Seduced by Innocence (12 page)

I must be gone and live, or stay and die.

—
    
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Dear Diary,

A ‘walkabout’ originally referred to a rite of passage undertaken by male Australian Aborigine where they'd live in the wilderness for as long as six months and reconnect to their ancestors.

We're not Australian, or Aborigine, and most of us aren't even male, but Mother decided long ago that walkabouts would be required of our coven members. Each season we chose a time to do our own walkabout and reconnect to our powers and to those who had gone before us.

In recent years, these had become my most treasured moments. Alone, without the sound of other people's fears pressing into me, I could finally relax and be myself. This tradition had become so ingrained in our way of life that it was impossible for Mother to deny me the right to do my own winter walkabout, even amidst our recent conflicts.

And so I abused our traditions, lied to my coven and Mother, and snuck out to do something even more important than a walkabout.

"SO DON'T
." OCEAN
sat cross-legged on my bed, her wild curls tumbling down her back as she twirled one strand of hair through her manicured fingers.

"Don't what?" I held up another dress, but she grimaced and shook her head.

I sighed and threw it on my bed with the others.

"Don't take it so far. Just date. Enjoy. Kiss a little. Hold hands. Don't let yourself get so hot and bothered that you start to lose it. He's stronger than you think, and so are you. You can learn to control this, just take it in small steps."

If I really disagreed with her, I'd be cleaning my room of the mess I'd made and calling to cancel this whole crazy plan. And boy was it crazy.

I'd convinced Mother that I truly saw the error of my ways and needed time for a walk-about—private time for reflection and meditation as I prepared myself for the fight ahead.

She hadn't wanted to let me go, but the most unlikely advocate came to my defense—Blake.

In the end, she acquiesced, and I got the next twelve days to myself. I just had to be here in time to storm the castle, as it were. I honestly couldn't believe I'd won, and I'm not sure I'd have agreed to do this if I'd really thought I'd had a shot in hell at winning her over.

I pulled slacks and a blouse from my drawers. "This?"

Ocean heaved her breasts dramatically and yanked it out of my hands. "We seriously have to go shopping and get you some clothes that don't make you look like a total frump. You're about to embark on the most romantic almost-two-weeks of your life. You'll be alone. In a cabin. With your rich hunk of a boyfriend. You need sexy clothes, not prude clothes."

I fell back into a chair. "I give up. You pack. I'm done. Just make sure I have at least one pair of jeans, a comfortable pair of shoes in case we hike through forests, and something to wear to bed that isn't see-through."

She stuck her lower lip out in a mock pout. "You're no fun. But if I can pack the rest, then I give in to those demands, as long as you promise not to wear the same jeans and frump every day of the week."

With my vow to diversify, she went to work filling my suitcase with clothes from her closet, which scared the daylights of me.

"Okay, so let's say I just go and have fun and keep it from getting too hot. What's the point in all of this? I can't even tell him my real last name for fear he'll figure out who and what my family is. I certainly can't tell him that if we consummate our affections I'll likely kill him. That would put a serious damper on the romance, don't you think?"

Clothing decorated every square inch of my bedroom, and I had no desire or energy to clean it up. Derek would be at our secret meeting spot in less than thirty minutes, and I still had to get ready.

Ocean threw me an outfit. "Wear this."

I groaned, but peeled off my comfortable clothes to put on her latest fashion torture. The skinny jeans clung to my skin like they'd been painted on, and the low cut blouse left little to the imagination, but I had to admit the color complimented my skin tone. For a redhead, Ocean had a lot of clothes that worked for me, which made me wonder if she secretly bought clothes for me and pretended they were hers. I'd never seen her wear most of these outfits.

Still, after brushing out my hair and applying a light coat of lip-gloss and mascara, I studied myself in the mirror and smiled at what I saw.

Ocean came up behind me. "You clean up good, Rose. Now grab your bag and let's get going. I'll drive you to your spot."

I whistled for Sandy and pulled her leash down from its hook, though I'd likely never even need to use it. She came, but slowly, with none of her old enthusiasm.

"Did you pack dog food? My toiletries? A razor?" How horrible would it be if I had to go all hairy during our romantic interlude?

"Yes, yes and yes. I got you covered. I even included protection in case you suddenly learn to control your powers and are ready to let loose and bump uglies with Mr. Hottie. I figured on extra-large—am I right?"

"You are so crude sometimes, Rose." But that didn't stop the uncontrollable giggles that took me over. "And, um, yes. You're right."

By the time we left, I had to redo my makeup from all of the tearing up.

When we got to the secret spot behind the property, Derek was already there, standing by his car.

At the sight of him my heart froze, reluctant to meter out any more beats for fear that it would accelerate time, and I would lose these moments with him all too soon.

His face lit up with joy when he saw me. "You came!" He reached for me, swinging me around like a child.

"Yes. I came."

Ocean loaded my luggage into the trunk of his car while we gazed at each other like star-crossed lovers.

Sandy sat at my feet, waiting for us to finish.

I looked down at her and patted her head. "Derek, this is Sandy. Sandy, this is Derek."

She hadn't fully recovered from the massacre of her pups, and I'd hoped that coming with us would cheer her up.

Derek held his hand out. "Hi there. You're beautiful."

She sniffed him, then licked his hand, and he petted her.

I smiled at the two of them. "She likes you. She's usually wary of strangers."

He ruffled her head, then put his arm around me. "She must know I'm not a stranger."

Ocean cleared her throat. "Okay, you two love birds, I'm outta here. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

She winked at me, then drove away.

Derek watched her car pull out. "What wouldn't she do?"

"There's nothing Ocean wouldn't do," I informed him.

"Well," he pulled me against him more tightly, "I like the sound of that. Shall we head to the cabin?"

I gulped past the lump in my throat and nodded.

Despite my best intentions, I couldn't stay away from him. My only hope lay in finding some way to stay in control of my powers.

These next two weeks would be my ultimate test.

When I imagined his cabin, it was a modest affair with a small fireplace, a bedroom or two and a too-small kitchen that didn't get used often.

Yeah, no. What stood before me could have appeared in any number of "where the stars live" magazines. The polished wood tones of the multi-level, well, let's just call it mansion? Estate? Really freaking big house that happened to be made out of logs so people called it a cabin? Whatever it was, it blended well with the tall pine trees and spruce that surrounded it. The snow-peaked mountains in the distance lent the scene an Ansell Adams quality, had it been in black and white. Instead, the subtle colors of winter gave it a warm feeling, despite the snow.

It had a wide porch with outdoor couches and chairs and an iron wood-burning fire pit for warmth. Near that sat a custom-built Jacuzzi. I loved soaking in hot water while sitting in the cold, watching it snow, and hoped we'd have a chance to use it.

Derek carried my luggage, and I followed him up the steps and into an expansive living area that connected to a gourmet kitchen with an island, a bar and a formal dining area.

"My father had this built from fallen trees. It took years to finish, but no trees were cut down in the making of this house. He even resourced the local boulders and rocks that were pulled during the foundation laying to create the landscaping and some of the ornaments and detail in the design."

A spiral staircase led to a second and third floor, and the wall behind it was made entirely of glass, so as you climbed the stairs you could look out at the mountains and forest. "Your father sounds like an amazing man. I hope to meet him some day."

A look of surprise crossed Derek's face. "Yeah, he kind of is, I guess. And I'm sure you'll get to meet him. I know he'll love you."

I always assumed that the coven would be the only family I ever knew, but it occurred to me in that moment that if the fates smiled down on us, I could have another family, too. That awareness opened up my world in more ways than I could have imagined.

Derek put my luggage down and held out his arm. "Want a tour?"

I took his arm. "Sure."

A dozen bedrooms, a master suite that left me breathless, custom bathrooms with multiple shower heads that left me flushed with naughty thoughts, and a game room later, I needed to sit down and catch my breath.

"Your family's not just rich, is it? You're like upper echelon wealthy. You're like Donald Trump wealthy."

I hoped it didn't sound like an accusation, but when his face fell, I feared it did.

I pulled him down to sit next to me on the couch. "There's nothing wrong with that. I just hope you don't mind that I'm not. At all."

"Rose, the money doesn't mean anything to me. I've been living on my own, with whatever I earned myself, since I turned eighteen."

His admission humbled me. "Why?"

His thumb stroked the inside of my palm as he answered, sending shivers of pleasure through my body. "I didn't want to be a trust-fund kid. I wanted to prove to myself that I could make it on my own merits."