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“Okay, maybe not. But still… What if Harlon was after one of the passengers?”
“He was after you,” I said as gently as I could. “Or us.”
“Maybe he just wants the balloon company out of business…” she tried, then slumped at my hard look. “Okay, probably not. But, geez. Is he trying to kill us or warn us?”
My money was onkill, but I held my tongue.
“And is he so ruthless, he’s willing to take out a half dozen guests at the same time?” Erin went on. “Plus, what good does it do him to kill me? I only own a third of the ranch. Is he going to come after us one by one?” Then she froze, gripping my arm. “Oh my God. What if he goes after Pippa and Abby next? What if he goes after Claire?”
A split second later, Erin jumped up. The fire mimicked her, crackling with angry sparks.
I stared. What was with Erin and fire?
I grabbed her arm before she stomped outside to give Harlon a piece of her mind.
“Wait. Come on, Erin.” I pulled her back toward the fire. “Harlon could just as well have aimed this storm at the ranch and gone after all of you at the same time. So, maybe this was just a warning.”
Erin huffed. “Just?”
I squeezed her hand. “Bad word choice. Sorry.”
It took ages to coax her back to the fire. I made her sit, then settled down behind her in a loose hug.
“First, we need to warm up. Then, when the storm settles, we’ll head back to town.” Erin gave me a doubtful look, but I insisted. “Harlon can’t keep this up forever. So, we need a plan for what comes next.”
“Oh, I’ll tell you what’s next. My sisters and I march into that overpriced mansion of his and kick his ass,” Erin growled.
I chuckled. “Much as I like the idea…”
She sighed. “Okay, maybe I’ll make that item two. But I swear, that man is going to get a piece of my mind.”
I grinned, picturing her sisters beside her, Pippa with a pitchfork, Abby with a bat. I would be next in line, ready to roast that warlock until there was nothing left but ash.
With a deep breath, I rested my chin on Erin’s shoulder. It wasn’t that simple, and I knew it.
“Can he do that?” Erin’s voice shook with coldandanger. “I mean, can he just conjure up a storm?”
“You tell me,” I murmured, careful to keep my tone even.
She tensed. “If you mean my father, no. He doesn’t go around slamming cities with storms—” She cut herself off, making a face. “Okay, okay, there was that dust storm that hit Phoenix a couple of years back. But that was an accident.” She bristled. “And this is about Harlon, not my father.”
I thought it over, then shook my head. “Even the most powerful warlock can’t conjure lightning or a storm out of nowhere. He can only amplify and redirect forces that are already in motion.”
“Well, he did a pretty good job amplifying,” she muttered bitterly.
I didn’t answer. I just held her while the storm raged outside. The fire crackled angrily for a while, then slowly settled down. Erin’s breath mirrored it — or was it the other way around?
I moved my hands gently over her back, comforting her as well as myself. I kissed her shoulder next, because that was comforting too.
And, oops. Maybe I comforted myself a little too well, because those kisses kept on coming, and I was just along for the ride. They inched closer and closer to her neck, then her lips…
Erin turned in my arms, meeting my lips, and our makeshift fire crackled in a whole different way. Before long, we were swept away by an entirely different kind of storm. One just as unstoppable — and possibly as dangerous — but nothing would hold us back now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
ERIN
I’d been aware of magic my entire life, but somehow, it took Nash — a shapeshifter, not a sorcerer — to make mefeelit. Experience it. Live it. Swirling, thunderous, all-consuming magic that seeped into my soul and swept me away.
