The Dutiful Witch (The Ward Witches) Read online

“How is Melanie? I know you went and checked on her before coming down.”

  “She's doing good. She doesn't seem to understand maternity leave, though, and she seems to want Justin to start nursing the little ones so she can get back to harassing people for Coven PR.”

  “The twins are six weeks old. I don't think it will be long before Melanie's back around and the twins have a babysitter. I know she'll like having them upstairs and convenient if she needs them or they need her.”

  Skylar laughed. “Too true. So what are the plans for today?”

  “I've got the data for her to start to slog through this morning, and then this afternoon is the children's hospital. I didn't warn her, and I'm waiting to see if she'll want to go.”

  “I didn't warn her either. I think I'll just bring her along and see what she wants to do when we get there.”

  “I like that plan.”

  Melanie was quite literally spinning in her chair when Skylar knocked on the door.

  “Seb?”

  “No, Skylar.” Her smiling face came around the corner.

  “Good to see you. Am I to assume you're bringing my first job?”

  “I am. I'm sure you've heard of my work on a fire witch's manual.”

  “Sure.”

  “I also sent out emails for information and hints on other types of magic. Since you've got experience in earth and water magic, Seb thinks you can help me sort through this stuff. You know a lot about auras too, and I'm not sure how I'll incorporate that, but it might be interesting to talk about.”

  “You heard about that?”

  “Seb told Leo, and Leo told me. So yeah, I do. Seb's going to be giving you a lot of work to do, so I'll be doing the writing and so forth, but we'd both like to get your input on what's good to put in the book and what should be left out.”

  “I'd love to help.”

  “I brought my laptop, and I've got every email copied over to your Coven email.” Skylar proudly presented Fiona with a piece of paper with her Coven email address and temporary password. “And here's your Coven line.” That was a cell phone with a note from Seb.

  “I'll always be able to find you this way,” Fiona read aloud. “Now I've got two cell phones. Somehow that seems so corporate.”

  “Everyone's numbers are programmed in there too. And this afternoon, we've got a field trip.”

  “A what?”

  “A field trip.”

  “I heard you. I meant, where are we going?”

  “To the car. I'll drive from there, and you'll see when we reach our destination, now won't you?”

  Fiona laughed. “I guess I will. Let me get this email client up, and we'll get started.”

  All morning Fiona and Skylar sorted through email. A lot of people had sent in information, and they were both pleased with the turnout. They set up three folders, one for a definite follow up, one for maybe, and one for no. Then there was a subfolder in 'no' for ones too dangerous for publication, but that Coven Protection might like. And all morning, Fiona wondered where they were going that afternoon. She tried asking Skylar, but she was uncharacteristically close-lipped about it.

  Finally lunch came. Mona had made sandwiches, and Skylar volunteered to go get them from the kitchen. When she came back, they put work aside for a while.

  “So how is Leo?”

  “He's great. His new partner is working out great for both of us. He gets the ability to send clients that way, and I get to have him at home more often. Before we met, he was a workaholic. He is a highly regarded plastic surgeon, and he seemed to think that doing that was all-important. Luckily he has been set to rights.” She paused and then sighed. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Sure.”

  “And yes, I know you'll tell Seb. I tell Leo everything, and there's no reason to think you'd do any different, and I won't ask you to. But other than him, please keep it to yourself.”

  Fiona smiled. “That's much easier to agree to. I won't tell anyone but Seb.”

  “Leo and I have been trying to conceive. I never wanted a child until I met Leo. Now I'm excited to hold his child in my arms. I wish I could see that. But it's not working.”

  “So you've talked about it with Leo?”

  “Yes. We've been monitoring my cycles and everything. I'm not ready to go to a specialist yet, but we have been talking about it. Leo knows some people who might be able to help, but they're not witches.”

  Fiona smiled and put her hand over Skylar's. She looked so glum when she was normally so peppy. “I think I can help.”

  Skylar's face lit up with hope. “Really?”

  “I had been thinking that I needed to give Seb an heir to make him happy, so I made a potion. It's guaranteed to have you conceive if you've had sex within twenty four hours in either direction if both parents are healthy enough. Seb and I worked things out, and I know now that he wants to wait a while before we have a baby. But I still have the potion. If you want it, I'll give it to you. Just make sure to discuss it with Leo before you take it.”

  “You'd give it to me?” Skylar sounded amazed. “I can't even tell you how much that would mean to me.”

  “I'd love to help you. You're my sister, and Leo's my brother.” Fiona finished up her sandwich. “Let me go get it before we go on our field trip.”

  “Thank you.”

  Fiona retrieved the potion, and before she returned, she stopped by Seb's office. He was working on something that furrowed his brow, but he was alone. When he saw her, his face brightened. “How are you liking it?”

  “Skylar and I are making progress. Thanks for giving me something to get my feet wet without throwing me in the deep end, so to speak.”

  “I'm glad to hear it. I also hear you're going on a field trip. Skylar's words, not mine.”

  “Yes, she said that. Can you tell me where I'm going?”

  “Not if I value my relationship with Skylar. She's excited about surprising you.” He chuckled. “You'll like it though, I think.”

  “I was talking to her, and I found a use for this,” Fiona indicated the potion. “It seems Skylar and Leo want a baby. I was going to help them out. What do you think?”

  “I think that's great. I've talked to Leo before about them wanting a kid. But I didn't put it together with that potion you made. You're going to make them very happy.”

  “I'm certainly hoping so.”

  “I'll see you later. And thanks for being so good to my family.”

  “Our family. I'm glad to help. See you later.”

  She left, glad that Seb agreed with her about giving the potion to Skylar. Especially because it was another action that showed that he really wanted to wait before she gave him his heir.

  Skylar's face glowed when she got the jar. She placed it reverently in her purse. “On that note, let's get out of here.”

  Skylar brought Fiona to her little coupe, and explained that they'd meet everyone else there.

  “Who else are we meeting?”

  “Haven't you gotten the theme? I'm not telling you until we get there. You bribed me, but it's not going to work.”

  So Fiona stopped asking questions. She just enjoyed the drive. Boston in spring was really quite beautiful. She looked askance at Skylar when they pulled into a parking lot for the children's hospital.

  “Is this what I think it is?”

  “If you're wondering if we're here for Melanie's pet project, you'd be right. With the little ones, she can't come. I thought you might like to be the announcer as we do this. We've got two fire witches including me and two earth witches to entertain the kids. Then we have eight water witches who use their magic to bring the kids a pain-free afternoon. But we need an announcer. I've been doing it, but I'd rather be doing my entertainments. Do you feel up to announcing?”

  Fiona thought hard about the idea. She was terrified of crowds. But this was a way to do it with less stress. Kids weren't nearly as particular as adults. It would be good practice too. “I'll do it.”

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sp; “If you get stuck, say something about potatoes. I'll take that as a sign to come rescue you.” Skylar ran down the list of things she needed to say, and Fiona tried very hard to tamp down the butterflies in her stomach. “You can do this.” Skylar gripped her hand tightly then let go. “You can do this.”

  They met up with the others at the doors to the cafeteria. They acknowledged Fiona with smiles. The two earth witches had brought dogs certified as therapy dogs. “You're going to love this,” one of them told her.

  When the group entered, the kids cheered. The ones who could stand did. Even the nurses got into it. Their enthusiasm helped Fiona's nerves. They went up to the stage, and Fiona grabbed the microphone. She probably grabbed it too hard based on her white knuckles, but it was working for her. The kids quieted down to hear.

  “Thank you all for your warm welcome. It's my first time here, and I'm excited to see you all. Our water witches are going to come see you, and while they do that, my sister Skylar's got something new to show you.” She liked being able to say she had a sister, and by Skylar's smile, she liked being called one.

  Skylar stepped forward. The dogs followed her. The earth witches used their magic to communicate with the dogs, which made them especially well trained for this kind of job. Skylar made an image of a dog in fire. The fire she used was special because it didn't really burn anything and so produced no heat. Fiona knew that using that kind of power would wipe Skylar's energy, but she clearly thought it was worth it. For that matter, the water witches would probably take days to fully recover their energy after helping so many kids who were in so much pain. But they all thought that a the price was worth giving sick kids an afternoon of pain-free fun. Fiona admired their dedication and willingness to sacrifice for the kids.

  “Oh my, look at what Skylar's made. I wonder what she'll do with her new friend.” The kids looked entranced.

  One of the earth witches stepped forward with a hoop. The kids watched as the two real dogs went through. Then Skylar's dog followed, to the kids' applause. The water witches roamed around, alleviating the kids' pain, if only enough for one day. But they would have a great afternoon. Melanie made this all possible, and that was something to be proud of.

  “Look at that! It's just like a real dog.” One of the real dogs barked, and the kids laughed. For the next hour, the earth witches would make their dogs do something and challenge Skylar's dog to do it too. Every time, Skylar's dog performed the exact same trick. Fiona managed to lose track of most of her fear and commentated through the whole thing. She didn't once say potato, either. Finally, the water witches signaled that they were done. Their faces looked worn, but exuberant.

  “I hope that everyone is feeling better for having come today. Let's have our canine friends take a bow,” and they did with Skylar's dog disappearing after its bow. “Thank you all for having us here, and we'll look forward to seeing you all back here next time!”

  A small motion near the back drew Fiona's eyes. She was startled to see Seb back there, watching with a proud smile on his face. She hadn't seen anyone enter or leave, so he must have been there the entire time. He came for her, and she knew that if she had needed help, he would have been there to support her. But she had managed the announcing all by herself, and that's what brought Seb's smile.

  Then it hit her like a punch to the gut. She loved him.

  He was everything she could want in a husband and more. He was the kind of man who respected her need for independence and self-reliance to the degree that he'd come watch her succeed. If she hadn't noticed him, he probably never would have said he had come. It wasn't about gaining points or something like her previous boyfriends would have done. He was there, and she loved him for it.

  No one seemed to notice her revelation, and she walked off with everyone else. Seb winked, now knowing that she had seen him, and then he went out the back door. She loved him for his quiet support while knowing that she was strong enough to get through the tough times herself. She wanted to savor her revelation, but it was time to go.

  Skylar smiled when they got back to her car. “You did great.”

  “Thanks. I loved your show.”

  “Thank you. I've been practicing that for a week. The earth witches and I worked through that skit about thirty times. I'm glad you came.”

  “I'm glad you brought me. It was a nice surprise. Let's go home.”

  “Let's.”

  Finishing the rest of the day going through more emails seemed anticlimactic. But it needed to be done. Seb didn't come find her, and she figured she'd wait to talk to him until after work hours. Not that she knew what she was going to say. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him she loved him yet. But at the same time, she wanted to cry it from the rooftops.

  She needed to know if he loved her back before she said something. But her next thought was that she should tell him and just hope for the best. She shouldn't hide something this big. But she wasn't sure she had what it took to tell him out of the blue. She hadn't figured it out when it came to quitting time. She didn't have possession of the conception potion anymore, so that wasn't an issue. Her thoughts on that were relegated to the back burner for now. Too much to think about would just give her a migraine.

  Skylar left to go make dinner for Leo and Dymphna. She gave Fiona a hug on the way out. “I'm going to talk to Leo tonight. I'm so excited that by tomorrow I might be pregnant.”

  “Indeed. We won't be able to tell for a few days definitively, but I hope for the same thing. I'll check you daily, too, so we'll know as soon as possible.”

  “You've given me a great gift. I won't forget it.”

  “Ah, don't worry about it. Go home to your husband. I'll see you tomorrow.”

  “You sure will.” Skylar gave her a cocky salute and left.

  111

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  It seemed only moments later, Seb came in. “I've been waiting for her to leave.”

  “Seb! It's good to see you!” She gave him her biggest smile. “And I saw you at the hospital today.”

  “I was hoping to be discreet. I wanted to see your triumph.”

  “Thank you for coming. I hope I lived up to your expectations.”

  “You exceeded them. You were amazing. The kids just ate it up. If I didn't know, I wouldn't have thought you were nervous.”

  “I had expected to see you upstairs,” Fiona said, stalling. She wasn't ready to confront him yet now that she knew she loved him.

  “It occurred to me that you've got this nice office and it hasn't been properly made yours.”

  “What do you mean?”

  112

  THE DUTIFUL WITCH

  He indicated the bag he brought. She opened it and found candles of all different sizes and shapes. “You sure do like giving me presents.”

  “Indeed I do. How do you like it?”

  “They're great. I hate to feel needy, but I do like being spoiled. Thank you.” She began to put them out, cheering up the room considerably. She came back from setting one up high to see Seb eying her hungrily. “Do you want to help?” Fiona asked, confused.

  “Mona won't have dinner ready for another hour. I want you now.”

  “I'll race you to the bedroom.”

  He laughed, and she was already out the door. She ran down the halls, checking behind her to make sure she was still just ahead of him. She fumbled on the lock to the suite, and he caught up to her. She just barely got the door open when he bodily scooped her up. Laughing and making only token protests, she let herself be carried to the bed.

  She tugged his shirt off over his head, and his undershirt soon followed. Batting away his hands, she got his zipper down and his pants and boxers off too. She pushed him down and went straight for getting her mouth around his erection. He groaned and his body bowed backward as she ministered to him. When she could tell he was coming close, she let go and undressed quickly.

  He was reaching for her when she came back toward the bed, and she let him pull he
r. He claimed her mouth, imparting the message of just how much she had aroused him. Without warning, he nearly tossed her onto the bed on her back, straddling her hips.

  But then he stopped. Seb gave her a cocky smile.

  “What are you waiting for?” She moaned, moving around below him to try to get him to move.

  “I want you to tell me what you want,” he whispered huskily.

  “Isn't it obvious?”

  “No,” he said, running a finger around her breast, just missing where she wanted it, pulling his finger back and looking at her contemplatively. “You'll need to tell me. In explicit detail, if you don't mind. You wouldn't want me to get confused now would you?” He taunted.

  “I want you. I want you to push inside me.”

  He did so, but stopped as soon as he did just that. No matter her wriggling, he didn't start again.

  “Start moving. I want you to keep that great push and pull movement going. I want you to drive me crazy. I want you to make me scream with pleasure. Take me to that height and keep going. Torment me with pleasure.”

  “I like that,” he growled.

  Finally, he proceeded to rock inside her, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. She began to reach that height she wanted, and he could tell. He reached around and played with her clit. She immediately lost the battle and screamed out her release.

  “Oh Seb!”

  That was all it took to send him into his own finale.

  “God, Fiona,” he said, changing their positions so that her back spooned up against his front. He nuzzled the back of her head with his nose. “You're incredible.”

  “You're not so bad yourself.”

  He chuckled against her hair. “I'll have to do better than that.”

  “Hah. You do much better than that and I'll have a coronary.” She lay there, savoring the feeling of being protected in his arms. She'd always be safe with Seb around, and she knew it. That was the way it should be, after all. “Now I've got to go film my show.”

  “That's tonight?”

  “Yeah. I've been having one of your witches, a nice girl named Suzy, do my orders and mailing, but I need to film the show myself, obviously.”