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“
So, does that
mean they could hear it in the house?”

“
They would
have been able to but I caught the sounds of your scuffle, and I
manipulated the sound, as it were.”

“
They couldn't
hear it?”

“
They couldn't
hear a thing.”

Jack didn't
know whether to be thankful or pissed off. He was glad Cora didn't
know about the fight, but then again, if she'd heard it then she
would have come outside and they would have talked. But she would
have sided with Quinn. That was his problem. “Hang on, I can't
think straight. Firstly, thanks for the help with the sound thing,
I’m sure Cora would hate me more if it wasn’t for you... What time
did you hear the conversation? Why had he gone back to help her
after I’d had it out with him?”

“
I remember
him walking into the house after you fought. I walked down the
stairs just as he entered through the front door, but he kept his
head down trying to conceal what had happened even though I
knew.

“
Cora was
downstairs sorting out the boxes so we didn’t see much of him
whilst he was there. I was in the living room when he called saying
that he was leaving. Cora shouted back asking if he wanted
something to eat, but he’d already left. It was at that point Cora
said she was okay and I could leave. I left and heard his voice,
the rest you know.”

Jack sat and
tried to digest everything he’d just found out. He had been right
about Quinn hiding the injuries. It was embarrassing that he’d been
beaten. Quinn wouldn’t like that.

“
Jack, Quinn
needs to be sorted and you have to tell Cora about him,” Ciaran
insisted.

“
She won't
believe me, I’ve tried.”

“
He does have
a point, Ciaran. He’s tried but we have to give Cora evidence, she
won’t believe him otherwise,” Eli said.

Ciaran took
another sip from the can and took a deep breath before he sent Jack
a look.

“
What?” Jack
asked unsure if he wanted to know the reason behind such a
look.

“
There's
something else. Today at the shop, he touched her cheek. Now I know
that is a small act, but he touched her the way a man wants to
touch a woman he is falling for.”

Jack felt the
blood roar in his ears. “He’s pushing his luck... I think it is
time to put Quinn in his place,” Jack muttered.

“
Tabitha
stopped it, but Quinn really believes Cora is his. Cora also told
Tommy she didn't want any more dates. I don't see her like that and
I have rooted for you two since day one. It's only yourself and
Quinn left in the game now, Jack. You need to win back your
girl.”

Jack looked at
Ciaran and Eli. “How the hell do I do that?”

“
I have an
idea,” Clay spoke up from the doorway. All heads turned to look at
him, surprised they’d not heard him enter, but eager to hear what
he had in mind.

34

PHASE
ONE

Jack paced the
living room. His nerves were thrashing around inside his stomach,
threatening to force up the contents of his breakfast. Why had he
eaten in the first place? He knew what today would do to him.
Seeing her again made his heart do somersaults. His stomach was
already doing back flips.

He had to make
her see sense. She was an intelligent woman, the majority of the
time, so she could at least try to understand their insecurities
about this man. But he knew it wasn’t going to end well between
them because every conversation he’d had with her in recent weeks
hadn’t ended well. Quinn was to blame. She had some sort of mental
block when it came to Quinn.

“
Are you going
to see Cora?” Eli asked as he leant against the door frame with his
arms crossed.

“
Is it that
obvious?” He stopped pacing.

Eli smiled but
didn’t say anything. It
was
that obvious.

“
I just don’t
know what to say to her. She can’t see past his charms. Just
looking at Quinn makes me want to ram my fist into his face. That’s
not just because he likes Cora and he’s making a move on her. Well,
it is a little, but it’s because he thinks he can waltz into our
village and break up this coven, a coven that has come together
through a difficult time. We are stronger than that and we need to
make Cora see it.”

“
Well put,”
Eli said, “I know it’s hard for you seeing Cora with him, but try
to get that point of view across, it may make her see.”

“
Yeah, it just
annoys me, for the first time since we started going out, we aren’t
on the same wavelength. I can’t get through to her, and it knocks
me off balance a bit. Well, a lot. I always get through to her. I
know what she is thinking before she speaks the words, and I don’t
have that anymore.”

“
Go to the
shop and stop thinking about it. Whatever you’re going to say to
her is going to be a spur of the moment thing anyway.”

Eli was right.
He nodded his head, grabbed his coat and headed into the cool
spring morning.

Jack rounded
the corner and stopped. The three witches stood outside, their
newly painted faces smiling as the sun rose higher in the
relatively cloudless sky. He didn’t know if he could be in the same
room as her without wanting to touch her hair, without wanting the
feel of her soft lips against his. He couldn’t let his feelings
cloud his judgement. He would remember that she needed to know what
Quinn was really up to, and he knew this would push her further
away from him.

He quickly
walked to the door, took a deep breath and entered. Jack found Cora
standing behind the counter dealing with a customer. Her hair
brushed her shoulders, the deep russet becoming red as it glowed
under the light. It was unusual to see her with her hair down. Her
lips were positioned in a smile, her eyes popping under the thick
curtain of black lashes. She was beautiful, so much so that his
heart stuttered at the sight of her. He loved this
woman.

She turned to
look at him. He caught the surprise on her face, the way her eyes
widened, but ever the professional, she returned her attention to
the customer. He stepped aside looking at the books on the bookcase
whilst trying to stop his heart from smashing out of his chest. His
head was running through what to say, how to say it. He let the
woman walk past him and waited until she left the shop.

“
Jack.”

He didn’t like
the cold tone aimed at him. It made her feel unreachable. He wanted
to pull her into his arms and make this whole mess disappear. He
couldn’t do that. He had to face this thing head on, he had to be
abrupt. Being the understanding boyfriend, listening to her, being
there for her, helping her see Quinn for what he was, this hadn’t
worked. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

He watched
Cora move around the counter and walk closer to him. “Cora, you’re
looking well.”

He saw the
blush spread into her cheeks, a soft raspberry his fingers itched
to touch. He liked that he could still have this effect on her. The
light blue skinny jeans highlighted her curvaceous frame. This,
coupled with a soft jade green jumper, made the cream of her skin
look even more delectable. She looked beautiful. He hated it, hated
that he couldn’t appreciate her every minute of every
day.

“
You look good
too.”

Silence
followed as she nibbled her lip. He stepped closer, looking into
her dark brown eyes, judging her mood. “I wanted to see you. I
needed to talk to you.”

“
What about?”
She edged closer to him.

He could see
her struggling to stay away from him too. Like a magnetic pull was
bringing them closer together.

“
I need you to
know that he has a plan. I know he does, I just can’t prove it. He
wants to control-”

“
Are you
talking about Quinn again?” she sighed.

The magnetic
pull snapped. She stood where she was.

“
Yes, you need
to listen to me. He wants to take over your coven. He wants the
power.”

“
You don’t
know anything, Jack. You are obsessed. This whole situation is
ridiculous. You know what you are, Jack? You’re jealous of
Quinn.”

“
I won’t deny
that. I am jealous,” he said, trying desperately to keep his voice
devoid of all emotion. “I can’t bear to think of another man
touching you, kissing you, holding you. It makes me want to ram his
head against a brick wall. But this conversation is not about that,
listen he wants you to-”

“
No, Jack! I
don’t want to listen to you. He hasn’t done anything wrong, you
keep saying things because you don’t know him like I
do.”

“
And how well
do you know him exactly?” He bit his tongue trying to hold back the
anger. If that man had kissed her, Jack was sure he’d lose
it.

“
It’s not like
that... we haven’t-”

“
But you want
to,” he said, his voice now dangerously cold.

He could see
it. He knew. The expression that crossed her face told him what he
wanted to know. The tight leash on his anger snapped, “What are you
waiting for then? You and I are obviously over. I’m starting to
think you used me because you just wanted to use my coven to defeat
the Corenthio Coven. You didn’t love me.”

“
That’s not
true. I love you so much that I can’t breathe-”

“
So much that
you find comfort in another man’s arms. You’re a liar. It must be a
gene that runs through your family!”

The explosion
of wind hit him in the chest. It smacked him so hard he flew back
and hit the large bookcase that was stood in the middle of the
floor. He wheezed rubbing his chest as his back screamed in pain.
She’d gone and done it now.

He stood and
without hesitation, that was the way it had to be, he threw his
element at her. Her feet were lifted from beneath her. She didn’t
have time to react. He took a deep breath and cast her aside. She
landed heavily on the small table and watched it crumble beneath
her.

Cora stood up,
slightly dazed, but he saw the anger flash in her eyes. “What the
hell do you think you are doing? I’m your High Priestess, you
cannot do this to me.”

“
I can do what
I want. I’m no longer in your coven, love.” He cast his element to
several books that sat on the long bookcase at the back of the
shop. He held them high and then let them drop on her.

The bell above
the shop door chimed. He didn’t turn. Jack already knew who had
walked through the door. Quinn ran to Cora’s aid. She growled,
pushing the heavy books aside. Wind swirled around them. The
tornado formed, the speed increased. Quinn was protected, Jack
could see that, but he wasn’t. He stood his ground but knew he had
no way of fighting it when it hit.

Jack planted
his feet as hard as he could as the mini tornado had circled him.
He felt the weightlessness that came before you were thrown aside.
He sucked in a breath as it launched him towards the window. He
barely had time to register where he was heading, but in that split
second he knew he would smash the window at the front of the shop,
and he didn’t want to do that. He enveloped himself in his power.
It held.
Thank Christ
.

Jack stopped,
floating in the air. The wind disappeared taking away his own
element, and he landed in the display window with a heavy thud. A
cauldron struck his arm. Books and candles stabbed various points
in his body. He hissed in pain but jumped to feet. Ready. He’d
learnt to ignore pain. It made a man weak.

Quinn stepped
towards him which made Jack’s smirk widen into a smile. Bring it
on. He would enjoy that fight immensely. Before he could do
anything, Tabitha entered the shop and looked at the mess. Quinn
turned to Cora and took her hand.

“
Cora, would
you like to go on a date tomorrow night. Let’s make it official, as
a couple?”

Cora looked at
Jack. He could see that she was panting with anger. Her eyes held
his and then he saw it, the moment she decided. He glared at her,
contorting his face into a disgusted look, making her decision
easier.

“
Yes, I would
love too.”

Brushing off
the dust and climbing over the banister, he clenched his fists.
Quinn had turned to face him, his features hidden from Cora. Jack
saw the evil glint in his eyes and the smirk playing on his lips.
“You’ve won her! Enjoy!” Jack turned and stormed out of the
shop.

Jack stormed
up the street. The punch of his feet against hard concrete helped
to calm him down. He turned the corner and found Eli leaning
against the fence surrounding Andrew Bruton’s farm. He’d been
waiting for him. “I’ve just received a text from Tabitha. What the
hell did you do to her shop?”

Jack winced.
Christ, did he have to think of every little thing? His main
priority wasn’t the shop.

He knew that
Tabitha was going to be angry for a while. He didn’t look forward
to the verbal whiplash, but it was for a greater good. Tabitha
would see that. “It got a little carried away in there.”