Chapter 31

31

"Leah, can I have a word?"

Leah pulled away from Tia's hard hug and made a face. "Uh-oh," she said lightly, turning to Kole. "I'm in for a spanking." She used the light words as a defense against the rolling nausea in her belly as they grouped together like sitting ducks.

But he didn't come back with a quip. Face set, he jerked his head to a corner of the waiting room they'd been marched into to await the High Family's verdict. If her life hadn't been at stake, she'd have found the large room lovely with its paneled walls, faded Persian rugs and wide, wonderful windows that let in the twilight. As it was, it was all she could do to keep from staining the rugs. Gabriel had been drawn away to speak with Bastian and Emma, which was probably why Kole was making his move.

Casting Tia a look, she followed Kole to the windows. He gazed out at the view of the bayou, one so close she figured magic had to be at play. His profile was as handsome as ever, but there was something remote about him at that moment.

It unsettled her. "Kole?"

"You love him."

It wasn't a question, not in that careful voice, and it wasn't where she thought he'd start his lecture. But she nodded.

"It wasn't something I was looking for but he kind of snuck up on me." She laughed a little at the understatement. "He got through all my walls. He...sees me."

Kole shifted. "Leah." He took one of her hands in his. The seriousness of his expression caused her stomach to flip.

"What is it?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Always."

He hesitated. "Did you ever...?" He struggled for words. "With me, did you...?" He stopped, staring at their joined hands.

"Did I...?"

Kole's face filled with something she couldn't name, strong, powerful enough to make his eyes glow.

"Hey." She squeezed his hand. "You can ask me anything. You're big brother Kole." She smiled, hoping to coax whatever was riding him out. "We're family. Always." She felt her stomach pitch. "No matter what their price is."

The glow faded. "Right." He took a breath, squeezed her hand back. "It's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." He smiled, then, back to normal as he patted her hand. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll let you in."

She snorted, full of confidence she didn't feel as time ticked on. "They should be worried about keeping me out if they try and push me away from Gabriel."

"I pity them."

"Pity us, Lord Bluewater?" It was Luisa who cut in, whose voice made Leah flinch in surprise. Luisa smiled thinly, as if she enjoyed the reaction.

Gabriel hurried over, only one hint of fear leaping out before his society mask hid it all. He slid next to Leah. Or slightly in front of her.

Protector. She might have rolled her eyes if she wasn't so grateful for it.

At Luisa's silence, a fist clenched in Leah's gut, a tightness that didn't allow for air.

One second.

Two.

Three.

"His price has been met." Luisa didn't allow for celebration before adding, "Now it must be yours."

Out of the corner of Leah's eye, she saw thunder roll over Gabriel's brow. "That wasn't the deal," he demanded.

"Sacrifice," the High witch stated without much emotion, "must come from all parties."

Leah's heart deafened her to anything else as she watched the witch that reminded her of a snake. Able to strike without warning and just a little unnerving. "What's the price?"

"You alone are permitted entry to this world." Luisa's eyes glowed. "No family, no friends, nobody must know. And if you breathe one word, the magic I bind you with now will punish you accordingly."

Leah swallowed. "My mom—"

"Nobody."

Her stomach felt tight as she looked to Gabriel. The emotional bruise blossomed, quick, without warning, as she thought of the gulf that would separate her and the only parent who had ever really cared about her.

Except...

Did she want her mom in this world? Did it matter so much that she couldn't be told?

Leah was looking at the only person she really needed her mom to know. As long as her mom knew Gabe, the man, she didn't need to know Gabriel, the warlock.

She nodded.

Luisa inclined her head. "Congratulations."

Once, she might have clicked her heels for joy at being let into this world. Now, she latched onto Gabriel's arm, the only thing that really mattered. "Thank you."

"Isabella wants you to come for tea." Luisa smiled slowly at Leah's obvious surprise. And alarm. "Soon."

As she strode off without waiting for an answer, Kole slid a look at Leah. "Trouble."

"Charm," Leah corrected, but even she felt shaky at the idea. "Maybe it's their version of we will be watching ."

"Oh, they'll be watching," Tia said from behind her, then gripped Leah tight. Emma followed suit. "Thank the Goddess."

Leah relished their embrace, even as she sought Gabriel, who stood next to Kole. Two men couldn't be more different on the surface, she thought, but underneath, both had that protective core, an honor that made them fight for what they loved. It was strange but somehow Kole seemed the more isolated one now, loneliness a black ribbon that twined around him. She hoped he found someone soon. And she hoped the female made him work for it.

The idea for a celebration rose but Gabriel rejected it, curling his hand around Leah's. "I need to borrow her for a second."

"I pity you if it's just a second." Tia's smirk wiped away any hint of the vulnerability she'd just displayed. "Well, we'll see you crazy kids at the bar."

All of them walked through the portal Bastian created, laughing, talking, joking. Only Kole paused. His head angled back. "I don't like you, Goodnight," he said flatly. "Honestly, I think you're a dick."

Gabriel lifted his chin, boredom playing over his face. Leah tightened her hand on his.

"But you risked it all. Leah deserves someone who'd fight the world for her." He ran a hand over his hair, dullness dimming his usual light. "Not someone who's content with what little he thinks he can get."

Mystified, Leah turned to him, but he was already stepping through the portal.

Gabriel didn't give her time to question. He tugged. "Come."

"Where are we going?" She stopped him with a hand, curling her fingers around his arm. "And what did Luisa mean about the price having been met?"

He hesitated.

"Gabriel."

At his uncle's voice, every muscle on Gabriel's body locked. Regret moved across his face as he visibly steeled himself before swiveling to August. Leah stepped close, ready to throw down if needed.

The two men, so alike, stared at each other.

Gabriel broke first. "Thank you, Uncle." The tone was husky with gratitude. "That you'd show up even after... I can't even—" He trailed off.

August merely held out a hand. Gabriel slowly put his own into it, cautious as an animal looking for a trap. That changed when August pulled him in, wrapping his arms around his nephew in a tight embrace. Leah watched a tremor shudder through Gabriel's body, felt the same pass through her heart.

When they pulled apart, August nodded at her. "We'll talk."

It was obvious to Leah that Gabriel was too choked up to speak so she took up the reins. If August was making an effort, she supposed she could, too. "Maybe you could come to dinner."

"I'd like that. You know how to reach me." With one last look at Gabriel, he walked away.

"Intense few hours," Leah observed in the silence that followed.

Gabriel grunted.

She grinned. "Quick. Before anyone else comes. Take me away."

A faint smile before his hand tangled in hers. With a gesture, he opened a shimmering portal behind them, leading her through it.

She marveled as she had the first time, how it was just like stepping through a door, the only indication of travel a small pop in her ears. God, she'd never walk again if she could do this. Which, considering the many dogs she had to walk each day, was why it was probably a good thing she couldn't.

They exited onto an unfamiliar balcony. Vines wove through iron railings, flowers creeping up the old brick. The air was warm, sultry, scented.

And there was a black Labrador flopped on the stone floor.

As he caught sight of her, Chuck woofed in delight, throwing himself from his sprawl against her legs and almost knocking her back through the portal. She steadied herself, bending down to give him a hug. He licked her face and she grinned. "Hey, big guy. Where are we, huh?"

"My home."

Chuck barreled into his master, overjoyed to see them both. He danced around until Gabriel conjured a tennis ball and heaved it to the gardens that dropped away from the balcony. Claws scraped stone as Chuck threw himself down the stairs after it. Leah winced.

Then turned to Gabriel, arms crossed. "So?" she ordered. "What price did you pay?"

He ignored her crossed arms and touched her cheek lightly as if to reassure himself she was there. "I'm sorry about your mum."

"Gabriel, I only need her to know you . Screw the rest." She prodded him. "What price?"

He relented. "The company. I'm out."

" What? "

"I'm forbidden from taking my place as CEO—or any position—at Goodnight's Remedies." He said it matter-of-factly, as if it wasn't tearing him apart. And it had to be.

"No," she breathed. She slipped her arms free, pressed her hands into his chest. "Gabriel. I'm so... We can fix this. I can do something, I'm sure."

"Leah."

"No. That company is everything to you. It's all you ever worked for, ever wanted."

"Leah."

"I swore I wouldn't be an obstacle and—"

He kissed her.

Their lips clung until he broke it off. He stayed close. "Leah. I'm fine."

"You're only saying that."

"I'm telling the truth. Look at me." He forced her to do it, hands on her elbows. His gaze was open to her as it moved over her face. "You were right when you said I didn't really want to be CEO."

"But you wanted to be involved." She felt like crying. "You were forced to give it up because of me."

"No. I chose to." He stroked his thumbs over the soft skin of her upper arms. "You heard them. A sacrifice must be made. What is true sacrifice if what you're giving up doesn't draw a little blood?"

"But that's worse. I—"

"Leah." This time his voice held an edge of laughter, so foreign to Gabriel's voice that it made her stop. His dimple made an appearance. "You're my future. Goodnight's Remedies holds too many memories, too many regrets for me to ever be truly happy there, in any capacity. It was time to say goodbye."

She absorbed that, heard the truth for what it was. "But what will you do?" She knew he wasn't the kind to sit around the manor.

"Melly and I are going to open our own company."

She laughed, then saw he was serious. "You're going into business with your fourteen-year-old sister? Doing what?"

"We're going to branch out from what Goodnight's Remedies does. We're going to focus on helping animals."

"You're—" As the idea took hold, a smile curved her lips and she threw her head back on a laugh. "I love that. The next generation of the Goodnights' legacy. It's perfect for you."

He agreed with a dip of his chin. "The first place I ever truly felt accepted was at the shelter," he said, contemplative. "Animals never expect you to be anything other than you are. I want to give back, help them as they've helped me...which is why I bought the shelter from Sonny's buyer."

"You...you what?" Her legs felt weak so she leaned against him before she ruined the moment by cracking her head on the stone floor. Boy, when he committed, he committed . She shouldn't have expected any different. And she couldn't love him any more. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He caught her hand, brushed a kiss over it. "But I did it for both of us. That is a special place. It needs to be run by people who appreciate that."

Chuck nosed in between their legs, pressing his big head into her belly. She stroked his ears and smiled up at Gabriel. Everything was perfect. The only thing that would make it more so would be—

A cocktail stick appeared on the railing.

Leah frowned at it quizzically. "You felt the need for a tiny weapon?" When she looked up, she tensed at the expression on Gabriel's face. "What?"

"I didn't conjure that."

"Then who...?"

"What were you just thinking about?"

"A Cauldron Cosmo." Unease slicked her insides at his expression. "Gabriel, that's not a cosmo."

"But it's an element. The smallest, easiest one." Pale, he picked up the cocktail stick between finger and thumb. "Let me see if I can get an energy signature." When his eyes flashed open, locked on her face, she shook her head at the answer she saw there.

"I don't have magic. I'm human. How could that possibly have been me?"

He scrubbed his face with his free hand. "Honestly, I have no..." He trailed off. Understanding, consternation, resignation all played over his features. He dropped his hand. "You died."

"Okay, but—"

"I willed you to live. I breathed into you and willed you to live." His throat worked. "We must have bonded out of sheer desperation."

"Bonded?"

"If a witch decides their life mate will be a human, the High Family bonds them in a ceremony. It can't be undone. I don't actually know anyone that has done it. It allows the human to take a small segment of magic to link them to their partner, extend their life, their health. It means we're linked."

Uncertainty had her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. "Are you okay with that?"

Something lightened in his expression and he cupped her cheeks. "Yes. I told you you're my future; I meant it." He paused. "But nobody is meant to bond without the High Family's permission."

Well, shit. Those two words rang in Leah's head as she worried her lip. "Do we tell them?"

He exhaled. "No. You're not about to become all-powerful, and we can hide one secret."

"Well, what about—"

"Enough." He lowered his head, catching her in a soft kiss. "Enough. Whatever comes, we'll handle it. But for now, all I want to do is celebrate. We made it."

They'd made it.

Music suddenly played, the soft sounds of jazz filtering in with the fading light.

"You're going soft," she teased as he began to sway her. "What will people say about the Goodnights when they see Gabriel being a fool for love?"

He curled an arm around her waist, swirling her in an intricate turn. As she whirled, her simple shift disappeared, replaced by her flowing pink evening dress, either mended by magic or completely new. He smiled at her surprised pleasure, drew her close. "They'll say I'm one hell of a lucky warlock."

"Damn right." And she kissed him on a balcony at sunset while a Labrador panted happily at their feet. Followed closely by a fourteen-year-old's loud, excited, " Hell, yeah! "