Shadows in Ravenwood (Daughters of the Circle)

by Lenore Wolfe

  THIRTY-FIVE

  MORGAN

  Morgan stood in the kitchen, stirring the pot of something that smelled horrible. Jack was at the counter whipping up some eggs as his twin, Jake, stood frying up something that smelled wonderful. Morgan wanted to join him, cooking with him any day of the week—rather than mixing the rank smelling stuff that Claire and Sophia had her whipping up now. She wrinkled her nose as Alex handed her the next ingredient she required. What she mixed didn't smell right. Not at all.

  She couldn’t believe how quickly her whole life had changed, since coming home.

  Jake confirmed that in the next moment. “Whew, Morgan. What are you cooking?”

  She grinned at him. “I’m working on a couple of new potions,” she said. “One is for Claire’s journey. The other is supposed to mimic explosive power.”

  Jack chuckled. “And the cauldron in the attic didn’t work?”

  She giggled. “Nope. I wasn’t about to try this one up in the attic, around all the other potions,” she said. Seeing Jack raise a brow at her, she said. “First, it’s more of an enclosed space,” she said. “And second, there are a thousand other ingredients up there. I didn’t want to mix something together that I shouldn’t. This might be our most powerful potion, yet.”

  Alex handed her some mandrake in a bowl. “How do you plan to test this one?” he asked.

  “Hmmm,” Morgan thought. “I think we’d better take this one out to the middle of the meadow.”

  “The Fae might not appreciate that.” Alex teased.

  “Wow!” Morgan said, frowning. “That’s true. Kind of puts a whole different perspective on things, doesn’t it?” she said. “Being able to see them, knowing they’re really there,” Alex nodded, and Morgan smiled sheepishly, looking up as Sophia came into the kitchen.

  Sophia smirked at her. “Well, that’s a good thing,” she said. “I heard someone say that it’s not what we bring to a thing that’s important,” she said. “It’s what we leave with.” She shrugged.

  Morgan stopped, mid-stir. “That’s pretty insightful,” she said.

  “Yeah—I think I heard it on a show somewhere. Sounds pretty wise, doesn’t it?” Sophia laughed again, wrinkling her nose.

  Morgan took the wooden spoon off the counter, shook it at her, then grinned. She went back to stirring the pot. “You seem to feel better, Sophia,” she pointed out.

  “Yeah,” Sophia gave a shy smile. “Those first few days without Kira were pretty rough,” she admitted. “I’ve never been away from her before.”

  Morgan nodded. ‘I can imagine. She’s not my daughter, and I miss her,” she said, gently.

  Sophia smiled at her, but she seemed sad to Morgan. They moved around the kitchen, each doing their own thing until Claire came in through the kitchen door, with her hair a wreck. She still wore the same outfit she’d worn the night before.

  She quickly moved around the counter—and went towards the stairs.

  Sophia eyed Morgan, and Morgan eyed Sophia, and the two women tore off in pursuit of Claire. When they reached the stairs, Tara was heading down the stairs, at the same time Claire tried to go up.

  “Block her,” Morgan yelled, laughing.

  Tara’s eyes widened, but she took one look at Claire and quickly moved to keep her from getting away.

  Claire turned around to glower at her sister.

  Morgan giggled, unrepentant. “Details,” she said.

  Claire made a face at her, and Morgan heard both Tara and Sophia start giggling. The four of them stood there, standing on the lower set of stairs, staring at each other.

  Morgan grinned when they saw Claire cave, and they all moved closer—anticipating a good story.

  “I called Thorick out of the statue the other night,” she said.

  Morgan’s brows shot up. “You…,” she said, “And the—Gargoyle?”

  Claire made a face, then nodded.

  Sophia teased. “He’s had a crush on you—like forever,” she said.

  Claire glanced at her. “Yes, but the first time,” she stared at each of the women.

  Morgan’s brows jerked up, and she chuckled. “Wait! The first time?”

  Claire looked beside herself. “I don’t know what came over me.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what happened. He kissed me—and then—the next thing I knew....”

  Laughing, Tara grabbed her wrist. “I’m still stuck on the first time….”

  Claire blanched, then blushed. “Yeah—that was two nights, ago.”

  Morgan laughed at this. “Wait. So—last night—wasn’t the first night?”

  Claire swallowed and shook her head.

  “Really?” Sophia grinned. “Nor the second night?”

  Claire made a face but shook her head again.

  Tara bit back a laugh, now. “So—that makes last night—the third night?’

  Claire glowered at them now, but nodded.

  “Oh, you little hussy,” Morgan teased.

  Claire sank to the step and sat down. “I don’t know what’s come over me,” she said. “I’m terrible.”

  Tara smirked. “No, honey—you’re in lust,” she teased.

  Morgan grinned. “I can see why,” she said, glancing towards the door as the shirtless Gargoyle walked through the front door. “Yummm,” she whispered near her sister’s ear.

  Sophia chuckled.

  He studied the women for a brief moment and smiled, then slipped right around them and went up the stairs.

  “Where’s he going?” Morgan whispered to Claire.

  Sophia watched her friend head up the stairs. “I think he headed to your room…,” she said to Claire. Claire’s mouth dropped open—and she quickly slipped around Tara and took off looking for Thorick. By this time, Sophia dissolved into giggles, and had to sit down on the stair Claire had just vacated.

  Morgan grinned, watching as her sister disappeared. “I think she got more than she bargained for,” she said.

  Tara nodded.

  “Do you think she knows she just became part of the Gargoyle clan?” Sophia asked.

  Morgan spun around to gawk at her.

  “They’ll protect her like one of their own,” Sophia explained. “Not that they weren’t doing that already—with us.” She laughed—then shrugged. “But, now, it’s different. He’s claimed her. She will have warriors around her wherever she goes,” Sophia said smiling.

  Tara’s mouth dropped open, as she glanced at where Claire had disappeared at the top of the stairs. “Should we warn her?”

  Morgan shook her head. “No,” she said as a mischievous idea occurred to her. “I think we’ll let her figure that one out on her own.” She turned as Tara stared at her, and shrugged. “Something tells me, she’s not going to mind,” she said, grinning.

  Tara’s brow shot up. “I don’t know. Did you hear, we’ve got a whole army of Fae watching over us, and have had, our entire lives?”

  Morgan eyed her. “You’re joking.”

  Tara made a face, glancing around dramatically. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  Morgan spun slowly around like she’d be able to disprove what Tara had just told her. “But they’re just outside, right?” she said.

  Tara shrugged, then grinned.

  Morgan shook a finger at Tara. “That’s not funny!” she said, and they both went racing after Claire.

  When they got to her room, they barely knocked before barging in. Claire twisted around to stare their intrusion. “What on earth?” she said.

  Morgan glanced wildly around, finding the guy she searched for sitting several feet behind Claire. She moved into the bedroom. He stood and inched toward the window. “Oh, no you don’t,” she demanded. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”

  He turned to stare at her, then Sophia, who followed slowly, dragging herself into the room like she knew she’d put her foot in it.

  “About what?” Thorick finally asked.

  “About a certain army,” Morgan whispere
d furiously, “who may, or may not be watching everything we do. And who may, or may not, have been doing so since we were small children.”

  “Actually,” he said, “since you were born.”

  Morgan saw Tara make a face.

  “They’re actually watching?” Morgan demanded.

  Claire’s expression went from outrage at their intrusion—to shock—and now she too searched Thorick’s face.

  “What do they watch?” she demanded. “Do they watch—everything? Did they watch us—last night?” she said, then flushed when she realized Tara and Morgan were still listening.

  He held up his hands. “They don’t watch everything. They try to be discreet.”

  “They—try?” Claire said, outraged.

  “Are they in our house?” Tara demanded.

  He seemed uncomfortable.

  “Are they?” Claire demanded.

  “Yes,” he said, quietly. “But your grandmother knew this.”

  Morgan glared at him, livid. “But we didn’t know this,” she growled.

  Claire leaned away from him—to eye her incensed sister. “We’ll figure this out later,” she said, and Morgan frowned at her. She put an arm around her sister, then the other one around Sophia, who seemed a little horrified. Her sister eyed Tara, as she spun them around. “No,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve seen Thorick long enough to talk to him. We’re not going to start our relationship off attacking him.”

  “But...,” Morgan held up her hand to indicate Thorick. Then realizing, she glanced at him and mumbled an apology, which Tara echoed. They both apologized for bursting in, the way they had, and left.

  Out in the hall, Morgan twisted around and stared at Tara. Her friend’s cheeks appeared on fire—probably much the same as her own, but that didn’t stop her from accusing, “Look what you made us do!”

  “Me?” Tara said, laughing. “Well—but it is true….”

  Morgan couldn’t help but smirk at her.

  The two of them started chatting about the implications of having all these Fae Warriors around them, watching them at any given moment—and all the things they might be doing—when Morgan realized Sophia seemed none too pleased with either of them.

  She bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Sophia,” she said.

  “You probably made him feel bad again,” Sophia accused.

  “Made him feel bad!” Tara nearly shrieked.

  Morgan started giggling. She couldn’t help it. Visions of invisible Fae Warriors, swimming around them, filled her head.

  Tara couldn’t help but laugh, realizing what these Fae Warriors had endured with her and her sister-friends. Even Sophia started laughing.

  They headed towards the attic while Morgan told Sophia what Claire had been trying to do with the Shamanic journey she’d attempted when they’d been up there last. Since Sophia had been asleep by the time Claire had gone looking for her—and Claire had obviously gotten side-tracked—doing other things….

  Sophia stopped, eyeing Morgan, causing Morgan to turn and look at her.

  “What is it, Sophia?”

  “Well, this makes me think. The Shamanic journey might actually help all of you,” she said.

  Morgan stared at her. “You mean—help Claire,” she said.

  Sophia shook her head. “No—I mean—help all of you,” she said, making a circular motion to indicate all three of them.

  Morgan shook her head. “Oh, no,” she said. “Claire’s the one with the meditation experience. I’m not about to attempt one of those Shamanic journeys.”

  Sophia grinned at her, looping her arm through hers, as she guided her to the door. “Don’t worry. It’s not as difficult as you would imagine. And I’ll be there to guide you.”

  Morgan was still arguing with her when they poured two more vials from the pot she’d made up earlier, and Tara went to get Claire while they prepared places to include all three of them for the journey.

  But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t talk Sophia out of it.

  She did get a two-hour reprieve when Thorick sent a messenger to get Sophia’s mother. But, finally, Morgan had to resign herself that Claire wasn’t the only one going on a Shamanic journey. Morgan just had to hope that none of them got eaten by the power animals they’d attract there.