Deception (42 page)

“No kidding?” Layla absently replied, cringing at another close call.

Brietta laughed. “Layla.”

“Yeah?”

“You need to calm down. If Quin looks over here and sees you all tense, he'll leave the game.”

Layla’s shoulders sagged as her lungs emptied. “I don't want him to do that.”

“I know you don't, but there's no doubt in my mind he will, so try to relax and watch the game instead of the close calls. There's nothing to worry about.”

“You're right,” Layla conceded, concentrating on her posture. “I'm just not used to stuff like this.”

Brietta sobered and lowered her voice. “How can that be? You've been through more dangerous shit than anyone I know.”

Layla swallowed the hard truth as she glanced at her cousin’s solemn expression. “I guess you're right. I should consider this child's play.”

Brietta frowned. Then she wrapped one arm around Layla’s shoulder and rested their cheeks together. “Don't be blue,” she softly crooned in a goofy voice. “I love you.”

Her scheme worked, and Layla laughed as she patted Brietta’s leg. “I love you, too, sunshine.”

“Is that my new nickname? Because I love it.”

“It's perfect for you,” Layla decided, returning her attention to the game. Now that she had Brietta's comforting arm around her, she was finally able to watch Quin play without holding her breath, but then a blur of color caught her attention.

She looked up, watching as two auras dropped into the clearing, hovered on the other side of Caitlyn, and filled with the bodies of two unfamiliar witches.

Layla turned back to the rink, but continued to watch the newcomers out of the corner of her eye, observing a few unclear details. They were about the same age as the rest of them, and one of them was tall with long, black hair, while the other was short with medium-length, peach hair.

A crunch echoed off the ice, and Layla flipped her attention to Quin, who was fine. Nevyn and Kennet had collided, but they seemed okay and were healing as they continued to play.

“Who's the new girl?” a hushed voice asked.

Layla forced herself not to look over or give away the fact that she could hear the newcomer. Instead, she intently listened while keeping her eyes on Quin.

“Quin's newest object of affection,” Maeveen answered.

Brietta squeezed Layla’s shoulders, signaling she, too, could hear the whispered conversation, but neither of them moved.

“Quin's new girl, huh?” the first voice replied.

“Yep,” Caitlyn answered, and the newcomer smirked.

“That was faster than usual. He generally gives the fish he throws back time to swim away before reeling in a new one. Rough break, Cait.”

“I'm over it,” Caitlyn replied.

“Like you have a choice,” the voice countered. “So where's her aura?”

“How am I supposed to know, Meckenzie?”

“Geez, Cait. Sorry. A little touchy today?”

“No, but I really don't know, okay? And I’m not going to disrespect her and Quin by passing judgment. She seems nice.”

“Then why aren’t you sitting with her?”

“That’s on me,” Caitlyn confessed. “I’m still swallowing my pride.”

“Well don’t exert yourself. She won't be around long.”

“I don't know,” Caitlyn mumbled. “This one's different.”

Meckenzie quietly laughed. “What makes you think so?”

“A few things. First of all, look at her.”

Layla fought a blush, breathing as evenly as possible as they examined her profile.

“She is pretty,” Meckenzie concluded, “but that alone can’t hold Quin down. Lots of beautiful witches have tried and failed, including you and I. We're not chopped liver, Cait.”

“I didn't say we were, but you have to admit, she’s uniquely pretty, even among witches. Her eyes are incredible; they’re huge, and when they look at you, it’s like she’s seeing everything about you. Never mind her gorgeous figure; and you should see her move. She's… different. And she's holding Quin down just fine.”

Meckenzie sniffed. “I'll believe it when I see it.”

“Then stick around. You'll see it when the game ends.”

The other unknown witch spoke for the first time since dropping in. “Has Weylin been acting sweet on her? I’m between men and might have to call on him.”

“Weylin's been doing what he does best,” Caitlyn confirmed. “But don't worry, Dahlia, none of these guys are going near her.”

“I doubt that,” Meckenzie cut in, regaining control of the conversation. “What makes you think that?”

“Because these guys wouldn’t dream of crossing Quin,” Caitlyn explained. “They’d rather nail a tree than piss him off.”

“That's never stopped them before.”

“Quin's never cared enough to get pissed about it before.”

“And you honestly think he does now?”

“Yes. The guys think so, too. They haven't been laying it on nearly as thick as usual.”

“You're serious.”

“Yes, Meckenzie. I'm not exaggerating. I've never seen Quin act the way he has today. Not even behind closed doors.”

“I wonder how she's managing it. Especially since her aura's hidden. I know for a fact Quin picks his women for their auras as much as their bodies.”

“Just because we haven't seen it doesn't mean he hasn't.”

“He doesn't even like it when witches lighten their auras, Cait, and I'm supposed to believe he's fallen for one who makes a habit out of vanishing it completely. She has to have something we don't know about. There's no way Quin would change his ways for her otherwise.”

“She's a bonded child.”

“
That's
more like it. Now we're getting somewhere.” Meckenzie paused for a few seconds, probably staring again. “It's still not enough,” she decided. “Remember? He dated a bonded child from up north. She was amazing and crazy about him, but he dropped her quicker than he did us. Something else is going on with this new one. Or else you're full of shit and she'll be gone next month.”

“She isn’t going anywhere. She was welcomed into his coven last Monday.”

“What? Quin moved a witch into his community?”

“She's related to Caitrin and Morrigan.”

“Oh. That makes more sense. It will also make for an awkward living arrangement when Quin drops her on her cute little butt.”

“I'm telling you, Meckenzie, this one's different.”

“We'll see. What's her name?”

Maeveen quietly laughed. “Wait until you hear this. Go ahead, Cait, tell her.”

“Why don't you tell her?” Caitlyn returned. “You're the one who met her first.”

“I said I was sorry, Cait. I didn't tell you because I didn't think it would help.”

“Of course it doesn't help, but a heads up would have been nice. At least then I would have had a few days to come to terms with it before meeting her.”

“What's going on?” Meckenzie interrupted. “What's her name?”

It was Maeveen who answered, and the name rolled off her tongue like a juicy tidbit of gossip. And why wouldn't it? That’s exactly what it was to these witches. “Her name is
Layla
.”

Small gasps arose from the newcomers. “Nuh-uh.”

“Uh-huh,” Maeveen confirmed.

Layla grinned, unbothered by the gossip session. Only one woman made Quin feel the way he wanted to feel, and he'd finally found her. Apparently he'd done a lot of searching along the way, but Layla knew she was different than the others, and she no longer cared why. As long as she had what it took to hold on to him, it didn’t matter where it came from.

Her attention left the gossiping girls and focused on the daredevil game. Shirtless and flexing, Quin was sexier than ever, and now that she was paying attention to something besides scary close calls, she understood what Brietta meant when she claimed Quin had too many advantages. He was faster than the others, and his reflexes were flawless.

“So why
do
they let Quin play?” Layla asked.

“Because he's their friend,” Brietta answered. “Quin, Weylin and Kegan were four when they learned the rules from Drystan and two of Wey's older cousins, and they've been playing together ever since. Put all three of them on a team and they can't be beat.”

“That still doesn't make it a fair match,” Layla pointed out. “I mean, I understand why they don't want to kick their friend out of the game, but how can they possibly make it fair when he's out there?”

“They’re pretty good at keeping the playing field even. Quin's speed isn't as useful as you might think, because the surface isn't big enough for him to pull too far ahead, and the two feet rule slows him down, giving Weylin a chance to keep up. Wey's the second best player, so he goes on the opposite team, and the weakest player is Nevyn, so he goes on Quin's team. The others are pretty evenly matched and get spread out.” She grinned as she lowered her voice. “However – and a few of the guys won't admit this – the thing that makes the biggest impact is that Quin doesn't play his hardest. Once in a while he'll put everything he has into it, and when he does, there's no stopping him. But the rest of the time, he might as well be skating circles at Rockefeller Center for all the effort he puts into it. That's why he doesn't get hurt. He can concentrate on avoiding injuries and still play better than the rest.”

“I see,” Layla murmured, raptly watching him prove Brietta’s theory. “Do you ever play?”

“Sure. We play girl-only games, and I've played with Quin, Keg and Wey quite a bit, but they don't play the same when witches are out there. If the genders are mixed, it becomes a mellow game.”

“I can imagine,” Layla replied. “Most of the wizards I've met are very careful with witches, like we're really expensive and breakable.”

“Yes,” Brietta sighed. “Wizards – the good-natured ones anyway – consider witches very valuable. That’s why they cater to us.”

Layla glanced at her cousin’s blissful smile then back to the game. “You know, feminists would have a lot to say about that arrangement.”

“I know,” Brietta laughed. “But only because they don’t understand. They’d find it degrading that a witch's body is as valuable as her mind, heart and soul; and belittling that our men won't, under any circumstances, treat us like men. But while that might anger a lot of hexless people, we love it. Wizards hold women in the highest regard. They see us as life itself, so they’re affectionate, protective and beyond considerate of our needs. You'll never see a decent wizard putting his own life before that of a woman's, magical or non. If he does, he’s either lost touch with his roots, or he’s chosen a disrespectful path. If a wizard doesn't respect the value of a woman, he doesn't respect the value of life. The first magician on earth was a woman – Mother Ava. In fact, she was the first magician
and
the first woman on earth, and now she’s the Goddess of the Heavens. We’re descendents of the goddesses, so wizards treat us with the same respect they treat the deities.”

Layla cocked her head at her cousin. “But doesn't that make you feel guilty? To always be on the receiving end.”

Brietta didn’t hesitate to answer, and she did it with conviction. “No, because I'm on the giving end, too. Some people might not see it that way, but wizards do. Witches give their wizards plenty. When we find one we want, we'll devote ourselves to them in a way most hexless women won’t. Of course we retain our self-identity, but we make a point to be available to our men. Not because they demand it of us, and not to serve them. We do it because we want to be there the moment they want us there. We crave being near them and being taken care of by them, and they crave keeping us close while fulfilling our needs. It's in their nature to put women first. But there’s another reason they pamper us, and any witch with a little experience is privy to it. Yes, wizards love it when we put our lives in their hands, but the most desired offering we can give them, by far, is our bodies. They practically worship them, so when they get one, it's payday. They live for the day a witch will place her body in their hands to do with it what they will, and what they want to do is worship it in the most passionate and erotic ways.” She grinned and raised her eyebrows. “Of course, I'm sure you've already figured that much out.”

Layla swallowed a lump and fought a blush, unwilling to stutter through the confession that she and Quin hadn't quite made it there yet. Instead, she changed the subject. “Kegan seems nice.”

“He is,” Brietta confirmed, her aura brightening. “He's one of the good guys. You two will get along great. I have no doubt.”

“Quin considers him a best friend, so I'm sure he's a good one.”

“They don't get much better,” Brietta agreed. “Wey's one of the good guys, too. I know you probably think he's a Neanderthal, but he's a big teddy bear with an even bigger heart. He might seem like a jerk to people who don't know him, because he's a rowdy smart-ass who can't pass up the chance to raise hell, but I’d never consider him mean or insensitive.”

“I think he's funny,” Layla replied.

“To say the least,” Brietta laughed. “You can't be around Wey without cracking a smile, and when he's on a roll, you'll walk away with sore ribs.”

“And I would never consider him a Neanderthal,” Layla added. “You should have met some of the guys I went to school with. There were some hot shots in that group, and on top of being arrogant assholes, they had zero respect for women. Compared to those guys, Weylin's a prince.”