Bewitched, Bothered, and Bitten (26 page)

Belinda’s burial ritual had been one of the most difficult experiences of my life. Only the death of first my father, then my mother, could surpass the emotional upheaval I felt. The entire coven turned out for the burial rite.

As High Priestess, it was my responsibility to begin the ritual by calling the Four Corners and the elements they represented. North and the ancient earth, East and the icy air, South and the fire that burned, and West, which represented water. As soon as I completed the call, a soft rain began to fall, warmer than I expected considering the temperature of the air around us. It felt as though the Goddess herself were crying hot tears for the loss of one of her daughters.

We performed the chants and wrapped her body in white fabric. Once the ritual was completed, the elders that were strong enough, along with a couple of other witches, lowered her body into the grave. Every witch in the coven walked to the side of the grave and replaced one shovel full of dirt. I wasn’t even sure where the custom originated from, since it wasn’t in any of the funeral rites I’d read about, but it felt like the closing of a circle.

After the earth that had been displaced was returned, we chanted one more incantation and the rite was complete. I spoke to every witch in the coven, one at a time, until only the elders remained. With the exception of Janice, they all acknowledged me with either words or a touch of their hand. They were also mindful not to mention the vote that had taken place at the meeting yesterday.

Janice, it seemed, didn’t get the memo about appropriate funeral behavior, because she approached me as soon as the other elders departed.

“We need to talk.” Her voice was tense and slightly shrill.

I tried not to wince. “About?”

“What happened in the meeting yesterday. I don’t think you know what you’ve done.”

We had been standing in the rain for over an hour, which was rapidly turning from warm to freezing drizzle, and I was tired down to my bones. I didn’t have the energy for another argument.

“Janice, if you are unhappy about what was decided yesterday, draft a formal complaint and present it at the next meeting as stated in coven law. I didn’t make that decision alone. Your fellow witches had something to do with it as well.”

She appeared even more agitated, grabbing my arm and squeezing so hard, I yelped.

“You don’t understand, Kerry,”

Suddenly, a large angry vampire wedged his body between us. “I’ll thank you to take your hand off your High Priestess.” Finn enunciated each word slowly and clearly, his tone razor sharp. “Whatever grievances you have can be dealt with tomorrow. Right now, Kerry needs to get warm and dry before she becomes ill.”

He didn’t even wait for her response before turning and wrapping his arm around me, steering me quickly toward the car. I glanced over my shoulder as I climbed into the passenger seat and saw Janice standing in the place I’d left her, her hands crossed at her waist to cup her elbows. She looked upset and frightened rather than scornful.

I decided I would call her later that night.

It would be far too late when I discovered that I made the wrong choice when I turned my back on her.

*     *     *

Though I’d taken
a bath the night before with Finn, I desperately needed a hot shower when we returned to Conner’s. Even with the car heater on full blast during the hour long drive back, I was still shivering from the cold.

Finn urged me to go upstairs and get out of my wet clothes while he went into the kitchen to make me some chamomile tea. I felt no urge whatsoever to argue and dragged myself up the stairs to the guest room. After kicking off my shoes, I stripped off my coat, sweater, and slacks, leaving them wherever they landed. My undergarments hit the bathroom floor on my way to the big, glass-walled shower. I reached inside and turned the water on hot. While I waited for the water to warm up to the scalding temperature I desired, I took my hair out of the knot I’d twisted it into and combed the unruly mass. The damp weather had turned it into a frizzy explosion.

I hissed when I stepped into the shower and the hot water hit my chilled skin. Gradually, I adjusted to the temperature and sighed in pleasure as the heat seeped down into my skin and bones. I let my head fall back so that my hair was soaked before briskly rubbing shampoo into my scalp. By the time I’d rinsed out the lather and conditioned the strands, I finally felt warm.

Though it was tempting to stand beneath the shower for the rest of the day, stretching out in the comfy bed in the next room was an even more enticing picture. Unfortunately, I had too much to do, so sleep would have to wait. I used a bath pouf to soap up my skin and quickly washed it off.

When I turned off the water and opened the shower door, I saw Finn standing on the other side, a steaming mug in one hand and a huge towel in the other. Smiling, I took the towel from him and briskly dried off my skin before wrapping the damp material around me.

I sipped the tea, humming at the perfect balance of herbs and honey that warmed my throat and belly. “Hmmm. This is exactly what I needed,” I told Finn.

He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “What’s next?”

“A nap,” I joked.

“You should sleep for a bit,” he agreed.

I chuckled and shook my head, sipping my tea again. “I would love to, but there are things we must do.”

“Nothing that can’t wait a couple of hours. Dry your hair and get some rest.”

My limbs felt heavy from exhaustion, my body in vehement agreement with his suggestion. “Okay.”

Finn smiled and took the mug from my hand. “I’ll put this on the night stand for you to finish before you sleep. Go dry your hair before you get sick.”

After ten minutes of using the blow dryer, I decided enough was enough. My hair was still slightly damp, but I could barely keep my eyes open. When I wandered into the bedroom, I saw that Finn had laid out a warm pair of pajamas and underwear for me, though he was no longer there. I dropped my towel on the bench at the end of the bed, dressed, and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin.

I spied the cup sitting on the side table and drained the last bit of warm liquid. Lassitude and peace washed over me and I felt the prick of concern. Though I’d been tired before, this felt different. Suspicious, I lifted the cup to my nose and sniffed.

Valerian, chamomile, and something else. That sneaky vampire has slipped potion into my tea to help me sleep. The cup clattered on the night stand as I tried to set it down so I could get back out of bed.

Finn appeared above me, taking the mug before it fell to the floor.

“You…” I couldn’t seem to find the insulting word I wanted to use, so I settled on, “jerk. You drugged me.”

He smoothed my hair away from my face. “You need rest, Kerry. Even you have to admit that the last month has worn you down. It won’t last long.”

Somehow I found the strength to keep my eyes open. “It’s wrong. You can’t just go around slipping me potions and herbs when you think I need them.”

Finn smirked. “Well, if you weren’t so damned stubborn, I wouldn’t have to.”

I sighed as another wave of lethargy washed over me. “Maybe you’re right.” When I realized what I’d said, my eyes opened wide and I struggled to focus on him. “Wait, that’s not what I meant. Dammit, Finn, I can’t think straight.” I blinked to clear my vision. “Just know, when I wake up, your ass is mine,” I mumbled.

He touched my nose with the tip of his finger. “I look forward to that. Does that mean I should schedule a Claiming ceremony?”

“What?” I had no earthly idea what he was talking about.

“Well, if you want to put your stamp on my ass, I should be able to do the same to yours.”

“Huh?”

Finn chuckled at my confusion. “We’ll talk about the Claiming ceremony when you wake up too.”

“Wait, Claiming? No, no, no. Not…”

I fell asleep before I finished my sentence, blind to the hurt and anger on Finn’s face in my stupor.

S
ometime later,
I awoke with a gasp and sat straight up in the bed. It took a few moments for my head to clear and memories of my conversation with Finn to return. A quick glance at the clock showed me I’d slept for nearly three hours.

Throwing back the duvet, I marched into the closet and dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, tucking my phone in my pocket. My head felt surprisingly clear and my body no longer felt as though it weighed more than I could carry. Still, a certain pushy vampire and I needed to have a conversation about boundaries. Right. Fucking. Now.

I checked the living room, Conner’s study, and the kitchen and still no Finn. The irritation I felt upon waking was rapidly morphing into me losing my shit. Finally, I found him in the library upstairs, only a few feet down the hall from the room I’d woken up in.

He was stretched out on one of the sofas, one leg straight out and the other bent so his foot touched the floor. An open book rested on his chest and his eyes were closed. In repose, I could see the dark circles beneath his closed lids and the slight pallor of his skin. Just like that, all the anger washed out of me. Looking at him, I wanted him to continue sleeping because he so obviously needed it and I understood why he’d done what he had. That didn’t mean we wouldn’t be discussing boundaries, but it definitely wouldn’t be now.

I took a step back from the couch, intent on sneaking away so he could finish his nap, but Finn’s hand lashed out and wrapped around my wrist. I jerked and made a sound that was half scream, half squeak. He turned over on his side and pulled me down to sit beside him.

“Are you going to lecture me now?” he asked, his voice husky with sleep.

I shook my head and brushed his hair away from his eyes.

“Why not?”

“Because I would have done the same thing to you if I had taken a moment to look away from my own problems and notice how exhausted you are.” I smiled when he chuckled. “That doesn’t mean we won’t have a talk about it later. That’s not how you treat your mate, even if she is a stubborn, pain in the ass witch.”

Finn’s body tensed beside me and I suddenly felt uncertain about my words.

“Am I?” he asked. His eyes were serious and slightly sad.

Confused, I responded, “Are you what?”

“Your mate.”

I frowned, disliking how off balance this conversation felt. “You said, I mean, I thought that you wanted that. Did I misunderstand?”

He shook his head. “No, but I’m wondering if you did.”

“I don’t understand.”

Finn shifted, sitting up so we were eye to eye. “I want to Claim you, Kerry.”

“I want that too,” I responded. “Though I think we should wait a few months, maybe even a year before we have the ceremony. It will be a difficult transition for the coven to accept you as my mate, more so if you Claim me.”

Suddenly, Finn moved and I was in his lap and he was kissing me fiercely.

When he finally released my mouth, I whispered, “What was that all about?”

He laughed, but it didn’t sound as though he found anything truly funny, and rested his forehead against mine. “Earlier, before you fell asleep, you were quite insistent that you wouldn’t be my Claimed.”

I rolled my eyes. “See, this is one of the reasons why you don’t drug your woman. I wasn’t saying no to the ceremony, just no to doing it
immediately
. Now that I’m the High Priestess, I have to weigh all my actions carefully, especially with the prejudices and fears the other witches have toward vampires and werewolves.”

“I understand,” he answered.

He tilted his head so that our lips met. The kiss was gentle, sweet, and expressed several emotions, all of them achingly beautiful.

Dimly, I heard the doorbell, but ignored it. After a few seconds, Finn withdrew and sighed.

“We need to go downstairs,” he muttered.

I leaned forward, wanting to continue where we left off. “Why? I’m sure it’s for Conner or Donna.”

His mouth tightened. “No, it’s not. The visitor is here to see you.”

I cursed and Finn helped me stand. We walked down the hall to the stairs. I glanced over the railing and saw Sharon Greene standing in the foyer, staring defiantly up at Conner.

“I need to see her now,” she insisted stridently.

“Then you should have called her. It’s been a difficult day for her and she’s resting,” Conner responded firmly.

“You have no right to prevent me from seeing her. As the High Priestess, it’s her duty to see me.”

I rolled my eyes and started down the stairs. She noticed my approach and smiled smugly at Conner.

Keeping my face impassive when I reached the last step, I stated, “I may be the High Priestess, but I don’t recall seeing anything in coven edicts requiring me to accept an audience with an elder any time they wished.”

Her eyes narrowed and sparkled with malice as her face flushed red. She scowled at Conner when he coughed, probably to cover a laugh. Then, her gaze returned to me. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t of dire importance.”

“Fine. Conner, may we use your study?” I asked.

“Feel free,” he answered. “Should I have Donna bring in some coffee?”