by Kelly Moran
Honestly, though. From the moment he’d encountered the little blonde sprite in his dreams as a boy, he’d been hers. One bat of those lashes, a curve of her smile, or light in her bluer than blue eyes, and she’d had him. By the short-hairs. The jugular.
And she showed no signs of letting go.
Holding his face in her hands, she eased away a fraction. An uneven exhale caressed his lips. Her sleepy lids lifted, and she shook her head slowly as if in disbelief. “Reality isn’t supposed to be better than dreams or fantasy.”
Yeah, well...nothing thus far had made sense. Why start now?
Chapter Ten
“Doing great. Now, rein it in.”
In the kitchen, Kaida let Ceara’s voice settle in her mind and held out her palm, suspending the free-floating globe of water over the butcher block island.
Energy and heat radiated inside her, buzzed under her skin. The better she got at this magick thing, the more she wanted to test boundaries. Knowledge had always been her kryptonite and she was an incredibly competitive person. Even her sisters were shocked at how quickly she’d learned to master her skill. For Kaida, all she’d needed was someone to teach her, and the switch had flipped.
The trick had been letting go, something she’d never dared to attempt. Doing so would’ve meant losing control. If only she’d known all along the key was to embrace the power instead of binding it, she might’ve had a much easier adolescence.
They’d been going at it all day. For the first time since starting lessons, her sisters were having her summon water from her surroundings and wielding it versus using liquid already in a bowl or glass. It had been much more difficult tuning her senses to moisture in the air and drawing it out, but she’d gotten the hang of it by lunch. Mostly. This afternoon had been focused on making said water disappear back into the atmosphere.
Needless to say, Ceara’s auburn curls and loose cotton dress were soaked. So were the floor, walls, and ceiling. She never got impatient with Kaida, though. Fiona had shown traces of frustration, but she’d kept mum from her perch on the counter, her stark red dress drenched.
“You can do it, sister.” Ceara stood on the other side of the island, hands flat on the surface, voice calm. “Sense the air, feel its need for your element. Breathe it in and infuse it within your cells. Then, thrust your energy.”
Gaze on the suspended liquid, Kaida dragged in a lungful of oxygen. She opened her mind wider as she exhaled...and there. The dry quality of the air tickled her throat, left her skin itchy. She closed her eyes, imagined the globe she wielded breaking apart into miniscule particles, and drew energy from her core to send the water back where it belonged.
A jerk of her body, and her eyes flew wide. An electric jolt shot through her bloodstream as the water...went poof. Not onto the floor or dousing her sisters, but actually disappeared.
Kaida froze. Glanced around. “Oh my God. I did it.”
“Heck yeah, you did.” Fiona grinned. “Nicely done.”
Ceara nodded, her smile warm. “I knew you could.”
Blowing out a breath, Kaida relaxed. Exhaustion weighed her down, but she wanted to go again. “Let me try something.”
She focused on Fiona and held out her left hand, pulling the dampness from her hair and dress. Once the water was in the air and off her sister, Kaida brought it to her and kept it suspended. Then, with her right hand, she did the same with Ceara. Merging the two liquid globes into one, Kaida sent the puddles from the floor and island into the hovering mix. Lastly, she summoned what dripped from the ceiling and walls.
The moisture combined after her many trials could fill a bathtub and resembled something out of a Spielberg flick as it wavered in the center of the kitchen. Attempting to replicate her success, she closed her eyes and repeated the process. Strain shook her muscles, but she zeroed in on the result, what she wanted, and punched out her energy.
Lungs straining, she watched as every single drop went back into the air as if had never been dislodged in the first place. Just...gone, baby. Silence hung instead.
Shocked immobile, she emitted a frantic laugh. “Holy cow.”
“Well, well. Look at you.” Fiona did a slow clap. “Impressive.”
Slumping over the island, Kaida rested her cheek on the cool surface. “I might fall asleep right here, if you don’t mind.” Every molecule in her body cried uncle. “I’m exhausted.” Thrilled, but exhausted.
“That’s because you’re still concentrating too hard.” Ceara patted Kaida’s back. “Enough practice, and you won’t feel so tired using the gift. You’ll get there. Soon, it’ll feel natural.”
“Yeah,” she said through a sigh and slowly straightened. Regardless of needing eight solid hours of shut-eye, she grinned like an idiot. Satisfaction filled her chest, made her giddy. “That was amazing.”
“Agreed.” Fiona flicked a lock of cocoa hair over her shoulder. “You should celebrate.”
You, not we.
The smile fell from Kaida’s face as dejection shoved out the happy. “Right. Maybe I will.”
Suddenly, she didn’t feel much like celebrating. An emptiness she’d harbored for what seemed like her entire life threatened to consume her whole. Nauseous, she tried to swallow and couldn’t manage. She’d done something truly outstanding today, and what was there to show for it? A cup of tea and a book in bed? Longing to be included as a blanket to keep her warm?
“What’s wrong?” Ceara tilted her head and reached for Kaida’s hand. “Are you feeling sick?”
“No, I...” Kaida closed her eyes, recalling the conversation she’d had with Brady at the lighthouse. He was right. She should talk to her sisters or they’d never know how left out their behavior made her feel. “Could we maybe celebrate together? It doesn’t have to be extravagant. Watch a movie or something? You know, without magick.”
Her sisters exchanged a look she couldn’t decipher before Fiona met Kaida’s gaze. “Does this mean you’re ready to let us in?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Trust goes both ways.” Fiona’s brows rose. “You may be open to the craft, even your part in the curse, yet you’ve held back in regards to us. You tell us stuff, but not everything. We stood in the meadow last week and discussed your dreams, except you conveniently left out the fact you’ve already met one of the Meaths.”
“I didn’t know who he was or even if he was real, never mind his significance.”
“And afterward? You go off on these little excursions with him, only to come back with doe eyes and your lips sealed. We have no clue what you’ve done or where you’ve been. We are all in this together, but we’re in the dark as to what progress you’ve made.”
Since getting defensive would do no good and Fiona wasn’t wrong, Kaida chewed her lip. She had been suppressing parts of herself. But her time with Brady was personal, and she’d never had to share him before. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Ceara squeezed Kaida’s hand. “We understand how new this is for you. From your birth, we were aware of your existence, but you weren’t given that knowledge. No one expects you to accept all these changes overnight.” She offered a sympathetic smile. “You’re with us now, and we want to be a part of your life. When you’re ready, we’re here.”
Not once had it occurred to Kaida she’d been freezing out her sisters as much as they’d done to her. She could, however, do something about it and move forward. “I’m ready.” She glanced at both of them. “We could start with drinks? Perhaps chat for a while?”
Fiona hopped off the counter, snatched a coconut from a bowl, and set it on the island with a grin. “Should we put a lime in it?”
Ceara laughed. “Midnight margaritas like in Practical Magic? Nice thought, but it’s not even dusk yet.”
A shrug, and Fiona moved to the doorway. “We’ll improvise. Let me change and I’ll whip us up some cosmos. Meet you outside in thirty minutes.”
Three hours later, sitting around a fire pit near the gard
en, dressed in pajamas and wrapped in blankets, they’d successfully drained the pitcher of pink cosmopolitans Fiona had made. Slouched in an Adirondack chair, Kaida was properly tipsy and still giggling at Fiona’s first kiss story.
“Totes serious. It was like a carp had swallowed my face.”
“Oh man.” Kaida wiped the tears of laughter from her cheeks. “You beat my bloody lip tale, for sure. I thought being so nervous I injured my first date was awful. What about you, Ceara? Who was yours?”
“Yeah, dish.” Fiona leaned forward. “You never told me.”
“You never asked.” A weary smile, and Ceara tilted her face toward the night sky, littered with stars. She rested her head on the back of the seat and sighed, gaze faraway and growing more lost by the second. “I had my first kiss on an evening just like this. It was much cooler, though. We could see our breaths, but I barely felt the cold. It was a great kiss.”
“And I’m jealous.” Fiona slumped in her seat. “Who was the boy?”
“Doesn’t matter. Turned out, he didn’t really like me. Getting close to me was a joke or dare. Or something,” she finished quietly, pain in her eyes. “Still a great kiss, anyhow.”
Fiona sniffed. “Be grateful you didn’t tell me who he was or else I’d maim him.”
They sat in compatible silence for a bit, only the roar of the ocean and crackle of leaves stirring in the breeze to offset the quiet. Brine clung to the wind and tampered the scent of burning peat moss from their dying fire.
Relaxed, Kaida took in the lattice arch just outside their circle, which led to the extravagant gardens beginning to bloom. Vines were turning green and buds forming on the groundcover. The gems hanging in various spots caught the moonlight.
Ceara tapped Kaida’s arm from the chair beside her. “How has it been going with Brady? What do you guys do when you get together?”
She hummed, thinking. “Talk, mostly. It’s strange being around him. I mean, for years he was just some reoccurring dream. Perhaps that’s why I can open up to him like no one else. He was a safe bet. It wasn’t as if he was going to jump out of my head and spill my secrets. But then, there he was, not a figment. He’s still so easy to be with, you know?”
Ceara and Fiona shook their heads like they had no clue. Did they find it difficult to trust others, as well?
Kaida tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was a shy kid and had trouble making friends. Part of me thought that’s what he was—an imaginary friend I’d conjured. My parents were nice people and very supportive, but they were...distant. We’d often spend hours in the same room and not say anything. They gave me a lot of space, more than most parents would give a child.” She huffed a sarcastic laugh. “I could’ve snuck out of the house to have an affair with Ozzy Ozbourne and snort eighty grams of coke up my nose, and they wouldn’t have been the wiser.”
She glanced at the cliffs in the distance and the moonlight glittering across the inky water. “I had no inkling of what to do when my powers kicked in as a teenager. The few friends I did have began to distance themselves when I stopped wanting to hang out. I was already considered a freak. The last thing I needed was to prove to my peers they were right. Worse, I was afraid I’d hurt someone.”
Refocusing on the flames, she tugged the blanket more snugly across her lap. “I lost myself in books and my studies. The best part of my day was bedtime, when I might get to see him. Brady didn’t ask for anything I couldn’t give or judge me. He was just...there. A safe harbor and kind word and a lent ear.”
“I’m so sorry.” Tears shimmered in Ceara’s eyes. “If we had known, Aunt Mara would’ve done something to help.”
Kaida must’ve thrown a hint of the bitter disbelief she felt in her expression because Fiona snapped her fingers, drawing Kaida’s gaze to her narrowed one.
“You have every right to be pissed off. We don’t fault you for that. But you only have a glimmer of how serious our situation is, Kaida. You may know the curse and the details, but there’s so much more at play, at stake, than you realize.”
“Not tonight, Fiona.” Ceara rubbed her forehead.
“No, she should hear this. Aunt Mara and Mama did what they thought was best, what would keep you safe. Regardless of whether they were right or wrong, Ceara and I had no say in their choice. We were just babies, too.”
Part of Kaida knew that, understood even, but her sisters weren’t the ones dropped off on a proverbial doorstep and left to fend for themselves. Still, it was time she stopped blaming them for a situation they had no control over.
She nodded. “What was done to me wasn’t your fault, and I believe you when you claim Mara would’ve helped. But it is what it is, and we can’t change the past. We can only go forward and hope to make things better.”
“We loved you, no matter how far away you were.” Ceara’s breath hitched as tears spilled onto her pale cheeks. “It was like a piece of us was missing. In a way, it still feels that way. I know you’re hurt, but we were hurting, too.” She paused, holding Kaida’s gaze. “You’re not alone anymore. We’re not alone anymore.”
Kaida stared at the sympathy and sincerity in Ceara’s eyes, and an acrid chunk of resentment she’d nurtured chipped off inside her. Not only did she believe her sisters, but she realized how difficult it must’ve been for them. Yes, she’d been drifting aimlessly, but they’d had to live, day by day, knowing the task ahead of them. The pressure they must’ve felt, the fear, had to have been consuming.
She cleared her throat and nodded, unable to speak.
“You two are buzzkills.” Fiona grinned, contradicting the remark. “Since we have the all-for-one rhetoric covered, any idea what the first mission is? Anyone?”
“I have a theory.” Kaida shrugged when her sisters looked expectantly at her. “It’s possible Brady and I are tasked in bringing our two families together. Amends or something. Logically, Celeste cast the spell for a number of reasons, numero uno being what Minister Gregory Meath did to her. A united front could be step one to righting the wrong.”
Ceara nodded slowly. “That’s actually quite brilliant. Makes a lot of sense, too.”
“There’s a flaw in that hypothesis.” Fiona shook her head. “The Meaths have agreed to help us. Brady and Kaida are already joined in a way. Technically, they have brought us together, but there’s no sign they’ve completed their task. The box Celeste hid hasn’t emerged.”
“I don’t believe that’s accurate.” At her sisters’ confused expressions, Kaida elaborated. “Look, we aren’t working together. Not really. Yes, we’ve had a meeting and laid it out for the Meaths, and yes, they’ve agreed to assist, but neither side trusts the other. Words don’t equate to actions. We’re still divided.”
Ceara blew out a breath. “She’s right.”
“What do you suggest?” Fiona frowned. “We form a circle, hold hands, and sing Hey, Jude?”
“If we’re going for a Beatles song, Imagine is a better choice for this situation.”
Ceara rolled her eyes at Kaida. “Fiona’s sarcasm must be contagious. You’re starting to sound like her.”
Fiona buffed her nails, grin smug. “It’s a superpower. Don’t be jealous.”
A laugh, and Kaida pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. “Spring Equinox is tomorrow.” For Wiccans, Eostara was a holiday to commemorate conception, regeneration, and... “New beginnings.” Tomorrow night would be the first time she’d be casting a circle with her sisters, traditional celebrations to follow.
“Uh-huh,” Fiona drolled. “We’re aware. We’ve been preparing you for it while teaching you to control your powers. What’s your point?”
“I think we should invite the guys to join us.”
“Hell to the no.” Fiona waved her hand in dismissal. “Eostara is private. So are our ways. It’s for those in the craft, not a freak show. Besides, we’re not supposed to do magick in front of others.”
“You’ve already done magick in front of them. Remember th
e clearing?” Kaida sighed. “They’re still in the shock and awe phase, especially Riley and Tristan. What better way to demonstrate they don’t need to be afraid of us? Besides, the more they see, the more desensitized they’ll be to witnessing us using our powers.”
Fiona shook her head and glared at Ceara. “Tell her the idea is whack.”
“I agree with Kaida.”
A growl, and Fiona shot to her feet. Paced.
“She’s right, Fiona. Something needs to be done to breach the gap. Fear is holding them back, same as it’s doing for us.” Ceara dropped her chin, stared at her linked fingers in her lap. “They were clueless when we mentioned hunters the other night. They’re not a part of that world.”
“And they could be faking their surprise. Expert liars, the lot of them.” Fiona whirled on her. “For all we know, they’re setting a trap.”
“I don’t understand.” Kaida eyed the two of them. “What do you mean by hunters?”
“Witch hunters,” Fiona barked. “Exactly as it sounds. It’s an organization started centuries ago by, who else? The Meaths. Their only purpose is to kill our kind, those with pure magick. They have countless others in the fold now.”
Ice shot up Kaida’s spine. “You can’t be serious.”
“Do I look like I’m playing Candyland?”
“Enough.” Ceara wearily lifted her gaze to Fiona. “Brady went madder than a hatter when he thought Kaida was hurt in the clearing. One doesn’t fake that kind of reaction. His affection is genuine. I felt it.” She rubbed her forehead. “Tristan and Riley thought we were lying when we brought up hunters. Did you see their faces? Stunned stupid, that’s what they were. I don’t believe they had any knowledge before we said something.”
Fiona’s shoulders deflated and she dropped in her chair, head in her hands. “Okay. If you’re sure—”
“I am.” Ceara nodded. “I’m not positive about much else, but I am on this.”