Beauty and the Beastmaster - Linda Winstead Jones Page 0,17

job. Then what? There were many ways to run Non-Springers out of town, and most of them weren’t pleasant.

Dating Gabi would give him a reason to hang around her, and Mia, as often as he liked. If he knew Gabi better maybe he could figure out a way to gently send her packing. He didn’t want to hurt her, didn’t want to scare her off. He definitely didn’t want to leave her to the hands of a man or woman who wouldn’t care how she was run out of town.

Casting the spell to isolate the town on the heels of violence would forever taint the town. Even he knew that. Those who shouldn’t be here would have to be eased out of the way. Yeah, that was the reason he was having second thoughts. His doubts were based entirely on concern for Jenna’s isolation spell.

The truth was, he hadn’t expected to like Gabi so much. Dating her again, for whatever reason, wouldn’t be a chore.

If he couldn’t find a way to get her to leave on her own, they could always use amnesia punch. It was relatively harmless, as far as he knew. A drink, a ride to the edge of town or beyond, and boom, it would be done. They’d never given the potion to a child, so what about Mia?

Mia was a baby. She’d forget soon enough without even a small dose of amnesia punch, wouldn’t she?

Jenna probably would’ve done that herself, if she’d thought she could get Ivy to make her a batch. Ivy would ask too many questions, though, and Jenna had to know that. If Ivy was in on the plan her sister would soon be told, and if Eve knew it wouldn’t be long before Jenna’s plans were public knowledge.

There was time to think it over, to ponder his options. Not a lot of time, but… time.

Silas had another reason for delaying the inevitable. Hanging around Gabi would give him time to figure out what was going on with the kid. Tonight he’d caught a hint of something he couldn’t quite explain. It hadn’t been much, and could’ve been nothing more than wishful thinking. Kids normally didn’t develop abilities until their teenage years, but now and then there was an aberration. Now and then? They were all aberrations. Every time they accepted the rules that guided who and what they were, those rules changed. Magic waxed and waned. Something once thought impossible happened. Something once thought undeniable was denied. The only truth that was inescapable was that everything changed.

What he caught from the baby wasn’t at all like his connection with animals. That was clear, unmistakable, and unique. Most animals had few words, but their emotions, their needs, were always crystal clear. There was no deceit, no playing games. He communicated with animals on a primitive level, but it’s not like they could talk. Silas Hollister was no Doctor Dolittle.

If he could literally talk to animals he’d ask Judge exactly what he was worried about where Gabi and Mia were concerned. Was it him? Jenna’s plan? Or was there something else that had triggered this protectiveness? It was impossible to know.

If it turned out Mia had Springer blood, she and her mother would be allowed to stay. He’d see to it himself. It was a good thing that Gabi had no plans beyond another date or two. She wasn’t looking for permanent any more than he was. If anything happened between them, anything beyond dinner, it would be nothing more than a fling.

If he ever did decide to get serious about a woman again, it wouldn’t be a Non-Springer.

The last time he’d made the mistake of falling for someone who wasn’t from Mystic Springs it hadn’t gone well. That was an understatement. How could he marry a woman without letting her know what he was, what he could do? How could he have known she’d freak out as if he’d grown horns and wiggled a forked tongue in her direction? The woman he’d believed himself to be in love with had acted as if he would hurt her, as if he were a freak she should be afraid of. Her exit from town had required a big dose of amnesia punch, and since then Silas had kept all his relationships with women brief, easy, and as far away from his home as possible.

It made sense to stick to that plan. Broken hearts were for saps. That pretty, airhead Non-Springer had left town years ago.