Circle of Desire (Damask Circle 3)

“Do we have anything to talk about? I think you’ve already made your intentions more than clear.”

Intentions could change. Had changed. He might be uncertain about the true depths of his feelings, but he was certain of one thing. He couldn’t let her go.

“Time to move, people,” Gwen said behind them.

“You be careful in there,” he said and kissed her again, fiercer and harder than before.

Then he let her go and stepped back. She stepped past him, then hesitated, looking back over her shoulder. “I meant what I said in the cavern. Until you can give me an answer, don’t bother coming back.”

She grabbed a pack from Gwen and threw it around her shoulders, then the two of

them disappeared into the trees. He fought the temptation to follow them and climbed into the car. Janie and the other little girl were his priority, his responsibility, and before he could do anything else, he had to ensure they got to the meeting point Gwen had arranged with Benton.

But it was the longest half hour of his life.

An armada of cars awaited him. Benton obviously wasn’t taking any chances. Medical personnel rushed over as he climbed out, sweeping the two girls toward waiting ambulances. His brother appeared out of the flow of people, a mirror image of himself except for the eyes. Luke’s were blue rather than brown.

He clapped a hand on Ethan’s shoulder, and “Thank you” was all he said. All that needed to be said.

“Go be with her while you can,” Ethan replied. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Luke didn’t move. “Nina’s with her. I can’t stay, because it’s too close to dusk. What’s wrong?”

Ethan hesitated. “When you performed the binding ceremony with Nina, did you ever remember much of it?”

“No.” Luke raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

He shrugged. “Just curious.” Now was not the time to question his brother. Not when the ambulances would soon be leaving.

Luke half turned away, then stopped. “You were seventeen when you met Jacinta. Neither of us was as wise or as worldly as we thought we were, and she knew a good catch when she saw it.”

Arguments he’d heard before. Arguments he was only just beginning to understand. “Go be with Janie.”

Luke glanced toward the ambulance, then met Ethan’s gaze again. “You spent six moons with Jacinta, yet you were never tempted to perform that ceremony with her. You might have loved her, Ethan, but you weren’t in love with her. Not in the way the moon demands.”

“I think I’m beginning to realize that.”

“About time.”

“I always was a slow learner.” He pushed his brother toward the waiting ambulances. “Go see her before the ambulance leaves. We can talk later.”

“With your lady in tow, I hope.”

“Yes,” he said. Hoped.

Mark approached as Luke walked away. “What’s happened to our two psychics?”

“They’re going after the thing behind all this.”

Mark stopped and thrust his hands into his jacket pockets. “You do know Benton wants this woman caught and behind bars.”

“You and I know that no jail will ever hold this thing.”

“Maybe.” Mark studied him for a moment, his expression giving little away. “We found a fingerprint match for that dead guy you had me check out at the morgue.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“He’s ex-military, and apparently he died twenty-five years ago. The coroner’s report suggests death found him in much the same state as that old man we discovered at the farmhouse in Rogue River.”