“How can you even call yourself a Witch? You disbelieve or make fun of half of the things a true Witch would believe in or would just take for granted to be true,” Amber admonished. She really sounded upset this time.
Brianna felt ashamed. Amber, an adept, had taken her under her wing and had helped her whenever she needed it, and she was right. Every time something didn’t fall within the realm of left-brained possibility, Brianna faltered in her beliefs. She had yet to make herself fully believe that all things are possible. She just had to believe hard enough and work toward that goal. Maybe that was why her spells never worked. Maybe they failed because she didn’t truly believe they would work.
Amber became the teacher again. “You should know as well as I do. Recurrent dreams are either a reminder of a past life, a warning, or a premonition. This one doesn’t seem much like a warning because right now I don’t feel that you are in danger. If you were in danger, I believe I would feel it, like I did at the ball. And right now, all I feel is an itch for an ice cream sundae.”
“Don’t even tell me you see a sundae in my future.” Brianna laughed. Her sense of foreboding dissipated.
“No, but I see one in mine. I’m headed out to the Dairy Queen. Wanna come?”
* * * *
Niklas wandered through the newly repaired house. The walls were freshly painted a creamy eggshell, and the wooden floors gleamed a newly stained golden brown. The hard work his people had done to make this house livable while he searched for The One hadn’t distracted him a bit. His thoughts were still on his real home and his family. Would he ever find The One? There were so many worlds and so many people. This had become a time consuming search he wanted to end. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh.
Looking out over the yard, he wondered if he’d ever be able to rest again. After these last months of searching nonstop, it was easy to wonder if it would ever be over. How many worlds had they searched? How many more would they investigate? Where would they be when he finally ran out of time? These questions plagued him night and day.
He leaned against the window frame. His head rested against the cool glass as he took in the beauty of the world on the other side of the window. It was too beautiful to unleash evil upon it. There was no doubt in his mind, if the evil prevailed, this world and others like it would be defenseless against it.
There had to be a way to stop the upcoming wars without the woman. What if they never found her? What if Morwyyn had been mistaken, and she didn’t really exist? The doubts lingered. It just didn’t make sense that a woman from off world would be the one to save his entire planet.
A movement outside caught his eye. Any distraction from his worries was a welcome thing. Not sure what he saw, Niklas waited for it to come again. He saw it again near the fence, the area toward the house owned by the woman whom he’d met his first night here. He tried to shake off the feelings that always accompanied any thought of her.
Once his thoughts rested upon her, Niklas couldn’t think of anything else. He could still see her beautiful blue eyes sparkling up at him and they way her perfect nose tilted up at the end just a bit. Despite all that, he shouldn’t have found her attractive. She’d been missing teeth and had that horrible hairy growth on her face. But damn! He just couldn’t forget her. And his body ached every time he thought about her. There was something about the way her hips swayed as she walked and her scent… The movement came again and he watched, curious. A tuft of hair mixed with flying dirt burrowed under the fence.
Niklas left the house and became very still. All of his senses went on alert when he heard the growling behind him. Growing still as death, Niklas took a deep breath then turned very slowly. It sounded like a beast ready to attack. He must have wandered too close to its lair. Strangely, it stopped growling as he approached. A bit surprised to see it wore a collar, Niklas carefully reached down, wanting to see if it would allow him to touch it. His mother would have been appalled. Niklas took too many unnecessary risks. He shrugged. The animal was small enough that he knew if he had to, he could snap its neck.
Making soft noises, he approached the animal. He remembered the discs he’d listened to told about animals like these. They were called dogs. Most of them were domesticated, which was the reason he didn’t feel apprehensive about approaching the little beast.
He held out his hand, making small nonsense noises that the animals on Terrna seemed to enjoy. Still suspicious, it stopped growling but still wouldn’t make friends with him. The little beast didn’t seem happy to share his secret place. After a moment of staring at each other, the dog sat down and looked at him with its tongue hanging out and its head tilted to the side.
What in the world did that mean? It was hard enough trying to figure out the people on these worlds without having to deal with their animals, too. Beasts were unpredictable. As a rule, Niklas didn’t have anything to do with any of them, unless he was eating or riding them. Finally coming a decision, he knelt down and reached toward the animal, waiting for it to decide what to do.
The hairy thing licked his hand and wagged its tail. Well, what it had of a tail. No longer nervous, he reached out, scooped it into his arms and went into the house with a very evil look on his face. Once inside, he set the dog on the floor and let it wander around. Investigating the new scents inside, it didn’t take long before it latched onto a smell it didn’t recognize and took off growling. Niklas followed close behind, his evil smile still firmly in place.
When the animal found her, Minra was on her hands and knees crawling under a table to plug in a new lamp. The perfectly rounded rump waving in the air might have distracted another man, but Niklas was more concerned with the results of his prank.
Minra heard the growl, froze for a split second, then sat straight up. She slammed her head into the bottom of the table, nearly dislodging the lamp.
Niklas winced. Ooh, that had to hurt. Even though he loved a good practical joke, he almost felt bad for letting the thing scare her. Almost.
“Ouch!” Minra screamed. The dog barked, and she screamed again.
He ran into the room and scooped up the dog with a huge smile. “Really, Minra, you have to get a grip on yourself. If you scream every time you see an animal, you are bound to draw too much attention to yourself.”
Minra, her face white as a sheet, sat on the floor glaring at him. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You knew that, that thing,” she gestured, her arms moving wildly, “was going to scare the drak out of me.” She sat on the floor, staring daggers at him, still quivering.
Niklas loved it when he could get the crew to forget who he was and treat him like they would anyone else. Grinning, he patted the dog on the head and left the room whistling.
Minra glared after him. “Why am I the one always stuck with him and his pranks? I’d bet all of the conque I have, that the rest of them aren’t up there using the discs like they are supposed to. I bet every one of them is enjoying the vacation they are getting from his pranks.” She fumed. “Now I wonder if he put that cat in here to scare me as well.”
Niklas stuck his head around the corner and grinned. “No, Minra. I didn’t put the cat in here for you to find. I do wonder though, do you recall anything on the discs about something called a snake?”
Minra looked up sharply. “What about them?”
Chapter Eight
Brianna finished her breakfast, walked to the sink, and rinsed off her dishes. She refilled her cup and headed back to the table, prepared to enjoy more of the steaming hot brew. “It’s awfully quiet out there.” She frowned. It was very uncharacteristic of Killer to be quiet while outside.
Hurrying to the backdoor, Brianna stuck her head out and whistled. “Killer, come on, baby,” she called through the open door. When he didn’t come to her, she stepped outside and looked around the yard. He was nowhere to be seen. Where in the world is he? I’ve looked everywhere.
Finally, when she was ready to give up, Brianna saw a ho
le in the ground near the edge of the fence. It led into her new neighbor’s backyard. “Oh, no,” she breathed. “Oh, my Goddess, I hope he hasn’t bitten anyone.” Brianna rushed back inside, changed into a pair of jeans and a blouse then rushed out to see exactly what sort of havoc Killer wreaked on her new neighbor’s yard.
Brianna didn’t know what to expect when she knocked on the ornate, intricately carved, mahogany door, but she certainly hadn’t expected a beautiful brunette to answer. She was extremely disappointed. What woman wouldn’t be let down to find out a handsome man like Niklas was already married to someone like this beauty before her? The woman gave Brianna an inquiring look.
“Can I help you?”
Brianna wrung her hands together. “Yes. I seem to have lost my dog. You haven’t seen him by any chance, have you? He got out of my yard by digging a hole under the fence into your backyard.” Brianna danced from one foot to the other, trying not to invade their privacy by peeking around her and into the house.
The woman opened the door wider and stepped aside. “Come in, please, he’s in here. Niklas found him in the back yard and brought him in to meet me. He’s really adorable. What kind of dog is he?”
She had the same accent Niklas did. Brianna wondered where they were from. Hopefully there were more there just like Niklas. Maybe he had a brother. For that I just might take a trip. “He’s a Yorkshire Terrier.”
“Oh. I didn’t know.” The woman glided into the living room, her hips gently swaying. It wasn’t any wonder Niklas was with her. She was gorgeous!
Brianna followed and closed the door behind her. The interior of the house was cool, no old broken-down air conditioner here. She wanted to stay here forever. Or at least until her air conditioner was repaired. She shook her head when what the woman said, finally sank in. Her Killer, adorable? There was absolutely no way they could be talking about the same dog, Brianna thought, right up until he ran out of the kitchen and bounded around her feet yapping to be picked up.
She was so relieved. She didn’t scold him at all. She picked him up and hugged him to her, cooing to him like a baby. She gave Minra a smile. “Thank you so much for keeping an eye on him for me. I do try to make sure he stays in our yard, but sometimes he just does as he pleases.” She smiled apologetically. “Please thank your husband for me.” Brianna turned to leave.
The woman laughed, “Niklas isn’t my husband. He’s my—”
“Brother,” Niklas interrupted.
She’s his sister? Thank you, thank you, thank you! Brianna looked up to see him descending the stairs, a smile on his handsome face. She blinked. He was even more devastating in the daylight. He looked surprised, delighted even. He had a look in his eyes which almost made Brianna want to run screaming back to her house and lock her doors. It was almost as if he was a predatory animal on the hunt, and she was…well, lunch.
“How do you do? I am Niklas Voortag. I have just moved to this area.” He held out his hand. The look he gave her was unsettling to say the least. “I do not think we have met. I know I would have remembered your beautiful hair.” His eyes raked over her hungrily. “Yet you seem so familiar to me. Do you have a sister who lives near here, one with long black hair?”
He gave her an inquiring look, raising one brow in a way that made him look so sexy Brianna wanted to either faint or throw herself at his feet pledging eternal sexual servitude. She covered a nervous laugh with a cough as she shuffled from foot to foot. “No, I don’t have a sister. If you’re referring to the other night, that was me.” She blushed. She actually felt the heat of it crawl up her neck to her face. “I was in costume for Halloween. I forgot to remove my makeup before I left my house.”
He smiled, his perfect white teeth nearly blinding. Brianna was nearing a sensory overload. What in the world is wrong with me? I have never reacted to a man like this in my life! Whenever she looked at him, she thought of hot nights, sweaty sex, and the decadent feel of satin sheets and …Niklas, against her bare skin. She rubbed her suddenly moist palms on her jeans.
Did he look relieved or was that just her imagination? Maybe the man was just glad he didn’t live next door to a hag with a wart of gigantic proportions. Or maybe, if she was lucky, he was attracted to her.
“Brianna O’Neill, nice to meet you. In the daylight that is.”
She held out her hand and laughed self-consciously. Minus the wig and hairy wart, with clean teeth…The list could go on. Brianna’s gaze darted around the room. She tried to look anywhere besides his too handsome face. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool of herself. The only problem was, she was afraid it was already too late. What were you thinking? That he’s going to fall at your feet, begging to take you out? Yeah right!
Niklas stepped closer, took her hand in his much larger one.
She reveled in the slide of her skin against his, felt the slight tingling sensation of her energy mingling with his as it traveled up her arm.
He bent slightly at the waist and briefly pressed the warmth of his lips against the back of her hand. “I am pleased to meet you once again, Brianna. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to lunch?” His eyes, the darkest, most amazing shade of brown, never left hers. It was almost as if he didn’t want to let her out of his sight.
Brianna couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted to be with her for something other than lunch. Her skin tingled, and goosebumps rose on her flesh. She felt uncomfortable under his constant scrutiny. His formality and his invitation had taken her completely off guard.
“I-well, I don’t know,” she hedged. What, are you stupid? Say yes! She raged at herself. You know you want to. Who wouldn’t? He is the best looking man on the planet. He even had to be imported. Say yes, you idiot!
Brianna looked around for support and realized it wasn’t forthcoming from Minra. She just stood quietly behind her brother and smiled brightly at her. Even Killer liked him, which was strange. Killer hated everybody, or at least he used to. So now you’re going to complain because Killer likes him? Sheesh! Get a grip, Brianna.
Niklas’s gaze held hers. He had such compelling eyes, the color of dark chocolate. She found herself agreeing before she even knew she was going to. “I…ah. Well, I guess I’d better go home and get ready then,” Brianna said, just before she bolted. She’d always loved chocolate.
Brianna nearly ran back to her house. Cold water or not, she needed a shower. Hurrying through her ablutions, she pondered the whimsical twists of fate that brought people together. In the middle of brushing her teeth, she paused. Wait a minute, what if it was the spell? She had met him on the twenty-eighth day. Blinking, she stared in the mirror, shocked that she hadn’t thought about that before. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought to attract a man like him. She returned to brushing her teeth furiously.
Brianna dropped a shaking hand from her hair. “This is too good to be true. You’re plain, Brianna, why would Niklas, the epitome of tall, dark and handsome be so interested in you?” She looked into the mirror, trying to see what it was he’d seen in her.
Had her spell really worked? Had the faeries really helped her cast her spell and she’d really met Larin and Morgaine? She smiled. It didn’t matter, did it? “What does matter is that he is a very nice guy.”
He was just so much more…likeable than most good looking men she’d met before. What spoiled most of them was that they knew they looked good. Niklas was devastating, but he took it all for granted. Either he didn’t know how handsome he was, or he didn’t care. In fact, it didn’t matter one way or the other. It gave him an endearing quality that he otherwise would not have had.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” Brianna said before they entered the restaurant. She couldn’t believe he’d taken her to one of the best restaurants in town. “Do you know the story behind the decorations?
He shook his head. “I have no idea. I thought it looked like a good place to eat.”
She was only too happy to fill him in on one of her
favorite haunts. “The Sand Bar is owned by a retired Navy veteran and boasts most things nautical in its decorations. You’ll see when we get inside.”
He helped her out of his large SUV and escorted her into the restaurant. He waited until she was comfortable in her seat, then sat across from her, his gaze never leaving her face. He didn’t even check the menu, just stared at her in fascination.
“Can I help you?” the waiter asked, looking at them expectantly.
He glanced at the cover of the menu. “I’d like a pepperoni pizza please.”
The waiter tried to hide an impatient look. “We don’t serve pizza here, sir. This is a fine dining establishment,” he said, his nose in the air.
Niklas opened his menu, then looked up at Brianna. “What do you suggest?”
Brianna tilted her head for a moment. “You look like a meat and potatoes man to me. You should probably get the steak and baked potato.” She looked down at her own menu. “And I think I’ll have the fish and chips.” Brianna glanced at Niklas. “It’s the house specialty.”
The waiter brought their salads first. He tripped over a woman’s purse that had fallen off the back of a chair. It was lying on the floor, a trip hazard for the wait staff and anyone else walking near her table. Brianna’s salad landed in her lap.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am!” The waiter was beside himself. “I swear this has never happened to me before.” He dipped a napkin in a glass of water on a table nearby and started to wipe the front of her suit. “Please let me help you clean this up.”
Brianna grabbed the napkin from him as he brushed it across the front of the jacket. He meant well, but he was only making it worse.
“Thank you. Really, it’s fine. It’s an old suit anyway. Don’t worry about it.” She was just about ready to cry. It wasn’t an old suit. It was the first time she’d ever had the occasion to wear it and now it was ruined. She closed her eyes. Please don’t let anything else go wrong.
Briannas Prophecy Page 10
