Witch's Bounty (21 page)

“I didn’t know, not for certain, but I suspected something was wrong. Mathilde hadn’t been herself for months, maybe as much as a couple of years. The changes were so slight at first, I barely noticed them.” She shrugged. “One subtle change, piled atop another, added up. A group of us,” she spread her arms to encompass the witches scattered through the room, “were getting closer to a direct confrontation. We asked Coven Central for help, but they turned us down.”

“Funny. The same thing happened to us,” Roz said.

Naomi focused her intense blue gaze on Roz. “Recently?”

“Very. Between our last visit here and this one.”

Naomi’s dark brows drew together. “That doesn’t seem right,” she murmured.

“No shit.” Roz said succinctly. “We wondered just what Mathilde threatened that would intimidate such a powerful group of witches.”

“Maybe you should ask them?” Duncan spoke up. “Seems safe enough now that Mathilde’s been reduced to that pile of bone chips and protoplasm in the upstairs room.”

“Ewwww,” ran through the assemblage and, “So that’s what all that was.”

Naomi pounded on a table for order and got it. “We will gather her remains and burn them. I need volunteers.” A few hands shot up. “Thank you.” Naomi scanned the group. “To respect who Mathilde once was, we will hold a ceremonial farewell at dawn tomorrow. Those of you who wish to will meet behind the house half an hour before sunrise.”

Colleen took another sip from the glass in her hands. She waited until Naomi turned back to her and said, “We’ll be leaving soon.”

Naomi pressed her lips together and nodded, as if to herself. “I understand how tired you must be, and I would never hold you against your will, but I’m hoping you won’t go before you tell us how vulnerable we are to another demon attack. It’s clear to me now that Mathilde opened some sort of pathway between their world and this house. I need to know how to close it, permanently.”

“We want to know more about the changeling too,” someone called out.

Bubba broke off shoveling food into his mouth long enough to wave enthusiastically and answer, “Glad to oblige.”

Duncan got to his feet, ruffled the changeling’s hair, and hooked an arm through Colleen’s. He sucked in an audible breath. “I suppose I should have discussed this with you first, but I didn’t.” He turned his clear, green gaze toward Naomi. “Colleen has agreed to be my wife—”

Heat whooshed from her chest all the way to the top of her head. “I—I may have in a private moment, but, but…”

He moved the arm hooked through hers around her waist. “But nothing. I’m about to ask for Naomi’s blessing. If she agrees, my next request will be if someone here would perform whatever is traditional amongst you to bind couples in marriage. Would this help?” He sank to one knee before her and placed a hand over his heart. “Colleen Kelly, you’d make me the happiest man alive if—”

A titter began in one corner of the room, spreading rapidly, along with a chorus of
oohs
and
aahs
. Witches surged to their feet and moved closer. A smattering of applause broke out.

“Oh for Pete’s sake, get up would you?” Colleen grabbed one of his hands and tugged hard. Despite her embarrassment, her heart cracked open, overflowing with joy. Duncan was amazing. Not only was he drop dead gorgeous. He was funny and kind and considerate. Good at anticipating her needs too. And he understood her amazingly well, probably because he spent so much time in her head…like he probably was right this minute. “Oops.” She eyed him through downcast lashes.

He grinned and gestured with both hands, looking both innocent and guilty as sin, all at the same time. “Why of course I was in your mind, but I’m all those things and more. Keep your thoughts coming, darling. Nectar to my heart, balm to my soul.”

Colleen couldn’t help herself. She laughed, ignoring her lacerated throat. “Egotistical beast.” She mock swatted him. “Now that you’ve had a turn through my head, will you please get up?”

Duncan flowed to his feet, and walked to Naomi. “Would you bless us and marry us, even though I’m not one of you?”

The witch’s blue eyes twinkled. “It would be my pleasure, but we must wait until the signs are auspicious.”

He cocked his head to one side. “How will you figure that out?”

She crooked a finger at him. “Once we’re done asking questions, and you’re done answering them, and eating, you and Colleen will join me for a Tarot session. If the cards are good to you, I’ll cast your astrological charts and check their synastry.”

Duncan was tired, and anxious to be alone with Colleen. Night had arrived hours ago, and was nearly spent. Though he was a veteran of many marathon Sidhe meetings, nonetheless he’d been ready to bid the Coven witches farewell hours ago. Colleen leaned heavily against him as they walked across the lush, damp lawn in search of their lodging.

“I can’t believe how wiped out I am,” she murmured.

“You have every right to be. We didn’t get much sleep last night and you’ve fought Irichna twice in twenty-four hours.” He kissed her forehead. “My brave darling. Once we’re inside, I’ll see what I can do about healing your throat. It’s bruised up something fierce.”

“That would be nice. It hurts.”

He twisted the skeleton key in the lock and pushed open the door to one of several guest cottages scattered about the grounds of the Witches’ Northwest compound. Jenna, Roz, and Bubba were in the cottage right next to them, presumably already asleep, since they’d excused themselves once the Coven witches had run out of questions.

The Coven had spent hours asking about everything from ways to ensure Mathilde’s gateway could be well and truly closed, to how they could rustle up a dozen changelings.

Once he and Colleen were finally done with that, they’d trailed after Naomi. True to her word, she’d cast several Tarot spreads before moving to her computer and asking them for birth data for her astrology program. He’d told her he was nearly certain her computer program wouldn’t include his birthdate, but she’d arched a brow, said many witches were quite old, and muttered something about extrapolation based on planetary cycles. A few key strokes later, she’d declared him and Colleen a perfect match, and set their nuptials for ten days hence, during the winter solstice. Sometime between now and then, he’d have to find Titania and square things with her. And then there was the follow-up Sidhe council meeting where he’d promised to make a good faith effort to show up with the witches in tow. It would be a busy few days.

Colleen fired her mage light, gazed around the cottage, and gasped. “Oh my. This is charming. Like a hobbit hole.”

“Without the tiny, round doors, fortunately.” Duncan pulled the door shut behind them and sent magic skittering across the room to light a fire someone had thoughtfully laid in the grate. The cottage was cozy, with knotty pine walls, and overstuffed chintz furniture. Rag rugs were placed strategically on a polished, hardwood floor. An inviting bed, strewn with plump pillows and comforters, was visible through an open doorway. A second door probably led into a bathroom.

He moved behind Colleen and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him, head tilted back. Oberon’s balls, but she felt good against him. “Would you like a bath?” he asked. “I’m presuming there’s a tub, but I’m not certain.”

She turned her head and nuzzled his neck. “I want it all. You. Bath. Neck healing. Sleep.” Her eyes fluttered shut. “Now if I could just stay awake for half of that, I’ll be doing good.”

Protectiveness shot through him, so fierce and so sweet, it shocked him. He’d make sure she had everything she wanted. Always. He tightened his arms around her. “My feelings won’t be hurt if you drift off. We’ve had a hell of a couple of days here. Let’s check out the bathroom. We both still stink of Irichna.”

She narrowed her eyes and sniffed audibly. “Now that you mention it, I guess we do. I’d sort of adapted.”

He unwrapped his arms, took her hand, and guided her across the room. The fire was already putting out a pleasant, crackly warmth. She turned the knob and pushed the bathroom door open. It was his turn to gasp. An inlaid marble tub was sunk into the floor. It was deep enough to thoroughly immerse themselves in. He bent, turned on the taps, and closed the drain. Hot water, with a distinct mineral smell, ran into the tub. The remainder of the bathroom was tiled in glittery, gold-toned granite.

“So that’s what she meant about tapping into a natural hot spring.” Colleen closed the bathroom door to keep the steam inside.

“I wasn’t listening. You can tell me, but later.” Duncan returned to her side and gently laid a hand on her throat. “Hush, this will only take a moment.” He sent magic into her, assessing damage, and fixing broken places as he went. The injury was mostly at a surface level, but many cells had burst, causing a bruise to form from beneath her chin all the way down her neck. He summoned his own mage light and made it bright to he could assess the results of his efforts.

Colleen’s eyes were closed, her head tilted backward as he worked. Soon the creamy tones of her skin returned. “You’ll need to drink a lot of water to flush the debris out of your body.”

“Thanks.” She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Feels better already.”

He brushed a knuckle over her lips, and then kissed her softly. “Tub’s getting full. We probably should get in.”

“You just want to see me naked.” She grinned, and ran her tongue over her lips.

“Yes.” He grinned back. “That too.” He tugged her top over her head and unhooked her bra. He wanted to kiss her breasts, but lovemaking could wait—at least until they got into the water and sluiced off the top layer of grime.

She bent and unlaced her boots. He did the same and toed his off. His sweater and shirt came next. Colleen walked up behind him and ran her hands down his back. “I’ll never get used to how stunning you are. I’ve never seen skin like yours. I swear it would glow, even if we didn’t have the mage lights going.”

A warm, fluttery feeling moved through his insides. Deep joy that she found him pleasing suffused him with emotions he had no name for. She reached around and unfastened his pants. They pooled around his feet and he stepped out of them. He gave his underwear a shove and they followed. By the time he turned to face Colleen, she was naked too.

Water was just lapping over the edges of the tub. He scooped their clothes off the floor and laid everything over a padded bench next to one wall. The bathroom floor had two drains, but there was no point getting their clothes soaked when the tub overflowed—and it would once they got in.

She turned off the water, sat on the tub’s rounded edge, and eased into the steaming water. “Heavenly,” she pronounced. “The minerals are a godsend.”

He joined her, sitting across from her in the oblong tub. True to his prediction, water ran over the lip of the tub and into the drains. Their legs intertwined. He pulled one of her feet into his lap and massaged the instep. “What was that about a natural hot spring?”

She nodded. Her hair drifted in the water like ruddy sea anemones. “Naomi, or maybe one other others, said this property sits atop a huge mineral pool. They pipe all their hot water from it.”

“Convenient.”

“Mmph. Yes, we witches are a crafty bunch.” She shoved her other foot into his lap and he rubbed both of them. Their proximity to his cock gave it ideas. It stiffened, floating in the hot water. Tired as he was, lust pierced him.

He cleared his throat. “Before I’m lost to your charms, and I forget everything, one of the reasons I was waiting for you in Fairbanks was to escort you and Jenna and Roz back to the U.K. for a Sidhe council meeting.”

Her eyes, which had been sitting at half-mast, flew open. “Why do they need us?”

“I told them they needed to take back responsibility for the Irichna—”

“And they told you they needed our blood to get the genetic code back,” she cut in. The soft line of her mouth dissolved into a resolute expression. “What if we’re willing to share, but don’t want to give up our demon stalking job?”

Duncan snorted back a laugh. “In the first place, I’m not at all certain any of the Sidhe want the Irichna back in their laps. If they accede, it will be because of guilt. Somehow, I don’t think they’ll fight you if you still want to ferry demons down through Hell.”

She inhaled thoughtfully, and then shook her head. “I’m so tired, it’s hard to think straight. Roz and Jenna need to speak for themselves. I have no right to make that decision for them. I don’t know why I’d be so attached to facing down danger again and again, but I am.”

Duncan thought he understood. It was all about having purpose and meaning in a life, about being an integral part of something important. The Sidhe had lost far more than they realized when they drafted the witches. He held his peace, though, snagged a fragrant bar of soap, and began washing her legs. She found another bar and did the same to him. Wherever she touched him, his skin caught fire. “Turn around,” he said, his voice rougher than he’d meant because he was so aroused.

She came to him and nestled in his arms. He wet, soaped, and rinsed her hair, while his cock pressed against the mounded curves of her ass. It took forever before the water ran clear down her head and neck. He turned her in his arms and brought his mouth down on hers. She returned his kiss hungrily, opening her mouth to him, and teasing with her tongue.

She urged him away from the side of the tub, and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. His cockhead hovered just at her entrance for several long, delicious moments while they kissed. Her peaked nipples pressed into his chest. She writhed against him, moaned, and let her body slide down his shaft. The heat inside her made the water’s warmth pale by comparison.

It was all he could to do to keep from exploding the minute he hit bottom and she clenched her muscles around him. Colleen hooked her arms beneath his and grasped his shoulders. She rubbed her breasts against his chest in a little circular motion that made her nipples even harder. He dropped his hands to her hips and set a rhythm that might, maybe, let him last past a dozen strokes.