by J L Lawrence
She could even see he had compartments similar to hers where he separated and controlled his memories. This was fantastic! She could see their private link and how intense the connection was. They were—without a doubt— permanently tied together. The thought was comforting and scary all at the same time. She didn’t have time to look at everything, but would learn what all he could teach her eventually.
His hand glided down her cheek, and she laughed. Clearly he was ready to distract her again. They both paused. They noticed the lights flickered slightly when she turned to face him. He kissed her gently, and automatically, the passion ignited and an electrical charge hit the air.
* * *
An electric shock slammed into Xander. He immediately pulled out of Kate, assuming they were under attack.
Electricity bounced all over the room, and her back arched so high she nearly came off the bed.
His eyes widened, witnessing hers begin to glow. He leaned down and peered into them. What he saw there resembled a storm brewing, with multiple shades of blue and flashes of lightning.
What the hell? Was she under attack or was it something else? He stared deeper into her eyes.
He connected to her mind to understand what was happening. Her mind was panicked and she started panting. She couldn’t speak. He could feel the fire spreading through her, and her fear escalated. What is going on? All the energy was rampaging inside her, unrestrained.
"Xander, what's going on?” Kate raged, out of control. She met his eyes. “I feel…like I've been…hit by a lightning bolt…or two." Her body undulated on the bed.
Not knowing what was happening, full-out panic set in. It was like she was drawing all the energy in from the whole state.
"I don't know,” he said. “I'm going to dress you and call for Xavier. Hold on." The lights continued to flicker. Xander looked out the window and realized it was happening throughout the whole house.
Kate couldn't breathe, and her panicked state of mind made it more complicated for him to stay connected. An unrelenting pressure ran through her blood from head to toe. She reached out and grasped his hand. He could merely watch her thrash around on the bed and pray for relief. She needed a release, but what was she releasing?
He linked with Xavier. Gregory started pounding on the door. "What the hell is going on in there?"
Xander unlocked and opened the door. Gregory gasped, then charged into the room ready to fight. "What's wrong with her, Xander? What can I do?"
Xavier burst through the other door, with Angie right on his heels. "Let me see her." Running over to her side, he carefully looked over her. "Energy is pouring into her from an inner source that I don't understand. Gregory, put up a shield to block her powers from leaving this room. We sure as hell don't want to be caught right now.” For once, Gregory didn't argue or make any comment.
“Angie, you and Xander try to keep her calm and comfortable. I'm going to Rowena and demand some answers. No way that they didn't see this coming. I can determine that it is something related to her mystic abilities, but can’t figure out the source."
Xander grabbed Xavier’s arm. "Be careful. You're not their favorite person. Popping in on them is highly dangerous. I need you to come back with answers and not in a box." He turned back to Kate. After running his hand through her hair, he kissed her temple. Momentarily, everyone was silent.
“Don't worry,” Xavier said. “They should see me coming, right?" He smirked and disappeared in a flash of light.
Kate continued to pant and thrash around on the bed, but at least the energy in the air had decreased a little, and the lights had stopped flickering.
Gregory wiped her face with a cold cloth, while Angie held one hand. Finally, Kate lost consciousness. Xander held her other hand, trying to block some of the pain for her. At least, she’d calmed and was no longer thrashing. From the outside she appeared fine, but he could feel the agony radiating inside her. He would kill Xavier himself, if he didn’t get back soon.
Xavier finally popped in. “She’ll be all right.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the most important information. Tears hit Xander’s eyes, as his panic began decreasing slightly. “So what the hell happened? What did they say?” He was too focused on Kate to link with Xavier.
“I spoke with Rowena. She was waiting for me. As I suspected, she was not surprised.”
Pure rage built inside of Xander.
“Wait,” Xavier went on. “She said that this was necessary. That a level of trust must have been achieved for this to even be possible. She regretted that they couldn’t warn you. She also asked that you forgive her, but it had to be this way.”
Frustrated, Xander growled, barely holding himself back from popping in on the Council--especially Rowena--and telling them exactly what he thought about their interference. “What about Kate?”
“Ironically, it was her own natural energy stores. Remember you mentioned her having a lot of untapped abilities when you began teaching her meditation? When the two of you bonded, it released a portion of her energy sources. It was always the key and necessary for her to gain her powers in the Meadows. Without accessing her human abilities in this realm, she wouldn’t have survived gaining her powers there. It would have been overload and destroyed her.”
“What does bonded mean?” Angie’s husky voice filled the silence. “You didn’t do anything kinky to her, did you?” Xander tried to control his frustration. Gregory leaned over and took her hand.
“Bonding is like a marriage in our realm,” Gregory said. “I won’t go into the whole process now, but both parties must agree to share their lives forever. It’s like soul mates. It creates an unbreakable mental, physical, and spiritual link between the two. It usually takes place for the Guardian and Mystic during the awakening timeframe.”
“Oh, so y’all are like married now?” she asked, looking at Xander.
“In my culture at least. Look she’s coming around.” He leaned forward and reached for her.
Everyone focused back on Kate, who was drenched in sweat. She looked like she had run a marathon. Sweeping over her with his hand, Xander cleaned her and put fresh clothes on her. For a brief moment, they all sat there in silence waiting for their heart rates and adrenaline to return to normal.
Xander laid his head down on her stomach, relieved and still terrified all at once. “Thank you, Xavier.”
“No problem. At least she’s okay. That’s all that matters. I’m heading out. We’ll meet later tomorrow to set up everything. I’ve got to get the supplies and help Zane do all the prep. She will need lots of rest to recover, especially with us being ready for a fight at any time. See you tomorrow.”
He faded quickly into the Shadows.
Gregory draped his arm around Angie’s shoulders and helped her to her feet. “She needs to rest. Let’s go next door to get some sleep. We’ll leave it unlocked, in case she needs you.”
“What happened to me?” Kate’s weak voice couldn’t have made Xander happier. She’d started coming around. Her eyes slowly opened.
“You received more of your powers.” He sent the whole story through their mental link, to use less of her energy.
“Wow. You mean there’s more of this to come? Super.” Her sarcasm made him smile.
Because she remained weak, he put her in a deep sleep, so she could recover by tomorrow. For tonight, she would be safe in the Dream Realm. She needed all the strength she could get. He hadn’t told her yet what going through the portal would do to her human body. That wouldn’t be pleasant either.
“Sleep well, baby.” He tucked her against his body and drifted off into a fitful sleep involving hellfire and jets of lightning.
Chapter 11
Dragging her eyes open and forcing herself to an upright position on her elbows, Kate finally saw Xander. At once, the panic subsided, and she remembered the information he’d given her last night before she’d fallen asleep.
If that was the human dos
e, the hell with the magical one. That Council of his would need to give her a heavy amount of morphine before she’d go through that crap again.
Xander was sitting at the table, looking perfect, sipping his cup of coffee. Of course, he had the advantage of waving his hand and being clean with a fresh set of clothes. She smiled. There would be some definite advantages to gaining powers.
Xander nodded. “Hey there, beautiful.” He smiled up at her, his feelings for her shining through. He didn’t try to hide any of it.
She went over to him and sat in his lap. “Hey yourself. How are you doing? You look much better today.”
“I’m much better than yesterday and a lot more rested.”
“I bet.” She leaned against him.
“How about you?” He took the brush out of her hands and began combing through her hair. Her head tingled in pleasure, as he massaged her scalp.
Kate leaned forward and turned to face him. “Good for the moment, but I’m sure you have a fun-filled day in store for us. My insides still feel a little hyped up. Nothing major.” Not able to help herself, she placed her palm against his cheek for the contact.
“Actually, you’re in luck. Today is mostly a talking and sitting day. At least for you. Angie will be working on training to build up her endurance and accuracy, but we have to start working on channeling your energy and mastering basic skills. This is the only place we can safely practice, before we enter the Meadows. Then, it will be full steam ahead with little time for basics.” He leaned forward, burying his face in her hair. She could still see the fear in his eyes. Hell, she was still afraid. But, they had to move on.
“Will I be able to do much yet?”
“You have a lot of powers that couldn’t be subdued. It’s enough to perform simple tasks like levitating and manifesting weapons. You will also be able to transfer and channel energy to some degree.”
“Do I have to say rhyming spells and mix potions--”
“Well good morning,” Angie broke in. “I certainly woke up at an interesting time. You’re not going to start mixing things in a cauldron and wearing a pointy hat are you? Kate, are you okay?” She was holding her hand so hard, Kate would swear the bones were touching. Apparently, everyone had been scared shitless by her light show. Gregory walked in and stared for a few seconds like he was evaluating her.
“I’m good now. A little extra energy, but the pain has subsided. As for the cauldron, I don’t know yet. That’s what I was asking when you interrupted me.” Kate winked, then looked back at Xander. “Well?”
“I would like to see the full image you have of the Meadows in that head of yours someday.” Xander straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat. “Not everyone uses potions and herbs.” He’d become more serious. “Some control energy itself and don’t need those things to access their magic, while others do. All of us use herbs in some way, depending on what we need to accomplish. Especially in healing. Gregory, how about you go set up for training, and I’ll explain a little to the ladies before we get started?”
Gregory shrugged and in a flash was clean and dressed for the day. “Sure, I don’t mind doing all the manual labor. I know all the old stories anyway. I’ll work with Angie on weaponry and demonic weak spots, while you work on tapping into Kate’s energy field. Just make sure you keep it contained.” He grunted and headed for the door.
“Don’t forget, Xavier will be coming to work with Angie this afternoon. Like him, she’s an excellent tactician. He will be helping her focus on specific strategies to help us make it to the portal undetected and cross over into the Meadows. We need to remember to capitalize on her strengths.”
Gregory rolled his eyes and ground his teeth together. “Great! Can’t wait. That won’t last but his usual ten minutes.” He walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Xander rubbed his hands over his eyes, then down his face. “That went well. I can always count on my friends to act like adults.”
Angie sighed and nervously ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m not helping an already stressed situation, am I?”
Kate didn’t know how to help her with this one.
Xander looked straight into her eyes. “It is what it is. We can’t help the way fate chooses things to unfold. For now, maybe it’s better that you can’t make a choice. That would only cause more hard feelings. We have enough of those. But eventually, you will have to choose. Make sure it’s the right one.”
Kate shivered at his tone and was unsettled to say the least. She reached out and squeezed Angie’s hand in reassurance. “You’ll know when the time comes. Trust your heart to decide in its own time. Until then, keep an open mind, but stay focused on our overall goal.”
Angie weakly smiled back. “Always, the job first.”
To dispel the tension, Kate glanced at Xander. She was struck momentarily speechless, as he waved his hand down her hair, and it dried immediately. That usually took twenty minutes with a blow dryer. Having powers would be so much fun, but would be followed by so much pain. “So, what’s the difference between using energy and spells?”
Xander leaned back and drew a line with his hand in the air. “You have three main categories in my realm. Since we are the home of the Council, we also have many other types of people, for lack of a better word. They consider our realm a safe haven of sorts. This leads to a lot of individuals with mixed powers, so it is not as cut and dry as it seems.
“However, this may help a little. One group is the pure witches and wizards. Their power stems from nature, so they use spells and potions, tying in those components of nature to access their abilities. You will hear them refer to chakras and spells a lot when channeling their energy.
“The second group is the sorcerers, seers, healers, and mystics. Their power stems from energy in the atmosphere. They learn to pool and channel the energy to access their magical gifts. The last group is kind of like a mixed breed, and where many of us fall now with the exception of gliders. Our parents are combinations of sorcerers, healers, wizards, or whatever. This doesn’t include specific species such as fairies and gliders, but several of the different species have mixed together to some extent.”
“Mystics are the exception,” he continued before she’d even asked the question. He’d become much more adept at reading her now. “Because despite their heritage, they can use any and all powers, especially if they embrace the light. They are put in the second category simply because of their control over energy. Guardians are also given more access to energy flows to complement the Mystic.”
Kate rubbed her forehead. “Well, that’s not confusing at all, now is it?” she scoffed.
Angie widened her eyes, staring at her. The more they learned, the more it became clear as mud.
Xander shrugged. “Just the way it is. We are all slightly different species, but the lines are more blurred than in the past. All humans have different talents, like we do.”
Kate shook her head. “Are ya kidding? No, not like y’all. Very different, actually. Humans can’t go around using mind control or shishkabobbing anyone! So what exactly are you and Gregory?”
Xander pointed outside. “Gregory is a mix between a sorcerer and a witch. I’m a mix between a wizard and a healer. I also have sorcerer and seer in my lineage, which is probably why I was chosen to be the Guardian. I can control energy through spells and potions, or pooling energy from the atmosphere. Gregory tends to use spells more, but he can do both.”
“Ok, so you’re all mutts, and I’m some weird creature born every five hundred years or so. Perfect.”
Xander glared, and she understood his frustration. “Yes, but you don’t have to have any exact qualifications or a specific lineage to be a Mystic. In this case, you are a descendent of the former Mystic, Cassius.”
Kate was honestly trying to process everything, but how could she possibly learn centuries of history in a few short months?
She rubbed her forehead. “So, what will Angie and I be learning when we ge
t to the Meadows? I sure hope we’re going to get plenty of training on understanding all this stuff. It’s pretty important to know your people when going into battle.”
“Angie will be learning spells, mostly protection spells, which humans with the right lineage can tap into.” He turned to Angie. “With your level of psychic abilities, it is the Council’s belief that you have some type of magical lineage. Probably a seer or something like that. Many magical beings have chosen to live human lives, which means there are many humans out there with above average abilities. Camilla, one of our Council members, was once a human witch.”
“What? I thought you said no humans had ever entered the Meadows.” Excitement filled Kate. She asked for more information. If this chick had found a way, so could Angie.
“She is the first human-born witch ever allowed to serve on the Council. It is said she fought on the night of the last Rising with courage and selflessness, even though humans had never been allowed on the battlefield.
“She had known about it due to her ancestors’ records and wanted to help. She saved Marcus’ wife, when she was trying to protect Marcus from a demon at his back. While his wife was focused on him, a demon came in behind her. Camilla picked up a sword dropped by a fallen warrior and sliced off the demon’s head.
“Toward the end of the battle, Camilla was mortally wounded and was ready to die, feeling she had served her purpose. Then a bright white light encased her entire body. She was healed, and the mark of the Council placed on her hand. She was also granted immortality that day. The only time in our history that has ever happened. Many say that it was her bravery, some say it was simply fated, and others say it was her willingness to sacrifice her human life to save a supernatural being.”
“But she survived the Rising,” Angie stated.
“Only by divine intervention,” Xander pointed out.
“But she survived,” Angie repeated adamantly.
