Touch of Magic

by Carin Rafferty

  “You’ve been given a temporary reprieve from Sanctuary,” Ariel said, grinning as she grabbed Shana’s arm and gave it a tug to get her moving. “You’re about to get your first look at the mortal world, Shana. Lucien expects us back in three hours, which will give me time to introduce you to fast food. I’ve been dying for a burger and fries, but we’ll have to hurry to make it there before the restaurants close.”

  “Hurry?” Shana repeated, her voice abnormally high-pitched. “I don’t like the sound of that at all.”

  “It’s just a figure of speech,” Ariel assured her as they reached the car and she opened the driver’s door. “Just hop into the backseat. Everything will be fine, Shana. I promise.”

  Before Shana could reply, Ariel climbed into the car and said, “I hope you don’t mind Shana coming along with us, Mr. Alden, but she’ll be company for me on the drive back.”

  Ryan grunted something in response, but Shana didn’t hear what it was. She was too busy trying to dredge up the courage to get inside.

  I have to protect them from Moira, and this is the only way to do it, she told herself firmly when Ariel closed her door.

  As she opened the back door, her hands began to shake. By the time she climbed inside, her entire body was trembling. She knew that to keep a step ahead of Moira, she had to get a grip on her fear. But when Ariel turned the car around on the road and stepped on the gas, her heart began to pound so hard she sure it was going to burst.

  Pressing a hand against her chest, she closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply against the overwhelming panic surging through her. She had to get herself under control! But the more Ariel increased their speed, the more Shana’s fear escalated. She was so frightened that she couldn’t even open her eyes.

  I can’t let myself overreact like this, she mentally chastised herself. I have to be composed and in control. If I’m not, Moira could hurt Ariel, the babies, and Ryan. I can’t let anything happen to them. I have to protect them. I . . .

  The future is mine, and now yours will be mine!

  Her eyes flew open in terror at Moira’s voice. Suspended in front of her face was another Tarot card. Although she had acute night vision, the card itself was so dark that she had to squint to make it out. When she did, her racing heart screeched to a halt. She was looking at the macabre, skeletal image of Death!

  It doesn’t literally mean death, she told herself frantically. It means transformation and change!

  She no more than reminded herself of the meaning of the card, when Ariel let out a startled yelp and the car went out of control. As Shana watched a tree loom in front of the windshield, she began to chant frantically.

  Damn! Why had she let herself panic instead of casting a protective spell over the automobile? Now, she didn’t have time to save it, but hoped she would be able to take care of Ariel and Ryan.

  She completed the incantation and propelled it toward the front seat just as they went into a ditch and collided with the tree that was growing at its edge. She saw a brief flash of spell-lightning, but she didn’t have a chance to see if the spell had taken hold. As the car hit the ditch she was thrown into the door and excruciating pain exploded inside her head. Then everything went black.

  RYAN STARED THROUGH the cracked windshield, feeling stunned. The accident had taken place so quickly that it took him a moment to absorb what had happened. The instant he did, he turned toward Ariel, gasping, “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she said, her face pale and her hands shaking as she pressed them to her abdomen. Tears suddenly filled her eyes. “The babies kicked so hard they startled me, and I lost control of the car.”

  “It’s okay,” he soothed as he reached out and patted her arm. “You have to calm down, so we can make sure that you and those little ones are okay.”

  “We’re fine,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “The spell protected us.”

  “The spell?”

  “Yes. Didn’t you see the spell-lightning? Thank heaven, Shana was with us. Oh, my God! Shana, are you okay?”

  Ryan twisted around to look into the backseat at the same time Ariel did, and he let out a horrified gasp. Shana lay crumpled against the door behind Ariel’s seat.

  “Shana!” Ariel screamed as Ryan unbuckled his seat belt and threw open his door. As he tried to swing his legs out, his knee immediately revolted. He muttered a string of scathing curses against the agonizing pain coursing up his leg. Ignoring his discomfort, he grabbed hold of the door and stood. Then he limped to the back door.

  “Shana? Are you all right?” he asked as he pulled it open.

  When she didn’t answer, he sat down on the seat and slid across it to her side. Her face was so pale she looked ghostly, and his hand shook has he pressed his fingers to the side of her neck. It took him a moment to find her pulse, but when he did, he heaved a sigh of relief. She had a strong, if slightly rapid, heartbeat. He knew that didn’t mean she wasn’t seriously injured, but at least she was alive.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Ariel asked worriedly as she arrived at the open door.

  “She appears to be unconscious, but her heartbeat is strong,” he answered. “Do you have a flashlight? The overhead light isn’t bright enough, and I can’t see a damn thing.”

  “There’s one in the glove compartment. I’ll get it.”

  While she foraged for the flashlight, Ryan had to bite his lip to keep from yelling at her to hurry. He knew that his impatience would only upset her more, and the way his luck was running, she’d go into labor. As it was, he didn’t know how they were going to get help. It would take him forever to get anywhere on that damn mop, and Ariel wasn’t in any condition for a long walk. He hoped there was someone living close by so they could get to a telephone.

  Suddenly, Shana groaned and started to move. Realizing she was regaining consciousness, he quickly caught her shoulders to hold her still. When her eyelashes fluttered and then lifted, he said, “Don’t move, Shana. We need to find out what your injuries are.”

  “Ryan?” she murmured groggily.

  “Yeah, it’s me. Just sit still until I can find out if you’re okay.”

  “I told you she wouldn’t let you leave,” she whispered so softly he could barely hear her.

  Ryan felt a chill crawl up his spine. Was she right? Had he caused this by trying to leave? He gave a firm shake of his head. Their accident had not been caused by some spirit-witch. It had occurred because of two extremely active unborn babies.

  “We’ll talk about that later,” he stated gruffly. “Right now, I want you to tell me where you hurt.”

  “Sleepy,” she said, closing her eyes again.

  “Damnit, Shana! You have to stay awake!” he ordered, but she didn’t even twitch a muscle.

  “Here’s the flashlight,” Ariel said, extending it over the seat. As he grabbed it, she anxiously asked, “Isn’t it a good sign that she woke up?”

  “Yeah,” he answered as he lifted one of Shana’s eyelids and flashed the light into her eye. Then he did the same to the other, cursing inwardly when her dilated pupils were slow to respond. Laying the flashlight in the back window, he began to explore her scalp with his fingers. When he found the lump he was looking for, he grimaced. It was already close to the size of a small egg, and it was dangerously close to her temple.

  “We need to get help,” he said, looking at Ariel. “Are we close to a phone?”

  “Lucien knew about the accident the moment it happened,” she said. “He’s already on his way.”

  She made the statement so confidently that for a moment, Ryan believed her. Then the absurdity of it struck him. “Look, Ariel,” he said, “I don’t want you to take offense, but just in case you’re wrong about your husband, I think that we should make an effort to get to a phone.”

  “I’m not wrong, Mr. Ald
en. Lucien is on his way.”

  Ryan frowned impatiently. “And how do you know that for sure?”

  “We’re linked through our crystals,” she answered, lifting a hand to a long, slender crystal suspended from a chain around her neck. The moment she touched it, it began to glow.

  Ryan stared at it in wary bewilderment. It had to be a trick of the light. People could not communicate through crystals!

  “Lucien will be here in a few minutes,” she said, dropping her hand and smiling at him. “And he said that we shouldn’t worry about Shana. He’s already touched her mind, and she only has a minor head injury. She’s going to be fine.”

  If Ryan had felt bewildered before, he was now so dumbfounded it took him a second to find his voice. “Excuse me, Ariel, but I am a doctor. People with minor head injuries are not unconscious for several minutes. Shana needs to be transported to a hospital as soon as possible.”

  She shook her head. “I know you find what I’m saying difficult to believe, Mr. Alden, but Lucien is not only a warlock, he’s the high priest. He’s connected to all the members of the coven. If he says Shana is fine, then she’s fine.”

  “Damnit, lady!” he exploded. “If you think I’m going to sit here and watch a woman possibly die because you’re all engaged in some communal fantasy of witches and warlocks, you’re crazy. She’s going to go to a hospital, if I have to carry her to one.”

  “And how are you going to do that, Ryan?” Shana suddenly questioned weakly. “You can’t even walk.”

  “Thank God, you’re awake!” he said, swinging his head toward her. “Tell me where you hurt.”

  “Why, Ryan, you sound almost as if you care, but why would you care about a crazy woman?”

  “Shana, this is no time to be playing games,” he said impatiently. “Tell me where you hurt.”

  “My head,” she said, raising a hand and gingerly touching the bump he’d already discovered. She winced and looked toward Ariel. “Are you and the babies okay?”

  “We’re fine, thanks to you, but you should have included yourself in the spell.”

  “I didn’t have time,” Shana mumbled as she started to sit upright.

  “Shana, you need to sit still until I can determine if anything else is wrong with you,” Ryan stated, again catching her shoulders to hold her in place.

  “You heard Ariel. Lucien says I’m fine.”

  “You are not fine,” he said, barely refraining from shaking her in angry frustration. How could they believe that a man who wasn’t even present could determine her medical condition? “At the very least, you have a concussion. At the worst, you may have a hematoma, and that can kill you. You need to be in a hospital for observation.”

  “Shana is in no need of a hospital,” a man stated behind him. “She’s got a hell of a headache, but she’s fine.

  “Lucien!” Ariel cried, scrambling out of the car as Ryan jerked around on the seat.

  When his gaze landed on the man, his jaw dropped. If anyone had ever asked him what a warlock looked like, Ariel’s husband would have fit the description. He was dressed all in black, and he was huge, both in height and breadth. There was a crystal like Ariel’s hanging around his neck, and he wore a small, drawstring pouch at his waist. His shoulder-length black hair was shaggy, and he wasn’t by any means handsome. His features were too sharp and angular, but it was his eyes that gave him a menacing presence. They were so pale in color that they appeared silver in the moonlight, and they didn’t look at you. They pierced you.

  As Ariel arrived at his side, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her protectively against him, before saying, “Welcome to Sanctuary, Mr. Alden. I’m Lucien Morgret.”

  All of Ryan’s self-preservation instincts began to blare. Although both Morgret’s words and his tone were polite, Ryan knew that he had just been issued a threat.

  Evidently, Ariel also considered her husband’s words more than polite conversation, because she immediately said, “Lucien! Be nice.”

  Outside of giving his wife a slight squeeze, he didn’t acknowledge her chastisement. Ryan wasn’t surprised. He suspected that telling Morgret to be “nice” was about as effective as telling a pit bull to behave when he was faced with a plate of raw meat. Ryan opened his mouth to respond to Morgret’s introduction, but the man looked past him to Shana.

  Glowering at her, he said, “Why didn’t you cast a protective spell over the car? Now it’s wrecked, and—”

  “Excuse me, but we don’t have time to worry about the damn car!” Ryan interrupted, his temper flaring. When Morgret’s menacing gaze flew back to his face, he realized the folly of confronting him when he couldn’t even stand. However, he was too concerned about Shana’s medical condition to back down.

  “Shana has a head injury that could be extremely serious, Mr. Morgret,” he explained. “She needs to go to a hospital. Since you’re the only fit person here, you need to get to a telephone and call an ambulance, and you need to do it now.”

  “Ryan, I’m okay! Really!” Shana gasped, bolting upright beside him. Immediately, she groaned and fell back against the seat, cradling her head in her hands.

  “You are not okay,” Ryan reiterated, turning toward her. “And I want you to sit still until an ambulance gets here.”

  “There will be no ambulance Mr. Alden,” Lucien stated. “As I said, Shana has a hell of a headache, but she’s fine.”

  “Damnit! What is wrong with you people?” Ryan railed, looking back at Lucien. “I am not only a doctor, I’m a trauma surgeon. That means I’m well-versed in head injuries, and Shana needs to go to the hospital. So unless you can show me your medical degree, I don’t want to hear any arguments from you. What I want to see is your butt headed down the road for help.”

  Anger flared into Lucien’s eyes. He started to raise his hand toward the crystal around his neck, but Ariel caught his hand and said, “Lucien, remember, he’s a mortal. He doesn’t understand.”

  “Ariel’s right, Lucien. He doesn’t understand,” Shana repeated urgently as she again sat upright. Her words tumbled over each other as she continued, “And I’m sorry about the automobile. I should have cast a protective spell around it the moment I got in, but you know I’m afraid of them. I was trying to deal with my fear, and then everything happened so fast.”

  “Yes, it happened so fast that I’m surprised she had a chance to protect me and Ryan,” Ariel confirmed. “There was no way she could have protected the car.”

  “I can’t believe this!” Ryan gasped in astonishment. “Why are you trying to pacify him over the damn car instead of getting Shana the help she needs?”

  “Ryan, please,” Shana cried, placing her hand against his arm.

  He shook her hand off and glared at Lucien. “Look, Morgret, I am not going to stand by and watch something happen to Shana, just because you get a charge out of playing warlock. Now, I expect you to get an ambulance for her, and I expect you to do it now.”

  “Ryan, that is enough!” Shana declared, sounding aghast.

  “That is not enough,” he responded furiously as he again turned to face her. “Your eyes aren’t dilating properly, and you have a hell of a lump on the side of your head that’s dangerously close to your temple. That’s the thinnest part of your skull, which means you have a greater chance for a hematoma. You need to go to the hospital, and the sooner, the better.”

  She glanced toward Ariel and Lucien. “Could I have a couple of minutes privacy with Ryan?”

  “Of course,” Ariel said quickly, tugging on Lucien’s arm. “Lucien and I need to look at the car to see how much damage there is. It may not be as bad as we think.”

  “I can’t believe they’re so damn worried about the car, when they should be worried about you.” Ryan raked as he watched them walk to the front of the vehicle.

 
; “If there was something to worry about, they would be worried about me,” Shana said. “And the reason they’re so concerned about the car is because it’s the only one in Sanctuary. If Ariel goes into labor, Lucien won’t be able to drive her to the hospital.”

  “So he can call an ambulance for her, just as he should be calling one for you.”

  She raked a hand through her hair, wincing as she brushed against the lump on her head. “Ryan, I know you think you’re doing what’s right, but you can’t keep ordering Lucien around. He’s the high priest, and you have to treat him with respect.”

  “I don’t care if he’s the pope! You need medical attention. Why is it so hard for you to understand that if you don’t go to the hospital, you might die?”

  “And why do you care if I live or die?” she snapped. “As you’ll recall, you were so eager to get away from me that you were willing to walk thirty miles on a mop.”

  “That has nothing to do with this situation.”

  “It has everything to do with it!” After glancing out the windshield at Lucien and Ariel, she looked back at him and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I told you that if you tried to leave, Moira would stop you, and I was right.”

  “Damnit, Shana! This accident was caused by two extremely active unborn babies, not a spirit-witch,” he argued, automatically whispering, too.

  “It was caused by Moira, and I can prove it.”

  “What are you doing?” he asked as she leaned down and began to search the floor.

  “I’m looking for the card.”

  “What card?”

  “The one that Moira delivered a second before the accident. It has to be here. Scoot over,” she ordered, sitting up and pushing against his arm. “Maybe you’re sitting on it.”

  “Shana, you shouldn’t be moving around like this. You should be sitting still,” he said impatiently.

  “I’ll sit still after I find the card. Now scoot over!”