Forehead resting on a stack of papers on his desk and phone to his ear, Brady listened to the foreman on the courthouse project prattle on. And on. When the guy finally pausedprobably for airBrady didn't bother lifting his head to speak into the receiver. "White. The crown molding is supposed to be white. Not ecru, not eggshell, not beige. White. That's what the plans say. All right?" He needed ten aspirin and another gallon of coffee. Stat. Though he'd gotten sporadic sleep last night, it wasn't the restful kind, and he was beginning to wonder if this wasn't National Piss Brady Off Day. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet. "I'll stop by after lunch if I can.""Sure thing, Mr. Meath. I'll have..."Brady sensed rather than heard another presence in his office and lost track of the conversation. The fine hairs on his neck stood erect and a slow burn churned in his gut.Kaida. She was here.He jerked his head up, and there she was, standing in front of his desk. Wearing tan leggings that
She hummed, an adorable sound she made when in agreement, but was too deep in thought to respond. After a beat, she turned and walked toward him, sitting sideways on the bench to face him. "Water is a lullaby for me. Unless I was dreaming, the closest I've been to an ocean is Lake Michigan, which looks remarkably like the Atlantic. I always intended to travel, but never got around to it. Well, until I arrived here, anyway. In dreams, the roaring sound and the waves drew me, a balm to my nerves. Restless and wild, it should've had the opposite effect. Instead, I was captivated. I suppose that makes sense, though, considering my element is water.""In total honesty, I've Googled the whole witchcraft thing for two nights straight, but I still don't have much of a grasp, nor do I know what's folklore versus fact." Mercy, he wanted to touch her again. Having her within inches of him was wreaking havoc on his control. "If I understand correctly, each witch gets power from an element?""M
"Doing great. Now, rein it in."In the kitchen, Kaida let Ceara's voice settle in her mind and held out her palm, suspending the free-floating globe of water over the butcher block island. Energy and heat radiated inside her, buzzed under her skin. The better she got at this magick thing, the more she wanted to test boundaries. Knowledge had always been her kryptonite and she was an incredibly competitive person. Even her sisters were shocked at how quickly she'd learned to master her skill. For Kaida, all she'd needed was someone to teach her, and the switch had flipped. The trick had been letting go, something she'd never dared to attempt. Doing so would've meant losing control. If only she'd known all along the key was to embrace the power instead of binding it, she might've had a much easier adolescence.They'd been going at it all day. For the first time since starting lessons, her sisters were having her summon water from her surroundings and wielding it versus using liquid
Kaida tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was a shy kid and had trouble making friends. Part of me thought that's what he wasan imaginary friend I'd conjured. My parents were nice people and very supportive, but they were...distant. We'd often spend hours in the same room and not say anything. They gave me a lot of space, more than most parents would give a child." She huffed a sarcastic laugh. "I could've snuck out of the house to have an affair with Ozzy Ozbourne and snort eighty grams of coke up my nose, and they wouldn't have been the wiser." She glanced at the cliffs in the distance and the moonlight glittering across the inky water. "I had no inkling of what to do when my powers kicked in as a teenager. The few friends I did have began to distance themselves when I stopped wanting to hang out. I was already considered a freak. The last thing I needed was to prove to my peers they were right. Worse, I was afraid I'd hurt someone."Refocusing on the flames, she tugged the
The second Brady opened his eyes, he knew he was in one of his mystery woman dreams. He stood atop a crested hill, overlooking the meadow, and Kaida's form was a mirage in the distance by the cliffs.Except something was very, very off this time. For starters, everything was in black and white, including him. He had on the blue flannel pants and white tee he'd fallen asleep in, but there wasn't a trace of color. Like a cheesy fifties sitcom. Second, it was cold. As in, arctic. It wasn't sleeting, there was no hint of snow on the ground, yet his breaths expelled frost before his face and his limbs were blocks of ice.Forcing his feet to move, he walked, then jogged closer to Kaida's position, and the harder he tried, the farther she got. It was like the meadow grew in size, expanding to keep him away from her. Panicked, he yelled her name, running.One moment she was light years out of reach, the next she appeared in front of him. Hair up in a messy knot, she wore a pink two-piece si
Fiona closed the door behind his brothers, giving them the hairy eyeball. "Upstairs sleeping as most people do at two in the morning."Dodging furniture, he strode into an adjoining room that looked like a circular solarium. Glass walls and padded bench seating had it set up like a reading nook. Bypassing it, he rushed into another and found a dark polished winding staircase with a burgundy runner."What are you doing here, Meath?" Fiona flicked her glance at his brothers, who trailed after him like lost puppies. "And Meath accessories? It's the middle of the night.""Something's wrong with Kaida." Brady stomped up the steps, hysterical anxiety clawing his gut. The burn in his mark grew hotter, nearly intolerable. "Very wrong."Ceara met him at the top, auburn ringlets in a high ponytail and wearing a green nightgown that molded to her slender frame. "What's going on?""Which bedroom is Kaida's?"She moved aside and pointed. "First door on the right. Why?""Kaida!" He tried the
They'd decided to take the conversation downstairs to the living room, and while they waited for Fiona to return from gathering supplies for a cut on Brady's foot, Kaida sat sideways on the couch, nestled between his thighs. He hadn't let go of her for more than three seconds since she'd woken up, and she had to admit she was grateful. Terror still had its claws in deep, and being held at least gave her a semblance of safety. Her back to his front, she burrowed into his warmth while the strong arms banding her torso clenched.Something epic had gone down while she'd been asleep. And not just her dream. The Meath brothers no longer appeared put-out to be around her sisters. The tension in their frames seemed more out of concern and shock than fear or abhorrence. A switch had been flipped or a lock released because she got the impression they'd finally accepted the truth. Or their part in destiny.From a chair, Ceara followed Tristan with her gaze over the rim of a teacup as he rose
"Venatores," Ceara whispered, clearly shaken. "Latin for hunters. Our family grimoire makes mention of them, but they've always left the Galloways alone. Mara doesn't know much about them, either. Just stories passed down and rumors."Tristan straightened. "I need a cell phone or laptop. We left the house in a rush and I don't have mine with me. Can I use one of yours?""Sure, if you promise not to call Tokyo." Fiona rose and left the room, returning moments later and passing Tristan her cell.His thumbs flew over the keypad. Rising, he walked over to Kaida and showed her the screen. "Is this the guy you saw tonight?"A handsome gentleman with light brown hair interspersed with gray stared back at her. Fan lines spread from the corners of his green eyes and unsmiling mouth while deep grooves marred his forehead. "No, the man I encountered was ten or fifteen years older. In his sixties, perhaps. He was heavier and his hair was white. It fell to his shoulders."Brady and Tristan exc