by Julia Mills
Siobhan spoke and the waves of acceptance and reassurance flowed over Anya, “Our Kyndel is a lot like your mom was, only not magical, just an extremely strong healer. I am also a healer and Kyra is a white witch, as you already know. She performed a rite to find what was keeping you unconscious and removed the offending magic. We were hoping that it cleared up all the effects of the tainted magic, but apparently, some residual effects remain. We think we have a way to help you with that.”
She almost jumped off the chair, so excited to hear what they had to say. They were going to help her remember who she was! “Absolutely, what do we need to do first?” she asked.
Both of the women and Devon smiled, but it was Siobhan that spoke, “First of all, you need to get a good night’s sleep.”
When she would have argued, Kyra spoke up, “She’s right, you really do. The magic we got rid of earlier was some nasty stuff and you did just return to the land of the living. Rest up while Siobhan and I get all the goodies ready. Tomorrow at twilight we’ll all be calling you by your name,” the little witch added, looking just as excited as she felt.
Kyra and Siobhan explained everything that would happen during the ritual, and she was surprised how much it sounded like the spells that her mom and her friends had worked. All through the evening, the people she had met earlier stopped back in her room to tell her how happy they were she was feeling better and to say good night. Devon was lucky to have such a tight-knit group of family and friends. She was confused about who was actually related and which ones were just friends, but none of that seemed to matter. They all seemed great.
Kyra’s husband came in to get his wife and Siobhan also said good night, leaving her and Devon alone for the first time since she had awakened. She listened intently as he answered all her questions about his life. It was so cool to hear how he and the men she had met had been friends since they were teenagers. Devon didn’t seem all that old, but when he talked about his friends and family she felt a kind of timelessness that made her think he was older than he appeared. She blamed it on his slight accent but couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing something she would easily identify any other time. It wasn’t that they had ever met before; it was something deeper. He was unique…special in some way.
She ducked her head trying to hide a yawn, but he was way too perceptive, commenting as he stood, “You really do need to rest.”
Without another word she was in his arms again and he was walking towards the bed. Although she had spent the evening with Devon, the air from the open window had kept his scent just out of her reach. She inhaled deeply, her eyes closing on their own and she wondered if anything had ever smelled as good as the man holding her.
He gently laid her down, kissing her on the forehead before he stood and headed towards the door. Is he going to leave without saying goodbye?
A chuckle whispered through her mind right before she heard his voice, “No, Sweetheart, I’m gonna try to get this broken door closed and then I’m going to get some sleep in that big comfy chair over there.”
“But…”
“But, nothing,” he cut her off. “I have slept by your bedside for almost two weeks and I’m not about to stop now.”
He turned and with just a look made it clear that she should agree…so she did. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I am. I’ve spent many nights in that chair and a few more won’t hurt.” She watched as he made his way around the room, blowing out the candles that hadn’t already burnt down.
When he was finished, he sat down and began taking off his boots. The play of muscles underneath his faded black T-shirt made her hands itch to feel them for herself. Committing each movement to memory, knowing the day would come when she would need to recall just being in the same room with a man like Devon, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. That man is lethal!
Fighting sleep, she pried her eyes open just as he turned off the light. She gasped, surprised by the feel of Devon’s lips on her forehead and his whisper falling gently on her ears, ‘Oiche mhaith a mhuirnl’n.” In her mind she heard, “Good night, my treasure”.
“Night, Devon,” she said several seconds later, finally finding her voice and giddy that he thought of her as his treasure.
The springs on the chair creaked and she imagined Devon getting his very large, very muscled frame into some kind of comfortable position. She debated telling him that he could go sleep in his own bed, but the words wouldn’t come. Being honest with herself, she knew it was because she was scared to be alone. Promising herself that tomorrow night, after she knew her name, she would make sure he got a good night’s sleep in his own bed, she snuggled in. Feeling satisfied with her decision and growing more tired by the second, she drifted into blissful sleep.
Consciousness came all at once. She went from a delicious dream of Devon to eyes wide open, the sun from a new day shining bright. Choosing to return to her dream, she rolled over, only to be met by a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen topped with a head of curly blonde hair.
“Morning, I’m Sydney!” The beautiful child announced, whispering loudly.
“Well, good morning to you, Sydney. How are you?”
“I’m good. We gots to whisper, cause Mom said not to come in here until you were awake. I was gonna sit and wait but you were talking and I thought maybe you were awake with your eyes closed, big people do that sometimes, but you weren’t but now you are so…”
She giggled at the child’s precociousness and then wiggled herself into a sitting position. “So we can talk?”
Sydney nodded and her blonde curls bounced all around. The little girl was absolutely beautiful, inside and out. When she looked into the child’s eyes she could see what most called an ‘old soul’. Like most children, Sydney had very few boundaries, and within the next minute was all the way up on the bed, spreading out paper dolls and telling a story about how the prince saved the doctor and the lost little girl.
The child stopped and looked up, cocking her head and furrowing her brow, “You are kinda like me and Mommy. You got saved by Devon just like we got saved by Daddy.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement made without reservation. “What makes you say that?” she asked, extremely interested in Sydney’s answer.
“You were ‘napped by Andrew just like me and Mommy. Well, Mommy was ‘napped by the other bad guy, but he lives with Andrew so it’s kinda the same thing.” Sydney made a sweeping motion with her hands before continuing, “And just like Daddy came and got me and Mommy, Devon came and got you. He’s a real cool guy. You should like him.”
She laughed out loud, “You think I should, huh? What if he doesn’t like me?”
Sydney handed her the paper doll princess and a change of clothes. “Sure he likes you, silly, he likes you lots.”
It was absolutely preposterous that she was having such a personal conversation with a child, but there was something special about Sydney, obvious in the way she spoke with such conviction. It was then that she realized she had absolutely no idea how old the child was. “May I ask how old you are?”
“Sure you can,” Sydney beamed. “I’m six! How old are you?”
“Well, that’s kinda tricky, because right now I don’t remember.”
“Like you don’t remember your name?” Sydney asked, with a look of concentration on her face.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That’s easy, you’re Anya! Why didn’t you just ask? I heard it last night, in here.” The child pointed at her temple while continuing to play.
Anya? Yes! That’s it! That’s my name! Anya Sloane! Speechless, she sat looking at Sydney, unsure what to do. The little girl continued to talk as Anya sat completely stunned, focused only on the fact that she finally remembered who she was. The fact that a little girl she had just met knew who she was, when she herself did not, would have to be examined later, because at that moment she was just ecstatic to feel whole again. The next few minutes bec
ame a blur as chaos ensued. Sydney climbed into her lap, Sam and Devon entered the room, and her brain reengaged causing her to shout out, “OMG! I KNOW WHO I AM!”
The adults raced to her bedside, Sam took Sydney off her lap, and Devon sat down beside her. When he grabbed her hands there was an instant recognition, a spark that emanated from their clasped hands, ran throughout her body, and landed deep in her soul. When he spoke, his voice amplified the electricity between them, “You remembered? Tell me.”
“Anya…my name is Anya Sloane, but it was Sydney. Not me. Sydney knew. She just said it like she’d always known.” Her words came out so fast that she had no idea if they even made sense. She just knew for the first time since the black fog had tried to destroy all she was that she had a name! In response, Devon pulled her onto his lap, covers and all, placing a kiss just under her ear that raised goose bumps all over her body.
His voice next to her ear made her want to curl into him and return the kiss, but they had an audience so she settled for leaning against his chest, “You knew her name, Syd?”
“Well, course I did, Dev,” Sydney answered with an unspoken ‘DUH’ punctuating her sentence.
It was Sam that asked, “How did you know, Honey?”
The child shrugged and repeated her earlier action by touching her temple, “Just did, Mom.”
Before any more questions could be asked, Lance, Aaron, and Aidan rushed into the room, closely followed by Rayne, the Commander she had briefly met the night before. Lance came directly to his family, “What’s up? We heard her scream.”
He looked from Sam to Devon with a knowing look that made Anya wonder what was up, but before she could ask, Devon answered, “Sort of. Actually it was Sydney. Our resident Super Girl who knew her name.”
Sydney giggled as Devon said, “May I introduce, Anya Sloane?”
“Nice to meet you, Anya,” she heard in one form or another from everyone in attendance. She smiled around the room, instantly embarrassed at her appearance. What the hell? I haven’t even brushed my teeth!
“No one here cares about that, Anya. We’re all just happy you finally have a name,” Devon whispered.
His comment warmed her heart, but the fact remained that she was still in her pajamas with bed head and morning breath and her room was quickly filling up with people she had just met. It was then that she remembered Kyra and Siobhan were preparing for a ritual to help her remember. Not wanting them to waste any time, she turned to Devon, “You need to call your mom and Kyra. I don’t want them to waste time getting ready for a spell we don’t need.”
Before he could answer, Royce and Kyra appeared. Wasting no time, Kyra hopefully asked, “Is it true? Did you remember?”
Anya nodded, “Actually it was Sydney that remembered…or knew…” She trailed off, not exactly sure how to explain. Thankfully, the little girl was quick to pick up the conversation.
Sliding from her dad’s arms, she rushed to Kyra, “I knew her name, Kyra. It was just right here.” Sydney pointed to her head again as Kyra laughed out loud.
Royce picked up the child, who quickly kissed his cheek and hugged his neck. It was obvious Sydney was loved by everyone, and Anya could see why. Her spirit was pure white with yellow, blue, green, violet, and pink – everything good and right – swirling throughout. When the big man spoke, Anya could hear nothing but love, “You’re something special, Little Bit.”
“So are you, silly ole dragon.” She hugged him tighter, bringing tears to Anya’s eyes.
A collective gasp went up and Anya felt all eyes on her. She turned, looking at Devon, unsure what had happened. “Everyone out,” he barked, obviously misinterpreting her tears for something other than happiness.
She struggled to explain, but in the blink of an eye the room was cleared and they were left staring at one another. Never one to deal with commands or confusion well, she jumped off his lap and sat on her knees across from him, “What was that for? Everyone looked at me like I had three heads. Then you issued an order and they left…just gone…poof. Did I do something wrong?”
Anya knew her voice was getting louder and sharper with every syllable, but she was feeling more herself and more frustrated by the minute. When Devon spoke, she could hear, as well as see, his struggle to remain calm, “Absolutely not. You did nothing wrong. It was just that…well…did you hear what Sydney said?”
“Of course, I heard what she said. I thought it was precious. She’s so sweet and so loved by all of you; it was just amazing to watch. Made me all teary-eyed”
Relief colored his expression. “They were happy tears?”
“Yes, Devon.” She swatted at his leg for emphasis. “They were happy tears. Couldn’t you tell? Now what’s bothering you?”
He smiled but she could see the unease in his eyes. The deep breath he took before speaking only confirmed it. “Did you hear everything she said?”
“Yes, dammit!” frustration coloring her words. She knew she’d been in a coma and had holes in her memory, but she wasn’t brain dead after all. “What’s wrong? What did I miss?” She narrowed her eyes and tried for an intimidating look. “What are you not saying, Devon?”
He reached out to touch her hand but she moved before they touched. The hurt on his face stung, but she was confused and well on her way to pissed. His touch would be a serious distraction, so she stuck to her guns, no matter how much her heart told her to close the distance between them. He hung his head, speaking without looking up, “I guess it’s now or never. I ‘d hoped to wait and talk to you about this after you had time to get to know me better, but as they say, ‘Out of the mouths of babes’.”
As if in slow motion, he lifted his head, his pained expression shattering her resolve to avoid his touch. She reached out, laying her hand on his knee and was more pleased than she should have been when he covered it with his. “Anya, Sydney called Royce a ‘silly ole dragon’. Did you catch that?”
“Yeah…and…?”
The deep breath and slow exhale Devon took made Anya tense, preparing for some devastating revelation, but what he said made her want to hug and strangle him simultaneously. “I am…we are…well the men are…” Huge sigh. “Dragon shifters…”
Anya laughed right out loud, all the fear and tension fading away until she literally fell back on the bed, laughing uncontrollably. Tears poured down her face and still, she laughed. It was just what she needed to rid herself of all the bullshit that had bottled up since her kidnapping. She laughed so long that Devon picked her up and plopped in the chair beside the bed with her in his lap.
Trying to get her laughter under control, she took a deep breath and looked up. Devon was half grinning, half scowling, with one eyebrow cocked higher than the other. His expression caused her to bust out in a renewed set of giggles that she worked as quickly as possible to get under control when his expression turned more scowl than grin.
A staring contest immediately began, one that Anya had no time for. Patience had never been a virtue she possessed nor had any aspirations to acquire. She was and always had been more of an instant gratification girl. Damn! It’s good to remember at least part of who I am! The situation at hand was no different than any other and she handled it exactly the same way she always had…leap first, look later. “What’s all the freaking out about? Think about it, Devon. I can read auras…see people’s spirits.” She stopped and thought for a moment and then asked, “You do know what that means, right?”
“I thought I did…now I’m not so sure.”
“Okay, here it is, Reader’s Digest version and all. When I look at people, I see ALL of them. I can see you and your dragon.” She shrugged and waited for his response.
“Oh…” was all she got, so she kept explaining.
“And even if I couldn’t see everyone’s parts and pieces, Mom and Pops were pretty powerful witches and very active in the ‘community’, so I’ve met a lot of people with special abilities. Shifters are pretty easy to spot once you’ve hung out with
a couple dozen. The auras are different. Although I will tell you that I always wanted to meet a dragon.” She waggled her eyebrows to ease the tension coming from Devon. When he chuckled, she gave herself a mental high five and then asked, “Was that why you were so worried?”
For a split second she thought he was going to have another ‘moment’, but he quickly schooled his features and answered, “Yeah. It’s not every day someone just knows about us. I was afraid with all you’ve been through it might somehow screw with your recovery.”
Devon suddenly became very intense, gripped her upper arm, and leaned forward until they were almost nose to nose. When he spoke, she could feel the weight of his words to the bottom of her soul, “There is absolutely nothing I would not do to keep you safe and happy, Anya. Nothing.” He slammed his mouth to hers, kissing her as if life itself depended on that one kiss. She responded immediately and felt something inside her click into place…something she hadn’t even known was askew. All rational thought ceased when his tongue slid alongside hers, igniting a wildfire that left her breathless and holding onto the man before her for dear life.
Anya was sure she would melt from the heat of their passion but was unwilling to move away from Devon. From one heartbeat to the next, he released her arms, leaned back, and smiled a lazy smile, all the worry of just moments before gone. She gave herself a mental shake to make sure she hadn’t imagined the last few moments. But one touch to her sensitive lips, still tingling from his kiss, coupled with the feeling of pure excitement coursing through her veins, assured her it had really happened. They stared at one another until a knock at the door caused her to jump.
“Come in, I know y’all have been pacing the hall the entire time,” Devon called out, keeping her captive with his heated gaze.
The words were barely spoken when the door flew open and everyone piled into the room. Sydney was the first to speak, “See…I told you, Anya knew. Sheesh, you guys freak out about everything.”