Read A Witch's Love for Free Online Page B

Lucas?”
    He swallowed his food before answering. “I actually live north of here, in Lake Placid. I was just returning from England. I have family that lives there.”
    “So, you’ll be finishing your journey home . . . soon?” Maeve leaned back in her chair, holding her glass of wine as her eyes narrowed.
    Lucas nodded. “Eventually. I have something I have to take care of first.”
    Maeve shoved the desert plate at him, as if she wished he’d leave that moment. She continued to regard him as a hush fell over the room.
    “Lucas has a degree in literature from Oxford,” Ava announced into the silence.
    Ella started asking him questions about England, but Lucas suspected she wasn’t really interested in the answers. He caught the thankful expression Ava sent her. Loyalty. The sisters reminded him of his pack. His brother Aiden would approve.
    After everyone had finished their dinner, Maeve stood.
    “Girls, why don’t you start picking up the plates and put some fresh coffee on. I’m going to take Lucas on a tour of the property.”
    Ava’s brows drew together at this statement. She opened her mouth, then shut it again and picked up a couple plates.
    Obviously Ava had no idea that Maeve had something to tell him. It wouldn’t hurt to play along.
    “Good idea. I was unable to view the whole property before our run this morning.” If Maeve was going to ask him to leave, though, that just wasn’t going to happen. Not unless Ava asked him to go.
    Making their way outside through their back door, he circled a solid wood picnic table then followed her to the edge of the forest. A dirt path led the way along the tree line and as the silence stretched out, he decided he would break it. “You have a lovely home.”
    “Thank you. How long have you known?” She came to a stop just out of view of the house. He thought that he knew what she meant, but he had to be sure.
    “Known what?”
    “You can stop with the games. I know what you are— lycan. What I want to discover is how long have you known that Ava’s your mate?”
    OK, she got straight to the point. “Since we are being honest, you are their light guardian?”
    Maeve glanced back at the house, smiled, then nodded. “If you asked that question, then you know they’re witches.”
    “Yes. Since I walked into the inn yesterday, I’ve known. I have been close enough to Ava to sense that she’s throwing off some serious magical energy. Does she know?”
    Maeve turned her back to him and began to walk down the path. A few moments later she stopped by a tree trunk. The birds were chirping an upbeat tune as a cool breeze fluttered Maeve’s light brown hair. The setting sun filter through the tree branches . . . it was a pleasant evening yet he sensed what she was about to say was anything but harmonious. The muscles in her neck seemed to tighten as she said, “No, none of them know who they really are or what they’re capable of.”
    She only confirmed what he’d suspected. “Why have you not told them?”
    She snickered at him. “When you get to know Ava, you’ll understand. She, in particular, is not going to take this well, any of it. Ava’s used to leading, not being led around, and if I’m to answer your question I need one answered first.” He nodded. “What are your intentions with her? If you do anything to hurt her, I swear—”
    “You ask me that? If you know what I am, then you know what I feel. She’s mine . I can’t be away from her. She is my life now. I would do anything to keep her safe.”
    Maeve laughed, and his temper began to rise. She was outright insulting him. What was she getting at anyways?
    “Do you really think Ava’s going to want a relationship that doesn’t give her a choice?”
    “She will come to accept that we are destined to be together.” She would, wouldn’t she? He’d questioned this very fact from the moment he’d met her but hearing Maeve, who’d known Ava her whole life express doubt, set an ache