With a “poof”, Ciar was back to his poodle form, growling and snarling at their feet.
“Oh my,” Alina said, crouching down to see the dog. “He’s rather cute this way.”
Mikayla gritted her teeth as Alina cuddled Ciar into her arms before straightening. “Lead the way, Wyn,” Alina said to her, hugging Ciar.
Mikayla watched her sister lead them from the room. She didn’t want to think about what they would do in the privacy of the guestroom.
Tamsyn walked into the kitchen, watching Mikayla with too-perceptive eyes.
“Did we act too soon?” she asked, resting a hand on Mikayla’s shoulder. “We shouldn’t have found her yet.”
“How did you?” Mikayla whispered.
“Derric,” Tamsyn said. “You know, the vampire who owns the Black Cat? He always seems to know everything about everyone. Turns out he knows a great deal about Ciar’s past. I don’t know why Ciar and Alina broke off their relationship or why he came here, but they were betrothed for years.”
Mikayla nodded, taking in the new information. “Then they probably loved each other,” she said. “Which means it may not take long for old feelings to resurface. Ciar might be free of the spell sooner than we thought.”
“Kay,” Tamsyn started before puffing her bangs from her eyes as she did when agitated. “I think Ciar is a bad idea. You know that. But you care about him, so for a second I’ll try to play the supportive sister. Did you ever consider maybe you are the right woman to break this spell? There must have been a reason you wove this magic.”
Looking toward the empty hall Ciar had disappeared down, Mikayla said, “Looks like we’re going to find out. One way or another.”
* * * * *
“You don’t belong here,” Ciar said.
Ciar watched Alina pace the length of the guest bedroom they’d ensconced themselves in. Away from the prying eyes of Mikayla’s infernal sisters he’d been able to transform immediately. But whether he was a demon or a dog, Ciar had no words for the storm this one woman was capable of stirring up.
“You don’t either,” she said, pausing by the window to look out at the new world.
She moved just how he remembered, with the grace of nobility. How many times had he watched her walk, marveling that she was his?
He shook his head to clear it. The past was past.
“This is my home now.”
“Your family misses you.”
He snorted. “Misses the target so conveniently painted on my back, maybe.”
“Ciar,” Alina said reprovingly.
“Why did the witches bring you here?”
She turned back to him with the same half-smile curving her lips that he remembered. “They weren’t very informative. Secretive bunch, aren’t they? But I wasn’t really in the mood to ask a lot of questions.” She drifted closer, gliding across the distance separating them. “They said you were in trouble, Ciar. I didn’t protest after that.”
He caught her wrist when she reached out to touch him. “Why would you care?”
“Harsh,” she whispered.
“Fair,” he replied.
Alina didn’t try to tug her hand free. Instead she stepped forward to press her body against his. Ciar hissed at the contact.
“I don’t know why it was so important for me to come,” she whispered. “But I know I’m thankful for the chance.”
“You made your choice.”
“Teivel is dead.” Pain laced the quiet words. It was a pain Ciar was more than familiar with, one he experienced every time he heard his brother’s name.
He pushed her away roughly. “I know that.”
“Did you grieve?”
He bared his teeth at her, an inhuman gesture, but Alina had a habit of awakening the demon in him. He’d spent months in the human world learning to control his more basic instincts, to blend in with the mortals around him, and within minutes Alina had managed to rip away that thin veneer of civility. “What do you think?”
“I think many demons wouldn’t have. But you have never been like the others, Ciar.”
“Defective, you mean?” How many times had he heard that before? As a second son he should have been all muscle and no brain. He should have lived to support his betters, not think for himself. He was too unpredictable for the demon world and too violent for the human one.
She shook her head. “There is more to you than your ambition. More than your brawn. You know as well as I that is rare among our people.”
“Your people,” he corrected. “I left for a reason, Alina. I have no intention of going back.”
For a moment she was silent. “Not even if you could go back with me?” she asked finally.