Withhold

by Andrea Pearson

  Nicole looked up at Keitus as he struggled against the next onslaught of debris from the Great One. He must not have expected anyone to look there for it. It was a good plan—she would have gone for his neck first.

  She raced up the pile of debris where Keitus was trapped. The leg that had the talisman was covered. When she got close enough, Nicole dug in with her hands and magic, pulling the dirt and debris aside, ignoring the things she was having to touch to reach him. Finally, she got to his ankle.

  Just as she reached for it, though, Keitus freed himself and stepped down on her arm, glaring at her.

  Nicole screamed as her bones snapped. Keitus ground his foot harder, probably pulverizing her arm completely. Her vision blackened, then came back just as the Great One physically attacked Keitus, pushing him over with a massive foot.

  Keitus toppled down the side of the hill away from Nicole. Using her good arm, she pulled herself to her feet. Her right arm was a mess—she knew it was. She couldn’t bring herself to look at it. The pain alone almost made her pass out. But she had to get to Keitus! Had to remove that talisman.

  Nicole stumbled down the hill after Keitus. She sent a mental message to the Great One to explain what she was doing, but the little sticker prevented the Great One from accessing her thoughts as well. That would have been handy a long time ago.

  She lost her balance and fell, screaming out as she instinctively used her injured arm to catch herself.

  “Oh, my gosh, oh, gosh,” she panted, trying to breathe through the pain.

  Keitus and the Great One continued fighting. Nicole’s friends were still in a daze behind her, not moving. Had he wiped their minds?

  She struggled forward, using her left arm to pull herself toward her target.

  Keitus was grappling with the Great One. Through the haze caused by her pain, Nicole recognized something—the more Keitus attacked and swiped at the Great One with his sword, the smaller the Great One became as chunks of him fell off. He was still functional, but nowhere near as strong as he had been before. Instead of a monstrous being hundreds of feet tall, this version of the Great One was only about twenty feet tall. His chin was made up of huge tentacles that waved madly. He had several eyes, all of them focused on Keitus.

  Nicole continued forward.

  She got close enough to reach the talisman, but Keitus again stepped away. And again, Nicole was forced to follow.

  Finally, in a last-ditch effort, she lunged for it. Her broken arm slammed against his body, causing waves of pain and nausea to flood through her as she held on as tightly as she could with her good hand. She screamed and used her magic to break the string that held it around his ankle. With a snap, the cord broke, and Nicole tumbled backward. This time, she didn’t try to stop her fall.

  Keitus teetered around, narrowly missing stepping on Nicole. She watched as he underwent a huge transformation. Massive chunks fell from him as he shed the immortal, deadly form.

  Soon, nothing was left but the ghost of the shriveled old man.

  And the Great One promptly destroyed that ghost with a blast of magic so bright, Nicole had to look away.

  With a groan of exhaustion, the Great One stooped and took the talisman from Nicole, totally ignoring her. He peered at the talisman for a moment, then directed another powerful wave of magic to it, obliterating it into a million shiny pieces.

  With a single nod to Nicole, the Great One brought himself upright, then disappeared.

  All sounds of the battle around Nicole ceased. Monsters that had been fighting for Keitus glanced around in confusion, obviously wondering what happened to their master.

  Nicole watched with a smile as Austin, Lizzie, Jacob, and Akeno rounded the hill. They spotted her just as she blacked out.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  When Nicole awoke, she was inside a Minya container. She pushed the lid back, happy to see that Austin on the other side. She knew this place—it was the castle in Maivoryl City. Nicole pulled herself to her feet, inspecting herself as she did so. Her right arm had been healed without evidence of any injury. The bruises that had been forming from the bars in her cell were gone, as were all the little scratches, burns, scrapes, and cuts she’d received over the past several days.

  She seriously loved Kaede sap.

  Austin’s head was nodding as he struggled to stay awake, one hand on the table where her container had been situated. She stepped out of the container and crossed the table, patting his hand.

  “Hey,” she said.

  Austin jumped, blinking rapidly. “You’re awake!”

  He held his hand out for her and she hopped onto it, grabbing his thumb. Austin carried her to Akeno, who enlarged her. The moment she was back to her normal size, she ran to Austin, throwing her arms around him.

  “I don’t care what anyone says,” Austin said. “We’re getting married right now.”

  Nicole chuckled. “Well, let’s at least send invitations and see who can come.”

  Austin gave her a wicked grin. “Don’t need to.”

  Just then, Lizzie and Queen Arien entered the room holding a wedding gown, veil, and a beautiful bouquet of red roses, white daisies, vines, and baby’s breath. Nicole noticed for the first time that Austin was wearing a tux.

  She gasped. “Now?”

  His grin widened. “Yes. I’m not letting you out of my sight until you’re mine. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

  She jumped into his arms, squealing. “Yes, yes! It’s perfect with me.”

  Austin and Akeno left so Lizzie and the queen could help Nicole get into the wedding dress. It fit her perfectly, and Nicole couldn’t help but wonder how they’d known her size—Lizzie didn’t remember her own size, let alone Nicole’s.

  Lizzie saw her confused expression and giggled. “We might have raided your closet in Texas. Well, we didn’t—my mom did.”

  “Your mom is here?”

  “Yup! She, Dad, my brothers, and your brothers are waiting in the throne room.”

  Warmth and happiness spread through Nicole at everything her friends had done to fulfill her dream wedding. And she couldn’t believe they’d pulled this all off while she’d been healing!

  Queen Arien and Lizzie helped do her hair and makeup. While they were finishing up, Elyse, Dave’s mom, entered carrying a beautiful necklace and a pair of earrings. She gave them to Nicole, then enveloped her in a big hug.

  “I’m so excited,” she whispered.

  Coolidge came in next, wearing a tux. Nicole threw her arms around him. “I’m glad to see you alive and doing well.”

  He smiled. “You have a choice to make.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Who’s going to give you away to Austin?”

  Nicole chuckled. “You are, of course. Who else would do it?”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  After the women deemed Nicole ready, Coolidge held out his arm, Nicole took it, and he led her through the halls of the castle and into the most magnificent throne room she’d ever seen. Stained-glass windows graced nearly every wall, the floors and pews were marble, and beautiful lacy arches made up every doorway. Where had this room been hiding, and why wasn’t Dmitri using it?

  Coolidge walked Nicole down the aisle, and her heart fluttered at the sight of Austin at the other end, looking hot in his tux and wearing an expression of pride and contentment on his face.

  She saw everyone she’d grown to care about for the past few years, smiling at her. The old ladies from her apartment were near the back, sitting next to Sam, her landlord. Sylvia, Professor Nelson, his wife, and the Makalos were present. Albert and Prudence were in the middle, and Lizzie’s family and Nicole’s siblings were near the front. Azuriah, Pambri, and a few other Shiengols were there, scattered throughout the room. Even Judith Ann had shown up.

  The audience was also made up of many people Nicole didn’t know—one guy in particular, a man in his forties wearing light blue jeans and a brown leather jacket, ca
ught her attention. He was vaguely familiar. He sent a smile before turning to talk to the woman with him. Nicole put him from her mind.

  Coolidge gave Nicole to Austin, then sat next to Hayla and the Fat lady on the front row near Lizzie, Jacob, and Jacob’s parents.

  Nicole almost panicked. She didn’t have any vows prepared. But Aldo, who was officiating at the wedding, reassured her with a smile and whispered, “Just say ‘I do’ at the appropriate part if you’re sure you really want to marry him.”

  She chuckled—of course she wanted to. Knowing what was expected of her, she relaxed and enjoyed her wedding. Austin’s expressions of pure adoration melted her heart and made her toes curl in anticipation. She couldn’t believe they were finally getting married.

  The day ended with a huge meal. It was undoubtedly the best wedding feast that had been seen in a long time—possibly since the king and queen themselves had been married.

  Once the celebration ended, Nicole and Austin changed into street clothes, then Austin led Nicole to where a Sindon awaited them near the castle doors. He picked her up, nestling her against his chest, and carried her up a ladder propped against the huge beast. Nicole wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling against him, breathing deeply of the smell she knew and loved that made up her husband.

  Husband.

  She was married to Austin. Her heart jumped in her chest. She couldn’t believe they’d finally made it to this day.

  Austin tucked Nicole next to him on the bench, putting his arms around her, his warm brown eyes searching her face. “Nicole, I couldn’t say this earlier—too many people present—but every happiness and hope I carry now can be traced back to my decision to choose you. To date you and to love you. You are my present and my future, and I will love you forever.”

  Nicole blinked back tears that pricked her eyes. She pulled him close, her arms tightening around him. How could she respond to such eloquence? She’d never been good with words. “I’m so glad you chose me over Savannah.”

  Austin pulled back, a confused expression on his face. “Savannah who?”

  Nicole started explaining but saw the twinkle in his eyes and laughed, smacking his shoulder. “You tease. Fine, we won’t talk about her.” She settled against him again. “I love you too.”

  A simple response, but Austin’s reaction to it helped her know it was the right one.

  They honeymooned in a private cottage near a small lake that Arien and Dmitri owned.

  ***

  Nicole and Austin had only been home from their honeymoon for a week when she and Lizzie held a baby shower for Hayla. The event went well, and Nicole enjoyed spending time with the women around her. Her life had changed permanently—she’d gone from having a family that hated and despised her to becoming part of an accepting and loving one. She hadn’t yet discovered a new threshold to her powers, and hoped she wouldn’t ever have to. Opportunities to use her magic defensively were extremely rare now.

  She finished her education, and she and Austin graduated at the same time. Lizzie had graduated the year before, doing what she loved—stopping fire—and had taken an internship in California, where she was learning to become a Fire Impeder.

  Nicole and Austin moved to his family ranch in Montana, where she planned to spend as much of her time—and money—as possible.

  Life was good.

  Epilogue

  Several years later.

  Nicole brushed her hair out of her eyes, taking a break from pulling weeds in her garden. She wasn’t physically pulling the weeds, of course—that was what her magic was for, and she’d gotten very fast at it. As a result, they’d had a huge garden every year since she and Austin had moved to Montana.

  A shadow appeared next to her, and she startled, looking up. A man stood over her, wearing light blue jeans and a brown leather jacket.

  She frowned. “You came to my wedding.”

  The man tilted his head, staring at her. “How did you remember that?”

  “You were wearing this back then too,” she said, gesturing at his clothes.

  The man flushed, looking at his attire. “Oh, yeah. You’re right.”

  “What do you need?” She knew this wasn’t just a casual visit. Thank goodness the feeling around him was one of familiarity and friendship, not hostility.

  “It’s time you remembered. You must visit your mother and ask her where your old music box went.”

  Nicole frowned. “What are you talking about? What music box?”

  “The one your grandmother gave you as a child.”

  Nicole nodded, vaguely remembering it. “Why do I need to visit my mom?”

  “Because she was commanded to keep it safe.”

  “You know she’s in prison, right?”

  Tiffany had at least six or seven years left of her fifteen-year sentence. Nicole still thought she got off too easy.

  “Yes. Go now. I’ll come visit again once you’ve seen her.”

  Nicole tilted her head, wondering why she trusted him. It was as if they’d worked together—as if she’d known him very well at some point. But when? And how?

  She followed his instructions immediately, arranging for the family helicopter to take her into town to the airport where their private jet waited. Having access to over a billion dollars made life much easier at Shadow Valley Ranch.

  The flight to the prison where Tiffany was being held was hard on Nicole’s already-troubled stomach. She hadn’t gone to see her mother once since the woman had been locked up. And seeing her now, she was surprised at how awful Tiffany looked. Her hair had lost its shine, deep lines covered her face, and her eyes were dull and lifeless.

  Nicole almost felt bad for the woman before realizing that yes, she’d forgiven her, but that didn’t mean she had to forget what she had done.

  “What do you want?” Tiffany asked.

  Nicole’s stomach turned at the sound of her mother’s voice. She hadn’t heard it in so long. Her stomach turned for other reasons too and she put a hand there, quieting the bubbles that were a constant companion these days.

  “I need my old music box.”

  Tiffany narrowed her eyes. “Why now?”

  Nicole hesitated, then decided to ignore the question. “Where is it?”

  Her mother laughed. “You still don’t know what happened, do you?”

  Nicole didn’t know how to respond, but she didn’t have to because Tiffany continued. “It’s in storage at the house. I locked it up in your father’s gun safe in the basement.”

  Tiffany abruptly got to her feet, stepping away from Nicole. “Don’t come here again. You’ve already ruined my life enough.”

  With that, the woman turned and left the room.

  Nicole slowly stood and exited the prison, her thoughts swirling around her. What did Tiffany mean?

  With only one passenger, it wasn’t hard to arrange a trip to the airport outside of Lucas, Texas, and it didn’t take long to get to her family’s estate. Their old butler and housekeeper still lived there, and the housekeeper gave Nicole a hug.

  Nicole didn’t know the combination to the lock on the gun safe, but she didn’t need to. Her magic was able to show her which way to turn the dial. She opened the door and slid ammo boxes, pistols, revolvers, and rifles around until she found the little music box in a very back corner.

  Nicole pulled it out. She heard a sound and whirled. The man was standing there, watching her. “Geez! Are you trying to freak me out? How did you get in here, anyway?”

  He shook his head, but didn’t respond to her questions. Instead, he started mumbling words. A sudden headache pounded into Nicole’s skull. She gasped as memories flooded her system.

  She remembered the man. His name was Alexander, and they had worked together years earlier, while she’d been in high school. Other memories flooded her mind. They were hazy and hard to grasp. Dogs shifting into humans, a horrible, creepy manor, an ex-boyfriend, and a prophecy.

  A prophecy about Lizzie.
/>   “I . . .” Nicole put a hand to her head. “I—I remember you.”

  Alexander nodded. “The rest of your memories will fall into place over the next couple of days.”

  She couldn’t help but single out the one about her best friend. “There’s a prophecy! About Lizzie! She’s in danger!”

  Alexander nodded.

  “I have to get to her,” Nicole said.

  “Yes, you do. Immediately.”

  THE END

  Note from the author:

  Have you already read Forsake? If not, become a member of my readers group to hear of its release so you can find out exactly what it was that Alexander made Nicole forget. (Hint, it has to do with Lizzie, if you couldn’t tell, ha ha. :-) Another hint: it’s one of my bestest, most creepiest books yet. I had sooo much fun writing it! I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. :-))

  Also, The Shade Amulet, Koven Chronicles Book One will be coming out soon. That’s the first book in Lizzie’s series. Again, come join my readers group to be alerted to its release! It’s going to rock! And if you’re reading this book, I think it’s safe to say you’re a reader of mine. :-) If you haven’t already, come join our Facebook group. I’d love to say hi!

  To my devoted and loyal readers: I’m so sorry it took so long to get this book to you. It’s one of the hardest books I’ve ever written. A lot of you know I had an accident at home where the device storing this book got destroyed. $700 later, I had the book in my possession again, but my emotions were shot from the experience of having it get lost. As a result, I really struggled with finishing it. Instead, I wrote Forsake—the book that delves into Nicole’s experiences with Alexander—and The Shade Amulet, Lizzie’s first book, finally getting back to Withhold over six months after I’d started it.

  I hope you enjoyed the ending of this series. It felt good to dip my toes back into Jacob and Nicole’s worlds for a little while, but I think I am done with both of them—I feel like their stories are complete now.

  If you want to know when I release my next book (and there’s no way I’m done writing fantasy and magic!), make sure you become a member my readers group (as if you’re surprised I was going to say that :-)), where you can get free stories and lots of fun stuff.