Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (23 page)

Christa hiccupped again. “Are you going home?”

I shook my head and grabbed hold of the top of her chair as the room started spinning. “I’m too drunk to walk. I’ll just crash in my old bedroom.”

Christa waved and crawled into her bed. I was jealous, not wanting to travel the five hundred feet to my bedroom. “Night.”

“Night, Christa, and thanks. I needed this.”

She smiled as I stumbled across the threshold. With a wave, I closed her door and headed for my old bedroom. The vieof my canopy bed was a sight for drunk eyes. I kicked the door closed behind me and made my way to the windows, enjoying the warmth that rushed over me at the familiar view. A full moon bathed the lush grounds of Pelham Manor in rays of blue.

You finally decide to come back
.

I turned at the sound of Pelham’s voice in my head and smiled at my friend.
I guess it’s been a while.

He joined me at the window, trying to see what I was looking at.
The wolf went his separate way?

I guess you were spying on Christa and me all night?

What else have I got to do?

I laughed and faced him, thinking how odd it was that I could see him so completely and yet he was a ghost, energy.

Pelham, why haven’t you ever asked me to bring you back to life
? I thought as I nearly tripped over my own feet.

Pelham looked like Thinking Man as he sat above the bed, his chin in his palm.
I have been like this for so long now, I cannot conceive of what the outside world must be like.

You’re afraid?
I asked and thought if I were in his shoes, I’d feel the same way…probably.

Perhaps. The desire is just not strong. Everything I care about is within this house.
He smiled but it looked sad.
Now, the wolf…

Not a subtle change of subject but I respected it all the same.

Yes, he dumped me, so you can rub it in.

Pelham shrugged.
Why would I want to do that? I imagine you are already rubbing it in yourself. Is that why you’re inebriated?

I laughed. What a perceptive ghost.
Yeah, I guess so. It was one of the many reasons.

Well, the wolf is a fool to have let you go. A beautiful woman like you…

If you were alive, I’d kiss you!

Don’t let my current state stop you
, he said and I just shook my head.

Thanks anyway.

Pelham sighed and attempted to put his arm around me. He went through me, but I appreciated the gesture all the same.
I should go to bed. I have a terrible headache. I said, stumbling back into the room and thinking I’d had way too much to drink.

Can I watch you undress?

I rolled my eyes.
You will anyway.

Not finding anything and not wanting to wake Christa, I decided to head into Rand’s room and look for a T-Shirt. I hoped he wouldn’t mind and then scrubbed the thought, he wasn’t here anyway so what did it matter?

I opened the door and breathed deeply. Rand’s scent lured me inside, heating my body with that particular spicy male aroma. It was a masculine room, with dark cherry wood paneling, oversized and deep brown furniture, and an enormous bookshelf. I’d never been in Rand’s room before and being here now, by myself, almost made me giddy with the inclination to snoop.

A bottle of wine sat on the side table next to the largest bed I’d ever seen. Cal King Schmal King. This thing had to have been custom ordered. Images of him in bed and drinking wine with the woman in London coursed through my head, and I braced myself against the mantle, thinking I might pass out. When the dizziness subsided, I decided to help myself to the bottle and took a generous swig. Then I turned to the task of finding something I could wear to bed.

Rand’s closet was full of clothes, all organized according to color. Figured he’d be the OCD type. I found a white T-shirt and couldn’t help bringing it to my nose as I inhaled the scent so completely Rand—a scent of laundry detergent with notes of his cologne. God, I made myself want to vomit.

I thought you were coming back?

I looked up and found Pelham on Rand’s bed, facing me. Of course, he wasn’t going to miss the chance to see me in the buff.
I didn’t have anything to wear to bed, so I wanted to borrow a shirt from Rand.

Ah, I see, well go ahead, put it on.

I pulled off my shirt, draping it over the side of one of Rand’s plush bedroom chairs. Pelham’s eyes were glued to my every move and in my drunkenness; it actually made me feel good, attractive. I slid off my pants, laid them atop my blouse, then undid my bra, and watched as a smile lit the corners of his mouth.

Very nice.

Then I pulled Rand’s shirt over my head and Pelham frowned.
What about the knickers?

Those aren’t coming off. Now go away and leave me alone.

With his lips pulled taut, he faded away and I shut the door, so he’d know I didn’t welcome his return. I wanted some time to myself to snoop around Rand’s room and to finish the rest of the wine.

There were pictures of Rand with various people all over his room and finding one, I picked it up, inspecting it. This one was Rand in what looked like the Alps—snowy and steep mountains. Rand was dressed in blue snow gear, his ski-mask perched atop his head, throwing his hair in disarray. He smiled broadly, his dimples in attendance and accounted for. A young man stood next to him, but I had no interest in him.

I took the photo with me to his gigantic bed and climbed in the middle as I grabbed the bottle of wine and downed a few swallows. I sank into the bed, the mattress as warm and welcoming as a hug. It felt as if I were in a cloud of feathers—feather mattress, feather duvet with feather pillows. Thank God I wasn’t allergic to ducks.

I downed the remnants of the wine and put the empty bottle on his bed stand as my attention returned to the photo in my hand. Rand was the best-looking man I’d ever seen. I leaned against the headboard and tucked the picture up against me, imagining how nice it would be to be in bed with Rand this very moment.

#

“Jolie, wake up.”

The voice was distant and the pounding in my head forced me to ignore it, so I could return to the solitude of my dreams. I’d felt the warm sun through my eyelids for a while now, but I just couldn’t bring myself to wake up and face the steady ache in my head.

“Jolie,” the voice persisted and I groaned out my discomfort, pulling the covers up higher.

The covers pulled themselves back and I stirred from the cold air that whispered over my legs. I opened my eyes. The dark paneling, dark green paint on the walls was unfamiliar. There was an empty bottle of wine in front of me and something sharp jutting into my chin. Before I had a chance to register what it was, Rand leaned down and pulled his photo from my arms. My head ached too much for me to feel any sort of embarrassment. He replaced the photo on his mantel over the fireplace before facing me with an inquisitive grin.

“What are you doing in my bed?” he asked, returning.

I sat up and regretted it as my head throbbed with the effort. His shirt twisted up above my waist, and I jerked it back down over my legs, so as not to appear entirely indecent. At least I had panties on, otherwise I would’ve given Rand quite a show. I wiped the corner of my mouth after noting it was wet and then realized I’d drooled all over his pillow.

Nice going, Jolie, really nice.

“Um, I don’t know why I’m in your bedroom,” I said with a sheepish smile.

He didn’t look angry, maybe more amused than anything else. He sat down next to me. “I must say the last thing I thought I’d find is you half-naked in my bed.”

“I came over to see Christa last night, and we drank your wine and talked about my break up with…”

“You broke up with the wolf?” Rand interrupted, his face growing serious.

I grabbed my head, willing it to stop aching. “I think it’s more fitting to say the wolf broke up with me.”

Rand nodded. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll survive. I didn’t have anything to sleep in, so I came in here to borrow a shirt, then he rest of your wine and…fell asleep in your bed. Sorry.”

“And drooled all over my pillow.” He laughed. “No need to apologize. It appears you have quite a hangover.”

I nodded. “Yeah, a nasty one.”

He motioned for me to put my head in his lap and when I did so, he laid his hand atop it and set on removing my headache. I set on removing my morning breath by picturing a drop of mint spreading on my tongue. I swallowed a couple of times, tasting wintergreen.

“Rand, why are you so good to me?” I asked him, still drunk enough to raise the question.

He chuckled. “I have to ask myself that over and over.”

His hand on my forehead felt heavy, warm, and soft. I smiled as I studied his incredibly handsome face above me. “Even from this angle, you’re still damned hot.”

Rand shook his head, a smirk playing with his lips. “Well, from this angle you’re pretty damned hot yourself.”

Using my drunkenness as an alibi, I decided to ask him the question I’d always wondered. “Rand, do you use magic to…look the way you do?”

His chuckle rang through the air loud and clear. “Bloody hell, I can’t believe you’re asking me that. No!”

I smiled and squirmed in his lap. “You told me a long time ago that all witches are very attracted to one another.”

His smile fell, and he was back to looking serious. Slowly, his fingers slipped through my hair, teasing the strands. “Yes, but what I feel for you goes beyond that, Jolie.”

Heat stirred in the pit of my belly and it took me a second to realize what he’d just admitted. Maybe I needed to get drunk and sleep in his bed more often. “I feel it for you also. I always have.”

He nodded, as if weighing the thought. “I think it’s best we don’t act on it. It just confuses things.”

I resisted the urge to scream and forced the tears away. I would not cry, but at the same time, I had to know why. “Why?”

“In light of recent events, I think it best we keep our distance and make our relationship business,” he finished.

“What recent events?” I wondered if he meant Trent’s and my relationship? That was so yesterday.

He shook his head. “We just can’t.”

I sat up, but he wouldn’t look me in the eyes. He always gave the same lame-as-hell answer. I wondered if he’d ever give in to his feelings, ever allow himself to care for me the way he wanted to—the way I wanted him to. Then the thought dawned on me that maybe he was in a relationship. I couldn’t bring myself to broach that subject, afraid of how my stomach might react.

“That’s what I thought you’d say.” I stood up and braced myself against his bed as my stomach heaved, and I thought I’ be sick. “I drank too much wine.”

He stood and placed his hand on my belly. My stomach muscles quivered, heat spreading from his palm as it curled through my stomach and up my body. The feelings of sickness faded into obscurity. I couldn’t help it as my arms went around him and I hugged him, needing to feel close to him. He hesitated for a moment and then returned the embrace, kissing the top of my head.

He sat down again and motioned for me to put my head back in his lap. I’m not sure why I did—maybe I was just too tired and hung over to protest.

“I was in London meeting with one of the largest of the wolf packs,” he started. “There are more and more wolves migrating to England as Bella pushes them out of the States.”

“So, what Trent said was true. They’re all seeking refuge with you,” I said as I thought about what this meant. Bella was making fast headway in deciding who was with her and who was against her. It’d only be a matter of time before she came for me. I was the winning lottery ticket in her pocket and sooner or later she’d come for her winnings.

“Yes, I’ve been deciding how we build a team of forces ourselves,” he finished.

“You mean do what Bella’s doing?”

“She hasn’t given us a blasted choice. She’s building an army and her plans are to force us to join her or kill us. And I, for one, will not go down without a fight,” Rand finished as he ran his fingers through my hair, catching them in a knot. He then went about loosening the knot, and I closed my eyes, loving the feel of his gentle hands.

“So, what was in London?” I asked, only too aware the answer was a woman. I could’ve slapped myself for asking.

“A friend of mine, Gwynn, she is an old and powerful witch, and she just happens to be half vampire.”

And she also just happens to be having sex with you, I thought to myself. I disliked her already. “What will she do for us?”

“Her coven controls Ireland and she has an ally in the warlock who controls Scandinavia, so we have those areas covered. Since she is part vampire, she has a special relationship with the vampires and many have joined her already.”