“No. Are you listening to me? Simon, take her to her parents’ house right now.”

“She can’t get in again.” Meriel got in his face, his shirt gripped in her hand. “Listen to me, Dominic. She can’t. Nothing and no one else can. I’m there now. I cut off that bond to her. I cut it off and cauterized it and then I put my own energy there. She can’t get in. You’re not going to go anywhere but home with me.”

“How do you know?” God, he couldn’t bear it, couldn’t bear to think on hurting her. How could she ever trust him again? Would she be scared of him forever?

“Because it’s my spell and your mother is a punk-ass bitch in the magick department. Oh, that’s right.” Meriel was pissed off, he realized. Not upset with him, not afraid of him at all. But murderously pissed off at Gloria Ochoa.

Simon eased back and sat on the corner of the desk as they settled in to watch Meriel.

“I got her number. She’s a fucking amateur wearing a costume of a powerful witch. She will not get in because you are mine and that is that. She can’t best me. Not ever. I am badass, Dominic. I know most people don’t know it, but you better believe it. I will tear her apart when I find her. You can bet on that. I. Am. Not. Having. This.”

He exhaled long and hard and took her in.

Magnificent.

Glorious.

Righteous.

“I am stupid in love with you.” He moved to her, putting his arms around her. Their magick flared and flowed into the room again. It felt good to be back in synch.

Her rage faded as she smiled sort of crookedly at him. “You love me?”

“Ah, I should go now.” Simon stood.

Startled into remembering Simon’s presence, she straightened. “We’re going to go home.” Meriel pulled her phone out and called Gage’s mother about coming over.

The way she gave orders was ruthlessly precise. She was putting a plan together. She might wear novelty socks and know all the words to Grease, but she did things with a purpose. Gloria had issued a challenge. And Meriel would answer that. But she’d do so only after she had considered every option and mapped out every single factor. His woman would understand and be prepared to beat every possible attack.

“You all right?” Simon asked.

“Yeah. I just … she made it okay. It was like I was far away and then she was there pulling me back to shore. Watching her right now, I’m just struck by how truly lucky I am.”

“She’s right, you know. Gloria can’t get in again. You were out of it for a while when Meriel was doing the spell. I’ve never seen magick like that. She reflected what your mother was putting out to keep the bridge open and then she stole it. Like yanked it out of her. Whipcrack. And it’s over. Epic witchery. I am impressed as hell.”

“I wish I’d have seen it. Nell’s going to ask me about it, so can I have her call you so you can describe what Meriel did?”

“Sure.”

Meriel approached and tucked her hand in his. “Come on. She’s on her way. Nell’s coming here. My mother will most likely also be at our apartment too.” She put her head on his shoulder.

“You need to go home. She’s right. I’m just fine here on my own. You’ve already been here most of the night.” He turned to Meriel. “Will you call me to check in once he’s settled?”

“Of course. Thanks for your help tonight.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. You were indeed badass. Now let’s get you to your car. I’ll feel better if I go with you. Unless you think there’s going to be a problem here?” He looked to Meriel again.

“The club’ll be fine. She didn’t break the wards; her magick came in another way. I was stupid to not have thought of it. But she can’t get in again. This is her way of testing to see if her hunch was true. If her son was alive, she’d be able to test that. One way or another she’d know. And now she does.”

“What a vicious bitch.” Simon walked them to the back where her car was waiting.

“Yes. Watch your back, Simon. Any hit at all on the wards and you go to safe mode.” They had contingencies for all kinds of potential problems. Safe mode would alert the security company. Only it was a special kind of security company made up of Others. Usually witches working with Weres. Nice to have the magick and the muscles.

Meriel got him up to their apartment. Gage’s mom was waiting, along with her parents and Gage. She nearly lost it when she saw them, but managed to hold it back.

“Let’s get him cleaned up first.” Gage’s mother got right to work, rolling up her sleeves. “I have some soap in my bag.” She thrust it at Meriel. “Use it on him from head to toe. I’ll get the bedroom ready.”

Her father smiled and patted Dominic on the back. “You look damned good. My girl protected you.” He kissed Meriel’s cheek. “You did well.”

“I’m going to go over these wards again,” Edwina called out. “Do you want Gage to take him in, Meriel? He’s got to be heavy. It won’t do if one of you slips and falls.”

Meriel choked back a sob and nodded quickly, clearing her throat. “I’m fine. He’s steady on his feet. I’ll yell if we need help.”

She pointed at the toilet where she’d just put the seat down. “Sit.”

A knock sounded on the door and Gage handed Dominic a mug of something. “Hold your nose and drink it fast. It’ll be over soon and you’ll feel better.”

“You speak from experience?” Dominic, amused, asked Gage.

“Enough to know how to keep from gagging on it. This is a system cleanse of sorts. It’s got all kinds of crap she grows and picks and then says spells over. It works, if that helps at all.”

Meriel had had that crap when she was in high school. They’d been in a car accident and the smoke had been horrible. They’d been relatively uninjured but the smoke from the car fire had blown in their faces as they’d waited for the cops and aid cars. That stuff had cleared the gunk out, but she felt every damned minute of it. Blech. But it did really work, she agreed with Gage.

He drank it and she caught the shudder.

“He didn’t lie.”

She laughed. It was brittle. She heard it herself. Quickly, she stripped him down and then herself and took him into the shower. The goop smelled good. Clean and right. She had to stretch to reach him all, but he bent and let her get his hair. She let go for the moment, just reveling in being able to touch him that way. The water pounded on him and she kneaded and caressed, scrubbed and stroked from head to toe. Her magick had softened and warmed. It flowed from her and around him. Healing. Loving. Connecting.

The block of fear she’d been choking on since she’d left Heart of Darkness and began to really think about how much they could have lost began to melt away. Helpless in the face of the love she felt for this man. She hadn’t told him she loved him back when they’d been at Heart of Darkness; the situation had shifted and it hadn’t felt like the right time with Simon there.

But here between them she could show him.

“Wow,” he murmured as he stepped out some minutes later. “That was amazing. I feel so good. Taken care of. But that doesn’t really do it justice. You make me feel like I can come home and be safe. Be loved. Thank you for being my safe place. Tonight it was you, Meriel. You snapped me out of it. You fought some sort of major magickal battle with my mother and a dark spirit and you haven’t broken a sweat.”

“I love you too.” She leaned in to press her face to his neck. Warm and vibrant. He was alive and he was fine and everything would be all right. Gloria couldn’t have him. She’d see to that.

“I might have sweated a little bit. But that’ll be our secret.”

Chapter 25

HOURS later, she closed the door after the last visitor left. Dominic had been tucked into bed under a very deep sleep spell her mother had cast. He needed the rest so his system could heal.