Page 20 of Tanglewood Magic (The Three Sisters 2)
Circe leaned back in her chair. Her sister shouldn’t have to bow to anyone, but if she wanted something different for her life, Circe would be there to support her. “I’m here for you, always. You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. Sisters are forever.”
ChapterTen
Glass shattered around Rhys’s feet. Fuck if the specimen jar hadn’t slipped from his fingers. Or had he thrown it? He’d felt like throwing it. Felt like hurling it at the closest wall. All he could think about was Circe. Her face when he’d left her cottage would be seared into his brain until the day he died.
He’d been unfair to her, a fucking bastard saying what he had. Anyone would contemplate violence after the encounter they’d had with Eleanor, especially when the person being threatened was one’s sister. It was only natural for Circe to suggest such a thing.
He grabbed a dustpan and started sweeping up the broken glass. Who was he kidding? He’d pushed her away on purpose. The notion of attacking Paragon was a handy excuse to extricate himself from a situation where he was getting too close. He wanted her. He’d wanted her for weeks now. Thoughts of Circe had monopolized his days and heated his nights.
And acting on that desire felt like a terrible sin. Was their kiss a betrayal of June? Despite her being dead, he’d never thought he’d love another. Entering into a relationship with Circe meant throwing his carefully ordered life to the wind, breaking down all the walls he’d put in place to protect himself and opening himself to a woman whose power should threaten him and whose very presence was unsettling to many.
The bell rang, and he emptied the dustpan into the trash before making his way to the counter. Emily Wraithwing. He’d helped her with a skin condition she was suffering from earlier in the month. “Good morning, Emily.”
“To you too, Rhys. I always pray to the Fates to watch over you.”
“What brings you back in today? Didn’t the salve work?”
“It did. But I saw that Circe’s broom was gone from the broom keep and took a chance you’d be alone. I thought we could talk.” The tiny, wrinkled woman hooked a finger under her chin.
“What’s on your mind?”
“It’s just, the other witches and I, we’re worried about you, Rhys. It’s hard to believe that June would have wanted this for you.”
“Wanted what for me?”
She cleared her throat. “Well, you know, you’re working so closely with Circe.”
“Circe is an extremely talented healer, Emily. We’re all lucky to have her.”
“Talented, yes. When the three sisters first came to Darnuith, we were all delighted with their contributions. But you must admit that she and her sisters are strange. They’ve never truly been a part of this community.”
“Only because they’re not from here. Circe and her sisters have been nothing but good for Mistcraven. The Fates chose Medea for a reason, Circe has helped me here more than I can say, and everyone has been enjoying the bountiful results of Isis’s hunting since she arrived.”
Emily snorted. “A woman hunting. Strange, I tell you. All three are strange, and the queen mated to a dragon!” She narrowed her eyes. “It makes one wonder if there wasn’t some nefarious purpose to their arrival. With magic like theirs, it wouldn’t be impossible to tamper with the Sacred Lots.”
“No one has ever been able to tamper with the Sacred Lots before. It’s ancient magic. And Medea had no access to the stones.”
The elderly woman made a sound deep in her throat. “Even you must recognize how odd a choice it was, Rhys. My heart breaks for Zelaria. She should have been chosen. The queen’s adviser is always chosen. It doesn’t make any sense.”
His gaze swiveled toward the ceiling. “Circe is a good person. For Fates’ sake, she made the salve that healed you.” Emily’s eyes grew large at that revelation. “I’m not going to speculate why the Fates didn’t choose Zelaria, but they didn’t. It’s been months. Medea has proven herself a fine queen. Even if you don’t agree with it, at least respect the choice the Sacred Lots made for us.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Rhys. I know you’re a good man, but I think you’re wrong to trust them, and I’m afraid for you. I think Circe might have you under her spell. I’m taking my business to Shadowvale’s.”
Rhys was left speechless as the old woman turned on her heel and strode out the door. Only seconds later, the door opened again, and Circe strode in, leaving her broom in the broom keep just outside the door. “Was that Emily I saw speeding for home? Didn’t the salve work?”
“Worked like a charm.”
“Then why did she look like she was trying to swallow her face?”
All Rhys wanted to do was dig in his apothecary for some mystic snail shell and spend the rest of the day in a hammock watching rainbows shoot across the sky. He couldn’t fathom telling Circe what he’d just heard, and he wasn’t ready to face the disagreement he’d had with her the night before. Just once, he wanted things to be easy, certain, uncomplicated. Why did he have to be falling in love with Circe, whose enigmatic past and strange powers could cost him his business and maybe his life if he wasn’t careful?
He rubbed his face, catching the thought as it floated through his spinning head. The answer was there in the question, wasn’t it?
“Rhys?”
“She’s switching to Shadowvale’s apothecary.”
