by J L Lawrence
The light got brighter and brighter until it consumed her body. Then it began encircling Kate in a blue mist. An invisible force lifted her off the floor, and she floated in mid-air.
Surprise covered Rowena’s face.
Not a good sign. Xander felt a new rush of panic. Rowena’s frozen expression didn’t help abate the fear of what was going on, or what had been unleashed. What did she do to Kate?
Apparently, no one knew exactly how you Awakened the Mystic, or maybe it was because she was human. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Kate floated in a sort of stasis that he’d only seen Shadow Warriors create.
The light continued to work on her body inside and out, changing her appearance.
Her hair turned to a white blonde, her physique seemed to elongate slightly, and her muscles rippled with electricity. Her eyes opened. They were a pale swirling blue and her clothes transformed into a long white flowing gown with a tight bodice.
She’d transformed into a Greek goddess, or at least it appeared that way. A faint golden glow emanated from her body like it was tracing the outskirts of her aura.
A tattoo designed by an invisible artist started to form across her breast bone. Wings of a phoenix spread to the sides, and what appeared to be a bright light connected the wings and extended upward.
Two crossed swords surrounded by ancient symbols were in the center of the wings connecting the light at the top with something dark at the bottom–one red sword and one blue. It matched many of the symbols in his own Guardian tattoo, reminding him that they were soulmates.
A final blinding flash of light removed the mist and placed Kate on her feet. He immediately connected with her and found that she was stunned, scared, and confused. He transferred everything to her.
* * *
Kate brought up her head and stared at all the faces gazing back at her. She remembered the knife flying into her heart. She remembered meeting Xander’s eyes and telling him she loved him. She remembered taking her last breath, wondering what had gone wrong. Was Rowena the traitor? Was that the secret?
Then she’d been surrounded in a soft welcoming blue light. It had wrapped her in a tight comforting hug, and she’d known everything would be okay.
The light had filled her as her human life relinquished its hold and the Mystic took control. She wasn’t aware of her physical changes yet, but she could feel the soreness of her body from so much transformation. Xander had filled in the rest of the gaps.
Her main concern at the moment was the massive level of energy pulsing inside her. She was afraid to move or speak. Afraid it might pour out of her and hurt everyone standing around her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get control of it. She was frozen.
A constant hum prevented her thought process. She could feel everyone’s emotions even more so than she could before. What hurt her most was feeling Xander’s and Angie’s fear of what she’d become. Granted she’d died and been brought back to life. She was afraid, too.
Rowena stepped forward and looked deep into her eyes. “Focus on my eyes, Kate. Push the energy down to gain control. Push your emotions into their compartments along with everyone else’s that you’re picking up.”
Rowena placed a finger under her chin and drew her face in.
“Get control, Kate. You can do it. Close your eyes. Shut everything out and focus on my voice.” Using Rowena’s soft soothing words and the energy she was expending to help her, Kate pushed her energy down and took control.
Finally, she could feel herself come out of the fog and took in her surroundings. For now, she had a little control but wouldn’t guarantee for how long. She owed Rowena an apology.
“Thank you, Rowena. I think I have it under control for the moment.”
Rowena hugged her. “I’m so sorry for the way it had to be done, and that I could not prepare you. But this was the only way to guarantee the successful infusion of your powers. Cassius cast an intricate spell the night he died at the last Rising. I barely made a dent in it. At the last minute, I altered it slightly because I read his intentions. I will tell you everything later.”
Tears shone in her eyes. Kate realized how heavily this had weighed on her, to know that she had to kill her in front of the Council and Xander, whom she loved like a son. Her pain had been as great as theirs.
In addition, everyone had briefly thought that Rowena was the traitor. That had been her secret and her fear, she hoped. She didn’t need any more surprises today.
Kate stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her. “I understand. I’m sorry you had to endure the reality alone, and that I thought for even a moment that you were the traitor. There is no animosity or disappointment between us.”
Rowena seemed to brighten a little, and smiled. It had been a terrible burden to bear. “I need your help to keep all this energy under control, before I tear down the whole town. By accident, of course.” Kate winked.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Rowena sighed. “I now present our Mystic and Leader,” she loudly announced to the Council and others in the chamber. “Let us welcome her to our world.”
Rowena stepped aside, allowing Xander to come close. He wrapped his arms around Kate in a massive bear hug, then kissed every inch of her face. Once he’d finished, Angie hugged her.
Celebration broke out as the message was sent out to the community. The cheers and laughter exalted from all of the supernatural communities.
Through one of the screens that appeared on the wall, she could see the celebrations taking place in all the magical communities all over the world. All welcoming the Mystic home. She’d become their hope, their chance for a future.
Xander leaned down, nuzzling her ear. “I like the new hair and new look. Cool tattoo, too. We match.” He kissed her lips softly.
Her head snapped up, and her heart raced. She had forgotten the physical changes. “What new look? What tattoo?”
Xander raised his eyebrows, smiled, and pointed at her chest. She looked down and gasped. She was not a tattoo person, and now she had a massive one spanning across her chest. Holy Crap!
“I see the tattoo. What about my new look? And what is up with this dress thing? It didn’t come out of my closet.” Panic started settling into her voice. This was too much change at once.
Angie handed her a mirror along with an encouraging smile. Kate glanced into the mirror, and then studied it closer. Her hair was blonde–completely blonde. Her eyes were still blue, but it was like looking into the ocean and seeing several shades of blue rolling like the waves.
If she wasn’t mistaken, she seemed a little taller, and her skin glowed slightly like Rowena’s now. It could be much worse after dying and coming back to life. “Okay, I can live with this new look ... I think. But the dress has got to go.”
With a simple thought, she was back in her black athletic pants and blue fitted T-shirt. “Whew, much better.” She turned back to the Council, who had all gone back to their original seats. “What now?”
Marcus stood and straightened his shoulders. “First, tomorrow you will need to tour the training facilities and labs we use to practice witchcraft. You will also need to meet all of our warriors since you are now officially their leader – but not today. I’m sure you need some rest.
“And quite frankly, I think most of us need a chance to recover and find our balance after witnessing what we did. Despite feeling like we had the longest day ever invented, it’s only been a couple hours.” He smiled, and Kate admired his composure.
Tristan wanted her to begin training immediately to see her abilities and determine how much training she’d need to be ready. Camilla wanted to see her abilities with witchcraft and Micah wanted her, but he’d have to get over it and keep those feelings from Xander.
Feeling tired and overwhelmed, she addressed Marcus and Rowena. Everyone else could wait for one more day. As far as she was concerned they hadn’t died today, so she didn’t care what the others thought.
“I appreciate the
time for a little rest. I do want to see all of the facilities soon, and I will begin training and following Tristan’s schedule tomorrow. I’m aware that time is of the essence and the Rising comes first.” Her eyes flashed a brilliant blue, and everyone leaned back, ready to jump out of the way.
She turned to Rowena, knowing she’d understand. “Thank you, Rowena. My first concern is controlling my power and not hurting someone during practice. Can I meet with you tomorrow to get some mastery in that area first?”
“Yes, tomorrow will be perfect. I agree that getting your internal energy under control is critical to your success. And we can’t afford to lose any warriors.” She winked and then resumed her more formal composure.
“Xander has prepared you well physically and with many of your powers,” Rowena went on. “Angie will be learning the basics of chakras, spells, and potions but nothing too complex yet. But it is your mystical powers that will face-off against Braxus in the end, so excellent idea to tackle that first.”
Xavier stayed behind to meet with Rowena, and Nikki decided to wait for him. Everyone else walked out of the chamber and out of the castle. As soon as she stepped through the doors, the cheers coming from the crowds were deafening.
Word had traveled fast, and many came to the Meadows to see the new Mystic. Astonishment overwhelmed Kate. Their outpouring of faith and trust wrapped around her existence and embraced her as their leader. No pressure there.
Her body ached terribly. She wanted all of these people to disappear and to feel normal again. Was that too much to ask? It would be a long time before she could walk down the street and not be accosted by well-wishers.
Some of them would even push their kids in her face, wanting her to touch them like she could bless them or something. This was getting ridiculous. It wasn’t helping that her damn tattoo kept glowing like a beacon.
Marcus exchanged a few words with Xander and finally cleared the crowds, saying there would be plenty of time to see the Mystic over the next couple of months. But now was the time for training. He also told them there would be a great celebration after victory at the Rising.
Kate noted he didn’t mention the Mystic as part of the celebration. She was beginning to get the feeling that they expected her to win but also die. Oh well, she’d always liked a challenge and wouldn’t die easily ... the next time.
Approaching the Montgomery estate filled Kate with wonder. She’d probably get used to it soon. It was beautiful, and it was her home. She was a Montgomery now even if she hadn’t had a traditional ceremony.
Secretly she would have liked to have some sort of official ceremony, but maybe they could do something after the Rising to celebrate both. Xander had closed off his mind, so she wouldn’t pry.
She also missed her family and team back home, but she wouldn’t bring that up any time soon.
It was late by the time they returned to their rooms. They agreed to meet first thing in the morning. Xander and Kate rushed into their room, leaving everyone laughing behind them.
* * *
Xander laid Kate across his bed, taking in her beauty and strength. He wanted to take it slow, but his more basic instincts begged him to rush. Literally straining against the zipper of his pants, he tried to hold himself under control.
He wanted this night to be for her. Slowly, he unzipped her blue shirt and spanned her waist with his palms. Then he skimmed his hands upward over her flat stomach, moving toward his goal.
Luckily, she had worn a bra that snapped in the front, so with a quick flick of his hand, her breasts were free for his viewing pleasure. He kneaded, teased, and suckled, until she writhed beneath him.
He had no intention of speeding up, hence the reason his painfully tight jeans were still on and choking the life out of him. Hearing Kate moan made it worth it. Definitely worth it.
They both had way too may clothes on, so with a simple thought he removed all of it and felt her sharp intake of breath. He paused to stay in control.
She smiled again and ran her fingers from his shoulders down his back, gripping his buttocks and digging in her nails. A little smugness filled her eyes, watching him struggle for stability.
Xander was trying every trick in the book not to plunge into her, because that would shorten their time together. He wasn’t having that, no matter what she did to tempt him. He leaned down to start a new assault from her stomach, past her breasts, and ending at her luscious mouth.
Their tongues battled, passion rose, emotions collided, and breathing increased rapidly, bringing a whole new dimension to their lovemaking. He wanted her more than he wanted air to breathe, and he could tell she felt the same way. Her nails scored his flesh, and he nearly lost it.
Gritting his teeth and taking several deep gulps of air--that didn’t help since they kept bringing in Kate’s scent-- he tried to regain some modicum of control. Barely.
It was time to take his plan up a notch and send her out of control. His hands began a slow descent down to her feminine core. It didn’t take long to have her arching and gasping, as her first climax washed over her. Grinning, he stared into her glazed eyes.
* * *
Kate was out of her mind with pleasure. Energy ricocheted in all directions inside her. His hands and mouth were doing heavenly things to her breasts and other intimate places.
She’d never realized how wonderful making love could be, until Xander had shown her the way. Jeez! Her breath hissed out. His mouth closed again over one nipple while his fingers mercilessly played with the other.
Pure ecstasy. The orgasm tore through her entire body. He deserved the same, and she’d never backed down from a challenge. If only she could convince her body to move.
She finally gathered her wits. But Xander was still stroking and kissing every part of her body. He’d started with her legs and worked his way back up to her mouth. She had to remind herself to focus a million times. She wanted him out of control and no longer able to hold back.
She loved seeing his eyes light up with pleasure. Knocking him off balance, she reared up and locked her mouth onto his, fusing them together into one entity.
She attached their energy fields together. She continued to encase him in her arms and then focused on a lower target. She lightly brushed him with her fingers at first, then began a more vigorous movement and grasped tighter.
He snapped his jaw together. He’s holding back. Using their mental connection, she let him feel her deep desire for him. She felt his focus snap. He groaned loudly, pushed her back on the mattress, pinned her hands above her head, and drove into her like a madman. As he pumped into her, she fell over the edge in a kaleidoscope of colors.
She couldn’t move, but felt intense womanly triumph having made him lose complete control. The extremely powerful orgasm that spasmed through her entire body had been an added benefit. She still felt the aftershocks.
She wasn’t sure they’d ever be able to move again, but at the moment she was fine with that. He pulsed inside her. I’m definitely fine with that.
A surge of electricity hit her. She gasped with its intensity. The lights began flickering in the room, and she took deep breaths to get a grip on it. She saw it arch out of her and hit Xander square in the chest. Oops!
Xander jumped up. Panic covered his face. “Not again! Kate, Kate, are you okay? I’ll get Xavier. We’ll take you to the Council.” He frantically rubbed his chest.
Kate placed her hand on his arm to get his attention and calm him down. She met his eyes and reared back her head. The light bulbs blew, and the energy subsided. “It’s okay, Xander, just a little infusion of energy. It was much easier to control this time. Now that I understand more about the new energy inside me, I realize my body is releasing excess energy. When we make love, it causes a major surge. Eventually, I’ll be able to control it. Sorry about the blast.” A little giggle escaped her, and he tackled her back onto the bed.
He silenced her with a deep kiss. “Now, where were we? I believed you challenged
me to a long restless night. I never back down from a challenge and fully intend to deliver.”
Her back arched, pushing her nipple into his hand. “I’ll let you know when you’ve arrived and met the requirements.”
They filled the night with pleasure, love, and forgiveness. Two bruised hearts re-emerged as one. A true bond beyond any type of magic had been born.
Chapter 18
Angie sighed. Why can’t Kate be here to referee?-
Xavier and Gregory had been arguing since the sun came up. Animosity was evident in every step through the house. The volume had intensified.
Nikki stormed down the hallway. “Okay, guys. What is going on between the two of you? I get you two aren’t the best of friends but come on…” She trailed off the second she noticed they both had their eyes on Angie. “Oh, I see.”
Angie’s face flushed. “With everything going on, it’s confusing right now.”
Nikki patted her on the shoulder and gave her a brief hug. “It’s not all about you. I promise. So don’t worry. They still have issues from the past. Besides, they’re men, they’ll wait…” She shrugged. “Or kill each other.” She smiled and winked.
As they headed toward their wing, both guys took Angie by the elbow and pulled in the opposite direction.
“Stop it! Both of you. This doesn’t solve anything and sure doesn’t make me want to have anything to do with either of you.” She glared back and forth between them. She wrestled out of their grasp.
Gregory growled. “I still can’t believe Rowena put your sorry ass in charge of training. It must be great to have your daddy on the Council.”
“You son of a bitch,” Xavier huffed. “Get your head out of your ass and see the bigger picture. I’m the better fighter and trainer. Remember who trained you. Would you like to tell everyone in the room?”
The red in Gregory’s face turned to purple. She thought he was going to explode. “You think you’re so great. Let’s go prove you’re so perfect. You might have taught me some basics, but Xander made me a warrior not you. Never you!” he said through clenched teeth. “You are a weak, sniveling, worm that doesn’t deserve to live. You couldn’t even keep your wife alive and away from demons. Could you?”
