Destiny Bewitched (24 page)

Then he heard the most
wonderful sound in the world – their baby’s very first cry.

“It’s a girl!” June
said with a smile.

Selene rushed in with
blankets.

A girl. Awestruck, he
couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off his face. Samantha cried tears
of joy.

“Cut the cord, Daddy,”
Selene said, extending a pair of scissors to him.

Hesitantly, he walked
to the squalling bundle then cut where June pointed. The ladies
wrapped his little girl up in soft blankets and handed her over.
She was so tiny, he was afraid he’d crush her. He cradled her head
ever so gently and spoke soothing words in Greek.

“Let me see her,”
Samantha rasped.

Geo placed their baby
in her arms and she brought her to her breast. The baby calmed.
With the washcloth, he wiped the blood from his daughter’s face.
Geo hadn’t believed in love at first sight, until now. Her eyes
were closed as she suckled the breast. Already he could see
Samantha’s features. Long eyelashes. A cute little nose. A small
patch of strawberry hair on the top of her head. He’d bet she’d
even get freckles in the sun.

Tears fell from his
eyes. She was beautiful. His little girl.

“What’s her name?”
Nikki asked, watching her nap against Samantha’s chest.

Just three days ago
this little miracle had been born. Samantha had never felt such
love and joy. A daughter – to love and protect, to teach right from
wrong, to guide in the ways of magic, to take shopping and paint
toenails together. Geo would dote on her, of course. She smiled,
already imagining how overprotective he’d be. Well, they’d have
plenty of time to work on that.

“Lily Selene,” she told
her sister. Nikki had just arrived home from school. She’d wanted
to leave the University the day Lily was born but Geo had insisted
she wait until the weekend so she didn’t miss any classes.

“Selene? That’s nice.
She did so much for us.” Nikki smiled then stood up from the bed
Sam was propped up in.

Her sister had turned
into such a smart, beautiful young woman. Tears formed in her eyes
and she wiped them away in frustration. “My, God! It’s true what
they say about new mothers. I’m an emotional mess. Next thing you
know, I’ll be crying at Huggies commercials.”

Nikki laughed. “So
where’s the new father?”

“Sleeping.” After
dinner, she’d made him take a nap, despite his assurances he was
fine. After all this time, he still wasn’t used to his human body
needing so much sleep. “He insists on taking the night shift.” She
looked down at her sleeping baby, so peaceful and serene. “Poor
guy. Trying to run his custom furniture business, take care of me,
and
a
newborn.” She chuckled. He was just as stubborn as she was. They
were in for a difficult time if Lily turned out like them. She
looked up at Nikki.

She was pacing in front
of the window, her arms hugging her body. She shuddered.

Worry formed a knot in
Sam’s chest. “Are you still feeling that strange presence?”

“Yeah.” She rubbed her
arms. “Like I’m being watched. And now I’m having weird dreams too.
It’s always the same guy.”

It had started about a
year ago. In the back of Sam’s mind was Aedan’s strange behavior as
they left the Underworld. And the Irish word he’d called her
sister. She’d looked it up after they’d returned.
Banphrionsa.
It meant
princess. It could’ve been a term of endearment. But then…he was a
prince. Sam had thought through that day over and over again. She
didn’t dare mention it to her sister though. No need to worry her
any more than she already was. Besides, Aedan had been their
friend. She knew, no matter what, he’d never harm her.

“What does he look
like?” she asked Nikki.

She shrugged. “I don’t
know. He’s faceless. But I recognize him no matter what he’s
wearing. And the dreams…” She looked over each shoulder then moved
forward and whispered, “They’re erotic.”

“Nicole!”

“It’s not like it’s my
fault!”

Samantha rolled her
eyes. Well, that was true. But it made her uncomfortable to think
of her little sister having erotic dreams. “Does it feel like a
good presence or an evil one?”

She scrunched her face
as she thought, then answered, “Good. Almost like a guardian.”

That was somewhat
reassuring. Maybe she should talk to Selene about it.

“Aha!” Geo’s voice came
from the door. “There’s my two favorite girls.” He spotted Nikki in
the corner. “
Three
favorite girls!” He opened his arms. “Welcome
home, darling. How’s school?” After a hug, he set her back, but
kept hold of her shoulders. “Do you need anything? What about a
coat? It’s getting chilly. Do you have a coat?”

Nikki rolled her eyes
then looked at the baby. “Lily, you poor thing. Your daddy is going
to smother you to death.”

He let go of Nikki and
walked to the side of the bed. “Of course, I am.” He kissed Sam on
the forehead then lifted Lily into his hands. “Come here, little
dove,” he cooed. “Come meet your Aunt Nikki.”

Somewhat awkwardly,
Nikki cradled the baby. Samantha’s heart felt like it might burst.
Her little family…all together. It was perfect.

After growing more
comfortable, Nikki began to rock her.

Samantha caught Geo
looking down at her longingly. Between taking care of the baby and
catching up on sleep, she felt like she hadn’t seen him in
days.

“Uhh,” Nikki eyed them.
“I’ll take Lily in the other room. You guys can…catch up.” She
winked.

Samantha scowled.
“Nicole! I just had a baby. There won’t be any catching up for a
long time.”

Geo’s expression went
blank. “There won’t?”

She smacked him in the
side of the head with a pillow. Nikki laughed and left the room,
closing the door behind her.

Geo crawled into the
other side of the bed and pulled Sam into his arms. It felt so good
to be here again – his steady breaths under her cheek, his warm
hand stroking her back. So safe and well-loved. She let out a
contented sigh.

“Do you think we’ll
make good parents?” she asked him. “We didn’t exactly have the best
role models.”

“You’re asking now?”
His chuckle jostled her. “It’s a little late for second
guesses.”

That was true. And she
wouldn’t trade Lily for the world anyway. “She’s perfect, isn’t
she?”

“Yes.” He kissed the
top of her head. “Just like her mother.”

He watched from the
other side of the road as the young witch rocked the babe in front
of the window. She’d make a wonderful mother. That was good – he
would need heirs after he stole the throne from his brother.

It’d been hell digging
through the piles of rubble to find the talisman and trade it for
freedom. When he’d finally crawled out of the Underworld, he’d been
surprised to find her full-grown. His mate was more beautiful than
he’d remembered. And soon she would be his.

“
I wish love and duty were one and the
same. I’ve never been good at making decisions.”
Maddox to
Felicity in a letter, June 2007

Felicity brought her
knees to her chest and hugged them, fighting the cold in the drafty
cell. She winced in pain when she clasped her hands together. Her
captor had almost broken her wrist. Her nose felt enormous and
she’d bet her eyes were black underneath. They’d banged her up
pretty good.

She was no stranger to
pain. It was an occupational hazard of being a Rebel.
The
rebel. Oh, they’d
have fun getting information from her. The Sorcery Counsel was
known for being particularly harsh when it came to flushing out the
Rebellion. And she was the number one source for information.

A shudder rocked her.
To say she was scared would’ve been an understatement. But she
would not break down and cry. If this was her fate, so be it. She’d
die for something she believed in. There was no shame in that.

Her stomach growled,
reminding her she’d been there long enough to have missed several
meals. She shifted her stiff body on the hard floor and groaned.
Damn, being a martyr sounded so much better on paper. Maybe her
courage did outweigh her sense, like Dalton always said.

Dalton. The reminder
sent a twinge of pain through her chest. She hoped he was alright.
How many of her friends, her family, had been caught during the
raid? Were they there in the same prison, only a few yards away?
The walls were so thick she couldn’t hear anything outside the
cell. She’d give the counsel anything if they left her friends
alone.

There she was, being
all brave again. Sometimes her heart steered her places her brain
knew they shouldn’t go. Like into the cemetery last night. They
should have waited for back-up. And now she and everyone she loved
were going to pay.

The steel door opened
and a guard entered, pointing a gun at her chest. “Get up. You’re
to see the Ink Man.”

Ink Man? Well that
didn’t sound so bad. What was he going to do? Scribble some notes
about her?

The gun was effective
at getting her moving. A shapeshifter was one of the only
supernaturals that could be killed like a mortal – gun shot wound,
sword through the heart, bludgeoning in the head, all that gory
stuff. If only she could shift, she could’ve gotten the hell out of
there a long time ago.

She scratched at the
metal band around her upper arm. It still ached where the hundreds
of needles stuck into her skin, magic infusing her blood to keep
her from shifting. Well, they just thought of everything, didn’t
they? Damn effective sorcerers.

The guard led her down
the dimly lit hallway. Overhead lights swung on wires from the
ceiling, reminding her of a basement in a horror movie. The kind
where sickos hacked their victims to pieces and kept them in jars
in the refrigerator. Another shudder crept through her.

He opened the door to a
room containing only a table and chair. A one-way mirror ran the
length of the wall.
Hello in there
. Was that where Ink Man was taking
notes?

“Sit down.” The guard
gestured to the chair. “Ink Man will be here soon.” He grinned down
at her when she sat. “And I suggest you behave. He’s not someone
you want to mess with,
shifter
.” He spat the last word as if it tasted
dirty in his mouth.

Under the florescent
lights, she got a good look at the guard. He wasn’t bad looking.
Someone she might have even considered going on a date with. Well,
if he wasn’t keeping her starved and dehydrated and quite possibly
about to torture her.

“I’ll keep that in
mind,” she answered.

Without another word,
he turned around and slammed the door. She stared at it, wondering
if she should even bother to check if it was locked.

She didn’t. Instead she
sat in the chair like a good prisoner, enjoying however long she
had outside of that dark, cold cell. She turned to glance at the
mirror then did a double take. She barely recognized herself.
Raccoon eyes, dried blood under her nose, a fat lip. Was it really
going to end like this? Her throat closed up.

Do not cry,
Felicity.

She blinked once and
the urge was gone. With trembling hands, she tried to tame the
strands of black hair sticking up on the top of her head.

Trying to impress
someone, her subconscious sneered.

She placed her hands in
her lap. A girl should look decent for her torture, shouldn’t
she?

A sigh then she shook
her head. “I’m losing my mind already.” They’d break her like a
twig.

The door creaked open.
A man stepped into the room.

The first thing she
noticed was his bald head. Under his crisp black uniform, muscles
bulged. And covering his scalp, neck, and bare arms were dozens of
tattoos.

Ink Man. Now she got
it.

His lips were pursed in
a flat line. The tendons in his neck were taut with tension. His
hands clenched into fists at his side. The man was a wound up ball
of angry muscle. She gulped. Perfect.

She bit her lip to hold
back a whimper. Finally, she looked into his eyes.

Big and round, deep
brown with a spattering of yellow.

Wait a minute
. She’d know those
eyes anywhere. Hope started in her chest then flooded her with
warmth. Her mind took her back to the last time she’d seen those
comforting eyes.

“Let’s run away
together,” Maddox said, jumping from rock to rock across the
creek.

Felicity sighed and
sat down on the bank, dipping her bare feet into the cool water.
Her heart ached for her best friend. His childhood was coming to an
end at only sixteen. “And where would we go?”

“To the coast. A small
fishing village.” He jumped to the opposite bank then turned around
to do it again.

“Do you even know how
to fish?”

His face fell. “Well,
no. But I could learn.”

“And what would I do
while you went fishing every day?” She smiled, indulging his
fantasy this one time.

“Um.” He thought for a
moment then grinned. “You would sing.”

“Sing?”

“You have an awesome
voice.” He took a final leap then landed in front of her. Grabbing
her wrist, he pulled her to her feet. They walked, hand-in-hand,
through the green meadow. The same meadow they’d spend years
playing hide-and-seek in as children. “You could sing and we’d go
swimming in the ocean every weekend.”

She gave him a
sideways glance. “Who am I, The Little Mermaid?”

He laughed then broke
into song. “Under da sea…”

“I’m serious, Maddox!”
She bit her lip to hold back a grin. “Life can’t always be fun and
games.”

“Who says?”

“The world. The gods.”
She sighed in exasperation. “Everyone!” When he continued to sing
Disney songs, she added, “Your father.”