Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(41)
“If you gave her an ultimatum she might.”
She didn’t leave me room to respond and walked quickly towards the group surrounding Savannah. I wanted to shout obscenities at her back and maybe use a glass to knock some sense in her. Women did not like ultimatums and I would never ask Savannah to choose between me and her family. It’s wrong. That’s why I hadn’t tried to take our relationship to the next level. The truth was that I didn’t want her to end up in a coven where she would be unhappy.
Savannah looked at me through the mob of people surrounding her. It was a pleading gaze, telling me she was overwhelmed. I grinned and shook my head to signal she was on her own. She made a pained expression and I decided to take pity on her.
“Excuse me. I need some time alone with Savannah. I promised her we would take a walk in the gardens.” Reluctantly, the crowd parted and Savannah dashed through.
“Thank you. I couldn’t breathe.” She spoke in a whisper, as we walked through the terrace doors and down the stairs. “Are they always like that?”
“Just for you, princess.”
“I’m the lucky guinea pig, huh? I feel so special.” She gazed around at the extensive gardens. “It’s beautiful here.”
I looked over at her, while she walked ahead to trail her fingers against the petals. In the moonlight, her hair was the color of the night. Soft blue highlights gathered in her curls where the light touched them.
“After our walk in the gardens, we will meet everyone in the barn for the circle.” I was hesitant to mention the circle, because Savannah hadn’t been thrilled about the idea during the ride over here.
“I’m kind of nervous Liam. I know you said Diamante wants it to be a surprise, but I don’t like it. You can’t expect me to overcome the stereotypes about dark covens this quickly. Can you please just tell me what we will be doing?”
I smiled. “I don’t think so. It’s more fun to keep you in the dark. I promise it won’t be anything bad, the coven just wants to give you a gift; something special.”
“But does it have to be a surprise?" Savannah made a puppy dog face, but I only laughed. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Fine,” Savannah muttered as she looked around.
We walked through the sprawling gardens, along a path lined with tulips and carnations. The terrace beside the garden was covered in roses that climbed the walls.
A barn emerged from the twilight, as we rounded a path. “Is that where we are going to meet everyone?” Savannah asked, as she looked up at the rustic red barn.
“Yep, everyone should already be inside.” We walked up to the door and Savannah reached for its handle.
“Before we go in, you have to promise me you won’t get scared.” I thought about my mother's plans and knew it would be easy for Savannah to make the wrong assumptions.
Savannah’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why, is there something in there I should be afraid of? If this is something that can hurt me I don’t want to do it.”
“No, it’s nothing like that, but if you have never seen this kind of magic before it can be a bit startling.” I hurriedly grabbed her hands to soothe her.
“And you’re sure nothing in there will hurt me?” She narrowed her eyes.
“I would never do anything to hurt you.” I kissed her, and she looked into my eyes with a dazed expression.
“Promise?”
“I promise,” I said, while chuckling.
“Alright then.” Savannah said, as she reached out and pulled the doors open.
SAVANNAH
The barn was well lit with rows of candles set in braces. Members of the Sacred Moon coven were standing around talking. A few farm implements had been moved to the side of the barn, away from the main group of people, and near the hay. The floor had been swept to clear the piles of hay.
In the center of the floor was a large crimson circle. I ignored everything else, when I saw what was lying in the center of the circle. It was the largest black feline I had ever seen. It was a black panther.
I started to back away from the large cat, but Liam put his arm around my shoulders and whispered, “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you. We’re keeping it calm.”
“You said that nothing in here would hurt me! Why is there a freaking panther in the middle of the floor?” I demanded angrily. Several scenarios were spinning through my mind, but the worst was that they might want to sacrifice the animal.
“He’s part a gift to you from the coven. We wanted to surprise you. Before you even ask, we’re not going to hurt him.”
“Then why is he here and what exactly am I supposed to do with a panther? Maye would flip if I brought it home and that’s assuming it doesn’t rip my throat out first!” My fingers lifted to my throat. I had never considered it before, but I would really like to keep my neck intact.
“My mother will explain.”
“Ah.” called a voice from the group, “There you two are. I was beginning to worry.”
Liam’s mother, Diamante strode forward in one of the most beautiful dresses I had ever seen. A flowing emerald colored gown, which fell off the shoulders in layers of a darker green. The dress was embellished with emerald stones around the waist and neckline.