Abandoned (Book Two of the Castle Coven Series): A Witch and Warlock Romance Novel Read Online Free PDF

life. It made him want to destroy the people who had refused to offer her a home. It made him want to wrap around her and to offer her all of the reassurances that she needed.  
    “No matter what, you will always have a place here.”
    She nodded, and she looked nearly normal when she looked up. An alarmed look crossed her face, and she hopped out of his lap, straightening her dress nervously.
    “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Piers offered gently. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
    Her laugh was bright and false.
    “I…I never thought you did. It’s just, I guess I’m tired, and I think I need some time to rest.”
    Piers could see that wasn’t the only thing on his newest coven member’s mind, but at the moment, he was willing to let it go. He stood and only barely resisted the urge to embrace her again.
    “Come find me whenever you like. Take all the time you want. Wander around the Castle. Talk to the other people who live here so you can reassure yourself that I’m not just a crazy visionary with no idea what’s going on. Then when you’re ready, come find me and we can talk more about what you can do.”  
    A shadow flitted across her face, but then it was gone again. She smiled at him. He thought it was a real smile, which pleased him.
    She reached out and squeezed his hand gently. If she felt the slight jolt of electricity that passed between them, she didn’t reveal it.  
    “Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”
    “There’s nothing to thank me for,” he said firmly. “If anything, I should be thanking you for coming here at all.”  
    Her face lit up at that, and as Piers shut the door behind him, a premonition came over him. He had known many seers in his time, some of whom could describe the future with an almost terrifying amount of accuracy. Others could only get a vague sense of what was going on, but it was always right.
    He knew he had found the person he was looking for when it came to protecting the Castle and perhaps all covens. He hadn’t anticipated he might find someone who might complete a jagged empty place in him as well.
    Piers pushed the thought away. He had learned early on that there was no use in planning for an uncertain future, even if––and perhaps especially if––it was something that made him feel whole. He shook his head. He had been prepared to adore Hailey ever since she stepped between him and those children. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to pursue more. All that he knew was that every part of him wanted it.

    • • • • •

    When Piers left her alone in a space that was surely too large and too grand to be just hers, Hailey felt overwhelmed. It was simply too much. Her room with the Angioli coven had perhaps been a quarter of this size, though that was mostly because all of the rooms were monk’s cells and quite small. Before that, she had been shuttled around from spare room to spare room, forced to put up with conditions that were small and mean. It had reminded her of being a foster child, shunted from place to place. At the time, she told herself that she was used to it, but now she wasn’t so sure. Now she could see that a part of her had always longed for enough space to stretch out. Her bag was set up in a corner. In a little while, she would go and unpack her clothes, but at the moment, all she wanted was to stretch out.  
    Hailey stripped off her dress and her bra, pausing for a moment. It felt like so long ago when Kieran had eased his hand under her skirt and brought her to climax. He had done it slyly and smoothly, wanting nothing but her pleasure. She remembered looking at the sweet smile on his face and thinking she wanted nothing more than to see it forever. Now she wasn’t sure if she would ever see him again, and the thought choked her.
    If she let it overwhelm her, she knew that she would only break down into sobs. She didn’t want to do that. Perhaps sometime in the next few days she would collapse, but