CONTENTS
1. A Change of View
2. An Accidental Discovery
3. Locker Talk
4. Beltane Versus Mistral
5. After the Game
6. All Tied Up
7. Secrets and Dreams
8. The Half-Torn Label
9. The Beltane Defender
10. Healing Hands
11. Agony and Ecstasy
12. Silly Little Tease
13. Shattered Hearts
14. A Sense of Self
15. A Night for Romance
16. Two Steps Back
17. Soul Sisters
18. Surprise Announcement
19. Le Changement de Dames
20. A Question of Etiquette
21. Save the Last Dance for Me
22. Inspiration Lost
23. Evil Takes a Prisoner
24. Ad Imperium
25. Face in the Mirror
26. Who saved Who?
27. The Secret Spell
28. A Heart Revealed
29. The Process of Healing
30. Surprise Visitors
31. Bad Memories
32. A Moment of Truth
33. The Questions Begin
34. Terran Misconceptions
35. Stories and Lies
36. A Hint of Distraction
37. The Secret Room
38. Sweet Seduction
39. The Morning After
40. More than a Dream Spells
Objects / meanings
Characters
Acknowledgements Leave a Review
Your Next Semester Awaits Moon Vow
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Also by D. D. Line About the author
A CHANGE OF VIEW
Saturday dawned in slurries of sleet, wind, and angry skies, the opposite from the Terran versus Undine game. Karisa wondered if anyone would venture out in the wilder weather, but everyone seemed as keen to see this game as the previous one. She knew she could attend the game without arousing any suspicions of why she was really there. Garrett sat a short distance away, and he grinned as though he knew she was looking at him.
Oh,allright,thetworeasonsI’mhere.
It took a bit of magic to project herself from one place to another, to leave her body behind and appear ethereal somewhere else. Like she’d done that afternoon at The Ice Breaker Tavern when she’d healed Elowen and Bryn. She’d reverted to her true form to travel from one point to the next.
What she was attempting today meant her identity was more likely to be discovered. There would be more people around her this time. There wasn’t a poorly lit tavern to hide in, nor was she in her common room. She’d almost got herself caught that night. If Petra had been more alert, she would have seen Karisa return to her corporeal form. Thankfully, Petra had been too busy writing her spell to do anything more than stare at her for a few moments. Still, it had given her a fright, and she’d not tried it again. She would today, but how to do it in a crowd and disappear into a locker room full of wizards? They might see her if they were looking in her direction. If they did, she hoped they’d dismiss her as a ghost and not look closely enough to recognize her.
With seven pairs of eyes in the room, they’re bound to notice something.WhatIneedisadistraction.
Karisa bit down on her bottom lip as her gaze fell upon Reuben and Elowen. They were in deep discussion about something, and an idea formed. Perhaps it was time she enlisted a little help.
Garrett let his mind wander back to alchemy class when he’d seen Karisa frown and bite her bottom lip in that way that made his heart beat a little faster and his cock get a little harder. She held a power over him she didn’t even realize, and it surprised him to find he was no longer afraid of his feelings for her. What he was afraid of, however, was letting anyone else know how he felt. It was too great a risk. Not until he found out what Tempest wanted her for, and what he needed to do to stop it. To do that, he needed to continue the charade of treating her as nothing more than a bit of fun. A game much like the ones he and his teammates played. It wouldn’t be easy.
He couldn’t believe the relief he’d felt when he cornered Buchannan, channeling his father’s inscrutable expression, and learned they’d exchanged nothing more than a kiss at the dance. A kiss Karisa hadn’t instigated. Buchannan had told Garrett what Mulder had threatened to do to him if he ever went near Karisa or any other witch again. It appeared Mulder had come to Garrett’s rescue, however inadvertently. Garrett had almost cheered right in Buchannan’s face. Instead, he’d grinned evilly and made small talk about ‘getting her back’ for what she’d done. He was certain if Buchannan knew anything, he would have let it slip. Instead, the wizard had shaken his head and stared at the floor, still as glowing red now as he’d been when Garrett first cornered him.
“I want nothing to do with her, Garrett. You want her so bad, she’s all yours. After what Mulder said he’d do to me, I don’t want to look at another witch until I leave here.”
Garrett had shrugged like he didn’t care, but his heart soared. There would be no more trouble from Buchannan, and he knew now Karisa wasn’t interested in the wizard either. If only he could feel a hundred percent sure about her feelings for Bozzelli, and for himself. Now he needed to get close to the witches and wizards who knew what he did—that Karisa was the Peacekeeper. Once he’d an idea what Tempest had in store for her, then…
“Garrett, there you are, darling.”
OhMerlin!WhatdidMiawantnow?
She raised her voice, so she attracted the attention of the Terrans closest to where they were sitting, and that included Karisa. Mia winked at her before turning back to Garrett and planted a sensuous kiss on his scowling mouth. “Make sure you win the game this afternoon, darling. We’ve got a big surprise planned.” She gazed at Karisa for a moment longer before smirking and leaving the dining hall.
Garrett glared at Mia’s retreating figure before turning to see what Karisa would make of that little display. He needn’t have worried. By the time he looked over to where he’d been covertly staring at Karisa most of the morning, the witch had gone. Garrett frowned. He’d been looking at the door, watching Mia leave.
HowinMerlin’snamedidshegetpastme?
A chuckle had him turning to look further along the Terran table. Karisa was now standing amongst a group of freshmen who seemed to hang off her every word as she flipped through photographs of Merlin knows what. He spied Bozzelli and Colton standing close beside her and prepared himself for that familiar feeling of jealousy to engulf him. Instead, he felt something else.
He wasn’t sure what it was, but it wasn’t painful. In fact, it was a lot like when Professor Mulder told him how well he was doing at Alchemy. Or even like the day he’d earned the right to become captain of the lacrosse team. He couldn’t believe it. He felt proud, as if he knew she was his, and while the other wizards appreciated her beauty, they didn’t possess her love. Garrett blinked and took a long draft of his drink.
Where thehellhadthatthoughtcome from?Whatdidlove have todowithanything?
Then there was Mia’s statement.
Why organize a surprise for winning a game I haven’t even playedyet?
She was up to something, but Merlin knows what. One never knew what Mia might be thinking or planning. A win today meant they would be even on points with Terran for the first time in years. All of Beltane knew it. The implications of that were astounding. He was excited yet nervous at the same time.
Baxter called out, and he drew his attention back to the Beltane table and looked at his teammate. Baxter smirked, jerked his head toward the door, and stood. Garrett nodded and followed. He took one cautious glance back as he left the room and saw Karisa had returned to her seat. Now she was in deep discussion with Bozzelli and the Dunstan witch. She met his gaze, and Garrett’s heart soared, even though his face remained expressionless. He hoped the calm look she gave him in return was the echo of his own hidden longing thoughts, hopes, and dreams.
Karisa glanced back at her friends, quick to hide her confused expression.
WhatintheHesperideswasthatallabout?
Garrett had just looked at her as if he could see right through her. Perhaps he was playing his ‘ignoring Karisa’ game again. Maybe she’d better add Garrett to her list of suspicious characters after all? Perhaps she’d told him too much, but it was too late to worry about that now. He’d been behaving strangely since the afternoon Ross and Noble had interrupted them in alchemy class. Funnyhowtheyturnupanytimeweshareanintimatemoment.
Heat infused her cheeks. What if he wasn’t leaning toward her side of the battle? Perhaps he never was, and she’d allowed herself to hope he was because he’d saved her that day in the tavern. Karisa huffed, and Reuben flashed her a concerned glance. She responded with an absent smile, her thoughts still focused on Garrett. What if he had his own reasons for helping her that had nothing to do with her at all? Perhaps she imagined she saw something more in his eyes.
Karisa huffed again but made sure she stayed quiet. Now Garrett knew a bit more about her, he might use it against her in the coming battle. Or was he still putting the pieces together? Still deciding where his loyalties lay? And speaking of loyalty, would the others still side with her if they discovered she wasn’t like them?
Karisa stared at Elowen and Reuben. She knew without a doubt Reuben would help her with her plan, but it was Elowen she needed to make it work. Her gaze pleaded with the witch, and she smiled only when Elowen grinned and nodded. Karisa inclined her head toward the doors at the same time as she patted Reuben’s knee. As though they were one, all three pushed away their plates, stood, and headed outside.
“Elowen? Wait, I need to ask you something.” Phoebe came running up to them. “Can I borrow your earrings to wear to the Valentine’s dance? The silver ones? I thought they’d go wonderfully with my dress.”
Elowen appeared relieved as she nodded to Phoebe. “Of course you can. I can’t believe the next dance is just three weeks away.”
“Thanks, Elowen,” Phoebe said as she flicked her hair over one shoulder. Reuben and Elowen gasped as the movement revealed her necklace.
“You don’t have to hide the necklaces, just the fact of what they mean,” Karisa said. “I said to keep it a secret, but if we’re going to jump every time a hint of crystal flashes at us, we’ll just make people more suspicious. Besides, the concealment charm doesn’t always work for them. It’s like they have a mind of their own.”
Phoebe nodded while looking at the book, complete with lock and key. “I was thinking how well the necklace would go with Elowen’s earrings and my outfit. Who would ever have thought a journal would be so important to my future?”
They all beamed at that.
At first, when they’d noticed the book on Phoebe’s chain, they thought she might have a dark magic volume like Petra’s. That was until Elowen magicked a magnifying glass and showed them the tiny writing on the cover that said ‘Classified.’ Elowen couldn’t explain how she’d seen the word. They’d all rushed Petra and put the magnifying glass over her pendant, but they couldn’t read anything on either the covers or the pages between them. Phoebe, however, was certain some fabulous and important secret keeping was in her future.
Once she’d left the room, however, they decided she would be more likely to write a tell-all book than keep a secret. If you wanted any gossip, Phoebe was the witch to get it from. If you wanted to know who was dating whom, Phoebe again. To be fair, not everything Phoebe repeated was gossip. Like it or not, Phoebe had a way of making people tell her anything she wished to know when she set her mind to it.
Karisa glanced over at Lyrah, who was busy staring deeply into Aaron’s eyes. Knowledge was a powerful tool, and Lyrah had a knack for discovering information, too. She made connections where others didn’t. Karisa blinked. Phoebe was still standing there, giving them a suspicious stare.
“What are you three up to, anyway?”
Whatever she expected them to say and whatever they thought would sound like a plausible answer never came to pass. Thankfully, Tyler chose that moment to walk up behind her and gather her up in a gentle kiss. Karisa, Elowen, and Reuben made a quick exit. Karisa spotted Petra staring after them as they walked out of the dining hall. Bryn, as always, was busy shoving forkfuls of bacon and eggs in his mouth. Casey was trying to keep casual the fact he was staring after Elowen, too. At least, Karisa hoped that was it. She couldn’t stall them too much longer.
She smiled though as she walked out, and several students looked over and waved to her, Elowen, and Reuben. Some called out her name and added grins and winks to their waves. Karisa beamed. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad. Her background mightn’t be such a negative influence after all. If they saw she was on their side in the fight against the Shadow Master, then she was well ahead in the scheme of things. And if she couldn’t trust Garrett, if her instincts about him were wrong, and she was pinning her hopes on her affection for him rather than seeing what was in his heart... She bit into the soft flesh of her lower lip. Perhaps anything he might say against her would disappear in the wave of positive emotion surrounding her.
There were so many questions where that wizard was concerned. He was old enough to be held responsible for his actions now. Oh,
how she prayed his actions would be the ones she hoped he’d take. Once more heat flushed her face.
She’d been thinking about the coming battle, hadn’t she?
AN ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY
From the faculty table, Seth noticed the looks exchanged between Garrett and Karisa. Seconds later, his skin prickled with awareness when he realized Wicasa was watching him. In his peripheral vision, the Dean’s steady gaze was far too perceptive. Then the wizard grinned so widely, his mustache almost disappeared under his smile. He turned his gaze from the Beltane professor with a tiny shake of his head, and his expression grew whimsical. Seth didn’t know what to make of that.
He glanced sideways. Was anyone else observing him? Did they know where he’d turned his attentions? No, that was ridiculous. Seth frowned and picked up his mug to drain the last of his drink. It was almost to his lips before he realized it was empty. Beside him, Kagali picked up the coffeepot and held it out to him, giving Seth a small smile when he turned to meet his gaze. Seth nodded and held his mug out. Kagali poured the steamy liquid, set down the pot, and turned away. He jerked back in surprise when Seth uttered a brief, “Thank you.”
Seth stared down at his plate so he wouldn’t have to witness their reactions. Minjarra gaped at him with her mouth open, the contents of her spoon disappearing onto her lap. That damned Wicasa was pink with the effort not to burst out laughing. Further along the table, other professors were staring at him as though he’d sprouted horns. He hid a snarl. The damn werewolf was still looking at him, too.
After a moment, Kagali said, “You’re welcome.”
Much to his surprise, Seth gave him another nod before turning away from him. Kagali, perhaps deciding not to push his luck, excused himself from the table and made his way out of the dining hall. After a few moments, Seth excused himself from breakfast, too. He ignored Wicasa’s steady gaze just as he ignored Minjarra, with her empty spoon held in mid-air and a puddle of cereal staining her clothes. Seth stalked to the alchemy classroom. He’d spend some
time working before returning for lunch. After that, he’d head out to the lacrosse pitch for the day’s game.
Seth enjoyed watching lacrosse as a student, even though he’d no desire to join the game. Even if he did, Colton and Ward would have used it as an excuse to make his life even more miserable. Besides, he’d not wanted to make a fool of himself in front of ‘her’. He needn’t have worried. She’d gone off with the Captain of the Beltane lacrosse team in their graduating year. All bought and paid for by her father after they’d announced they were dating exclusively. The wizard in question hadn’t earned the right to be there.
Whydiditfeelasthoughhistorywasabouttorepeatitself?
Seth had no idea where the thought came from, and he banished it from his mind. He’d other things to think about, like the potions he needed to mix, spells to create, and yet another new feeling to examine. He couldn’t believe he’d acknowledged Kagali like that in public. And in front of Wicasa, for Merlin’s sake. So what if he’d decided he needed to come to terms with the wizard being a werewolf? There was still the wizard himself. He’d never forgiven Kagali for letting Colton and Ward torment him when they were students here.
Seth sat at his desk in the alchemy classroom and stared at the door. He still had his dark side, he knew that. Because he fought it, most days, he won. He did it for Wicasa, for Rachelle’s memory, and for himself. Now he’d another reason to add to his list: Karisa. Seth looked at the parchments before him. He was about to betray her trust because he let his curiosity get the better of him. He’d been so intrigued by the glimpse she’d given him of her life, he’d needed to know more.
Seth knew he should have changed the examination so they would have to make another potion for Karisa’s exam, but he hadn’t. It would’ve appeared far too suspicious. The possibility of the exam potion affecting the one he used to erase Karisa’s memory of their night together was unlikely, but he needed to make sure. He needed to gather enough information about her to help him with his potion so he could cure her.
And Kagali, too.
He’d made sure both Karisa and Garrett had seen him destroy the pieces of parchment before they left the classroom, but he’d known something they didn’t. It was true only the invokers of the spell could read the parchment. What they didn’t know was the parchment he’d given them had been magicked to repair itself after he’d poured on the solution meant to destroy it. Another spell of his own devising changed the words so Seth could read them once it restored the parchment. They’d never noticed when he’d exchanged them for the ones he’d magicked while they’d argued over the agrimony stems Garrett swore he’d cut.
He glanced at both parchments and destroyed the one Karisa had written about Garrett’s memories. He didn’t need to see it to imagine what life must have been like for the young wizard. In some ways, Seth had already lived it.
He read the first memory Garrett had experienced in Karisa’s hurried handwriting. All the while, he’d listened for anyone making their way toward the classroom. Classes had finished for the day, but that didn’t mean some fool couldn’t barge inside looking for a book or something they might have left behind. Seth considered locking the door, but he was too eager to read what lay before him. He knew from experience a locked classroom gathered more suspicion than one that wasn’t.
Time was of the essence now. He’d another solution ready to dissolve the parchment permanently sitting on the desk within easy reach. He knew what he was doing was illegal as far as university policy was concerned, but he reasoned he was doing it for the greater good. It was for Karisa’s safety, and to him, that was more than reason enough. He read the first memory Garrett had recorded on Karisa’s behalf and the pleasant memories she’d recreated, then considered the implications of what he was doing once more. CouldtheytrustGarrett?
He’d threaten Garrett into silence if he needed to, but that was a last resort. He didn’t want to put himself in the position where Garrett didn’t feel like he could talk to him, to trust him like he always had. Not that Garrett had ever said anything to Seth. He was
far too proud, just like his father, but Seth could always read something more in his eyes. His mother had left her mark on the young wizard, too. Seth sighed and stared at the seat where Garrett always sat.
He hoped his guidance had some positive influence on the wizard, and he had enough of it to entrust the wizard’s silence as far as Karisa was concerned. Garrett had the potential to do so much good in the world, but he had so much against him, too. He was so much like his father in ways that did nothing but hinder his potential to make something of himself. So much anger, distrust, and negativity. He had a father who cared little for him and a mother who was a different person whenever her husband was around.
Seth snorted into the cold, dank air of the classroom. He admired Garrett. He wanted him to have the chances he’d never had. Dare to dream the dreams he’d never believed possible. He saw so much of his own childhood unfolding in Garrett’s everyday life. He’d promised long ago to do his best to keep the wizard safe from Cassien’s ideals as much as anything or anyone else.
The only difference between the two of them was that Garrett could be a natural leader if he gave himself the chance. Seth had been a loner for most of his days. Not always by choice, but he’d lived with it, if you called it living. He wanted so much more for Garrett. Sometimes he even imagined the wizard was his own flesh and blood, but then his heart and mind would shut down once again. He knew Garrett thought highly of him, and that pleased him. It would please him more if there was any way to guarantee the wizard wouldn’t make the same mistakes Seth did or follow his father to Tempest’s side.
He would keep an eye on Garrett for a while. He would take charge of any situations that may arise, although in his heart he didn’t think Garrett would betray Karisa’s secrets. Seth had seen a change in the wizard that wasn’t apparent when he and Karisa first began their exam, a change he was still undecided whether he was happy about it. Seth sighed again.
When did I decide thesepeople were my responsibility? In fact, whendidIdecidetocare?
With that thought, he huffed, glanced once more toward the door, then looked down and began to read.
There was no surprise in reading about the gods and goddesses who’d attended the ceremony with Karisa and her sisters. He’d already worked out her life entwined with theirs and Karisa’s retelling of what happened to her ancestor proved her magic came from the maternal side of the family. Powerful magic, but not strong enough to destroy this curse which forced intimacy and created heartbreak in its wake.
He read farther and almost jumped out of his seat when he read the name Merlin.
She’d met Merlin, and he’d bowed down to her? What did that mean?
Seth stared at the door once again.
Wicasa must have known this. Why hadn’t he told them so they’d be extra careful when protecting this witch? Then he remembered what Karisa had told him after their forced night together. She wasn’t a witch. She was a muse.
Damn Wicasa and his secrets. He told them things on a need-toknow basis. Like a few weeks before the visit to Glacial Falls, when he’d ensured the professors drill themselves on evacuating the students if it became necessary to do so. And the way he’d called them to him when he learned of the attack on the students in the tavern in Glacial Falls. Like he knew it was coming. Mulder frowned. How had Wicasa known there was something wrong? What happenedtotheyoungshadowmagestakeninforquestioning?
Wicasa had not said a word about them, either. The only pleasant memory he had of that day was discovering Garrett wasn’t among the captured fledgling shadow mages. He’d panicked as he lifted off the masks to reveal their faces. It had been no surprise to see Jardin Lewis. He knew the wizard would never amount to anything once he left university. That Jardin received a passing grade still surprised him.
He’d question the Dean later regarding the prisoners from the day at the tavern. He was reading again, amazed by the words that tumbled off the page like a proverbial fountain of knowledge. What
was this Flute of Tranquility and how had she acquired it from Macula? Wicasa had fought the wizard decades ago. Karisa was barely twenty. She couldn’t have existed in the previous century.
He calmed as he recalled her saying time moved differently in her realm. Who knew what her true age was? With Karisa here, what did that mean for the realm she’d left behind? Is that what Tempest wanted from her? A way to her realm where he’d harness the power of her and her family for his own dark deeds?
Those thoughts only convinced him further he needed to save Karisa. He looked back at the paper to read the third memory. A loud bang had him standing up, wand in hand, and his chair hitting the floor with a thud. The freshmen who’d burst in took one look at his angry face, turned tail, and disappeared out the door, not even bothering to collect whatever it was he’d come in for. Seth looked down at the parchment and swore. He’d knocked over the solvent as he’d stood. As he watched, the parchment was disappearing right before his eyes.
Whatever the third happy memory had been, it was no longer there for him to read.
It seemed hours later that Seth jumped out of his seat in his private office. Once again, he’d fallen asleep at his desk. This time, however, it was with a mixed reaction he noted he hadn’t dreamed. Perhaps this was a good thing. He couldn’t afford to keep dreaming about who Karisa represented unless, by some miracle, he dreamed up a solution to help her. Merlin knew what the chances of that happening would be. He stretched and yawned. He would look at Merlin in a different light now he knew the sorcerer had been an influence on Karisa. If only he knew what that influence was. He sighed and sat back down.
It’snotasifIcanaskher,isit?
He stared at the notes he’d made earlier. It seemed like a jumble of words and symbols to him now. He sighed and rolled up the
parchments like they were precious scrolls and glanced at his pocket watch. Time. Another thing he would look at differently.
Seth gathered the bundles of notes he’d made and fumbled around in his jacket for the key to his private storeroom. He’d many expensive and dangerous herbs and potions in there. It had been a while since he’d been near it. He stared at the storeroom door. There was no need to unlock it. He straightened and scanned the room as he sliced the air with his wand and muttered another spell to check for any danger. When nothing happened, he used his wand to open the door the rest of the way. He glanced at the contents, his gaze homing on the shelf that showed someone had moved his supplies from their original positions. In seconds he was running for the Dean’s office, an ink-colored bottle in one hand and the half-torn label in the other.
LOCKER TALK
Karisa and Elowen made their way to the Terran stands. Reuben was nowhere in sight. Instead, she locked gazes with Casey. She beamed at him, and he grinned back. His relaxed expression morphed into one of embarrassment, and he pretended to look at his pocket watch when Elowen turned to see where Karisa was looking. Karisa’s heart ached for her friends. Since they’d returned from the Christmas break, things were strained between them. The sooner they had a real conversation and admitted they cared for each other, the better.
With a cheery hello, she greeted everyone and received an enthusiastic greeting in return. In her peripheral vison, she noticed Casey’s expression change. He looked at her with puzzlement that bordered on the edge of some brilliant breakthrough. She resolved to ask him about it later, but for now, she needed to carry out her plan. They’d just sat down when Reuben, who she affectionately thought of as her brother in this realm, came running up the stairs, almost tripping and falling flat on his face at Karisa’s feet.
“Karisa,” he said, ragged breathing punctuating his next words. “I can’t find my alchemy book. Please help me find it. Mulder threatened to bind it to my hands if I lost it again.” He turned bright red. “And you know he’ll do it.”
Both Casey and Bryn laughed. Petra glared at them, and their laughter soon died away. She looked at Reuben, suspicion in her gaze. “You had it in the library this morning. It was on the table when I saw you.”
“I thought I’d left it there, but when I went back, I couldn’t find it. Please Karisa, will you help me?” he asked again, sounding desperate.
“Well, of course I’ll help you,” Karisa said as she stood.
“I’ll come too,” Elowen said, standing. “We’ve still got time before the game starts.”
None of the wizards wanted to help Reuben, and they wanted to keep their seats. Petra stood too, but Karisa gestured for her to sit.
“Come on, Petra, I know you want to stay here with Bryn. We won’t be long, I’m sure.”
Petra nodded and sat. Tristan Merrick’s warm-up routine kept everyone else entertained, the Mistral councilor relishing his role as the game’s announcer. Karisa and Casey shared another glance before she followed Reuben and Elowen back down the stairs. No one followed them.
The trio headed toward the university in case Petra was watching, but as soon as they were out of sight, they made their way to the Beltane locker room under the cover of the stands. Then, deep in the shadows, well-hidden from view, Karisa grabbed one of their hands each in hers and squeezed them tight. “Ready?” she asked.
Both Elowen and Reuben nodded. “Ready,” they answered together.
Elowen made her way to the front of the Beltane locker room, the fire element ablaze over the entrance. She rang the little bell at the side of the long piece of fabric that passed for a door. As they watched, Elowen squared her shoulders as she waited to ask whoever answered if she could speak to Daniel Morrell.
Karisa grinned. It was a stroke of luck that had placed the undergraduate Beltane on the lacrosse team. She couldn’t remember the name of the wizard he’d replaced, but she’d heard Garrett was happy with his performance on the field. What Karisa was happier with, though, was the fact Daniel was the same undergraduate who’d kissed Elowen the night of the Yule Ball.
Karisa and Reuben had a hard time keeping their laughter quiet when Buchannan pulled open the door to see who was there. His face went from bright red to sickly green and then deathly pale as he tried to sneer and cope with nerves for the coming game all at once. He motioned for her to wait there and disappeared. Elowen looked around and signaled to the others by whistling. Karisa whispered the spell that evoked her true form and made her way forward, passed Elowen, and through the door Buchannan had left open ensuring no one noticed she’d wandered inside.
It took a few moments to adjust to the lighting. She stared at the floor as Daniel walked past her, beaming. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself by looking at him in case he sensed her there. He might turn around and see her. She kept moving, staying close to the wall, careful to avoid eye contact or draw attention to herself. After what seemed an age, she reached the area where the wizards were sitting.
They were in various states of dress, and she admired the display of masculine strength lacrosse and hours of training granted them. All toned arms, strong backs and thighs, and tight glutes, the kind of manly beauty Karisa knew would delight her sisters. Even Ross and Noble were solid walls of muscle, not that her gaze lingered on them. When she saw Garrett, Karisa swallowed hard. He was half naked. His stomach and chest were bare, his shirt clasped in one hand.
Damn,helookedgood.Goodenoughtoeat. She wished she dared reach out and touch him. To run her hands along his chest and follow her fingers with her lips just to get a little taste of him. Karisa stamped her foot to rid herself of the erotic vision filling her mind. She withdrew further into the shadows as Noble turned in the noise’s direction. For a second, Karisa was sure they’d seen her, but Noble turned back around again and started talking to Baxter, Ross, and McHale. Buchannan was busy checking the stitching on his lacrosse stick in the far corner, oblivious to anyone or anything.
She couldn’t help but take another glance at Garrett and sighed despite herself. He seemed so calm. She’d not expected that. Karisa was sure he’d use the time to pace before his team, lecturing them. She’d expected him to be uptight. If anything, he looked like he was half asleep. He closed his eyes for a moment and a smile played on his lips.
Oh,toknowwhattheBeltaneStudwasthinkingabout. She moved closer to the seated wizards so she could hear their conversation, stopping behind Noble and across from Ross and McHale. Not one of them turned in her direction or noticed she was there. She stood still, kept her gaze fixed on the floor, and listened.
“I keep telling you it’s just a matter of time,” McHale said. “As soon as I know, you’ll know. We’re in on this together. I do what I’m told the same as you do.”
Ross grunted then and produced a huge sandwich from the plate beside him. Through a mouthful of food, he said, “Valentine’s Day, right?”
With a speed that amazed her, Noble reached over and forced the rest of the sandwich into Ross’s mouth. “Shh, you idiot. Do you want everyone to know?”
Ross shook his head as his eyes bulged almost as far as his cheeks did.
Baxter walked back over from his locker where he’d been putting on his shoes and smirked at his teammates. “All ready to massacre the Undines?” he asked as he picked up his lacrosse stick and just missed hitting McHale with it.
His teammate jumped up and pushed Baxter across the room, missing Karisa by inches. By some miracle, they didn’t see her.
“Save your energy,” Garrett said. He stood and put on his shirt.
Karisa took one more glimpse, her lust-filled gaze drinking him in as it traveled from his chest to his eyes. At that moment, Garrett looked over and froze.
Ohmystars!Canheseeme?
Her gaze darted toward the door. For several seconds, Garrett stared in her direction. After what seemed like an eternity, Garrett turned, buttoning his shirt.
“Save your energy,” he said again, then smirked. “There are great things in store for us today and after the dance. We’re going to need it. Am I right?”
Noble and Ross stood and walked over to where Garrett, Baxter, and McHale waited.
“Right,” they yelled together in a loud cheer.
Buchannan joined them and smirked. “To us! To victory!” he cheered, and everyone cheered that, too.
“Wait a minute,” Garrett said, looking puzzled. “Where’s Morrell?”
Karisa edged her way toward the front of the tent, eager to get out of there again before the game started and anyone noticed they
were missing.
“He’s out the front talking to the redhead from Terran.” Buchannan grimaced. “Merlin knows what he sees in her.”
Karisa frowned and looked back at Buchannan.
“Not Dunstan?” Garrett asked, his gaze narrowing. Buchannan swallowed hard and nodded. Garrett tightened his grip on his lacrosse stick.
“Tell him to get back here now. She’s on the Terran lacrosse team. She might be trying to find out what our strategies are for all he knows. I don’t want him talking to her.”
Buchannan nodded, took a few steps toward the entranceway, and called out to Morrell.
McHale laughed raucously. “Why? Good luck to him. He’d probably do well at playing our game of love ‘em and leave ‘em. We ought to clue him in, make it an official part of joining the team. I don’t care if she’s a Terran. I wouldn’t mind having a piece of her myself.”
Karisa released an indignant, feminine gasp. All the wizards spun around, trying to locate the sound, their surprised looks almost comical. Their teammate soon distracted them as Karisa, summoning her magic, sent McHale flying across the locker room and crashing into a pole before he landed on his lacrosse stick, snapping it in half. Daniel’s return panicked Karisa, and she ran for it, brushing past the new Beltane defender like an icy wind.
Karisa stopped just outside the locker room door. Still in her ethereal form, she turned and peered through the opening. Ross and Noble were trying to pick up McHale, who was cursing and screaming over the loss of his lacrosse stick and the greasy finger marks left by Ross as he grabbed at McHale’s uniform. Buchannan and Baxter were almost on the floor laughing at their antics, and Garrett and Daniel stared at them as if they were all crazy.
At last, Garrett took charge. “Shut up,” he yelled at his other defender and his goalkeeper. “Get ready to play. You two, get your lacrosse sticks and get out there.”
He waved his arm at Ross and Noble, who stared at him blankly before doing as he requested. He glared at McHale and pointed to a
locker that stood a little further away than the others.
“I don’t know what you were hoping to achieve by that little stunt but save it for the game. There’s another lacrosse stick in there and you better play brilliantly with it. You got that?”
McHale nodded, still swearing as he stomped off toward the lockers.
Then Garrett turned on Daniel. “I don’t care who you want to chat up, Morrell, but let me make it clear. One, she’s a Terran. Two, she’s on their lacrosse team and your opposite on the field and three, make it with the witches on your own time, not mine. The last thing we need is someone snooping around here trying to find out our plans and game tactics. Do I make myself clear?”
Daniel frowned but nodded. He collected his lacrosse stick and followed the rest of the team out. Garrett stood there a moment longer, staring at the spot she’d stood in moments before with a puzzled expression. Karisa turned and bolted toward the stands, confusion on her mind.
Karisa sat on the ground with Reuben patting her hand and Elowen stroking her hair as she regained her solid form. She’d slumped over on Reuben’s shoulder, and Elowen was assuring her in a soft voice she was safe now. A moment later, she straightened and yawned. “I’m fine,” she said when they continued staring at her, worry etched across their faces. “Really, I am.”
“I know you said this spell is normal for you, but does it always take that much out of you?” Reuben asked. “Wow,” he said a moment later. “How do they change color like that? Your eyes,” he said when she quirked an eyebrow at him. “Is it part of the spell? They just went from molten silver to your usual color. What do you call it again? Aquamarine?”
When Karisa’s breathing returned to its normal pace, she smiled and said, “No, that’s just me.”