The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga Taliesin Govannon (best free ereader .txt) 📖

can take care of myself around here.  You can mirror me on the other side of the property.  That way we’ll cover more ground.

                “All right.” she said, but I could tell that my reluctance to patrol together bothered her.  Sorry, but that last night at the plantation is a little TOO fresh in my mind to spend hours of quality time together alone right now.

                “When do Trevor and Evelyn get back?” Raina asked.

                “They should arrive sometime this evening." Angelique answered. "Until then, we should stay on the alert.  If Jack or Katsu see anything on the monitors, we'll want to investigate right away."

                “I have a research task for my sister this afternoon.” Hatsu said.  “So I’m afraid that Mr. Stillwagner will have to keep watch by himself for a time.”

                “That's okay, I need to hydrate." Jack said before he could think about what he was saying. He caught himself too late and turned his head slowly to where Raina and I were.

                Our grins told him he was busted.

                                                                                                *                *                *

                “So when did this become so… “ I struggled to find the words.

                “Grown-up?” Jack finished for me.  “About two weeks after we left Hawaii. She could tell that we were moving beyond the ‘shy smitten’ stage, so Hatsu called me into the library for a heart-to-heart.”

                “Woah.” I said, stopping him short.  “You mean you guys bumped uglies after a talk with her sister?”

                “Don’t remind me.” Jack grinned.  You know, you become the Sorceress, and then I get five thousand years of occult history injected into my sex life.”

                “Are you sure you want to use that verb?” I quipped.

                “Ha ha.” he deadpanned.  “Anyway, Hatsu tells me that her sister has fallen in love very few times in her five millennia lifespan, and that every heartbreak has torn both of their hearts in two.  She wanted to know how strongly I felt.”

                “And what did you say?” I asked.

                Jack shrugged.  “I told her that I’d rather die than let anything happen to her.”

                Woah, again! I thought. “You really feel that way?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Dude.”

                “I know, right?” he grinned.  “Kinda surprised me, too.”

                “You didn’t shrug when you told Hatsu, did you?” I asked quickly.

                “Thank God, no.” he said with a sigh of relief.  “Anyway, when I said… what I said… to Hatsu, she just smiled and left. Then Katsu steps out from behind a curtain… “

                “No way, dude… she was there, listening?” I said, covering my smile with my hand.

                “… and practically rips my clothes off!” he finished.  “Since then, it’s been… intense.”

                “And the nudity thing?” I asked.

                Jack shrugged again.  “As far as Hatsu’s concerned, her sister and I are… spiritually married, or something… now, which makes everyone I consider to be sibling-close… “

                “Like me and Raina.” I said.

                “And Vincent, and Angelique… they’re all family now, too.” he continued.  “And, in their era, anyway… families didn’t sweat things like that.”

                “Yeah, well, make sure she treats Trevor and Evelyn like the pervy aunt and uncle for the time being.” I cautioned, a grin still on my face.

                “You’ve got that right!”  Jack tipped back in his chair and lit a joint.

                I let him light my joint for me.  “So what have you dug up?”

                “Fuck-tons of information that give us zero answers, that’s what.” he said, exhaling.  “Bank accounts being opened, making one transaction, and then closing again.  Massive sales of real estate, only to have whoever bought it to unload it at half the price a few days later. Entire villages of supernatural beings moving for the first time in a thousand years.  And all of it taking place on the periphery of the supernatural underworld… for reasons that still elude us!”

                “I hope that Trevor and Evelyn have more to give us when they get back.” I said hopefully.

                “Yeah, them!” Jack exhaled.  “They better have something, after all of the money we had to spend to get them out of the country!"

                “Typical Trevor, from what people tell me.” I grinned.

                “Yeah, well… it’s good to have you and Raina back.” he said.  “As busy as I’ve been, it doesn’t feel right if I can’t kick things back and forth with my besties at the end of the day.”

                “Yeah, well,” I said, inhaling, “if your girlfriend comes in here and strips, I’m leaving.”

                “I’d want you to.” Jack said, grinning.

                At that moment, the door swung open to reveal Raina.  She breezed in and sat by us, lighting her own joint that seemed to appear out of thin air.

                “So what's the hubbub, bub?" she said, exhaling.

                “Jack’s filling me in on everything.” I grinned.

                “Oh, you can spare me the sweaty details.” Raina said.  “I just had a chat with Hatsu.  She said that she had to tidy up after her sister jumped your bones.” she said to Jack, much to his embarrassment.  “Really, dude? You guys did it on the mantle? Shit’s six feet off the ground… “

                “THAT’S enough.” Jack cut her off with his hand.  “These ladies are way more comfortable talking about sex than any of us are used to, so we can stop the blow by blow now, thank you.”

                “Or maybe,” I said, my gaze sliding to Raina, “I could tell Jack about you, the two Fae girls, and the suspicious disappearance of a tub of cheese sauce… “

                Raina cut me off.  “OK,” she said, “I agree that it’s time to stop over-sharing!”

                I started to laugh, and it quickly spread.

                                                                                                *                *                *

                “Tell me about you and Angelique.”

                Now it was my turn to be wrapped in a sheet, my body entwined with Vincent’s, laying on a bed.  I laid against his chest much in the same way that I had found Katsu with Jack earlier, and I had to admit that I saw the pleasure