Page 45 of Pure Magic
“My father was French and my mother English. She brought me here when he died. I was very young. She died last winter. This house will be safe. Mother built it with strong protections in every stone. Most people pass it by without ever noticing it’s here.” Taking the reins of my horse as well, Jasper smiles, showing straight white teeth. “Your need must have been great. Go inside. There’s bread and fresh milk. Make yourself at home. I’ll tend these beasts.”
We stand and watch him walk through a stand of trees and into a paddock, where a pair of cows and a donkey trot over to see the new arrivals. At the far end is a chicken coop, and a pair of bee boxes dot the south corner.
“This is a well-planned home.” I take her hand and lead her toward the front door. “What did he mean by our need being great?’
Legs unsteady, she stumbles along. “I suspect the house is charmed, and those charms keep him safe from outsiders who might do harm to a solitary man with a well-planned home. His dark skin might put him in danger in a cruel and foolish world. His mother must have held powerful magic to keep this house hidden from anyone who is dark or without need. Any spell that continues beyond the caster’s death is mightily impressive.”
The house is one room with a curtained bed in one corner. The yeasty smell of bread makes my stomach growl. Leaving my bag, I cross to the table near a wash basin and cut two pieces of the crusty treat. “Eat, Beth.”
She takes the bread and nibbles then drops into one of two chairs near the hearth. “I may be too tired to eat.”
The house is warm and comfortable. As small as it is, I could live happily in such a place. Knowing Ariana would find me and foul such a treasure, I brush the thought away. “Try to eat a little,” I command, despite her drooping eyelids.
She appeases me with two bites before setting the bread on a small table next to her chair.
The window by the basin looks out over the paddock, where Jasper is brushing down the horses. He appears to be talking to them at length while they munch from a grain trough.
The moment Sara Beth falls asleep, I feel her mind ease out of mine, though not completely. It’s as if she’s busy with her dreams, and I’ve been set aside while she sleeps.
The donkey curiously sniffs around while the cows have lost interest and are chewing on grass several feet away.
I make no attempt to hide my curiosity as Jasper finishes with the horses and walks to the house.
Stepping in the back door, he grins at me, and then removes his heavy boots. “Fine horses.”
“Thank you for the bread.” I pop the last of my slice in my mouth.
Seeing Sara Beth, Jasper frowns. “Will you put your lady in the bed? She’ll be stiff sleeping with her neck like that.”
Slumped to one side and fast asleep, Sara Beth looks peaceful, but Jasper is probably right.
With a nod, I lift her and lay her on the bed.
Jasper pulls the curtain around her. “The curtain is charmed. She’ll only hear outside of it if there’s danger. What are the two of you running from?”
“What makes you think we’re running?” It’s a curse to always be suspicious, but it’s also a habit.
He sits at the table, cuts more bread and slathers jam from a small pot over it. Offering me a seat and the other slice of bread, he sighs. “You may have reason to be mistrustful, sir, but you’re not in danger from me. Maybe I can help.”
“Why would you want to help us?” Even suspicious, I can’t reject the offer of what looks like a fine jam. I spread it on my bread and sink my teeth into it. Pops of berries and honey spark on my tongue. “You’re a fine host, Mr. Lyon.”
“The bees do most of the work.” He grins but looks down at the table. “I would help anyone the house admitted. My mother wouldn’t let anyone in whose purpose wasn’t noble.”
“You said your mother had gone to Goddess.” It’s a small house. If another person was inside, I would see her.
Sorrow darkens his eyes. “She did, but she left her mark on this house. Her magic reigns here, and the house will not let anyone dangerous or dark see it. I’d help your lady just because of who she is. Sara Beth Ware was little more than a child when she became high priestess, and word travels about her deeds. When I heard she’d allowed men into the coven, I hardly believed it.” He gestures with an open palm to me. “Now I see it’s true with my own eyes.”
Am I a member of the Windsor coven? Nothing formal has been said, but I feel they have accepted me even if I left them. “We are avoiding my brother and sister, who wish to use me for the power to destroy Goddess and take over our world and hers.”
Jasper flinches. “And here I always wished for siblings. Perhaps I’m better off alone.”
I laugh. “I thought that too. So, I ran from them for eight years. Then I went to Windsor and found a kind of family not defined by blood, but by something more. Now, I want to go back, but that would put them in danger.”
“And her?” He points to the curtain.
“She wouldn’t let me go alone.” My heart expands so far that it’s hard to speak. I eat my bread with jam and wait for my emotions to settle.
Fed and tired, I accepted Jasper’s offer of his bed and slid in beside Sara Beth. It’s midday when I wake up to an empty bed. Regret and panic assault me, and I sit up so fast my head spins.
