Yelping, I dodged my head out of the way as he held the dryer in the same spot for too long, burning my scalp. Muttering an apology, he moved it and rubbed the sore area on my head.
His cringe made me sober. He had to be in pain, no matter how calmly he claimed otherwise.
“Your shoulder must still hurt,” I said.
When he didn’t answer, I turned towards him. Smiling tightly, he shook his head. He was lying, but I didn’t push him.
“I wonder what our neighbours think about us making so much noise,” I said.
“You’ve got to stop worrying about others so much. Just worry about you.”
About to ask him what he meant by that, I stopped when my muscles started to shake again. My hair was almost done.
Antony switched off the dryer and put it on the side. Climbing out from behind me, he encouraged me to lie down and wrapped me tightly in the duvet. I froze when his hand delved under the cover and took hold of the wet towel that was around me. Tugging gently, he pulled it. I gasped as it unravelled and came free, sliding out from under the duvet.
I was swaddled, hidden from his eyes, but the intimacy of the action sent a hot bolt through me. He didn’t seem phased as he threw the towel on the floor and cuddled his body around my cocoon.
“Who are you?” I whispered.
His body froze, only relaxing when I sighed. The warmth started to penetrate my weary bones.
Not sure why I’d asked Antony who he was, I waited, unsure whether he’d reply.
“As a child,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “…life was good until my mother left when I was four. My father tried his best to look after us, working hard to make sure we were clothed and fed. He remarried a woman who hated us.”
“The wicked stepmother.” My insides shivered in a different way as I imagined a four year old Antony missing his mum.
His head moved nearer, his breath tickling my ear when he spoke. “She tried, at first, to comfort us, her efforts almost a balm… until she got pregnant by another man. My father was furious and started to change, hitting out at us in temper after he’d argued with her.”
“That’s terrible.”
A sigh blew from his lips, moving my hair. “I left with Derek when I was fifteen. We were homeless for two years before your father walked past one day and saw me fighting a lad who had just mugged an old lady.”
“You were homeless at the age of fifteen?”
Choking on his words, Antony replied in a shaky breath. “Now you know why I’m a little guarded.”
“And Father took you in?”
His head moved, the rustle of his hair loud in my ear. “I was hard-hearted. It’s taken me three years to get to where I am now. I couldn’t have done it without tons of training from your father. He made us into strong bodyguards. We owe our lives to him.”
“And your father?” My voice was almost inaudible. “Have you seen him since?”
His silence spoke louder than any words could. My chest was tight, my breathing laboured. His pain made him who he was, I understood that now.
“Go to sleep,” he finally breathed. “When we wake up, we’re not leaving this room until you tell me what happened.”
Safe in my protective cover, I thought about revealing all the details of my encounter with the enemy, but before I had the chance, I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Ten
“Where have you been?” Lee demanded as we walked into the living room the next morning. “And who is that?”
Raising my eyebrows, I put my hands on my hips and faced my four brothers and three sisters. Antony stood just behind me, his gaze studying each of them as they stared. It was clear that we had disturbed them in the middle of something.
“Sorry, am I interrupting something? I-”
“Interrupting?” Alex growled. “We’ve been trying to find you all night. Why didn’t you ring us?”
“Firstly,” I said, biting my lip so I didn’t get frustrated at his anger. It was a little hypocritical to be worried about me now. “I left my phone in the club. Secondly, I was freezing to death. It wasn’t like you were bothered when you left me behind!” My voice rose at the end of the sentence when Alex scowled, dismissed me with a wave, and went into the kitchen.
To the others, it looked like he was being rude. I knew better. Walking away was how he coped with his temper – most of the time. If he didn’t, he would blow. And he wasn’t far from losing it. It was obvious from the way his back muscles were completely straight under his tight T-shirt.
“We thought you’d jumped into the river,” Theo said, watching Antony closely. “You still haven’t told us who this is.”
Glancing at Antony, I smiled apologetically. We rarely had people come to our home, it was too risky. If a human saw our elemental magical abilities, our secret might have been spilled. Humans couldn’t know that witches and warlocks existed; it would frighten them into killing us themselves. They never had been able to cope with the unknown.
“I did jump in the river, but only after I was confronted by the warlock who’s trying to stop us.” Taking a deep breath when their eyes widened, I pointed at Antony. “This is my bodyguard, Antony, courtesy of Father, who obviously knew I’d be in danger.”
My knees gave out as the seriousness of the previous evening struck me. Luckily, the sofa caught me as I sat suddenly. Antony looked at me before taking a step back. He had realised that I needed space. Clarie on the other hand, didn’t care.
“Who was it? What did he say?” she said, almost sitting on my lap as she grabbed my hand.
“Alex you need to hear this,” Lee called before I could answer.
The others were on stools, cushions, and sofas. They stared at me, waiting for me to tell them what had happened. They each had their own individual style and look. We were quite a collection of diverse individuals.
Alex came back into the room and leant against the doorframe, his bulging arms folded across his chest. He had a scowl on his face. He was feeling guilty, I could tell.
“This grey-eyed man followed me. He claims he’s going to stop us from finding and uniting with our soulmates. He says that if we’re successful in our mission, we’ll bring back pure magic and he can’t let that happen. There is something else.”
I tried to disconnect Clarie’s hand from mine, but she gripped tight. The intimacy was a little disconcerting considering what I was telling them. Trying one last time to dislodge her, I gave up when she wouldn’t let go, letting her hold on instead. It seemed to comfort her in some way, which made me feel better.
“Well?” Theo prompted.
Swallowing, I avoided Antony’s gaze. I had told him about being apprehended. However, I had left out the magic part. “He used magic to teleport. Not only that, he reckons they’re close to reviving black magic.”
Gasps of all different tones filled the room, including Antony’s. When our gaze clashed, he looked away, clearing his throat.
“Any idea who the warlock was?” Lee asked.
My head shook, giving them my answer. I had never seen him before …although…
“Actually, I recognised him. It wasn’t from this lifetime though. Father said that the warlocks were originally made up of dark witches who turned away from pure magic. They’re determined to eradicate the witches, although they can’t kill us because of the curse.”
Antony shifted on his feet. He was nervous around my brothers and sisters. I glanced up to see him studying us, ducking my head when his gaze landed on me. I wondered what he saw.
Clarie noticed me staring and smiled up at the bodyguard.
“We knew our enemy would be back.” Alex pushed away from the doorframe and strode into the room. “Thank you for helping our sister,” he said to Antony as he offered his hand.
Antony nodded once and shook it. The tension broke when Alex released him.
“What are you going to do?” Clarie asked.
I sneaked a peak at Antony to see if he watch
ed her, but his gaze was on me. My cheeks flamed as I looked away, pretending that I hadn’t been spying on him.
“Now that Penny has found her mate, we need to be extra vigilant. Will you consider coming back here?” Alex turned to look directly at me.
“Are you talking about the man from last night? I’m pretty sure he didn’t have witch blood, he’s not my soul-match, although…”
A flashback to the dance I had shared with the handsome stranger made me blush all over again. Frowning when the room went silent, I sat back on the sofa as everyone watched me.
“No, I mean him.” Alex pointed at Antony.
My throat closed unexpectedly, making me choke. Antony raised his hands, backing away. There was no way Antony was my match. We had done nothing but argue since we had known each other.
“I… I don’t think so,” Antony stuttered when Alex frowned.
The sting in my chest vibrated through me. I didn’t blame Antony for denying it, but it still made me bite my tongue all the same. Did he have to be so horrified at the idea of being with me?
“Seriously…? You don’t see it?” Clarie blurted.
Antony excused himself and went into the kitchen. Alex looked at me before he followed, a grin spreading across his lips. I wanted to call him back, but there was no point, he wouldn’t listen.
“You need to step back a bit and feel with your heart… instead of your head,” Clarie said, stroking my hair.
I almost pushed her away. It was all getting a little too intense. I didn’t enjoy the attention, especially when there was six pairs of eyes staring at me.
“We’re not soulmates, he’s my bodyguard. I met a man last night. Maybe he’s…” Leaving my sentence to trail off, I took my hand out of Clarie’s grip and got up.
Everyone exchanged looks, their expressions guarded. Even Theo had a frown on his face. Although, to be honest, a scowling Theo wasn’t uncommon.
“You’ll be all right, Penny. Just go with the flow, and if he wants to get in your knickers…”
“Lee, shut up!” Lili launched herself at our playful brother, her long sleek dark hair flicking around as she landed on him.
They wrestled to the ground, grunting as they fought. Using her nimble fingers, she managed to pin him down. Lee, with his tattoos and spikey hair, loved to laugh and joke about with the other lads, but he was usually serious with us. I could take him in small doses, like most of the boys who had grown up with a bit of an inferiority complex. At least today, his antics took the attention away from me.
“I can’t believe Penny has found her twin,” Verity said.
I couldn’t take anymore. My stomach was flipping, my hands slick with sweat. I needed space away from the eyes that stared.
Getting up, I escaped to the corridor, heading for the kitchen. Antony and Alex’s voices travelled to me, so I paused, listening. Okay, so I should have gone straight into another room instead of eavesdropping, but I couldn’t resist listening in.
“I can’t be her soul-match,” Antony said. “I’m not in a position to be in a relationship. It’s not like that between us.”
My hand came to my chest at his words, the sting returning. Why had they bothered me? I didn’t see him in that way either… or did I? The remembered kisses came back to me. One on the train, one in my bed after he’d been shot. They’d made me go all tingly, I had to admit. However, that wasn’t enough, surely?
What had made the others determine that we were not only soulmates, but that Antony had witch blood in him?
“Are you sure?” Alex said.
“I’m sure. I’m just not able to be everything she wants me to be.”
Swallowing the lump that came to my throat, I blinked, trying to stem the flow of tears that threatened. Why did his words make me so sad?
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks silently. What was wrong with me?
“Do you know what she wants you to be?” Alex’s voice was soft.
He was pretty understanding when he had to be, although that wasn’t very often.
“She wants a dream man. The type of man that would slay dragons for her. You know… all that knight in shining armour crap. I’m not that man. I’m just a humble bodyguard.”
I was so wrapped up in listening, I hadn’t realised they’d moved until they rounded the corner and came into the hallway. Alex had an arm over Antony’s shoulder, patting him encouragingly.
They both froze when they saw me. Without saying a word, I made my escape by smiling tightly and pushing past them, shoving out through the front door. Gulping, I wiped my cheeks, mortified that they had seen me crying.
My feet took me down the street, guiding me away from the house. I had no idea where I was going, but I needed to be away from everyone. Especially Antony.
There was a park across the street, so I made my way over. It was a small and quiet sanctuary of greenery, tucked away from the busy city. Sitting on a swing, I rocked back and forth, listening to the birds as they sung above. My brain raced, unable to process everything that had happened.
When I had returned to our home this morning, I hadn’t expected an onslaught. Wait, that was a lie. My siblings had been concerned for me, which wasn’t a surprise considering I had been missing overnight. However, they’d been more focused on Antony than on the warlocks.
It was the first time our enemies had shown themselves, which meant the prophecy was underway. We had to find a way to protect ourselves instead of musing over who was my soulmate.
A childhood memory of my mother forced its way into my mind. She would push each of us on the swing, spending five minutes with each of us. Her arms must have ached after forty minutes, but she had always insisted we were treated equally. Part of me wished that she was there to advise me on what to do. Her practical way would help me put my emotions into perspective.
“The universe never fails to surprise me,” a voice said.
Turning, I bolted from the swing, hands curled into fists, just in case it was the warlock from the night before. Our parents had tried to train each of us to fight, and yet, I could barely throw a punch. Our magic could only stretch to our elemental power, which meant we couldn’t cast spells in order to beat the warlocks.
The man in front of me chuckled, his arms crossing over his chest. Ah, it was my dancing partner from the club. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts, I hadn’t heard him approach from behind. Naughty, Penny, I was supposed to stay alert.
Raising his eyebrows, the man cocked his head to the side, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. My own lips lifted as I tried to see the sign for what it was.
“The universe works in mysterious ways,” I replied, knowing it wasn’t true.
The universe worked in a concise synchronistic way and that was why my heart pounded in rhythm with the traffic in the background. In all of the secret places of London, I happened to meet him in a small park near our home. No, this wasn’t mysterious, this was the universe bringing us together. Or, he was stalking me. One or the other. Although, I chose to ignore that small thought.
“How are you this morning?” he asked, coming to sit next to me as I returned to the swing.
He wore a smart navy suit and his dark hair was smooth and sleek, ready for the day.
“I’m…” I didn’t really know what to say.
Should I have told him that I was confused? That I was sad because my witchy mission seemed like a farfetched story idea? Or that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life? And to top it off, I was being chased by a gun-wielding enemy determined to bring back the dark arts and rule humans forever.
“I really enjoyed our dance last night.” His grin brought me back to reality.
If I didn’t want to be sectioned under the mental health act, I had better stay quiet.
Forcing a smile, I ducked my head when he winked at me. In the light of day, the intimacy of the dance seemed a little embarrassing.
“Me too,” I repl
ied.
Why did I sound so meek?
“Can we do it again?”
My cheeks warmed as I lifted my gaze to his. It was nice that he showed an interest in me. Although, I had no idea why.
“I’d like that,” I agreed, nodding. “Let’s hope we don’t get gunned down again.”
“Yes, I read in the newspaper that he got away. I don’t know what this world is coming to.”
I sighed heavily in agreement.
Clearing his throat, he took out a business card. I read it as he handed it to me.
“Daniel,” I muttered.
“Yep. Not a very exciting name, I’m afraid.” He stood and started to back away. “I’ll expect a text or phone call later,” he called, waving as he started to jog.
Waving back, I watched him go. He probably had a good job in the city, unlike me. We hadn’t long finished our home schooling so it was time to get out into the world. A couple of my siblings were covering the bills for our new apartment in order not to rely on our parents. If we wanted to be successful witches, we had to pull our weight in the mundane world.
The white of Daniel’s card caught my eye. I would have to go and buy a new phone with the little money I had. A thrill ran up my spine as I gripped the chains of the swing. What would it be like to get to know the handsome Daniel?
Pushing my feet on the ground, I swung into the air. As I came back down, I spotted Antony hovering by the entrance to the park, watching me. Daniel ran past him, oblivious to the bodyguard.
The silly grin that had been on my face dropped when Antony came into the park and approached the swings.
“Should you be talking to strangers?” he asked.
His eyebrows were pulled low over his eyes, almost in a scowl. His dimple was nowhere to be seen, which was a shame. He really was cute when he laughed.
“He’s not a stranger. I danced with him at the club last night.”
Leaning against the pole with his hands in his pockets, Antony raised his eyebrows. Narrowing my gaze on him, I dragged my feet on the ground and brought the swing to a stop. It was none of his business what I did, he was just my bodyguard. He had said as much, and I happened to agree.
Chasing Magic: The Last Witch Coven Book 1 Page 10
