Witch's Fury. Deborah LeBlanc

watched as Gilly greeted her sisters, and felt his heart swell. As tough and independent as Gilly might have come across to the rest of the world, Gavril had been fortunate to see more. He’d seen how hard she could love, how deep her loyalties ran, her tenderness when the moment called for it.

      Simply watching her interact with her sisters now, Gavril could not deny the fact that he was falling for Gilly and falling hard. This filled his heart and took him aback at the same time.

      Gavril had dated more than his share of women over the years, but not one of them had affected him the way Gilly did. This had him walking in unfamiliar territory, which made him a bit nervous. He didn’t want to move too fast or too slow, and knowing either with Gilly was a hard call. Aside from that, he had to keep his mind on the matter that had brought him here in the first place—the Cartesians.

      Worrying about how to approach Gilly with his feelings had to come second. His first order of business had to be protecting the Triad and the remaining Originals from the Cartesians. The problem was, every time Gavril saw Gilly, his mind took a hard left without permission, and all he could see or concentrate on was her.

      Regardless of how he felt, he had to gain control over his emotions and focus on protection. He’d tried comforting Gilly earlier by telling her to focus on Evee and Viv returning on the ferry safe and sound. The whole time he’d been trying to convince her that they would return safely, he’d been worried about their safety. Both Evee and Viv had been out alone without a Bender to protect them from Cartesians. And having a Triad member out alone when the Cartesians were after them along with their Originals was like teasing a catfish with a fat, juicy worm.

      He was just as grateful to see them return safely as Gilly had been. Now, however, things had to change. No more outings without a Bender in tow. And no matter what it took to make that happen, even when it came to feeding the Originals, Gavril would make sure it did.

       Chapter 2

      “What now?” Gilly asked as she, Gavril, Viv and Evee walked away from the docks.

      “More hunting,” Gavril said. They crossed a broken piece of sidewalk, and Gavril placed a hand on the small of Gilly’s back to maneuver her around it.

      “Our hunting skills suck,” Gilly said.

      “Yeah,” Viv said. “All we’ve gotten out of hunting for our missing Originals is more missing Originals. There has to be a better way to tackle this.”

      “I think it’s time to hit our Grimoires,” Evee said, referring to their book of spells. “Read through them to see if there’s not a spell we’ve missed or one we can alter slightly that might help us.”

      “You can’t just alter a spell,” Gilly said gruffly. “You change it, and it changes the outcome.”

      Evee frowned. “It was just a thought.”

      “And a good one,” Viv said. She gave Gilly a warning scowl, and then she laid a hand on Evee’s shoulder, trying to reassure her. “It wouldn’t hurt for us to look at our Grimoires. I vote we go through them...just to be sure.”

      “Well, if that’s the case,” Gavril said. “I’ll walk the three of you home, then go to the hotel and meet up with Nikoli and Lucien to make sure the arrangements are set up for Ronan. Knowing Nikoli, the details have already been set in stone, though.”

      “Then why go?” Gilly said and then felt embarrassed for asking.

      “Support,” Gavril said. “Everyone can use some from time to time. The three of you look through your books, and we’ll go back to the hotel and wrap up a few things regarding Ronan with our families. Let’s say the six of us meet up in front of St. John’s Cathedral in a couple hours.”

      “Sounds good,” Viv said.

      “Fine. Two hours,” Gilly said, and the she turned on her heels and started for home. She made sure she stayed at the lead as she didn’t want Gavril to see the disappointment on her face. She didn’t like the fact that he was leaving—for any amount of time.

      “Slow down, will you?” Evee said as they neared the Garden District. “We’re not running a marathon.”

      Gilly tsked and glanced over her shoulder at Evee. “No, but the sooner we’re off the streets, the better.”

      When they finally reached home, Gilly unlocked the front door and marched into the foyer. She heard Viv reiterate to Gavril that they’d meet in front of the cathedral in two hours. After closing the door behind her, Viv turned on Gilly.

      “What the heck’s wrong with you? He only offered to walk us home, and you’d have sworn he carried a contagion the way you stormed ahead.”

      Gilly pulled off her T-shirt in the middle of the kitchen and started making her way to the stairs in order to shower and dress. “I wasn’t storming ahead,” she declared. “Just because I walk faster than you, it doesn’t mean anything else.”

      Gilly heard Evee let out a giggle, and she stopped and glared at her sister. “What’s with that? I don’t find any of it funny.”

      “I know why you were acting weird coming home,” Evee said.

      “Oh, yeah, Smarty? Why?”

      “Because you like him,” Evee said. “You didn’t want Gavril to leave.”

      “Aw, that’s bull-crap,” Gilly proclaimed, and she walked into the foyer and started stomping up the stairs to her room.

      “No, it’s not,” Evee said. “Admit it, Abigail François. You like Gavril Hyland.”

      “Stop acting like a pubescent teen,” Gilly shouted down at her. She hated when anyone used her full first name. It made her sound like a wuss. “I’m going to shower.”

      By the time Gilly made it to her bedroom, Elvis, her albino ferret familiar, was stretched on her bed. He greeted her with a big yawn.

      “She’s right, you know,” Elvis said.

      “About what?” Gilly asked, stripping out of the rest of her clothes.

      “You liking that Hyland guy.”

      “Oh, for the love of peace, would you stop already? I’m getting enough crap from Evee about that, and it just isn’t true.”

      “But it—”

      Naked, Gilly spun about on her heels and faced Elvis. “One more word out of you, and I’ll dunk you in cold water, got it?” Elvis hated to have his body immersed in water, much less cold, which Gilly had done to him by accident a year ago. She’d been holding Elvis while filling a tub with water. Before the water temperature had crawled to warm, as it often took the time to do in their big old house, she’d tripped and accidentally dropped Elvis into the tub. He’d howled and shrieked and sprang up on all fours out of the tub, then ran out of the bathroom into hiding. He’d stayed angry with her about the incident for weeks.

      Elvis lay his head down and covered it with his front paws.

      Once in the shower, and away from Elvis’ badgering and Evee’s teasing, Gilly relaxed under the hot spray and thought about Gavril. It wasn’t so much how he looked that tantalized her, although his Adonis-like handsomeness was nothing to spit at, it was who he was that intrigued her. It was the intensity with which he tackled any project he put his hand to, his gentleness when he touched her and the caring he showed for his family, which seemed as strong as what she felt for her own. She had a strong sense that Gavril felt for her the same way she felt for him. The way his eyes gazed into hers, how they never moved away from her face when she spoke, as if every word uttered held an importance that needed to be understood. Not once had he ever spoken over her. And the most beautiful thing about him, to her, anyway, was the way he seemed to be able to read her mind. To comfort her without her asking. To give her space without prompting. He accepted her