by T. M. Cromer
Alex was on the other side, sweating and swearing, with his raised arms trembling from the effort to freeze time. As soon as Preston cleared the entry, Alex’s arms dropped and he fell to his knees, panting. “What the fuck took you so long? Did you decide to take a Sunday afternoon stroll?”
Preston chuckled as he hugged Selene tightly to his chest. “It seemed like a nice day for one.”
With a snort, Castor climbed to his feet and accepted a hug first from Georgie, then Selene.
“Thank you, Alex,” Selene said in a low, shaky voice. “I don’t know how the timing went sideways regarding the vault, but we’re all indebted to you.”
He ran a trembling hand down her silky black hair and gave her a cocky smile. “All in a day’s work, darling.”
Seeing them together, Castor so god-like with a panty-melting smile and Selene so exotic and mouthwateringly beautiful, Preston felt sick to his stomach. They were a stunning pair, and had Victor’s machinations not separated them, Preston suspected the two would still be together.
He felt Georgie’s hand on his back a second before she spoke. “We have no time to waste. We must get to the next location. We’ll have less time to search.”
“How about we start in the back and work our way forward this time? That was a helluva mad dash to make,” Preston said with feeling.
They agreed to cut each search by five minutes to eliminate any repeat of what had happened. In the end, they came away with three potential items to use, along with a mysteriously ancient grimoire with no family name attached.
“Let’s get back to the Drake estate and plan for tomorrow morning’s adventure,” Alex said, looking as worn out as Preston felt.
“It seems like it’s been a day from hell.” Selene rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I want a long bath and a full bottle of wine.”
Castor looked as if he intended to offer to share, and Preston glared in warning, his arm tightening around Selene. “Don’t.”
“I was only going to say it sounds like a brilliant idea. We should all do the same,” Alex said, but the devil danced in his ice-blue eyes, and Preston wasn’t fooled for a second.
Chapter 24
Selene rested her head back against the rim of the tub and sighed. The day had taken an emotional toll on her. First, the confrontation with Alex and the fear Preston wouldn’t believe their kiss was all a game on Alex’s part. Second, the scene in the garden when Alex had accused her of betraying him to Victor. And finally, the mishap with the timing of the vault and the real fear Preston was going to die.
In that two minutes, everything became clear. She loved Preston a thousand times more than she’d ever loved Alex. Yes, her feelings for him had been true at the time, but nothing like the deep-seated knowledge that she’d never have recovered had he not saved Preston today.
Selene had just lifted a handful of bubbles and blown them into the air when a knock sounded on the bathroom door. Believing it was Preston, she called out, “Come in.”
Alex strolled in with a wine bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other. “I believe you mentioned a bath and wine, darling.”
“Get out!”
He placed the wine glasses on the vanity top and tapped a finger on the cork. Within a second, it worked its way free of the neck with a tiny popping sound. “You’re fully covered by the bubbles, and Preston is in a powwow with his cronies. This gives us the perfect time to talk.”
“Alex, I’m serious. You need to leave. Should Preston find you here, he’ll never believe this is innocent.” Her heart hammered in her chest, and although Alex was correct about the bubbles hiding her nakedness, she was uncomfortable as hell. Not about her body—she was confident and content with who she was—but with his nearness and how this would look should he be discovered here with her.
“Relax.” He handed her a full glass of wine. “You are much too uptight these days, Selene.”
“Yes, well, death will do that for a girl,” she retorted.
His grin sent her heart into overdrive. She might love Preston, but she still had eyes in her head. And Alexander Castor was fucking gorgeous. If she had enough to drink, a woman might forget anyone else existed.
He perched on the tub’s edge and sipped his wine. “Tell me what happened.”
She frowned, not quite sure what he wanted to know.
“The day before I left you, my future self arrived and told me you’d betrayed me to Victor,” Castor explained. “I now have an idea why, but I need you to clarify the events for me.”
Wanting to sit up, but knowing she risked exposing her breasts, Selene placed the wineglass on the wide marble shelf next to her and hugged her knees to her chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Alex, or why you’d tell yourself something that wasn’t true, but I swear I never betrayed you to my brother.” She closed her eyes against the loathsome memories of the past and sighed. “I couldn’t do that to you. To us.”
When she opened her eyes, he was staring at her. The fierce love in his expression stole her breath away.
He dropped his attention to the water, and he trailed his fingers through the bubbles. “I believe you,” he said softly.
“You do?” She hated how tentative and hopeful her words sounded, and she swallowed hard when he lifted his gaze to meet hers.
“I do.” With a weary sigh, he downed his drink and rose to his feet. “Bear this in mind for the future, darling. If Preston mistreats you in any way, I’ll murder him without a second thought.”
“Alex!” she cried out, shocked he could even think Preston might misuse or mistreat her. “He’s the best of men. He’d never do anything to harm me.”
“No, I doubt he ever would, either. It’s the only reason I’m not going to make another play for you.”
“I love him.” Tears filled her eyes. “More than you could possibly know.”
Alex’s face reflected a profound sadness. “I believe my future self lied to my younger self so you could have this relationship with him.”
“You’re not that selfless, Alex,” she said gently. “Isn’t that what you habitually told me?”
“It’s nice to know I can still surprise those around me,” he quipped.
“Thank you.” Her gratitude came out as a breathy whisper. “For loving me enough to let me have this, and for saving him today.”
“You can repay me by being happy, okay?”
“What about you? Do you get your happily ever after?” She pressed a hand to her heart. “It would wound me to think you don’t.”
“Future me hasn’t given away the plot yet. He’s a dick that way.”
She laughed, as he’d meant her to. “I did love you, Alex. Maybe I still do now that I know you sacrificed your wants for mine.”
“This is exactly why I didn’t tell younger me the truth. He wasn’t noble in the least and would’ve tried to use it to his advantage.” He nodded toward her wine. “Enjoy your private time. I need to get back, or your new beau will get suspicious.”
“You make it sound clandestine,” she said dryly.
“I live for clandestine, remember?”
She couldn’t prevent her happy smile. “Thank you.”
He blew her a kiss and strolled out the way he came in. Selene shook her head. Alexander Castor was one in a million.
* * *
Preston was about to leave the bathroom as undetected as he’d arrived when Selene spoke.
“You can show yourself now, agápi mou.”
He nearly swallowed his tongue in his surprise. With a few mumbled words, the cloaking spell dissolved away, and he met Selene’s twinkling eyes. “How did you know I was here?”
“I didn’t until Alex turned to leave. You stepped backward to avoid a collision, I assume?” At his nod, she pointed to the towel rack. “I caught a glimpse of movement in the mirror.”
“Clever deduction.”
“Isn’t it, though?” she teased.
They smiled at o
ne another.
Her expression shifted to serious. “I’m assuming you heard what he said?”
“Yes. Everything.”
She raised her brows in question.
He grinned at her arch look. “Castor had a gleam in his eye when you mentioned a bath earlier. You didn’t really think I wasn’t going to watch him like a hawk after that, did you?”
Her laughter made his sneakiness seem less stalker-like. “What is it they say about people who listen at keyholes?”
“In this case, I heard only great things, for which I am eternally grateful.” He took the spot Castor had vacated and reached for her wine. After pressing it to her lips for her to take a sip, he took a drink. “It’s hard to believe he tricked himself into leaving.”
“I know. But I still don’t understand how Victor learned he was alive?”
“Me either. Perhaps someone your brother hired to watch you?”
“That’s the only explanation.” She sipped from the glass he held to her mouth. “Is your day of planning finished?”
“Why? Do you have fun activities in mind?” He heard the hopeful note in his voice, and he mentally laughed at how boyish it sounded.
“This tub is big enough for two.”
Her seductive suggestion went right to his dick. The thing had been knocking on the door to his zipper since the second he stepped into the bathroom and saw her. It had only relented during her heartfelt conversation with Castor.
With a snap of his fingers, Preston divested himself of his clothing and stepped into the tub, behind her. He drew her against him, wrapped his arms around her waist, and released a contented sigh as she rested her head against his shoulder.
“This is every man’s fantasy,” he said huskily as he cupped her breasts.
“A bath?”
“A bath with a hellaciously sexy woman such as yourself.”
“Hmm.” Her response sounded prim, but he glimpsed the wicked smile forming on her face.
He groaned when she wiggled her ass and pressed back into his erection. “I honestly thought I was exhausted until one second ago.”
“Oh?”
“Yep, I’m raring to go.”
She snorted and shifted to straddle him. “You’re raring all right.”
“Now you’re just talking dirty to make me horny. Keep it up.”
When she threw her head back and released a throaty laugh, Preston fell more in love. Before that moment, he wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the free-spirited woman in his lap was a siren.
“Here or in the bed?”
“Here works for me,” she replied huskily.
He wasted no more words.
Chapter 25
Selene woke in the middle of the night to find the room empty. Frowning, she shifted to her elbows and squinted into the shadowed room.
No Preston.
Shoving back the covers, she climbed from the bed and padded to the bathroom. When she came out, he still hadn’t returned. She threw on a robe and descended the stairs to find him. It took roughly ten minutes, due to the sheer size of the house, and she had the errant thought that she should’ve scried to find him faster.
As she stepped outside and the bottoms of her feet connected with the cool stone of the terrace, she curled her toes. Witches could easily warm their cells with a simple thought, but she appreciated the chilly temperatures after the time spent in the Otherworld, where the weather was consistently perfect.
Preston was nursing a tumbler of alcohol by the railing. His gaze was thoughtful as he looked out over the expanse of manicured lawn. “I thought you were sleeping.” His voice, although soft, was deep and rumbly. The sound filled Selene and drew her forward.
“I’m not sure what woke me, but I think my subconscious must’ve realized you were gone. It’s only been two nights, and you’ve spoiled me. I don’t want to sleep alone ever again.”
He smiled but didn’t turn her way.
“What’s troubling you, agápi mou?” She placed her palm on his bent back and rubbed circles, hoping to soothe the tension.
“Everything.” He heaved a sigh and drained his drink. After setting the glass on the wide stone rail, he straightened and faced her. “Three of the women I love most in the world are going to the Nether with our greatest enemies tomorrow. I don’t know how to wrap my mind around it.”
She nodded sagely. “I don’t suppose anything will ease your mind until we’re all back here and your enemies are tucked back in hell.”
“I hate this.” He compressed his lips and shook his head.
“I know.”
“The bitch of it is that not one of us is sure it’s going to work.”
“I know that, too.”
“Goddammit, Selene. I want to smash shit and set things on fire. But all I can do is shove my anger down and hope the Evil can be vanquished without Victor and Lin getting the upper hand.”
“You’re not worried about your cousin Delphine or Harold Beecham?”
“Delphine, no. I believe she felt regret for my death. Beecham’s wily, but not like Lin and Victor. It would take planning for him to make a move against us.”
“Are any of the tools we found today going to help?” She was grasping for straws, but his grimness was flaying her nerves alive. One of them needed to be confident they could make it through the upcoming trial.
“Possibly. We’ll also have the tanzanite rings Alastair is designing for our group. They will allow us to communicate without words. If one of us notices something off, all the others will receive the message.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I love your crafty brother.”
Preston cracked a smile. “He’s handy in a crisis.”
“I’m handy regardless.” Alastair stepped from the darkened corner of the patio, startling them both.
“What is about powerful warlocks hiding in shadows?” Selene muttered.
“It gives us an advantage over cunning witches,” Alastair quipped.
She rolled her eyes but found it difficult to hide her amused smile.
“You were listing potential tools to help your cause,” he said, giving Preston an encouraging look. “What else do you think can be utilized?”
Preston scratched at the stubble on his neck and half sat on the flat stone behind him. “I’m not sure, Al. We discovered an ancient grimoire today. It’s not attached to any family names I recognize. Georgie took it away to study.”
“I take it she stayed here?”
“Yes,” Preston and Selene chorused.
“Spring and Knox found binding bracelets and a teleportation disc.” Selene rubbed her upper arms, suddenly chilled by the thought of needing to use the items to escape. She sent a small surge of magic to her cells to warm herself. “I suppose if things go tragically wrong, we can imprison the others and teleport out of there.”
“Quentin discovered a transmutation wand and a mending stone,” Preston added. “That’s about the extent of it.”
“All worthwhile items, but hardly anything that might give you an advantage.” Alastair tugged at the cuffs of his dress shirt as a thoughtful expression settled on his classically handsome face. “We can only hope Damian or Georgie discover something in their research tonight.”
“If I know my daughter, and I do, Spring will be up all night finding spells to use and bottling potions.”
“Nash will be right beside her,” Alastair assured Preston.
“Al, should this go drastically wrong—”
“Don’t, Pres. I’m not losing you a second time.”
“You might not have a choice.”
Alastair’s anger crackled along the current of air and shoved into Selene. She stumbled and was saved from falling by Alastair himself when he reached out a hand to steady her. “I’m sorry, Selene. I sometimes forget myself.”
“No harm done,” she assured him. “Since it doesn’t seem like any of us will get any sleep tonight, let’s take a turn reading our heavenly gri
moire so Ms. Georgie can get some sleep.”
Preston’s head whipped around, and he practically shouted when he demanded, “What did you say?”
Unsure what had caused his reaction, she glanced at Alastair, only to find him frowning, too. “Um, that we should relieve Ms. Georgie?”
“No, before that. You called it a ‘heavenly’ grimoire.” Preston locked eyes with his brother. “Do you think it’s possible, Al? After all this time?”
Selene had never felt as confused as she did at that moment. “I don’t understand.”
Alastair, still sporting a deep frown, was the one to explain. “It’s rumored to be the first grimoire in existence. There was the Book of Thoth, of course. It’s basically a spellbook for godly entities. But when the first mortals were granted magical powers, they were gifted with a grimoire from those gods.”
“The Heavenly Grimoire,” Preston stated. Excitement had crept into his voice, and oddly, it gave Selene hope. “If the book truly is the first, it will have spells modern witches have never seen.”
Selene looked back and forth between the brothers, trying to process what they were telling her. She was sleep-deprived, and her brain took a second to catch up. “Wouldn’t someone have practiced them at some point? Most spells today are rooted in the old ways.”
“It remains to be seen. Or, in this case, read.” Preston grinned. “Let’s go annoy Georgie.”
“I suspect she’ll love it if it’s you.” Selene crossed her arms and raised her brows. “Maybe I should leave you alone to charm her into letting you have the grimoire?”
“I can flirt with or without you there.”
She sputtered a laugh. “You’re a cheeky devil, Preston Thorne. That’s for sure.”
“And he continues to become more cocksure the older he gets,” Alastair said with a chuckle. “Go, brother. Work your charm on Georgie. I’ll entertain Selene with tales of your wasted youth.”
“I believe you’re confused again, Al. I was the least troublesome of the three of us. Mother always said so.”
With a hearty laugh, Alastair slapped him on the back. “She told each of us kids the same thing, depending on whether or not the other two were outside digging up trouble.”
