Shadow Bend (Witches of Sanctuary Book 3) Page 10

  The boat is small, probably meant for four people at the most. Today the front is taken up by a large, black duffle bag. Reid climbs down into the back and reaches his hand up to me. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a boat. I know how to swim, but there is something about the water today. It looks almost black, and I know it has to be freezing.

  Reid realizes my hesitation, and practically picks me up and sets me down safely in my seat in the front. “You’ll be perfectly safe with me, Willa. But if it will make you feel better, there is a life jacket underneath your seat.”

  I take a quick peek to make sure he isn’t lying. He’s not. There’s a red life jacket stuffed into the corner underneath the long board of my seat. “It was Zeke’s,” Reid says, his voice a little softer now. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you borrowed it. He was always very strict about his water safety.”

  My gaze flashes back up. “You and Zeke went out on the lake a lot?”

  “Yeah, especially after he got sick. He said the water relaxed him. I think he did it for me, though. He knew I needed time away from all the women in my life.”

  I smile because I can practically see it in my head. Reid and Ezekiel in this boat, laughing together. It’s a nice thought. In fact, it warms me from the inside out without even meaning to try my magic. Reid sits in his seat and grabs a pair of oars. He pushes away from the dock, and I grab the side of the boat. It wobbles, but eventually steadies itself. Reid pushes through the black water. There is a thin layer of ice on the top in some places, but nothing Reid’s strong strokes can’t handle.

  “What are you smiling about?” he asks.

  “You.” His hair is starting to grow out again. Or maybe it’s because the breeze on the lake has already made it exceptionally out on control. “Sometimes I forget how strong you are.”

  He laughs. “You’re the strongest of us all, Willa. Don’t you remember what happened at the Tower?”

  “That’s different.” And it is. I might be emotionally strong, but only because it was a necessity. It was something that developed over time as a defense mechanism. It’s how I survived. “I’m sure this was easier when you had Zeke in the boat to help you row.”

  “Zeke, row? Please, he used to prop his little spoiled Prescott feet up right there on the rail and mush me like I was a sled dog.”

  “He did not.”

  “Absolutely. He said the exercise was good for my aggression.”

  I can practically hear Zeke’s words in my head. “Well, did it help, at least?”

  Reid heaves back on the oars, pulling them deep through the water, propelling us forward. “No. I needed you, Willa. No amount of work was going to make that go away.”

  It’s true. I know because I felt it too. That hole in myself that wasn’t filled until I met him. We go by Sera’s house and keep going. I didn’t realize how big the lake was, but it continues to weave through the mountains.

  Reid stops rowing to point out in front of us in the distance. “Look—do you see the dock?”

  I squint, but it takes me a moment to find it. It’s barely visible—a small wooden dock sticking out of the hillside with nothing but trees surrounding it. “Is this where you keep the boat?”

  “Yes, but there is more. Just wait.”

  Reid pulls into the dock and ties the boat to it. He helps me out, and I’m a little relieved to be back on dry land. “Don’t worry, Willa. I parked my truck out by the road, so we don’t have to take the scenic route back.”

  I walk over and try to see through the maze of barren trees. The path from the dock doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. Or at least, anywhere I can see. Reid grabs my hand, and I follow him through the trees. He has the giant black bag thrown over his shoulder, so I know he must have some kind of plan. We weave through the trees for a few minutes until finally Reid throws the bag on the ground. “We’re here.”

  I glance around. Trees. More trees. Oh, look, another tree.

  “Wow. It’s great.”

  Reid rolls his eyes at my sarcasm. “Look up before you start being a smarty pants.”

  There’s something large above me in the trees. I have to step back to finally get all of it into view. “Is that a treehouse?”

  “Not just any treehouse,” Reid says proudly, admiring the monstrosity sitting in the branches. “It’s the best treehouse ever. It took me and Zeke three summers to build it.”

  “You and Zeke built that yourself?”

  “Yeah, we started it when we were twelve.” He goes over to a bush and drags a ladder out from underneath it. He sets it up against the tree so it leads perfectly up to a corner of the treehouse. “Let me show you the best part.”

  I climb up first, and Reid is behind me with his giant bag. I still can’t believe two kids built this thing. They had to have help. That, or Reid secretly used his magic when Zeke wasn’t looking. The inside of the treehouse definitely has the mark of two teenage boys. There are posters with dirt bikes and scary movies. Every corner has stacks and stacks of board games and books. A model airplane is suspended from the ceiling by a string, while another smaller one sits on a tiny shelf in the corner. There’s an entire wall of pictures pinned to a corkboard.

  I go to it first. I can’t help myself. The one in the middle catches my eye immediately. It’s Reid and Zeke, maybe a couple years ago. It had to be before Zeke got sick because his cheeks are chubby and he has hair. Long hair. It’s silky blond and hangs below his ears.

  Reid looks the same. His hair is covered by a ratty-looking baseball hat. They stand with their arms thrown around each other out on the dock. Lazy grins capture their faces.

  I touch the picture like it might break. Reid peers over my shoulder then kisses my cheek. “You can have it if you want. It’s a good picture. That was a good day.”

  I leave it there for now, but I do want it. Or maybe I’ll give it to Sadie, and make a copy. Reid moves behind me, and I turn around to find him unloading his black bag. He lays a blanket out on the floor of the treehouse and grins up at me. “Lay down with me.”

  Reid stretches out, looking up at the ceiling. I lie next to him, snuggling up to his side. It’s freezing in the treehouse, even if the walls manage to block out the breeze from outside. Reid points up at a board in the ceiling. “When Zeke and I built this place, he decided to write on one of the boards what he thought he would be doing in twenty years. That’s his board over there. Can you read it?”

  I sit up on my elbow, but it’s too far away. I crawl down to the end of the blanket until Zeke’s scrawling writing comes into focus.

  In twenty years, I’m going to:

  Be a millionaire

  Own a yacht (no more rowing for Reid)

  Maybe tell Sadie Lawson I’m in love with her

  End the curse so I won’t ever break her heart

  End the curse for me

  End the curse for us all

  I’m crying before I realize it. Reid scoots down the blanket to me. His embrace is firm. It holds me together. “He would be so proud of you, Willa. No one wanted this curse to end more than him.”

  “I just wish—” I can’t even say it. It hurts. It’s the worst kind of pain too. There’s no end to it. No future where Zeke will be with us again. No moment when I’ll see his face again, his chubby cheeks rounding into a smile.

  Seraphina’s potion is wearing off. It’s slowly fading out of my system, and all that worry starts to creep back.

  “One more thing,” Reid says, motioning for me.

  “What?”

  He lies back down on the blanket, his gaze searching the ceiling. “Don’t you want to see my board?”

  I stretch out on the blanket and he points to the left. There’s a board right above the window. I’m closer to it, so it’s easy to make out the words.

  In twenty years, I’m going to:

  I don’t know. This is stupid.

  It’s marked out like he changed his mind after he wrote it. Below it, he started again. But then I r
ealize it’s not his handwriting. It’s Zeke.

  In twenty years, Reid will have already:

  Found Wilhelmina.

  Fallen madly in love with her.

  Together saved us all.

  Together saved each other.

  I gasp when I finish it. Reid takes my hand. “The bastard was quite the little fortuneteller, wasn’t he?”

  “How did he know?” I’m certain Reid never told anyone about his magic except my mother.

  “He didn’t,” he says, smiling at the memory. “He wrote that to piss me off because I didn’t want to play his game.”

  “What was so horrible about guessing your future?”

  “I was in a horrible mood that day. Abby mentioned you at breakfast, and it led to an argument. Like always. Part of me wanted to find you, and by that time, part of me didn’t. I was so conflicted inside, Willa. I knew I had powers, and I knew you would be my Moon. I vented to Zeke the whole boat ride here about how finding you wouldn’t solve anything. Mostly, I was trying to convince myself of that so maybe I could find a little peace without you. Zeke saw through it.”

  “He didn’t know you had powers, though.”

  “He suspected. I mean, look what he wrote. Sometimes, I think he tried to piss me off just to see if I would react. Or, if he wrote stuff like that and told me he already knew, then maybe I would confess it to him finally.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  “No. And I regret it.” His forehead brushes mine. “I’m done holding back. From my friends. Especially from you.”

  His lips are warm, and so are his fingertips when they pull my chin around to him. He’s so much more gifted at magic than I am. And kissing.

  If fact, I’m pretty sure his kisses are half magic.

  I gasp into his mouth, and it only gives him the opportunity to take more. He’s definitely not holding back. No Boy Scout in this treehouse.

  Finally.

  His lips trace down my neck to my collarbone. The tip of his finger tugs my shirt to the side, and I shiver. He smiles against my skin. “One second and I can take care of the cold.”

  He eases back, his eyes closed, and without raising a single finger, warm air swirls around the room. It knocks the plane above our heads into a spin. Reid opens his eyes, that green shine as vibrant as ever. “Better?”

  My finger traces one of the buttons on his shirt. “Did you plan this?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “That night I broke into your house and found you in that bikini. Do you still own that, by the way?”

  I playfully smack his arm. “Liar.”

  He shakes his head slowly. “You give me too much credit.”

  Closer. I barely even realize he’s moving toward me until his lips brush mine. His touch is light, but the heat of it can’t be ignored. It starts at my thigh then moves to my hip. His tongue is on mine. I can’t think of anything but him. Nothing but the boy I want most in the world.

  Specks of snow drift through the window and twirl around us. I pull back, startled by its sudden appearance. Reid touches my wrist. “Stay with me. Love me more.”

  And it falls. The snow. My heart.

  The deadline is close. It approaches with a speed I’m not sure we can match, but this moment, this small space in time belongs to Reid Thomas. My heart will be his forever.

  I blow one of the specks of snow away from my nose. “Of course.”

  Aware. I’m so incredibly aware of every part of my body his hands touch. He climbs over me, standing on all fours. I have to lift myself to keep kissing him. I do it willingly. Eagerly. I want so much more of him. He tries to unbutton his shirt, but I keep pulling him off balance. I finally decide to help him with the last button. I slip the shirt over his shoulders.

  Victory at last.

  Reid grins at me, his fingers on the hem of my shirt. “What are you thinking?”

  I raise my arms, allowing him to easily tug my sweater over my head. Everything I need is written on Reid’s face. Lust. Admiration. Mutual respect and love.

  “You love me,” I say as if I’ve just realized it.

  It causes him to laugh. “Forever.”

  “Yeah?”

  He bites his lip, brushing away a stray curl from my face. “As long as the sun and the moon oppose each other in the sky. And even after that, when there’s nothing but darkness left in the world. It may be just a spark among a mountain of shadows, but it will still be there. Always.”

  And I can imagine it will be. I feel it. Deep in my bones. Maybe it’s because of the magic Reid has swirling around us to keep the exposed treehouse warm, but I’ve never felt more alive. Never more powerful.

  I kiss him. And this time I know…this is it.

  Buttons and fabric fall away until it’s only the two of us. Me and my Sun. And the love I know we were meant to share.

  Chapter 12

  THE RUNAWAY

  Reid holds my hand the entire drive back to our house. He doesn’t let go of it once. I’m glad. I’m not ready to let it go yet. The treehouse was like a snow globe. Everything was safe and peaceful inside the little bubble we created. Once we go back, someone will shake it. The snow that falls heavily against the window will no longer be ignored.

  “Look at me, Willa.” His voice his urgent and earnest. “When this is over…”

  He can’t seem to find the right words. He stops and tries again. “I know you have plans with Julien, and that’s okay. I just want you to know that I have plans too. For us.”

  I squeeze his hand. “Me too.”

  “You do?”

  I lean over and kiss his cheek, brushing away one of the strands of hair from his eyes. “Well, yeah. I’m going to pull that horrible bikini out of retirement, for one thing.”

  He bites his lip again, and I like it. “I should have never told you that.”

  “Yes.” I shake his arm before wrapping myself around it. I’ve practically moved myself into his seat. “I want you to tell me everything. Especially those things.”

  He’s skeptical, but my mischievous expression must give away my true intentions.

  “Well, in that case, we have a lot of catching up to do, because pretty much everything you wear gives me inappropriate thoughts. And, of course, when you wear my clothes.” He makes an exaggerated oh-my-gosh face. “That really makes things…difficult.”

  I grin against his shoulder. “Go on.”

  He keeps his eyes on the road, but I can still see his smile. It’s coy and shy. “And when you’re in the shower while I’m in the house. Or even if I’m not in the house and I just know it’s the time of day you might take a shower.”

  I laugh, and his cheeks turn a rosy red.

  “See—this is the kind of depraved ideas I’ve been trying to save you from.”

  “Save me?” Today was my first time. It was scary and perfect. And right. “I thought—”

  His cheeks go redder. “It was my first time too. But you know what I mean.”

  “No, I don’t.” I lean up and kiss his cheek then his neck. “Because if you would have told me these things, you would have known I’ve had to stop myself from knocking on the bathroom door while you’re in the shower at least ten times.”

  He cocks his head toward me, his brow raised. “Really?”

  I grin. “I’ve almost barged in and pretended like I didn’t hear the water running at least every single day.”

  “Okay, so maybe I’ve been more of a voice of reason.”

  I kiss his shoulder. “We love each other, Reid. It’s reason enough.”

  We pull into our driveway, and everyone—and I mean everyone—is standing on our porch. Does that mean they found the spring? The chalice?

  Reid shoves his truck into park, then immediately grabs my hand again to keep me from bolting out. His gaze locks on mine. “In all seriousness, Willa. I do have plans for us too.”

  I kiss him. It still feels like the first time. The nerves and excitement
flow through me like a live wire. “And I can’t wait to hear them.”

  Again, he looks relieved. “Let’s go.”

  I get out of the truck, and Julien is the first one to meet me. I can barely see him for the snow. It’s coming down steadily around us, blanketing the ground.

  “Where have you been?” His voice is curt.

  Reid’s hands wrap around me from behind. I expect him to spout something cruel over my shoulder toward Julien, but he doesn’t. He simply stands there, tall and strong behind me. I run my fingers across his wrist that’s at my waist.

  Julien’s eyes go dark, and it takes me a second to focus my attention back on him. “Is something wrong?”

  Julien’s gaze narrows. “We have all the ingredients. I’ve been trying to find you all afternoon. Let’s do this. Let’s go perform the spell.”

  I’m so caught off guard by his attitude it takes me a moment to even find the words to respond. “Julien, don’t you remember? We can’t perform the spell right now. It has to be performed at dusk on a cloudless day when you can see both the moon and the sun in the sky.”

  Julien knows this. I’ve heard him repeat the spell a hundred times since that night I read it out loud in the circle. My Sun kisses my cheek then lets me go to walk to the porch with the others.

  Julien watches him go. This time his voice cracks when he speaks. “Where have you been?”

  “Julien—”

  “Why today?” He’s crying. Shit. Julien is crying. “You chose today. The day I had to go prove I’m the most selfish one among us. You chose today to pick him over me.”

  I don’t know what to say. What can I say? I chose Reid a long time ago. He’s my boyfriend. I’m in love with him. These are all things I’ve said to Julien before, but I can’t make myself repeat them. Not right now with the snow falling around us, sucking us deeper into the vortex of our emptying hour glass.

  Tears brim along his lashes. “Do you even feel guilty?”