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They sat with
Kerys enclosed behind them. Maybe Alwena should work with Cora.
Their abilities would mix beautifully. Jack knew Alwena’s elemental
power didn’t come close to Cora’s abilities, but it was still
impressive.

“
So, what do
you want us to do?” Alwena asked.

“
I’m not asking
you to do a specific thing. I only want you there with us, just in
case something does happen,” Jack explained.

“
Is there
likely to be a
something
?” Alwena asked.

Jack shrugged.
“Probably. Knowing our luck, it is very likely.”

“
You don’t seem
to have the best of luck,” Alwena agreed.

“
Okay, do we
come with you?” Dillon wondered.

“
You can’t,”
Ayden told him. “Alastair is with us. He follows Cora
constantly.”

Alwena shook
her head. “I’m amazed the fake pregnancy has lasted this
long.”

“
If you knew
Tabitha and Ember, that is a thought that would never enter your
head,” Ayden stated.

Alwena smiled.
“Jack said the same thing. You are very loyal to your coven, and
the members.”

Ayden inclined
his head. “Why wouldn’t we be? We are a family. We have faced many
things together. As annoying as the young Jack is, I wouldn’t
change anything about our group.”

Jack grinned.
“Nicely put; and I feel the same. I would die protecting everyone
in my coven; that extends to you if you were to help
us.”

“
It is a shame
we are here, in this predicament today,” Ben stated.

“
I wish it
hadn’t even started,” Jack growled.

“
You don’t like
it, Ayden?” Dillon asked.

“
How could I? I
hate it. Alastair’s control over Cora is really grating on my
patience. She is my daughter, for all intents and purposes, and I
hate seeing her like this. The strain of this has affected
everyone.”

“
You will need
to stay in Lemon Tree, the village next to us,” Jack informed
them.

“
We will gather
our things and make our own way up. I shall take you back
out.”

“
Ayden, how did
you get here?” Jack asked, pleading for another way out.

“
Your location
chip, it disappeared and we assumed something was
wrong.”

“
Dillon, your
cloak,” Jack stated.

“
What about
it?”

“
Do it
again.”

Dillon didn’t
ask why, which was a step in the right direction already. The
second Jack and Ayden were cloaked, Ember appeared with
Clay.

“
Wait!” Jack
called before Clay’s hands allowed the dam to burst.

The cloak
disappeared. “We need to get back, Ember.”

“
Okay, but
what’s wrong with the door?”

“
There isn’t
one,” Jack murmured.

“
What?” Clay
asked.

Jack sighed.
“You have to practically jump from the top tier of the library and
then allow yourself to hit the floor.”

Clay grinned.
“That sounds amazing!”

“
Clay, you are
more than welcome to try it,” Jack sighed.

Clay looked at
him. “Jack, you have the element of levitation. You
fly!”

Jack sighed.
“Yes, I do, but I control that. I’m in charge. Once you’ve fallen
from the top of a building, you will understand the lack of
control.

Clay laughed.
“You need to learn how to live on the edge a little more. And yes,
I might try it one day.”

Ayden
chuckled.

“
Fine, Clay,
you can go.”

Ember
disappeared with Clay and came back for Ayden.

“
We will see
you in a few days,” Dillon told him as Ember left with
Ayden.

Jack nodded as
Ember came back for him and they disappeared rather uneventfully,
just the way he liked it.

*

Jack was sat
on the bed as Cora walked into the room. She noticed that he must
have just made it back, because his coat was still flung over the
bottom of the bed.

“
Did you have a
nice time?” Jack teased, throwing her a sexy grin.

“
A will see
yer...” Alastair muttered and quickly left the room.

Jack laughed.
“What did you do to him?”

Cora flopped
down next to him. She couldn’t keep her smile hidden. “I took him
shopping, and we looked at breast pumps. I really went to town with
them.”

Jack laughed.
Cora leant back against him, enjoying their time alone for the
moment. Jack’s hands twined with hers. She looked at them, joined
together and hoped they could enjoy some time alone without the
doom and gloom. They could forget it when they weren’t faced with
Alastair and his coven all the time.

“
Alastair knows
about Quinn.” She knew that she would have to say it fast. She knew
what kind of reaction it would get from Jack.

She felt
Jack’s body jolt from the shock. “How?”

She turned,
leaning on her elbows so she faced him. “You know Alastair. He
didn’t reveal his hows and whys.”

Jack looked at
her. “It doesn’t make a difference; it is already too late for
him.”

“
He revealed
something else today, something...disturbing...”

“
Oh?”

“
He’s
killed...he killed his father because his father supported
Commoners and witches being together. Alastair admitted he’s gone
as far as killing children... babies... to stop mixed
marriages.”

“
Jesus,” Jack
sighed as he rubbed his hand over his face.

“
I
know.”

“
We will make
him pay for everything he has done, Cora, you have to believe that.
I know it is hard to think of innocent children being
killed...babies...It is a lot for one person to rest on their
shoulders. Just know that as a coven, we share that burden, we can
gain justice for them all. He will pay. ”

Cora nodded.
“He thinks he can make big plans for the baby.”

Jack shrugged.
“Let him.” Jack kissed her nose. “We know we can do this. The Welsh
coven supports us and that can only mean good things for
us.”

“
I hope so,”
Cora sighed.

“
I’ll tell you
what. As proof of how confident I am about our union with the Welsh
coven, I suggest we stay here a few days. We can sleep in late,
enjoy long walks, get away from the Scottish git whenever we can.
What do you think?”

Cora smiled.
“That would be nice.”

Jack’s lips
found hers which sent heat running through her body. “Let me help
you relax,” he chuckled.

“
I know what
that kind of relaxing means,” she pushed playfully at
him.

“
Annnnnd?” He
continued to kiss her.

“
And we are
surrounded by our family who could walk in here at any
moment.”

Jack growled
but continued to kiss her. “I will enjoy this for now.”

She laughed as
Jack deepened the kiss. For the moment she would enjoy the peace
and quiet. She would enjoy the here and now with the man she loved,
because soon, all hell would break loose.

24

THE WALLS HAVE EARS

They’d spent
three relatively quiet days in Wales. Thankfully, Alastair had been
one step behind them so they hadn’t seen his face all that
much.

Another plus
was that Alastair had left them three hours before they were due to
return home. They could do a lot in three hours. The negative side
of that was the fact that he’d left his minions behind and Tavish
was currently glued to her side.

They had taken
one last leisurely walk down the country lane, a little way from
their quaint B&B. Tavish had bumped up against their group more
than once when the lane became too narrow. He hadn’t needed to be
that close. Cora was forever squeezing Jack’s hand. In that squeeze
was her plea to be patient. To hold it together for just a little
bit longer.

The plan would
work if they stuck to it. Hopefully.

The walk,
other than a certain person’s company, had been nice. Cora felt
more relaxed as they made their way to the train station. The
relaxed feeling slipped away when Tavish appeared by her
side.

“
Jack?” Cora
muttered, loud enough for Tavish to hear.

“
Hmmm?”

“
Have you
thought about the birth? What method will we use?”

Jack looked at
her and then smiled as his eyes quickly shifted to Tavish. “No,
why? What do you want to do, beautiful?”

“
Well, I
thought about a water birth.”

“
Right.”

“
But then I
will be floating with the blood and the placenta and
things.”

Jack quietly
snorted. “Hmmm, yeah you are right. I’m getting in there with you,
and I don’t want to be floating around with that. You could opt
with the normal way, on the bed, on all fours?”

“
Yes,” Cora
smiled. “And then we will be able to eat the placenta as it won’t
be wet from the water. I might be hungry for some fried
blood.”

“
Yer don’t need
me anymore. A will be on the train,” Tavish moaned as if he was in
pain and stomped off, leaving them.

Ember giggled
as they watched him leave. “Well played.”

“
Jack, you look
a little peaky,” Tabitha laughed.

“
Don’t ever
mention the eating part again, Cora.” Jack shuddered.

“
Why would a
woman do that?” Eli asked, disgusted.

“
It is probably
more nutritional than any of the fast food burgers you eat,” Clay
informed them.

Cora laughed.
Clay’s reactions surprised her sometimes. He was so thoughtful in
the strangest of ways.

The train was
already stationed when they got there. Heading into their carriage,
they didn’t see the evil twins anywhere, but Ciaran sat with Jack
so she didn’t need to worry. She felt a little uncomfortable around
Ciaran, mainly due to the fact that they hadn’t addressed anything
about Brianna. As if sensing her mood, Jack spoke up. He knew Cora
would find it difficult to start the conversation.

“
So, Ciaran,
how are you?”

Ciaran
shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’m fair...”

“
How was...”
Cora couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“
Bri had a good
send off. Ma is handling it better than me Da. He loved her like
every father loves their only daughter.”

Cora glanced
across at Ayden. His blue eyes were watching her. She swallowed,
pushing past the swell of tears.

“
What Alastair
did was...” Again, Cora couldn’t find the words.

“
He will pay,”
Ciaran grumbled. “I trust your plan, and I trust you,
Cora.”

“
Thank you, it
means so much that you do.”

It meant a
lot, but the pressure she felt to make sure this plan did work,
that pressure crushed her every damn day.

Alastair had
taken too many of their loved ones. He’d been the reason they’d had
to stand and fight alone against the Corenthio Coven. He was
responsible for Clio’s death, her mother’s and brother’s deaths.
He’d killed Brianna. He’d killed so many, ones she could not give a
name to.

She touched
her growing bump. This was their justice. They had one thing over
Alastair; this one thing would be the end of the man.

Ciaran looked
at her bump. “Can I be honest with you, Cora?”

“
Of course,
Ciaran, but it has never stopped you before.”

Ciaran grinned
and nodded. “That’s true, I’m glad the baby isn’t real. Because if
it was real, we would all be in serious trouble. The control
Alastair would have over a baby, what he could do to influence a
small child, it doesn’t bear thinking about.”

“
The baby isn’t
real?” Alva gasped from behind them. Alva jumped up, ready to leave
and inform her brother. Tavish must have deposited her in the
carriage without them knowing about it.

Cora saw
everyone jump into action.

25

PROBLEMS

There was a
scramble of men as they launched themselves at Alva. Cora had
barely caught her breath before Ember had disappeared and
reappeared with Dillon from the Welsh coven.

The men had
Alva contained. Alva kicked and silently screamed, thanks to
Tabitha.

“
Cloak her,”
Jack demanded.

Dillon did as
instructed. Cora gasped. Jack had mentioned it, but to witness the
sheen fall over Alva was an amazing gift.

“
At least her
element isn’t as powerful as it could be,” Eli muttered.

“
Tavish is on
his way!” Ayden hissed as he looked through the window of the door
down into the carriage that was connected to theirs.