ENTANGLED (35 page)

Meg stepped in front of her sister and cupped her bare shoulders. “You don’t have to do this.”

The words were like ice water to her senses. The thought of not marrying Aidan was unbearable. “I want to.”

Meg smiled and nodded. “I knew he loved you the moment he first saw you. Remember?”

Mary Ellen flushed, embarrassed that she hadn’t known the true man when he’d first arrived. “He’d stepped from the carriage and I thought he looked rather destitute, sad, lonely. Then his gaze met mine and I felt some inexplicable emotion all the way to my soul. I knew then there was more to him, hidden deep within, I merely refused to acknowledge it.”

Meg grinned. “He’s not a duke, or a lord of any kind. Although, he is quite well off since investing in Grayson’s shipping company.”

“It’s not about titles or money. It never was, you know.” She smoothed down her dress, frowning when she saw a wrinkle. “All this time I thought I wanted someone financially secure. But it wasn’t about money. No, it was about being secure in a different way.”

“How so?” Meg settled on the edge of a wingback chair that flanked her fireplace. They were in Aidan’s room at his cottage. He’d thought she’d want to be married at Grayson’s large estate, but no. She’d wanted to start their life together here…where they belonged.

“Papa, as lovely as he is, wasn’t there for us, Meg.”

Meg frowned and looked at the newly polished floorboards. “I know.”

“He let his sorrow get the better of him. We couldn’t count on Papa.” She settled in the chair next to Meg’s, staring into the leaping flames in the fireplace. “I don’t blame him, but I never wanted to marry a man…” She didn’t finish, the words were too disloyal.

Meg smiled and patted her cheek. “I understand.”

And she did. Of course she did. They were sisters, but they were also best of friends and they’d gone through more than most sisters.

Mary Ellen stood, fearful of more wrinkles. “It was never about the money.”

Meg stood as well and drew her close into a warm embrace. “I’m so happy that you’ll be close by. Only a stroll away.”

“I as well.”

All too soon Meg drew back. “Now, I must go check on baby Violet before the wedding. You’re all right, then?”

Mary Ellen grinned. “Yes, very well.”

Meg left, closing the door softly behind her. Finally alone, Mary Ellen let the moment sweep over her. Anticipation coursed through her very being, a giddy happiness that flared through her soul. She would marry Aiden. For the last three months he’d courted her. Brought her flowers, trinkets and chocolates until she’d had a large collection of gifts that any woman would envy. He’d insisted on a courtship, but she’d only wanted him. Now, finally, she would have him completely.

A warm whispered warning said she was no longer alone. She didn’t need to turn to know who stood behind her. With a smile, she leaned back into Aidan’s solid warmth. “You’re not supposed to see me until the wedding.”

“I had to.” He brushed her hair aside and pressed a kiss to her neck. Hot and cold chills danced over her skin. “Tell me.”

“Hmm?” She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked rather dapper and handsome in his black suit, but how badly she wanted to take that clothing off him. Would the guests notice if they were a tad late to the ceremony?

“You said you didn’t truly need someone with money.” He cupped the sides of her face. “What do you need then?”

His face was serious, so serious. She reached out, smoothing her hands over his cheek, soothing his obvious worry. “Someone who won’t abandon me when life is difficult. Someone who will fight for me. Someone who will love me unconditionally.”

He smiled that sweet smile that always made her heart warm with life. “I think I can manage that.”

She reached up on tiptoe, intending to press her lips to his mouth, but Aidan pulled back, resting his hands on her hips as if to keep her at arm’s length. “I can’t think when you’re touching me and I need to talk to you.”

Confused, she allowed him to move away, even though his absence produced a physical pain. “What is it?”

She tried not to worry when he paced to the windows, overlooking the dreary winter evening. The sky hung low with gray clouds, the landscape browns and yellows, but inside their cottage, it was merry and warm.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” He paused at the windows by the bed. The very bed where they’d made love for the first time. The very bed where they’d admitted they cared.

“You’re making me nervous, Aidan. What is it?”

He turned to face her, his features uncommonly pale. “When you feed from someone…when you fed from me…”

She stepped hesitantly toward him. “Yes?”

“Damn it, Mary Ellen.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Feeding from me might have made you think you felt things you didn’t really feel.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

He closed his eyes and curled his fingers into fists. The emotion that crossed his face was almost painful to watch. “You don’t really love me. I wasn’t going to tell you. I wanted you so badly…”

The words were shocking, certainly, but also confusing. “Is that it? Is that what has you worried?” She didn’t wait for his response, but laughed. “Oh Aidan.”

He frowned at her, obviously not finding her response amusing. Eager to smooth the pain from his features, she rushed toward him. “You silly man, I loved you even before I fed from you! I was just too daft to admit it.”

He was still frowning, but she didn’t miss the hope that flared to life in those blue eyes. “Are you sure?”

She threw her arms around his neck, leaning into his hard body. “Positive.”

His lips found hers in a possessive kiss that left her weak.

A soft knock sounded on the door. “Mary Ellen! Grandpapa is here to perform the ceremony. Are you ready?” Hanna’s sweet voice called out.

Mary Ellen grinned up at Aiden. “What say you? Are you prepared to be shackled to me forever? After all, your forever is a rather long time.”

He brushed a curl over her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her neck. “Forever and ever.”

-The End-

The Night Series:

A Night of Secrets
(Meg and Grayson’ s story)

A Night of Forever

The Wild Series:

Wild Heart

Wild Desire

Other books
:

The Ghost Hunter

The Mind Readers

To Seduce an Earl

Lori Brighton is a multi-published, award winning author. She writes historical romance, paranormal romance and young adult. Lori has lost an aunt, a grandfather and grandmother to cancer. This anthology is in honor of those strong individuals who have valiantly fought cancer and those who have supported a loved one through the disease.

To find out more about Lori, visit her at
http://www.LoriBrighton.com
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“It’s not too late to change your mind, Jessica,” Jenna said, her voice low. She shot a quick glance at the half dozen or so people gathered around and leaned closer. “Despite what I told the courts, once this is done, it may not be possible to turn you back into a human.”

“I’m not changing my mind.” Her expression resolute, Jessica Mansfield tossed her hair back. It was long and thick, the nearly black tresses falling down her back in luxurious waves. She wasn’t a beautiful woman, but she was arresting. Of medium height, slender, she had a figure any woman would give her right arm for.

But despite her good looks, she was dressed in what looked like secondhand clothes. The type you might find at a local Good Will store. The jeans were faded and at least a size or two too large. The hem was tattered and there was a tear where the back pocket used to be. The t-shirt she wore was also old and tattered, its original green faded to nearly gray. The lettering across the chest was illegible.

Even wearing rummage sale clothes, though, she had a presence that drew the eye wherever she went. Jenna had known her for the past five months, and still could only count a dozen solid facts she knew about the woman. The investigator hired to do a background check had shown little beyond no family, a clean record, a job as a clerk at a coffee shop.

“I was never meant to be a woman, Jenna.” Even Jessica’s voice was sexy. Husky. The type that made Jenna think of whisky and cigarettes. “I know I was born wrong. I’ve always known.”

“Yeah, but a cat? I understand the whole man born in a woman’s body thing. But a cat born in a woman’s body?” Jenna let her voice trail off. It really was…odd.

When Jessica Mansfield came to her nearly six months ago, Jenna had been ready to write her off as a crank. The Practitioner profession had only been legalized for a bit over a year and the talent was odd enough to draw the nuts out of the woodwork. The requests Jenna had had in the last two years bordered on ridiculous. A few of the milder ones were requests of everything from predicting next year’s Super Bowl winner, to spinning straw into gold and locating Big Foot.

When Jessica had walked into her office at Lazlo & Associates and told her an off-the-wall story about how she’d always felt she should have been born a cat instead of a woman, Jenna figured she was another whack job and tried to blow her off. But Jessica persisted until Jenna finally realized she was serious.

“It’s what I want, Jenna. It’s what I was meant to be.”

Her desperate tone had given Jenna chills and she’d taken Jessica on as her client. They’d both gone through months of legal wrangling with the court system where she’d been ridiculed, accused of staging a publicity stunt, and been nearly thrown out three times. In the end, she’d prevailed. The papers were in place, the terms stipulated and agreements signed. All that remained was for Jenna to do the actual deed.

Turn a woman into a cat.

“Well, I supposed it’s appropriate that it’s Halloween Eve,” Jenna muttered as she removed her suit jacket and glanced around for a place to leave it. A coat rack caught her eye and she tossed it onto one of the hooks, next to a black judge’s robe.

Actually, it really was a good thing it was All Hallow’s Eve. Magic might be based on a type of science, but its power was still highest during the solstice. The full moon for the next three nights was a bonus. It would boost the magical energy by tenfold. Magic on steroids.

Old time witches had that much right. Naysayers might scoff at the notion of Practitioners performing magic, but people were slowly discovering a use for the profession. Locating people, finding lost objects. Even police work. Dozens of old cases had been solved since the law enforcement agencies began using Practitioners. Jenna heard talk about assigning a Practitioner to the D.C. Police Force.

More and more of her profession were being accepted by society. It would be much easier if certain members of the Senate were more cooperative. The roadblocks one particular Senator put into place made practicing her profession difficult. If she ever met Senator Gargoyle...

“I’ll need half of you out of here,” Jenna said to the cluster of four men and two women in the room. To avoid the onslaught of reporters, they were assembled in Judge Warren’s chambers on a Sunday morning. The courthouse was nearly empty. The press knew about the upcoming transformation. They just hadn’t been informed of the exact time and location. Her boss, Desmond Lazlo, planned to schedule a news conference later today.

Those present included Judge Sheila Warren, her clerk, District Attorney Martin Donaldson, a court reporter, whose name she never caught and who was equipped with a video set up, and two members of Senator Dobrowski’s staff. At least this Senator was a staunch advocate of the legalization of Practitioners and wanted to witness this magical transformation.

Unfortunately, he was out of the country and sent Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in his stead. Grateful as Jenna was for the Senator’s support in passing the bill legalizing her profession, she didn’t need an audience for what she knew was going to be an arduous undertaking.

She’d painstakingly studied the spell. Knew the process. All Hallow’s Eve or no, she also knew the tremendous amount of magic she needed to draw in order to make it work. A lot was at stake. Any number of things could go wrong. The least would be no change at all. Another scenario could have Jessica end up partially transformed. Half woman, half cat. Not good. At the very worse, she could be killed. That was something Jenna wanted to avoid at all costs.

There were so many factors, possibilities and unknowns. If Jenna had any doubts in her ability, she would never attempt this spell. But she knew her strength and had confidence she could perform the transformation.

Stuffing any lingering doubts down a dark hole, Jenna looked at the still-hovering people. No one had moved.