Page 60 of Secrets of the Forgotten Heir
As I watched him, a faint smile touched his lips. I couldn’t reciprocate it. I’d suspected him of being something dark and nefarious and here he was – a philanthropist giving money to a shelter to save countlesswomen from the fate his mother had suffered. In my own way, I did a similar thing by empowering women with self-defence training. I’d met women like the ones that used Fatima’s shelter; I’d seen them coming into my class shaking with nerves and with fear rattling their teeth.
I always felt proud when I knew I’d replaced an anxious, fear-filled mindset with confidence and self-belief because no one should feel scared all the time. I saw it as a privilege to empower my women, especially the ones like Fraser’s mum.
Maddie and I had been so mistaken about him and Yanni had been right – as always. I’d let my emotions cloud my judgement. ‘Fraser,’ I said softly, ‘I’m so sorry you had to go through that.’
He stopped walking and turned to face me. ‘Everything I did was so focused on forgetting my past and making the world a better place for other people – people like my mum – that I never stopped to think about what kind of future I wanted.’ He paused. ‘Not until I saw you.’
Oh fuck. I hadn’t expected that.
My heart was so far up my throat, I could barely breathe. Was I meant to say something? I had to – but what?
Had I imagined what Fraser looked like beneath that highly tailored suit of his? Hell yes. But as far as the future went, I never thought further ahead than the nextweekend, not with jobs and certainly not with men. He wanted something I couldn’t give him.
The silence was threatening to swallow me whole when Fraser spoke again. ‘So, Beatrix Stonehaven, I held up my part of the deal.’ His voice was falsely jovial. ‘I told you my story. Now it’s time for you to share yours.’
As my eyes met his, I knew that I could refuse and tell him I didn’t feel comfortable sharing with him. He would drop the subject because he was agoodman. But the truth was, Ididfeel comfortable sharing it with him; more than that, Iwantedhim to know the truth. My truth, not the rumours whipping through Witchlight Cove.
Besides, I needed to balance the scales.
I looked down at Eva, who had found a long stick and was struggling to decide which end to pick it up from. Only when she’d found the point in the centre, her balance point, did I take a deep breath in and look back at Fraser. ‘You’ve heard about the sorceress that attacked the village ten years ago?’ I began. ‘That started when she tried to kidnap a girl?’
‘Of course.’
‘The sorceress was my grandmother, my father’s mum.’
His eyes widened then narrowed instantly. ‘But your name’s Stonehaven. The sorceress’s name was something else, wasn’t it?’
I nodded. ‘Dahlia Bleakman.’ Saying it aloud felt weird after I’d cursed it so many times in my head. ‘Dad took my mum’s name when they married. It was important that their children carried the Stonehaven name because she was an only child like me.’
‘You’re a sorceress, too?’ He obviously assumed he’d figured out what I was about to tell him. He hadn’t.
‘No,’ I said quickly. ‘But if you heard about the attack, you’ll know that a lot of magical people died or were badly injured that night. It really shook the community.’
‘I heard a couple of things, and obviously there’s the memorial in the square, but I didn’t do any digging. I tend to keep my nose out of any place where loss has happened. People don’t need strangers searching for titbits of gossip, not when all they want to do is trade details about someone’s hurt. That’s not a currency that I use.’
Any doubts I’d had about Fraser well and truly faded. Maddie had been so wrong about him.
‘Sorry to sound stupid here,’ he said, interrupting my thoughts. ‘Isn’t a sorceress and a witch the same thing? I always thought they were.’
My eyes widened and I shook my head quickly. ‘No, they’reabsolutelynot the same thing. And be careful saying things like that – no member of a coven will be happy with the comparison!’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean any offence.’ He sounded genuinely apologetic.
‘None taken,’ I gave him a small smile. ‘I’m made of tougher stuff than that.’
‘What’s the difference between them?’ he asked. ‘They both use magic.’
‘It’showthey use it. Witches like me or Maddie use the power that’s gifted to us. Maddie, for example, is an alchemist and a protection witch. She can cast wards for things like safeguarding kids or shielding vampires from the sun. There are fire witches, air witches, water witches – you get the idea.’
‘What about you?’
‘Me?’ I laughed bitterly. ‘I’m a hot mess. I’ve no real magic at all, just a bit of empathy that makes me feel what others feel.’ I glanced up and found him staring at me so intently that my pulse quickened. I could tell that his gaze wasn’t pitying, but it wasn’t an easy expression to read. ‘Dahlia didn’t use her own magic; she took it from others. She was so powerful, she could pretty much steal whatever magic she wanted.’
Fraser’s brow furrowed. ‘And you were the girl she kidnapped?’
He’d joined the dots correctly. ‘Yeah. I think she believed I had the powers she was looking for.’ I shook my head. ‘But she’d have been sorely disappointed. I’m a magical dud. Anyway, she grabbed me and got as far as the barrier – she didn’t realise there was a ward on it.’
‘A ward?’
