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“You’re not going.” His voice was low and commanding. I wondered if that sort of tone worked on other witches.
“Like you could stop me,” I said with a smirk, adjusting the sheet around me. Jack’s eyes traveled down the length of my body. I reveled in the look of heat on Jack’s face as I approached him. “Besides, it’s a festival for the humans. It will make it easier to spot any magical weirdness since the witchkind here will be less comfortable about using their magic there. We can go as a couple.”
And there it was. A flicker of doubt or worry. Was he having cold feet about what was happening between us? I swallowed the fear that the thought caused me. Instead, I leaned into him, kissing him, enjoying the fact that I could do that now.
And hoping that there would be no reason I wouldn’t be able to in the near future.
* * *
The Mystic SpringsAutumn Festival rolled into town for one weekend in late fall. Every year, the town flocked to the festival to experience all its delights.
As Jack and I stepped onto the fairground, I took in a deep breath, letting my senses take in all the magic of such a festival. The smell of corn dogs from the food trucks. Kids laughing in the distance as they ran through the midway. Screams coming from the rides. Twinkling lights surrounded the rides, carnival booths, and food trucks. It wasn’t magic as witches knew it, but it was still potent just the same.
I watched as a group of kids ran toward their parents, begging for money for another game. I gripped Jack’s hand in mine.
Before last week, I’d never thought the possibility of having a family with Jack was possible. But now? As I watched the families making their way through the midway, there was nothing I wanted more. I knew Jack had done his utmost to be careful, but I still hoped, perhaps selfishly, that he hadn’t been too careful.
Suddenly, I felt a sort of childlike giddiness from Jack. Looking over at him, I watched as he nodded toward a game of chance. He fixed me with a quizzical stare.
“Think you can do it?” I looked toward the game and back at Jack.
“Is that a challenge, witch?” Jack asked, quirking his brow at me.
He didn’t wait for me to respond, dragging me behind him as he walked to the game stand. After Jack paid the man who was attending the game, I leaned my body into Jack’s.
“You can’t use magic,” I reminded him with a smile.
“I’m insulted that you would think I would need to,” Jack responded with a devilish smile that made my blood run hot. He then leaned forward, kissing me. It was a slow, sensual thing. My toes curled inside my sneakers.
I watched with pride as he won a bear that was nearly as big as me. There was no hiding the beaming smile as he presented it to me like a teenage boy smitten with his first love. Hugging the bear to me, I looked up at him.
“I’ll cherish it forever,” I said, still beaming. “This is the first thing you’ve given me.”
A sad expression crossed his features, and I wished I had chosen something else to say.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That was probably—“
“I just wish that your first gift from me would’ve been something a little nicer,” he said, cutting me off. “You deserve the best in the world.”
He took my hand, pulling it to his lips. But there was still something wrong. Something that wasn’t adding up. My heart twisted in my chest even as it thundered with the ferocity of my feelings for him.
“Let’s take the bear to the car,” he said, pulling me alongside him. “That way, if we get into any scuffles, he won’t get hurt. Furthermore, it gives us a good chance to stake out the parking lot.”
“What makes you think it’s a he?” I asked, smiling. I knew we were both thinking the same thing. That would be exactly the sort of question we might ask if we knew I was pregnant. I felt a torrent of emotions from him, too many to decipher.
Once we placed the bear in the car and made our way back to the festival entrance, something changed in the air. A snap of energy. That whiff of magic. Jack and I shared a look.
The sound of a struggle to the right of us answered our unasked questions. It came from the tree-line that surrounded the fairgrounds’ parking area.
Jack thundered off toward the edge of the parking lot, his feet clacking against the gravel terrain. The moon was only a sliver in the sky, blurring everything in shadow. I struggled to see through the copse of trees. The sound of the struggle was feminine. Like I knew Jack was, I was more following that signature spark of magic.
I allowed that trail of magic to pull me into the maze of trees, away from Jack.
The sounds grew closer. Muffled sounds of protest. I readied myself to go on the attack when I saw the sounds were coming from two young girls. They were bound with their knees bent before them. Their mouths were gagged, explaining the way their cries were muffled.
I didn’t hesitate, rushing toward the two witches. Dropping to my knees, I struggled with their bonds. I’d had no luck with Taryn and Darla’s bonds back at the cabin the other day. I could only hope that I’d have more success this time.
“Claire!”
