Witch's Spark (Thornheart Coven Book 2) Read online

  “That’s good then.” Faye smiled, hoping that was enough to satisfy the necromancer’s curiosity. Though she doubted it.

  “I’ve heard triad mating are rare. Treasure it,” she said sadly, surprising Faye. She hadn’t expected that response from the woman.

  “You’ll find your someone,” Reese said, surprisingly calmly given how much he seemed to dislike the woman.

  “Maybe. Or maybe it’s just not on the cards for me.”

  “Give it time,” Faye responded.

  “Is that all?” The necromancer rose to her feet, straightening out her skirt. That was a dismissal if ever Faye had heard one.

  “Yes, thank you Isabella, I know you didn’t have to...”

  “If it stops another child from being cursed by her knowing, then it’s worth it. I suppose.” She shrugged, but the pain in her eyes was evident.

  “I hope it does. And maybe we can find your sister?” Faye suggested.

  “I doubt it.”

  “What’s her name?” Penny asked, speaking up for the first time in a while. Faye grasped her hand tighter.

  “Carmen.”

  “If we find her, we’ll make sure she comes back to you,” she promised softly.

  Isabella just nodded. “Thank you.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Bex, Bex, please. Calm down and talk slower,” Faye asked as she paced back and forth in front of him. He was worried already. Bex was fiercely independent, probably even more so since her fake wedding and secret child. Well, the wedding had been real. And the marriage. But the reasons behind it hadn’t been, and as far as Reese was aware, there was barely any contact between Bex and Robert now his part of the disaster at the wedding had come out.

  He strained his ears, trying to hear the other part of the conversation, but it seemed like Bex was a little too worked out for that. It was a miracle Faye could tell what she was saying. Maybe it was a woman thing.

  “What’s happening?” Penny asked, placing a gentle hand on his arm. He found it oddly soothing, and wished she’d do it more.

  “I’m not too sure. Faye’ll tell us in a moment,” he said with a frown. Faye was now waving her spare hand around, talking animatedly. Maybe he needed to get Mia involved too. But no, that wasn’t a good idea until after he’d spoken to Faye.

  “Who’s she talking to?”

  “Her oldest sister. I hope nothing’s wrong with her daughter.”

  “She’s not a...”

  “No, I don’t think so. Bex is a witch. But none of us know who her daughter’s father is.”

  “So she could be part necromancer?” Penny sounded nervous, and he turned so he could put his arm around her, pulling her close. She nuzzled into his chest, and something uncoiled inside him. He hadn’t realised quite how worried he’d been about her not actually wanting to have anything with him. He’d have respected that, naturally, but he’d have been sad.

  “I suppose so, yes. But it seems a little unlikely.”

  “Keep me away from her,” she begged, her emotional eyes up at him filled with her plea.

  “Faye’ll be sad if you don’t want to meet her,” he pointed out.

  “It’s not safe,” she protested weakly. So she did have a soft spot for children. That was good to know. It meant he had a chance of them in the future, though how that was going to work was a little beyond him. He supposed the child would be his and Faye’s, at least biologically. He had no doubt Penny would be as much of a parent to whatever offspring they had.

  “I’m sure it will be. Fiona isn’t even five yet. You’ve got months to meet her with it being perfectly safe.” He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. She was beautiful. Not the same kind of beautiful as Faye, but equally so.

  “Oh, I suppose then. But then I won’t be able to see her for a year.” Tears began to pool in Penny’s eyes, and his heart broke for her. He was under the impression she’d been alone far longer than anyone should have been. At least he and Faye could change that now.

  “We’ll explain it to her. What about if you talked on the phone? If you wanted to I mean. You can tell when you’re going to scream, right?”

  “Yes.”

  He nodded. He’d thought that was what her repeated use of the word no was earlier, but wanted to be sure. “We could do that, then you can hang up the phone when you feel one coming. Or maybe one of us can always be there and do something about it if we think something is about to go wrong.”

  “You’d do that for me?” she asked in awe.

  “Of course we would,” Faye answered, touching her hand to the other woman’s back, before trailing it down so her skin touched his as well as their shared mate. “We’re a team, Penny, and that means we support you whatever you need. And Bex will understand. Not right this second, but she’ll understand when we tell her.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of Penny’s head. There was something about this situation, as unusual as it seemed, that felt right.

  He pulled Penny in closer, and opened his other arm to Faye, who snuggled herself into him too. This was heaven. Having the two of them so connected to him was what he’d been missing his entire life.

  “What was wrong with Bex?”

  “They’ve found something.” Faye frowned.

  “What kind of something?”

  “A prison, I think.”

  “She shouldn’t even be looking.” He felt the anger rising inside him. He’d thought Bex was leaving the whole situation well alone. But apparently not.

  “I know. But I think Robert found it, then told her. What else was she to do, I guess?” She looked unsure, but he knew she had a point.

  “Robert shouldn’t be looking either. He could get himself hurt,” Reese protested. Plus, he didn’t trust Robert in the slightest. Even ignoring the fact he let himself be controlled by a group of witch hunters, there was something iffy about him. Reese had never liked him, even when he’d just been Bex’s plus one.

  “He’s probably trying to redeem himself,” Faye muttered.

  “For what?” Penny looked between the two of them, an adorably confused look on her face.

  “Marrying my sister because they were being blackmailed, causing my niece to get kidnapped, causing my other sister to get kidnapped, ruining Bex’s wedding. Take your pick.” Faye shrugged.

  “I hardly think ruining Bex’s wedding is a real option there, Bex knew what she was doing, and Robert was fake marrying her from the start,” Reese pointed out. He knew that Bex had been under alot of stress, particularly with poor Fiona missing, but there was a part of him that thought she was at least a little to blame. Or that she at least wasn’t blameless. If she’d told her family about her four year old daughter, then there would have been less danger in the poor thing being kidnapped, and more people to help find her.

  Then again, he could understand why she didn’t. Being unmated, and having a child, was unheard of. Not even just rare. It really shouldn’t happen. And there were still a lot of unanswered questions for Bex. He had even more questions now. If Penny couldn’t have children, but wanted to, then there was a chance that Bex may know of a way to make it so she could have one. That would be worth the awkward conversation.

  “It is too. He still brought the witch hunters. He still brought Mia to their attention and got her drugged.” Faye shrugged out from under his arm, and crossed her arms across her chest. He was in trouble then.

  “Well yes...”

  “So he has plenty to make up for,” Faye pointed out, pouting slightly.

  “It sounds like she has a point,” Penny pointed out.

  “Huh, is this what I’m going to have to live with now? Being ganged up on all the time?” He laughed despite himself. They were kind of cute when they were both angry at him. Not that he was going to tell them that, it’d probably just end with them yelling at him.

  “Maybe.” Faye smirked, clearly amused with his reaction.

  “I look forward to it.”

  Penny laughed
, probably completely at ease for the first time since he’d met her. He leaned down, and kissed her lips gently. When he pulled away, she pressed her fingers to her lips. “What was that for?” she asked, seeming so innocent, it hurt.

  “You’re my mate, do I need a reason?”

  “No, I suppose not. But...” She glanced off towards Faye, who’d relaxed a little and was looking on with a smile on her face that stretched all the way to her eyes.

  “You’re both our mates, Penny. The bond isn’t designed for jealousy. How do you feel when I kiss Reese?”

  He watched Penny’s reaction carefully, wondering what she’d do. When she turned a delightful shade of pink, pride welled up within him. Yes, she did have a definite innocence about her. He wondered just how far it went. Then again, he supposed it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t like he and Faye had any experience either. That was the problem with being mated but unable to touch.

  “I like it,” she whispered.

  “Good,” he responded, before kissing her again.

  “But what do we do now?” she asked once they’d parted, looking between him and Faye.

  “We’re waiting on Bex finding out more, but I think we’re going to need to go find the place she’s on about.”

  “Yeah, I think so too,” he agreed. That was one of the problems with being a witch. For some reason, their policing system sucked. Probably because the Council wanted to be as peaceful as possible. Which he understood, but sometimes, it really wasn’t practical. Like now. If they told the Council about the witch hunters, all that would happen was they’d debate it for ages before doing anything about it. If they did anything at all. It didn’t matter that the hunters had been after them for centuries.

  As long as there were witches, there’d be people hunting them, he guessed.

  “Which means what?” Penny asked.

  “We can go home and rest for a bit.” Faye gave Reese a knowing look, and he nodded. They’d waited for too long not to do what they wanted to now they had a little bit of time.

  “Okay, can you drop me off at mine on the way? I’ve no idea where we are?” A disappointed expression crossed her face. She’d misunderstood Faye’s intentions then.

  “You can come with us,” he told her, watching first delight, and then wariness passing over her features.

  “I don’t want to impose.”

  Faye moved back in closer, so she was just a hair’s breadth away from Penny’s face. She reached out a hand and brushed the other woman’s cheek. “We want you to come back with us,” she whispered.

  Reese slowly removed him arm from around Penny, allowing Faye the access she wanted. She slid her arm around the redhead’s waist, and pulled her in close, before pressing her body against her, and letting their mouths join in a slow, drawn out kiss.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Penny was nervous. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done this before, but she didn’t want to slip up and make either of the other two nervous. Because it was clear, both from the glances they were throwing each other, and from the things they’d been saying about the situation, that they hadn’t. Which meant they were probably relying a little on her to direct things, even if they didn’t realise that’s what they were doing.

  After a few moments of the three of them just stood there, she strode forward and pressed her lips against Faye’s. It took the blonde a moment to respond, but soon her tongue was tangling with Penny’s. Faye groaned, and pressed her body more firmly against her. Penny slipped her hand around her waist. She slipped her other hand under the bottom of Faye’s shirt, touching the smooth skin there, and making the other woman shiver. She was clearly sensitive, which could only make this more fun for them all.

  Penny broke away from Faye, and looked around the room, focusing on it for the first time. She’d been too focused on the two people in it before hand. Her heart broke when she noticed the two beds, both about three quarter sized. She wondered just how long her mates had been torturing themselves for. Probably as long as they’d been together. She hated that, but at least she could make it better.

  “Do you think we could push the beds together?” she asked, a little breathlessly. There was no way the three of them were going to all fit in one that size.

  “Yes,” Reese said, moving over to the one of the left.

  “Reese?” Faye asked in a small voice.

  “Hmm?”

  “Do you mind if I try?” She nodded at her hands which were already glowing a pale white with the sparks that were there. Penny thought back to how they’d felt against her skin during their first kiss, and couldn’t wait to feel them again. It’d been unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. But then again, kissing Faye, and Reese, had been nothing like she’d ever expected either.

  “Go ahead,” he said, his eyes lighting up with pride as he stepped back, motioning for Penny to do the same.

  A look of severe concentration crossed Faye’s face, and sparks jumped from her hands towards the two beds. Nothing happened for a moment, but then, with a shake and a shudder, they moved together. The meeting of the two beds was a little rough. And the made a thumping sound, but other than that, it seemed to work perfectly, and the two beds were finally side by side.

  “I did it!” Faye sounded far more delighted than she possibly should given that she’d just performed magic. As far as Penny knew, she was a witch. And the whole point of witches was that they could do magic of one sort or another. Or at least, she thought it was. If not, then she had a lot of reevaluating to do.

  “You did.” Reese beamed as he looked on. The mood slightly altered with Faye’s magic.

  “I don’t have to hide it anymore.”

  “No, you don’t.” Penny could hear the affection in Reese’s voice. Affection that was reflected in her own feelings, though she couldn’t for the life of her explain why she was feeling them. Other than that Faye was happy, and her happiness meant the world to Penny. It hit her that she was no longer alone in the world. And that she never had to be alone in the world ever again. It was an odd revelation, but one she very much liked the sound of.

  “Did what? Magic?” she asked for clarification.

  “Yes,” Faye responded, a giddy look on her face. “Big magic.” She beamed.

  “What she means to say, is that she’s never managed to do anything that big before. She’s been trying for years, but nothing seems to have worked. So now...”

  “Now you’ve come along,” Faye finished, bouncing over to Penny and pulling her close, kissing her far more firmly and passionately that Penny had expected.

  Slowly, Faye walked backwards, pulling Penny with her until the two of them hit the bed. Without breaking the kiss, Faye lay back on the bed, and Penny found herself straddling the other woman, still kissing her. They were close, but not quite as close as Penny would have liked. There were too many clothes for that.

  She broke the kiss and sat up, lifting the edge of her shirt and beginning to pull it over her head. Beneath her, Faye shook her head. “Let me,” she whispered huskily.

  Penny cocked her head to the side, not too sure what Faye had in mind. Or at least, she didn’t until the sparks lit up Faye’s hands again. This time, they danced over their clothing, and awareness dawned on her, as the clothes vanished, landing in a crumpled heap on the floor.

  “Damn it,” Faye muttered.

  “Why? It worked didn’t it?” Penny asked, admiring the swell of Faye’s now naked breasts and the stretch of skin that made up her stomach. Maybe if she moved backwards slightly, they’d be able to see even more. But all in good time.

  “They’re supposed to be folded.” She pouted, which was just an invitation to kiss her. Penny leaned down and tugged Faye’s lips between her teeth gently, making the other woman groan and buck against her. Good. That was exactly the reaction she wanted. The only problem was, she didn’t want Faye squirming out of the way when she touched her more.

  “Reese?” she asked.

  “Ye
s, Penny,” he responded, moving over to the bed and perching on the side of it. There was a hooded look in his eyes that told her he was as affected by the situation as they were, and he hadn’t even been touched yet. Then again, the tension was a palpable thing, creating an intense atmosphere in the room that would have affected a nun.

  “Can you hold Faye’s arms for me?” she asked, watching the pair of them closely to check they were okay with it. Interest flared in both of their eyes, and Reese nodded, moving around so he could do as she asked. He leaned down and kissed Faye once, it was chaste, and more to show trust and affection than anything else.

  “You okay?” Penny asked, and Faye nodded in return. “Good.”

  She swung her leg over so she was perched next to Faye, then trailed her hand up one of her legs, enjoying the soft whimpers that slipped from the other woman’s lips.

  She moved her hand inwards, Faye’s legs involuntarily falling open, allowing Penny to tease between them, causing more whimpers to fall from her lips. Slowly, and making sure Faye was comfortable the whole time, she slipped one of her fingers inside her, curling upwards. Faye’s hips bucked off the bed, and she moaned loudly.

  Reese still held onto her arms, watching them intently, but not doing anymore. Penny liked that. She appreciated the respect he was giving to their time. Besides, he knew he’d get him.

  Penny pushed Faye’s legs further apart so she could move between them. The blonde looked down her body, meeting Penny’s eyes, so she gave her a wicked grin before lowering her mouth between her legs, drawing her tongue along Faye’s entrance. The whimpers increased, as did the pace at which Penny moved her fingers. She could tell from the shuddering of the woman beneath her, that Faye wasn’t going to last much longer.

  “Please,” Faye begged, though Penny wasn’t all that sure she was aware of what she was saying. Satisfaction filled her. She was doing this to her. No one else. Just her.

  Sparks emerged along Faye’s skin, moving themselves swiftly onto Penny’s own, and she was sure onto Reese’s too. She felt Faye’s legs stiffen, and the long drawn out scream that followed was accompanied by a flash of light as Faye’s sparks exploded along with her.