9781618851307WitchsBrewShayNC (10 page)

How the hell did a human cross into his world?

He studied both women with a mixture of disbelief and
equal curiosity. It had been difficult to detect the
illumrof
stench
with the strong aromas of the bakery stifling his sense of smell and Saylym’s
Impure
scent combined.

An
illumrof?
Here? In Ru-Noc? Unbelievable!

Why wasn’t he doing the smart thing and putting distance
between himself and the human and even Saylym, for that matter? He was allowing
himself to be drawn deeper into the mystery of the half witch. Stupid. He
shouldn’t be doing that. And now here was this human complicating everything
even more. He swore beneath his breath.

Impures
were sometimes suffered in Ru-Noc, but
rarely were they ever fully accepted by his race. Hannah Miller, on the other
hand, was
illumrof
. Humans were
never
allowed on Ru-Noc. Oh,
yeah, he was up to his neck in
sheeahta
and sinking fast. How the hell
did a human get past the border guards of the Ru-Noc realm and into Sanctuary?

Worse, she planned to stay. She was half owner of this
shop. She’d made herself at home in a realm that, for her, should not exist. It
was all he could to keep from walking over to the only bare section of wall in
the bakery and banging his head against it.

Why
him?

There was no choice but to report this infestation to the
Waken
Guild.

Talon
smothered a groan. He’d rather eat spiders than face the elders. He took
another step away from the
illumrof
and inhaled deeply, fresh air not
tainted with the putrefying stench of mortal blood.

The
human female was in danger simply for having crossed into his world. She knew
witches and
wakens
existed, that there were besoms and magic and things
that went bump in the night.

And
she’d die for the knowing.

There wasn’t a single thing he could do to protect her. If
he didn’t report this, the consequences to him, and to his world, were too
severe to consider. He didn’t have the power or the right to decide what to do
about her on his own. He answered to the guild, as well as the king, just like
every
waken
in the kingdom. He didn’t owe this human a thing. She was
here where she didn’t belong, and she’d pay the ultimate price with her life.

* * * *

Saylym ignored the look on Talon’s face and smothered a
sigh. Talk about Old World chivalry. There was just something about a man
kissing a woman’s hand that was pure gallantry, even when said man looked as if
he’d bitten into something that tasted like dog poop. Her smile slowly faded as
she noticed the way Talon dropped Hannah’s hand. He stared at the woman,
unblinking.

There had been a significant difference in the way he
kissed the
top
of Hannah’s hand compared to the way he’d kissed
her
hands. At least he hadn’t looked at her as if she’d just crawled out from
underneath a rock. What on earth was wrong with the man? “I guess we’re
finished here,” she said sharply, scowling as Talon continued to eye Hannah
with utter distaste. The other girl squirmed uncomfortably under his intense
stare.

“Is it something I said?” Hannah asked nervously.

Saylym wished he’d quit staring at the woman. Heck, it
made
her
uneasy, as if icy, skeletal
fingers crawled up and down her spine. “We have to go,” she blurted. “It was
nice meeting you.” She grabbed Talon’s arm and steered him out of the shop. The
chill in her blood didn’t go away when they left the bakery.

“What is wrong with you? You frightened her half to
death!”

“Good,” he said, balancing the cake box in his left hand.
“She should be scared. She should be very scared.”

“That’s not funny,” she said. Worrying her bottom lip
between occasional forays into polite conversation, Saylym slanted her gaze
toward Talon’s brooding face. He seemed as preoccupied with his own thoughts as
she was with hers.

What was it about Hannah that disturbed him?

She didn’t feel she had the right to pry into his
business, but bloody hell! He scared the crap outta her going silent like this.
“What’s wrong?” she blurted, unable to stand the suspense any longer. “Why
didn’t you like Hanna? She seemed like a nice person.”

“She’s human,” he replied absently.

Saylym blinked. “Oh, well, that explains everything.”
Peachy. Just peachy. “What does that make me?”

“A wit—”

“Don’t say it,” she cut him off. “I am not a dad-gummed
witch!”

He lifted a brow and grinned. “Okay, you’re not a witch…if
it makes you happy to think so.”

“It does. It makes me very happy.” She smarted under his
silent laughter.

It was nearly dark when they finally reached Eldora’s
cottage. The old lady waited on her tiny front porch wringing her hands. “I was
watching for you, child,” she called, flapping her arms. “You shouldn’t be out
on the streets alone after dark. It isn’t safe.”

“I’m not alone. This is my friend, Prince Talon. Talon, my
neighbor, Eldora Waters.”

Talon took her hand and pressed a kiss to the top of it.
“Charmed, Miss Eldora.”

Eldora
jerked her hand free. “Your smooth talking charm won’t work with me, Prince.
I’ve been around for centuries. I know what you want to do,” she snapped.

“You do?” Talon grinned.

She nodded, the grape-colored pointy hat bobbing up and
down on her white head. “It’s Beltane, isn’t it?” she returned suspiciously. “I
know what a virile
waken
is after. I’m not a loose woman, young man. So
don’t be practicing your seduction skills on me.” She sniffed, twitching her
nose. “I smell cake.”

Saylym
handed her the box. “Happy birthday.”

Eldora peeked inside. Her jaw dropped and she swallowed
hard. “Well. Come in. Come in. We’ll each have a slice. Oh, my. A handsome
waken
to share the sweet with.”

Saylym rolled her eyes. Yeppers. Everyone was into the
witch and
waken
conspiracy. She stepped around Talon as he held the door
open for both her and Eldora. They followed the old lady through the postage
stamp-size living room into an even smaller kitchen.

An old-fashioned, drop-leaf table hugged the far left-hand
corner, a silver candelabra stood in the center of it. Saylym shook her head,
grinning. Black candles, of course.

Single white painted cabinets, trimmed in glossy black,
stood like sentinels on either side of the kitchen sink. An ancient
refrigerator rumbled steadily in the right corner and a two burner stove stood
across the room at the opposite wall.

Talon lit the candle on Eldora’s cake with a taper from
the candelabra. Grinning, he bowed as the old lady blew out the birthday
candle. “Happy birthday, Miss Eldora.”

Saylym smiled watching Eldora’s mystified expression as
the flame on the trick candle returned. Eldora grunted and blew it out a second
time. She jumped back when the flame leaped to life a third time.

She slanted a wary gaze toward Saylym. “All right, young
lady, how many times am I going to have to blow out that candle?”

“Twenty thousand?” Saylym replied innocently, tongue in
cheek.

“Pissel!
Not in this lifetime.” She yanked the candle from the cake and tossed it into
the kitchen sink.

Saylym
giggled.

Talon’s deep laughter rumbled around them.

Saylym fished napkins from the drawer Eldora indicated
with a nod and listened to the old lady’s amused snickers as she rummaged for a
knife in the cabinet drawer.

“Ah-ha!” Eldora exclaimed, holding up a wicked looking
knife. “Love the bats on the icing dear,” she said and sliced the cake into
generous portions. “Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me,” Eldora sang at
the top of her lungs, clapping her hands while screeching out the words, “happy
birthday, you beautiful, old witch. Happy birthday to me.”

Laughter floated about the room. Eldora giggled like a
teenager as she watched Talon lick frosting off his fingers and go back for
seconds. Then the elderly witch brought out an old phonograph from the hall
closet, along with a stack of long-playing records left behind by some previous
tenant in another time.

“The
Beatles.” Eldora read the label on the album. “What in the world are the
Beatles?”

Talon
frowned. “Never heard of them.”

Both Talon and Eldora flinched when the music and the
words to John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s,
I
Saw Her
Standing There
, filled
the room to the loud accompaniment of guitars and drums. Saylym sighed. “Where
have you two been living? In another world?”

Identical expressions of shock flashed her way just as the
next tune started and the word, ‘Help!’ exploded into the tiny room. Talon and
Eldora both jumped back from the explosive music.

“Good
grief,” Eldora grunted. “They sound rather constipated.”

Talon threw back his head and laughed. Saylym joined in
his laughter, enjoying the old woman’s comical expression. But when Paul
McCartney’s melancholy words to the acoustic ballad of
 
Yesterday
began, Saylym saw an odd look flit across Talon’s face.

He shrugged and took her hands in his. “Love isn’t an easy
game to play, is it?”

She shook her head
. Love?
More like an impossible
game to win.

He drew her into his arms. “Dance with me?”

So
why did she suddenly feel like a winner when Talon held her close?

Their
bodies swayed in gentle rhythm to the slow sad words. She sighed and laid her head
against Talon’s shoulder. He nuzzled her ear. Saylym sifted her fingers through
his long hair, caressing his nape. He pulled her closer, his thumb feathering
across her wrist in a slow stroke.

She
smiled, allowing him this privilege.

Talon touched the hair at her temples, a feather-light
stroke from fingers that weren’t quite steady. She glided her lips just as
lightly against the skin below his left ear, his throat, her mouth leaving a
moist trail against his flesh.

He shuddered, his big body trembling against hers. He
emitted a low growl. “You’re killing me,” he whispered against her ear.

“I know,” she flirted, batting her lashes. He wasn’t the
only who could play with fire. Just before the song ended, Eldora tapped
Saylym’s shoulder. Saylym stepped back, a dreamy smile curving her lips.

Talon drew the old lady into his arms.

Eldora stiffened. “Don’t be tryin’ any of that Romeo stuff
with me, young man. I knew him when and he wasn’t that great a lover. His wand
was a little stubby and he was always in a hurry. It’s no wonder poor Juliet
offed herself.”

Saylym
choked.

“Wouldn’t
dream of it,” Talon replied, arching a silent brow at Saylym.

Eldora
giggled. “Yeah, you would. You’re a
waken.”

The song ended, and Talon released her with a sweeping
bow, and a playful pat to her bottom. Eldora swatted his hand, giving him a
warning glare. “Behave! And see to it you’re good to that girl.”

Amusement twisted Talon’s lips as he straightened. He
leaned close and brushed a kiss against Eldora’s papery cheek. “I plan on being
very good with that young woman,” he whispered.

Eldora’s eyebrows rose in a high arch. “That’s what I
figured.”

Saylym gathered her purse and slid her hand through
Talon’s arm. “You’re such a letch. Tomorrow’s a work day. Happy birthday, Miss
Eldora, may you have twenty thousand more.”

Eldora smiled, walking them to the door. “Thank you for
the cake and the party, Saylym. You’re a good girl.”

Talon took Saylym’s hand, forcing her to pause on the
sidewalk outside. “It was very kind of you to make that old hag happy.”

Saylym
shook her head. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“Maybe not to you, but it meant a lot to her. Her heart
wept with happiness.” He lowered his head and brushed his lips against her
forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said huskily and started down the
sidewalk. He took three steps, halted and muttered, “Aw, hell,” turned and
marched back toward her, his face broody with determination.

Saylym gasped as he palmed the sides of her face, dipped
his head, and planted a kiss on her mouth. His mouth was light and gentle on
hers even as he slipped his tongue between the seams of her lips and briefly
explored.

He released her mouth, stepped back and drew a ragged
breath. Gingerly, he feathered a fingertip down her cheek. “That was for
starters. Good-night, sweet Saylym.” He turned and hurried down the street.

Saylym stared after his departing back. “Whau!” was all
she managed.

*
* * *

Eldora slipped into the shadows and watched the young couple.
She kicked up her heels, pleased when Talon turned back and kissed Saylym
good-night. She sighed. Oh yes, she liked this prince. Indeed, she did. She’d
like nothing better than to see Saylym settled with Prince Talon. They were a
perfect match. Besides, she’d read it in the stars centuries ago.

She
turned her attention on Saylym, her thoughts suddenly troubled.

What
if Saylym was infected with the witches’ virus
Infertilus?
Saylym would
never be able to have children if that was the case. Eldora brightened. Oh, ho,
perhaps if she conjured up a little magic—Conjure a bit of magic? She was good
at casting spells, better at keeping secrets. She could whip magic out of a
stone if necessary, but she couldn’t fix the virus if Saylym was infected. No
one could.

Smothering a cackle, she waved her arms in the air and
drew sparkling green symbols across the sky. Symbols that represented a male
and female locked in a breeding clutch. She chanted softly:

“Trouble, trouble

Double, double