The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls Book 4) (20 page)

“You already read the card, didn’t you?” She watched her sister as she took a long drink of the icy soda.

“Maybe.” Marigold toyed with a loose blonde curl. “What second chance are you giving him? Is this about him moving back to North Carolina?”

Pandora swallowed the mouthful of Coke. “You’re so nosy.”

“I’m your sister. It’s my job.”

“It’s about us going to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Ooh. Dinner. Sounds fancy.”

Pandora laughed. “You’re just saying that because you’re a single mother who hasn’t been out on a date since forever.”

Marigold cocked an eyebrow. “Says the woman who hasn’t been on a date since high school. At least I’ve had sex.”

Pandora almost spit soda all over her sister. Talk about keeping a secret. “When?”

Marigold made a face and mumbled something.

Pandora put her hand to her ear. “What was that? I didn’t quite catch it.”

Marigold sighed. “I said, nine months before Saffie was born.”

Pandora laughed. “So almost nine years ago. Yeah, you’ve totally got me beat.” Unable to stop her subconscious, the idea of sex with Cole danced through her brain.

“What was that look?”

“Huh? Nothing.” Pandora’s cheeks warmed. “I need to get ready for the meeting. I’m not kicking you out, but I am about to disappear into the bedroom to get dressed.”

“Yeah, yeah. I need to scoot too.” Marigold headed for the door. “Tell Mr. Second Chances I said hi. If you can stop kissing him long enough.”

Pandora rolled her eyes. Then decided kissing him wasn’t such a bad idea.

Never in his life had the impending visit of a woman given Cole the kind of jittery buzz he was currently experiencing. He’d been to the front door twice to look for Pandora’s car. Actually, three times considering this recent trip. But the driveway remained empty.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

Cole jerked back. “Nothing.”

Kaley grinned. “You’re looking for Miss Williams.”

“So?”

“Good comeback.”

He made a face at her. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready? She’ll be here any second.”

“I am ready.”

He crossed his arms and leaned on the door. “Kaley Van Zant, I don’t know anything about coven meetings, but I do know you’re not going with BBQ sauce on your shirt.”

She looked down as she stretched her T-shirt out. “Oh, man.”

“Go change. You have time.”

She dashed up the steps to her room.

Cole went back to looking out the sidelight. Pandora was just pulling into the drive.

His entire body tightened with need. He opened the door and walked out onto the porch.

Pandora got out of her car and came toward him. She wore skinny jeans, a T-shirt and a tight cardigan that showed off her incredible figure. “Hey.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Good. Not a hundred percent, but nothing like this morning.” She joined him on the porch. “Thanks for the pancakes, by the way. That was really thoughtful.”

“Thoughtful enough for a kiss?”

She smiled like she was trying not to. “Kinda pushy, don’t you think?”

That wasn’t a no. He slipped his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck and brushed his mouth across hers. A fluttering of wings filled his ears, and the earth around him seemed to disappear beneath his feet. He released her, not wanting to push her goodwill too far.

She sighed, eyes still closed for a moment. When she opened them, she shook her head slowly. “I really hope you don’t turn out to be bad for me. The flowers were really sweet, too.”

Before he could say anything, Kaley opened the door. “Hey, Miss Williams.”

“Hiya. Ready to go?”

“Yep. Do I need to bring anything?”

“Nope.” Pandora hooked her thumb toward the car. “Hop in. I need to talk to your dad for a sec.”

“Okay.”

“Wow,” Cole said. “Not a single eye roll. Impressive.” He couldn’t stop grinning. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

“The whole familiar thing. And us. The two go hand in hand. There’s no pretending otherwise. We’ve got to get you comfortable with this new side of yourself.”

“I am comfortable. I guess. Other than the way I feel when you touch me, I haven’t really noticed anything different. I haven’t even shifted since that first time, although I’ve felt like it might happen, it hasn’t. Are you still helping me with that?”

“I am. Every time I’ve touched you since, I’ve pushed a spell toward you to keep it from happening so you don’t freak out.”

“You have?”

She nodded.

“Then I do need to work on this. Suggestions?”

“Yes. Go into the attic and talk to Gertrude.”

He stared at her. “You want me to talk to a ghost?”

“You want this to work or don’t you? If anyone can give you the basics on being a familiar, it’s her. And you really need to understand this side of yourself.”

“How do I…summon her or whatever?”

“Just go on up and say hi. She’s not shy. You shouldn’t be either.”

“Okay, I can do that.” He tucked his hands in his pockets. “Looks like I know what I’m doing tonight.”

She smiled. “Good. You can tell me all about it when I bring Kaley home.”

“Have fun.”

She started down the steps, laughing softly. “Yeah, you too. Tell Gerty I said hi.”

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

Still laughing, she gave him a wave and jumped into the car. He waited until they’d pulled through the gate, then went inside.

He looked toward the attic. Talk to a ghost. What on earth had his life become? With a shrug, he headed up the steps, trying to psych himself up for whatever was about to happen.

The attic was warm but not unbearable. He flipped the light on. How did one start a conversation with a ghost? He walked to the center of the space. “Um…Aunt Gertrude? If you’re there, Pandora Williams told me to come upstairs and talk to you.”

He stared into the empty space of the attic. This was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever—

“Does that mean you believe?”

He spun around.

A petite woman with fluffy lavender hair and a purple jumpsuit hovered a few feet behind him. He could see right through her. Like a freaking hologram.

She waved. “Hello there, stud muffin.”

He swallowed. This was so weird. “My name is Cole.”

“I know.” She batted her lashes. “You have Ulysses’ dark eyes. All you raven familiars do. Oh, I miss that man.” She put a hand over her heart. “Best lover I ever had.”

Cole tried not to grimace, but talking to a ghost—who was technically his great-aunt—about her sex life was…just weird and not something he’d ever thought he’d do. “So…Pandora told me to talk to you. About the whole familiar thing.”

“Ready to face facts, cookie?”

“Yes. Something like that. Can you help me?”

She levitated higher and stared down at him. “Sure. You are family after all. What do need help with?”

He thought for a moment. “Everything. What is a familiar capable of? Can I shift into that bird form anytime I want, or is that not something I can always control? How do I help Pandora with her magic? What happens when we’re bonded? What am I not asking that I should be? I really don’t have a clue about any of this.”

She squinted. “Didn’t your parents teach you
anything
?”

“No. They gave up being who they were in an effort to protect me. And my father doesn’t think I should get involved with Pandora so he’s not keen on giving me too much info right now.”

“I see.” She floated back and forth, like a person pacing. Then she stopped. “I can almost understand what your parents did. I never told a soul about Ulysses being my familiar. For a while, human familiars were practically hunted down.” She clucked her tongue. “Shame, really. They’re rare creatures, but they were never meant to be treated like a commodity.”

“So I heard. It’s why my parents did what they did. My mother had another witch try to hex her out of the picture to get access to my father.”

Gertrude shook her head. “Some witches don’t abide by the code of ethics. Makes us all look bad. Was she dealt with, this witch who went after your mother?”

“From what I understand the ACW took away her magic for five years.”

“Good. That’s what should have happened.” She smiled at him. “You like Pandora?”

“I do. Very much.”

“You do the horizontal mambo yet?”

“Maybe we could keep this on a more professional level?” Was there such a thing as a professional level when talking to a ghost?

She threw her head back and laughed. “I’ll take that as a no, then. You know that
being intimate
”—she made finger quotes—”is how you bond, if you’re going to.”

“Yes, I know. My father told me that much.” Gertrude wasn’t being much help. “Can you give me answers to any of these other questions or not?”

She waved at him. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’ll help you. After all, I was bonded and married to a familiar longer than you’ve been alive.”

“Great. What do I need to know?”

“You should be able to shift when you want to, but based on your upbringing, it’s going to take some work for you to learn that skill. I’m guessing right now you only shift when you’re touching Pandora.”

“I probably would be, but she’s been using a spell to keep me from shifting.”

Gertrude frowned. “She needs to stop that. The more comfortable you get with the change, the easier it will be.”

“I’ll tell her. How do I practice it on my own?”

“Do you remember what it felt like the first time? Ulysses used to get visions and a sort of full-on sensory experience.”

Cole nodded, understanding completely. “Yes. That’s exactly what happens to me too. I’ve been having dreams like that since I was kid. But then I just thought they were dreams.”

“You need to focus on those experiences and re-create one on your own. Try a little meditation. That should help.”

“And when I do shift? What then?”

She raised her brows. “You’ve got to get comfortable in that skin too. Fly around. See what it’s like. Test your wings, as it were.”

“This is so surreal. I really hope I’m not about to wake up in a padded cell and realize I’ve actually lost my mind.”

“You haven’t. I can assure you.”

“So you say. Okay. What else? What about when and if Pandora and I bond? How does that change things?”

“Pandora will be able to see through your eyes when you’re in your raven form. You’ll also be able to communicate mentally. You’ll hear her in your head and vice versa. Sometimes the sensory communications go beyond that, but not always.”

That wasn’t weird at all. “Really?”

“Really. But you don’t need to worry about that now. What you need to do is practice shifting, then we can work on more when you’ve got that handled.”

That was probably a good idea. Small steps. “My daughter and Pandora are out at the coven meeting. I guess I’ll use the time alone to see if I can get the shifting part down.”

She winked at him. “You do that, cookie.”

He gave her a nod and started for the stairs. With his hand on the door knob, he stopped and looked back. She was still there, watching. From the angle of her gaze, most likely his backside. He cleared his throat and got her to make eye contact.

“Yes?”

“Can you access all areas of the house?”

She grinned. “Worried I might visit you in the shower?”

“Something like that.”

She made a dramatic sigh. “Sadly, no. This attic was my spellroom, and as such it seems to be the limits of my visitation.”

He let out a breath. “Thank heaven for small favors.” He lifted his hand to his forehead and saluted her. “See you later.”