Blood of the White Witch (4 page)

“Sorry,” I replied, trying to let go of all
the worries about what might lie ahead. “I’m just wondering what
the future may hold for us.”

“We’ll think about that later,” he said,
continuing to nuzzle against me. “Right now, in this moment,
everything is just about you and me.”

His distraction tactics worked. He kissed my
worried thoughts into oblivion, and we finally ended up getting
around to finishing breakfast sometime around four o’clock in the
afternoon.

After we had eaten, we packed up our
belongings, stopped to ship our wedding attire back to Sedona so we
wouldn’t have to haul it with us, and headed off to the airport to
catch our flight. We made it through all the checkpoints just fine
and soon were boarded on the plane, in the air, on our way to New
York.

“This is much better than the last flight I
was on,” I said, as I snuggled against Vance’s shoulder,
remembering back to my flight with his father, Damien, after he had
kidnapped me.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that,”
he replied, reaching his arm around so he could pat me gently on
the head with his hand.

“It’s over,” I sighed, enjoying the safety I
felt in his arms. “Let’s not even talk about it.”

“Fine by me,” he whispered, moving in to
place a gentle kiss on the top of my head, before resting his head
against mine.

Our earlier activities of the day finally
caught up with us, and soon we were both fast asleep.

I assumed the rest of the flight was
completely uneventful since we both slept deeply until we were
awakened several hours later when the pilot’s voice came over the
loudspeaker, announcing our decent into New York.

I slowly stretched my limbs out, trying to
get the blood flowing once again.

“Hi,” I said softly, when I looked over to
find Vance staring at me with a tender smile on his face.

“Did you sleep well?” He let his eyes travel
over me.

I nodded my head.

“I always sleep better when I’m with you,” I
replied.

“Well, it’s good that we’re married then,”
he replied in a lowered voice, “Because I plan on spending every
single night of my life at your side.”

I smiled at him, reaching over to squeeze
his hand, just as the wheels of the plane touched down on the
runway.

We disembarked and hurried through the
airport to catch our connecting flight to London. We made it easily
and were soon settled into the comfy chairs of our first class
seats awaiting take-off. I could see that there were definitely
going to be perks to having married a multi-millionaire.

Thankfully, though, the money hadn’t seemed
to change Vance’s demeanor. Except for the fact he seemed happy to
share it with everyone he possibly could.

“How are you feeling?” he asked me with a
smile as we waited for departure. “Tired?”

“Actually I’m feeling pretty rested right
now after our last flight,” I said smiling back at him. “Why are
you asking?” I was suddenly suspicious of the secretive grin on his
face.

He leaned in close to my ear so he could
whisper into it.

“I thought you might have some interest in
joining the mile-high club between here and London,” he said
seductively, and I felt his warm breath caress my skin near my
earlobe, causing tiny goose bumps to break out on my skin.

I pulled back in shock at his comment and
playfully slapped him against his shoulder.

“You’re going to get us kicked off the
plane!” I laughed, and I flushed crimson from head to toe.

“That color really does look beautiful on
you,” he added with a laugh, grabbing my chin in his hand, pulling
me back toward him before leaning over to kiss me, not caring about
who was looking.

When he finally moved away from me, he
caught the eye of an elderly woman seated across the aisle, who was
staring at us with a frown over our public display of
affection.

“Sorry,” he apologized to her with a wink.
“We’re on our honeymoon.”

Her frown changed to a smile then, and a
knowing light reached her eyes. I could see he had instantly won
her over with his charm.

“Congratulations,” she said. “I hope you’ll
have a very happy life together.”

“Thank you,” we both replied, smiling,
before turning to look at each other once again.

We began taxiing down the runway a short
time later, and the two of us leaned back against our seats. Vance
reached over and took my hand in his, interlocking our fingers
together. I just sat and looked at them as he absently rubbed his
thumb back and forth over mine.

It amazed me how even the smallest gesture
he made could convey so many messages to me, almost as if I could
feel his feelings for me pulsating through his very skin into mine,
leaving no doubt in my mind that he loved me with every fiber of
his being.

I turned my head so I could look at him as
he rested against his seat with his eyes closed. I didn’t think I
would ever tire of looking at him, his purposely messed up hair,
the strong perfect features, and that wonderful physique, all
wrapped up nicely in the humble t-shirt and jeans.

His eyes opened slightly then, and he looked
over at me briefly, with a slight question in his gaze.

“What?” he asked softly as he repositioned
his head, closing his eyes once again in relaxed comfort.

“I was just thinking about how I’m never
going to get tired of looking at you. You’re beautiful,” I replied,
honestly.

He smiled, as if amused at my comment,
without opening his eyes.

“You have it all wrong,” he said, squeezing
my hand lovingly. “You’re the beautiful one in this
relationship.”

“No, I’m not,” I said shaking my head and I
placed a kiss against his cheek.

He turned his head right then, catching me,
and the kiss landed full on his mouth. I heard him chuckle slightly
as he reached a hand up behind my head, locking my lips in place
against his own.

“I love you,” he said into my head, as his
tongue flitted briefly over mine.

“I love you, too,” I replied, enjoying his
stolen kiss and the pin-prickling waves it was causing to rush
madly through my body.

I heard him sigh, and he pulled away from
me, shaking his head at me, and I realized he was experiencing the
same feelings I was.

“Stupid seven hour flight,” he grumbled
settling back into his seat, his eyes never leaving me as they
trailed a hot path over my body.

I laughed at the lustful look in his
eyes.

“What are you laughing about?” he asked with
a slightly frustrated tone to his words.

“No matter how much you get, it’s never
going to be enough, is it?” I asked more than a little bit in awe
of him and the power of his ardent desires.

“Not bloody likely,” he replied with a grin,
throwing a little English slang into his accent.

I watched him as his gaze traveled up and
down the length of me once again, not hiding any of his intentions
toward me, finding that I could feel my own feelings jump to life
as he looked at me like that. Suddenly I felt the same frustration
he did.

“It is going to be a long flight,” I agreed
watching him, returning the same come hither look he was flashing
at me.

“Well, I did offer a suggestion to help with
that,” he teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief, and I knew in
that moment he would totally follow through with that suggestion if
I were to let him.

“As tempting as your offer is, it isn’t
going to happen,” I whispered back at him with a smile.

He sighed heavily at the comment and trailed
his gaze over me once more.

“I was afraid of that.” He grinned. “The
proper wife in you is already coming to the surface.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.” I laughed at him,
and he pulled me into his arms, cuddling me against him.

“Portia, nothing you do is ever a
disappointment to me,” he said and hugged me tightly.

We landed at London Heathrow Airport around
eight in the morning. After getting off the plane we boarded
another small flight to Inverness, Scotland, arriving about an hour
and a half later.

We gathered our luggage and met the driver
from Inverlochy Castle. He was very friendly and collected our bags
from us before leading us out to a beautiful Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Vance helped him load our things inside, despite the man’s protests
that he shouldn’t worry himself over such things. When they were
done, Vance climbed into the car beside me, and the smiling man
closed the door behind him.

“Great car,” Vance said while he looked
around with an appreciative eye at the custom interior.

I nodded my head, smiling at his male
attributes coming to the surface. He rubbed his hand almost
reverently over the leather interior, before he sidled up closer to
me, lifting my hand and placing it in his lap as he held it.

Our chauffeur’s name was Connell. He was a
very friendly man, short and stocky in his build with graying hair
that looked as though it may have been a flaming shade of red
during his younger years, dressed informally in sportsman styled
tweeds. He pointed out the sites and facts of interest along the
trip through the countryside, on our way to the castle. I had to
listen to him carefully, since he spoke in a thick Scottish brogue,
so I could understand him but it was a delightful tribute to the
authenticity of our current experience.

The drive was breathtaking, and we could see
the snowcapped mountains around us as well as the icy loch off to
our right for most of the way.

When we approached the castle I had to hold
my breath for a second just to enjoy the view, my eyes widening in
wonder.

Inverlochy Castle was a large granite stone
facility that sat at the bottom of some of Scotland’s highest
mountains. The famous peak of Ben Nevis shadowed overhead, while
the castle itself sat on perfectly maintained grounds. The massive
structure was framed in by tall trees on the property, which sloped
down a gentle decline until it overlooked the gorgeous waters of
the loch.

“It’s beautiful,” I said and smiled at
Vance, unable to think of a grander way to describe the scene.

“Fit for a queen,” he replied and squeezed
my hand while placing a tender kiss against my neck which gave me a
little shiver of excitement down my spine.

The car pulled to a stop, and we exited the
vehicle. Vance led me up to the great gothic looking doors, while
Connell got our luggage, and we went inside to the front desk which
was located in the great hall.

After we were checked in and given our room
key, Vance followed the bellhop to our room, towing me behind
him.

I looked around, taking everything in as we
passed by, the beautiful old oak staircase, the grand fireplace
invitingly ablaze, and the fine furnishings that held quietly
mingling guests here and there in comfortable looking nooks and
crannies. The décor was amazing.

The room Vance had reserved was called The
Queen’s Suite, aptly named after a visit from Queen Victoria who
had apparently spent a week there at some point during her
lifetime, becoming quite enchanted with the place.

We entered the plush room, and I could see
why she might have found it so charming. I wandered around looking
at the pale colored furnishings with its canopy bed, silk drapes,
and other fine fabrics, before venturing to the windows to take in
the view. The bellhop put our luggage up, after which Vance tipped
him generously, closing the door behind him.

“The Queen’s Suite?” I asked when he turned
to face me, feeling a little overwhelmed by his extravagant
treatment of me.

“I thought it was appropriate for the guest
I was bringing here,” he replied, walking up to place his hands on
the sides of my face. “After all, you deserve only the best.”

He kissed me, gently taking my mouth at
first, before moving to rain over the rest of my face with tiny,
tenderly placed affections. I loved getting to know the romantic
side of him even more, as my heart leapt up in tempo at his soft
touch. He surprised me when he pulled away from me a few moments
later and walked over to the suitcases.

“Do you want to take a shower?” he asked
casually, unzipping our luggage. “We’ve been traveling for a long
time. I thought it would be nice to freshen up from our trip and
relax some of those tight muscles.”

“That sounds lovely,” I replied, and I
joined him to help unpack our things, thinking that a shower
sounded exactly like the perfect thing. I gathered up some items
and followed him into the adjoining bathroom.

The shower was indeed refreshing for us, and
afterward we crawled into the luxurious looking bed, deciding to
just spend the rest of the day there, recovering from our jet
lag.

Our room had all of today’s modern
technology in it, despite the age of the castle. Vance picked up
the remote, clicking on the television as I lay snuggled
lethargically in the crook of his other arm.

“So why did you choose this place to stay?”
I asked him while he flipped randomly through the channels looking
for something to watch.

“Well, it’s near to the town of Fort
William,” he said after a pause, though he seemed slightly
hesitant.

“What’s in Fort William that would want you
to be close to it?” I asked, suddenly getting the impression that
he had been keeping something from me, and I lifted my head so I
could see his face.

A minor irritated expression flitted briefly
over his features, which he quickly composed once again.

“There’s a coven there that your dad was
able to get in contact with. Someone is supposed to meet with us in
a couple of days,” he replied, but before I could ask him anything
else he rolled on his side to face me better. “But this is our
honeymoon, and for the next two days that is all I want to
concentrate on, okay? I want this to just be us time. No mysteries,
magic, or missing persons, just us.”