A Witch's Love (4 page)

He bit another chunk of pizza off, savored the taste as he tried to rid himself of these thought. She would accept him, accept their certain future. If he could accept what fate had bestowed on him, then she certainly could. Couldn’t she?

She hung up the phone, looking resolved. With stone-faced features and a strong, set jaw. She glanced his way then back at her food before shoving her plate away. Had she lost her appetite?

Pressing her elbows to the table, she leaned forward, not meeting his eyes. “Listen, that was Maeve on the phone—”

“Is everything all right?”

She half smiled. “Yes. Maeve and my sisters want to” —she held up her two fingers on each hand, bending them into quotes—“meet my savior.” She took a deep breath. “Would you be willing to come to dinner tonight?” Before he was able to speak, her arms were flailing. “I’d understand if it’s too soon—”

He reached for her hand, then steadied it on the table. She stopped talking at his touch. “I would love to meet your family.”

Her forehead ridged. “You would?”

He gave her hand a squeeze. “Yes. I would.”

She smiled, showing her perfect white teeth. “Okay then, dinner’s at six.”

He removed his hand and watched as she reached for the rest of her slice of pizza. Warmth settled in his chest. He had never comforted someone before, let alone his mate. The gesture felt . . . nice.

Ten minutes later, he paid the bill, ignoring her protest to split the damn thing and was walking her back to work. She was quiet. Contemplating tonight?

He wanted to ask but she already seemed on edge. As they neared the entrance to the inn, he stayed her arm. She turned toward him, a smile playing on her lips. “Thank you again for lunch. It was really nice not have to eat alone.”

“Anytime. So, I will see you tonight?”

She reached for his hand this time. Enfolded her fingers with his, nodded, then turned for the door.

As it shut behind her, she glanced over her shoulder. Yes, he was still there, watching . . . protecting. When she disappeared within the walls of the inn, he turned his attention from the door to the rolling green hills. He clutched his hands into fists at his sides then took a long drag of air. It was time to do some hunting.

Lucas waited outside the door to Ava’s house holding the bottle of wine he had just purchased. When the door opened, four women stood in the doorway. The woman in the forefront looked older than the rest.

“Hello,” he greeted. “I’m Lucas. You must be Maeve.” He gave her a nod and smiled.

“Yes, I’m Maeve. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Won’t you come in?” She stepped aside to allow him entrance.

The log cabin was much larger than it appeared from the outside. It had an open floor plan, and a large staircase stood in the middle of the home, dividing the living and dining room. He determined that the kitchen must be in the back of the staircase. The light fabric-covered couch and love seat stood out against the dark brown wooden walls. A flat screen television hung from the wall and a large stone fireplace stood beside it. The home smelled of meat, spices, and even a floral aroma . . . perfume? With a house full of women, no doubt.

Before he could leave the entrance, Ava descended the stairs with such grace that he couldn’t help staring at the gentle swaying of her hips. She joined her sisters, who were all giving him questioning looks.

Regarding them, he discerned their similarities and differences. They all had some form of blond hair and light eyes. The one on the left had strawberry blond hair with green eyes while the middle sister had the palest blond hair, in the addition to turquoise-colored eyes. The girl on the other side of Ava had the darkest blonde hair, which paired well with her hazel eyes.

Their body and facial structure were all similar. High cheek bones, delicate bones, and a petite frame. The similarities did not stop with their physical appearance. The magic, which he had sensed in Ava the first night they met, saturated the air in the house.

“Right on time.” Ava smile stretched from ear-to-ear.

He nodded, then turned back to Maeve. He handed her the bottle of wine. “I hope you like wine?” Beaming she reached for the bottle, but as her hand brushed his, she appeared to stiffen and turn away from him.

Her voice sounded strained. “Oh, yes, very much.”

Ava took a step forward. “Let me introduce my sisters. From the left, we have Ella, Thea, and Cara. You’ve met Maeve.”

Ignoring Maeve’s disconcerting reaction to him, he said, “Good evening, ladies, it’s nice to meet you.”

Sister witches, how extraordinary
. Witches had a protector of some kind . . . light guardians. Could Maeve be their light guardian? That could explain her reaction to him. She most likely sensed that he wasn’t human and was probably wondering what the hell he was doing here.

“You didn’t tell me he was so tall, Ava.” Cara’s words broke him from his thoughts. Had he been staring at them?

Ava ignored her sister then took hold of his hand, leading him to the dining room. She motioned for him to sit on the end chair, then sat next to him.

After everyone had taken their seat, Ava passed plates of food around the table, which stood in front of a bay window overlooking the forest. A perfect spot.

“Dig in, everyone.” Ava drizzled smooth, thick gravy over the roast before she handed him the platter.

The meat had that rich, well-done smell that reminded him of ox charring over a spit. He didn’t realize how hungry he had been until he smelled the roast.

“Everything looks amazing, my compliments to the cook.” He glanced around the table, waiting for someone to address themselves as the cook.

Thea’s voice broke the silence. “Ava and Maeve prepared the food. It’s Ava’s favorite dish.”

He nudged Ava. “Really, you didn’t tell me you could cook.”

“It didn’t really come up.” She did a sideways glance at him and he winked at her. 

“Poor Cara, you have to wait a whole year to drink.” Ella swirled her wine and made a production of savoring the smell. “Ahh. You have no idea what you’re missing.”

Cara laughed. “Being too young never stopped you.” As the rest of the girls broke out in laughter, Lucas noticed Maeve’s stern look.

“Ella, what kind of example are you setting for your younger sisters?” Maeve’s voice was tinged with exasperation.

Ella smiled at Maeve. “I was trying to show them how not to get caught. After all, you have to admit you didn’t have a clue that I’d discovered wine before my twenty-first birthday.”

As the table erupted in laughter, Lucas thought that he saw Maeve crack a smile, but it was Ava’s laugh that caught his attention.

He felt his heart leap in his chest at the lighthearted sound. That and she looked stunning in a pair of skintight jeans, a silky sapphire-colored top, and stiletto heels. Without a doubt, sapphire was his favorite color on her.

“So, Lucas, Ava tells us that you played the hero yesterday?” Maeve reached for her glass of wine as she eyed him, waiting for a reply.

Before he could answer, Cara interrupted. “Yeah, tell us what it was like to deck Mark.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ava flinch. Did the memory frighten her?

“Cara!” Ava set her fork down hard in her plate, causing the metal to protest with a clank, all the while giving Cara a stern look.

“It’s all right. I don’t mind telling the story.” He recounted his side of the events from the past night.

“Wow, I can’t believe he tried to mouth off to you.” Cara leaned forward, her chin in her hands. “I wish I could have been there.”

Maeve cleared her throat. “We’re all just happy that you were able to come to her aide.” She passed Ava the bottle of wine to refill his glass, then said, “So what brings you to the Adirondacks, Lucas?”

He swallowed his food before answering. “I actually live north of here, in Lake Placid. I was just returning from England. I have family that lives there.”

“So, you’ll be finishing your journey home . . . soon?” Maeve leaned back in her chair, holding her glass of wine as her eyes narrowed.

Lucas nodded. “Eventually. I have something I have to take care of first.”

Maeve shoved the desert plate at him, as if she wished he’d leave that moment. She continued to regard him as a hush fell over the room.

“Lucas has a degree in literature from Oxford,” Ava announced into the silence.

Ella started asking him questions about England, but Lucas suspected she wasn’t really interested in the answers. He caught the thankful expression Ava sent her. Loyalty. The sisters reminded him of his pack. His brother Aiden would approve.

After everyone had finished their dinner, Maeve stood.

“Girls, why don’t you start picking up the plates and put some fresh coffee on. I’m going to take Lucas on a tour of the property.”

Ava’s brows drew together at this statement. She opened her mouth, then shut it again and picked up a couple plates.

Obviously Ava had no idea that Maeve had something to tell him. It wouldn’t hurt to play along.

“Good idea. I was unable to view the whole property before our run this morning.” If Maeve was going to ask him to leave, though, that just wasn’t going to happen. Not unless Ava asked him to go.

Making their way outside through their back door, he circled a solid wood picnic table then followed her to the edge of the forest. A dirt path led the way along the tree line and as the silence stretched out, he decided he would break it. “You have a lovely home.”

“Thank you. How long have you known?” She came to a stop just out of view of the house. He thought that he knew what she meant, but he had to be sure.

“Known what?”

“You can stop with the games. I know what you are— lycan. What I want to discover is how long have you known that Ava’s your mate?”

OK, she got straight to the point. “Since we are being honest, you are their light guardian?”

Maeve glanced back at the house, smiled, then nodded. “If you asked that question, then you know they’re witches.”

“Yes. Since I walked into the inn yesterday, I’ve known. I have been close enough to Ava to sense that she’s throwing off some serious magical energy. Does she know?”

Maeve turned her back to him and began to walk down the path. A few moments later she stopped by a tree trunk. The birds were chirping an upbeat tune as a cool breeze fluttered Maeve’s light brown hair. The setting sun filter through the tree branches . . . it was a pleasant evening yet he sensed what she was about to say was anything but harmonious. The muscles in her neck seemed to tighten as she said, “No, none of them know who they really are or what they’re capable of.”

She only confirmed what he’d suspected. “Why have you not told them?”

She snickered at him. “When you get to know Ava, you’ll understand. She, in particular, is not going to take this well, any of it. Ava’s used to leading, not being led around, and if I’m to answer your question I need one answered first.” He nodded. “What are your intentions with her? If you do anything to hurt her, I swear—”

“You ask me that? If you know what I am, then you know what I feel. She’s
mine
. I can’t be away from her. She is my life now. I would do anything to keep her safe.”

Maeve laughed, and his temper began to rise. She was outright insulting him. What was she getting at anyways?

“Do you really think Ava’s going to want a relationship that doesn’t give her a choice?”

“She will come to accept that we are destined to be together.” She would, wouldn’t she? He’d questioned this very fact from the moment he’d met her but hearing Maeve, who’d known Ava her whole life express
doubt,
set an ache in his chest. “I care for her. She is much more than I would ever expect from a mate.” He refused to meet her eyes. He moved to a large oak and leaned against it. “She’s, ah, she is quite wonderful, but to be honest with you we just met. I will give her time to accept the inevitable.”

When he glanced at Maeve, he found her staring at him. “I like that about you, Lucas. You’re very logical. You’re going to need that in the days to come.”

He drew his brows together at her words. “Do you mind elaborating?”

She moved to sit on the downed tree trunk. “The night Cara was born there was a terrible storm, their mother had gone into labor and was forced to deliver her at the house. A swarm of demons attacked that night. Just as Cara took her first breaths, their father took his last. He’d gone outside to meet them . . . but there was too many. The demons—they weren’t after him, they came for the girls, their powers. Those lowlifes thought to attack innocent, vulnerable children.”

She paused, then took a deep breath. “Somehow a fire started. All I knew was that I had to get them out of there. Their mother refused to come. She swore she could hold them off, give us more time to escape. She sacrificed her life to save her girls.”

Maeve’s voice grew rough. Her eyes stared into the air. Was she seeing the past? Lucas knew what it was like to live with regret. To see a past that was lost to the present . . .

“She just kept begging me to take the girls away from that place, so I flashed them out. The girls were so scared. I used memory dust on them so that they wouldn’t be able to remember all the details of that night. Not long after that I moved them here in hopes that a remote location would help protect them.”

Lucas moved to her side then sat on the tree trunk. Resting his arms on his thighs, he ingested all that he had learned, and one question kept coming to his mind. “I still don’t see why you didn’t tell them they are witches so that they might prepare?”

She turned to face him. “I don’t believe the demon king will stop until he finds them. I can’t be certain about their powers until they are evoked but I do believe them to be very powerful. I was afraid the use of magic might draw the demons to them that much sooner.” She crossed her arms about her chest, rubbing the thin fabric that covered her upper arms.

Was she cold, or worried for the girl’s safety?

“Ava is getting close to her immortal change. I’m, supposed to be helping them find their destiny but Lord, all I want to do is keep them safe.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder, so she would look at him. “It is also my will now to keep Ava safe. I vow to do all that I can to protect her sisters as well. Together we will figure this out, but you are going to have to tell them.”