[Willow Harbor 06.0] Warlock's Embrace Read online

  “Not more dangerous than being bribed by Bridget.”

  “Aren’t you glad I stopped you from letting her connect the dots and figure out your real plan?”

  “Very glad.” And that made up for him bringing her in to begin with. It was my fault for not making sure he knew to stay the hell away from her.

  “You still leaving tonight?”

  “Yes. Absolutely.” I headed to the door. “I’m going home to pack.”

  “I hope this works.”

  “Me too.” I walked back out and through the dining room. I let out a deep breath. Bridget was right about one thing. I did feel like a yoyo. And I needed to put an end to that. Either this worked, or I was somehow going to have to step away from Delpha on my own. The problem was I was nearly positive the latter would be impossible.

  I left my truck at the shop and made the quick walk home. One step inside my house, and I knew how hopeless that goal would be. It still smelled of her. One glance at my unmade bed reminded me she’d been there the night before. Her picture was everywhere. I threw clothes in a bag and packed everything else I’d need for the spell. Hopefully this would all work and I’d be back soon in one piece.

  Just in case it took longer I wrote out a quick letter, slipped it into an envelope and left it on the kitchen table. I knew there was no way she’d come by unless she was worried. Hopefully I’d be back before that happened.

  The dinner rush at the shop took forever, and I let out a sigh of relief when things died down enough that I felt okay about leaving. “Call me if you need anything,” I reminded Pax. “And you can close if need be. The town can survive a few days without our pizza.”

  “It’s going to be fine here. I’m more worried about you.”

  “I’ve faced worse.” And I would face worse if I couldn’t pull this off.

  “I’m talking about if it doesn’t work.”

  “It’s going to work.” I was saying it for my own sake as much as his.

  “Good. You’re confident.” He pulled a pizza out of the oven. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” I walked out to my truck and sat with my hands on the wheel. This was a crazy idea, one I’d discarded earlier because it had seemed too desperate, too dangerous. If searching for her dad cost me Delpha I’d never forgive myself, but she was already mad, not at me exactly, but angry nonetheless. I needed to find a way through her anger if we were ever going to have a real chance together.

  I started the truck and pulled away from the curb. I made the drive through town slowly, not quite ready to leave the wrought iron gates of town and face what that meant.

  But it would all be worth it in the end. Everything would be worth it if it meant I could really and truly have Delpha.

  Five

  Delpha

  Maybe agreeing to take up paddle boarding wasn’t such a great idea. When I’d told Mattie I was fine starting lessons anytime, I hadn’t expected her to call back an hour after she left the library. I’d planned on giving myself a night of sleep to contemplate the wisdom of the decision before jumping into it, but I had no choice but to agree to the immediate timing. What kind of excuse could I come up with without worrying her more? Besides, facing the ocean would undoubtedly keep my mind off Cad.

  The conversation had been about Bridget. I was sure of it. He’d only looked that way once before, and it was when he first started to lie, but then came clean about their hook-up. It had been his right—I’d been the one to dump him—but still the choice stung. She was the only other sorceress around who was our generation. She who’d made my life miserable for as long as I could remember, and he had to pick her?

  She was pure sorceress, and her capacity to wield magic was almost limitless. Combined with Cad’s… I didn’t even want to think about them combining. Bile rose up in my throat.

  It was that taste of bile that made my decision. Before I knew it, I was dressed in a wetsuit waiting on the sand with Mattie.

  “Maybe we should have waited until summer.” She shivered. For a New Yorker, Mattie sure got cold a lot.

  “We have wet suits on. We should be fine.”

  “I can’t believe you had two.” She looked down at her borrowed suit. “Thanks for saving me from borrowing one from a stranger or putting a huge dent in my paycheck.”

  “It’s not a problem. I spent a lot of time in the ocean growing up.”

  “Yeah, but aren’t you super ocean girl?”

  “So? I still get cold.” Truthfully I wore them only because everyone else did. I liked to project the image that I didn’t care what others thought, but as a teen I’d really cared. “You know, technically most people don’t take classes for this.” At least as far as I knew. But my scope of knowledge on how normal people lived their lives was limited. Most of that education came from TV and movies, and I didn’t watch much of either.

  “Yeah? Well I guess we could just rent boards if the instructor doesn’t get here soon. That’s fine… but this isn’t exactly my forte.”

  “It’s not mine either.” I watched the waves. They were relatively calm, but I knew that could change at any moment. I also knew how easy it would be to slip between them.

  “Oh, I highly doubt that.” She stretched her arms above her head.

  “Just because I’m an Oceanid doesn’t mean I’m good at everything related to water.”

  “I know. I just meant you have great balance. Me, not so much.”

  “You have good balance.”

  “Have you ever seen me do anything to demonstrate that?”

  “No, but you’re one of those girls that’s good at everything.” At least that’s how it seemed from the outside.

  She laughed. “I’d think you didn’t know me at all by that comment.”

  “I only see the best in you.” I’d had very few true friends in my life, and I counted Mattie as one of them. She was one of the only reasons I hadn’t jumped headfirst into the waves already.

  “Uh, I guess that’s our instructor.” Mattie snapped me out of my thoughts.

  I followed her gaze to see someone walking down the beach dragging three boards and paddles. One of the boards obscured his face.

  “Hello, ladies.” He called as he moved closer. I could see around the board now, and I got a good look at his face. I froze as childhood memories sprang to the forefront of my mind.

  “Delpha? Is that you?” He dropped the boards and paddles into a heap. “Get the hell over here!”

  Mattie’s jaw dropped. “What did you just say to her?”

  On my part I did nothing. I couldn’t move. I was starting to question whether the universe was out to get me. I gazed at the water, listening closely to make sure I couldn’t hear laughter.

  “Come on, aren’t you going to give your big cousin a hug?” There was nothing mean in his tone, yet his words hurt, like salt in an open wound.

  I stared at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, hello to you too.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around me in an awkward hug I made no effort to return at first. Then I patted his back with the smallest touch hoping that was enough to end the embrace.

  When he didn’t let go, I slipped out. “It’s nice to see you. I’m just surprised.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been away for a few years. You’ve grown up.” He looked me over. “Last time I saw you, you were still a kid.”

  “Wait. Can we back up just a second? You are cousins?” Mattie looked between us. Maybe she was checking for a resemblance, but she wouldn’t find one.

  “Second cousins, or once removed, or something, but blood.” The blood part was why I was even talking to him. Some relationships ran deep enough they couldn’t be shrugged off.

  “Which side?” Mattie asked casually.

  “My dad’s.” And that made all the difference. Jackson was all sorcerer, generally in the worst kind of way.

  “And you must be Mattie.” He held out his hand to her, all charm. “Pleasure to meet you.”

&n
bsp; His eyes lingered on her too long, and I stopped him before he could cross a line. “She’s Pierce’s mate.”

  “Is she now? Little Pierce found himself a mate?” His eyes moved to me. “Interesting. I seem to have missed quite a bit.”

  “You have.” Those two words couldn’t possibly convey just how much he’d missed.

  His expression softened. “Delpha, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” In contrast, my expression hardened. I could forgive, but that didn’t mean I would forget.

  “I should have come back for you.” He shuffled his bare feet on the sand. “I just couldn’t.”

  “Yeah, I get it. You’re teaching paddle boarding lessons now? Huh. Should we get started? I believe Mattie booked us for an hour-long lesson today.” I strained my ears. Still no laughter. Someone ought to have been laughing. Otherwise I was suffering for nothing.

  “Delpha, I haven’t seen you in ages. Don’t you want to talk?” Jackson reached out for me as if he was going to try to touch me again, but his arms fell to his sides. He’d thought better of it.

  “Why waste time with that?” I plastered on this biggest smile I could. “Let’s do this and then we can head over to Drifter’s for a beer. Catching up is always best that way.”

  “Catching up… Delpha, I’m sorry. That stuff with your mom. How are you?”

  “I’m fine.” I kept the smile on.

  He seemed to be studying me. “How’s Cad?”

  Forget the smile. “Are these the boards?” I walked over and pretended to care about the equipment.

  “I wouldn’t push that line of conversation. Sensitive subject.” Mattie spoke softly, but I could hear every word.

  “Cad is? They’ve been into each other since pre-school. I figured they’d be married by now.”

  “Yeah… it’s a sensitive topic.”

  “I’m going to kill him,” Jackson rumbled.

  “It’s not sensitive.” I couldn’t pretend I didn’t hear them anymore. “He did nothing I didn’t ask for. I broke up with him. He had every right to move on.”

  Mattie’s mouth fell open. “Wait. What?”

  I pushed down the bile taste. No reason to needlessly worry her. “Forget I said anything.”

  “That’s why you were upset…” Understanding crossed her face. “I should have figured that out.”

  I needed to change the subject, and I needed to do it fast. “Ok. The next person who mentions his name is getting a face full of water. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Mattie nodded, and I was reminded of why she was at the top of my friends list. Not that my list of friends was long, but I could tell it was killing her to stop asking questions, yet she did. She understood me enough to realize that pushing me at this particular moment wasn’t the best way to help.

  “Ok. So how basic do we need to get?” Jackson focused all of his attention on Mattie.

  “Basic.”

  “Do you want me to demonstrate first. Try a dry run?”

  “Let’s just get in the water and see what happens.” I grabbed a board and a paddle.

  “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Jackson narrowed his eyes.

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” I smiled.

  “You know as well as I do.”

  “Was she being serious about not having good balance?” Mattie furrowed her brows. “Really?”

  “This has nothing to do with balance.” Jackson frowned. “Be smart, Delpha.”

  “I’m always smart.” I headed into the water, climbing onto the board on my knees and paddling out past the break. Once I passed it I stood up and started to paddle.

  “Yeah, she didn’t need lessons.” Mattie’s voice carried over the wind.

  “Aren’t you going to join me?” I called back.

  “I’m going to try this on the beach first.”

  If she wasn’t coming, there was no reason to hold back. I went out further, determined to leave the beach behind. Maybe once that happened I could finally let go of my anger. It wasn’t an emotion that fit me well.

  “Delpha!” Jackson called my name.

  I ignored him. There was no way I was coming in yet. I managed to stay standing when the first big wave came in, the salty water smacking me in the face in a satisfying way. I waited, wanting more. Wanting to forget about Cad and Jackson and my mom and everything else.

  I prepared myself for the next wave, but this one came in harder than I expected. It hit me so hard I lost my balance, tumbling into the dark blue water below. The current pulled me under and the sound of the wind faded away. There was only me and the water. I let it carry me further from the shore. I didn’t care where it took me.

  I listened for voices. Most of all my mother’s, but all I heard were echoes I knew were from Oceanids who were beginning to fade away after their centuries of service. I clenched my eyes shut, determined to find my mom, even if it was only for a few seconds. But there was nothing but the echoes. And then there was another voice. One that was male and angry. His words were dark and hard to decipher, but there was nothing welcoming about them.

  I wanted to stay. I spoke the words silently, repeating them over and over so the gods would take me in.

  Cad’s face flooded into my mind. So did memories. The good, the bad. The amazing. His lips. His eyes. His hands. The feel of his arms wrapped around me. Perfection. Being with him was absolute perfection. But it wasn’t. I couldn’t. I couldn’t be what he needed when the ocean would always call to me even if it wasn’t where I truly belonged. I still owed my service; I was born to serve under Poseidon himself. And maybe it was time. I’d experienced love. I’d experienced enough, and Cad was still young enough to move on. It was selfish to wait.

  I heard my name from a great distance. It was hazy and hard to hear, but it was clearly a desperate scream. “Delpha!” Mattie’s voice was unmistakable.

  The tightness around me let up immediately. I knew before I tried how easy it would be to swim to the surface. And I did. I took in a gulp of air. I should have felt relief, but I felt hurt. Pain. The ocean didn’t want me to join the others even if it called to me constantly. Maybe all it wanted was for me to drown beneath the surface, to get rid of the one tarnish upon his majestic waves.

  Strong arms grabbed ahold of me and swam me back to shore. And I let them.

  “Delpha!” Mattie’s arms wrapped around me. She leaned over me, her damp hair falling on my chest.

  “Hey. You went swimming?” I opened my eyes, hoping there was still some way to play this cool. I didn’t want to tell her what had just occurred.

  “Swimming isn’t the word I’d use. I’d say the waves beat me up. I’ve never seen something like that. I assume that was your doing?”

  “The waves were rough?” I looked to Jackson for an answer.

  “You made it angry.” Jackson knelt down beside me. “Do I want to know how you managed that?”

  “It’s over. It doesn’t matter.” If I said it enough times I might actually believe it myself.

  “Are you okay?” Mattie moved into a sitting position.

  “Yeah. I’m fine. I guess I got too confident out there.”

  “You were under a long time. And those giant waves…” she trailed off, and I knew she was waiting for answers. Answers I couldn’t give her. I probably never would.

  “Ok I think that’s enough for today.” Jackson spared me from making up more excuses.

  “Yes. We’ll try again tomorrow.” I wasn’t giving up. Even if the sea didn’t want me as a guardian, I would find my mother. I only needed to hear her voice for a moment, to know she’d joined the sisterhood. To know she’d found some solace to her otherwise unhappy life. But not yet. I needed a plan. “So who’s up for that beer? I’m buying the first round.”

  Mattie’s brow wrinkled. “Are you sure you want to drink alcohol? You were under for a really long time. Should we get you checked out?”

  “I’m half Oceanid. I was fine. And my cousin is back. What better
reason to celebrate?”

  Jackson grimaced. “Now I know you’re not all right.”

  “I said I’m buying. Isn’t that enough?”

  Jackson relaxed. “When you put it that way. Just give me a few minutes. I’ll meet you over there.”

  Six

  Cad

  I’d barely made it an hour outside Willow Harbor when my phone rang. When I saw Pax’s name I picked up right away. “Please tell me the kitchen isn’t on fire.” It wouldn’t be the first time.

  “The kitchen is fine. This isn’t about that.” His voice sounded strange. Nasally even.

  “Then what is it?” My mind immediately went to Delpha. Could something have happened? “Is she okay?”

  “I have to assume you mean Delpha, and yes. At least I think so. But she and Bridget are no longer the only sorcerer types in town.”

  “What do you mean? There’s no way Delpha’s dad’s back.” Wouldn’t that have been convenient timing?

  “He’s not, but another family member of hers is.”

  There was only one other family member I could think of. “Jackson?”

  “Uh huh. And by the way he stormed in here tonight, he’s got a bone to pick with you.”

  “With me? I haven’t seen him in years. I was still a kid when he left. What’s he even doing back?”

  “One guess why he’s angry at you.”

  It wasn’t hard to figure out. “It has something to do with Delpha. He doesn’t want a warlock near her.”

  “Now I admit he was screaming so I didn’t catch every word, but he seems to have the impression you cheated on her and broke her heart.”

  I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. “Fantastic.” I would never escape the one stupid mistake I made—and it wasn’t cheating. She’d dumped me.

  “I assured him that was years ago, but I guess it was news to him. I admit it’s surprising Delpha would a) bring it up or b) even talk to him. She was pissed when he left. But maybe enough time has passed that it’s healed the wounds.”

  “I’ll deal with him when I get back. Or maybe his uncle will. Those two never saw eye to eye if I remember correctly.”