tightly spinning her around in circles!
Becki could not believe her eyes. This was the same man who had apologized for being a jerk and had brought her flowers? The kind and considerate man who had stayed with her through the storm and acted like a perfect gentlemen? The one who had cooked her breakfast and told her that he didn’t want her to be with anyone else? The jackass twirling in circles with a death-grip on some big-busted bimbo was the man she had thought was different…trustworthy? Becki wanted to flee from the scene before her, but she seemed to be rooted to the spot.
Maybe she should march right up to the happy couple and introduce herself as the woman Royce had spent the night with! She wondered how the bitch in zebra-print, peep-toe pumps would feel about that little tidbit of information. Clearly, Royce was a far cry from the white knight she had thought him to be.
Becki tried to ignore the burning pain in her heart. She was determined not to shed one more tear- ever again- on white knights that turned out to be nothing but dark lords in disguise.
Dashing a tear from her eye, she concentrated on breathing slow and steady. In and out, keep your head up. In and out, you will survive this. In and out, you should have known better!
Becki kept her distance, ducking behind vendor cases when necessary, and continued to watch Royce with his woman. They were touching each other constantly as if they couldn’t keep their hands off of one another. His girlfriend must have been out of town, which would explain why he had time to spend with her over the last few days. She didn’t dare get close enough to the couple to hear what they were saying, but she couldn’t seem to tear herself away from the scene unfolding in front of her eyes.
“So, have I missed anything, brat?” Royce asked with a grin. He kept an arm wrapped around his little sister as they strolled through the market. It was so good to see her.
“Not much really,” Joanna answered. “But we’re not going to talk about me right now.”
Here it comes. Royce braced himself for Joanna’s wrath.
“What the hell happened out there Royce? I couldn’t believe it when you disappeared! Dad kept insisting you would surface soon. He forbade Mom or me to use our magic to find you. He said it wasn’t worth the risk. He was afraid that we might give away your position and put you in greater danger. Needless to say, Mom wasn’t too happy with that decision.”
“I can imagine,” Royce commiserated.
Joanna’s eyes sparkled with mirth as she added, “He had to buy her a new condo and let her totally redecorate it to keep her occupied.”
Royce laughed, “He’ll probably send me the bill.”
“I’m glad you’re back,” Joanna said, tightening her arm around him.
“Me, too,” Royce said dropping a brotherly kiss on the top of her head. She may be all grown-up, but she would always be his baby sister.
“I’ve been looking into the cloaking spell, and I think I’ve found a way around it. I have to be fairly close to the coin for it to work; and you know I can’t touch the coin after we find it. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but it’s spelled to repel Witches,” she whispered, being careful to keep her voice low. “We can move it mentally if there are enough of us, but no one knows what happens if we actually come into physical contact with it. I don’t want to be the one to find out either,” she shivered. “Merlin was an extremely powerful wizard and sometimes a bit over-the-top. I’m not up for being the guinea pig on this one.”
“You won’t be going anywhere near that coin. I’ll make sure of it,” He whispered softly. “I would never live through the wrath of your mother if I let anything happen to you.”
As Royce whispered to the other woman, Becki felt like throwing up! He had kissed her like that this morning, whispered to her in that sexy voice, and made her fall in lo--. She stopped that train of thought dead in its tracks.
Unaware they were being watched, Joanna pushed away from Royce and proceeded to enlighten him that he was not responsible for her actions. Neither would he be responsible for any resulting consequences. “You listen to me, Royce. I do what I do. I go where I