Chapter Nineteen
Jolene drifted in and out of a twilight sleep. If it wasn’t for the fact her hands were tied above her head, she would actually be fairly comfortable. As it was, her fingers tingled, her hands having also gone to sleep, and she wondered if it was part of Terach’s plan to render her even more powerless. She was becoming quite irritated with him and focused on that feeling rather than speculate about what he would do once he read those ancient teachings he referenced. She also found herself somewhat sympathetic. Terach might be a fanatic, but he also seemed kind of lost and sad. Jolene suspected the Ipotanes had been fairly blind when it came to governing the rest of their kin, and it was now biting them on the ass, literally speaking.
She heard the front door open and shut quietly, and her heart began to pound. Terry came through the bedroom doorway, and she calmed down, relieved it hadn’t been a stranger who had found her, restrained and helpless. Until she saw the look on his face. He was angry, and worse, aroused.
“I nearly got caught, witch, passing back into my realm. Imagine my surprise when my magyk picked up the sign of Arion Stoddard of all Ipotanes! It made me wonder why he is so intent on finding me. Then one of my kin told me of the rumors and gossip. You are the intended of the Ahearn twins! You lied to me, and I went back and was nearly captured! Who do those Ipotanes think they are that they would confine me?”
Jolene again rolled her head on the pillow, more vehemently this time. “I don’t know what they are thinking, and I didn’t lie to you, Terry. I am no one’s intended and no one’s mate. I have refuted my magyk, as I told you.”
But she was really lying now. Her magyk was wide awake, pulsing familiarly. It had been growing for the past several hours despite her attempts to ignore it and pretend it wasn’t so. She didn’t understand it and was afraid because it could only be signaling the return of Xander and Sulieman, and that was something she couldn’t manage, couldn’t bear. She didn’t want to speculate why they would return, but suspected it was to capture Terach, and they might find her here, with him. It wasn’t fair, and it was insane she couldn’t free herself, that her magyk would not do so for her. It was as if it had its own agenda and wanted her in this place. She pushed the confusion down and stared hard at Terach, who appeared to be weighing her denial.
“No matter, witch. You aren’t mated. That much is true. And if you aren’t mated, then you can still be my witch. I will claim you.”
Jolene closed her eyes as Terach began to remove his clothing. It was like a weird déjà vu moment, and it wasn’t Terach she wanted to see. Tears crept out from behind her eyelids and dripped down into the hair at her temples and then over the shell of her ears. She felt the thin blanket being tugged away, and the cooler air made gooseflesh on her legs. She knew her shirt had ridden up and Terach was looking at her there. She forced her eyes open, and he raised his. Their gazes locked.
“I am not mating with you, Terach.” He flinched back at the use of his proper name, and Jolene pressed the advantage, resolutely not looking anywhere but at his face.
“You need to untie me. It is not only my touch you should fear. I don’t need my hands to protect myself.”
“But yet you are still here, restrained. Your magyk is contained. You are trying to distract me.”
Jolene nearly snarled at him. “Last chance, Terach. Back off. There will be reasons for me to remain here, even if they aren’t apparent to you. I’ll help you with your problems back home, but you will not touch me.”
She felt his resolve falter, regardless of his desperate intent and evident sexual need and knew she had won, just as her power soared and her hands released as if, well, as if by magyk. It flowed throughout her being, and even her hair was infused, each strand lifting independently from her shoulders and away from her temples as if electrified, the wetness from her tears drying in the created wind. She felt heated and lightened all at the same time as she rose to her knees. She struggled to control it and not let it consume her, vaguely aware of Terry retreating, backing away, hearing him make a promise. The room filled with two angry male Ipotanes who set upon the Caprine with deadly intent.
* * * *
They found the cabin of the horse steward with little difficulty, not too far from the town of Yreka. Jolene’s uncle indeed lived in isolation, but simply because of a forest between him and civilization, only a few miles as the crow flies. It was a scenic picture, and tranquil. Sulieman well understood why Jolene had come here and believed she would find his realm as calming and accepting. They parked at the edge of the yard and cautiously approached the cabin, but made no real effort to be covert. Sulie didn’t sense Jolene in the dwelling, but still he felt her. Xander was rubbing his chest, right about where his heart would be, and Sulie hid a smile. They were going to introduce themselves to their intended’s uncle, and he would take them to her.
No one responded to Xander’s knock, but the door slowly creaked open before it. It suddenly seemed an ominous portent, at odds with their inability to sense any danger. Xander called out, and they heard a muffled sound from the back of the place. They jostled awkwardly through the entryway and rushed to the closed door, both of them calling this time. Sulie knew something was wrong and cursed out loud for getting ahead of himself, and he questioned his instincts. Jolene must indeed be in danger.
An older man lay on a small bed in what was obviously a sleeping chamber. He tried to sit up at their entry and held one hand to his head. Pale-gray eyes looked in their direction, and if there had ever been a doubt, there was no longer. This was their witch’s kin, the one from whom she inherited her magyk, the one who lived among humans for years, probably seen as “strange” or “odd.” He would have hidden behind the eccentricity to avoid being found out. Sulie went to him and offered assistance.
“How may I help you? I am Sulieman Ahearn. My brother, Xander.”
“Marshall Faulkner. You are the Ipotanes my niece is mourning.”
Sulie looked at his twin who shrugged. It wasn’t a novel experience, picking up after Xander. He’d typically done it over the years because he was always the softer of the two when it came to females. But this time it was different. Xander would need to fix this himself.
“We regret that every much, Steward Faulkner,” his twin said quietly. “We are here to make amends if she will allow it.”
The older man swung his legs to set his feet on the floor and grimaced. “What time is it?”
“I would say about six o’clock.”
“Well, whoever took Jolene has probably had her about twelve hours by now.”
Uncle Marshall held both hands to his ears at Sulieman and Xander’s heated response and queries, then raised one like a barrier between them.
“He drugged us both. Some kind of sedative my magyk couldn’t counteract, so he is from your realm I would think. I am old and unwell, and I suspect he gave me far too large a dose, because much time has passed.”
“Terach.” Xander spat the name like an epithet, and Sulie’s gut clenched.
“Did we awaken her magyk, Steward?” Sulie asked the question without really knowing why, because he was certain they had done so. Perhaps he just needed the steward’s reassurance.
“I don’t know. Something has, however,” the older man replied. “It is burgeoning, aware. I sense it. It could be the one who took her has awakened it.”
“We do not accept that. We felt her as soon as we crossed over, and our leader with true magyk could not even do so. We have awakened her, and the Caprine is not going to trade on it. We will not allow it.”
“Can you tell us where he might have taken her?” Xander was back under control and acting like the policeman he was.
Steward Faulkner made to stand, and the two of them immediately supported him. They helped him to the door, and his strength seemed to return. He shook off their grasp and stepped outside and down from the porch, making his way to the small vegetable plot. He stood there for a
few moments, and Sulie and Xander witnessed a small and dainty deer step from the cover of the trees. One moment it wasn’t there, and the next it was, moving on slender, graceful legs to stand beside Jolene’s uncle. Sulie thought it could be a Hind if one put human features on its delicate head and added elegant arms. As they watched, Uncle Marshall laid a hand gently on the beast’s shoulder, and it turned and vanished as quickly as it had come.
“She is in a cabin about five miles from here. It is typically rented to tourists, and a large man presently lives there. He only recently moved in. It was him whom I sensed yesterday, but while I felt unsettled, I saw no threat. He may not be there at the moment. Take the path there. It will be quicker than backtracking along the road, and easier to find. You should be at home in these forests.” Uncle Marshall pointed to a game trail.
Xander took the lead, and they ran down the path, easily settling into a fast gait that ate up the distance, surefooted and confident, even in human form. Sulie was relieved to think the Caprine wasn’t with Jolene. He should probably be concerned about what might have already transpired, except he still didn’t feel any real worry, just as her uncle felt no threat. Xander’s jealousy, palpable through their twin bond, was contagious however, and Sulieman thought dark thoughts about Terach. He set his teeth and blew hard. He could feel Jolene ever more strongly, their connection pulling him faster along the trail, and he nearly ran up Xander’s heels, but his twin also put on an increased spurt of speed.
They were upon the cabin with almost no warning, breaking out of the trees into an open clearing. The place was much larger than the one their witch lived in with her uncle but looked out of place, given its more modern lines and lack of natural landscaping. Sulie halted alongside Xander and listened intently. Her proximity nearly overwhelmed his senses, and he struggled to hear anything as his heart pounded, the blood pulsed in his temples, and his cock thrust forward eagerly, hard and alert. Xander was in much the same state, and as one they cast caution to the winds. They strode up the porch steps, and Sulie turned the door handle before he gave into his natural inclination to kick it down. It moved soundlessly in his hand, and he pushed the door open, this time leading Xander. They heard their female’s voice raised in anger and a male’s rumbling response, and again moved as one to the open door on their left.
Jolene was kneeling on a bed in the middle of the room, a naked Caprine appearing to menace her, to Sulie’s enraged glare. He literally saw red even as he registered her beautiful, naked legs and hips, her mound exposed beneath a shirt riding high on her stomach. All decorum left him as he and Xander fell upon Terach and took him down. The goathead recovered quickly and defended himself with determination, but Sulie felt like a beast possessed and heard Xander’s grunts as he, too, landed blows on the hapless Caprine. Blood flowed from Terach’s mouth and nose, and he doubled over when Sulie planted a solid punch to his gut. And then Sulie couldn’t move. Xander seemed to be afflicted in much the same manner, and Terach was frozen at their feet, only his swelling eyes giving any indication he was alive.
Jolene came into view and planted herself directly in his line of sight, although Sulie had to roll his eyes up to see her face, given the position he was locked into. She stood staring at him, her arms akimbo, the fabric of her shirt straining across her full breasts, their nipples erect and poking at the material. Sulie could see that she was covered just to the tops of her thighs, and he remembered she wore nothing beneath the skimpy top. The fact the Caprine had seen their intended’s most intimate place, might have even laid hands on her, so enraged Sulieman the holding spell nearly unraveled, and Jolene narrowed her eyes at him until he settled. She next looked just past him, and Sulie could feel Xander’s similar fury and frustration. The air in the room cooled around them, and Jolene’s pervasive sadness became terribly apparent. Sulie ached to take her in his arms and comfort her. If he and Xander had spent the last few months in anguish, then she, too, would have suffered, and Jolene didn’t know Xander had come to his senses. Sulie could only imagine what she was struggling with and briefly wondered if she might take some of her strong emotions out on them. He would not blame her if she did.
Their witch closed her eyes, and he could see her full mouth move as if on a whisper. Terach fell free and rolled to one side, curling in on himself protectively. It was highly annoying to be able only to move one’s eyes, and Sulie found himself deciding to apply the flat of his hand to a certain backside before Xander meted out his own correction. He forced himself to calm down yet again, and after a long moment sensed Xander doing the same. Jolene bent to pick up some clothing from the floor, and Sulie’s cock twitched despite the spell at the sight of her firm buttocks peeking out from beneath the hem of her shirt, a hint of her shadowed pussy tantalizing him. He groaned inwardly.
Jolene dropped the jeans and man’s T-shirt on top of Terach, who cautiously reached for them. He painfully pushed to his feet and struggled into the clothing. Sulie was glad when the goathead’s body was covered. His mate should not see other males in a state of undress! Once again the spell restraining him and his twin shimmered under the onslaught of their possessiveness and desire. Their witch casually waved a hand, and the invisible skeins tightened to hold them more securely. Sulieman heard Xander’s inward growl reverberate in his head, and he wanted to smile at the promised erotic retribution in store for her. All in good time.
Terach nodded to Jolene, who reached out to him and touched the tips of her fingers to an amulet hanging around the Caprine’s throat. Terach visibly straightened to his full height, his bruised ribs and battered face seeming to heal before their fascinated eyes. He stared at their intended with a look blending longing and admiration. He turned and was out the door, leaving Xander and Sulie alone at the whim of their witch. Jolene again waved a negligent hand in their direction, and the sudden release of the spell left them staggering and bumping into one another as they struggled to regain their balance. Jolene vanished into the bathroom, and the door shut firmly against them.
“By Chiron, there will be no doors in our home, Sulie!” Xander’s face was a thundercloud. “I spend more time watching her walk from us and close doors in our faces. I do not intend for that to continue for the rest of our lives!”
Sulie choked off a laugh. He had an instant vision of Xander removing all the panels serving as privacy screens in their home and Jolene conjuring them right back into existence. Their lives were never going to be boring or predictable. He pulled his twin back to the matter at hand. He didn’t know what had taken place with the Caprine, but Arion needed to be apprised. And then there was the small issue of convincing Jolene they wanted to make amends and beg her to be their mate. Now the time had come, he could feel Xander’s panic overlying his intense need for her, not to mention his own crippling desire. He looked at his twin, and Xander nodded, squared his shoulders, and walked to that closed door like a doomed male eagerly approaching his fate. The dichotomy of the moment was almost painful to watch. Xander knocked hesitantly and then with more authority.
Chapter Twenty
Jolene scooped up her panties and sat on the commode to pull them on, not trusting her balance. She was now a full-fledged witch. No doubt about it. She tentatively touched the toilet paper, and it sparked and burst into flames. She grabbed a towel and frantically beat it into submission, much as she felt like doing to a certain Ipotane now rapping on the bathroom door. She knew she’d come back into her own, and accepted it was in no small way connected to the arrival in this realm of Sulie and Xander. She idly wondered if her magyk would again diminish when they left her again now Terach would return home as she had bade him to do, even as she ignored Xander’s attempts to get her attention. Somehow she doubted it. Her magyk probably wouldn’t be denied a second time. She decided not to concern herself. Her Uncle Marshall would help her figure it out, and then she would take it from there. She would probably need lots of practice, but she had taken control of her power and would make
it work without becoming a pyromaniac or making it rain or causing the ground to open up.
It was no use. All her transient thoughts weren’t making the twins go away. She could feel them waiting for her and guessed they weren’t leaving until they asked her about Terach. Maybe she could convince them she would text a report to Arion and not have to spend too much time with them. The very sight of them defending her, even if she had been quite capable of taking care of herself, had made her heart swell with hope, until she reminded herself they were there to capture the Caprine. It had taken very little energy to conjure a tethering spell, quite apropos for horse men, and send Terach on his way after healing him. He promised to return to his realm and seek out Arion prior to having the shit kicked out of him, but neither twin stopped to listen to explanations.
Jolene turned on the water in the basin and cupped it in her hands, throwing it up and over her face. She patted herself dry with the other end of the scorched towel and dragged her fingers through her hair before staring into the mirror. She looked much the same, her skin lightly tanned from all the outside work despite the sunscreen and hat she affected. She slept the sleep of the exhausted, so the dark shadows beneath her eyes weren’t the result of tiredness. The same applied in regard to the fine lines at the corners of her mouth, and now the reasons for the pain written so clearly on her face were back. Jolene straightened her shoulders and stiffened her spine and reached out to grasp the door knob. With as much dignity as a woman wearing only a T-shirt and pink panties could muster, she opened the bathroom door.
Riding Magyk Page 14
