by N. K. Vir
Kieran threw a cocky smile at Adam. Damn he was proud of his girls. “Daisy stays,” he agreed.
Adam casually shrugged his shoulders as if it made no difference to him. “As you wish but fewer interruptions would make this go quicker,” he suggested throwing Daisy a look before turning his full attention back to Wills.
“What did Marek say that had Lily agreeing with Kane?” Daisy asked ignoring Adam’s request.
“You would make a very good lawyer,” he told her without bothering to glance in her direction. “They too ask too many questions.”
“But they always ask good ones,” Kieran added. This was the part he had been afraid of; the fallout from his conversation with Marek. “Answer her question.”
Last night there had been too many fires to put out. Lucas had been bordering on a complete breakdown and the condition he had found Wills in had not been much better. There had been no time for a proper debriefing. No time to figure out if they had done more harm than good. They had all been running on empty going full steam for the past forty-eight hours. Last night they had all stolen a moment to remember what they were fighting for; what was worth fighting for.
“Marek Grey is claiming that you came to him last night and asked him to lie for you,” Adam held up his hand silently begging him not to throw his outrage around just yet. “There is more. He is claiming that you bewitched Tanith to attack Wills. He fears for the safety of the Historian and questions your relationship with her.”
Words escaped him. The rage that was building in him was almost too intense for him to contain. He released Wills, stepping away from his anchor. His hands clenched into fists out of instinct as he tried to control his anger; stopping it before it tapped into his magick.
“Lies,” he hissed as he paced the floor and remembered to breathe.
“He was very convincing,” Adam said to a very quiet Wills.
“But it was the rogue vampire that triggered Tanith’s attack,” Daisy insisted fighting back tears.
He focused on his breathing and prayed that Wills did not believe the lies Adam was retelling. He could not believe things could get any worse. Their troubles had multiplied in the last few minutes. Kane was getting his revenge on them all tonight.
“The baby witch has learned control,” Adam remarked. “I have given you several opportunities to burn my clothing and yet I am still very well dressed.”
“I made a vow Adam; don’t make me break it.” He was shocked he had been able to contain his magick.
“Do you believe any of it Adam,” Wills asked finally speaking up. He didn’t know why she needed his approval. The fact that she did irritated him even more.
“No,” Adam softly replied. “But it does not matter what I think. I have already been out voted.”
“How long do we have?” she asked cutting through the bullshit that had been dropped in her lap.
“Lily will be busy installing her latest he latest acquisition in her penthouse tonight and Kane does not trust me. My best guess would be by sunset tomorrow. If you have a plan; a way to get Tanith to safety you, had best see it completed by dawn,” he advised.
“That’s not enough time,” Daisy cried.
Wills shook her head. “It might be better this way. I don’t think Lucas has until tomorrow at sunset.”
With his anger under control he turned and faced Adam. The man was not helping. He was making an impossible situation worse. “Do you have anything helpful to add or are you just the bearer of bad news?” he asked hoping that Adam would leave quicker than he had arrived.
They needed time; time to decide just how much they should tell the others. If they told Lucas that the few precious hours he had left with Tanith was smaller than they had originally thought; it could trigger a shift that he might never come back from. On the other hand if they remained quiet they would be lying to him. After all they had been through the one promise they had all swore to uphold was to be honest. They were currently being placed in a very difficult situation.
Adam stood up releasing Wills and sauntered back over to the Ogham book. He traced the burnt corners of the strange cover with the tip of his manicured forefinger. “Do you know why the Sinclair Witch and the Historian have never before been romantically involved?” he asked suddenly shifting the focus of the conversation.
Wills shook her head. He could see her mind working still trying to save the day with that clever mind of hers. He knew she would move heaven and earth to keep her promise to Lucas. He just hoped she could handle the disappointment he knew was coming their way.
“It is said that when the Historian and the Sinclair Witch join the veil will fall and the reign of the Trinity will come to an end. Magick will float into the world and the sleeping people of Earth will awaken,” he informed them skimming through a few pages.
“I’ve never come across to a reference to that anywhere,” Wills threw back at him spinning her chair around.
“That information is too dangerous to put into writing,” he replied turning over one last page. He smoothed his hand over the open book and clicked his tongue. He strode casually back over to Wills; cradled her face between his palms and raised her face to meet his. “I wish I could give you back you sight,” he whispered running his thumbs over her brow. “Alas it is a gift I cannot give.” He kissed her forehead and then vanished from sight.
Wills raised a hand rubbing the spot where Adam had placed a fatherly kiss on her forehead. She turned her head to look back over her shoulder at the open book lying on the page. He wondered for a brief moment if Adam had lied; if he had restored her sight. The intense look on her face gave him hope. When she stood up his hopes were crushed. He silently cursed closing his own eyes as his shoulders sagged as she reached out to feel her way back over to her desk. Her small hands brushed over the page Adam had left open.
“That crafty old fox,” she smiled. He exchanged a confused look with Daisy. Wills’ smile brightened as she looked up at them. “He left us a solution. It’s not perfect…hell it’s far from perfect; but it just might work.”
Daisy clapped her hands in glee and even he could not help but smile. “What do we have to do?” he asked.
“Daisy you’re going to need to find us the perfect stone and Kieran,” she said turning towards him. Her face turned serious as she blindly gazed at him. “You’re going to have to break your vow.”
He had hoped to see a thousand more days like this.
The midsummer air was warm and sweet smelling as Marian’s old garden was coming into full bloom. Birds serenaded the tiny creatures below who playfully romped in and out of the distant tree line. A family of deer dined on leafy foliage on the edge of the property. The clouds had stayed away today allowing the sun to shine fully. He tilted his face towards the sky, basking in the warmth of the sunlight on his face.
He had made a decision somewhere during their escape from the basement library…
He had decided to enjoy the little things. He decided to revel in the world that surrounded him. He decided to spend the day enjoying the company of the woman he had been in love with for as long as he could remember.
It was easy to lose the beauty in the world until faced with the possibility that there would be no tomorrow. He had hours left to enjoy his life and he couldn’t think of a better way than to spend it with her.
They had spoken little since he had engineered their escape from the library. Words would never capture how he felt about her and everything they were both about to lose. He could dwell on the horrors that awaited them tomorrow or he could enjoy a perfect day with her today.
“Walk with me,” he said holding out his hand. She slipped her hand willing into his and he smiled down at her. She tried to return his smile but just missed.
“Lucas-,” she broke off shaking her head. He could see her fighting for words to make what they had just heard easier. He saved her the trouble by pulling her into his arms.
He was amazed at how easily, how q
uickly, the worry and stress had lifted off his shoulders. The panic, the fear, of the impending future was gone. There was no tomorrow but she was here now; in his arms where he knew she always belonged. A million thoughts rushed through his mind, each one clamoring for his attention. He picked one at random.
Tanith would live; she would go on and find herself safely surrounded by family and friends who had missed her, who loved her. He could accept his fate if he knew she would be taken care of. He brushed a stray lock of hair the wind had caught and tucked it behind her ear smiling down at her. The promise of tomorrow had been ripped away from them he intended to make the most of today.
“Run with me,” he begged. He didn’t give her time to answer.
He locked onto her hand and ran.
He dragged her deeper into the woods. The leafy forest roof shielded them from the rising heat of the midday sun and hid them from potential prying eyes. He wanted her to himself. He wanted them to get lost among the trees and pretend, just for a moment, that there was no world beyond the small wooded area that surrounded Marian’s house. It was a tiny wish he could make come true; and for once magick had no hold on him.
He moved faster testing the limits of their human legs. There had been times, in the not too distant past, when they would run alongside each other losing themselves in their wolves and the wild hidden places that nature supplied. He wanted to enjoy his last day with her as a human. He wanted to enjoy her rare smiles and the contradiction between her fair skin and the deep greens of the urban wilds. If they could not escape to the open earth of the north then he could accept the next best thing. He had learned to accept the limitations of his life; he easily found he could accept them at the end of his life.
“Where are we going?” Tanith breathlessly asked.
“Does it matter?” he replied over his shoulder pushing his legs faster.
She kept up with the pace he’d set her hand never once slipping from his. He followed a parallel path to the one he had taken last night; looking for something new; for something special. The trees began to thin while growing in size and girth. The decaying undergrowth melted away and left them with sweet smelling green growth under their feet as they stumbled into a small circle of wild blackberries. This was what he had been searching for; a special place where even the trees revered the earth.
One of the rare smiles he had been waiting from slowly overtook her face. Her hand slowly slipped out of his; and her legs carried her away from him. Her feet slowly walked the small tight clearing. Her arms extended brushing against the tall, delicate ferns that huddled against the blackberry bushes in search of some cool, sheltering shade.
“It reminds me of home.” He could hear both nostalgia and regret in her voice.
“Tell me about it,” he encouraged. He wanted to hear about her home, her people. In the past the only memories she had were ones they had shared together. He wanted to hear her story; he wanted to hear all of it.
He could feel her reticence; and he understood and appreciated her sympathy; but he wanted to celebrate the good not dwell on the negative. The soft smile faded from her face as she turned from him; afraid to show him the emotion that lay behind her eyes.
“Tell me about it,” he repeated. “Take me there.”
He watched her dramatic eyes absorb the beautiful woodland landscape. “There are many hidden groves like this,” she began. “When I was small I would search out places like this and gorge myself on the fruits the forest hid.
She plucked a ripe blackberry and popped it into her mouth. He enjoyed watching her savor the sweet berry. She plucked another berry offering it to him. He reached out to take it and she snatched her hand back shaking her head before devouring it.
“Tell me more,” he said stepping closer and she gracefully danced away from him.
“The air is so sweetly scented that you can taste it on the tip of your tongue.” She picked another berry and once again offered it to him. This time he held out his hand silently asking her for a taste. Again she shook her head. He took two steps closer to her as she popped the third berry into her mouth.
“Tell me more,” he whispered stopping just short of invading her personal space.
With her eyes locked on his she stole another berry from the bush. “Crystal lakes sneak between the lush rolling hills offering a cool respite from the long, hot summer days. It rains in the spring and very rarely in the deep months of summer. If you squint your eyes this place is not too different.”
She dangled the berry she had blindly picked in front of his mouth faintly teasing his watering taste buds. He playfully snapped at it trying to snatch the delicate treat from her hand. Her reflexes were faster than his and she slipped the succulent treat between her perfect white teeth.
Suddenly he was very hungry.
He reached out, quickly wrapping and arm around her waist. He pulled her close and stole back the berry she had teased him with. Hell might welcome him tomorrow; but today he found himself floating close to the gates of heaven.
Chapter Twenty-two
Tomorrow
She was amazed she didn’t get a ticket for reckless driving, speeding and nearly killing a misplaced construction cone. Luckily every cop in downtown Nyack seemed to preoccupied at the precise moment she rounded the corner of Franklin Street and slammed the car into park on the corner of Main and Franklin. The gods had been with her; there was rarely an open spot on the popular street. Today was Farmer’s Market Day and the locals knew better than to try Main Street between 9am and 2pm. Dozens of stay-at-home moms were too preoccupied with the small social interaction a day out afford them and more than one rebellious child had wandered out into the street; even the police kept away from the downtown area every Thursday. She ejected herself out of the car and ran at a full sprint to the shop hoping something would call out to her the moment she opened the doors.
Kieran had balked at Wills’ plan but all she needed to hear was the first few tasty tidbits and she was already fully on board. She knew they could do this. Wills would win Kieran over and make him see that his magick was too dangerous to bottle up. They had all teased him in the past about gaining control over his growing magick but now he had gone too far in the other direction. Wills had to bring him back and she wanted to be ready when he was. Time had gotten away from them.
She had sprinted down the maze of corridors that would lead her to the surface; buzzed by James and Kelly in the kitchen with a breathless sentence, and bolted for her little blue car. The whole time one old adage buzzed through her head…
Kill two birds with one stone.
Tanith had grown on her in the last few weeks and after falling into her memories the other night a strange connection had developed between the two of them. The woman, shifter, Othersider whatever she was did not deserve the storm that had engulfed her. Her attachment to Lucas had been more instantaneous. The world around them was deteriorating fast and if she could, for once, be the hero…
The bell above the door rang violently as she all but ripped the hinges off the door. Her lungs burned and she promised herself she would finally attend that spin class at the Y she had been putting off for too long. If she was going to wade into the deep waters of magick she needed to be in better shape. She had no idea that rescuing her friends would be so cardio intensive.
Kelsey, the part-time girl they had hired to keep an eye on the shop was staring bug-eyed at her. Daisy held up her hand silently pleading for a moment to catch her breath while buying herself time to come up with a plausible story for her sudden, abrupt, arrival.
“Chakra-,” she managed to force out. “Emergency,” she finished swirling her hand around her third eye. She pushed herself up to her full height and the room around her spun; at least she wasn’t completely lying about her sight. “Why don’t you take a quick break,” she suggested planting a fake smile on her face while she planted a death grip on the counter to keep herself upright. “I think I saw that cute guy from the farm
unloading some produce across the street. What was his name again?”
“Dustin?” Kelsey asked excitedly.
“Yep, Dustin,” she said snapping and pointing a finger at the pretty high school dropout. Her breathing was finally returning to normal and with it her sight was shifting back into focus.
A few weeks ago she had fought to get the lonely girl a job; plucking shamelessly on the Sinclair’s heartstrings. She remembered what it felt like to be alone in the world without a soul to understand her; including her parents. The Sinclair’s had taken her in with the same warmth they had shown Daisy years ago. She just wished the girl wasn’t so hung up on a guy that was years older than her, and all wrong for her unique energy. That didn’t mean however that she wasn’t willing to exploit it now for her own purposes. She had silently wished for this life. Kelsey was an innocent; besides the girl would ask too many questions and Daisy needed quiet right now.
She waved cheerfully to Kelsey as the girl yanked up her already ridiculously short skirt and strutted out the door. The bell chimed signaling that Kelsey had, finally, left the building. She listened for a few minutes tuning into the sounds of the world outside the small shop. A few construction workers catcalled and whistled as Kelsey crossed the street. She was going to have to have a serious talk with the girl about respecting herself once time gave her a small break between impending deaths. She saw too much of herself in Kelsey and it scared her. She had learned a lot in the past month. She didn’t want to see Kelsey falling down the same rabbit hole she now found herself in.
Reality and priorities quickly caught up with her. “One crisis at a time,” she verbally reminded herself.
She walked to the door and bolted the lock, turning the open sign around and closing off the outside world. Her energy still felt sticky; she needed a good quick cleanse. She turned around and eyed the well laid out shop. The checkout counter sat to her right. Its cluttered contents contained everything from ornate keychains to silly last minute amulets and stickers customers would often throw into their final purchase. A neat display of herbal jars lined the ornate shelving unit that hung behind the counter; a shining example of the impact she had made upon the store. In the past customers were allowed to rummage through the basket of herbs rarely finding what they were looking for. Now the shop looked like an old apothecary. It was inviting; even to the mundane customers who were simply searching for a rare herb to add to their tea. Simple herbs lavender and chamomile sat alongside their more potent counterparts like Orris root and asafetida. She could always pick out a true witch by the herbs they came to purchase.
