A Touch of Magick (21 page)

He sat beside her on the bed, and it was then she noticed the washcloth. He ran the cool, wet cloth over her arms and legs before dragging it over her sex. It felt good against her heated flesh, but sent a fresh round of shivers dancing through her.

Tossing the cloth aside, he tugged back the covers and joined her after she crawled beneath them. He reached for her and she went easily into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his stomach as if she’d been doing it for years. He idly stroked his fingers through her hair.

“Where do we go from here?” She wanted to know. Needed to know before her heart got any more tangled up than it already was.

“Where do you want to go?” She could feel the rumbling of his chest against her cheek as he spoke.

She started to shrug, but then stopped. Deep inside, she knew what she wanted. It was time to lay her cards on the table. He deserved her complete honesty.

Tucking the sheet around her, she sat up, wrapped her arms around her legs and stared down at him. Even rumpled and spent, the man was gorgeous. He looked right lying in her bed next to her. “I want…” She broke off, trying to figure out how to put her thoughts into words that wouldn’t send him running for the door.

Ryland sat up, leaning against the headboard. He appeared relaxed, but she could see the tension in the set of his shoulders and the way his lips were pressed together.

“I know it’s really too soon,” she shrugged. “We barely know one another.”

“Screw that.” His harsh tone startled her. “Time doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if we’ve known each other for two days or two years.” She could feel the waves of frustration pulsing from him.

He looked at her, his pale eyes seeing all the way to her very soul. “We’re meant to be, Rhiannon. I can feel it and you can too.”

She chewed on her bottom lip as worries crowded her mind. She needed to be sure this wasn’t just the result of magick.

He frowned as he raked a hand through his hair. “I know what you’re thinking and you can just stop it right now. I’m not so damn weak-minded that some magick spell you cast would keep me here if I didn’t want to be.”

“You didn’t feel that way last night.” Hurt and anger surged up within her again.

He raked his fingers through his hair again. She didn’t think he even realized he was doing it. “Last night you threw a lot at me. Plus, I was dealing with a lot of stuff from my past.”

Curiosity filled her. He hadn’t talked much about his family, had shut her down that first night at dinner when the subject had arisen. He knew her biggest secret. It was time for him to share. “What about your past?”

He shrugged. “It’s no secret.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Not in this town.”

Rhiannon tensed. Whatever was coming wasn’t good, but it had shaped Ryland’s life and his beliefs. She wanted to reach out and touch him but was afraid he might shrug off her touch. He was tense and obviously uncomfortable talking about this. “Tell me.”

“My mother was mentally ill. Not that anyone ever called it that.”

Her heart ached for both the man he was and the boy he’d been. Whatever had been wrong with his mother had made his life difficult. She dug her fingers into the sheet to keep from reaching out. “I’m sorry, Ryland.”

He heaved a huge sigh. “Me too. She’d be fine for short spurts and then she’d get paranoid and angry. She’d see things sometimes and get mad when no one else could see them. She’d hear voices too. She didn’t want to be alone, but she didn’t want anyone near her. She was impossible to please.”

No wonder he didn’t want to believe in the paranormal. Growing up with a mentally ill mother who claimed to see and hear things would have left him with a prejudice against such things and a need for control in his own life. She understood him so much better now.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Unable to hold herself back any longer, she reached out and patted his arm.

He hung his head and nodded. “Intellectually, I know that.” He raised his head and the fierce expression in his gaze pinned her to the bed. “But my father should have gotten her help. She should have asked for help when it first started and wasn’t so bad.” He turned away and stared at one of the candles. “I think that made it worse. Sometimes she was a wonderful mother, singing and laughing. But those times grew fewer and farther apart as the years went on.”

She bit her lip, not knowing what to say. Her heart was breaking for Ryland, his mother and his father. So much pain that might have been avoided if someone had reached out for help. It was amazing how many people still felt that mental illness was something to be ashamed of, rather than an illness like any other that needed to be treated.

“So that’s my story. You told me you were a witch last night and I replayed all the fights my parents had, all the anger, the tears and the accusations. I’ve avoided relationships my entire life because I’ve never wanted what my father had, never wanted to risk having kids and putting them through what I went through. Sounds stupid as hell when I say it out loud.”

“No, not stupid at all. Human.” Her heart ached so hard she had to fight to keep from rubbing her chest. She tried to smile, knowing instinctively he wouldn’t want pity. “We all have things in our past that torment us. I’m sensitive about telling anyone what I really am. As you can imagine, the reactions over the years haven’t been good.”

“Speaking of your magick. You need to put your mind to rest. It has nothing to do with why I’m here.”

“No.” A combination of hope and annoyance surged within her. Hope that maybe they could settle this issue once and for all and annoyance that he could dismiss her power so easily. The man was making her lose all rational thought. “How can you be sure?”

“Trust me.” He reached out and dragged her on top of him until she was sitting on his lap facing him. “I’m here because I want to be here. Not because any spell compelled me.”

That’s what it all came down to in the end. Trust. Belief. Either she believed in him or she didn’t. Either she trusted their relationship or she didn’t. Whether or not the original candle spell had drawn him to her, she knew she’d released the magick last night. She had to trust in her own abilities as well as in Ryland.

Taking a deep breath, she opened all her senses and allowed herself to just feel. Certainty welled up within her.

With a sudden rush of clarity, she realized this was what had held her magick captive all these years—lack of belief and trust in herself and her powers. But Ryland had broken down the barriers and given her both. She could do no less for him.

“I trust you.”

Those three simple words held so much power. She felt it surging within her even as she knew she truly believed them. Oh, they’d have their share of problems. They were both headstrong and heaven only knew both of them were stubborn. But they would work out their differences. Together.

“Rhiannon.” The way he said her name made her insides melt.

“I love you.” The words were barely a whisper, but she knew he’d heard her. He went still and she could sense the tension rising. Every nerve in her body quivered in anticipation.

“Thank God.” She could hear the utter relief in his voice. He kissed her then, hot and deep and quite thoroughly. From beneath the sheets, she could feel his erection prodding her. When he finally pulled back, they were both breathless. He cupped her face in his hands. “I love you too.”

Her heart jumped and then began to pound. She laughed and raised her hands in the air. Pure joy raced through her. Energy arched from her fingertips, sending a shower of lights into the air.

Ryland jolted and then shook his head, a slow grin turning up the corners of his mouth. “Life with you certainly won’t be dull.” Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled until she was pinned beneath him.

His lips found hers she forgot about everything else but them.

Epilogue

Over a week later, Rhiannon stood in the shadows at just past two in the morning. Watching. Waiting. She’d had a feeling earlier today and had followed her hunch. It was about to pay off.

A slight figure moved through the darkness, coming up on the outside of her shop. The stranger shifted, raising an arm in the air. She heard the hiss of a spray can and waited. When the vandal was done, his work signed, she raised her hand in the air. Candles flared to life, inside and outside the store as she stepped out onto the stoop.

The young man of about fifteen froze as she came into view. She peered at the words he’d sprayed on the front of her store. Once again the word “witch” stood out.

She crossed her arms and stared at her young vandal. “If you truly believe I’m a witch, then why would you do something this stupid?”

He stumbled back, his eyes widening. “I…I…” he stuttered.

“You’ll have to clean all this off my walls.”

He took a step away from her, holding the spray can in front of him as if to ward her off. “You can’t make me.” Now that his initial fear was fading, his confidence was making a return.

“But I can.” Ryland’s heavy hand dropped onto the boy’s shoulder. The spray can fell from the boy’s hand and hit the ground with a thud. “Billy Krieger. I think we should go to the station and call your parents to come in for a chat. Your work has been on quite few buildings around town.

Rhiannon watched as Ryland escorted the boy to his patrol car and loaded him in the backseat. Billy was pale, his bravado fading as the seriousness of the situation sank in.

Ryland returned long enough to take a few shots of the damage and bag the spray-paint can for evidence. A quick look around netted a bag with more paint and other supplies. Satisfied, he dropped a quick kiss on her mouth before heading back to the car. “I’ll be home as soon as I can,” he called over his shoulder.

“I’ll be waiting,” she whispered under her breath as his vehicle pulled away from the curb.

She sighed, wondering if the young man knew this was a turning point in his life. If Billy kept up as he was going, he’d end up in jail by the time he was twenty-two. If he turned his life around, he’d go on and have a successful art career and a loving family. She’d seen both in his future. Only time would tell which he would choose. The vision had come this morning. She’d never experienced anything like it before, and she had no idea if this was a new talent or just an isolated flash, a one-time thing.

Glancing around to make sure no one was out there in the dark, she waved her hand in front of the wall and whispered a spell of removal. The spray paint faded and disappeared. Satisfied, she waved her hand again, this time extinguishing all the candles.

The sky was clear as she strolled home, and the stars were bright. She wished Ryland were with her to enjoy it. Her cheeks heated as she remembered part of their earlier celebration.

Samhain was a special night, the night when the veil between the world of spirit and the living was the thinnest. It was a night for magick. After all the trick-or-treaters had come and gone, she and Ryland had celebrated with a special supper and ceremony in the backyard. He had watched respectfully from a distance as she’d performed her ritual and then taken her to bed right after.

He’d all but moved in with her this past week. They were already talking about getting married and buying a new house, something with more space. Rhiannon wanted to wait until the New Year, and Ryland wasn’t pushing as long as she let him stay with her. But she knew his patience wouldn’t last more than a few months.

As she walked up the path to her front door, leaves skittered around her feet. The pumpkins had ceased to glow hours before and now their pale faces stared vacantly off into the night. She was always sad to see this day end.

As she unlocked the front door and let herself in, Rhiannon wondered about Esther and Maggie. With everything happening in her life, she hadn’t talked to either of them very much in the past week. They’d mostly played phone tag, leaving messages on one another’s machines.

She’d finally talked with Maggie just this morning. Her friend had come to the store obviously needing to talk. Maggie was having man trouble. Rhiannon didn’t know how much she’d been able to help Maggie, but she had her fingers crossed and was hoping for the best.

Rhiannon still hadn’t managed to connect with Esther. She’d called her, but had only gotten her answering machine. Again. She’d left another message and was giving Esther two more days. If she didn’t call by then, Rhiannon was going to take her day off and go talk to her in person.

At this point, only Maggie knew Ryland had moved in with her and she wanted to share the news with Esther. But that wasn’t the kind of news you left on an answering machine.

Rhiannon smiled and laughed as she headed to the bedroom. Her eyes went immediately to what was left of the red votive candle. Hopefully, they’d both be as lucky as she’d been. Only time would tell.

About the Author

N.J. Walters has always been a voracious reader of romance novels and decided one day that she could write one as well. The contemporary story, Discovering Dani, was the very first novel she wrote while living in a little town much like the one Dani O’Rourke lives in, though all other similarities to Dani’s life pretty much end there. Then she wrote another one that followed up on Dani’s friends and neighbors. But she didn’t consider herself a “real” writer yet.

Just a few years later N. J. had a mid-life crisis at a fairly young age, gave notice after ten years at her job on a Friday and received a tentative acceptance for her first published novel (an erotic romance) from a publisher on the following Sunday.

Happily married for over eighteen years to the love of her life, with his encouragement and support she gave up the job of selling books for the more pleasurable job of writing them. She now spends her days writing, reading and reviewing books. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to do it. And some days she actually feels like a “real” writer.

N.J. enjoys hearing from readers, and she can be reached at
[email protected]
. You can check out her web site at
www.njwalters.com
.