Page 8 of Dragon's Golden Mate
Nia’s chin fell forward, and her mouth gaped open. “I can’t dothat! I just wanted to practice some spreads!”
“Believe me, knowing the cards and the spreads are far more important than any fancy tricks,” Kristy told her.
Zoe, a friend of Nia’s who’d joined the Sisterhood at the same time, came rushing over. “Hey! You should have Kristy read your cards to see how things are going to work out with Gavin!”
Kristy lifted one brow as she continued to play with her cards. Her fingers moved automatically, manipulating the deck like a magician. “Who’s Gavin? I don’t think I’ve heard of him yet.”
Nia’s eyes melted into chocolate puddles as she interlaced her fingers under her chin. “Zoe and I went to the club with some friends, and he was thereplaying with his band. They’resogood, and he lookedsohot up there on the stage. I didn’t want to be one of those girls who hangs out and tries to meet the band, but he came up tomewhen his set was over.”
Maeve listened to Nia gush for a minute. There was a time when she’d felt like that, when seeing a cute guy on a little stage with a guitar was enough to make her feel all silly inside. Everything had felt exciting, with so many possibilities laid out before her.
Life wasn’t really like that now, but she’d found out just yesterday that she could still feel ridiculous when in the presence of a handsome man. Kendrick had been on her mind consistently ever since the party. She was glad that no one in the coven was a skilled enough mind reader to pick up on her thoughts, or she’d have plenty to be embarrassed about.
Kendrick was strong and stately. He exuded a virility she didn’t expect in older men, or at least not men who had normal lifespans. The buzzing, tickling feeling of harnessing energy wasn’t too dissimilar from the way Kendrick had made her feel when he spoke to her or even stood near her.
Then he’d stepped in and saved the day for herwhen she hadn’t been able to light Corbin’s candles. A witch her age ought to be able to light all the candles in the room with little more than a snap of her fingers if she wanted to. Kendrick had made the little boy happyandshifted the focus away from Maeve’s fumble.
As fun as it was to think about the handsome dragon, Maeve’s true concern needed to be her magic. As she listened to Kristy and the girls gossip—the tarot reading and magic practice completely forgotten by now—she once again turned over her hand. The feeling was there. She knew the energy was flowing. If she closed her eyes, she could see in her mind’s eye how it moved through her body. And yet, it refused to cooperate. Sparks. Just lots and lots of sparks.
Her wolf roiled inside of her. Maeve was truly starting to worry.
A knock at the door had her on her feet. “I’ll get that,” she said, although she wasn’t sure Kristy, Nia, or Zoe had even heard it. Maeve crossed the room, hoping for a good distraction from her troubles.
When she opened the door and found Kendrick standing there on the front porch, she remembered that she needed to be a little more careful about what she wished for.
“Uh, Kendrick,” she stammered. Maeve kept her hand on the doorknob so he wouldn’t see how much it was shaking as adrenaline bolted through her system. “What a surprise. Did you leave something behind at the party yesterday?”
His dark eyes skimmed over her face with such interest that Maeve thought he might say he’d only leftherbehind.
“No, and I’m sorry to come by unannounced. I see that you’re busy.” He glanced over her shoulder at the bustling household. “Perhaps I should come by another time. I was just wanting to ask your opinion on something.”
Maeve pressed her lips together. The other witches were happy and content as they talked, practiced, and raided the assortment of snacks on the long table. None of them would mind if they waited a few extra minutes before the ceremony began. It wasn’t like Maeve would have the concentration for it, anyway, if she were wondering what Kendrick wanted.
“I have a few minutes. Come with me.” She opened the door wider to let him into the covenstead.
Several of the other women turned to stare. Maeve could feel it before she even had the front door closedbehind Kendrick. She knew her face was betraying her as she led him through the living room and kitchen, because she could feel her cheeks burning.
They emerged into the cool air on the enclosed back porch. The windows that surrounded it were open, letting the breeze flow in through the screens. The plants that Maeve had so carefully curated around the edge of the property were beginning to come in for the spring, and the sweet hint of the first flowers floated in the air.
“Sorry to march you through the house like that,” she said as she gestured at a pair of wicker chairs with thick cushions. Maeve was regaining her composure a little now that no one was around to stare at them. “This just seemed like a good place to talk. Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?”
“No, no. I’ve disturbed you enough as it is.” His wide shoulders made the chair look a little too small. “In fact, I didn’t really even think about coming by. I was just thinking about something I’m working on, and I ended up here.”
She folded one knee over the other and tugged at the wide-legged trousers she was wearing. They were loose and comfortable, or at least they’d felt that way when she’d put them on. Now Maeve feltthey were simultaneously too baggy and too revealing. What was wrong with her? “You mentioned you wanted my opinion on something?”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat and sat forward a little, folding his hands between his knees. “I don’t know how much Beck has told you about my work, but I do some architectural consulting in my spare time.”
“Is that like being a home inspector?” Maeve gently twisted the rutilated quartz bracelet she’d slipped on this morning. The crystal was supposed to enhance magical properties, and the little shards of golden rutile inside the clear stones always made her happy. Now she fiddled with it to keep herself from jumping out of her seat as her wolf worked itself into a tizzy.
“In a way, yes,” he replied slowly. “I check to see what’s wrong with a building and what repairs it might need, but I go a few steps beyond that depending on the project. That might include researching the history of a building, suggesting steps to take toward conservation or safety, or even recommending specific people to do the repairs.”
Maeve found she truly enjoyed listening to him speak. Lucille had been right. His Scottish accentintrigued her. What kind of life must he have lived over the hundreds of years he’d been alive?
But that wasn’t the subject at hand. Was she getting old enough that she couldn’t focus on a simple conversation? Something was definitely going on with her, but Maeve wouldn’t let him know. “As interesting as all of that is, I’m not sure how I can help.”
His dark brows furrowed down over his eyes. “I was called out to a church this morning. It’s a Gothic revival, the kind that looks like something medieval. A real estate developer owns it, and she wanted my opinion on whether or not it should be torn down.”
Maeve listened and tried to concentrate. It wasn’t easy when Kendrick was so good-looking. She bit the inside of her lip as she thought of Patrick. He’d been her person, her mate. He’d been gone for many years now, but she’d never imagined her loyalty toward him could waver. If her soul was meant to be one with his, how could she be looking at Kendrick this way?
