Blood of the White Witch (27 page)

When we were done, we all made our way to
the small wooden door that opened to reveal the stone steps into
the dungeon.

There was no electricity in this part of the
building. A bright torch was lit on the wall to light our way, and
it was as if we had stepped back in time about two hundred
years.

We carefully made our way down the narrow
stairs, Vance holding my hand as he led me, Brad leading Shelly
behind me.

We reached the bottom of the steps and
stepped off onto the hard-packed earth. More torches were lit in
the passageway. We followed them through the labyrinth of tunnels
until we arrived at the furthest cell.

Dad and Grandma had the door to the cell
open and had cast a circle inside. They were performing a ritual to
purify the space. They walked around the circle waving special
herbs and chanting quietly together.

We watched in silence while they moved in
perfect unity, their magic twisting together to do the work that
was asked of it.

When they were finished, they released the
circle and invited us to join them inside.

Grandma explained how they were going to
reinforce the structure with a magical glass, much the same as they
had when Vance had been contained during his near demon
conversion.

We would all be placing our hands together,
one pair next to the other, and we actually would cause the
surfaces we were touching to become solidified.

Once that was complete, the cell would only
be able to be breached from the outside and not the inside.

We did as we were instructed on each of the
walls. When we were done, Grandma added an electrical current that
would shock from the inside also, thus discouraging the prisoner
from touching the surface.

Once we were done, the cell was closed up,
to await its possible captive. Dad and Grandma then placed a
cloaking spell in the hallway.

This spell made the hallway appear to be
completely normal and untouched in the off chance that someone
wandered by. It would work also, even if Darcy were in the cell and
someone happened by.

“Looks good,” Dad said to no one in
particular, stepping back to survey their work. “I think it’ll
pass.”

“I agree. Good job,” Grandma replied, and
she draped her arm around him. “Now we just need our guest.”

Dad nodded. “We’ll start working on that
first thing tomorrow. We’ll set a plan together at breakfast.”

“Sounds good,” Grandma said before turning
to the four of us. “Can I get you all to help carry these supplies
back upstairs?”

“Absolutely,” Vance said, stepping
forward.

When we had gathered everything together, we
headed up the stairs. We placed everything in Grandma’s room and
headed off into the different directions of our rooms.

Vance smiled and nudged me when we saw Brad
stop at Shelly’s door, waiting for us to pass so he could kiss her
goodnight in private.

We walked slowly past them, and Vance sidled
up against me, pulling my face over to his so he could kiss my
check with a loud smack.

I giggled softly.

“You’re so bad,” I said, nudging him in the
ribs with my elbow.

He couldn’t resist turning back to look at
Shelly and Brad.

Brad was glaring at him, while Shelly was
nervously toeing the carpet beneath her feet.

“Just kiss her already,” Vance said with a
grin before he turned back around and we continued on down the
hall.

When we reached the door to our room, he
opened it and ushered me inside, closing it behind us.

I had only walked about two steps away from
him when he grabbed me roughly by the arm and pulled me back,
shoving me up against the door.

He placed both hands on either side of my
head and leaned over me, staring at me with a smile.

“I was just thinking about how much I enjoy
being married. No more holding back, having to say goodnight at the
door like that schmuck out in the hall is doing right now. But then
I got to thinking about how I really enjoy the passion of a
goodnight kiss, and I thought maybe I should kiss you goodnight
anyway. You know, see if the fire is still there.”

I started laughing as he eyed my face, his
sexy grin plastered on his face, his hot gaze trailing over me.

“That might’ve been the lamest stunt to get
a kiss that I’ve ever seen,” I said, and my eyes started watering a
bit in my mirth.

He hung his head then and shook it slowly
from side to side.

“I knew it,” he said in feigned sadness, and
he took a deep sigh. “I’m losing my touch.”

“You sure are,” I replied, and I ducked
under his arm, walking past him, biting my lip in anticipation of
what I knew would follow.

I didn’t make it far before he grabbed me
again, pinning me up against the door with his body this time.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked
totally serious now, running his hands over my shoulders and down
my arms.

“To bed?” I answered with a question.

He nodded his head slowly.

“Yes, you certainly are, eventually,” he
replied, his voice thick with desire.

He dipped his head in for the kiss, I
wrapped my arms around his neck, and his mouth moved over mine. He
bit my bottom lip gently. I closed my eyes, opening my mouth to him
and just enjoyed the taste of him. There was no question; the fire
was definitely still there.

The kiss went on for ages, and I never
wanted it to stop. He kept me pressed hard against the door with
his body while his hands held the sides of my head, tangled in my
hair, his mouth never leaving mine for an instant as he ravaged it
with heated enthusiasm for several long minutes.

He finally broke away from me, looking
intensely at me.

“Well?” he asked a little bit
breathlessly.

I was completely honest.

“That was the best goodnight kiss I’ve ever
had in my life,” I said, looking up at him, my quick breath
matching his own.

He smiled then, continuing to look down at
me.

“Would you think I was bragging if I said I
thought so too?” he asked with his sexy grin.

“Not at all,” I said, my arms still wrapped
around him, and I toyed with some of his hair at the nape of his
neck.

“Shall we try to top it?” he said.

“Please,” I responded.

He dipped his head in again, and I kissed
him with everything I had in me, until it felt as if the very air
was sizzling around us. I wasn’t at all surprised when, without
breaking the kiss, he swept me off my feet and carried me to the
bed.

That one turned out to be the best kiss I
ever had.

Dad began laying out the plans for the
day.

Brad and Shelly were going to be joggers
running on the street in front of Bell Tower Hall. They were going
to place a surveillance camera near the entrance so we could watch
the comings and goings at the property.

Dad was going to be setting up equipment
that would relay the signal to our location, while Mom and Grandma
would alternate driving up and down the road until Shelly and Brad
were in the clear and they could come home.

Of course, Vance and I were stuck with the
usual, manning the fort. While I could see that he was going crazy
with having to stay behind, this was one time that I agreed with
Dad. I didn’t want Vance anywhere near those people.

We went into the sitting area after everyone
had left. Dad had the monitor for the surveillance set up in there.
We were supposed to watch it and let them know if the signal
relayed okay.

“You want to watch some television?” Vance
asked absently, picking up the remote and clicking it toward the
large set. “I imagine it’ll be a while before they need us.”

“That’s fine,” I said, and we both sat on
the sofa together.

Vance put his arm on the back of the couch
and his feet up on the coffee table. I decided to lie down and put
my head in his lap.

He continued clicking the remote but moved
his other hand down where he gently rested it over my shoulder. He
slowly began to run his fingers through my hair over and over. I
wondered if he even knew what he was doing, or if it was just a
natural reflex with him, but it felt good nonetheless. It was
extremely relaxing.

He was very restless, I could tell, since he
didn’t linger long on any one channel, surfing his way through the
entire selection.

I closed my eyes when he started the process
over, just enjoying being next to him even if he was a little
agitated.

I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep until I
felt him move gently from underneath me, laying me softly back onto
the sofa.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to see him walk
over to the monitor, which was right next to the television, and
adjust a few knobs. Suddenly a picture of Douglas and Fiona’s
driveway snapped clearly onto the screen.

“Got it, Sean,” he spoke into a small
handheld walkie talkie Dad had left for us.

“Is the picture clear?” my dad’s voice came
back.

“Looks perfect,” Vance said after he watched
the screen intently for a few moments.

“Great,” Dad’s voice crackled over the
radio. “We’ll be back shortly. You want to take the first
shift?”

“No problem. I’ve got it under control,” he
said.

He placed the radio next to the monitor and
headed back to the sofa.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said,
and he looked at me with a soft expression of regret on his
face.

He sat down next to me, gently lifting my
head into his lap, and I snuggled comfortably up against him once
again.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked with a
yawn.

“About forty-five minutes,” he replied.
“Everything is all done now. The others should be back
shortly.”

“I heard,” I said.

I continued to lie in his lap, and he
absently stroked my face and hair while he alternated between
watching the water sports on the television and watching the
monitor. They were close enough together that we could easily keep
tabs on both.

We sat together in comfortable silence until
the rest of the family came into the room.

“See anything yet?” Dad asked excitedly.

I could totally tell he was in his
government agent mode.

“Not a thing,” Vance replied. “But I did
have a question.”

“What’s that?” Dad inquired.

“If we see Darcy leave, how are we going to
follow her? We’re here, and by the time we could get into a car to
follow, she’d be completely out of the area,” he said with a
concerned look.

Dad just grinned. “Oh ye of little faith,”
he replied. “Have I ever let you down yet? I set up sensors for
several miles in both directions. They’ll alert us to the direction
of travel. When we do find the car, we’ll tag it, too, even though
we’ll take Darcy. That way if Douglas and Fiona use the vehicle,
then we’ll be able to follow them with pretty efficient accuracy
without them discovering that we’re tailing them.”

“You’re right, Sean. You don’t disappoint,”
Vance said with a grin.

“Something should be happening soon,”
Grandma spoke up. “We’re only a week away from the eclipse
now.”

“You need to be careful,” I said, looking up
at Vance. “They’ll be doing everything in their power to find you
now.”

“I’m counting on it,” he said.

“Please don’t go off and do something
crazy,” I replied. “If they got hold of you now, I’d be
terrified.”

“I don’t have any plans to do anything like
that.” He chuckled as he patted my head. “You don’t trust me very
much do you?”

“I’m speaking from past experience,” I said,
frowning at him. “You tend to suffer from white knight syndrome,
running off to help someone in need without thinking things through
first.”

“Portia, you have my word that I’ll be
careful and try not to do anything rash,” he promised.

“Good,” I said, and I settled back into his
lap. “It’d better stay that way,” I added for extra emphasis.

“We’ll watch things for the next few hours,”
Vance said to my dad. “I’ll call you if I see anything.”

“Great,” Dad said. “I’ll go put this other
equipment up then.”

Grandma and Mom followed him out of the
room, while Brad and Shelly came to have a seat in the two chairs
next to the sofa.

“So how was your run?” I asked Shelly with a
smile.

“Actually it was a nice jog.” She laughed.
“The air was great, and the scenery was beautiful. If it hadn’t
been for the fact that I knew we were running along the fence line
of a demon coven, it might’ve actually been enjoyable.”

“That was the part I liked best,” Brad said
looking at her. “All that adrenaline pumping through me, knowing we
were there to thwart them right under their very noses.”

“You’re so crazy! Such a guy!” Shelly
laughed at him and reached out to hold his hand.

Brad took her hand and squeezed it, rubbing
his thumb over the back of her hand, a sweet gesture that didn’t
pass by neither me nor Vance.

“Well, we’re glad that both of you are back
here safely,” I said with a smile.

“Yes,” Vance replied. “And I want to thank
you for everything you two have done on our behalf. You’ve both
placed yourselves in danger to protect us. It’s something I haven’t
agreed with, but I do appreciate it.”

“Anything for a friend, right?” Brad
replied, and Vance nodded his head in agreement.

We turned back to watch the water sports on
the television.

“The lochs around here sure are beautiful,”
Shelly commented while we watched the gorgeous water on the screen
in front of us. “We should go on a picnic by one sometime.”

“That sounds like fun,” I agreed, thinking
it was a great plan. “Maybe we can when my dad finally lets Vance
and me off house arrest.”

“I guess we could do something here on the
grounds for lunch,” Shelly suggested. “What do you think?” she
asked, turning to Brad.