Seduced by Innocencey(42)

"Oh my God, Rose. I'm so sorry. Where is she?"

I gestured to the backseat, and Ocean opened the door. Derek came up next to her and helped her pull out Sandy, and Ocean cradled the large dog in her arms.

As Derek drove away, Ocean and I walked side by side toward the main house to face a new kind of fire together.



We'd buried Sandy in the hard winter earth near her puppies. I'd insisted on it, despite the challenge of digging this time of year.

Fate had come full circle, ripping Sandy and her litter from the world just as it had done to her mother and littermates.

Now I sat alone facing my mother. I'd just told her everything, and her face betrayed her disappointment and anger.

I didn't care. She could scream, threaten, throw things… nothing would make me feel worse than I already did.

"If you hadn't disobeyed, and broken the rules, Sandy wouldn't have died."

Of all the things I expected her to say, that hadn't been on the list, and her words were like a knife in my gut.

Seeing my body cave into itself, she twisted the knife deeper. "You're just lucky the young man you shacked up with isn't dead as well. Obviously you didn't have sex, but that was just a matter of time. This fire could have saved his life. I hope you now understand why it's important for you to stay away from boys and focus on your coven. In less than a week, on the new moon, we have to go against the Druids, and I need you focused and at your best."

Still, I said nothing. I had no voice left.

"If you leave this property again before the attack, you'll never be allowed back, not even to collect your things or see your sister or Ocean. Now, go home, get yourself together, and prepare for war."





TWENTY TWO





Sweet Discourses





DEREK





and all these woes shall serve For sweet discourses in our time to come.

— William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet





TIME LUMBERED FORWARD thick and slow, like sap frozen to the bark of a tree, stuck forever in its last drip. It had been two days since I'd heard from Rose, despite numerous phone calls, emails and texts. I was starting to feel like a stalker, but, knowing how much she must be suffering, I couldn't give up.

I was about to drive over to her house when my phone binged with a new email.

"Derek, I'm sorry I haven't returned your messages. It's been a hard couple of days and I just needed time alone. I miss you. I'll call you later tonight. Love, Rose."

At least I could stop worrying that she never wanted to speak to me again after Sandy died trying to save me. The guilt of that chewed through me, tarnishing the most perfect week I'd ever experienced.

Instead of leaving as planned, I went to check on Dean, who hadn't shown any signs of improvement.

Tammy sat by his bead, holding his hand, tears running down her face. "It seems our childhood memories are burning down around us. First Dean is attacked and… taken from us. Then our cabin is burned down." She looked up at me. "What do we do, Derek? I don't know how to handle this. I need him back."

I sat in the chair next to her and rubbed her back. "I do too. There has to be a way to heal him. We'll find it, I swear, and we'll make those witches pay for this and the cabin."

She used her sweater sleeve to wipe her eyes. "Do you really think they're responsible for the fire?"

"Who else would deliberately do that? We know it was arson, so it had to be someone coming after our family." Besides, I sensed something unusual about the energy in the woods after the fire. Power had been used by someone.

"Don't you have a few enemies that might want to hurt you?"

I thought of the bars I'd toured, the men I'd conned money from in pool. "Yes, but they wouldn't know where to find me, and they'd certainly never suspect that I'm an O'Conner. I've been using mom's maiden name since I left." Even with Rose. I didn't want her to know that I was the heir to Rose Botanicals. I wanted her to fall in love with me for me before she found out the truth about my family.

"Are you so ashamed of us that you won't even use our name?" She looked hurt, and I didn't want to add any more pain to her life.

"No, not at all. I just needed to find my own way for a while. It had nothing to do with you guys."

She shook her head. "That's where you're wrong. We're a family. When you left, it had everything to do with us. We were hurt. We missed you. We worried for you."

Looking back down at Dean, she smiled and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. "You know Dean and I used to spend hours making up stories about your life when you first left. We imagined elaborate scenarios that rivaled James Bond movies. We'd try to outdo each other with the most outrageous Derek O'Conner escapade. We held each other together, but now, I don't have him, and you'll be leaving soon. I feel so alone. So lost."