The Dutiful Witch (The Ward Witches) (10 page)

“
Our family. I'm glad to help. See you later.”

She left, glad that Seb agreed with her about giving the potion to Skylar. Especially because it was another action that showed that he really wanted to wait before she gave him his heir.

Skylar's face glowed when she got the jar. She placed it reverently in her purse. “On that note, let's get out of here.”

Skylar brought Fiona to her little coupe, and explained that they'd meet everyone else there.

“
Who else are we meeting?”

“
Haven't you gotten the theme? I'm not telling you until we get there. You bribed me, but it's not going to work.”

So Fiona stopped asking questions. She just enjoyed the drive. Boston in spring was really quite beautiful. She looked askance at Skylar when they pulled into a parking lot for the children's hospital.

“
Is this what I think it is?”

“
If you're wondering if we're here for Melanie's pet project, you'd be right. With the little ones, she can't come. I thought you might like to be the announcer as we do this. We've got two fire witches including me and two earth witches to entertain the kids. Then we have eight water witches who use their magic to bring the kids a pain-free afternoon. But we need an announcer. I've been doing it, but I'd rather be doing my entertainments. Do you feel up to announcing?”

Fiona thought hard about the idea. She was terrified of crowds. But this was a way to do it with less stress. Kids weren't nearly as particular as adults. It would be good practice too. “I'll do it.”

“
If you get stuck, say something about potatoes. I'll take that as a sign to come rescue you.” Skylar ran down the list of things she needed to say, and Fiona tried very hard to tamp down the butterflies in her stomach. “You can do this.” Skylar gripped her hand tightly then let go. “You can do this.”

They met up with the others at the doors to the cafeteria. They acknowledged Fiona with smiles. The two earth witches had brought dogs certified as therapy dogs. “You're going to love this,” one of them told her.

When the group entered, the kids cheered. The ones who could stand did. Even the nurses got into it. Their enthusiasm helped Fiona's nerves. They went up to the stage, and Fiona grabbed the microphone. She probably grabbed it too hard based on her white knuckles, but it was working for her. The kids quieted down to hear.

“
Thank you all for your warm welcome. It's my first time here, and I'm excited to see you all. Our water witches are going to come see you, and while they do that, my sister Skylar's got something new to show you.” She liked being able to say she had a sister, and by Skylar's smile, she liked being called one.

Skylar stepped forward. The dogs followed her. The earth witches used their magic to communicate with the dogs, which made them especially well trained for this kind of job. Skylar made an image of a dog in fire. The fire she used was special because it didn't really burn anything and so produced no heat. Fiona knew that using that kind of power would wipe Skylar's energy, but she clearly thought it was worth it. For that matter, the water witches would probably take days to fully recover their energy after helping so many kids who were in so much pain. But they all thought that a the price was worth giving sick kids an afternoon of pain-free fun. Fiona admired their dedication and willingness to sacrifice for the kids.

“
Oh my, look at what Skylar's made. I wonder what she'll do with her new friend.” The kids looked entranced.

One of the earth witches stepped forward with a hoop. The kids watched as the two real dogs went through. Then Skylar's dog followed, to the kids' applause. The water witches roamed around, alleviating the kids' pain, if only enough for one day. But they would have a great afternoon. Melanie made this all possible, and that was something to be proud of.

“
Look at that! It's just like a real dog.” One of the real dogs barked, and the kids laughed. For the next hour, the earth witches would make their dogs do something and challenge Skylar's dog to do it too. Every time, Skylar's dog performed the exact same trick. Fiona managed to lose track of most of her fear and commentated through the whole thing. She didn't once say potato, either. Finally, the water witches signaled that they were done. Their faces looked worn, but exuberant.

“
I hope that everyone is feeling better for having come today. Let's have our canine friends take a bow,” and they did with Skylar's dog disappearing after its bow. “Thank you all for having us here, and we'll look forward to seeing you all back here next time!”

A small motion near the back drew Fiona's eyes. She was startled to see Seb back there, watching with a proud smile on his face. She hadn't seen anyone enter or leave, so he must have been there the entire time. He came for her, and she knew that if she had needed help, he would have been there to support her. But she had managed the announcing all by herself, and that's what brought Seb's smile.

Then it hit her like a punch to the gut. She loved him.

He was everything she could want in a husband and more. He was the kind of man who respected her need for independence and self-reliance to the degree that he'd come watch her succeed. If she hadn't noticed him, he probably never would have said he had come. It wasn't about gaining points or something like her previous boyfriends would have done. He was there, and she loved him for it.

No one seemed to notice her revelation, and she walked off with everyone else. Seb winked, now knowing that she had seen him, and then he went out the back door. She loved him for his quiet support while knowing that she was strong enough to get through the tough times herself. She wanted to savor her revelation, but it was time to go.

Skylar smiled when they got back to her car. “You did great.”

“
Thanks. I loved your show.”

“
Thank you. I've been practicing that for a week. The earth witches and I worked through that skit about thirty times. I'm glad you came.”

“
I'm glad you brought me. It was a nice surprise. Let's go home.”

“
Let's.”

Finishing the rest of the day going through more emails seemed anticlimactic. But it needed to be done. Seb didn't come find her, and she figured she'd wait to talk to him until after work hours. Not that she knew what she was going to say. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him she loved him yet. But at the same time, she wanted to cry it from the rooftops.

She needed to know if he loved her back before she said something. But her next thought was that she should tell him and just hope for the best. She shouldn't hide something this big. But she wasn't sure she had what it took to tell him out of the blue. She hadn't figured it out when it came to quitting time. She didn't have possession of the conception potion anymore, so that wasn't an issue. Her thoughts on that were relegated to the back burner for now. Too much to think about would just give her a migraine.

Skylar left to go make dinner for Leo and Dymphna. She gave Fiona a hug on the way out. “I'm going to talk to Leo tonight. I'm so excited that by tomorrow I might be pregnant.”

“
Indeed. We won't be able to tell for a few days definitively, but I hope for the same thing. I'll check you daily, too, so we'll know as soon as possible.”

“
You've given me a great gift. I won't forget it.”

“
Ah, don't worry about it. Go home to your husband. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“
You sure will.” Skylar gave her a cocky salute and left.

111

CHAPTER SEVEN

It seemed only moments later, Seb came in. “I've been waiting for her to leave.”

“
Seb! It's good to see you!” She gave him her biggest smile. “And I saw you at the hospital today.”

“
I was hoping to be discreet. I wanted to see your triumph.”

“
Thank you for coming. I hope I lived up to your expectations.”

“
You exceeded them. You were amazing. The kids just ate it up. If I didn't know, I wouldn't have thought you were nervous.”

“
I had expected to see you upstairs,” Fiona said, stalling. She wasn't ready to confront him yet now that she knew she loved him.

“
It occurred to me that you've got this nice office and it hasn't been properly made yours.”

“
What do you mean?”

112

THE DUTIFUL WITCH

He indicated the bag he brought. She opened it and found candles of all different sizes and shapes. “You sure do like giving me presents.”

“
Indeed I do. How do you like it?”

“
They're great. I hate to feel needy, but I do like being spoiled. Thank you.” She began to put them out, cheering up the room considerably. She came back from setting one up high to see Seb eying her hungrily. “Do you want to help?” Fiona asked, confused.

“
Mona won't have dinner ready for another hour. I want you now.”

“
I'll race you to the bedroom.”

He laughed, and she was already out the door. She ran down the halls, checking behind her to make sure she was still just ahead of him. She fumbled on the lock to the suite, and he caught up to her. She just barely got the door open when he bodily scooped her up. Laughing and making only token protests, she let herself be carried to the bed.

She tugged his shirt off over his head, and his undershirt soon followed. Batting away his hands, she got his zipper down and his pants and boxers off too. She pushed him down and went straight for getting her mouth around his erection. He groaned and his body bowed backward as she ministered to him. When she could tell he was coming close, she let go and undressed quickly.

He was reaching for her when she came back toward the bed, and she let him pull her. He claimed her mouth, imparting the message of just how much she had aroused him. Without warning, he nearly tossed her onto the bed on her back, straddling her hips.

But then he stopped. Seb gave her a cocky smile.

“
What are you waiting for?” She moaned, moving around below him to try to get him to move.

“
I want you to tell me what you want,” he whispered huskily.

“
Isn't it obvious?”

“
No,” he said, running a finger around her breast, just missing where she wanted it, pulling his finger back and looking at her contemplatively. “You'll need to tell me. In explicit detail, if you don't mind. You wouldn't want me to get confused now would you?” He taunted.

“
I want you. I want you to push inside me.”

He did so, but stopped as soon as he did just that. No matter her wriggling, he didn't start again.

“
Start moving. I want you to keep that great push and pull movement going. I want you to drive me crazy. I want you to make me scream with pleasure. Take me to that height and keep going. Torment me with pleasure.”

“
I like that,” he growled.

Finally, he proceeded to rock inside her, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. She began to reach that height she wanted, and he could tell. He reached around and played with her clit. She immediately lost the battle and screamed out her release.

“
Oh Seb!”

That was all it took to send him into his own finale.

“
God, Fiona,” he said, changing their positions so that her back spooned up against his front. He nuzzled the back of her head with his nose. “You're incredible.”

“
You're not so bad yourself.”

He chuckled against her hair. “I'll have to do better than that.”

“
Hah. You do much better than that and I'll have a coronary.” She lay there, savoring the feeling of being protected in his arms. She'd always be safe with Seb around, and she knew it. That was the way it should be, after all. “Now I've got to go film my show.”

“
That's tonight?”

“
Yeah. I've been having one of your witches, a nice girl named Suzy, do my orders and mailing, but I need to film the show myself, obviously.”

“
Sure. Do you want some company?”

“
No. I can feel just confident enough to pull it off with just a camera. Let me go without the audience.”

“
Alright. I think I'll watch some of your previous episodes while you do that.”

“
Sounds good. Let me get cleaned up.”

“
Before you go, I wanted to tell you again that what you did for Skylar was really great. I got a call from Leo not long after, and he was more excited than I've heard him be in a long time. I have a feeling we'll be seeing their kid before too long.”

“
I do too.”

She gave him a quick kiss, then got dressed. She used her old style of clothes to keep with the attitude of the show, and it was almost weird to get back into that. She liked her new clothes so much better. Tonight, she'd announce on the show that she was taking her place as Duchess. Likely everyone would already know, but she still wanted to say it. Her name was already being talked about in the media but talking about it on her show would be her own little power-trip. It was special to her to say it because she was so happy to be Duchess next to Seb.

When she left, Seb was still naked on the bed. She blew him a kiss because she knew that if she actually kissed him, she'd be back in bed with him and wouldn't get her show filmed.

“
I'll see you at dinner.”

“
It's at seven, I know. I hope to be done by then. If not, I'll be stuck with leftovers, I suppose.”

“
Mona's meatloaf goes quickly. If you'd like, I can abscond with some so that you'll have something to eat.”

“
That would be great.”

“
You'll have to pay me for it.”

She grinned, getting into the spirit of it. “What will the price be?” Fiona asked, coquettishly. “I'll have to know in advance.”

“
You're going to have to wear one of those fascinating corsets while you go down on me,” he said, looking excited by the prospect.

“
Well let me think about that...” She pretended to contemplate, running her eyes over him as if she was assessing whether it would be worth it. Then she grinned. “I certainly think I can do that. Hell, I'll even enjoy it. I may have to deliberately miss dinner so that I can pay for my meatloaf.”

“
You're going to have to leave fast if you plan to leave at all,” he growled, drawing her gaze down to the evidence that he'd like to keep her there for a long while more.

“
I'm going. Thanks in advance for the meatloaf.”

“
Sure thing. Good luck with your show.”

“
Thanks.”

It took her about two hours to shoot her segment because the preparation of the potions needed to be done partially beforehand. She used a trick like some cooking shows where she had an example of the potion at various stages already prepared for demonstration. Tonight she made what she called a Green Thumb potion. It helped plants grow bigger and stronger. Vegetable plants treated with it would also grow more and larger vegetables. It wasn't the fanciest or flashiest of magic, but it was certainly useful.

To finish up the show, she commented on her new status. “As you may know, I've recently become Duchess of the National Coven. I'd like to encourage any unaffiliated witches to join a coven of their own. I was unaffiliated most of my life, and I've discovered a lot of benefits to being in a coven. But don't worry: I'll still be doing the show. You all have been great to me, and I won't forget that. Thank you all for watching, and may your trials be eased.”

She used her laptop to put the finishing touches on the editing and such before posting it. That took another half hour. By that time, she was ready to stop. She'd deal with updating the shop tomorrow. Suzy would probably like to help her with that. She was eager to learn, and Fiona liked that.

Fiona took the video back to the suite. Seb was watching television, and he smiled as she came in. “I got you meatloaf, and a slice of cherry pie to go with it.”

“
You're too sweet.” She gave him a peck on the cheek and took the meatloaf plate. “I'll head over to the family kitchen and heat this up.”

“
I do expect extra compensation for the cherry pie. Skylar made that one so you know it's good.”

“
We can negotiate when I get back. It will depend on how good the pie is, so I can't promise what the payment will be.”

When she got back, she made an exaggerated affair of tasting the pie and thinking about what it would be worth.

“
You're going to eat dessert first?” He asked jokingly.

“
I'm an adult. I'll do what I want to. And I have a great idea about how I'll pay you for this. Get undressed and get ready for this. You'll like it.” She disappeared into the bedroom and came back out in a bright pink and black corset and matching pink skin-tight pants.

Then, just to tease him, she proceeded to ignore him while she sat down and ate her meatloaf. She took her time with it too, pretending not to hear him growl in the background. When she was done, and from the sounds, he was about to explode, she took an extra long time to wipe her mouth. Then she turned to look at him. “Time for dessert.”

“
For god's sake, woman!” Seb groaned, grabbing his heart dramatically.

She ignored his outburst and ignored the cherry pie too. Instead she picked up the can of whipped cream that she had also picked up from the fridge in a bit of inspiration. She saw the moment when he realized what she was about to do, and she reveled in the idea that she had that kind of power over a man. She'd had boyfriends before, but no one had ever looked at her the way Seb did.

Fiona watched his eyes watching her as she applied the whipped cream. She kept her eyes on his as she cleaned him off. She felt him jerk underneath her hands, and she kept going. He soon pulled back reluctantly.

“
You'd better get out of those clothes faster than you ate that meatloaf or we're going to have a problem.”

She wasn't done yet though. She was enjoying herself, and he was clearly enjoying himself too. She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Then we're going to have a problem.”

Without another word, Seb used his magic to flay her corset right down the middle. Then he proceeded to split her pants along the seams on her legs. She gasped. He would choose now to show off his underused powers. She shrugged out of the top, and the pants fell off of their own accord.

Fiona discarded the playful banter along with her clothes. She had such a pressing need to feel him inside her that she didn't want to wait to toy with him anymore. He held out his arms, and she ran into them, kissing him passionately. She couldn't get enough, and it was suddenly imperative that she have him now.

And have him she did, until they were both panting and sweaty on the couch.

“
That was incredible,” she managed to get out when she got her breath back.

“
Glad to hear it.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

Seb hit the remote to activate the ceiling fan and tugged a light blanket over them. As if there was any reason for modesty at that point. She curled up with him and laid her head on his chest.

“
Would you like to watch a movie?” Seb asked, stroking her hair.

“
That sounds nice. I'll need a bit to recover before we go to sleep.”

“
Same here. I've got an idea, and I already put it in the DVD player.”

“
Tales That Witness Madness, huh?” Fiona asked as the title sequence ran.

“
It's delightful.”

“
Then let's watch.”

“
I wanted to ask whether you actually like this kind of thing. I can take you out on the town, we can do whatever you like. I've always enjoyed just staying at home, the kind of leisurely entertainment like that.”

“
I do enjoy this a lot. I've also never really been one to go out on the town, as you called it. It's nice to just be with you. I can be myself, and I know you're not going to judge me. Besides, the movies you choose are more enjoyable than I would have expected them to be.”

“
I'm glad.” He kissed her soundly. “And you're right that you never have to be anyone but yourself when you're with me.”

“
I like that about you. Now be quiet so I can watch this.”

He did, and she lazily stroked his chest. Part of her wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she wasn't sure how he'd respond. So she waited. But she didn't want to wait too much longer.

Seb was disappointed when the credits started to roll. He had really been enjoying holding onto his wife. Fiona was so beautiful and sweet. She brought out all of his protective instincts. He wanted to give her the world. But her independence mattered so much to her, and she retained that. And that was important to him as well. Seb liked her determination.

He loved everything about her, and he wanted to let her know. But he didn't want to force her hand in this step of their relationship. He wanted her to be comfortable with him, and since she seemed to be at this point, he didn't want to endanger that by pressuring her with his feelings.