Page 14 of Rise of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow #17)

“You controlled the fire?” Briggs asked, his expression astonished. “For real?”

“I think so.” Melissa was elated, feeling as if she’d accomplished something she’d wanted her entire life.

Her mother was a fire witch, able to manipulate the element.

Melissa had always wanted to know what that might feel like, and now she knew.

When she’d touched Briggs as he focused his magic, she’d felt alive, powerful, and for once, in control.

She’d imagined the flames intensifying, and then right before her very eyes, they’d spiked higher before settling back down to their normal size.

“Let’s do it again,” he said. “This time I’ll manipulate something other than fire.”

“I’m ready,” she said, perching forward as if she were about to leap off the chair.

Briggs turned and stared at the front door. When his magic appeared, Melissa grabbed his arm and then imagined the door swinging open, slowly as if someone were creeping in.

The door creaked open.

She let out a whoop of celebration and then called, “Close now!”

The door slammed shut, making her jump up and do a little shimmy as she celebrated.

Briggs cackled. “Great moves.”

“I did it! I did it! I grabbed onto your magic and made the door do what I wanted it to do. I’m a genius.”

“Maybe, but I think it’s more accurate to say that you’re a witch.”

“No. I can’t be,” Melissa said automatically.

“Only witches can control magic,” he said gently.

“But it’s not my magic. It’s yours,” she said as she pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to make sense of what was happening.

“Mel.” Briggs rose from the chair and stood in front of her.

“Just because you can’t call up inner magic, it doesn’t mean you don’t have the tools to wield it.

You’re channeling my magic. It’s why you can make me stop when it’s out of control.

King can’t. No one has ever been able to, despite their determination to do so. ”

Melissa recalled what he’d said about his father.

How his dad had tried to beat the magic out of him.

She wondered what other atrocious horrors he’d had to live through.

It wasn’t unusual for kids to not be able to control their magic once they realized they had power.

Most had flare-ups and accidental incidents.

To have a parent punish a kid for not knowing how to control it was unconscionable.

They deserved to have their kid taken away.

“Are you sure that’s what’s happening? Maybe I’m just interrupting whatever you’re trying to do and that’s why things went awry,” she speculated, but that didn’t sound right to her. She’d envisioned what she’d wanted that door to do.

“I guess that’s possible,” he said. “Maybe we should let you try to control someone else and see if you can manipulate their magic, too. That would answer that question.”

Melissa immediately thought of Sadie, but her friend was an empath and could control emotions while singing. That didn’t seem like something she could manipulate. But it was late anyway. Too late to call her. “I could ask Amelia. She’s a fire witch. Or Hanna at the café.She’s a water witch.”

“It’s worth checking it out, don’t you think?” Briggs asked her.

She nodded. “I will. But for now, we know that I can interrupt your magic, which is helpful to neutralize you if Kassie gets under your skin again.”

Briggs sat heavily in the chair again, holding his face in his hands. “Gods. I do not want to do any more damage to anything else.”

“The only way to be sure of that is to stay as far away from her as possible. At least until you can find a way to control your magic around her,” Melissa said.

He let out a bark of humorless laughter. “Hard to do when she’s staying in my house.”

“King said he’d take care of that,” Melissa said, even though she didn’t think anything would come of it.

“You know as well as I do that there’s nothing available on short notice in this town,” Briggs said, sounding resigned to living and working with the woman for the foreseeable future.

“True, but she can’t keep living with you,” Melissa insisted. “We’ve got to come up with something else.”

He peered at her. “I’m all ears.”

She took a deep breath and said, “I think Kassie should move in here while she’s in town.”

Briggs didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then he said, “No.”

“No? That’s it? You’re not even going to think about it?” she asked.

“I’m not unleashing her brand of crazy on you because I can’t handle her,” he said, determination in his eyes. “Understand?”

“Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t be around her more than is absolutely necessary,” Melissa said. “I have a spare room. Why can’t she just stay here? I won’t even be here for a few days this coming week.”

“You won’t?” He looked a little panic-stricken at her revelation.

“That’s right. I have to go down south to visit some wineries and have client meetings,” she said. “I travel a lot. You know that.”

“You won’t be here if I need you?” he asked.

Melissa shook her head and then climbed right into his lap as she wrapped her arms around him. “Let me do this for you. I know she’s a pain in the butt. But I’d feel better if she wasn’t antagonizing you at all hours of the day.”

“The incidents didn’t even happen at home, though,” he said.

“True, but don’t you think the less time you spend together, the easier it will be for you to just ignore her crap?” Melissa asked. “Right now, it’s all day, every day, and all night, too. If you just see her at work, that seems safer. Right?”

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I hate that you have a point.”

Melissa knew she’d won the argument and decided not to push it.

Instead, she crawled off him, tugged him up, and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

When she let go, she said, “We’ll wait and see if King comes up with anything.

If not, then we’ll break the news that the princess has to move here. Deal?”

With a tired sigh, he said, “Deal.”

“Good. Now let’s go to bed. I have plans for you.” She moved toward the stairs, but before she could even make it up the first step, Briggs swept her up in his arms and practically ran to the bedroom as Melissa laughed.

If this was what life was like with Briggs Williams, she was never going to be able to let the man go.

She only prayed that Mr. Noncommitment found a way to come to the same realization. Otherwise, her heart was going to shatter into a million pieces, and she’d only have herself to blame.

When they reached the bedroom, Briggs laid her gently on the bed, settled himself on top of her, and said, “You’re incredible. You know that, right?”

She shook her head.

“Gorgeous, smart, and generous. You’re the entire package.”

Melissa swallowed hard. Yep, he was going to destroy her. There was no doubt about it. She looked up at him and said, “Kiss me.”

“Gladly.” His mouth came down and crushed hers, and then for the next few hours, Melissa let herself get lost in Briggs Williams, the man she feared might just be the love of her life.