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Forty-Two

ELSPETH

I stared into Draven’s light green eyes, wild with worry. My gaze drifted to the cloak draped around his shoulders, then the sign that hung right outside the door : “Tavern Closed Until Further Notice.”

“Where are you going?” I asked, stomach twisting.

He shoved a hand through his hair. “I was going to find you, but then I realized Georgie is missing, and I have to go get her. I fucked up, Elspeth.”

“No.” I shook my head. “Georgie is safe. She’s with my family at the cottage.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief, then his brows furrowed. “Wait. What are you doing here?”

“You have one smart sister,” I said. “She and Edgar came after us, told us we have to come back, talk sense into her brother.”

A guilty look crossed Draven’s face, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “I was going to send her away with my grandmother.”

“Witch Superior,” I said.

His eyes flashed in surprise.

I hesitated but pushed past the fear. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He huffed. “Because I’m ashamed of her. ”

The answer surprised me.

“She’s not a good leader, even if everyone is too afraid to admit it. Too afraid to stand up to her. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

I’d been such an idiot.

He lifted a hand to caress my cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. But you do need to talk to Georgie.”

“I know,” he said quickly. “So she’s why you came back? She convinced you?”

“Actually, you did.” I nudged my head toward a table. “Can we talk?”

He nodded, and I walked in, warmth surrounding me from the fire crackling in the stone hearth. I stopped when I saw Elm.

His eyes brightened with hope.

“She’s at the cottage,” I said.

He didn’t hesitate, striding past me and toward the door.

“Elm?” I said.

He stopped and turned.

“It’s not her fault. That we left. She was only trying to convince me to come back here. She was never going to leave you.”

His face betrayed no emotion, then he turned and left, the door clicking closed behind him.

Draven pulled out a chair at one of the tables that sat by the fire, and I slid into it. He took a seat on the other side.

“How did I convince you to come back?” Draven asked.

“Because I realized all this time you’ve been so worried you’re not good enough for Georgie.”

He winced, and I reached out, laying my hand over his.

“But that’s exactly why you’re what she needs.”

His brows raised, a confused look on his face.

“You are constantly thinking of Georgie, thinking about what’s best for her, what she needs. That’s what a good parent or big brother or big sister does. They look out for those they love.”

“I’m starting to realize that,” he said. “I think I need to just ask Georgie what she wants. No one has ever done that. Not my parents. Not my grandmother. I don’t want to make decisions for her anymore, not without her voice being heard. ”

I smiled, proud of Draven, proud of how he came to this realization on his own.

“I didn’t ask my sisters and mama if they wanted to leave Thistlegrove.” I swallowed the thick knot in my throat. “I was only thinking of myself, of my fears.”

“So they didn’t want to leave?” He shook his head slowly, and I knew he didn’t understand. He couldn’t. Not until I told him the full truth.

I took a deep breath as Draven leaned back in his chair. “I don’t have any magic. Neither do my sisters.”

Draven didn’t speak, his face not betraying any emotions at my revelation.

“We were cursed.” I twisted my fingers together. “By my grandmama. It was an accident. She meant to bless us before she died, but in her old age, she got confused and mixed up the words, and instead of blessing us, she left us with a curse. That’s why my father left.”

Draven’s eyes flashed.

“I was so naive. I thought he left to find a way to break the curse. I was convinced he was coming back. I’d stare out the window every day, watching for him. Waiting. Eventually I grew up and realized he was never returning. We tried to break the curse ourselves.” I started speaking faster, my anxiety growing. “Searched for spell after spell after spell. We couldn’t afford to hire a cursebreaker. Then I met Johanes. I fell in love with him, decided to tell him the truth.” My voice grew wobbly. “Instead of understanding, he turned on me, tipped off the magistrates that we were illegally living in the Witchlands when we didn’t have magic. He got a nice reward. Luckily I found out because I caught him speaking with them. We immediately left the only home we’d ever known. And we’ve been traveling ever since, moving from place to place so no one will grow suspicious of the four witches who don’t use magic.”

Draven stayed motionless.

I squirmed in my chair. “Please say something.”

He stood and walked over to me, then knelt in front of me, taking my hands in his. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

I choked out a sob. “When I found out Witch Superior is your grandmother, I got scared. It reminded me of my father and Johanes all over again. I survived both of them leaving me, betraying me.” My voice broke. “But I don’t think I could survive you doing that. So I left before you could reject me.” He rose up and gathered me in a hug as I sobbed into his shoulder. “But now I’m afraid I’ve ruined everything.”

He pushed me at arm’s length. “Elspeth, I was prepared to chase after you. I was going to follow you to every corner of this realm if that’s what it took to get you back. I wasn’t going to work. To eat. To sleep until I turned over every damn rock on the continent and found you.”

“You were?” I laughed and wiped at my tears.

“Well, at first I was going to drink myself into oblivion. But then Elm talked some sense into me. Made me realize how much I love you. That I can’t live without you.”

The words knocked the air out of me. “Even after everything I told you?”

His eyebrows drew together. “You think I care about some stupid curse? I can survive you being cursed. What I can’t survive is a life without you. I love you, Elspeth.”

I didn’t even realize how much I wanted to hear those words until he said them. My heart swelled. “Well it’s a good thing I love you too, then.”

His lips tipped up, and he pressed his forehead to mine.

“There’s something else,” I said.

He reared back. “Something else? More than what you’ve already revealed?”

“There is a way to break the curse. Each of us must marry, and we’ll get our magic.” I hated the way it sounded. “But I’m not expecting a marriage proposal from you. I want to take our time and get to know each other. If I wanted to marry, I would’ve done so already. We all would have.”

“So you don’t want to get married?”

“To the right person.” I gave a small shrug. “But I want to model that for Prue and Auggie. I want to show them real love. I want to show them that it’s worth waiting for.”

He wrapped his arms around me, and I stood with him.

“And you think that’s what you’ve found? With me? Real love?”

I gave him a watery smile. “I think so, Mr. Darkstone. ”

His gaze turned feral. “My sister is safe?” he asked. “You’re sure she’s at your cottage?”

“Yes,” I answered quickly. “She’s with my sisters and Edgar. They’re okay.” I hesitated. “Why?”

He leaned down and pressed a deep, searing kiss to my mouth. “That means I can do this.” He gripped my hips and lifted me onto the table, and I spread my legs as he wedged between them.

“Here? In your tavern?”

“Oh yes, my tavern will do just fine.”

He pushed me down onto the table, and heat flooded through me.

He kissed my neck, and I laughed. “Your apartment is just upstairs.”

“I can’t wait that long.” His hard length pressed between my legs as he hiked up the skirts of my dress.

“You know.” I sat up, and he growled. “You’re very pushy.”

He bared his teeth at me. “Are we doing this right now?”

I gave a half shrug, hiking up my skirts a little farther to reveal my thighs. He took a measured breath.

“I just think you have a bit more groveling to do.”

“I thought you said I had nothing to apologize for.”

I trailed a finger down his chest. “I guess I changed my mind.”

“You want me to grovel?” He grabbed my panties and shoved them down to my ankles. “Elspeth, I can grovel.” He swiped a finger down my center, and I gasped, throwing my head back as his finger worked quick circles around that sensitive spot. “Please forgive me.” He plunged a finger inside of me, making me moan, and pumped it in and out. “I will never, ever let you leave again.” He added another finger. “You are mine, Elspeth. And I am yours.” His thumb brushed over my clit while his fingers hit a sensitive spot inside of me. “Wholly.”

My legs quivered, pleasure and heat mingling in my core.

“Completely.”

I clutched the edges of the table, rocking my pelvis up.

“Forever.” He stood back, undoing the belt on his trousers. “Now be a good girl and get on your knees.”

I thought about arguing, about teasing him just a little more, but then he let his cock loose, and I needed to feel it inside of me. I got up onto my knees on the table, back facing him.

He came up behind me and grabbed my skirts, lifting them and tracing his hands over the curve of my hips, my butt, my legs. He spread me wide and then thrust inside of me, both of us moaning.

Then he spent the rest of the afternoon showing me exactly how much he meant those words.

I sat with Draven at the bar, frowning at the cup of water in front of me.

“What’s wrong?” He leaned over and kissed my shoulder.

I turned to him. “How are you going to keep this from your grandmother? Are you comfortable lying to her?”

He grabbed the mug of ale in front of him and took a swig. “I don’t give a flying fuck about my grandmother. She’s implemented some of the harshest laws out of any Witch Superior in the last three centuries. She thinks it makes her formidable, but it just makes everyone fear her. It makes her alienated from other realms. The harsh laws she passes don’t make her strong. They make her weak. They make all of us weak.”

I stared at him. “So that’s a yes?”

He leaned forward and kissed me. “I’d do anything for you. I will never let her take you or your sisters from your home.”

“I just wish there was a way to break this curse without forcing all of us to get married.”

“There might be.” He steepled his fingers together. “There’s something you should know about me.”

I steeled myself, not sure I wanted to hear what he was about to say.

“It wasn’t just my parents who were cursebreakers. I was one too. And I think I may be able to help you break your curse.”