Kerry did something Kelly really didn’t like.
The click of the phone was her only answer. Kelly had hung up on her.
Kerry’s head dropped as a slew of emotions flowed through her. Anger, betrayal, the familiar love for her twin and the need to ease Kelly’s fears all tangled together in one hell of a mess. Where was Kelly when Kerry was in the hospital, recovering from her injuries? She’d made a quick visit, bringing flowers and staying for fifteen minutes before telling Kerry she had to leave in order to fix Dennis’s dinner. But when Kerry couldn’t be by Kelly’s side the moment she demanded it, Kerry became a villain.
Kelly would get over it. Dennis was one of the few people capable of making Kelly calm down from one of her snits. In the meantime, Kerry would concentrate on getting her magic under control and Arthur’s existence wiped off the map. There wasn’t much else Kerry could do until Kelly was ready to talk to her again.
Daniel pulled her close, his hand resting on her hip. “How was your phone call?”
“Great.” The lie tasted like acid on her tongue, but what could she do? They had far more pressing issues to deal with than her sister. “I’m gonna be late for my lessons. Mind if I take off?”
Daniel exchanged a glance with Gareth. “I’m going with her.”
Gareth nodded. “Do what you need to do. Just keep an eye on both of them for me.”
Kerry rolled her eyes. At least she was no longer on the phone arguing with her twin. “C’mon, Daniel. Teacher doesn’t like it when I’m late.”
Daniel took her hand. “We wouldn’t want Teacher to punish you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Daniel stood watch as Gen attempted to teach Kerry how to use her magic. So far it was going exactly as he’d expected.
“Kerry,” Gen sighed. “Warlocks don’t speak Parseltongue.”
“Damn.” Kerry pouted. “That would have been so cool.”
Daniel bit back his chuckle at Gen’s peeved look. This was the most fun he’d had in weeks.
“What about wingard—”
“No.” Gen looked ready to strangle Kerry. “We don’t make feathers fly using fictional words.”
“But they’re not fictional, not entirely. They’re based on Latin,” Kerry argued.
“Just…” Gen pinched the bridge of her nose. “Point your wand at the feather, please.”
Kerry shrugged and did so.
“Now. Think of the feather floating. This is a very simple spell, one that doesn’t truly require words. Only the stronger workings require complexity.”
“I thought you guys rhymed for everything.” Kerry frowned, the tip of her wand trembling as she stared at the feather.
“Focus through the wand, not your eyes. The wand will amplify your power, much as an athame will.” Gen stood and adjusted Kerry’s position until Kerry was sighting down the length of the wand. “There. Try that first. Eventually it will be second nature to use your tools.”
“Shouldn’t it be a simple matter of will? I mean, you say think of the feather floating and it will, but you make use of tools to attain your desired result.” The feather jiggled, and Kerry crowed. “Woot!” Kerry started dancing around the room, singing at the top of her lungs, “I’m a badass! I’m a badass!”
Daniel couldn’t stop the chuckle from escaping, earning a glare from Gen. “What? She’s cute.”
Gen’s scowl turned to a soft smile. She shook her head. “Very good, Kerry, but you lost focus and the feather didn’t float.”
“Poo on you for raining on my parade.” Kerry stuck her tongue out at Gen, then sighted down the wand at the feather. “Pow. Float, you motherfucker.”
The feather jerked before ascending at a rapid pace toward the ceiling.
“Yes!” Kerry began her victory dance once more, her hips moving from side to side as she circled under the floating feather. “Float, you bastard.”
Daniel remembered the euphoria of casting his first spell. It wasn’t a feather float, like Kerry was practicing. Instead, his parents had him practice flipping a light switch on and off until he could do it without using his wand.
That joy now infected his mate.
“Okay.” Kerry plopped down on the floor and crossed her legs. “Now what?”
Gen pointed up. “Take the feather back down.”
Kerry glanced up, shrugged, and said, “Down, boy.”
The feather floated gently to the ground, landing right at Kerry’s feet.
“Did you feel that? The power bleeding out of you?”
Daniel frowned. That didn’t sound good, but from Gen’s expression it must have been something normal for warlocks who weren’t yet bound to a power source.
“Yes. That was the backed-up power you told me about, right?” Kerry seemed to have come to the same conclusion, because she didn’t seem worried about it.
Gen nodded. “Once you’re bound to the elemental you choose, that power bleed will feel completely different. You’ll feel power come into you and flow out of you, like you’re a conduit for it rather than the source of it.”
“That makes sense.”
“You then take the energy provided and manipulate it until it does as you wish.”
Kerry tilted her head. “Can I ask something?”
“Of course.” Gen beamed, like a teacher with a prized pupil.
“Why do elementals, gods and demons want to bond with us?”
Gen’s expression froze. “What?”
“Think about it. We get their power. What do they get in return?”
Gen blinked. “Well. I can only answer as an Own. For Her, she gets a warrior willing to use her gifts to hunt down black magic users. As for the others?” Gen shrugged. “A demon gets a willing soul. An elemental gets someone who will act on behalf of the element they represent.”
“Meaning? Because everyone wants me to bond with an elemental, and I’d like to know what bargain I’m making here.”
“Good question. You remember how we discussed a warlock bonded to a fire elemental might direct a forest fire for the best results?” Gen waited until Kerry nodded. “It would be similar work for any of the elementals.”
“So it’s a work-for-hire type of bond?” Kerry grimaced. “That sounds fun.”
“Would you rather work for a demon?” Daniel held up his hands when Kerry pointed the wand at him. “Whoa there, badass. Don’t make me hit the ceiling too.”
“No, but I’d rather not find myself running around at the whims of an elemental, either.” She blew her hair off her face. “Guess I don’t have a choice though. It’s the only choice I can make.”
No, it wasn’t.
Daniel leaned back against the wall, absently listening as Gen continued the lesson. Something was rattling around in the back of his mind, politely tapping to get his attention. Hadn’t they said that there was a way for a warlock to bond with a person? “What about people?”
Gen glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
He needed to know if it truly was possible, and Gen was the best one to ask. “Didn’t we talk about legends of people bonding with warlocks?”
“Yes, but it occurs so rarely that I have no idea what happens to either the warlock or the bond mate.”
“Would it be in the Registry?” Daniel pushed off the wall and began to pace. “If there are successful pairings, it might be there.”
“Most warlocks—”
“I don’t care about most warlocks. I care about one.” Daniel pointed at Kerry. “My warlock.”
Gen bit her lip. “We could try, but all it would say was whether or not the warlock was bound to a person, not what the bond actually entailed.”
“I’m willing to risk it.” If it meant Kerry would not have to bond with something she didn’t want to, he’d throw himself into the bond and never regret it, even if it meant halving his power. It would just take him twice the amount of time to cast rituals, but Kerry would be his in every single way.
His wolf was thrilled with the idea. The image of his wolf panting with glee, his tongue hanging out and a silly doggie smile on its face filled Daniel’s head. “We can do this. My wolf is in agreement. He wants us to do this.”
“That’s one hell of a commitment, especially when we don’t know the consequences.” Gen glanced between Kerry and Daniel. “Are you certain this is the route you want to take?”
“Yes,” Daniel replied before Kerry could even open her mouth.
“Will it hurt him? Or his wolf?” Kerry’s expression was full of fear. “I can’t allow harm to come to either of them.”
While the reason for her fear made him happy, the fact that she felt it at all drove him nuts. “I’ll be okay, I swear it.”
She looked at him in disbelief. “Gen?”
“As far as I’m aware of it wouldn’t harm Daniel, but his wolf? I’m not sure.” Gen bit her lip. “There are just too many unknowns.”
“Then let’s make them known.” Daniel put his hand on Gen’s shoulder. “If this works, we can tell those kids of Zach’s that there are alternatives out there for them, more than just demons, gods and elementals.”
“The problem would be convincing other magics to bond with them, but…” Gen nodded, her shoulders straightening. “It’s worth it to save the next generation of warlocks. Let’s try it.”
“Uh, do I get a say in this?” Kerry had her hands on her hips, her wand dangling by her thigh.
“Nope.” Daniel grinned at her, pleased that he’d come up with such a simple solution.
“Oh really?” She pointed the wand at him.
“Would you rather join with an elemental?” The idea that she’d pick something she found distasteful rather than bond with him hurt him to his core.
“No. Of course not.” She sniffed. “But a girl likes to be asked, you know.”
Warlock Unbound: Heart's Desire, Book 4 Page 15
