“It was Trevor.” I looked at Logan who was shaking his head.
“We couldn’t go into the library for obvious reasons,” Bakula replied. “So back when we were in the Adirondacks we gave him a little mission and swore him to secrecy. We told him if anyone found out then there would be grave consequences.”
“That explains why he was acting so skittish,” I started laughing. “What was it you made him get?”
“It’s absolutely nothing in the wrong hands, but in the right hands it’s absolutely world changing,” Bakula sang.
“What is it?” I asked again, feeling very impatient.
“Turn your pendant over, Triss,” Bakula requested.
I reached up to my arrowhead pendant and flipped it over as directed, flashing Logan a look of concern.
Bakula rubbed her fingertips together to produce a red amulet that was as tiny as her fingertips.
“Feel the gouge on your pendant?” Dace asked.
I ran my fingers over the pendant, finding the dip, and nodded at them. I never noticed it before.
“That’s where this goes,” Bakula said, holding up the red stone. She was almost singing as she flew to me.
“And then what?” I asked.
“When the time is right, click it in.”
“How will I know when the time is right?” I asked.
“There will be no doubt, my dear,” Bakula reached for my hand and placed the amulet inside, folding my fingers around it.
“It’s so tiny. How will I not lose it?” I asked.
“Oh! You’re so right, dear,” Bakula produced a ring, larger than both of her hands together and presented the circle to me. “Flip the top open and place that piece inside. I’ll cast a spell to make sure that ring never falls off.” She winked at me as I slid the ring on my pinky finger. The ring was white gold and involved an intricate pattern that held two tiny rubies. It was simple yet beautiful. I’d never really seen a locket ring before, but I liked the idea.
“I can tell you, your mom tried on that pendant you’re wearing when she was younger, and nothing happened when she had it on.”
“How do you know it will work on me then?”
“Because you’re a Trifecta. We knew it would work on you even when your first power began to unleash itself. This, however, is an entirely different set of circumstances. Your mom is a wonderful healer, but she doesn’t hold the powers that you do.”
“You were there when she wore it?” I questioned.
“We helped her find it in the trunk, actually. Many moons ago, we wondered if she was the one,” Dace replied, shaking his head. “We hoped so badly that she’d been the one we had been waiting for. Eben had already started acquiring his taste for power. He was able to boost the membership of the Praedivinus order like we’d never seen before. It was and is cause for concern. So it was a great disappointment when we realized your mom wasn’t the chosen one.”
I began getting uncomfortable hearing them place so much worth on a few skills. Having these didn’t make me any more special or valuable than anyone else. I didn’t like how the fairies were able to dismiss or embrace so easily. It worried me.
“Have they relocated yet… my mom and aunt?” I asked hesitantly.
Bakula looked at Logan and back at me. “Everyone is together and in a safe place. But that’s the last we can talk of it until everything is over.”
“Thank you for telling me that, at least.”
“Thank you, Bakula,” Logan seconded, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
“Now, go get some items together and we’ll take you to where you’ll be staying,” Bakula replied, but Dace held up his hand, shaking his head.
“We need to tell them what’s begun,” Dace said, eyeing Bakula, whose eyes fell to the ground. This was so unlike her.
“It’s becoming clear that the longer we give your grandfather, the stronger his side will become. Once they complete their preparations, there will be a push like never before to gain control of the magical worlds we all love and adore. Mainly, they’ll be after you.” She stopped herself and looked away once more. She was never really at a loss for words. Something was wrong.
“They’ve started clearing out the covensteads,” Dace spoke softly. “The Praedivinus order has been commanded to begin the process of removing unwilling participants from covens across the globe. Some families have already gone into exile. In some places the witches have been left alone and only the structure destroyed. In other places the witches weren’t so lucky.”
“I don’t believe you,” I whispered, looking over at Logan for support. He looked as I horrified as I was.
“Jenny,” I whispered. “Her family. I haven’t heard from them since…”
“We’ll keep you up to date on any developments. They might just be in hiding.” Bakula flew over to me, touching my cheek in a gesture of love. “Things are happening so quickly, we haven’t had a chance to get a grip on the whereabouts of everyone. Fairies around the world are on this, Triss, and we won’t let you down.”
Finding my phone, I sent text after text that all remained unanswered, and I knew what I was fighting for was no longer personal. It was collective. My community needed help, and I would do anything to help them.
Chapter 9
“So do you think we can trust Trevor?” I asked.
“Do you think you can?” Bakula asked, waiting for me to get out of the car.
“No,” I sighed, closing the door. “Well, maybe we can.”
“Then trust your gut,” she replied. “Off to the tent.”
That wasn’t helpful.
“You expect us to stay in a tent in this weather?”
“Sorry. It’s not really a tent. It’s a yurt, and it has a fireplace. Follow me,” her voice was filled with laughter, but I didn’t find freezing to death a laughing matter.
Bakula flew ahead, weaving through the blackberries and naked maples, on a mission. I took a step forward and carefully lifted the first blackberry vine, which looked more like a tree than a vine, and moved it to the side so the thorns wouldn’t tear my skin.
“Babe, let me handle this. If we do it your way we’ll never get through the thicket.”
“But I don’t want anyone to know we’ve been here,” I objected.
“We don’t really have the luxury of time right now. Purgantibus Vites,” he chanted before I had time to put up a fight.
The blackberries shriveled into themselves, and I began walking forward, noticing Bakula hovering ahead impatiently.
“I could have done that you know,” I huffed, stomping through the clearing.
“I’m sure you could have.” He couldn’t hide the amusement in his voice.
“Come on, dears,” Bakula’s voice hummed through the air. “We’ve got a bit of a climb…Or actually you’ve got a bit of a climb.” She chuckled. “We found a wonderful place for you. Don’t worry about the trail, we’ll be sure to cover it as if it’s never been touched.”
I glanced back at Logan who was getting as much of a kick out of Bakula as I was as we followed along the steep terrain. The thicket of blackberries had only edged the border of the woods, and now we were dealing with mostly jagged rocks and fir trees.
He squeezed my hand gently as we continued to trudge up the nonexistent path to the fairies’ wonderland that they had created for us. I only hoped it really was somewhere special because I had been liking the idea of spending time at our home back in Seattle.
Bakula stopped moving and waited for us to reach her, which was probably a good idea since it looked as if there was a drop-off of some sort. I wasn’t sure where they thought was such a great idea to call home, but with the chill in the air and the steep cliffs all around I was a bit skeptical.
“Here it is. Your lovely abode,” she told us, smiling widely. Unfortunately all of her sharp, little teeth were on display when she did so, and I found myself looking away quickly. I wasn’t sure I’d ever really get used to those suckers.
Logan dropped his hand and touched my back softly, guiding me over to where Bakula was hovering.
“We’re a ways up,” I whispered to Logan, attempting to catch my breath.
The view stopped me in my tracks. It was gorgeous. The rocky cliff above gave way to a beautiful grassy knoll that was surrounded by maples and alders, both without leaves but equally stunning in stature. I scanned the clearing, spotting a brown, circular tent-like structure, with a little chimney poking out the top. Must be the yurt. It was quite cute and certainly changed my idea of living in a tent.
“Is that the spot?” I asked.
Bakula started flying toward the yurt with Logan and me quickly following behind.
“It should do well for the few nights we want you out here. We’re thinking you should remain out of sight for a little bit until we ready everything.”
“What are you readying?” I asked, climbing through the tall, stiff grasses that autumn had left behind.
“A network for communication between covens and coven members we can trust,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Since only Trevor, Logan, and your aunt can communicate with us simply, we’ve needed to implement a few more measures so we can get the word out more easily.”
We reached the yurt, which looked much bigger once I got closer, and Bakula quickly flew around it giving it a once over.
“Seems they did a good job constructing it,” she said pleased, patting the canvas surface.
“It kind of looks like one of your homes but on steroids,” I replied.
“Where do you think your people got the idea,” she shot back with a grin.
I gave her a quick smile and reached for the handle on the door. Yes! There was a door on this tent. I could really get used to this. Logan came up behind me as I opened the door, revealing an adorable space.
There was a woodstove in the center of the yurt, and huge throw rugs covering the pine floorboards. They had placed a different color rug in each space making the area feel divided, even though there were no walls. The kitchen’s rug was bright red, the sitting area’s was bright green, and the bedroom’s was ivory.
The sitting area had two gray, overstuffed corduroy beanbags along with two small chairs, and a vase full of flowers. There were unlit candles stored everywhere that they could find space. It was astonishing what lengths the fairies went to make this place feel like a home for us. The kitchen consisted of two rolling carts with pine-blocks on top for the counters and a small, propane stove.
My eyes fell to the back of the yurt, where the bedroom was located. The sumptuous feather bedding beckoned me. There were countless pillows in various shades of ivory and white. It certainly didn’t seem like something that would be typically found in the middle of the forest. There was no doubt Bakula was attempting to make her point about us as a couple. The sitting room seemed completely sparse in comparison to the bedroom.
I threw Bakula a grin, trying to hold in my embarrassment as my mind wandered to Logan and the bed.
“Well, it gets cold out here in the mountains,” she said emphatically.
“I thought we were only going to be here a few days?” I teased.
“You’ve got a lot of practicing to do while you learn all of your abilities. You’ll need your rest.” She winked at Logan. “And you might as well not suffer while you’re out here.”
Logan dumped the large backpack on the floor and caught my eyes, locking his with mine and I couldn’t look away. It was like seeing inside his soul.
“I don’t think there’ll be any suffering going on,” Logan channeled to me, and I immediately blushed. He raised his brow at me, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wondered how I’d get any practice time fit in.
“We’ve pulled Troni and Coter off securing you. No one will find you out here unless they are sent by us,” she replied, eyeing Logan. “Just remember that.”
“Thank you for going to all of this trouble,” I told Bakula.
“No trouble at all. We’ve got to keep our Triss safe until the time is right for you to turn our world around.”
“Well, nonetheless, thanks,” I replied embarrassed. They were certainly pinning a lot of hope on me.
“To some points of action. What we need you to do is practice your gifts until you can practice no more. And then, practice some more. We also need you to think of a list of possible individuals who you think we need to take to safety or who you think might lend us a hand. I also want you to rest assured that your families are protected and will remain that way. No worrying about them,” she insisted.
I let a sigh escape and Logan wrapped his fingers around my hand. Things were going to start happening fast. I could feel it, and I wasn’t entirely sure I was ready for it.
“Oh, it won’t go on forever, dear. One way or the other it will all end. We only have a limited amount of time, which is why we have to get you up to speed, pronto.”
“What do you mean?” I questioned, completely bewildered. Since when did we have time constraints?
She ignored my question.
“The released souls from your father’s compounds are all healing at various speeds. We’ve placed many of the families into hiding who are coping with the aftermath. Only time will tell how that will all shake out, but we can’t risk them being in the mix.”
I thought back to my mother and wasn’t really sure if her recovery would be considered fast or not. It didn’t seem like it to me, but I had nothing to compare it to.
“Now I’m going to head off and let you two settle in. Don’t forget to practice. These few days will go by quickly. If there are any updates that can’t wait, one of us will be up to let you know.”
And she was off, shutting the door softly behind her.
Logan didn’t waste any time bringing my body quickly into his. Feeling his firmness as he pressed against me, created a rippling sensation through out my entire body. Catching my quickened breathing, his eyes sparkled with warmth and desire as he guided his hands along my arms. He looked deeply into my eyes, touching my chin softly before bringing his lips slowly down to my neck. What we were feeling came from a place neither of us wanted to understand, but both had to recognize.
“It’s going to be dark soon,” he murmured softly in my ear. “We might want to stay inside until morning.”
The message in his words was almost paralyzing as he let his lips glide along my jaw stopping short of my lips. He knew how to drive me crazy.
“Are you sure?” I whispered. “The training…”
I looked down and attempted to pull away, but his hands tightened around my arms securing me in front of him. My eyes collided with his and what was unleashed between us was a raw, desperate desire to release the anxiety of what our lives had become. His expression was strong and unguarded as he pressed his lips to mine, moving his hands down my waist to my hips, I felt him lift me up and into his arms. I wrapped my legs around him, as he carried me to the featherbed, letting us both sink down into peaks and valleys of the surrounding softness.
Shivers ran through my body from the slightest touch as his fingers barely grazed my skin. How he could do this to me so easily I’d never understand, but I’d always fully comply — that I was sure of.
“Your smile is always so cute when you’re thinking about something.” Sitting back slowly, he watched as I was left wriggling and signaling that I wanted more of whatever he was going to give me.
Forget my smile! Come back to me!
Instead of returning to me, he hovered above me, grinning. His eyes darkening the longer he took me in. I let out an exasperated huff, and he narrowed his gaze as I continued to arch toward him with a slight amount of desperation.
“Are you messing with me?” I whined.
“Slightly,” he teased.
My brows pulled together as I digested what he said. I cracked a smile and shot up, throwing him off balance enough to grab and tackle him. Ripping his shirt off, I wrapped my fingers around his hands, anchoring
them to the top of the bed, placing gentle kisses along his arm down to his shoulder.
“Well done,” Logan congratulated me, which meant I was in for something.
“I always get what I want.” I smiled devilishly.
“So do I,” he replied, whipping his hands from mine, and switching places with me before I even knew what happened.
“Now where was I?” he growled softly in my ear, sending chills down my spine as his lips began cascading down me.
I was completely at his mercy as he stripped my sweatshirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. He began softly kissing my skin once more, and I couldn’t fight him even in our pretend world.
“I thought you were going for rough,” I teased, letting my fingers glide along his back. I was completely at his mercy.
“Not now. Not this time,” his voice low and breathy as his blue eyes met mine. I could feel our souls connecting, and I knew he was my everything and I was his.
“I love you, baby. This is what we have to fight for, and I always will. I always will fight for you,” he spoke softly, his hot breath dancing along my flesh.
Logan began softly nipping at my lips, but the kisses we shared became harder, hotter with every passing second. I was flooded with excitement as he clasped me tighter. Pulling one of the many feather comforters around us, I felt the strength of him crash into me as I let my desire for him take over. Each kiss we shared was a crazed expression full of love and need. My hands were digging into him as I let his hands explore me, but his gaze never left mine. As we shared our souls, I understood the hunger we felt for one another, and it was one neither of us ever wanted to end.
Chapter 10
“I think the mountain air is good for us,” he laughed.
I let out a long sigh and smacked him backhandedly with a pillow, while spooning into him completely. He cradled me in his arms as the beating of our hearts slowed, and the chill in the air became noticeable. We had the comforters wrapped around us, but the temperature was dropping too quickly to ignore.
“I think I like imagining that this will be our life someday. Just you and me —forever —enjoying each other’s company…” I said softly. “fully.”
Released Souls Page 8
