“Can’t you see who wins or how we can beat him?” Olivia’s exasperated question drew a reproachful look from Almha.
“We are not all powerful, child. We have sought the answers to these questions for ages but some things cannot be seen and others continue to change as the Unseen alters his plans.” Almha frowned, her milky white eyes creasing at the corners. “Our time is running short.”
“You must go, dear. You have much to attend to.” Damarra squeezed Storm’s arm gently.
Credne approached Olivia and ran a long slender finger down the young woman’s cheek. “You are lovely, girl. I believe you have chosen, have you not?”
Olivia nodded. “I choose Storm. My sister and Shane and Dan believe in her. That is enough for me.”
“Very well.” Credne placed both hands on Olivia’s shoulders and muttered words in the ancient tongue before kissing her lightly on the forehead. He backed away and faced Storm. “Emerald, may the grace of our kind quicken your mind and bear you through these times with the wisdom of the ages. We will be watching for your victory.” Credne leaned in and kissed Storm lightly on both cheeks, leaving behind a feeling of warmth and comfort. Turning on his heel, Credne slipped into the shadows and disappeared.
Almha approached Olivia to give her blessing, sealing it with a kiss on the cheek. The ancient Goddess glided over to face Storm. “There is naught I can offer you but patience to balance your impulsiveness. Think before you act, Emerald. Though your heart is your guiding light it may lead you wrong if not balanced by your wisdom. Your mate is well-matched to you for this reason. Heed his counsel and you will find your way.” Almha kissed Storm on each cheek and then bent to press her lips upon the swell of her abdomen. “Until we meet again, Emerald.”
“It is time to return, dear.” Damarra smiled broadly though it did not quite reach her eyes.
“You have to come with us! We need you.” Storm nearly cringed at the desperation in her voice but she needed her grandmother now more than ever. “Part of why I came here was to retrieve you!”
“Not yet, dear.” Damarra’s face fell into a blend of sorrow and concern. “Roane has been found and I must go to him. We will be there to see our granddaughters, I assure you. Your questions will be answered then, I promise.” She hugged Storm once more and whispered in her ear, “The Scots have been found as well. We will return them tonight, I believe.” Damarra snapped her fingers and everything went black.
Angeline
Angeline was aware the moment Olivia and Storm returned. Opening her eyes, Angeline waited for Storm to nod the okay and then kicked some salt aside to break the circle. She fell to her knees beside Olivia, checking her sister for any signs of harm.
“I am fine. Get off of me, Ang. Seriously. Come on, Ang!” Olivia gave her a shove and leapt to her feet to escape. Angeline startled at the sudden fluidity of Liv’s motions.
“What happened over there?” Angeline frowned. No, she did not appear harmed but she was not unchanged. “What did they do to you? What did they say?”
“Ang, relax. Everything is going to be alright with Olivia. She was blessed and that’s it. She has chosen our side and cannot be claimed by the Unseen, that’s all that matters right now.” Storm reached her hands out, “Now, could you please help me up so we can talk about everything else?” There was more, definitely more. She knew Storm well enough to know when she was not being fully truthful. Helping Storm to her feet, Angeline tried to read something from her, but as usual, the Emerald held her mind tightly shut. Of course. “Stop trying, Ang. You will find out all you need to know and some things you don’t want to know.” Storm whispered in her ear causing Angeline to blush.
“I’m sorry, Storm. I am just worried – “ Angeline trailed off as Storm raised a hand to silence her.
“I understand, Ang, I do, but you need to give her a little credit. She did really well over there and you are going to have to trust her.” Storm embraced her lightly. “Watch her, worry for her, but remember how it feels to be on the receiving end of that concern.”
“Yeah, we’ll see if you are still saying that when your babes are toddling around.” Angeline arched and eyebrow and loosed a chuckle. Storm was right about some of it at least but Angeline could not deny her growing unease.
“Now you know that is not even remotely the same thing, Ang.” Storm smirked and laid her hands on her swollen abdomen. “But you are right, I am sure I will worry more than my fair share. Speaking of the babes, Aunt Trin mentioned something about a birthing room? Just what have you been up to? Was it Ryder’s idea?”
Angeline cringed a bit. She hadn’t planned on discussing the room yet. Storm’s feelings about the birth were well known through the house and it had been a sore subject. Angeline almost gave up on preparing the room but Trin and Ryder both insisted – one of the few things they could agree on. “I’m sorry Storm, I mean, they asked me to work on it and then with what Damarra said about you not leaving Willow Wood, well, I figured it was a good move.”
“I get it, Ang. I am not mad at you. Just don’t be offended when I go to the hospital instead.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Storm.” Dan chimed in to the discussion and Angeline watched as Storm’s cheeks turned crimson. “Before you get angry, hear me out. We don’t know what to expect with your childbirth, what if you start glowing as your emotions heighten or worse, what if the twins come out glowing? How do you intend to explain that away?”
“I’ve already thought of that, Dan. We know plenty of people who can alter memories enough to remove any oddities the doctors and nurses may witness, and there is always the option to buy their silence.” Storm frowned as she turned to face him. “Like you said, nobody has experienced anything like this, we don’t know what to expect. I would rather have trained professionals caring for the human part of me and the human parts of my children. Why is that so difficult for everybody to understand?”
“We are just trying to offer alternatives, babe. In the end the choice is yours and Ryder’s. You are the parents and you must decide what is best for you and your children. We cannot and will not change anything for you in that matter.” Shane slid an arm around Storm’s waist and kissed her on the cheek. “Now, how about we start sorting some of this out because I suspect we will have more arrivals seeking audience with you this evening. No doubt word has spread quickly through the supernatural community.”
“Then how about we table this discussion for a while, Ang shows me the room and then we collect the vampires. I really would like to talk with Dorian about his research before we reconvene this evening.” Storm made eye contact with everybody in the room but settled on Olivia last. “Olivia, how about you come with your sister and me?”
Olivia nodded slightly and smiled at Angeline. She looked older or wiser or something. Angeline couldn’t put her finger on it but she found it unsettling. “Stop staring at me, Ang. Really, it’s creeping me out.”
“Mind if I tag along too?” Sophia stood, sliding the Phoenix to her back. “I am pretty sure Lucian and Ryder can handle themselves for a bit and I am not about to be the one to tell either of them what you two just did.”
Storm chuckled, “Fair enough. Dan and Shane, would you mind checking on everyone to get a rundown of what they are working on today? We need the rest of the rooms cleared out and somebody needs to get food.” Dan opened his mouth to say something but Shane nudged him in the side and they both nodded before sauntering out of the study.
Angeline spun to face Storm “Okay, what’s the deal? You don’t want to see that room, I know you don’t.”
“Actually, I do. I am assuming it is sound proofed with a lot of enchantments? Similar to this room but tucked away a bit?” Storm smiled knowingly.
“Indeed it is. Trin requested a private haven for you, someplace where guests would not happen in.” Angeline led the way to the room, the small group of women silent the entire trek to the far corner of Willow Wood. Angeline pushed the door
open and backed off to the side allowing the women an opportunity to file in. She shut the door behind them and muttered the spell Trin had given her for sealing the door. “We should be able to talk openly here.”
“It’s lovely, Angeline.” Sophia was walking slowly along the wall where Angeline had hung a series of pictures Storm had painted. Olivia was looking over all of the instruments and potions along the counter but scrunched up her nose and wheeled around when she saw the forceps and scalpels. Angeline was prepared; she hoped Storm would see that and reconsider her position on home birth.
“I have a list of doctors, nurses, and midwives on my cell. Mystical and non-magical, in fact. I was trying to find a happy medium so you could have all of the comforts of a hospital without having to leave the safety of Willow Wood, Storm. The hospital bed and a good measure of medical equipment will arrive this week.” Angeline held her voice even as she walked about the room describing where everything would go. Storm remained quietly staring at the two lilac bassinets in front of the large bay window.
“This is beautiful, Ang. It really is. You have thought of everything, haven’t you?” Storm continued to stare at the empty bassinets.
“I have formula and diapers and the outfits you selected for the girls.” Angeline strode over to the armoire beside the bassinets and opened the doors to reveal the stockpile she’d built over the months. “I really want to be prepared, just in case. I will not be offended if you don’t use this room, but I hope you will give it some thought. Nobody wants you to leave Willow Wood until after you give birth after what Damarra said.”
“Damarra said a lot of things but things change. Everything changes.” Storm’s voice took on an unsettling hollow tone. Angeline glanced at Sophia who looked just as concerned. Olivia remained strangely quiet.
“What happened over there, Storm?” Sophia prodded gently. The Phoenix hopped off her back and trotted over to Storm to lick her hand. Storm absentmindedly stroked the Phoenix’s head but said nothing for several minutes.
“I am just thinking.” When Storm finally spoke it was with that same hollow, far away voice. “Olivia, go ahead and tell your part of the story. Your sister is dying to know.”
Angeline looked on her sister again, still struck by the changes becoming more apparent by the minute. Not only did Olivia look older, her eyes were rounder, skin clearer and hair paler. What did they do to her? Fear reared up in Angeline but she forced herself to stand where she was.
“Almha read me and then she and Credne blessed me. They also gave me this.” Olivia opened her palm to reveal a small silver ring inlaid with a moonstone. Angeline peered at it and her heart sank. That is what happened. But why? She tried to slap it out of Olivia’s hand but the ring stuck to her palm as though glued and when Angeline tried again she was thrown back a few feet by an invisible force. Olivia rushed to her side. “Oh! I am sorry Ang, I don’t know what happened, I didn’t do that!”
Angeline resigned herself to the truth of things. There was never any way to stop it. She saw that now. Many things became clear and the one realization, the one truth that had evaded her for so long was now glaringly obvious. She couldn’t think about it now, couldn’t deal with that at this moment when so many more important things were happening around her. Olivia, her younger sister and the one she’d worked so hard to protect, stared down at her with tears welling and fear etched in the lovely curves of her face. So, Angeline did what she did best. “I know, Liv. It was my fault. I forgot how the rings work. You might want to put that on your finger instead of holding it in your palm. I mean, you won’t lose it or anything but everybody else will need to see you for what you are tonight.”
“What I am?” Olivia helped Angeline to her feet.
“Yes. I think it is time you knew everything.” Angeline should be grateful that the gods allowed her to tell Olivia but that would have to come later. Right now, she just resented having to tell her kid sister the truths she should not have had to bear in this lifetime or any other. “You know I took on your fae side, the power of Mama’s blood line.” Olivia nodded, biting her lip like she had as a child when she was about to be scolded. “But I could not touch the magic from Papa. You did not come into those powers when you turned sixteen because we bound them to give you a normal life. It would have been dangerous for you in so many ways, not just because of the Unseen. It seems that the gods saw fit to not only unbind but also enhance Papa’s blood magic.” Angeline sighed. Now came the really hard part. “Liv, we are half nephilim and you are destined to follow the White Lady into the beyond to help the dead crossover to their next life. It has always been your destiny but I – we – sought to change it because of what it meant to the Unseen.”
Olivia backpedaled away from her. Storm turned to face them now, more somber than ever with tears in her eyes. Sophia watched the girl, concern and sorrow evident in her eyes. Angeline watched her sister sink to the floor, up against the wall drawing her knees in to her chin. “No. It is not possible. I do not accept this.”
“You already have, Olivia. Not that you had a choice. Nobody gets that more than me.” Storm leaned against the bassinets. “I’m so sorry. For all of you.”
“Why are you sorry?” Olivia looked up to Storm, tears staining her white cheeks.
“Because I took you to Credne and Almha, I bound Sophia to the Phoenix, I brought Angeline into this mess. All of this is because of me.” Storm looked out the window. “Sometimes I wish I had been born normal. I wish I went to a normal school and had normal friends and this were somebody else’s problem.”
“But that is not how life works, Storm.” Sophia spoke up, her voice more stern than Angeline had ever heard it. “I would be rotting in a grave if not for you, Lucian would still be cursed, and who knows what else would have changed.” She turned to Olivia, her voice softening with her expression. Sophia settled on the floor beside Olivia and the Phoenix slid in between them. “Olivia, you were chosen. We all were chosen. Nobody can escape their destiny. It was my destiny to walk this path and wind up with Lucian and it is yours to walk with the White Lady. If it makes you feel better, the priestess who met me when I crossed over was very funny and she stayed with me for a while, until my Soul Mirror took me, actually. You will still be Olivia, you will still be able to do many things but you will have an unusual job. That’s it. Now, as I see it, you have two choices. You can accept it, embrace it and move on or fight it until it destroys you. Either way you will be a White Priestess and nothing can change that.” Sophia reached out and squeezed Olivia’s hand. “It’s going to be alright, Olivia. It really will. You will see. And Storm, none of this is your fault. I know it is enormous and scary but we can do this. Together we can finish it all and move on to the rest of our lives. I am never again going to take life for granted and I hope that if you care for me at all, you will follow my example in this.”
Storm remained silent for a few more minutes, looking from Olivia to Sophia to Angeline and back again, her mouth opening and closing more than once. Finally, she spoke, “Fair enough. I’m sorry. I just was struck with this overwhelming sense of foreboding and then I thought a vision was coming but nothing happened. I’ve felt odd since we got back, like I can’t regulate myself. One small thought brings on an emotion that seems to take over my whole spirit. It doesn’t feel right.”
“Maybe you should rest. I think you could nap for a few hours before sunset and we can cover the rest. I know we need to research and prepare and all of that important stuff but, Storm, you really need sleep.” Angeline noted the dark circles under Storm’s eyes and how they continued to worsen. “Don’t argue. Sleep, you need it and there is a bit of time. The Unseen is not going to attack today and yes, I know you have a lot more to tell us but you need to sleep too.” Angeline looped her arm through Storm’s and smiled, “Besides, you look terrible. Nobody is going to believe you are the Emerald if you walk around looking like a banshee. We can’t afford to have you driving away any potential allies.”
“Funny, very funny.” Storm cracked a small smile. “I am tired, though. An hour, okay. You wake me in an hour.”
“Only if you allow us to stay with you.” Sophia rose and pulled the Phoenix with her.
“This is turning into a slumber party.” Storm grumbled but Angeline noted she stopped arguing against them.
“What about me?” Olivia piped up, still on the floor looking miserable.
“Slumber party it is. How about we just sprawl out in the study? The couch is just as comfortable as my bed at this point and there is room for all of us.” Storm looked hopeful but Angeline knew better. She would wait until they were all sleeping and start researching.
“Nope. Bedroom or no deal. I am not tired and that bed is plenty big for you three and the Phoenix.” Angeline folded her arms tightly to make her point and Storm grudgingly nodded. “Alright then.” Angeline led the way up to Storm and Ryder’s room with Sophia bringing up the tail. Sure enough, Storm was sound asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and Olivia not long after. The Phoenix slithered up next to Storm but Sophia opted for one of the sitting chairs by the window. Angeline joined her and the two sat quietly watching over the Emerald as she dozed next to a budding White Priestess.
“She’s going to be alright, Ang.” Sophia looked out the window when she finally spoke but said no more when Angeline didn’t answer. The silent vigil did not last long.
Roane
Damarra’s spirit lifted exponentially on her return. He did not know where she went but to have his mate back was all Roane had wanted. He was wise enough to know it was best not to question such things. Singing as she wove a new rug for their floor, Damarra seemed more than content and Roane finally felt some peace. He pushed aside the feelings of despair and ignored the growing sense of foreboding that crept along the back of his mind. Roane decided then and there to live in the moment, to appreciate what he had and love Damarra as long as he could. Maybe she would change her mind and seek another who could give her a child, but not today. Today she was his and every time the swirling eyes glanced in his direction Roane soaked it up and smiled as wide as he could. When she cast aside her work and sashayed over to him amidst his pile of journals, he too cast aside his work and pulled her petite form into his lap. Roane breathed her scent and cherished the warmth of her body against his. Yes, he would love her as long as she let him.
The Storm Sullivan Saga: The Emerald Seer Series Box Set Page 53
