said. "I thought, by being here, going through his things, I could finally get to know my father."
"And have you?"
He snapped his gaze to hers. "I don't know. He... he left diaries - but the entries are always addressed 'Dear Alex,' as if he was writing them to me, knowing I'd find them and read them someday. And they're full of..." He stopped there, as if afraid he would reveal too much. "He was either the most powerful sorcerer I could have imagined, or he was completely insane."
She nodded slowly. "And that's why you've had all the questions about the dark side of magic."
He started to nod, but stopped halfway. "Not that I think what he practiced was black magic. Just that it - it doesn't quite mesh with the fluffy white lighter stuff you find in all the books meant for public consumption."
She drew a breath, lifted her chin. "Would you be willing to let me see them?"
His head came up fast, and again, the face of that "other" seemed to hover over his own. "No!" The word blasted from his lips in a voice like thunder, and it hit her with a force that was palpable. A force she felt might have physically harmed her, had she not taken the time to shield herself before entering this place. The air in the room turned to ice, even as she shot to her feet and backed toward the door.
Alex blinked twice, frowning as if confused. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout."
She held up a hand, shook her head, tried to form words to excuse herself, but gave up. Instead she simply turned and ran. She didn't look back until she was in her car, heading away from that place.
And when she did, she saw Alex, standing in the middle of the narrow road, staring after her.
Alex was shaking all over, couldn't seem to stop it. Hell. What in God's name had just happened to him? And how was he going to explain it to Melissa when he didn't understand it himself?
He was sweating, he realized as he ran a palm across his forehead. A cold sweat. More dampness gathered on his skin from the soft, mistlike rain that fell, and he shivered. He walked back into the house.
It's just as well. She's a Witch, and she'll ruin everything. Stay away from her from now on.
Alex frowned at the foreign voice in his mind. It wasn't his own. It wasn't his inner self expressing nervousness over the sheer power of what he felt for Melissa. Everything in him was screaming just the opposite.
"I don't want to stay away from her," he whispered. "I think... I think I need her." He sighed, lowering his head. It was true. He sensed it right to his soul. He needed her. He didn't know why or how or exactly what it was he needed from her.
The truth was, he was burning to tell her everything - everything that had happened to turn his life upside down. He had been, ever since he'd first set eyes on her. In that moment when he'd opened the door to find her standing there, it felt as if he'd been lost in the desert and finally caught sight of water. Cool, clear, life-giving water. Something inside her seemed to speak to something inside him. And just being near her felt... soothing. Healing. When she had walked into this godforsaken tomb of a house, he swore he could almost feel a fresh, cool breeze rushing in, blasting away the cobwebs and dust and darkness.
Absently he rubbed his hand where hers had closed around it. He wanted to touch her again.
No!
Mustering his will - and God, it was an effort - he ignored the voice in his head and walked back outside, pulling his car keys out of his pocket as he did. He had to go after her.
This wasn't over.
Part Three CHAPTER 6
He found her sitting on the natural stone patio behind her beach house. There was a lawn swing there, made of bamboo. She sat in it, swinging gently, and she didn't look the least surprised to see him there.
"I didn't mean to scare you away."
She offered a small, if somewhat uncertain, smile. "It's not you that scares me." Drawing a breath as if drawing up courage, she patted the empty spot beside her.
He moved forward, sat down beside her. "I don't know what happened. I'm sorry."
She studied his face for a long moment. "Is it gone