Hannah (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #2)

by Virginia Hunter

  Hannah gasped as she lost her footing on the dock, and fell toward the floor of the taxi.

  Dominic’s strong arms spun her around as she fell, and pulled her tightly into chest, averting her headlong dive. The driver, and the two couples, looked on in stunned silence for a moment before applauding. “Nice moves,” the old boatman said with a smile.

  Dominic didn’t respond immediately, apparently under some kind of strain as well. “Much thanks,” he finally managed.

  Hannah still struggled with her emotions as Dominic set her down. Sweat beaded on her cheeks and forehead, the sensual desire not relenting, until he released her. She was practically panting by the time she was on her feet again. The words to thank him wouldn’t come to her lips, so instead, she gave him a lame smile, and staggered to the front of the taxi to take her seat.

  Dominic sat down beside her, chest heaving and sweat evident on his brow. He gave her a look of concern. “Are you okay?”

  “I... I think so. Just a little dizzy,” Hannah answered, still somewhat breathless. Realization dawned on her that she and Dominic had never actually touched “skin-to-skin” before, and that what she had just experienced was Atingere, the touch of a potential guardian. She gave him a sideways glance. “You okay?”

  He shifted in his seat, and chuckled. “Yeah. Not sure what happened there, though.”

  Hannah swallowed, feeling awkward. “Me either. Maybe it’s because we’re on the water.” She shrugged when Dominic looked at her, and hoped that he went for her lame excuse. Not that he would expect answers from her anyway. Who could know what that touch meant other than a witch with knowledge of the guardian bond. She smirked as her thoughts drifted to the brief conversation with Alix back at Coven’s Grove. The spry, purple-haired girl had not been wrong about the want to tear off clothing; Hannah was fit to claw out of her dress, and take Dominic right there on the boat. The last tingles of that desire trickled away as the taxi started down the river, but, deep down, her hunger for him still simmered.

  Dominic settled and looked out over the water, apparently satisfied with Hannah’s answer, or had come up with some reason of his own for the bizarre incident. Whatever the case, he moved past the awkward silence with conversation. “So, what do you do when not rescuing the world from itself?”

  Hannah hesitated, this topic was a little too close to home. “Nothing fun,” she finally answered. “Or at least, not fun for most people I’d imagine.”

  “And, what might that be?”

  “I garden,” she said flatly.

  “Well, when you say it like that I can see why you’d think it wasn’t fun.” Dominic laughed. “Surely there’s more to it than that?”

  “Yes, of course, but I enjoy it,” she said. “My life’s always been about nature and earthy stuff. It’s just... There hasn’t been much time for anything else.” Just like that, she blurted out the depressing truth of her situation—her life—to a man she hardly knew. “Wow, that sounded kind of pathetic.”

  “Not at all.” Dominic smiled. “Sounds like you found your purpose early in life. Not many people can say that. Now, you’re looking for more. Nothing wrong with that.”

  “You must have had a lot of girls to practice on to know your way around words like that,” Hannah said, before thinking.

  Dominic scratched his chin and said, “You know, I’m not the womanizer you seem to think I am. I actually like women. Talking with them even.”

  “Sorry,” she said, feeling like a moron. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been out like this. I guess I’m just a little... uncertain.” That was an understatement. She’d been conflicted ever since she’d gotten to San Antonio; it was like being a damn teenager all over again. And now that “the touch” had happened with Dominic, she was even more on edge about whether to cut loose and have a good time, or call it a night.

  “I tell you what,” Dominic said. “Let’s have one drink. If you still don’t feel comfortable, I’ll bring you back to the hotel. No worries.”

  She eyed him with playful skepticism. “Right,” she drawled. “That’s one I’ve actually heard before.”

  Dominic chuckled. “But I’m serious.”

  Hannah couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay. One drink.”

  The bass they’d heard farther down the walkway vibrated through Hannah’s chest as they entered the club. Her hand got stamped with one of those neon-green, glow in the dark inks that takes a couple of days to wash off. A quick scan of the place gave Hannah the lowdown on what was pretty much the typical nightclub scene; a dance floor filled with gyrating bodies, and dim, multi-colored lighting that strobed on occasion. The place was clean, though, which was a nice change from the stereotype she’d created in her mind.

  Just shy of nine o’clock, the partying had begun. Apparently the nightlife started early in Texas, or maybe it was just the Riverwalk. Whichever it might be, Hannah was going to need that drink, and fast. She was stressing about what that touch on the boat had meant for her and Dominic. She wasn’t sure if he had experienced the same sensual vibe she had, but he had definitely felt something. Her only saving grace was the fact that he didn’t understand what Atingere meant. Come to think of it, Hannah didn’t know a whole lot about it, either. Now that they had experienced the touch, she wasn’t sure if they were bonded or not. A barrage of questions stormed her mind: Was this her only chance to find a guardian? Did she even want one? Would Dominic want to be one? They continued on, making her feel helpless. She was going to have to call Miranda. Tonight.

  Dominic gave the room a sweeping gaze, and pointed at the bar. “They’re over there!”

  Hannah nodded, and gestured for him to lead the way. She was careful not to touch his bare skin, as they navigated through the crowd, but snagged a handful of his shirt to make sure she didn’t get left behind.

  Dominic sauntered up to a stocky guy leaning against the bar, and clasped hands with him. “Nathan, glad you could make it.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it, man.” Nathan smiled. His hair was dark and short—military short—and his skin was lightly tanned. A deep scar ran from his hairline down to his left eye, stopping just before the eyelid started. He looked over Dominic’s shoulder at Hannah. “Nice seminar today. I liked what you had to say.”

  “Thanks,” Hannah replied over the music. She didn’t recognize Nathan, but there had been over two hundred people in the auditorium this afternoon, so she wasn’t surprised.

  “Nathan,” Dominic said. “This is Hannah Ward, earth specialist, and all-around tree lover.”

  Nathan laughed and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” Hannah gave Dominic a little nudge as she took Nathan’s hand. “Are you an environmentalist as well?”

  “Yeah, of a sort. Mainly I just tag along for the ride.”

  “Nathan provides protection,” Dominic chimed in. “Like some of the others in our merry group.”

  Hannah frowned. “Protection?”

  “Some of the places we go to protest aren’t very keen on civil rights,” Dominic answered. He motioned to the bartender, then glanced at Hannah. “I owe you a drink...”

  “Manhattan,” Hannah said without hesitation. Her nerves had begun to settle, but taking the edge off always helped with breaking the ice.

  “Where’s everyone else?” Dominic asked Nathan, after ordering her drink and a beer for himself.

  Nathan jabbed a heavy thumb toward the dance floor. “Couldn’t help themselves.”

  Dominic gave Nathan a concerned look. “And, what about you? Shouldn’t you be out there too?”

  “Saving my energy.”

  “Ah,” Dominic said in a knowing tone. “Monica’s here.”

  Hannah was a fairly good judge of body language—facial expressions really—and the look Nathan gave Dominic was one of pure smugness: arched brow combined with shit-eating-grin. No mistaking it. Someone thinks he’s getting laid tonight, she thought, trying not to laugh.

  Their dri
nks arrived in short order. Hannah’s Manhattan was served in a highball glass. She suddenly realized she hadn’t seen one since college. Oh, hell.

  She must have made a face or something because Dominic started laughing. He shook his head while looking at her drink and said, “That’s your fault. Not mine.”

  “What?” Nathan looked between the two of them, befuddled.

  “Nothing,” Hannah said, and took a long sip of her drink, intent on getting a buzz as quickly as possible.

  Dominic continued to chuckle as Nathan looked on blankly.

  “You’re full of surprises, Hannah,” Dominic said.

  If you only knew.

  A steady stream of people poured in through the front door until the place seemed fit to burst. Hannah was forced to press up against Dominic—which she really didn’t mind—except for the fear of setting off another Atingere-induced, sex frenzy.

  “Weren’t you supposed to get a table?” Dominic asked, eyeing his scarred friend.

  Nathan shrugged. “We got here too late,”—He pointed to his stool—“This is it.”

  Dominic looked at Hannah. “Do you want a seat?”

  She found that being snuggled up next to him was actually quite nice, and shook her head as she took another sip of her Manhattan. “I’m good.”

  “How rude of me,” Nathan said, and stood, despite Hannah’s objection. “You should have the seat, and since you guys are here, I should probably go find Monica before she finds someone else.” He laughed, and patted Dominic on the shoulder.

  “Good man,” Dominic replied, as Nathan stepped away, and disappeared into the crowd.

  “So, who’s Monica?” Hannah asked, somewhat reluctantly, as she took the empty seat.

  “She’s like Nathan, except a lot more free spirited,” Dominic answered. He moved in closer, so that they were touching again—with clothes between them.

  “When you say ‘like Nathan’, you mean she provides protection?”

  “Yeah, but she doesn’t come with us all the time.”

  “I see,” Hannah said. Dominic’s cloudy reputation was becoming a little clearer. Hannah knew that he was active globally, and that many of the countries he visited were, as he had stated, “not keen on civil rights” to say the least. Having some form of protection seemed logical. “What about your other friends? Are they ‘protectors’ as well?”

  Dominic chuckled. “Some, but most of them are activists looking to travel the world and save it in the process.”

  “Jet-setting heroes, is it?”

  “Basically, yeah.”

  Hannah polished off the last of her drink. A nice buzz had taken hold and slowly continued to climb.

  Dominic gave her a weighing look. “So, you’ve had your drink. What do you think?”

  “I think I could have another,” she said, against her better judgment.

  “Okay.” Dominic laughed, and gestured to her glass. “The same?”

  “Yep.” She knew that, by the end of the second drink, she’d be pretty toasted, so she decided to take this next one slow.

  As Dominic ordered another round, a dark-haired, blue-eyed girl came out of the crowd and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hey, handsome, you come here often?” Her long hair was in a ponytail that came down past her shoulders, brushing against the black half-shirt she wore. Her exposed abs complimented the skin-tight pants that went all the way down to her ankles.

  A sudden urge to lash out at the girl with claws, teeth, and magic hit Hannah like a jolt of lightning. Easy girl, he isn’t yours. Hannah forced a relaxed posture, and let the scene play out.

  Dominic looked down at the arms around him. A smirk made its way across his face. “Hey, Nancy. Glad you made it.” He turned, forcing her to release him, and then gave her a hug. “Is Kevin here?”

  Nancy giggled. “Yeah, but he’s being a shithead.”

  “I’m totally surprised,” Dominic said, in mock disbelief.

  “Shut up.” Nancy play slapped his arm as her crystal-blue eyes fell on Hannah. Her gaze went up and down Hannah’s body appreciatively. The dark-haired beauty let out a low whistle. “She with you?”

  Dominic smiled. “This is Hannah Ward. Hannah, this is Nancy Trace.”

  Nancy took Hannah’s offered hand. Her grip was strong, but not painfully so. “I’ve heard of you,” Nancy said. “Actually saw one of your speeches, about two years ago, in Minneapolis.”

  “I know the one,” Hannah replied. She wasn’t sure if it was “nice” to meet the girl yet, but she put on her pleasant face. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” Nancy ordered a drink for herself, then turned back to Dominic. “You staying the whole week?”

  Dominic nodded, and asked Hannah, “Are you going to be at the rest of the events this week?”

  Hannah shook her head. “I leave tomorrow.” Her second Manhattan slid next to her arm, and she took a much deeper drink of it than she had previously intended.

  Dominic frowned. “Ah. Too bad.”

  Nancy narrowed her eyes, as she looked back and forth between them. Then, her features brightened suddenly. “I need to sit for a minute. Do you mind?” She took hold of Hannah’s arm and hoisted her from the stool. “Why don’t you two go play?” She waved them toward the dance floor. “I’ll watch your drinks.”

  Hannah’s head spun from being pulled to her feet so quickly. She managed to keep her balance, but, out of instinct, grabbed hold of Dominic’s arm. The resulting skin-to-skin contact sent a shockwave of sensual warmth through her body with such force her knees buckled.

  “Whoa!” Dominic grabbed hold of her in earnest. “A little too much to drink?”

  The alcohol could definitely have had something to do with it, but Atingere was what really knocked her off her feet. “Yeah, I guess so.” They still maintained skin-to-skin contact, so the warm tingle continued to pulse down into her nether regions. Hannah wet her lips, and glanced up at Dominic.

  The sexual hunger in his dark eyes was unmistakable. Sweat beaded on his cheeks and forehead, while his chest heaved as if he’d been out for a light jog. “Maybe we should step outside for a second,” he suggested.

  Hannah nodded slowly. “Okay.”

  Dominic looked at Nancy, motioning to the exit. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

  Nancy grinned mischievously, and snarked, “Yeah, sure you will.”

  Shaking his head at Nancy, Dominic turned and cut a path through the jostling throng. Hannah followed, still unsteady, as they continued to grasp hands. The tingling became more intense, forcing the club atmosphere to fade into the back of her hazy thoughts. All she could focus on was Dominic’s well-formed ass, and how much she wanted to touch it.

  They made it outside, and Dominic pulled his hand away reluctantly. Hannah clenched her fists in frustration as the tingling, sexual adrenaline was ripped away after breaking contact with him.

  Dominic’s chest heaved even harder than before. His gaze still held desire as he glared at her. He closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself.

  Hannah was somewhat relieved to see that he was having as much trouble as she was. The whole situation was making her feel kind of foolish.

  Once his breathing began to slow, Dominic opened his eyes, and motioned for her to follow. They walked over to the river’s edge, away from the main thoroughfare.

  “What the hell?!” Dominic exclaimed, as he paced in front of her. “That’s twice tonight.” He held up two fingers for emphasis. “Are you... feeling anything?”

  Oh shit, Hannah thought. She should have called it a night after their first touch on the boat. “I’m feeling a little drunk,” she lied. A bit of a buzz remained, but most of it had burned off after they had touched. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

  The crestfallen look Dominic gave her actually brightened her spirits. She wanted to spend more time with him, but it was becoming too difficult, given the stupid Atingere thing. It was nice to know that he might actually want to be wit
h her, too. Next time, they would have to meet in bodysuits… if there was a next time.

  Dominic struggled in thought before he spoke, “Okay, I’ll take you back to your hotel.”

  Hannah breathed a soft sigh of relief. She was glad he didn’t try to force the issue, but also found herself disappointed that the night had come to an end so early. She smiled lamely. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” he replied.

  The trip back to the hotel wasn’t nearly as exciting as when they’d left. She and Dominic spent most of the time in awkward silence. Hannah wrestled with the want to tell him what was going on, but knew that he’d only think she was nuts, and possibly drive him away even faster than she already was. Her mixed feelings continued as they arrived at the entrance of the Mokara.

  Fuck, what the hell am I supposed to do? Hannah floundered in conflict.

  “Thanks, for the interesting evening,” Dominic said, saving Hannah from her indecision.

  “Look, I’m really sorry,” Hannah blurted. “I wish things had gone differently.”

  Dominic laughed. “Don’t be.” He looked at her hand as if he was going to take it, but backed away instead. “Have a good evening Ms. Ward.”

  It was Hannah’s turn to look crestfallen. She’d hoped... Well, she didn’t really know what she hoped, but it wasn’t what was happening now. She watched him disappear into the night before she pushed through the door into the lobby.

  How the hell did Alix deal with this? she thought, as she shuffled to the elevator and jabbed the up button. Hannah scoffed, remembering the text she’d read about the guardian touch, “A slight tingling sensation, possibly accompanied by the urge to have coitus...” My ass. She stepped into the elevator, feeling more frustrated than when she and Dominic had released hands outside the club. We are definitely going to have to update that section of the history books.