Fire Spell (23 page)

He rose from the ground and slipped the ring over my finger. His mouth landed on mine, and his hands tangled through my hair, pulling me against his chest. That kiss made it feel as if there had never been darkness in our lives, and we had never been apart. It was the kiss of the beginning of light and sunshine.

He winked at me. “I was worried for a second, babe.”

I giggled. “Me too. I was marching out here to break up with you again.”

“We can’t have that.” He brushed my hair behind my ear. “I swear, after we get past the
Fire Spell,
I will tell you about the quest and my family.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to keep it from you anymore and I don’t want it to drive us apart. I promise there won’t be any more secrets. I don’t care about the laws. They can all go to hell if it means I would lose you again.” He kissed my neck and throat. “See? We aren’t following other people’s patterns. We are making our own magical destiny.” His hands cupped my face as he kissed me again.

Finally, a magical destiny that I agreed with. Nothing had ever felt this exhilarating.

“Finn, you said you won’t leave. Are you giving up the quest?” As much as I wanted him to stay with me forever, I didn’t know how I felt about standing in the way of his magical commitment.

He grinned at me and laced his fingers through mine.

“No, I don’t have to.” He kissed me long and deep until I was completely breathless. “It’s over. I finished it, babe.”

I
TWISTED
my hand to the left and then the right, admiring the rainbow prisms the diamond made along my legs. I wanted to call my mother and father to share the news. She would immediately start asking about flowers, dresses, and hors d’oeuvres. It was the typical protocol for brides and their mothers, but we’d have to flip through the pages of
Brides
magazine at another not-so-crucial time. I wanted to scream from the rooftops that I was engaged, but Finn and I agreed it wasn’t the right time. We’d have to wait until after the
Fire Spell
. I had to admit there was something special about keeping it between us for a little while longer.

“Can you tell me about the ring?” I hadn’t taken my eyes off it since we got in the car. Finn was driving the rest of the way.

“Sure. The setting was my mother’s.” He smiled at me, tracing his finger over the ring. “But the center stone—that is all yours.”

“It’s just so big and sparkly. It has to be at least two carats.”

“At least.” He winked.

Later I would ask him how long he had it and which mother it belonged to. Right now, I wanted to revel in this feeling. I held my hand in front of me. It was the most magical sensation. We were going to get married and spend the rest of forever together. I was officially a bride.

I turned to Finn. “How are you feeling today?” I wasn’t sure how to ask if he’d lost anyone else. It was painful to watch.

“It seems to have stopped. Maybe it means things are holding up for a while.” He adjusted his sunglasses.

“Good. I’m glad you haven’t had to go through that anymore.” It was a relief the mechanism that had ripped through the spells had stopped temporarily. We’d take any bit of luck we could.

We were only fifteen minutes from Charleston. I was anxious to find out as much as we could about the Sognare Ladri’s gathering so we could put an end to the mind games that had kept Finn and me apart. I was ready for the rest of my life to start.

I don’t know what shocked me more—the proposal, or everything he told me about his Shadow Quest. We sat on the stone ruins, the petals fluttering around us while he started at the beginning—the first night he left me in New Orleans. The more he talked, the more I realized how much we needed the time apart. We needed to heal on our own before we could ever find our way back to each other. I had worked through my feelings for Jack on my own. I was glad I didn’t have to choose between the two. Somehow, I faced the reality of what life with Jack would be like without Finn’s interference. I had no doubt I had made the right choice where he was concerned.

Finn’s quest had changed him. I could see it, and more than anything, I could feel it. What he had been through would crush most men, but he kept moving forward. One day I would ask more questions, but today it was about listening to his story. For the first time in years, he told me things he was sworn and bound to keep silent until his death. The ring symbolized the future he wanted with me, but telling me about the Shadow Quest meant more than that. He trusted me with his life. He was willing to defy all our witch laws to show me how much he loved me. Finn wasn’t going anywhere.

He turned the radio down. “So, what’s the plan in Charleston?”

“I wish I knew exactly. We have to figure out the spell details. That I know. I’m hoping that if I read some more of my grandmother’s journals, they will be in there. Otherwise, I don’t know how we’re going to perform it.”

“I don’t have the best feeling about this. We need more information.” Finn slowed as he exited.

“Holly and Jack should have something new for us.” I winced as I said it. I had completely forgotten to tell Finn that Jack was in Charleston.

“Excuse me? Jack? Is that one of Holly’s new boyfriends?”

“Uh, no. It’s the same Jack who’s my editor.”

Finn’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re just now telling me he’s in Charleston?”

“We were kind of busy.” It was true. We had moved between extreme sorrow and happiness in the past twenty-four hours. There wasn’t a lot of time for chitchat.

“Hmm. What’s he doing there? Shouldn’t he be in Sullen’s Grove?”

This conversation was getting increasingly awkward. I wanted to keep us wrapped in the bliss from the ruins and the rose petals.

“You know how all of the spells are falling apart? Well, Holly’s are too. His
Eraser Spell
lost all its hold on his memory. He remembers everything about Las Vegas and the Proxy.” I cringed waiting for the reaction from my fiancé.

“Hmm.” He pursed his lips. “He knows you’re a witch?”

I nodded. “He does. But I haven’t done any magic in front of him.”

“All right, well as soon as we get the spells back in place, Holly can just erase him again. This week too.”

“No!” I didn’t mean to spit it out like that. “I mean, Jack wants to keep his memories. He won’t let Holly do it a second time.”

Finn turned to read my expression. “There is something else going on. Why would he want to keep all of those memories? We can’t let him walk around knowing about all of us? What if he talks one day?”

“He won’t. I know he won’t.”

“And why is that?”

I was stupid to think this wasn’t going to come out eventually. “Because he’s kind of in love with me.”

Finn pulled into the hotel’s parking lot and leaned back in his seat. “What?”

“It’s a long story, but yes, he has feelings for me.”

“What about you?” His eyes landed on mine.

I reached toward him. “I don’t want to lie to you.” His eyes misted. “I did. I really did have feelings for him a long time ago, but it’s not like that anymore. I haven’t for a long time.” I wrinkled my nose at him. “No matter how much I wanted to move forward with anyone, I couldn’t. You always got in the way.” I crossed the console and tugged him closer to me. “You have always been the one.” I kissed him lightly before he claimed my mouth with his. His fingertips pressed into my back, and he growled, making me smile.

“I guess we both have a past, babe.”

I nodded, drawing his lips back to mine. Could we just stay in the car and pretend the world wasn’t falling apart?

Finn broke free and pulled the keys from the ignition. “All right, so Mr. Editor Boy is here and I’ll deal with it.”

“No territorial stuff, Finn,” I called after him.

“Me, territorial?” He huffed, but I recognized the look on his face. Great, all I needed was to add one more problem to the growing list of world disasters we had to tackle.

I took his hand in mine and remembered the ring. We decided not to announce the engagement. There was nothing that would tip them off like this rock.

I wiggled it from my finger and handed it to him.

“Here. I guess you have to hold on it to it a little longer.” I didn’t want to give it back. It was gorgeous.

“You know, I was just thinking maybe this is the perfect time to share the news.” He winked at me as we stood in front of the lobby door. “If the world ends tomorrow, I want it to end with everyone knowing you are mine.” He threaded it over my knuckle.

“And you say you aren’t territorial?” I teased.

He kissed me. “Ok, maybe a little. Nothing wrong with that.”

“But wait, I’m not ready for my parents to know. They think I’m on a work trip and you’re on the quest. Let’s tell them when we get back to Sullen’s Grove, ok?”

“Sure. We can do that. But this little trio here.” Finn pointed to the ceiling. “I think they need to know.”

I felt his fingers laced in mine. He was the someone I didn’t want to live without, and Holly, Ian, and Jack were getting ready to find that out.

Holly squealed, “Let me look at it again!”

I held my hand toward her and smiled. Ok, this was a great feeling. Sharing the news with my best friend made it feel all the more real. We could giggle about the showers our mothers would throw, and what kind of dress she would want to wear. We could talk about all of those things, but later, when we were alone, and Jack wasn’t on the other side of the room.

I tried to ignore the sullen stares he threw my direction every few seconds. He would see eventually that we could never work together. I’d always have to keep my life a secret from him. There would have always been something between us, and I knew that wasn’t how I wanted to live my life. He deserved more than that. I only wish he would let Holly erase this from his memory. It would be easier for both of us, because right now, the only thing he could see was the big rock on my hand and how I had crushed his heart.

Ian hugged me. “Sis, this is huge news.” He patted Finn on the back. “On behalf of the Graces, welcome to the family, man.”

Finn smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it. But you know we’re keeping this quiet until after we get back.”

“Right. Got it.” Ian nodded. I didn’t have to worry about my brother spilling the secret. This wouldn’t be the first one he had kept for me.