A Cold Day in Spell, page 13
The song ended, and the spell was broken, though I still faltered getting back to the table, my legs like jelly. I wished I could blame it on the alcohol, but that had nothing to do with it.
“Want to play a game?” Kin asked on the way across the floor.
“I’m not good at darts.” Actually, that wasn’t true at all. I had impeccable aim, after all, but I knew from experience that playing with him would turn into foreplay, and I couldn’t go any further down that road. He’d watch me walk back and forth to retrieve my darts, I’d put a little sashay in my step, and when I beat him handily, he’d tell me it was sexy as hell to get shown up by a woman.
Kin sized me up and raised an eyebrow, “I highly doubt that, but I was thinking more along the lines of some people-watching fun. See that couple over there? He’s clearly done something to tick her off—look at the way she’s got her body turned away from his, and of course there’s the face she’s making. What do you think their story is?”
“This one’s a piece of cake,” I breathed a sigh of relief; keen observation was part of my job, and getting into the zone kept the more confusing aspects of the evening at bay. “She’s upset because the blond at the bar won’t keep her eyes to herself. Duh.”
“Okay, I admit, I saw that a mile away, too.”
We’d never played this game before, and I’d had no idea Kin was so astute at reading people. “Corner table, looks like a double date of some kind. What’s your take?”
He took his time, appraised the situation. I liked that about him. It showed an analytical mind under the charisma and charm. “Whoa. Not going to end well. Dude on the right has eyes for his buddy’s girl and she’s giving it right back. I feel bad for their dates.”
While Kin watched the group, I watched him. Not just because he was easy on the eyes, though that was part of it, but I wanted to see his reactions. This whole situation felt like cheating. Not the kind of cheating that might happen between the couple at the far table. But because I already knew Kin’s soul, his goodness, and decency, I had an unfair advantage. And though I’d tried not to use it, maybe I had, without knowing, used that advantage to get him to start falling for me. Love at first sight. Sigh.
“What about this one?” Kin pointed in the opposite direction.
I burst out laughing when I spun around to where a woman in her late 30s, clearly plastered, danced on stage while belting out an off-pitch rendition of “Walking on Sunshine”.
“Recent divorcee. No question.” I fired back.
With every verse, the poor drunk woman danced closer and closer to the back end of the platform, and it appeared she had no clue there was a gap between the edge of the stage and the wall behind it. The scene from “It’s A Wonderful Life” where Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed are dancing on top of the pool, oblivious to the fact that the cover is opening up right behind them, flashed through my mind.
Kin’s eyes widened as he watched, but there was no way either of us would have made it across the room in time to warn her, even if we could have stopped giggling long enough to try. When she toppled off toward the floor, I sent a burst of magic to lessen her impact on the ground, which made me feel a little better about having laughed myself silly at her expense. She still went down in a heap, and the look on her face when she popped back up was priceless. To her credit, she finished the song, albeit a little less exuberantly.
“You’ve got to admire that kind of grit and determination.”
“Tell me something, Lexi Balefire, do you believe in love at first sight?” Kin asked, out of the blue during the lull between songs. His eyes smoldered into mine, and I was caught completely off-guard. Not a usual occurrence for me, but the idea that I should be concerned about that quieted to a whisper in the deafening roar of Kin’s question and its implications.
“I wouldn’t be a very good matchmaker if I didn’t, now would I?” I tried to keep my tone light. “But I’ve also seen a fair amount of infatuation at first sight, and they look pretty similar.”
“Is that what this is, then? Did you put some kind of spell on me? Because I can’t get you out of my head.”
It felt like I’d been dipped in ice water and then tossed in a scalding shower, the way my body went from hot to cold.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, but you’ll have to try. My life is complicated and I’m not in the market for a relationship. You know how it is, always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” Totally the wrong analogy, but it was the only one that came to mind.
But I might as well have spewed gibberish for all he listened.
By the time he was walking me to my front door, I’d given in to the inevitable. There was heat between us, but there was more.
No, I know what you’re doing, and you can’t. You’re supposed to be the strong one. Where’s that iron will? What if we end up together again and something else happens?
I ignored Lexi, and the fact that we’d changed roles somewhere along the way. Kin’s hand in mine felt all kinds of right. Didn’t we deserve a chance to see if it could all work out?
Chapter 18
The world spiraled in tight until there was nothing but the smell of Kin’s aftershave and my heart thundering in my ears like a dozen galloping horses. He slid his arms around me and pulled me in close enough that I could feel his pulse racing every bit as fast as mine.
One hand came up to rest against my cheek, then slid through my hair to cup the back of my head, and he whispered my name. My knees turned to water.
His head dipped, his breath teased across my lips and sent a wave of electric energy shivering over me. In that moment, I felt weightless, poised to fall in a gentle arc like a feather on the wind.
Our last first kiss hadn’t affected me nearly this much, but at the time, I hadn’t known we were fated for true love’s kiss.
Twice.
At least I hoped so. To find out, all I had to do was lean closer, bridge that inch of distance, mingle my breath with his, and let his lips take mine. I wouldn’t—couldn’t—wait another second.
And then the lights went out.
Sylvana
Standing in the shadows at the far end of the porch, I watched my daughter share an intimate moment and knew she wouldn’t thank me for playing the voyeur. But there was a lot riding on this kiss and if it didn’t go well, I wanted to be there to pick up the pieces.
The look of sheer bliss on Lexi’s face as she leaned in made my heart both sing and weep. I missed the love of my own life so much it caused me physical pain, and I would have taken it double if it meant my daughter would never have to feel the same way again. So tenderly did Kin handle her it made me rethink my opinion of the man. He held her like she was precious, and fine, and he couldn’t count his good fortune for being in this place and time. It was a beautiful moment.
But it wasn’t about him. Lexi had reached the point in her life when, in many ways, partner replaces parent. I’d missed the time when I would have been the center of her universe, and now that honor would defer to another regardless of my feelings. At least, it would if this kiss went well.
I heard the sigh of his breath, the sharp intake of hers, and then the thundering of hooves. That’s when things went from whoop to poop.
For all the noise they made, the horse’s hooves barely touched the ground as they swept across the front yard. Booted feet thumped on the ground as the pair of riders practically rolled of their mounts. In the sickly lantern light, I saw one black figure seize Lexi by the shoulders and spin her aside while the other had its sights set on Kin.
They moved so quickly it was as if time sped up for them, but slowed for everyone else except me, and I was stuck in the place between a nanosecond and eternity.
Magic burst from me, but unlike the Sylvana who had damned her mother to twenty-five years as a statue and landed herself in a Nexus, I didn’t just throw it around willy-nilly. I would not be doomed to make the same mistakes I’d already suffered for—this time, I focused all of my intention toward my goal with love in my heart instead of anger. I would protect my daughter or die trying.
The spell snaked from my fingers, and it took everything I had to hold it steady. A force field of magic enveloped the riders, its intended effect to turn back the ravages of time and allow Lexi a few moments to skim her and Kin away to safety. Unfortunately, I underestimated just how powerful the two beings were, and all my spell did was make it appear as if someone had pressed the slow button on a remote control.
Before I could end the spell and toss another, one of the Balmorrigan had Lexi in his grasp. Kin glanced at me with terror in his eyes and clutched for the woman I still wasn’t sure he understood to be his soul mate. His fingers grazed her shoulder blade, and it looked as though a shock rang through his entire body. I watched as he pulled his hand away and stared incredulously at a gold-tipped arrow with a shaft of what looked like bone.
Do something with it! I thought, but didn’t have time to shout, and it didn’t matter anyway because Kin was already in motion. With no other option, he brandished the arrow toward the first rider, who let out a howl as the barb slashed into his skin and drew a swath of blood.
Kin’s actions bought me a second or two. Just enough to toss a ball of witchfire at the second lantern-carrying figure, see the shimmer of faeries coming to help, and to make a decision. Trusting the Fae to protect my daughter as they had been doing for most of her life, I made a grab for Kin and skimmed us both through space to safety.
“What just hap—”
“I do not have time to explain it to you. You’re just going to have to trust that I’ll take care of it, and stay put.” I pierced him with a warning glare and spun on my heel.
“Lexi.” Her name on his lips echoed in my ears as I left him standing in his own kitchen. If there’d been time, I’d have wiped his memory, but my daughter needed me, so he’d have to figure out a way to deal. And if he couldn’t, well, then Lexi would have to get over him once and for all.
The trip to Kin’s and back took only a matter of seconds—being a witch comes with some pretty impressive perks—and I landed on the walkway just in time to dodge the flying hooves of the mare and stud carrying their riders away.
“Sylvana!” Terra stopped me before I made more than a few running steps down the sidewalk alone. Furious, I turned on them.
“What is wrong with you? They’re getting away.” But all thought of retribution popped like a balloon when I saw Lexi sprawled across the porch floor. In fact, all thought drained out of me entirely. Dark lashes rested against paper-pale skin, and from this distance, I couldn’t see if her chest rose and fell.
I needed but ten steps to get from where I stood to where my daughter lay, and each one felt as if hundred-pound weights were tied to my ankles and dragging behind me. “Is she—” I had to know, but didn’t want to hear the answer.
Footsteps pounded up the sidewalk and I turned with magic at the ready, but it was Kin who sprinted past with only a glance spared for me.
“She lives.”
The combination of Terra’s assurance and Kin’s appearance broke through the bubble of terror stasis and I vaulted the steps to lay trembling fingers against her neck. The steady thrum of her pulse did little to slow the thunder and hammer of mine.
Kin slapped at his pockets. “My phone, I don’t…we need to call 9-1-1. Does anyone have a phone? She needs an ambulance, the police. We need to file a report. They’re going to ask questions and I’m not sure what happened. And what am I supposed to do with this?” He pulled the bloody arrow from his back pocket and stared at it like—well, like he’d pulled it out of his girlfriend’s body, which I’m sure was more than a little disconcerting.
Trying to chafe some warmth into Lexi’s cold fingers, I met his questioning look with as blank a face as I could manage. “Leave it here and just go home.” Even though I tried for calm, it came out more like a bark. “We’ll take care of everything.” Any more magic in front of him seemed like a bad idea.
“Please, Kin. Everything will be all right.” Terra, in her motherly fashion, sounded certain, but when he heard her voice, his face changed.
“Have we met? I feel like I know you.” Each of the faeries got a searching look. “All of you. Why is that?”
My daughter had just been attacked, and we were having this conversation on the front porch, out in the open and over her injured body. “This is not the time or the place. We need to get her inside and safe. Now.” That last I directed toward Vaeta, who could use her power over air to carry Lexi gently.
“I’m not leaving her. I can’t.” Before Vaeta had a chance to do anything, Kin scooped Lexi up and nodded to Soleil, who was closest. “Open the door.” The man had no idea what he was walking into, and short of hexing him or physical combat—neither of which would happen while he was holding my daughter in his arms—he had us over a cauldron. Witches and faeries have no need for barrels.
Soleil hesitated, so Terra reached past her and turned the knob, then turned back to give me a look that spoke volumes. I shrugged it off. He’d sink or swim. Lexi was the priority. Well, that and vengeance.
Chapter 19
“Is someone going to tell me what in the hell is going on around here?” Kin demanded again, once we’d settled Lexi on the parlor sofa with a soft pillow cradling her head. I settled on the edge of the sofa, took her hand in mine, and tried to funnel some of my warmth into her. If Kin hadn’t been standing there, I’d have scooped a handful of Balefire and used that instead.
Soleil, Evian, and Vaeta looked to Terra, Lexi’s official godmother, for her opinion. “I say we tell him everything, "she declared. “I’ve had just about enough of tiptoeing around the situation. Agreed?”
Vaeta nodded, “I’ve been thinking the same thing for a while now.” Evian and Soleil nodded their agreement, and I watched as Kin’s world was flipped upside down for the second time.
“You might want to sit for this.” Terra waited for Kin to comply, but he remained on his feet and fixed her with an impatient look. If he’d had any memory of what she could do, he might have been more careful of his face. As it was, she flashed him a raised eyebrow, and he frowned but stood strong.
“I can’t remember how or why, but I know I’ve been here before.” Assured that Lexi was in no imminent danger of dying, Kin paced across the parlor to glance down the hall. “The kitchen is that way, and there’s something odd about that fireplace.” He turned to point toward the Balefire. “It all feels like a dream, or maybe I’m dreaming now.”
For all her fire, Soleil carried a tender heart, and was the one to try to comfort Kin. “It’s not a dream, and you’re right. You’ve been here before.” She stepped close to put a hand on his arm.
His gaze fell on Lexi again, and his face softened. “Something in me recognized something in her. I thought it was just a powerful attraction, but I have a feeling it was more. Tell me, and don’t hold anything back. Whatever it is, I can take it.”
Now I was starting to see why Lexi had fallen for him. Kin’s willingness to stand for her made me think fate and true love’s kiss were fine and epic events, but it was the day-to-day things that really counted. Yeah, I know. Hit me with the maturity stick. I’d be looking at my relationship with her father in a new light once there was time for a moment of contemplation.
Would Lexi be happy if someone dropped the witch bomb on Kin? Probably not, and call me selfish, but that was why I wasn’t jumping up and volunteering to be the one lighting the fuse. Let Terra take the heat on this one. After all, they’d offered to cut me out of Lexi’s life through whatever means necessary, so if this went in the toilet, I’d come out clean.
She hesitated a moment, then plunged right in. “Lexi is a witch.” The bald statement rang true. Even if Kin needed a moment to comprehend the words, he could see the conviction behind them.
“A real one, not the kind from television. And I’m her faerie godmother.” She let her everyday glamour slip just enough to give Kin a flash of the pink granite irises she hid from the mortal world. She could have shown him more, but freaking him out probably wasn’t her intention.
He blinked twice, stared at Terra, and then shot a glance at the front door, as if he was expecting Ashton Kutcher to show up any second and declare that he’d been Punk’d, but didn’t say anything.
Terra plodded on, “She’s also part god. Lexi, I mean. A Daughter of Cupid, a Fate Weaver. And on top of all that, she’s Keeper of the sacred Balefire flame.” She pointed toward the hearth.
“Sacred flame? Is that to keep the Easter Bunny warm?” His voice was filled with sarcasm, but I detected an undercurrent of hesitation. Deep down, somewhere in his subconscious, Kin held memories of all the supernatural components of Lexi’s life. Why those memories hadn’t surfaced until now was on Diana Diamond’s head, but I was grateful that at least one good thing might come from the mess we were all now mired in.
“No, the flame feeds the witch and the witch feeds the flame. It’s a symbiotic relationship—there’s more, but I’ll let Lexi tell you all about it when she wakes up.” Terra stopped talking and sized him up. “There’s more if you have the…guts to stick around.” She stopped short of revealing anything about Kin and Lexi’s romantic history, which I thought was more to spare herself from Lexi’s ire than anything else. “Decide now.” It was an order.
Kin hesitated, and for a moment, the loudest sound in the room was the pop and hiss of the Balefire flame. He shook his head as if to dislodge an errant notion and shot Terra the kind of indulgent smile generally used on young children who are convinced the boogie man lives under their bed. Only this one had a little edge of you’re crazy thrown in for good measure. It was the kind of look that would have earned him a taste of Terra’s unique brand of magical discipline had he used it on her with full knowledge of her Fae heritage.
“Enough.” Vaeta decided to put an end to the dithering altogether and dropped her glamour. She did a little twirl that set the dust motes around her spinning and sparkling in the light of the Balefire. She transformed into her mini form, complete with tiny faerie wings, and hovered right in front of Kin’s face. “Do you believe me now?” Her voice sounded like she’d inhaled a balloon full of helium, and under normal circumstances would have made me laugh out loud.
