by Brynna Curry
He pressed against her center and she closed her eyes. “No. Look at me, Kate.” She opened her eyes and held his gaze. “I love you. Even when we were apart, I never stopped, even through the hurt.”
“I love you.” Kate twined her fingers with his, rose up and kissed him. Ryan slid into her waiting heat. Home. Finally, I’m home. They moved in an easy dance of reunited lovers, discovering what was new, cherishing the old and familiar. She took him past reason, past thought, until they shattered in each other’s arms.
“I love you, Kate.”
* * * *
Briella felt the heavy pounding footsteps of her husband strike the ground in chase of her. Each thudded through her heart like a separate alien beat. How could they have betrayed her? Had she not taken care of her sister even when she had nothing for herself? She’d returned Daemon to health. She believed he’d loved her. Maybe Etain had been right. You really couldn’t trust a demon, not even a good-natured one. What had the old woman said? “Bad blood will out, even in the wee ones.” If her words were true, what did that mean for their daughter?
The heartache was more than she could bear. How could she still love them? She was bound not by magic, though there was that, but by the heart. She had to reach her circle.
Earth that gave life could take it again. Her mother had been a priestess, and the other Druids of her clan held her in high regard and they gave Briella the same status. It was her duty to see her sister punished. Arianne had done this, but only Briella could repair the destruction. She cast a glance toward the direction of the castle. Stone and mortar had withstood invasions from many an enemy and would continue after her death.
Thunder sounded in her ears. White lightning crashed through the night sky. She could smell the stench of nature’s fire thick in the air all around her. Her final act would spare them all more pain. She grieved for their deaths and her daughter, who would barely remember her parents. It was her fault. She should never have let love blind her to Ari’s conniving. Why wouldn’t he want her? She was so dark, just like him.
The sky opened and rained its tears down on everything. She knew it was Daemon’s sorcery calling up the storm to stop her. Blasted weather witch! Finally, atop the hill she lifted her arms, exhausted. The long blue velvet robe she wore hang with drenching rainwater. Cold all the way through her bones, she wanted to give in. Heart pounding in her chest, magic racing through her veins, she saw what she’d come for, her circle.
Her ancestors’ power pulsed through the ancient stones, making them glow a bright green. This was the only place left she could call on her magic and control it. Arianna had stolen her power and used Daemon to do it. Well, she could do something about that.
Kate woke with a start in Ryan’s arms. In sleep he’d spooned into her back and rested his hand across her stomach. It felt so good to be held and treasured after so long apart from him. She wondered if Ryan might heal the scars she carried inside her body as he had with her heart. Devin had tried to heal her once, but after a few minutes without reaction told her the nature of the injury must be reversed, neither of them had wanted to head down that road.
The dream bothered her. Why would she dream of the healer in Liv’s visions? Of the actual legend itself? Liv seemed convinced Briella, the healer, had visited her in dreams when she met Jack, but Liv had the gift of sight. Kate was as ordinary as Allie was powerful.
Ryan snuggled into her back and kissed her bare shoulder. “Good morning.”
“Good morning. I’d offer you to fix you breakfast, but the best I can manage is sugary kid cereal and coffee. I’m still an awful cook.”
“Same here. Liv actually bought me a cookbook for dummies once.”
“Did it help?”
“Nope.”
Kate laughed and turned into his embrace. “It’s close to lunch time. We could shower and go over to the pub. Skye has the morning shift today, so the food is guaranteed to be not only edible but to die for.” She leaned over and checked her pager. No missed calls.
“Do you want to pick up Allie and take her with us?”
Kate checked her bedside clock. “It’s Saturday. She has lessons with Devin from ten until two.”
Ryan propped up on his elbow and the sheet slid down, uncovering his golden chest. “You really trust the wizard, don’t you?”
“Yes. I’d trust him with my life, and I trust him with our daughter. Devin’s a good man. Ancient, strange, a little rakish, but good. I know about some of his past, the more recent years anyway. He would die before he’d let harm come to any of us.”
“Then why are you letting those thugs bully you, Kate?”
How had he found out about that? “Who told you?”
“Ma. I won’t have you threatened. Why haven’t you called the police?”
“Are you kidding? This guy probably owns half the officers on the force. As long as I pay him, he leaves Allie alone.”
“What did you say?” Ryan got out of bed and stalked across the room, picked up his cellphone. He turned it on and started punching buttons.
“He said if I didn’t pay off Mick’s debt he would go to her school and force her classmates to watch while he peeled off her skin. If I do anything to stop him, he’ll kill her outright.”
“Men like him are never paid in full. He’ll keep bleeding you for more until you run and then he’ll carry out the threat.” He held up a finger and spoke into the phone. “Jack, how do I get in touch with Devin?”
Kate climbed out of bed and retrieved her bathrobe from the closet. She slipped her arms in the sleeves and pulled the belt snug at her waist. It was too late to stop him. Walking into the bathroom, she turned the water on. She was about to step inside the stall when Ryan slid his arms around her.
“I’m taking care of this. I won’t let anyone hurt either of you. Let me stay, Kate. Let me be here with you and Allie. I need to know you’re safe.”
“I’d like that. I’m just so used to doing everything on my own.”
“You aren’t alone anymore.”
Chapter 9
Even in the middle of the day the lights in O’Malleys were dim. Men and women sat around old scarred tables enjoying the soup of the day, sandwiches and anything else Skye could dream up in his kitchen. There was music, of course. Pushing open the swinging door to the dining room, Skye carried two plates and set them on the bar in front of the Riley brothers. Rhiannon caught his eye, motioned for him to come over and nodded toward the corner.
“Enjoy the meal.” Skye flipped up the pass-through and moved to the end of the bar next to her. “Hello, darling. I’m at your command.” He gestured toward Ryan’s table. “Well, that’s lovely. I guess they worked things out.”
“Your brother came home and you didn’t tell me. I’d have given you today off if you’d only mentioned the fact.”
“Besides, he didn’t need me to hang about. He knows where to find me, Ryan had old business to settle. Come into my kitchen and I’ll tell you about it. Rhia’s taking a break, Maegan. Watch the bar.” Skye pulled her into the kitchen.
“It’s a wonder you’re still alive with that killing look Maegan gave you.”
“She’s getting a little clingy and not taking the hint. I tried to break things off with her, but she’s stubborn.”
“I wouldn’t have hired her if you’d told me I’d be hosting a soap opera.”
“She’ll get over it.”
Rhiannon picked up a potato out of a strainer in the sink and began to wash the skin. “Is it so easy for you to toss your lover aside, Skye?”
“Some of them, yes. The right one, if I ever find her, I’ll never let go.” Skye brushed a long red curl away from Rhia’s face and tucked it behind her ear. She blushed and moved aside.
“Well, then. What’s the story with Ryan and Kate?”
“They were lovers once and since Ryan’s wearing the same clothes he had on when I left Ma’s last night, I’d guess they’re together again. We’ll be planning a weddin
g soon I’m sure.”
“She told me my father doesn’t have long. He’s dying of cancer. Just like that, straightforward and honest.”
“I’m sorry, Rhiannon. I didn’t know.”
“It’s why I spend so much time here. I’m trying to give Ma all the time I can to say goodbye.” She grabbed the edge of the sink until her knuckles turned white, and leaned forward until her curls shielded her face.
Skye watched her shoulders tremble. He’d wondered when she’d break, not completely, not yet, but her emotions swamped him with grief. He uncurled her fingers and took her in his arms, pressing her head to his shoulder. “There now. Lean on me.”
“I’m sorry. I never cry, especially not in front of anyone.”
“Don’t be. You can’t hide your emotions from me anyway.”
Her laugh was watery. “I forgot, the mighty empath. I have to get back to work.” Rhiannon pushed gently at his chest and pulled away. “Thanks for the shoulder.”
He watched her walk back into the dining room and wondered why his arms felt so empty.
Chapter 10
She just had to run in and get one thing. Kate opened the door into chaos. Shards of glass brushed past her sneakers, threatening to slice the thick canvas and cut into her feet as she stepped haphazardly through the rubble of her office. She’d given those bastards what little savings she had, and they’d still trashed her clinic.
Kate picked up a photograph of Allie and her grandmother off the floor and pulled it out of the broken frame. Her daughter would be home any time now. She shouldn’t have to come home to wreckage. Not like she had, countless times during her childhood.
She felt Ryan’s hand on her shoulder. “Everything is destroyed. Even the exam rooms are trashed. I should have had more time. We can’t take this kind of loss, Ryan. I’ve poured everything I own except the house in this clinic. We need this clinic.” Her cellphone lay underneath the desk, busted all to pieces.
“It’s going to be okay. I’ll take care of this mess. Check on Allie. Make sure she’s all right. This can wait.”
“She’s with Devin. She’s supposed to be with Devin.”
“Make sure.”
She watched Ryan grab a broom out of the corner closet and start sweeping up glass. Allie was the most important thing.
* * * *
“You’ve got it! Concentrate, Allaina.”
“I’m trying, which is very hard when you’re talking.”
Devin grinned. His star pupil had surpassed any other he’d seen use earth magic. She could now affect plants and the directions they grew, or change the shape of a rock. If she managed to bring the dead leaf she was staring a hole through back to health, he had promised to show her a small fire spell. Allaina wasn’t going to be satisfied with a passive gift like her father possessed. She wanted active magic. He hoped she never needed to use it.
“Better get that spell ready.”
“I’m waiting to see if you can really bring that leaf back to health.” As he watched, the young girl closed her eyes and sighed over the brown crunchy leaf, which uncurled into a bright green summer wonder.
“Beautiful. You really think you’re ready to try something out of your element?”
“Puleez, I rock. I can handle it.”
“All right then. Go ahead and try to conjure a small flame. The trick is to get the temperature right. You want warmth, not raging burns on the palms of your hands.”
“What’s the spell?”
“It’s an unspoken chain of thought and different for everyone. You need to find your trigger first. Anger, zest, hate. Whatever outlet you channel, it must be a powerful emotion. Fire is destructive. You must always remember to respect its power and only use it when absolutely necessary. Never invoke what you can’t control.”
“Ah, that’s easy, Devin. Watch.”
And he did. In amazement. Allie’s hands began to glow around a ball of soft white light until she was lost in the brightness of it. Her long black hair whipped around in the wind, making her giggle. The wind began to die down and the light faded.
“Well?”
“Star pupil as always. What did you use for your trigger?”
“Love. Isn’t it funny how you can know somebody for like ever and never really love them, but then you meet someone for the first time and know you’ll love them the rest of your life?”
“You mean your dad.”
“Yes. Maybe it’s because I’m different than other kids. I feel like I’ve always known him. I’m glad he finally stopped being a donkey’s behind and came home. I know Mom’s happy, too.”
“You never fail to amaze me.” He ruffled her hair.
“Know what else?”
“Hmm.”
“I’m going to have a baby brother and my mom and dad are getting married.”
Devin watched Allie’s face and found a sincere truth in it. “Did they tell you this? He just came back yesterday. You can’t expect them to repair years of hurt in two days.”
“No, they didn’t say anything, but I spent the night with Grams and Dad took Mom home. I listened for him, but he didn’t come back. I just know.”
He wondered if Kate had talked to her daughter about her infertility. “You do know your mom can’t have any more kids, right? The healing didn’t work. She needed more than I could give.”
“She will, at least one more anyway. I’ll tell you a little secret.”
“I’m dying to know how you just know.”
“Mom’s pregnant, but she hasn’t figured it out yet. I can feel her energy shift when something strongly affects her. Her aura is pale yellow, like Aunt Liv’s, but instead of pink–that would be the baby’s aura–mom has blue rippling through hers. It’s still faint, so she doesn’t know yet.”
He’d thought he was the only one who could see and understand the meaning of those energies. Then again, he hadn’t seen Kate since the day Ryan had come home. Allie could be telling the truth and if so, he had very little left to teach her, except swordsmanship. He didn’t think her mother would go for that.
“Tell you what. We’ll make a bet. If you’re right, I’ll buy us both ice cream sundaes. I hope you are, pumpkin. She deserves to be happy.”
* * * *
Jack closed the lid on his laptop and looked over at Liv. Worry colored his eyes. She hated seeing that emotion in them. It was so much worse to know she’d caused it.
“Are you all right? You look a little green.”
“I’m all right.” Except she felt like keeling over.
“Want me to call Kate and have her come check you out?”
“No. I’m just going to lie down for a bit. It’s unusually hot. I’m just not used to it.” It wasn’t though, not really. The thermometer hovered at seventy degrees.
“Can I do anything for you?”
Liv laid a hand on his shoulder as she passed the sofa. He took it and kissed her skin.
“No. Not a thing. Get back to work, handsome. Well, maybe wake me in about an hour if I fall asleep?”
“Okay.”
She heard the familiar mad clicking of keys and knew he would all but tune her out. Liv shuffled to the fridge, poured a glass of ginger ale and put the bottle back on the shelf. Pressing the glass to her forehead, she let the condensation cool her heated skin. She’d never felt so bad in her life. She’d tied her long hair up in a knot on her head to stave off the heat, but it wasn’t helping the nausea.
Horrendous pain sliced through her belly, crumpling her knees. Her legs went weak and gave out. The glass slipped out of her hand and shattered as it struck the hard tile. Collapsing on the kitchen floor, she cried out for help. “Jack!” Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Too early. Oh God, her baby. Hot, wet liquid gushed from her body, soaking her clothes. No. No. No. She looked down at her feet. The tile floor was covered with bright red blood.
* * * *
Jack was on his feet in a heartbeat. His laptop flew off his lap and landed upside down o
n the floor. Liv cried out so loud her voice echoed in his mind. He ran to the kitchen and found his wife lying on the floor covered in her blood.
“Baby. Oh God.” Jack was already reaching for the telephone.
“Kate. Need her to hurry.”
He cradled Liv in his lap and tried to block out the images that flashed through his mind. Serena lying in that alley covered in blood and full of secrets. Would he always see that image in the back of his mind? Would this be another scene permanently imprinted on his memory?
Brushing back the hair from her sweaty face, Jack dialed Kate’s number and waited. Busy. He tried the cell. Voicemail. Called the beeper and Ryan’s cell. Nothing. Where the hell was she?
“No answer.” He dialed Molly. She picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Come quick. Liv’s bleeding out and I can’t get Kate at the clinic or on her cell. I can’t move her or leave.”
“Oh God. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Bring help.”
* * * *
The sound of Liv’s screams split Devin’s mind in two as their agony rolled through his psyche. Allaina went pale across from him. The child was still linked to his mind and he knew she had heard her aunt crying in pain.
“Aunt Liv! She’s hurting. We have to help her.” Allaina took off running in the general direction of Liv’s house before Devin could stop her.
He tried to calm himself so the magic would obey, and popped out of air in front of her. She ran full force into his chest.
“Allie cat, I know you’re scared and you want to help, but what Liv needs is your mom. I can’t get her there if I’m chasing you. Calm down and take my hand.”
Allaina took his hand and closed her eyes. “Okay. Okay. Hurry.”
A thought was all he needed to flash into Kate’s clinic. What he found was chaos.
Chapter 11
“Take my hand. Liv needs you. Now. She doesn’t have much time.”
Kate screamed as Devin popped up in front of her face.
“Sorry, I usually have better accuracy. Take my hand. Let’s go.”
