Page 53 of Pure Magic
As he lifts me off, I let out a long groan of pleasure and pain. My thighs ache deliciously. Lying on the soft grass, we soak up the moon’s healing light. “If we live, I hope we made a child here tonight.” My voice is sleepy.
His arms tighten, and he kisses my cheek.
While I sleep deeply, it doesn’t last more than a few hours. There is much to do before true rest will be available to us again. Lying in Adam’s arms on the cool grass under the stars, I’m tempted to forget duty and just be.
“You could never do that,” he responds without me ever voicing the thought.
I still wish it. “Could you?”
Kissing my cheek, he tightens his arms around me. “Maybe before I knew what was at stake, I could ignore my sister’s obsession with me. Now I can’t. Now there is too much to lose, both personally and in the bigger picture.”
The moon has passed beyond the trees that shroud the sacred clearing where the light of the goddess moon restored us. Making love in such a place is rare and beautiful. Lit by only the stars, he looks at me with love and hope, and I’m drunk on his gaze. “You know, we may die finding those other two items.”
“It’s possible, but if I die, Ariana fails, and I’ll still have no regrets. I never dreamed I’d find you, Beth. I expected to go through my life running, hiding, and stealing pleasures where I could. Since knowing you, every moment that led me here has been worth it.”
A tight knot forms in my chest. “I’ll be very vexed if you die without me. I feel certain we’ll have other lifetimes, but I can’t wait forever to be in love again.”
Rising on his knees, he looks at me with narrowed eyes. “You have a coven that needs you. No one will miss me. You have to survive.”
I stand and draw him with me. Naked in the starlight, he’s hard and angular. A fantasy really. “The witches of Windsor will survive with or without me. I’d prefer we both live, but we shall live or die together.”
Pressing his forehead to mine, he closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. “Then we head west at first light?”
His acceptance of my share of whatever we might face is warm and comforting. Mother said men thought themselves superior to women, but she must only have known a few and assumed they were all alike.
“Perhaps it was what her mother told her and her mother before that.” Adam reads my thoughts ever so gently. There’s no anger toward my mother or grandmother. He only hopes to ease my burden.
“It’s possible. No men were in the Windsor coven or others in England for many generations. Mother told me once that there had been a battle between witches, where men tried to shift power in their favor. I wonder why they were not content with sharing. Were they dark or just foolish?” Ever since I allowed William and Jonah to join the coven, I’ve wondered about this. They are both big, physically strong men. William is a powerful witch, perhaps more powerful than any other I’ve ever met. He doesn’t seek my seat at the table, only a place there. Jonah has made Minerva even more powerful, but he would never withhold his unique magic to keep her from achieving whatever she wishes. With Jonah’s size, he could overpower her when she is vulnerable, but he never would.
Why did the witches my mother told me about try to take control?
Despite my not voicing the question, Adam responds, “I don’t know. We may never know.”
“Am I setting the stage for history to repeat itself?” My worst fears are known to him now.
He cups my cheek. “No, Beth. You are making decisions based on each witch without bias. You have pushed prejudice aside in Windsor, and it sets a fine example for the rest of the world.”
Resting my cheek on his chest, I let his heartbeat soothe me. “I suppose we had better dress and get the horses ready. It won’t be long before daylight.”
We find a path around the pond to where we left our clothes. Unable to stop myself, I watch him dress and find my desire for him fully heightened again.
“Stop,” he commands. “If you keep thinking that way, we’ll never leave this place.” Despite his harsh tone, his shaft is fully erect, and he’s grinning.
I pull my trousers on and then my dress over. “Fine, but who knows when we’ll be safe and alone again.” I tease as I snug the laces at my waist.
Once I have my boots on, I head for the edge of the clearing. “I’m going to see if there’s anything to eat.”
As if on cue, a fish jumps in the pond. I’d not noticed them earlier.
Adam laughs. “You had other priorities. I’ll see if I can catch one if you’ll build us a fire.”
With full bellies, we head west. Staying off the roads makes the travel harder and longer but may keep us safe from Ariana and Kaden.
Above us, a hawk cries, and my heart leaps. “Can your sister control animals?”
“She couldn’t when we were children. Honestly, I don’t know what skills she’s acquired over the years. If she’s capable of stealing magic, she could have almost any gifts and use them for any number of malicious acts. I do know she has no kindness in her heart. She killed our parents without sparing a thought despite their love for her. I saw no remorse in her afterward.”
His pain sears through me like a dagger. I can’t tell if his sorrow includes the loss of his siblings or if he mourns his parents still. It doesn’t matter. He’s suffered so much and had no one to comfort him.
