“She was looking for you,” Laurel added. “But I do not see her now.”
And in that instant, a wave of foreboding washed over Alec. He didn’t know how he knew, he just did. Damn it all! He urgently turned his full attention on Rhys. “Where is Mother?”
And how the devil had she honed in on Poppy?
* * *
“You’re the Marchioness of Ravensdale,”Poppy said to the woman in scarlet. After all, the lady who’d transformed from a falconhadto be Alec’s mother. They had the same aristocratic nose and the same ashy-hued eyes.
Lady Ravensdale nodded only slightly. “You have me at a disadvantage, Miss…”
“Elstone,” Poppy supplied. “Poppy Elstone.”
The woman’s elegant brow furrowed and she made no attempt to sweeten the sourness of her tone. “I’m unfamiliar withyourfamily’s magical lineage.”
Traditionally, the Elstones were known for their equestrian acumen, not magical ones. “My sister and I are the last of the Branwyck witches.”
“Are you?” The expression on the marchioness’ face did not alter in the least. “I do not see how that explains why you’re looking for my son.”
Poppy hadn’t realized the lady had been waiting for that answer. What was she to say to that? She stifled a nervous laugh. “Oh, I was hoping to thank him,” she lied. “…if he was here.” Which he was not.
Lady Ravensdale’s ashy eyes seemed to peer straight into Poppy’s soul. “Do you often go off into the gardens to sulk if you’ve been unable tothanksomeone?”
Embarrassment washed over Poppy and she felt more than a bit exposed. She couldn’t even fathom a response for fear that Lady Ravensdale would see through her completely.
The marchioness began to move toward Poppy, almost like she was circling her for— “What I’m truly wondering, Miss Elstone, is if my wayward son would mourn your loss should tragedy happen to befall—”
“Mother!” Alec’s voice echoed through the gardens.
Illuminated by the moonlight, a wicked grin spread across the marchioness’ face, making her seem rather terrifying. “And that answer has presented itself,” the lady said as a ball of flame appeared in her hand.
Heavens! Poppy gulped as she took a step away from the woman and her pulse began to pound with fear.
The shuffle of footsteps and the hurried clack of a cane against a stone path sounded in the distance. Too distant to be of any help. Poppy’s fingers tingled with warmth.
“Are you wondering if you can cast a protection spell fast enough to thwart me?”
That thought hadn’t crossed Poppy’s mind until that very moment. “Why would I need to?” she asked as the tingling sensation in her hands intensified and a spark of blue tinged her fingertips.
“To teach Alec one last lesson,” she said.
“A lesson?” What sort of lesson? What in the world did she mean by that?
“He was always the most stubborn of my sons,” Lady Ravensdale explained with a nod. “He never grasped that if he’d just bend to my will…”
Poppy sensed someone at her back, but she didn’t dare take her eyes from the terrifying marchioness.
“Put your flame away, Mother.” Alec’s voice.
Poppy’s heart lifted at the sound, though she still didn’t dare look away from Lady Ravensdale.
“Ah!” The woman’s grin spread wider. “You made it, after all. I wasn’t certain you would after we met last night.”
“You mean after you attacked me?”
Attacked?Poppy did glance at him over her shoulder then. He looked whole and hale, and… Oh, she’d missed seeing his face. His eyes, however, were leveled menacingly on his mother.
* * *
