Warlock's Charm (8 page)

“Then, we can go back to Earth and make our home close to
where Dallas lives?”

“Indeed we can,” he murmured, kissing her again. “I love
that you have family that relies on you so much. The Forsythe side loves me and
all of that but they all have their own independent lives and we’re not big on
family reunions. The Ashers…well, aside from my Aunt Blanche, I don’t really
want to deal with any of them. Regan, my cousin, is sort of normal, but she
can’t break herself away from relying on the Asher Family money and the power
that goes along with it, to the detriment of her own life.”

“Maybe she just needs someone to help her, someone like
you,” Anya suggested.

“Maybe,” he murmured. She felt his attention wandering. He
should only be focused on her!

A loud rap at the door jostled them both out of their dreamy
reveries. She laughed at the struck look on his face. “Go and put your dressing
robe on for goodness sake before the help gets an eyeful.”

He chuckled along with her and bolted to do as she asked.
Once he was suitably covered, she went to the bedroom door and opened it.

“Begging your pardon, mistress, I know I told you that we’d
wait for you and the master to ring for your food and we should have but the
cook is tired and would like to…”

“Say no more,” she said, reaching for the tray. “We
shouldn’t expect you to stay up and cater to our whims. You need your sleep as
much as we do.” The food on the tray was covered with lids but a heavenly aroma
of eggs and cheese and onion wafted up to her.

“Thank you, ma’am, have a good night,” the butler said,
bowing to her and then leaving.

“We’ll have to leave the staff behind here at Silver Gables
when we move to Earth.”

She rolled her eyes, knowing he was most likely attempting
to appeal to her sympathetic nature.

“We could take them with us,” she said, walking to the bed
with the large tray, “however, I’m not really certain they’d want to come. They
all seem to be particularly rooted in life here on Vanguard, and Reeves for his
part loves the ideals that the Vanguard Colonists set forth when they first
came here.”

She settled herself on the bed next to him and moved the
lids on the plates. Sure enough, fluffy omelets filled with cheese and onion
sat on the plates in front of her.

In lieu of tea, the cook had brewed a pot of coffee for
them. She inhaled the robust aroma, not sure if she wanted to fill herself up
on so much caffeine, and yet maybe she would need it as Damien didn’t look as
if he was the least bit tired.

They ate in relative silence. Neither one wanted to keep up
with the subject they’d left on. The fact that Reeves seemed so attached to the
old ways here on Vanguard slightly troubled Anya. She didn’t even know if she
wanted such a man working in her house, so moving back to Earth as quickly as
possible would make her quite content.

* * * * *

Damien could almost hear Anya’s thoughts. She wanted off
Vanguard as fast as he could arrange transport, which wouldn’t take that long
considering he owned a space yacht that was equipped for the long voyage back
to Earth. He understood why she wanted to flee but he wanted to show her the
beauties of Vanguard. The hidden wonder of it that had been tainted by such
gruesome acts of evil.

Her own grandmother had come to Vanguard because of that
mystical beauty; she’d never known the danger that awaited her.

This was a whole new world. The evils of the past had been
defeated and if he had his way they would never be resurrected. Could he make
her believe that or would she just cling to her prejudices?

“Reeves likes the old ways but he would never do the
monstrous acts that the men like my grandfather and great-grandfather
participated in.”

She didn’t look at him, seeking only to act as if she wasn’t
following his line of conversation.

“I was hungrier than I thought,” she murmured as she
finished off the last of her omelet. He smiled at her.

“I suppose I need to give you more of a workout,” he
murmured.

He took one last sip of his coffee and then noticing that
she was done, he levitated the tray and moved it over to a nearby table.

Her hand slid underneath the bed clothes and rested on his
leg. He grinned, realizing her intent. She slowly slid her hand upward until
she found her target.

He let out a growl as she used her magic to open his
dressing gown. She crawled over him so she sat straddling his body. Leaning
down, she kissed his lips. His full mouth felt like velvet against her lips.

He tasted of coffee and omelet. Moaning against his lips,
she broke the kiss and smiled dreamily at him. The sun had long since set, and
the bedroom was haloed in romantic candlelight, giving it a romantic soft
feeling.

She felt cocooned in comfort. Being with Damien made her
feel so complete.

“I love you, Damien,” she murmured. Reaching up to touch her
chin, he looked deep into her eyes.

“I love you too, Anya.”

Anya awoke the next morning with a start. Sunlight trickled
through the half-open drapes. She stood up and padded to the window looking
over the valley that stretched beyond Silver Gables. The land that her
grandmother had settled on looked like something taken out of a fairy tale
book.

The side of the bed where Damien should be was rumpled. He
had obviously woken early and decided to go to the office to sort out things
there.

She moved to the wardrobe and opened it to find clothing
there that was along her taste and in her size.

Sighing, she closed the wardrobe and moved to the bathroom
to go through her usual morning routine of showering, brushing her teeth and
fixing her hair.

She chose a peasant-style top and a long flowing skirt for
her outfit of the day. Slipping her feet into sandals, she moved to the bedroom
door, stopping when she creaked the door open and heard one familiar female
voice mingled with another unfamiliar one.

She waited, hearing Damien’s voice also in the mix. They
were all speaking in cordial tones, telling her that he had invited his Aunt
Blanche and the stranger to visit him.

She moved to the staircase railing and listened closely to
what was going on down below her.

When she heard Damien call the other woman Regan, she
decided to crash their happy little visit. She wanted to know more about the
side of his family that he kept himself cut off from.

She quickly walked down the cantilever staircase and stopped
in the doorway to the first drawing room.

Silver Gables was so massive it seemed to go on and on with
north, south, east and west wings.

“And you’re quite certain that no one on Vanguard III is
influenced by my father or my old coven?” Regan asked.

“Quite certain. The Bloodbayne Coven views them as being
beneath their touch. They see them as foolish, backward pioneers. However, the
town of Wolf Hole needs a new sheriff, one who is equipped with the power to
stand against the Wolf Shifters that terrorize them.”

“Well, they can’t scare me. Practically nothing scares me
now. I look forward to finding a positive outlet for my frustrations and right
now getting as far away from my old coven as possible is just what I need to do.”

Anya crept forward, finally earning their attention.

“Anya,” Damien said, his face lighting up. “You know Aunt
Blanche, and this is my cousin, Regan. She’s been looking for alternative
employment off world and an opportunity came my way earlier this morning, so I
thought I’d contact her and tell her about it.”

Regan smiled shyly at Anya. She looked like Damien, except
that while Damien’s hair was reddish brown, Regan’s was definitely red. Flaming
red.

“It’s nice to meet some more normal members of Damien’s
family,” she said, stepping right into the room and moving over to stand beside
Damien.

“Normal isn’t something I’d call any of us in our family,
but I get where you’re coming from, Anya. My father can be a royal pain when he
wants to. My mother isn’t much better for that matter.” Regan laughed
nervously, casting a wary glance over at her aunt. “At least I can safely say
that my father and mother are not in the realm of Blanche’s brothers.”

“Yes, my brothers were sheer evil. They committed atrocities
I could never condone. I risked the wrath of all of them by being the rebel in
the group. Fortunately, my father couldn’t bring himself to kill me, or I
wouldn’t be here today. He was another vile bastard. A worse man never walked
the ground here on Vanguard Prime.”

She sat primly with her hands placed on top of her
pocketbook, which sat on her lap. She wore a sweet little hat that was cone
shaped and sat jauntily to the left side of her head. It was decorated with
roses that glowed with an arcane red light whenever she smiled.

She wore the traditional robes that witches from her
generation wore. They were bright scarlet, probably a remnant of her life held
over from when she was a member of the Bloodbayne Coven. Her hair was
completely white and her eyes twinkled like dark stars in the sky.

The broom she’d rode in on sat propped against the end of
the sofa. Regan’s sat with it.

Regan wore slacks, a top and a leather jacket that was
black. She wore the dark color as if she was in mourning for even the hat she wore
was black decorated with a simple purple flower that was only found on Vanguard
Prime, and used when making mourning clothing.

“Do you think you’ll like your new life on Vanguard III? I
hear the climate there can be quite unforgiving,” Anya asked, watching Regan’s
face closely for her reaction.

She knew she shouldn’t be studying the woman so intently but
for whatever reason she couldn’t console herself to the fact that there were
two normal Asher women.

As if she sensed Anya’s thoughts she sighed. “I’m feeling
quite parched, do you think it would be possible for us to get some
refreshments, cousin Damien? If not I could conjure up my own but I’ve been
told it’s rude to do so when you’re a guest at someone’s home.”

“Of course, I’ll ring for it,” he said, using his magic to
press the button that would bring a servant running. A footman stepped into the
room.

“Yes, master?” he said, his eyes sweeping over their
gathering. His eyes lingered a bit too long on Regan, and she looked away, a
frown creeping across her otherwise serene features.

Anya watched as Regan clutched her hands into fists, and
dropped her gaze to her clutched hands. A myriad of emotions crossed her face,
it was as if she fought an inner war, could she be holding her magic back so
she wouldn’t retaliate against the flirtatious footman?

“Can you tell Mrs. Beetle that we’d like tea and some light
refreshments?” Damien said.

“Aye, sir.” The footman’s eyes again gravitated toward
Regan. This time around she didn’t shy away from his gaze. This time, she
looked him straight in the eye.

“You should leave now, Derek,” Regan said, boldly using his
name—information she’d most likely magically plucked from his mind as she’d
never before been to Silver Gables.

He looked startled, bowed to them all and retreated from the
room. At least he was smart enough to know when he was licked for Regan Asher
didn’t seem like someone you bothered if she didn’t want to be bothered.

“In answer to your earlier question, Anya, even if life on
Vanguard III is unforgiving, I’m up for the challenge. I’ve lived a half-life
since my David was cruelly taken me and I haven’t been myself since the day my
husband died. I’ve spent two years grieving him—two years feeling sorry for
myself and it is high time I did something that he’d be proud of me for doing.

“If going to Vanguard III and helping those men and women
who are living in fear does that then I can live a happy life. My father won’t
like it, but then I’ve been a disappointment to him ever since I went against
his wishes and married David. When I tacked the last name of Corday onto Asher,
it was the last straw. He really didn’t like it.”

“I liked David,” Damien mused. “He came to my office once
asking me to reach out to you. I couldn’t do it then, and I am sorry…”

“Why should you be sorry, Damien? There’s no reason to be. I
was a wretched woman back then. I gloried in my gifts. I used them with no
thought of the consequences and now I’ve learned my lessons. Sometimes, the
things that I’ve done keep me awake at night. Anyway, I reckon I’ll make a new
life for myself on Vanguard III. I’ve asked Auntie to go with me, and she told
me…”

“That an old witch can’t learn new tricks,” Blanche said
softly. “It’s true, I wouldn’t know what to do on Vanguard III. I’m not into
the roughing-it life.” She smiled at Anya. “Why don’t you come and sit with us,
dear, instead of hovering on the outside. You’re a part of the family now.”

Anya’s stomach twisted. They were right. She was part of the
family even though she didn’t want to really be a part of the Asher clan.

She sat down on a chair next to Damien’s. He looked at her
encouragingly. She’d done this, she’d told him not to shun Regan and Blanche.
The problem was, she never thought he’d actually take her words to heart—not to
mention acting on them so swiftly.

A young maid pushed a tea cart into the room. Obviously,
Derek didn’t want to return lest Regan turn him into something like a mouse.

She curtsied to each of them and left.

“Shall I pour?” Blanche asked.

As the lady of the house, Anya knew it was her right. Alas,
she didn’t feel into it this morning, her mind was still reeling from the
latest developments.

“Go for it,” Anya said.

Blanche smiled sweetly, raised her hand and used her magic
to start pouring out the tea. “Looks as if she made us some dear little
sandwiches. Who would like one?”

Anya looked away. The sooner this serene little scene of
social domesticity was over—the better.

“I’ll take one,” Anya said, using her magic to move the
plate heaped with two sandwiches over to her. She placed the napkin in her lap,
and accepted the cup of tea keeping it hovering in front of her.

“Oh, my why you are talented.” Blanche smiled at her, and
she wondered if it had been a ploy by Blanche to see just how far her magic had
matured. “Yours and Damien’s children will be the envy of everyone. Their magic
will be quite profound, I only hope I live long enough to see them, and watch
them hone their craft.”

Anya felt uneasy. Did she really want Blanche to see her
children as they used their gifts? Did she want her influencing them?

She supposed it didn’t matter. Damien had turned out okay
and he’d seemingly had the influence of Blanche.

“You’ll have to make the trip to Earth in order to do that,
Auntie.”

“Why?” Regan asked, her head snapping around to fix her
fierce gaze on Damien.

“We are going to make our new life on Earth. Anya doesn’t
want to stay here.”

“And rightly so,” Blanche said, nodding her head effusively.
“She shouldn’t make her life here where so much reminds her of such sorrow. No,
Earth will be your clean slate, darlings, and if I must make the trip through
space to see you there, than I shall. I will even make the journey to see you
in your new life, Regan. The two of you are well worth the trips.”

So maybe she’d been wrong about Blanche. She seemed genuine
if a little odd.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I selfishly wanted to
have you to myself for a few more months while I get my affairs in order,”
Regan murmured.

“You’ll have two months top before you have to go to
Vanguard III. They really are in need of a sheriff, Regan. You might have to
get your hands dirty.”

“I doubt that,” Regan said, staring off into space. “You
forget, cousin, my talent keeps my hands quite clean.”

He smiled. “So it does.”

“So.” Blanche looked nervous. Obviously she didn’t want
Regan elaborating on her mysterious talents. More than likely they mirrored the
Asher Brothers’ powers, and if that was the case, Blanche was right, she didn’t
want them stirring up that hornet’s nest.

“Yes?” Anya asked.

“Can this old lady ask where the two of you intend on
settling when you go to Earth?”

Damien smiled broadly. “We’re going to settle near Anya’s
family. The Redgraves are a prominent family in a sleepy seaside town, and they
are well known through the space shipping circles.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it sleepy, Damien,” she laughed,
“but you’re right, they are quite prominent there. Everyone knows who they are,
and what my cousins and I are.”

“You’ll live by the sea? In that case, once you are settled
in, I shall make haste to make the trip to see you. I shall fly like a family
of fairies. I love the water, and I’ve never been near any body of water on
Earth. I think I shall quite enjoy the visit. It will be like ribbing the
daisy.”

Anya’s mind went to the extensive wax doll collection she
and her mother had gathered throughout the years. She didn’t know how Damien
would regard it once they went back to Earth. She’d have to tell him that they
were merciless witches and warlocks who truly deserved their sad fate. Still,
maybe she had to reconsider releasing some of them—she couldn’t hold grudges
forever.

“Now then, my dears, let me read your tea leaves. Regan, you
can go first so Anya will know I’m no huff and puff,” Aunt Blanche murmured.

“To be fair, Auntie, there aren’t many huff and puffs here
on Vanguard. They get called out for the charlatans they are.”

Anya listened closely. Blanche liked to use slang native to
Vanguard and it could be quite disconcerting to listen to her when she threw it
about.

“I shouldn’t worry about reading mine, Auntie, my future is
only filled with darkness,” Regan murmured.

“Shush, shush. That’s total fibby-boo. Now give me your cup,
that’s a good girl,” Blanche said, using her magic to levitate the china cup
and saucer back over toward her. “Now, mind, I don’t profess to be a seer, it’s
not my particular gift, but I do have a way with the tea leaves. They put me
into a trancelike state, you see, and the things I predict can be quite
surprising.”

“Unbelievable, more like,” Regan muttered under her breath.

Blanche held Regan’s cup between her hands and gave the cup
three good swirls, and then she turned it down onto the saucer. She breathed in
deeply before righting the teacup.

A spark of crimson-colored magic shot out of the tip of her
finger and illuminated the cup. She smiled at them all and then stared down at
the remnants of tea that were gathered at the bottom of the cup. Her eyes went
distant and she spoke aloud in an otherworldly voice.

“Darkness will come for you—it will want to dance with you
and make you its mistress—but in the light there lives one man who shall be
your savior. Love him and he will keep you in the light, fight him and you will
be forever lost to the darkness.”