me face them. I just have to hold them off long enough until the Halifax Magical Authority arrives. They should already be in our air space but I don’t hear sirens wailing, do you? I’d like to know what is holding them up for such a good lengthy time. Their response times are usually much quicker than this—back in my day, they would have gotten to her before my brother and sister-in-law could ever hope to reach her.”
Oliver shook his head. “No, I don’t hear anything. In fact, I’ve never been in such a quiet town.” If the Bloodbayne Witch Hunters were here for someone, he had to intercede and stop them from wreaking their hell on another innocent. “Who is this woman you speak of, Master Finley?”
“She’s part of our coven. Her name is Dallas Hyde-Redgrave and she’s the sweetest little creature you’ll ever meet. Quite clumsy, bless her, but sweet nonetheless, and the worst part is, she has no active powers. She’s a sitting bloody duck for those bastards. The Magical Authority knows this and yet they are being far too lackadaisical for my tastes.”
Obviously the man had realized Oliver was talented in the magical arts, because one didn’t usually just start talking about witches and warlocks to the humans who were devoid of the craft. Even though it was well-known now that magic existed, they still didn’t openly talk about it with those who lived outside their world.
“I completely understand,” he said, anger stroking through him. “Why don’t we get your friends back into your car and then we’ll drive on to Redgrave House.” He hoisted the man to his feet, supporting most of his body weight. He helped him over to his car and assisted him climbing into the passenger side.
“Wait a minute,” Finley said. “How do you know that Dallas lives in Redgrave House? Who the hell are you? I’ve gone and done it. I’ve screwed up and handed her over on a silver platter to yet another witch hunter. Marion always told me my loose lips would get us all in trouble. My forty years with the Magical Authority should have taught me that lesson.”
“My name is Oliver White.”
“Dear God in heaven, I really fucked it up big time this time around. I’ve heard of your family and the stories were not glowing. If you do anything to hurt that sweet girl I will come back from the grave to make your life a living hell. You mark my words, boy.”
Oliver sighed. He admired the man for his courage and his resoluteness in protecting Dallas, yet he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain when Finley referred to his bastard father’s family. He wished he could dump the name White and take on the name of Ross. He would have already done it had he not been concerned about having his biological mother’s blessing.
His father’s wife had been an indifferent and sometimes a cruel stepmother to him, and when he became a teenager he had discovered why—she’d always been jealous of the love his father had for him.
His father had told him his mother had died when he was a baby but when he’d reached the age of twenty-one he’d found out the awful truth—his mother had been a slave of his father’s. Once he’d discovered that his mother was Angelica Ross, daughter of the infamous Ebony Ross, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that side of his family—and from that day onward he’d questioned his way of life and all his father had taught him.
His father, on the other hand, had been a violent and devious man by nature. Despite those detractors to his overall character he had been a decent father to him, and had taken his stepmother to task several times for the way she’d treated him. Nonetheless, he could not tolerate his father’s actions toward his mother, Angelica Ross, nor could he condone the way his father had ripped him from his mother’s arms.
What he would do to have five minutes with her to see how she felt about him. He prayed that she would accept and embrace him, and yet, he couldn’t be sure how she would react when they were finally reunited. If she rejected him, he would have to deal with it. He just hoped it wouldn’t spark the darkness inside his soul he constantly repressed. He could not turn into the man his father was. He could not.
“You needn’t fear. I am not