Page 47 of Unbearable Attraction
"Took you long enough to figure that out," he teased, kissing her.
"Well, I'm a slow learner when it comes to matters of the heart."
"Lucky for you, I'm patient."
A sharp knock echoed through the cottage, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps on her front porch. Through the window, she could see a messenger in formal livery holding an envelope sealed with red wax.
"Expecting official correspondence?" Luka asked, releasing her reluctantly.
"No. And nothing good ever comes from messengers who dress like they're delivering royal proclamations."
A stern-faced man whose bearing suggested he took his duties very seriously was standing at her door. "Miss Leenah Carrow?"
"That's me."
"I have a message from the Carrow family of Salem, Massachusetts. I'm instructed to wait for your reply."
The envelope he handed her was heavy parchment, sealed with the family crest she'd hoped never to see again. Her name was written across the front in her aunt's precise handwriting, the letters sharp enough to cut.
Leenah's hands trembled as she broke the seal, dread pooling in her stomach as she unfolded the message within.
Leenah,
Your recent magical activities have drawn unwanted attention to our family name and endangered our standing within the Salem supernatural community, as much as we have tried to distance ourselves from your capabilities.
Leenah could tell by the way ‘capabilities’ was written that it wasn’t a compliment, but the hindrance her family couldn’t escape.
Reports of your "reckless experimentation" with forbidden necromantic practices have reached the Council of Mages, who are now questioning our family's oversight of your training and conduct.
You will return to Salem immediately to answer for these transgressions and submit to proper evaluation of your abilities. Failure to comply will result in formal charges being filed against both you and our family for magical misconduct.
This is not a request.
Aunt Margaret
The letter fell from her numb fingers, floating to the floor like a death sentence. She felt Luka's immediate concern, his protective instincts flaring as he sensed her distress.
"Leenah? What is it?"
She stared at the messenger waiting on her porch, his expression expectant and impatient. Behind him, she could see the life she'd built in Hollow Oak—the cottage where she'd finally found peace, the town that had accepted her gifts without question, the man whose love had taught her that some things were worth the risk of vulnerability.
All of it threatened by a family who'd never understood her and now wanted to drag her back into a world where her abilities were seen as dangerous aberrations rather than precious gifts.
"They want me to come home," she whispered, the words tasting like ashes in her mouth.
31
LUKA
Luka felt Leenah's distress hit him, her emotions crashing over him in waves of dread and old pain that made his bear rage. The letter lay on the floor between them like a declaration of war, its formal language barely concealing the threats underneath.
"You're not going," he said.
"I have to." Leenah's voice was hollow, defeated in a way he'd never heard before. "They're threatening formal charges. That could mean magical binding, forced registration with supernatural authorities, or worse."
"Let them try." His bear was pacing now, every instinct demanding he sweep her away somewhere her family could never find her. "They have no authority over you here."
"They have authority over my family name, my magical heritage, my standing in the supernatural community." She picked up the letter with trembling fingers. "If they file formal charges for magical misconduct, it won't just affect me. It could impact Hollow Oak's reputation, our bond, everything we've built together."
