Page 204 of Sigils & Spells

RETURN TO RAVENCROFT

Rebekah R. Ganiere

CHAPTER 1

Neve brushed her mane of wild curls from her face and cursed again for having worn lip gloss. Lip gloss and long hair never mixed. Why had she ever let her friend Amanda talk her into wearing some?

Amanda, Bethany, and Crystal had been Neve’s best friends since high school. A, B, and C. And ever since high school, her friends had been able to talk her into just about anything. The lip gloss, an expensive dinner that wasn’t worth it, and even going to a nightclub for drinks was no exception. It was hard to tell the three musketeers no when she owned her own business and could open her doors when she wanted.

Two drinks. She would only have two drinks, and then she would head back to her safe space, her greenhouse, and then her library.

“Stop.” Amanda pulled her through the door of the bar. “I know what you are doing.”

Neve rolled her eyes but stopped herself from sighing. “What am I doing?”

“You are figuring out how long you have to stay before you can return to the solitude of your plants, lotions, potions, and books.”

“They aren’t potions.” Neve laughed. “They’re tinctures,” she finished over the loud music.

It was Amanda’s turn to roll her eyes. “Same thing.”

Neve had always had an affinity for plants. Ever since she was young, she’d been able to take any plant and bring it back from the brink of death. Even cut flowers in a vase seemed to last three times as long for her as they did for other people. And because of that, she’d always felt more at home with plants than with people. Even so, somehow, Amanda had never given up on her. Almost like Neve had been her pet project. And because Amanda had always been so fun and pretty and popular, what she’d said had gone. So, Bethany and Crystal had accepted her the same way they would accept a tag-along little sister. She was the Dartanian to their three musketeers.

Several guys at the bar called to Amanda. She waved and leaned into Neve. “Go find a table, and I’ll see if I can snag us some free drinks.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Neve knew better than to argue. She spotted a table in the corner and headed toward it. She’d gotten halfway across the dance area when she felt a tug on her skirt. She stopped instinctually and took a step back. She looked down to find a red high heel stuck in the hem of her long flowy skirt. She waited until the girl moved to the side and then continued to the table. She hoped Amanda hadn’t seen because she would once again chide Neve for not having worn something shorter and tighter for their night out.

Neve slid into the booth and looked around. The country music from the local band made her want to get up and dance, but she’d never been one to dance by herself, and more than that, she would never have the nerve to ask a man to dance.

She’d always been cute. That’s what everyone had told her. At five foot one, with wild red curls and a smattering of freckles – okay, more like an onslaught of freckles – and bright green eyes, she’d always been called cute. Her mother had called her cute. Her girlhood crush had called her cute. Her high school prom date had called her cute – right before he’d tried to get in her pants. Even Bethany and Crystal had nicknamed her Cutie.

And men didn’t tend to want “cute”. They wanted beautiful, vivacious, sexy. And she was just fine with that.

A strange sensation made her skin tingle. She looked around again, and her gaze landed on a man on the dance floor. Her breathing stopped as she took his devilishly handsome face and lithe body clad in pure black from the tailored button-down shirt to his black jeans and expensive dress shoes. But it wasn’t his obviously fit body that had her heart beating like a hummingbird’s; it was his eyes. True, there was a leggy blonde backed into and slithering against him like he was her own private stripper pole, but he barely seemed to notice as his intense gaze remained locked on Neve’s.

Her cheeks heated, but she couldn’t look away. His hands rested lightly on the hips of the blonde he danced with, but his gaze trapped Neve’s, making it impossible for her to do anything but watch him.

Stop. Stop looking at him. You are being an idiot, and he’s nothing more than a cocky a-hole for wanting you to watch.

Moments passed, and slowly he moved closer to where she sat so that by the time the song ended, he was mere feet from her table. Without so much as a glance her way, he spun the blonde into someone else’s arms and slid into Neve’s booth. He did it so fluidly that Neve had to blink twice to make sure he’d sat down.

“Hello.” His low gravelly voice held a hint of a Scottish brogue to it.

“Uh… hi?” Neve was sure she didn’t know him. She glanced to see the blonde staring daggers at her. “I don’t think your date appreciates being discarded like a stained dress shirt.”

A smile ticked up the corners of his mouth. “She’s not my date. I don’t even know her name.”

He was beyond handsome with deeply tanned skin and dark wavy hair. His deep eyes held an intensity that made her body heat and her belly flutter. But his arrogant air gave her pause. She hadn’t dated much, almost not at all, to be honest, but she knew what she liked and what she didn’t like, and cocky wasn’t on her qualities-wanted-in-a-boyfriend list.

Neve cocked an eyebrow. “You seemed pretty familiar on the dance floor.”

He gave a half-shrug. “What’s your name?”

Neve narrowed her eyes on him, trying to ignore the fluttery feeling in her gut. She sat back and crossed her arms. When his gaze dropped to her breasts that peeked out from under her peasant top, she undid her arms and set her hands in her lap.

“You sat at my table. Don’t you think you should introduce yourself?”

“Callum McIntire.”

A truly Scottish name.

“And you?” he questioned.

She bit the inside of her cheek. Something about him seemed almost familiar.

“Have we met before?”

“If we had, I would definitely have remembered your name.” His gaze heated, making Neve swallow hard.

“You sure look at me like you know me.”

His eyes twinkled. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head. This was weird. Even for her, this was a strange conversation, and she’d once had a first date where a guy started out by telling her how many women he’d slept with, and his favorite sex position. Then he’d asked her the last time she had been tested for STDs.

“Is there something I can do for you, Callum?” she finally asked.

The corner of his lips ticked up, and he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “You can tell me your name.”

A memory surfaced from when she was little. She had been no more than three or four and had been at the store with her grandmother Elsie. A stranger had told her she was cute and had asked her name.

“Neve,” she’d said.

The woman had smiled at her and then walked away. But her grandmother had bent down, taken Neve by the shoulders, and looked straight into her eyes.

“Never tell a stranger your name. Names are dangerous. They hold power. If you give your name to the wrong person, they can use it against you.”

Neve hadn’t understood what her grandmother had meant, but since then, she’d always been careful about telling people her name, especially men.

“Okay,” Callum finally said. “I’ll give you one since you don’t want to share.” He studied her for a moment. “Beautiful. That fits.”

Neve snorted and folded her hands on the table. “If you’re going to tease, you can leave now.”

His brows drew together. “Why do you think I am teasing?”

The honesty in his voice made her blush. “Neve,” she blurted.

“Neve.” He whispered her name as though committing it to memory.

Strangely, though the music and talking had intensified, she heard him. She bit her tongue to keep from asking him to repeat it. She got the sudden feeling her gran had been right because just hearing him say her name sent a rush of heat through her like she’d never felt.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Neve.”

She swallowed hard. “And you, Callum McIntire.”

They stared at each other for several minutes, neither speaking. Neve tried to figure out what was happening. She’d never had a guy as hot as Callum look at her the way he was looking at her.

“If you are hoping for a one-night stand, I should tell you now; I’m not that kind of girl.”

“Do I look like that kind of guy?” His eyebrows rose when she didn’t answer. “Wow. I guess I’ll have to rethink my outfits then.”

“It’s not just your outfit.”

“No? What is it then?”

Neve chewed her lip. “It’s just… all of you. Yes, your outfit, but also how you danced with that other woman and tossed her away. The way you look at me like you want to take me out back and just have a good time against the brick wall. And it’s also the arrogant way you look like you tend to get what you want no matter the cost to others.”

He thought about her words for a moment. “Okay. First, I like nice clothes, nothing more, nothing less. Second, the other woman came and found me on the dance floor; I didn’t search her out. Third, I would never take you out back and have a quicky with you against a brick wall. I would take you home and make love to you long and properly. And lastly, I do tend to get what I want, but not at the cost of other people. I don’t believe in that.”

“Well, whether it be a quicky against a wall or a long sweaty session in your bed, you will be getting neither from me tonight.”

He smiled. “What about at a later date? Say after half a dozen dates?”

She narrowed her eyes at him and couldn’t help the smile that tickled the corners of her mouth. “What makes you think there will even be a first date?”

He shrugged. “Like you said, I tend to get what I want.”

She couldn’t help but smile. He may be cocky, but he had a playful side as well. Interesting.

“Where are you from?” she asked.

“Scotland. What about you? Are you from here in San Francisco?”

“No. I live about an hour from here. I’m just here for the night with friends.”

He nodded. “Are you staying at a hotel nearby?”

“No, I’m staying at my dad’s- well, no longer my dad’s. I guess it’s my place now.”

“I’m sorry. Losing a parent is painful.”

The emotion in his eyes hit her straight in the heart.

“I never met him. My mom died of cancer a few years ago.” Why had she told him that? She hadn’t talked about it with anyone besides her Gran.

“That’s terrible. I am truly sorry.”

The downward turn of emotions weighed her down, and she smiled instead. “It’s okay. I still have my gran. What about you? Do you have family around here?”

“My older brother. We… share a house with some other family members.”

She nodded. “Smart. Rents here are quite expensive, and mortgage payments are even worse. It’s why I don’t live here in the city. I rent my dad’s place out most of the time.” Again she wondered why in the world she was oversharing. She never overshared. Hell, she didn’t share in general.

Silence fell between them for a minute, and Neve let the music seep into her. She scanned the club for Amanda and noticed her and Bethany, and Crystal doing shots at the bar with a group of what looked like frat boys.

“So,” Callum said. “When do we start?”

She turned her attention back to his handsome face. “Start what?”

“The dating, of course.”

“Who said I’m going to date you?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

She snorted. “Seriously?”

He shrugged. “I’m a good guy. I can support myself. I’m good-looking, and I like you. Why not see if there could be more to this?”

She had to admit she liked his directness. “That’s honestly the best pitch I’ve heard in a long time.”

“So, is that a yes?”

“It’s not a no.”

“All right, I’m free right now.”

She snorted and shook her head. “It’s late.”

“And yet you are still here.”

“I’ve already eaten.”

“Then we’ve gotten two-thirds of the first date already over with. We’ve both eaten, and we’ve had a conversation. So now we just need to do something else.”

“Like what?”

He turned his hand palm up on the table. “Dance? We are at a nightclub, after all.”

Neve stared at it, and as if it had a mind of its own, her hand moved across the table. Her fingertips barely grazed his, but the contact sent lightning up her arm and across her chest. She pulled back as energy pulsed through her, straight down to her core.

What the hell was that?

Something inside her screamed for her to run, but something else intrigued her. She slid her hand back across the table and laced her fingers back into his.

Callum lifted her from the table and led her out onto the floor. His eyes never left hers as he pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her waist. The sensation made her breathing hitch, and her brain explode with questions.

What was that feeling? Why did she like it so much? Was it just her imagination because a man in almost two years hadn’t touched her? Did she really want to do this? Was he just toying with her?

All her questions faded away as he pressed her body into his and began to sway with the music, his hips grinding into hers.

The rest of the nightclub faded away as the two danced body to body. The warmth of his skin seeped through her thin clothing, heating her from the inside out. His eyes didn’t move from her face as they moved in slow circles on the dance floor.

Suddenly he bent his head, and his lips moved closer to her. Neve froze. Something inside her told her to stop. To get away. To run. And for once, Neve listened.

She pushed away from Callum. His eyes darkened but stayed locked on her. He reached for her again, but she pulled away, pushed through the crowd, and made for the entrance. She looked over her shoulder to find Callum still staring at her. She continued through the group when someone bumped into her. She turned and bumped again to find herself face-to-face with the blonde from earlier. The blonde pushed Neve so violently that she twisted and tripped over the hem of her skirt. Bouncing between people like a ping pong ball, she tried to keep upright but finally had to decide between losing her skirt or losing her footing. Unwilling to share the sight of her bare rear with the entire bar, she threw out her hands and braced herself for hitting the floor when a strong arm snaked around her waist and kept her from making contact. A moment later, she was spun and pinned against the far wall of the bar by a tall, black-clad body.

Neve’s heart raced, and she sucked in several breaths before realizing she was on the opposite side of the bar from the entrance. Instead she was in the small hallway that led to the bathrooms. She took a moment to orient herself and reached for her skirt to ensure it was still where it should be. It was then that she finally registered the tingling sensation that pulsed through her body like she’d pressed against a massage chair.

She swallowed hard and looked up into Callum’s face once more.

“If you’d wanted me all to yourself, you could have just asked,” he said with a smirk. “You didn’t have to pretend to run from me.”

Anger rose inside Neve, and she tried to push him away. “If I had wanted you to myself, I would have asked. Not make a fool of myself and almost fall on my face.”

“That would have been a pity. I happen to like your face.”

What the hell was he up to? “If you think saying stuff like that is going to make me let you try to kiss me again, you’re dead wrong.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You let me kiss you? I wasn’t trying to kiss you. I was going to ask you something.”

“Oh really?”

“Is that why you ran from me? You thought I was going to kiss you?”

Neve swallowed hard. “What do you want from me, Callum?”

Callum reached up with a finger and twirled one of her curls around his finger. “Want? Nothing more than to get to know you. But if you think that saving you, and your beautiful face, from smashing into the dance floor is worth something, I wouldn’t say no to a kiss. After all, I’m assuming we are coming toward the end of our night.”

Neve couldn’t stop her mouth from falling open slightly. “Wow. You really are cocky, aren’t you?”

“Of course not. If I was cocky, I would have stolen a kiss already, or more over, expected one. I did neither. I simply asked for one.” He dropped her stray curl and moved his hand to run the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip.

The sensation tickled, and she licked her lip, accidentally licking the tip of his finger as well. He stopped moving his thumb when she did, and his gaze locked on her lips. As if taking it for an invitation, he moved his face within an inch of hers.

She knew she should stop him. She should push him away. After all, wasn’t that why she’d just run on the dance floor? Because she’d thought he was going to kiss her? But something inside stopped her. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to kiss someone. Wanted to kiss him. Wanted to feel his lips on hers. Wanted to taste him on her tongue. He moved his hand to cup her cheek.

He rested his forearms above her head on the wall and leaned down to within an inch of her mouth.

“Well,” she finally said. “If you believe I owe you a kiss for saving me, take one.”

His tongue flicked out, and he licked the seam of her lips, making her legs go mushy. “I’d never do that, Àlainn. The choice must be yours.”

Neve stalled, pushed up on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips to his. For a moment, nothing happened, and then his right arm dipped down and encircled her waist. He pulled her body tight against his and deepened their kiss. Neve’s palms pressed into his soft shirt, feeling the hard muscles beneath her hands.

As their tongues entwined, something pulsed inside her. A warmth that started this time in her toes and curled up her calves to her thighs before settling in her belly. The warmth pooled there and then radiated outward all the way to her fingertips.

Callum groaned and pushed her back against the wall, kissing her until she wanted to pull him out the back door and have him take her against the brick wall. His hands raked into her hair, and he pulled her face tighter against his as he kissed her harder.

She moaned into his mouth, unable to control herself.

She pulled on his shirt, wanting to feel the contact before them more fully. Their teeth clashed as they explored each other’s mouths with insatiable need. Neve had never been kissed so passionately before. The sensation left her light-headed and needy. More. She wanted more. She wanted all of him. His lips on her lips. His hands on her body. Him between her thighs.

But just as the thought entered her mind, he broke the kiss, leaving them both panting. Confusion plagued her as he rested his cheek on hers before kissing her forehead and then leaning his forehead against hers.

“What are you doing to me?” He shook his head. “I can’t… I’ve never… I didn’t know you’d be so beautiful.”

His words caught up with her, and Neve blinked several times. “What?”

He lifted his head from hers. “What?”

Fear trickled over her. “You said you didn’t know I’d be so beautiful.”

His brow scrunched together. “No. I said you are so beautiful.”

Something inside screamed again for her to run away, and she shoved him off.

“I heard you, and that is not what you said. So what is this? A prank? A joke? Did the ABCs set this up? Did they con you into doing this or something?”

“What’s the ABCs? I… I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Neve blew out a breath. She knew better than to think that someone as hot as Callum could actually find her beautiful.

She shook her head. “I’m not sure how, why, or who put you up to it, but you got me to kiss you. Good job. But this is where it ends. Not one date or six or twelve would ever get me into your bed now. Tell your buddies, or mine, or whatever, that this is over. And whyever they sent you has been accomplished. Thanks again for proving to me why I prefer plants and books to men.”

He reached for her, but she swatted his hand away and headed down the hallway for the back door.

“Neve. Wait!”

She heard his dress shoes hitting the floor behind her, and she picked up speed. When she threw open the door at the end of the hall, an emergency alarm blared to life. Screams and cries sounded back in the club. She turned, and as she did, so did Callum. A stream of people came running down the hall, and she took the opportunity to dive into the alley behind the bar and flatten herself against the wall.

When the first wave of bar patrons emerged, she blended into the group and made her way down to the sidewalk in front of the bar. The group headed to the left, back out in front of the establishment, and she turned right, then cut across the darkened street and ducked between two large SUVs. She peeked between their bumpers to see Callum run out of the alley and look up and down the road.

She ducked behind the vehicle and waited.

Stupid Neve. So foolish and naïve. Was she really that starved for attention and affection? She hadn’t thought so, but somehow talking to Callum had stirred something within her. A longing she hadn’t realized had been there. Sure, she hadn’t been on a date in almost a year, and it had been even longer since she’d been to bed with someone, but she hadn’t realized until he’d kissed her just how lonely she’d become since her mother’s death.

Tears stung her eyes, and she took a deep breath and pushed them away. Screw Callum. And screw his exceptional kissing skills. She’d rather be alone than be used as the butt of a joke.

She peeked between the bumpers again at the patrons who had begun to gather in front of the bar and spill out into the street. Sirens blared into the night as fire engines drew closer.

Neve slumped against the side of the SUV for a moment and caught her breath. She fought back the sudden rush of emotions that threatened to overtake her.

She should have realized the moment he’d sat at her table that someone had most likely told him to. If she had to guess, she guessed it was Cassie. It had to be one of the ABCs, didn’t it? Not Amanda, so either B or C.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she pulled it out. It was Amanda.

Where are you? Are you okay? We couldn’t find you anywhere, and then the bar alarm went off, and everyone went crazy. Did you go home already?

Neve’s fingers hovered over the buttons, and then she typed.

I’m fine. Caught an Uber. Sorry. Talk tomorrow.

Definitely not A. She knew Amanda too well. She had played tricks on Neve before, but nothing cruel. She was never malicious.

Neve shoved her phone into her purse as the red lights of the fire engine swirled around the street, painting everything with an eerie glow.

She hopped up and strode down the street, then turned a corner and then a second and ducked into a pizza place before calling an Uber.

She stared out the window, waiting for her ride, and finally, the realization of what she’d done dawned on her, and she chuckled.

Of all the ways to get out of a situation with a guy, setting off the alarm had to be at the top of the list of dumbest things she’d ever done.

CHAPTER 2

Callum followed Neve as she snuck away from the scene and down the street. He kept his distance, so he didn’t spook her, but then he followed her down another street and stopped when she walked into a pizza restaurant.

He closed his fist as she stepped through the door, and the light blue glow that had tinged her frame died away. Location spells had always been one of his specialties, and the fact that he’d kissed her had made it all that much easier since all he’d had to track was his DNA on her.

He’d caught the light blue glow between two cars parked across from the bar, and then he’d faded back into the alley’s darkness and waited to make sure she got somewhere safe.

He’d been startled by her accusation that someone had sent him to elicit a kiss from her. Mostly because her accusation had been at least partially true. Yes, he’d been sent by other people, but not to kiss her, far from it. He’d been sent for a different reason entirely. In fact, if his brother Raegan found out he’d kissed her, there would be hell to pay.

Find her. Test her. Report back. Those had been his orders. The rest had been… disconcerting. He’s not expected her to be beautiful, or fiery, or to have such an effect on him. When he’d touched her… he couldn’t explain the connection. The sensation. The need.

Stop. He needed to stop. It was dangerous to think of her as anything more than what she was, a means to an end.

He’d waited almost an hour for her to show up at the bar. He didn’t know how his brother had found out where she would be that night, and he hadn’t asked. He’d simply left Ravencroft, driven into the mortal city, and waited. The blonde had been nothing more than a distraction. A way to pass the time until Neve arrived. And the moment she had, Callum had been as aware of it as if she’d had a neon sign pointing straight at her. He’d felt her presence instinctually. Primally.

He’d watched as she’d made her way across the dance floor in clothes fit for a Romani princess. Not clothing one would expect to see in a nightclub, but they fit her perfectly. Her long auburn curls and lush curves had all but sent his body into overdrive. He’d been unable to take his eyes off her as she slid into the booth, utterly unconcerned with what was happening around her. Unlike other girls who would primp, pout, and scope out the scene, she’d simply sat at the table looking like she wished she could be anywhere else.

And then it happened. Her beautiful emerald gaze had found him, and everything and everyone else had faded away. He could no more look away from her beautiful face than he could chew off his own hand. And beautiful she was. Àlainn in his native Gaelic. It hadn’t taken more than five minutes of talking to her for him to realize she had no idea just how beautiful or special she was. In the moment, he’d been grateful for both. Grateful because if she didn’t know how beautiful she was it meant he might actually have a shot with her, and if she had no idea how special she was… it meant that she could go on living as a normal human, at least for a while longer.

A car pulled up outside the pizza restaurant and Neve walked out holding a large box in her hands before looking at the license plate, snapping a photo of it, and then getting into the back seat.

Callum smiled. Good lass. Those street smarts were going to help her later on.

Callum’s phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled it out. Raegen.

“Lo?”

“Did ya find her?”

Callum paused. The desire to lie on his tongue. “Aye.” Lying wasn’t an option. Not if he wanted to keep his head.

“And?”

“She doesn’t have any idea.”

There was a moment of silence. “Good. Stay on her. Use your charms. Do whatever you have to to get close to her. You can be sure the others will.”

Callum pinched the bridge of his nose. He no longer intended to bring Neve back to his brother, but he had to tread carefully, or it could mean his own head. “But why? Gretchen isn’t going anywhere.”

“Gretchen is one hundred and sixty-eight. She could go any time or in a century. Her magic is immense, but it isn’t infinite. We need to be ready. And this Neve is the last of her bloodline, so I can’t imagine she will wait too long to pass along her mantel.”

There was another pause. Callum couldn’t concentrate enough to decide what to say.

“Do you have a problem with your mission, Callum? Do I need to find someone else?”

“No,” he said too quickly. The last thing he wanted was a different warlock showing up and messing with Neve’s life. “I understand.”

“Good. We’ve booked you a room at a local hotel. Your reservation is indefinite. I’ll text you the details. Go to the desk and ask for Sabine.”

A pit grew in Callum’s stomach. He didn’t want to use Neve as a pawn. Getting to know her had been one thing- until he’d seen her. But now… using her as a pawn in a chess game that had been going on since before settlers had come over from Europe was not what he wanted to do with her. He wanted to do many things with her, but using her was not one of them.

However if he could convince her that he truly wanted to get to know her for her, maybe, just maybe, he could get her to trust him enough that he could protect her in the long run.

“I’ll check in in a few days,” said Callum. “I didn’t plan on staying more than tonight, so I’ll need to buy some supplies and clothing.”

“The money is already in the hotel safe. Sabine will get it to you as soon as you check-in. But Callum, you do remember you’re a warlock, right? You can use your magic to get what you want.”

“I just don’t want to use up my magic with frivolous items when cash works just as well. Especially since being away from Ravencroft means it takes me longer to replenish.”

“Right,” Raegan mused. “Just remember why you are there, brother. And come back as soon as you have her secured.”

“I will.”

Raegan hung up without another word.

A minute later, Callum’s phone buzzed with the information for the hotel. He returned to the coven car near the bar and punched the hotel address into the GPS.

The sight of Neve’s eyes when she’d thought he’d been duped into going after her flashed into his mind, and he growled.

“Go tell your buddies, or mine, or whatever, that this is over. And whyever they sent you has been accomplished.”

His gut clenched. He didn’t like that the pained look in her eyes had been like a punch in the solar plexus. But even more so, he didn’t like that she’d been at least partially correct. His interactions with her hadn’t all been entirely unplanned.

Callum sighed.

Man, he didn’t like that she was right. Not about that. More than anything, he wished he’d just walked into the nightclub and had seen her without it being planned. Because now that he’d met her… everything had changed.

CHAPTER 3

It’d been almost a week, and Neve stood behind her nursery checkout counter, spraying and gingerly wiping each leaf of her current orphan plant. She’d rescued it from someone who had chucked it into the dumpster behind her business. Criminals. She’d brought the barely alive plant inside, replanted it in a proper pot, and sat it on the checkout counter where she’d been tending to it. It showed remarkable improvement considering where it had been, but it still had a ways to go before it would be considered thriving.

She sighed as memories from the night at the club played and replayed in her mind. Callum’s eyes. His scent. His soft lips which contrasted with his hard body. But worst of all was the knowledge that he hadn’t really wanted her. She hadn’t found out yet who had put him up to it, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. She’d hinted here and there to Amanda a couple of times to see if she caved and said anything, but in the end, Neve decided Amanda didn’t know anything about Callum. That didn’t let Bethany and Crystal off the hook, however. Even so, she’d decided to let the whole thing go. If it had been Bethany or Crystal, she didn’t want Amanda to find out and feel the need to come to her rescue like always. She was a big girl, and she would handle it herself if she ever learned the truth.

More than any anger at who had set up the prank, though, she was mad at herself for being taken in by him. She should have known a guy like him wouldn’t have honestly been interested in her. A one-night stand, maybe. Possibly even a date or two just to get her into bed. But actually interested? She should have known that something was off from the moment he called her beautiful.

Never- not once – in her years of going out with the ABCs to bars, had she ever brought a guy home. Nor had she ever let one kiss her on the first date. Not that what had happened between Callum and herself had been a date. Hell, they’d barely known each other for an hour. Even so, the one thing she couldn’t deny was the weird connection they had. At least on her end.

She slammed the water bottle onto the counter and closed her eyes. What was wrong with her? Why was she letting what happened get to her? Why couldn’t she just move on?

The answer was simple. Because despite it having all been a ruse, the thought that a man like Callum McIntire might actually think she was beautiful made her head spin and her guts wrench apart.

The bell rang over the front door to the nursery, and she sucked in several deep breaths allowing the scents of her plants and flowers to soothe her mind as she planted a smile on her face and waited for the customer to come into view.

The moment he rounded the row of water hemlock, she sucked in a breath. A handsome man straight off a Marvel movie set looked around her nursery, smiling. He regarded the hemlock and chuckled, then spotted the belladonna and shook his head.

When his gaze met hers, his smile broadened. “Are you trying to kill everyone who comes in here? Or just yourself?”

She couldn’t help but smile herself. Almost everyone who walked into her nursery had no idea how deadly the majority of her plants were.

She shrugged. “I do get some annoying customers.”

He chuckled and spotted the angel trumpets growing up the wall behind her. He walked to the counter and leaned an elbow on it. “Aren’t you afraid of accidentally touching something you shouldn’t?”

“I love touching things I shouldn’t. That’s my problem.” The words fell out of her mouth before her brain registered what she was saying. Her cheeks heated like they had live wires under them, and she slammed her lips shut.

The handsome man let out a hearty laugh and stared at her for a minute, his blue eyes sparkling. “I like you.” He offered his hand. “I’m Aegeus.”

Neve shook his hand, and a small jolt like a static electricity zap stung her palm. She waited to see if the weird thing she’d pretty much convinced herself she’d imagined with Callum happened, but it didn’t.

“It’s nice to meet you, Aegeus. What brings you to the Poisoned Apple today?”

He straightened. “I was just passing by.”

Neve snorted. “Just passing by? We aren’t exactly in the middle of town.”

He shrugged. “I was touring Napa Valley, got a bit turned around, and saw this place. The name intrigued me.”

She smiled. She’d gotten more than a few tourists in the nursery before, but they usually saw that she didn’t carry easily recognizable plants and flowers and either tried to buy something they had no clue how to deal with, grabbed one of the tourist plants up front, or left as quick as they’d come. Having someone not only stay but also recognize what she was growing intrigued her. Especially someone so good-looking.

Aegeus raked his thin fingers through his wavy blond hair and looked around again. “Where did you get all these? It’s not like you can just go to home depot and buy belladonna and castor bean plants.”

“Some of them have been in my family for years. Others I’ve imported from my mom and grandmother’s relatives and connections worldwide.”

His eyebrows rose. “Impressive. And you’d just sell them?”

She chuckled. “Honestly, I’ve only sold a few to people I know personally. I can be a bit particular about my plants. Kind of the way some people are about the animals they breed. Most people go for the two racks I have up front that are just for tourists.” She pointed. “The ones in the pots with the succulents that say Napa Valley on them. I have a friend who makes the pots by hand.”

“How do you stay in business?”

She shrugged. “I sell a lot of organic seeds online and stuff. Why so nosey?”

He chuckled. “Just curious.”

“So, are you on vacation here?” she asked.

“I’m checking out the area. Never been here before.”

“Thinking of moving here?”

He smiled. “No. Just… seeing it. You know, everyone raves about how beautiful this valley is. I wanted to see if it was worth the hype.”

She studied him for a moment and wondered if he thought the hype was correct or not, but she didn’t ask. “Feel free to look around and let me know if there is anything I can help you with.”

“Can you help me decide a good place to eat dinner tonight?”

“Sure. You look like the kind of guy who would prefer a Michelin-starred restaurant for dinner.”

“Do I?”

She nodded. “Not for breakfast or lunch, but definitely for dinner. But maybe not a three-star, but better than just one they recommend. There are lots of great places here. Obviously, there are tons of wineries you can go to. But if you are looking for something else, I recommend three restaurants, depending on what you’re in the mood for. Problem is, they are usually booked out at least three to four days.”

“Which one is your favorite?”

“I prefer Italian myself.”

“Great.” He pulled out his phone, swiped at it momentarily, and then handed it to her. “Give me their information, and I’ll make us a reservation for tonight.”

She took the phone. “I just said they are booked out.”

He winked at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. Just let me know where and when.”

She typed in the information and stopped. “Wait, you said us. You didn’t mean you and me, us, did you?”

“Of course.”

Neve’s gut clenched. Part of her was charmed by Aegeus, but the other part was reminded of her interactions with Callum.

She wondered if what had transpired between them would taint all of her interactions with men moving forward.

Callum’s handsome face and intense dark eyes bore into her, making her body heat at the mere thought of him.

Stop being stupid. He was only there on a dare. This is a nice guy, good-looking, but still, a nice guy who seemed laid back and fun. That was the kind of guy she should be looking for long term. Not the dark and broody Callum McIntire who had toyed with her emotions and her sensations.

She typed in the restaurant's information and then her phone number.

“I close at six.” She handed the phone back.

“Great. I’ll get us a reservation for seven.”

She nodded, but even as she did, an excuse as to why she couldn’t go with him sat on her tongue.

No. It had been a long time since she’d been out to a nice place. And she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out with a guy as hot as Aegeus.

Callum doesn’t count. She reminded herself. He was a fake, and he didn’t take me anywhere.

So, why not let Aegeus buy her dinner? This time she would go prepared. If he turned out to be a creep, she would put a few drops of her special Best Friend’s Revenge Stomach Tincture into his food. It was her number-one best-seller online. It was all natural and had no lasting side effects, but a girl could use it if a date were going particularly bad to cause her date to not feel so well. And by not feel well, she meant it caused cramping, gas, and diarrhea. Nothing life-threatening but stuff that would definitely cause the guy to have to go to the bathroom long enough for the female to make her escape. She’d gotten dozens of thank you letters from women and men who’d had to use the tincture because they felt pressured or unsafe with their date. It made Neve feel good knowing that she may have saved someone from being attacked.

“Where should I pick you up?” he asked as she returned the phone.

She was about to give him her address when she stopped. Sure, he was hot, but she didn’t even know him. Did she really want to give her address to a stranger just because he liked her plants?

“Here,” she said.

His brows drew together. “Here at the nursery?”

She nodded. “Yep.”

He shook his head and laughed. “Okay. I will see you here at what, six forty-five?”

“Sounds good.”

Aegeus looked at her for a moment longer before walking to the front of the store. She waited for the bell over the door to ring, but when it didn’t, she looked over the counter to see him heading back toward her.

“I’ll take this.” He set a medium-sized succulent on the counter in a brightly painted yellow and orange pot.

She looked at it for a moment. “Those don’t seem like your colors.”

“They aren’t. But it’s not for me. It’s for my sister.”

Damn. Could he be sweeter? Funny, good-looking, and family oriented? He was serious husband material. Whoa! Where the hell had that come from?

Neve looked away quickly and coughed as she stared at the cash register, trying to tamp down the stupid hormones that had somehow kicked up inside her in the last week. She needed to be careful, or before she knew it, she would become a weepy mess.

She rang up his sale, and he handed her cash. She gave him his change, and again when their hands touched, a static electric jolt stung her skin.

What was with that? She looked at her palm and rubbed it.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She looked at her palm. “I think I might have gotten a pricker in my hand or something from one of the cacti.”

He nodded and picked up the little pot. “I’ll see you later.” He took two steps and then looked back. “You know, you haven’t told me your name.”

She smiled. “I’ll tell you when you pick me up.”

His straight white teeth shone brightly as he grinned. “Then I better show up.”

She shrugged. “Only if you want my name.”

His gaze intensified, and his expression grew serious for a moment. “Trust me. I want you to tell me your name.” But as soon as the intensity came, it vanished. “See you tonight.”

All she could do was nod as she watched him disappear into the greenery. When the bell over the door rang, she turned to her foster plant.

“Is it just me, or are men getting way more attractive and intense than they used to be?”

The plant didn’t answer.

“Right. You’re a plant. You don’t care about men. Sorry. I forgot.” She wiped the plant’s leaves down one more time and then decided to check her online orders.

Neve spent the rest of the day filling her online orders and packaging them to leave. A few tourists stopped in looking for directions or flowers she didn’t have. One seemed to take pity on her and buy the customary tourist succulent and pot before retreating outside.

Neve wondered why she even bothered to have a physical nursery location for the millionth time, but she just couldn’t bring herself to close her shop and the greenhouses behind it. She’d been in the building forever.

When her mom had been alive she’d had a small used bookstore and bakery. But as Napa Valley had gotten more upscale, she’d pretty much given up on her business. She’d eventually let the store remain closed more than open until Neve had offered to take over. Her mom had agreed and had sold her not only the business but the whole building for a total of one dollar. Neve had tried to protest, but her mom had told her she’d intended to leave it to Neve in her will anyway. So why try and profit beforehand?

Six months later, they found out her mom had breast cancer, and within a year, her mom was gone.

Neve’s grandmother had stayed with them off and on for the last six months of her mother’s life and had tried to convince Neve to come with her back to her house and stay with her in a small town called Ravenscroft, but Neve’s mother had insisted that Neve stay in Napa Valley.

That had been three years prior, and though every once in a while, her Gran would still try to talk her into coming to Ravencroft, Neve’s mom’s dying wish had been to make Neve promise never to, ever, go to Ravencroft. Ever.

Though Neve wasn’t sure why her mom had hated the town she’d grown up in so vehemently, she promised her mom. Until then, she’d always thought it had something to do with her birth father, but she hadn’t asked.

As Neve’s thoughts turned to her birth father, she opened her laptop and checked the site to see if she had any new bookings on the townhouse he had left her. She’d never met her father, not once, but that hadn’t stopped him from leaving her everything he’d owned -including property in downtown San Francisco. She stayed there once and a while, like she had the night after running from Callum. But most of the time, she simply rented it out. To her surprise, the rental paid quite a bit and allowed her to keep her nursery going as well as pay for the mortgage on the house she’d inherited from her mother. All of her other business paid for everything else. All in all, she knew how fortunate she was. The only thing missing in her life was… well… a life.

When her alarm went off at six p.m., Neve closed the nursery, jumped in her Jeep, and headed home to clean up and change. She hadn’t been one to fuss about how she looked for a date, but she preferred not to go on one with dirt under her nails and in her hair.

She parked in the driveway and walked into her house to be greeted by the instant meowing of an enormous cream, long-haired cat with wide blue eyes.

“Hello to you too, Murphy.”

The cat didn’t move from his position on his back on the ottoman of her mom’s favorite chair. His tail swished angrily as if letting her know it had been too long since he’d been fed.

He continued to yowl.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not even late. Why are you acting like I haven’t fed you in days, you spoiled walking carpet?”

Murphy sneezed and then growled at her.

“Yeah, whatever. It’s not like you couldn’t lose a few pounds. If you did, maybe you wouldn’t spend all day on that ottoman, and you’d actually spend a few hours on that three-hundred-dollar cat tower thing I bought you with all those hanging toys and scratching post.”

She entered the kitchen and opened the vintage fridge, pulling out some leftover chicken and rice. She knew that Murphy was a product of her own making. He’d shown up on her patio the day after her mom’s death, and she’d been so distraught she’d let him stay. Mostly because, initially, he’d let her hug him and cuddle him all she wanted. But as time had passed and her pain had diminished, he’d stopped allowing it so much until the present day when he resembled more a potato on a large red plate than a cat on an ottoman.

Neve fixed his dinner and stopped short of bringing it to him on a serving platter. Instead, she smiled and dropped it into the bowl by the back door. He hated when she made him walk all the way to the back to eat.

After listening to him meow at her as she walked down the hallway to her bedroom, she turned on the shower and stepped under the spray.

Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the shower, pulled her hair up in a clip, and walked to her closet.

She scanned her various items and bit her lip. Slowly she pushed her stuff to the side and revealed the few things of her mom’s that she’d not given to charity. Her gaze lit on one particular item. A sexy little black dress that still had the tags on it. She didn’t know how long ago her mom had bought it, but the faded label was handwritten. She ran her fingers over the dress and sighed. She really wished she’d gotten to see her mom wear it. But that would have been tough, considering her mom had never dated. Not once. Neve had seen guys come into her mom’s shop and hit on her or even ask her out, but her mom had always politely declined. Just another thing about her mother she’d never understood.

Neve pushed the dress aside and pulled out an emerald off-the-shoulder sundress that matched her eyes. She hadn’t worn it in years, but it had always been her favorite dress. Peppered with small white flowers, it accentuated her petite waist and plush curves without being overly sexual. And she loved her freckled shoulders, so showing them off a bit made her smile.

She threw on some mascara and ran a swipe of sheer peach lipstick over her full lips, and then sprayed herself with her signature scent that she’d made herself.

Afterward, she grabbed a pair of strappy sandals and returned to the kitchen. Murphy growled at her, and she bent down and pet his head anyway.

“You’re welcome for dinner, your majesty.”

She grabbed her keys off the counter as well as her purse and, at the last second, a vial of her Best Friend’s Revenge, just in case.

She headed out the front door into the warm summer evening and breathed in the fresh air. She thought about grabbing a shawl but decided not to since she was already running late.

She crunched down her gravel driveway to her Jeep and stopped when the hairs on her neck prickled.

She looked around, but all she saw up and down the street were older houses, sprinklers going off, and a few kids riding their bikes. The sensation didn’t abate, though.

Something told her to go back in the house and lock the doors, but she scoffed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had locked her doors.

She opened the door to her Jeep and shook her head. What was with her lately? She felt more paranoid than a farmer in a tin hat.

She started her Jeep and backed out of the drive. She was not going to ruin her night again. Unlike when she’d gone to the club, she would go out and have a good time. And if she didn’t, she was going to come home and down a pint of chocolate mint ice cream while binge-watching reruns of Snapped and trying to figure out new ways to commit murder without being caught – currently, she had six very viable plans. Still, a girl could always use a seventh, just in case.

CHAPTER 4

Aegeus pulled up in front of the nursery in a sleek, fast sports car. Neve rocked lightly on the porch swing that adorned the front of her store and admired how handsome he was as she exited the car and headed toward her. He’d changed into a white button-down shirt and dark slacks that fit his long legs like a second skin.

As he moved toward her with the grace and ease of a panther, she wondered what it would be like to strip the pants from his body and run her hands over every lean muscle of him. She decided he had to have great legs. The legs of a cyclist or maybe a soccer player. She hadn’t really seen him from the back, but she could tell he would have a great rear to accompany those long legs.

“Wow,” he said as he approached her. “You look amazing.”

Neve’s cheeks heated. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”

He chuckled and brushed a stray blond hair from his eyes. She noticed his expensive watch, and from under his open white shirt, a necklace with a small medallion peeked out, but she couldn’t tell what it was.

He held out his hand to her. “We should go so we aren’t late.”

She nodded, and as she swung forward, she held out her hand, and he pulled her to her feet and she propelled forward and smashed right into his chest. A long, strong arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her.

He looked down, and his bright blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “Sorry about that. Guess I don’t know my own strength.”

She pushed away from him lightly. “I’m pretty sure you know exactly how strong you are. If you want to hug me in the future, just ask.”

He chuckled. “Okay. Can I have a hug?”

She snorted. “You just got one.”

“I want another.”

“Let’s see how dinner goes.”

He nodded and held out his hand to her again. “Fair enough.”

She looked at his hand dubiously.

“I promise to be good.”

He winked, and she wasn’t sure she fully believed him, but she took his hand anyway. Again a tiny zap zipped through her hand.

Aegeus opened her door for her, and she slid into the car that was so low to the ground that she felt like she was almost sitting on the road itself.

He jogged over to his side and climbed in. Pushing a button, the car purred to life. As her short legs scrunched up in the small space, she decided she definitely preferred her Jeep.

She looked over at Aegeus as they pulled from the curb.

“I have no clue how you can drive this thing.”

He glanced at her. “What do you mean? Because it’s a gas guzzler?”

“I couldn’t care less about that. My Jeep is a gas hog too. I mean, because it’s so cramped in here, and your legs are, what, two miles long?”

He smiled. “I make it work. But it’s not the most comfortable vehicle, that’s for sure.”

“Then why did you get it?”

“It’s not mine. I’m just borrowing it from a friend.”

“A friend in Napa Valley?”

He smiled at her. “No. A friend from home.”

She thought for a minute. “So why exactly are you checking out Napa? I get that you wanted to see it, but there has to be something more.”

“I’m on business.”

“But, why would you check out a place you don’t live in a car that is neither comfortable nor gas efficient? Are you trying to impress someone?”

He looked over at her and smiled. “Maybe.”

Something about the look he gave made the hairs on her neck tingle.

Neve, you’re being stupid. He didn’t even know you, so why in the world would he be trying to impress you?

They drove the five minutes into town in silence, and when they pulled up to the valet at the restaurant, Aegeus insisted on opening the door for her himself.

Neve stepped out, and again he took her hand and led her to the entrance. Something about how he kept taking her hand both endeared and unsettled her. Like he was trying to be a gentleman but also claim her at the same time. It was a strange sensation.

Stop overthinking it!

They walked into the restaurant, and Neve’s stomach growled as the scents of garlic and tomatoes hit her. Man, when was the last time she’d had a decent meal? Probably three months ago, when Gran had come to visit.

They were shown to their table, and the waitress handed them two menus. “Would you like to start with some wine?” she asked, eyes on Aegeus.

Neve couldn’t stop the small trickle of annoyance that ran through her as the waitress stared at him like she was screwing him in her head.

“Uh, whatever you recommend.” He smiled at her politely and then looked at Neve. “Wait, aren’t we supposed to pick the wine based on the meal or something? Sorry, I don’t drink wine, so I have no clue.”

Neve smiled. “I’m not much of a drinker myself. Of wine, that is. I prefer a good beer or a soda, to be honest.”

Aegeus looked at the waitress again. “Forget the wine. Bring us two beers, please.”

The waitress looked between them like Aegeus had spoken in gibberish, and then she nodded. “Uh, sure.”

“And breadsticks, please,” said Neve.

The waitress nodded and then walked away, looking completely perplexed.

“Why do I get the feeling I just broke her brain?” Aegeus joked.

Neve snorted. “It did kind of look that way.”

“So you don’t know anything about wines?” he asked. “How is that possible if you grew up in Napa Valley?”

She shrugged. “Never really saw the use for it. I mean, to me, they all pretty much taste the same. To be honest, I prefer an amazing grape juice to wine. Or a ginger ale and cranberry juice.”

“So you like sweet things?” he mused.

“I guess I do.”

He nodded.

The waitress brought them two bottles of local pale ale and set them on the table next to two frosted mugs. She placed a basket of breadsticks in front of Neve. “Are you ready to order?”

“I’ll have the chicken parmesan with extra spaghetti on the side with two meatballs, please.”

The waitress nodded and looked at Aegeus.

“Same.”

“And for a salad?” she asked Neve.

Neve shook her head. “I try not to eat my friends. I’ll have the soup.”

The waitress looked at her perplexed again, and when Aegeus ordered the same, the woman left.

“We have to stop doing that,” said Aegeus. “Or she might run screaming from the building.”

Neve took a swig of her beer. It wasn’t bad. She made a mental note of the brand.

“How did you get us in here?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Apparently, they had a sudden cancellation.”

“Huh.” Neve doubted very highly someone canceled at the last minute. Moreover, she got the feeling Aegeus either persuaded them to give him a table or threw some money their way. He obviously wasn’t hurting in that area.

“So,” said Aegeus. “You told me you were going to tell me your name.”

“Did I?”

“You did. As a matter of fact, you said you would tell me when I picked you up.”

Neve nodded. “Busted. My name is Neve.”

“Neve. Means snow. I like it.”

“Well, thank you. If you didn’t, that would just be too bad because I’m not changing it.”

He smiled and twirled his beer bottle. They stared at each other for a minute, and Neve’s heartbeat quickened.

“So,” she finally said. “What kind of business are you in?”

Aegeus shrugged. “This and that.”

“Ah.”

He cocked his head slightly to the side. “What do you mean? Ah?”

“It just means that I understand.”

“You understand what?” His eyebrows scrunched together.

“Your answer means one of three things.”

“What three things?”

“Either, a, you have so much money that you don’t have a real job and can afford to play around with your life. Or, b, you don’t want to tell me what you do because you don’t know or trust me. Or, c, you are in the mafia or are a spy, and if you told me what you really did, you’d have to kill me afterward.”

Aegeus laughed heartily and then picked up his beer and swigged. He set it back on the table and wiped his mouth with his cloth napkin.

“I like you, Neve.” He smiled. “You’re…”

“Annoying?”

He thought for a moment. “Different. I like different.”

“Are you tired of dating vapid fake women who are content to be arm candy?”

“Is that the kind of woman you think I would enjoy spending time with?” His expression grew serious.

She studied him briefly and what she knew about him so far. “No,” she finally said. “I think you prefer women with a brain and a backbone.”

He nodded and lifted his beer, tipping it to her. “I thank you for the compliment, and you are correct.”

“If that’s the kind of woman you like, how am I different?”

He swigged his beer. “Maybe different wasn’t the correct word. I think what I meant was you are a breath of fresh air. You are smart, witty, an open book, and completely, utterly, unabashedly yourself.”

“And the women you know aren’t?”

He snorted. “No. The women I know are smart and cunning, but they all put on a show. A mask, if you will. They always have something up their sleeve. An agenda. And they will do whatever they can to achieve it. But you… You’re just… you.”

“Yup… I sure am.” She peeled the label of her bottle, imagining him at Meta Galas and celebrity parties. That was so not her scene. She picked up a breadstick and began chewing it when the hairs on her neck prickled again, and her throat dried. The restaurant door opened, and a tall man with dark hair and eyes wearing a black suit walked in. She almost choked and had to take several swallows of her beer to get the breadstick down.

What the hell was he doing there? What were the odds? Had Crystal or Bethany told him where she lived? Even if they had, how would he have known she would be in that restaurant? She remembered the sensation of being watched from earlier, and her anger flared.

He scanned the restaurant, and his gaze landed directly on her. Neve turned away and gulped the rest of her beer.

“Are you okay?” asked Aegeus.

Crap. Crap. Crap. What did she do?

Neve tried to figure out what to say when suddenly she felt him beside her. She looked up into Callum’s face. An angry expression crossed his features as his eyes flashed.

“Neve.”

She gave a weak smile. “Hello.”

Aegeus looked between them. “You two know each other?”

“We were together a few nights ago,” said Callum.

Neve’s skin heated at the memory of their passionate kisses, and then she looked at Callum. “I think you mean we met a few nights ago. Not that we spent the night together.”

“We did spend the night together.”

Neve’s skin heated further, and she looked at Aegeus. “It’s not like he is making it sound. Yes, we met and spent talked at a bar in San Francisco. That’s all.”

Callum cocked an eyebrow. “That’s all?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “How did you find me? Did someone set this up too?”

“Yes,” said Aegeus. “How did you find us, Callum? I am most interested to know.”

“The same way I’m sure you found her, Aegeus.”

Neve opened her mouth but paused as the two men stared each other down. “Hold the phone. You two know each other?”

Aegeus nodded. “Callum is my cousin.”

“Third cousin,” Callum corrected.

Aegeus shrugged. “Blood is blood, Cousin.”

Neve’s heart hammered. This couldn’t be happening. What were the odds? No. Something wasn’t right. She should have known it from the start. Two good-looking guys wanting to get to know her in one week? That hadn’t happened to her in all of her twenty-six years.

Neve stood. “You know what? I’ve lost my appetite. Callum, feel free to take my place, and you two can… compare notes about whatever it is you are both doing here.”

Neve grabbed her purse, and Aegeus jumped to his feet.

“Neve, wait. Where are you going?”

“I’ve already been mortified once by Callum. That was more than enough. I have no clue what is going on here. All I know is that I don’t do not want any part of it.”

“Part of what?” Aegeus asked.

Callum stepped closer to her. “Neve, I went after you and tried to explain. If you would just listen-”

She held up her hands. “Look. I don’t know what game you are playing, either of you, but leave me out of it.” Neve headed for the door.

She’d just gotten outside when someone lightly touched her hand, and electricity flowed up her arm.

She spun around to see Callum right behind her. Over his should her, she caught sight of Aegeus talking to the waitress, who was holding a tray of food. He pulled out his wallet.

“Neve-”

“Don’t.” She pulled away from him. “I don’t want to hear it. I just want you both to leave me the hell alone. You know what hurts the worst, Callum? I knew from the moment you sat at my table that you were too good to be true, but I gave you a chance anyway.”

She stomped away from the entrance of the restaurant and down the street. Callum caught up with her and stepped in her path. She sidestepped him, but he blocked her again. She tried stepping the other way, and again he got in her way.

“Will you get out of my way?” she yelled.

“I can’t,” he said. “Believe me, I wish I could, but I can’t.”

“There are other girls you can screw with. Go find one of them.”

“I’m not screwing with you,” he protested. “I swear.”

Callum looked over her shoulder, and in his moment of distraction, she raced around him and headed down the street.

“Neve!” Callum called.

Damn. Déjà vu much?

She ducked into a crowd of tourists looking up at one of the historical buildings and stepped in front of a man twice her size so she couldn’t be seen from behind. She heard two sets of footsteps running down the sidewalk, and when the group moved on, she moved with them for a moment and then ducked into a small yarn shop and closed the door quickly behind herself.

She peered out the window, looking for Callum and Aegeus. She couldn’t stay long in the shop. She was sure that if she did, they would find her eventually.

“Neve?”

She turned to see the shop owner coming out of the back room. Gladys was a thin older woman in her seventies, the size of a hobbit who had been a friend of Neve’s mother.

“Hello, Gladys. How are you?” she said, out of breath.

Gladys smiled, revealing dimples on her pixie-like crinkly face. “I’m good, dear. How are you?”

Neve looked out the window again. “I’m doing okay.”

Gladys looked her up and down and then looked out the window. “Are you on a date?”

Neve sighed. “I thought I was. But it turns out I am just some joke between two cousins.”

Gladys nodded and looked out the window again. “Do those two cousins happen to be blond and tall and dark and handsome?”

Neve opened her mouth to say something just as Gladys shoved her harder than Neve thought her capable of. Neve went down into a gigantic basket of yarn with an oomph just as Gladys locked the front door and flipped the closed sign.

A knock sounded on the glass of the door.

“Did you see a girl in a green dress?” Aegeus’ voice floated through the door.

Neve stayed planted in the basket, on the floor.

Gladys pointed to her ear and waved at Aegeus.

“A girl,” said Callum. “Short. Wild red hair. Green dress with little flowers?”

He’d noticed the little flowers on her dress? That was strange. They’d barely seen each other for more than a couple of minutes.

Again Gladys pointed to her ear and smiled. “Sorry, we’re closed. I can’t hear you.”

“A girl,” Aegeus yelled. “Red hair. Green dress. Short.”

Gladys nodded. “Yes. Yes. We’ll be open again tomorrow at ten a.m. unless my arthritis starts acting up again. Then it might be a bit later. But I close for lunch usually, so if it’s too close to lunchtime, I might not open until one. Of course, sometimes-”

“Thank you,” Callum yelled through the door. “Have a good night.”

“No. I didn’t see the fight,” said Gladys. “I’m not much of a boxing fan. I prefer hockey. Sometimes I watch soccer, but only if there’s nothing else on.”

A moment passed, and then another, and finally, Gladys pulled down the shade at the front door and over the large front window.

When she finished, she walked to Neve and looked down. “Now. Don’t you think you should tell me why you are hiding in my wool heavyweight skeins instead of being out on a hot date with one of those two fine specimens?”

Neve blew out a breath. “Honestly,” she said. “I am not entirely sure.”

CHAPTER 5

“You jackass!” Aegeus pushed Callum in the chest. “You ruined everything.”

Callum sniffed. “You think I’m gonna let you and your coven have her? You’re crazy.”

“Better than you and your sadistic brother.”

Callum’s anger flared, and so did his magic as sparks tingled his fingertips. He stepped closer to Aegeus. “Say that again.”

Aegeus stared at him for a moment and then backed down. “You know it’s the truth. And you know you and I are both just pawns in our family’s games. You with Reagan and me with my father.”

Callum’s anger continued to soar. He couldn’t understand why Neve affected him the way she did. He’d spent days watching her, following her, unable to get her out of his head. And when he’d seen Aegeus go into the nursery, he’d almost exploded the car he’d been driving. Instead, he’d waited and watched until Aegeus had left. He’d thought that was the end of it, but he should have known better. Seeing Neve in the simple yet sexy dress and watching her enter Aegeus’ car had caused him to almost lose it. But then he’d watched them through the window. Neve had looked so happy. So free. Expressions she hadn’t had when he’d been with her just days before. Knowing that Aegeus had been able to give her that and he hadn’t made him want to punch Aegeus in the face more than he had when they were thirteen, and Aegeus had convinced him to go skinny dipping at the lake and then had taken off with his clothes as an entire group of teen witches from the Sisterhood of the Silver Flame had showed up to also go swimming.

He noticed several couples had stopped to watch the exchange between him and Aegeus.

He relaxed his shoulders and shook out his hands, flicking off the magic that had accumulated on them. The last thing they needed was a video of them going at each other showing up on the Internet.

Aegeus looked over Callum’s shoulder and then smiled and clapped Callum on the shoulder before laughing.

The concerned citizens continued on their way.

“Look,” said Aegeus. “We both blew it with her. But I have more of a chance of making amends than you do at this point. Give it a day, and then I’ll go in, tail between my legs, and try and win her back.”

Callum rolled Aegeus’ hand off his shoulder. “And why would I let you do that?”

“What choice do we have at this point? I only assume you are here for the same reason I am. Your coven found out about her, and Reagan wants to get her to your side before her grandmother loses her powers, and she becomes the next Supreme of Ravencroft.”

Callum crossed his arms over his chest. “Reagan doesn’t just want her on his side. He wants her at his side.”

“Well, that sure as hell isn’t going to happen. You really think she is going to put up with your brother?”

“And your dad wants to just bring her in and treat her like a daughter, I suppose. After all he’s done to your sister? Are you really going to let him get his hooks into Neve? Even you can’t be that cruel.”

For the first time Aegeus’ eyes flashed. Callum knew Sonora was a sensitive subject with Aegeus, but it didn’t mean he was wrong. Callum’s father had broken Sonora’s mind by pushing her magic too far.

“Looks like we are at an impasse then,” said Aegeus. “You don’t want me to win her over. And I don’t want you to. So where does that leave us, Cousin?”

Callum thought for a long minute. It was true he didn’t want Aegeus’ father to have her, but if he was being honest, he didn’t want his brother Reagan to have her either. Hell, the thought of anyone else having her made his magic swirl.

“Do you have feelings for her?” Aegeus finally asked.

“Do you?” Callum threw back.

Aegeus shrugged. “She’s pretty. And funny. And smart. So damn smart…” Aegeus trailed off, and half smiled as if remembering something.

Callum’s magic surged again at the thought of Aegeus’ hands on Neve. Him kissing her. Damn. He should have gone to her days ago and forced her to listen. Not that he could have told her the real truth. But he had worked up half a decent story.

Aegeus’ gaze snapped back to Callum, and he chuckled. “You should see your face. If we were in Ravencroft, I am pretty sure you would be trying to burn my face off with that magic swirling around your fingers.”

“So you do want her,” Callum said.

Aegeus took a deep breath. “I think I do.”

If he wanted her, and Aegeus wanted her, he could work with that.

“Then we are agreed,” said Callum. “We both want her. This means we will do everything possible to keep her safe from our covens, our families, and the other coven.”

Aegeus’ eyes darkened. “We must keep her from the Sisterhood of the Silver Flame at all costs.”

“Agreed.”

“Keeping her from our covens and leaders is one thing, but we still have the biggest problem of all,” said Aegeus.

“What’s that?”

“Keeping her grandmother from finding out.”

Callum smiled. “Gretchen rarely leaves Ravencroft. As long as she stays here. And as long as we work together to keep her away from everyone else in Ravencroft, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Aegeus nodded.

“All right,” said Callum. “I’m gonna go see her.” He turned away, but Aegeus grabbed his arm.

“Do you really think that’s such a good idea?”

“Why not?”

Aegeus laughed. “She didn’t seem too happy to see you in the restaurant. In fact, she ran from you if I remember correctly.”

Callum pulled away and folded his arms. “She ran from you too.”

“Yes, but this is going to take finesse. And last time I looked, gentleness and humility weren’t words in your vocabulary.”

Callum growled. “I can be gentle.”

Aegeus cocked an eyebrow. “I’ll take your word for it. But diplomacy and tact are something I’m known for. It’s why I’ve survived as long as I have in my coven and with my father. So, let me take this one.” Aegeus placed his hand over his heart. “I promise I won’t do anything with her that you wouldn’t do.”

Callum glared at him, and Aegeus laughed out loud.

He didn’t like it, but he had to be honest; Aegeus was right. If he went to her, he’d probably make a mess of things by trying to kiss her, or yell at her to make her listen, or both. Probably both.

“Fine. But not tonight.”

“Why? You afraid I might be asked to spend the night?”

His cousin had always known how to push his buttons. As kids they had been close. But the older they’d gotten, the more their covens had pulled them apart until they had become no more than emissaries to each other. But there was still part of Callum that missed his friendship with his cousin. They’d been close as brothers.

“I’ll stop teasing you,” said Aegeus. “But we are going to have to work together on this, which means we are going to have to trust each other.”

“I’ve always trusted you,” Callum said without thinking.

Aegeus’ eyes widened a fraction at the news. “And I you, Cal.” A moment passed between them, and it was like they were eight years old again, exchanging blood and magic and promising to be best friends forever.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go see her,” said Aegeus.

“What are you going to tell her?”

Aegeus shrugged. “I’ll think of something.”

“We need to get our stories straight.”

“True.” Aegeus nodded. “Well, then, we better go get a drink and figure out a plausible explanation for why we both showed up in her life and suddenly wanted to date her.”

Callum nodded. “Fine. But you’re buying.”

The two headed down the street back toward the bars and restaurants.

“Why me?” asked Aegeus.

“Because it was your idea.”

Aegeus shook his head. “And this is why I am going to make up the story we tell her and go to see her tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Because you have no imagination at all.”

CHAPTER 6

Aegeus dressed down to see Neve. A casual white t-shirt and jeans weren’t his favorite, but they would be less formal and make him appear more open and accessible. Clothing had always been something he’d been meticulous about. Others in his coven hadn’t cared much, but he had. His appearance had gone a long way in his job for his father- and not just his good looks, though that had also helped. More than once, he’d been able to get close to someone just because of his looks and money, but he hated using either, which was, he assumed, the reason he enjoyed being with Neve so much.

He’d never been himself with a woman before. He’d never felt like he was able to. But Neve was… so different. So real. And she called him on any BS he might spew, which he could not begin to explain how much he appreciated. Being the son of the ruling warlock of the Blue Moon Coven tended to have people fawning over him and trying to gain favor. But he knew that was due to his position in the coven and his father’s tendency to be utterly ruthless with anyone he even potentially found threatening. Hell, the only reason he hadn’t sent Aegeus to kill Neve instead of winning her to their side of the coven war was because of her grandmother. Though Neve didn’t know it, her grandmother Gretchen was the Grand Supreme Witch of all America. She could kill you with a whisper. And when she died, Neve would inherit her powers as the last living heir to their family bloodline. And that was why his father, and Callum’s older brother Reagan, wanted her so badly.

They’d only found out about Neve’s existence three months prior when his father had made him follow Gretchen from Ravencroft to see where she went every six months. Obviously, he hadn’t been the only one who had followed.

Aegeus straightened his hair in the mirror, and his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He walked to it and recognized the number immediately.

“Hi Sonny. How are you today?”

“Did you know that ducks can close one eye and put half their brain to sleep while keeping the other half awake?” His sister’s voice held a childlike glee.

He smiled. “I didn’t.”

“It’s called unihemispheric or slow-wave sleep. It’s so ducks can watch for predators.”

“That’s crazy.” He fastened his watch to his wrist.

“Do you think I could learn to do that,” she whispered.

Aegeus stopped. “Why would you need to do that, Sonny?”

“So I can keep a watch out for him while I sleep. So he doesn’t come in and get me.”

Aegeus’ gut clenched, and so did his throat. “I won’t let that happen. I protect you, remember.”

“Yeah… yeah… But what if you aren’t here? Like last night. You weren’t here last night. Your bed is made.”

The worry in her voice made Aegeus grip his phone tighter. The things his father had done to his older sister were enough to tear a weaker witch to pieces. But with Sonora, they’d only ripped her mind apart.

“I told you I was going away for a couple days.”

“Away. Away. Never coming back to play.”

“No, Sonny. I am coming back. I’ll be back soon.”

There was yelling from the other side of the phone, and Sonora gasped.

“What the hell are you doing in here? You’re supposed to be in your room,” came a deep male voice.

“I… I… needed to check,” Sonora’s voice shook.

Anger flared inside Aegeus, and bright red sparks shot off his fingertips, singing the vanity top.

Sonora whimpered.

“Sonny, hand him the phone.”

There was a shuffle and a muffled ‘shit’ from the other end.

A moment passed, and then, “Hello?”

“What the hell do you think you are doing with my sister?” he barked. “I told you to watch her. To keep her safe. Not to treat her as a prisoner.”

“I… I’m sorry, Aegeus,” said Seth.

“If I find one mark on her body, or she tells me you did a single mean thing to her, I will flay you alive. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“If she wants to spend every freaking moment until I get back in my room, then you better let her. What’s mine is hers. So if she wants to take everything out of my room and put it in hers, or if she wants to jump on my bed and make a fort out of my sheets on the floor, you better just let her do it. Got it?” He held his phone so tight the glass cracked in his hand.

“Of course.”

“Your job is to keep her away from my father and to make sure she is safe. Nothing more.”

“I understand.”

“Give the phone back to her.”

Aegeus took a deep breath. He hated that he’d had to leave Sonora in Seth’s care, but her best friend Elenore had come down with the flu right before he’d left, and there hadn’t been anyone else he thought he could trust. Seth was a new member of the coven, and, so far, had been no more than an ass-kissing, suck up. It pissed Aegeus off to know that it had all been an act. And Aegeus planned on dealing with Seth accordingly when he returned to Ravencroft.

“Aeg? Are you mad?” she asked timidly.

“Not at you, Sis. Not at you.”

“Promise?” she squeaked.

Tears lit his eyes. His sister used to be the strongest witch in his coven. Beautiful and vibrant, every warlock had wanted her. To see her broken had just about crushed him. Ever since the night she’d been left screaming and clawing at the walls in her room more than five years ago, he’d taken on full responsibility for her and her care.

“I promise, promise.”

“Okay.”

“Sonny, you stay in my room as long as you want. Do whatever you want in there. If anyone says you can’t, you tell them I said my room is your room.”

“Right.” She paused. “I’ll be a duck in your room and sleep with only half my brain.”

A tear leaked from his eye. “I’ll be home soon, and then you won’t have to be a duck anymore, okay?”

“Okay. Bye now.”

She hung up before he could reply. He looked at himself in the mirror. He had to make Neve believe him. He needed her. Not for his dad. He needed her for himself and Sonny. If he could get Neve on his side, by his side, he could protect Sonny, himself, and all of them… for good.

Aegeus rolled up to the front of the nursery and stopped a few spots from the front. He was pretty sure Neve couldn’t see out the front window of the store with all the greenery, but he didn’t want to take the chance. If she saw his car, he was pretty sure she would run again.

He rehearsed what he would say twice before heading for the entrance.

Two women walked out the door, holding two medium-sized tourist pots just like the one he’d gotten for Sonny. He nodded and smiled, and they giggled as they passed and walked down the sidewalk, glancing back over their shoulders at him. Usually Aegeus would have taken the opportunity to flirt with them, but he had more important things to do – and more important people to them with.

He let the door close behind him and paused, listening for any other customers, but he only heard the faint sound of a radio playing, possibly in a back room. He took a deep breath and headed for the counter. He caught a glimpse of her bright cascade of hair first. She had her back turned to him and was watering a large jimsonweed plant.

He waited momentarily, taking in another flowy dress that hugged her waist and flared out over her round hips and backside, leading to her bare feet. He’d never dated a voluptuous girl before, but just the thought of laying against those soft curves had him needing to adjust himself.

He cleared his throat. “Neve?”

She looked over her shoulder, a smile lighting up her beautifully freckled face until she recognized him, and her smile dropped. She turned back to her plant.

“Neve. I would like to explain.”

She didn’t answer.

“It isn’t what you think.”

She slammed down her watering can and rounded on him. “And what exactly do I think?”

“Well… uh…” All the words he’d practiced in the hotel room and the car eluded him as he took in the beautiful angry expression that graced her features. Damn, she was a hot little spitfire.

“Yes?” She cocked an eyebrow.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he admitted.

She nodded. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m over it. So you can just leave.” She turned back to her plant, but instead of watering it, she placed her palms on the counter and took a deep breath.

“Neve-”

She spun around again. “If you do not leave right now, I will shove my deadly nightshade plant down your throat.”

He couldn’t help the desperation that crept over him. For some reason, her rejection stung more than he’d anticipated. And not just because he needed her on his side but because he wanted her on his side. At his side.

“If you would just hear me out.”

She huffed and stomped through a swinging door to the back.

He couldn’t give up. He strode to the door and pushed it inward. The back room was full of long wooden tables with plants, seedlings, and grow lights. One wall was filled with various bottles and vials, jars of seeds, and liquids. The scents of wet soil and herbs filled his nostrils.

She huffed. “I’m calling the sheriff.”

He had to make her listen. “You can call them, but I am not leaving until you hear me out. I’ll go if you don’t like what I have to say. I promise.”

He took two steps forward, and she grabbed a pair of pruning shears and pointed them toward him.

His magic flared, and he was tempted to throw up a protective shield. Instead, he stopped. He stared at her, and her eyes flashed but then softened. He took another step toward her and then another. By the last step, he stood with the sheers pressing into his t-shirt. Neither moved, but her breathing came in and out in tiny shallow rasps. Aegeus gripped the blades of the sheers and twisted them to the side. She let go without any fight. A surge of heat passed between them, and he felt it. Deep inside her, locked away, she possessed magic. It explained her affinity for plants. Somehow, some way, her magic had been buried deep inside her, but it was there.

He stepped closer, and she backed into the table behind her.

“Stop.” The word came out soft and breathy.

“I just want you to listen.”

“My hearing is just fine. I don’t need you this close for me to hear you.”

Aegeus moved a fraction closer and ran his fingers down her bare arm. “But I want to make sure I have your undivided attention.”

She swallowed hard, and bumps erupted on her skin. She licked her plump bottom lip, and Aegeus’ pants grew too tight again. Damn. So feisty but so innocent. The combination was intoxicating.

“I feel like an idiot,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because you and your cousin are obviously playing some kind of game, and I’m the idiot who fell for it and thought both of you might actually like me.”

He stopped stroking her arm and leaned closer to her. “Neve, I do like you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here. This isn’t a game. Not for me, and not for Callum. I can’t speak to what happened between the two of you, but I can say it wasn’t because he was being told to do anything. He genuinely likes you.”

She shook her head. “This makes no sense. Neither of you make sense. How can I trust what you are saying?”

“Have I lied to you so far?”

She shrugged, and her hair fell off her shoulder, revealing the adorable freckles he’d wanted to trace his lips over the night before.

“I haven’t. I promise. Everything I’ve told you is the truth.”

She blew out a breath. “Words are easy to say. Actions are harder to disguise.”

“Then let me show you I’m not lying.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How?”

Aegeus moved slowly until their bodies were almost touching. He slid his palms up both of her arms, and her cheeks and throat took on the beautiful peachy shade of blush that reminded him of the beautiful peonies his mother used to love.

He ran his hands up her throat and into her thick, soft locks. He moved in and pressed his lips lightly to hers. He licked the seam of her lips, and for a moment, she didn’t move. But then he felt her hands move to his waist, and her lips parted.

Aegeus kissed her harder, exploring her mouth with his tongue. She returned his kisses with her own as her hands gripped his belt.

He pulled her closer, and her arms circled his waist, and her fingers sank into his back pockets.

Aegeus groaned, unable to think. He could taste her magic on her tongue. It tasted like a lemon meringue pie. Sweet, but with a puckering bite at the end.

A slam of the front door pulled Aegeus’ attention.

“Aegeus!” Callum yelled. “Neve!”

Anger planted on Neve’s face. “You brought him with you?”

“No. I swear.”

“Then what the hell is he doing here?”

*.*.*.*.*

Neve’s head swam. What the hell was wrong with her? Was she that lonely, or was she just weak? Either way, she was an idiot for kissing Aegeus. For even listening to him. Hell, for not just calling the police and telling them he was a burglar, or a kidnapper, or… a kiss stealer.

The backroom door swung inward, and Callum stood panting in the doorway, looking as sexy as ever in a black t-shirt and tailored leather jacket.

Damn. Seriously? She needed to stop seeing him as sexy and see him for what he was, a liar.

He looked between them. Neve dropped her hands from Aegeus’ waist, but there was nowhere for her to go as he had her pinned to the table, his fists still in her hair.

“What is it?” Aegeus turned to Callum.

“They’re here.” He looked through the little window of the backroom door to the front of the store. The bell rang over the entrance, and Callum rolled out of the way of the window.

“Do you have a back way out of here?” Callum asked.

She blinked. “What is going on?”

Callum looked to Aegeus. “How much did you explain? You know, before you started sucking her face?” Was that jealousy in his voice?

“Hey!” Neve interjected.

“I didn’t get a chance,” said Aegeus. “I needed to get her to trust me first.”

“What?” Neve pushed him away.

Aegeus held up his hand. “No. Not like that. I swear. I was trying to prove that I really like you and that you can trust what I say. As Cher says, It’s in his kiss.”

Neve shook her head, and the bell rang at the front counter.

Everyone froze.

“You should have just let me do it,” said Callum.

“We discussed it. You are like a human wrecking ball. If I’d let you do it, she’d be more confused than ever. And you’d probably be trying to peel her clothes off too.”

“Yeah, well, I prefer the Band-Aid to come off quickly rather than to prolong the pain. And besides, Neve and I haven’t had six dates yet.” Callum looked at her pointedly.

“What?” Aegeus asked.

“Would you two knock it off and tell me what is happening?” said Neve.

The bell at the front counter rang again, and then someone called her name. “Neve, honey?”

Neve froze, and her head grew fuzzy.

Suddenly Callum was in front of her, a firm hand on her upper arm. “What’s wrong?”

She looked up into his dark eyes and then at Aegeus. “I… That’s my mother’s voice.”

Callum and Aegeus shared a look.

“We need to go.” Aegeus grabbed her hand.

“Neve Ann Marie, where are you, my Sunshine?”

The chill that ran through Neve went straight to her bones, and the air whooshed out of her lungs. Her gaze when to the door separating them from the front of her nursery.

Aegeus grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. “It’s not her. It’s a trick.”

His stern but handsome face swam in and out of view as a wave of dizziness overtook her.

“Crap,” he said. “She’s being swayed.”

Callum nodded. “You take them. I’ll get her home.”

Neve looked between the men, unable to make her mouth work. She wanted to go to her mother. She needed to go to her mother.

Aegeus kissed her forehead and then headed for the door. She blinked several times, unable to believe what she was seeing. Aegeus’ hands began to glow bright red, and then a ball of red flame formed in his hand. He opened the swinging door and threw the glowing orb at a group of people standing at her counter. The people shouted and scattered.

Callum pulled her against his chest and mumbled something into her hair, and suddenly her senses shot back to normal.

“What the hell?” She tried to push against his chest, but his hard-muscled body refused to move.

He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. His dark eyes glowed with inner light, and the contact with him made her body go all warm and tingly like it had before.

“Back exit. Where?” he barked.

“What the hell are you guys?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “Safety first, answers second. Now do you want to get out of here by the door or by me blowing a hole in the wall and ruining your imported plants?”

She shoved his hand from her face. Aegeus may have asked her to forgive Callum for whatever was happening, but that didn’t mean he got to treat her like a child.

A flash of light burst through the swinging door blowing it off its hinges and throwing it straight at them.

Callum grabbed her and wrapped his body around hers, shielding her. Instinctively Neve screamed and held onto him. He rolled them out of the way a split second before the door stopped right where they’d been standing.

“Find the girl!” Someone yelled.

Callum’s eye glowed brighter. “We need to go. Now.”

A thrill ran through her as Callum’s face loomed mere inches from hers.

She kissed him hard and fast. What the hell is wrong with you, Neve Ann Marie? You could have died.

His eyes widened.

“Behind us,” she managed. “Back left side of the building.”

Without a word Callum swept her into his arms and ran for the back of the store room.

“I have legs,” she said. “I can run.”

“I know,” he said. “You disappeared quite nicely last night. But this requires something a bit different.”

He raced through the rows of plants and flowers, and Neve was forced to wrap her arms around his neck to keep from slipping from his grip. When they got to the back door, he kicked it open.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to put a hole in my building.”

A scream rang out behind them, and an explosion sent her wall of tinctures and oils shattering everywhere.

“Now wait just one minute!” Neve struggled in Callum’s arms, trying to get him to set her down. Attacking her was one thing, but her plants were completely innocent in whatever was going on.

Callum looked behind them. “Shit. Okay, plan C.” He closed his eyes and began chanting.

“You better be praying for whoever is in my shop because I’m about to murder them,” she said.

He continued for a moment longer, and then a blue light appeared before them. Neve’s jaw dropped as the blue light widened, and a picture appeared inside it. A picture of her living room. Murphy lay on the ottoman, completely asleep.

“What the-”

“Hell,” Callum finished. “You’ve asked that a few times.”

She was about to make a smart comeback when he stepped straight into the blue light, and with a zap, they were suddenly standing in her living room. Murphy jumped up and hissed before running off faster than she thought capable and jumping up the cat tree to peer at them from the top.

Callum set her on her feet. “Stay here.”

Neve opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Callum walked back through the hole, moving through the plants and out of sight.

Neve stared at the portal into her store and shook her head. What. Was. Happening? It wasn’t possible. She had not just walked straight from her store room into her front room five miles away. She had not just seen Aegeus throw a red light ball. And Callum’s eyes didn’t glow bright blue. None of that was real. It couldn’t be.

A streak of red shot through her backroom and hit the wall leaving a singed mark the size of a baseball on the wall.

“Oh no you don’t!” She stomped toward the portal.

There was shouting from the other side, and then Aegeus came rushing toward the portal with Callum’s arm slung over his shoulder. Callum held his side and winced as they moved.

Her gut clenched.

They were about to step through the portal when a woman appeared behind them, a dark cloak obscuring her face. When she spotted Neve, she stopped and stretched out her hand.

“My Sunshine.”

That icy chill ran over her again. The woman moved toward the portal, her hand outstretched.

“Come with me, Sunshine. I miss you so much.”

Neve froze as the woman moved closer and closer to the portal.

Aegeus looked over his shoulder. “Callum, close it!”

Callum stretched out his hand and pulled it into a fist, and the blue circle snapped shut in a shower of sparks.

Aegeus plopped Callum onto the couch, walked to Neve, and gripped her shoulders.

“Are you all right?”

She let out a shrill laugh and then clapped her hand over her mouth. “No. Not one bit.”

Callum groaned, and Neve rushed to him. There was a singed hole in his black t-shirt the size of a softball. She lightly picked up the hem of his shirt and lifted it. It had burnt into the wound’s edges, but the shirt pulled away easily as the burnt edges disintegrated.

She looked into his face, which seemed on the edge of ashen. “This is bad.”

He sucked in a ragged breath. “Yeah, I gathered that.”

She took a deep breath and stood. “I have something that will help.” She rushed into the kitchen and threw open her medicine cupboard. She moved her vials around until she found the tin of salve she was looking for. Then she grabbed a bottle and some gauze before returning to the living room.

“Can’t you just use a healing spell and fix me?” Callum asked.

“I could try, but then I might also kill you. You know healing isn’t my specialty. Why don’t you heal yourself?”

Callum groaned. “Seriously? I was ten the last time I tried, and Sonora had cut open her knee.”

Aegeus chuckled. “She still has the scar.”

“It was a deep cut.”

“Not from the cut. From you.”

Neve entered, and the two went quiet. She knelt next to Callum, and suddenly Murphy dropped to the floor.

“What? You want to help?”

Murphy approached Callum and sniffed him. He arched his back and hissed.

“What is wrong with you?” Neve asked.

Murphy backed up a step and hissed at Callum again.

“Murph, stop.”

But he didn’t. He meowed loudly and hissed again.

Neve reached for him, but he growled and swiped at her hand.

“Murph, what has gotten into you?”

He growled, and then suddenly Aegeus bent down, grabbed Murphy by the back of the neck, and lifted him into the air.

Murphy went crazy trying to scratch and bite Aegeus. But Aegeus paid him no mind. He walked to the front door and pulled it open. He tossed the cat onto the porch, where Murphy hissed and growled at Aegeus.

“Yeah, you go do what you need to, big boy.”

“I am so sorry,” said Neve. “He’s never done anything like that before.”

Aegeus shrugged. “Maybe he just doesn’t like other people in his territory.”

Neve turned back to Callum, whose eye remained on her. She poured a small amount of her tincture onto the cotton pad and wiped the wound. Aegeus perched on the edge of the couch and watched her work.

“Can I have a glass of water?” Callum asked.

Neve nodded. “Of course.” She started to get up, but Callum gripped her wrist softly.

“Aeg, can get it.”

Aegeus chuckled and headed for the kitchen. “Smooth,” he mumbled.

Callum didn’t let go of her wrist. The contact made warmth spread up her arm.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you from the beginning,” he said. “I should have been. Then maybe we could have avoided this whole mess.”

“You mean like the hole in your body? Or the portal you made in my living room? Or how about the woman who seemed to have my mother’s voice and knew her special nickname for me.”

“All of it. I just… I know you have no reason to believe me, but I was honestly trying to keep you safe. I thought if I could get to know you first and win you over, then maybe the things I had to tell you would be easier to believe. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Neve stared into his dark eyes, and memories of his lips on hers, his body pressed against her body, floated into view, and her cheeks heated.

“You’re forgiven. I mean, you did save me in the end.” She gave him a weak smile.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t the end,” said Aegeus returning from the kitchen. He handed the glass of water to Callum. “I’m not helping you like an old man. You have hands.”

Neve gave Aegeus a stern look and took the glass from Callum. She brought it gingerly to his lips. He gulped it down until it was completely gone. She handed the glass to Aegeus, and he walked back to the kitchen with it. She leaned in and wiped the spilled water from Callum’s throat and chin.

Callum’s hand found its way to the back of her head, and he sat up slightly and pressed his lips to hers. It was nothing like the kisses they’d shared at the club. This one was tender, loving even. And it lasted no more than a few seconds before he let go of her, laid back, and sighed.

“Thank you,” he said.

Neve couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “Do you kiss all the women you want to thank?”

“Only the beautiful ones.”

Her cheeks heated, and she grabbed the salve and unscrewed the lid. “I bet you kiss a lot of women, then.”

She went to apply the salve, but he stopped her, and she looked at him.

“No,” he said. “There are many pretty women. But few, very few, are truly beautiful.”

Neve didn’t know what to say, so she simply smiled and smoothed the salve over his raw flesh.

“Wow,” said Aegeus returning. “You rendered her speechless, Cousin. I didn’t know that was possible.”

Neve glared at him. “Ha-ha.”

He winked at her.

Two of them. Two men. And both wanted to have their lips on hers. She couldn’t begin to understand why. Nor could she understand why they had been at each other’s throats at the restaurant just the night before, and today they seemed like best friends. Even knowing that she’d kissed both of them didn’t seem to faze them.

“So, who wants to begin to explain why my shop and plants were the victims of a violent battle? Are you guys superheroes or something?”

Both of them chuckled, and Callum grabbed his side.

“We are more Dr. Strange than Ironman,” said Aegeus.

She looked at him for a moment and processed his words. “So you’re what? Wizards?”

“We’re called warlocks,” said Callum.

“Warlocks? Like witches and warlocks?”

“Exactly,” said Callum.

She looked between them to see if they were joking, but somehow, deep down, she believed them. It was almost as if what they said was as plausible as if they’d told her that the sky was blue.

She laughed nervously and continued looking between them as they waited silently.

Eventually, she blew out a low breath and nodded. “Okay. You do magic stuff. Do you like have spell books, and robes, and clans and stuff?”

“They’re called covens,” said Aegeus.

Callum reached for her hand. “Look, this isn’t how we wanted you to find out.”

“So, you were going to tell me?”

“Of course,” said Aegeus. “It’s one of the reasons we’re here.”

“To tell me you’re warlocks? Do you usually just find random women and tell them you’re warlocks, or am I just special for some reason?”

“The latter,” said Aegeus.

She was special? She wasn’t special. She was just… her.

“This is a lot, I know.” Callum squeezed her hand. “But we are here to try and protect you.”

“Protect me from who? Who would want me? Why would they want me?”

“We want you to come with us,” said Aegeus. “As you saw, some of our kind would use you, hurt you even.”

“But why? Because I grow poisonous plants?” She gave a shrill laugh.

“No,” said Callum. “Because-”

There was a bright flash of light from the kitchen, and Neve’s Gran stepped into the living room holding Murphy.

Neve blinked twice, trying to process what she was seeing.

“That’s enough.” Her Gran waved her hand, and Aegeus and Callum’s mouths snapped shut.

Aegeus got up from the couch and backed away several steps.

“Gran?”

“Aegeus Rathmore and Callum McIntire. I should have known. You two puppets can only be here for one reason. You were sent.”

She set Murphy on the floor and strode forward, her once wild red hair whipping around her face as she moved to the couch where Callum lay. Neve let go of his hand and backed up as her grandmother looked down at his wound and clucked her tongue.

“I knew you two would be the death of me when you were eight and tried to set my fence on fire because I’d punished you both to painting it by hand.”

Gran pressed her fingers into Callum’s wound, making him flinch. Golden light flowed from her hand and down her fingertips to his wound. The skin grew bright white, and Callum held back a groan, grabbing the arm of the couch. A moment passed, and then the wound began to seal itself. After a few seconds, nothing was left but his tanned skin.

“There. You’re fixed. Well, you’re as you were. I doubt either of you will ever be fixed. I assume the Sisters of the Silver Flame did this?”

Callum tried to open his mouth but was unable. He cocked an eyebrow at Gran.

“Don’t look at me like that, you wicked-tongued playboy. I should keep your mouth shut for at least a year for all the trouble you two have caused.” She waved her hand. “Speak.”

Callum opened his mouth and worked his jaw for a moment before answering. “The Sisterhood showed up at her nursery. One of them imitated her mother.”

Gran nodded. “I’ll deal with that.”

Neve couldn’t take it any longer. “Gran! You’re a witch?” she blurted. “What the hell?”

Everyone in the room turned and looked at her. Murphy sat at her feet and rubbed his head on her leg.

“And why did you have my cat?”

Gran blew out a breath and shook her head. “I really hate to do this, Sunshine.” She wiggled her fingers at Neve, and Neve’s eyes drooped, and then she lost consciousness.

CHAPTER 7

Callum grabbed Neve and swept his arm under her cradling her, so she didn’t hit the floor.

“Always the hero, Callum,” Gretchen said.

“I thought I was the hero,” said Aegeus.

Gretchen threw him an icy glare, and he closed his mouth quickly and held up his hands.

“Sorry.”

She shook her head, and Callum lowered the sleeping Neve to the ground.

“You two have no idea what you’ve done here. And what I am now going to have to do.”

“Why didn’t you just tell her what she was when she was little? Why doesn’t she live in Ravencroft?” Callum asked.

Gretchen sniffed. “Why do you think? Obviously, someone didn’t want her to know and didn’t want her raised there.”

Callum nodded. “Her mom.”

“Yes. My daughter. She left when she was seventeen and fell in love with a mortal. She didn’t want to take my mantel, and she never wanted it for her daughter either. No thanks to you and your idiot covens.”

“What did we have to do with it?” asked Aegeus.

“It was your family’s dumb in fighting that pushed my daughter away. If you idiots could all just get along and be satisfied with what you’ve been given instead of always wanting more.”

“That’s what we were doing here,” said Callum. “We were trying to keep our families from taking her.”

She shook her head. “Ya’ll should have come to me.”

“You’re right. We should have.” It was all Callum could say.

“What do we do now?” asked Aegeus.

“You? You go home. Tell your coven leaders that they will be hearing from me. And you two stay the hell away from my granddaughter.”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” said Callum.

“Me neither,” said Aegeus.

“If you two want to leave here with your twigs and berries, you will.”

“Gretchen-”

“I am not Gretchen to you, Callum McIntire. I am Grand Supreme or Supreme. You have lost your privilege of calling me by my first name for the foreseeable future.”

Callum stopped speaking. He wouldn’t say that he and Gretchen were close, but she’d been known to call on him when she needed things done around her house, and he’d been the connection with his coven for close to ten years.

He wanted to argue with her. To tell her he thought there might actually be something between him and Neve, given half a chance- but he stayed silent. Gretchen wasn’t one to be trifled with. Her justice could be swift and ruthless when needed. And because this was her granddaughter they were talking about. He knew that it was better left alone for that moment. But that it wouldn’t be the end. Not for him and not for Aegeus.

Callum lumbered to his feet. His side healed externally but still aching inside. “Come on, Aeg.”

Surprisingly Aegeus didn’t fight him on leaving. Together they moved toward the front door.

“And boys?”

They turned back to Gretchen.

“You tell your father- and brother- that if they ever try to come at me again or use my family against me, I will raze your covens to the ground with everyone inside.”

Callum’s gut clenched as Gretchen’s eyes burned like flames. He had no doubt that she meant every word.

Both Aegeus and Callum bowed. “Yes, Supreme,” they intoned.

Callum stepped through the door and out into the warm sunny day.

“What do you think Gretchen is going to do about Neve?”

Callum turned to Aegeus. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”

CHAPTER 8

One Month Later

Callum stared up at the large Victorian mansion and replayed the words he’d practiced in his head a million times over the last month. Ever since meeting Neve, he’d been unable to think of anything else. He’d spent hours worrying about her. Wondering what she was doing. Wanting to sneak out of Ravencroft and just check on her, see her, but he was pretty sure that Gretchen would know if he did, and despite his need to see Neve, he liked his body parts right where they were.

His brother Raegan had been in a rage ever since Callum had failed to secure Neve for him. Not that Callum cared. More than ever he was glad he hadn’t brought her back. After Gretchen’s meeting with all three coven heads in Ravencroft, Reagan had been harsher than ever. Callum wasn’t sure what had been said to them, but he had a pretty good idea – Touch my granddaughter again, and you are all dead. He didn’t blame Gretchen. After only one evening in Neve’s presence, he’d been ready to risk his life for her.

Callum had done extensive research in the last month, and he’d come to learn that part of his attraction to Neve came from the fact that she was the makings of the next Supreme. He’d not realized a Supreme could attract all warlocks to her side like a queen bee because Gretchen had already been old when he’d grown up. Even so, he’d always felt a fondness for the older witch, much like he might have a mother- had he known his mother. But Callum wasn’t stupid. He also knew his attraction to Neve was not totally from her being a Supreme in the making. Part of it, maybe the more significant part of it, was because he was just attracted to her. Which he knew was just plain stupid because he’d only spent a few hours with her. Even so, the way she’d made him feel. The power in her touch. The combination of strength and vulnerability made him want to protect her and make love to her simultaneously. Which was why he was standing in front of Gretchen’s house, getting ready to say something he never thought he would.

Callum looked around to ensure no one was watching and then walked toward the large wrap-around porch. A trickle of magic washed over him, announcing his presence to Gretchen. At that point, he almost didn’t even need to knock. If Gretchen was willing to see him, she’d come to the door without him even knocking.

He took the steps two at a time and noticed the board squeak beneath his shoes. He needed to fix that for Gretchen before the boards rotted through and someone got hurt. His dress shoes tapped across the porch to the front door, and he stopped in front of the large wooden door that glowed with a faint white light.

Callum took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.

“You weren’t planning on coming up here and asking the Supreme about Neve without me, were you, Cousin?” Aegeus rounded the corner of the porch.

Callum groaned. “Do you have a GPS on me or something?”

Aegeus laughed and shrugged. “I just know you. All you’ve done this last month is talk about Neve. It was only a matter of time before you ended up here begging Gretchen for permission to see her.”

They stared at each other for a minute without speaking.

“You aren’t going to let me do this alone, are you?” Callum said.

“We agreed we were going to do this together.”

Callum groaned. “That was before.”

Aegeus cocked an eyebrow. “Are you going back on your word to protect her together?”

“She doesn’t need our protection. She has her grandmother’s.”

Aegeus smiled, walked toward Callum, and stuck out his hand.

Callum looked at it. “What’s that for?”

“May the best warlock win.”

“Win what?”

Aegeus shook his head and chuckled. “Sometimes you are quite dim. Neve, of course. You want her. I want her. We will both plead our cases to the Supreme and ask her permission to date Neve.”

Callum looked at Aegeus’ still outstretched hand. He grabbed it and shook it before he could think about it too long.

“Fine. But we also agree that whatever the Supreme says is what we do. If she tells us to back off, we both agree to back off. If she gives one of us the go-ahead, we must abide by that as well.”

“Agreed.”

They shook again, but Callum would have much rather punched Aegeus in the face and told him to back off.

Callum looked at the front door again, and before he could knock, Aegeus knocked on the door.

Callum glared at him. “Asshole.”

Aegeus chuckled. “You’re just mad you didn’t have the balls to knock first. You’re gonna have to be braver than that if you intend on winning Neve from me.”

A minute passed, and Callum thought Gretchen must not be home when suddenly a set of light footsteps rushed toward the door.

The door pulled open, and Callum’s gut clenched. He blinked several times, thinking he imagined what he saw.

A pair of bright green eyes stared at him from underneath a cascade of wild red curls. He looked Neve up and down. She wore a pair of overalls and had dirt caking her hands and smudging her nose. She looked between him and Aegeus and smiled.

“Hello.” She swiped strands of unkempt hair from her face and spread dirt across her forehead.

“Uh… hey,” he replied.

She waited and then cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. “Can I help you?”

“Uh…” Confusion plagued Callum and short-wired his brain.

“Hi,” said Aegeus. “Is Gretchen here?”

“Oh, Gran? No, sorry. She had to go out for a bit. I’m trying to plant a new garden in the greenhouse, and I ran out of potting soil.”

A fat cream cat appeared from behind Neve’s bare feet. He growled at Callum and Aegeus and then hissed.

Neve picked the cat up. “Murphy? What’s that for?” She looked at Callum again. “Sorry, he’s a diva. Doesn’t like me paying attention to anyone but him and Gran.” She scratched his ear. “I think he was a Doberman in a previous life or something.

“So you’re Gretchen’s granddaughter?” Aegeus asked.

She nodded.

“How long have you been visiting?” Callum barely managed to get the words out. She was there. Neve was in Ravencroft.

“A few weeks. I had an accident at my nursery, and it caught fire. I was in a coma for about a week, and when I woke up, Gran insisted I come here to stay with her.”

Aegeus and Callum exchanged a look. Three weeks? She’d been with Gretchen for three weeks while he’d been going crazy thinking about her living in the human world with no protection?

“Anyway,” she said. “Is there something I can tell my gran for you?”

Callum couldn’t stop staring. It was Neve, but it wasn’t Neve. She was different somehow. It was more than just the story she’d just told them about why she was there and the fact that she didn’t recognize either of them. She seemed… happier.

She raised her eyebrows and chuckled at Callum.

“No,” Aegeus offered. “We’ll just give her a call.”

Neve’s eyebrows drew together. “Okay, well, can I tell her who stopped by?”

Aegeus offered his hand. “I’m Aegeus.”

She shifted Murphy to her hip and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.” She turned to Callum. “And you are?”

Callum slowly lifted his hand. “Callum. Callum McIntire.”

She smiled at him and shook his hand. He waited for the warmth and connection to hit him like it had every time he’d touched her the month before, but nothing happened. A sense of loss enveloped him at the lack of sensation.

Aegeus elbowed him. “Let go of her hand.”

Callum pulled away quickly, and a beautiful blush crept up Neve’s cheeks.

“Well, I need to get back to my plants. You guys have a great day.”

“We’ll see you around,” said Aegeus. “Feel free to ask Gretchen to contact either of us if you need any heavy lifting done.”

Neve snorted. “You think I’m not capable of heavy lifting?”

“I have every faith you could lift whatever you want. We just want to be there when you do it.”

Neve let out a hearty laugh. “Nice comeback.”

“I aim to please.”

Callum rolled his eyes. Aegeus always had been a charmer.

Callum grabbed Aegeus by the back of his shirt. “Let’s go.”

Aegeus stumbled as Callum yanked him toward the stairs.

“You guys should stop by when my new nursery is finished,” Neve called. “That is, if you need plants. Mostly poisonous ones, but also some flowers and stuff in case you need to get some for your girlfriends or whatever.”

“We don’t have girlfriends,” Aegeus called, still walking backward. “We are both free agents.”

“Well, good for you, I guess,” she replied.

“What about you?” Aegeus asked. “Are you a free agent?”

Callum growled as he marched down the walkway toward the sidewalk.

“Free? Never. Available? Possibly.”

Callum yanked on Aegeus, and he tripped, almost pulling them both down.

“Knock it off,” said Aegeus.

“Stop flirting.”

“Flirting? I was just getting us both some information to work with.”

As they stepped onto the sidewalk, a vintage red pickup truck jumped the curb, almost hitting them.

“Great. Now you can get all the information you want,” said Callum. “The Supreme has returned home.”

Gretchen bounded from her truck. “You two. I told you to stay away.”

Callum held up his hands, but Aegeus just smiled. “How were we supposed to know you put a memory spell on her and had her holed up in your house?”

Gretchen flicked her fingers at Aegeus, and his mouth snapped shut. She turned to Callum. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to ask if I could date Neve, but it seems she doesn’t even know who I am.”

Gretchen looked past them to her house and waved. “I got the soil. Give me a minute, Sunshine.” She waited a moment and then looked at Callum again.

“After what happened with you two and the Silver Sisters, I felt it was best to bring Neve home. I decided her mother had been wrong in making me promise not to bring Neve here. It was actually more dangerous out there than having her where I could keep my eye on her. So I removed her memories, promising her mom she’d never come here, and planted a memory about her nursery burning down after an electrical issue with the old building.”

“But what if she finds out her nursery is still there?”

Gretchen cocked an eyebrow. “Who says it’s still there?”

Damn. Gretchen was more ruthless than he’d ever thought if she would go that far to keep Neve safe.

“Well,” said Callum. “Since she’s here now, I’d like to ask for an opportunity to date Neve.”

Aegeus elbowed him pointedly.

“We would like the opportunity,” Callum amended.

Gretchen chewed the inside of her cheek. “You do remember you’re the very reason I had to bring her here in the first place, right?”

“I do.”

“And your families put her in danger to begin with.”

Callum nodded.

Gretchen chewed her lip. “All right. I will allow both of you to try and win over my granddaughter, but there are a few conditions.”

“Anything,” said Callum too fast.

Her eyes narrowed. “First, you will not talk to her about magic or what happened in Napa Valley. You will not tell her what you are. You will not talk to her about what she is. I am easing her into her powers, and I don’t need anyone freaking her out.”

“Agreed.”

Aegeus nodded.

“You will not, and I do mean will not, introduce her to your families or take her to your covens under any circumstances.”

Callum agreed, but Aegeus’ brows knit together.

“What?” Gretchen asked.

Aegeus opened his mouth and began speaking, but no words came out.

Gretchen growled and flicked her fingers at him. “What?”

“My sister. Sonora-”

Gretchen held up her hand. “Sonora is the only exception.”

The expression of gratitude planted on Aegeus’ face was one Callum hadn’t seen before.

“Thank you.” Aegeus’ words barely came out a whisper.

“Next,” said Gretchen. “The two of you will be at my command day and night. If I ask you to do something, you do it. No questions and no excuses. You will not just be trying to date Neve, you will have to prove to me that you are willing to do whatever it takes to care for her.”

The men agreed.

“And lastly,” said Gretchen. “If Neve does end up picking one of you to be with for the long term, goddess forbid, you must leave your covens and be tied to Neve as your coven leader should she decide to start her own in the future.”

Aegeus and Callum stared at each other for a moment. “Done,” they said together.

Gretchen studied them. “You do realize what you just said, don’t you?”

“We do,” said Aegeus.

Gretchen chewed her lip for a moment. “I don’t need to warn you what will happen if you betray her or me, do I?”

“I am assuming it has something to do with stripping our magic and our manhoods?” said Aegeus.

Gretchen smiled. “Something like that. All right. Good. Now that that is out of the way, the two of you can start unloading those fifty-pound bags of potting soil and taking them to the new greenhouse on the back of my property.”

Callum didn’t need to be asked twice. He walked to the back of the pickup truck.

“Should I drive the pickup to the backyard?” Aegeus asked.

“No,” Gretchen replied. “It’s fine right where it is.”

Callum grabbed a bag and threw it over his shoulder. The scent of manure and dirt filled his nostrils as dust rained down the front of his dress shirt and onto his shoes.

“Can I change my clothes?” Aegeus asked. “This shirt is pure silk.”

“Not unless you want to-”

“Lose my manhood, yeah, I get it.”

Callum headed up the driveway. He was going to beat Aegeus and win over Neve. He didn’t care what it cost. If he had to, he’d even kill his brother to keep her safe and make her his. Neve was his future, and no one would keep her from him. No one.

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