Dominic nodded. He turned his envelope over and over in his hands. “Okay. You first.”
Evrain ripped open his envelope, extracted the note from inside, then began to read. He chuckled. “It seems you have to hear this too.”
He cleared his throat and began to read aloud, “Dearest Evrain, that you are reading this note means that I am gone earlier than I hoped and the challenges ahead of you have consequently increased. Mr. Pitt—and, yes, I know what impression he makes, but he is a good man and someone you can trust—should have told you to open this when you and Dominic are together. I hope, for once, you’ve obeyed instructions. You must read your letter aloud in Dominic’s presence. He should then do the same.” Evrain rolled his eyes. “Still telling me what to do, even from beyond the grave.”
Dominic giggled. The sound went straight to Evrain’s heart.
“I hope you will follow my wishes and move to the cabin immediately. You’re a stubborn boy but it’s for your own good. The cabin is warded and will provide a measure of protection for both you and Dominic while you learn to master your craft.”
“Wait, does that mean what I think it does?” Dominic asked. “She wants us to move in together?” The pitch of his voice rose. “And what is she talking about? What wards, what craft?”
“Don’t worry about that for a minute. Looks like she wants us to be housemates,” Evrain replied. He waved his letter. “Let’s see what else she has to say.” He carried on reading. “Be diligent in continuing your training. Self-discipline is vital—I have shown you how to proceed, now it is up to you.
“My dear, you have enormous talent, but it will only truly mature once you can channel through a life partner. I have done what I can to set you on the right path in this but you can only follow your heart. You will never be an easy person to love—recognize that in yourself and it will help because I know you have it in you to love the right man deeply.
“There are those who would seek to harm you or to use your gifts for evil. Be vigilant. Protect yourself and the one you will come to love. I know that you will fulfill my expectations and be all that you can be. My spirit will be watching over you. Grandma.”
Evrain looked up and met Dominic’s questioning gaze. Tiny flashes of orange reflected in Dominic’s blue eyes as the fire blazed in response to Evrain’s emotional state.
“What is she talking about, Evrain?” Dominic asked.
“Why don’t you read your letter, then everything might become clearer?” Evrain really hoped that Aggie would do the explaining for him.
Fingers trembling, Dominic broke the wax seal on the envelope and pulled out his own letter. It began in a similar way to Evrain’s, instructing him to read it aloud.
“Dearest Dominic, I’m sure that you have known, or suspected, for some time that I am, or should I say
was
, a witch. I could see the knowledge in those beautiful eyes, but you were always too shy to ask. I am glad you were able to accept me and hope that you have learned from me.”
Dominic stopped reading.
“It’s true,” Evrain said. “You knew it, just like she said.”
“I suppose I did.” Dominic lifted the letter again. “The talent runs deep in my family—my grandson possesses more power than I could ever have dreamed of. Evrain is the first warlock to be born to my family line in several hundred years.” Dominic’s eyes widened but he carried on reading, “For his own protection, he only gained full access to his abilities on his twenty-first birthday. The two of you are close in age so I’m sure you can understand a little of what he is going through. Powerful warlocks control their power by channeling some of their emotional energy through a life partner. This can only be achieved consensually and through a bond of love. I will not deceive you, Dominic, channeling is very painful. A relationship with a warlock is not to be taken lightly.
“You are bright enough to realize by now that I saw you as a potential partner for Evrain and that I planned to bring you together. Your quiet strength will provide the perfect counterpoint to his assertive confidence. Forgive me for putting you in this position, just promise me that you will think about my words before you make any decisions.
“However the future unfolds, I know that you will make good use of the land I have willed you. Do with it as you see fit, with my blessing. With much love, Agatha.”
Dominic leaned back in his chair, staring at the piece of paper in his hand. “You have got to be kidding me. Did you slip something in my coffee back at the solicitor’s?”
Evrain just sat and looked at him implacably.
“It can’t be true. This is the real world, warlocks don’t exist.” He stood up and ran agitated fingers through his hair. “A witch I can handle. Aggie was great with remedies, that kind of thing. If that’s witchcraft, then fine, who am I to judge? But a warlock? Jesus, I’ve stepped into a bad B-movie.”
Evrain twisted his fingers into the required shape, made a gesture and the fire flared brightly next to them.
“No… I don’t believe it. This is madness.” Dominic got up. He backed to the door and opened it. Outside the rain was coming down in sheets.
Evrain made another gesture and a gust of wind slammed it closed again.
“It’s true, Dominic. I realize it’s a lot to take in and I don’t blame you for being skeptical. I can’t help what I am, but I’m sorry if that scares you. Leave if you wish, I won’t try to stop you.” He sighed as Dominic reopened the door and edged out into the cold. “It sounds like an old woman’s ramblings, believe me I know,” he whispered the words at the dancing flames and settled back to wait.
Outside Dominic turned his face to the sky and let the raindrops spatter against his skin in an attempt to clear his head. He walked to the back of the cabin, to the potting shed where he kept all his tools and gardening kit. He changed into an old pair of wellington boots that he stored there, tucking his jeans inside them. He grabbed a spade, then strolled to the vegetable patch and methodically began to dig over the ground. Several sections were planted and had been sadly neglected for the past few weeks. Turning the soil between the rows of growth was necessary work with all the weeds that had sprouted.
He let the contents of the two letters drift through his mind as the spade cut through the loamy earth. Deep down, he knew that Aggie wouldn’t lie. She’d been sharp as a tack and scrupulously honest. It was just so hard to accept. And she thought that he and Evrain could be together? That was even more unbelievable than the whole witches and warlocks scenario. Evrain was charismatic, beautiful and talented. What possible use could he have for a lowly gardener? Sure, they’d had a few moments where Dominic’s hopes had been raised, including one particularly astounding blow job, but that was it. Dominic had been too scared to risk his feelings any further.
Dominic dug until his muscles screamed at him to stop then dug some more. He could lose himself in the repetitive action of push, stamp and turn, ignoring the ache in arms and back. The rain got steadily harder and he was soaked to the skin before he finally paused. His thin shirt was plastered to his body, clinging uncomfortably to his skin. Rivulets of water ran down his face from strands of sodden hair. Absently he noticed the blisters on his hands where he had neglected to wear any gloves and shivered as his body temperature cooled. He abandoned the spade and walked slowly back to the house. He kicked off soaked boots before pushing the door open. He stood inside on the mat and shook as a puddle gathered around his feet.
Evrain took one look and swore. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, what have you done to yourself? Get over here by the fire.”
Dominic complied without resistance and steam began to hiss from his jeans as intense heat penetrated the cold, wet denim. The door slammed shut behind him. On its own.
“Strip.” Evrain barked the order.
Dominic gave Evrain a startled glance at the perfunctory command. “What? No!”
“You need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch pneumonia, Dominic, so strip or I’ll do it for you.” Evrain advanced toward him.
Dominic discovered that his fingers were shaking so much from the cold that he was unable to undo his own shirt buttons. Evrain stepped right into his personal space with an exasperated hiss and deftly undid them all. He peeled the fabric away from Dominic’s clammy skin and hung the soggy garment on the arm of the chair closest to the fire. Next he tackled Dominic’s belt, undoing the buckle and slipping it from its loops.
“I should use this to tie you down so that you can’t run away while I talk some sense into you.” He undid Dominic’s jeans then pulled them down to reveal snug black underwear that was also soaked through. “Were you testing the whole ‘soaked to the skin’ thing? These need to come off too.” Evrain twanged the elastic. “I’ll fetch a towel.”
Dominic stood and shivered miserably. He hurt everywhere. Evrain was gone barely two minutes, before returning with a couple of thick towels.
“You know, this isn’t what I had in mind when I imagined undressing you for the first time.” Evrain stood and stared. “You have an amazing body.” He threw one of the towels around Dominic’s shoulders.
Dominic pulled it close. He had no idea what to say, and even if he did, his teeth were chattering too hard.
“I believe I told you to take off your underwear.”
God he was bossy in the most appealing way. He stood there, hands on hips, waiting expectantly to be obeyed. Dominic guessed that if he didn’t do as he’d been told, Evrain would feel obliged to help. Dominic was in too delicate a state to deal with Evrain’s hands on his body so he slid his trunks down then stepped out of them, clutching the towel around himself defensively.
Evrain took the second towel and began to rub Dominic’s limbs roughly, generating heat through the friction.
“Now’s not the time to be shy, and besides, I know you have all the same parts I do. You weren’t so reserved that day back at the diner. I need to get your circulation going, you must be virtually hypothermic. What the hell did you think you were doing out there?”
“I’m sorry,” Dominic apologized through chattering teeth. “I just needed a bit of time to think.”
“And you had to do that in the cold and rain? Idiot!” Evrain scolded.
Dominic hung his head and shook miserably—there wasn’t much he could say and he didn’t have the strength to defend himself. Evrain was right, he shouldn’t have stayed outside so long, but surely he was due a bit of credit after all the revelations that had been dumped on him? Revelations he still wasn’t sure he believed.
“I’m going to put you to bed so you warm through properly,” Evrain said. “You’ll have to stay here tonight. Do you think you can manage the stairs?”
Dominic’s head was spinning, he couldn’t articulate a sensible response so he kept his mouth shut. Evrain no doubt took the lack of an answer for agreement and manhandled him up the narrow staircase. If it hadn’t been for Evrain propping him up from behind, Dominic thought he might have taken a tumble back down the stairs. He was so cold that even the hearthrug seemed like an attractive prospect. If he did fall, he could just curl up there in front of the fire.
The guest room turned out to be a far preferable option. Small but cozy, the double bed was covered in a heavy patchwork quilt. Evrain pulled it back and gestured in the direction of the bed.
“It’s probably a bit dusty but the sheets are clean. Get in before you freeze to death. I’m going to see if I can find a hot water bottle. Grandmother didn’t believe in electric blankets.”
He turned away, and Dominic dropped his towel to climb under the covers. As he snuggled beneath the sheets, he realized that Evrain was staring into the dressing-table mirror. A mirror that would have given him a perfect view of Dominic’s bare ass as he scrambled into bed. Evrain grinned, then winked, confirming that he’d enjoyed the view. Dominic hid his head beneath the covers and groaned.
Evrain left the bedroom door open a crack. He crossed the landing to the bathroom where he rummaged in the cupboard under the sink, letting out a small cry of victory when he discovered an ancient rubber bottle. He checked the stopper and there was no sign that the seal was perished. It would do the job. He took the bottle down to the kitchen where he could warm up a pan of water on the stove. A quick twist of his fingers had it bubbling away merrily in no time. Evrain filled the bottle, tested the stopper by giving the bottle a good shake, then took it back upstairs only to find that Dominic had already fallen asleep.
With all the worry lines smoothed from his face, Dominic appeared much younger. There were only six months between them but Evrain felt that he’d aged significantly since his twenty-first birthday. The knowledge of his heritage had come with a heavy weight of responsibility. He lifted the bed covers just enough to shove the hot water bottle into position near Dominic’s feet then made sure that they were pulled up enough to cover his bare shoulders. Dominic’s damp hair was curling a little at the ends and his lips were slightly parted, his breathing steady. As Evrain watched over the younger man, he felt incredibly protective. It would be so easy to lift the covers and have a really good look at Dominic’s naked body. If the promise of that ass he’d glimpsed in the mirror was anything to go by, he knew he wouldn’t be disappointed. He couldn’t do it, though. He wanted Dominic to be fully aware of what was going on when Evrain did eventually get to touch again.
Reluctantly, Evrain left Dominic sleeping. He investigated the cabin, poking into all the cupboards, checking on supplies. As a child he’d often thought that the cabin was a kind of TARDIS, bigger on the inside than it seemed from the outside. Knowing what he did now about his grandmother, there was probably a good
Doctor Who
plotline in there somewhere. He could picture Agatha and the Doctor having polite conversation over herbal tea and cookies. Evrain sniggered as he explored and wondered if Dominic was a sci-fi fan.
He didn’t venture into the attic for fear of disturbing Dominic’s rest, but he did decide to turn the third bedroom into an office. Tomorrow he would bring a few things from home and set up his workstation. Hopefully Dominic could be persuaded to loan both his truck and his muscles to help with the removal process.