“The answer to your question is hard to explain without it hurting you. But I guess you have the right to know. I really don’t believe I enchanted you like I’d thought, but enchanted myself instead. I don’t know if this overwhelming need I feel for you is because I really love you, or if it’s magic gone awry.”
Ryan felt as if he’d been hit in the stomach. She had to be right. He’d always been logical in both thought and action, and nothing about their flash and burn relationship was. She’d breezed into his life like a sexy whirlwind, which never happened to guys like him. Even though he’d questioned it at the beginning, he hadn’t allowed his concerns to manifest deeply enough because he hadn’t wanted to believe it was anything other than what it was.
He swallowed and nodded and then turned toward the door. “Maybe you or your family can undo the spell. Then you’ll know for sure.” He smiled, sadly. “I won’t hold it against you if you find it was all…magic gone awry.” He shook his head, unable to believe such a thing was possible, but knowing nothing else made sense. “Let’s just go see them, and if you find you don’t really love me, I’ll walk out of your life and go on with mine just like I always have.”
Saying those words out loud nearly took his breath, but as much as he wanted and needed Dia in his life, he wouldn’t hold her to something beyond her control. If she desired him as well, it had to be for all the right reasons, even if that meant his life was forced back into the loneliness of before. He knew it wouldn’t be the same though, because he hadn’t realized then he was lonely, just alone. Maybe he should ask if her family would wipe his mind again. This time, of the love he felt to the marrow of his bones.
He threw the small pile of dirty clothes into his suitcase and took one last look around the room. With his heart dragging, he swallowed back the emotions choking his throat. “I’ll wait for you in the Jeep.”
Ryan walked out into the afternoon sun, feeling his life had gone pitch dark.
****
Waiting around for the family to gather was torture. The usually boisterous group already assembled was quiet, looking at each other as if unsure what to say. Dia hated she was responsible for putting them in such an uncomfortable position and was relieved when her mother and aunts finally arrived from Jewell’s house.
Rayne walked to the front of the room and looked around, her gaze settling on Ryan. She smiled slightly before telling everyone to take a seat.
“Before we get started, I want to say to you, Ryan, I am sorry for how this all played out. If you don’t mind, I want to start by telling you who and what we are, and although I am technically a witch, if you want to use that term, we aren’t all casters. We mostly call ourselves mystics.”
Ryan nodded. “That would be great.”
“Okay. First, my sisters and I are the daughters of Celestia Cavanaugh. She was from a long line of women who, for three thousand years, lived under a curse that caused all kinds of problems in regard to each one’s ability to find and keep the love of a man.”
Dia glanced at Ryan. Although she’d told him a little of their history, she hadn’t gone into nearly the detail her mother was about to. She just hoped he could handle it.
“Though the details are vast and would take hours if not days to tell, what really matters now, is what happened when I was about the age Dia is now.
“My sisters and I came to Mystic Waters and we each met the man we are now married to. Because we still lived under the curse, there was no real expectation our attraction to these men would amount to what it has, which is an everlasting love we now believe will carry us to the end of long lives.” She smiled. “Though Destiny, Haven, and I believe the love we feel for our husbands will take us into the next life as well.”
Dia heard Ryan’s deep breath and wondered if he was bored. When she glanced his way, she decided he was just overwhelmed but very interested.
“To make a very long story short, the point is it was the love of our husbands that broke the curse, not the magic we inherited from the ancestor who cursed our line.” She smiled a little and shook her head. “I know this probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to you now, but, if you decide you want to stay a part of our family, you’ll have years to learn the details. If you decide this is too much to handle, then it won’t matter anyway.”
“So your husbands aren’t…mystics?”
Rayne shook her head. “My husband and Haven’s husband have no mystical abilities whatsoever, but Destiny’s husband does. His line is as long and as strong as is ours.”
“And they accepted all this without question?”
Rayne laughed a little. “Well, they’ve had a quarter of a century now to ask all the questions they’ve had. In the beginning, and in fairness I have to add, because of the circumstances of what was happening to their families at the time, their acceptance came easier than might have otherwise been the case.
“Having said all that, their love in spite of our mystical gifts is what broke the curse. And now we live a fairytale’s happily ever after life.”
Ryan turned to Dia, searching her eyes, her face, and Dia was dying to know what he thought and felt. He turned back to her mother, nodding. “Were these men ever enchanted?”
Haven moved to stand by Rayne and answered. “No. In fact, my Logan kept getting burned by me, and we fought about things, but in spite of that, his love was true, and we overcame every obstacle placed in our path.”
Ryan frowned as he looked at her mother. “And Mr. White?”
Rayne shook her head. “No. He had no clue, until the day he did, and he accepted me without hesitation.”
“Because he was already in love with you.”
“Yes, Ryan, he was. Are you in love with my daughter?”
Ryan nodded, with a frown Dia feared meant this was all too much for him to bear.
“My daughter loves you as well. Is that not enough for you?”
Ryan stared at Rayne for some time before answering. “It would be if she really loved me too.”
“I just told you she did.”
Dia stood, not able to let things continue without catching her mother up. “Mom? I’m not sure if I do or not.”
Several gasps filled the room, and Dia glanced from her cousins to Sapphire to her aunts. She swallowed, knowing she would once again have to lay a failure out for her family to see. “I don’t believe my spell enchanted Ryan. I believe I ended up enchanting myself to fall in love with him.”
Complete silence filled the room as everyone stared at her, until her cousin Soleli spoke up. “How is that even possible?”
Licking her dry lips, Dia turned back to her mother. “When I created Camellia Cavanaugh’s potion, an eyelash fell into it. At first I thought it was mine, but then later, I remembered picking one off of Ryan’s cheek that night and didn’t pay attention to it when I brushed my hands together. So I thought it possible it may have fallen on me, then into the potion.”
“You’re not making much sense.”
Dia looked at another of Haven’s daughters, surprised Luna was speaking up at all. She did so rarely, and usually so quietly, one had to strain to hear her. “I’m sorry. I’m trying.”
Ryan took a step forward. “Maybe it would be easier if you weren’t all trying to be so careful about how you’re explaining this to me.”
Dia nodded as she looked down at the man she wasn’t sure she loved, though she wanted with a passion it bordered on scary. “We are trying.”
He nodded and then turned back to Rayne. “I overheard you the other day saying you’d wiped some of my memories. I’d like them back.”
Destiny came to stand at Rayne’s other side, placing the three identical matriarchs in a line Dia knew usually preceded them creating great power. She held her breath, knowing Ryan had no idea what kind of danger he could be in. Whenever her mother and aunts joined their power all things were possible, and that wasn’t necessarily good. She hurried to his side and took his hand in hers and held on tight, not
bothering to see if he cared. If their intentions were unfavorable toward Ryan, they’d have to go through her to get to him.
Rayne flicked her a look before a smile lifted her lips. “Down, Dia. No one is going to harm him.”
Ryan looked at her with a frown, and then looked down at their joined hands. When he glanced up again there was a slight grin on his lips also. Dia relaxed a little and squeezed his hand. No matter what was to come, Ryan was a good man, and she liked him.
He looked from one woman to the next before his gaze settled on Rayne. “I’m serious, I’d like my memories back.”
Rayne nodded. “That’s fine. But before we make that happen, I want to explain a few more things.
“Throughout the history I’ve told you about, for each generation there has always been repeating themes. First we were all born identical triplets. Every one of us had red hair, green eyes, and were identical of face and figure. Of the three born, only one was ever able to produce the next generation.” She smiled. “Yes, I can see by the look on your face, you find that shocking.”
“Yeah. I do. Why?”
Rayne shrugged. “We’ve never fully understood. Maybe someday we will. That aside, another thing that always happened is each of us inherited one of three different types of…gifts. I received the ability to cast spells and conjure magic so I am known as The Enchantress. Haven’s gift is elemental as she is able to control the weather in any given area and can, in fact, bring on a tornado with a thought, or stop a storm as quickly. She’s known in the family as The Regulator. And Destiny is known as The Divine because she can leave her physical body to seek truth spiritually. I know what I am telling you makes little sense right now, but it’s extremely complicated to explain. Since the curse was broken in our generation, our gifts have not only grown but have mutated. Now we have other powers as well and can even share them with each other.”
“Mom, I think this is too much. You’re only going to confuse him more,” Dia said, appreciating her mother’s desire to help Ryan understand but knowing even she wouldn’t believe it if she didn’t already.
Ryan shook his head. “No. I think I’m following pretty well. In each generation of Cavanaugh triplets you have had these repeating mystical themes: the Enchantress who is capable of casting or conjuring, the Regulator who is capable of controlling natural elements, and the Divine whose spirit is free to discover truth.”
Dia turned to him, amazed. “Yes, that’s right.”
“In each generation the individual gifts were distinctly different,” Rayne added, grinning. “One Regulator might only control the sky, another the earth, or the waterways, or all three, as in Haven’s case. But that isn’t what really makes her distinctly different. Her connection with the earth is what strengthens her gift of healing.”
“What do you mean?”
With one look passing between her and her sisters, Rayne opened her hand and a small dagger appeared. She lifted it and cut her forearm in one quick motion. The gasp in the room didn’t just come from Ryan, and Dia froze in disbelief her mother would make such a dramatic display to prove her point. Ryan started to rise, but she pulled him back down in his seat as Haven lifted her hands palm out. They pinkened and then glowed like a red flame had developed from within. As seconds ticked by the glow grew until it radiated from her hands. Smiling at Ryan, she placed her hand over Rayne’s wound.
Ryan removed Dia’s hand from his arm and rose. He approached the women slowly, stopping before her mother. Dia bit her bottom lip as she waited, wishing she was there to see the reaction on his face when Haven lifted her hand. This time only his gasp could be heard in the anticipation-filled atmosphere of the room.
“That’s amazing.” He looked up and then back at the line of family members sitting around the room before once again facing Rayne. “I get it.”
Though his back was turned to Dia, she could hear the wonder in his voice. She relaxed back into the couch, knowing her family was safe no matter how things turned out between Ryan and herself. She tried to ignore the twinge behind her ribcage, but she knew they would have to face and address that soon, as well.
Rayne’s smile was fully in place as Ryan returned to his seat. “I thought you would. A man who can create the world within a game the way you did, should be able to understand pretty much anything.”
Pleasure filled Ryan’s features. “Thank you.”
Rayne nodded. “You’re welcome. By the way, you shouldn’t have left it the other day. The men in this family are all in competition to see who can get the farthest on it, and you’re game is kicking their collective butts!” She laughed, as did everyone in the room.
He turned to Dia, looking into her eyes, his own filled with excitement. “What is your gift?”
Dia swallowed, knowing all eyes were on them. “I’m a Regulator. But I’ve only learned that since you’ve arrived. I was trying so hard not to let it show and was so scared you’d be afraid of me if you learned the truth. When we were in the cave….”
Ryan frowned. “What cave?”
“Yeah, what cave?” one cousin after another asked.
Dia ignored them and focused on Ryan. She knew there was no use holding anything back any more. He had to know it all. “The day we awoke late, it wasn’t really the beginning of our day. Earlier I took you to one of my favorite places on earth, and there you saw the truth of my power. It frightened you so badly you backed away and tripped over a rock, hit your head, and passed out. My mother and aunts came to our rescue. Aunt Haven healed you, and they wiped the entire memory of that early morning from your mind.”
He studied her in silence and then turned back to her mother. “Please, give me back my memories. Now.”
Chapter Fifteen
It was obvious from his expression Ryan’s mind reeled as one after another the moments of his lost morning played through his mind. He shook and spread his legs as an anchor. Dia was certain he was reliving the violence of the earthquake. He froze, his eyes wide and terrified, and she was sure he again saw the majesty of the lightning. He blanched, shaking his head violently, and she saw him relive the terror he’d felt when Dia had changed from a gentle woman into a powerful mystic. There was no doubt when the memories ended as he cautiously glanced from one pensive face to the next and then finally settled his gaze on Dia. She had no words to offer. His reactions had carried her into the memories he’d relived, and there was nothing she could say to ease the overload of his mind. He took a deep breath and expelled it, his emotions on display.
“Please don’t fear us. We are your friends,” Rayne said softly.
He nodded, his head jerking with the motion. “So the water is what cleared up my vision.”
Dia nodded. “Yes.”
“But not just the water,” Rayne added. “It is the earth’s desire to please Dia, and because of her feelings for you, to please you as well.”
Ryan bit his bottom lip, keeping his attention on mother rather than daughter. “What if Dia is right about enchanting herself, and her emotions aren’t real? Is there a way to undo the spell?”
Dia shook with emotion, certain her love wouldn’t change but knowing there was no choice but to find out. She turned to the matriarchs, and one by one they nodded. Her mother moved around Destiny to stand before her. “There is a way, but it will take your memories of Ryan as well. The only way the heart can forget is if the mind forgets first.”
“No!” Ryan pulled Dia against his side. “You can’t take her memories! It will destroy her in some way! My father has lost all quality of life because of this mind-sweeping thing you all do. He’s even now in a mental facility because of it. You have to stop doing that.”
Dia choked back a sob and pulled out of Ryan’s arms. She didn’t want to forget him, or their time together, but he deserved more than their love being a lie. She was so distraught, knowing what must be done, it took the long silence in the room to make her realize her mother was frowning at Ryan and not paying any attention to
her. She looked at the other faces in the room, nonplussed before playing back all he’d said and finally, his exact words dawned on her.
“What are you talking about? What does my family have to do with your father’s mental illness?”
Ryan looked from Dia to her mother. “One of your family members wiped his stepfather’s mind when my father was a little kid. He witnessed magic and death, but no one has ever believed him. It’s driven him crazy his entire life and cost me ever getting to know him.”
“Who was his stepfather?” Rayne asked, her voice tight.
Dia frowned at her mother, but Rayne was intent on Ryan alone.
“His name is John Grammar, and from my understanding, he lives in Mystic Waters too.”
Rayne swayed and her sisters were there in an instant, taking her arms. They made their way to the couch and sat her down before turning back to Ryan and herself. Dia looked from one to another of the stricken faces and wondered what it all meant.
Haven walked over to Ryan and smiled sadly at him, pulling him up and into a hug. When she stepped back, tears were streaming from her eyes. “You father is the last person to remember seeing our mother alive.”
Dia rose as well and then felt her legs give. She caught herself by grabbing onto Ryan’s arm. She looked at him through the tears forming in her own eyes. “John Grammar doesn’t remember my grandmother. My great-aunts wiped his memory to allow him to forget he accidently killed Celestia Cavanaugh, in the hopes he’d live a long and happy life guilt-free.”
Destiny approached them, her eyes dry, but her expression filled with pain. “Our aunts knew the little boy was there, but they must not have known he’d witnessed anything, otherwise they would have blocked it from his mind as well.”
Dia kept her eyes on Ryan, her heart hurting for them all. Since he seemed frozen with shock, she turned to Destiny. “Can this be fixed?”
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 172
