The Responsible Witch (The Ward Witches) (3 page)

“
Calm down,” Dymphna said softly. “Tell us what they did.”

“
Blood magic. They tried to make me do it, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't!”

“
It's alright, Gage,” Dymphna tried for soothing, but she wasn't sure if she got it
right
or not. “We don't do blood magic here.”

“
Thank god.”

“
I don't know if we can trust him,” Justin said, scowling. “He's tainted with it.”

“
Oh get over yourself,” Melanie chided, passing him his daughter. “Gage, do you mind if I look into your mind? It'll be just enough to see if you're a blood witch yourself.”

“
No, please, go ahead. And could you, if it's not too much to ask, see if there's a way to restore my memory?”

She smiled. “I'll check. But it's more likely that Fiona and Dymphna can help you with that.”

Dymphna moved aside. She didn't need her hands on his head anymore. But she felt strangely bereft when she did. No one else noticed, though, thank goodness. Melanie closed her eyes, hands on his forehead. She stayed that way for a while, then opened her eyes again.

“
It's as he says. Blood magic has been worked on him, but he didn't do it himself. But Fiona's right that he's addicted.” Melanie looked sad. “And I don't know how to get your memories back.”

“
What do you mean addicted?” Seb asked.

“
The blood magic that gave him access to all four elements has tainted his
own natural
magic. Whoever did this ensured that he will die if he doesn't have access to black magic regularly.”

“
What?” It was a universal question, coming from everyone but Fiona.

“
That's how they do it,” Fiona explained. “That's how they try to ensure their experiment test subjects don't try to get away. Gage may have run, but he can't run far without more of their magic to sustain him.”

“
Can we break the cycle?” Seb asked. “If he's innocent, we can't let them have him. If he's a witch like all of us, we have a responsibility to help him.”

“
You're right,” Fiona said. “I'm going to try to find a way. I have some old records from my aunt and uncle on how they got it out of me. They said I'd need the records someday, and they were right. But what was worked on me happened only one time. His systems indicate a lengthy exposure over a number of years. It'll take some creativity. But I'll do my best.”

“
Thank you,” Gage said. “Thank you all. I never would have imagined finding someone who would want to help me.”

“
You're among friends now,” Seb told him solemnly. “As witches, we protect our own.
And then we'll figure out what set of circumstances brought you here.
”

“
We didn't even introduce ourselves,” Melanie remembered, shaking her head. “I'm Melanie, and I'm an air witch. My husband Justin is the one who was so suspicious. It's his job as head of Coven Protection, and he takes his job seriously. He's a water witch. His twin is Seb, who is Duke of the National Coven and an air witch.”

Fiona took over. “I'm Fiona, Seb's wife, and through black magic from when I was an infant, I have access to water and earth magic, though I prefer my earth magic for most things.
I think I'll be able to help you by using that experience and talent.
We all live in the Coven House.”

Skylar started in next. “I'm Skylar, and I'm a fire witch. My husband Leo is one of the younger set of twins, and he's an air witch. We live here at Ward Manor with Dymphna, who is the one who found you and did some substantial healing on you. Next to you is Rita, who is unrelated but by friendship. She's the official Healer of the Coven, and she's been working all this time to mitigate your pain. The two of them are water witches.”

“
It's certainly a lot to take in,” Gage said. “But thank you all for saving me.”

“
You're not saved yet,” Fiona mentioned stonily. “Where do we go from here?
Dymphna?”

“
He's injured, and badly. I'm amazed he survived to get this far. He's got a severe head wound, broken bones, and organ bruises. He's not going anywhere.”  Everyone looked startled. Dymphna was known for her antagonistic attitude towards others, especially people she had just met. It had taken a long time for her to warm up to her sisters-in-law, but here she was, putting herself out for a stranger. She tried to explain nonchalantly what she was feeling strongly about. It wouldn't be a good idea to let any of them know that she was feeling uncharacteristically protective. “I'm his healer
by rights now
, and I'm keeping him here.”

“
Alright then,” Leo said.
Her brother the air
witch was too perceptive by half, even when he wasn't actively using his talents. Since he was her twin, that just complicated matters.

“
I'll do my research back at the Coven House, and I'll come by tomorrow to examine him further. I'll bring some potions and anything else I can think of as well,” Fiona agreed.

“
You men should probably bring him up to the spare bedroom,” Skylar added. “If he's going to be staying here a while, he should at least be comfortable.”

“
But that room's been the base of operations for organizing the house,” Dymphna objected. They had been working on making the house nicer in recent months, and they were storing stuff in the spare bedroom, which was the only one of the unoccupied rooms with a bed. “It's not going to work. He can have my room, and I'll sleep on the couch.” The curious looks everyone gave her made Dymphna distinctly uncomfortable, but she wasn't backing down. “Besides, my bed's more comfortable than the spare room's bed.” Despite the looks, no one verbally questioned her, and Leo and Justin moved to pick Gage up.

“
I'll walk,” Gage offered.

“
No, you won't,” Dymphna told him plainly. “Your legs have extensive damage. You don't feel it right now because of Rita's pain killing spell, but you'll just hurt yourself worse if you try to walk.”

Silently, Justin started his own pain killer spell as Rita backed off. Then they picked him up and carried him to Dymphna's room. She barely had time to be embarrassed that her room wasn't precisely neat and organized. She helped get him into the bed and pull the sheets over him.

“
I'm going to put you to sleep now,” Dymphna told him. “The healing spells we worked on you will keep working overnight and make my job tomorrow that much easier. So relax. Like Seb said, you're among friends now.” She put him to sleep before he could object, tuning the spell so that only she could wake him up.
Dymphna wasn't quite sure why she put that extra proviso on the spell, but it felt right, so she did it.

When she got back downstairs, she avoided everyone's assessing looks and poured herself a glass of water. No one said anything, and she was grateful. Excitement of the evening over, the Coven House residents went back home, leaving Dymphna alone with Skylar and Leo.

“
Do you need any help tomorrow?” Skylar asked. “I know I can't do much by way of healing, but is there something I can do?”

“
You could make food. Like today, I'll need a lot of calories to keep up with the healing process. And you can make sure that if I go into a healing trance I don't stay in it longer than one hour.”

“
Sure thing.”

“
I've got something to discuss with Skylar,” Leo said, giving his wife the look that Dymphna knew meant sex was coming. Even pregnant, he couldn't stay away from her. “So if you'll excuse us?”

“
Of course. But I have another favor to ask first.”

“
Shoot,” Leo said, looking impatient.

“
You're about Gage's size. Could you let him borrow some clothes?”

“
I'll bring some down tomorrow morning.”

“
Thanks.”

Dymphna had thought she was going to read, but when she sat down, she realized just how tired she was. Instead, she curled up on the couch and fell asleep, still fully dressed.

She must have been sleeping soundly, because she didn't even hear Skylar and Leo get up and Leo go off to work,
even though they had to pass right by where she was sleeping in the living room.

“
Breakfast is getting cold,” Skylar said, gently touching Dymphna's shoulder enough to wake her. “I'd bet you're hungry.”

“
You're awesome. Thank you.”

“
So what do you think about Gage?”

“
He's hurt really badly. I hope I can do enough to get him out of the rough patches.”

“
That's not what I meant, and you know it. Even I can see that he's hot. You haven't been on a date since I've known you. Maybe you should have some fun.”

“
You're joking, right? I didn't even look. He's a patient. And even if he weren't a patient, I don't date.”

She had seen, even if she hadn't wanted to.
And even as she denied the claim to Skylar, she conjured up his face for her own mental image of Gage, down to the details.
He was hot. But she shouldn't notice. She wasn't interested in dating.
And he was a patient. If she kept reminding herself of those two things, she just might get him healed enough to go along his way without touching him. She had certainly never had this problem before.

Skylar knew enough about Dymphna to let the subject drop. “When are you going to start the healing?”

“
I was going to go up now. Do you have those clothes?”

“
Sure.” She went back into the kitchen and returned with a bundle of clothes. “Do you want some help getting these on him?”

“
No, I'll be fine. You've got stuff to do this morning.
Writing and whatnot.
”

“
Let me know when you're going to start the healing.”

“
I will. Let me know when Fiona arrives.”

Dymphna headed up. She wasn't quite sure why she didn't want Skylar to come help her. Logically, another set of hands would help. But it didn't seem right somehow. Dymphna went into her bedroom and looked at him. Really looked at him. Her memory was right; he was hot. His face, with a day or so worth of beard, was rugged, yet still oddly compelling. What she could see of him above the sheet was well-muscled. Her mouth went dry. If she were the dating type... But she wasn't. He'd be a sexy date for someone else though.

Despite the fact that he was magically asleep, she moved quietly as she went into the bathroom to shower and dress. Then she returned to face the dilemma of how she was going to get him dressed. Gage was an awfully big man, and all those muscles would translate into heavy dead weight.
She reconsidered getting Skylar to help, but it still seemed like a terrible idea from her intuition, and she wouldn't fight that.
Well, nothing for it: she'd have to wake him up.

Walking over to the bed, Dymphna was very aware of him as a man. She tried to remind herself that he was a patient, in pain, and in dire need of healing. He was not, and could not be, sexy. She tried to dismiss the thoughts, and put her hands on his head to wake him up gently.

23

CHAPTER THREE

When Gage woke up, the first thing he thought was that he must have died. The woman leaning over him with her hands on his head had to be an angel. Her face was beautiful, with vibrant eyes and framed by a wave of light hair. Her breasts were amply displayed in the rather flimsy shirt she was wearing. He wanted, and he wanted badly.

Then he remembered. He had run from his captors, and people had found him.
He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten here. But the people who found him were w
itches, but not blood magic users. He couldn't touch her because she held the key to his recovery. And as the awareness had set in, so had the pain. Everything hurt. There was blinding throbbing pain in his head, and his legs had to be broken
for them to
hurt so badly.

He blinked, and she came into clearer focus. Unfortunate, because he could appreciate her beauty even better and want to touch her even more. Gage groaned, and not entirely from the pain.

“
Do you remember where you are?”

“
Yes. I'm in Ward Manor, and you are Dymphna Ward.”

“
That's right.” She had a startlingly warm smile for him. “Do you remember anything from before your imprisonment?”

“
Not yet.”

“
It'll come. Now here's the thing: you're dirty, and your clothes are shredded.” He looked down. What she said was true. “So you need a bath and a change of clothes. I'm not strong enough to do it alone, so I'll need your help.”

She was proposing to bathe and clothe him? There was no way that would end up well. He was certain to get a hard-on right in front of her, and that would be the end of any friendliness and camaraderie between them. But then again, if she saw he was attracted to begin their relationship with, it might make things easier later on.
But wait, he couldn't have a relationship with her. Right?

“
Is there not a, well, a guy to help me?”

She looked offended, which was the last thing he had wanted to do. “I'm a perfectly capable woman. I'm a healer, and I can take care of my patients.
I'm stronger than I look, too.
” A little too defensive, he thought, and filed that thought away for later.

“
Alright, I didn't mean to offend. Is there a bathroom near here?” She indicated a door in the wall facing him. He took in his surroundings a bit better. The room's decoration was subtly feminine. Could it be that he spent the night in Dymphna's room? “My right side hurts worst. If you'll support me from there, I think we can make it.”

She helped hoist him out of bed. Everywhere she touched tingled. He wasn't sure if it was the pain or something else. With Dymphna under one shoulder, they hobbled their way into the bathroom, where she filled a tub while he sat on the toilet. The amount of feminine beauty products, lotions, and such indicated that he was almost certainly in Dymphna's own bathroom.

The water looked warm and inviting. As she filled the tub, she added something from an unmarked bottle. It didn't smell like any kind of bath oil he'd ever seen.

“
What's that?”

“
It's one of Fiona's specialties. According to her, this will help your muscles relax and heal. I'll be taking care of the bones later.”

The bathtub was full, and he wondered how he was going to get out of his dirty clothes. But apparently she had a plan for that too. She came over and, business-like, removed his shirt. He could imagine her doing the same with a much different purpose in mind, and he could notice his hard-on growing. He growled a little when she moved to get his pants.

“
I think I can take care of that, thank you.” He tried to keep his erection out of view as he hobbled over and sank into the bathtub. Dymphna approached with a scrub brush and more of the liquid she poured into the bath. “I can do that, too.”

“
I'm just trying to help. You need to get a lot of dirt and blood off, and I'm trying to make sure that you do a thorough job.”

“
I'll be fine.” Turned on, but fine.

She passed the scrubber and oil over, and he proceeded to use them. There really was a lot of muck all over him. And it was awkward trying to clean up with her there, leaning against the bathroom counter and looking sexy. He wished he was doing fine so he could throw a pass at her. Forget that she was helping him, he wanted to kiss those full lips, touch her, and do much more with her. Being naked in the same room with her didn't help the situation.
If she had been naked too, his restraint wouldn't have stood a chance.

When Gage was finished, he looked around for a towel. The only one he saw was on the counter next to her. “Could I get that towel?”

“
Sure. As soon as I've verified you're clean.”

“
I don't need that. I'm a big boy now, Dymphna. Can I have a little privacy?”

“
Fine. Have it your way.” Her tone was exasperated, but she left a stack of clothes and the towel on the side of the bathtub. It was as if she didn't have any idea what kind of problem he was having. It was probably best that way. “Holler if you need help.”

It was excruciating to get into the clothes. He couldn't put any weight on his legs, but somehow he managed. He only called for her once his clothes were in place and his erection was going down. Not that it helped when the hard-on came back as soon as she came back.

“
Now what?”

“
Now we get you back into bed and I do some more healing work on you.”

As he hobbled back into the bedroom with her help, he noticed that she had changed the sheets. He must have gotten them pretty dirty, especially considering how much dirt and blood had been still on him and that came off in the bath.
Gage winced at putting her to such inconvenience when he didn't even really know her and she saved his life.
He got settled in the bed, and Dymphna left the room to call for Skylar.

“
Are you sure you're ready for this so soon after the last time?” Skylar asked, a worried expression on her face
when she got there
.

“
It's not like I have much of a choice. With the condition he's in, he needs healing, and I'm the only one who can do it. Rita doesn't heal like I do, and Justin is busy with work. So yeah, I'm sure I'm ready for this.”

“
Isn't he a water witch? Can't he heal himself?”

“
I examined his abilities last night. He may be a water witch, but he's not trained in healing. Are you?” She turned her intense gaze on him, and he had to shrug.

“
If I was, I don't remember any of it now.
But some instinctive part of me recoils at the idea of using magic.
”

“
My point exactly. Not to mention that even well trained water witches have a hard time healing themselves. Now Gage, do you want to be asleep or awake for this?”

“
If I'm awake, will I be able to learn something of how to do it myself?”

“
Possibly.”

'Then I'll stay awake.”

“
Very well. Do not, and I repeat, do not try to wake me. If something goes wrong or I go over my time limit, Skylar will know and she will wake me.”

Dymphna moved and sat on the bed next to him. She put her hands on his head, and Skylar started the clock. For a few minutes, Gage felt her examination. It almost tickled as her magic moved around in his body. Then it stopped. Moments later, his right leg tingled, and then the pain was gone. Dymphna cried out in excruciating pain.

Alarmed, he looked at Skylar. Her face was pale, but she didn't make any move to stop the clock or wake Dymphna.
She shook her head resolutely when she caught his glance.
Surely this wasn't normal. But then again, his left leg's pain suddenly vanished, and she cried out in pain again. Still Skylar didn't stop the clock.

After healing both his legs, the tickling sensation over the rest of his body came back. That went on for probably about fifteen minutes before Skylar called time and shook Dymphna's shoulder. “Enough.”

Dymphna opened her eyes and removed her hands from his head. Then she fainted.

But evidently, Skylar had been expecting this too, and she caught her before she hit the ground. “Stupid. Doing too much for her own good.” She lay Dymphna down on the bed next to Gage. “I'll be right back with some food for her. Let her rest.”

That wasn't hard, because Gage was very tired as well, something that came on during the healing session he had just had with Dymphna. He fell asleep beside her until Skylar returned.

When Skylar returned, he woke up to realize that at some point, he had pulled Dymphna to him and was holding her spooned against his chest. Skylar noticed, but didn't say anything as he returned Dymphna to her side of the bed. Skylar shook her shoulder a bit until she woke up, then provided her with a plate of eggs and bacon, a protein bar, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Dymphna immediately set into the food, devouring it quickly. While she did that, Skylar passed Gage his own plate of eggs and bacon.

“
Thank you,” he said. “These are good.”

“
They should be,” Dymphna managed between bites. “Skylar made them. Her cooking abilities are wasted on the likes of us.”

Skylar laughed. “I hardly think so. Why did you do too much today, Dymphna?”

“
Less to do later.”

“
Not a good reason. I know you always try to stretch it, but you could have gotten in a bad position there.”

“
Calculated risk. I'm fine, aren't I?”

“
Why were you screaming?” Gage asked.

Dymphna waved for Skylar to explain, so she did. “Most water witches will use magic to accelerate the body's natural healing processes. But with your broken bones and other injuries, it would still take months to heal you. Dymphna and her brother Justin learned how to manipulate their magic into healing by pushing it through her hands. It forces your body to heal as she orders it. But, of course, when she saps her magic like that, it hurts because it takes a lot of magic in a short bit of time.”

Gage paled. “I'm sorry, Dymphna; I didn't know. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself to help me.”

“
It was my decision. I wasn't going to let you suffer longer when there was something I could do about it.
It's second-nature to want to help when I see someone who needs my help.
But now all your bones are healed, and it's just a matter of setting your muscles and organs to rights. I left some magic to accelerate the healing on those, and I'll have Fiona do the same when she gets here. You'll be doing better soon.”

“
I'm already feeling much better.”

“
Good to hear.”

The doorbell rang, and Skylar took the dirty dishes and went to answer it. Dymphna moved into a chair next to the bed, and Gage wished she had stayed where she was. He couldn't touch her deliberately after what she'd just done for him, but he liked her nearness. Moments later, Skylar returned with Fiona.

“
Drink this.” Fiona passed a bottle to Gage. It tasted awful, but he drank the whole thing in one gulp anyway. “So I've been doing some research. Getting the taint of the blood magic out of him will be difficult, and we don't have long. Probably only a few days, if that.”

“
So what are we talking about?” Dymphna asked, leaning forward.

“
A magical cleansing spell. We'll basically need to take magical bleach to his body and clean out anything tainted.”

“
Sounds hard,” Skylar said.

“
It will be. I'll need Seb to give me extra power to do the spell. Our bond should amplify my abilities because love, or at least affection, is anathema to black magic. The really tough part comes after we do the cleansing. Since he's been so affected by the black magic for so long, the cleansing will likely strand him in his own body, and we need a way of bringing him back. If we don't, we will have healed his body, but he'll never regain consciousness.”
She clearly didn't waste time on the pleasantries.

Gage swallowed hard. This whole process sounded most unpleasant.

“
How are you going to bring him back?” Dymphna asked.

“
It's going to have to be you who does it, Dymphna.”

“
What? Why me?”

“
She's pretty hard headed and oblivious, isn't she?” Fiona asked Skylar, not answering Dymphna.

Skylar laughed and nodded. “Those two are the only ones who don't see it.”