Read Online Dana Marie Bell - Heart'sDesire01 by T L - Free Book Online

top done in a bright mosaic of tiles, was flanked by two bright, modern turquoise chairs. The camel-colored curtains stood out against the wall color, a lighter turquoise than what was on the chairs. Looking back through an arch he could see the dining room, done in a much darker turquoise, an ebony-stained Queen Anne dining set taking up most of the space. Over the dining set was a multi-tiered sculptural chandelier made of what looked like Murano glass. Beyond that was the kitchen, and what little he could see of it told him it was done in the same mix of styles as the rest of the house. The only indication that a witch lived here was the small shelf on the wall. A plaque bearing a sun and moon melded together in a seamless, yin-yang type portrait held pride of place. It was flanked by two candles, one silver and the other gold. A wooden burner held the ashes of what smelled like jasmine incense. He couldn’t tell if she’d done spellwork there recently or simply lit the incense for the joy of it, but it still screamed “altar” to him even without the trappings he’d often seen in books or on his own altar.
    He liked it. It fit the woman who stood in front of him, chatting with her granddaughter. What he didn’t like was the exasperated tone she was addressing Lana in. “Why didn’t you stay at Mr. Beckett’s house?”
    Lana gaped. “I barely know the man!”
    “Didn’t I tell you he’d protect you?”
    “Yes.”
    “So?” Annabelle tapped her foot.
    Lana shot him a look, like the fact her grandmother appeared annoyed was all his fault. “He says I’m his mate. He cast some sort of spell and says I was the answer or something.”
    Annabelle nodded. “You did answer the call. I already told you that.”
    Lana threw her hands up in the air. “Someone threatened to kill me!”
    “And Christopher will protect you from that!”
    Christopher decided to interrupt before things got ugly. Lana was turning suspiciously red in the face, and he didn’t think it was all from anger. He’d caught a flash of hurt there, quickly masked.
    “Excuse me.”
    “Well, gee, stupid me for thinking my family might help me.”
    Annabelle sighed. “Christopher has dealt with this person for a long time. The protections he has in place were designed to keep him out. Why do you think I told you to stay?”
    Lana frowned. “Wizard versus wizard?”
    “Exactly.” Annabelle led her granddaughter over to the sofa. “Sit, and I’ll finish lunch. Then you can tell me why you think it’s necessary to stay here rather than at Christopher’s.”
    “Because something tells me that it’s the last thing this guy would expect us to do.”
    Annabelle stopped. Christopher studied Lana’s face, seeing for the first time the serene certainty that she was right. “You think it will take him some time to find us?”
    She smiled. “Exactly.”
    He smiled back. He had an inkling of what she was up to now. “God I love a smart woman.” He ignored her blush. “You’re right. I doubt he knows who you are, but it won’t take him long to figure it out, and when he does he might target you.”
    She beamed at him. “Exactly.”
    “While we stay here and work out the best way to keep you safe, I’ll contact my family and see how they can help us figure out what Cole is up to. Deal?”
    “Deal.”
    “At the first sign that your grandmother is in danger, I’m taking you back to my house.” He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “I will not put your family in danger. That is non-negotiable.”
    “If he’s keeping an eye on your family, he’ll become suspicious if they all head over to Philly. How will you handle that?”
    He took her hand and began absently playing with her fingers, the motion soothing him. He hadn’t really touched her since the incredible lovemaking in his workroom. It felt like it had been longer than a few hours. “I’ll have to tell them to mask themselves from scrying. It will buy is a