The Doctor Witch (The Ward Witches) (15 page)

“
I know that I can’t change my brothers, so I try to accept them for who they are,” Dymphna added. “No matter how much they annoy me I know that I love them and can’t judge them for who they want to be.”

Skylar wiped at her tears angrily. “You know, you guys are right. I’ve never done something like that to him. He’s made all kinds of bad decisions, but I don’t hold it against him permanently. It’s just that I love him, and I’ll miss him.”

“
I understand. I hate that by bringing you into my family I’ve isolated you from yours,” Leo said softly.

“
But my brother does make a good point. You may not be in Selby’s good books, but our family is your family now, sister.”

“
Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

“
Of course it does. We’re awesome.” Dymphna won a small smile from Skylar with that. “Now calm down. It looks like we’ve been besieged by baked goods, so why don’t you get some sugar in your system and feel better.”

“
Sounds like a plan.” She stood up and grabbed a cookie. “Thanks guys.”

“
Like I said, we’re family.” Dymphna bit into a cupcake.

“
So you felt my pain?” Skylar asked Leo.

“
That’s right. We’re so closely connected that I can feel strong emotions from you no matter where you are.”

“
Speaking of, I’d better go call Seb. He felt it as well and was worried for you too.”

“
So you two abandoned what you were doing to come here and comfort me?”

“
Yeah,” they said at the same time.

“
That’s what family does,” Dymphna said as she left the room.

“
Come here,” Leo entreated. He hugged her tightly. “I really am sorry for my part that drove your brother away.”

“
Don’t be sorry. Like you said, if he can’t accept my decisions, I’m probably better off without him.”

“
There you go.” Leo was still worried for her, but he felt she was going to pull through. “So, why don’t we get some Chinese delivery food and drown your sorrows in some delightful food that you don’t have to cook?”

“
Sounds like a plan. Should we get Dymphna?”

“
Nah. She always orders the chicken fried rice, and I doubt today would be any different.” Leo called in their order, and the pair sat down on the couch.

When Dymphna came back, she collapsed into her chair. “I’m almost glad Seb’s call distracted me from work. It’s been a long day.”

“
You work too hard, Dymphna. It’s a Sunday.”

“
I know. But this family doesn’t know how to quit working.”

“
You’re right on that one.” Leo grinned.

“
We’ll just have to work on that.” Skylar nodded. “Before you two work yourselves into an early grave.”

“
So what’s the plan for tonight?”

“
I figure we’ll finish up the Star Wars trio while eating some Chinese food.”

“
Chinese sounds great. The usual?”

“
Yeah.”

After starting the movie, Leo gathered Skylar close to him. As he petted her hair, he thought of just how lucky he was to have found her. He never really thought about finding someone whose magic called to his, but now that he had, he couldn’t regret it. It was nice to think that he’d have a partner to share his life with. He wasn’t really watching the movie as he enjoyed the feeling of Skylar curled up against his chest.

When the doorbell rang, Dymphna got up to get the food.

“
You sure you’re alright?” Leo asked quietly.

“
No. It’s not alright, but it will be. You guys are right that I’m likely better off without that kind of strife, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt.”

“
You’re precious to me, Skylar. I hate that you’ve been hurt, but we’ll try to make it better, huh?”

“
Alright. You know, even though it severed my relationship to my brother, I’m glad I found you.”

“
So am I.”

Before they could go any further, Dymphna came back with the food and some silverware. “Hungry?”

“
You betcha. Give it here.” Skylar dug into her food with vigor. “Emotions make me hungry,” she joked.

“
I see that.” Dymphna dug into her own food. “Are you feeling any better?”

“
Much. Thank you guys so much.”

“
Anytime, girl.”

Leo ate slower than the two women. He was still considering what having Skylar in his life meant to him. He’d never be alone again, and it was an encouraging thought. But at the same time, having her was certain to mess up his neatly ordered and compartmentalized life. When there was only him and Dymphna, he could work as hard as he wanted and do as he wished. He could already tell that with Skylar, that wouldn’t be possible. She was already invading his thoughts while he was at work, and that promised nothing good for the future.  He'd probably need to hire another doctor into his practice to keep up the workload and have time to be at home. Soon she’d invade his work life, his Coven membership, etc. He wasn’t totally sure how he felt about that.

By the time the movie ended, Leo still hadn’t come to any conclusions. But just the same, he grabbed up Skylar and hefted her into his arms. “Come now, my sweet, it’s time for some comforting.”

She giggled, and Dymphna laughed. “See you two tomorrow!”

Rather than levitating her up the stairs, Leo wanted to hold her. He laid her on the bed and kissed her nose. “My dear, I think I owe you some pleasure for causing such trouble.”

“
You didn’t cause the trouble. Selby did.”

“
All the same. I would ask permission to read your emotions tonight. It will let me know what you like best. I want to make this extra good for you.”

“
Thank you for asking. I appreciate that.”

“
With you I’ll never take more than is offered.”

“
Thanks again. And sure, tap into my emotions.”

“
Excellent. Now come here, you.”

Leo kissed her soundly, pausing only to remove her shirt. “I love these,” he said, fingering the lace bra she wore. Then he removed that too. “But not as much as I love these.” He cupped her breasts in his hand, idly toying with the nipples. He could tell she was enjoying it, and he could also tell she was nearly impatient to have him inside her. But he planned to make this last. It was the least he could do.

He slowly pulled down her pants and panties, savoring Skylar’s impatience. “Not so fast, my dear. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

He planted a quick kiss on her lips before kissing a line down the middle of her chest, ignoring her breasts, before licking her between her legs. She moaned, and he felt her pleasure. He played with her clit with his tongue while pressing two fingers inside her. She gasped, and he moved his fingers faster.

“
Come for me, Skylar,” he murmured, pulling away for only a second before returning to his sensual assault. She did indeed come, and hard. Feeling her ectasy, Leo nearly came as well. Talk about a turn-on. He’d never felt that connected to anyone, and it was exhilarating.

He hastily pulled off his own clothes. She reached for him, moving over the bed. He tossed her a cocky grin. “Tell me what you want.”

“
I want you.”

“
Well then you shall have me. Far be it for me to deny you what you want.” He kissed her, and enjoyed her pleasure at tasting herself on his mouth. He guided himself to her passage and pushed in quickly. They both groaned at the same time. Leo had experienced it before, but he remained positive that sex with Skylar was far better than that with any other woman he had been with. Good thing, too, as she’d be the only woman for him. Ever.

He held back until he felt her come again, then moaned out his own pleasure. He looked down at her and grinned. “You’re beautiful, Skylar.”

“
Thank you.”

He got up to dispose of the condom, and she rolled onto her side. Leo petted on her hair when he got back to the bed. “Do you feel better?”

“
Much. Thank you.”

“
Remember, you’re mine, and that means that I’ll go as far as I need to in order to protect you.”

“
Again, my thanks.”

“
I can’t wait to put a ring on your finger to proclaim to the world how much you mean to me.” He kissed that finger. “And that you will always be mine.”

“
I’d enjoy that.”

“
I know this is all a bit much and a bit fast. It’s the way of our people, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not foreign to you.”

“
You’re right. But no matter, I’m glad to be sharing this with you.”

He pulled her close. “How about I bring the smaller television from my bedroom in here? We’ll pretend to watch a movie while we make out, and I’ll show you just how much you mean to me.”

“
I’d like that.”

Leo looked around his old room and realized how differently he felt about it now that he had started sleeping in Skylar’s room. It didn’t feel nearly as much like home anymore, because that would be forevermore in his woman’s arms. He came back in and fussed with the television. He put on a cheesy monster movie, and she grinned.

“
You know what I like.”

“
That I do. Now get over here.” He lay down beside her and pulled her on top of him, savoring the taste of her mouth. His tongue dove between her lips, and she tangled her own tongue with his. After a while, she just rested her head on his chest while they watched.

Leo twirled a bit of her hair around his fingers and smiled. Then it hit him like a bullet: he loved Skylar. It wasn’t just her being his destined woman, but so much more. She was strong and resilient. She rolled with the punches and was generous with her affection and time. She took care of him and his sister with no prodding required, and she even saw the good in Dymhpna when few others did. He wasn’t sure how to tell her, and he really didn’t want to press his luck after all the emotional upheavals of the last few days. So he continued playing with her hair and cherished the emotions coursing through her heart.

“
You’re such a sweetheart for comforting me like this,” she said, and he kissed the back of her head. He just knew things would work out alright.

Skylar had the next day off from magic lessons, but she decided to head over to the Coven House anyway.

“
Hey Justin. How’s it going?”

“
I thought you had today off.”

“
Oh, I do. I wanted to see how the investigation is going.”

“
Come on in then.” He brought her back to a large conference room with security camera monitors lining three walls and a large digital whiteboard on the other. “Linda Crowley” was written in large letters on the top, with an arrow pointing up to a question mark and a number pointing down, including one to “Roger Crowley.” Tim waved from the table.

“
Good to see you, Skylar.”

“
Likewise. Any luck tracking down Roger?”

“
Some. He looks awfully suspicious, with a lot of money transfers to an offshore bank account, but about a month ago, he went black and we haven’t seen anything from him since.”

“
That’s odd.”

“
That’s what we’re thinking,” Justin said. “But I think someone made a mistake.”

“
Oh?”

“
A few days after Linda’s death, all the money was pulled from her bank account. We can’t tell where it ended up, but we think it was in another offshore bank account. We just don’t know how or why all the money was pulled, and it was a significant amount.”

“
So now what?”

“
I was thinking we’d pick your brain a little more. Maybe if we go through the evidence again, we’ll see something that we missed, or you’ll pick up something that resonates with a memory you may not have considered before.”

“
Sounds like a plan.”

“
You’ve said that Linda and your mother were against witchcraft entirely, but did they ever say when that hatred began?”

“
I’ve been thinking about this too. I remember my mom hating magic pretty much as long as I have a memory, but I think it was when my father died that it got worse. At least that’s the best I can think of from my own memories at such a young age and the few things that Selby’s told me.”

“
That makes sense,” Justin muttered while scribbling in his notepad. “What about Selby, though? You’ve said that they treated him badly because they thought he had magic, and yet from your stories, it also seems that he clearly didn’t have magic.”