IV. Angels and Demons
The more perfect a thing is,
the more susceptible to
good and bad treatment it is.
-Dante Alighieri
"It looks so good!" Rowan exclaimed.
The redone floors of their house were smooth and unscuffed. Other than the men who'd worked on it, Reid and Rowan were the first to step on the new wood. All three floors had been done, including the stairs. The bathrooms needed to be retiled, which was in the works; so did the kitchen. It had been a little over a month since Reid had first brought her here, and if everything kept going according to plan, they would be able to move in soon.
"They did the plumbing, too," Reid told her.
"Really?" She beamed. "We could probably move in sooner then."
Reid was looking forward to that. The last month had been crazy with college. He wasn't enjoying the homework, quizzes, or tests. But swim practice was going well, and it was nice to know that he hadn't lost his stroke. Training was longer and more frequent than high school, though nothing he couldn't handle, he thrived on competition. Throughout, he had kept a close eye on Rowan, watching for signs of any floods of anxiety or stress.
It was mostly just the two of them at the Danvers' mansion. During the week Caleb stayed at his apartment, and Evelyn was still traveling.
"I got another thing to show you." He hustled her down to a lower floor, Ernie, Bruce Lee, and Bubbe following. It was a room that was large enough for an apothecary. It had huge windows that looked out onto a clear area where Reid wanted to install a pool. "Your sanctum sanctorum."
"It's great," she told him, hugging him tightly. "What about you?"
"About me what?"
"A place for you. I know you like your own niche."
"Uh…There are plenty of rooms. No rush."
Rowan let it go for now. They spent another half hour just walking around before driving back home. Reid was utilizing his Mustang with the top down as much as possible before fall set in along with the wet weather.
"When are you going to let me drive back?" Rowan asked.
He smirked. "Yeah…well…I'm conserving time."
"Reid, I've never had a problem getting anywhere on time."
He chuckled. "It's not about being on time, Row."
"Uh huh." She sniffed. "You just think I drive slowly."
"I framed that slowing ticket you got, remember?"
Rowan stuck her tongue out at him, laughing. When they arrived back at the mansion, there was a package waiting for her on the front step. It was another long box wrapped with a ribbon.
"Son of a bitch…" Reid muttered. He swiped the card before Rowan could even touch it. "I look forward to seeing you at the Garwin's charity function this coming Saturday. –M."
Ernie barked.
"Even Ernie can smell his bullshit," Reid said as they entered the mansion. "What is this, the fourth message he's given you?"
Rowan set the box on a table in the foyer. Instead of typical roses, this time there was a single white anemone flower. Her brow rose. "Forsaken," she said.
"What?"
"Anemone flowers, their meaning, forsaken." Then she laughed dismissively. "Not like he knew that or anything." Almost against her will she brought the petals to her nose and inhaled.
For some reason Reid snatched it out of her hand compulsively, like it was dangerous. "Don't," he told her.
Rowan blinked. "Ok…"
The three animals whined which snapped Rowan out of her stupor. "They're hungry."
"Yeah. I'll throw this out." He didn't leave it open for argument, just grabbed the ribbon, box, and card and left the house through the front door. But instead of tossing it in the garbage, he dropped the stuff on the gravel of the driveway. His eyes flashed and it all went up in flames, his magic stoking it so hot the fire was blue.
That was the only way to truly get rid of it. You could only make so much potpourri.
xxxx
Maxwell watched, unseen, from a distance outside the Danvers' estate. It sickened him how giggly that couple was together. How Rowan leaned into Reid when they were next to each other, how Reid gazed at her as if she were the only woman who existed. One of those…solid relationships, even Maxwell could tell. Nothing to do with age, or shallow circumstances. No, they had been bound by deep circumstances of peril, life threatening peril; great heartache and even greater joy.
However, the trials of heartache were so much more enthralling to behold.
"That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger," he said to no one.
"Or it can break you."
Maxwell spun around furiously, eyes flashing. "Never sneak up on me."
The man chuckled mockingly. "Always be aware of your surroundings. Didn't they teach you that in Darklighting 101?"
The blond sneered viciously. He detested that this…mere witch had more power than he did. For now. Only for now though.
"So, did the Daughter of Ipswich enjoy your little gift? Or did Reid burn it again?" By the look on Maxwell's face it was obvious he wasn't aware that Reid had set fire to the previous two messages. "May I offer a suggestion?"
Maxwell didn't answer.
"You're taking the wrong tact here. Wooing their little Lil Bit?" The moniker was said with disdain.
"Oh, did you try and that not work out?" Max retorted.
"I didn't waste my time."
"Course not. You have your own little-"
Maxwell didn't get finish. An invisible vise was coiled around his neck and he was lifted three feet off the ground. His hands clawed at the winch in vain.
"Don't talk about her," Chase Collins said. He held it for another ten seconds before releasing Maxwell. God, the rush of Power. His Power. It pulsed through his veins…ah. Abruptly, Ginger's face flashed in his mind and the need to keep his Power at full assault dissipated.
"Son of a whore," Maxwell hissed, voice raspy.
"That may be true," Chase replied. "But I never knew my mother."
xxxx
After Chase left Maxwell he drove home, not acknowledging the fact that all he wanted to do was stay home for the rest of the evening with Ginger. Just as he was outside of Ipswich his cell phone rang. Ginger.
He said hi and five seconds later his car swerved momentarily.
"You want me to get what with what?" he questioned. "Fine," he replied through clenched teeth.
Fifteen minutes later he found himself standing in a grocery store in the aisle with the feminine products. His eyes scanned the array of brands and…styles, completely and utterly lost. Ginger said she needed the kind with "wings." Chase didn't get it, but he wasn't going to call her and reveal his incompetence. He never had any sisters or anything of the like. This topic never came up with any of his past girlfriends. And his adoptive mother didn't count.
Chase never imagined himself in this situation. A lone man lost amid…
Pads with and without wings.
"Panty liners…" he murmured, baffled. He replaced that box on the shelf.
Maxi super-absorbent. Regular.
Ultra-thin. "But they're as absorbent as regular and maxi/super," he read under his breath. "What the hell is the point?"
He completely overlooked the tampons, on purpose. Ten minutes later Chase was still bewildered.
"Um…excuse me? Do you need help?"
Chase turned to the voice that had broken him out of his haze of perplexity. It took a moment for him to realize that Caleb's girlfriend was addressing him. Oh, the chances of this, he thought with wry amusement. But maybe it was time for Caleb to know he was back in town. And he knew Golden Boy would hate that Judy had been literally within bewitching distance from an old enemy.
He smiled. "Yeah, actually, I do. My uh…girlfriend" – the word slid off his tongue naturally - "wanted me to get her some…" He gestured towards the products. "She mentioned wings."
Judy smiled. "Try these. You can't go wrong."
He took the pack Judy offered him. "Thank you." That was sincere. He never wanted to do this again. "Say, uh…you look really familiar."
"Hmm…"
Chase snapped his fingers. "Spenser Academy, right?"
"I went there." Judy peered at him, trying to place a name with the face. "You…Oh! You were there for a little while."
He smiled. "Yeah, a week. Family emergency took me away." He held out his hand. "Chase Collins."
"Judy Miller. You hung out with Caleb…I think."
Chase nodded. "Yeah. He and his friends took me right in. Do you still talk with him?"
"Often. He's my boyfriend."
"Wow. Excuse me for being forward, but you're a much better choice than that blond girl he was tagging along with last year."
Judy managed not to wince at the mention of Sarah.
"Well, hey, I have to go," Chase said. "Thanks again for the help. Tell Caleb I said hi."
"I will."
xxxx
"Judy?" Caleb walked into his apartment, shut the door.
"In the kitchen!"
He smiled when he saw her. "Something smells good." He hugged her, lifting her off her feet in the process. She was leaving tomorrow to spend the weekend with her parents and he wanted a night with her.
"It's just spaghetti. I'm trying out Row's recipe." She scooped some of the sauce out of the pot with a wooden spoon. "Here, tell me if I got it anywhere near right." Judy raised the spoon to his mouth.
Caleb groaned. "Definitely."
She tasted it. "Eh…not quite. Darn."
He shook his head. "It's great, sweetie."
Caleb went to take a shower. By the time he got out the spaghetti was ready. Ten minutes into dinner, Judy said, "Oh, yeah, I forgot. Guess who I ran into at the store?"
"Someone we used to go to school with?"
"You're too good a guesser. Chase Collins. You remember him? He said you guys hung out…" Judy trailed off, noting the lack of color on her boyfriend's face. "Caleb? Caleb, are you all right?"
"Yeah." He shook his head to clear it. "Sorry, I thought I felt a headache coming on." That was close enough to the truth.
"Do you need some aspirin?" She got up and retrieved a glass of water for him.
"No, I'm good. Thanks." He downed half the glass. "Where did you see him?" he finally asked, hoping his voice sounded normal.
Judy let his strange behavior go for the moment. "Trying to pick out the right kind of sanitary napkins for his girlfriend. He was so lost," she chuckled.
A girlfriend, Caleb thought. "I bet he was lost." He was pretty sure his heart was beating normally now. Was his girlfriend bumping into his archenemy a coincidence or a purposeful ploy set by Chase? Because of all places…the aisle at the grocery store where the feminine products were shelved?
xxxx
Caleb gathered them in Rowan's apothecary the next morning. They were silent for several moments after he told them the news of Chase's return.
"He probably wants his Power back," Rowan postulated. "And then some."
"Well, he's not getting it back," Reid said.
Caleb paced back and forth, the most reeled by the circumstances. "I guess I should tell Sarah."
They all stared at him like he was insane.
"What for?" Pogue asked.
"Yeah, what's this got to do with her?" Reid added acerbically.
"If anyone, you should tell Judy," Tyler said, though not unkindly.
"He's got a point," Hunter said.
Rowan got up and approached her brother. "Chase is probably going to make things worse. He might even…go after Judy this time instead of Sarah. Do you want her to find out some other way than from you, Cay?"
He knew his sister was right. Maybe he'd put it off for too long. "She's at her parents this weekend. I'll…tell her when she comes back."
"And Sarah?" Tyler asked.
"No," Pogue objected. "If he has to tell Sarah that means I'd have to tell Kate."
"But Kate's not even in Massachusetts," Hunter said.
Caleb's cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number. "Hello?" His body went still; a flutter of various emotions crossed his face. "Okay…I'll…where are you?" He hung up.
"Sarah?" Rowan said.
He nodded. "She saw Chase at a coffee shop in the city."
"That's no coincidence. He must have decided it was time for everyone to know he was in town," Hunter said.
"Do you think the girlfriend is real?" Rowan questioned.
"Yeah. There's no way a guy would be where he was with that kind of story if it wasn't true," Reid said.
"You going to meet her?" Pogue asked Caleb.
Caleb sighed. "She wants to talk. She's scared."
"So what?" Reid demanded. "It's an excuse to get close you."
Rowan sat back down, Reid put his arm around her.
"I'm more worried about him going after Rowan," Reid said.
Hunter nodded. "We won't let anything happen to you."
"I know," Rowan replied. "But we should watch out for Hope and Maria, too. Chase might use them to get to you guys."
Tyler and Pogue nodded.
"Caleb," Pogue said. "If you're going to see Sarah," – obviously he didn't approve – "you should take someone with you."
"You think he'll attack me now?"
"No. Sarah might," Reid said. "She wants you to go to her dorm, doesn't she?"
Caleb shot him a look.
"Home-wrecking slut," Reid muttered.
"I'm going with you," Rowan said. "I can put a charm in her room to ward off evil. It might make her feel better." She squeezed Reid's hand to stop him from making further comments before she got up to gather some things from the apothecary half of her sanctum sanctorum.
xxxx
Caleb was already a popular student if the many greetings he encountered on campus was evidence. Although he was anxious, Caleb was polite when he introduced Rowan to his peers. The first time Caleb had stepped foot on Harvard soil was when he was four years old and his father was giving a speech to graduating students. He had always wanted to follow in his father's professional footsteps, being an accomplished and proficient lawyer as William Danvers III.
Sarah answered the door before Caleb could knock a third time. She was surprised to see his sister with him.
"Hi, Rowan," she said.
"Hey, Sarah," she answered politely. Unlike her husband, Rowan did not harbor grudges, which was not to say that Rowan liked Sarah.
Sarah ushered them in, eyes furtively looking both ways of the hall before shutting the door. Her paranoia and fear was obvious; hands rubbed together, bottom lip was being worried. She needed a comforting arm around her shoulders but Caleb wasn't providing one.
"Start from the beginning," he said.
"Okay, well…I was at Starbucks, paying for my drink, and I hear his voice behind me." She shrugged helplessly.
"Did he threaten you?"
"No, nothing like that. He tried to make polite conversation."
Caleb nodded. He was distracted by Rowan dragging a chair over to the door, then she began to hammer a charm above it.
"Sorry," she apologized. "Okay, got it."
"What is that?" Sarah asked.
"It wards off evil," Rowan replied. She took a small sack of something that smelled odd and handed it to Sarah. "Keep that with you."
"So…that's it?" Sarah gazed at Caleb questioningly, almost pleading.
He was silent, then, "Row, could you wait outside for a sec?"
"Sure."
"Don't go too far," he reminded her. When the door closed behind his sister he turned back to Sarah. "I really don't think he'll come after you."
"Then why follow me to the coffee place? Why talk to me at all?"
"I don't know."
"What if…" She swallowed a lump in her throat. "What if he comes here and pretends to be you…like last time?"
"He won't be able to do that with my sister's charm over the door. What illusion he put up would disappear the moment he crosses that door."
It was odd. Sarah was being protected by the very things that had made her turn away from Caleb a year ago.
"I'm scared," she confessed, quietly.
"I'm sorry." Although he had nothing to be sorry for. He did feel bad that Sarah was being left in the lurch. The urge to invite her to stay with him and his sister at the mansion for the weekend was on the tip of his tongue but he did not feel right about that. "If he does bother you again…you know my number."
Just as he was turning away, Sarah held onto his elbow. "Caleb." Silence. "I'm the one who should be sorry."
His brow rose. "For what?"
"Not giving you a chance…before."
He half-grinned. "It's okay." His brown eyes flicked to Judy's side of the room, warmth filled them. "It worked out for the better."
Sarah felt oddly disappointed by his answer. She took her hand back, retreated a step. "Thanks for coming over. Rowan, too."
"Yeah."
xxxx
Caleb was quiet most of the way home. Rowan made a conscious effort to block her psychometry from picking anything up from her brother. Not that it mattered, Caleb was so lost in his own world.
"So, Reid said Maxwell sent you more flowers?"
Rowan pursed her lips. She would let her brother have this one. "Yeah. Reid took care of it though."
"We might have to think about filing a restraining order if this continues."
She laughed lightly. "Not even a month in school and already you're tapping into your inner-lawyer."
Her brother forfeited a brief grin. "Seriously, Lil Bit."
"I'm not encouraging him or anything."
His head snapped to her, then back to the road, slightly surprised. "I know. And that makes his persistence even worse." They drove into Ipswich. "He hasn't bumped into you anywhere else, has he?"
She shook her head. "Just Nicky's with you guys, and the flowers. And he'll be at the charity function tomorrow night."
Caleb pulled a face. "We'll watch out for him for the time being." None of them liked Maxwell; Caleb thought he was a sleaze, and if he kept his inappropriate behavior up, no one would be able to stop Reid from rearranging Max's face.
Rowan giggled.
"What?" Caleb said, assuming she had picked up on his thoughts.
"Nothing. I was just imagining Chase trying to pick out the right pad for his girlfriend." She chuckled again, then Caleb joined in.
Caleb remembered when he and Rowan had gone to the store for the first time trying to choose the same thing when she'd first gotten her period. They had stood, bewildered, among all the options. Their mom was in the midst of her drunkenness, and Rowan had no other female go-to's to consult. Besides, he was always the first person she went to when she had a problem.
Finally, a nice employee had helped them out.
When they got back home, Hunter, Reid, Pogue and Tyler were waiting in the kitchen, wondering why they had left school early.
"Are you sick?" Pogue asked her.
Rowan had taken a deep breath and announced, "You guys, today I have become a woman."
Four pairs of eyes had stared at her, stumped. Hunter got it first and made a sound of understanding. Tyler and Pogue followed.
"What? I don't get it," Reid exclaimed, irritated.
"My menses, Reid," Rowan tried to clarify.
Tyler rolled his eyes at the blond's still-confused face. "Her period, Reid. God."
"Oh…Oh!" Reid voiced.
"This doesn't make you a woman, Lil Bit," Caleb told her, not liking the implications of 'woman.'
"Uh, yeah, what he said," Pogue echoed.
"I can have babies now."
"No!" Reid nearly yelled.
Tyler's face was beet red. Then they all turned to Hunter, because they knew by now how babies were made.
He held up his hands, palms out. "Don't look at me." He said to Rowan, worried, "Uh…you're still our Rowan, right?"
"Yeah, you'll still bake us cookies and stuff…right?" Reid questioned.
"Well, duh, sillies," she said, and Hunter breathed a sigh of relief.
Reid scratched his head. "Does this mean you're going to go all evil once a month?"
He was met with a chorus of 'shut ups.'
Now, Caleb said, "That was…a long time ago."
"Yup. But hey, think about it, if it weren't for me, you guys would have acted all weird every time a girl mentioned her period to you. Girls appreciate it when a guy doesn't get all weird on them."
Caleb laughed. "Right."
"Do you think Chase's girlfriend is evil?"
xxxx
"They're happy face cookies," Ginger told Chase. "My mom made them for me the first time I got my period."
Chase tried to appear casual in the midst of this conversation. For some reason Ginger thought it was fantastic he'd picked out the right…product for her; now she had the assumption he was totally cool and informed about it. He was just glad the experience was over. He took a bite of the cookie so he wouldn't have to say anything.
"How was your day? Did you see your friend?" she asked as she put the cookies on a plate.
"He's not my friend, Ginger."
She shrugged. "You talk to him a lot."
"For business."
"For how much longer?"
Chase detected the change of tone. It wasn't like Ginger to interrogate him, especially about personal business. "I don't know. Why?"
She began to wring her hands.
His brow narrowed. "Ginger."
"I just…you know…don't like him," she admitted. "He's scary."
"You ran into him once."
She shook her head. "He came by today, asking for you."
"When?" It must have been after he'd used his Power on Maxwell. Did he come here to bother Ginger to get back at him? Ginger was his weak spot. He'd never had one before her. It complicated things.
"About an hour before you got home."
His jaw was clenched. Likely when he'd easily tracked Sarah down to surprise her.
"Are you mad because I answered the door?" she said quietly.
He sighed. "No." Without thinking he swiped another cookie, nibbling thoughtfully. "These are good, Gin."
She brightened instantly. "Really? I'll make more!"
xxxx
"Another lovely evening schmoozing," Reid quipped blandly. He and Rowan had finally managed to break away from his parents introducing them to more people so they could join their friends.
"It's for a good cause this time," Rowan said. "Did any of you make bids?"
"I don't need any of the stuff they're auctioning off," Hunter said.
"There was a nice boat," Reid said.
"Not fast enough," Pogue disagreed. He had his arm around Hope's waist who was wearing a tight black number with her hair swept up loosely.
"My dad's waving at me," Tyler said. "Be right back."
They were all being vigilant considering the return of Chase. It wouldn't be a surprise for him to turn up at a large setting just to set off a few sparks. Caleb was dreading telling Judy when she returned Sunday evening.
"If you could all please take your seats," a man said.
It was time to announce the winners of the auction. They split off at two separate tables near each other. Hunter, Caleb, Rowan and Reid at one; Tyler, Maria, Hope and Pogue at the other.
"I just wanted to say hello."
Reid scowled. Maxwell had just subtly touched his wife on her shoulder, smiling that sickening smile at her.
"Hello," she said, trying to be polite.
"This isn't your table," Reid told him.
"I hope you liked the flowers," Maxwell said to Rowan, lithely holding a glass of red wine in his hand.
Hunter fixated on Max's glass. He patiently waited for the right moment, and didn't have to for too long. Maxwell lifted his glass to take a sip just as Hunter manipulated the energy so the contents of red wine spilled onto Maxwell's pristine white dress shirt.
Reid snorted, stifling his laughter. Rowan eyes widened momentarily.
"Sir?" A waiter inquired of Maxwell.
The wannabe Darklighter sneered and grabbed the white cloth that hung over the waiter's forearm as he angrily slipped away. Rowan's eyes followed him before turning back to the table.
"That was interesting," she said ironically.
"So clumsy," Maria said from the other table.
Reid caught his dad's eye a few tables away, and he put his hands up indicating innocence, though he didn't bother to hide his amusement. For the next twenty minutes they listened and clapped for the people who won what they bid for, Maxwell relatively forgotten.
Rowan excused herself to use the restroom. The halls of the building were quiet, and her flats made a soft tapping as she walked. The night was already wearing on her, and she still had a few more homework assignments to do. She thought she was hiding it pretty well, but she was more worried about the Chase situation than she let on. And Rowan wanted to know more about this girlfriend. Was she as much on the left hand of magic as Chase? Did she have any powers at all? Or was Chase using this girlfriend for his own ends?
She shut off the tap, dried her hands.
"I wanted to apologize."
She gasped, putting her hand over her now thudding heart. He was standing in the hall; she was standing in the bathroom.
"Didn't mean to scare you," he fairly crooned.
"It's okay." Rowan weaved her way passed him without making physical contact.
"Wait." He held the crook of her elbow and her psychometry went off. Her stomach curdled at the images. Shocked.
"I need to get back," Rowan insisted, taking her elbow. It itched, even burned a little, or it may have been her imagination, the dislike of having him touch her leaving a tactile response.
"Rowan!" Reid came around the corner, his body instantly tensing, obvious from twenty feet away. He was by her side in seconds, putting his body in front of hers. "Go back to the auction, Row," he said.
"Reid."
"I'll be right there."
Her brown eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them. Reluctantly, she retreated. When she was out of ear shot, Reid turned blazing eyes on Maxwell.
"Stay away from her," he warned coldly.
"It's a free country," Maxwell parried.
"My wife isn't the country." Reid took a step forward. "So you don't talk to her. You stop sending her flowers, too."
"There's no law against sending someone flowers."
"There is a law against harassment."
Maxwell chuckled. "You're going to sic the law on me?"
Reid smiled distastefully. "No. I'll take care of you."
"Brave words! Is that what you defend your pretty…wife with? Words."
"I mean it. Stay the fuck away from her. Because you don't want to know what I have to defend her with."
Pause. "You know, Reid…I always get what I want. Cars, houses, women. Anything."
"You're never getting, Rowan. I promise you that."
For a second, Maxwell allowed the fact that he had underestimated Reid Garwin. It was apparent he was willing to go to bat for his wife. So, Maxwell's lips spread in a close-lipped grin, colder than ice. He nodded, on the verge of mocking, before turning foot and walking away.
xxxx
Saturday evening, just about the time Caleb was applauding the winners of the charity auction, Judy Miller got a video message on her phone. Tired, having spent her day with her family who gave her the third-degree on the past month of college, she almost didn't answer. But she thought it might be Caleb because sometimes he sent video messages.
It was from a number she didn't recognize. And when she finally got to watch the message, her heart stopped.
Caleb. Sarah.
In Caleb's apartment. In Caleb's bed.
xxxx
It was only nine in the evening. Caleb had taken a break from the charity to call Judy. She didn't answer. They usually talked every night, and he just wanted to hear her voice. He was going to tell her tomorrow and he wanted an affirmation of her love.
"Idiot," he muttered.
At ten, he tried again. When he arrived home at eleven, he texted.
No response.
xxxx
"Do you sense anything off about Maxwell?" Rowan asked Reid.
It took a moment for her question to filter through his semi-slumber.
He licked his lips. "You mean other than the fact that he's a stalking pervert?"
Rowan shifted in his arms to face him. "I saw something when he touched me."
Reid's eyes snapped open. "He touched you? When?" He propped himself up on his elbow, looking at her intensely.
"He grabbed my elbow outside the bathroom before you came."
He bit back curses. "What'd you see?"
"I think… It was a jumble of brief images. But I think he's dabbling in the dark arts."
"The dark arts?" Reid scoffed, not at Rowan, just the idea of Maxwell doing magic. "Does he have powers?"
She shook her head. "I'm not sure. But he wants them. That I could tell."
"Then he must know about all of us, too," Reid concluded. "Does it seem like a coincidence that just as Maxwell pops up so does Chase?"
"I hadn't thought of that," she replied.
He noted her weariness. They'd have to cut down on these damn society parties, the atmosphere just sapped Rowan out. Through their blood bond he felt her immense worry, and a growing anxiety.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. There's nothing we can do about it now."
"I don't think I could sleep."
"Yeah, you can." He pulled her into his arms, her head tucked under his chin. "You want me to sing to you?"
Her light chuckle was stifled against his chest. "No. You want to wake up the kids?"
"Good point. They're sleeping in their own beds for once. Wouldn't want to disturb them." Reid kissed the top of her head and they settled. He kept running his fingers through her hair until he heard her breathing level. He didn't want to fall asleep before she did.
Reid didn't tell her about what had been said between him and Maxwell earlier that night. The blond had a feeling that Max wasn't just blowing hot air when he said he wanted Rowan. A lot of assholes had wanted Rowan at one point; none of them were alive now. He wondered if it was the plight of the good to have dark forces always after them.
Thank you for the continued reading and reviews. I appreciate it very much. :D
