Reaping Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Series Book 4)

by Olivia Hardin

  I slapped his hands away. “Don’t touch me, Beck.” I shoved him. “Beck, just don’t touch me. I mean it. Stay back and just don’t touch me.”

  He wouldn’t be deterred. He grabbed my upper arms, and when I continued to fight, he shook me. Hard. “Stop, Lynlee. Just stop.”

  We both did, freezing and looking deep into each other’s eyes for what might have been seconds or maybe hours. And then a sob rose up from deep inside me, and I fell forward into his arms, fisting his shirt in my hands as I began to cry. “I love you. I can’t let anything happen to you or the kids. I love all of you.”

  The ground beneath us started to shimmy, and I opened my eyes to see that my hands and fingers were glowing and sparking with energy.

  “What the hell is that?” Tig demanded, running back into the room in reaction to the shaking. “Oh, crap, you’re about to blow your top, aren’t you?”

  I didn’t blow my top. It took some time to stop crying, but even so, I was able to urge my magic to relax. It wasn’t easy. The truth was, I was more than exhausted by everything, but finally I reined myself in, and the mini-quake stopped. It had taken a few more seconds before my appendages stopped flickering.

  After a quick dinner for everyone, courtesy of my sexy and incredibly thoughtful boyfriend, Tig, Sandy and Rhiannon went off searching for more of the potion ingredients. Rolayna and I went to work on practicing her magic.

  We worked into the night, Beck checking in on us periodically. I had to give the newbie credit. She tried and she tried hard, but her magic just wasn’t very strong. I think in some way she was more disappointed than I was in the results.

  Moving things from one end of the room to another. Check.

  Forming balls of electricity in her hand. Check.

  Casting simple glamour spells. Check.

  Breaking curses. Not a chance.

  We tried several of Granny’s simple methods, and none of those worked. Then I pulled out Charley’s spellbook and located her curse-busters. Not even a flicker of relief. I could still feel the snaking curse wrapped around me, and Beck’s aura continued to be marred with it as well.

  Our only choice was the potion, so at about two in the morning we called it quits.

  Now here I was, wide awake, lying on my back in bed beside Beck. He was snoring, which might on the surface have seemed insensitive considering how wound up I was with worry. But the truth was, I’d put a teeny spell on him to relax him.

  I slipped one of my legs out from under the blankets and hung it over the side of the bed to cool off. There was a thump from somewhere in the house, and I lifted my head to listen. The clock on the nightstand read 4:48. I figured I might as well get up since I certainly wasn’t going to get any sleep.

  As carefully as possible I got out of the bed, relieved that Beck didn’t wake. Just as I was putting on a pair of slippers, there came a creak from the bedroom door and a single pair of brown eyes peered inside.

  “Justin? What’s wrong?” I whispered, hurrying out into the hallway.

  He shrugged, looking down at Patch, who was wagging her tail at his feet. Since I’d moved in, Patch had taken to bed-hopping. By some unknown means that only dogs could figure, she decided each night which bedroom to grace. Last night had been Justin’s turn.

  “Can’t sleep,” he said.

  I put my arm around his shoulders and we walked together towards the kitchen, the sound of Patch’s nails scratching along the floor as she followed us. “Me either. How about some coffee milk?”

  He made a gesture that I interpreted to be a yes, and I motioned him to the bar while I started the coffee maker. “We have to be quiet because Miss Rolayna’s sleeping on the couch, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Patch was standing eagerly by the back door, so I opened it and let her outside so that she could do her business. As the brewer started hissing and percolating, I leaned on the counter to put my chin in my hands. “This kind of makes me think of the time we first met. Do you remember that?”

  My eyes glazed over as I recalled the way he’d stood so protective in front of his little sister when I’d caught them rummaging through my pantry all those years ago. He’d grown so much in just that short time, and I marveled at how he was truly a little man now, and so much like his father.

  “We had pizza,” he grinned, nodding his head. “I thought you hated Dad.”

  “Nope, turned out I loved him.”

  That was a very un-Lynlee thing to say. I totally loved Beck, but I didn’t talk about it to others.

  Justin crinkled up his nose. “Grown-ups are weird.”

  Laughing I agreed, then made a 180 to the counter behind me and poured two cups of coffee, a full one for me and a half one for him. From the fridge I got the milk and cream, fixed them both accordingly and then set his in front of him.

  I sipped at mine and waited to come alive a little bit before speaking again. The dark-haired boy in front of me stared into his mug as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. I leaned forward and chucked him under the chin.

  “I don’t want you to die,” he said, not looking at me.

  I swallowed, but the lump in my throat was impossible to dispel. My eyes stung with unshed tears, and I drew in a shaky breath. “I know, kid. I don’t want to die.”

  “Can we stop it? Daddy says we can.”

  I set my cup down and rounded the counter, standing beside him. I thought about putting my arm around him, but was never quite sure how to go about being affectionate with him. Did boys his age like to be hugged?

  Apparently they did, because his little body leaned towards mine, and he pushed his head into my side. My arm slid around him, and I squeezed him. “Your daddy is going to help me do everything I can to stop it, okay? We’re going to try out best so that nothing bad happens. But sometimes things do happen, and you have to know that it doesn’t mean any of us did anything wrong. It won’t be anyone’s fault if something happens. Understand?”

  He nodded, his head sliding up and down against my body, his little arms still clinging to me.

  “And Justin?” I paused until he looked up at me. “And no matter what happens, I …” My mouth went dry, and I swallowed again. “I love you and your sister and your daddy. I’ll always love you.”

  It was something I hadn’t ever said to either of the kids, even though I’d known it for a long time. Jilly had written me a note about seven months ago that she’d signed, “Love, Jilly” and I’d barely managed not to cry like a baby as I’d thanked her. As Justin peered up at me, eyes glistening with tears, I knew that even though he wasn’t saying it, that he loved me too. And somehow that both felt beautiful and painful.

  I couldn’t wallow in those thoughts though, so I pulled back from my long embrace with Justin. “So how about some breakfast?”

  Justin wriggled back up onto his bar stool and nodded. “Scrambled eggs?”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. As I’d already remarked before, a cook I was not. Eggs, however, were simple enough even I couldn’t screw them up. So I grabbed and pan and got to work.

  I’d never really given a lot of thought to being a mother, but now with this pint-sized man hugging me, I realized it was something I really wanted. To watch them get bigger, to help them with homework, to worry about their first loves and to feed them ice cream when they had their first heartbreaks. I wanted to see them cross the stage and get diplomas and one day get married and start families of their own.

  But there wasn’t time for that. Today was my day of reckoning, and I still hadn’t figured out how to keep the reaper from knocking at my door.

  Speaking of doors, one suddenly appeared at the opposite end of the kitchen, and Rhiannon then Tig walked into the room. About a second later, Sandy materialized from a pile of fine dust.

  “Ooo, breakfast!” Rhia exclaimed, reaching for my plate of eggs, immediately shoveling a spoonful into her mouth. I didn’t put up a fight. Now that they were back from their all-ni
ght “shopping,” my stomach was all in knots anyway.

  Tig motioned to the Sandman, and together they reached through the goblin-door to haul out a big crate full of magical items.

  “Wow,” I gawked. “You got everything? All of the ingredients?”

  Rhiannon’s mouth was full when she tried to speak. “No quipe.” She swallowed. “Not quite.”

  Tig’s shoulders were sagging as he moved towards the refrigerator, feet dragging against the floor. It might have been only five in the morning, but he still grabbed a beer and used his teeth to pull off the top before chugging it down with barely a breath. We were going to have to invest in a brewing company if things kept up this way.

  When a little scratching sound happened at the back door, Tig opened it and let Patch back into the house. The pup immediately moved to the rug in front of the kitchen sink, circled it three times, then laid down to doze. I envied her ability to turn things off.

  “I tried every possible lead I’ve got,” my mentor said. “Called every Neutralizer and even some Enforcers. Nothing.”

  “The Tears of Heaven?”

  He nodded. “No one knows where we can find them. They’re the last thing on the list, and we can’t find them.”

  “Crap.”

  We were all silent for a few minutes, then Rhiannon’s head snapped up as she slid her empty plate into the sink. “Let’s ask Henrietta.”

  I shook my head. “Nope, that won’t work. I have to have a connection to the thing I’m seeking in order for her to find it. Like Rolayna was connected to Charley. I don’t have anything that puts in a connection to Tears of Heaven. That means there’s only one way to find it.”

  “And you’ll have to be the one to do it,” Tig chimed in, approaching the end of the kitchen and knocking once to open a magical goblin door to transport him to who knew where. “They won’t help a goblin. I need to check in with my lead on Travis anyway.”

  “Who won’t help goblins?” Justin asked.

  “Leprechauns.”

  Leprechauns could find just about anything. That was their claim to fame as it were in the MAUC world. However, their work came with a price, and it was usually a high one. But what did I have to lose at that point? I was just about to look death straight in the eye, and if nothing else, I had to save Beck while I still could.

  I orbed to the Hidden Fields of Tipperary in Ireland and almost instantly two little men of about three feet tall appeared. They were both dressed in fancy suits of velvet and satin, and there were little jewels decorating their long white beards.

  I nodded in greeting. “Lynlee Lincoln. I need some help finding something.”

  The twin fairies looked at me as if I’d just spoken the obvious. And I had. No one came to their fields unless they were looking for something. They turned simultaneously, and I followed them towards a large arched doorway that glowed with every color of the rainbow.

  Yes, believe it or not, leprechauns can be found under a rainbow.

  There was a little tickle in my mind, and I knew they were scanning my thoughts to determine what type of help I needed and how desperate I was. Leprechauns had a pecking order, and by some complicated calculation, they chose which of their people would help a person in need. You didn’t get to pick and choose. They just led you to the one you were assigned to, and behind closed doors, you tried to make a deal.

  I found myself alone with what looked to be an ancient lady leprechaun. She had long scraggly gray hair, and there were deep wrinkles on her face so as to nearly hide her eyes and mouth.

  “Miss Lincoln,” she said, walking slowly in my direction. Her back was bowed over so far that her face was nearly in line with her knees. “I am Maebe. And I believe you are looking for something that is very difficult to find.”

  I moved my head in the affirmative and then took the seat she motioned me to. “Tears of Heaven.”

  “Mmmm.” She considered that, rubbing her fingers around her lips. She wore a gown of exquisite green material that shimmered in the light. There were too many jewels on her fingers and ears to count. Her wealth indicated many years of finding valuable items for desperate people. “It will be costly. You know this?”

  “Yeah, I know. What is your price?”

  “This situation is unusual, which is why you were sent to me. Tears of Heaven are not only rare, but those who do have them are not to be trifled with. This is a dangerous task you have for me.”

  “Can you get them?”

  Tears of Heaven were actually angel’s tears. Any time that an angelic figure intercedes for someone in prayer, their tears are shed, and those are the mechanism that carries the angel’s prayer to the Heavens. Only demonic magic can steal a tear, and when that happens, it instantly turns into an impenetrable diamond in order to protect the prayer. Besides its use in some potions, it’s also a favored accessory-proving power for demons and other creatures of the Underworld. That made them valuable beyond compare.

  “I can. Will you pay?”

  “What’s the cost?”

  “I choose not to say. Will you pay?”

  “I have a right to know what you want.”

  Maebe stood and slapped her hand on the table with more force than I would have thought her ancient body capable. “You do not. Your only right is to accept or reject the offer. I will deliver to you the Tears of Heaven for a price. Will you pay?”

  She had me, and she knew it. I could refuse and leave the Fields of Tipperary, but I wouldn’t be allowed back, and there was no other way I could think to get the Tears of Heaven. My mind turned to thoughts of Beck and Justin and Jilly. I could practically feel Justin’s embrace from this morning, and my heart leaped up into my throat as emotion tried to overtake me.

  I didn’t know the price of what I was seeking, but I had to get the tears so I could save Beck. By all accounts, my efforts to save my own life might very well prove fruitless. But at least I could rescue him from the curse.

  “I’ll pay.”

  Maebe smiled and put out her hand. “The price is a high one,” she told me as I wrapped my hand around her cold, bony fingers. “But sometimes even a high price will be worth it in the end.”

  A few hours later when I orbed back home, I found Tig asleep outside my grotto. His squatty body was leaning against my wooden trunk, and he was snoring so loud it sounded like a hog was dying right there on the cave floor. I stooped down and touched his shoulder, shaking him a little to wake him. He blinked, smacked his lips, then wiped some drool from his face before sitting up with a smile.

  “Hey, you caught me.”

  “Yep, I caught you.” I bent at the waist and stood back up, as he got to his feet and brushed off his backside.

  He leaned in close. “Did you get them?”

  I reached into my pocket and withdrew the small padded bag containing two diamond encased angel tears. I was afraid to take them out. One, I couldn’t take a chance of dropping them and breaking them. Two, the magic that I knew they contained was a scary freaking thing. I was surprised my hand wasn’t shaking.

  “What price did they demand? I hope they didn’t send you to Maebe. She’s ruthless.”

  I must have blanched because his eyes widened. “Holy dragon balls, what was her price?”

  Anxiety coiled up in my belly. “I don’t know. She said she would come to collect at the right time or some crap like that, but I don’t really have time to worry about it. Have you heard from anyone? Do we know where Travis is?”

  “He was released early, but we kind of figured that. He has been stripped of his powers, and the Enforcers have a track on him. They haven’t seen anything unusual going on around him. Prieto and I think whatever the ogre and the troll heard, it was just him running his mouth.”

  “Then he’s not the one.” My shoulders drooped, and I frowned. “So who the hell is it? It could be the leprechauns for all I know.”

  “Leprechauns aren’t tall and wiry. That’s the description you remember so I doubt it was �
� er, will be them. “

  “Listen, Tig.” I took a few steps back and sat down on the chest. Shaking out my wand, I used it to draw a crude map on the ground. “I know in my vision you’re guarding the woods. You and Rhia are both here. Rolayna and I are beside the cauldron, and Beck and the kids are here. They’ve got the key to the door so they can escape?”

  Tig’s head moved up and down, though he was still studying the drawing. “Yeah, he’s got it and he knows how to use it. We did a test run about an hour again. Sandy’ll be waiting on the other end of the door in case they need protection.”

  “Tig.” I grabbed his arm and he brought his eyes up to me. “As far as I know, I’m the first one down. I have no idea what happens after that. Rolayna checks on me … not Beck. Probably he gets the kids out, and that’s why.”

  His expression softened, and he did something I would never have expected him to do. He raised a chubby hand and placed it on my cheek. “Lynlee, I know what you’re trying to say. I’ll make sure they stay safe. They’ll get out if the shit hits the fan. I promise.”

  “That’s not all. I think my cards have been dealt, but Rolayna, you and Rhia. I don’t want anything to happen to any of you. You all have to get out, too.”

  “You got it, girlie. Been protecting this ass of mine for a long time. I’ll take care of everything. And that includes your ass, too.”

  When Tig and I stepped out of the cave, the first thing I saw was Rolayna. She was sitting against a tree, my spellbook propped up on her knees while she silently studied. I figured she was trying to memorize the words. I’d warned her before I left to find the leprechauns that she could mentally recite them all she wanted but not to say them out loud until the time was right.

  “How’s it going?” I asked when she looked up at us.

  “I think I’ve got it down. And look at this.” She pointed her finger at a little pile of leaves. A beam of magic flew from the tip and created a spark that instantly set the kindling afire. She then pointed again and used a similar tactic to blow the flame out.