Of Witches and Warlocks: The Demon Kiss (24 page)

“All right,” I grumbled, knowing it was the
right thing to do and not wanting to tempt him beyond what he could
stand.

He hugged me one more time, before placing a
chaste kiss on my forehead.

“Let’s get some breakfast,” he said as he
grabbed my hand, leading us both out the door in our completely
disheveled state.

I stepped gingerly out of the bedroom,
knowing we were going to get many shocked stares, looking like we
did.

It didn’t seem to bother Vance one bit. He
strode straight into the dining room, not caring that he was only
wearing a baggy pair of sweat pants, without a shirt or shoes,
sporting his sleep tousled bed head.

It also didn’t seem to bother him that he was
towing me behind him, feeling half dressed in my white tank top and
plaid boxer shorts. My hair was twisting out in every direction
possible, and I knew my lips were obviously swollen from our
previous kissing session.

“Morning, everyone!” Vance said cheerfully,
as if nothing were amiss, pulling me over to where the food was
laid out on the buffet.

The chatter in the room went to complete
silence as people looked up at us, taking in our appearance.

I couldn’t even make eye contact with anyone,
afraid of what the stares were saying, so I let my thick hair fall
forward around the sides of my face, trying to hide the humiliation
that might be showing there.

But Vance was in a mood this morning, and he
was intent on flaunting it for all who were present.

“See anything you want to eat for breakfast,
baby?” he said with a smile as he pulled me close up to him,
pushing my hair back from my face with one hand as he molded me
against his body with the other, and proceeded to French kiss me in
front of everyone.

He threaded his fingers into my hair,
basically keeping my face pushed up against his, so I couldn’t pull
away from him at all. Not that I really wanted to; I had to admit,
he was the best kisser in the world, and after a moment I forgot
where I was, and my arms moved involuntarily as they threaded their
way around his neck, bringing him even closer to me.

I felt my face flush with color as he finally
let me go, and I remembered where we were.

He, however, was grinning from ear to ear at
the response he a gotten from me, and I could tell he was feeling
totally pleased with himself.

“Breakfast?” he asked again, lifting one of
his eyebrows in question as he looked at me.

“Uh … the French kiss … um, I mean, the
French toast looks good,” I stammered, as I tried to grasp my
thoughts, as I looked over at the buffet.

“French toast it is!” he said, still grinning
triumphantly, while proceeding to place some on a plate for me and
drowning it with maple syrup.

He took the plate over to the table and sat
it down, then pulled a chair out for me, guiding me into it like I
was the Queen of England or something.

He had to bend over and peck my lips again,
once he had me settled into my place.

“Mmm,” he said as he winked seductively at
me. “You’re sweeter than syrup this morning, Portia.”

I couldn’t hold it in any longer, and I burst
out laughing, partially because he was funny but mostly from the
nervous reaction he was causing in me.

“What are you doing?” I asked quietly, my
eyes widening in confusion as I looked up at him.

“I want everyone to know exactly how happy I
am this morning,” he replied with a smile.

“Well, I think you’re scaring them.” I
whispered, as I finally braved looking up at everyone else and
finding them all watching our little display with extremely avid
interest.

He turned to face them all then.

Everyone was watching him with quizzical
glances, as if he had gone completely off his rocker. I realized
most of the people present had probably never witnessed this side
of Vance or anything even remotely close to it before. He had
always played the role of the aloof, tortured individual before
this point as far as all of them had ever been concerned.

“Now I know you all have seen two people who
are crazy in love before. Shut your traps and move along.” He
gestured, shooing them away with the back of his hands as if he
were addressing a group of unruly children instead of some very
educated, not to mention powerful, adults.

No one moved, and they continued to stare at
him. It was quiet only for a moment though, and then Brad spoke up,
breaking the tension.

“We can’t move yet,” he replied
sarcastically. “We all need a cold shower after your little
display.”

Everyone started laughing at his comment.

“I just have one thing to say to everyone in
this room,” Vance replied, grinning over at Brad before turning
somewhat serious, as they all looked at him. “You never know what
life is going to throw at you, so grab the one thing that makes you
happier than anything else and run with it.”

“Amen,” someone toward the back of the room
replied.

The conversation went back to normal at this
point, and Vance went over to the buffet and dished himself a plate
also, coming to sit next to me when he was done.

He reached out and held one of my hands
during the entire time we were eating, his thumb rubbing lazy
circles against the back of my hand.

“So how did you sleep last night?” my dad
asked, as he casually walked up to join us, pulling out a chair
next to Vance and sitting down.

Vance looked over at him quizzically, his
eyes narrowing slightly, before he spoke up, answering his
question.

“Well, let’s see,” he began, leaning back
into his chair and releasing my hand so he could cross his arms
over his chest. “Portia had nightmares, and I spent most of the
night watching her sleep, while trying to solve the puzzle to all
of my life’s problems, before I finally gave up and fell asleep
myself,” Vance replied. “Then I woke up to this beautiful angel in
my bed, who magically took away the pain of withdrawal which has
made me miserable every single morning lately, so I grabbed her to
me and made out with her for close to an hour, loving every second
that I was able to forget about the world around me, while I did my
best to thank her properly.”

I coughed and almost choked on my food, as I
turned to look at Vance incredulously, while Dad sat there looking
stunned next to me.

“Did that answer the question you were really
asking?” Vance asked, with a quirked eyebrow, as he reached for his
orange juice and took a large swallow before placing the glass back
down with a loud clank.

Dad just sat there for a moment, as if he
were searching for his voice, before he answered.

“I believe it did,” he said, with a slightly
confused smile, though he nodded his head.

“Sean. You can trust me,” Vance said
seriously, not caring who could hear him. “Her virtue is safe with
me. I give you my word.”

Dad just got up and walked past us, though he
patted Vance on the shoulder as he moved by him.

“Hey,” I whispered, my eyes wide in
disbelief, as I kneed him under the table. “Do you think you could
dial it down a notch this morning?”

“Why?” he asked, as he looked over at me,
leaning forward to pick up his fork to stab it into his last piece
of sausage.

“Because I can’t tell if you are happy or
angry,” I replied, as I wondered what in the heck was going on in
that handsome head of his.

He stopped and dropped his fork to his plate
as he leaned back into the chair once again.

“I’m a little of both actually,” he replied,
the frustration becoming apparent on his face.

“What do you mean?” I questioned him, not
quite following his mood swings this morning.

“I mean that I have everything I want right
here at my fingertips.” He reached out to rub his fingers over my
hand before he continued. “And everything out there in the world is
threatening to take it all away from me.”

“Not everything,” I reminded him. “Just one
thing.”

“I’d fight to the death for you before I let
that happen,” he said leaning in close to me.

“Then we don’t have anything to worry about,
do we? Because I’d do the same for you,” I replied with a smile,
and he leaned in the rest of the way to kiss me again.

I let him kiss me for as long as he wanted to
this time, knowing that things were rough for him right now.

“I love you, Portia,” he said when he pulled
back. “Thank you for everything you do for me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything.
It’s my pleasure.” I smiled back at him. “Are you done with your
plate?” I asked, changing the subject.

He nodded, and I picked it up with mine to
carry to the sink.

“Morning, Mom,” I said, as I entered the
adjoining kitchen area. “Breakfast was delicious. Sorry I wasn’t up
to help you.”

“That’s okay. I figured you needed your rest
this morning after everything that happened last night. Besides,
Shelly, Milly, and Sarit helped me get things ready for everybody,”
she said.

“So how is Sarit?” I asked, looking across
the room to where she was seated in the middle of a group of coven
members.

“She’s doing all right, considering
everything she’s been through,” Mom said, casting a sympathetic
look her direction. “I’m sure her friends and family are crazy with
worry over her right now.”

“We need to get her home,” I replied, nodding
my head in agreement with her. “I’m sure Vance would purchase an
airline ticket back to India for her.”

“Actually, he gave your dad the money for it
last night while you were still in the shower.”

“Oh,” I said feeling a little surprised at
that new bit of information. “He didn’t tell me.”

“Yeah. He wanted to make sure we got her a
first class ticket. He said it was an abomination that she had to
come here in a box; the least he could do was send her back home in
comfort.”

“I think he feels responsible for his
father’s actions. Though I don’t know why he does,” I said looking
over at him.

He was just sitting at the table, his eyes
following my every move. I was sure he had been listening to
everything we were saying.

“He shouldn’t feel that way at all,” my mom
said, unaware that he was eavesdropping on our conversation. “He’s
nothing like that monster.”

“I know that,” I said, as I continued to make
eye contact with him, hoping he was getting the message. “I just
don’t think he does.”

He stood up then and came into the
kitchen.

“I’m going to go get cleaned up for the day,”
he said, before giving me a peck on the cheek.

“Okay,” I answered, smiling at him, before he
turned to walk away from me. “See you in a little bit.”

Dad called the group to attention a few
minutes later. He told everyone that Sarit was going home today and
she wanted to say a few words.

Sarit stood up in front of everyone and
thanked them for the hospitality they had shown her. She said that
while she was already missing her magic greatly, she was very
thankful to still have her life and was anxious to get back to her
family.

Everyone gathered around her after she was
finished speaking, giving her hugs and well wishes. When they were
done, Sarit singled me out in particular.

“Thank you, Portia, for your help,” she said
as she grasped my hand warmly in between both of hers. She looked
around the room then, searching for something. “I do not see Vance
anywhere, but please tell him that I greatly appreciate him and the
services he has rendered to me. Without him I surely would have
died.” Her eyes misted over a little bit at this point. “I truly
hope that everything works out for him and that the two of you will
find the happiness together that you seek.” She smiled.

I removed my hand from hers and hugged
her.

“Thank you, Sarit,” I said. “I’ll tell him
everything you said. I wish we could’ve met in a different place
and time, under better circumstances.”

“I do, too,” she replied, as she stepped away
from me. “If you ever find yourselves in India ….” Her voice
trailed off.

“We’ll be sure to look you up.” I smiled at
her.

“That would be wonderful,” she agreed as she
walked slowly away. “Then my family could meet you, too.”

Dad left with her then, to take her to the
small local airport that would transfer her to a larger plane in
Mexico City, and I was sorry to see her go.

Once they were out the door, I closed it
behind them, turning to go into my room to get showered and cleaned
up.

Shelly followed right after me.

“So, that was some show the two of you put on
this morning,” she said, with a short laugh.

“It was, wasn’t it? I don’t know what was up
with him!” I laughed lightly. “He was talking all about making his
mark on me and things like that. One minute he was deliriously
happy, and the next he was upset.”

“I think you make him feel so happy that he
gets desperately afraid of losing you,” Shelly replied, offering up
an explanation for his strange behavior.

I just shrugged my shoulders, thinking she
could possibly be right.

“I don’t know what he’s afraid of losing me
to. I don’t plan on going anywhere without him ever again,” I
replied.

“I think the two of you are acting out
because you’re avoiding the real issue,” she said, solemnly,
watching me closely.

“What do you mean?” I asked as I looked at
her, confused over what issue she could possibly be talking
about.

“I saw the terror on all of your faces when
you came to drop Sarit off at the dock. Whatever the four of you
witnessed out there scared the heck out of all of you,” she stated
flatly.

I felt myself take in a sharp breath. “You’re
right. I am avoiding the subject,” I said, as I walked into the
bathroom, closing the door abruptly behind me.