Choked sobs escaped from my throat as I cried. Antony sat on the bed and lifted me onto his lap, making shushing noises into my hair. My head rested against his shoulder as my tears absorbed into his T-shirt. Images of us from different lifetimes flashed into my mind as he rocked me gently and rubbed my back.
For so long, we had tried to unite. Nick had successfully kept us apart back then. Being in Antony’s arms after being locked up was strange, and yet, it was home. Wasn’t it?
I had doubted that we were a match. Yes, I’d noticed that he was hot as soon as I had seen him, but there were no sparks flying, no big sign from the witchy universe to say it was him. Well, except when we had the intense moment in the bedroom at my father’s and my siblings telling me that he was my match. Hhhmm, maybe I hadn’t listened.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
Pulling back, I looked into his blue eyes. His cheeks were wet, his eyelashes damp. Smiling, I wiped away his tears. My heart beat faster than it ever had, thudding violently in my chest. The man who was meant for me, cried with me.
“Why are you sorry? You rescued me. How did you find me?” I whispered back.
Sniffling, he shook his head, rubbed a hand over his face and looked at me, composed once more. He couldn’t find the words to express himself. Had he remembered our past?
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I had no idea where you were. I failed my job as your bodyguard. Then I started to have crazy dreams. One of them showed me the name of a street. I told Alex, who did recon with Lee and Theo. They found you really.” His words rushed out as he pulled my head to his shoulder again.
I fought against him, keeping my head upright and searching his eyes. I knew those eyes, they had been in my flashback. It was him. His eyes had been the same in every lifetime.
“It is you,” I whispered.
He froze. His hand hovered on my jaw as he stared into my gaze. A shudder went through us both at the same time, making us laugh.
Crap. Alex had been right all along and he would never let me live it down.
“What’s me?” he said quietly.
The vibration of his voice made me smile. It felt good to finally be certain. A part of me must have known all along, and yet, denial had kept me ignorant because it hadn’t been the fairy-tale meeting I had expected.
“You’re my soul-match. You have witch blood in you.”
Looking down at my lips, he swallowed as his tongue darted out to wet them and his pupils dilated.
“I’m scared,” he whispered.
My insides quivered, the intense feeling making me shiver. It vibrated through me, which meant he would be able to feel it too. His breath hit my face and I swallowed. His eyes followed the movement of my throat, dipping to trace my neck.
“Me too.”
A gasp left his mouth as his hand buried into the back of my hair and his lips descended onto mine. His tongue dipped into my mouth before I could get a breath, and I was lost as I met his stroke with my own.
“Penny, we need to talk to you!” Clarie called from outside the room.
The bang on the door made us pull apart. Antony’s chest heaved against mine, my own heartbeat matching his erratic pattern.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted, sliding out from under me.
“Why are you sorry?”
Distance sprung up between us as he took a step back.
“I’m taking advantage of you.”
I smiled despite the huge gap that now stood between us. He cared enough to worry that he might be taking advantage. My emotions were all over the place. Maybe he was right to back away, although not too far, I hoped.
“Let me in!” Theo called. “It’s only us.”
Antony went to the door before I could say anything. Glancing over his shoulder, he stiffened when our gaze met. A sad smile crossed his mouth as he shook his head.
“I really am sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” Unlocking the door, he stood back, allowing my siblings access.
When Clarie and Theo came in, he slipped out and shut the door behind him. A piece of me left with him and as Clarie’s arms came around me, I melted in emotion once more. This time, I wasn’t crying because of my kidnapping. I cried because my soul-match had finally admitted the truth to himself, even if he was afraid.
Chapter Sixteen
“It’s good to see you!” Clarie declared when our grey-haired father walked into the living room three days later.
It had been several years since most of them had seen him. They crowded around him, beaming when he hugged each one of them. Even Alex allowed himself to be embraced in a bear hug, although it looked weird considering he was now twice our father’s size.
“Penny, I’m so sorry,” Father said, coming over to me.
Sitting next to me on the sofa, he put his arm over my shoulder. I nestled into his side and felt the soft brush of his lips on my hair.
“It’s not your fault.”
It was true. Being kidnapped came with the mission. I had re-read the book and it clearly said that warlocks would do anything to stop the witch race from being revived. It also said that they would do anything to stop the union from being a success. They were terrified of us and rightly so. Pure earth magic was much more powerful than dark. We were a threat that could bring down the warlocks.
“Have you ever been in other lifetimes with us? Were you our guardians before?” I asked him.
His arm tensed and he pulled away from me, looking into my eyes as a small smile came to his lips.
“Many times,” he said, nodding.
The others were quiet as they listened.
“Penny mentioned that you’re our witch elder. What about Mother? Is she an elder, too?” Alex took over the questioning.
Alex, the big dark-haired warrior, had a burn mark on his cheek where Lee had breathed fire and caught him in the fight. They had managed to contain a couple of Nick’s men, but they couldn’t find the leader anywhere.
“She is your elder, yes. The problem is, my children, we are normal witches, too. We remember a lot more than you, because we need to protect you as best we can. However, we can still be influenced by energies and people while we’re here.”
“Is that why you left?” Verity stepped forward. Her mousey hair glowed in the light coming through the window. “Mother said that you wanted us to give up on the mission.”
The others murmured their dissent. We had agreed not to mention anything to Father about him leaving. It was typical that someone had brought it up.
“Give up? You’ve got to be kidding! I left because my heart was breaking. Love is tricky, even for those of us who don’t have a mission quite as important as yours.”
Father stroked my hand twice, a wry twist coming to his lips as I glanced up at him. The look in his eyes told me that he had been through it, too. The pain that had crippled me the last two days had been a mixture of my kidnapping and Antony running out on me. He hadn’t even checked to make sure I was okay.
“You and Mother are a soul-match?” Clarie asked.
Nodding, Father kept his gaze on me. “Every time we come back to help you, we have to go through a similar pattern. When I left, it was because I didn’t want to go through it anymore.”
“So you ran?” I swallowed the tears that threatened to come into my eyes.
Although we were in the living room, my bedroom had been my sanctuary while I recovered from my ordeal over the last few days. I had literally slept on and off, dreaming about Nick’s scary eyes and Antony’s soothing ones. He had appeared in almost all of my dreams. It was as if I knew who he was at his very core without actually knowing him that well. It was a bloody strange feeling.
Antony was more than likely freaked out about his role in the revival of the witch race, I got that. He probably wouldn’t come back to me anytime soon and as hard as it was, I understood. To him, we were strangers.
“Are you still running from Mother?” I whispered.
He shook his head and reached out to catch the tear that dropped from the corner of my eye. “I’m not, I’ve made peace with our separation. However, your mother still is.”
“And Bev?”
Folding his hands together, Father smiled. “Sometimes,” he sighed, “even though we’re supposed to be together, people can hurt us so much, it’s impossible to stay in a relationship. That’s not to say we can’t love another, it’s just a different kind of love.”
“And Bev is your different kind of love?”
Inclining his head, he blinked slowly. “Surrender, my child and everything will come together as it should.”
The words made my skin itch. Squeezing his hand tightly, I sucked in a breath and widened my eyes. Yes, yes, we all knew the philosophy of surrendering to allow whatever is meant to be. Not that we had to like it. I had a witch to awaken and a coven to expand. Not that I was ready for that particular part of my calling, but a girl had a biological clock that had to be satisfied within the next twenty years.
Laughing, my father must have seen the thoughts rushing through my mind. Patience was not a virtue I could proudly display on my resume. It was so frustrating when they told me that I had to wait. I was surrendered. Wasn’t I?
“I don’t think Antony’s ready,” Alex said.
Shrugging, he wrenched his head to the side. The crack of his neck sounded around the room, making me wince. His eyes were haunted, the dark circles under them heavy. What was wrong with him?
“I don’t think she’s ready either,” Clarie countered.
I glared and she looked at the floor. My siblings had been good enough not to push me since I had returned from Nick’s, even though I’d had to give them all the details of the kidnappings and past life dreams.
It had taken me a couple of days of burying my head to realise what I had to do. I wasn’t just going to sit around and do nothing.
“Did he say anything before he left?” my father whispered to me as the others started to chatter amongst themselves.
My cheeks flushed as the memory of the kiss flickered through my mind.
“Just that he was scared.”
He nodded once and stood. “Don’t forget, he had no idea that he’s descended from witch ancestry. When you release your own fear, his will also evaporate. Live life, Penny. You’ll be safe for a while. Nick will back off for a bit, your brothers would’ve given him a scare. Their magic has grown as we near the next stage of your mission.”
“He said we couldn’t kill him. Why can’t we find a way?”
The others fell silent when they heard my question.
“What do you mean we can’t kill him? I have every intention of killing him.” Alex cracked his knuckles as he leant against the doorframe, his favourite spot for lording over us.
“It’s the curse,” Father said. “He’s not allowed to kill us; we’re not allowed to kill him. It’s all part of keeping the last coven intact. You’ll learn more as your journeys unfold.” Father patted my head, ready to leave.
He believed in being a distant guardian. He wanted us to be free to live our lives how we chose.
“I wish I knew more about this bloody curse. It sucks to know that I’m part of it but don’t have a bloody clue what I’m supposed to be doing.” Lee shook hands with Father.
“You do know, my boy, but more will become clear as everything evolves.” Father looked over his shoulder before he walked through the open doorway. “Penny, remember to surrender and allow. Love who you are so that another can love you unconditionally.”
Rolling my eyes, I nodded as he winked at me. That was something the grimoire had mentioned, too. If we could accept our ancestry, magic and destiny, we would speed up the process of igniting the magical imprint.
“What’s it like?” Theo said, coming to sit next to me.
“It’s heart wrenching,” I replied, smiling softly when his eyebrows pulled together. “And confusing. It’s like I know the guy inside, and yet, I don’t in real life.”
“Can’t you just get on with it? Tell him how you feel and sort it out?”
I laughed. “You’re a fine one to talk. Would you let someone know how you felt if they were freaking out?”
Theo was the worst one of us all. He didn’t have a clue how to be honest about the way he felt. He buried his emotions deep down so no one could get close.
“Well, I’ve not been there yet, so how would I know?” He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
I instantly recognised the defensive gesture and stopped myself from mirroring him. Staying where I was, I reached for his hand. He grudgingly let me take it, even though the scowl on his face remained.
“You heard Father. I just need to relax about everything.”
“You…? Relax…?” Alex butted in. “I’ve never known anyone so serious.”
I laughed as he picked up the remote control from the cabinet and pressed a button. A burst of music filled the room, vibrating the walls.
“Yep, this will make us unwind,” he shouted, jumping up and dancing around the room.
He offered lap dances to the sisters, sulking when they all refused. With a wave of dismissal, he came over to me, grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I let him. He was right, I had always tried to control everything. Once in a while, I needed someone to pull me along with their energy.
“See, you’re a good dancer. We’ll make a stripper out of you yet.”
Alex started to take off his shirt, laughing when we all groaned in disapproval. Going to the sofa, he grabbed Lee and pulled him to the centre of the room. I loved to see the childish side to Alex. His personality swung between broody and immature.
I giggled as Lee peeled his top over his head, revealing toned abs covered in tattoos, and threw it in Theo’s face. The others joined in the hilarity as Theo tutted and picked the shirt off with two fingers.
“The water elemental witches need to loosen up,” Alex shouted.
Clarie jumped up and started to gyrate her hips. She’d never had trouble loosening up around men. I often wished I had some of her flirty ways. Not that she was doing it for our brothers’ attention, of course, but it was easy for her to let loose.
“You lot are mad,” Theo said, storming from the room.
“He’s so boring.” Lee put an arm around my shoulder.
“We need to go to a club,” Alex said as the others wandered off to do their own thing.
“I think I’m all right for the moment.” Snatching the remote from Lee, I turned the music down. The short dance had proved effective. I was ready to get back to normality.
“I know what I want to do for a job,” I announced.
The others carried on dancing, ignoring my feeble attempt at an announcement. Instead of trying to get their attention, I left them to mutter between themselves.
Heading to my room, I paused when I stumbled in the hallway. Something made my gaze lift to the closed front door. A strong compulsion overtook me, so I followed my instinct and ended up standing at the top of the townhouse steps, just outside the door.
“How did you know I was here?”
Antony sat on the bottom step, his arms resting on his thighs. I looked at the back of his head as my heart played like a drumstick against my ribcage.
“I didn’t, something made me-”
He got up and spun towards me. “I didn’t want to see you.”
I grabbed my chest as pain exploded through me. “Then, why did you come?” I snapped back.
What was his problem?
Antony shook his head and ran up the steps, stopping on the one just below me. I reached out and rested my hand on his chest. His heartbeat was as rapid as mine, his muscular frame unable to hide the thumping. He folded his fingers around mine and looked into my eyes.
“You make me feel…” he whispered, tapping his chest with our entwined hands.
“You make me-”
“Don’t.” He leant forward and rubbed his nose against mine. “When I s
ee you, a rush of emotion overtakes me, and I can’t even think.”
His lips were close to mine. I wanted to lean forward and touch him with my tongue. It was a bizarre urge, and yet, there it was. However, I couldn’t go round poking him with my tongue, we had to talk.
“That’s how I feel, Antony. I want to date you. We can start slow, work out this witch journey together.”
His eyes widened and he started to pull back. Putting my arms around his neck, I tried to comfort him. He took my hands and moved them away.
“This is crazy. It’s not real.”
“Why do you say that? Why are you fighting?”
Moving forward as he backed down the steps, I halted when he put up a hand.
“Please don’t run from me,” I whispered as his feet touched the pavement and he turned.
Licking my lips, I let him go. I wasn’t going to chase him like a desperate woman, waving my arms and crying. It must have been a shock for him to find out that one day, he could have magic. Not only that, it probably felt like he had no control over his whole life.
As he disappeared around the corner of the street, his footsteps almost running, I skipped down the steps and headed in the opposite direction. The traffic was loud, cars beeping and pedestrians chatting as they passed.
My insides quivered as I thought about the man with the bright blue eyes and dark hair. Our mission had seemed simple in our minds. Meet the one, save the world. And yet, it wasn’t quite that easy.
The hanging sign of a pub swung high above my head as I went under, pausing when I read the name. Tears & Dreams. It was a funny name for an English pub, they were usually so masculine.
Not being much of a drinker, I rarely visited the pubs in the area, preferring to sit in parks or by steams. Maybe I should have lived a little, experienced more.
Deciding on the spot, I pushed through the pub door and came to a stop. Several men and women of different ages were smiling, chatting away with one another. Double doors at the back of the room opened up onto a cute little garden.
Smiling to myself, I approached the bar and ordered half a pint of cider. The sun shone through the windows, lighting up the dark décor and inviting me outside. Father had told me to surrender, so that’s what I would do.
Chasing Magic: The Last Witch Coven Book 1 Page 16
