Within thirty minutes, Summer, Autumn, and Spring arrived.
“I feel like we are missing a few people,” Nash joked.
“Winnie and the husbands are on baby duty. With the exception of Coop. He’s doing sheriffy things,” Summer informed him.
He placed a hand on her protruding belly. “How is little Olivia Rose today?”
“She’s being a punkass, but I love her anyway.”
As if on cue, Nash felt a forceful kick beneath his hand. “Should you be here this close to your time? If I’d have thought—”
“Pfft!” Autumn cut him off with a scoff and a simple wave of her hand. “She’s not helpless. What’s the plan? Whose ass are we kicking?” She frowned and glanced around as if confused. “I don’t know where that came from. I didn’t arrive all edgy.”
Spring, the most quiet and reflective of all the sisters, walked around touching objects and books on the shelves closest to her. “There’s great power here, isn’t there? I can feel the vibrations from the earth, even through the concrete.”
She said exactly what Nash had been feeling.
“Do you suppose the balance is off? Autumn isn’t the only one to feel twitchy,” he said.
“No. It’s something else. I’m not sure yet.” Like Nash, as an earth elemental, Spring would find it difficult to get a read on a place without plants to give off a vibration. She abruptly dropped her hand and faced them. “I suppose it will reveal itself in due time, but now I believe formal introductions are in order. We’ve been rude to your friend long enough.”
Nash started and looked back at the other sisters in surprised wonder. How had he forgotten they’d never met Ryanne? Was it because she’d been such an integral part of his life for so long that he’d assumed everyone knew about her?
“I’m Ryanne.” She held out her hand to Spring with a smile. “I’m Nash’s… girlfriend.”
Warmth flooded through him at Ryanne’s words. A sort of possessiveness that made him want to shout “Mine!” He placed a hand on her hip and lightly squeezed.
“I’m Spring, and these are my sisters Summer and Autumn.”
“Also known as the Weird Season Sisters in our one-horse town,” Autumn quipped.
Summer rolled her eyes and hugged Ryanne as much as her belly would allow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I thought Nash would never get his head out of his ass long enough to make a move.”
Alastair laughed and wrapped an arm around Summer.
Another strong emotion—this one a burning jealousy—rose up and grabbed Nash by the throat. He envied their easy camaraderie. It was the very thing missing from his relationship with his father. The riot of emotions floored him. He had no idea why these long-suppressed feelings were surging to the surface, or even what he should do to get a handle on them. All he did know, was that this wasn’t the place or time for his upset.
“Thanks for coming, ladies. Ryanne needs to be made over to look like her twin without the use of magic. There can’t be any trace of power clinging to her or our game is up.”
As one, the Thorne sisters turned to the pissed off woman sitting in the corner. If Rylee’s fiery glare had the ability to set them ablaze, they’d all be on a spit overtop of a raging bonfire right about now, with an apple stuffed in their mouths.
“Why would Ryanne need to look like her sister?” Spring asked.
“Rylee is a confidante of Victor Salinger. Ryanne is going to take her place,” Alastair informed them.
“Oh, hell no!” Autumn exploded. “You are not putting that girl in harm’s way. No way, no how! I won’t be party to such foolishness.”
“It’s my choice,” Ryanne said as she moved closer to Nash and laced her fingers through his. “If you don’t want to help, I understand and won’t hold it against you, but I’m doing this. My understanding is that this necklace Nash needs has some bad juju attached to it. Victor can’t be allowed to keep it.”
“What is with this family and these damned scavenger hunts for magical items?” Autumn muttered. In a louder voice, she said, “If you’re committed to this, have a seat. Spring will do your makeup, I’ll do your hair, and Summer can conjure your outfit.” She waved the men away. “Go find Uncle Ryker and Knox. Those two will be able to help think of all the little things you two have overlooked. They’re more skilled at subterfuge than you are. Or at least Uncle Ryker is. But we could definitely use Knox for our magical muscle.”
Spring smiled at her sister, and Nash assumed it was because she was more comfortable with her husband around. Spring had gone through a rough time at the hands of Victor Salinger’s cohort, Zhu Lin, and she preferred to have Knox beside her when things got real. It didn’t hurt that Knox was gifted with god-like powers, courtesy of the Goddess Isis herself.
As Nash saw it, Isis had been out to protect the bloodlines of herself and the Goddess Nephthys by providing Knox with the means to destroy enemies on any plane. His special ability to stop time had come in handy in the past, and probably would again in the near future. Nash pitied anyone who threatened Spring. Knox would destroy them without a second thought—and he had. Talk about your power couples.
Looking at Ryanne, Nash felt an affinity for Knox.
She caught his eye and smiled, but the normal sassy quality was missing. It was easy to see she was nervous. Yet he had no real way to comfort her. The mission she was about to embark on was as dangerous as it got for anyone associated with a Thorne.
“Son? You with me?”
Nash jolted and turned his head toward the sound of Alastair’s voice. “Pardon?”
“I asked if you preferred me to fetch Knox while you remain here.”
“That would be great, Dad,” he agreed absently. Alastair’s sharp intake of breath caught his attention. “What?”
“You haven’t called me Dad and meant it since you were a teenager. I…” His father shook his head and graced him with a bittersweet smile. “I missed it.”
A pang of some long-suppressed emotion struck Nash’s heart. “Yeah, maybe when this is over, we should talk.”
“I’d like that.” Alastair cleared his throat and straightened his tie. “I’ll be back soon.”
After their father teleported away, Summer approached Nash. “He loves you. He always has.”
“He has a funny way of showing it.” But that wasn’t true. Not really. Alastair was just… Alastair. The scary-ass patriarch of the Thorne Witches who would smite someone as soon as look at them. Or so he appeared anyway. For those he loved, he was indulgent. He’d also been known to go to the ends of the earth for his family. There was a time when he was unapproachable, and that time happened to be Nash’s formative years when he needed a father figure. However, that too could be explained.
“He’s changed. You should give him a chance to show you how much.”
“Can we not talk about this now, sister? I have much more important things on my plate to deal with.” He couldn’t prevent the edge to his tone. Speaking to his half-sister about his messed-up childhood when the retrieval of the Red Scorpion needed to be uppermost in his mind was out of the question.
Summer opened her mouth to retort but seemed to be caught on a wave of dizziness. She swayed toward him, with a deep frown marring her forehead. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I don’t feel well suddenly.”
“Sit down here.” He led her to a nearby chair and squatted beside her to rub her wrists together. “What are you feeling?”
“I’m not sure. It was like a vicious wave of anger toward you, then it subsided as quickly. But it left me lightheaded.”
He conjured her a glass of water and watched as she took small sips. “It’s odd because I’ve been feeling bursts of the same thing for the last hour or so.”
“Yeah, I didn’t experience anything like it before we arrived.”
“I wonder if our sperm donor knows anything about it. Could be the power of this room.”
“Maybe.” The disquiet in her tone spoke volumes. Summer didn’t believe it was this place any more than Nash did. It left him to wonder what exactly was causing their amplified emotions.
“I think you should go, Summer. I appreciate that you want to help, but I’d feel better if you were safe at Thorne Manor or the Carlyle estate. As far away from Salinger and this mess as you can get.”
Her ready agreement told him more than words that she was shaken by this whole incident. “I’m sorry, Nash.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. We have more than enough witches and warlocks, should the need arise.” He smiled to show he had no hard feelings on the matter. “Thank you for coming when I called.”
“Anytime. You know that.”
“I do.”
They hugged, and a sense of belonging hit Nash. Before a year ago, he’d been a loner, protecting his twin sisters and cousins from afar. But they’d all developed a stronger bond after the crazy year they’d had, due in part to Alastair and the dangerous quests he’d sent them on in his determination to wake Aurora.
“I love you, brother.”
He swallowed hard. “I love you, too.” The words were rusty from disuse, but he meant them all the same. “Now go home.”
A short while later, Alastair arrived with Ryker and Knox. Over Ryker’s shoulder was a duffle bag of what Nash assumed was electronic equipment. The man had been a master spy. For years, Ryker had stayed under the radar in Zhu Lin’s camp, feeding details to the Witches’ Council and to Alastair, or so Nash suspected. As best friends, Ryker and Alastair had their own special language.
Another wave of irritation hit Nash. Surely he wasn’t jealous of his uncle’s relationship with Alastair? A sneaking suspicion developed that something more was brewing in the air around them. Before he spoke up, Nash wanted to get a better handle on the what and how.
“There. I think that about does it.” Autumn stepped back and admired her hair-cutting handiwork. “We will need to apply dye to hide the purple streaks.”
One of the things Nash loved about Ryanne had been her long dark hair with its wild purple highlights. He was saddened to see the bulk of that thick mane now sitting in a discarded pile on the floor. As Spring stepped back from applying the makeup, Nash looked back and forth at the twins. After they dyed her hair, a simple change of clothes would make the transition complete. A sliver of unease slithered along his spine. It was unpleasant and disturbing to see Ryanne now identical to her sister in every way.
It wasn’t difficult for Ryanne to see the distaste on Nash’s face. Oddly enough, it didn’t bother her. Instead, Nash’s expression bolstered her belief that he wasn’t interested in Rylee in any way. Ryanne’s insecurity from the evening before, when he’d confessed that Rylee had come on to him, had vanished.
“I’ll pick up some dark hair dye at the drugstore after we return home,” Ryanne said aloud.
“Old Al here has already thought of that,” Ryker assured her with a grin and a wink. In an economy of movements, he placed the duffle bag on the table, unzipped it, removed a box of Clairol, and tossed it to Nash.
“I’ll give you ‘Old Al,’ you rotten SOB,” Alastair muttered.
Ryker’s devilish grin widened. “I’m trembling in my boots.” In a flash, he turned serious and dug into his black bag of tricks. “I’ve brought a wire and listening device. Also, a few weapons for you to keep on your person. You should know, Victor will have Blockers in place. Teleporting in or out of his compound will be near impossible.”
“What are Blockers?” Ryanne asked, suddenly terrified by the mission she was about to undertake. Really, who was she anyway? Certainly not Lara Croft, tomb raider, or the female equivalent of Jason Bourne. No, she was a damned administrative assistant.
“Blockers are witches and warlocks who specialize in stopping others from teleporting. The Désorcelers employ them when they target their enemies.”
“Désorcelers?”
Ryker turned to glare at Nash and Alastair. “You didn’t tell her what she was going up against?”
Alastair shrugged as if Ryker’s pique was of little concern. “Mostly, yes. We didn’t want to scare the poor thing.”
“You’re an asshole, Al. I can’t believe you’d send her into this type of danger without the knowledge or means to protect herself.”
“That’s what you’re here for, my friend. You’ll take today to show her what she needs to know to defend herself.”
“I should tell you to shove it. I would, too, if I didn’t think you were going to send her anyway.”
Ryanne studied her sister, who seemed to be enjoying the interchange between the two warlocks. Why was she so determined to cause discord between everyone? Rylee met her look with a defiant tilt of her chin. Tears built, burning Ryanne’s eyes and nasal passages. Rapid blinking helped to dispel most of the moisture, but it could do nothing about the ache in her heart. There sat her last remaining relative, the person closest to her, and all her twin wanted to do was create havoc.
Turning away, Ryanne noticed Nash silently watching her. She gave him a tentative half-smile and grabbed the box of color from his hand. “Where’s the ladies’ room?”
“Come on, I’ll show you.”
He placed his large, warm hand on her lower back and led her out through the office doors. They hooked a left when they reached the main lobby and traveled partway down a long corridor. “I’m surprised your father didn’t have an en suite bathroom for his office.”
“He does. I thought maybe you needed a break from the oppressive air in there.” Nash opened the door to the visitors’ restroom and guided her inside. He pulled over a bench from the lounge area and gently urged her to sit. “I’ll apply this for you.”
As he moved to pass her, she reached for his hand. “Don’t feel guilty or bad for sending me after the necklace, Nash. It’s the only foreseeable way to get it from Victor.”
“My uncle was right, Ryanne. This is dangerous for an experienced witch. For you, doubly so.” He sighed heavily and straddled the bench beside her. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. All day, my nerves have been fighting to get the better of me. I’d be devastated if something were to happen to you.”
“Now you’re making me nervous.” She cupped his jaw and stroked her thumb over his lower lip in an action similar to his new habit. “I can pull this off. Rylee and I used to make a game of imitating each other when we were growing up. We thought it was fun to fool our adoptive parents. Now, it’s an easy matter of finding the necklace. I’m still hoping my sister might come through for me.”
Nash bit down lightly on the soft pad of her thumb, then kissed the same spot. After a long moment, he met her gaze and said, “I think you’re hoping in vain. She’s resentful, and I dare say spiteful. Please don’t be too trusting where she’s concerned, okay?”
“I feel it too, ya know. That feeling of hostility in the air. It’s almost as if it’s trying to wrap around me and choke off my oxygen.”
“Yes. That’s it exactly. I don’t feel it right now, though. It makes me think it’s emanating from Alastair’s office. Once we are done here, I’ll talk to him about it.” He rose and crossed to the sink. After a quick scan of the directions, Nash set about mixing the hair dye for application. He moved to her side and ran his hands through her hair, massaging her scalp in the process. “Tilt your head back, babe. Let’s get this sacrilege over.”
“You like the purple streaks?”
“I love the purple, just as I love everything about you.”
She couldn’t prevent the joyful smile taking over her face. As clueless as Nash sometimes seemed, there were moments like this, when he was perfect.