charm the bottle to hold it.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“No, no, we conjured it together, and there’s something to that, I think. So we should do the rest together as well. I’m altogether fine, Fin, I promise you.”
She set the tea aside, got to her feet to prove her words. “It should be done quickly. I wouldn’t want the poison to turn and have to go through the whole business again.”
He kept an eye on her until he was fully satisfied.
After they sealed the spell, she took two squat bottles, both opaque and black, from the cabinet under her work counter.
“Two?”
“We made enough, as I thought it wise to have a second. If something should happen to the first—before or during—we’ll have another.”
“Smart and, as always, practical.” When she started to get out a funnel, he shook his head. “I don’t think this is something we do that way. I understand, again, your practicality, but I think, for this, we stay with power.”
“You may be right. One for you, then, one for me. It should be quickly done, then stopped tight, again sealed.” She touched one of the bottles. “Yours.” Then the other. “Mine.” And walked back to stand with him by the cauldron. “Pot to bottle, leaving no trace on the air, no drop on the floor.”
She linked one hand with his, held the other out, as he did. Two thin streams of oily black rose out of the cauldron, arched toward the bottles, slid greasily in. When the stream ended, they floated the stoppers up, in.
“Out of light, sealed tight, open only for the right.”
Relieved, Branna flashed white fire into the cauldron to burn any trace left behind. “Better safe,” she said as she moved to take the bottles, store them deep in a cupboard where she kept the jars of ingredients used, and the poison already prepared for Cabhan. “Though I’ll destroy the cauldron. It shouldn’t be used again. A pity, as it’s served me well.” Then she charmed the door of the cupboard. “It will only open for one of our circle.”
She went to another cupboard, took out a pale green bottle basketed in silver filigree, then chose two wineglasses.
“And what’s this?”
“It’s a wine I made myself, and put by here for a special occasion—not knowing what that might be. It seems it’s this. We’ve done what we must, and I’ll tell you true, Fin, I wasn’t sure we would or could. Each time I thought I was certain of it, we’d fail. But today?”
She poured the pale gold wine in both glasses, offered him one. “Today we haven’t failed. So . . .”
Understanding, he touched his glass to hers. “We’ll drink to today.” He sipped, angled his head. “Well now, here’s yet another talent, for this is brilliant. Both light and bold at once. It tastes of stars.”
“You could say I added a few. It is good,” she agreed. “We’ve earned good this day. And as I recall, you’ve earned a biscuit.”
“Half a dozen was the offer,” he remembered, “but now I think we’ve both earned something more than biscuits.” He swung an arm around her waist. “You’d best hold on to your wine,” he warned, and took her flying.
• • •
IT MADE HER GIDDY, THE SURPRISE AND SPEED OF IT. MADE her hunger as his mouth took hers on the flight. She let out a gasping laugh when she found herself sprawled under him on a huge bed draped with filmy white curtains.
“So this is what we’ve earned?”
“More than.”
“I’ve lost my wine.”
“Not at all.” He gestured so she looked over, saw a table holding the glasses. And saw both bed and table floated on a deep blue sea.
“Now who’s practical? But where are we? Ah, it’s so warm. It’s wonderful.”
“The South Seas, far away from all but us, and circled so not even the fish might see.”
“The South Seas, on a floating bed. There’s a bit of madness in you.”
“When it comes to you. An hour or two with you, Branna, in our own window into paradise. Where we’re warm and safe, and you’re naked.” And so she was in a fingersnap. Before she could laugh again, he slid his hands up and over her breasts. “By the gods, I love having you naked and under me. We’ve done what we must,” he reminded her. “Now we take what we want.”
His mouth came down on hers, hot and possessive, to send the need sizzling through her like a lit fuse. She answered, not with