Frog Hollow (Witches of Sanctuary Book 1) (12 page)

“Scary?”

“I could have enjoyed it—causing you pain.”

“I don’t particularly like your alter ego.”

His beautiful, piercing eyes are sad but thoughtful. “Neither do I.”

“He’s kind of an asshole.”

Now he laughs. “Trust me, he can be worse.”

“Will that happen every time you—” I pause, uncomfortable.

“Every time I try to be intimate with someone?” He laughs but touches my knee gently. “No. I told you, I’m still in complete control. You saw that part of me tonight because I allowed it.”

I sit there a moment trying to make myself understand. “So if I lost my mind and kissed you, then—”

His eyes widen, but he quickly recovers. “I’d still be just me.”

I jump down from the counter. “Good to know.”

He snorts. “Good to know?”

I shrug. “Yeah, you know—for future reference.”

“In case you lose your mind.”

“Exactly.”

He sticks his hands in the pockets of jeans. He seems to do that when he’s uncomfortable or nervous. “I guess that means I should go?” He bites his lip, knowing I’m aware he is actually asking permission to stay.

“You should go.” I say it more to myself than him. “That is the right thing to do. I should tell you to go home.”

“Is that what you want?”

I laugh. It sounds foreign. “What I want? My life has never been about what I wanted.”

“It should be,” he says. “You deserve your own happiness. Being responsible and fulfilling your obligations can make you a reliable person, but it won’t necessarily make you happy.”

I eye him teasingly. “Let me guess—allowing you to stay will?”

“Naturally.” He eases closer. “But that isn’t my point. I’m not talking about right now. I’m talking about tomorrow.” He runs his fingers casually along my wrist. “I want to spend time with you. However, I don’t want to sneak around behind your family’s back. I don’t want to be another complication in your life. I want to be part of the solution.”

“They don’t trust you.”

“They’ve never tried to trust me.” His voice is deep, huskier than before. “Not from the moment I stepped foot in this town. They didn’t bother to even give me a chance. That is all I’m asking for, a chance to prove them wrong about me.”

My resistance dwindles. He reminds me too much of myself, the loneliness too prominent in his features.

“They would want me to tell you to go,” I say, looking at the floor.

“Good thing I only care about what you want, then.” He’s in front of me now, his hand blocking me against the counter. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

My eyes close in frustration. I grit my teeth to keep myself from spouting out my natural response.

“I already know the answer, Wilhelmina.” His breath is on my cheek. My neck. Did the tip of his fingers just touch my hip? “I just need you to say it.”

I bite my lip, because the words are right at the tip of my tongue. His lips brush my skin. “Tell me.”

All rationality and responsibility escape me once his lips touch my skin a second time. In that moment, I can’t even recall the sound of Reid’s voice, let alone his words. I’m a teenager again, thriving on dreams of what can be. It is so easy to give in, too easy to let the dreams blind me. “Stay.”

He wraps his arms around me, picking me up off the floor. “That’s all I needed to hear.” He leans in, but I stop him short.

He looks at me, surprised when I wriggle free of his hold. “I said you could stay,” I say, backing up.

“I know.”

Disappointment. I had no idea disappoint could be sexy.

I walk into the living room, pick up the remote from the back of the couch, and flip on the television. I look back at him intently.

“Ah,” he laughs. “That kind of stay.”

I twirl the remote suggestively around in my palm. “Still interested?”

He rolls his eyes as he walks by me and plops down on the couch. He looks back over his shoulder at me, his grin brighter than ever. “Of course.”

I return his smile as I join him, considering maybe Julien Cote isn’t as bad as everyone thinks. At least not this version of him, anyway.

Chapter 11

THE TRAGIC TRUTH

The sun is especially bright through the window the next morning, so much so that no alarm clock is needed. I rub my eyes sleepily, peeking over the edge of the bed to watch Romeo yawn from atop his pillow on the floor. My mind moves slowly, and I don’t realize the lump I roll into is Julien until I hear him groan and shift under the covers next to me. He faces me on the pillow, our noses touching. “Hi.” He smirks. “Did you forget I was here?”

I hum, trying to clear the foggy memories of the previous night, because I had, in fact, forgotten I wasn’t alone. I remember walking to the graveyard, visiting my mother’s gravestone, casting a spell, but the rest of the night is a blur in my sleepy state. I feel my skin warm at the thought of waking up in bed with Julien and quickly do an assessment to make sure I am still wearing my clothes.

Score one for panties.

He snorts next to me. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“What?”

“I spent the night in your bed,” he says, laughing. “In the most literal interpretation.”

“I fell asleep, didn’t I?”

“Halfway through the second movie. I carried you up here, but I didn’t want to leave and not say goodbye. Sorry.”

“S’okay.” I yawn and inadvertently snuggle against him. “This is nice too.”

“It is,” he agrees, scooting closer. I attempt lay my cheek on his shoulder when a loud noise erupts from downstairs. I shoot straight up in the bed, twirling around in the covers in search of a place to hide, though from what hasn’t even entered my mind. Julien is quickly at my side, pulling me back against his chest. “Calm down. It’s just your friend.”

“My friend?” I question as he slides off the edge of the bed and shuts the door to my bedroom.

He isn’t wearing a shirt. Jeans, unfortunately, yes. But no shirt.

I involuntarily check for my panties a second time.

“It’s Sadie,” he says quietly. “I heard her come in a little while ago, but I was too comfy to actually care.”

My mouth falls open. “Sadie is downstairs?”

He nods. “I heard her cursing all the way of up here. I guess she noticed my car in the driveway.”

I slap my hands over my eyes, falling back onto the bed. “Great.” I groan at the ceiling. “Family or not, I’m taking back their keys.”

Julien tugs on the end of my toes. I lean up to find him dragging me down the bed. “We could just sneak out the window,” he says, smiling wryly at me, “and run away together.”

I try to unravel the sheet from around me as I sit up on the edge of the bed. “Tempting.” I share his grin. “But I’m pretty sure they’d hunt us down out of spite.”

He purses his lips. “So facing the consequences of our actions like adults it is, then?” He pulls on his shirt. “This would be so much easier if I didn’t look like I was ready for the walk of shame.”

I laugh, combing a hand through my wild hair. “Touché.”

After tidying ourselves up the best we can manage, we very quietly walk downstairs together. I peek around the corner, making sure Julien’s assessment is correct, because if he is wrong and Reid is waiting for me, I’m opting for the window.

Luckily, I find Sadie sitting at the table with her arms crossed. She scowls at me and stands. “Where is he? Is he too scared to look me in the face?”

Julien steps out from behind me in all his unkempt glory. “No,” he says casually, running his fingers down my arm. “I’m right here. Good morning to you too, by the way.”

Sadie completely ignores him and continues to stare at me. “So you’ve made your choice?”

“Between what?” Julien is at my side again with his arm around my shoulder, making the choice she was referring to obvious.

She gives Julien a loathsome look before stalking over to me. “I took up for you at the festival, but coming to Frog Hollow? Spending the night?” She grabs my chin, jerking my head from side to side and then checking me as if she might find a knife in my back. “You’re pushing your luck.” She makes a disgruntled snort when she comes up empty.

“Satisfied?” Julien asks beside me. “Or would you like to do an entire strip search?”

Sadie turns her head only slightly and speaks in the same agitated voice. “I’ll just take your word for it.”

“That would be a first.”

Sadie continues to glare at him. “You can leave,” she says, “at any time.”

“Don’t be rude.”

She pays me no attention. Instead, Julien turns to me, cupping his hand around my cheek. “It’s fine. I’m going to leave you ladies to chat, but I will see you later, okay?”

“Sure.” I watch as his eyes do that weird dancing thing again. The blue pigments seem to lighten at my words and swirl happily. I start to comment about it, but I’m distracted by his undeniable smile.

“Good.” He kisses my cheek. “See you soon.”

He turns to Sadie and gives a half wave. “Well, I would say it’s been a pleasure seeing you again, but that would be a lie.”

She grimaces, her hand resting on her hip as if his goodbye is taking too long. Julien takes the hint, squeezes my hand, and vanishes through the living room and out the front door. As soon as it clicks shut, Sadie lets out her frustration in a long, agonized groan.

“That boy,” she says, pointing at the door, “is a problem. Albeit, a very good-looking, sweet-talking problem, but a problem nonetheless.”

“I’m not going to apologize.” My chin reflexively juts out.

She laughs, smiling for the first time as she approaches me. “Apologize to the girl who dates a Prescott? That won’t be necessary.”

She places her hand on my shoulder as if she is attempting to comfort me. I stare suspiciously at her hand and then back at her, waiting for the screaming lecture about how I must have lost my mind. However, it doesn’t come. She just continues to stand there, all anger gone now that Julien is absent. “Am I missing something?”

She squeezes my shoulder. “Did he hurt you?” she asks solemnly.

I step back, my breath suddenly escaping me in a quick burst. “What?”

“Did he hurt you?” she asks again, in the same serene voice.

I begin to stutter, my hands reflexively grabbing the ends of my hair to twist into knots. Her eyes shoot to my wrist as I tug a curl around my finger. She leaps forward, snatching my hand from my hair, pulling it down. I know there is no use trying to stop her as she pries back my fingers to reveal the pink mark on my hand. She sighs heavily, closing her eyes.

“It’s not what you think.”

“Maybe not this time.” She looks up at me, her face grave. “You didn’t notice the way he touched you? Every time I spoke to you, or even looked at you, he touched you.”

“So?”

“He was staking his claim on you, Wilhelmina.”

“No.” I shake my head. “You’re just overreacting.”

“I’m not judging you,” she says, holding her wrist out to display a shiny silver bracelet that looks insanely expensive. “Dating a Prescott, remember? Ezekiel staked his claim on me a long time ago.”

“Then what are you doing, exactly?”

She sighs, scooting close enough to me to wrap her arm around my shoulder. “I just want you to realize what you’re getting yourself into before you’re too involved to change your mind.”

Before I can say anything, she is pulling me toward the stairs. “But first, we need to get you dressed. Then I’ll call for backup while you’re in the shower.”

I pause on the steps, not allowing her to push me any further. “I’m telling you right now, Sadie Lawson, if your so-called backup is Reid Thomas…”

“It’s not Reid,” she says and stifles a laugh. “Reid is far too biased for this particular mission.”

“Mission? Okay, you’re taking this too far.”

She pushes me up the stairs again, and I let her only because I really do need to take a shower. “Maybe I am.” She shoves me through my bedroom door. “But we’ll leave that up to Zeke to decide.”

“Zeke?”

“My boyfriend may be one of the Haunted, but he’s also the only unbiased supernatural human I know.”

I start to open my mouth, but she closes the door in my face. “Take a shower,” she says through the door. “You can whine on the way there.”

***

I’ve never been a fan of unsweetened tea, but I drink mine anyway, because I feel the need to be polite. Apparently, the southern charm is starting to rub off on me. I squeeze lemon into the tea, hoping to somehow mask the flavor. Sadie gives me a wry smile as she sips her tea with such elegance it makes me jealous. I try not to let her silent teasing distract me from Mrs. Prescott, who, with her perfectly placed blonde hair and easy smile, could pass as a former Miss America contestant. She gallantly discusses an upcoming Sanctuary event, a cotillion, which Sadie and I are expected to attend. I silently frown into my tea, because from her explanation, I suspect frilly dresses are involved.

I immediately start fidgeting with the hem of my shorts while glancing around the wide-open kitchen, wondering when Ezekiel will finally make his appearance. Sadie notices my awkwardness and very sweetly interrupts Mrs. Prescott to ask if Zeke is home. She smiles at the mention of her son’s name and motions toward the back door. “He’s down by the lake.” She looks at me. “He’s expecting you.”

I look at Sadie, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not coming with me?” I smile as politely as possible, but it’s strained.

“I thought I’d give you two a moment.” She grins back. “I’ll join you momentarily. Besides, Annette has yet to assign me any cotillion duties.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Prescott says, beaming, “I knew I could count on you to help out.” I stand in the doorway waiting for Sadie to change her mind and make some excuse, but she only motions me forward.

“I’ll take notes on what you need to do,” she says.

I grit my teeth at her between my smile. “Thanks so much.”

I thank Mrs. Prescott for the tea and head out the door. Once in the sweltering heat, I am able to curse Sadie openly for bailing on me. I stomp down the path toward the water, still muttering under my breath. I’m so loud that as soon as I top the hill, I see a figure sitting on the dock with his eyes directed solely at me. Mrs. Prescott was right. Ezekiel Prescott was expecting me. I lighten my footsteps and try out one of those pageant smiles while I continue my way down.

At first glance, I recognize Ezekiel’s hair, the one and only attribute aligning him to his mother. Although Zeke’s has been recently shaved off, it still shines a bright blonde under the sunlight. If it wasn’t for that, though, I might have thought I wandered down to the wrong dock. Honestly, I’d been expecting a man of magnified stature and hefty brawn, but Zeke is tall and slender, and as I step closer, I think that he even looks frail.

“Hello.” He softly kicks his feet in the water.              

I stop at the edge of the dock, my fingers tying themselves in knots behind my back. “Hello.” I smile as widely as possible.

I feel a little like a Cheshire cat. My cheeks begin to hurt, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He’s too busy evaluating me, his eyes discerning my every move and expression. Finally, when my smile fades into a worried pout, he grins triumphantly at me. It is then, when he let his pretenses fall, that I notice the sunken lines of his face and the dark circles under his eyes.

“At least Julien has good taste,” he says with a chuckle.

I think I blush, but I am too preoccupied with the way that he laughs, as if it causes him pain. His hand reflexively falls to his ribcage, but he quickly recovers, masking all hints of his former discomfort. He motions me forward, patting the spot next to him on the dock. “Have a seat.”

I step across the dock as if it’s broken glass and slide down next to him, trying to rock it as little as possible. Once I’m comfortable, I slip off my sandals and dip my feet into the cool water. When I look up, his hand is stuck out toward me. “Joseph Ezekiel Prescott,” he says, taking my hand. “But you can call me Zeke.”

“Wilhelmina Daniels,” I offer back, applying a firm shake. “I prefer Willa.”

“And the Haunted.” His smile is crooked. “Or so I’ve been told.”

My mouth drops open at his bluntness, and I swear I feel my cheeks turn red.

“I bet Julien loves that.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek. “But then again, who wouldn’t?”

I smack his hand away from my face. “Stop that,” I say brazenly. “If I wanted to be mocked, I would have gone to Reid.”

He laughs loudly, as if he completely understands. “I’m only joking.” He kicks his feet in the water again. “Relax.”

The tension in my body vanishes with his words, my shoulders slumping as I let out an audible sigh. I hadn’t realized I was so wound up. It makes sense, though. I haven’t had a moment to myself since I arrived here. Between my training, opening a new business, and secretly trying to solve my mother’s murder, I haven’t made time to calm my nerves.