To Wrangle A Witch (Southern Sanctuary Book 3) (5 page)

Chapter
Six

The
distant melodious chimes of a bell woke Serena the next morning.  Actually
so much for morning, from the brightness of the room she was guessing it was
closer to midday. 

What
a wonderful refreshing sleep she’d had, the bed had been soft, the cotton
sheets crisp and clean next to her skin and her surroundings luxurious as a mix
of bold blues fought for dominance.  But what really took her breath away
was the humungous painting hanging on the wall next to the bed.  Wow, was
that really a Hariss seascape?  Locke must be loaded. 

Sitting
up in bed she stretched, a playful smile tilting up the corners of her
mouth.  Honestly if she lived to be two hundred she would never understand
Locke Valhalla and his mysterious moods.  He switched on a dime from
playful to remote.

Last
night in the courtyard he’d eyed her with heated admiration in those dark blue
eyes of his.  Only to turn around and shatter the steamy tension between
them by turning the garden hose on her of all things.  When the water had
finally run clean he’d bundled her up in the softest fluffiest towel she’d ever
experienced, rubbed her down with clinical efficiency before hustling her off
to bed as if she were a sickly child. 

Not
even lingering to tuck her in… or kiss her goodnight.

Earth
Serena, she needed get her priorities in order.  She was here to rest and
recover so that she could return home and reclaim her life back.  She
wasn’t here to flirt with Locke Valhalla or try to work out what made him
tick.  She was a guest in his home for a few days.  Nothing more,
nothing less.  She needed to be as quiet as a mouse, work on getting her
strength back and then she’d take her leave.  No fuss, no muss. 
She’d stay out of his hair, he’d stay out hers.  It was a perfect
plan.  Except… her eyes widened as the sight outside the glass sliding
doors looking out to the central courtyard finally penetrated her waking
brain.  Earth and Moon, what had she done?  

The
knock on the bedroom door caused her to jump, her heart to race.  Except
it wasn’t Locke Valhalla striding into her room demanding to know what she’d
done to his courtyard.  It was a woman, big blue eyes, perfect creamy
skin, honey brown hair pulled back in a flattering intricate knot, dressed in a
tight fitting cranberry coloured skirt, a gauzy long sleeved black blouse and
eye-catching expensive black stilettos.  

The
newcomer was all things cool, calm and collected.  Making Serena instantly
conscious of the fact that her hair was a tangled mess and she was wearing
nothing but a t-shirt Locke had all but thrown at her the previous night after
he’d dried her off.  Though to say it was just a t-shirt didn’t really
cover the fact that it smelt divine, was softer than a baby’s skin and seemed
to be incapable of wrinkling.  Running a hand through her hair she
returned the newcomer’s warm smile of greeting with a tentative one of her own.

“Serena? 
I’m Doctor Nell Montgomery.” She held up a small black leather case she was
carrying. “I’m here to do a quick exam, if that’s okay?”

“Sure.” 
Serena cleared her throat.  “Absolutely… come on in.”

Was
this elegant woman Locke’s girlfriend?  It would make sense, career Barbie
and Ken, the doctor and the lawyer.  A perfect fit with their expensive
designer clothes.  They’d make a gorgeous power couple.  Just the
thought made her stomach clench.

“How
are you feeling today?”  The Doctor took a seat on the edge of the
bed. 

“Good. 
Surprisingly good.” 

Her
pulse, blood pressure, temperature were all taken.  She opened her mouth
and said ah.  Let the doctor check her ears, her glands and listen to her
heart.

“Well
everything seems in good working order.”  Doctor Montgomery sat back
giving Serena a warm approving smile.  “Though you’re a little pale and on
the thin side.  Your body will need some time to recover, watch your diet,
plenty of fruit, sunlight and most importantly, stay hydrated.”

“Thanks
Doctor Montgomery.”

“Oh
call me Nell, everyone does.  Now what about anxiety? 
Nightmares?  How did you sleep?”

Serena
shook her head.  “Good, better than good actually.  I woke just after
dawn… there was some sort of noise.”  She frowned trying to recall what
had woken her, then shrugged it off.  “But then I just rolled over and
went back to sleep.  I can’t even recall if I dreamt at all.”

“Good. 
Sleep is a great way for the body to rest and rejuvenate, don’t discount
indulging in an afternoon nap if you find yourself flagging during the day.”

“Like
a little kid?  I really do feel great.”  Serena stretched.

“You’ve
been through an incredibly stressful experience, both physically and
mentally.  I don’t want you to overdo it.  Baby steps.  Same
goes for your magic, especially here.”

“What’s
so special about here?”

“The
Sanctuary is covered by a magical grid.  Think of it like an invisible net
that stretches over three towns occupied by a diverse, eccentric but
essentially friendly group of magic users.  The net provides power and
protection, it feeds us and we in turn by our actions and magic feed it. 
You may find the net affects your powers in odd ways.  Once you get used
to it you should be able to control its influence but in the meantime you may
experience power fluctuations or uncontrollable bursts or amplification of your
powers.”

“I
wish someone had mentioned possible side effects last night.”  Serena’s
eyes were drawn once more to the courtyard.  Locke was going to kill her.

“I
wouldn’t worry about it.  If anyone understands mishaps and magic it’s my
people.  Now, how about I take some blood and then let you get back to
resting?”

“Sure.” 
Serena held out her arm whilst Nell readied her equipment.  “Is that
really a Hariss seascape?” 

Nell
turned her head for a moment to study the painting.  “Hmmm yes. 
Locke has quite a few of them.  My favourite is the one in his bedroom…
stunning.”

Serena
jumped slightly unsure whether it was from the sting of the needle or the
reality that Nell was a frequent visitor in Locke’s bedroom.

*
                           
*
                                 
*

Serena
slumped back against the pillows following Nell’s departure.  Funny when
she’d first introduced herself she’d thought Nell a highly unsuitable name for
a woman who reminded her more than a little of Grace Kelly.  But the
warmth and genuine friendliness exuding from her lovely blue eyes had her
revising her opinion.  Wasn’t Nell just the sort of woman Locke deserved
in his life?  He might be Mr Man, in his Italian three piece suits and
five hundred dollar haircut, but he was funny, sharply intelligent and as
intriguing as hell. 

Earth,
she needed to stop thinking like that.  No wonder he’d turned a hose on
her last night.  She was acting like a cat in heat.  Which was weird
for her.  Oh she liked men, but she was kind of picky.  She tended to
go for the environmental warrior types, who recycled, used biodegradable
products and were passionate to the point of being downright manic about
protecting the earth and all its bounties.  She’d lost more than one
boyfriend to a good cause. 

Not
that she begrudged Mother Nature any of her eco-warriors but still it would
have been nice to be put first just once.  Maybe, just maybe, the
Sanctuary grid or whatever they called it here was also affecting her
libido?  She was an Earth Witch after all.  Her kind was heavily
influenced by the winds and the ebb and flow of the tides and the currents along
with the movement of the moon and its cycles.  Perhaps the grid was
playing havoc with her hormones as well as the strength of her magic. 

She
cast another quick look at the courtyard before averting her gaze.  It was
as good an explanation as any she decided.  Okay so now she had a
perfectly good excuse why she was attracted to slick lawyer man.  She
could face him, apologise for what she’d inadvertently done to his home and
concentrate on getting better as quickly as possible.  The sooner she was
back to full strength, the quicker she could leave.  Tossing back the
sheets she resolutely slapped down the small niggly reminder eating at the
corner of her mind that the Sanctuary net hadn’t been affecting her the first
time she’d laid eyes on Locke and felt that sharp tug of attraction. 

Stupid
conscience, it needed to learn to bury its head in the dirt more often.

Chapter
Seven

Locke
took another sip of coffee before absently checking his Patek Philippe watch
for the time.  He still had half an hour before his video conference call
with New York.  Leaning back against the kitchen counter his eyes for the
thousandth time that day drifted to the inner courtyard.  What had only
yesterday been a study in restrained Moroccan outdoor elegance was now a jungle
oasis.  There was a thirty foot palm tree out there now for fuck’s sake,
when yesterday there had been none.

The
four bougainvillea climbers that scrambled up the columns along each side of
the square courtyard now had heavy drooping canopies of bright red flowers
weighing them down.  There were more hibiscus plants than he cared to
count, all flourishing an array of stunning blooms; reds, oranges, yellows,
whites and pinks.  Whilst blue and purple salvia bushes vied with canna
lilies, ginger plants and large feathery ferns for room and sunlight. 

His
expensive sandstone tiles only remained now in evidence around the very edges
of the courtyard under the shaded veranda.  Had the plants eaten or
pulverised the sandstone somehow?  Damn he had really liked those tiles,
selecting them personally and importing them from Greece.  Moss covered
pathways now wound their way amidst the cornucopia of plants. And there were
two large stretches of ridiculously green, incredibly soft looking grass. 
Grass!  High maintenance, prone to weeds, messy grass. 

The
only things left untouched by the jungle that came and ate his courtyard was
the shaded veranda area and the fountain, which burbled away, sounding for some
reason merrier than it had the day before.  Completely an utterly insane
right?

That’s
where Serena found him.  Standing in the large airy kitchen, sipping
coffee and eyeing the courtyard with cool unreadable eyes.  Today he wore
a dark navy three piece suit that fit his lean form like a well-made glove, his
eyes the colour of midnight.

“Morning.” 
She padded into the room on bare feet.  At least her hair was no longer a
mess, she’d found a brush in the bathroom but her only clothing option remained
Locke’s t-shirt.

“Afternoon
actually.  You slept well?”

“Very
well thank you.”  No this wasn’t awkward at all.  She lifted her butt
onto a bar stool at the bench across from him.  Running her fingers
absently over the polished surface of the reclaimed dark wood bench top. 

“And
the visit with Nell?  Everything okay?”  He raised an enquiring brow,
no sign of the teasing man she’d caught glimpses of yesterday in evidence.

“All
good.”  She watched as he strode over to the ultra-modern top of the range
refrigerator, pulled open one door, extracting a large glass full of what
looked like liquidised seaweed. “What’s that?”  She stared in horror as he
placed the glass in front of her.

“Your
breakfast… well lunch technically.  Nell left it for you.”

“I’m
supposed to drink that?”  Wow, so much for thinking Nell seemed a
sweetheart.

“Every
last nutritious drop.”  There was just the slightest twinkle of amusement
in those dark blue depths. 

Picking
up the drink she stared down at the contents.  Wrinkling her nose as the
smell wafted up to tickle her senses.  Wow the stuff smelt so bad it had
to be insanely good for her.   “Ummm.”  Dubiously she continued
to stare at the liquid, had something in there just moved?

“Drink.” 

“Ummm.”

“
Drink
it.”

Unable
to stop, Serena found herself lifting the glass to her lips and gulping down
the liquid until there was nothing left.  Slamming down the glass, she
screwed up her face in dismay.  The drink tasted worse than it smelt. Bah,
frantic she snagged an apple from a nearby bowl of fruit and bit into it. 
The sweet tangy flesh helping to negate the bad taste lingering in her mouth
but only a little.

“Yuk…
Seriously!  Don’t do that!”  She accepted the glass of water he
handed over and gulped a few cleansing mouthfuls. 

“You
would have sat there all day umming and procrastinating.”

Serena
placed a hand over her tummy as her stomach gurgled.  Earth, please don’t
let her throw that stuff up.  It was bad enough going down.  After a
few seconds calm prevailed… whew.  “Do I need to remind you that I’m a
fully grown adult?”

“And
do I need to remind you that seven very large, very muscular men, who more
often than not use violence to solve an argument, will have my head if anything
happens to you?”

She
gave him one last glare for good measure before take another large bite of her
apple.  “How did you do that anyway?  How do you do any of it… the
hospital… stopping me from asking questions?”

Locke
stared at her for a moment, as if he was weighing up some invisible
argument.  Sighing he placed his coffee down and folded his arms. 
“The world runs on universal hard truths… think scientific, legal, proven
incontrovertible unwavering truths.  The population is literally hard
wired from birth to accept and uphold those truths.  Then there are the
intangible truths… religion, morality, superstition, prejudices and
stereotypes.  They make up a person’s individual beliefs; right from
wrong, good versus bad.  I’m a truth mage, utilising truth as both a
shield and a weapon.
 
Though working with
universal truth is generally easier for me, for example the law, because the
fabric of mankind is based on it.  The intangible truths are a little bit
trickier, since every person has a unique set of beliefs.  When I speak
the truth….”

“You’re
talking mind control.”  Serena was both impressed and horrified by his
powers.

“I
wish!  It would have made my teenage dating years a lot easier.” 
Locke shook his head.  “No I’m talking about the truth.  It only
works if the subject already has the beliefs in their personal makeup. 
Like yesterday, you knew that if you peppered me with questions during our
escape you would have just slowed us down unnecessarily.  Same goes for
the drink, not so deep down you knew it was good for you.”

“What
about the guards, the orderlies, they didn’t even bother to stop and ask us
questions?”

“Belief
isn’t just about truth being spoken out loud; it’s about what we see, what we
accept and what we expect.  A guy pulls up in a ridiculously expensive
car, parks across two parking spots, carries a monogramed briefcase and is
wearing an Italian bespoke suit, what do you think?”

“Asshole
lawyer.”  Oops, she couldn’t believe she’d said that out loud. 
“Sorry.”

He
waved off her apology.  “Exactly, asshole lawyer.  Do you question his
right to be there at a government run facility?”

“No,
I imagine government officials and lawyers come and go all the time.”

“Exactly. 
I entered the facility based purely on appearance and people’s
expectations.  I laid out those two orderlies by bringing up painful,
personal, literally incapacitating past truths.  And I got you out of
there based upon a universal hard truth… the law was quite literally on my
side.  Unfortunately if I’m not there to reinforce the truth, over time
individual personal beliefs will eventually erode even a universal truth… I’m
talking greed, avarice, lust, gluttony, essentially the seven deadly
sins.  That’s why they came after us yesterday, I gave us a head start but
they knew all along keeping you locked up there was wrong, so greed or perhaps
fear eroded my truth.”

Serena
smiled suddenly, then she began to laugh. 

Not
the normal reaction Locke received when he took the time and effort to explain
his magic.  Usually women started running for the hills about now. 
People always held the truth up as some shining beacon but when it came to
reality, well that’s why there were televangelists, wrinkle creams and get rich
quick schemes.

“You
are such a lawyer.”  Serena reached up to wipe a tear of laughter from one
eye.  “All that explanation just to make the point you were right to make
me drink that hideous green abomination.” Crossing her arms she mimicked
him.  “Drink it…” 

Locke’s
gaze was captured by the sight of her soft breasts as they strained against the
thin material of her t-shirt.  Honestly if she crossed her arms like that
and told him to jump off a cliff he probably would.  And that was the
truth.  How could a woman manage to look so darn delectable in nothing but
a thigh skimming old t-shirt? 

Her
blonde hair gleamed white in the light of day, falling in a heavy mass past her
shoulders almost to her waist.  Already after only a night of rest her
skin had taken on a healthy soft velvety sheen and her eyes looked brighter and
clearer.  Those mischievous blue-purple orbs twinkling with feminine
mystery.  The one great unknowable truth… women.  Sternly he told his
cock to behave… sick, fragile woman remember.  Distraction… he needed a
distraction quick.

“So
you want to tell me want happened to my courtyard?”

Her
laughter tapered off to be replaced by a wary smile.  “You ever met an
Earth Witch before?”

“You’re
my first.”

“Well
it’s kind of difficult to explain.”  Actually it fell roughly on the
border of embarrassing edging over into downright humiliating. What was she supposed
to say, she had become intoxicated by moonlight and the touch of earth against
her skin for the first time in five months and lost control?  That the
knowledge that he’d been watching her dance had made her feel intensely
feminine and potently alluring?  That even as she re-bonded with the earth
and its bounty she’d been imaging what it would feel like to have his hands on
her, his lips against hers?  That those desires had somehow manifested
into reality overnight and created the garden of Eden in his courtyard? 

“For
argument’s sake why don’t you take a stab at it?”  He instructed.
 “I’m usually pretty good at sorting fact from fiction.”

Of
course he was, the man was practically a walking lie detector.  He wanted
the truth?  Well she’d give it to him.  Shrugging slim shoulders she
sent him her best guileless look.  “Mother Nature works in mysterious
ways.”

“That’s
your explanation?”

“You
have a better one?’  Answering a question with a question, also another
good stand by. 

She
hopped off the bar stool and made her way to the glass wall separating the
kitchen from the courtyard.  Hitting a nearby button she smiled as the
glass slid away seamlessly and a warm summer breeze enveloped her, heady with
scents of flowers and earth.  Her whole body suddenly ached with the need
to be out there, walking amongst all that beauty, feel the earth beneath her
feet.   The sight of the palm tree towering over the garden caused
her to pause in awe. Wow that had grown overnight?  Maybe it wasn’t just her
returning powers gone overdrive, maybe there really was something to Nell’s
suggestion that the Sanctuary grid had somehow amplified her magic.  
Still it didn’t solve the reality of Locke’s garden gone wild.

“Will
there be any more… surprises?” 

She
smiled and turned to look at him, so dapper and unruffled in his suit. 
The urge to walk over and run her fingers through his dark hair was just as
strong as the urge to walk into the garden.  Hmmm that was new; when it
came to the earth she normally had her priorities in order.   “What’s
life without surprises?”

He
didn’t comment on that, just checked his watch instead.  “I’ll be in my
office for the next few hours, I have a conference call.  What will you
do?  Go back to bed?”

“No,
the garden is far too tempting.”  Though if he’d given her the slightest
encouragement she would have been heading in his direction.  Career Barbie
girlfriend be damned.  Honestly what was up with her crazy hormones? 

He
looked like he was going to argue then sighed.  “Just don’t overdo it okay? 
And try and keep the jungle at bay and the rolling around in the dirt to a
minimum.”

Serena
had already turned and stepped out onto the cool sandstone tiles of the shaded
veranda.  “I should imagine you’ll want to hose me down again if I
do.” 

“No
more hoses….”  His voice suddenly became rough as he watched her reach
down, grab the bottom of her t-shirt and haul it off over her head. That soft
pert bottom of hers instantly capturing and retaining his attention, even more
delectable in the light of day.  Damn the woman was petite but she was
perfectly formed.  A few hours communing with Mother Nature had already
begun to restore some meat to her bones and lustre to her skin.

“Promise?” 
She was looking back at him over her shoulder, a knowing smile on her face.

“Promise.” 
He forced his gaze upward.  It seems no good deed went unpunished.
 He’d been saddled with an Earth Witch who refused to wear clothes
outside.  Goddess help him be strong.  “I had a little gift installed
out there for you.”  Reaching up he straightened his tie, then adjusted
his cuffs, raising her knowing smile with a superior one of his own.  “I
suggest you make use of it, even with the hose down last night you still smell
a little… earthy.”