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Neither of them said Fox’s name, as if mentioning him would conjure his presence, but his threats hung in the air between them, as real as if he’d been standing there.
“No,” he replied, “we won’t talk about it. Let’s just enjoy what time we have together.”
She nodded, curling against him.
Would that be enough, though? Would it ever be enough?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The following morning, Celeste received a phone call at dawn.
Sunny requested an urgent convening of the coven.
The group were in a perpetual state of readiness anyway, as the date for Fox’s ultimatum closed in. They took it in turns to stay close to Sunny, whilst others observed Fox’s manor house on the hill for signs of activity. Just the day before, several large deliveries had arrived at his homestead, as often happened when he was around.
Celeste rallied members of the coven and quickly prepared pots of tea and coffee. When Willow arrived from the building next door, she brought with her a tray of freshly baked breakfast pastries.
“What do you think it’s about?” Willow asked as they prepared the table. “She needs
reassurance?”
Celeste shrugged. “Could be. She sounded businesslike, which is a good sign. She’s prepared. The deadline is imminent.”
“There’s not much more we can really do,” Willow whispered as the others convened.
Celeste gave her a warning glance. It was true. Their assistance was available, should Sunny require it, but when things came to the crunch, Celeste was ready to make a big sacrifice. She wouldn’t let a young protégé of hers fall under Fox’s power, no way.
When Celeste opened the door, she was surprised to see Sunny had come alone. They’d had several conference meetings and Cullen had, so far, attended them all. Standing alone, Sunny wore jeans and a black hoodie, hood up, hands in her pockets. She glanced over each shoulder as if she expected someone to appear behind her at any moment.
“On your own?”
“I didn’t want Cullen to hear what I’m going to say.”
Celeste ushered her in, concerned. “He let you come on your own?”
“I told him it was just going to be revision of previous lessons.” Sunny rolled her eyes. “He still wanted to come. He’s like a guard dog now we’re closing in on D-Day, but I convinced him it wouldn’t take long.”
“Go through to the back.” She gestured through the shop to the open door beyond. “Everyone else is here.”
However, Sunny hovered nearby, and when Celeste shut the door and the chimes around the shop tinkled in the draft, Sunny stepped closer and gave Celeste a big hug.
Celeste wrapped her arms around her protégé, soothing her. “Hey now, what is it?”
“Needed a hug,” Sunny mumbled against her shoulder.
When they drew apart, Celeste put her hands on Sunny’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. She didn’t have to look far to know how troubled she was. “How’s Cullen holding up?”
Sunny sighed. “It’s as if he’s forbidden to say Fox’s name. It’s his way of dealing with it. There’s a lot going on in his mind. He thinks it’s his job to protect me, and no matter how hard I try to explain ‘role reversal’, there’s no shifting him on that point. He won’t grapple with the concept of me being the hero; refuses.”
“He’s bound to be plotting,” Celeste agreed. “He’s chivalrous. It had be a matter of pride and honor to a man of his time.”
“Yeah, and I made the mistake of putting a big red cross on the calendar for the thirtieth day. I find Cullen staring at it five times a day, at least.”
“Come through.”
As soon as they entered the room, the conversation died down. “Help yourself to tea or coffee and a pastry,” Celeste said as she sat down.
Sunny didn’t seem to hear the pleasantry, or at least didn’t react. The poor girl looked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and Celeste ached to help her through this difficult time.
