Power Play (Amanda Byrne Book 1)

by Kimberly Keane

  “No.”

  “Have you ever been to church?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s pagan church only the deities sometimes show up. In this case, she will; it’s why I’m here.”

  “God will come because you’re here?”

  “Goddess. Her name’s Ostara. She’s not here for me, but she’ll be here because I negotiated that for this ceremony.”

  “But I won’t be able to see her, right? None of this psychic stuff works on me.”

  I furrowed my brow. “She actually manifests; she’s not just psychic energy, she’s . . . real.”

  Daniel raised an eyebrow.

  “Seriously. The deities affect reality; they can create and destroy it. You should be able to see her, and anything she does that affects reality could affect you.”

  “What will happen? Will it be just like going to church?”

  I shook my head. “Every ceremony is different. Each one is written for a specific purpose or holiday and every coven has their unique flavor.”

  “So, you have no idea what will happen, right?”

  “Other than Ostara showing up and someone getting pregnant, that’s right.”

  Both his eyebrows crept toward his hairline. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

  I laughed, and a blush rose to my cheeks again. “Not always. The last fertility ceremony I attended, Ostara simply touched and blessed the people involved; there wasn’t any . . .” I raised my hands and clasped them together and then pulled them apart, ignoring the heat that poured off my face. “The ceremonies I’ve been to where that happens, the couple retires to a nearby room after the ceremony.”

  “Good.”

  I watched Daniel move around the front of the car and open my door and worked again to banish the memory of his bare chest under my hand. I couldn’t meet his eyes when he took my hand and pulled me from the car. His skin was rough against mine and I ignored the warm rush it sent through me.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  I hadn’t worn my colored contacts to the ceremony, and Lady Falcon did a double take when she opened the door. “Your eyes, my dear, especially the silver one; how lovely!”

  The compliment was made even better by the fact that the emotions in her aura showed she meant it. Gods help me, but it felt good deal with someone who appreciated my new look.

  “Lady Falcon, this is Daniel. Daniel, Lady Falcon, High Priestess of the Hearthfire circle.”

  “Ma’am.” Daniel smiled and inclined his head but didn’t turn entirely toward her, nor did he take his hand from the small of my back.

  “Come on in and let me introduce you to my other half.” She showed Daniel and me into her family room. It was large, with wood paneled walls and a hardwood floor that smelled of oil soap. On an altar in the middle of the room lay tools to represent each of the elements: earth, air, fire, and water.

  There was a white rabbit in a cage beneath the altar for Ostara. The goddess had only requested she be worshiped and a ceremony be held in her honor each spring, but it was obvious Lady Falcon felt the need to make a special offering. It paid reverence to a story told about the goddess in which she turned a bird into a white rabbit—in some versions of the story it was to save the bird from dying in the cold; in others, it was to allow the bird to realize its love for a rabbit. Regardless of the reason, the transformation was incomplete, and the bunny retained the ability to lay eggs. In thanks, the bunny laid eggs, colored them brightly, and left them as gifts for Ostara. It’s one of my favorite stories.

  A gentleman just a few inches taller than Lady Falcon’s five foot five walked into the room, and she turned. “Come here, dear, and meet Amanda and Daniel.”

  Grey Hawk was bald and burly, carrying with him the essence of a grizzly, albeit a friendly one. He kissed the back of my hand and pumped Daniel’s mercilessly. “Heather and Brian are so excited. Good kids. It’s so sad they’ve had such a tough time having a little one. We were so excited when you agreed to negotiate with Ostara on their behalf.”

  “I’m sure they’re thankful that you both opened your home for the ritual,” I said.

  “Ah, that’s nothing. We do all our indoor rituals here. We’ve got the space and I play high priest to Falcon’s high priestess.”

  “Isn’t that unusual for a married couple?”

  “It’s not unheard of, but it can be taxing on both of us. It’s a bit like trying to work together and live together: you’re in each other’s back pockets, and one world tends to blend into the other. But we manage pretty well.” A smile crept over his face and he glanced at Lady Falcon.

  The adoration that poured out of him was so powerful that it seeped through my shield. I trembled and thought, if only for a moment, about dropping my protection completely and letting the emotion rule. Instead, I ignored a pang of longing and strengthened my shield. I had just fully regained my composure when the doorbell rang. Lady Falcon and Grey Hawk left hand in hand to invite the next guest inside.

  Daniel looked around the room. “Sparse.”

  “But it leaves plenty of room for the ritual,” I said. “No need to move furniture around if there isn’t any.”

  Coven members arrived in groups and soon the room was full of tangerine excitement and amber joy. Heather and Brian, the soon to be parents, flitted about the room, fidgeting with everything they could get their hands on. I couldn’t help but smile the fourth time Heather smoothed the back of Brian’s shirt, tugging it down as if that would straighten the wrinkles out. I watched them, smiling each time one reached for the other.

  After all the coven members had arrived, Lady Falcon called our attention and asked us to be seated. A few chairs were brought in for members that preferred not to sit on the floor. I waved away the offer of a chair and plunked down on the floor.

  Daniel looked down at me. “I’d like to stand.”

  “Ask Lady Falcon if she’s okay with that.”

  I expected him to get her attention surreptitiously, but he turned and called out to her. “May I stand?”

  I sighed and put my head in my hands for a moment, as if I were the girlfriend embarrassed by his actions, then returned my attention to Lady Falcon.

  She moved so easily, she almost floated over to Daniel. She took his hands in hers, and smiled. “Of course, my dear.” Then she flitted back to the altar. She turned in a circle, ensuring that everyone had settled, and picked up the athame, a small knife that represented either the element of fire or the element of air, depending upon the practitioner’s tradition. In addition to its elemental representation, it could be used as an energetic focus to work magic.

  She moved to the outside of the circle we had formed, walking clockwise with the athame pointed down, drawing her energy, focusing it, and laying the edge and foundation of what would become a magical circle. Her form in the alternate realm shone brightly and she left a silver trail at the edge of the circle.

  Daniel watched her carefully, turning with her so she was never at his back, and yet still giving the impression that none of the other members of the coven could have gotten the drop on him.

  She returned the athame to the altar, closed her eyes, and cast the circle. My ears popped, as if the pressure changed, and I half yawned to clear them. The energy of the circle vibrated softly at my back and I wanted to lean into it and feel it run through my body. If I tilted my head, I could see its shimmery silver color behind the backs of the others.

  When I realized I had been mesmerized, I brought my attention back to Lady Falcon. She and Grey Hawk stood together at the altar. Her gray hair was pulled loosely back in a braid that hung down her back; his bald pate shone in the late-afternoon light that streamed through the window. They motioned to me and I joined them.

  “Greetings and blessings to all who have come to support Heather and Brian in this ritual to help them conceive a child. Ostara has generously accepted the invitation of the Hearthfire coven,” Lady Falcon said.

  I nodded to Lady
Falcon, who went to the east side of the congregation and created a doorway in the magical circle. I followed her earlier instructions—I closed my eyes and extended my arms above my head. I turned in a circle and then lowered my arms to shoulder height, turning my palms upward.

  “Ostara, goddess of new life, goddess of spring, Hearthfire welcomes you to their ceremony. Please join us,” I said.

  Ostara, liking to be announced, had agreed to show up when asked, and I opened my eyes to find her entering the circle through the opening Lady Falcon had made. She wore a pale-yellow dress with a short train that brushed the floor behind her. Her hair, nearly the same color as her dress, fell almost to the hem of her dress. I curtsied low to the floor and my skirt pooled at my feet. When I arose, Ostara blessed me with a Mona Lisa smile and a small incline of her head.

  The ritual continued with Lady Falcon presenting Ostara with the rabbit. Ostara gathered the bunny into her arms, stroking it absentmindedly.

  “Please accept our offerings in gratitude for your presence and your assistance with Heather and Brian,” Lady Falcon said and sunk into a lower curtsy than I had managed.

  Ostara turned and looked at each of the people seated, offering them a radiant smile. “People of Hearthfire, join me in welcoming the new buds of the trees.”

  We all started when a loud crack sounded from the floor. A green sprout rose from between the floorboards, growing at an enormous rate. It rapidly became a small crabapple tree. Pink flowers budded and turned to fruit in a matter of seconds. Then the floor, walls, and ceiling faded from view, and we stood in a green meadow dotted with tulips and irises. I even saw a few delicate columbines. Ostara released the bunny and it jumped and cavorted in the grass. Ostara laughed, and we couldn’t help but join her.

  Everyone rose and wandered around the field, feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays on their faces. I kicked off my shoes and ran barefoot in the grass. I stopped when I was out of breath and sat down next to Daniel, spreading my skirt out around me. He still stood, but now his posture was rigid, and his fists were clenched at his sides.

  I looked up at him, wondered what he was feeling, and reached out to lay a hand on his leg. It hovered there for a moment before I pulled back and tucked it into my lap. “This is a place between Earth and the god realm,” I said.

  “I didn’t think magic worked on me.”

  “I told you that the deities can alter reality.”

  “Does that mean the room we were just in has become this?” He extended one arm and then moved it back to his side.

  “I don’t believe so. It feels more like this is a place between Earth and the god realm.”

  “So, Ostara brought me here. Isn’t that magic?”

  “I would think so, but she isn’t affecting us on the spiritual or mental level. She’s actually moving our bodies.”

  He nodded slowly, accepting this statement more quickly than I would have expected. “If she only does spiritual magic, it won’t affect me, right?”

  “I think so. Sit down and relax for a moment. Rick can’t get me here.”

  “What if he can come here?”

  I pursed my lips. “It’s possible. But there aren’t too many of us who can travel to anything but the spirit realm. I can make it to the god realms, but I can’t travel here, so I seriously doubt he could.”

  He seemed to consider it, nodded briskly as if I’d convinced him, and then looked around. “Are all of the other realms this . . . perfect?”

  I looked around. Although it was beautiful, and the sun and breeze made the temperature comfortable, I wouldn’t have described it as perfect. The grass was longer than you’d see in front yards, and the other vegetation grew in clumps, not symmetrically about the place. “What do you mean by perfect?”

  “Beautiful.”

  “Most of the god realms have places this beautiful. Some of them have places . . . not so beautiful.” I shuddered.

  The tension that he’d been holding in his back and shoulders had released somewhat as we talked, but he still hadn’t sat. I rose up to my knees, took his hand, and tugged on it. He looked down at me. The beauty of the world around me faded away and the only things I knew were the depth of his eyes and the feel of his hand in mine. When my heartbeat sped up and I thought about standing and pressing myself against him, I let go of his hand and looked away.

  I took a deep breath, reminded myself to be professional, and stood. I set my hand on his shoulder. “Daniel.”

  He looked down at me. A warmth spread through my body, and I let it without leaning in for anything else. I could do this. I could feel the attraction without acting on it. I could also help him, if only I knew what emotions he battled. There was only one way to find out. “What are you feeling?”

  He took a small step backward, and my hand slipped off his shoulder. “What do you mean?”

  “Look at everyone else.” I turned around in a circle and faced him again. “They are relaxed, full of joy and wonder. They are talking and exploring and playing like children. But you’re standing here as if you were stone. If you were anyone else, I could see what you felt and help you. But I can’t see your emotions, so I don’t know how to help.”

  “I don’t need any help.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Everyone needs help sometimes.”

  He glared at me. “I don’t.”

  I sighed. “Okay, forget the emotions. Why are you standing here like a snake is going to leap out of the grass and bite you?”

  “This is the first time anything like this has happened! Am I not allowed to be wary of it?”

  “You can be any way you’d like, but I haven’t seen anyone react the way you’re reacting.”

  “You’ve never been around a bodyguard before.”

  “I’ve been around plenty of vets.”

  He made a dismissive noise and turned away from me.

  “Fine,” I said. “I’m going to commune with nature for a bit. Please let me know if I should be anywhere in particular for you to protect me.”

  “I don’t know how to protect you from this.” He raised his hands.

  “You don’t need to protect me from this,” I said, then remembered not only Rick and his habits, but Miriam’s reaction to him. “Please, just protect me from Rick.”

  He nodded, and I saw the muscles in his back release more, as if his inability to protect me from magic were the only thing keeping him from experiencing the wonder all around him. His shoulders relaxed, and he sat down. He closed his eyes and inhaled.

  “It smells like rain.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?”

  “But the grass isn’t wet.”

  “Thank the gods. I hate wearing wet clothes.”

  He opened his eyes and looked around as if he were seeing the place for the first time. “I know someone who would love it here.”

  “Who?”

  “Suzanne. She’s my—”

  Before he could finish, chimes rang out.

  “We have celebrated the return of spring,” Ostara called out to us and motioned for everyone to return to their seats in the circle. “Those interested in conceiving a child, please join me.” Ostara held out her hands.

  Brian and Heather walked to her and stood on either side of the goddess.

  “You have faced much difficulty and pain,” Ostara said to Heather, who nodded, tears springing to her eyes.

  “As your worries left you and you experienced the wonder of spring”—Ostara motioned around her—“know you shall conceive a healthy child tonight.”

  Heather looked at Brian and they smiled at each other. Brian gently wiped the tears from Heather’s face and pulled her in for a brief hug.

  Ostara knelt and scooped up the bunny that flounced toward her. “In honor of spring and the desires it brings, it would be a pity that only two should reap the benefits of the season. Everyone shall celebrate.”

  The meadow faded, Ostara with it, and we found ourselves seated in Lady Falcon’s family room, sans
crabapple tree, the magical circle still shimmering around us. The temperature in the room began to rise and my face flushed in response. I felt a tightening low in my stomach.

  Oh no. I barely had time to think before desire and need crashed into me. My breath was ragged, and I was so aware of Daniel standing next to me that I swore I could feel the heat radiating from his body. I clenched my fists, digging my fingernails into my palms.

  What is this sudden tension? Urd asked.

  Sex. I closed my eyes against the desperation drowning me.

  This is not sex. I am familiar with the act of sex.

  This is the feeling that means we want sex.

  But this feeling is intense, burning, tightening. It compels us; it is becoming . . . undeniable.

  For the love of the gods, stop talking about it! I dug my fingernails deeper.

  I had to get out of there. I uncurled my fists, opened my eyes, and found Lady Falcon and Grey Hawk in each other’s arms.

  “Lady Falcon,” I called out. She started and looked toward me with glazed eyes. “Release the circle.”

  She looked around the room, but her attention was brought back to Grey Hawk as his lips found her neck. She moaned and arched her body into him. I clenched my fists again, using the pain to fight the rising desire. And then I felt Daniel press against my back, his teeth scraping my neck. My knees gave, and I hit the ground hard, the pain replacing the electricity that ran through me. I pushed myself away from him, almost crab walking.

  His eyes were fully amber, and he smiled as if he completely understood the impact of his teeth on my shoulder. He took a step forward, growling, “You’re always around. Wet from the shower. In those damn yoga pants. Becoming the ocean in my arms.”

  He strode toward me and lowered himself to his knees. Dear gods, I wanted to feel him against me. His mouth, his weight, his powerful body. But this couldn’t happen.

  Why not?

  Oh, for the love of the gods! I can’t fight him, me, AND you.

  I held out my hand and shouted, “Stop!”

  A shudder went through him and he paused, his brow furrowing. The line of his jaw hardened, his fists—and then his entire body—clenched, and he turned from me.