Wanted (21 page)

Earth and air were left. Air I’d been working on with Conor; I saved that one for last. Earth was tougher. I couldn’t do a whole lot with those rocks. I could make plants grow faster and produce bigger fruit, but not out of rocks. Sometimes I used crystals as focal pieces in certain spells. The spells I did often required more ingredients, however.

So what did they want me to do with the damn rocks? I stared at them as though they would give me the answer. They just sat on the table, lumps of different minerals, all mixed together. One of them looked like granite flecked with mica and quartz.

Oh, wait. It hit me. I could separate a rock into its minerals. It would take a lot of energy. I was pretty sure I remembered the separation words; it would have to do.

The rock became my focus, like it was the only thing that mattered in the world. After a brief moment, the words came to me and I chanted. I pulled on every ounce of power I could muster from inside me. After I finished the incantation, I pushed with my mind, with everything I had.

Dust flew over the table as the little rock exploded. It wasn’t a huge explosion, but it still caused everyone to start, even me.

Gasping, I grabbed Conor’s arm. His free hand cradled me, comforting, his eyes riveted on the table. When the mini dust cloud settled, one rock was gone, replaced with four small piles of different material.

My mouth fell open. Okay, I knew the spell, but I had never actually used it on a rock before. Behind me, Matt laughed his approval. For the first time, I finally believed what they’d been telling me all along. I was powerful, and I wasn’t even at the height of my powers. My shoulders straightened with pride as any lingering insecurity left me.

I smiled broadly at Vivian. She pressed her lips together, eyes shining. Was she hiding a smile?

A derisive snort from behind Vivian drew everyone’s attention. “So she can manipulate the elements. What happens when Conor goes to bite her? We all heard what happened last time. Air is obviously her strength, she uses it without thinking. She should have a distraction for her final test.”

I recognized the voice, imperious and strident. Conor’s mom stepped forward, her brown eyes on me. She was the only one who wore her hair down, blonde waves cascading over her shoulders.

That was his mom? The ice-bitch I’d heard him talking to the day I’d run out of his house. She didn’t look as scary as she’d sounded. In fact, she looked completely harmless, like a ‘50s housewife—harmless.

Conor stiffened, his right arm still around me, creating a circle of protection, my hand still clenched his left arm. Vivian looked from her ex-daughter-in-law to us, eyebrows raised.

“I suppose that is a fair declaration. Conor, while she performs the next spell, pretend to bite her.”

I clenched my jaw. I had this, I totally had this. Conor and I had been practicing and I’d gotten it. I looked up to reassure him as we let go of each other. His face was stone, eyes still on his mother. When he glanced down at me his eyes were apologetic.

“It’s fine,” I reassured him. “We’ve got this.”

I didn’t think he seemed as confident as I felt. I focused on the book and found my center again. I could do this.

The book lifted off the table slightly and Conor leaned in, breathing on my neck. I forced my eyes to remain open only to see the book waver. No, dammit. I had this. It steadied, but as Conor’s fangs gently scraped the tender skin of my neck, goosebumps covered my skin, my breath caught, my heart raced, and the book went flying off to the left, crashing into the wall before falling to the floor with a dejected thump.

Conor straightened, green eyes neutral, as he turned back to the Council. I bit my lip, face on fire.

“I can do this,” I croaked. I turned to face the book, lying open on the floor. “Conor, do it again.”

This time the book floated for all of five seconds before flying toward us, making us both duck.

“Crap,” I mumbled between clenched teeth. I looked at Conor, both of us still crouching. “I did it earlier today. I know I did.” My eyes grew hot with threatening tears. I would not break down in front of these people. I. Could. Do. This.

He didn’t respond, just leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me in front of his family and other Council members. He pulled me up with him.

“I know you did, Ash.” His voice was comforting. He glanced over my shoulder, to where Matt was standing. I turned in a daze and swiped at my eyes; the world came to a slow halt as realization slammed into me.

Matt.

Matt was the key.

I met his blue gaze. There was a tangle of emotion in his eyes. He smiled and genuine joy lit his face. He was okay with this.

As he walked forward, I noticed he had the book in his hand. He placed it on the table. He met Conor’s eyes over my head, questioning. Conor must have approved because Matt looked down at me, his fingers traced my cheek, my jaw. “We can do this, Ash. You can do this. We’ll face the consequences together. All of us.” His eyes met Conor’s again.

Conor nodded and repeated Matt’s action on my other cheek. “We’ll deal with whatever happens. All of us,” he repeated firmly.

Okay. My spirits lifted at the show of solidarity, even if I was a little confused at the words Matt and Conor spoke.

I faced forward. The Council watched us curiously, expectantly. No one said a word.

I found my center again and focused on the book. I exhaled and made it rise off the table. It held steady. Conor leaned in once again and put his lips on my pulse. My heart lodged in my throat, my mouth opened on a gasp. The book trembled.

Matt’s hand came around my forearm, a band of heat that instantly calmed me. My breathing slowed and I relaxed. The book steadied. Conor’s fangs grazed my neck. The book remained steady, although I was panting. I could feel Matt’s comforting presence filling me, calming my power. We remained entwined for at least twenty seconds, Conor using his lips, teeth, and tongue—damn him—to distract me, but the book steadily floated three feet above the table the entire time.

Gasps came from the Council members. Finally, I released the book with a sigh and met Vivian’s eyes. She was no longer smiling, just studying the three of us. Behind her, the Council members muttered amongst themselves. Conor’s mom narrowed her eyes at me, her mouth pulled into a scowl.

Conor faced the Council. “She has passed the tests. May we proceed?”

The elders all started speaking at once, throwing questions and protests on top of one another. I couldn’t make out much of what they were saying. I knew it involved Matt and Conor and me.

A silver-haired woman stepped forward, turning to look at Vivian with shocking violet eyes. “Vivian, if I may?”

Vivian’s eyes narrowed as though thinking. “Yes, please, Grace. Interesting thought.”

At Vivian’s nod of approval, the woman came to stand directly in front of us, her violet eyes shrewd as she examined all three of us. With Matt’s hand still calming me, I simply stood there and let her look for whatever it was she searched for.

“Is there a bond there?” Vivian asked.

The woman in front of us smiled and turned to address her leader. “Oh yes, there is a bond between Ashlinn and Conor. However, there is also a bond between her and Matthew.”

My heart jumped. What kind of bond? Was it just the bond Matt and Conor had been talking about on the walk here? To my right, Conor had gone eerily still. Matt jerked in surprise and turned wide eyes on me and Conor.

Across from us, the elders mumbled amongst themselves again. A bond?

“What? What kind of bond?” I squeaked.

“The familiar kind,” the woman answered simply. “The three of you are joined.” She turned back to the elders. “They are a triumvirate.”

Her announcement set the elders talking.

My gaze ping-ponged between the guys. “Triumvirate?”

Conor’s face drained of all color, his eyes stared blankly ahead.

“What the hell’s a triumvirate?” I asked Matt, since Conor still hadn’t moved.

Matt let go of my arm like it was a hot potato. His gaze found Conor over my head again. “Conor, I had no idea. I’m so sorry. I thought it was just because she was comfortable around me and because I saved her. I didn’t know, man, really.”

My face scrunched in confusion as I turned to Conor.

“I know.” His focus lingered on Matt. “It’s not your fault. I honestly suspected this from the first night I tried to bite her and you rescued her, again. You are her savior, Matt.” His gaze drifted to my face, his eyes so tender and full of some emotion I couldn’t identify. “You get your wish.” His mouth pulled down at the corners.

I shook my head in confusion. “What wish? Conor, what is going on?”

His hand cupped my cheek. “You get both of us, forever. Neither of us can leave you now.”

“What?”

A sharp clap cut off anything else we were going to say, and our attention snapped to Vivian. She looked at me with her shrewd green eyes. “Well, Ashlinn. Not only will you be Conor’s familiar, but Matthew’s as well. You will join in a blood bond with both of your young men, forming the first triumvirate in over a hundred years.” She smiled. Behind her the rest of the elders looked excited, like this was a good thing.

“Blood bond?” I squeaked.

“Yes, of course,” she replied. “You will have their blood and they will both bite you to complete the bond. You will be joined.”

Joined? All three of us? What would that mean for me and Conor, or for that matter, me and Matt? Were we some weird vampire threesome now? Had the room grown warmer? Why, why didn’t the floor swallow me up like I wanted it to? My heart dropped to my stomach, taking permanent residence down there.

“Shit,” I muttered.

The elders were still talking to each other. Matt and Conor remained stoic, each lost in his own thoughts. I grabbed an arm of each and shook, earning their attention. I pulled a little, forming a triangle, so I could look at both of them at the same time.

“Shit,” I exclaimed. “Right?”

Matt’s face was red. “You don’t have to be so grossed out, Ash.”

“No, it’s not you.” I tried to backtrack. “I.” I looked at Conor. “What does this mean for us?” My heart raced in my chest.

He breathed in deeply. “It means Matt will be with us. Always, which is a good thing. The three of us will be powerful. Maybe even rule the Council one day.”

I turned to Matt. “What about you?”

He shrugged. “I get to be with you, like Conor said. You and Conor will be consorts. I’ll be your protector. It’s happened before, just not in recent history.”

They were both resigned to this already? They both seemed so nonchalant. I looked toward Vivian, who watched us. “Do we have to do this tonight? Now that we know, can we wait?”

She thought over my question, her head cocked to the side. “We will have to discuss this. You three may return to the party for the time being.”

She turned back to the remainder of the elders and they gathered in close to her. Conor’s mom glared at me. Matt’s dad shot us a smile, as did Conor’s. At least the dads were behind us. Conor’s mom was probably upset she wasn’t going to get to use me.

I had to talk to my boys. My boys. Plural. So weird. I grabbed their hands and pulled them from the room. Once in the hall, I paused.

“Where can we go to talk?” I looked at Conor. His eyes were distant, like he was lost in thought. With a small shake of his head, he cleared his throat and met my imploring gaze.

“Ah. Um. We can go to any open room. There should be one just down this hall.”

I started moving before he’d finished and practically dragged them into the first open door I found. A small den, good. There was a couch, better. I pushed them both toward it and they sat. I stood before them, arms crossed.

“Okay.” Their gazes rose to meet my stare. One the color of emeralds, the other the color of the Caribbean. “You guys suspected this, didn’t you?”

Conor sat straight on the edge of the couch. “I did. I don’t know if Matt did.” Matt shook his head. “When Matt calmed you enough that your power remained under control today, I thought he must be the key, I said so. I didn’t know it would go as far as a triumvirate. I knew he would probably have to be there for you. I wanted it to not be true.” His eyes looked at Matt, apologetically. “No offense. I want Ashlinn all to myself.”

Matt just shrugged. Conor continued. “The night he rescued you from me, I could see…I don’t know, a connection. I thought it was just because you were such good friends.”

I glanced at Matt, whose gaze lingered on me. His lips pulled into a small smile when my gaze met his. I couldn’t help but respond in kind.

“It’s probably because he gave you his blood,” Conor went on. “You’ve been bonded this whole time, and the only reason you weren’t his familiar is because he never took your blood.”

Looking back at Conor, I saw pain in his eyes. This hurt him. I went to him and kneeled on the floor, my dress pooling around his feet. I grasped his hands, which hung useless between his knees.

“Conor, I care about you. I really, really do. You are in my heart, in my soul. You have to know that. Remember when you had me look inward? I felt our hearts beat together.” I paused and recalled the moment with a clear head. “Remember something was missing? You thought it was just the familiar bond, but it’s not, is it? It’s Matt.”