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8

THE
BALMORAL

Jack dragged
his suitcase behind him as he squeezed Cora’s hand. Her cheeks were
flushed from the bite of the wind. Her nose was a little red and
her eyes were huge as she stared at the street they’d walked past.
She was no doubt counting off the many shops she wanted to go in.
There were bloody tons of them.

Jack surveyed
the hotel as they rushed ever closer to it. It looked expensive so
it was a good job they weren’t paying. Large flags hung high on the
outer wall, this often hinted at the snob rating, or so he thought.
The bigger the flag, the higher the hotel rating. The flags flapped
crazily in the wind, the noise sounding like harsh slaps on bare
flesh. Large, swirling green bushes in ruby red pots were placed
either side of the entrance. They could do with something like that
back at the shop. It would add a certain something.

As they
approached the hotel, a man wearing a bright kilt and dark
waistcoat accompanied by a much needed thick coat, smiled in
greeting and opened the door for them. Jack and Cora stepped in
first and were quickly followed by the rest of their group. He
heard Tabitha and Cora gasp as Ayden whistled in appreciation. He
was just happy the heating worked in this place.

The reception
area was decorated in a simple manner, yet it screamed elegance and
money. As they slowly made their way in, he glimpsed the sparkling
chandeliers that hung low from the ceiling. Each beautiful teardrop
threw soft light into the spacious area. The ceiling was high and
separated into big square chunks that were carved with intricate
designs. White columns stood tall and dominant, making the ceilings
look unreachable.

Foliage and
flowers strategically placed on marble surface tables added soft
touches. It almost came close to the welcoming smell of The Broom
Cupboard.
Almost.
A huge bouquet of flowers, a splash of white, purple and pink,
stood tall within a vase on a low black table that sat in the
middle of the reception area.

The reception
area, washed in soft purple, created colour. As well as the
welcoming fragrance from the flowers and the whole look of the
place, Jack had to say it was the nicest hotel he’d ever stayed in.
His eyes followed the elaborate staircase that spread out directly
in front of them. It swept up and above the reception, he assumed
it led to the first floor rooms. It was carpeted in soft beige with
green and ruby red stripes. The staircase, in his opinion, was very
Titanic-esq.

Tabitha
stepped up to the glass reception and started talking to the
receptionist.

“
This is too
expensive,” Cora complained as her eyes swept the area.

Jack turned to
her and pulled her around the waist, bringing her smoothly into his
body. It was a move he’d certainly perfected. He grinned, knowing
that she was a simple girl at heart and didn't like all the thrills
and fancy things life could sometimes throw at you. He brushed his
lips against her nose and sighed, simply loving the feel of her
against him. All woman, all his.

“
You, my
lovely, are our High Priestess, therefore you deserve the
best.”

She grinned at
him but still managed to pull a face.

“
Right, we are
on the sixth floor.” Tabitha walked up to them handing out door
keys. “Cora and Jack are sharing a room. You weren’t to begin with
but I made sure she changed it.”

Jack looked at
Cora and smirked when a fresh explosion of pink filled her cheeks.
He loved it when she blushed. Her face, strong lines and
mesmerising eyes, transformed from extremely pretty to beautiful as
the pink blush swirled with the delicate soft cream.

“
Everyone else
has their own rooms and we are all next to each other, just in
case.”

Jack knew all
about the ‘just in case’ scenario. Tabitha had given him a warning
before setting off on this little trip. He didn’t like Alastair and
he didn’t like Tavish. He hadn’t liked the way Tavish had
confronted Cora about her abilities early. If only Tavish knew what
she was capable of. That would definitely wipe the smirk off
Tavish’s face. This meeting would only result in something bad, and
as a coven, they had to face it together.

Jack pulled
Cora with him as they headed towards the lifts. They waited a
second, two at the most, before the lift came to rest with a soft
whoosh and a bing as the doors opened. They all stepped in to the
sound of boring classical music. The sixth floor, he found once the
doors opened, carried the green, ruby red and beige colour
theme.

They looked at
door numbers as they walked silently along the corridor. They found
their room, Tabitha went one door up and everyone followed, finding
their rooms quickly.

“
Once we are
organised, what do you want to do?” Cora asked everyone.

“
Let’s unpack
and meet in your room,” Tabitha suggested.

Jack nodded
and opened the door to their room.

Their room was
one of the biggest rooms he’d ever seen. The bed sat next to the
door to their left, so it faced a floor to ceiling window. The
infusion of colours was different here. Instead of the green, ruby
and beige that seemed to flow throughout the hotel, they had a dark
and light blue combined with the creams and beige.

The bedspread
was completely white, but it complimented the runner along the
bottom of the bed which was splashed with the necessary tones of
blues to keep the theme constant. Curved around the huge window, on
a higher level to the bed, was a seating area. The seats were also
a mixture of dark and light blue. Hanging from the big window were
thick, creamy curtains.
How did the staff
here manage to keep everything clean?
But
then again, they wouldn’t let any old riff raff in, especially if
it cost an arm and a leg to stay here.

Cora dropped
her suitcase and wandered over to the window. Jack followed her,
standing on the platform, and was greeted with a terrific view. The
castle sat prominently on its volcanic hill. They overlooked a very
pretty garden area. The trees glistened with dew; even in the
midday sun, it wasn’t yet warm enough to lift it. He stepped back
and studied the room, making his way to the bathroom. He stopped,
shocked for a moment before laughing.

“
What’re you
laughing at?” Cora asked as she stepped alongside him.

He didn’t need
to tell her. Her eyes widened as she glimpsed the picture, and then
she laughed. The sound caressed his heart. He realised now how much
he’d missed it.

The picture
was of a man in very skimpy shorts, which didn't leave much to the
imagination. He was holding a woman’s legs in the position of a V
as she balanced her body on her hands. She was also wearing very
little. Lord knows why a picture like this was in a bathroom, maybe
a little light entertainment when you used the toilet?

“
So, I have to
pee whilst looking at that. That's great,” Jack said as he grinned
at Cora.

“
Yeah, you
love scantily clad women,” she teased.

“
Only you.”
His eyes flashed with an intensity that sent heat to her face. “We
should unpack before everyone starts piling in and taking over.” He
hefted both suitcases onto the bed and got to work helping Cora
unpack.

An elaborate
knock at the door made Cora jump. He gritted his teeth, hating that
she was still nervous. What he wouldn't give to take that away from
her. She’d become better with time, but she wasn’t the kick ass
woman he knew her to be. He was going to make sure she got back
there. “It’s open,” Jack called.

The door
opened as they put the last of the clothes away. He turned and
faced Alastair and a younger man he didn’t know. He moved in front
of Cora.

“
Awrite, wee
laddie, we be needin’ the rest of the coven.”

Without saying
a word, Cora pulled her mobile out of her pocket. Jack remained
standing in front of her, livid that the two Scots had just walked
into their room without any notice.

“
Tab, everyone
is needed in our room, now.” Cora clicked off and still didn’t say
a word to the two Scots standing in front of them.

The man next
to Alastair was a lot younger than his fellow Scot. His short brown
hair was home to various shades of blonde that were streaked
through it. Jack judged they were the same height. The man’s build
was a little better because Jack had lost a little weight. Jack
could soon get that back. The man’s steel blue eyes latched on to
him, and a quirk of his lips followed.

Tabitha
marched into the room first, her stride purposefully long and hard
hitting.
How had Tabitha known the two
Scots were in here?
Jack thought. It didn’t
matter. It wasn’t difficult to guess who had appeared. They were
all here now.

Tabitha
scowled at the two visitors. “Could you not pre-warn us before you
barge in on our High Priestess?” Tabitha barked.

“
A'm sairy,
but we be needin’ tae talk.”

Tabitha glared
at Alastair before turning to face Jack. “Next time they walk in on
you unannounced, you have our complete backing to flatten
them.”

“
Good to know,
but I would have done it without your permission.” Jack heard the
sharp hiss of anger escape Alastair’s lips. That little glimpse of
the lava bubbling under the surface made him grin. He wanted to see
just how far he could push Alastair.

As everyone
settled into the seating area, Jack pulled Cora into his lap and
noticed the way the young man looked at her. It wasn’t a passing
glance and this bothered him. It was a head to toe,
I-will-drink-you-in kind of look. Jack bristled slightly and shot
the man a hard stare.

“
This is Quinn
Kay, he is a member of ma coven.” Quinn nodded his head in
greeting. Jack didn’t like the way his eyes remained fixed on
Cora.

“
A’ve come tae
tell yer aboot the plans for the morn. We will be meitin’ in the
hotel reception at 5am. Dae-”

“
Why so
early?” Ayden demanded. “Meetings don't take place that
early.”

Alastair
looked at Ayden in disgust. Jack sat back, enjoying the look Ayden
returned. No one in their sane mind would go head to head with
Ayden. It was suicide.

“
A will
continue as A was rudely interrupted-”

“
No, you will
answer,” Cora demanded.

Alastair
glared at Cora. His teeth nipped his lower lip holding back a
retort which Jack didn’t doubt would lead to the eruption. Jack was
silently begging him to snap.

“
Fine, we be
meitin’ early as coven members huv day jobs, satisfied?”

“
Hardly, but
you can continue.”Cora’s flippant comment brought colour to
Alastair’s cheeks. Jack was
really
enjoying this.

“
Anyway, dae
not be late. As for the rest of the afternoon, yer can gae
shoppin’,” he smiled but there was nothing warm about
it.

“
Gee, thanks.
It's so nice that you gave us permission to explore Edinburgh,”
Clay remarked sarcastically.

Jack saw
Alastair’s anger flash dangerously in his eyes. The temper was
barely pushed underneath the surface.

Alastair gave
one last sneer and then left the room, but not before Quinn got one
last look at Cora. Cora hadn't noticed the attention, but he sure
as hell did. Cora stood to her feet now that the Scots had left the
room. Eli shuffled over and knelt down beside him.

“
So, what do
you think to the young Quinn?” Eli whispered.

Jack growled,
keeping an eye on Cora who was deep in conversation with Ember. She
couldn’t hear their conversation.

“
He was
looking at Cora far too much, and it wasn’t just
looking
,” Clay
added.

So he’d
noticed too. But then again, Clay would notice if someone else
looked at Cora. For the second time, Clay’s feelings had helped
their group. All the same, he would definitely be keeping an eye on
Quinn Kay.

“
I don't trust
Alastair. There's something about him. Did you see the way he
looked at you Clay?” Eli said.

“
Yes,” Clay
smiled, remembering the snarl on Alastair's face. “I would give
anything to go one to one with that man.”

“
We cannot do
that, we do not know what they have planned,” Tabitha argued wisely
as she too turned to make sure Cora was still deep in conversation
with Ember.

“
We can only
trust our coven, anyone else is a threat. We protect you and Cora
at all costs,” Ayden said.

That's what
Jack was afraid of, the costs. They’d already lost too
much.

9

SIGHTSEEING

Cora tried to
shake off the biting cold that seemed to have a firm grip on her.
She stuffed her hat firmly on her head as they gathered outside the
hotel. After sitting in their room for half an hour thinking over
the unexpected visit, they’d decided to go and sightsee. There was
no point in sitting in the hotel all night, plus she would only
worry about the meeting.