Destiny of the Witch (The Other Witch #4)

26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

I left the wake relatively early feeling bruised and raw. I started up to my apartment but Bastion tugged me further up the stairs. As he rarely called the shots, I let him lead me. ‘Where are we going?’ I asked.

‘Out,’ he responded shortly. He took me up to the roof terrace. ‘I want to do something nice for you. Trust me?’

‘Always.’ The answer slipped out before my brain could censor it. His answering smile lifted the cloud from my heart a little.

Bastion shifted into griffin form. ‘Climb on.’

‘No harness?’

‘We’re not going far and you enjoy the extra thrill.’

He knew me so well – I did. I climbed on and made sure I had a firm grasp of the fur on his back. ‘I’m ready.’

Without so much as a murmur of warning, he shot off. Barrelling forward with speed that ripped a surprised laugh from me, his wings snapped out and then we were flying.

He was right; we weren’t going far. I watched curiously as he flew us over Lucy’s mansion. There were wolves on the grounds, cavorting and tumbling together, but they didn’t growl; things seemed friendly. Bastion did one last check, let out an eagle screech and then took us down to an open space just past the mansion. On the road at the end of the gated driveway, a horse and cart was waiting.

Not a horse. I blinked and stared more intently at the creature. It was a unicorn: Ares.

His white coat was marred by rippling scars and puckered flesh and his clawed feet were stamping the ground to signal he was getting bored with waiting. His red eyes flashed as he caught sight of us, and he threw his head back and gave us a magnificent whicker in greeting.

Bastion shifted to human form and we approached Ares together, hands interlocked. Bastion inclined his head. ‘Thank you for agreeing to help,’ he said to the unicorn. ‘Lucy said you would be willing to assist us.’

Ares flared his nostrils and snorted at Bastion then turned to me and gently nuzzled me with his velvet-soft nose .

I smiled as his red eyes softened. ‘Hello, Ares, how are you doing?’ I checked him over. I’d performed some healing on him not so long ago, but his body showed no signs of his ordeal. His coat shone and he was nicely plump; Lucy had been taking excellent care of him. ‘You’re looking well,’ I said approvingly.

Ares looked behind me. Bastion was already looking in that direction. I turned to see that a wolf was silently approaching, padding forwards, stalking us.

‘Trying to sneak up on me?’ Bastion asked, amused.

The wolf let out an annoyed chuffing sound. She shimmered and suddenly Lucy stood before us – buck naked.

She beamed at me, completely unselfconscious in a way that I could only dream of. ‘Hey Amber! How are you?’

‘I’m good, how are things with you, Your Majesty?’

She groaned. ‘Don’t you dare. If one more person “Your Majesty’s” me, I’m going to punch their lights out.’ A beat. ‘Not their actual lights. It means I’ll hit them,’ she muttered to her wolf.

‘It’s good to see you,’ the words slipped out before I could censor them.

‘And you! We’ll have to do some drinks soon.’ She grimaced, ‘I’m pretty swamped at the moment, but I swear, when Jess is back, I’ll be carving time out for a girls night out come hell or high water. There’s some tequila with our names on it.’

It was my turn to grimace. ‘Champagne please, or at least prosecco,’ I protested lightly.

Lucy grinned, ‘I’ll happily buy you a porn star martini, and that’s my final offer.’

‘Deal,’ I said, my heart feeling light.

There were some shouts behind us, and Lucy sighed. ‘I’d better go. That was probably Greg realising that I snuck off without a guard. Have a wonderful night you two, don’t worry about returning Ares and the carriage anytime soon – they won’t turn into a pumpkin.’ With a wink, Lucy shimmered and in a moment she was in wolf form. She turned on her tail and bounded off lightly, crashing into the foliage with abandon now that she wasn’t trying to keep her position a secret. I watched her go with a smile on my face; there was something so exuberant about Lucy.

Ares nuzzled me once more, trying to get my attention back on him, then he turned and looked pointedly at Bastion.

‘I’m on it,’ Bastion said mildly. He opened the door to the black buggy. I’d never in my life ridden in an open-air horse-drawn carriage before. Bastion held a hand out, helped me in and I sat down on the red velvet seat. He sat next to me.

‘Don’t you need to drive?’ I asked, a shade nervously.

‘No, Ares will handle it,’ he assured me. ‘You just enjoy the ride.’

The air was a little nippy but it appeared that Bastion – or perhaps Lucy – had thought of that and there was a fluffy black blanket on the seat. Bastion laid it over my knees and I drew it up a little higher, running my hands over the sumptuous fabric. ‘This is lovely,’ I murmured.

‘Almost perfect,’ he agreed. ‘Go on, Ares. We’re ready.’ Ares started to pull the cart, slowly at first with great prancing steps. ‘Show pony,’ Bastion snorted, though his voice was affectionate. ‘A little faster Ares, if you will.’

Next he reached into the footwell where a cool-box was waiting and pulled out a bottle of champagne. He opened it easily and poured two glasses, all the while moving gently to the sway of the cart. He handed me the crystal flute. ‘ Now it’s perfect,’ he said. He knew me better than to try and to get me drinking tequila.

Bastion tucked the champagne bottle back in the cool-box then put his free arm around me. I sipped the crisp champagne and let the bubbles burst on my tongue as I snuggled into him. The scent of him eased something inside me; he smelled of sandalwood and rosemary and something else that was uniquely him.

I gave a happy sound. Hannah’s tragic death had reminded me sharply that life was too short. We needed to make the effort to enjoy every moment, and boy was I determined to enjoy this one.

Ares picked up his pace until we were moving at a pleasant speed. Snuggled in my blanket and wrapped in Bastion, I looked up and watched the night sky. The stars were twinkling overhead, bright and full of promise. I could still vividly recall wishing upon a star as a child, but in that moment I felt like I had everything I wanted.

‘I love you,’ I said to Bastion softly before I could stop myself. ‘It snuck up on me, but there you go.’

He smiled. ‘I love you too. It didn’t sneak up on me,’ he admitted with a wry smile. ‘It struck me over the head and took me hostage.’

I laughed. ‘I think that’s the only thing that’s ever taken you unawares.’

‘Absolutely,’ he agreed. ‘Amber?’

‘Yes?’

He took my glass and set it down in the drinks’ holder. ‘I love you,’ he repeated sincerely, gazing into my eyes. ‘With everything I am.’

‘I know.’ I smiled. ‘I can feel it.’

He lowered his lips to mine, at first a gentle brush and then a firmer press. I opened my lips to him and his tongue swept in, gaining ownership over my mouth as he had already gained ownership over my heart. Love swelled down our bond, so raw and strong that the word ‘love’ seemed inadequate.

I had fought this for so long, longer than I would admit even to myself. We had been through a crucible of fire that would have brought any two people closer together, but something far deeper had forged our bonds. This easy camaraderie, the blending of our two souls – it was nothing like I had imagined love to be.

I had thought it would burn and be all-consuming like the juvenile love that had burned between me and Jake, and to a degree it did, but what was between Bastion and I was more than that. It was in every glance, every touch. Though we were together every moment of every day, I had never grown tired of his presence. He centred me in a way I hadn’t known was missing from my life. He let me cry, made me laugh, and with him I could just be myself – every grumpy inch of it .

I realised I was crying. Bastion swept the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. ‘Hey,’ he murmured with concern. ‘You’re crying, Bambi.’

‘Happy tears,’ I managed. ‘I never dreamed of loving someone like I love you.’

As I pawed at my own cheeks, a sudden thought came to me. Some people still thought that Bastion was a creature , to be tagged or even killed. They believed he had fewer rights than them. My mind boggled at that; he was the best person I knew, and some people thought he was no better than an animal.

I curled my fingers around his neck and pulled him to my lips again, kissing him fervently as I silently vowed that the evil witches weren’t the only ones I would take down. The Ante-Crea had better tremble in their bigoted boots because I was coming for them too.