She suppressed a smile. Her first real hope glimmered, but she stayed quiet, sensing the wizard had more to say.
“Will you get into such a bind again?”
Uh-oh. Maybe she’d been too optimistic. She thought about how to answer him, knowing what he wanted to hear, but she could only be honest. “I can’t say for sure, sir. As long as the O-Seven is active, nothing is certain.”
“I was afraid you would say that.”
Her heart sank, anticipating the fatal words.
“Your loyalties and sense of responsibility are part of what make you so valuable to us, so I guess we must learn to live with the rest. I have spoken to the other council members, and I am authorized to offer you full Guardian status, effective immediately. The job is yours, if you want it.”
She didn’t hesitate. “Of course, I want it, and I accept. The council has been more understanding than I expected.”
He waved his hand. “We may have been a bit hasty in removing your powers.”
She nodded, not denying it. “My life was harder than I thought it would be without them, and I need to say something, sir.”
He lifted both shaggy brows. “Yes?” His tone wasn’t exactly encouraging.
“If not for Andreas and a few German friends, I might have been killed without my powers. If you ever take them away again, I’m done. I won’t be back.”
The president chuckled. “I was wondering where our out-spoken witch had gone. I think we can agree that neither of us wants that to happen. Welcome back, Arianna.”
“Thank you, sir.” She turned to go, but his use of her name reminded her of something she’d wanted to ask for a long time. She swung around. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard your name.”
“I’m not surprised, and you aren’t likely to hear it from me.”
“Why not?”
His eyes twinkled. “That is my secret. Go on, get out of here and back to work. Perhaps someday I’ll tell you.”
* * *
“No, I do not see a ball of white light,” Andreas insisted. “Just a mist. Nothing like you describe as an inner witch core.”
“But you saw something. It’s a start.” Ari and Andreas sat on her bedroom floor with lit candles all around. The candles weren’t really necessary when they weren’t doing a spell, but Ari always thought that candles were the next best thing to moonlight when working with any aspect of witchcraft. “No one sees it clearly the first time, but that you see anything at all proves that you have warlock powers. You’ll just need to release them.”
She had insisted they start his training as soon as he awoke that next afternoon. He agreed to go along, but he still hadn’t accepted what she thought was obvious.
“I have lived a lifetime—several normal lifetimes, in fact, with no knowledge of this other side of me. It is strange. I find myself wanting to push it away and say no, this is not me.”
“Maybe we need to slow down. Um, I need to slow down,” she corrected. “You seem distracted. A lot has been happening. This will wait for another day. Besides,” she got to her feet, “I have to redo the wardings on the house and club and compound.”
“I have errands of my own, but I’ll call you later. How would you like a candlelight dinner at the club to celebrate our safe return?”
“That would be very nice.” She considered what she might wear. Something feminine and sexy. It had been a while since they’d been home to use the private alcove he had added at the club just for them. It would be fun to have an evening out.
Promptly at 7:30 she walked in the door of Club Dintero in response to Andreas’s earlier message. She was excited to put the tension and uncertainty of the last few weeks behind them.
The club was busy. Couples in fancy dress were greeted by the doorman and handed off to a waiting host. Andreas met her at the front door. His swift smile told her that he appreciated the white, off-the-shoulder dress that softened her slender angles and nipped in under the breast-line giving her more curves than usual. He waved the dinner host away, choosing to find his own way. The long jacket of his black Armani suit swung gently against her side as he escorted her to their private alcove.
While she ate supper, and they listened to the lounge singer, he seemed to be in a mysterious mood. He was attentive, his eyes often resting on her as if he couldn’t get his fill, yet something was on his mind. There was an undercurrent she couldn’t explain. After the waiter cleared her plate away, Andreas poured two glasses of wine, then leaned back raising his glass in a silent toast.
“What?” she finally asked.
“You are lovely tonight. After the events of the last two weeks, I can hardly believe we are here together.”
“There were times when it seemed like an impossibility.”
“Yet here we are.” He set down the wineglass and hesitated. “When we were in Germany, I know you were angry, but you declared you would never be bonded to me. Did you mean it?”
“No, I…well, actually, I guess I did under those circumstances.” She leaned forward and studied his face, worried that he would misunderstand. “We already are bonded. By enchantment, maybe, but also by choice. I don’t want anything that’s forced upon us. Are you asking because you think we should enter a bond? Would it improve our safety?”
His eyes were inscrutable. “A vampire bond?” He acted like he was considering it, but she got the impression he’d already done so and come to a conclusion. “It would add to our combined power, and we need all we can gather to repel the O-Seven. The elders are definitely not done with us. But I think a vampire bond is too big a risk for you. If they succeeded in killing me, I would want you to survive.”
She widened her eyes. “Don’t talk that way. Nothing is going to happen to you. If the bond would make us stronger, maybe—”
“We can talk more about the possibility another time. A bond is just one of the many things we need to consider over the coming days and weeks.”
She was confused. Why had Andreas brought up the idea of a bond, if he didn’t want to do it? His rejection of the idea had been swift, almost as if he wanted to avoid that level of commitment. Sure, he said he didn’t want to risk her life, but was that what he was really thinking? He’d been bothered by something all evening. She stifled a sigh.
He leaned forward, capturing her hand in his. “You know Bastian’s talk about enslavement was nonsense, don’t you? It would take a mind much weaker than yours to be overpowered like that. I cannot imagine why he mentioned it.”
“Maybe to scare me.” She’d gone over the elder’s behavior in her head more than once. “But at times, I felt like he was trying to help you, help us.”
Andreas’s nodded slowly. “His actions were puzzling. I intend to discuss what happened with Daron, but let us leave Bastian for another time. Tonight is for us. Are you ready to leave? It is a mild evening. I thought we might go for a walk.”
“That would be great.” She hoped it would also settled his mood. He seemed restless, keyed up. Was he hiding something from her?
He held her chair, and his hand settled possessively on her back as they wound their way through the busy club. They collected her light leather cloak from coat check and were soon outside, strolling south.
“How does Goshen Park sound?” He took her hand. “I always love the woods in the fall.”
“Mm, yes. It smells so good.” She took a deep breath as they entered the park a few minutes later. The scent of pine added a special freshness to the crisp air.
Andreas appeared to have a particular path in mind, picking a right turn here and next a turn to the left. She was surprised when they entered a familiar clearing. She stopped and looked at the telltale landmarks.
“This is where we first met.” She spotted the oak tree where the werewolf had trapped the two children. A couple of half-grown trees still bore the scars where her stuns had missed the wolf and charred their trunks. And over there was where Andreas had first stepped out of the woods. She looked up
at him and found his dark eyes were dancing with some private amusement. He opened the link between them to reveal his own memories of that night.
He led her to a spot near the oak tree, took hold of her shoulders, and turned her around. “You were standing right about here.”
“And you were over there.” She pointed to the woods in front of her. He’d stepped out from under the trees, silhouetted against the moon, dark, mysterious, and she hadn’t known whether to run or stay.
“Yes. The moonlight was falling on your face, illuminating those large green eyes, and I knew then that you would have an impact on my life. I had no idea how big that impact would be or how much I would come to love everything about you.” His eyes captured hers, and her heart leaped with the emotion she saw there. “Cara mia, I want you a part of every remaining moment of my life.”
He dropped on one knee and pulled a tiny box out of his pocket. Ari covered her mouth with one hand and stared at him in disbelief. Her blood was racing now, tingles running up and down her arms.
He flipped the box open, and a green emerald twinkled from an ornate silver setting. He held it toward her, his eyes nearly drowning her in their dark depths. “I love you. Whether it is a blood bond, a witches’ binding, civil ceremony or all three, Arianna Calin, will you marry me?”
Epilogue
On the night of the Winter Solstice, a quiet group gathered in a forest clearing near her grandparents’ home in Perry. A light snow the day before had turned the area into a white wonderland, the snow sparkling in the moonlight. In the middle of the clearing, twelve witches had formed a circle, each holding a lighted candle.
Ari shivered as she watched from under the trees on the south side. Although she was lightly clad for the weather, her trembling was due more to emotion than to the cold. She smoothed the front of her long, flowing dress of white cotton, which covered her from neck to toe in traditional fashion. Her only concession to the snow was the white boots she wore rather than slippers.
She looked to the left where a small group of watchers stood. Their invited guests and witnesses for the witches’ binding. Claris stood next to Ari’s grandparents, bundled up carefully against the cold and seated in two chairs brought in as an accommodation for their age. Ryan and Steffan stood on the other side. Then came Russell and Lilith, and finally Gabriel and Prince Daron. The rest of their friends were waiting to celebrate at the club, which had been closed to the public for the evening.
She turned her gaze to the far side of the clearing and found his tall figure standing in the shadows. He too was dressed in traditional white cotton, a loose-fitting suit that matched the style of her old-fashioned gown. She smiled, thinking he looked like an elegant buccaneer.
Soft singing brought her gaze back to the witches as the circle began to open on each side, inviting Ari and Andreas to enter. She started forward. He appeared from among the snow-covered trees. Dashing and elegant even in cotton, he strode toward her and his dark eyes met hers. His magic reached out, and Ari smiled as her own magic responded. If she had felt cold a moment before, the last remnants of chill disappeared now as the warmth of their joined magics seemed to spread to her very soul.
When they stood in the middle of the circle, the sides closed again, and Emmy, the High Priestess, came to stand beside them. “Sister Arianna. Brother Andreas.” She nodded at them in turn. “Do you each understand the responsibilities and commitments under this binding?”
Ari peeked at Andreas, and he winked. She supposed they were both thinking of all the talking they’d done before the terms were right. Love, honor, all the traditional pledges were the easy ones, but they’d also added several paragraphs to the written agreement, which included the protection of friends and relatives. Those paragraphs had been shared with the vampires and the witches in an acknowledgment that the two local groups were now linked in the couples’ loyalties. It seemed to amuse everyone that the O-Seven would consider this an act of heresy.
With these issues settled before today, they now both said yes.
“Are you here to enter such a binding?”
“I am.”
“Yes.”
Emmy stepped back. “Then you may begin.”
Ari held out her left hand. She’d been waiting all day—no, maybe a lifetime—to hear the next words.
“All that I am is yours.” His voice sent shivers up and down her spine. He took off her emerald ring, slipped a white gold band set with tiny emeralds onto her finger, and replaced the engagement ring, positioning it next to the band until the two clicked together. He kissed her fingers, which wasn’t in the script.
Smiling now, with the nervousness gone, Ari took his left hand, looked deep into his eyes, and repeated the pledge. “All that I am is yours.” She took a larger white gold band out of her pocket and slipped it on his finger.
Together they said, “All that we have we share.”
And the final line, “This binding shall last forever.”
They continued to face each other, smiling as if no one else was around, and clasped both hands. Emmy came forward again to wrap their joined hands with white magical twine.
“So mote it be.” She stepped back.
“So mote it be,” echoed those present.
As the twine dissolved into an invisible but symbolic binding, Andreas pulled her close, his eyes maintaining contact with hers. “May I kiss you, madam wife?”
Her eyes twinkled. “Didn’t we just cover that with the I’m yours?”
“With you, I take nothing for granted.” He bent his head as she melted into his arms, and the cheering began.
~ About the Author ~
Ally Shields was born and raised in the Midwest, along the Mississippi River, and considers herself a “river rat.” The setting and folklore of that area are often incorporated into her urban fantasy series. After a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time writing in 2009. When not writing, reading or spending time with family, she travels in the US and abroad.
Discover more about Ally Shields
Website: http://allyshields.com
Blog: http://allyshields.com/blog.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ShieldsAlly
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AllyShieldsAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527209.Ally_Shields
~ Also by Ally Shields ~
Awakening the Fire
Guardian Witch Book One
Arianna Calin has sworn to keep the peace in Riverdale. Most of the Otherworlders prefer to haunt the Olde Town district--partying at vampire strip clubs, dining in elegant supper clubs, and inhabiting the cliffside caverns along the Mississippi. Being a cop is a tough job, but someone's gotta do it, and Ari's got her derringer, a sharp stiletto, and a few handy charms against things that hunt in the night. She's also a fire witch--a pedigree that comes in handy, since her partner's only human.
When a virtual reality drug hits the streets, people start to die, and an elusive pack of werewolves threatens the status quo. Ari and Ryan are drawn into a web of murder and evil that will lead sworn enemies to a confrontation. While the city simmers around them, Ari struggles to prevent an all-out supernatural war...
Buy Awakening the Fire here
http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Fire-Guardian-Witch-Shields-ebook/dp/B0099ZDHO8/
Fire Within
Guardian Witch Book Two
A hidden evil stalks the city…
Ari Calin refuses to believe her human friend Eddie murdered a vampire—in spite of his confession. Her human partner Ryan thinks the case is a slam dunk, even though there’s no weapon and no witnesses, but Ari’s not about to let her friend take the rap without finding out more.
When Ari attends a charity event on the arm of a handsome werewolf, she finds someone she never expected to see again—Andreas De Luca, the charismatic vampire she used to date. When their eyes meet across the room, memories come rushing back. His kiss, his touch, a savage death?
??and a terrifying magical bond. A reconnection is the last thing she wants. Only by staying away and forgetting Andreas can she hope to avoid the Legend of Ramora.
But when vampires keep dying, one thing becomes clear: Riverdale has a serial killer on its hands, and Andreas could be next. Ari begins to fear there’s more to it, though. Something truly evil is stalking the city, waiting to take control…
Buy Fire Within here
http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Within-Guardian-Witch-Shields-ebook/dp/B00BQN1YUU/
Burning Both Ends
Guardian Witch Book Three
Friend or lover. Life or death…
Supernatural cop Ari Calin arrives at the hostile Toronto vampire court with an ultimatum from the Riverdale vampires: Sebastian, Toronto’s vampire prince, must stop his unprovoked attacks—or else. Ari wasn’t expecting a fight—the “or else” was typical vampire grandstanding. But even with vampire Andreas De Luca by her side for a show of strength, things get ugly fast. Toronto’s vampire world is in crisis, and surrounded by enemies, Ari and Andreas find themselves under attack.
That’s when Ari gets the call from the Magic Council ordering her home. Steffan, a good friend and leader of Riverdale's werewolves, has gone missing during top secret negotiations with the US government, and is believed to have been kidnapped—or killed.
Andreas can't abandon the Toronto vampires, and Ari can’t leave him to face impossible odds alone. But neither can she disobey her orders from the Council, or leave her friend Steffan to be tortured and killed. Ari's loyalties pull her in two directions—the closest thing to love she’s ever known on one side, and friendship and duty on the other. If she can stay alive long enough for the choice to matter…