Jewel came to her and patted her head. “You should take a nap, Mrs. Little.”
Cora’s arm dropped onto the table, and she laid her head forward. Her eyes closed in sleep before her head rested on her forearm.
Chapter Five
“The prince kisses the cursed princess and then she wakes up with all her magick back,” Jewel explained. “And then the prince and princess go to the ball.”
Euann had never seen so much power in one so young. If he wasn’t currently playing the part of a prince in the fairy tale play they were putting on for Jewel, he would have been impressed. As it stood, he was at the mercy of a six-year-old girl wearing a princess ball gown. This was definitely a first.
Though, it could be worse. He could have been the gentleman Rory dancing with Lady Iain wearing orange and green taffeta. The music was a strange looping that materialized out of thin air and sounded vaguely like a cartoon he’d once seen.
The beautiful woman had sleepwalked her way to the front hall where she lay on a bed fit for any fairy tale. Euann knelt beside her. He had wanted to kiss her upon first seeing her, but not like this. Not while she lay sleeping.
“She needs her magick, prince,” Jewel insisted as if the situation were dire. “Don’t let her die.”
The woman’s face began to turn blue. Euann leaned forward and chastely put his mouth to hers. Instantly, her color revived, and the woman woke up. A strange light filled her eyes as she looked up at him. It only lasted a brief second before fading. He hadn’t felt any magick in her before, but it was there now.
Just who was this child? What kind of creature could hand out power like pieces of candy? And if she could hand it out, could she take it away?
Jewel just became all the more dangerous.
“My lady, may I have the honor?” Raibeart danced with Jewel. She stepped on his feet and giggled each time he lifted her from the ground. He was the only one who seemed to move with a will of his own, and he had requested the tailored, bright green suit he now wore. He looked like an overgrown cartoon leprechaun.
A newcomer to their games, Erik stood like a servant in white coattails. He held a tray of hors d’oeuvres, which was nothing more than chocolate-peanut butter candies sprinkled with edible glitter. His eyes were narrowed in frustration.
The woman stood up from her nap, only to be forced into the role of a princess at a ball. Her skirt was so full of petticoats that it pressed against his legs as she took his hand and curtseyed.
“Who is she?” Euann asked his partner as he lifted his arms to dance.
“I don’t know. She walked up to me in Oklahoma and asked me if I wanted to play. I said sure, and before I knew it, I was driving across the country with a kid in my trunk.” The woman glanced over to where Raibeart distracted the child’s attention. Euann noticed they became a little freer in movement and speech when Jewel wasn’t playing directly with them.
“Who are ya?” Euann now knew the woman was no wood nymph, but he still found himself drawn to her. He couldn’t be sure if it was from the girl’s magick powers or something else.
“Corinna Dewitt, but everyone calls me Cora.”
“Hi Cora, I’m Euann MacGregor. I’d welcome ya to my family’s home, but under the circumstances…”
“I’m sorry, Euann. I tried to tell you to run from us, but it’s not always easy to speak freely when she’s playing.” Cora stepped back, and he twirled her in a slow circle before continuing the swaying ballroom dance.
“What in the world are you guys doing? We’ve been waiting for you to come back. We have reservations.” Lydia appeared at the top of the stairs. She had emerged from the bedroom she shared with Erik and the magick portal mirror that gave her direct entrance from her house located down the hill from the mansion.
“Lydia, no.” Erik tried to stop his wife, even as a yellow gown appeared in place of her sundress and cardigan. “Dammit.”
Lydia thrust her shoulders back in an exaggerated posture and began a graceful descent down the stairs, her dress-swaying movements were very unlike her norm.
“What’s going on here? Iain, why are you in a dress and dancing cheek to cheek with Rory?” Jane followed Lydia out of the bedroom and across the open walkway to the staircase. “I thought we had dinner plans. Lydia has Trina working late to cover all the internet orders. I made reservations at Perfection. Chef Alana is expecting us for a tasting menu.”
Was it already time for dinner? He’d been locked in the magickal state for almost a whole day?
Jewel stopped laughing.
Jane frowned at the child. “What on earth is that creature?”
Raibeart let Jewel go, and the girl moved to the bottom of the stairs. “We’re playing princess ball. You can be a purple princess.”
“Nah, I’m good,” Jane dismissed. She eyed her family and took a step down. “Is this your doing?”
Jewel looked confused. “You don’t want to play with me?”
“No. And I don’t think anyone else here looks like they want to play either.” Jane placed her hands on her hips and stopped halfway down the stairs.
“Um.” Jewel’s eyes wet with moisture as if her feelings were hurt. She peered around the foyer, and the costumes faded from her playthings into the outfits they had originally worn. A tear rolled down her cheek. “I only wanted to play a game.”
All signs of the princess party disappeared from the room.
Iain pushed Rory’s face away from his and took several steps back. He shook his body and then felt his arms as if to make sure the dress was gone. Rory slapped his own face a few times, swiping his cheeks dramatically as if to get his cousin’s germs off his skin.
Euann didn’t want to let go of the woman in his arms but had no reason to keep holding Cora, now that the spell was broken. His touch lingered longer than it should have. His hands glided down her forearms over her fingers before releasing her.
“How are ya immune?” Erik asked Jane. He set the tray on the floor only to have it disappear at his feet. Erik made his way to his wife and pulled Lydia into his arms while backing her away from the child.
Jane shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because I’m half banshee? We tend to see through the veils to what hides beneath, like with ghosts.” Then to Jewel, she said, “What are you?”
Jewel’s eyes flashed as the look of fire consumed the pupils before again fading to green.
“She’s a baby phoenix,” Raibeart said, patting Jewel’s head. “Haven’t seen one of these in centuries. Playful little things.”
“Jane, what do ya see?” Iain asked.
“Flame-looking skin shaped like a little kid,” Jane answered. “The skin moves like fire but doesn’t look to be burning. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
Cora looked at Euann’s family and slowly backed away from them. Her eyes focused on Jane.
“Cora, it’s—” Euann tried to comfort the woman who looked increasingly distressed. Whatever power the phoenix had given her was still there.
“Banshee. Phoenix. Bad magick.” Cora ran for the door and started to pull it open.
It slammed shut, the knob roughly sliding out of her hands. She gasped in panic.
Euann turned to see Erik’s hand lifted. He was keeping her from leaving.
“You’re in no state to be running around the countryside telling stories,” said Erik.
“I won’t tell.” Cora pressed her back to the door and kept her hand on the knob as if trying to turn it. Her gaze met Euann’s. “Please, I won’t say anything.”
A yellow light encased Cora.
Euann held up his hand toward Erik, “No, don’t.”
It was too late. Cora was frozen in place, her hand still locked on the doorknob.
“Dammit, Erik,” Euann said. “She was just scared, and understandably so. Ya didn’t need to petrify her.”
“Wasn’t me.” Erik pointed at Raibeart.
Raibeart shrugged. “I’m the elder here, and I say what ne
eds to be done.”
“God help us all the day you’re in charge,” Rory mumbled.
“She can’t go out there talking about the phoenix. The wrong person might hear her. These are rare creatures and must be protected at all costs.” He put his hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Come on, little one. Let’s go play in the gardens. Ya can help me chase off a troll.”
Jewel smiled and hopped excitedly in place. She held out her hand for Raibeart to take and the man led her toward the back door. As he walked, his white t-shirt and kilt changed into brown pants and a tan button-down shirt, complete with a safari helmet to make the perfect adventurer’s outfit.
“Yeah, like trolls know how to keep secrets,” Euann muttered.
“Uncle Raibeart’s great plan,” Erik said dryly. “Freeze a stranger and then go play in the gardens while leaving us to clean up the magickal mess.”
“We should call Da and Ma,” Iain said. “Unless anyone here knows anything about dealing with a phoenix. I don’t know about the rest of ya, but I’m not spending the next eternity in a dress. That kid has more power than any being should.”
“I think it’s obvious which is the manlier of us two,” Rory teased. “She chose me as the guy.”
“She probably felt sorry for ya,” Iain retorted.
“You were slow dancing with your cousin,” Lydia told Rory with a laugh. “I wouldn’t brag too much. I’m sure Euann has it recorded for family movie night.”
“Ah, damn, no, I don’t,” Euann said. “Ma and Aunt Cait made me take the cameras out of the house.”
“Does anyone know what we’re going to do with that little fireball?” Jane asked.
“Maybe Niall knows what we should do?” Lydia’s voice had a hint of hope in it. Her childhood friend Charlotte was living in an RV with their brother on the West Coast as Niall fought whatever bad thing it was Niall fought.
“Da has him keeping an eye on an old waterfall in Oregon,” Iain said. “Some creature has been giving tourists visions. He might be out of range for a few days.”
“But ya can call Charlotte and ask her if he knows anything,” Erik said. Lydia gave him a small smile and nodded.
“Does anyone know anything about this creature?” Jane asked. When no one had information to share, she sighed. “Fine, I’ll call Chef Alana and cancel our reservations. Again. I don’t think she’s going to reserve a table for us a seventh time.”
“No, ya four should go. Have your couples’ date.” Euann moved toward Cora’s statue. Her expression was one of fright. He touched her cheek. The flesh felt as hard as a stone. She would be petrified like this for hours. “Cora isn’t going anywhere, and Raibeart can play troll hunter with Jewel until ya get back. I’ll try to get Da on the phone. They’re in West Virginia, and there will be no getting Ma back early, but I’ll see what they know.”
“Call me if things get out of hand,” Erik ordered.
“Right,” Rory answered, “because living dolls being held prisoner at a tea party are always allowed one phone call.”
“Send Jane to check on us just in case the little prison warden decides to entrap us again,” said Euann.
Jane gave him a wry smile. “If you weren’t dancing with my husband, Rory, I probably would have let her keep playing with you.”
“Ya used to be so sweet until ya married Iain,” Rory answered. “What happened?”
Chapter Six
“I lost the wee lassie.” Raibeart tried to smile, even as he appeared guilty.
Euann looked up from where he sat on the wide tread of the marble staircase. He’d been resting his head against the oak baluster, staring at Cora’s frozen form. It was about like watching paint dry…only slower. The carved look of the long t-shirt and leggings revealed her shape. She was a pretty woman, and that moment where his lips had touched hers for a mere second played in his mind. Even now his lips tingled with magick.
It had all been some kind of phoenix trick, but that didn’t make him feel any less. He knew true love could not be forced by magick because forced love wouldn’t be real. But here, now, it felt more real than anything he’d ever known. There wouldn’t be signs of movement from Cora for a long time, but he didn’t want her leaving without getting a chance to talk to her.
Raibeart’s words worked their way into his thoughts, and he frowned.
“What do ya mean ya lost her?” Euann asked.
Raibeart gestured his hand in the air. “I thought ya could check those peepers ya have all over the woods.”
“Peepers?” Euann grabbed the railing and pulled himself up from the stairs.
“Those peeping tom cameras,” Raibeart said. “She’s a fast little thing. I couldn’t keep up.”
Euann reached for his pocket, only to find it empty. He glanced at the stairs and then the floor. “Crap, I must have left my phone somewhere.”
“Want to borrow mine?” Raibeart pointed in the direction of the dining room, which led to the offices where the elders worked. With each new property the MacGregor family acquired, their empire grew. It took all of them to keep it running. “It’s in the liquor cabinet in Fergus’s office next to the whiskey.”
Euann arched a brow.
“What? It’s not like he’s using the whiskey. He’s traveling the world with your aunt, Elspeth. It is a shame to let it go to waste.”
“I think she prefers to be called Donna,” Euann said.
“Reincarnated Aunt Elspeth then,” Raibeart chuckled. “How many names does a woman need?”
“Raibeart, try to focus. What happened to the child? Why did she run away?” Euann doubted anyone that powerful would have reason to be frightened of anything in the forest. “Are ya sure it’s not just a game of hide-and-seek?”
Raibeart shrugged. “Perhaps, but I think it was more likely she was being chased. Last I saw, she was headed toward Helena’s old repository.”
Euann felt the name like a slap across the face. He still carried a lot of guilt over what had happened to Helena.
“Too soon?” Raibeart asked with a look of pity. “Ya still pining for her?”
“No,” Euann said a little too quickly.
“So ya still pining for Charlotte?”
“No. I’m happy for Niall. Why does everyone keep asking me if I’m in love with Charlotte?” He walked around the front hall, looking on the floor for his cellphone.
“Cause ya got drunk and said,” Raibeart did a very girly interpretation of Euann’s voice, “‘I’m in love with Charlotte,’ ya dunderhead.”
“You’ve professed your heart to a million women while drinking.” Euann’s eyes were drawn to Cora. “How many engagements have ya broken?”
“So does that mean you’re now pining over Miss Rockface?”
Euann didn’t dignify that with an answer.
Raibeart crossed over to Cora and patted her stiff hair. “She’d make a pretty wife, don’t ya think? Wonder if she’ll forgive me for giving her the ol’ stiffy?” He knocked on her shoulder a few times.
Euann coughed uncomfortably, and mumbled, “Old is right.”
“Ya hope to look this good when you’re six hundred,” Raibeart quipped.
“You’re over seven hundred, and we both know it.”
Raibeart frowned. “Am I? That can’t be right.”
“Try to focus. What did ya do with the phoenix kid?” Euann walked away from Cora so his uncle would be forced to stop touching her as Raibeart turned to follow him with his eyes.
“Not me. Gremains.”
“Gremains? Dammit, Raibeart, are ya just now telling me gremains are chasing her?” Euann instantly rushed toward the dining room to go to the back gardens. He grabbed the doorframe to stop his momentum and then pointed at Cora. “Watch her, don’t let her leave.”
Euann didn’t wait for an answer as he hurried to the back gardens. They should have dealt with the gremains the morning he saw them harassing Raibeart. At the time, the gnarled little pests seemed pretty low on the scale of w
orries. Since moving to Wisconsin, his family had had run-ins with lidérc, wraiths, demons, spirits, and questionable baked goods. The MacGregors weren’t the only ones drawn to the source of power emanating from beneath Green Vallis.
“Jewel?”
The girl didn’t respond to his call. For all her power, she was still a child…presumably. She could have been playing a game by hiding in the woods.
Euann tried to focus his hearing but had a difficult time filtering through the sounds of the forest. It had been a long time since he’d needed to hunt. The gray fox inside of him seemed half awake. Or was it lazy from little use? Usually, his brothers shifted and took care of the tracking.
The last threads of evening light illuminated the path as he moved from the back gardens into the woods.
Cora had stirred the fox inside him the night before. He knew his inner burden was there. It had been dormant for so long that Euann often forgot it existed, but now was the time for the animal to wake up and take over.
Euann glanced around. He almost felt guilty about shifting after so long even though he had no reason to. If he woke the animal, would it be willing to go back to sleep? Primal instincts were hard to control and deny, and he was out of practice.
Euann leapt forward so that he would shift out of instinct and land on all fours. Instead of paws hitting the cobblestones of the garden path leading to the forest, his hands slipped, and he slammed his chin on the hard stones. The force jarred his teeth and sent a sharp pain to his temples. His knee struck the hard ground.
He’d faceplanted on the path.
Euann grabbed his chin and groaned as he rolled onto his back. “What the hell was that?”
His palms stung. His knee throbbed. His chin and jaw felt like they were on fire.
Euann pushed to his feet. Blood dotted where the cobblestone had scraped him. He examined his injured palms. Gray fur had tried to sprout from the back of his hands but only showed in patches. The beginning points of fangs sharpened the tips of a couple of teeth. He stretched his hands, trying to force paws to form. They didn’t.
Kisses and Curses Page 3
