Heir of the Coven (Daughters of the Warlock Book 3) Read online

He turned away from her and addressed the room. “We will retire to my chambers for the night, but I want everyone back here to convene tomorrow for a full hearing.” His tone left no room for argument.

  There was some grumbling, but no one said anything that would dispute him. He turned to me and flicked his wand once again.

  The ground moved and I rocked on my feet for a moment, then I stopped.

  When I looked around, we were back in my father’s offices, just the three of us. If he could do that without jumping through three portals, why didn’t we do that all the time?

  Matlock obviously didn’t like to use his full powers usually, but I was kinda enjoying the fact he was today. It made me see what he was fully capable of. It made me understand his power, but it also made me understand his restraint. If he had all of this power and chose not to use it, that said something about his character.

  My purpose coming here in the first place was to find my father, to understand who he was so I could better understand myself. I was learning more about him and me just by watching him.

  I collapsed onto his couch, still clinging to my mother’s journal.

  “That was intense!” I said, resting the journal on my lap so I could lean back into the cushions.

  Tavlor nodded, joining me where I sat. “Yes. But we are still alive.”

  “True.” I closed my eyes and let out a sigh through my nose.

  Damn, it was good to breathe. Even just for a moment. Even with my heart still beating a little quicker than perhaps was normal.

  I heard my father move and opened my eyes to see what he was doing. He sat down on the couch opposite us with his copy of my mother’s journal. He opened the cover slowly, flicked to the first page, bent his head, and began to read.

  I sat up, worry making my stomach tighten.

  “I’m not sure you’ll want to read all of that, Matlock,” I said.

  Should he have the right to suddenly look through Mother’s journal?

  When he looked up and met my gaze, there was too much pain in his eyes. But he didn’t say anything, so I got the feeling that no matter what I said, he’d be reading the journal.

  But fair warned...

  I sat back, realizing he wanted to know what happened to the woman he loved. Who was I to take that away from him?

  I swallowed hard, wanting him to realize that she never expected him to read any of her words. Even though she was dead, they were her private thoughts and feelings. It wasn’t right that he was reading them. I was positive she wouldn’t want him to.

  “I mean... she was young, and pregnant, and alone. She lashes out a bit... in certain places.”

  He flicked over the first page, which, if my memory served, were quite detailed accounts of their couplings. Not that I wanted to remember such things. I just read it over and over again with the intent to get to know the woman who eluded me in life.

  He dropped his gaze and went back to reading. “I don’t mind. I want to know everything she went through.” He swallowed. “I feel as though I owe her that much. I wasn’t there when she needed me the most, and I want to rectify that in some way.”

  Tavlor’s hand rubbed along my thigh in a supportive move.

  I turned towards him. “You did amazing in there,” I said, beaming at him. “Thank you for standing by me.”

  He smiled, softly. “Of course. I told you I would.” His eyes flickered. “Did you not think I would?”

  I looked down, playing with the fabric of his pants. “I know you said you would... but, you seem to have a soft spot for the Council.”

  I hoped that was a nice way of saying he was a bit of a sheep, and he would understand what I meant by it.

  After all he’d done for me, the last thing I wanted to do was make him feel bad about his loyalty to the Council. He had every right to feel how he felt. I didn’t want him to think otherwise.

  “I wasn’t sure how you’d go if you had to defy them outright,” I added.

  It had been a fear of mine, that he would fold when I needed him the most. And from what I’d seen in the past, I believed my fears had merit. He had always succumbed to orders before, always given them respect when they deserved none of it.

  Tavlor, and my father, had spent so many years dancing to the Council’s drum beat that they never even considered going against them.

  He reached up and stroked my face with his fingertips, the touch soft and caring. “Well, I’ve been conditioned since a very young age to think highly of the Council... until you came along, of course.”

  That sounded about right. I smiled.

  “And now?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  He smiled brighter.

  “And now... I can’t believe I spent so many years worrying what those people thought of me,” he admitted.

  I threw myself against his body, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding him close, my heart soaring. I didn’t expect for him to actually admit such a thing ever. I wouldn’t have pressured him to feel that way regardless. But I was grateful that he had come to the conclusion on his own.

  “You’re so beautiful, you know that?” I asked.

  He huffed out a laugh and pulled me back a little. His cheeks were pink.

  “It’s going to take me a bit longer to come around to your way of thinking on that one, but I’m going to try,” he said.

  I lifted my chin and kissed him.

  He went very still, not responding to my lips at all. Then I realized it was probably because my father was in the room. How I forgot that important point, I had no idea.

  Reluctantly, I pulled back and put my head on his chest. I couldn’t wait for us to be alone again.

  I chanced a glance at my father to see if he had seen. Thankfully, his eyes were still scanning the pages, taking in my mother’s words. He barely noticed us at all.

  “Are you going to stay tonight, or do you have somewhere else you need to be?” I asked, turning my attention back to Tavlor.

  “I’m staying here. I’m not leaving your side, although... thank you for the reminder. I meant to reinforce these guards when we got back.” He extricated himself from my grasp and walked around the room, lifting his hands and saying words I didn’t understand.

  Magic flowed from him, the air shivering with intensity as he moved around every wall, pointing at the floor, the ceiling, and then walking into my room, I assumed to do the same thing.

  I sighed with contentment and leaned back against the couch. I’d never really thought about what sort of man I wanted as my partner in life. My husband. Having had no male role models growing up, I’d been left with only a vague impression of what a man should be.

  But if I thought I’d find someone I was instantly attracted to, with a killer body, incredible magical skills, and perfect protective instincts... I would have thought I was dreaming.

  But the thing about Tavlor was, he was so much more than a pretty face. And I was lucky I got to call him mine.

  My father’s gaze flicked up and met mine.

  He smiled, and happiness wove through my chest. He liked Tavlor, and that was such a nice bonus. It made everything easier, and when everything up until this point had been terribly hard... I welcomed the change.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked unexpectedly.

  I glanced at the clock in the room. It was way past lunch time and I didn’t think I’d eaten breakfast. “Not really... but I could eat.”

  At that moment, my stomach grumbled, displeased that I was going to dismiss food after I had consumed so little. It always went off at the quietest of times, calling me a liar in front of everyone.

  I placed a hand over it, trying to shush it.

  My father waved his hand over the coffee table in front of us, and a feast of platters appeared.

  Sandwiches, hot meat and potatoes, pastries, and fruit.

  My stomach grumbled again, this time in anticipation for the food I was about to consume, and my mouth watered.

  I reached for a smal
l plate and started picking up the food. “Scratch that. I’m starving.”

  My father chuckled, called out to Tavlor to come eat, then settled back into the journal.

  He didn’t pick anything up to eat, but I wasn’t worried. There were parts of my mother’s journal that had destroyed my appetite for food too. I wished I could offer him some kind of reassurance, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to take anything away from him.

  “I think I might... retire to my room,” my father said as he stood up.

  With barely a glance at me, he wandered off to the other side of the room, going through the door to the small bedroom he’d created for himself over the past few days. The journal was tucked carefully under his arm.

  He would be staying with us tonight, that was for sure.

  “Imagine having to go home to that... wife of his,” I said under my breath, then shuddered. “I can’t believe they paired him up with such a vindictive cow.”

  Tavlor chuckled from his place on the couch and began eating the meat that he’d put on his plate. “High Warlock marriages, much like royalty, are arranged according to breeding, wealth, and power,” he explained. “Nothing to do with personality, or love. It’s unfortunate but it’s—”

  “Duty,” I finished for him, nodding. “That makes sense. But what’s so good about Charity that they chose her to be the mother of the next High Warlock?”

  Although she’d failed miserably in that one regard.

  Tavlor out right laughed. “Well, she is a powerful witch, though not as powerful as you. And her parents come from some of the oldest, and most influential, families in the Universe.”

  I cringed. “Oh, so she bought her way into the marriage.” I rolled my eyes and popped a cube of cheese in my mouth. “How original.”

  I hated the idea that my mother had missed out on marrying my father purely because her family didn’t have enough money, or power. Or whatever Charity’s parents had that my grandparents didn’t.

  Speaking of which... “Oh, Aunt Alison said that my mother’s parents might still be around,” I said, trying to keep my voice innocent and light. “After all this is... sorted... could we track them down? I’d love to have grandparents, assuming they’d have me.”

  Tavlor leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips. “Oh, they’ll have you, don’t worry,” he said, his eyes warm and making my insides melt. “And yes, I believe they are both still alive, although not living in this realm.”

  I hadn’t realized there were so many other magical realms. “Really? Where are they?”

  I reached for a roll and began breaking off a piece of the bread.

  He shrugged. “To be honest, I’m not sure. But most witches and warlocks live within the magical realms.”

  “And how many of them are there?”

  “Only five, not including the one for the Councilors.”

  I snorted. “No, of course not.”

  They would have their own realm, entirely for themselves.

  Then a thought occurred to me and I turned to him, taking a bite of the flaky bread. “Oh, shit. Do we have to live there?”

  “We?”

  “Yeah, when we...” I stopped, remembering that we were barely into the dating aspect of our relationship. I shouldn’t even be thinking about marriage, and forever.

  I rubbed my lips together, looking away. I hadn’t scared him off, had I?

  “When we, what?” Tavlor asked again. His tone didn’t give him away. I wasn’t sure if he was happy about the idea of us living together or if the very idea was dreadful.

  I swallowed hard, heat blooming in my cheeks. “Sorry, I mean... I kinda assumed we’d live together after all this settled down. Or at least spend a lot of time together. If I have to live in some isolated, stuck up realm, I’d at least want you there with me.”

  Tavlor smiled, though shadows danced in his eyes. “I want to be with you, Ava, but with your role, and position, that may not be possible.”

  I frowned at him. I wasn’t sure if his words were worse than being outright rejected. “What do you mean?”

  He sighed and put his plate down. “Let’s not discuss it now,” he said, looking at his food. “Neither of us knows that the future holds. The most important part is that we are together now.”

  A huge part of me wanted to fight him to know what he meant, to get more information. He knew this world so much better than I did. And I could tell he was keeping something from me. I just didn’t know what that was.

  But I was also aware of time, and how little we’d had of it together. I didn’t want to waste it talking about the negatives. I didn’t want to be worried about what could happen when I was blessed with him now.

  We would need to go to the Council tomorrow and discuss the way forward, together. But tonight, we were floating in limbo, still just two people wanting to be together.

  “After we eat, I wouldn’t mind another lesson, you know,” I said, sending Tavlor a cheeky smile.

  He blinked. “What sort of lesson did you have in mind, Ava?”

  I grinned. “One like the last time. At my sisters’ cottage.”

  I gave him a look, hoping he understood what I meant. I really didn’t want to have to spell it out for him if I could help it.

  He began to smile, obviously catching on to what I was inferring, but then he said, “You’ll have to be more specific.”

  My stomach tightened, from nerves and excitement, as well as desire. “As soon as you finish eating, I’ll show you,” I said slyly. “The equipment’s all in my bedroom.”

  Tavlor grinned and stood up. “I’m done.”

  I laughed at how quickly he made his plate vanish. My cheeks pinched.

  “How about you?”

  I put my plate down on the table. “Me too.”

  There was always time to eat later. My need for him couldn’t wait. Not when he made a good point about how little time we did have together.

  I took his hand and pulled him towards the bedroom. I’d thought about this so many times since we’d last been intimate. All the things I wanted to do to him. What I wanted to learn, to experience, to feel.

  “You’ll let me touch you, this time?” I asked as I pulled him through the door and shut it. That was my one regret about last time, though I wasn’t sure regret was the right word. I wanted to experience all of him, to touch him everywhere.

  “If you’d like to,” he said as he moved over to the bed and sat on the mattress. “You remember how to block out people listening?”

  I nodded and turned back towards the door, addressing the walls and surroundings with my spell.

  I’d assumed that the protective wards my father and Tavlor had put up would be enough, but then again... I didn’t want Matlock hearing anything from two rooms away either. I didn’t care that we were doing it so close by but that didn’t mean he had to hear us.

  When I was done putting up the silencing spell, I took a deep breath, my throat catching as I turned around and stared at my lover.

  I wanted to lick this man from head to toe, but last time, my first time, he’d controlled everything. How could I make sure he didn’t do that not?

  Tavlor held out his hand and I took it.

  He tugged me over to him and pulled me down into his lap. “What are you thinking about?”

  I put my arms around his neck. “I was actually wondering how I can make you stay still this time, so I can explore your body the same way you explored mine.”

  Tavlor’s eyes widened comically.

  I laughed.

  “What’s wrong, no-one’s ever wanted to tie you to the bed before?” I teased.

  He shook his head. “Definitely not.”

  I giggled, wriggling in his lap as I felt him harden beneath my bottom. “Then that’s definitely what I’m going to do.”

  Chapter 6.

  I DIDN’T WANT TO RUSH this time.

  Instead, I felt an overwhelming need to make it last. The future wasn’t certain, or set,
and I wasn’t sure I would survive tomorrow. I didn’t know where we would be tomorrow or the day after that or the day after that. All I had was here, now, this moment with him.

  That instinct for survival, for making every day count, made this moment, oh so special.

  I stood up and began to undress, enjoying the way his gaze followed my every move. Lingered in places, made me feel beautiful. My breath caught in my throat as his eyes flicked up to mine, heat and desire whirling within his gaze.

  It was strange, this overwhelming sense of beauty I felt when he looked at me, as though I was some kind of miracle he had never set his eyes on before. I had never felt beautiful before, and yet, when I was with Tavlor, I felt it in spades.

  I stopped when I got down to my underwear, wanting a barrier between us so I didn’t get too distracted when he touched me. I wanted to be in control this time. I wanted to focus on all the little things that made up who he was, and I couldn’t have him distracting me with the magic that seemed to live in his fingertips.

  What sort of damage had the women in his past done to him, to make him feel so un-loveable? So ugly. I didn’t even like to think about it because I got mad.

  I was going to undo it all. I had to. I couldn’t stand the fact that he didn’t see himself the way I did.

  And there was only one way to do it. I was going to love him. Worship him. Tell him every day how gorgeous I thought he was.

  I grinned at him and tried to give him a ‘come hither’ look, though whether or not I succeeded was a different question. “Stand up, I want to undress you.”

  Tavlor moved to his feet and stood like a statue, frozen in place.

  That was totally fine. I could work with that. I tugged at his robes, grinning as I unveiled each piece of his strong physique.

  “God... you’re so... perfect. How did I get so lucky?” I whispered as I ran my hands over his chest, loving each hard ridge of hot muscle.

  He shuddered beneath my touch.

  From my words, or my affection, I wasn’t sure.

  My fingertips grazed his chest, tracing the edge of his collarbone. He slowly inhaled, a sharp sound that reminded me there was more to his body that his front side.