Lee, with his bright blonde spiked hair, tattoos and ridiculously huge frame, wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. Verity was petite, her pixie cut making her look like a fairy.
“Are you alright?” Daniel asked.
Turning back to face him, I smiled. It wasn’t easy to concentrate on him when Lee was singing his request for a menu. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you. So, what do you do for fun?”
“I know it might sound a little boring,” he said, leaning his elbows on the table. “…but I like to read historical novels and go bike riding. That’s not too cliché, is it?”
Raising my eyebrows with a little smile, I shook my head. “Not at all. I prefer the calmer lifestyle, I must admit.”
“Except when you go to clubs?” Daniel waved the waitress over and we ordered.
“I rarely go out,” I said when she had gone.
My skin heated as Lee’s voice grew a little louder. What was he playing at? Father had allowed me freedom to go on a date without a chaperone. That did not mean Lee and Verity had to babysit me.
Daniel chattered on about his likes and dislikes. He watched me, his gaze delving into mine as I half-listened. He was attentive, I had to give him that. However, I was too focused on my siblings to give him the attention he deserved.
Our meal was eaten with him doing the talking. As soon as my knife and fork were down, my phone vibrated in my bag. He excused himself to go to the toilet.
“Oh good,” Lee said, making me jump as I checked my phone. “Let’s go.”
Scowling up at him, I clenched my hands into fists. “You need to leave, you’re being bang out of order.”
“Alex said there’s a suspicious looking car outside,” Verity interjected before Lee could reply.
“I’m on a date,” I hissed. “How do you expect me to find my match if you’re going to ruin it for me?”
My palms sweated as I quickly read the text. It was Antony, making sure that I was safe. Ignoring it, I shoved my phone away and got up from my seat.
“Good, I’m glad you see reason.” Nodding, Lee turned and strode towards the door.
Verity followed, trusting me far more than I would trust them.
Darting to the left, I shoved into the toilet before they’d even noticed I was gone. A male voice travelled through the thin walls.
“Yes, she’s beautiful, a really lovely girl.”
It was Daniel talking to someone on the phone. I froze, unable to resist the urge to listen.
“I’m really enjoying her company, although I’m not sure she’s that interested in me. Fingers crossed I get a second date, she’s nice.”
A flutter sparked in my stomach as I smiled to myself. The door behind me opened, Verity quickly entering. Putting a finger to my mouth, I pointed at the wall. Taking the hint, she waved for me to follow her. There was no chance I was going with them, why did they not get the hint?
“There’s three men dressed in black waiting in a car outside,” she whispered. “We’re sure it’s the warlocks.”
Hhmm… okay, that changed things. How had the warlocks found me? The leader had promised to try and stop me from finding my match, but it shouldn’t have been that easy to track me down.
“Right,” I said, huffing at the inconvenience of it all. “I’m not abandoning Daniel. They might try to hurt him if they think he’s my soul-match.”
Nodding, Verity sucked on her bottom lip. Fortunately for me, she was more compassionate than my brothers. “Make your excuses and say you’ll walk home. We’ll have to go out the back so the men out front won’t follow us. Alex will tail them, distracting them if it looks like they’ve caught wind of you leaving.”
“And Daniel?”
Gripping my hand, she pushed me towards the door. “Theo is in a car around the corner, he’ll follow Daniel back to London and make sure he gets home safe.”
They had it all planned out, didn’t they? It was quite convenient that they happened to be there when there were suspected warlocks out the front. It seemed I had my own personal bodyguard troop that I wasn’t even aware of.
Groaning low in my throat, I stepped through the door and smacked straight into Daniel, who was coming out of the mens.
“I’m so sorry,” I stuttered when he caught me. “I’m not feeling well. Something isn’t agreeing with me. Could we postpone?”
Looking into my eyes, he searched them, a concerned expression quickly spreading across his face. At first, I hadn’t been too sure about the man, but now, he showed a different side. One that I liked being around. He was a lot more mature than Antony, and he actually liked me, which helped a ton.
“Of course. Shall I drive you back?”
Shaking my head, I clutched my tummy. “No, it’s fine. I’ve texted my father to ask him to pick me up. I’d be mortified if I… you know… in your car.”
His eyes widened as he stepped back, clearly disturbed with the idea that I might vomit or worse. I bit my lip in an attempt to hide the smile that wanted to blossom. He wasn’t so kind and caring that he would hold my hair back when I was ill.
“That’s fair enough. I’ll wait for your father to arrive-”
“No, you must go, please. He’s going to be a while, and I’m going to stay in there. In fact…” Holding my hand over my mouth, I gagged.
Daniel held up his hands and moved back again. “Please, don’t let me stop you. I’ll pay the bill.”
“Thanks,” I squeezed out as I spun and thrust back through the toilet door.
“Call me when you’re better!” he called before the sound of his footfalls fell away.
Verity smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry.”
Shaking my head, I took out my phone. Antony had texted me two more times. I ignored him again, frustrated that everyone else was controlling my night. “Let’s go.”
Agreeing, Verity stuck her head out of the door. Giving me a thumbs up, she guided me away from the main restaurant, where Daniel was paying for our meal, and to the back door. We escaped quickly, bursting onto a small driveway at the side of the building. Lee waited in a blacked out car, waving through the open passenger’s side window.
Verity slid behind the steering wheel and I got in the back, slamming the door behind me.
“Why is Verity driving?” I asked.
“Because she’s a sensible driver who won’t arouse suspi-” Lee was cut off when Verity accelerated and almost crashed into another car as she came out onto the road.
I laughed when Lee gripped the dashboard, his eyes wider than the headlamps that came towards us.
“Sorry,” Verity said, righting the car and turning away from the restaurant.
The sat nav already had Father’s address in it. I had given it to the others when they asked, making them promise to leave Father alone until I’d had my time with him. It wasn’t meant to be selfish, but I needed him to help me focus on my mission and none of the others had started theirs.
“We’re avoiding the most direct route,” Lee said when he had settled. “That way, if it was the warlocks spying on you, they won’t be able to follow you to dad’s.”
Gosh, it was strange hearing Lee call our father Dad. We had got out of the habit when he’d left. It had felt too personal for someone who had gone.
“Did your date go well?” Verity asked, hitting Lee’s arm when he spun and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at me.
Rolling my eyes, I sat back and looked out of the window. “Yes, he was a great guy.”
Lee’s phone burst into song – one of his own, the musical genius – before they could reply. Snatching it up to his ear, he barked a greeting.
“Hurry up,” Alex shouted down the phone. “They’ve just left the restaurant and for some reason, they’re heading your way.”
“Bloody warlocks,” Lee replied. “We’re on it.”
Verity’s foot was down, speeding up the car before Lee had even hung up the call. He looked over his shoulder at me, flashing a cheeky grin. The boys loved the t
hrill of the chase, even if it was our worst enemy we were running from.
“He’ll head them off somehow, I’m sure.”
I watched the houses go by as Verity swerved the car into a quiet street. We weren’t far from Father’s now. If we managed to get there soon, I could rush inside and be safe from them spotting me.
“Alex has just texted, he’s following them. They’re literally three streets away. How do they know where we’re going?”
“Stop here!” I shouted. “I can duck through the garden there and into the back of Father’s.”
Slamming the brake on, Verity brought the car to a halt. “Go!”
Lee was wrestling with his seatbelt, protesting at the same time. I tugged on the door, yelling a farewell and bolting through the open gate of a property behind my father’s. I could see his house on the other side of the garden.
The car pulled off, leaving me in the dark. Silence descended as I got out my phone and put the light on in order to navigate the lawn. My boot kicked a stone, sending it clattering across the pathway. Gasping, I looked up to the house, hopeful that no one had heard me.
When my phone beeped, I swore and started to run across the grass. The hedges at the front of the house were low, not giving me much coverage.
My heart flipped into my throat when the sound of a car engine reached me. Shoving the phone into my pocket, I hid behind a tall bush, peeking out as a car passed, slowly creeping along. When it travelled under the street lamp, I held my breath. There were several shady men inside, their heads moving back and forth as they searched.
Stepping back, I hid myself completely. My ears pounded as I breathed in and out, my chest rising and falling. They couldn’t kill me, I had to remember that. Although, the leader of the warlocks had used magic. Maybe the curse could be changed by them, a loophole that allowed them to kill us.
As the hum of the car engine faded away, I blinked several times, trying to get used to the shadows. My vision quickly righted itself, allowing me to see my father’s huge boundary fence.
Glancing around the bush once more, I checked that there was no one in the street. It was empty. My breath came in short bursts as I thrust out of my hiding place and ran across the rest of the lawn, pressing myself against the fence as soon as I reached it. If I was one of the boys, I would’ve been able to scale it.
Biting my lip, I flexed my fingers. I didn’t have a choice, I had to try.
This was it, a way to prove myself. Rubbing my hands together, I turned to the fence and felt for something to grip. There was a slight ledge in the middle, the wood stretched across to support the upright slats.
Putting my foot up, I managed to somehow scramble, reaching high for the top of the fence. It was extremely ungraceful, and as I clung to the top, my hands clenching the wood, I cursed the day magic left me with just one power. Breathing underwater was not helpful in my time of need.
In fact, Theo’s ability to command plants and trees would’ve helped right about now. Being an earth elemental witch made it easier for him.
“What are you doing?”
Jumping, I yelped as my feet lost their balance and my hands slipped from the top of the fence. Air rushed around me as I fell, smashing into whoever had been standing below me.
“Penny!” Antony groaned when I thrust away, trying to untangle myself.
Relief flooded me, making my arms go weak. Crap, it was only Antony. My whole body shook as I collapsed down, not caring that I was still partially on top of him.
“What are you doing?” he grunted, blowing my hair out of his face.
My body was deadweight on him, my ear resting on his chest. “Recovering from the heart attack you just gave me.”
His body moved as he chuckled. I couldn’t help but smile at our predicament. Never had I imagined that I’d be trying, and failing, to climb a fence outside my father’s home to get away from the warlocks.
“Alex asked me to come find you,” Antony said, gently moving my hair out of my face.
Tingles tickled my skin where his fingers had briefly brushed my cheek. Getting off him, I cleared my throat and clambered to my feet.
“How did it go?”
“I had a lovely time.” I sighed. “Can we go home?”
“How do you know he’s safe to be around?” Antony said, following me as I started to walk around the fence. “Something about him makes me feel…”
As his sentence trailed off, I found myself longing to hear what he thought.
“What…?” I asked softly, not looking at him as he drew level with me.
“I’m not sure exactly. He doesn’t seem genuine.”
My steps became faster as my emotional high came bouncing down around me. There was nothing more depressing than someone’s negative opinion. Although, I didn’t know Daniel well enough to disagree completely. Not that I’d let Antony know that, of course.
“I feel alright around him,” I said, stopping at the end of the garden. “I’m a pretty good judge of character.” Okay, so maybe my words had sounded a little gloating but usually it was true.
His laughter made me turn to look at him.
“What…? I am!”
Shaking his head, he held up his hands in surrender. His forehead wrinkled as he frowned, the hilarity leaving him. The creases in his skin made me want to reach out and smooth them.
When I took a step towards him, he backed up. I had been staring but didn’t realise until he moved.
“Sorry,” I said, smiling.
I must have seemed intense.
“You’re such a contradiction,” he muttered.
I narrowed my gaze on him when he knelt and cupped his hand, gesturing for me to put my foot in it. Allowing him to help me, I somehow managed to clamber up the fence, gripping the top. His hands on my bum, he pushed me over, grunting at the effort.
Falling to the other side, I winced when I landed on my back. Antony’s boots thumped next to me, as graceful as a cat compared to me.
The light from the house illuminated the garden. Father stood in the window of his library, looking out into the darkness. Antony started forward, striding across the lawn.
“What do you mean, I’m such a contradiction?” I said, clenching my hands by my sides.
He froze, staying still before spinning and coming to me in three big steps. Halting right in front of me, he looked into my eyes.
“One minute you’re up, and the next, you’re down. You’re hot and then you’re cold. You’re giving and then you’re withdrawing. It’s confusing to be around. I don’t know where I am with you, Penny.”
The tone of his voice was harsh, and I had to bite my lip. My defences rose as my teeth gritted together. Taking a deep breath, I stopped myself from snapping back.
What had the grimoire said? Step back and allow the process of every emotion. Don’t try to push it away or react when someone pushes your buttons. Apparently, in order for witches to control magic, they had to control their triggers and emotions.
Closing my eyes briefly, I felt the words pierce me. Antony hadn’t known me for more than a handful of days, so why was I bothered by what he thought?
“I’m complex, I know that.”
I opened my eyes, startling when his breath hit my face. I hadn’t realised how close he had come.
“You’re more than complex and it confuses the hell out of me. When your siblings said that we were a match, I freaked out. I’ve known you for such a little time, why would they say that?”
Shrugging, I shook my head “Because they’re desperate to revive the last witch coven and bring back the witch race. The humans with dormant witch blood will be able to access magic once all eight of us unite with our match. It’s a pretty big deal.”
“I suppose,” he muttered, reaching up and pulling a leaf from my hair. “Let’s go.”
The screech of tyres at the front of the house caught our attention. We both rushed around the side of the house, keeping quiet as we hid in the shadows.
“That’s Daniel’s car,” I said, running out from my hiding place and going to the gate.
Jumping out of his car, Daniel came over. Antony rushed up behind me, taking hold of my elbow and glaring at the man I’d just been on a date with.
“Penny, I had to make sure you got home okay.” Daniel looked between us, a frown on his face.
Really…? That was a bit strange. He had my number. Why hadn’t he just texted?
“As you can see, she’s fine,” Antony said.
Daniel grinned in the direction of my bodyguard without looking at him. Coming up to me, he put his hand on the back of my head. “I forgot to do something,” he whispered.
Disoriented, I didn’t stop him when his lips met mine in a rough kiss. His mouth was hard, the smell of our meal strong on his breath.
“Get off her!” Antony growled.
Vaulting the gate, Antony ripped Daniel away and pushed him towards the car.
“I just wanted to say goodbye properly. Night, Penny, dream of me.” He winked as he drove off.
“What an arsehole. Are you seriously into him?”
My body shook as my thoughts swirled around my head. It had been such a lovely evening with Daniel. We had laughed and joked as we ate. It was easy to talk to him, I could be myself when we were together. Well, as much as I could with Lee and Verity spying on me.
The kiss hadn’t been right, though. I often day-dreamt about the type of kiss I would get from my beloved. Yes, shoot me, I was a romantic at heart.
The one I’d just experienced hadn’t been in my fantasies.
“Are you okay?”
Antony took my hand, but I shook him off. I needed to be alone.
“I’m fine. I just want to go to bed,” I said, leaving him on the pavement and making my way inside.
“Penny, we have to talk.” My father caught me as I entered the hallway.
I sighed dramatically and followed him into his study. It had been a long evening, I was ready to hit my bed and go to noddy-land. Or probably drive myself insane by overthinking when I got there but yeah, the duvet called my name.
Chasing Magic: The Last Witch Coven Book 1 Page 12
