Captive Heart by Anna Windsor Page A

between you and Jack Blackmore back at the brownstone, Andy.” Bela’s words carried the subtle power and force of her earth element, and her dark eyes seemed both kind and understanding as she glanced at Andy in the rearview. “I was afraid the air between you might catch on fire.”
    Andy felt her jeans and shirt get damp, both from sweat and from a surge of her water energy. “He made me madder than hell. You got that part right.”
    Bela and Camille and Dio waited, saying nothing, and Andy thought about Elana. Had the old woman been giving Andy’s quad lessons on being silent until Andy spilled her guts?
    Andy had no idea what to say because she wasn’t ready to think too hard about Jack—not that he or anybody else was giving her that choice—but she knew she had to come up with something. “Okay, okay. Jack seemed more intense than usual. I don’t know why.” She took another breath when she finished talking, and this time she caught hints of earth, fire, and hot summer winds as the elemental energy mingled with her own to help her calm herself.
    “Looked like interest to me,” Camille said. “Something too raw and powerful for Jack to cover up, so he just went with it.”
    Andy absorbed the water soaking into her jeans, but she had nowhere to send it. She slipped her hand to her side and let it flow onto the SUV’s floor, intending to deal with it after they parked. “When he saw me on the island this morning, he acted a little goofy, but I thought it was because I was in my underwear.”
    “Oh, shit.” Bela banged her hand on the steering wheel. “You didn’t say anything about him catching you half dressed. I’m so sorry. If we’d had any idea he was planning to show up on the beach today to confront you, we would have warned you.”
    “Look, whether or not he’s interested in me, I really don’t care. It’s not mutual.” There. Andy felt triumphant, getting that out of her mouth. Nice and firm and definitive. A boundary. A limit. She tried to ignore the sudden silence and the furtive glances from three separate pairs of eyes that threatened to take away her victory, but that was hard.
    Sometimes, living with three intuitive women who noticed everything sucked as much as the chaotic construction of Motherhouse Kérkira.
    “Elana wants us to build a new Motherhouse,” Andy said to change the subject, hoping like hell everyone would let her. “Just the water Sibyls.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Dio whipped toward Andy, mouth open. “Where?”
    Andy shrugged. “No idea.”
    “How?” Bela and Camille asked the question at the same time, almost in harmony. They looked as stunned as Dio, but not nearly as angry.
    Relief began to trickle through Andy. She could hardly believe this was easier to talk about than Jack, but it definitely didn’t make her feel like she was losing her mind. “Elana acts like Motherhouse Wherever will just rise from the sea fully formed. Maybe she’s finally going around the bend. She’s too old to even think about the actual number of years she’s lived.”
    Bela gripped the SUV’s steering wheel so tight her fingers seemed to pale. “Sibyls don’t go senile. At least I don’t think they do. Elana and Ona are the oldest ones I know.”
    “Ona’s a nutcase, so that’s comforting.” Andy went back to staring out the window. “And, for the record, I’m not attracted to Jack Blackmore.”
    “Yes, you are,” Camille said.
    “He’s so handsome he’s almost pretty,” Bela added.
    Andy’s jaw clenched, and she had to make herself relax before she could answer. “Pretty on the outside doesn’t make up for asshole on the inside.”
    “I don’t think he’s a complete waste of skin,” Camille said. “John considers him a close friend, and so does Duncan. And the Brent brothers stay close to him. He’s got to have some redeeming qualities.”
    “He keeps them well hidden,” Dio muttered, and when she made eye contact with Andy, Andy