Page 13 of Pure Magic
“Can you conjure or call?” She looks me in the eyes.
Mesmerized by the gold and red flecks in her brown eyes, I again long to know what she’s thinking and how it differs from what she says. “I cannot create from nothing or change the nature of a thing. I can work a glamor that makes a thing look other than what it is. I can turn rain into snow. And I can make rain or snow if there is water nearby. I can call animals, but only if they’re willing.”
I’ve told her more than I’ve shared with another witch since I was a boy. If she wished to use it to destroy me, I would let her. Perhaps that’s the most frightening part.
Her head cocks. “I’ve vowed to do no harm.”
Had I spoken out loud? “Did you read my thoughts?”
It’s adorable when her cheeks pink. A line forms between her brows. Shoulders stiff, she says, “I hear them, but I hadn’t tried to listen. I wouldn’t do that without permission.”
Panic is brewing inside her, and I want to soothe her, even though it’s not my place. I take her hand. “There is no harm, Sara Beth.” Did I hear her thoughts too? I drop her hand. “What is happening?”
She draws a shuddered breath. “Perhaps Goddess granted your misguided desire.”
“Is she manipulating us?” Anger flashes through me.
When she takes my hand, my fury fades away. “I don’t know. Goddess does what she wills, and it’s been my experience, she does so for good reason.”
I close my mind. “Forgive me if I’m not ready to share all my thoughts with you just yet.”
With a nod, I sense the door closing on her mind as well. “I agree. We don’t even know each other.”
It sounds false when she says it, yet I can’t disagree. “I know enough to know I want to know more.”
“Are you flirting with me?” She smiles, and somehow the clouds above seem not to matter, as the sun is brighter.
“It’s my nature. You said so yourself.” I’m teasing, but I don’t want to let go of this first light moment between us.
She pulls her hand away and stands. “Your attentions would be more welcomed by Sylvia or one of the young witches. I know some are hoping to have children and even find love. I’m not inclined toward romance. My mother wasn’t either. My father was cast out of Windsor the moment Mother conceived. It is a family tradition.”
My chest aches at the idea of her sending me away while she carries my baby within her. Stepping behind her so my chest grazes her back, I press my lips just behind her ear. “I would refuse to go, Sara Beth. You would have to kill me or wipe away my memories for me to leave you and our child. Had your father been stronger, he would have found a way. He missed watching you grow into a magnificent woman. I’ll not be cheated thus.”
On a shaky breath, she turns. “We should return to Windsor.”
Wishing I could convince her to stay at the sacred stones to talk and flirt won’t make it possible. It’s obvious that she’s not willing to let her guard down with me just yet. As I’ve closed my mind off to her, I can’t blame her for her standoffish behavior.
Cart and horse ready, we climb up, and she hands me the reins.
Perhaps she’s showing trust, or perhaps she wants to make sure I’m too busy to touch her while we drive back. Either way, I’m happy to take on the job.
“Do you miss Scotland?” she asks as we ease onto the road.
I love the way her warmth seeps into me where our clothes touch. “I miss the air in the highlands. It’s crisp and seems to fill my lungs with greater ease. I’m sure it’s my imagination, but I miss it nonetheless. The coven where I was raised was a happy place for me, with many friends, whom I miss. I’ve thought of writing to one or two, but I’m afraid they’d not respond, or respond unfavorably.”
“You’ll never know if you don’t reach out. They likely don’t know how to reach you. If you decide to remain in Windsor, you’d have a stable place for letters to reach you.” She stares straight ahead, but her cheeks pink.
She’s so lovely I want to touch those cheeks and see if they’re as warm as they appear. “I came to Windsor to find a family. Unless you bid me leave, I hope to be accepted into the coven.”
“We’ll see. I’ve already said you can remain in town. When I know the nature of your character as a man and a witch, your coven status will be decided.” She crosses her arms, and her breasts push to the edge of her dress.
Swallowing down desire, it takes me a few minutes to regain my senses. “I’ll never betray you, the king, or the coven. I know the higher purpose of this coven, Sara Beth. I’d not have come here if I didn’t intend to follow that edict.”
“I sense no ill will in you, Adam. Still, I’ve been fooled before, and evil can often hide itself.”
Unable to argue with her, I nod. “Shall I come to the coven house daily and prove myself?”
She’s silent, and the temptation to open my mind and hope she does the same nudges at me relentlessly. I long to know what goes on in that magnificent mind of hers. What does she think of me? How will she respond to more flirting? I want to woo her more than I want to breathe, yet I hardly know her. It could be all Goddess’s manipulations, and none of my attractions are real.
