Chapter 16
Seth closed the small distance between them, and this kiss was different from the tentative ones they’d shared the night before.
This was deeper, more certain, and fueled by the adrenaline and emotion of the day.
Petra’s hands came up to grip his shirt, pulling him closer, and Seth responded by shifting his position so he could gather her more fully into his arms.
When they finally came up for air, Petra found herself half-lying on the couch with Seth leaning over her, one hand braced beside her head, the other still cupping her face.
“Is this okay?” he asked, his voice rough.
“Yes,” Petra breathed. “Very okay.”
He kissed her again, and this time his hand slid from her face to her waist, his thumb brushing against the bare skin where her top had ridden up slightly. The touch sent electricity through her entire body. She made a small sound, and Seth pulled back slightly.
“Tell me if I should stop,” he said.
“Don’t stop,” Petra said quickly. “Please don’t stop.”
His answering smile was warm and wicked. “Yes, ma’am.”
They fell into each other again, kisses growing more heated as Petra’s fingers found their way into Seth’s hair and over his impossibly muscular shoulders, and his hand continued its exploration of her waist, her hip, the curve of her side.
She’d never felt anything like this overwhelming need to be closer, to touch and be touched, to lose herself in the sensation of being wanted.
Seth shifted, settling more comfortably beside her on the broad couch so they were lying face to face, legs tangled together.
His hand moved to her back, pulling her flush against him, and Petra could feel the controlled strength in his body, the way he was holding himself in check despite the intensity between them.
“You’re trembling,” he murmured against her lips.
“I know.” Petra kissed him again. “I can’t seem to help it.”
“Are you scared?”
“No. Yes. Maybe a little.” She pulled back enough to meet his eyes. “But not of you.”
“Then what?” His hand continued its gentle movement on her back, soothing and arousing at the same time.
“Of how much I want this. How much I want you.” Petra felt heat flood her cheeks. “I’m not usually like this. I don’t just… I mean, I’ve never…”
“Never what?” Seth’s voice was gentle, patient.
“Felt like this. This fast. This intense.” She laughed shakily. “I sound ridiculous.”
“You sound honest.” Seth kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her lips again, with soft, sweet kisses that somehow felt more intimate than the heated ones. “And for what it’s worth, I’ve never felt like this either. So if you’re ridiculous, I am too.”
That made her feel better. A bit less like she was spiraling alone into something she didn’t understand. Petra kissed him again, slower this time, savoring the taste of him, the warmth of his mouth, and the way he responded to her touch with barely restrained hunger.
They stayed like that for long minutes, trading kisses and soft touches, learning the contours of each other’s bodies through their clothes.
Seth’s hand never ventured anywhere inappropriate, but Petra found herself wishing it would.
She wanted more of him, wanted to feel his skin against hers, wanted—
A sharp knock on the library door made them both freeze.
“Ms. Haas?” Anna’s cheerful voice came through the wood. “Do you have a few minutes? I have some things I’d like to discuss for tomorrow’s schedule.”
Petra’s eyes went wide with panic. Seth bit back what looked like a laugh and carefully disentangled himself, helping her sit up as quietly as possible.
“Just a second!” Petra called, her voice coming out a little higher than normal. She stood quickly, smoothing her clothes. Her hair was probably a disaster, and her lips felt swollen from kissing, and oh heck, Anna was going to take one look at her and know exactly what they’d been doing.
Seth stood too, looking frustratingly composed except for slightly mussed hair and eyes that were darker than usual. He helped her straighten her cardigan, his fingers lingering on her shoulders.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered.
“I look like I’ve been making out with you on the couch,” Petra hissed back.
“Like I said. Beautiful.” He grinned, completely unrepentant. Then, louder, he said, “Come in, Anna.”
The door opened and Anna bounced in, her tablet clutched to her chest and her expression bright with enthusiasm. If she noticed Petra’s flushed face or Seth’s rumpled appearance, she gave no sign.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” Anna said, though she didn’t sound particularly sorry.
“But I wanted to catch you before you went to bed. I have so many ideas for organizing your schedule and I thought we could go over them now while everything’s fresh in my mind, and so we don’t have any mix-ups tomorrow. ”
“Of course,” Petra managed, trying to calm her racing heart. “That sounds…great.”
Seth caught her eye and gave her a private smile full of warmth and promise. “I should check on the security arrangements for the night shift.”
He moved toward the door, pausing briefly to touch Petra’s shoulder as he passed. The gesture was casual enough that Anna probably didn’t think anything of it, but Petra felt the warmth of his hand like a brand.
“Goodnight, Petra,” he said softly.
“Goodnight, Seth.”
Then he was gone, leaving Petra alone with her enthusiastic new assistant and the lingering sensation of his kisses still burning on her lips.
“So,” Anna said brightly, pulling up something on her tablet.
“I’ve created a color-coded system for prioritizing tasks.
Red for urgent matters requiring immediate attention, yellow for important but not time-sensitive items, and green for long-term projects.
I thought we could start by reviewing your upcoming commitments and… ”
Petra tried to focus on Anna’s words, she really did. But part of her mind was still in Seth’s arms, still feeling the heat of his body against hers, and still tasting his kiss.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges. The mages would be returning soon. There were legal matters to resolve and security protocols to establish, and a dozen other things that required her attention.
But tonight, for just a little while, she’d been held by someone who made her feel safe and wanted and brave enough to face whatever came next.
And that, Petra thought, as Anna continued her enthusiastic explanation of organizational systems, was worth more than all the castles and fortunes in the world.
Seth left the library with mixed feelings.
He was reluctant to leave Petra, but he also felt satisfaction at how things were progressing between them, along with a nagging awareness that he had work to do.
Security didn’t maintain itself, and with the old staff gone and potential enemies aware that changes were happening, tonight was a critical time to stay vigilant.
He pulled out his phone as he walked toward the east wing exit, sending a quick text to Pax.
SETH: Meet me at the south garden entrance in five minutes.
PAX: On my way. Wait ‘til you see what we found.
That sounded promising. Or concerning. With Pax, it could go either way.
Seth stepped outside into the cool night air, his jackal immediately more alert. The grounds were quiet except for the normal sounds of nocturnal creatures. He could hear Klaus somewhere near the north perimeter, familiarizing himself with the property, as promised. Good.
Pax materialized from the shadows near the garden wall, his golden hair catching moonlight. Ari appeared a moment later from a different direction, his darker coloring making him nearly invisible until he moved.
“Sit rep,” Seth said without preamble.
“We found three hidden entrances into the castle,” Pax said, his tone suggesting he was both impressed and annoyed.
“All of them are concealed really well. One is behind the conservatory. There’s also one in the old stable building, and one under a decorative fountain built into the castle wall facing that small rose garden. ”
“Show me,” Seth said.
They led him to the fountain first. It was an ornate piece featuring a lion’s head that looked like it had been there for centuries. Ari crouched down and pointed to what appeared to be solid stonework at the base.
“Here. You can’t see it unless you know where to look, but there’s a seam. The whole section swings outward on hidden hinges.” He demonstrated, pressing in a specific sequence, and a section of the fountain’s base opened to reveal stone steps leading down into darkness.
Seth crouched beside him, his enhanced vision picking out details in the gloom. “Where does it go?”
“That’s the interesting part,” Pax said. “All three entrances connect to a tunnel system that runs under the castle. We followed the main tunnel and it leads directly toward the foundation—probably to the workshop level. But we couldn’t get all the way there.”
“Why not?”
“Magic.” Ari’s expression was grim. “We hit a ward about fifty meters in. Nasty one, too. My jaguar didn’t want to go anywhere near it, and when I tried to push through in human form, it felt like walking into a wall of ice and needles.”
Seth swore under his breath. Of course, the Venifucus would have warded their access points. He should have anticipated that. He should have had a mage lined up before now to help sweep for magical defenses.
“Show me the tunnel entrance,” he said.
They took him to the stable building, which was less stable and more “picturesque ruin” at this point. Ari moved aside some rotted boards to reveal another concealed entrance, this one with steps cut into the earth.
“This is the main access point,” Pax explained. “The other two connect to this tunnel about twenty meters down. Someone put a lot of work into this system.”
Seth pulled out a small flashlight and descended carefully. The tunnel was well-constructed, with stone walls and a packed earth floor that showed recent use. His hackles rose as they moved deeper, sensing something wrong even before they reached the ward.
When they did, Seth understood what Ari meant. The air itself seemed to shimmer with wrongness. It wasn’t visible to normal sight, but Seth could feel a barrier of cold malevolence that made his skin crawl.
“Blood magic,” he said quietly, recognizing the signature from past encounters with dark mages. “They used blood to anchor the ward. That’s why it feels so nasty.”
“Can you break it?” Pax asked.
“No. We need a mage, and a good one.” Seth backed away from the ward, his jaw tight with frustration. “I should have thought of this before. I should have had someone in to sweep for magical traps and wards before we even started the staff transition.”
“We can’t booby-trap the tunnels if we can’t access them,” Ari pointed out.
“No, but we can secure the entrances.” Seth’s mind was already working through options.
“I’ll call my contacts and see if I can get someone qualified to deal with this here ASAP.
In the meantime, I want motion sensors at each entrance with round-the-clock surveillance.
If the mages try to come back through their secret tunnels, I want to know immediately. ”
They made their way back to the stable. Seth was pulling out his phone to call Sam when it buzzed in his hand with an incoming text.
SAM: Sending help. Mage named Judith Chetry, comes highly recommended by Granny Tucker. Should arrive soon. Specializes in breaking dark wards and countering blood magic.
Seth stared at the message. Sam had anticipated the need before Seth had even asked. Of course he had. The lion king hadn’t built his network by being slow to recognize problems.
SETH: Perfect timing. We just found warded tunnels under the castle.
SAM: That’s why I’m sending her. Granny Tucker said the place would be “lousy with bad mojo.” Her words, not mine.
SETH: Tell Granny Tucker she’s not wrong.
Seth pocketed his phone and looked at the twins. “A mage is incoming. Sam’s sending someone who can handle the wards.”
“That was fast,” Pax said.
“Sam’s good at his job. He anticipated the need and sent someone without me even having to ask.
” Seth shook his head and checked his watch.
It was just past nine. “Ari, I want you at the main gate to escort her in when she arrives. Kinkaid said soon, but I don’t have an exact ETA.
Pax, warn the others. Make sure everyone knows we have a friendly mage coming in and not to spook her. ”
“Got it,” both twins said in unison, then headed off in opposite directions.
Seth made his way back toward the castle, intending to brief Wilhelm and Helena about the incoming guest. But as he approached the main entrance, his phone buzzed again.
ARI: Um, boss? She’s already at the gate. Says her name is Judy Chetry and she’s tired, jet-lagged, and this place is “lit up like a Christmas tree of bad juju.” Her words.
Seth blinked. Soon apparently meant right now.
SETH: On my way.