Gareth grinned, Zachary laughed outright, and Daniel just shook his head.
He kept an eye on her until he saw her start up the stairs, then turned to face his brothers with a warning growl. “Paws off my mate, Zachary.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Zachary waved him off, his expression sobering. “She can’t fight Cole, Chris.”
“I know that. She seems to think otherwise.”
“You’re mate’s a witch.” Daniel was studying him, his expression revealing nothing.
Christopher tensed. He hadn’t thought his brothers would have take issue with that, but if they did, they’d have to get over it. “Yes, she is. Is there a problem with that?”
Daniel smiled. “Not on my end.”
“Not on mine, either.” Zachary picked up another peanut MandM and tossed it into the air, his face relaxing once more into its usual devil-may-care expression.
Daniel caught it. “Does she know what we are?” He fended off Zachary’s attempt to get the MandM back.
Christopher grinned. “Yes. She does. She had more problems with the fact that I’m a wizard than she did with the wolf.”
Daniel and Zachary stopped fighting over the MandM. “Seriously?” Zachary let go of Daniel’s fist and lightly punched Christopher in the shoulder. “Congrats, bro!”
Daniel took advantage of Zachary’s distraction to pop the candy into his mouth.
“Congratulations.”
Gareth stood up from where he’d been lounging against the patio table. “This calls for a celebration.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Christopher got between his brothers and his kitchen. “The last time you celebrated in my house my cleaning lady quit without notice.”
“Is it our fault she walked in while we were changing?” Zachary shrugged and walked around Christopher into the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. For a man with the build of a runner he packed an awful lot of food into his lean frame.
“You should have warned us that she was coming in that day.” Daniel shook his head. “We would have gotten back sooner and at least had our pants on.”
“Instead she got an eyeful of naked ass.” Gareth sniggered. “In more ways than one.”
Zach snarled at Gareth. “Dickhead. Three minutes sooner and she would have gotten the shock of her life. Hey, you got any cheddar?”
Christopher groaned, watching both Daniel and Zachary empty his fridge, his fears confirmed. If Daniel and Zachary were doing that, they had no intention of leaving any time soon. “No, I don’t.”
“Damn it. It’s my favorite, especially with grapes.”
“Go buy some. Bring back milk while you’re out.”
Zachary grumbled, but pulled out his car keys.
“Beer run?” Daniel joined Zachary, heading towards the front door.
Zachary made a face. “Nah, wine for me.”
The two headed out, leaving Christopher and Gareth alone in the kitchen. “Help me put this stuff away.”
Gareth sighed and began repacking the fridge. “Think they’ll be back by morning?”
Christopher just glared at his brother and put the grapes back in the crisper.
She was still sleeping when he entered his bedroom that night. He watched her, unable to stop himself from stroking her hair back from her cheek. He loved it when she was sleeping; her face was so soft and innocent that…
He frowned. She was cold, and pale. He leaned closer, dread filling him.
She was barely breathing.
“Fuck.” Hopping from the bed, he ran for the door. “Gareth! Annabelle!”
Doors slammed open, feet came running, and soon all of the Becketts, plus Annabelle, were in his bedroom. When Zach and Daniel had returned from their run he had no clue, but he was grateful that they were there. He was doubly grateful that his brothers were dressed. “Something’s wrong with Lana.”
Annabelle rushed to the bed. “Let me see.” She placed her hand on her granddaughter’s cheek, pulling it back with a startled look. “She’s cold as ice!”
“We need to warm her.” He picked Lana up. He tried to ignore the way her breath was beginning to stutter in her chest. “Zach, start the water. Daniel, get a warming charm on that blanket. Gareth, I need you to put another protection spell on the room. Somehow Cole got through mine.” He had no doubt who had tried to harm his mate. But how had he done it? He’d never laid a hand on her, so sympathetic magic, like he’d used with the wolf hairs, wasn’t an option!
Zach preceded him into the bathroom, muttering under his breath, so low Christopher couldn’t make out the words. He turned on the water and began filling the tub once it was hot enough to suit Christopher.
Annabelle stood in the doorway and watched, worried. “We need to take the hex off of her.”
Christopher turned and stared at her. “Hex?” Cole couldn’t do hexes; only warlocks did hexes. Cole was most definitely a wizard. Besides, a hex most definitely required something of the victim’s to bind the magic.
Oh fuck. Her damn car was still out on the road. Cole could have pulled something from it.
And that meant he could do something to Lana whenever he wanted.
Fuck!
Annabelle nodded. “If that isn’t a hex I don’t know what one is.”
“Damn.” That also meant Cole had help; warlock help. “Is the tub full yet?”
Zach was mumbling under his breath, stirring the water with … bath oils?
“Zach?”
“Almost ready.” He sat back and frowned, his face determined and vaguely un-Zach-like. His little brother never looked this serious. “I need a white candle.”
Christopher opened his mouth to object but before he could, Annabelle turned. “Be right back.”
“What do you need the white candle for?”
Zach looked back at the bath. “The uncrossing.”
Christopher blinked. “Uncrossing.” He shifted Lana’s cool body in his arms. “Care to explain?”
Zach looked up at him. Something in his younger brother’s eyes … scared him. He’d never been scared of Zach before. Zach had less power than almost any other wizard he knew, so little that he was barely a blip in the Registry. So why did the expression on his little brother’s face bother him so much? “I need the white candle, Chris.”
“Here.” Annabelle handed it over.
Zach examined it and made an impatient noise. He pulled out his pen knife and carved something into the white surface.
“What are you doing?”
Annabelle’s confusion now matched Christopher’s own. What was Zach doing?
Zach finished carving the candle. Christopher got a good look at the symbol and nearly swallowed his tongue.
Zach had carved a symbol that had Christopher’s heart jumping. Three hammer-like arms were drawn equidistant from one another in a triskelion-like design without lifting the knife from the wax. In the center of the symbol was a wheeling sun, the six rays bent back as if in a wind. The maze-like drawing was then surrounded by a perfect circle. It was a symbol rarely seen, since there were those who considered that particular goddess to be on the dark side. “Hecate’s wheel? Zach, what the fuck?”
“Trust me.” Zach picked up yet another oil and rubbed it on the candle. The room smelled woodsy, each of the oils complementary in their scents. Christopher could detect juniper, rosemary and the bitter scent of rue.
Rue? Where did he get rue oil? Chris didn’t think he had any rue oil in his den. He certainly didn’t have it in his bathroom, considering its best use was for removing curses.
Chris looked at Annabelle, who shrugged. “Trust him.”