“You’re worried about him,” I stated.
“Your father always checks in. It’s unlike him not to.” Bev gave up on her food and let her spoon clatter into the bowl.
My stomach churned as I put down my spoon. If Father always checked in, why hadn’t he let us know he was safe?
“I’ll ring Alex,” I said, getting up and rushing through the door, bashing straight into Antony as he came in.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, trying to move around him.
Smiling, he gently took my elbow and guided me through the hallway and into the garden. The birds chirped happily, building their nests for their offspring. If only I could be so carefree.
Antony took out his phone as I sat on the bench swing and tilted my face to the sun.
“I’ve not heard from your father. I need you to ring your siblings and ask if he’s with them.”
“I was just about to do that. I lost my phone last night, so… you know.” Taking the phone when he offered it, I dialled the home number. My fingers were stiff and so was the energy around us.
“Alex, it’s Penny,” I said when he picked up. “Is Father with you?”
“Why did you leave your bag in the car? I couldn’t get hold of you. I had no bloody idea if you were still alive! Where are you?”
His temper simmered, on the edge of a fiery explosion.
“I’m at Father’s. That’s where he told me to go.”
Alex grunted and I heard him tell the others where I was. “It’s not good news.” His voice grew heavier. “Nick has him.”
Choking, I almost dropped the phone. Antony came to sit next to me, his forehead pulled low over his eyes as he put a hand on my shoulder. The touch sent heat spiralling through me.
“How did that happen?”
“More warlocks came and we were overpowered. The police turned up. We managed to get away, but we couldn’t find Father anywhere.”
The phone muffled as he roared at the others to shut up. I was glad that I wasn’t on the end of his vocal fireball.
“What happened?” Antony asked.
“Father’s been taken by Nick,” I answered, my hand over the receiver.
Antony got to his feet and hurried to the back door, calling Derek and telling him to go and get dressed. I looked down at my pyjamas before clambering off the seat.
“Penny, come home. We need to sort this out between us,” Alex said before hanging up.
Antony came back over. “Stay here, we’re going to London.”
“There’s no way I’m staying here,” I exclaimed, marching past him.
“I’m your bodyguard,” he pushed through gritted teeth. “Do as I say.”
Snorting, I paused. It wasn’t a ladylike sound, I had to admit it. In fact, Antony frowned at me as I laughed. It wasn’t exactly the right time to be laughing, but after everything that had happened, I wasn’t going to stay behind.
“Derek needs to stay here with Bev. I’m coming with you, or I’m going home to the others. It’s your choice.”
Shrugging, I stormed through the house and to my room. My hands were shaking as I tugged my PJs off. How had Nick captured Father? He was a witch elder, rarely beaten in a fight. When I had left, he was doing well, almost beating the warlock.
I had just put on my bra when the door opened and Antony came in. Squeaking, I tried to cover myself, my cheeks heating as he strode over to me, buried his hand into my loose hair and pulled my head back to expose my throat.
Swallowing, I released a shaky breath as his gaze followed the movement of my throat. Butterflies tickled my tummy when he lowered his head and flicked his tongue over the sensitive skin below my ear.
“Antony…” I whispered.
He reached up and covered my mouth.
“I won’t let you ruin this,” he whispered against my neck.
His breath made me shiver as it caressed my skin. His puckered lips kissed along my collarbone, slowly enticing me to melt. When his hand brushed my bare stomach, I sucked in a breath. Crap, I was still half-dressed.
Linking my arms around his neck, I looked into his eyes, eyes that I knew from many lifetimes. He loosened his grip in my hair and lowered his head to mine. Our lips met, the tenderness disappearing as soon as they touched. His breath huffed into my mouth as he forced it open with his tongue. His arms wrapped around my back and held me against his warm chest, forcing me to recognise the sparks that flew between us. Our heartbeats matched as they raced together.
“Antony, you’ve got to let me come!” Derek shouted from the hallway.
Smiling, Antony nipped my bottom lip as we pulled apart. I licked the spot he had caught and his gaze zoned in on my tongue.
Cheeks hot, I opened my mouth to speak. His gaze lowered, his eyes widening at the realisation that I had no top on. His cheeks flushed pink as he muttered an apology before he winked and left me to finish getting dressed.
I panted as he shut the door, the fire he had ignited in me still throbbing through my bones. I hadn’t expected him to kiss me, yet my whole body had been ready. It felt right. Just like the fireworks I had imagined when I found my soulmate.
Pulling on my blue jumper, I hurried with the rest of my stuff. I had a feeling I would no longer stay at my father’s. The first part of my mission was almost complete, although we had a way to go yet.
The grimoire said that another sign that I’d met my soul-match was the feeling of being drawn together. We had been in denial, not knowing each other well enough to know what we were to one another. We still didn’t know much. However, we hadn’t been able to keep away from each other, no matter how hard we had tried to run. This was it, I could feel it in my witchy bones. We were going to unite and ignite Antony’s witch blood.
Chapter Nineteen
“Was Derek really miffed?” I asked, climbing into the car ten minutes later.
“Just a bit,” Antony said.
“Do you think we can find Father and end all this?”
I wrung my hands together, imagining what Nick would do to the one man that knew what I was going through. My guardian.
“As much as I hate to say it, I think it’s only just begun.” Antony patted my thigh as he navigated the car out of the street and onto the main road.
The touch was innocent, yet the memory of our kiss flashed into my mind, sending a bolt of delicious tingles to my feet.
“I was afraid of that,” I said, looking out of the window at the passing traffic.
The motorway made my teeth go on edge, the cars whizzing past way too fast. Only a sports car should be allowed to go that speed, and I didn’t happen to have one.
“It’ll be okay in the end.” Antony took my hand, enveloping it in his.
Looking down, I sucked back a small grin. The car was automatic, the turbo clicked on. He didn’t need his hand to change gear. Instead, he could calm me with his touch. Blimey, the emotions and energy between us had changed extremely quickly. If I wasn’t careful, I would get whiplash.
“Do you think this is it?” His words were quiet as he kept his eyes on the road ahead.
Frowning, I glanced at him, not sure what he was talking about. “What do you mean?”
“Us…?” he said, licking his lips before smiling wickedly.
Seemed like someone was actually excited to have his witch blood awakened, although we weren’t sure how or when that would happen.
His dimples appeared, and I flushed with an emotion so powerful, I shivered. I had been in insta-love with him since the moment I had met him. The connection was too strong to ignore, even though it was surreal and slightly bonkers.
The bond we’d shared before we’d let go of the angst had been tormented and painful. Now it felt like nothing could tear us apart.
“Yes, I think we’re harmonising.”
His eyes left the road to look at me, his swallow loud in the silent car.
“It’s okay,” I said, laughing when he tensed his arms. “We’ll take it slow, get to really
know one another.”
“I’m sorry.” He faced the front again, his jaw tightening as he spoke. “The last few months have been torture. I didn’t want a relationship when I met you. Sure, I thought you were attractive, and thought about you a lot, especially when your siblings opened their mouths, but it was my job to protect you. It didn’t seem right to want you.”
It was my turn to swallow. “You wanted me?”
A gentle laugh escaped him as he looked into the rear-view mirror.
His hand released mine in a rush. Gripping the steering wheel, he wrenched it to the right, grunting when the car responded.
“What’s happening?” I cried as we were thrown about.
The car sped into the fast lane, only just missing the car in front. I had to cover my eyes as my stomach leapt into my throat. Antony was a brilliant driver, there was no doubt about it. However, there was an articulated lorry ahead, driving rather slowly.
“Someone’s following us,” Antony almost shouted. “I don’t like the look of them. They were about to ram us.”
Uncovering my eyes, I looked behind. A black car was on our tail, coming closer, even though Antony had his foot flat on the accelerator.
“Do you think it’s Nick?”
Our car swerved across the road again. Yelping when my shoulder crashed into the door, I glared at Antony. He could have warned me that he was going to swerve.
Resisting the urge to moan about it, I got out his phone, ready to call my brothers. Antony was busy concentrating, I had to leave him to it.
“Probably. Who else would it be?”
Taking another look, I tried to see who it was. The car almost shunted us, the passengers hidden by the blackout windscreen.
“Can we lose them?”
I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do. When my magic returned, there was a chance I could cast spells not related to my element. Maybe I could try something now.
“Hold on!” Antony cried, speeding out of the fast lane and straight through the others.
Gripping the dashboard as hard as I could, I closed my eyes and imagined a sheet of ice on the road behind us.
“What the…?” Antony muttered.
Opening my eyes, I glanced over my shoulder as he drove towards the exit of the motorway. Ice came out from behind the car, spreading on the concrete. The car that was chasing us skidded violently.
Just about regaining control, the driver managed to straighten up. Antony gripped the steering wheel as we sped forward. There were two separate lanes, one that merged straight ahead and another that forked off to the exit.
Tugging the wheel, Antony cut in front of a lorry, just missing its front by millimetres. My scream filled the car as the lorry blew its horn. Our enemies got stuck on the other side of the lorry, unable to cross to our lane. Sighing, Antony accelerated onto the exit with just inches to spare.
Releasing my held breath, I almost choked as we escaped out of sight.
“That was mad,” I said, huffing in an attempt to get my breathing back to normal.
My heartbeat tripped all over the place and my nerves were shot.
“I’m sorry.” Antony kept checking in the rear-view mirror.
“Don’t be sorry, you did what you had to do.”
He took my hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing it gently as I placed my other hand over my heart. It was beating for an entirely different reason now.
“I know you’re super sensitive, though. That couldn’t have helped.”
I let him keep hold of my hand. He entwined his fingers with mine and rested them on his lap.
“How do you know that about me? Although, I’ve had to learn how to use that to my advantage instead of letting it rule me,” I muttered to myself, almost laughing at the craziness of my life.
His cheeks turned pink as he drove, his gaze constantly checking around for the warlocks. “Firstly, I noticed that you go all tense when we’re around a lot of people. You also react differently to anyone I’ve ever known. You get crazy defensive, although you seem to be a little better with that now.”
Narrowing my eyes on him, I smiled as my heart expanded even more. He had taken notice of who I was – albeit, my less than desirable traits – and accepted me anyway.
“You do know that other than trying to come to terms with your own ancestry, you have a lifetime of stroppiness, defensiveness and complexity ahead, don’t you? Do you think you can handle it?”
I grinned, the adrenaline of the chase pumping through my veins.
“I have no idea,” he replied, keeping hold of my hand when I tried to pull away to playfully hit him. “Before we can even start to think about that adventure, we need to get your father back.”
The smile dropped from my face. Remembering my father was like a slap on the cheek and the warm fuzziness inside turned cold.
“Yes. Will it take long to get home?”
Squeezing my hand, he glanced at me. He must have felt the energy shift. How had I switched from terror, to love, and then back to dread, in the space of a few minutes? I laughed suddenly, even though it wasn’t funny. My parents had trained me for this moment, and yet, nothing could prepare me for the range of emotions that bubbled inside.
Antony frowned. “Are you okay?”
I wanted to reach out and straighten his furrowed brow. Instead, I sat back and closed my eyes.
“I’m fine, just, you know, allowing my emotions to come up and all that jazz.”
He tutted. The sound sent prickles of annoyance down my arms. Trying to pull my hand out of his grip, I rolled my eyes when he wouldn’t let go. Apparently, he wasn’t going to let me run. Not that I wanted to. It was time to get serious. If Nick had my father, the warlock could harm him. We needed my father to help us complete our mission to bring magic back to earth. Not only that, I loved my father, he was my elder and the man who had raised me.
Raising his eyebrows, Antony stayed silent. He somehow knew to just be with me. The thought sent a wave of warmth over my skin, although a tiny thread of dread made my stomach gurgle. Could I really let anyone in? Even Antony?
“We’re almost there.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He had given me space to calm my emotions. No one had ever done that, not even my siblings.
“You know what?” he said as the car came to a stop.
“What?” I answered, opening my eyes.
We were parked a few streets away from my home in Clapham, near the park.
“This has been a wild ride. I’m glad it’s not over.”
His lips caught mine as he leant over. I welcomed the contact. The kiss was short and sweet, but it sent a thrill straight through me. He pulled away and winked as he got out of the car.
“I must admit, I’ll be glad when it is over.” I laughed as he opened the passenger door and helped me out.
“I don’t know,” he replied, looking down at me. “I think you could do with a wild ride every now and then.” Grinning, he put his arm around my shoulders and guided me home.
Chapter Twenty
“The lovebirds have arrived,” Lee announced as we entered the kitchen.
“What’s it like?” Clarie squealed as she rushed up to us.
“Have you… you know?” Theo said to Antony.
“Theo…!”
My cheeks flushed as my brother patted my soul-match on the back. Talk about immature.
“What? I think you’re the only one that hasn’t had—” Theo was cut off as Alex punched him in the arm.
I smiled at the tall handsome warrior, grateful that he defended my honour. He might have been a bit of a ladies man, but he looked out for his family.
“We were followed for part of the journey. I managed to lose them on the motorway. It wasn’t easy,” Antony said.
The boys gathered around, chatting about what had happened to Father. I moved to listen, jumping when the girls grabbed my arm and dragged me to the living room.
“What
’s it like?” Lili asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa and flicking her long sleek dark hair over her shoulder.
Patting her thigh, I shook my head. “It’s amazing. Now, tell me, how are we going to rescue Father?”
Clarie bounded on the sofa next to me, while Verity sat in the armchair. Ignoring my question, they started to throw questions of their own, all about my newfound romance. Holding up my hands, I demanded silence with just one look. There were still many things I couldn’t explain.
“Give us a chance, we’ve not even been on a date yet. We’ve only just started this awakening stage. My magic has ignited once or twice, which is incredible. However…” I paused when the girls all spoke at once again, continuing when they quietened down. “Antony not only has to fall in love with me...” My cheeks heated when I looked up and caught him hovering in the doorway, a small smile on his face. When our gaze clashed, he ducked out of the room. “… He has to navigate his own witch ancestry. We don’t know if his magic will come alive straight away or after you’ve found your soul-matches.”
“It’s so amazing!” Clarie exclaimed. “You’ve done it within a few months. Usually it takes years.”
“That’s the old way,” I replied. “We’re not going to fail this time, and to be honest, I still think it will take years. It’s something we’ll need to work at for the rest of our lives.” Clasping Clarie’s hands in mine when she tried to get me to say more, I shook my head.
I wanted to join the men to help with Father’s rescue. If it wasn’t for him, I would never have met Antony.
“It’s so romantic,” Verity said in her matter of fact tone, sounding a little less than starry eyed.
Managing to disengage myself from my sisters, I left them to see what the boys were up to. It was my turn to spy on my... what was he? My date? Boyfriend? So many new things to discover. Eventually. My whole body hummed at the thought.
“Nick headed towards north London,” Lee said, bringing my attention back to the most important matter at hand. “I lost him in Camden.”
They were gathered around the island in the middle of the kitchen. Antony fit in so well that I struggled to spot him amongst my brothers. Alex moved his great bulk to reveal him. He watched my brother, his face serious and ready for battle. A spark of flutteryness made me swallow as he held his head high, even though he was shorter than Lee, Theo, Guy and Alex.
Chasing Magic: The Last Witch Coven Book 1 Page 19
