“One last call.” She rapped his wandering fingers with her phone before dialing the office and telling her secretary, ever punctual and at her desk by seven a.m., she was taking a few personal days, but should Edwina ask, she was to assure her that Meriel had taken care of anything pressing and would return to work on Monday. Kelly, bless her heart, repeated it back twice. Both times with an are you sure you mean Monday lilt.

And Meriel had repeated that yes, she meant Monday and that she hadn’t had a vacation of longer than a day or two in three years. Which suitably calmed Kelly down and all was well again.

“Don’t know why it’s such a big deal. I have so much unused vacation time they get on me about it.”

“That’s because anyone who takes a look at you wants to get on you.” He paused to allow her to kiss his nose. “And as to your earlier question about the marks. They’re protective magick. Tom did them when I was a baby and a toddler. He says they keep me out of trouble. Like personal wards I guess.”

She smiled. “Really?” She spun to straddle his waist and look more closely. “These are gorgeous. It must be the magickal energy that makes them visible.”

“They’re not visible.”

Surprised, she looked into his face. “What do you mean?”

“I can see them. Not all the time, but most of it. Tom can see them because he made them. But no one else I’ve ever known has been able to see them.”

“And how do you feel about it? That I can see them when others haven’t been able to?” Nervousness ate at her.

“It’s just one more example in a long line of examples. I may not be used to it, or entirely comfortable with the idea of this bond-mate thing being out of my control. But I can’t deny that it’s real. I may not understand it all. I may not have grown up expecting it. But how can I ignore each new thing that comes up? I’m outclan, not stupid.”

She tried to hide a smile but couldn’t and he laughed. “It’s destiny. I don’t think destiny cares much about your personal preferences.”

“Simon said something similar and my friend Trey, also a witch, said I should stop whining and rejoice that you were gorgeous, talented and clearly too good for me.”

So charming, this man. “You told your friends in New York about me?”

“They could tell you were someone special by the way I acted when you texted. And then when I rushed out yesterday. Of course I told them.”

“I’m sorry I disrupted your work.” But not sorry he was there with her.

“You needed me. I came.” He shrugged and managed to look adorable, mussed and sweet all at the same time.

“How did anyone manage to tell you no growing up?”

“Believe me, people found a way. What’s your plan for today?”

“I just took it off to be with you.”

“You and I are going to the firing range. Then I’m taking you to lunch somewhere and there’ll be more sex of course.”

“The range? To shoot guns?”

“Here’s how I think it should go. You’ve taught me a lot about my magick. I appreciate it and hope you continue to do so. In exchange, I want to help make you safer in the ways I can. Are you already an Olympic sharpshooter or anything?”

She laughed. “Me? No. Why would you think that?”

“You’re good at everything. Okay then. So I’m good with a gun. Letting me teach you will make you stronger and safer. It’s win-win.”

“All right then.”

HER fantasy bubble popped two days later when Meriel and Dominic came around the corner toward her front door and found Edwina standing there, her finger steady on the bell.

“There you are. Where have you …” Her gaze flicked from Meriel to Dominic, whose hand had been snagged with hers.

“Mother, come in.” Meriel dug her keys from a pocket and unlocked the front door. But it was Dominic who subtly, but firmly put his body first and went in, leaving the two women in the hall for a moment before he turned and nodded. She was more than able to detect an intruder, but it was nice that he wanted to protect her anyway.

Edwina made no secret of her curiosity where Dominic was concerned, as Meriel locked the door and the wards snapped back into place.

“I’m Edwina Owen, Meriel’s mother. And you are most assuredly not any run-of-the-mill boyfriend. I can see her all over your skin.” She turned to Meriel. “Why have you not told me about this?”

“I wanted to get to know him first.”

Edwina waved a hand and managed to make it look graceful. “Of course you do. You can do that after the ascension.”

Clicking her teeth together, Meriel turned to him with a forced smile. “Dominic, you said you had to make a run to your place? I’ll meet you at Heart of Darkness later.”

“No, you won’t. I’m here with you right now.” He held a hand out to Edwina. “I’m Dominic Bright. I suppose you know what I am at this point.”

Edwina allowed the whisper of a triumphant smile touch her lips and Dominic could see, quite clearly, where Meriel got her spine. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to allow this woman, or anyone else for that matter, make Meriel feel small.

“Who are your people, Dominic?”

“Why don’t we all sit and have some juice?” Meriel motioned to the table and her mother sent her a narrowed glare, which Meriel only shrugged off. Dominic stepped into the kitchen.

“Ladies, I’ll get the juice. You two go on and visit. I’ll be along momentarily.”

“How long?” Edwina got right to the point.

“I met him last Thursday.”

“As in a week ago? Or day before yesterday?”

“A week ago.”

“A week you’ve been possibly stalked by some gang of mages bent to kidnap and drain you. You could have ascended. Been far more powerful. You’ve not done the spell yet. Why?” It was a demand thinly disguised as a question.

Meriel drew a deep breath and it was as if he felt it too. Just at that moment their connection glittered. Her gaze cut to his briefly. Long enough to see the gratitude in her eyes.

“He’s outclan. He didn’t grow up with this as a reality. He didn’t even know he was full-council until Thursday. He asked for time, I gave it to him. It’s entirely reasonable and it’s not like there’s a time limit for the ascension spell to be given. It’ll be there next month or the month after.”

“You can get to know him either way. Why wouldn’t you do the ascension and then get to know each other? One doesn’t have to involve the other. He’s your bond-mate either way. Why you’d deny that or play semantics games is beyond me.”

“Which is why I kept this to myself to begin with.”

Dominic put the juice on the table and sat close to Meriel.

Edwina turned to Dominic. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself? You can do the spell and it cements the bond. It’ll open up your magick and hers too. She’ll ascend to the full-council and if something were to happen to me tomorrow, she could take over. Why would you rob her of this?”

Meriel interrupted, her magick washing over him and through the room. “Whoa. No. We will not discuss this in those terms. This is not robbing anyone of anything. This is why I didn’t tell you and wasn’t going to until he’d decided he was ready for the ascension. I don’t want him to be pressured to do it. It should be his choice.”

“So you hide from me for a week? And what’s all this nonsense about choice? He’s your bond-mate. He clearly enjoys you physically. You were holding hands when you came back just now so there’s a romantic connection. But beside any of that, the bond is there whether you play courting for a while or not.”

“Exactly. Which is precisely why I want him to make that choice himself. I lose nothing if I let him have the time and I gain the knowledge that when he comes to me for the ascension, he does it knowingly and purposefully. This is my life. This is my bond-mate. This is my heart and my soul and I won’t start off my life with him with emotional manipulations and or ultimatums. If he can’t come to me on his own, I’m not worthy and he sure as hell isn’t.”