Under the Darkest Skies

Chapter 14

"I'm going to have to up my gift game, aren't I?" Seth stroked Becky's back slowly. They should have been getting ready half an hour ago, but neither of them wanted to get out of bed. "Finn pays your way to some fancy Fathoms conference. The banshee lady—"

"Laoise," Becky murmured against his chest. He was warm and comfortable as always, but she loved hearing his voice and feeling how it rumbled through his chest at the same time.

"The banshee lady," Seth repeated. "If I try saying that, it's going to sound like Louise and I don't want... bad banshee karma or anything."

Laughing, Becky propped herself up just enough to kiss his neck. "If it's any consolation, I always think Louise when I see the name too." It hit her with a bittersweet pang. She was getting to the point where she had spent more of her life in the United States than she had in Ireland. Her accent was softening around the edges and she was lost when it came to modern Irish slang; she was forgetting beloved food brands she couldn't get anywhere else, and trying to remember the differences between systems—speed limits, cooking measurements, even clothing sizes—was a pain.

"She gives you an expense card at The Fathoms," Seth continued. "Not sure how I can top that."

"Don't think I didn't notice that wording." Becky pulled him on top of her and kissed him. It was so much easier not to think when he was eclipsing her, looking down at her with those dark eyes she had always loved even before she knew she loved him.

Their kisses were just starting to heat up when Becky's phone rang. "Liv," Seth declared without looking. "I recognize the ring tone." He propped himself up enough to grab her phone then stretched out beside her, arm heavy across her hips.

Becky took the phone, hitting the Accept button at the last minute before the call could go to voicemail. She had been hoping to avoid the real world for a little while longer, but she didn't want to miss what Liv had to say either. "Hey, Liv."

"Sorry for interrupting sexy fun times," Liv began, "but I heard back from some witch friends and—Seth can hear me too, right?"

"Yeah," Seth replied. "Want me to leave?"

"No. It's for both of you, so...." Liv gave a sudden yelp and then Rhea's deep chuckle filled the line. "And Rhea's here, so it evens out."

"Nah. I'm worth at least two of Rollins," Rhea called out.

"Don't tempt me with a good time," Becky replied, laughing at Seth's expression, half shock and half suspicion. "So what did you find out?"

"Well, pretty much everyone said that Seth's wolf sounds weak enough that he shouldn't have to worry about... full activation or whatever. And the likelihood that he'll get bit is pretty low too, since werewolves are trying to be more discreet these days." Liv cleared her throat. "But I talked to some of the elder witches and there's a chance that a... focussed sigil might work."

"Focussed sigil?" Seth repeated. "Aren't most of them focussed?"

Liv sighed. "Maybe focussed isn't the right word. Maybe fortified is better? Basically, instead of just using Seth's blood, if I used some of Becky's too, Becky's blood would act as... fuel, in a way. Think of it as a back-up generator or something. If the magic was failing, Becky could give it a boost because it would also be linked to her magic."

Seth met Becky's gaze and frowned. "What effects would it have on Becky, though? I don't want it to... drain her or anything."

"No, no, it wouldn't." Liv paused again. "I'm not explaining this well at all. I'm sorry. My understanding of how it works is that... well, first of all, it would have to be a tattoo, not just a trace. It would need to be more permanent—and if you get it, it would also mean you would probably wouldn't be able to become a werewolf."