by Vella Day
Once there, Tory couldn’t tell what Queen Arianna was doing other than she was holding her hands out over her son and mumbling something that was probably in the Feyrionian language.
“Please Kenton, wake up,” Tory telepathed in the hopes she could reach him. Unfortunately, he didn’t respond.
Their mother lowered her arms. “Girls, do you want to help?”
“We’ve tried, mother,” Meena said. “I think it is more than just the poison running through his bloodstream.”
“Is it possible the demon I killed implanted his essence into him?” Tory asked.
Bevon placed a hand on her shoulder. “If you came at him from behind and cut off his head, he wouldn’t have had the time to do that.”
“What about Kai then? Could he have left a trace of himself?” she asked.
Bevon glanced over at his brother. “It’s possible. I suppose during the fight he could have transferred some of his being into Kenton. He might have decided to do whatever it took to make sure Kenton died.”
“Tory might be right,” his mother said. “While I can heal many people, this…this poison inside my son is spreading too fast.”
Her mind shot back to when her brother Declan had encountered the same thing with a friend of Chelsea’s back on Earth. “Would it be possible to bring my brother here? He’s a healer, and he’s dealt with demons before. I know he struggled to help my dad, but when he had help from a witch on Earth, they were able to exorcise one.”
“A witch?” the Queen Arianna asked.
“Yes. She was the Four Sisters’ grandmother.” Tory lifted a hand. “You wouldn’t know them, I realize, but they are—”
The queen moved closer. “Are you speaking about Ophelia?”
“Yes.” Tory couldn’t believe that she knew of this woman who lived in a different realm.
The queen smiled briefly. “Many know of her. So, you’re saying that your brother, together with Ophelia, were able to eradicate a demon’s soul inside of a person?”
“Yes.”
“Then by all means let’s ask him to come. I believe I can be the substitute for Ophelia. I sensed I was missing something, some power, some magic, and maybe your brother is just what I need, especially now that my son has some dragon in him.” She looked up at Bevon. “Can you bring him to me?”
“It will be faster if Tory comes with me.”
“Of course. I’ll do anything,” Tory said.
Bevon placed a hand on her shoulder. “Tell me where we might find this brother of yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tory and Bevon teleported to the SinCas building where they found Declan busy in his office. Thankfully, it didn’t take much to convince him to help.
“You don’t want Greer to come along?” he asked.
Tory had thought about it. “I think your healing abilities are better suited to rid a person’s body of a demon.”
“I couldn’t help Dad. How can I help Kenton?”
“You had Ophelia before. Kenton’s mom is just as powerful.”
Declan set down his cup on his desk. “Let’s go. Do I need to take anything with me?”
Bevon shook his head. “You’ll be back here in no time. Ready?”
“We’re really teleporting together?” her brother asked.
Tory hoped that wasn’t an issue. “Yes. I know it’s a bit disconcerting the first time you do it, but don’t be afraid.” That would get him to agree.
“I’m not afraid.” Tory thought he let out a chuckle.
“We’ll have to return to my cabin and then take the portal to our world,” Bevon said.
He placed a hand on each of their shoulders, and instantly, they were standing in front of the cabin door that led to the portal.
Declan looked over at him. “You’re right. It was a bit unsettling but exhilarating at the same time.”
She smiled. “Wait until we get to the palace.”
“The palace?”
He’d find out soon enough. Bevon had a glint in his eye right before he created the portal. Together, they stepped through. Most likely because the view of the countryside was so spectacular that he let them stand there for a moment. “Whoa.” Her brother looked around.
“Enough sightseeing. Times a wasting,” Bevon announced before he teleported them to the palace living room.
Poor Declan. All of this must be overwhelming.
“This is Queen Arianna of Feyrion,” Tory said. “She is Kenton’s mom.”
He stepped over to her. “What do you need me to do?”
She loved her brother for getting straight to the point.
The queen explained about the poison and the possible demon interaction. “I’m not really sure what is going on, but even I couldn’t heal my son. I need more power—or rather a different kind of power. Why don’t you tell me what you need me to do? You’ve done this before.”
Her admiration for Kenton’s mother just shot through the roof. All she wanted to do was cure her son. Most of what Declan told Kenton’s mom was said in a hushed voice. As much as Tory wanted to hold Kenton’s hand, she didn’t want to interfere with their process.
For the next twenty minutes, the two of them did chant after chant. Finally, the queen turned to her. “We’ve done all that we can.”
Tory’s heart nearly shattered. “What are you saying?” Kenton wasn’t going to die. He couldn’t.
“Stay with him. Talk to him. He’ll be able to sense you. If my son is as strong as I believe him to be, he’ll survive.”
Tory was willing to do anything. “Of course.”
Just as Bevon was pulling over a chair for her to sit next to Kenton, King Leighton appeared and stepped over to Kenton. “Son? Can you hear me?” He looked up at his wife. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The queen took hold of his elbow. When the king nodded, Tory figured they were telepathing and able to block out what they said to others. The king walked over to Tory and held out his hand. “Thank you for being with Kenton. I’m sorry I had to rush out when we met the last time. There has been some serious unrest in another part of the realm. I would have been here earlier if I had known.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond. “I understand.”
“Leighton, darling, would you come with me?” the queen asked her mate.
“Coming, my love.” He turned back to Tory. “I hope after Kenton wakes that we’ll have some time to get to know each other.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
Bevon placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll escort Declan back to Tarradon. Sit with Kenton. When you tire, I’ll take over.”
He was a sweet man. “Thank you.”
Before Declan left, she hugged him. “I appreciate you coming.”
“I’m still in a bit of shock. I think we helped. Please let me know when he wakes up.”
She reached up and kissed his cheek. “I will.”
And then he was gone. Tory rushed back over to Kenton, ready for the long wait.
Kenton opened his eyes and stilled. Why was he in the palace living room, and why was Tory sitting next to him with her eyes closed and her head down? He ran a hand over his stomach, but no injury appeared to be there. He had been in a fight with Kai, right? Being this confused upset him.
“Tory?” He asked it out loud, because he didn’t want to jar her too quickly by telepathing.
She jerked awake. The smile that bloomed radiated with love. “Kenton! You’re alive.”
It took him a moment to recall why she would think that. “Of course, I am.”
She placed a hand on his. “What do you remember about the demon fight?”
As if she’d opened the flood gates to his memory, everything came rushing back. The pain, the weakness, and then the darkness. “Kai did this.”
“Yes.”
“I guess I’m here because neither Meena nor Fay could heal me back on Tarradon.”
“It took your mother and my brother Declan to rid your body of not only the
poison, but of the demon presence as well.”
“Declan helped? How? He couldn’t help your father.”
“I know, but that’s because he needed to work with your mother. Only by combining their talents were they able to heal you.”
“Well, I’ll be.” He sat up. While he was a bit weak, Kenton wasn’t experiencing much residual effect from the battle. “They did a good job.”
She grinned. “You’re really going to be okay?”
He eased his legs off the sofa and slowly stood. After trying to ignore the head rush, he gathered Tory in his arms. “I am now.”
Her hold tightened, and when she leaned her head back, those lips called to him. Kenton wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
“Ahem.” Drat. It was his mother.
He let go of his mate, spun around, and smiled. His mother opened her arms and rushed toward him. “How are you feeling? Really?” she telepathed, though he didn’t know why she didn’t speak out loud.
“I’m good.”
She stepped back and scanned him from head to toe. “You don’t feel any evil swirling inside you?”
“No, but I am working hard to control my anger. I want those bastards gone from both Feyrion and Tarradon. They have caused enough damage.”
“You and me both. If I recall, there is a spell that sent them packing hundreds of years ago. I need to locate it, so we can send them back to Cargonia for another four hundred years.”
“I’d prefer for eternity, but I’ll take a few hundred.”
His mother nodded. “Let me search the library. I’ll be back shortly.”
As soon as she disappeared, he turned back to Tory. His beautiful mate had dark circles under her eyes. “How long was I out?”
“Almost a day.”
He ground his teeth. “They will pay for this.”
Tory placed a hand on his arm. “Bevon told me that he and some others destroyed the crop of Treniam on Tarradon.”
“That’s a relief. I wish I knew how many demons were on Tarradon.”
“We know of at least three, but only one is alive. That would be Kai,” she said.
“Yes. Kai the coward.” Out of the corner of his eye, he’d seen the head of one roll. “Were you responsible for the demise of one of them?”
She grinned. “Why, yes I was.” She told him how a sword had miraculously appeared in her hand, and that it wasn’t an ordinary sword. “When I cut off his head, it was like I was slicing through butter. I figured it was imbued with magic.”
“It was, and you, Tory Sinclair, are a special woman. I can understand why Fate paired us together.”
His mother appeared waving a book in her hand. “Good news. I found the spell, but it will take four women to do it. I would ask my daughters to assemble here, but it needs to be done in each realm.”
“Do you think Tory is ready?” he asked.
Tory slapped a hand on her chest. “Me? I can’t do a spell.”
His mom smiled. “Leave that to me. I’m an excellent teacher.”
To say Tory was nervous was an understatement. What if she messed up? After all, Meena, Fay, and Tally were really Fairies, and she’d only been taught the spell a few hours ago. “Are you guys sure this will work?” she asked.
Meena placed a hand on Tory’s arm. “No, but we’re going to do our best.”
Then they were in one of Kenton’s sisters’ living room. Fay had told Kenton that he had to wait in his cabin, saying he’d only be a distraction. That worked for Tory.
“Okay,” Tally said. “The six candles have been lit, and the herbs from various flowers are connecting those candles.”
“I’ve never seen anyone use candles before,” Tory said.
“This is a special spell,” Tally said.
Tory guessed Tally might be the most powerful one since she preferred to stay on Feyrion. Tally had only agreed to return to Tarradon this time to help banish the Gromley demons back to Cargonia after learning what they had done to Kenton.
Meena held out both hands, and the other two followed. Tory did the same. Being part of something so powerful thrilled and scared her at the same time. Tory’s pulse was racing, but her stomach was remarkably calm. Maybe this was where she was meant to be.
All three sisters huddled close to her so they could read from this ancient book. With a nod, the chanting began. There were so many questions Tory wanted to ask about what she was reciting, but she understood that it would be best if she waited until after the ceremony.
The women kept repeating the same three phrases over and over again. While it had apparently been translated into Tarradonian many years ago, it still made little sense. But Tory was a team player, and she’d keep repeating the phrases until the sisters told her to stop.
The candles flickered, and then something miraculous happened. The herbs that connected the candles began to move. Tory held her breath and watched as the lines of herbs reached the center. They then disappeared. What the hell?
Then the candles extinguished, seemingly all on their own. Tory was in awe and freaked out at the same time.
Meena smiled. “It is done. The demons are back where they belong.”
While Tory wasn’t totally convinced, she wasn’t about to argue with them. “Thank you so much.” She turned to Tally. “And thank you for coming here.”
Tally nodded. “You all needed me.”
The silence that followed was a bit awkward. “I guess, I’ll get back to Kenton,” Tory said.
Meena stepped up next to her. “You do know that without you and your brother, we might have lost him.”
Tory hadn’t thought about it in those terms before. “I’m glad the both of us could help.”
“We three will return to Feyrion, and with our mother, we’ll do this spell again just in case there are any Gromley demons there,” Meena said.
“That’s great.”
Wanting to see her love, Tory concentrated on teleporting to Kenton’s cabin. She did succeed in changing locations, but instead of his cabin, she ended up at the eternal flame. Well shit.
Either she could walk the twenty minutes back to the cabin, take another crack at it, or ask Kenton to come get her. Since she wanted to see him, she telepathed her request. In seconds, he was next to her.
“Hi,” he said as he leaned down and kissed her. “How did it go?”
“Thank you for not asking why I’m at the eternal flame.”
Kenton placed a hand on his chest. “I figured you wanted to check it out again.”
Tory laughed. “You know very well that isn’t the case. I tried teleporting all of what, thirty feet? And instead I ended up here. I’m hopeless.”
Kenton gathered her in his arms. “You are anything but hopeless. First, tell me about the spell, and then we can see about honing a few of your other skills.”
Only because he winked did she assume he meant her skills in the bedroom. “Be serious.”
Kenton laughed. “I am. I can feel your tension and wanted to help relax you.” He snapped his fingers. “I have the perfect solution.”
“What’s that? Are you going to give me a backrub?”
“Hmm. That has a lot of potential, but you’d have to be naked, and once that happened, I wouldn’t last but a minute before my lust consumed me.”
“You’re right. What’s the plan?”
“Tell me about the spell.”
Tory outlined how the four of them said the spell in unison, and soon the herbs began to move. “It was almost as if some other entity was in the room with us.” She stilled. “Did one of the sisters use telekinesis to move the leaves in order to convince me the demons were gone?”
Kenton cupped her face. “No. They want the demons gone just as much as you and I do. If the leaves moved, then it was the spell that did it.”
Tory blew out a breath. “What can we do to be sure Kai and any of his other friends are gone?”
“I asked Bevon to check it out. I believe he even plans to enl
ist the help of Declan.”
That made her happy. “I really appreciate you asking my family. I think it is really important that we are united.”
“Precisely. Now that the threat is at least temporarily, if not permanently, gone, I know of a perfect spot to go.”
“Where is that?”
“You’ll just have to trust me, but first I want to grab a few towels.”
What was he up to? Whatever it was, she was sure it would be incredible because Kenton Forrester was the most amazing man alive.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kenton had spotted the hot springs a few months ago after he’d done some scouting in Thedia Province. While the air was chillier than he preferred, it made it even nicer to be in the steaming water.
“Is this helping to relax you?” he asked. Tory was leaning her head back against the rock-faced pool, and her legs were floating in the water.
Tory moaned. “This is so what I needed.” She reached under the water and squeezed his leg. “Thank you.”
“After what you’ve been through, it was the least I could do.”
“Brother, we are in the clear,” Bevon telepathed.
“You checked everywhere?”
“Declan and I didn’t have to. Mother temporarily gifted us with a spell to mentally search all of Tarradon. I can assure you the demons are all gone.”
“That is great news,” Kenton responded. I’m assuming, she will do the same on Feyrion?”
“Yes, she will. Mom is very excited about the new spell book—or rather ancient spell book—that she found.”
He could only imagine what trouble she might get into. For the most part, his mom acted like the queen she was, but at times, she liked to cut loose. “I’ll tell Tory the good news.”
Kenton faced her and smiled. He told her about his mom’s gift to Bevon. “My brother and yours found no evidence of any demons.”
She swung around and hugged him. “That is fantastic. That means we can get on with our lives.”
“I’d like nothing more.” He leaned over and kissed her.
She pressed on his chest. “We can’t get started. This is a public hot spring.”
