Joshua did too for the pads of his fingers tensed into her skin, his eyes narrowed angrily and his head came up.
She turned in the circle of her husband’s arms and watched as the figure formed through the fog.
Her heart clenched, her stomach lurched but her hand itched.
And, not knowing what came over her, she tore free of her husband’s hold, strode forward and, before he could begin to know her intention, she pulled back a hand and slapped her should be dead former husband across his face so hard his head snapped to the side.
His burning eyes slowly came back to her but she did not cower.
“Tonight,” she whispered, “you burn in hell.”
Then she put her hands to his chest and pushed, her feet moving, shoving him back, going with him, straight toward the cliff.
* * * * *
Myrtle and Lewis
Myrtle’s head snapped up and her eyes found Lewis’s.
“Momma,” she whispered.
“Poppa,” he whispered back.
The witch spirit tore free of the woman arched on the divan keening a mighty, frightening keen, and it exploded in bright white sparks that flew all over the room.
The children didn’t see it.
They were racing to the door.
Racing to their parents.
Racing to the cliff.
* * * * *
Lachlan
“Belle! Brenna! Whoever the f**k! Stop fighting!” Lachlan gritted in her ear as he struggled to keep hold of the madly fighting woman in his arms as the clash of Bennett and Caldwell played out on the edge of the cliff with two German Shepherds barking their encouragement.
“Let me go!” she cried, wrenching her body sharply but he held on.
“Guide him to the cliff, lad! Throw him over!” Angus boomed, he and Jensen both circling the combatants, keeping the arena small, shoving Caldwell back toward Bennett’s fists anytime he tried to escape.
“I’m…” Bennett grunted on a punch landed on Caldwell’s jaw. His fist curled in Caldwell’s shirt jerked Caldwell straight again and he went on in a grunt, “Having…” and he landed another brutal blow, this time on Caldwell’s cheekbone. “Fun!” he finished, delivered another vicious strike, Caldwell’s legs gave out from under him and Bennett let him crash to the ground.
“Dude, seriously, it’s cold, raining and I’m hungry and wearin’ this f**kin’ stupid suit. Can you just throw him over the cliff so we can get inside and I can f**kin’ eat?” Jensen requested just as Bennett pulled back his leg and landed a powerful kick to the prone man’s gut.
“Not done,” he replied.
“Laddie, your woman is also out in the cold and rain and hasn’t had dinner,” Angus reminded Bennett and Bennett’s head came up, his eyes going to Belle.
“Are you all right, poppet?” he asked considerately.
“Keep going,” she encouraged.
“Fuck me,” Lach muttered.
Bennett landed another kick.
“Momma! Poppa!” The cries carried through the night then the two children formed out of the fog, racing toward Belle.
Lach let her go so she could crouch, arms wide, and both of them slammed into her body. Her frame rocked with their colliding weight but her arms curled around the children and she stayed strong.
“It’s all right, my sweetlings. Everything is fine. Poppa is taking care of the bad man and then everything will be fine,” she assured them as Lorna, Cassandra, Lila, Rachel and Joy raced after the children and stopped at the cliff.
“The witch?” Bennett asked sharply, turning away from Caldwell who was prone and groaning on the cliff edge.
“Well, the bitch witch, dispelled and sent to hell,” Cassandra started her update. “The just plain bitch, tied to the divan in the drawing room and I zapped her with a sleeping spell so she’ll wake up, hmm… I’m guessing… Wednesday.”
“Excellent,” Bennett muttered at the same time Joy shrieked, “Jack!”
And all eyes turned to see Caldwell had pulled himself up, he had an arm reaching out toward Bennett and just when he would grab hold, out of nowhere, a huge, grey horse came galloping to the cliff, on its back was Miles Bennett and in front of him, Jack’s PA, Olive Mayfair.
Jack threw his body one way, Miles and Olive leaned forward, the horse reared back on its hind legs and struck out at Caldwell with its front hooves.
Caldwell reeled back, one step, two then he fell over the side of the cliff.
“Breeeeeeeeehhhhhhnnaaaaaaaahhhhh!” he shouted on his way down, the name stopping abruptly.
Everyone stood still, unmoving and not speaking.
And they did this until Lorna muttered, “Well, that was a bit of an anti-climax.”
At the same time, some man Lachlan had never seen came jogging up, stopped dead and stared at the two children in period clothing being held in Belle’s arms.
“Fucking hell,” the man Lachlan didn’t know was Mickey Dempsey whispered before his eyes shot to Bennett. “Jesus, mate. It’s true.”
And after the man uttered these stunned words, Miles, incongruously sitting bareback and drenched to the skin on top of an enormous grey steed with a middle aged woman held in his arm, said drolly to Jack, “Sorry we’re late.”
And at that, Lachlan burst out laughing.
* * * * *
Lila
“I’m not sure,” Rachel whispered, huddled with Lila and Jensen at the bottom of the stairs that Belle, Jack and the children just disappeared over the top of.
“It’ll be fine, baby,” Jensen soothed, holding her in his arms.
“But –”
“Rachel, my darling,” Lila stated, tearing her eyes from the top of the stairs and smiling at her beautiful, beloved daughter. “It’ll be fine.”
She watched her daughter draw in a breath.
Then she watched her nod.
Lila drew in her own breath.
Then she turned toward the drawing room, muttering, “I need a drink,” and thinking, as was her wont, dramatically, that not in all of history were truer words ever spoken.
* * * * *
Jack/Joshua
“Sleep,” he murmured to the three beings he held in his arms in the big bed.
“But –” Lewis started, lifting his head from Joshua’s ribs to look at his father.
“Sleep, son,” Joshua whispered.
Lewis held his eyes. Then he nodded and settled in.
Joshua pulled his family closer.
The storm outside had settled. The rain now fell in gentle, calming patters as Joshua Bennett held his family close.