One Night With a Witch (Keepers of the Veil #5)

Chapter 5

5

T wo weeks later

Eli dropped his duffle bag on the porch of the Tybee Island beach house beside a pile of sandy flip-flops and a plastic kid s bucket filled with shells. A Christmas wreath on the door set slightly askew, as if the door had been slammed one too many times. Ocean waves rolled their continual back-and-forth from the other side of the house.

He wiped sweat off his forehead. Weird to be almost seventy-five degrees in December. That was Georgia, though. He hoped the warmth didn t invite mosquitoes. Although he enjoyed the southern United States, he d gladly skip all its biting insects.

We re here, Eli. Aren t you excited? asked the female voice in his mind.

By now he d gotten good at telling her to piss off or not answering at all. He d either developed schizophrenia in the past two weeks or had someone else connected to his mind. Since multiple personality disorder made no sense, he settled on spirit or another person. With the concern he may not be entirely safe he d determined to stay away from the Pleiades as much as possible. The spirit hadn t done anything evil, but a huge yet hung in that statement. His purpose here was an in-person consult with Merck, who might know what was going on since Henrik likely had something to do with this. Why hadn t he phoned or texted Merck? Weird to be thinking of it now and not having done it over the past fourteen days.

Because I asked you not to, the spirit replied.

What?

His heart rate escalated. Had it asked him not to or had it controlled him? Oh, shit. It wanted him to be here for some reason.

Gold stars for Eli, it said inside his head.

The door opened. His twin, Matt, pulled him into a one-armed hug. What re you doing out here? Matt stepped back and clapped Eli on the back. Letting the hair grow out?

Missed you, too. With his hair a bit long, he didn t look like a dead ringer for his famous brother. They had their father s size and their mother s light eyes. Their father, a renowned healer, had died years ago at the hands of witch hunters. Matt had been incarcerated at the same time as his father by the witch hunters and lived with the guilt of being unable to save their father.

Hello, hot brother. They re two of you? The voice in his head cackled. Looks like he s hung like you.

Shut up, Eli snapped, mortified she d made him crotch scan his brother. She d controlled his body to do that. It had never forced him to action before, or had it? The voice had never behaved like this-at least not that he remembered. Maybe it could erase his memory.

He wiped sweat off his forehead.

Matt asked, Can I convince you to come home? You don t have to do bodyguard duty for any of the ladies, but I prefer you doing our covert work rather than that of another country.

You think you d be into some brotherly love? The voice turned sultry. I would.

Shut the hell up, Eli shouted so hard inside his skull that his vision blurred for a few moments.

Ever imagine snuggling up to him? I ve never done man on man. Brother on brother. Thinking I might like to take this possession to the next level.

He was possessed by a demon. Like The Exorcist ?

Shame and repulsion twisted his gut. I ll slit my throat before I allow you to mess up my brother s head, too.

Eli? Matt asked.

Uh, yeah, Eli muttered. His gaze drifted from front door, at which he realized he d been gazing sightlessly while having his mental showdown. He couldn t recall what Matt asked.

Yeah, meaning you re coming home? Or yeah as in no way, not ready yet?

What? A gust of wind blasted him with cool air, the harbinger of an approaching storm. The flag hanging off the porch s support column flipped back-and-forth with a slap of fabric against wood. He watched it as if the movement was in slow motion while he ordered his body to pick his bag back up and leave.

No, the female voice said. I ll behave for now. I promise.

I don t care. I m leaving. Yet, his body didn t obey his commands.

Matt s smile drooped. What s going on?

Eli shoved his hands into his jeans. Um.

That s an um filled with shitload of something. If you brought England with you if you think security here is compromised, then this weekend is off. We don t screw around with the security of the ladies. We ve got most of this block under several powerful protective spells, but I ll end this event right now. Matt whipped out his phone.

Eli opened his mouth to tell him he was possessed. That was it. That s what was wrong with him. Possessed. He posed a safety risk. More than that, he needed help.

The darkness in his mind slithered to take over everything. Oh, no. You won t mess this up. We want this to go forward.

Eli s lips turned upward. He didn t want to smile. He wanted to peel the evil bitch off his brain and cast her out of his body. He needed to warn his brother. Words came out of his mouth. Words that weren t what he intended to say.

No worries, Matt. England stays across the sea. I just realized I forgot my wedding gift at home. His shoulders lifted and dropped as if he was a puppet.

Matt chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. I m sure they ll understand if you send the gift later.

Help me, Matt, Eli thought.

Time for you to go away for a bit, Eli. Bye bye.

Eli s consciousness was cast into the periphery of his mind. From his small corner he could see everything like a movie on a screen, but controlled nothing. Attempts to move his fingers or anything on his own failed. Yet he heard himself say, All s hunky dory.

Hunky dory? Since when the hell do you say that? Matt s voice dropped to a low, silky tone. If there s a security risk, you will tell me .

Sure thing.

Matt gazed at Eli in a silent, skeptical, and judgmental way without a hint of apology. Good, he detected something wrong. Whenever Matt tried to use the Voice on him, Eli got mad. The ego of his brother to think he could persuade him to do his bidding irritated the crap out of him. But, this time, wasn t he suspicious because he hadn t gotten mad?

New wrinkles creased his brother s face. Gray hair tinted his temples. Both were the only outward signs of the monumental stress thrust upon him to balance his position as Head Druid while simultaneously maintaining his position as CEO of a global tech corporation. And running after a three year-old, although his Pleiades witch wife happily did most of the chasing.

All right. You ll tell me when there s a danger to anyone here other than you. Matt rubbed his forehead and covered his eyes. I don t like whatever the hell s going on. I don t like you still working for them. They don t give two craps about you. I can t protect you He trailed off. The first time you left MI6 you were a mess. You roamed my apartment like a ghost for months. I won t forgive them for that. Please, stay with us. Don t go back.

I m done with MI6, Eli heard himself say. Coming up with a new life plan.

Your destiny is here. Matt gripped his shoulder tight. When it comes down to it, family s all we ve got. Whatever s going on with you, I ll have your back if you ll take my help.

Help. Yes. Hear me, please, Eli screamed.

The evil spirit laughed at him. Yell all you want, impotent boy. Nothing will stop me, especially not you.

You sure you re all right? You don t seem yourself. Matt frowned. We re here to help. Not that your stubborn ass will ask until you re so far up shit creek that you lost the boat.

Hey, twin bros. What s doin ? a voice boomed behind them.

Eli whirled to face the man sauntering up the stairs behind him.

Matt waved. Will. Where d you come from?

Will flicked shaggy, wet blond hair out of his eyes, tossing his sandals onto the pile. His only clothes were ragged, red board shorts that hung low on his hips, and a few braided bracelets around both wrists. He grinned. Sis and I caught some waves. Surf s totally up this morning.

Nicole was surfing? This early? Matt asked.

Eli had a tough time imaging the tiny nineteen-year-old precognitive witch on a surfboard.

Course she surfs. She was stoked to try the waves up here. The waves back home in South Carolina are about the same as here, and when a storm s rolling in we can t resist. Wicked out there today.

That means dangerous, right? Matt scowled.

Will clapped his hand on Matt s back. That s why I went with her. The girl s insane on the water. Insane good, but also maybe a bit loco. That druid you chose to guard her might be decent at the protection thing, but he can t surf worth crap. He paced the beach the entire time. He could ve at least worn beach clothes and tried to blend. He totally ruined the vibe. Will rolled his eyes. Thank God I m not a Sentry druid. I ve got no interest in looking that uncool. Hey, what s for breakfast?

Matt pointed at the house. There s a catered brunch at ten out back. Everyone s coming over from next door. Kitchen is stocked with a lot of junk, if you want to forage.

Awesome. Will pointed at Eli while on the way inside. Good to see you back, big E.

Eli said, I m not back. I m only here for the wedding.

As if you ever get out. Matt tried to escape and look where it got him married and Head Druid. Will paused in the doorway. He stared in a penetrative way at Eli.

Help me, Will, he screamed. There s something else inside me.

Will frowned. You don t seem okay, E. If you want to relax, find me later. I ve got some ramped up reefer. It ll knock you on your ass. He winked and walked inside.

Reefer? Eli heard himself asked.

It s his way of forgetting the past. Don t let him fool you, though. He started his own security firm this year. He s doing private domestic mercenary work, some body guarding some contract ops.

You re kidding. Eli leaned to peek around Matt to watch Will saunter down the hallway. The kid forgot to close the door behind him. Not a kid. More like a twenty-two-year-old.

Matt said, It s his way of putting to use decades of tactical training. Now, about you

All s good here. Forgotten gift, but I ll make do. Maybe what I need is a little relaxing.

Matt looked relieved. If I m not on daddy duty, find me and I ll totally light up with you.

How to break free of the spirit s hold without her reading his mind?

Avery. His feelings for her burned bright inside him. So bright. Ah, the spirit didn t like thoughts of her. He felt its grip on him diminish.

Despite the spell, which should be well worn off by now, he d thought of Avery every few seconds since the moment he pushed her to leave in Paris. Maybe that s why the possessing spirit or demon had stayed at bay.

Right now, thoughts of Avery helped. The spirit receded. He could do this. If that s all it took to survive the weekend, he d think of her nonstop, not like that was something new.

He dwelled on all the times he almost texted Avery; about Paris and about all their almost-hookups over the years. It d been like a slow build foreplay lasting decades and exploding in Paris. The spell had been an impetus, not the reason they d ended up in bed. What he d said to her had been hurtful, something a few lousy digital words wouldn t fix. That needed a one-on-one conversation.

Avery. Beautiful, mind-saving Avery.

Holy crap.

Avery froze at the sight of Eli s naked back. Her heart began to pound. Not what she expected to see when she exited the bathroom into the adjoining bedroom. She d sought a few minutes of solitude before facing the brunch crowd. Everyone she d run into since she arrived a few hours ago wanted the story of what happened in France. The abbreviated version didn t seem to pacify them.

Maybe it wasn t Eli s back, and she just had him on her mind.

Nope. She recognized the few freckles dotted over his shoulders and the small scar to the right of his left shoulder blade. He d gotten the scar when he was nine from delving into his father s samurai sword collection.

And she d never forget that ass.

Emotion rose in her. Sleeping with him, whether a mistake or not, had opened a Pandora s box of feelings, one she didn t want to shut. The spell should be spent, but while she was staring at his back the magic sure as hell didn t feel worn off. All she had to do was reach out one finger to refresh her memory of his smooth skin-its warmth and tensile strength. She could trace the ridges of muscle where it narrowed at his waist and the hollow of his back where his jeans rode low. She yearned to touch to the point she couldn t breathe.

She d been angry when she stormed out of the hotel in Paris, but hours later she knew real anger when she realized he d played her to get her to leave. He viewed her as safer away from the hotel. Safety was an illusion-one she didn t believe in. What she did believe in was Eli.

He bent over to grab something he dropped off the floor. His jeans rode right down to his briefs and those slipped down until butt crack alert. A hysterical giggle slipped out.

Avery slapped a hand over her own mouth to muffle her snicker.

Eli snapped upright and whirled while buttoning his jeans. Wha He wobbled and touched his head, blinking as if surprised by far more than her in here with him. Avery?

Hi. Nice, uh butt crack. Laughter burst from her so hard tears blurred her vision.

A smile curved his lips. A few snorts of laugher came out his nose. You looking at my butt?

It was right there. She waved her hand where his ass had been in the air. It s a peep-worthy butt. Oh, so peep worthy. Wouldn t mind an up-close-and-personal refresher.

Perv.

Not as if I haven t seen it before, she said hoarsely. Naked memories of him frolicked in her mind. His mouth on hers. His body over hers and around hers. The spell made sex two weeks ago happen. It made things complicated. Disregarding it wasn t going to be an option.

Hold on. I have something for you. He opened the duffle bag on the floor, careful to shift around so his butt wasn t pointed at her, and sifted through contents. He thrust a small blue gift bag at her. When she didn t immediately take it he jiggled the bag on its ribbon handle. I saw it at the airport in France. I thought you d appreciate it. Early Christmas present.

You bought me a gift? She couldn t remember Eli giving her anything other than a plastic frog he d found in fourth grade. The frog had been in her jewelry box ever since.

He pushed the bag into her hands and backed away.

Expecting a keychain or an Eiffel Tower refrigerator magnet, she was surprised to see a small black jewelry box with gold lettering. She recognized the designer as one she d perused many times in New York City, but it was way out of her price range. Inside were stylized emerald earrings.

Oh, my God. I can t accept these. These are Bulgari. She touched the shiny emeralds. So pretty.

Don t you like them? It s your color.

I love them. They re incredible. It s just What is this about?

What is what? He shifted on his feet. His gaze dropped.

Is this about you and me and what happened in Paris? Please tell me you don t feel obligated to give me something out of guilt. At the thought, everything about the earrings soured.

Consider it a thank you for rescuing me and an apology for not saying it in Paris. I felt like a real douche for the way things ended.

Good Lord, the way he stared at her with his dark intensity zinged around in her chest right down to her core.

You said you didn t need a rescue, she forced out.

Not from a shooter, but I was about to get stinking drunk. His lips tilted up into his adorable grin.

She smacked him in the arm. Seriously?

I want you to have them. My flight was delayed. All there is to do there is shop and eat. Those reminded me of you. His cheeks flushed.

They must ve cost a fortune. I really shouldn t accept them. But she wanted them. Sparkly gifts made her heart happy.

Eli folded her hand around the small box. You want them. They re yours.

They did appeal to her, and not only because they were gorgeous, but also they were from him. She jumped forward and hugged him. As if on reflex his arms went around her, hugging back.

Thank you. I love them.

He didn t let go when the standard polite hug time period elapsed.

Eli? She pulled back, still in his hold. Silence stretched out between them as they stared at each other.

Avery, I-

Hey, man, you ready to light up? Will asked from the doorway.

Avery jumped out of Eli s arms, her face scorching.

Avery. Where d you come from? Will asked. As usual, he was top-half naked and had the worst timing. His tattered board shorts rode low over her hips.

She blinked a few times, probably coming off as if high or drunk. I didn t know this was Eli s room. It was the first bathroom I came to. I mean, I haven t been assigned a room yet. You planning to get high?

Relaxation is key at the beach. Will grinned a lopsided tilt of his mouth.

Eli didn t respond to Will. He stared at Avery with a lost look. No, it was a pleading look. Did he want her to save him from Will, or something else?

What is it? A fierce need to protect him surged inside her.

You jetlagged, man? Will asked.

Eli s face glazed over. He gave Avery a conceited smile she d never seen from him. Chills shot down her spine. The light in his eyes changed, not that she understood how that was even possible. Sometimes he wore a mask of everything s great around his brother and others in this crowd, but even with the mask in place, his eyes weren t like this-dismissive of her. She stepped away to put a solid cushion of air between she and Eli.

Eli body scanned Will, not in a brief clothes check-out kind of way, but a slow, overtly sexual perusal that made her skin crawl. His tone was almost sultry. Hi, Will.

What the ever-loving hell? Eli hadn t been gay two minutes ago. That scan had been all about setting up some game that involved nakedness. With Will. Jealousy mixed itself with confusion to make a potent and foul concoction in her head.

Will s startled gaze met hers before bouncing back to Eli. You okay, man?

You don t like wearing shirts, do you? Eli gazed at Will s chest, a nice expanse of muscles accentuated by a bird tattoo spanning its breadth.

Being all messed up over Eli wasn t helping her wade through the puzzle of him checking out another man. Worse was her gut insisting she get as far away from Eli as fast as possible. Exiting required she pass him to get to the door.

With a false bright smile, she said, I ll leave you two to smoke up or whatever.

Eli s eyes met hers. This wasn t the man who d held her moments ago or five years ago when she bawled at her parents and sister s funerals. Or the man who d kissed her in Paris.

In her haste to exit, she accidentally rubbed Eli s bare arm. He jerked as if shocked. Avery.

Her gaze snapped to his. That agonized tone called to her soul. His gaze was filled with fear and something else. The plea was back in the depths of his eyes, which now had warmth.

What is it, Eli? Avery asked. Tell me.

He reached out as if to touch her again, but then his hand jerked back like someone else yanked him from behind. All good. He glanced at Will again. The cocky smile returned. I m super.

Super? A word Eli never used.

See you guys later. She rushed to escape. Something was very wrong.