by Brenda Drake
I am destroying Iris.
Her face.
Iris’s face. Kind and gentle the first time Crina saw it in the mirror.
She covered that face with her hands and cried.
Wade, strong but caring. He loved Iris.
Just as Crina had loved Armand.
The faces.
The footsteps behind her slowed. “Iris?”
Wade.
Iris turned. She was back. A rush of air brushed her face, cooling the tears on her cheeks. The faces. Iris’s family and friends. Full of love and caring.
“It’s me,” she said to him. “Let’s get rid of Crina.”
Wade came to her side and slipped his hand in hers. It was warm, comforting, as they walked in silence back to the apartment. The tears blurring her eyes made the streetlights look hazy.
The fire was out when they entered the apartment. A charred smell floated in the air.
Violet’s face lit up. “Iris?”
Wade nodded.
“Shall we do this?” Iris released Wade’s hand and stepped into the middle of the circle.
Daisy stood from her seat at the tiny kitchenette table and hugged Iris. “Don’t worry. I can do this.”
“I know you can.” Iris kissed her cheek.
Daisy let her go and took a seat on the floor in front of the circle. “I’m not sure how this works, but no matter what, don’t leave the circle.”
Iris smiled down at her. Daisy reminded Iris of the images she saw of Crina’s little sisters. All five of them. They had hopeful eyes, just like Daisy’s. But their eyes had wanted food to fill their hungry bellies. After each encounter with the Van Buren heir, Crina would bring home breads and meats to them. Sometimes even fruit. Armand was a generous lover, but he was also selfish. He broke Crina’s heart to be a count.
Daisy chanted under her breath in the Romanian tongue of Crina’s homeland.
Unbind the two souls intertwined. Release the spirit and send her home. Crina translated in her head. You impress me, Iris, but you will not win.
Daisy’s hand hovered over a card. The Empress card. An image of an empress sitting on her throne, a crown of stars on her head, a staff in her hand, and a shield at her feet. It represented new birth.
A strong energy hit Iris and her control slipped. She tried to hold on to it, not give in, but the next hit sent her back.
Please don’t do this. It was like she was sinking into a murky black pool, unable to move.
Crina knew each card. How could she not know them? She had been bound to them for centuries. When a fate changer takes her own life, her soul is trapped inside her tarot cards for eternity or until another fate changer released her. But because Crina sought revenge on Armand and his heirs, her hate turned her into the very thing she had created—the curse.
She hadn’t known about her gift. Her mother hadn’t known Crina had inherited the ability from her father. She came across her cards in the village. An old woman stopped her. Called her Lemniscate and handed her a deck. When she touched the cards, she claimed them. If she had known changing Armand’s fate would have sealed hers, she wouldn’t have done it. Fate changers are unable to change their own fates, or she would have. Instead, her anger and thirst for revenge brought her to kill herself.
Are you giving me these thoughts, Iris? Stop!
While Crina was distracted in the memories Iris was sending her, Iris pushed and pushed to gain control. A headache stabbed at her temples. Iris was almost out.
Crina glanced at the circle of cards, and Iris knew she would try to break the circle. She concentrated on her legs. Stiff and heavy like concrete.
Her legs shook as Crina tried to take a step but couldn’t.
Stop it! Let me go. A panic rose in Crina’s chest, and Iris had her. She pushed to take control, but Crina held on.
Wade, Violet, and Dena off to the side watched them with worried faces. Miri waved a lit bunch of herbs, sending smoke and a scent of sage across the room.
Don’t send me back, Iris. Crina’s voice was strained. Please. I can’t suffer it anymore.
And I should suffer instead? Iris yelled and used all her force to push harder. You’re crazy. You already had your body. Your chance at life. You decided to end it. There’s no do overs.
“No, Daisy,” Crina cried. “Don’t touch that card. Please.”
“I’m sorry. She’s my sister.” Daisy touched the card.
The empress on the card lit up and fluttered, then the others followed, creating a ripple until the final card settled into place. Images shot up from the cards, and Crina recognized them all.
Who are they? Iris felt stronger. Her fingers thawed like frozen skin near a warm fire. The images were holograms of people from a long-ago past.
My family, Crina answered.
The faces.
Her parents, her sisters and brothers.
Grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
Oana.
The firstborn sons whose lives she’d stolen.
None judging.
None angered.
Only friendly smiles greeted her. Their eyes told her more than any words could. They forgave her. Just like Iris had. The hate left her heart, flying off like debris on the wind. A warmth rushed through her veins. It was a strange feeling. All she’d ever known was the cold.
Her mother reached out her arms and spoke in her soft, soothing voice. The language of her people warmed her soul. It is time, dear one. Time for you to come home.
Tingles and sparks rushed through Iris’s body as Crina came out of it and turned. She was beautiful with long wavy hair and big doe eyes. Dressed in the memory of a peasant girl, she wore a skirt, blouse, and shawl.
Somewhere outside, a car door slammed shut, followed by another one.
Crina looked pointedly at Daisy. “You are strong, little flower. My departure won’t end the curse. You must stop it. There is only one firstborn left. The curse lives in him. Find the new Armand. End the curse, and future firstborns will be safe.”
Crina stepped into her mother’s arms. The other spirits surrounded them, merging until they became one bright light, blinding Iris. The tarot cards shot up in the air and rained down around her.
There was no movement. Everyone was silent. The proof that there was life after death stunned them all to their spots. Iris glanced around at the others. “Oh my gosh! Did you see that? Was it real?”
Wade nodded soundlessly.
“It was real,” Violet said and hugged Dena.
“Of course it was.” Miri started picking up the tarot cards, as if nothing spectacular had just happened.
Daisy shot up to her feet and embraced Iris. “We did it.”
Iris hugged her back. “You did it, Daisy, and you were amazing.”
Violet practically knocked her sisters down as she threw her arms around the two of them. “She’s gone, right?”
Iris pulled back from her sisters, swaying. Her legs were weak and her hands were shaking. “Yes, it’s me.”
Wade caught her just as her legs gave way and held her in his strong arms. “I’ve got you.”
She twisted to see his beautiful face. Concern crinkled around his deep brown eyes. “Don’t ever let go.”
“Never.”
The door flew open, startling them all. Aster stormed in with Reese right behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Wade
It was unusually warm for November. The ocean lifted and lowered the sailboat as it pushed through the waves. Iris sat on the deck, wearing jeans and a hoodie. Her face toward the sun, she sighed. Wade could watch her all day. Her every movement drove him nuts. He wanted her more than anything in the world, but he could be patient. She was worth the wait.
“This is pure heaven,” she said and glanced over at him. “Do you not agree?”
Wade raised an eyebrow at her.
She pinched a look at him. “What?”
“You sounded like Crina.”
�
��I did not.” She straightened and swung her legs over the side. “Okay, maybe I did. Guess we got to know each other pretty well while sharing this body.”
“Do you want mustard on your sandwich?” Violet called from the cabin.
“Yes,” Wade said.
Dena and Violet were like a well-managed campaign as they made sandwiches in the small kitchen. Aster and Reese cuddled on the deck on the other side of Iris. Daisy lay on her back on the bow, her knees up as she read a book.
The events weighed on Wade’s mind. Magic was real. Iris couldn’t change fates but her sisters, Aster and Daisy, could. What did that mean? Could they make the world a better place for people? If they could, why wouldn’t they want to do it?
“Have you thought about your gift?” he asked, looking at Aster.
“I think about it all the time,” she said, taking a sip from her water bottle. “Why do you ask?”
“You could help people.” He turned the wheel slightly.
“It comes with a price,” Violet said, coming up the steps holding two sandwiches wrapped in paper towels.
“No, it doesn’t,” Aster said, taking the sandwich Violet offered her. “I figured a way to filter it.”
“Then why not?” Wade noticed the frown on Iris’s face. “What? You think she shouldn’t.”
Iris pushed loose hair behind her ear. “I got a lot of stuff from Crina’s thoughts. They used crystals and stones as filters while fate changing. Doing that did prevent bad fates from going to the fate changer’s family, but it has to go somewhere. It ends up inside the changer. Ages their insides. Some bled to death. Many didn’t make it to twenty-five. It’s a painful way to die.”
“That sounds bad,” Wade said. “Why did they change them?”
“They didn’t know. Crina discovered it after her death,” Iris said.
“Fates aren’t supposed to be changed,” Reese said. “The decisions we make direct our fates. People need to make the right choices in their life and not be careless with them.”
“You’re so right.” Aster smiled and kissed him. “I’m glad you’re my choice.”
“Why are we all so serious?” Dena stomped up to the deck, two more sandwiches in her hand. “We are young. What’s that song… Anyway, we should celebrate. I say we forget this crazy stuff and let loose.”
“Yeah, we should address the elephant in the room…um…boat. I can’t believe you two are engaged,” Iris said, glancing over at Aster and Reese.
“It’s a long engagement,” she said and looked down at the big rock on her finger. “I’ll be twenty-one by then.”
Reese rubbed her back. “We aged years after what we went through. I believe we can handle anything together.”
Wade smiled at Iris and she gave him one back. He understood what Reese meant. He’d weathered a storm with Iris. Almost losing her had put everything in perspective for him. It would have crushed him, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. His best friend. There was no one else for him but Iris. No matter how cliché it sounded, she completed him.
He faced forward, watching the bow jump waves as he steered. Iris came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against him. He twisted to bring her to his side, his arm sliding down her back until his hand rested on her hip. Their bodies fitted together like two puzzle pieces. His heart felt at home with her.
The boat rocked, and he held her tighter so she wouldn’t lose her footing. She tilted her head, and he kissed her soft lips. Her hand traveled up his chest and behind his neck, slender fingers combing through his hair. Lips parting, her tongue found his, sending a shiver down his spine. He wanted to get lost in her.
She pulled away from him, and, balancing on her toes, she whispered in his ear, “We’re going to make it, too.”
He smiled down at her. “I’d bet the boat on it.”
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Acknowledgments
I had such a fun time writing this book. While creating it, I pulled from many relationships in my own life. Iris and Wade’s relationship is one that grew from a friendship much like mine and my husband’s had. The connection Iris has to her sisters, I have with my own sister and best friend, Paula Ashmore. We’ve shared millions of wonderful moments together. I’m grateful to have such tight bonds. Also, I’m lucky to have many others who have helped to get this book published.
A huge thank you to my publisher and editor, Liz Pelletier, for believing in my stories and me. The fates knew what they were doing when they sent you into my life. Did I say thank you? Because once is just not enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
A sincere thank you to Stacy Abrams for touching this story with her editing magic. From your talent to the care you take in your work, you are simply the best.
To my agent, Peter Knapp, thank you for always watching out for me. With each book, I remember that dark moment before you entered my life and changed my career. You’re the best!
Immense gratitude to the entire Entangled Publishing team that worked on this book from editing to cover design to marketing and everything I’m forgetting to mention. Thank you for making my books pretty and getting them into readers’ hands.
Thank you to the wonderful Jami Nord for giving such a wonderful critique of this book. You are amazing! To Pintip Dunn for pushing me to finish when I was just too tired to keep going. Love you! To Heather Cashman for the many phone calls of encouragement and for assisting me in my contests so I could get my writing done. To Nikki Roberti for also helping with the contests and for making me smile often.
To my writer friends here in Albuquerque who meet for coffee whenever we can (we miss you Veronica Bartles), to the wonderful Pitch Wars community, and my online friends, thank you for keeping me company and just for being genuinely awesome.
Thank to my family and friends for being so supportive and reminding me each day what really matters. And mostly, to my wonderful husband, Richard Drake, who supports me in all the ways so I can do this thing I love.
And finally, to you, dear reader, thank you for reading Iris and Wade’s story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
About the Author
Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).
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Touching Fate
the Library Jumpers series
Thief of Lies
Guardian of Secrets
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