Page 34 of Pure Magic
“I don’t know,” he says, and his gaze is faraway. “I have felt them approach in the last few years, but I have always run away before they reached me.”
“You’ve thought about it though?” I prod him for more, but gently. Reliving this terrible past has taken the warmth from his cheeks.
He combs his fingers through his hair and rubs the back of his neck. “I’ve tried to find some reason they would want me to join them. Other than being siblings, I can’t imagine any cause to follow me for so many years.”
Prudence sighs and pats our hands. “Go and get some air. Then you should both rest. I will make a few inquiries. There are smarter witches in the world.” She laughs.
Without an argument, we head downstairs hand in hand. Air sounds like a good idea. I cast a protection spell around us before we step out the front door.
“How will the great mother contact these smarter witches?” He draws my hand through his elbow but keeps it in his opposite hand. We might be an old married couple strolling together toward the park if I didn’t know better. The idea of that sparks joy inside me.
The tingle of my mother’s magic niggles at the back of my skull. Not the angry disappointment I’m used to from her, just a sense that she’s with me again.
It’s comforting.
I say, “Probably through the fire, but she shooed us away because whatever she plans or whomever she’ll speak to, she doesn’t wish to be witnessed. The great mother is quite remarkable in her friends and her powers.”
“So I’m coming to understand.” He looks at the ground as we enter the park. “I thought you would send me away. I was certain my blood being the same as Ariana’s would force you to banish me.”
Disliking the fear in his voice, I lean into him, passing him my admiration as I do. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll not lie. It worries me that they have pursued you all this time. I don’t know what your sister wants, but I would guess she needs you to obtain it.”
“Bringing danger to Windsor is not what I want. Yet I know Ariana is near, and she is most definitely dangerous. If I am what they need, I should leave here and never come back. It’s too much of a risk to have me here with you.” He drops my hand and steps a few inches away.
“If you want to leave, you are free to do so.” It’s impossible to keep the hurt from my voice.
As we walk into a stand of trees, he steps in front of me and faces me. “If it were up to me, I would never be more than an inch away from you, Beth. I would follow you to the ends of this earth. I don’t want to leave. I want you, and I want to be a part of your coven. However, I don’t want to be the cause of more pain and suffering. The witches of Windsor have endured so much over the last year. Would you bring them into another war?”
Everything he says is true. My family of witches has endured more than most. They have also risen to meet every challenge with magnificence. I’m so proud to lead these witches. Love and pride fill my heart.
He must sense my emotions. His eyes narrow. “I need to know what you’re thinking, dear one.”
“I think if trouble must come to England, that I’d rather fight it at home than have to find you in a week, a month, or a year to fight by your side. My witches are fierce and strong.”
“How can you ask this of them? How can I ask this of you?” His pain permeates my heart.
I consider his questions. “You didn’t ask me. I will stand by you, Adam. I will know if you are in danger wherever you are.” Perhaps this was too much to declare. It’s not like me to share feelings, or even have them, where a man is concerned. That niggling at the back of my head is back.
“What is that?” Eyes wide, he backs away from me. “Is that your mother?”
“You feel that?”
He nods, and his panic is clear from our connection and the way he looks ready to bolt. “I felt it when we arrived at the park, and now again. Is she about to attack me again?”
The niggling softens. “I don’t think so. I’m sorry, my mother doesn’t speak to me. She only lets me know she’s here, and this is the first time I’ve felt her since Prudence blocked her.”
He lets out a long breath and pulls me into a hug. “I’m happy you have your mother back, Beth, but she does not like me. I don’t want to be laughed into unconsciousness again.”
Glad we’re hidden by trees, I relax into his embrace. “I don’t want that either. I feel no animosity from her. Just her presence.”
He relaxes, and his arms tighten around me. “I’m happy to hear that.”
Pulling out of his embrace, I take his hand. “Let’s walk. There’s a gardener’s cottage at the center of the park. It’s protected.”
He grins. “Why is the gardener’s cottage protected? Is he a witch?”
“Not that I’m aware of. I think Minerva protected it. The gardener rarely uses it.” I act as if none of this is important. Actually, it isn’t, but I like the arousal I sense building inside him, and it fuels my desire.
“Are you hoping for a tryst, Beth? I don’t mind, but I would have thought you too serious to steal away in light of the danger I’ve revealed today.” He’s grinning.
