A Shift in Power (Shadow Claw Book 5)

by Sarah J. Stone

  She suddenly heard a soft giggle, and Nina whipped around to see where it came from. As she turned, she heard it again behind her. It was the sound of a child laughing.

  “Over here,” she heard the delighted voice call out, and as Nina turned, she saw a flash of golden curls disappearing around the corner of her eye. She turned again, but there was nobody there, and Nina stood alone for miles and miles ahead.

  She wanted to cry, and she shivered but she ducked her head and kept walking. She heard the little girl running again, and she turned to see her disappear again, this time catching a glimpse of her dimpled arms and legs. She emerged out of the dandelion fields into a grassland with a smattering of trees here and there. She squinted against the golden sunlight and saw a figure lying on the grass between two trees.

  Nina raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun and walked slowly toward the figure. She realized it was the same child she had seen. She lay facing the sky, her arms and legs spread apart as though she were making snow angels. She wore a white sundress, and her golden curls were tied up with a red satin ribbon.

  She turned to Nina, and said, “There you are. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  She had a melodic voice, and she smiled beautifully at Nina, who moved closer, lowering her hand from her eyes as she looked at the child. She could not have been more than five years old.

  The girl smiled at her, and said, “Why are you standing so far away? Come closer.”

  Nina stayed frozen in place. She didn’t know where she was or who this girl was, but she felt as though she knew her, as though she had known her for a very long time.

  “Who…who are you?” Nina said, the words coming off her tongue nervously.

  The girl moved so she was laying on her stomach now, looking up at Nina with large eyes the color of molten honey. She blinked slowly and said, “Don’t you recognize me, Mommy?”

  Nina dropped to her knees beside the girl, and said, “It’s you. It’s really you, isn’t it?”

  She looked at the girl and recognized Kevin’s eyes in the little child’s face, but she had Nina’s nose and mouth. How the girl had golden curls was beyond her, though. She looked at the girl’s beautiful face and reached out to cup it in her hands.

  “Are you happy to see me, Mommy?” her daughter asked, looking at Nina through her long, thick lashes.

  Nina nodded and gasped. “Yes, yes, I’m very happy.”

  ***

  Kevin woke up from a disturbed and uncomfortable nap, and still feeling groggy, he got up off the bed and wandered over to the window, where Heather had left a jug of water and a glass on the windowsill. He poured himself some water, and as he sipped it, he turned to look outside the window.

  Cassie was outside in the grass, playing with Violet. The little cub was almost two years old, and he could hear her shouts of laughter all the way up to the window. He smiled sadly and wondered if that could ever be Nina and their child. He had been a lieutenant for the pack for the last five years, and even before that, his life had never been normal, but that had changed when Nina had come into his life. He now looked forward to waking up next to her every morning, to coming back from his duties to have her waiting for him. He was happy to settle into a routine with her, to be boring and normal and content.

  He turned to look at Nina and sighed. It wasn’t too much to ask for, was it? He walked over to her and watched her laying there, the delicate veins visible on her neck and arms. She looked so fragile. Kevin sighed; he knew that when the woman in question was the second Caillagh. Yes- it was too much to ask for.

  Chapter Four

  Kalen was surprised when a fairy came to report to him that evening of an older shifter crossing the border into the forest. Kalen strode out with the fairy to see who the visitor was, and when he recognized the man, he told the fairy to remain at ease. He knew the visitor.

  “Hello, Samuel,” Kalen said pleasantly. “What brings you out here so far from Shadow Claw?”

  Samuel was clearly out of breath from walking all the way, and he shook his head, and said, “Evening, Oberon. I’ve come to see Nina. How is she doing?”

  Kalen led the way to the house as he said, “She’s been the same since we found her. I really don’t know what else can be done but wait.”

  Samuel nodded gravely and followed Kalen through the fairy forest. “The forest is beautiful this time of year,” he said quietly, looking around.

  Kalen smirked and said, “The forest is always beautiful, Samuel. Let’s skip the small talk. I know it isn’t your strong suit.”

  Samuel shook his head, and said, “No, I was never one for pretty words. I’m more of an action man myself.”

  Kalen grinned at the tongue-in-cheek comment and said nothing as they walked toward the house.

  Kalen and Samuel entered the house through the back door in the kitchen, and when everyone saw Samuel, there was sudden silence. They had never seen the archive-keeper so far away from Shadow Claw before.

  Luke stood up quickly and said, “Samuel, what’s wrong? Is the pack in trouble?”

  Samuel shook his head and waved a hand dismissively as he said, “No, no, nothing like that. I’m here to speak to Kevin and check in on Nina.”

  Luke slowly sat back down, and said, “Oh.” He looked quizzical, and Cassie lightly kicked him under the table. Luke shook his head, and said, “Come, join us for dinner. We’re having a nice roast.”

  Samuel opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Kevin burst into the kitchen.

  “Samuel,” he said breathlessly, “what did you find out?”

  The old man cleared his throat and moved toward Kevin, gesturing for him to step out. They walked out of the kitchen and stood on the landing near the spiral staircase. “Kevin, I went through the books, and I came across remedies, but they were so basic that I know Ammara already knows them – making a paste out of the leaves of a witch’s life-tree, for example. I didn’t come across any new information, and you know that if it’s magic we’re dealing with, then Ammara really is the best person to go to.”

  Kevin’s face fell as he realized that Samuel was not here to deliver a miracle cure for Nina, but he was instead here to deliver the bad news that he didn’t know how to help. Sighing deeply, he said, “I’ll speak to Ammara, yeah. Thanks for checking.”

  Samuel nodded and said, “Of course. But Kevin, if I may…?”

  Kevin nodded and Samuel went on.

  “I know you are young, and you have never really seen what a Caillagh is and what she is capable of, but I was there and I saw the kind of power Ammara wielded and still wields. That is the same power that runs through Nina’s blood. She is much, much more powerful than you can fathom, Kevin. She will come back from this.”

  Kevin tried to smile at Samuel, but what came out was a pained grimace instead. “Thank you, Samuel. You should stay for dinner,” Kevin said, leading the old man back to the kitchen. He was disappointed. As a young shifter, he had believed that Samuel had the answer to everything, and now he knew that Samuel wasn’t a god. He was just an old man with access to some very old books, and sometimes, those books weren’t very helpful at all.

  Samuel seated himself at the table, and Cassie fixed him a plate. She started to fix one for Kevin, but he shook his head and excused himself back up to the bedroom. He didn’t want to eat. Once he was upstairs, he sat next to Nina, and slowly put his head on her chest. He could feel her heartbeat under the thin fabric she wore. He buried his face in the soft skin of her breasts, and he took a long, deep breath.

  “Kevin,” a voice said softly from the doorway. He looked up to see Ammara standing there, “Kevin, I would advise you to eat something. Keep your strength up.”

  Kevin stood up and snarled at Ammara, “I don’t want your advice. What I want is for you to do something!” His voice was rising rapidly, and he screamed, “Do something! Your daughter is lying here, weak and powerless, and you’re just g
rinding herbs and having a vampire feed her blood. Where is your Caillagh magic, huh?”

  Ammara looked shocked as she took a step back, and said, “Kevin, I’m doing everything I can!”

  Kevin snarled, baring his teeth in anger as he roared, “Stop lying! You can do more. You can save her! Why aren’t you doing it?”

  Ammara was getting angry, too, and a red flush crept up her neck and ears as she yelled back, “You think I don’t want to save her? I’ve lost her once before. You think I want to lose her again?”

  Kevin growled and turned away in disgust, but Ammara was not done.

  “You think it’s so easy, don’t you? You think there’s just a simple spell, that I can snap my fingers and chant some pretty words, and it’ll be done? That she’ll be okay? Magic doesn’t work like that. How dare you accuse me of not doing enough? I’m doing everything I can! What are you doing? Complaining and yelling? You’re nothing but a simple-minded animal. You will never understand my magic – or Nina’s!”

  Kevin’s chest was heaving as rage coursed through his veins, and before he could shout back, Luke came running up the stairs with Fergus behind him.

  “What’s going on?” Luke demanded to know, and Ammara turned angrily away.

  Kevin was still glaring at Ammara, and he shifted his gaze to Luke and Fergus as he said, “Nothing. Nothing at all. That’s the problem, you see.”

  Ammara stormed off down the staircase, and Luke and Fergus stared at Kevin.

  Fergus stepped forward, and said, “Man, I know this is hard, but you have got to keep calm. You can’t go around losing your cool like that.”

  Kevin snarled at Fergus, and said, “What do you know about how I feel?”

  The minute he saw Fergus’ face, he knew that he had messed up. Of course, Fergus knew what it was like to be separated from his mate. Kevin had just been away from Nina for two days. Fergus had waited ten years to be reunited with Diana. He had lived those years thinking she was dead, and he had to live with that pain. Immediately, Kevin dropped his shoulders, and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Fergus shook his head, and said, “It’s all right. Just calm down, okay?”

  Kevin nodded and Fergus left the room, leaving Kevin with Luke, who looked at him warily.

  “I’m sorry, Luke,” Kevin muttered.

  Luke shook his head and said, “No. We get it, okay? All of us here understand that this is a tense situation for you, but you just need to keep it together. If you lose it, everyone else will, too. We need to be strong for Nina. We need to be level-headed so we can think clearly and try and figure a way out of this, okay?”

  Kevin nodded, and Luke clapped him on the back. “Good. Now you stay here, and I’ll have some food sent up here for you. Eat something. That’s an order.”

  Kevin nodded again, and Luke turned around and climbed down the stairs. A few minutes later, Cassie came up with a plate of food and placed it on the side table before she turned to Kevin with a smile on her face.

  “I know this isn’t easy. It must be excruciating to have to deal with this alone, and that’s why I’m telling you, Kevin – you’re not alone. If you need to talk, Luke and I are always here for you, and contrary to what you might believe, so are Ammara and Kalen. They’re doing their best. They’re in a strange position themselves. They’re Nina’s parents but they’ve never before been in a position where they had to protect Nina. This is new for them.”

  Kevin nodded, and said, “I just want her to wake up, Cass. This is supposed to be a happy time for us. We’re having a baby; we’re going to be a family. But she’s just…she’s so weak now, and I…I hate myself for even thinking this, but part of me blames the baby.”

  Cassie sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed, facing Kevin as she said, “It doesn’t make you a bad person, okay? You love the baby, I know you do – and you’re gonna be an amazing father – but yeah, you also know that if Nina wasn’t carrying this all-powerful baby, she wouldn’t be in this condition. It’s a natural conclusion to reach, but Kevin, this is just a brief moment in the long and happy life you will live together.”

  “You really believe that?” Kevin asked quietly, and Cassie nodded.

  “I do,” she said. “God, Nina is a force of nature. You know that better than anyone. She will come out of this strong, I promise you.”

  Kevin smiled, and said, “Yeah, she’s really something.”

  A voice called out for Cassie from downstairs. She stood up, and said, “Kevin, that plate had better be empty when I get back.”

  Kevin grinned. He realized he hadn’t actually laughed in days. Cassie smiled and left the room. Kevin picked up the plate of food she had left for him, and as he did, his gaze fell on Nina. He sighed, and said, “I miss you, babe.”

  Cassie walked back downstairs to see who had called her, but whatever they had needed her for seemed to already be resolved, so she shrugged and walked into the living room. As she did, she seemed to walk in on Ammara and Kalen in an intense discussion. They were whispering to each other, and even though Cassie didn’t want to eavesdrop, she couldn’t help but hone in on the voices through her heightened shifter hearing.

  “It’s the only thing I can think of,” Ammara was saying quietly, but urgently. “Kevin was right. I am not doing everything I can because I’m scared. I have been asleep for so long I don’t know if I can control my powers like I used to be able to.”

  Kalen shook his head, and said “Ammara, don’t overexert yourself, darling. Nina will be fine; we just have to be patient.”

  Ammara frowned, and said, “I’m afraid it’s too late for that now. If we don’t do something right now, Nina might not make it.”

  Cassie cleared her throat, and Ammara and Kalen jumped, startled. They turned around, and Cassie stepped into the room.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I did hear what you said, Ammara, and if there’s anything you can do – anything at all – then I think you owe it to Nina to go ahead and do it.”

  Ammara’s eyes started to water as she bit her lip and nodded. “You’re right. She’s my daughter and I have to save her, but I’m scared.”

  Cassie nodded, and said, “I don’t know much about magic, but I have known many witches in my life and I believe that you can enlist help for performing spells if you don’t think you’re strong enough on your own.”

  Ammara gulped and nodded as she said, “Yes…yes that’s true.”

  She turned to Kalen, and said, “I can perform the spell with help. I’m gonna need the most powerful witches I know.”

  Kalen wrinkled his brow, and said, “What are you going to do? What’s the spell?”

  Ammara cleared her throat, and said, “We need a house meeting. Cassie, please call everyone here. I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

  Cassie nodded and hurried to the kitchen to call everyone. She returned moments later with Fergus, Diana, Gael, Heather, and Samuel, while Luke went upstairs to fetch Kevin. When they were all gathered in the living room, Ammara first turned to Kevin.

  “You were right. There is more than I can do, and you’ve made me realize that I can’t keep being afraid of my magic. I have to save my daughter.”

  Kevin didn’t know what to say, but thankfully, Ammara didn’t expect a response.

  She turned to the rest of the party, and said, “I think it’s time we separated the baby from Nina. It’s drawing too much energy that Nina can no longer offer to the child.”

  Samuel cleared his throat, and everyone turned to look at him. “I think I know a coven that can help.”

  Ammara nodded, and said, “Yes, I know who you’re talking about. I’m going to need your help in contacting them. The Moon Coven – they’re powerful witches, but can you get in touch with them?”

  Samuel nodded solemnly.

  “What? Are you going to summon them with a spell or something?” Fergus asked, looking from
Ammara to Samuel.

  Samuel blinked at him, and simply said, “No, I’m going to call them from my cell phone.”

  Chapter Five

  Nina couldn’t stop staring at the little girl. Was this really her daughter? She was so beautiful. Nina gazed at how the sunlight clung onto her eyelashes and how her hair curled prettily. She wanted to touch her, but she was afraid the dream would end if she did. She sat down on the grass instead, feeling the wet, cold blades of grass against her skin through the fabric of her dress.

  “What’s your name?” Nina asked her and the girl smiled.

  “Dahlia. You name me Dahlia.”

  “Dahlia,” Nina repeated, tasting the name on her tongue. She said it again and smiled widely.

  Dahlia lazily picked a dandelion and blew on it, scattering the seeds everywhere. She lay back down and gazed up at the sky with her beautiful eyes. “This is my favorite time of the day,” she sighed.

  Nina nodded, and murmured, “Yes, it’s beautiful.”

  Her daughter said, “Come lie down with me. Let’s look at the clouds.”

  Nina laid down next to her daughter and watched as Dahlia stretched a chubby hand up toward the sky, splaying out her fingers as she said, “Daddy misses you. But I like having you here with me.”

  Nina turned her face skyward, and said, “I like being here, too, but it’s making me very weak. I have to go back so I can give birth to you and be with both you and Daddy.”

  There was a flash of something in Dahlia’s eyes, something that looked almost like fear, but it was gone immediately. She smiled, and said, “We should play a game.”

  Nina eyed the child, feeling wary all of a sudden as she said, “What kind of game?”

  Dahlia shrugged, and said, “I don’t care what kind. I just want to spend time with you while I can.”

  “You can spend all the time in the world with me when I go back,” Nina said carefully, trying to gauge the girl’s reaction.

  Dahlia sat up and said, “How about hide-and-seek?” Before Nina could respond, Dahlia was up in a flash, and she started to run, disappearing out of the corner of Nina’s eye and running toward the fields of sunflowers. Nina pushed herself up slowly; her bones ached and protested the laborious movements.