Ilana Storm-Gooden’s Lake Austin home
ABBIE stormed into the entryway of her mother’s house. The house was quiet, too quiet. The living room was dark. No lights on in any of the rooms off the vestibule. But her mother’s and Jurnik’s cars were in the garage. She sensed two life signs in the house. They must have retired to her mother’s suite of rooms to…no, her thoughts were not gonna go there. Especially not after the mother-daughter sex talk they had earlier.
Maybe she should just leave. Go home to Luc’s. Wait on him to come home and…no, she wasn’t ready to talk, argue really, with him. Plus, she had her meeting with Jeff to report on. She’d just go upstairs and lie down in her old room and wait until she heard her mother or Jurnik stirring.
Abbie’s stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her she hadn’t eaten much at the restaurant. Two or three chips and half of a very potent margarita weren’t dinner. With all her emotional output today, she needed fuel. She detoured toward the kitchen to make a sandwich. Maybe if she made enough noise, her mother would come down. She also needed to remember to fax the autopsy order to the Medical Examiner’s office so they could schedule Ari’s autopsy for as early as possible tomorrow. Abbie planned on being present for the examination.
Reaching the kitchen, she shoved open the swinging door then paused. A slight rustling sound came from the general area of the center island, probably her mother’s familiar. The little beast, like her own Pidge, loved to lick lingering remnants of dinner from the granite countertop. She flicked on the light, hoping to catch the cat in the act.
“Mother! Jurnik!” Her mouth formed a shocked “o.” The naked couple froze in mid…copulation…on the prep island! Cans of chocolate-flavored whipped cream and bottles of blood were strewn about them.
Ewww. Ick. Yuck. Covering her eyes, she turned her back and muttered, “Sorry.” She then raced from the room and fled upstairs to her childhood bedroom, a place she was sure her mother had never had sex with anybody.
*
“Do you think she’s going to run home to Luc, mon couer?” Jurnik gathered a lusciously nude Ilana into his arms. He took one last lingering lick over her pulsing carotid, sealing it shut. She’d only recently allowed him to drink from her directly, and she, from him. In the eyes of his kind, they were now bonded. He wasn’t sure Ilana’s daughter was ready to accept this. He carried the woman who’d given him a reason to continue in this life to the breakfast nook bench where they’d shed their robes.
“No, Luc is in Wales, remember? Plus, she’s supposed to report on her meeting with that worm Walden.” Ilana sighed and stroked his lean cheek with a single, shaky finger. He grabbed and nipped the delicate tip, then sucked it into his mouth, mimicking the sexual act which had occupied their last several hours together. “I’ll just put on my robe and go talk to her about what she saw.”
“Let me, mon amour. I sensed her upset has to do more with Luc than seeing us making love in the kitchen. She needs a different prospective on her man. A male perspective.” Jurnik helped his amour into her silken robe. “Besides, while I am not her father, I will be like a stepfather. I want her to learn to rely on me also.”
“I love you, Nik.” Ilana rubbed her cheek against his naked chest then turned her head to brush her lips across a nipple.
Jurnik shuddered at the ecstasy her kiss brought him and thanked the gods for giving him another chance at love in his long immortal existence. He struggled to keep his mind on the conversation as his body urged him to take her again—and again. Full daylight always came too soon.
Ilana continued, “Her argument with Luc is ridiculous. There’s a monstrous conspiracy afoot. Even Abigail can be outnumbered and outmaneuvered—especially when the attacker is a warlock. Luc fears for her very life, and she’s giving him grief about trust issues. Of course, he trusts her—he loves and adores her, but it’s the coming evil he does not trust.”
Jurnik raised his head from where it rested against Ilana’s auburn hair and stared down at her. “Is this a possibility?” He recalled the witch wars of Europe when he was a mere fledgling vampire. The battle between the white witches and the warlocks had decimated complete covens across Europe and well into Asia Minor. Remembered atrocities struck fear into a heart that usually recognized none.
“Yes.” She clenched and unclenched the hand resting over his heart. “Vidal got an anonymous lead from someone on the Euro-Council. That’s what Luc went to Wales to track down.”
“And did either of you think to share this with Abbie?” Jurnik let out a frustrated snort. “Of course not, you thought to protect her. Mon couer, she has a right to know what’s going on.”
“I agree, but Luc made me promise. ‘Why upset her needlessly?’ he said. ‘It could be a mere rumor.’ I agreed.” Her beautiful green eyes, the color of richly hued peridots, were filled with fear. “You weren’t around ten years ago when Madoc first attacked her. We thought we were going to lose her. My baby girl was in a coma for weeks…” Her words trailed off as she turned her face into his chest. Warm moisture met his skin.
“Don’t weep, mon amour.” Jurnik kissed her forehead. “Let me talk to her. I’ll convince her to stay here—with us, where it is safe—until Luc returns from his trip. I do not want you to worry; we’ll keep your daughter safe.”
Ilana raised her head. Her tear-filled eyes glowed. “Thank you, my love.”
Je t'aime, Ilana.
*
Abbie stormed into her former bedroom then slammed, locked, and warded the door with a wave of a hand. “Goddess, the Father and spirits of the Earth, I’ll never be able to look my mother or Jurnik in the eyes again without seeing them…naked.” She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. Parents should never be allowed to have sex once their children were over the age of innocence.
“Abbie, mon cherie.” Jurnik’s voice came through the wooden door.
“Go away, Jurnik!” She whirled around and found him materializing in her room. “And just what about a locked and warded door don’t you understand?”
The vampire now fully clothed—thank the gods—glided toward her and perched on the edge of her bed. His dark gaze was filled with a combination of amusement and concern.
She didn’t know what ticked her off more—his concern or his suppressed laughter. Bastard! “What’s so damn funny?” She hated the defensive note in her voice.
“You are very much like your mother.” He chuckled. “You get your fur ruffled so easily.”
Goddess save her. She didn’t want to be compared to her mother. Images of her mother’s tiny, heart-shaped butt moving to meet Jurnik’s, uh, interesting bits came to the forefront of her mind. Ack! Abbie would never have sex on a kitchen counter. Even Luc, the randiest man alive, hadn’t asked that of her…well, hadn’t asked her yet.
“Let’s not talk about mother…and you…and what happened downstairs ever again. Ever!”
“Abbie, do you object to my relationship with your mother?”
“No!” Not really. I don’t think so. “Maybe.” She stared out the bedroom window into the all-consuming blackness of Lake Austin at night.
“I do not wish to replace your father. I can not.” Jurnik spoke in a calming, almost crooning tone. “I only want to make your mother happy, because…because she makes me feel alive. She is my bond mate—my bride.”
“You’re drinking my mother’s blood?”
“Yes, just enough to maintain the bond. She is also taking from me. Do you understand what that means?”
“She’ll live forever unless…”
“Unless she chooses not to.” He stared at her, reading her. “Do you think I forced this on your mama?”
Abbie let out a snort. “No one makes my mother do anything. She could kick your ass if she chose.”
Jurnik threw back his head and laughed. “Yes, your mother is a strong witch. Just as you are.”
Abbie sensed the magic in his voice, in his conversation. He was charming her in an attempt to calm her. And it was working, damn him. Well, she needed the help, didn’t she? She’d been through one emotional upheaval after another from the time she’d gotten up this morning. And, she really didn’t begrudge her mother—or Jurnik—their happiness. In fact, she envied their carefree approach to their relationship.
“Do you think my mother is less than your equal?” Whoa, where in Hecate’s handbag had that come from?
Jurnik’s forehead crinkled as he pondered the question. “Non. I respect your mother’s strengths. But she does have some weaknesses, mostly physical—just as I have weaknesses in my use of magic. I would hope that we, as a couple, would complement one another’s abilities and work together. Be stronger as a couple than as two individuals.”
“Yes. Exactly. That’s good.” She sighed. Jurnik got it, so why couldn’t Luc? And why was she crying? She sniffed and wiped the moisture from her cheeks with the heel of her hand. “I’m happy for you both. Mother needed someone to make her feel—special.”
“Thank you, bebé.” Jurnik straightened and slowly approached as if he were afraid she’d balk. Taking her into his arms, he pushed her head to his surprisingly warm chest and soothed her with long, slow strokes from the top of her head to the middle of her back. “Go ahead, le petit, cry it out. Vampires don’t melt—that is a fallacy.”
She let out a watery chuckle. “My day has really been sucky.” She wept into his silk shirtfront. “From an argument with Luc, to Vidal losing a fiancée I never even knew he had, dealing with that prick Walden, and then back to Luc being so…so effing macho. And finally, coming here to…to…that…that…” She flailed an arm in the general direction of the kitchen, just missing his nose.
“Luc is back?”
Abbie nodded. “He’s a prick, too. All men—sorry—are pricks.” Then she started to cry harder.
Jurnik chuckled. “It’s okay, Abbie. Everyone has days when things just go from bad to worse.” He tipped up her tear-stained face. “But never doubt you are loved. Now, tell me about Luc, bebé. What has that uh, prick done now?”
“He doesn’t trust me.” Her words came out as a wail. “He treats me like a powerless little human. He’s jealous of every male I meet under the age of ninety and over the age of ten. He has Daniel and Van and Vidal—and even you—watching over me when he’s not around. It’s as if since I’ve been with him I’ve become feeble and…and stupid.”
“The bastard.” Vidal tightened his lips, she suspected against another laugh.
She sniffed a few times then glared. “This is so not funny. He doesn’t love me, not like I love him. If he truly loved me, he’d trust me. One hundred percent. I want a relationship like the one you described with my mother—I want a partnership, a combining of two people into one loving and trusting whole.”
“Ahh, Abbie.” Jurnik rubbed her neck, easing the tense muscles which had caused her headache. “Luc loves you. I know this. And he trusts you…”
“Well, he sure doesn’t show it,” she muttered.
“He shows it every day, bebé. He trusts your magic.” She snorted. “He trusts your professional skills as an attorney.” She shrugged. “But when it comes to your physical safety, ahh, he trusts no one.” Jurnik tapped the end of her nose lightly. “Not…even…you.”
“What physical safety? I’m not in danger.” Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What do you know that I don’t?”
“Me? I just found this out tonight. Your Uncle Vidal received an anonymous phone call about a heinous conspiracy. Dark magic aimed at your family, and in particular, you. This is why Luc went to Wales.”
“See? That’s just what I mean!” She shoved out of the vampire’s arms, immediately regretting the loss of his magical comfort. “Luc should’ve told me. Uncle Vidal should’ve told me. Men!”
“Please do not hoist me on the all-men-are-pricks petard. I agree with you.” Jurnik’s eyes glinted. “They should have told you. I said this very thing to your mother.”
“Mother knew, too!” Abbie whirled in a circle, her arms lifted to the sky. “Aargh!” Halting, she eyed Jurnik, who’d moved a safe distance away from any leaking magic she might call down. “And what was her excuse for not telling me?”
“Luc made her promise. They didn’t want to alarm you unnecessarily.”
“Why for Goddess sake? I don’t scare so easily. I handled Madoc just fine. I handled all that stuff surrounding your case. Why would they think that I couldn’t handle the truth, especially when it concerns me?”
“Abbie, your mother has never forgotten what Madoc did to you all those years ago. The memory has lodged deep inside her, has become an integral part of her maternal instinct to protect you. As for Luc, he is a dominant and primitive male. His shifter side won’t let anything happen to you. You are his to cherish and to protect. He can do no less.” Jurnik pointed to his chest. “Me? I understand this, I feel the same way toward you mother—and she scares the hell out of me some days with her magic. But animal instincts still tell me—and Luc—to protect our mates from all danger and all other males. Is that so wrong?”
“No…not when you put it like that. I guess deep inside I knew those things—and Daniel said much the same thing to me earlier today. It’s just…” She captured Jurnik’s concerned gaze and shrugged helplessly.
“Let me ask you this? How much do you love Luc?”
Abbie answered with no hesitation. “More than my life.”
“Why do you love him?”
Again, no hesitation. “Because he’s honorable and intelligent. Has a wonderful sense of humor. He makes me feel special and sexy. I feel safe with him.”
“Ahh! He makes you feel safe, eh?”
“Yes.” She saw where he was going, so she saved him the words. “I do love the alpha aspect of his character.”
“Yes, it would be hard to take the alpha-shifter out of him. And the wizard part of his nature is not so beta either, eh? Think of your dear wizard father. He, as Luc does, came from a very powerful bloodline in which all the males were extremely dominant. Ilana has told me stories about Merlin’s often over-bearing ways.” Jurnik raised a hand and waggled it back and forth. “Fifty percent shape shifter with all the territorial imperatives that entails, fifty percent prime wizard with all the arrogance and power that includes. Luc is a product of his nature and nurture.”
“So, I either accept him for what he is, or—”
“Leave him and find yourself a tame male you can ride roughshod over.” He laughed when she scrunched her nose. “Face it, petit chat. Both you and your mother are very strong women. You’d accept no less than a man your equal. You need the challenge.”
Abbie sank onto the edge of the bed. “Damn. You’re right. I knew all this about Luc and his nature…accepted it. So, why am I so bent out of shape?” She looked at him, her gaze puzzled.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Why are you?”
She examined the last few weeks, pinpointed when the tension between her and Luc began. “When did uncle get the information?”
“About a week ago.”
“That’s when my upset started. Maybe I read the psychic leakage from everyone trying to shield me from the knowledge? And that set my paranoia off?”
“Sounds as good an explanation as any.” He held out a hand. “Come, I feel your hunger. I sense Luc has arrived and is downstairs with your mother in the room-that-shall-not-be-named.” He waggled his eyebrows. Abbie snorted back a laugh. “Let’s go eat and find out what your man has learned, eh?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She took the hand he offered. “And Jurnik?”
“Yes, ma petite?”
“My mother is a very lucky woman. Thank you and welcome to the family.”
Vous êtes bienvenu.
*
Abbie stopped in the den before heading to the kitchen. She needed to fax the autopsy order signed by Walden if the exam was to happen anytime tomorrow. She also wanted time to compose herself before facing Luc. The heat of his anger and frustration had bombarded her senses all the way from the other side of the house.
When she finally entered the kitchen, she found her mother and Luc at the table in the breakfast nook with a tray of cheese and crackers and other assorted snack foods between them. Jurnik was getting fresh drinks for them and a cup of warmed blood for himself. Obviously, her mother’s neck had just been an appetizer.
Luc gripped the neck of a bottle of Shiner Bock, his knuckles white. She hoped the bottle didn’t break. She wasn’t sure how much control Jurnik would have if Luc’s blood started to spurt. She stifled a nervous giggle.
“Something funny, little cat?” Luc’s anger flared higher. The heat pouring off him created a breeze in the air-conditioned room. He was fighting a shift, fighting his animal side. “You fucking ran from me. I sure don’t think that’s funny at all.” He took a swig of beer straight from the bottle. His movements were jerky, not at all like his usual graceful self. His nostrils flared. Muscles worked in his lean jaws as if he were grinding nails with his back teeth.
His emotion-filled gaze was glued on her. The other two didn’t exist for him. Just her. He was in full hunter mode—and she was his prey of choice. Goddess, she was in trouble.
“Abbie? No comment?” His voice was low and snarly.
She stopped in the middle of the kitchen, tried to answer, but couldn’t. She was frozen just as any small animal would be when sensing a large predator nearby.
“Abbie.” Jurnik disrupted the tense atmosphere. “Would you like a drink, ma petite?”
“Scotch. Rocks. Twist.” Luc’s wildly careening emotions deserved something stronger than the green tea she’d planned on making. She darted a beseeching glance at the solicitous vampire. “Jurnik?”
Understanding her pained cry of his name for what it was—a cry for help. Jurnik smiled then shot a scorching glare toward the other dangerous predator in the room. “Luc. Throttle it back. And stop eyeing Abbie as if you wished to sling her over your shoulder and cart her off to your lair. Her mother and I won’t stand for such primitive bullying tactics. Do you understand me, mon ami?”
Luc muttered something foul in Russian, then again in French. Jurnik hissed, his fangs extending. Luc glowered at her vampire protector, his canines and claws extending in a partial shift. For several, long, tense seconds, the temperature in the kitchen ramped up several more notches, kicking the air conditioner on. Both men fought to bring their heated emotions under control.
Finally, Luc spoke, his tone rough. “Hell, Jurnik. I wouldn’t harm a hair on Abbie’s head—and all of you know it.” He turned stormy eyes toward her. “At the restaurant? Why did you run? That hurt me.”
Goddess, she felt lower than a worm’s belly. “Luc, I…I…” Abbie turned toward her mother. “Mom?” Oh, yeah, she was a mess. She never called her mother “Mom” unless she was feeling emotional.
“Abigail, you’re a big girl. You don’t need me to handle this.” Ilana gestured to the seat next to her. “Now, come and sit down here between me and Luc. Nik, my love, bring my daughter her drink, please.”
Her mother moved to allow Abbie to slide onto the bench seat. Luc pulled her into his body. Despite his anger, he took her lips in a gentle, but fiery kiss. A frisson of something powerful passed between them—feelings of safety, love, need and underlying it all…his lingering fear for her. His nearness, his scent, brought everything into focus, and she saw more clearly than she had all day. No matter what, only Luc made her feel…whole.
“Abbie?” His voice was a husky growl as his lips swept over her face then down her neck, setting her heart pounding. Sexual need pooled deep within her core.
“I love you, Luc.” He grinned and his lips sought hers once more. “But…”
“But what?” His grin disappeared. He backed off and a look of what appeared to be fear flickered in the depths of his eyes. It humbled—and shamed—her that she could make her strong man so afraid. First, she needed to clear the air and move forward. She wasn’t going to change his nature, but she at the very least could make it known what had made her so unhappy.
“You need to trust me.” She held his smoky amber gaze with hers. “To listen to my concerns. To actually act as if you’re considering my needs. We can’t hide things from one another, especially if they happen to involve the other person.”
“But Abbie—”
“Enh.” She held up a warning finger. He captured it and sucked it into his mouth. Her nipples tightened with need. She smiled and shook her head. “Behave, lover, distracting me with sex will not make my concerns go away. Did you listen to anything I said this morning?”
He let her finger slip from between his lips with an audible pop. “Yes, but—”
She cradled his tense jaw between her hands. “No buts, Luc. I need trust and honesty to go with all the love. Here’s the deal. I’m willing to leave my first layer of shields completely open, if you do the same. That way we can always check on where the other one is and how they are feeling and what they are thinking. Both of us are strong enough to build secondary shields to keep client information confidential.” She was pretty much promising—and asking—for complete transparency in their relationship.
Luc captured both her hands and placed kisses in the palms. “An open two-way street?”
She nodded. “Two-way street as to anything that involves us, if we choose to look—not our businesses, not someone else’s secrets—just us.” She rubbed her cheek against the hands holding hers.
He hesitated. “I promise to try. It’s hard for me to let all my shields down.”
“I know. It’s hard for me also.” He grimaced as she sent him the memory of Madoc raping her mind, controlling her with his dark magic. “I’ll definitely tell you when you’re blocking me. And I know you’ll do the same.”
Luc leaned forward and brushed her lips with a kiss. “Hell, Abbie, I couldn’t reach you. I went crazy. I couldn’t get back from Wales fast enough. I imagined all sorts of horrible things happening to you.” He kissed her again, a kiss that cherished, filled with promises and love. “I can’t lose you. You’re everything to me.”
Ilana sniffed loudly. “Abigail Merriweather Gooden. The man loves you. He’s an alpha, deal with it—and don’t blow it. I still want those grandchildren.”
“Yes, Mother.” Trust her mother to be frank. She laughed and snuggled closer to Luc. He put his arm around her shoulder, anchoring her by his side as if he feared her fleeing again. “Jurnik already convinced me Luc was acting in accordance with his nature. I’m so used to taking care of myself it’s…it’s hard to share the duty with someone else.”
“Does this mean you’ll come home with me?” Luc kissed her neck where it joined her shoulder, then licked it. Bastard touched you here. His scent is all over you.
It was Jeff being Jeff. He meant nothing to me but a signature on an autopsy form. I’m sorry it upset you.
“I never intended to do anything else. My home is with you. I love you—even when I’m pissed at you.” Her response got her another kiss, this one with lots of tongue. His hand massaged her waist then inched its way up her torso to brush against her breast.
Jurnik’s gaze fixed on Luc’s hand. He coughed, smothering a smile as he placed her drink in front of her with a thump before sitting next to her mother. Luc snarled, but moved his hand back to her waist.
Hold that thought, big guy. We have the rest of the night.
And I plan on using every second of it, little cat.
“Abigail, could we please get on with eating and Luc’s news? The night is not getting any younger.”
Abbie laughed. “Mother, you just want your kitchen back so you can…well…” she blushed “…um, frolic with Jurnik.”
“Abigail, what you saw earlier…”
“Yes, Mother?”
“Forget it.”
“Trust me, I’m trying to erase the image from my mind.” Luc’s amused snort told her he’d accessed the images from her memory. It’s not funny, Luc. I think I’m scarred for life. I knew they had sex…but on the kitchen island? And the blood drinking is news to me since Mother had always denied it in the past…
Does Jurnik taking your Mother as his bond-mate bother you? She’s obviously healthy and happy.
No. He’s a good man and adores her.
Just as I adore you. Um, minus the blood exchange, do you want to christen the kitchen island when we get home?
“Luc!” Abbie nudged him with her elbow. “That’s…”
“Naughty?” His eyebrow arched as his eyes smiled at her.
Jurnik coughed back a laugh. He must’ve caught a bit of their mental conversation. She glared at him. He saluted her with his glass.
She pinched Luc’s thigh. “We’ll discuss this later…at home…in private. Right now, I want to know why you didn’t tell me about the rumor from Wales.”
“Because it was just a rumor.” He gently touched the side of her face with a calloused finger. “I was always going to share what I found. I’d never leave you unprepared to defend yourself.”
Grabbing his finger, she nipped it. “Trust me. I can handle anything as long as we work as a team. I want a partner, not a master.”
“Got it, little cat.” He kissed her nose. Although, you might like me mastering you in bed.
Maybe. We can discuss it…later. I’m still getting over seeing my mother and Jurnik…
“Luc, tell Jurnik and Abbie about what you discovered in Wales,” Ilana said. “Then Abbie and I will bring you men up-to-date about the Huntingdon case.”
“Huntingdon case?” Luc eyed her, then Ilana. “What case? I just thought you needed an autopsy to see why Ari died all of a sudden, not that there was a case.”
“That can wait, dear boy,” Ilana said sternly. “Wales can’t. Report.”
He let out a rough sigh. “The rumor Vidal heard was true. My mother’s family has ears in all sorts of places in Great Britain. There’s a resurgence in the dark magic movement. The Madoc clan is smack dab in the middle of it.”
“I can see that there might be concerns about another witch war, but what does that have to do with me? And with our family here in Texas? Mark wanted me then he wanted to kill me. He failed at both. Now, he’s in jail, awaiting trial, his powers blocked. Our part should be over.” Abbie ran agitated fingers through her hair.
“Abbie has a good point, Luc.” Jurnik stroked the back of her mother’s neck, his body all but surrounding her mother’s petite frame, the body language of a protector. The two men were two peas in an alpha-male pod. “This movement seems more of a danger to witches and wizards in Europe where the Madocs have their power base.”
“It is, but the informant is positive the Madocs have not given up on kidnapping Abbie. It always bothered me that Madoc came after Abbie this last time after being defeated so soundly ten years ago. Why take such a chance after so long?”
“And did your informant have insight into why?” Jurnik asked.
“Yeah. Seems the Madoc coven has a long-term plan now. Mark was to kidnap Abbie and force a marriage, the first Madoc male to marry a woman of power in memory…”
Abbie interrupted. “But what do they need with me? I’m not the only witch in the world.”
“The obvious—to create a new generation of Madoc warlocks.” Luc’s lips tightened with anger. “My informant said the Elder Madocs were not happy when you were endangered a month ago. They definitely want you alive, not dead. My informant believes the coven let Mark’s powers be blocked and him be thrown into jail as punishment and a lesson to toe the family line. I am very much afraid they still have plans to free Mark and come for you.”
“Well, it isn’t going to happen. I’m not sure how they think I’d just lie down and have their babies.” Abbie scrunched her nose. “It makes me sick to think of anyone but you touching me sexually.”
“You are correct. It will never happen. You’re mine. If I have to erase the Madoc coven from the face of the Earth, I’ll do it.” He hugged her to him, kissing her hair.
“They aren’t giving up. This isn’t good.” Jurnik sipped his Bloody Mary, made with A-positive blood, her mother’s blood type, and Ketel One vodka. “Fanatics always have a reason for their actions. It’s usually not a reason a sane person would understand, but it makes sense to the crazies.”
Luc said, “My family’s sources tell me the Madoc coven feels they have a way of gaining control over Abbie’s powers and her will.”
“This is just stupid,” cried Abbie. “There are hundreds of females of power in the world. I’m not that powerful or unique. The Goddess knows, I don’t even use my powers half the time. Mother is far more powerful. Why aren’t they targeting her?” She glanced at her mother. “Sorry, Mom.”
“Baby girl, you are unique. Recall, you are half-witch and half-wizard. Most half-witch/half-wizard children are male.”
“Okay, so, I’ll pass on some wizard DNA? It won’t do them any good. Who’d train the children of such a union? Not me. I only use the witch half.”
“And that’s only because Merlin died when you were very small.” Ilana’s voice choked and tears gathered in her eyes. Jurnik edged even closer to her mother, who nestled her head on his chest. “Vidal and I decided, rightly or wrongly, not to send you for wizard training. We only nurtured your earth powers and left the wizard abilities alone. You’ve unconsciously tapped into the wizard abilities on occasion—most memorably when you overcame the binding spell and threw Madoc into the limestone hillside. No other mere Earth witch could have done it. Properly trained, you would become one of the most formidable practitioners of magic in the world.”
“Luc, darling.” Abbie’s anger rose anew. “I’ve done you a disservice. You aren’t the only person who doesn’t trust me with a truth involving me.” She glared at her mother. “My own family doesn’t even trust me enough to tell me I’m some sort of super-witch/wizard.”
“Abigail Merriweather Gooden!” Thunder boomed, rattling the windows of the breakfast nook. Lightning crackled in the kitchen, ricocheting off the refrigerator, the center island, and the microwave setting off the beeper on the timer. Ilana snapped her fingers in the microwave’s direction, shutting the noise off. “You’ve never even shown the least interest in your witch studies. You wanted to be a lawyer and normal like a human. So why should we have placed the burden of the full extent of your wizard powers on you? You hated what little magic you cultivated.”
Abbie groaned, her anger melting away as quickly as it had grown. Goddess save her, her emotions were so chaotic lately. She couldn’t refute her mother’s logic. Her parent was correct. One hundred percent. She would’ve rebelled even more than she had. “Mea culpa, Mom. I’m sorry. You’re right.” She grinned. “I was a pain-in-the-butt adolescent, wasn’t I?”
“Yes, but then all teenage girls are difficult. A mother’s cross to bear.” Ilana let a slight smile cross her lips. “I gave my mother and father just about the same amount of trouble, but my issues were boys, not magic.”
“Too much information, Mom.” Abbie made a sign of the cross, warding off any further sexual revelations. “I’m still not over the little scene I interrupted earlier—or that mother-daughter talk we had. And I don’t really hate my powers—now. They definitely have their uses.” Turning, she looked Luc in the eye. “So, what do we do about the Madoc coven and their black magic movement? I refuse to hide, or let you all wrap me in layers of protection until I can’t breathe.”
“First, you need to train as a wizard. I can help you with that—and what I don’t know my mother’s relatives can be called upon to help. We also need to be vigilant and warn the various Councils,” Luc said. “The Euro-Council and the one in the British Isles are already on alert. They know they have a traitor or traitors helping the Madocs and have taken steps to find the culprit or culprits.”
“Not that it will do much good,” Ilana muttered. “I don’t trust a bunch of magic bureaucrats with my daughter’s safety.”
“Neither do I. But the stakes are higher this time. Many on the Euro-Council remember the last witch wars. They don’t want a rehash.” Luc’s tone turned deadly. “I’ll let nothing and no one harm Abbie. Vidal will need to alert his friends on the Texas Council. I will visit and alert the North and South American councils. With a united front, we can put pressure on the Euro-Council and make them clean house and police their member covens.”
“Uncle has more than enough on his plate, Luc,” said Abbie. “Mother can let the Texas contingent know so they can place more safeguards against Mark being broken out of jail.”
“Absolutely correct, Abigail.” Her mother nodded.
“Just what’s going on with Vidal and this Huntingdon case?” Luc’s eyes narrowed. “What have you gotten yourself into while I was gone, little witch?”
She shot an indignant glare his way. “I’m helping my uncle. I haven’t gotten myself into anything.”
“Shh, baby, I’m just concerned and curious. What kind of help are you offering Vidal…exactly?” Luc kissed her cheek.
“Al Huntingdon hired us to find out who had both him and Ari killed.”
“That sounds like a job for Sam Adams and the Austin PD.” Luc frowned. “Why are we taking the case?”
“Maybe you didn’t hear me. Al—a ghost—hired us to find out who killed him and his wife. I know Sam would understand, he wouldn’t like it, but he’d go with the flow. The Austin police would throw us in a psych ward. Informants of the spiritual kind are not considered reliable witnesses. Also, the police are under the misapprehension that Ari died of natural causes and Al, in a car accident.” She narrowed her eyes. “Someone has to see justice done. That someone seems to be us.”
Luc rubbed at his furrowed forehead. “A ghost hired us to investigate a potential double murder—and you accepted the job?”
“Yes.” Abbie decided a one word answer would be best. Anything further, Luc might explode—or she would. So much for trusting her.
I trust you!
Sure doesn’t feel like it.
Luc snarled, pulled Abbie’s face to his and kissed her until her eyes crossed. “I trust you. I love you. We’re a team. But how in the Sam Hill are we going to investigate two alleged murders which the police have labeled as an accident and natural causes and basically buried? Ghost testimony does not count. We have no physical proof and won’t be able to produce any since the crime scenes would be considered contaminated.”
“Men! So thick-headed some days. I can see why you were so upset earlier, Abigail.” Ilana patted Abbie’s arm. “Stop snarling at my daughter, Luc, or I will cast a laughing spell on you. And Abbie didn’t accept the assignment alone—her uncle and I are helping also. As to the how? Good old-fashioned investigation with a generous dose of magic, of course.”
Luc looked at the ceiling and muttered, “Goddess, give me strength,” then turned to Jurnik. “Did you know about this?”
“Non. This is the first I’ve heard of it.” Jurnik smiled at Luc. “But of course I will help as I can.” Then he added gently, “As I am sure you will, yes?”
“Not just yes, but hell yes. Someone has to be involved who has an idea of what they’re doing.”