Page 39 of Beauty and the Beastmaster

Gabi assured him that she was almost finished. Thank goodness. Silas would rather chase a hundred dogs around Mystic Springs three times than babysit. Mia was exhausting. Where did all that energy come from? Was the kid never still?

Apparently not unless she was sleeping.

As he walked the halls and chased the toddler in the main area, Silas tried, again, to catch some hint that Mia had Springer blood. Nothing. He could almost convince himself he’d imagined the mine, that day in Gabi’s shop, or that it had come from Judge, not the kid.

Only Judge didn’t have words, not like that.

When Gabi walked out of the room where she’d been working all afternoon, Silas breathed a sigh of relief. If anyone ever opened a Mystic Springs daycare center, it wouldn’t be him.

Mia ran to her mama, laughing the whole way. The child launched herself, and Gabi caught her.

The love on Gabi’s face, the joy so clear in Mia’s “mama, mama, mama,” damn near made Silas’s heart stop.

No one would hurt those two. And no one would run them out of town unless they wanted to go. Jenna had given him a different task that had set this all in motion, but protecting Gabi and her child had just become his mission.

* * *

The tale Jenna spun for him was outlandish. Impossible. But Blake couldn’t deny what his eyes told him. She could make herself look and sound like Gabi. In bed, out of bed, whenever and wherever he wanted. He didn’t tell her that it was dangerous for her to wear that face he both loved and hated for too long. He’d dreamed of killing his ex-wife; she didn’t have much time left.

At this rate he could kill her twice, if he wanted to.

But Jenna wasn’t expendable. Not yet. She had things to teach him, about who he was, about what he could do. Enchanted springs, magical blood, a spell that kept the magic contained. He wouldn’t believe it, he’d say she was crazy, but then she did that thing with her face, and with fire on her palm, and she told him he had more power than he could possibly imagine.

At the current time she was stronger than he was, but he suspected that wouldn’t last long.

His mother must’ve known what he was, what he could be. Why had she left this place? True, it wasn’t much to look at, but why would someone who had power willingly leave it behind? Why hadn’t she told him what he was? He’d ask her, if she wasn’t dead.

No one had questioned her “fall” down the stairs. It was her own fault. She shouldn’t have badgered him over and over about his child. She shouldn’t have called him a fool for letting Gabi get away with a baby who had Bolton blood. At least now he understood what that meant.

As Jenna talked, he realized what she was telling him explained a lot. His lifelong feeling that something was missing, the sensation of being somehow incomplete, the constant craving for something he couldn’t explain even to himself.

He screwed Jenna twice, the last time as afternoon turned to night. She wasn’t his type, not at all. She was too ballsy, too bossy. But she was convenient, and she wore Gabi’s face when he asked her to. What she wouldn’t do was allow him to put his hands on her throat and squeeze.

Just a little.

She showered and redressed, and they made plans for more lessons tomorrow. He wanted her to stay all night, but she refused. Tomorrow, she said. Tomorrow we’ll see what you can do.

Her last word to him was an order to stay inside, not to let anyone see him before he was ready.

Blake Pierce had never taken orders well. He didn’t intend to start now.

Chapter 13

It was past time to clue Clint in about what was going on. Jenna, her plans for the equinox, his suspicions about Mia, Gabi’s ex, all of it. Silas dreaded the conversation, for more than one reason. His instinct was to take Gabi and Mia with him, to load them all into his truck for the second time that day and drive to Clint’s cabin. Not only did he want to make sure they were safe, she’d serve as a buffer against Clint’s inevitable anger. Maybe.

But Gabi didn’t know about Mystic Springs, about spells and witches and Bigfoot shifters. He’d have to tell her sooner or later, if she stayed, but not tonight. He’d come so close to telling it all, but the secrets of this town and the people who lived here were not his to tell. At least, not only his to tell.

So he’d lied to Gabi and told her he had to check on the dogs at his place. Truth was, he’d talked to Damian by phone several times and all was well on that front. He’d left Gabi at home, doors and windows locked, with instructions to open the door only for him. No one else, just him. They still weren’t sure the man who’d shown up in town was her ex, but why take chances? He’d instructed Judge to be on alert, just in case. The bloodhound had received the message loud and clear.

And then he’d headed to the Maxwell cabin, dreading what was to come.

Marnie had made a few changes in the Maxwell house. There were flowers in the den that had once been entirely masculine and colorful paintings, most of them Cindy’s work, on once-bare walls. The pillows on the couch were decorative, pretty things not to be used. Silas moved one aside when he sat.

He had full Clint’s attention. Did the soon-to-be mayor sense that something was up, or was this visit simply unusual enough to set the man’s teeth on edge? Clint was wound pretty tight.

Might as well get this over with.

“Jenna is back, and she has plans,” Silas said bluntly. “Brigadoon.”