Vision of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow Book 10)

by Deanna Chase

  Chapter 5

  Amelia stood in the shower, letting the hot water beat on her neck. After her bath the night before, she’d curled up in her bed and slept more soundly than she had in weeks. Finally, Grayson knew that he was going to be a father, and to her utter surprise, he hadn’t run.

  She hadn’t realized just how much stress she’d been under because of the fact that he didn’t know. And she was intensely relieved that he hadn’t hated her for not getting in touch right after he’d first shown up in town a few weeks earlier. She’d been a coward. There was no disputing that. It was just that she’d been so hurt when he left back in December. It wasn’t something she wanted to go through again.

  That was why it was so hard to hear Grayson say he wanted her. The pain she’d been through the last couple of months had been unbearable. If he walked out again, she wouldn’t be able to survive it. The pain of baring her soul and having him reject her was still too fresh. Even though he was declaring he was back in her life for good, it wasn’t as if he’d told her he loved her. He hadn’t promised anything. For all she knew, he’d only had a change of heart because Amelia was pregnant with his child. She was willing to let him back into her life, but the door was closed when it came to her heart. It wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.

  After her shower, she took her time drying her hair and making herself look presentable. When she finally emerged, she was wearing jeans, a T-shirt under a thick sweater, and wool socks, and she was ready to curl up by the wood stove. But when she saw that Grayson had indeed found a chainsaw and was out in the snow cutting up the fallen tree, she sighed, changed into an old sweatshirt, tugged her boots on, and trudged out into the wintery weather to see if she could help.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he said, smiling at her. He’d changed into a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt.

  “Where’d the outfit come from?” she asked.

  “My Toyota. Gym bag.” The chainsaw was laying off to the side of the road, and it didn’t take long for her to figure out that he’d already cut up the tree and all that was left to do was to move the pieces of the trunk off the road. He studied her. “Whatcha doing out here?”

  “I came to help.” She reached down for a piece of the trunk.

  “No, don’t do that. I’ve got it,” he said, already moving toward her, clearly intending to stop her from lifting anything.

  But it was too late. She’d already reached for a cut piece of the log. But as soon as she tried to pick it up, she felt a twinge in her back and stopped immediately. “Oh, ouch! That hurts.”

  Grayson closed the distance in seconds and placed his hands on her hips from behind, stabilizing her. “Where does it hurt?”

  “My lower back. Guess I should’ve bent my knees, huh?”

  “You shouldn’t have been lifting it at all. For the goddess’s sake, Amelia, you’re pregnant.” He didn’t sound mad. He sounded worried. “Come on. Let’s get you back inside.”

  “I’m all right,” she said, slowly trying to stand upright again. But the pain in her back made her wince. “Oh, damn. That’s not good.”

  “Come on. Grab my arm. I’ll help you back up to the house.”

  She did as he said, and slowly she inched through the snow. By the time they made it back to her front steps, her teeth were chattering from the cold and her lower back had completely seized up. “I desperately need a healer.”

  “Let’s just get you inside and then we’ll figure out what to do from here.”

  It was only with his help that she was able to navigate the steps onto the porch, and once she was back in her house, she immediately crawled onto her floor, lying flat on her back as she just breathed through the pain. “This isn’t good,” she said through clenched teeth. “I don’t think a healer is going to be able to get up here.”

  “I’ll call the healers in town and see if they have any advice,” Grayson said, already reaching for his phone in his back pocket.

  Amelia stared at the open beam ceiling and listened as Grayson spoke to Gerry Whipple. When he said that she was pregnant, Amelia covered her abdomen with both hands and cursed herself for not being more careful. She knew that some physical activity was fine at this stage in her pregnancy, but now that she was hurt, she didn’t exactly care what the experts said. All she wanted was to be healthy for her child.

  Grayson listened to the healer and then asked Amelia, “Do you have any emergency pain potions or herbs to make one?”

  “I don’t want to take anything that will harm the baby,” she said automatically.

  “I know. She said there are a few things you can try that are safe.”

  “It doesn’t matter anyway,” she said through clenched teeth. “I tossed the potions last month. As for herbs, you’ll have to check. I know I have dill and chives, but I doubt those work for pain.”

  “I’ll see what you have.” He disappeared into her kitchen. A few minutes later, he emerged with a grim look on his face. “The only thing you have is some ginger, but it would be better if you had some green tea to go with it.”

  “No green tea,” she said with a hiss. “I’m a coffee girl.”

  “I noticed. I’m going to make a ginger and honey concoction. It’s the best we can do for now. But I’ll get some ice for you first.”

  Amelia groaned but knew he was right. Maybe she should’ve just stayed out in the snow.

  A knock sounded on the door. Instinctively, Amelia tried to push herself up but immediately abandoned that idea when a bolt of pain shot down her leg. “Son of a cupid’s butt,” she muttered.

  The door cracked open, and Levi poked his head in. “Amelia, I’m so sorry, but I saw you lying there on the floor through the window. Are you all right?”

  “Hey, Levi. No need to apologize. I wasn’t going to be able to make it to the door. Come on in.”

  The teenager slipped inside with Silas and a fuzzy yellow puppy right behind him.

  “I hope you don’t mind. We brought Cappy with us. Didn’t want him to get cold,” Silas said.

  “Not at all,” Amelia said, dying inside because she couldn’t scoop the adorable thing up into her arms. “He’s precious.”

  “Thanks.” Silas gave her a grateful smile as they stripped themselves of their boots and jackets. When he was done, Levi moved to sit right down on the floor next to her, while Silas held the puppy back so he wouldn’t jump all over her. “What happened?” he asked.

  “I threw my back out. Grayson is making me some ginger concoction since we can’t get out to see a healer. What brings you two by?”

  Silas, who’d taken up residence on her couch with the puppy at his feet, leaned forward and said, “Power’s out at Chez Ansell. We wanted to check and see how things were going here.” He glanced around. “Looks like we’re the only unlucky ones.”

  Amelia said, “Let’s hope it lasts. Any idea what knocked yours out?”

  “We didn’t see any lines down.”

  “You’re welcome to stay here until you can get down the mountain or the power is restored,” Amelia said. “I have plenty of food, and I’m pretty sure there’s a whole home generator if we lose power.”

  “Mine’s not being installed until next month,” Silas said with a sigh. “The unit we ordered was backordered. Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.” She smiled at the actor and then turned her attention to Levi. “What are you doing here on the floor with me?”

  “If you’re up for it, I think I can help,” he said, gesturing to her back. “I’ve been working with Healer Snow over in Eureka.”

  “Um…” She bit her lower lip, unsure what to do. The pain was dreadful, but she didn’t want to do anything that would risk her child.

  “What is it?” he asked, his brows knit.

  “Nothing, I…” Amelia blew out a breath. “I’m pregnant, and I just don’t want to do anything that could be harmful.”

  Levi broke out into a grin. “That explains the conflicting energy I feel coming
from you. I gotta say, that was really strange, but your pregnancy makes perfect sense.”

  “You can feel my energy?” she asked. “Spirit witch?”

  He nodded. “Your daughter is a strong one, too. I don’t think you need to be worried. I can help your back without affecting her in anyway.”

  “You knew she was a girl?” Amelia asked, astonished. “How?”

  “I can just tell.” He scanned her body. “If you lie on your side, I think I can help.”

  “It should be okay,” Grayson said from across the room. He was holding a mug that had steam curling from inside. “Gerry Whipple said a healer would be able to ease the tension with their touch.”

  Levi nodded. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

  Amelia sucked in a deep breath and winced when the pain shot down her leg again. That was all she needed to get her to roll over. “Go ahead. I can’t spend the rest of my life here on the floor.”

  “Okay. Just relax.” Levi closed his eyes and pressed his hands together. After a moment of collecting himself, he ran his fingers down either side of her spine. It didn’t take long for him to find the area she’d strained, and then suddenly, the pain seemed to melt away.

  “Whoa. That’s incredible,” Amelia said, testing out a breath and smiling when she felt nothing but relief. “How did you do that?”

  “Levi is a very gifted witch,” Silas said with an air of reverence.

  Amelia rolled over on her back again to find Levi’s face tinged pink. She smiled up at the curly-haired teenager with the kind brown eyes and clasped her hand over his. “You really are. Thank you.”

  “I’m just happy I was able to help. And don’t worry about your daughter. She’s perfect.”

  Tears stung Amelia’s eyes, and when she pushed herself up into a sitting position without one ounce of pain, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. “You’re a treasure, you know that?”

  “Thank you.” His voice was muffled in her hair, making her laugh.

  When Amelia let him go, she glanced over at Silas. “You got a good one. Make sure you hold on tight.”

  “I intend to.” Silas held his hand out to Levi and pulled him up to sit next to him on the couch. After draping one arm over Levi’s shoulders, he whispered in the young man’s ear and then kissed him on the cheek.

  Amelia pressed her hand to her chest. “Goodness, you two are too sweet for words.”

  They both chuckled and watched as Grayson helped Amelia to her feet and then pressed a kiss to her temple as he handed her the mug. “I know you feel better, but drink this anyway. If there’s any inflammation left over, this will help.”

  She took a sip and was pleasantly surprised to find the ginger wasn’t too overpowering and she actually liked his concoction. “This is pretty good.”

  When she turned back to the boys on her couch, they were both shifting their gazes from her to Grayson and back.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” Silas said, trying to hide a smirk as Levi said, “He’s the father of your baby.”

  Amelia blinked at him, completely taken aback. “How did you know that?”

  “She has his energy signature.” Levi sat back into the couch and scrunched his face up in embarrassment. “Sorry. That just flew out. I shouldn’t have invaded your privacy like that.”

  “It’s all right,” Amelia said with a nervous chuckle. “Though I am wondering what else you know about us.”

  He laughed. “Nothing. It’s just because I was so focused on your energy while I worked on your muscle strain. I’m not reading your mind or anything.”

  “That’s too bad,” Silas teased as he waved a finger between Grayson and Amelia. “Because there’s a story here. I can feel it.”

  It was Grayson’s turn to let out a nervous laugh. “It’s not that intriguing. You know, boy meets girl. Boy falls for girl. Boy knocks girl up, leaves town, and then after he tracks her down, he has to convince her to trust him again.”

  “Oh, that’s definitely intriguing,” Silas said.

  “How so?” Amelia asked, fascinated that he seemed so interested.

  “It’s what hasn’t been said actually.” He leaned in, pressing his shoulder into Levi’s. “The interesting part is why he left and why she’s reluctant to forgive him. If they can work through that, then they’ll get their happily ever after.” He shrugged. “Or at least that’s the way it works in the movies.”

  Levi let out a soft chuckle. “If only life was always like a movie.”

  “Hey. It worked for us, didn’t it?” Silas insisted.

  His boyfriend shrugged one shoulder. “I guess.”

  Amelia stared at Grayson, knowing that Silas was one hundred percent on the mark. Their story really was in the details and their pasts. The problem was, neither of them had been willing to share their past with each other. They were both flying blind, and it didn’t take a genius to realize that without understanding those parts of each other, their relationship was likely to implode before it even began.

  Chapter 6

  By midday, the snow had accumulated another couple of feet, but had finally stopped coming down. Amelia and Silas were in the kitchen making a stew and homemade rolls for dinner, while Cappy, the golden retriever puppy, was curled up in the corner snoozing.

  Grayson, itching to do something, recruited Levi to help him shovel the snow from the porch so that they could get to the wood storage and to clear the driveway so Grayson could get out once the snow removal crews arrived to clear the road.

  When they were finished, Grayson went inside to grab them both some coffee and returned with Cappy at his heals. The dog ran down the stairs and spun around in the snow, while Grayson sat on the steps with Levi, both of them grateful for the warm drink.

  “Thanks for the help,” Grayson said.

  “No problem. It was good to move a bit. I don’t enjoy being cooped up.”

  “Me neither,” Grayson said, suddenly remembering some dark days as a child when he’d been locked up in the house, forbidden to play with the neighborhood children. How many winter days had he sat at the window wishing desperately to be running through the fresh snow or building a snowman with the other kids? But his foster mother hadn’t wanted the wet mess that always came with kids running around outside, so instead, she forced them to either sit quietly or do chores to earn television time in the scary basement where her husband ruled the domain.

  Grayson could still see the slightly overweight man sitting in the dark with his beer can in one hand and a cigarette in the other as he watched over the kids desperate for their cartoons. He’d never said anything, just watched. But the sinister energy that radiated from him had sent a bolt of fear through Grayson that he’d never forgotten.

  Levi shifted beside him and cleared his throat. “Is everything all right?”

  Grayson twisted to look at the young man. “Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “You just…” He shook his head. “Your energy has a signature. Light, kind of inviting. But suddenly it sort of felt heavy, and… I don’t know. That usually means someone is upset.” Levi grimaced and gave him a pained look. “Never mind. Sorry. It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Grayson said automatically as he got to his feet, needing to not feel so exposed. Levi was correct. He was upset. It was rare he let himself think about those days when he lived on Elk Street before Kira had moved in next door and he’d finally had someone who cared about him. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we build Amelia a snowman?”

  Levi laughed. “Really? Why?”

  Grayson shrugged. “It will give us something to do so that we’re not sitting around the house. Besides, it’s fun, right?”

  “If you say so.” Levi got to his feet, pulled on his gloves, and the pair of them went to work, gathering snow for their project while Cappy continued to wear himself out by chasing imaginary snowballs. It di
dn’t take long for them to get really into it and start working on making a snow family of two adults and a child between them.

  When they were almost done, Levi stood back, inspecting their work. “You know, I never did this as a kid.”

  There was a sadness in his tone that Grayson related to. “Me neither. Seems crazy since I grew up in Massachusetts.”

  Levi’s eyebrows flew up. “Really? Wow. I grew up here in California, but it didn’t snow much in our town. And the few times it did, I wasn’t really in a place to do much other than just survive.”

  Grayson glanced at him. “Sounds rough.”

  He shrugged. “It was. My dad kicked me out, and the only place I had to go was my uncle’s. He wasn’t a good man. Life was pretty bad until the universe brought Hope into my life. It’s been better since then.”

  “Sounds familiar,” Grayson said, stifling his questions about Levi’s life. There were some things that were better left unsaid. He was all too familiar with the pain of reliving past trauma. He’d be damned if he made Levi feel obligated to talk about it.

  “Were you homeless, too?” Levi asked, sounding surprised.

  “Foster home,” he said matter-of-factly. “It was awful… until Kira moved in next door. She made things better.”

  Levi nodded but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. They understood each other.

  “I think they need scarves,” Grayson said suddenly. “Give them some color.”

  “Yeah. Seems like a good idea,” Levi said as he secured twigs in place as arms for the snowpeople.

  “I have scarves,” Amelia said from behind them.

  Startled, Grayson turned around, finding her near the porch steps with Cappy already on the porch jumping up on her legs for attention. She reached down and petted the pup, completely unfazed by the wet dog. “Amelia,” he said with a nervous laugh. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Not long,” she said with a soft smile, making him wonder how much she’d heard of their conversation. “I just wanted to let you guys know the stew is ready.” She nodded toward the snow family. “Nice work.”