“Claire, can you be quiet for one minute?” Silence and then, “Do not call Mum.” More silence. “Claire, if you tell –”
He must have been interrupted because, seconds later, she heard the electronic beep of him disconnecting and the flip of the phone being shut.
Before he could light into her, she quickly and defensively explained to her salts, “I was thinking about you. I heard the phone ringing and I just grabbed it. It was a reflex action.”
She felt him come up behind her but she didn’t turn.
Instead of his voice being angry as she expected it to be, it was soft when he asked, “What are you doing?”
She was surprised at his question and the curious tone behind it.
“Making bath salts. I have a small business,” she answered.
He made no reply.
Then she felt his finger run gently along the marks on her right arm and the skin tingled where he touched it. Then she felt him move closer to her back.
She continued talking to her salts; she’d completely filled the jars and was now screwing on their lids. “Have you ever had an episode like that before?”
His reply was immediate. “Never.”
She felt the word on her neck and then, to her complete surprise, she felt his chin settle on her shoulder as his arms slid around her belly.
She sucked in breath. It was a moment so tender, so unlike anything she and Colin had ever shared, Sibyl froze.
And in that moment, she knew she should tell him everything but she decided there was the good possibility that if she informed him that she thought she was a latent witch, expunging magical powers through her dreams or possibly her home (or both) and he was bewitched, he would think (perhaps rightly) she was a screaming loon.
Furthermore, she didn’t want to do anything that would make him pull away from her when he was holding her like that.
Therefore, instead she remarked, “You should see a doctor.”
This was true, he probably should, but she knew in her core Western medicine would probably not be able cure this ailment.
“I’m sorry I hurt you.” His voice was warm and she felt a shiver pass through her not only due to his tone but also due to the guilt she felt. “I don’t remember it, not a moment, but that’s no excuse.”
It was an excuse, since he had been possessed by some other being, but Sibyl couldn’t tell him that. Therefore, she could do nothing but nod her head and whisper, “It’s okay.”
His arms gave her a gentle squeeze then he queried, “Did I say anything to you?”
At that, she shook her head and lied, “I just knew, the minute you arrived, you weren’t you.” Then she shrugged her shoulders as if to indicate it was a matter of little importance.
“What did I say?”
“Nothing that made sense.” That was almost true. “Nothing important.” That was most definitely not true.
“Why was I kissing you?”
She smiled to herself at the memory of the kiss, a secret smile she hoped he couldn’t see.
She had broken a rule, she knew, not blatantly but she still broke it. She had allowed another man to touch her and kiss her, even though it was Colin, it was also not.
She lied again on a whisper, “You always kiss me.”
Colin was silent a moment before he said softly, “If this was as unimportant as you wish me to believe, why aren’t you looking at me?”
At his comment and the soft accusation in his tone, she turned quickly and he loosened his arms and lifted his head so she could do so. The minute she was facing him, his arms tightened around her again, drawing her into his warm, hard body. She lifted her eyes to his, he stared into hers and must have seen something there because she felt his body instantly relax.
There was something intensely sweet about his reaction for she knew he was concerned. She worked desperately to quell the even sweeter feelings this realisation sent surging through her and managed it (just).