Retribution (63 page)

Chapter 43

Saying goodbye to her coven was one of the hardest things Layla ever had to do, and she sucked at it. As they passed her around, giving her hugs and whispering reassurances in her ear, she couldn’t form one coherent word. She just cried on them, trying to memorize their voices, scent and feel.

Even when she was done and Serafin took her in his arms, wrapping her in a strong hug while moving her away from the crowd, she continued to blubber. Then she was handed off to Quin, and as her ear found his heart, she managed a deep breath, her soul instantly soothed.

They stayed silent for a long time, just holding each other as they mourned, and her tears eventually dried as her lungs steadied.

“I was pitiful, Quin. I didn’t say a word.”

“Your aura said enough.”

“Are they gone?”

“Yes.”

“Are you okay?”

Those who'd left were his blood relatives. He'd been closely connected to them his entire life, living near them, counting on them, loving them for twenty-two years. She had no idea how he was able to say goodbye without having an emotional breakdown.

He squeezed and kissed her head. Then he took her by the cheeks and forced her to look at him. “I'm not giving up hope until I have to, Layla. I intend to see them tomorrow.”

“The bright side.”

“Yep.”

“You’re good at seeing it.”

He smiled. “I’m looking at it.”

Her insides warmed, and she found the ability to smile back. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

“So what's next?”

“Next,” he sighed, looking at her aura, “we have to let go of each other for a while.”

“What? Why?”

He motioned to the other side of the lawn, and she looked over, finding two large tents.

“Because Morrigan and Daleen want you to join the rest of the women while they get ready,” Quin explained, “and I'm not allowed in that tent. The men are in the other one.”

She puckered while tracing a heart on his chest. “Am I allowed in there?”

He laughed. “I doubt they’d mind a bit, but you're sure to find it embarrassing. They're changing their clothes.”

“Oh. Yeah… a tent full of naked wizards might be tempting to some, but since I'm related to half of them, I'll pass.”

“It would probably be the men not related to you who’d make you blush. Weylin’s in there.”

“Oh god,” she smirked. “And I’m sure he’s proud of himself.”

Quin laughed as he looked up. Then Morrigan emerged from the women’s tent. Returning his gaze to Layla, he leaned in for a kiss. “I'll hold you again soon, my love. Find my mind if you need me.”

“How long?” she asked, glancing between him and her grandma.

“Less than an hour.”

“Okay,” she conceded, pulling him into another kiss.

Morrigan walked up, wearing nothing more than a thin, silk robe, and while her eyes were slightly red-rimmed from her recent crying binge, she looked youthful as she held out her hand. “Come play with the girls for a while, sweetie. Give Quinlan a chance to miss you.”

Layla looked at Quin, trying not to show her anxiety. “Less than an hour?”

“Yep.” He gave her one more kiss then placed her palm in Morrigan’s.
 

Layla turned away, fighting the urge to look over her shoulder as her grandma led her to the tent. She did pretty well, and only spared him one glance right before slipping through the closed canvas flaps. He was watching, and he flashed a smile and a wink before losing sight of her.

A strong and heady mixture of earthy cannabis, sweet jasmine, and spicy cypress hit Layla like a steam bath when she turned away from the open air, and for a moment she could have sworn she was in a dream, or peeking in on a veiled and surreal fantasy world.

Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes grew wide as she tried to figure out if she should divert her stare. But divert it where? Unless she looked at the lush, royal-blue carpet pampering her soles, her gaze would find the nude flesh of beautiful witches. They weren't just changing their clothes. They'd stripped down to nothing and were lounging on cozy furniture, leisurely chatting, smoking cannabis, drinking wine, working magic on one another’s hair, nails and skin, or sifting through sheer material, shiny gemstones, and metallic trinkets. And they acted like it was perfectly normal behavior to do so while exposing it all.

Layla closed her mouth and tried not to pay too much attention to any one area as she followed Morrigan further into the gathering, but when her grandma's robe disappeared, unveiling a smooth and slender backside exuding femininity, Layla's jaw fell again. Daleen approached, nonchalantly baring a gorgeous, bosomy figure, and Layla’s cheeks flamed hotter, even as her curiosity and wonderment grew.

Closing her mouth once more, Layla concentrated on making eye contact, and Daleen quietly laughed as she touched Layla's cheek. “Have some chamomile tea, darling. It will help.”

A steaming cup of tea floated across the smoky tent, and Layla mumbled her appreciation as she took it from the air. It did help, instantly, but only because it gave her something to look at.

“You don't have to be embarrassed, sweetie,” Morrigan whispered, purposefully playing with Layla’s hair. “We're all comfortable, so you can relax, too.”

“I don't know if I can,” Layla confessed.

Morrigan gave her a tight hug, and when she pulled away, Layla’s dress had been replaced by a silk robe. “I know it's different from what you're used to,” Morrigan offered, “but you can trust everyone here to understand as well. Have a seat.” She patted the velvet cushion of an oversized easy chair. “Let your grandmas play for a while.”

Layla had no idea what exactly that entailed, but she obeyed anyway, sitting and sinking into the squishy chair that smelled of sage and lavender. Daleen lifted Layla’s feet. Then Morrigan slid an ottoman beneath them, propping her legs up like a pampered princess.

Brietta walked up, proudly wearing nothing but her birthday suit, and she flashed an ornery grin as she scanned Layla's modest attire. Leaning forward, she winked at Morrigan and patted Layla's shoulder. “Scoot over.”

Layla looked up in confusion, getting an eyeful of Brietta's perky breasts. Then she found the twinkle in her cousin’s multicolored gaze.

“Do what?” Layla asked.

“Scoot over,” Brietta repeated. “I want to sit with you.”

“Oh. Okay.” Flustered by the whole situation, Layla magically held her tea in place while making room for two.

Brietta squeezed in beside her, forcing her to confront and accept her nakedness. Then she summoned a pipe and hit it like a pro. After pulling the stem from her mouth, she moved it to Layla’s, urging her to take a hit. Then she took one more puff for herself before passing it on.
 

Turning back, she smiled and tossed a flap of Layla's robe over her exposed knee, shielding it from view. “Geez, Layla, cover up. Don't you have any decency?”

Layla laughed as her muscles loosened up. Then her grandmas began running their fingertips over her fingernails and toenails, applying glitter that flashed without the assistance of light. Layla wiggled her big toe, appreciating the effect. Then she looked at Brietta, who was perfectly relaxed as she received the same treatment from Enid and Cinnia.
 

“Quin said he wasn't allowed in here,” Layla noted, “but I didn’t expect this.”

Brietta laughed as she summoned a glass of wine. “Quin could park himself right in the middle of this and not blush about it.”

A few of the coven members voiced their agreement, and a smile twitched Layla’s lips as she looked down. “I believe you. Quin doesn't blush.”

Brietta nodded as she swished wine around in her mouth. Then she swallowed and grinned. “Is this why it took him so long to have sex with you? Because he couldn't get your clothes off?”

Layla's mouth fell open as her cheeks burned like never before. “Bri!” Braving a glance at Cordelia, Daleen and Morrigan, Layla found the three of them stifling laughter, which flustered her even more, so she looked back at her audacious cousin and scowled.

“What?” Brietta asked, innocently raising her eyebrows. “I'm curious why it took him eleven days to do what he wanted to do from day one. Not just day one, minute one. I was there when he met you, I could see his aura, and I can tell you with certainty that sex was on his mind from the moment he saw you. So just say yes or no. Did it take him so long because you wouldn't shed the clothes?”

Layla looked around. No one was staring at her, but she knew a lot of them were listening, and Morrigan and Daleen were hiding grins as they magically adhered tiny gemstones to her nails.
 

Layla sighed as she returned her gaze to Brietta. Then she took a big breath for bravery. “No, Bri, that's not why. He started taking my clothes off the third night I knew him, and by the sixth night, he'd seen me completely naked. The seventh night I fell asleep with my bare chest against his, and by the time we bonded, he'd touched and looked at pretty much every part of me.”

It was Brietta's turn to drop her jaw, and she wasn't the only one. Several witches stared at Layla in shock.
 

Brietta eventually closed her mouth, but her eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Are you saying he had you naked within a week and didn't do anything?”
 

“That depends on what you mean by anything,” Layla mumbled, rubbing her burning forehead. “He didn't do anything for himself, if that's what you mean. It was his
clothes that stayed on. He didn't take his shorts off around me until the night we bonded.”

Several people murmured their disbelief, Brietta's mouth fell back open, Cordelia proudly smiled, and Morrigan and Daleen quietly laughed as they abandoned Layla's nails and moved to her hair.

“You have to be lying,” Brietta countered. “I can't believe that of any wizard, least of all Quin.”

“Well believe it,” Layla returned, “because I'm not lying. He didn't even take them off when we showered together.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did he keep his clothes on for eleven days when you were shedding yours within a week? Why was he taking showers with you but not taking his shorts off to do it?”

“Because he wanted to,” Layla impatiently answered. Then she softened her voice. “He wanted things to be perfect.”

Brietta shook her head. “I can't believe what I’m hearing. Weren't you suspicious about his motivation to wait?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you're not the most secure person, Layla. Didn't you worry about why he wasn't fulfilling his needs with you?”

“Do you really have to ask that, Bri? You saw how he treated me, and that was when people were watching and he was trying not to embarrass me. Surely you can imagine how he treated me behind closed doors. He was very thorough in showing me how he felt.”

Brietta's forehead smoothed as her ornery grin reappeared. “So what you're saying is – you got yours.”

Layla shrank into the chair as her cheeks ignited. “God, Bri, you're blunt.”

“Just figuring that out?”

Layla cracked a smile as she confessed. “Yes, I got mine several times before he got his.”

“The mark of a true gentleman,” Daleen declared, pulling a section of Layla's curls from the rest. Then she held it while Morrigan worked magic on it.
 

Layla gave a nod while timidly looking at Cordelia. “Quin exceeds the word. He's unrivaled in his affection, honesty and optimism, and his attention to detail is flawless.”

Cordelia and Rhiannon had been painting each other's nails, but they both looked up and raptly listened to Layla’s compliments.

“And his heart and soul,” she added. “His heart and soul could move mountains. They're the most beautiful and powerful things I've ever experienced, and the fact that he shares them with me makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. You must be an amazing mother, Cordelia.”

Rhiannon and several others wiped their eyes, and Cordelia held her heart while letting the tears flow. “Thank you, Layla. For more than the words. You make him so happy, like never before.”

“He makes me happy,” Layla returned, running her finger through her bonded light, which wasn't as bright as usual due to the distance between them, but it was still the brightest bonded light in the tent.

Brietta stared at the gold and silver haze as she downed her wine. Then she vanished the glass and stood, giggling as she went.
 

“What's so funny?” Layla asked, letting her grandmas usher her from the chair.

Still laughing, Brietta turned and held out a hand. “Can you imagine the ribbing Weylin would give Quin if he knew why it took so long for the two of you to get busy? Quin would never live it down.”

Layla considered this then shrugged. “Kegan would do the same for you.”

“Ha,” Brietta blurted, making Layla jolt. “Kegan's sweet, but there's no way he’d wait around for perfect. Wizards don't do that. If they want it, and it's being offered, they take it. And if it's not being offered, they put all their energy into getting the offer on the table. They don't just sit on their hands and wait around for the perfect moment. They're proactive, not patient, and most of them would think Quin was mental for taking things so slow.”