Lucy gripped my hand tightly once she was supine. “I’m so happy you could see me today. Please help me.”
Tingles shot through my arm at her touch, but I ignored it. With my free hand, I smoothed back her short, wispy hair. “I will.”
Lucy’s face flushed as she glanced upward. “Chemo did that,” she said, waving her free hand at her hair, “but even the chemo couldn’t stop my cancer.”
“I don’t need drugs to help people.” I smiled, trying to put her at ease. “Now, should we begin?”
“Please. It hurts everywhere.”
A door opened, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brodie enter. A flash of sunlight came with him before he closed the door firmly behind him and backed up to it, arms crossed.
His immense bulk would stop anyone from entering from that direction, and with Alexander outside guarding the back parking lot, and Logan standing close by while Jake prowled the shop’s perimeter, no one would be bothering us.
My shoulders relaxed.
“Let’s begin.” I held my hands over her. “Lucy, I’d like you to close your eyes. You may feel a hot, burning sensation, but it won’t hurt you. It will heal you.”
Lucy’s eyelids fluttered closed. Her thin, birdlike arms lay listlessly at her sides. Sharp bones protruded from her wrists, and her wedding ring hung limply from an emaciated finger. Only the larger knuckle kept it in place.
I shifted my hands above her. Sick black energy swirled into my palms. So many tumors. My heart broke for her. The cancer had metastasized deep within her bones. It was everywhere. No wonder she’s in so much pain.
Closing my eyes, I moved my palms over her length—shifting and swaying until my light told me exactly where every cancer cell lay. “I’m going to start now.”
I called upon the firelight within me until flames consumed my insides. Pain shot down my arms and into my fingertips. Biting my lip, I resisted the urge to yelp.
Sweat grew on my brow as I gritted my teeth tightly. The cancer goes so deep!
Minutes passed as I extracted the disease from Lucy’s sick body. The illness flowed relentlessly into me, making my arms shake.
Lucy’s body grew lighter as I scaled out the tumors. The ugly cancerous masses that had been eating her insides flowed into me, and the rotting, gelatinous disease swam through my veins, like jelly that wanted to clog my pores and eat my insides.
When I was certain I had extracted every cancer cell in her body, I dropped my hands. My chest rose and fell as I took ragged breaths. Excruciating pain consumed me.
You knew this one wouldn’t be easy.
Rot filled my organs, my blood, and every cell of my being. The cancer was everywhere.
I called up my healing light again, coaxing and growing the fire. More sweat trickled down my face in a hot salty river. So many tumors!
It took every ounce of my concentration to rid myself of them, but as soon as I thought I had them all, my light would alert me to another cell, another mass. I gritted my teeth. Keep going.
A part of me was vaguely aware of Lucy calling my name, but I couldn’t reply.
There’s too many! I fell to the ground, the strain becoming too much.
“What the hell?” someone called in a deep voice. Hands wrapped around me.
I cried out.
“What’s going on?” Logan’s snarl filled the room. “Why hasn’t that light come from her fingertips?”
A small part of me was aware of Logan supporting my body, but I was still fighting so hard to rid myself of the cancer that the thought was there then gone, like a passing car in the night.
“Sometimes the disease is too great,” Cecile replied quietly. “Then Daria needs extra time.”
I opened my eyes to see Cecile hunkering down in front of me as a sickly feeling swept through my body. There are still tumors inside me! Logan’s hands steadied my upper body. They felt hot and oddly comforting. I leaned more into him. Nausea rolled through me.
He supported my weight easily. “Daria?” he asked anxiously. “What can I do?”
I still panted. The amount of energy it had taken to rid Lucy of her disease was vastly more than I’d anticipated. Swallowing down the nausea, I replied, “Can you help me to my feet?”
Logan stood, with me gently supported in his arms until I was standing again. His hard body pressed into me from behind as his hands steadied my upper arms. From the feel of it, he had no intention of letting go.
Lucy was sitting upright on the table. Gone were the pale skin and lackluster expression. A look of hope and wonder filled her face. Her husband stood just behind her, tears shimmering in his eyes.
“I feel…” Lucy’s eyes misted over. “Healthy and pain free and…” She turned around to grip her husband’s hands. “I’m cured. I know it! I know she cured me! I don’t feel sick anymore!”
She threw her arms around him, her movements fast and strong. He gripped her tightly in return.
Over Lucy’s shoulder, his gaze met mine. I stood quietly, weak and still sick, against Logan.
“I don’t…” Lucy’s husband shook his head and cleared his throat. “I don’t know how we can ever thank you. You’ve…” His voice trembled, and he sniffed. “You’ve given me my wife back.”
Lucy let go of her husband to face me. Happiness beamed in her grin. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” She flung her arms around me before I could stop her.
I groaned quietly at the assault. Her arms gripped me too tightly, pressing my bones and making the pain that resided there flare.
“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
Cecile pried Lucy away from me. “That’s quite all right, but Daria needs some time to herself right now. She still needs to work her magic.”
Lucy’s face fell. “Is she okay?”
Cecile’s strained smile stretched. “She will be, but right now, she’s not.”
Before Lucy could reply, Cecile ushered Lucy and her husband to the door. Brodie already had it open, his brow furrowed as he watched me.
Once they left the room, I collapsed against Logan again.
“Daria? What’s going on?” Fear filled my bodyguard’s voice.
“I still have her cancer inside me.”
His body turned as hard as a rock. “Her cancer is inside you?”
I winced at his sharp tone. “Yes. That’s how I heal people. I take their sickness into me and rid them of it.”
“Holy shit,” Brodie murmured quietly.
“So you’re sick now?” Logan lifted me until I sat on my healing table, anxiety in his eyes. “Until your light what? Eats it away?”
I smiled wanly. “Something like that.”
A sharp knock came at the door Brodie guarded. He lifted his head and sniffed. “It’s Cecile.”
I cocked my head in surprise. Did he just smell Cecile? Before I could ponder that, the door burst open and Cecile rushed back inside. She pushed Logan out of the way until she stood directly in front of me.
“Daria? Sweetheart, you need to concentrate.” Her hands fluttered over my face, pushing back the sweaty tendrils of hair.
I closed my eyes. Fatigue rolled through me. “I know. How long until my next client?”
Her nervous movements didn’t stop. “Don’t worry about that. You just rid yourself of the disease first.”
Despite Cecile taking over, Logan hadn’t gone far. He lingered just off to the right, looking every bit as fearful and worried as he had two seconds ago.
“What the hell’s going on?” he asked. “Does she really have cancer?”
Cecile gave a slight nod. “In a way, yes. Daria now has Lucy’s sickness inside her.”
The energy off Logan increased tenfold. He raked a hand angrily through his hair again and began to pace.
“Logan!” Cecile said sharply. “Daria needs to concentrate right now. If she doesn’t, the sickness will spread until she’s too weak to consume it.”
That statement stopped Logan in his tracks.
He gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “What do you need me to do?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.
“Stand back and stay calm.” Cecile’s cool hands settled against my cheeks as she felt my skin. “Lie back, Daria.” She guided me down on the table. “Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. You know what you need to do.”
I did as she said, but it was hard. Cecile was right. Already, the sickness was growing inside me, the cancer trying to dominate my light.
Closing my eyes, I turned inward in deep concentration. Through the fog that swirled in my brain, quiet words registered.
“What happens if she can’t consume it?” Logan asked softly.
A moment passed before Cecile said in a shaky voice, “Then she dies.”
Chapter 13
Trembles shook my body like vibrations from a shock wave. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, but I didn’t remember it ever being so hard to rid myself of an illness. Lucy had been sicker than I imagined. She would likely have died within days if I hadn’t cured her.
Concentrate, Daria. Don’t let the cancer beat you. I called upon the firelight inside me. It glowed brightly, as hot as the sun. My brow furrowed as sweat erupted on my forehead. Kill the cells, Daria. Kill them all.
The world around me took on another dimension. Everything disappeared as if falling into a cosmic void. Fatigue rolled through my body as the light, once again, relentlessly tracked down every cancer cell. They were trying to hide. The sickness wanted to burrow deep within my bones and organs. The lapse of my light, when I hadn’t been able to concentrate, had made the surviving tumors stronger.
Minutes or hours passed. I couldn’t tell which. It took every ounce of power within me to fight and consume the disease. It seemed to take forever until the last cell finally vanished.
When the last of the disease faded, my light glowed hotter and brighter—as if triumphant at my win—before it burst from my fingertips. I sagged in relief.
“Thank God,” Logan whispered hoarsely.
Sometime in the past minute, I’d become aware of him again. Despite my eyes being closed, I felt him crouching at my side, completely silent but very much there. His worry and fear filled the room.
I opened my eyes.
“Daria?” His eyebrows drew sharply together. “Are you okay?”
Cecile, Mike, and Brodie hovered to the side.
“Yes. I’m good.” My voice was quiet but firm. “That was a hard one.”
Logan sighed heavily. “I thought…”
His head dropped, his breathing still ragged, before he abruptly straightened and reached behind my back to help me sit up, his large hand splayed between my shoulder blades.
Even in my weakened state, I responded to him. Shivers ran down my spine.
“So you’re okay now?” His brown eyes skimmed over my features, as if assessing me for some illness that could sprout up at any moment.
I bit back a tired smile. His worry reminded me of a fretting hen. “Yes, I’m fine. Really, I am.” Taking a deep breath, I turned to Cecile. “When is my next client due?”
“No!” Logan’s growl made Cecile jump. “There’s no way you’re seeing anyone else today!”
“I’ll be fine, Logan. This is what I do for a living.”
He guffawed. “You almost die for a living?”
“What just happened is abnormal. That’s not how it usually goes.”
“But you could have—”
“It’s okay.” More than anything, I wanted to lean into him and press my lips against his.
He growled, and that strange light glowed in his eyes.
My lips parted. What causes that light?
“I think you should rest. Your clients can wait a few hours.”
Before I could respond, Logan scooped me into his arms and began issuing orders to Brodie who didn’t even blink, as if Logan’s over-protective nature were normal.
It wasn’t until we’d exited the back of the magic shop and the summer breeze rolled across my cheeks that my mouth began working.
“Logan! Put me down!”
His long strides ate up the sidewalk.
I struggled, but his grip only tightened. Exasperated, I crossed my arms awkwardly. “Logan, you need to put me down so I can work!”
“I will put you down, just as soon as we’re on the bus.”
The bus door hissed open, and he sprinted up the stairs, taking them in two giant leaps. I was breathless by the time he deposited me on the couch.
“You can’t—” I pushed my hair back from my face. “I mean, I know you’re worried, but you can’t force me to stop.”
“I can, and I will. My job is to protect you, even if that means protecting you from yourself.”
Alexander and Jake had joined Brodie by the bus’s door. The three of them stood with their arms crossed, as if guarding our home. Cecile and Mike stood in front of them. Neither of them looked very worried, but Cecile did check her watch a few times.
My next client must be due soon. I couldn’t let them down.
I stood from the couch, intent on marching back down the stairs, but I swayed. Bringing a hand to my forehead, I used my other hand to steady myself against the wall.
Logan stepped closer to me. “See? You shouldn’t be working. You’re in no shape to heal anyone right now.”
I gritted my teeth in frustration and sat down in a huff on the couch. “But I do this all the time.”
He kneeled in front of me. In a softer tone, he said, “But even you said this morning’s session was abnormal, and I hardly think coming close to dying is something you do every day.”
I fell back onto the couch. “Fine. You have a point.”
Logan sat by my side, the cushion dipping in his direction under his heavy weight. “Rest for an hour or two. If you’re insistent on working more today, at least take a break first. You may feel up to healing again after you do.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him what I thought of his heavy-handedness when another wave of dizziness washed over me. I leaned more into the pillows. “Maybe I’ll close my eyes for a little bit.”
A satisfied grunt came from Logan before a soft blanket settled over me. Despite it being summertime, I pulled the blanket up higher and turned onto my side.
I’ll just close my eyes for a few minutes, then I’ll get back to work.
∞ ∞ ∞
“Daria? Your next client is here.” Cecile’s soft voice permeated my dream.
I snuggled deeper under the covers. I didn’t want to wake. In my dream, Logan’s hard warm arms surrounded me. Heat pressed against my back, and his body spooned me from behind.
When I opened my eyes, I fully expected to be alone on the couch and for the delicious dream to disappear. Instead, I became aware of the large male directly behind me, and my eyes widened.
I bolted upright. Logan’s arm tightened around my waist, as if instinctively, before he loosened his grip. Embarrassment warmed my cheeks as I took in our position. On the small couch, he was actually spooning me, and our legs still lay entwined.
My mouth dropped. What the hell?
Logan wouldn’t meet my gaze when I dragged my horrified expression to his. “I thought I went to sleep on the couch by myself?”
“You did,” he replied, still avoiding eye contact.
Cecile crouched at my side and patted my hand. “You were having a nightmare and started thrashing. Logan tried to wake you, but you were sleeping too deeply, but as soon as he put his arms around you to stop your flailing, you calmed right down.”
Logan pushed to a sitting position. Mussed hair covered his head, as if he’d run his hands through it repeatedly for the last few hours. My heart beat harder. He looked as sexy as hell, but he’d also been spooning me, and he had a girlfriend.
Heat flooded my cheeks.
“How do you feel?” he asked, his tone deep and warm, like butter melting over freshly baked bread.
“Fine,
” I replied in a clipped tone. “The nightmare must have been from Lucy’s healing session.”
Cecile cocked her head, her next words hesitant. “Your clients are waiting. Do you feel ready to perform?”
I pushed hair from my eyes and stood. The dizziness I’d felt earlier didn’t return. I nodded vigorously. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just let me freshen up first.”
I hurried to the back of the bus, my feet thumping softly on the floor. Once locked in the bathroom, I sank to the floor.
What in the holy hell just happened?
Logan had spooned me while I slept despite having a girlfriend.
The heat in my cheeks morphed from embarrassment to anger. Just what kind of guy is he? That doing something like that is okay?
Huffing, I stood and stepped to the sink. My irritated expression stared back at me in the mirror. After splashing cool water on my face, I combed my hair. My heart continued to pound, anger infusing adrenaline into me. Logan had spooned me, when I’d been sleeping. Granted, I didn’t mind the feel of him against me, and Cecile had been watching over me, but…
I’d never slept next to another person before.
And the first time I’d done it, I’d been unaware of it, and I’d never consented to it. And he was my employee, and he had a girlfriend. Or, at least, I assumed he had a girlfriend.
Nothing about that situation was okay.
Yet…
I stopped combing my hair. If I were being completely honest with myself, I’d rather liked the feel of Logan against me, more than I wanted to admit.
I’d never felt another human’s warmth and touch like that before, not since long ago when I was a little girl and my light had been immature and weak. The lack of that human connection, which all of us craved on some level, had left a gaping hole in my heart my entire life.
Yet Logan’s touch, once again, hadn’t bothered me. If anything, feeling him had been soothing, allowing me to rest.
I set the comb down. My turquoise eyes stared back at me as my forehead scrunched up. Still, I was Logan’s boss.
And what would Crystal think if she heard her boyfriend spooned his employer just so she could sleep?
Yeah, I was pretty sure that would garner me the-least-liked-person-in-the-world status pretty quickly.
Magic in Light Page 10
