“I’m not being ridiculous,” she said. “Don’t say that. Look, Jeff, every once in a while, yeah, I heal a kid. But in my whole life, I’ve probably helped a couple of dozen. I never thought that healing one child could compromise…”
She looked up at Jeff, seeming to implore him to understand. “How many children have you helped, Jeff? Hundreds? And, once your new treatment gets approved, it will be even more.”
Jeff wanted to shake her. “Don’t you get it, Leonore? The treatment doesn’t work. It was you who healed Lucy. The grant—there’s no way I could take it now. And all those months of research…”
“But it was working,” replied Leonore.
“No.” Jeff shook his head. “I wanted to believe it was, but I was kidding myself.”
Leonore looked like she wanted to shake him. “You’re not hearing me. I’m not just saying this to try to make you feel better. I know it was working because I felt it.”
“What are you talking about?”
Leonore went on. “I’ve healed cancer before. I know what cancer feels like. So, when I…first felt Lucy’s illness, it was totally familiar. I knew what to do.”
She looked up at Jeff, as if waiting for confirmation that he understood. He nodded and she continued.
“Well, I could feel the cancer cells, and everything about them felt bad—unwholesome. But when I’m healing someone, I can feel other things too.”
“What kind of things?” Despite being upset, Jeff couldn’t help but be interested.
“I can usually feel someone’s immune system, if it hasn’t been totally destroyed. I call the cells ‘soldiers’, and I have to be very careful not to harm them.”
This didn’t make sense to Jeff. “By the time you met her, Lucy’s immune system should have been destroyed by chemotherapy and radiation.”
“That’s just it. It wasn’t. I felt it very clearly. The soldiers were weak, but they were definitely there.”
Jeff felt a cautious hope. “You can’t be sure of that.”
Leonore took his hand and, this time, he didn’t pull it away. “Jeff, I know it’s difficult for you to comprehend what I do, but if you think about it, it’s not really all that hard to understand. You can look at someone’s blood under a microscope, or do a lab test, and you can determine how many cells of a certain kind there are. I can ascertain the same information, just in a different way.”
“Okay, let’s say for a minute that you can sense someone’s immune system working. I’ll even buy that Lucy still had some immune function at that stage in her cancer. It still doesn’t mean the treatment was working.”
“Yes, it does.” Leonore, still holding his hand, went on. “There was something else in her body, something I’d never experienced before. It was as if—as if something foreign was there, propping up the ‘soldiers’. Protecting them or making them stronger, or both. I didn’t know what it was, but I could tell it was good, so I left it alone.”
It took Jeff a moment to grasp the implications.
“Are you absolutely certain?” he whispered. He felt as if saying the words too loudly would make them untrue.
“I’m positive, Jeff. One hundred percent.”
He believed her—absolutely knew she was telling the truth.
“Do you realize what this means?” he asked.
“Yes. It means your research is valid and that you can take that grant in good conscience.”
“No. I mean, yes, it means that. But…there might be more to it.”
Leonore narrowed her eyes. “I’m not following you.”
To Jeff’s immense surprise, a laugh bubbled in his throat. He struggled to suppress it, but it was no use. It burst forth into a snort and a guffaw. After a moment, he got hold of himself but, when he saw the shocked expression on Leonore’s face, another sprang up and, before he knew it, he was on a full-on laughing jag. He couldn’t catch his breath. His sides ached and his eyes filled with water, but he laughed on.
By the time the attack of hysteria ran its course, even Leonore was starting to smile.
“I’m not sure what’s so funny,” she said. “But it’s better than what I expected.”
“What did you expect?” Jeff asked, wiping his eyes. He realized that he felt much better.
“That you’d tell me you never wanted to see me again.”
He nodded. “It crossed my mind. But I don’t think I could manage it. Not seeing you again, I mean. Could you?”
Lenore frowned, then she shook her head slowly. “No. No, I don’t think so. “Then,” she sighed, “Jeff, there’s more I haven’t told you.”
“More?” The helpless laughter threatened to return, but Jeff managed to check it. “What more could there possibly be?”
“Well…” She looked around, as if for the right words. “What we—I mean, me and Tish and the other Leonoreans—what we know about the history of our magic is spotty at best. Most of the lore was passed down through generations and, by the time someone bothered to write it down, it was changed to the point that you can’t tell what’s real, and what’s been exaggerated or just plain made up.”
Jeff nodded, and she continued. “More than one source references something called the Mutatio—the Transformation. It’s something that happens to a Leonorean’s magic when…when a certain event takes place in her life.”
Jeff was intrigued. “What event?”
“I’ll get to that. I don’t know how clearly you remember what happened when you were—impaled on that cable.”
“I remember there was a commotion going on, and then I remember arguing with you about calling the emergency room.”
She nodded. “Well, that commotion was me, fighting the Draíodóir. I was able to sort of reflect his own power back onto him—use it to push him over the edge.”
“You told me that,” Jeff replied.
“Yes, but what I didn’t tell you was that I’ve never done anything like that before. No Leonorean has, at least not the ones I’ve met or read about. Except for the witches in the legends, after they underwent the Transformation.”
“And you think that’s what happened to you?”
Leonore took a deep breath. “Yeah. I think that’s exactly what happened. Which means…” She stopped, and Jeff though she might be blushing again.
“Which means what?”
She looked at him, her expression wry. “Which means Millie—Ludmilla—was right about you.”
“I don’t understand,” Jeff replied. “I’ve never even met Millie.”
Leonore smiled. “You’ll like her. Ludmilla’s power is different than mine—she can tell a lot about what’s going on with a person by touching them. And, when she touched me, she told me I was undergoing the Transformation. I didn’t want to believe her.”
“This is all very interesting,” Jeff said, meaning it. “But what does it have to do with me?”
Leonore took another deep breath, blew it out, then said. “I think it’s because, when you threw yourself between me and the Draíodóir’s missile, you were willing to sacrifice your life to save mine. According to the legends, a Leonorean only undergoes the Transformation when…when she is loved by the man who is destined to be her ultimate—her final—lover. Her one true love.”
Chapter Nine
Leonore couldn’t believe she’d actually used the words—one true love. Even more astonishing was that she believed them. But she’d had a lot of time to think while Jeff had been sleeping, exhausted as much from the emotional roller-coaster ride as physical trauma, no doubt.
The Transformation had been real. Millie claimed it had started the first time Leonore had sex with Jeff, but she’d been able to ignore those first, more subtle changes. But the power that crackled around her now was undeniably different.
“Leonore,” Jeff said, calling her back to the conversation at hand. She tried to read his expression and failed.
“What?” she asked.
“What you just said—that I’m…that
we’re…” He seemed at a loss for words.
“Destined to be together,” she finished. “I know, we’ve only known each other for a few days. But the magic doesn’t lie, Jeff. Believe me, I fought the idea myself. I didn’t think this would happen so soon. I thought I’d have more time.”
Jeff looked puzzled. “More time for what?”
“More time with my sisters.”
“You mean Letisha, and the other…witches?”
Leonore nodded. “Yes. I’ve always known I was a witch. My mother told me, when I was still a child. She knew a little about the history of the Leonoreans—it’s why she gave me the name. And she’d met some other witches, but the idea to find others—to form a circle—that was mine. I thought I’d have more time to learn about what we are, and what we can do, before…” She trailed off. This was still new to her too.
“Before you met me,” Jeff finished.
“Right,” she said. “I’d always studied the lore, what I could find anyway. My mother always thought of it as a fun little hobby. She was proud of what she was, but never thought about taking it farther.”
“Did she heal people too?”
Leonore shook her head. “No, it doesn’t work that way. Daughters in the Leonorean bloodline usually have some power, but it’s not necessarily the same as the mother’s. Mom can—could, she passed away three years ago—see through objects.”
“You mean, like x-ray vision?” Jeff smiled. “I’ll bet she was wicked at blackjack.”
He was joking. Good. Leonore felt some of the tension leave her face, and she smiled back. “Yes, you did not want to play cards with my mother. She was too honest to run a serious scam, and she certainly didn’t need the money, but I had some suspicions about her popularity as a bridge partner.”
“You took magic more seriously, I guess.”
She nodded. “Maybe it was because I’m a healer. I felt like I had a responsibility to understand what I was—what I am. So I got serious about the magic. One of the first things I found out was that there are rituals to strengthen power, but that they could only be performed by groups of witches. Leonorean witches, I mean. So, I started looking for them.”
“When?” Jeff asked. “Did you find them right away?”
“Not at first. I was still a teenager, and I didn’t know where to look. I thought Wiccan groups might be a good place to start, but that was a bust.”
“Not the real thing?”
“No,” she said. “Not that I’m saying all Wiccans are powerless—far from it. Some of them take their magic very seriously and study hard. And some achieve a certain degree of power. But, without the blood, they aren’t of any use for the Leonorean rituals. I was pretty frustrated. I almost gave up. Then, I ran into Tish.”
“Where?”
“At a Summer Solstice festival in Vermont. She was doing the same thing I was—checking out the Wiccan events, hoping to run across another Leonorean, not really expecting to find one. She shook my hand and, bam.” She smiled at the memory—the astonishment on Tish’s face, mirroring the shock Leonore had felt. “That really energized us both to step up the search.”
“And now there are seven?” Jeff asked.
“Yes. The number required for the most powerful rituals. We just found Vinnie—Lavinia—a few months ago. Now the circle is finally complete.”
Jeff grinned. “And, just when everything was going so well, I came along and upset the apple cart.”
Does this mean he’s accepting it all? “Well, yes, in a way.”
His grin turned to a frown. “Maybe…” he started, then stopped.
“Maybe what?”
“This is all new to me, and you’re the one who’s been living with it for years. But it seems like a pretty big coincidence. You get your circle together, then you meet your…you meet me. At the same time, this sorcerer guy shows up, and it turns out he’s a member of some group that’s sworn to destroy you.”
The hair stood on the back of Leonore’s neck. “It’s a bigger coincidence than you know,” she said. “In a few weeks, it’s the autumn equinox. And not just any equinox—the position of the planets this year is special.”
“Special, how?”
“Any ritual performed at the exact moment that the earth reaches its closest point to the sun will be more powerful than in over three hundred years.”
“I don’t suppose,” Jeff said, “That you and your sisters are planning just such a ritual.”
She nodded. “Yes. We’re flying to England, in order to perform it at a place near where the original Leonore’s children—her seven daughters—are supposed to have first done it.”
“Whoa.”
“Yeah.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
“I, uh, had another thought,” Jeff said. He was smiling again.
“What’s?”
“You said that healing drains your magic, and sex replenishes it.”
“Yes,” she replied and, like a dozing cat overhearing its name, her magic seemed to stir and stretch.
“Well, I’d imagine that after what you did for me last night, your tank must be just about empty.”
Leonore laughed. Trust a man to think about sex, right in the middle of a heavy discussion. “Yes, it’s pretty drained. Although, not as much as I’d expect. I think the Transformation makes it a little more resilient.”
“Do you need to recharge?” His smile was becoming positively lascivious.
“It wouldn’t hurt,” Leonore admitted. “Also, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What’s that?”
“Once a Leonorean has undergone the Transformation, and she’s met her true—well, you know.” She was still not totally comfortable calling Jeff her true love. Not until he acknowledged it aloud. But he nodded, and she went on. “The sex is supposed to change. To intensify.”
His eyes widened. “It’s been pretty damn intense already,” he said. “I told you, before I even knew what was going on, that I didn’t think it was normal.”
“That’s because I shared magic with you. Unintentionally—I’ve always been able to control that before. But with you, the power kept slipping through.”
He nodded. “I see.” Leonore could practically smell his arousal.
“But after the Transformation, it’s supposed to get more extreme. The lovers—the predestined couple—are able to sort of experience one another’s sensations. It’s supposed to be incredible.”
That got his attention. “I guess,” he said slowly, and the sound of his voice made Leonore’s senses—and her magic—dance. “There’s only one way to find out.”
He walked over and took her hand, and she stood to meet him. Leonore expected him to kiss her, but he reached up and held her face in his hands and just stared at her for a few seconds.
The magic flowed up her body and into the skin of her cheeks—and into his hands. His eyebrows rose, then he smiled.
It was incredibly arousing. Leonore almost whimpered, so badly did she want him to lean forward and put his lips on hers, but she waited. She realized she was holding her breath.
Then, finally, he kissed her.
The magic surged through Leonore and into Jeff, and he made a small noise in the back of his throat but didn’t break the kiss. Their tongues touched, explored and danced, and the sensation of the kiss combining with the magic was like champagne bubbles bursting in their mouths. Leonore wanted to melt, to go limp, but still the kiss went on.
When he finally broke the kiss, her face was still cradled in his hands. Without realizing it, she’d moved so that their bodies were touching from toe to chest, and they were cocooned in the power’s embrace. The air shimmered, as if they were inside a cloud of sparkling dust.
Jeff’s hands slid down to her back as he gazed around, wonder in his expression.
“If this is what your magic is like when it’s depleted, I can’t wait to feel it full strength.”
“Neither can I,” Leonor
e breathed, and he looked puzzled.
“It’s transforming,” she explained. “After we…make love, it’s going to be stronger than before.”
“Let’s go,” he said, and his voice was deep and full. He took her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.
They made it about halfway up the flight of steps before the magic seemed to take control of Leonore. She stopped, and Jeff, still holding her hand, turned to see why. Her arms flew up, as if of their own volition, and wrapped around him, and her weight pushed him back onto the steps.
“Leonore, we’re almost—” he started, but she stopped him with another kiss.
The awkward position should have made it hard to get his jeans unzipped, but Leonore’s fingers were nimble with power. In seconds, she had his cock in her hand. It wasn’t fully hard yet, but it throbbed and twitched and stiffened, even as she squeezed it.
Leonore felt the wonderful, aching pressure as if it were happening between her own legs. Caught off guard, she gasped, pulling her mouth away from his.
Jeff looked at her face. “Did you…feel that?” he asked, his voice husky.
“Yes,” she managed. “It was as if…” She squeezed again, and again she felt the throb. She was Leonore and yet not Leonore. “Jeff, you have to…you should…”
“I’m way ahead of you,” he said, as he reached to unzip her pants. Within moments, he had a hand inside her panties, his forefinger dipping into her wetness as his thumb brushed against her clit.
She gasped again, and as her body tensed from the pleasure, Leonore involuntarily gave his cock another squeeze. The twin sensations—his and hers—crashed against one another like roiling waves, and she almost lost her breath.
“Oh, my god,” Jeff said, sounding as breathless as Leonore felt. “That’s…that’s…oh, my god.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I thought I wanted to do it right here. But if this keeps up, we’re going to roll down the stairs.”
“It would be worth it,” he said, and his finger slid farther inside her.
“A-a-a-ah,” Her moan was a rising note. She rolled to one side, her back against the banister rails, so her arm was free, and started to slide her hand rhythmically, up and down the shaft of his cock, which was now rock hard. She could feel the smoothness of his skin against her palm, and at the same time she felt the pressure of her hand as it slid from his balls up to the head. He groaned.
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