He just grinned and whispered back. “Somebody’s in trouble.”
Knowing he was enjoying her situation just a little too much, she sent him a mean grin. “Get lost!”
He turned away and swaggered his way toward the Jaguar his fame and fortune had bought him, glancing back once before he folded himself in the little car. “See you soon, cuz!”
“He’s something.”
Dia turned to find a delicious-looking Ryan standing in the doorway. Her heart threw a hard punch, and everything inside of her melted. Her feelings must have been reflected in her eyes because he was on her immediately, locking his lips with hers, returning her to a heightened level of sexual need she had no time to feel. Or no right.
She hugged him tightly when the kiss ended, knowing their earlier experience, even though he didn’t remember it, was bound to happen again sooner or later. What scared her most was the lack of control she’d had while it was happening. As great as it felt, and much as she wanted to explore the power that had infused her, she knew waiting was her only choice. If they somehow managed to survive all the other obstacles that could tear them apart, Ryan was going to have to be told what she was, and in fairness, he needed to know she’d possibly enchanted him into loving her.
It was a good thing he already expected to spend time with her family. She needed to consult with her mother and her aunts, to see what they felt would be the best way to proceed. If it only affected her, she’d take her chances, but to reveal herself was to reveal all of them as well.
“I need to hit the head.”
Dia looked up at him. “I do too. But you go first. I want to straighten up quickly before we leave.”
Ryan gave her a quick kiss and trotted toward the bathhouse. Dia returned to their bed and made quick work of straightening the sheets and blankets, then cleaning the kitchen area. When he returned, she passed him just inside the door and went to take care of her own needs. By the time she’d returned, Ryan was waiting with his laptop case strapped to his shoulder.
He patted the case. “I thought I’d take this and show you and the Whitehawk brothers. I know they’ll get a kick out of it.” He grinned. “And I know they have Wi-Fi!”
Dia smiled, relieved he’d found a way to occupy himself so she could converse with her mother and aunts. Of course, she’d have to look at it too. She’d been dying to see what made him so passionate about his work. “That’s a great idea! I’m ready.” As I’m going to be.
They made their way to the Jeep, and Ryan stopped all of a sudden and frowned as he looked out toward the tree line. He slid her a startled glance and then smiled so big it seemed to take up his entire face.
“I don’t believe this!”
Dia turned to look at the trees but saw nothing. “What?” she asked, turning back to face him.
“I just now realized I can see everything clearly!”
Dia was certain her heart had stopped as she swayed, suddenly dizzy. He was at her side immediately and took her arms to steady her, his laughter filled with excitement. “I’m supposed to be the one falling over with shock.” Ryan shook his head and looked all around them again, his joy palpable. “I guess it wasn’t the water after all. This is amazing!”
Trying to embrace his joy as well, Dia hugged him hard. She had no words, couldn’t think beyond the reality that though her mother and aunts had wiped his memory of their morning and repaired the injuries from his fall, they hadn’t done anything to reverse the effects of the water. But then, they may not have known. Dia looked up at him, hoping he didn’t notice how concerned she was. “We need to get going. My family will be waiting for us.”
He smiled, too excited to notice anything, she imagined, as they boarded and strapped themselves in. With her heart in her throat she started the Jeep, hoping his day ended as well as he believed it had begun. And hoping her family would forgive her for falling in love with such a wonderful man.
****
The entire family had returned and was once again filling the porch or yard. The smell of barbequed pork permeated the air, and Dia knew the grills would be packed with ribs. Though she’d not eaten since their early morning breakfast, her stomach was in too many knots to appreciate that food was being cooked.
As expected, everyone on the porch stopped what they were doing and turned their way as she and Ryan exited the Jeep. As they approached the gathering, she searched the faces for her mother’s and was alternately relieved and disappointed when she realized she must be in the house, probably taking care of Jewell and the babies. They arrived at the house hand in hand, Ryan joyously pulling her along, her trying not to let her unease show. They were greeted with exuberance by her cousins. It hurt, knowing her family’s complete acceptance of Ryan would only make things more difficult for them both if things didn’t end well.
Excitement increased when the Whitehawk boys realized the case Ryan carried not only held a new video game, but his new gaming system also. She shook her head, more tickled than she expected to be that their enthusiasm for her man’s career made them look at her with more respect than ever before. She felt it should have irritated her, given the fact that she deserved it in her own right, but she understood in their eyes she was a screw-up and had only now, finally, done something right by capturing the heart of such a special man. Only she hadn’t. Not legitimately. And it wouldn’t be much longer before Sapphire wasn’t the only one who knew the truth of it.
Dia allowed her male cousins to hurry Ryan into the house. They all headed straight to the back room to let him hook his system up to the 92-inch screen television Heracles had given his parents as an anniversary gift the year before. Of course, everyone knew the gift had been for him to watch sports when he and his brothers were over, since Tom and Destiny were always invested in each other, or their care of the earth and those around them, and rarely gave it a thought.
She could tell how excited Ryan was as he spoke with the speed of lightning, telling them what needed to be done to make the game work. She settled in one of the very long couches with everyone, except Heracles. He, of course, had to be first. Ryan held up a helmet that looked as if made for a cyclist except it had three bendable wires that came down from the front with what looked like suction cups attached.
“Okay,” Ryan said, his voice quivering. “Sorry, I’m a little nervous.” He grinned. “But this is good. I’d rather be nervous now than when I take it to the expo.”
He blew out a breath, and everyone waited for him to get it together. Dia sent thoughts of peace his way as she was sure her family did. It was clear someone’s had gotten through, because he grinned suddenly with confidence.
“This helmet has sensors attached that I will place against Heracles’s temples and the center of his forehead. When he’s ready for the game to begin, he simply thinks the word, Start, and the system will open whichever game is chosen. Of course, right now, there is only this one. If this goes over like I think it will, I’ll be busy developing more.”
“There are no hand held devices or cameras to watch the player’s responses?” Zeus asked.
Ryan shook his head. “No. These sensors read your brainwaves, your blood pressure, and your pulse rate and send the information through a Bluetooth-like program to the motherboard. Your thoughts and brain-to-muscle reactions will be read by the system. The character in the game will be you short of it being able to breathe. If, say, you see an object in the game, and you want to pick it up, the system will read what you are seeing, what you want to do with it, how you emotionally react to it, and will have the player on the screen do the same thing as the player standing before it does even though there is nothing physically connecting you.”
Dia knew little about the world of video games, but it was clear—in the body language and interest in her cousin’s eyes—this was something special. She watched Zeus and Apollo slide back into the couch. She could tell they were dying to knock Heracles out of the way and get to be first themselves.
&nbs
p; “I call this game Witch Warden. Gizzelle, my ancient, lovely, wicked witch has stockpiled the castle with items made of gold and beautiful jewels, the most precious of which is a diamond encrusted six-inch-high dragon. Millennia ago, in a fit of anger, she enchanted her lover when she learned he desired another whose youth and beauty surpassed her own. The enchantment not only captured him in a small statue, it enhances her charm for all time. He must look upon her daily and regret his decision to choose another over her. Her power over him only holds true as long as he stays within the castle walls. So, though she guards all her treasures with all her might, the loss of this dragon is her greatest fear.”
Ryan took a breath and looked around the completely silent room, causing Dia to do the same. She didn’t know now if her family’s intent gazes had more to do with the technology of the new system, or if everyone’s look of wonder, like her own, was about his choice of game.
A frown furrowed Ryan’s brow. “Is everyone with me so far?”
When all nodded but none spoke, he continued. “This is where the game starts. Because of her fear of losing all, Gizzelle believes anyone entering the castle is there to steal her treasures. The goal of the game is to find and take her dragon, which she moves constantly, then escape the castle. But, because of the many rooms between the high towers and the dungeon, the player faces many perils that can result in being captured.
“The length of time it takes to get from one quest to the next depends on the player’s skill at outwitting the witch and developing savvy as the game goes on. If she does catch the player, though, she enchants them and then he or she becomes nothing more than another ornament in Gizzelle’s collection and then game over.
“She considers every player a thief, and she uses all kinds of magic to keep them at bay. Because the game is inner-active with the player’s brainwaves, she uses different magic on each player, never the same on someone who has played the game before. I’ve designed it so all a player’s previous thoughts and moves are stored into the game, so memory of what happened the time before won’t aid the player the next time. Every time the game is played, the goal remains the same. Unlike other games, the level of difficulty doesn’t have to grow higher, because each time the experience will be different. If I’ve built it right, this game can’t be beat.”
A collective sigh went through the room, but the challenge of competition sparkled in her Whitehawk cousins’ eyes. Dia smiled to herself, wondering just how long it would take one of them to prove Ryan wrong. When she looked back at him, she could see he was enjoying that they thought they could.
“Dia?”
She’d been so captivated with Ryan’s explanation of his project, she hadn’t realized her parents, Tom and Destiny, and Logan and Haven had entered the room to stand just inside the door. Her mother’s look was one of amusement when she greeted Ryan, but her expression changed when she turned to her youngest daughter. “I need you to help me, if Ryan doesn’t mind me stealing you away.”
Ryan smiled at Rayne. “No. That’s fine. Heracles will be replaced with another player in a matter of minutes. There’s plenty of time for her to try it later.”
The Whitehawk boys guffawed at Ryan’s declaration, but he simply smiled back at them. Dia turned away and followed her mother, only to find her aunts following her. Her father and uncles stayed behind, and she didn’t know if it was because they’d been told to, or if it was because they, too, wanted a crack at the game. They were the least of her concerns.
Surprisingly, Rayne led them into the room Jewell had taken over, so Dia left thoughts of a reprimand behind and greeted her sister. Jewell glowed with happiness as she held one baby to her breast, while the other three lay sleeping in their bassinets.
“Hey you!” Dia said softly, advancing. She stopped at the side of the bed. She reached out and ran her finger over the baby’s soft hair. “Which one is this?”
Jewell smiled, her eyes filled with fatigued joy. “This is Rose, so named because it is the flower of love.” She pointed to first one bassinet and then the next. “That’s Lily because it was the flower of the Nile where I first met my husband, then Daisy whose name represents the fresh start our love brought to both of our lives. And finally, my little guy…” Jewell shook her head. “We have not yet named him.” She grimaced. “Nothing we’ve come up with seems to fit.”
Dia looked at the tiniest of the quads and nodded. “Naming him after a flower probably won’t go over too well with him.”
They shared a grin before Jewell lifted the now sleeping Rose and pulled her gown up to cover her breast. “Would you put Rose in her bed? I’d like to try to sleep until the next one awakens.”
Dia nodded and took her niece, amazed the baby weighed next to nothing. She carefully placed Rose in the empty basinet and then smiled at her sister. “Rest,” she whispered. “I’ll see you later.”
Jewell nodded and closed her eyes. Dia followed her mother and aunts from the room. No one said a word as they headed to the kitchen, though she was nearly knocked over when Zeus and Apollo flew past them as if the house were on fire. Dia cringed, knowing the front door would slam behind them, but it stopped and slowly shut without making a sound. Turning, she saw the glare of her aunt, before Destiny’s features took on a speculative gleam.
“Those boys forgot they were cooking.” She sighed. “I hope they haven’t burned the meat.”
Dia hoped not too. Though her stomach was once again in knots, she was pretty sure part of it had to do with hunger. She looked from her mother to her aunts and then back. “So, let me have it.”
Surprise entered Rayne’s eyes. “Let you have what?”
“The verbal spanking I deserve.”
Laughing, Rayne pulled her into a hug. “What are you talking about? We wanted to ask you what happened. We were all here cuddling babies and the earth shook and the storm blew in. Haven knew immediately it had to be you, and at first we were all just excited. Then Destiny felt your great fear, and we were concerned you didn’t understand what was happening. I zapped us all there to make sure you were okay, but you weren’t. When we saw your distress over Ryan’s injury we put you to sleep, cleaned up the mess, and did a small memory wipe in case Ryan had witnessed something he shouldn’t have, before taking you home. If we timed it right, he shouldn’t remember anything after falling asleep last night.”
Dia stared at her mother, dumbfounded. They still knew nothing about what she’d done. As tempting as it was to rejoice with them over the development of her gift, and take the reprieve she’d been handed, she couldn’t leave things as they were. “There are things I have to tell you.”
Rayne nodded enthusiastically. “And I can’t wait to hear them. Did you do it on purpose? Did you know you could?”
Dia shook her head in response to both questions.
“That’s okay. I remember the first time Haven called in a storm. She was the only one to see it, but when she finally mastered her gifts and brought one on for the rest of us, it was breathtaking.”
“Rayne, look at your daughter.”
Rayne sent a glance to Destiny and then turned back to Dia, her brows raised quizzically. Her smile faltered and then disappeared. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Dia slid a glance at her aunts before addressing her mother. “I’ve really messed up.”
“Well, I’m sure it isn’t anything that can’t be fixed. What happened?”
It was hard to know where to begin. Dia struggled in silence as they awaited her and then she blurted out, “I’ve enchanted Ryan.”
Three pairs of emerald eyes looked at her without emotion at first, but each slowly changed to denial. Destiny moved closer to Rayne’s side and held out her hand across the island. Dia looked from it to her aunt.
“That isn’t necessary. I can tell you. I just hate that I have to.”
“Then tell us, honey. Whatever you’ve done, we’ll help you fix. But we have to know everything,” her mother said, placing her hand on Desti
ny’s arm. She smiled at her sister who gracefully moved away before Rayne leaned across the island to take Dia’s hand herself. “In your own words.”
“I have to sit down.” Dia took one of the tall stools, which lined the counter that separated the kitchen from the large living room. She settled and placed her elbows on the counter before fisting her hands beneath her jaw.
“A few days before I met Ryan, I ran across a thin diary of spells written by Camellia Cavanaugh. It was inside the book you gave me containing the types and uses of the different herbs you’d chronicled over the years while studying Mystic Mountain’s plant life.”
“I’d wondered where I put that.”
Dia looked down, ashamed. “I should have told you immediately, but I was intrigued by the simplicity of her spells. Everything I had tried to create on my own was so much more complicated, and it occurred to me I was trying too hard.”
She glanced back up at the three women who waited expectantly, and she blew out a breath. “So…I thought I would try one.”
Rayne shrugged. “So, did it work?”
This was the hard part. “I’m not totally sure, but I think so.”
Rayne’s smile returned. “Well, good for you!”
Dia shook her head quickly. “Not exactly.”
“Why not?” Haven asked, studying her closely.
Dia looked from Haven to Destiny, before getting up the nerve to connect with the emerald eyes of her mother. “Because it was a love spell.”
Silence filled the kitchen as the three matriarch’s faces froze.
“Oh no!”
“Oh, my gosh!”
“How could you?”
Dia shook her head. “I didn’t mean to make it happen. I didn’t think it had until later. I thought I’d blown it again, and I swore off magic at that moment. But everything that has happened between Ryan and I since points to it having worked.
“And that isn’t all.”
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 169
