The Beltane Witch (Cloudburst Colorado) Read online

  She sniffed again. “Ah. I suppose you use it as part of your arsenal to seduce women to do your bidding.”

  Anger replaced the surprise, but he beat it back. “No. Actually, I’ve never called anyone acushla before.” But her accusation didn’t stray far from the truth. “You’re the first.”

  “Oh, come on.” She scanned his face. “Really?”

  “Really.” He’d never let anyone as close as Sabrina had come. Close enough to question whether he really wanted to continue being the Chamberlain for the Summer Court.

  She studied his expression for a long time, each breath brushing softly against his lips and enticing him to kiss away her doubt. He wanted this woman, wanted her bad enough he waited for her to come to grips with what needed to be done rather than push her.

  I’m a fool.

  “I can’t do the rituals, Darius. I already told you why.”

  He gritted his teeth and pushed his frustration down. The Summer Queen had insisted on Sabrina and her little town, but she still refused to step up to her responsibilities. Well, not entirely. She did have two little girls from the last two times she’d done the rituals. And no man to help her with them. Goddess, he wished he could be her man.

  “A child is a blessing—”

  “Says the man who loves ’em and leaves ’em.” Sabrina pulled away and plunged her hands into the soapy water. “No, not this time. It’s been too long and I don’t need more children to raise by myself.”

  He couldn’t deny the possibility of her becoming pregnant. He wracked his memory to find leverage to convince her.

  “You are the only one strong enough to do them properly and the Summer Queen has requested you personally.” Darius wished he could choose someone else, if only to spare them both some hurt, but the Fae Queen had made her decree. Sabrina Foxglove must do the rituals. Unfortunately, it had to be her choice. It’s always female choice.

  “Why, Darius? Why has she requested me? She doesn’t even know me.”

  “Theirs is not to reason why. Theirs is but—”

  “To do and die. I know the quote. But I’m not blindly following orders.”

  He sighed. “I suspect she chose you, Sabrina, because she knows of your strength and persistence despite adversity. The sacred site needs your strong magic to protect it from the encroaching destruction.”

  “Now you’re just trying to butter me up.”

  He paused to gauge her response. Then he did something he’d never done before with anyone.

  “Is it working?” He offered her a cheeky grin.

  She laughed ruefully. “Maybe a little.”

  “Sabrina, I know we’re asking a lot of you, especially when you find yourself as a single mother. But the sacred site here in Cloudburst needs you and your magic. Both you and it will benefit from your performing the rituals.” He rubbed her back in little circles, trying to convey his earnestness. “I suspect once you do the rituals, you’ll be far too strong for even Marty Robinson to trifle with you.”

  “Ha!” She snorted derisively. “He knows where we live and where I work. I doubt it will keep him away.”

  Fury fired his blood at the thought of Marty Robinson coming anywhere near Sabrina. After Darius’s warning, he’d be a fool to make such a move, but Darius wouldn’t put it past him.

  “Perhaps you need a new place to live and work.”

  “Ch-yeah. Not likely on Mazie’s wages.”

  “What about your herbal shop?” He kept rubbing her back, unable to resist touching her.

  She sighed and paused in her dish washing to close her eyes. “Where would I get the capital to start it? I can’t even afford to buy the place I want, much less the time to prepare everything to start selling to make enough to survive.” Sabrina shook her head and opened her eyes. “It’s a dream, but nothing more substantial right now.”

  He didn’t like the sound of defeat in her voice, but he said nothing. His mind had already started working on a solution to her problem. She simply needed the location and the help to get her business started. Then she’d be able to carry on by herself, even after he left.

  Certainly, the Summer Queen would grant Sabrina a boon. Or me, if she won’t ask for it. He’d make sure Sabrina got her mill and started her shop. Any other solution struck him as heartless as the man who’d left her with two children to raise on her own.

  They finished the dishes together in silence and Sabrina wished him a pleasant night, but Darius knew his night would be lonely without her fiery kisses. It didn’t matter. He’d be leaving in a few days, but he could still dream of her. And decide what gifts he could leave behind.

  Chapter Nine

  The clatter of female voices woke Darius with a start and he jerked upright, tense for evasive action.

  “Holly, get dressed!”

  “Working on it, Mom.”

  “Tansy, do you have a snack in your backpack?”

  “Yes, but I can’t find my water bottle.”

  “Did you look in the dish drainer?”

  “G’morning, Darius.” Tansy waved as she trotted into the kitchen.

  “Morning.” He scrubbed his face with his hands as he realized the house wouldn’t come down around his ears. “What all is going on?”

  “It’s Monday. Time to go to school.” Tansy waved her water bottle. “Found it, Mom!” She grinned at him. “Didn’t you go to school?”

  It’d been centuries since he’d been in school and he’d forgotten the hurry of getting a family on the move. He gave her an enigmatic smile and rubbed his chin again. Damn, he needed a shave.

  “Did you fill your bottle, Tansy?” Sabrina asked as she entered the room. “Oh, good. Now get some breakfast. We have to get going soon. Holly, you better be dressed.”

  “Working on it, Mom.”

  “Ugh.” Sabrina paused and raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

  Darius realized he’d been caught staring, but her beauty caught him completely by surprise. She’d donned a wine colored V-neck sweater and long, black skirt, neither of which did anything to hide her curves. The skirt flared at her hips and swirled around black leather boots. He’d been caught imagining what she’d look like gliding around the Queen’s ball room, the skirt swinging each time she turned.

  His cock hardened and he bunched the blanket over his lap.

  “Nothing, Sabrina. You look lovely this morning.”

  She snorted and shook her head. “I left towels in my bathroom if you want to take a shower. The girls’ bath needs a good cleaning. But hurry. We need to leave in twenty minutes if I’m going to get Tansy to school and give the police my statement before work.”

  She swirled away from him, shouting for Holly, and he could barely find a coherent thought as her backside flexed beneath the rippling fabric. Darius wished he could get his hands on her ass, hold it tight as he pumped into her slick pussy. This is not helping my cockstand! He cleared his throat and searched for his pants for the trip to the bathing room.

  He hurried through his ablutions and tried not to enjoy the scent of her shampoo in his own hair as he dressed and returned to the kitchen. Holly brushed her hair, Tansy packed her bag, and Sabrina ran over the instructions with Matilda. Darius looked for a cup of tea, but he’d barely taken a sip when Sabrina pointed at him.

  “What will you do after we go to the police station? Do you need me to bring you back here?”

  “It’s not necessary, Lady Foxglove.” He gave them a vague smile. He didn’t think he could stand to be in the same room with Matilda after the evening he’d spent listening to her swear to God every other sentence. “I shall find my own way back.”

  Sabrina raised an eyebrow. “It’s a long way to walk, Darius.”

  “Worry not, lady. I shall meet you at the school when Miss Tansy gets out.”

  “All right.” Sabrina didn’t look convinced but she returned to going over the requirements for the day with Holly.

  Darius hustled Tansy into the van while Sabrina
kissed Holly goodbye and reminded her to listen to Matilda. Darius wondered how long the child would obey, but he wisely kept his mouth shut and helped Tansy get “clipped in.” Sabrina joined them and they drove off to Tansy’s school. Tansy chattered the whole way, reminding her mother about the brownies she promised to bake.

  “I know, Tansy. They’ll get done.” Sabrina’s voice sounded tired and he wondered if she’d slept well.

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, Tansy?”

  “What was Mr. Robinson doing last night?”

  Darius’s anger rose at the sound of the solemnity in Tansy’s voice and Sabrina’s shoulders drooped. He still wanted to beat Marty Robinson all over again for causing such loss of innocence.

  “Mr. Robinson was…” Sabrina cleared her throat. “What do you think he was doing, honey?”

  “He looked like he was really mad at you, Mom.”

  “I think he was.”

  “Why?”

  “He has strange ideas of what makes a family and he thinks I’m doing it wrong.” Sabrina shrugged, but Darius could see the tension around her mouth as she pulled into the school driveway. “But don’t worry. The police took care of him and he won’t be bothering us anymore.”

  “I don’t like him. He’s mean.”

  “Don’t worry about him. You just head on to class. I love you, Tansy.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.”

  Darius’s throat closed as Sabrina hugged her daughter, squeezing her eyes tight. She kissed Tansy on the head and sent her off to the kindergarten teacher waiting at the door. Tansy waved and ducked inside, but Darius caught Sabrina wiping a tear from her cheek and his gut clenched.

  “Don’t cry, acushla. She will be fine, and Mr. Robinson is no longer a threat to any of you.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

  “I know, but I’m just so furious at him.” Sabrina thumped the steering wheel with her hands. “How dare he frighten my children? I hope the bastard rots in jail for a long time. He stole their innocence.”

  Darius wanted to make him pay with more than incarceration for such an action, but he had little influence in this town or world. He had to abide by their rules.

  A tense silence filled the ride to the police station and Sabrina’s ire mounted as they parked in the parking lot beside the police cruisers. She didn’t say a word, but energy crackled off her like little sparks and Darius wondered if the whole world could see what he did.

  “Are you all right, Sabrina?”

  “I’m fine. Let’s get this over with.”

  Darius followed her into the building and the officer greeting people directed her to Lt. Henry Fitzroy’s office. The balding man offered them each a chair and settled his glasses a little more comfortably on his nose before fixing Sabrina with a piercing stare.

  “Can I offer you some tea, Ms. Foxglove?” He gestured to his little coffee maker in the corner, steaming gently in the cooler air.

  “No, thank you, Lieutenant. Can we just do what we need to and move on? I need to get to work.”

  “Of course.” Fitzroy ran a hand over his balding pate and rose. “Let me just pour some tea for myself and we’ll get started. Mr. Winterbourne, would you care for some?”

  “No, thank you.”

  Fitzroy nodded and poured some fragrant tea into stained coffee mug before returning to his desk. He set the mug farther away from himself than strictly necessary for easy consumption, and pulled out a form from his desk drawer.

  “Okay, Ms. Foxglove. Let’s go over what happened last night. Where did everything start?”

  “I left the skating rink to start my van before we loaded up to go home.”

  Fitzroy wrote swiftly on the sheet. “Um-hm, and then what?”

  Sabrina recited the tale of Mr. Robinson’s attack on her and Darius held his fury in check. You can’t pummel him any more than you already have. He still wanted to hit the little prick again. By the end of the recitation, Sabrina’s anger shimmered in the air above her head like a halo, but she appeared remarkably calm.

  Lieutenant Fitzroy wrote everything down in a concise hand and asked clarifying questions occasionally, but his own energy remained steady. Darius sensed this man had abilities beyond those of the regular population, but he appeared to use them in subtle ways.

  “That’s all I can remember before Darius pulled Mr. Robinson off me.” Sabrina clenched her fists in her lap and stared at a point beyond Fitzroy’s shoulder. An angry tear slid down one cheek, but she showed no other sign of her frustration. Darius ached to wrap her in his arms and hold her against his chest, but he didn’t want to assume he’d be welcome.

  “All right.” Fitzroy read over the form then handed it to Sabrina. “Read this and check for any mistakes. If there are none, sign and date at the bottom.”

  Sabrina scanned the document and signed it. “What will happen to Mr. Robinson?”

  “Right now he’s been booked on aggravated assault and his hearing is scheduled for this afternoon.”

  “Do I have to be there? I have to work.”

  “No, ma’am. We have your signed statement. It will be enough, plus there was a witness to back up your story.”

  “Who witnessed it?”

  “Me.”

  Sabrina paused, her eyes narrowing. “How long did you watch before you did anything about it, Lieutenant?”

  Anger tightened her shoulders, but Fitzroy gave her a faint smile. “I got there the same time as Mr. Winterbourne. He moved faster than I did.”

  Sabrina’s gaze to Darius and some of the anger faded. “Thank you, Mr. Winterbourne.”

  “You’re welcome.” And he’d do it again, anytime she became threatened.

  Except I won’t be here after Beltane.

  Darius suppressed a growl and swore he’d find a way to help Sabrina long after he’d gone.

  “Thank you for coming in, Ms. Foxglove.”

  Sabrina nodded. “Just as long as Marty Robinson stays away from me and my children. He’s obsessed with me being a stay-at-home mom. I don’t know what his issue is, but he seems to think I need a husband.”

  Fitzroy snorted. “A woman needs a husband like a man needs a wife.”

  When Sabrina raised her eyebrows at him, he raised his left hand. “No ring, Ms. Foxglove.”

  She snorted and gave a sharp nod.

  “Thank you for your help, Lieutenant Fitzroy.” Darius reached out to shake his hand. “If you have a moment, sir, I’d appreciate some information after I bid my lady farewell for the day.”

  “I have some time.”

  “Excellent. Thank you, sir.”

  Darius escorted Sabrina out to her van as she shot curious looks at him, but he said nothing until they’d reached her vehicle. He’d be damned before he let her go out alone. It irked him he had to let her go to work by herself, but it couldn’t be helped. He had errands to run before he met up with her again.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I can drop you somewhere on my way to Mazie’s.”

  “No, I’ll be fine, Lady Foxglove. Just keep yourself safe and I shall see you at the school when Tansy is released.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Be safe, my lady.”

  Her breath hitched and two spots of rose lit her cheeks as she climbed into the driver’s seat. Darius hoped she enjoyed his kiss, but she only nodded and closed the door before driving away. He watched the van depart, wishing he could go with her. He’d stand guard over her if he could, but he suspected she wanted that less than she wanted to be alone. He shook off the odd urge and returned to the police station.

  Lt. Fitzroy sat where Darius had left him, but he spoke with a tall man with silver hair cut close to his head. A whiskey colored gaze flashed to Darius, but the tall man nodded to Fitzroy and left through a side door. Darius sensed strength and power from him, more power than even the Elves displayed, but no evil. Again he wondered at Fitzroy’s background.

  “Come in, Mr. Winterbourne. W
hat did you want to talk to me about?”

  Darius returned to the chair he’d left a few minutes before and cleared his throat. “Sabrina Foxglove and her safety.”

  “Don’t worry. Robinson isn’t going anywhere, and even if he does manage to secure bail, I have some of my best people keeping an eye on him and his cronies.” Fitzroy sat back in his chair. “Which makes me wonder what your connection to Ms. Foxglove is. How are you involved in her troubles?”

  Darius raised his hands. “I’m not, really. I’m just visiting her for the Beltane holiday and then I shall return home.” He shrugged though his heart sank with the idea. “Did she tell you this was the second time Robinson attempted to harm her?”

  “She did. She also said you stopped the first assault as well.” Fitzroy fixed him with a piercing stare drilling all the way to Darius’s bones. “What are you really doing here?”

  “I’m here to help Sabrina Foxglove celebrate the holy holiday of Beltane and make certain she’ll be safe after I leave.” Darius met Fitzroy’s gaze and squared his shoulders. “Which is why I wanted to speak to you. Are you aware of an abandoned mine site on Oro Creek?”

  “I know of several. Which one are you interested in and why?”

  “I believe it has a waterwheel and a mill along the creek. I’ve never seen it, but Ms. Foxglove has spoken highly of it recently and I’m curious if it’s for sale.”

  “Waterwheel…I think that’s the old Miller homestead.” Fitzroy rubbed his chin. “I don’t think it’s for sale, per se. The land went back to the town of Cloudburst.” He glanced up at Darius as he typed something into his computer. “Why do you want to buy it?”

  Darius bit back a retort. This man kept the peace in Cloudburst and had no reason to trust Darius. “I want to make certain Ms. Foxglove is safe and has a home she loves. She has spoken to me of this place many times and has hopes of starting her own herbal shop there. I want to offer her the opportunity.”

  “So, you’d be buying it for her?”

  “That’s correct.”

  Fitzroy glanced at the computer monitor then back at Darius, the silence stretching as he rested his hands on the desk. Then he rose and closed the office doors before returning to his chair and leaning his elbows on the desk.