The Dashing Witch (The Ward Witches) (13 page)

“
We've got to be more careful,” he whispered.

“
Next time, you can do all the work,” she said with a grin. “And there will be a next time.”

He'd argue, but she was probably right. He couldn't stay away from her, especially not when she was trying to get him to have sex with her. 'Stay awake a little longer, sweetie. I'm going to check the baby first.” He went into his trance, both hands on the skin of her stomach. It was still hard to believe that she was pregnant sometimes until he checked like this. Then there was no doubt. But there was something different this time. Justin checked again to make sure he wasn't imagining it. No, it was definitely there.

“
Melanie, are you still awake?”

“
Yes, but only barely.”

“
I've got good news.”

“
The baby's fine. I told you so.”

“
No. Not that. We're having twins.”

“
What?” She sat up, knocking his hands off her in the process. “Twins?” She sounded hopeful. Or at least, he wanted to believe she sounded hopeful.

“
Yes, twins. There are definitely two embryos there.”

“
Oh my god, Justin, that's great!” She kissed him.

“
Yes it is. I'm certainly excited.”

“
Good. Can you tell if it's boys or girls?”

“
Not yet. But my god. Twins.”

“
I'm sure you're going to tell me to be more careful.”

“
Yes, I am. But I know you'll do what you need to, whatever I say. So let's get some magic in you, and I'll see you in the morning.”

“
Alright.”

He fed the magic into her, taking care to send some to each of the two embryos. Then he withdrew and went back to the living room. Having twins was a reason to be twice as excited, but also twice as scared. What if he screwed it up? He didn't know anything about kids.

So he booted up his laptop and started researching. He'd be a good father, damn it, one way or the other.

Then the thought crossed his mind that he still didn't know if Melanie would be around after she gave birth. In their agreement, that's how long she had to stay. It was a sobering thought that he might not see her again and might not get to see his children grow up. He really needed to start working on deciding what he wanted to do with his future, and making it happen.

The next day, Melanie laid low until noon, conserving her energy until it was showtime. At twelve precisely, when Seb came knocking on her door, she knew it was time. He looked nervous.

“
How do I do this again?” He asked, briefly waving to Rita and Skylar.

“
First of all, I've got a shirt and tie here for you. I had Justin go get them, and he does know your size.” She held out a blue shirt with a striped tie. “Go put them on and report back for makeup.”

“
Makeup?”

“
Don't be silly, Seb. If you're going on television, you'll need to look good. Better than your natural complexion would show up under the lights she's going to bring. Trust me, you'll look great.”

“
I'm nervous.”

“
I can tell. And if I can tell, so can they. Be calm and composed. One way or another, you'll get through this. And if you believe in yourself, you'll come out well. Remember what we've discussed. Tanya won't be the nicest of interviewers, but she won't try to vilify you. Just be yourself, and don't worry too much about being on camera.”

“
Alright. Let me go get this shirt on.”

When he returned, Melanie ran through the high points of her coaching as she applied the makeup to his face. She pulled a little trickery that she had pulled a million times before and put a dash of confidence through her air magic into his subconscious.

“
I can feel that,” Seb said.

“
They usually can't.”

“
I appreciate it, though.”

“
You'll be great. If you can stand up in front of a summit of witches and convince them to create a National Coven, you can face Tanya Yelman and do a good job.”

“
Thanks.”

While Melanie finished prepping Seb, Skylar went into his office and straightened up the top of his desk and the bookcase beside it. When the camera crew arrived, she instructed them to set up where the camera was on the desk and the freshened up bookcase.

Melanie brought Seb back into his office right about the same time as Tanya arrived. The two women air-kissed before getting down to business. Tanya adjusted some camera angles to get two chairs in the picture. Then she started the interview.

Melanie, Rita, and Skylar all watched as Seb turned on the charm with Tanya. Melanie looked on in awe as he pulled it off gracefully. He even did a few magic tricks, such as levitating a paperweight and some mind reading. Apparently, Tanya had been thinking about how nice Seb looked in blue and how she really wished she hadn't eaten a donut for breakfast instead of a bagel. Her eyes widened at that. It seemed the cameramen didn't even know about Tanya's breakfast choices. But she laughed about it.

It took two hours to do the whole thing, allowing for plenty of time for Tanya and her editors to trim and manipulate the tape. Melanie had it on good authority that the tape would be complimentary to Seb. Tanya had whispered as much on the way out.

“
Good to see you,” Melanie responded, with another air kiss.

“
If you have any more exclusive interviews in the future, do give me a call.”

“
I will have to. Of course, I'll need to see what you air on this one first.”

Tanya laughed. “You'll be pleased, I think.”

121

CHAPTER EIGHT

When Melanie got back in the room, Seb was already gone to the bathroom to wash off her makeup. In a good mood, she decided to bring him the makeup remover wipes that would enable him to actually do so. Something about his reddened face from scrubbing brought out a long stretch of laughter, a result of her own stress in getting Seb ready for the interview. He joined her for a minute before gratefully grabbing up the wipes.

“
Good work, Seb. I look forward to seeing the final copy.”

“
Me too. Now go find that husband of yours and tell him how I did. I know he's been wondering how it would go down.”

“
Before I do that, how did the thing with the police go?”

145

THE DASHING WITCH

“
Great. In exchange for Skylar's testimony against the people we arrested a few months ago, which she's willing to give, they'll do some work on tracking down the leaders in the kidnapping ring. We'll also need to give the police credit when we catch them.”

“
Sounds fair to me. Have you told Justin?”

“
No. I should do that. After all, if the police find something, he won't like it coming out of thin air.”

“
Good point. Shall we go together?”

“
Let's.”

Melanie and Seb found Justin in the ops room, so Seb took the opportunity to tell all the agents present about the exchange of information with the police. A few protested, but when Justin proclaimed it as a good idea, the protestors stopped.

Interesting, Melanie thought. Either he's a good enough leader that his people will trust his judgment or they're waiting for the right time to make their objections. But either way, Justin looked busy, and she and Seb left after delivering their news. She'd see Justin later.

Back at her office, she got Rita and Skylar to come with her to Seb's office.

“
What's going on, Melanie? Last thoughts?”

“
News, actually, and I wanted to tell all of you at the same time. Justin and I are having twins.”

“
Excellent.” Seb said. “It'll be nice to have Ward babies around here again.”

“
Twice as much spoiling to do,” Skylar observed sagely. “Girls or boys?”

“
Can't tell yet. I'm amazed he could tell there were two of them.”

“
Well, good for you,” Rita said. “I'm sure Justin will want us to keep an eye on you even more.”

“
I'm sure. But I can take care of myself.”

The Friday Seb's segment was set to air finally arrived. Justin had been getting some leads from the police department, and that had improved his mood. Between the two of them, Melanie was in a good mood as well.

The entire population of the Coven House and Ward Manor was camped out in the living room waiting for Seb's interview to come on. There was popcorn and good cheer, but she could feel the layer of tension underneath in case something went awry with the airing. Melanie knew it was great because she had seen it before it came on, but the rest of the Coven worried a little. They shouldn't have. Finally, Tanya's face came on the TV to start the show, and the room went silent.

The silence lasted all the way through the interview and Tanya's sign off. Then came the cheering. Tanya had done better than expected in making Seb look like the approachable guy next door. He looked professional but friendly, and Melanie couldn't be happier. As the resident witches gathered round to collect Seb, Justin quietly pulled Melanie away and back to their rooms.

Once there, he gave her a long searing kiss. “I know they're congratulating Seb, but you're the one who made this happen. I wanted to get you to myself before any of them realized that.”

“
I appreciate that.”

“
I even thought ahead and got Skylar's evening meal for us in the kitchen down the hall. I'll go reheat it and we'll have a nice quiet dinner.”

“
I can't object to that.”

As she watched Justin walk away, Skylar's mind skipped right over the victory today and onto the future. She was only eight weeks of probably thirty seven, considering she was having twins, but she was already worried about what was going to happen when she delivered. She might be giving a husband the first of a new generation of their family. But she also might be starting her journey as a single mom.

She knew she loved him. She loved him a lot, and leaving him would hurt for more reasons than becoming a single mother. It was certain that leaving would rip her heart out. But she was still certain that she would do it if she was asked to. Perhaps it was too early to hope for him to return her feelings. But she'd do her best to change his mind.

Melanie spent the rest of the night browsing the web to see the reactions to the interview. Most were positive, but there was really beginning to be a strong contingent of dissidents. They raised concerns about the witches' intentions, despite what Seb had said. She showed her discovery to Justin, whose jaw hardened.

“
Do you think this could become a problem?” He asked her.

“
If I had a celebrity client who was getting hateful messages like these, I'd advise them and their staff to be careful. But I've got a brother-in-law and my Coven that might be in danger. You and I both know that ignorance can lead to fear and fear can lead to action. I don't want to tell you your job, but if I were in your shoes, I'd increase security, maybe even having some foot patrols despite the cold.”

“
I think you're right.” He made a few calls and arranged for people to have different schedules for more coverage. “Better safe than sorry.”

“
Indeed.”

The next morning, Melanie's fears came true. When she headed downstairs, she heard protestors in the front yard. They were chanting something. She didn't want to go outside to hear, so she went to the window and cracked it slightly.

“
Magic kills. Witch you would go away,” was the slogan being shouted. They carried signs on posts and stamped their feet in front of the Coven House. But they had the right to assembly, and they weren't technically on Coven land. She resisted the urge to go see how Justin was doing. The last thing he needed was a distraction.

She and Rita worked on the next stage in their campaign, but their spirits were much dampened from the last few days. The next stage involved volunteers going on live TV and demonstrating some of their abilities on Monday. She had set up an arrangement with a local children's hospital to cheer up the residents with a magic show. They agreed on the condition that only children who wanted to come came, and that none of the children would be hurt. But because of the protests, Melanie made sure to call the station and the hospital and ask if they still wanted to do the segment. They said they intended to carry on with it, and she took them at their word. She updated her volunteers, and they promised to be safe getting there.

Rita and Melanie finished up as quickly as possible because it was Saturday. They'd be taking Sunday off unless something else happened, and they wanted to be ready for Monday at noon. Melanie thought that it would be a good idea to get a strong front out to the public quickly.

When Melanie looked out her window again, she saw that there were a lot more protestors. She really started to wonder if she had done the right thing with bringing witches to the attention of the community. She saw Justin standing out in the front yard, tension evident in his shoulders and his stance.

She connected briefly to Seb. “Should I go talk to Justin?” She asked mentally.

“
I wouldn't.”

“
Why? Is he mad at me? I know this is my fault.”

“
There's no one to fault, Melanie. This is a result of hiding for all these years. If someone else had taken the time and energy to reveal us to the public, they likely wouldn't have done it so classily. It likely would have been something we couldn't control from a source trying to control us.”

“
So you feel that way. I need to know if Justin blames me.”

“
Justin's a smart man. I don't think he blames you. But I do know that if you go out there, you'll distract him, and that will make him angry. Let him be the leader of Coven Protection for a while. Together, we'll make sure he comes in when it's time for dinner. For now, get some rest. It's going to be a long night.”

“
Wake me up when it's dinnertime?”

“
Sure. Now go sleep.” He dropped the connection, and she decided to follow his advice.

But when she lay down to get some sleep, she had nightmares. She saw Justin being dragged away by a mob. She saw a sharpshooter take aim at Seb and get him right in the forehead. Then one by one, she saw her new family be killed. The last thing that happened in her dream was that Melanie was beaten so severely that she miscarried. But she was left alive to mourn them, her family and her children. Seb was right that it wasn't her fault. But the question still remained in her mind of whether she had opened a can of worms that should have stayed shut.

Then, before it got any worse, if it could get worse, she heard Seb in her head. “It's time for dinner, Melanie. I need you to come with me to get Justin.”

“
I'm on my way down.” But first she had to change clothes. Her nightmares had put her in a cold sweat, and she wanted to be as fresh as possible when she faced the music.

When she got down, she found Seb by the main door. He nodded at her, and they went out together, silently. Justin was still standing precisely where he was when she saw him last. Seb walked up on his right, and Melanie took his left.

“
It's time to let your team do their job, Justin,” Seb said softly. “You've trained them well. I know you've even trained them for this scenario. Now it's time to come eat dinner with your family. You won't benefit anyone if you don't keep yourself in good shape.”

“
You're taking care of the whole house, and your team can take over for a while. We need to take care of you,” Melanie added.

Silently, he nodded and turned to barrel back inside, leaving Seb and Melanie to catch up with him, exchanging confused looks.

Skylar hadn't been through since no one wanted her braving the mob in front of the Coven House, so one of the other residents had thrown together a huge pot of chicken fried rice. After all, it would be a trying day for everyone, and they'd all need food. Justin dipped out a serving for himself and headed out. Melanie quickly got hers and followed him. He knew she was there, and he didn't tell her to go away, so she took that as a good sign.

Justin headed up for their rooms, and he even held the door for Melanie as she came up behind him. He stared at the bowl for a few minutes before speaking.

“
I'm lost, Mel.”

She'd never heard him use the diminutive of her name. No one had ever really called her Mel, but she rather liked it coming out of Justin.

“
We're all lost right now. And I have to apologize. This is my fault, for putting Seb on TV.”

His laugh was brittle. “No, this isn't your fault. I had a talk early this morning with Seb, when the first of them showed up. He said you'd blame yourself. But you have to understand that this has been coming to us for years. Somehow, by keeping everything in the dark, my father avoided this mess. But if you hadn't brought us out into the open, someone would have. And more than likely, that someone would be trying to hurt us by exposing us. No, it's better that you showed us in a good light than if someone else brought us to the attention of the public.”

“
You're sure?”

“
Positive. I wouldn't lie to you. But I'm still in a quandary with what to do about them. Soon news crews will be out here, and we'll be getting a lot of press we don't need.”

“
They're bullies.”

“
But they threaten to underscore what you've been doing.”

“
No, they don't. Think about it. On Monday, my volunteers and I will be going to the children's hospital to cheer up sick children. I'd ask you who has more weight: witches volunteering with children or protestors barricading in the residence of people who have done nothing to them.”

He considered it for a moment. “Then you are still going on Monday?”

“
I've confirmed with the TV station and the hospital, as well as all my volunteers. We'll be there, and we'll make a splash. Those people out front want to sell us as evil, but they can't do it. We're too strong as a community. We've got witches in so many places around the United States that they can't take us all on. If you ask me, what we need to do is make sure they don't harm the house or the residents. We don't need to worry about our reputation. I'll take care of that.”

“
You've made me feel better.”

“
Good. I intended to. But if you're going to make sure there's no damage to people or property, you need to make sure that you and your team stay healthy and prepared. You're not lost, Justin. You have a whole support system behind you in both the Coven Protection team and your family. Use your support system.”

“
How do you do it?”

“
Do what?”

“
Take my crappy mood and my crappy day and tell me that it's all going to be OK. But even more, you make me believe it really will be.”

“
I'm your wife, it's part of my job.” She laughed. “But really, I care about you, and I speak the truth. The combination is potent.” She wanted to cry out that she loved him, but it wasn't the right time or place.

“
That's for sure. But I'm going with you to the hospital on Monday. With this kind of pressure on the House, I don't want to risk you and your volunteers getting hurt doing something to improve the Coven and counteract the hateful message of the protestors. How will I benefit from your pep talks if you're hurt?” He gave her a cocky grin, but she could tell he was really bothered by the idea. That was good. You only worried about someone if you cared about them.