“No, she doesn’t.”
The voice was one I didn’t recognise.
Will pulled back, looking over his shoulder to check who spoke. The man from the coffee shop stood behind us, his face glowering as he stared.
He was taller than the one who had just kissed me, his dark brown hair cropped at the sides and longer on top. He had handsome chiselled features and looked familiar.
“Can I have your number?” Will asked, taking a step away from me.
I typed my number into his phone distractedly before he took his coat. With a smile, he walked away, leaving me standing there.
Now what did I do? There was still something about this other man’s face that made me curious.
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
A flashback hit me. He was the man I had met in the café just before we’d moved. My cheeks heated when I remembered that I had been in my pyjamas. His hair had grown out a bit, but his blue eyes still pierced me.
“Is that why you were following me?” My stomach squeezed at my stupidity.
For some reason, I didn’t know how to act or what to do when it came to men. I was so inexperienced. Although, to be fair, I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to most people.
“No, I was following you because I work for…”
Before he could finish his sentence, I spun and jumped the wall. A rush of air pushed up my dress as I plunged back into the river. If it was the same man that had seen me go into the river earlier, he would know that I could swim well.
As my body sunk again, something heavy splashed next to me. My heart beat rapidly when a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled, dragging me to the surface.
“I’m sorry, Penny, but you need to come with me.”
Raising my fist, I punched him in the face. He swore loudly, grabbing his nose with his free hand. My effort wasn’t enough, I couldn’t wrench free. Pushing him, I tried to get him underwater, but he was a lot stronger than I thought.
“The more you fight, the harder it is,” he said.
My muscles were tired and my throat was sore. I had to keep swallowing to make the sting of tears go away.
“I’m not a bad man,” he grumbled, pulling me towards the metal ladder attached to the wall.
When we got closer, he pushed me to it, urging me to climb. Gritting my teeth as my stomach churned, I refused to get on. I wasn’t about to let a stranger kidnap me.
Instead of giving up, he started to pull himself up with one arm, dragging me with him.
He had another thing coming if he thought I was going to give up that easily. Instead, I swore loudly and managed to hit his head. The water hindered me as I desperately tried to wrench free, but he wouldn’t let go. My wrist burned where he gripped me.
“Just stop!” he shouted.
“Is everything okay down there?” a man called from above.
Opening my mouth, I got ready to scream.
“I work for your father,” the man hissed in my face. “I’m your new bodyguard.”
I faltered, giving him momentum to get his foot on another rung.
“My girlfriend fell in. I’m trying to help her.”
Tempted to hit him again, I braced myself, holding tight to the railings with my other hand as I attempted to get out of his grip. My wrist was almost free when another hand grabbed my arm and lifted me up. Falling to the concrete on the other side of the wall, I grunted.
“Thank you.” My captor vaulted over the wall and shook hands with the older man.
“Does she need an ambulance?” he asked.
Could my father be looking out for me, instead of trying to kill me?
About to tell the man that I was being kidnapped, I paused when Antony pulled out his phone and gave it to me. Huh? If he didn’t work for my father, why would he hand me his phone?
Licking my lips, I swallowed and looked at the kind man who was looking out for me. If the police were called, it would bring attention to my family. I had been so stupid with the man I kissed. What had I been thinking? I should have gone straight home with Clarie the moment I had realised that we were being chased.
“She’s my girlfriend, and we’ve had an argument. She’s fine.”
I found myself nodding along as he hurried me away from the people who had gathered. My intuition was rarely wrong and something told me to go with him. My witch powers must have been weak if I was listening to my inner guidance enough to leave with a stranger. What was wrong with me?
“You need to let go,” I hissed.
He laughed in reply. The sound caught my attention, making me look up into his face. My insides burnt with annoyance. I hated that he had forced me to do what he wanted, but it was impossible to look away from his bright eyes.
“Like I said, I work for your father,” he said, releasing me. “He wants to see you. Here, watch this.”
Snatching the phone, he pressed play on a video. My father’s face came on screen, all happy and smiley.
“Penny, my love, it’s been so long. I miss you. Please don’t be alarmed by Antony. I know he’s not the slickest bodyguard, but he’s there to protect you. I can’t wait to see you.”
Something inside me flipped, making my nerves calm. Father had been gone for five years. A part of me wanted to see the man who had abandoned us. I had secretly wished he would come back and help us to escape from our mother. Not that she had been the mother from hell, not really. She had made us fear him, but I had to see him face to face. I needed to find out why he had gone. Not knowing had almost killed me. It seemed that I would now have the opportunity to get my answer.
Chapter Five
“You can let go now.” Growling as he helped me out of the car, I pulled out of his grip so hard, I almost lost my balance.
It was hard to know where I was. We’d been driving for an hour in a car with blacked out windows. Keeping track had become impossible, especially since my kidnapper had seated me in the back and ignored me the whole way. At least my clothes were bearable now that they had dried.
“I’ll show you to your room.” He took my arm again as we walked up a pathway leading to a pretty house.
“Will you take your hands off me?!” My anger got the better of me as I shoved him in the chest.
He tripped, only just managing to keep his feet. A giggle escaped me. I couldn’t help it, I’d had enough.
Instead of apologising, he growled, grabbed my arm, and yanked me inside the house. Light music came from the speakers in the walls. It was classical. The sound hit me square in the chest. My father’s favourite music had always bored me as a child, but now, it sent a lance of pain through my body.
“I’ve not seen him for five years,” I said to no one in particular as we stood in the hallway. “I’m no longer a teenager.”
“Well… technically...” The man snorted when I glared at him.
The hall was full of walnut wood fittings. A bannister lined the stairs to a landing above. There was a door to the left of me, closed tightly. For some reason, I knew it would be my father’s study. He’d had one in our old house, before he moved out.
“Antony! That’s your name!” I blurted, finally remembering.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly. He had told me his real name when I’d first met him and Father had mentioned it in the video. Had he known who I was when we met in the café? Why hadn’t he tried to take me when he’d had the chance?
“Did you enjoy your smooch with that man?” he asked, guiding me up the stairs.
Glancing over the bannister, I frowned. Why was he taking me to my room already? “Where’s my father?” I demanded.
“You’ll see him soon. He asked me to bring you here first.”
I stumbled as he gestured to a door on the landing. What had made him talk about Will? It was irrelevant and embarrassing. I tried not to cringe as I remembered my first ever kiss. It hadn’t been as romantic as the films had made it out to be. But then again, I had been stupid enough to kiss a
stranger.
“And, about the kiss. Yes, I did,” I said as he faced me.
He smiled, probably seeing straight through my lie. His teeth were almost perfect. My teeth were slightly crooked. I had begged for braces when I was younger, but for some reason, I never got them. Another witchy rule to follow. Don’t mix with humans too often, they were suspicious creatures.
“Here’s your room.” Without any flare, he opened the door and waved me inside.
The door closed behind us as he followed me in. It was dark and cold. The curtains were drawn and the four-poster bed was unmade. Covers sat on the table in the corner, waiting to be put onto the duvet.
“I want to see my father. Surely, I’m not a prisoner.”
He stepped up to me, a low growl in his throat. I had to bend my neck back to look into his eyes. My first instinct was to push him away. How dare he get in my personal space?
“I’m afraid you’ll be staying with us for a while. Your father isn’t here until tomorrow, so you’ll have to put up with me for company.”
My eyes widened as the smile on his lips started to fade. Our gazes locked, mine full of hatred, no doubt, his full of… confusion?
I couldn’t look away as his bright gaze delved into mine. When his throat moved, I swallowed hard, still unable to take the higher ground and back off.
“Antony, do you have her?” someone called from the hallway.
As he cringed, I stepped back quickly, going to the curtains. His hand enveloped mine as I reached out to open them.
“Yes, I’ll be out in a moment,” he called back. “Penny…?”
Turning to him, I tried to remove my hand. He wouldn’t let go. The shadows danced around us as a draft blew the curtain, causing a shaft of sunlight to come into the room. He stepped forward as he looked down at me. My heart pumped into overdrive. I desperately wanted to push him away, and yet...
“Did you really enjoy your first kiss?”
My eyes dropped from his gaze as he released my hand. Shame overtook my muscles, and I found that I couldn’t move. He was mocking me, although I deserved it. In a really ridiculous roundabout way, he had saved me from making a huge mistake. I might have gone back to the other man’s flat and done something that I would’ve regretted.
“How do you know it was my first kiss?” I whispered.
His breath landed on my hair and every muscle in my body froze as he moved even closer. What the hell was going on?
“I just know,” he whispered back.
We were both still, listening to the other’s breath. Did my father plan this? Had he captured me and trusted a stranger to keep guard so I didn’t escape?
“Come on, mate,” the other voice called through the door.
Antony didn’t respond or move. I went to step away, freezing when his hand landed on the small of my back.
“What are you doing?”
I didn’t want the man outside the door to come in. It was scary enough with one stranger.
“I don’t know,” he whispered, causing me to look up at him.
Emotions crossed his eyes, although I couldn’t read them. He frowned, obviously doubting himself. My insides quivered as I breathed in deep and the smell of him rushed up my nose. I became lightheaded as his masculine scent wormed its way around my body. He blinked quickly, obviously seeing the affect he had on me.
“I’m sorry.”
The air moved and he was gone, the door closing behind him.
Sitting on the bed, I stared at the worn carpet. It was red and dusty.
What had just happened? My breath was uneven as I tried to calm it. Had there just been a moment between me and the guy who had basically kidnapped me?
Staying still allowed me to think too much so I moved to the curtains and opened them. The view made air stick in my throat, and I almost choked. The back garden was attached to fields that stretched far away. A motorway was in the distance, the cars rushing along it.
Reaching up to the back of my neck, I wiped away the sweat. I didn’t recognise it at all. Where was I? Why hadn’t I screamed when Antony had pulled me along with him? Why hadn’t I told anyone that I was being taken against my will?
Turning back to the room, I pursed my lips. If I was going to sleep here, I might as well make it comfortable. It was a completely irrational way of dealing with what had happened, but I had to do something.
Grabbing hold of the sheets, I made the bed. It kept my mind occupied. There may have been cameras in the room, watching my every move, although that was very pervy. Surely my father wouldn’t have allowed that. Either way, it was better to look as if I was being complacent.
I knew exactly why they had come for me first. Everyone assumed that because I was the most emotional one of my siblings, I would be the easiest to tame. The others had often mocked my sensitivity and thought I was weak because of it.
The door opened a while later. Ignoring it, I didn’t look up from what I was doing. I was expecting him.
“Are you settled?” Antony asked, hovering by the open door.
A light from the hallway illuminated him as I turned to glare over my shoulder. He smirked, the corner of his lip quirking into his cheek. The dimple that appeared threw me off. How dare he be cute?
Blinking, I looked back down at the pillow in my hands. His dimples were deep, and I hadn’t even noticed them until now. They didn’t make a difference to how much I hated him, but still, I didn’t know anyone who wasn’t a sucker for dimples.
His hair was fluffy, natural. I admired him for not using a load of product, unlike my brothers. He wasn’t the type of man I would usually find attractive. Not that my sheltered life had allowed me to meet a lot of attractive men. So, why did I find it so hard to keep my eyes off him?
“What do you want?”
“It’s dinner time,” he said, gesturing behind him.
Squinting, I struggled to see anything in the room. I had been so engrossed in my thoughts; I hadn’t even noticed the sun go down.
“I’m not hungry.”
His sigh reached me across the room as he flicked on the light. I tried not to freeze when the sound of his footsteps came around the bed.
“You’re coming to dinner.” He offered his hand right in front of my face.
I stood quickly, causing him to step back. He wouldn’t come too close to me, I could see it in the way he distanced himself. Maybe I had triggered something in him. Good, he deserved to be unnerved. He should feel guilty for kidnapping me.
“You’re an arsehole. You know that, don’t you?”
Chuckling, he went to turn away. Catching him off-guard, I pushed him as hard as I could, spinning when he stumbled. Breathless, I ran out of the room, sprinted over the landing and down the stairs.
“No, you don’t!” he shouted, his heavy footsteps following me.
He must have been fast, because in moments, he took hold of me from behind and tried to pull me to a stop.
Tumbling backwards, I struggled to keep my balance on the carpeted step. My foot slipped and we ended up rolling down the stairs together. My breath heaved out of me when we landed at the bottom. How typical! Only I could be my clumsy self when attempting to escape.
Antony groaned as I tried to shove him again. I wasn’t going to stay tangled up with him when my whole body shook and my heart pounded in my head.
“Will you just stop?” He gasped.
“You think that just because I’m a woman, I’m going to take it lying down?” I huffed, tucking my hair behind my ear.
He laughed, the sound bubbling up his chest. Heat flicked over my arms and my temper snapped. Jumping on top of him, I threw my fists, ploughing them into his sides as he protected his head. Red mist covered my eyes as anger overtook, years of suppression taking over my sound mind.
“Enough!”
Father’s command stopped me. The mist cleared as I froze in place, my fists hanging in the air on their way to Antony’s face. He still held his arms over his head a
s I straddled his waist.
“What’s going on? Why are you making such a scene?”
He towered in the doorway to what looked like a library. A younger man, who looked similar to Antony, stood beside him.
“He kidnapped me!” I scrambled up, almost tripping when my feet got caught under me.
My face flushed as I righted myself, brushing down my top. How had I just completely lost control? I wasn’t a teenager or a fighter. I should have remained calm.
When I lifted my gaze, I studied my father. My throat threatened to close as my gaze ran over him. He had aged slightly, but he was the same man who had raised me. His dark hair had finally succumbed to the grey that had tried to overtake it. He wore a suit and a tie hung loose around his neck.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, opening his arms.
I rushed into them, my head burying into his chest. Warmth enveloped my body as his arms came around me. In spite of what Mother had told me about him, I felt nothing but love in his presence. He wished me no harm. He was a kind emotional man, making it easier for me to resonate with him more than her. She was a down to earth lady, and although we got on okay, we had our differences.
“I missed you, too,” I sobbed.
The emotion that had threatened, finally came up. Father had been the one to teach me that my emotions were my power.
“Let it out. Like I always say, it’s better out than in. You don’t want a toxic stomach do you?”
“Is she farting then?” the other man asked.
“Derek! He’s talking about emotions,” Antony chastised.
Wiping my eyes on my father’s shoulder, I gulped fresh air into my lungs. When I pulled back, my eye caught Antony’s as he stood next to the man that must have been his brother.
“He said you weren’t going to be here until tomorrow.” I hiccupped as I wiped my eyes.
Self-conscious at my emotional outburst, I kept my gaze averted from the others. My cheeks heated as Father put his arm around my shoulders and led me into a dining room.
“I wanted to surprise you. I’m not trying to hurt you, I promise. I’m trying to free you. I imagine your mother has been telling you all a different story.”
Chasing Magic: The Last Witch Coven Book 1 Page 4
