Chapter Seventeen
Time to wake up, Sunshine. You’re teaching class this morning, and then it’s time for our road trip.”
I groaned, pulling the covers over my eyes. My head was splitting, and I felt like a dog’s breakfast. “Why is it so bright in here?”
“It’s called light. Helps a person wake up.”
“You menace,” I grumbled, burrowing deeper into my pillow. “Turn it off.”
“Menace? That’s a new one. What happened to Mystery Man? Actually, I was thinking I might like Mr. Irresistible, Mr. Hot and Sexy, or Mr. Man of My Dreams.”
“I can see you’ve given this a lot of thought. Ugh. What was I thinking? I’m too old to be drinking entire bottles of wine.”
“That’s probably true.”
I pushed the covers back again and squinted against the brightness. “A gentleman would have disputed that.”
“But I’m not a gentleman, am I? I’m a menace.” He flashed me a carefree smile.
“Are you always this cheerful in the morning?”
“Yep, I’m an early bird. You’ll get used to it.”
Before I could consider what that implied, I heard him set something on the bedside table.
“There’s a glass of water and two painkillers beside you, and breakfast is ready when you are. Get in the shower or you’ll be late for class.”
He strode out the door before I could respond, and I was left fighting to remember how the night had ended. Wine and Scrabble. I had said something important, but it eluded me. I took the water and painkillers and shuffled to the bathroom.
“You’re a gem, Owen,” I said a little while later, taking a seat at the kitchen island.
“So, I’m a gem now?” He grinned and pushed a glass of orange juice and a half of a toasted bagel with peanut butter toward me.
I stared at the juice suspiciously. “No coffee?” I looked around the kitchen for salvation.
“Not yet. You need to hydrate first.”
After following his advice, I had to admit I felt better.
“Owen, I don’t remember the end of the night in detail, but I do remember having a lot of fun and flirting and…”
“Yes?” Owen prodded when I hesitated.
“I just want to say thanks. For not taking advantage of me. When I was drunk.”
Owen stilled. “Has someone taken advantage of you in the past?” The even tone of his voice was at complete odds with the dangerous look in his eyes.
“No, no,” I rushed to reassure him. “I would never have… I’ve never let my guard down like that with anyone else. But you were a complete gentleman last night, even though I may have been a little forward.”
“A little forward?” Owen teased, and I smiled. “Seriously, though. You’ve never been that drunk with anyone else?”
I shook my head.
A pleased smile spread across his face, and he stepped around the island to place a tender kiss on my lips. “Well, I’m happy to be your first in that respect. You can always let your guard down around me, Kira. I’ll always protect you.”
I threw my arms around him. “I know,” I whispered. “Thank you for rearranging your life for me.”
“I’m glad you’re here. Besides, it’s safer than your place.”
“You just don’t want to admit that my futon made your back ache,” I teased. “Old man missing his bed?”
“I’m only thirty-two!” Owen growled.
“And I’m twenty-eight. You’re practically robbing the crad—”
Owen pulled me against him and his lips found my cheek. “Say the word, and I’ll show you why age doesn’t matter.”
Need slammed into me as I remembered every one of our kisses in excruciatingly sharp detail.
He nipped lightly at my ear, then trailed his mouth down my neck. His hand slid up my ribs to rest just below my breast. I whimpered.
“How much endurance I have.”
I imagined dark nights full of sinful pleasure. Our skin damp with sweat, our lips seeking and finding each other’s.
His thumb brushed the underside of my breast. I swayed, clutching his shirt. “The hours I’ll spend pleasuring you using nothing but my mouth until you’re begging me to take you hard.”
“Owen,” I moaned, leaning up to kiss him, but a finger on my lips stopped me. I opened my eyes not realizing I had closed them. Owen smiled at me with arrogant satisfaction, although the thick bulge in his pants told me he was just as affected.
“Still think I’m old?” He cocked an eyebrow at me.
I swallowed. Hard. “Never did, but maybe you should demonstrate—”
“Can’t. We’re already late. You look flushed. Is it warm in here?”
I groaned. The man was merciless, thoroughly aggravating, and I loved it.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of a clever comeback.
Words failed me completely. I was hot and bothered, and all I could manage was a long drink of my orange juice.
He’d won this round, but I looked forward to getting him back.
Taking pity on me, Owen changed the topic. “How are you feeling about today’s session with Sylvia?”
“Honestly? Nervous. I don’t want a repeat of Tuesday.” My shoulders slumped a little at the thought of what was to come. “But I’m also…”
“What?”
“I’m sort of excited to discover my magic. I don’t want to strangle someone again—” I shuddered at the memory. “—but I’ve never felt power like that. I want to see what else I can do. And I really want to find Charles.”
“You don’t have to keep working with Sylvia, Kira. We can find another teacher.”
“Can we, though? I appreciate your offer, Owen, but we need those stones, and I wouldn’t know where to look for another teacher. I don’t want Charles waiting any longer than necessary. I hate the idea of him being in danger.”
“I do, too. But I’m not risking your safety, Kira. The minute something doesn’t feel right, we’re leaving. Understand?”
“Understood.” I packed my books, papers, and laptop into my backpack. “By the way, I was wondering if I could have a second drawer for some of my things.”
“Of course. I’ll clear out more space for you.” Owen took my backpack from me and slung it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.
“Thanks. I’ll need a spot for my special lingerie.”
“Of course,” Owen murmured as he held the door open for me. He cleared his throat. “What do you mean by special?”
As I walked past him, my hip brushed the front of his pants. His hand tightened on the backpack strap. Oh, I had him now. Time for the kill.
“I have a lot of thongs. Bras. Negligees. Some are satin. Lots have lace. Some are very, very see-through.” I drew out each word, giving him time to imagine me in each.
I didn’t actually have that much lingerie, although I had placed an online order recently.
Just in case. I had thrown out everything after leaving Todd, but with the way Owen was looking at me now, I was going to have to do more shopping.
“Sometimes I walk around the house in them, you know, while I’m making coffee or working from home or after I’ve taken a long…hot…shower…”
Owen closed his eyes like he was sending up a silent prayer. Was that a sheen of sweat on his brow?
“Coming?” I asked innocently.
Owen growled then pretended to chase me while the sound of my joyous laughter echoed down the hall.
By Friday afternoon, we were speeding north along Highway 6 up the Bruce Peninsula.
I’d always marvelled at the beauty of this part of Ontario.
A narrow stretch of rugged land, the Peninsula jutted into Lake Huron, and I had spent my summers as a child swimming in its blue waters under the towering cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment.
Owen, Jace, Shae, and I spent the drive chatting, playing car games, eating snacks, and arguing over the choice of music. It was the most fun I’d had with a group of friends in a long time.
“Shae, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” I said, twisting to look at her in the backseat. “As a Druid, maybe you can explain. I don’t understand why magic left this world.”
Shae finished munching the chips she had stolen from Jace and swatted at him when he reached for her bag of snacks. He tickled her side in retaliation, his gaze softening at the sound of her laugh. I smiled. For a man who didn’t believe in relationships, Jace seemed utterly smitten.
With a final playful glare at Jace, Shae turned her attention to me.
“Well…thousands of years ago, or so my grandmother told me, magic was abundant in all things, and Druids were connected to nature in a way that we can only imagine today. When Craos shattered the seal, a rift was created between our world and his, and the powers of the Druids have slowly leached into his realm ever since. As we grow weaker, Craos grows stronger. That’s why he’s trying to come through the portal. He wants Earth’s remaining magic.
“He can’t open the portal,” Shae continued, “and he can’t cross into our world, but our magic is disappearing and, with it, the power of the Druids to protect Earth.
All the climate change that’s happening, the polar ice caps melting, the mass extinction of millions of species—it’s because the connection people feel with nature is gone.
No one cares enough anymore to save it. It’s devastating.
Many Druids who know the truth go into climate activism and do what they can, but it’s not enough.
And, honestly, every year, fewer Druids are born.
I think there may be only a hundred or so left in the world. ”
My stomach fell. “I had no idea.”
“Most don’t.”
“Sylvia mentioned that it was a Druid who originally opened the portal. What happened to him?”
“No one knows,” Shae said with a small shrug. “But it wasn’t a man. It was a woman. A Druid named Aed. At least that’s the story I’ve always been told.”
“Really?”
Shae nodded. “Some versions of the story say the breaking of the seal killed her on the spot. Others say she’s still alive, roaming the Earth somewhere, waiting for Craos to return.”
That was a disturbing thought. I turned back to face the front.
“Do you think Todd will be there today?” Shae asked quietly a few minutes later.
Owen and I exchanged a glance. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“No reason.”
I shifted in my seat to look at her again.
“Shae, what’s wrong?” Jace asked, reaching for her hand.
“Nothing,” she said with a tight smile. “I took care of it.”
“Took care of what?”
“Todd grabbed my ass.”