Page 91 of Witchbane

I thought of her father disappearing when she needed him most and felt an urge to reassure her. ‘I’m not your father. I will always be here for you, even if we can’t be together romantically,’ I murmured into her rosemary-scented hair.

‘I know that really, Theo,’ she said quietly, the heat of her breath warming my chest through the shirt under my open jacket. ‘I’m sorry I lied about being a witch.’

I held her a little tighter hoping to reassure her of my protection. ‘It’s not that you kept your true self from me, Rue,’ I said. I realised that now the shock of her being a witch had begun to subside, I meant what I was saying. ‘Even with all the obstacles we both face, the thing that upsets me most is you being afraid of me.’

Her arms tightened around me and she kissed my shirt. A rush of heat raced through me. My breath hitched in my throat. I closed my eyes. I was desperate to kiss her lips but daren’t.

I sensed her watching me and looked down directly into her beautiful eyes. Was it far-fetched to hope she wanted the same thing from me?

Unable to help myself, I asked her. ‘Would you mind very much if I kissed you?’

Instead of being shocked, she gave me a ravishing smile. ‘I would like that. Very much.’

Happy to have her trust once more and impatient to feel her lips against mine, I lowered my head until our mouths met in the most exquisite kiss I had ever experienced.

Her lips, although initially unsure, soon responded to mine. I wondered if I was the first man Rue had kissed. Even if I wasn’t, this moment was everything to me. I lost myself in her, oblivious to time passing. It was only when I heard my father’s voice nearby that I forced myself to pull away, leaving her slightly breathless and more beautiful in the moonlight than ever before.

‘Is something wrong?’ she asked, her voice timid.

Terrified he might hear her, I covered Rue’s perfect mouth with my hand, the heat from her lips sending intense sensations through me once again. Hadn’t she heard his voice?

‘My father is coming this way.’ I lowered my hand. ‘Wait for me to distract him,’ I whispered, unable to repress the smile that seemed determined to appear on my face despite the danger we were in. ‘Then go, as quickly as you can.’ I kissed the tip of her nose lightly. ‘I don’t think he’ll take kindly to finding us in each other’s arms.’

She took my hand in hers, raised it to her mouth and kissed my palm, then, after smoothing down her skirt and running her fingers through her hair, she touched her lips with the tips of her fingers and smiled up at me through her lashes. ‘That was nice,’ she said coyly.

There was a softness to her I hadn’t expected. The Rue I had known up to this point was tough, determined to do everything for herself, a fighter. The woman looking at me now was gentle and more beautiful than anyone I had ever seen before. I wished my father would disappear and Rue and I would be left alone together. I wanted to stay with her, to kiss her again, but I knew there was no time.

I nodded. ‘It was perfect.’

She gave me a quick smile then turned and ran into the dense woodland.

I watched her until I could no longer see her. Then, having listened for her footsteps and heard nothing, I felt confident enough to go and find my father.

‘Theo, are you there?’

‘Yes, Father. I’m coming.’

Rue and I were back to being the witch and the Witchfinder’s assistant, but we could be so much more than that to each other, if only I could find a way to make a match between us work. My heart ached at the loss of the intimacy we had just shared.

I thought of her running away – this time happily and still feeling the pressure of my lips upon hers – and knew I had done the only thing possible if I wanted to keep the woman I loved alive.

Even if she is a witch, I thought, desperate to find a way to navigate our differences so we could be together once and for all.

Chapter Forty-Six

RUE

Iran as fast as I could, pushing through the thicket, unaware of anything but my racing heart, the sensations that kissing Theo had ignited in me, and my need to reach home as soon as possible. As the reality of what might have happened to my aunt and grandmother sank in, I wondered why I had spent time explaining about us to Theo when I should have been making for home instead. Instead of thinking about Theo and his disappointment in me, I should have been ascertaining whether they needed my help. Panic coursed through me at my selfishness.

No, I reasoned as I ran. It wasn’t selfish. I needed to educate Theo, as the Witchfinder’s assistant, about us witches. If he had some understanding of us he would feel less suspicious of our activities and discourage others from wanting to torture or kill us. Nothing that achieved that could be a waste of time.

The trees appeared to be thinning. I gave a sigh of relief – I was on the outskirts of the wood. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and find my bearings, grateful for the bright moonlight. I was used to being outside in the darkness and it didn’t take me long to spot a small copse I recognised.

I remembered Theo’s warning to be careful of his father’s men. I had no idea how many there were, or whether the one who came to find Theo had in fact returned to join the others. He might still be here somewhere hoping to impress his master by finding me. I shivered. I must take care. The thought of getting this close to my home and not reaching it terrified me. I looked around for any movement that could be a person. Then, taking a deep breath, I ran for the small group of trees and waited again. Once more, I watched, listened and waited before making my move, then ran in the direction of my home, keeping low and quiet.

I reached another, much smaller wooded area and, hearing movement, stood stock still, holding my breath. Had the sound been made by a person or an animal? There was the sound of footsteps again. Animals were quieter than that. I sidled slowly up against a tree trunk, hoping to blur my outline so I wouldn’t be spotted.

The person was coming nearer. I could tell by the breathing that it was a man. An icy sensation trickled down my spine. I dared not move. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the person to keep walking. If they had been out here as long as I had, their eyes too would have become accustomed to the moonlight.