Page 63 of Wicked Warlock
He pulled away, grabbing my mask and shoving it back into place. Then he placed his own over his face. His dark chuckled filled my ears. “You’re going to pass out.”
“Worth it.”
Penny turned around and waved to us from just around the bend. She pointed to her ear and shrugged. Beckett flipped us back to the right channel and her voice came through bright and clear. “Hey, catch up. I think we found it.”
We marched up a small incline and stepped over the jagged ground. A large crevasse appeared in the side of the peak. Penny disappeared into the huge crack, and we followed behind her. The farther we got, the darker it all became. Her emerald magic sparked to life, illuminating the cave. The sound of tumbling rock and the wind whipping through the sharp corners made an eerie whistling sound.
“It’s up ahead.” Professor Charles’ voice made me startle. I’d been listening so closely to the environment that I’d forgotten we were all connected in the headphones.
Up ahead there was a break in the darkness, a beacon of light guiding us forward. When we reached it, Professor Charles stood in front of the opening with her mask off and her coat nowhere to be found. She had the sleeves of her sweater rolled all the way up her arms. She waved us forward. “We’re definitely here.”
The moment I stepped through, I was instantly warm. It had been freezing at the top of this mountain, and now I felt like I was walking out into a warm spring day. The professor sucked in a deep breath and tipped back her head, closing her eyes and turning her face toward the sun. I pulled off my mask and sucked in a full breath of air. Penny opened her hands her emerald smoke poured over us, taking away the winter clothing and leaving us all in dark pants and t-shirts. There were multiple bulges all over my body, and as I checked each one, I noted all the different weapons she covered me with.
When I pulled a big hunting knife from the holster on my back, she winked. “You’re welcome. You can never be too careful.”
I slid it back into place and chuckled. I felt kind of like Ophelia with all this stuff waying me down. “No, you can’t be too careful.”
“Let’s get this over with.” She groaned. “I don’t really need to do the daddy daughter thing. I’ve been fine without him for a thousand years. If this works I’ll be fine for another thousand.”
There before us was a huge crystal lake with dozens of swans gliding over the water like a ballet dance. Their demanding honks made this whole scene unreal. A mansion stood just beyond the lake. Large columns ran from the ground up to the roof. It reminded me of the white house with a big hanging chandelier and windows running around the first and second floor. The front door stood wide open and there were no guards or anyone else around.
“Does anyone else think that’s sus as hell?”
Penny marched toward the house. “We don’t really have another choice. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you live, Astrid. I swear.”
“Me too.” Beckett was by my side once more. “Always.”
“Me, as well.” Professor Charles walked past the rest of us and started to make her way around the lake. “No matter what it takes.”
Around the lake we all went and right up the stairs and through the front door without knocking. When we marched into the foyer, I stopped dead and didn’t know if I should take pictures to show the others or turn around and run right back out the door.
“What the hell is all this?” Penny hissed under her breath.
People, there were people everywhere. They were in various states of undress. Some wore only sexy undergarments; others wore nothing at all. A woman with dark raven hair piled on top of her head and a tight leather corset and matching stockings sauntered up to Beckett.
“Are you game?”
He shook his head and put his arm around my shoulders. “I’m definitely not game.”
“Pity.” She shrugged. “She could’ve joined too.”
My jaw dropped and my eyebrows shot up high. “Um, thank you?”
As she sauntered away, she waved at me over her shoulder, and I giggled. “What kind of party is this?”
Professor Charles huffed. “The kind of party where we don’t belong.”
“TOGAAAAA!” A guy strolled up to us with an old Greek-style toga draped around the lower half of his body and a single strip of fabric thrown over his shoulder. He was tall and thin with long lean muscles. His wavy brown hair was combed back from his face, giving everyone a full view of his vivid hazel eyes. He held a golden goblet in his hand and wine tipped out the side and spilled on the pristine marble floor.
He strolled up to me and ran his hand down my cheek. I shoved away his hand and stepped back. He stepped closer and looked down at me. “Hey, beautiful, you want to see what’s under my toga… just for you?”
Beckett hauled back his fist and launched it forward. Blue magic exploded from his hand and the toga guy soared through the air, his feet flipping up over his head. He crashed into the banister around the stairs, splintering it into pieces. He lay there in an unconscious heap. Beckett snickered. When I looked up at him, he shrugged. “What? You know he had it coming.”
“What is the meaning of all this?” A deep voice boomed, and the crowd of half-clad people all backed away, parting for a man at the back of the room. Power rolled off him while thunder boomed outside and lightning flashed in the windows. He was tall and beautiful, more beautiful than I ever thought possible, with long blond hair that fell down past his shoulders and eyes that matched the blue of the sky. A dark blond, neatly kept beard surrounded his full pink lips. Muscles covered his body from head to toe like he was some kind of metrosexual lumberjack. All his tan skin was on display, as he only wore a pair of low-slung jeans. He walked barefoot across the tile toward us.
“No one invited you here. No one wants you here. Leave.”
“Zeus, I presume.” Beckett extended his hand out toward him. “Beckett Dustwick… your great-grand-something son.”
