Waiting for Magic (45 page)

“You’re a two-fer,” Tammy exclaimed.

“Good try. Most son-in-laws call their wife’s mother by her first name,” Devin said, shrugging apologetically. “Not sure I can change anyway after all these years. Maybe I’ll get used to the hugging, though.”

Everybody chuckled. “Bet you like hugging Kee.” Tris waggled his eyebrows.

Jane brought over the orange juice and filled any half-empty glasses. “I think Keelan and Devin getting together is very practical,” she said.

“Practical?” Kee laughed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we don’t have to make the effort to welcome a stranger into the family.”

“You saying Devin’s not strange?” Lanyon scoffed. “Dude spends his time either riding waves or studying the ocean. Bor-ring.”

“And Kee spends all her time painting,” Drew challenged Lanyon. “So what?”

“I just meant that we already know everything about Devin and Kee,” Jane said, in that diffident way of hers. “I think that’s nice.”

Devin looked down at Kee at the same moment she turned to him. The heat he felt was reflected in her eyes.
No they don’t,
he thought.
Not that Kee sees colors when she comes. At least I hope not.
And he could see in her eyes that she was thinking that they didn’t know his orgasm was a big, blue-green wave. They smiled.

“What?” Lanyon protested. “What’s with you two?”

About Susan Squires

Susan Squires is a
New York Times
bestselling author known for breaking the rules of romance writing. She has published five novels and a novella with Dorchester Publishing and nine and two novellas with St. Martin’s Press. Whatever her time period or subject, some element of the paranormal always creeps in. She has won multiple contests for published novels and reviewer’s choice awards.
Publisher’s Weekly
named
Body Electric
one of the most influential mass market books of 2003 and
One with the Shadows,
the fifth in her vampire Companion Series, a Best Book of 2007.
Time for Eternity,
the first in her Da Vinci time travel series, received a starred review from
Publisher’s Weekly.

Susan has a Masters in English literature from UCLA and once toiled as an executive for a Fortune 500 company. Now she lives at the beach in Southern California with her husband, Harry, a writer of supernatural thrillers, and three very active Belgian Sheepdogs, who like to help her write by putting their chins on the keyboarddddddddddddddddddddddd.

Visit Susan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or check out her website at
http://www.susansquires.com.

If you missed other Children of Merlin novels, you can access them at Amazon here:

Do You Believe In Magic (Book 1)

He's A Magic Man (Book 2)

Your Magic Touch (novella)

Watch for the next
Children of Merlin
novel,
NIGHT MAGIC,
coming soon:

Night Magic

by

Susan Squires

CHAPTER ONE

“I do.”

Kemble Tremaine watched his little sister smile at Devin, his adopted brother, now brother-in-law as well. There was so much love in that smile and in the one Devin gave her in return, it cut Kemble’s heart out.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Devin didn’t hesitate to comply. The unruly shock of blond hair flopped over his forehead as he bent to the kiss. The kid cleaned up nice, for a surfer. The custom-made tux didn’t hurt. His sister was a gorgeous bride, slim shoulders creamy above her strapless dress in the embrace of her new husband. The family and the Nakamuras (father and daughter,) a few friends, a couple of the security team who could be spared: the gathering on the lawn of the Breakers this spring day wasn’t large, but they all cheered. Jane Pedrino, his sister Drew’s best friend, snapped pictures with a very professional-looking camera.

Kemble couldn’t watch that passion-filled kiss. Not everyone present knew the couple was destined for each other by the magic in their genes. Or that their love had unlocked a personal power for each of them. Devin and Keelan would be soul mates for the rest of their lives, their magic making them useful members of Tremaine Enterprises, no matter what nastiness loomed on the horizon.

Kemble was so jealous he actually felt ill. He slipped the small velvet pouch back in his pocket, empty now that the ring he’d handed Devin was now on his sister’s finger. Not sure why Devin picked him as best man. He hadn’t been exactly accepting of their relationship initally. How the hell would he get through the stupid toast he was supposed to make? Everyone would expect him to be funny. He wasn’t the funny type, even at the best of times. And he was not at his best today. He took a breath and gazed out past the pergola covered with magenta and orange bougainvillea to the blue-gray of the Pacific and Catalina Island, drifting in a haze. The crash of waves on the rocks fifty feet below provided a rumbling backdrop to the music from his youngest brother’s piano up on the terrace.

Kemble was thirty-seven, fourteen years older than the young lovers tying the knot, and there was no soul mate, no magic in sight. The gene must be recessive in him. That was all there was to it. So it wasn’t going to happen for him. He thought he’d accepted that, but this wedding brought up all the old yearning and resentment.

“Get a room,” his brother Tristram growled at the happy couple under the swell of Lanyon’s piano. The pair broke their kiss and blushed.

“Hush, Tris.” Tristram’s wife Maggie elbowed him in the ribs. She had that beatific look all women get at weddings.

The couple headed down the grassy aisle between the rows of white chairs. Everyone rose and trekked back up to the flagstone terrace for food and champagne. They’d hired staff for the day so Mr. Nakamura could be a guest instead of an employee. It was a risk to let strangers into the Breakers, but Kemble had checked and rechecked the background of each server. He was still on edge. Recent events had proven that the family was still very much in danger. He fell in beside Jane, automatically guiding her over to the deep shade she preferred
under the jacaranda tree. It’s purple blooms dusted the terrace.

“Isn’t the dress Drew designed for Keelan lovely?” Jane asked, with a little sigh.

“It’s great.” His tone must have been less than enthusiastic. Jane gave him a pointed glance. Ironic that she could appreciate fashion, but she never seemed fashionable herself. Her taste ran to gray-browny-beige colors. Today she had on a dress of the palest gray in a gesture to spring. It was funny that Jane and Drew were BFFs, since Drew was on a first-name-basis with the important fashion houses, even though she couldn’t hit the shows anymore.

“This is the right thing for them. You do know that.” Jane’s reproof was soft.

“Of course.” Kemble waved a dismissive hand. “The last six months left no question of that. I’m just glad the remodel of the old servants’ quarters is finished. It’ll get them out of Devin’s room.”

Jane gave an amused chuckle. “Hard to sleep?”

“You’ve no idea. The third floor might not even be far enough away.” The last thing he wanted to be talking about with shy Jane was the young couple’s sexual appetite. He cleared his throat. “Uh, how’s your mother?”

“I got a nurse to stay with her this afternoon, but I have to be back by five.” She looked up at him then glanced away. “Thanks for asking.”

He grabbed a couple of champagne glasses from a passing waiter and handed her one. He’d never noticed, but Jane had lines of strain around her eyes, and the corners of her mouth were tense. “You…you don’t need to spend so much time there.”

“She’s my mother.”

Kemble knew he wouldn’t get very far with this tack, but he had to try. “Let us get her a full-time caretaker. That way you can get away whenever you need some time.”

“That’s very kind, Kemble. But you know I can’t let you do that.” Her tiny purse buzzed. Jane flushed. “So sorry.” She fumbled the purse open. Kemble rescued her champagne glass just before she dumped it all over her dress. She gave him a grateful glance and retrieved her phone. “I had to leave it on, in case… Hello?” Kemble saw her face fall a little before she righted her expression. “Please don’t go, Mrs. Jensen.” She paused. “No, I understand completely. I just don’t want her left alone. If you could just stay by the front door until I can get there.” She looked dismayed. “I won’t be a minute, I promise. It’s only two miles.” She took a breath. “Please?” She sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

She put the phone away, her glance darting around, distracted. “I’ll…I’ll give the camera to Drew. She can finish taking pictures.”

Kemble found himself getting angry.
Jane’s mother strikes again.
It was obvious the nurse had had enough of her irascible patient and Kemble had no doubt Jane’s mother planned it that way just to deprive her daughter of an afternoon among friends. The old witch had been getting more demanding lately, as if making Jane miserable could change the slow collapse of her liver. The Tremaines had been seeing less and less of Jane as she ferried her mother to appointments with doctors whose advice was never taken and arranged for caretakers to cover the times when Jane was earning a living with her camera. When she could keep attendants, of course.

But Kemble couldn’t think of anything to say. His plan to get a full time caretaker seemed silly. The old bat would never allow that when she had a daughter she could terrorize.

Jane was looking around for Drew, growing more frantic. Kemble took the camera, and grabbed his youngest sister as she skipped by, red hair flaming like a phoenix trailing fire. “Tamsen, give this to Drew. Tell her she’s on camera duty.”

“O-okay,” Tamsen glanced to Jane and then saluted with two fingers, putting the camera strap over her shoulder. “I’m on it, big brother.” She hurried off.

Kemble took Jane’s elbow, his mouth a grim line. He was just stupid enough to throw himself in front of the fire-breathing dragon to save the damsel in distress. “Come on, Jane. I’m taking you home.”

“Oh, no,” Jane protested, trying to extract her elbow. “You can’t miss the reception. What about the toast?”

“Your car is buried behind several others.” He guided her firmly to the French doors. “We’ll take one of Edwards’ security vehicles. And I can hardly wait to miss the reception. Somebody else will have to make the toast.”  

*****

The two miles to her house seemed like an eternity to Jane. Mr. Edwards had send a security detail with them, since Tremaine’s didn’t go outside The Breakers without one these days. Kemble looked so handsome in that tux it almost made her want to cry.  He wasn’t talking. Not unusual for him, of course, but this silence was worse than usual. He looked so angry. She didn’t think the scene likely to ensue at her house would put him in a better mood. She’d just have to make sure he didn’t come into the house with her.

She knew he wasn’t angry with her. He wasn’t even angry at her mother. The wedding was bringing up all his insecurity about finding true love. Four of his younger siblings had found their soul mates now. They’d fulfilled the promise of the Tremaine genes. And he hadn’t. She’d seen his despair coming on for some time now. Just little signs that apparently only she noticed. Between despair and anger, she preferred the anger.