by T. M. Cromer
“I’m so sorry.” The catch in her words said exactly how much.
“Victor’s revenge on… my father,” he panted. “It was never… about you.”
“But he used my sister as his tool for that revenge. That is on me.”
“No.”
A low rumble started just as the floor shifted beneath her. Ryanne released an involuntary scream.
“Sorry. Me.” Nash gritted his teeth and fell back into the wall. “You need… to… go. Can’t hold… back… the magic.”
Knox appeared and shoved the desk aside and hauled Ryanne to her feet. “We have to get out. Now!”
“No!” She violently shook her head. “I won’t leave him!”
He gripped her chin and forced her gaze away from Nash. “Listen to me. We have to leave. He’s an earth elemental, and he’s only holding back for you. Soon he won’t be able to. This whole place is going to sink into the earth. Do you understand what I’m telling you? You’ll be buried alive.”
Despite his steel-like grip, she inched her head sideways to stare down into Nash’s tortured forest-green eyes. The truth was written there for her to see.
“I don’t care,” she choked out. “I’m not leaving him to die alone. I can’t.”
“He won’t be alone, child. I’ll be with him.”
She whipped her head around to stare at Alastair.
“He’s my son, and he’s suffering because of me.”
As Nash’s father moved forward, the ground beneath them rolled. Everyone scrambled to stay upright.
“Get her out of here, Knox. My niece and Ryker, too.”
“I’m not leaving, Mr. Thorne.”
Where Ryanne got the backbone to stand up to this powerful man, she didn’t know. Or maybe she did. Maybe love had infused her spine with steel. Either way, if they tried to drag her away, they wouldn’t have to worry about the earthquakes Nash was causing because Ryanne would burn this stinking building down around their ears.
Alastair regarded her with exasperation clearly stamped on his features. “Fine.” He met Knox’s concerned gaze and nodded. “She stays with me and my son. The rest of you clear out.”
As Autumn, Ryker, and Knox gathered together to teleport, Alastair had one last request. “Tell Rorie I love her. And Ryker, make sure that sonofabitch pays for this.” A violent sneeze took Alastair, and he quickly clenched his hand.
The trio disappeared right as Spring returned. The floor buckled again, and Ryanne slammed into the ground, her knees coming in hard contact with the marble.
“I’ve arrived just in time,” Spring said to no one in particular. She rushed to Nash and measured out a spoonful of liquid from the jar she carried. “Here, cousin. This should help with the pain.” After a second helping, she placed the container on the desktop. “Where’s Knox?”
“I made him take the others to safety. Nash was creating earthquakes,” Alastair informed her.
“That man of mine is never around when I need him,” she complained good-naturedly. She checked Nash’s pulse and lifted one of his closed lids. “He’s out. I think that medication should last for a while. I doubled the dose.”
Ryanne cradled Nash’s head in her lap, careful to stay as far away from the necklace as possible. “What did you give him?”
“It has an opium base. He’s going to be in LaLa Land for a good bit of time. Hopefully, long enough for us to surgically extract that necklace. Aunt GiGi should be right behind me. She needed to collect her bag of tricks and my other sister.”
“Do you really think you can remove it?”
“I’m not sure. If we can reverse the magical spell your sister used, we might be able to. Did either of you get a chance to read the journal?” The before Rylee took it was implied, or so it seemed to Ryanne who was feeling exceedingly guilty for her twin’s actions.
Alastair gave a short nod and checked his son’s pulse before parting the shirt. The ruby and silver scorpion’s tail rippled, and the wicked point swiveled toward his hand. “In the journal, it states you must stroke the back of the scorpion three times in rapid succession. The trick is not to get stung. Otherwise, it’s lights out.”
“I didn’t make it that far into the journal. Will it release its grip either way?” Ryanne asked. Was it her imagination or did Nash look grayer than normal? “I mean, if I stroke it and get stung, will the clasp still open?”
“It never stated as much.” As Ryanne reached for the necklace, Alastair caught her hand. “No, child. I know my son; Nash would prefer to perish rather than have you hurt.”
“I have to try.”
“I’ll do it. If it strikes me, it won’t matter much.”
“That’s not true, Uncle,” Spring protested. “You are loved by one and all. There isn’t a one of us who wouldn’t miss you.”
“You’d miss those trips I finance,” he teased with a wink. “Where are you and that young man off to next? Rome?”
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “That’s why you need to stick around. Who else gives me a limitless credit card for my travels?”
That same cheek flushed with pleasure but immediately paled when Nash arched his back and moaned.
“We can’t wait for my sister,” Alastair stated grimly. “We’re out of time.”
Chapter 18
As the words left Alastair’s mouth, the Thornes appeared en masse with his beloved Rorie leading the charge.
“Hello, my love. How did I know you were going to show up?” he asked.
She stomped forward, full of fire and wrath. “Were you truly planning to go to your death without a goodbye? I could murder you, you bloody bastard.”
He adored how her English accent thickened with her pique. “I thought I was limited on time.”
“Foolish man.” She knelt beside him and cradled his face, staring as if to memorize each of his features. “After we finally found each other again, it figures you’d do something to bugger it up. Is this your way of getting out of wedding me?” Aurora didn’t give him a chance to answer, instead leaning over to check on Nash. “How is the dear boy?”
“Suffering,” Alastair replied gruffly. He couldn’t pretend with her. Couldn’t hide his anguish upon seeing his firstborn at death’s door. “I don’t know how to help him other than to be here for him.”
As she opened her mouth to answer, the ground shook beneath them and another long crack appeared in the marble. Her worried blue eyes latched onto him. “He’s doing this even in his unconscious state?”
“Yes. It’s why I wanted our family clear of this place.” He shot a glare at Knox. “It’s why I entrusted the family to your care, boy.”
“Sorry, sir.” Knox held up his left hand to hide pointing at Autumn with his right. “Someone refused to listen. Someone told everyone what was going down. Someone—”
Autumn punched him in the shoulder. “I know what you’re doing, you tool!”
Even as his lips twitched in response, Alastair cast them a stern warning look. “Now is not the time for horseplay.”
“‘Horseplay’?” Aurora snorted indelicately. “I thought our daughters brought you into this century, you old dinosaur. Who says ‘horseplay’ anymore?”
“Et tu, Brute?” He lowered his voice for her ears alone. “Remind me, if we get out of this, to show you how much of a dinosaur I am.”
She grinned and winked.
“If Nash survives, I hope we are like the two of you years from now,” Ryanne said tearfully.
Aurora stroked a hand down the young woman’s glossy dark hair. “Not if. He will. Between all of us, we’ll come up with a solution.”
“Thank you,” Ryanne croaked.
Any reservations Alastair had retained about Ryanne dissipated. He’d be a fool not to recognize the love she bore his son.
His sister stepped forward. “Alastair, the clearing behind your estate, do you think it would work to counteract Nash’s magic? I have an idea.” GiGi outlined her plan to utilize Knox’s and
his son-in-law Quentin’s powers to manipulate time and throw Nash into a stasis state until a way to safely remove the necklace could be agreed upon.
The suggestion had merit, and Alastair mentally ran through the list of possible spells they might use. “I’m not sure the standing stones will help. In theory, they might give us an added boost for any spell we may cast, but I can’t see it counterbalancing the earthquakes he’s causing.” As Alastair finished speaking, the floor beneath them rumbled. “Either way, we need to get out of this blasted building.”
He tucked one arm beneath Nash’s back to cradle his son to his chest. “Ryanne, take my free hand and don’t let go. The rest of you, meet us in the clearing.” He met Aurora’s bright blue gaze and felt some of her confidence seep into him. “Grab on, my love.”
He waited a moment until everyone vacated the premises before sending out a magical feeler to the glen. When he was certain he could teleport safely, he closed his eyes to concentrate and opened the rift between the two locations. It only took an extra push of his power to move his small group of four through the opening.
His son-in-law, Quentin, was on the other side with Knox to relieve him of the burden of Nash. “Place him on the stone altar,” he directed them. “We need to call up the stones.”
Previously, his brother, Preston, would have led the ceremony to raise the stone pillars, but since his passing, that job now fell to him or his sister as the most experienced witches. He went to GiGi and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sadness swamped him. It had only been six months, but he desperately missed his little brother.
Alastair cleared the emotion from his throat and said, “Would you care to do the honors, sister?”
She nodded, gestured to five Thorne sisters to assist, and positioned the group of seven into a circle.
* * *
As Ryanne moved forward to offer her assistance, Aurora clasped her hand. “No, dear. This is for the family. Come, wait with me over there.” She gestured with one hand to the tree line beyond the clearing. “When the time is right, you can help Nash.”
The two men who had followed them separated, with one moving to the path north of the clearing and the other heading south.
“What are they doing?” she asked Aurora.
“They are checking the wooded area around the estate. I like to call them the ceremony guardians. It would take an army to get by either of them, don’t you think?”
Her eyes were drawn to the large dark-haired man as he strode away. The guy had to be at least six-six and was chock-full of lean muscle. “He’s a beast.”
“Ah, but a damned sexy beast, no?”
For the first time in what felt like days, Ryanne cracked a smile. How Nash’s family retained a sense of humor when one of their own was in trouble was beyond her scope of comprehension. Yet, they did, and it was easy to fall in with their unwavering optimism. “I didn’t think men like him existed outside of Hollywood.”
Aurora placed an elegant arm over Ryanne’s shoulder and gave a light squeeze. “As my daughter Autumn is fond of saying, he’s the perfect eye candy.”
Again, Ryanne’s smile came unbidden. “I can’t fault your daughter’s eyesight.”
The light, musical laugh from her companion drew Alastair’s attention from across the clearing. If asked, Ryanne would have said the sound wouldn’t have carried as far, but it was as if Nash’s father was attuned to everything about the woman standing next to her. Even from this distance, his love for Aurora was obvious. His head turned in his sister’s direction, but his eyes lingered for another second or two on his lover.
“I thought Mr. Thorne’s sister mentioned utilizing their magic. Did I hear wrong?”
“No. Their usefulness will come in later, if we cannot remove that bloody piece of jewelry.”
Ryanne simply nodded, unsure what to say or do to help.
“Watch,” Aurora said quietly. “This is a sight to behold.”
While Ryanne couldn’t make out the words, each Thorne joined in a chant led by GiGi. This merging of voices was mesmerizing. The ground groaned and grumbled, then separated to reveal the tips of fourteen large rock formations. As one, the pillars rose from beneath the earth’s surface, towering over the group and casting shadows around the circle. Oddly enough, all the shadows were directed outward, as if the main source of light came from the center of the stone ring.
The air crackled and became charged with electricity. Ryanne could feel the energy even from this distance. As tired as she was, the current gave her a boost and wiped away the bulk of her fatigue. In an instant, her senses sharpened, and she could smell the heavy scent of pine from the trees beyond them.
The stones were easily three times her height and had to be five feet in width. Moss decorated the rock formations, and symbols—not discernible from this distance—were etched into the hard surfaces of each stone. The setting reminded her of Stonehenge.
“Um, Aurora, these are eerily similar to the standing stones I’ve seen in the UK. Do people have ceremonies there too?”
“We do. We simply cloak the area and cast a spell to repel visitors.”
“It’s like pulling back the layers of an onion. I had no idea what lay in the center, no idea a magical community even existed.”
“I have the feeling you’ll take to it like a duck to water, dear. Your parents were gifted.”
“You knew my parents?”
“I did. Your mother and I were school chums.”
“You were friends? I got the impression from Mr. Thorne that she—they—my parents—were terrible people.”
“I can’t speak to what kind of person she was after she met your father, but when I knew her, she was lovely. Very much like you.”
A chill swept through her. If her mother had been like her, which Ryanne doubted, what had been the catalyst for her change? Her father? If so, then what type of person allowed themselves to be swayed by another to the degree of using their children for financial gain?
Her gaze fell on Nash where he now lay still. Would she commit a criminal act for him? The answer was a resounding yes. Based on what little he’d told her, Ryanne had been prepared to steal the Red Scorpion necklace. Only, to Nash’s mind—and her own—the theft was justified. Had her mother thought the same? It begged the question, what items had they stolen? When this was all over, she intended to find out.
“I feel as if I need to find my sister and beat the hell out of her until she provides a reversal spell.”
“That’s one option. But I somehow doubt she knows how.”
“What do you mean?”
“Knowing the type of person Victor Salinger is, I suspect he only provided her with the means to attach the necklace, not remove it.” Aurora shrugged. “I also suspect your sister didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.”
“Bull. There’s always a choice. She did this because she could and because she can’t stand to see me happy.”
“Or did she do it because he threatened her and gave her no choice? If faced with harm to you or your person, wouldn’t she act in a manner to protect you?”
“I don’t know anymore. I don’t know if I ever did. My sister is a nutcase.”
In the middle of the stone circle, the Thornes gathered and seemed to be discussing their options.
“Can we enter now?” Ryanne asked, unsure of the magical boundaries or how she was expected to deport herself.
“Certainly.”
Before they could step forward, Nash’s body arched up and a tortured cry escaped his lips. The earth buckled, starting from the altar and working out like a tsunami. The result tipped the stone formations.
Ryanne’s fight-or-flight instincts kicked into high gear, and reacting on that instinct, she tackled Aurora, rolling them out of the way of the falling pillar.
The rock formations never toppled. Instead, every single one hung suspended at a forty-five-degree angle from the ground.
Aurora rose and pulled a gobsmacked Ryanne t
o her feet. “Thank you, dear girl. Now, I need to borrow a bit of your magic.”
A warming sensation infused Ryanne’s body, and she could literally feel the wave of heat sweep from her cells and transfer itself to Aurora. The winds around them kicked up to tropical storm force, except as far as Ryanne was able to tell, the direction of the air all flowed toward the standing stones. Even as she watched, the stones slowly straightened and settled back into their original upright positions.
Alastair closed the distance between them and swept Aurora into an all-encompassing hug. “Christ, that was close. Are you all right? Was that too much, too soon?”
“I’m fine, darling. Ryanne was lovely enough to lend me her power.”
He released Aurora only to embrace, Ryanne. “Thank you, child. You’re quickly becoming invaluable to my family.”
“But who stopped the stones from falling in the first place?” Ryanne asked, dumbfounded by all that was happening and at the power these witches possessed.
“That would be Summer’s or GiGi’s instinctive response. Most likely both.” He must have picked up on her confusion because he clarified, “They, along with Spring’s husband, have the ability to halt time. It comes in handy now and again.”
She shook her head at the wonder of it all. “Is this a thing? Like fifty percent of witches can do this? Can I do that?”
“Possibly, but doubtful. It’s a gift from the Goddess. Few witches outside the Thorne line can achieve that level of skill.”
While she was disappointed, she had other things to worry about right now. Like how the hell had Nash’s pain killer worn off so fast? She asked as much and received a grimace from Alastair in return.
“What can we do to help ease his suffering?” She could hear the panic in her own voice, and while she wasn’t one to overreact to situations, this one was more dire than most.
