Sympathetic Magic (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 4) Read online

  She headed toward the couch and sank down onto it, Connor a step or two behind her.

  “So what’s this all about?” Margot asked.

  Connor smiled, looking over at Lucas before returning his attention to her. “Oh, Lucas thought you could use some reinforcements. After all, this is McAllister family business, so the prima should be involved, don’t you think?”

  Well, that was true, she supposed. It was pretty clear what Angela’s and Connor’s opinion of her being with Lucas was, so throwing their support into the mix could only make this easier.

  Or not. Bryce probably wouldn’t much appreciate being ganged up on like this. There wasn’t much she could do about it at this point.

  So she asked the couple if they wanted anything to drink, water or tea or juice, and went to fetch them some water after they said that was all they really needed. It helped to have something to do, rather than sit there and watch the clock tick down to two o’clock.

  And then it really was two, and a knock came at the door. By then everyone had relocated to the dining room, although Connor and Lucas had to bring in two chairs from the breakfast set in the kitchen, since the dining set only had four. Margot went to let in Allegra and Bryce, both of whom looked more than a little shocked to see Connor and Angela and Lucas there as well.

  “What’s this all about?” Bryce demanded, but Allegra gave an incongruous smile and said,

  “Oh, I think I have an idea.”

  “You do?”

  “Please, sit down,” Margot put in hastily. “I didn’t intend to spring all this on you, but….” She broke off, not sure of the best way to put it.

  “But I thought I should be involved,” Angela said calmly. “And before any of you say anything, I just want to remind you that this may be elder business, but the prima has the final decision.”

  “Decision about what?” Bryce asked. Margot could see him shoot a suspicious look in Lucas’ direction; of everyone there, Lucas was the only one who’d remained standing, leaning against the wall behind her chair as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  Now that the time had come, it was strange how easily the words left her lips. “I want to be released from my duties as elder.”

  “You what?”

  Sitting next to Bryce, Allegra shot him a quelling glance. “I should think it’s clear enough, Bryce. Margot and Lucas Wilcox want a chance to be together.”

  “Preposterous,” Bryce said at once. “An elder doesn’t just up and abandon her duties because of a man…especially a Wilcox.”

  At that Connor raised an eyebrow, and Angela chuckled, although it sounded breathy, as if she barely had the energy to get out that much of a laugh. “Bryce, I think we’re past the point where we need to be worrying about whether a man is a Wilcox or not. Anyway, Margot’s given a good ten years of her life to this clan, and if she wants to be free to be with Lucas, then she should have that opportunity.”

  Hearing Angela speak, Margot felt a rush of gratitude toward the younger woman. She knew she and Angela hadn’t always gotten along, but that didn’t seem to matter now — the prima was doing what she thought best, no matter what their personal history might have been.

  “Just like that?” Bryce said, clearly annoyed. “And who are we supposed to replace her with?”

  “Boyd Willis and Henry Lynch are both very strong warlocks,” Angela pointed out.

  “Yes, dear,” said Allegra, “but our tradition has always been to have two witches and one warlock as our elders.”

  That seemed to stump Angela, and she sent a beseeching look in Margot’s direction. Margot nodded, then remarked, “That’s true. I was actually going to suggest Tricia McAllister.” Tricia was the most senior of their weather-workers, a talent that appeared in the clan with some regularity. Besides being a strong witch, she was married and settled, her son already relocated to Cottonwood to manage a restaurant there, her daughter starting junior college this year. Having their mother named elder shouldn’t create a huge disruption in their household.

  Allegra smiled her approval. “Yes, I think Tricia would do very well.”

  “Well, I don’t,” Bryce snapped. “What about all of Margot’s illusions? Are we supposed to just go without them protecting us?”

  “Of course not,” Lucas said, speaking for the first time. “We’ve already discussed this and are ready to come down here once a week so she can continue to oversee them.”

  “I think that sounds like a great compromise.” Angela paused for a second or two, her gaze roving over those assembled in the room, stopping at Bryce. He glared back at her, then seemed to subside, probably because he’d just realized that he was outnumbered on this one.

  “I don’t like it,” he muttered.

  “You don’t have to like it,” Angela retorted. “In fact, maybe it’s time we revisit the whole idea of our elder system. Times have changed, and we should change, too. I think it might be better to have our elders only serve for four or five years, and then switch out. That way no one gets tired, and we have a chance to utilize a number of different talents and perspectives.”

  This announcement made Bryce’s blue eyes almost pop out of his head, and Margot said quickly,

  “Well, we don’t have to decide that today.”

  “No,” Angela replied. “But it’s something to think about. In the meantime, Allegra, Bryce, you can approach Tricia and see if she’s open to becoming an elder. If not, ask Henry or Boyd. But from this moment on, Margot, you’re released from your duties.” She let out a sigh and glanced up at Connor. “And I need to get myself back home. Doctor Ruiz would blow a gasket if she knew I came down here.”

  And there it was. Said so casually, but with a firmness no one there would gainsay. It was not the elders’ place to contradict a decree from their prima. In that moment, Margot realized she was finally free.

  * * *

  No one lingered. Bryce and Allegra left almost immediately, Bryce still grumbling, Allegra looking remarkably unruffled. In fact, she even leaned close to Lucas as she left the house, whispered, “I was rooting for you two,” and then was gone.

  He and Margot saw Angela and Connor to their SUV. “Thank you, Angela,” Lucas said. He felt as if he should say more, but he could tell they wanted to get on the road. Maybe the expression of gratitude on his face was enough. He had to hope it would be.

  Then they were gone, and it was just him and Margot standing on the front porch of her little house. She was looking vaguely shell-shocked, and he slipped an arm around her waist.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Just…taking it all in.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “And Angela…I think I saw a little of Great-Aunt Ruby in her today.”

  “I take it that’s a good thing.”

  “It’s a wonderful thing. Ruby was a very great prima.”

  He tightened his hold around her waist. “So…what now?”

  At first she didn’t reply, only stood there, head still cradled on his shoulder. But then she straightened, pulling away from him slightly. “It’s time for me to renew the illusions. I want to do that before I go. Will you come with me?”

  “Of course.” He’d wanted to see her at work, so he wouldn’t turn down the chance now.

  And so they walked the streets of Jerome, as she hid a gate here, or built a wall there, or made a street dead-end where it shouldn’t. All so subtle, and yet so intricate, that he could only marvel at her talent, and at the strength of her ability to allow those illusions to keep going when she was nowhere around or even paying attention to them. What had she said? “Set it and forget it”? Pretty amazing.

  Finally, though, she was done, and they went back to the house. She headed into her room and pulled a suitcase from under the bed. Without speaking, she began packing clothing into it, moving efficiently, as if she’d already thought ahead as to what she would take with her.

  “Hey,” he said. “You don’t have to do that now
if you don’t want to. We can stay another night here.”

  “No,” she replied, her voice firm. “I want to go. I’ll have to come back and get another batch later, and decide how much I really need to take, but this will do me for a few days.”

  Lucas could tell then that she wanted to continue the momentum of the afternoon, to move ahead, and he certainly wasn’t going to tell her no.

  “Okay. Let’s put that stuff in the trunk and get out of here.”

  * * *

  The sun was just beginning to set behind Mingus Mountain as they headed out of Jerome, winding down 89A into the flats of the Verde Valley. For some reason, Margot felt as if she were leaving forever, but she knew that wasn’t true — she would return in a week to renew the illusions. And when she came back, someone else would be elder in her place.

  She’d thought that realization would cause a pang of regret, but it didn’t. Instead, all she could feel was an overwhelming sense of relief. Was it true? Was she really engaged to Lucas Wilcox, and going to live in Flagstaff?

  A glance over to where he sat in the driver’s seat, handsome, reassuringly, solidly real, told her that did seem to be the simple truth. So much had happened, her brain wasn’t done processing it. She hadn’t called her mother to tell her she was engaged, or to tell her she was leaving Jerome, or —

  “It’s okay,” Lucas said, and reached over to wrap his fingers around hers.

  “What’s okay?”

  “Everything is going to be okay. I saw you over there, fretting about something or other. Whatever logistical knot you’re working on, we can take care of it tomorrow. It’ll be fine.”

  As he smiled at her, dark eyes glowing, she knew then that he was right.

  It would be fine.

  Everything would be fine.

  * * *

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  Also by Christine Pope

  THE WITCHES OF CLEOPATRA HILL

  (Paranormal Romance)

  Darkangel

  Darknight

  Darkmoon

  Sympathetic Magic

  Protector

  * * *

  THE DJINN WARS

  (Paranormal Romance)

  Chosen

  Taken

  * * *

  THE SEDONA FILES

  (Paranormal Romance)

  Bad Vibrations

  Desert Hearts

  Angel Fire

  Star Crossed

  The first three books of this series are also available in an omnibus edition at a special low price!

  * * *

  TALES OF THE LATTER KINGDOMS

  (Fantasy Romance)

  All Fall Down

  Dragon Rose

  Binding Spell

  Ashes of Roses

  One Thousand Nights

  * * *

  THE GAIAN CONSORTIUM SERIES

  (Science Fiction Romance)

  Breath of Life

  Blood Will Tell

  The Gaia Gambit

  The Mandala Maneuver

  The Titan Trap

  About the Author

  Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Her work includes paranormal romance, fantasy romance, and science fiction/space opera romance. She now works as a freelance editor and graphic designer in addition to writing fiction. She fell in love with Sedona, Arizona, while researching the Sedona Trilogy and now makes her home there, surrounded by the red rocks. No alien sightings, though...not yet, anyway!

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  Christine Pope on the Web:

  @ChristineJPope

  ChristinePopeAuthor

  www.christinepope.com