A Witch's Love (2 page)

“I would really like to see you tomorrow.”

He wanted to see her again!
Okay, play it cool
. “I run every morning, rain or shine. Would you be interested in joining me?”

He didn’t hesitate. “What time?”

“Six-thirty, sharp.”

His amber eyes sent chills through her as his raspy voice filled the air. “I’ll be here.”

As she turned to get out of the car, he placed his hand on her arm. “I know this is sudden, but could I get your number?”

She smiled, then recited her cell number and watched as he added it to his contacts on his cell phone.

“Goodnight,” he whispered as she shut the door behind her.

Yes, it had turned out to be a good night, but what would tomorrow bring?

A hop and a skip later, Ava shut the back door to her house. She had hoped to avoid her sisters. Be alone, to savor the moment. She leaned back against the doorframe and smiled. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her.

At the sound of Ella’s voice, she started. Her sisters and Maeve were in the kitchen, gawking at her. How long had they been there?

By the looks of the wooden kitchen table, probably a while. Thea and Maeve both held playing cards while Ella held Cara’s hand, her fingernails a horrific red color.

The smell of roasting chicken met Ava’s nose, making her mouth water, yet she was sure they had eaten hours ago. Chicken would have tasted much better than the ham sandwich she’d had.

“Hey, sis, who’s the hottie that just dropped you off?” Ella prodded as she moved from the table to get an apple from a bowl on the counter. “I spotted him out the kitchen window.”

Ava felt blood rush to her face. “He’s just someone I met at the inn tonight,” she said, as she took Ella’s vacated chair at the table.

Ella leaned against the kitchen counter shooting Ava a devilish grin before taking a bite out of her red delicious apple. Her strawberry blond hair hung in a loose braid over her shoulder as her green eyes narrowed—appearing hungry for more information.

“Oh, yeah. Hmm, what was his name?” Thea winked, making her question that much more aggravating. Her striking blue eyes seemed to look right through her. She brushed her light blond hair over her shoulders, waiting for Ava to answer.

“His name is Lucas Grant, and he happens to be a gentleman unlike my manager!” Ava exclaimed. That statement got Maeve’s attention. Her light brown hair seemed to turn gray right before Ava’s eyes.

“What do you mean? What happened?” Maeve’s voice held an edge that meant trouble. She removed her black reading glasses that sat on the tip of her nose and just about dropped them on the table.

Ava sighed. She should have known this would happen. Privacy in this house was lacking to be sure. She described the ordeal to them and even included the fact that she’d invited Lucas to Cara’s party.

“What! Ava, you should be careful. Mark could come after you again.” Fear laced Cara’s tone. Her hazel eyes were like saucers, her palms spread wide on the table. So she wouldn’t nick her freshly painted nails, or to steady her nerves?

“The cops arrested him for assault and disorderly conduct. Oh, and surprise, surprise, he was fired. I’m not worried about him anymore.” Ava stroked Cara’s shoulder. The last thing she wanted was her sisters to worry about her.

Ella chimed in again. “Forget about Mark. Right now you need to decide what to wear to Cara’s party. You only have a few days to pick out the perfect outfit.”

Ava shrugged. “I’m actually seeing Lucas tomorrow. We’re, ah, going running.”

“What!” All four women looked at her with different expressions. Ella’s eyebrows raised as Cara’s mouth fell open.

Should she be amused that they all made the same comment at the same time, or angry that they didn’t think she should see him in the morning? “What? I can go to a party with him, but not running?”

“Not on a first date!” Thea roared. Her light blue eyes turned to ice as the shock washed over her.

“It’s not a date!” Ava declared, leaning back against the chair. “We’re just meeting up to share a mutual interest.”

“Oh, it is, too a date.” Cara said, sounding appalled as she twirled her dirty blond hair between her fingers.

“Never mind the party; we have to find you something to wear for your run!” Ella moved toward her and grabbed her hand.

“Girls, leave Ava alone. Let her be. I’m sure she knows what she is doing,” Maeve interjected, making the sisters pause.

At least Maeve understood. Maeve waved a hand in the air. “If she wants to get all hot and sweaty with him on a first date, that’s her choice.”

Ava gave Maeve, her best ‘exasperated’ look. That was not what she’d intended at all. It was not as if they were going to . . . not that she didn’t want to, but for heaven sakes, she barely knew the man.

“Come on, Ava, let them have their fun. That’s what sisters are for!” Maeve chortled.

Feeling outnumbered on the topic, she followed her sisters to her bedroom.

Her pale blue walls, lovely crystal chandelier, and queen-sized bed did little to brighten her mood. She grabbed a pillow and made herself comfortable on her white cotton linens, hoping the stress of the day would ease out of her muscles as her sister ravaged her closet.

The double doors to her closet still didn’t seem big enough for all three of them. She watched for a minute as they bumped and shoved into each other. She felt a smile forming as her eyes closed. She concentrated on blocking out the squeals of excitement but when she heard the first “That’s not short enough,” she couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. She knew then she wasn’t going to sleep, for the night had just begun.

Lucas didn’t like complications in his life—and Ava complicated with a capital ‘C.’ He loved the freedom of coming and going when he pleased, loved the fact that he could read books until all hours of the night, or run in the forest on a whim.

If being alone meant he didn’t have to be responsible for anything or anybody, who could blame him? Then, Ava came along . . .

He felt the switch flip within the moment he sensed her. His baser biological instinct took over. Recognizing her as his life mate—a shared immortal soul.

He let out a sigh as he sat on the edge of the inn’s bed then rested his arms on his thighs. Even now he could feel the longing. An echo reverberating through his bones sensing their shared future...

How was he ever going to get her to acknowledge this bond? She knew nothing of his ways, his clan . . .

Hell, he was in deep. Way over his head for his liking. Convincing her she was his mate was the least of his problems. Containing the beast on the other hand was his main concern.

A bus was sitting on his chest. Had to be. Pressure weighed on him as a painful memory hit him square in the frontal lobe. The night of the full moon—the awful thing he’d done. He couldn’t let that happen again. No matter what.

The beast wanted to feel her body under his and mark her as his own.

But if he did that, there would be no turning back. This woman could make him lose control, especially under the light of the full moon. It was too risky. The beast was always inside of him looking for opportunities to come out. Anger, fear, and lust, the perfect triggers to unleash the baser part of him. The full moon was the only time a lycan could not shape shift back into his human form.

He knew on that night he would have no choice. He would come for her. Need her above all things. A Lycan’s mate was top priority. But could he protect her from himself?

His was the purest of all bloodlines and he had a pretty good idea of what would happen if he lost control with Ava. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, risk it.

There was only one choice. He would romance her, the old-fashioned way. Show her they were meant to be together. No matter what he had to do, she would come to the truth in her own time. He was sure of it.

He had to get some sleep, let his mind rest from all the worry.

His phone began to ring. He didn’t need to look at the caller ID to know who it was.

As he brought the phone to his ear, he said, “You’re like an old mother hen, Aiden.” He listened for a moment, trying to absorb what his brother was saying. “What? Are you sure? I understand. I know what I have to do. Yes, you be safe as well. I’ll contact you soon.”

Lucas ended the call with a curse on his lips. “When it rains, it bloody pours.” On top of it all, demonic activity was on the rise.

He closed his eyes. Why was this all happening to him? Now of all times? As he lay back on the bed, he prayed for the strength he knew he would need in the very near future.

“Where are they?” Zatar’s words, echoed through the sewer tunnels. As commander of the demon minions, Traxen was used to such outburst from his king.

“My lord, we have looked many places and yet we have found no sign of them.”

“Look harder!” Zatar spat, his anger rising with every word.

This dank New York City sewer was wearing on the king’s nerves. The smell of sulfur, sewage, and mildew would wear on anybody, after a time. He became more impatient by the day. He wanted those girls, needed them to get out of this hole.

Traxen sighed. For over twenty years they had searched for the four sister witches the seer had foretold. He’d come very close once, but somehow the puny children had escaped his reach.

Since the king had been reduced to hiding, by those damn immortals, he’d enlisted the help of seers. He’d looked for the next great power that would restore him to his formal glory. He desired more than anything a comfortable mansion where he could consume immortal energy, while his demon minions gorged on any living creature at will. A little over one hundred years ago they had found hope that the
dream
could come true.

Water dripped from the cement ceiling into the flame of a burning candle. The flame replied with a resounding hiss. The sound did little to ease his nerves.

Zatar moved from his chair behind his old beat-up mahogany desk to face him. “You know the seer foretold of four sister witches capable of wielding great power. Power like that could deliver us from our current station.”

Traxen nodded, but decided against making eye contact with the king. “Yes, my lord.”

“We have to get to the sisters before they discover their identities. If they learn to use their powers, all may be lost.”

Traxen locked his hands behind his back as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “Not to worry. The witches are vulnerable now. We will take full advantage of this fact.”

Zatar curled his hand into a fist. “We are running out of time. They’ll be turning immortal soon. Keep looking in the New York area for them. The seer said as much.”

Traxen watched as the king moved back around the desk, his dirty red cloak flowing around him as he walked. As he took a seat, the wooden chair creaked in protest. “My lord, they could very well have someone helping them—”

“Yes, yes”—Zatar waved his hand—“probably one of those fucking light guardians. Every witch has one. No doubt they weren’t excluded. I don’t give a flying fuck who helping them. Find them. Now.”

“I understand, but—”

Zatar slammed his fist down on the desk. “Keep looking, go further north! Search in every desolate fucking town, village, and campsite! Take every damn swarm there is. Spread out the search!”

It was obvious his king was reaching his breaking point. Traxen knew how important this mission was. Knew what was at stake, knew what they risked if they failed. “Yes, my lord.”

As Zatar let out another roar of frustration, Traxen turned toward the door to gather the swarms of minions. As he shut the metal lock, a feeling of dread settled in his gut. Unfortunately the witch’s immortal energy wasn’t the only reason the king wanted, no, needed the witch’s. There was no way around it. They could not fail.

Ava alternated lunges on her front steps, stretching her hamstrings. She couldn’t wait to hear the roar of the V-eight engine coming up her drive. If she was being honest, she couldn’t wait to see
him
.

Without the additional adrenalin, she’d be exhausted. It had been foolish to let her sisters keep her up most of the night preparing her running outfit. Still, it had been fun. What would she do without her sisters? In spite of their occasional disagreements, they shared a special bond that most siblings didn’t seem to have.

Ava could still hear Ella and Thea as they argued over which way she should wear her hair. Ella wanted her to wear a headband so that her golden blond locks fell free. Thea, on the other hand, argued that if Ava’s hair was tied back into a low ponytail, Lucas would be able to see her face.

Ava sighed, thankful that Thea had won the argument. It was more practical to wear your hair back when running.

Thea acted thrilled to win, considering Ella and Cara had gotten their way with Ava’s outfit. Ava had no idea how she was going to run in the shortest pair of Lycra shorts she owned matched with a V-neck Under Armor shirt. At least she’d managed to veto the idea that she just wear her sports bra.

As the sun began to rise higher, she glanced at her watch. Six-thirty on the dot and no Camaro. Maybe he wasn’t coming. She shifted toward the forest and started. He was leaning up against a large oak, watching her with an unwavering gaze. She felt a smile stretch across her face and she had the urge to sprint over to him. God, what was the matter with her! Every time she saw him, she turned into one of those bubble-headed, boy-band groupies.

She headed toward him and in the few minutes it took to cross the space he never took his eyes off her. She dropped her gaze to his bare arms, rippling with muscles, the kind she didn’t even know existed and swallowed. He wore a white Hanes shirt with a lose pair of Nike shorts. The way his clothes fit him he could have been the newest fashion model for men’s sports attire.