by Julia Mills
Everyone laughed until Kyra asked, “Do you remember everything, Anya? Any holes in your memory?”
Anya turned and looked at the tiny witch while searching her own mind. She was disappointed to find gaps of blackness remained; all surrounding her abduction and the man the others referred to as Andrew. She wasn’t sure if it was lingering effects of the strange mixture of magic she had been bombarded with, or her subconscious protecting her from the trauma. Either way, she had to remember and was certain Kyra could help her do it.
“There are gaps. Mostly, about what happened at the mansion and that guy…Andrew.”
She cringed just a little when she said his name, feeling how much just the mention of it upset Devon and everyone else in the room. Although she really wanted to avoid upsetting the people that had been so kind to her, the truth was the truth and it had to be handled.
There was no missing the look Devon threw over her shoulder and Anya turned to see the exact same expression on the face of every man in the room. It was one that promised retribution and violence. In her heart, she knew that whatever had caused such hatred had to have been horrific and the curious side of her really wanted to know; but she had learned long ago that everything had a time and place and later…much later would be better.
Siobhan spoke and Anya acknowledged the calming vibes she was projecting with the serene tone of her voice. The power of the healer was immense and explained why Devon had so many of the same qualities despite his warrior exterior. “Anya, if it is okay with you, we can proceed with the memory ritual. Kyra and I have combined an Earthen spell with a ritual of ancient dragon origin that will bring your hidden memories to the surface. This extraordinary combination has an added benefit of allowing you to put your recovered memories in a metaphysical ‘box’ inside your mind, where you can then draw them out and deal with them when you are ready.”
“I remember Mom doing that a time or two with some of those she helped. It’s definitely worth a try. Thank you.”
Devon tensed and Anya met his eyes. He spoke in her mind before she could speak, “Are you sure you feel up to this? There’s no rush, Sweetheart. If you need time to rest and gain your strength, take it. Mom and Kyra will understand.”
She knew he had her best interests at heart but felt like a part of her life had been stolen and was ready to take back what was hers. “No, I want to do this and the sooner the better,” she answered out loud.
He reluctantly nodded but his words reassured her, “If you’re sure, then I’m sure.”
Anya placed her hand on his cheek, trying to show him as much as tell him how thankful she was for his support. “Thank you very much.”
Devon opened his mouth to speak, but his words were cut off when Aaron teased, “Enough of the mushy shit, you two. I’m hungry and Sam says we have to wait for Anya before we can eat. So chop chop.” He snapped his finger for effect.
“Oomph,” was all she heard before the laughing began again. One glance and she laughed, too. Aaron was rubbing his stomach and Kyndel was grinning from ear to ear, even winked when their eyes met. She and I are gonna get along just fine.
“You guys get the hell outta here and let Anya get dressed. We’ll be right out,” Devon joked, but everyone took the hint and filed out.
Aaron was the last through the door, throwing a wink over his shoulder and mouthing, “I’m starving.”
Anya giggled as the door closed and immediately gasped. In one fluid motion, she found herself standing, with Devon positioned behind her, his arms around her waist. Her legs shook and her knees threatened to buckle, but she refused to fall. His words at her back strengthened her resolve, “Just relax and lean on me. Let your legs get used to holding you again.”
Anya concentrated on first one leg and then the other pouring as much energy as she could to her weakened limbs. The tremors slowed and then stopped completely as she felt her strength returning. She lifted her right foot, testing her balance, and then placed it just inches in front of the other. Repeating the process, she was completely thrilled when she was still upright. Devon’s praise only added to her exhilaration. “You got this, mo chroi’. Let’s see if you can make it to the end of the bed.”
Feeling like she could climb Mt. Everest, Anya nodded and took first one step and then another, until she reached her destination. She was panting like she had run a mile and sweat was rolling down her back, but she was as happy as she could ever remember. Devon helped her take a seat on the trunk at the end of the bed and knelt in front of her. His hands on her thighs caused her pulse to race and her already hardened nipples to rub against the soft cotton of her nightgown. The corner of his mouth raised and she wondered if he had any idea what that look did to her heart rate.
She shivered at the sound of his voice. “You sit right here, and I’ll go run you a bath. It’ll help your sore muscles and get you prepared for a busy day.”
Unable to speak past the lump in her throat, she nodded and watched as Devon headed to the bathroom. Her eyes zeroed in on the incredible display of male anatomy before her. The muscles in his well-toned backside rippled and tugged at the denim of his jeans, and for the first time Anya could remember, she was jealous of the worn fabric. Her fingers tingled as she imagined them caressing and kneading those toned, hard muscles. Her thighs clenched together as moisture wet her panties.
Closing her eyes, she counted to ten and gave herself a quick reality check. He’s helping you, that’s all. It doesn’t matter that he kissed you; it was just a heat of the moment kind of thing. Stop thinking about him naked, it’ll only get you in trouble.
His voice stopped her inner monologue but what he said made no sense to her lust soaked brain. “Lavender or citrus scent?”
“Huh?”
He looked around the door frame and repeated, “Lavender or citrus scent?”
When she didn’t answer right away, he explained, “Kyndel makes bath oils infused with healing herbs and…well, I guess you’d call it her special brand of love.” He chuckled. “And I wondered if you preferred lavender or citrus scent; she makes a lot of different ones but those two suit you.”
She held back a girlie giggle at his continued attentiveness to her needs and answered, “You pick. Whichever’s fine with me.” This man is gonna be the death of me…but what a sweet way to go.
She grinned and looked towards the window. A grandfather clock somewhere beyond the door chimed twelve times and she gasped. Devon was in front of her in a flash. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
His hands moved up and down her arms, across her back, and across the tops of her legs feeling for injuries and leaving tiny little tingles in their wake that fueled the libido she was trying so hard to control. “I’m fine. Sorry. I just heard what time it was and realized everyone’s waiting for me so we can eat. We need to hurry.”
Devon laughed, “I assure you Aaron has already conned them out of food. There’s no way he waited longer than thirty seconds after leaving this room, and I’m sure the others followed suit. We don’t miss meals around here.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, still worried.
He leaned forward, letting his forehead touch hers and looked her in the eye, “I’m positive. Now let’s get you into the bath. It’s you that needs to eat. You need your strength to get back on your feet.”
With no further warning, she was in his arms again and being carried to the bathroom. He sat her on the corner of a gorgeous roman style tub, citrus scented steam rising from the wonderfully aromatic bubbles. “Here are some towels,” Devon pointed to a wicker stool stacked high with white fluffy towels.
“And here,” he pointed to a matching stool on the other side, “is a robe. I’ll be right outside the door, just holler when you’re done and I’ll come escort you out.”
He turned to leave, and although she knew it was totally inappropriate, she was a little disappointed that he didn’t even try to sneak a peek of her naked. Get over it, Anya. Why would he want to see yo
u naked?
The thought had barely made it through her mind when Devon stopped in the doorway, looked over his shoulder with a fire burning in his eyes that hadn’t been there before, and said “OH, I will see all of you, m’fhiorghra’ but only when you have the strength for what comes next.” He winked and exited the room, leaving Anya more breathless and aroused than before.
She soaked in the miraculous tub, enjoying the heat of the water and the feel of the herbs working the soreness from her muscles, invigorating her tired body. Wanting to get her hair washed before the water cooled, she turned on the water and attempted to situate herself under the faucet. As she shifted onto her knees, Anya realized a second too late that the bottom of the tub was more slippery than she thought. Her butt went one way, her knees the other, and without warning she slid under the water with an audible yelp!
Before Anya could resurface, two large hands were pulling her from the water as she spit and sputtered warm soapy water in a most unladylike fashion. Embarrassment damn near overwhelmed her as she refused to open her eyes, simply feeling around for the hand towel she knew was on the side of the tub. Devon’s hand met hers as he handed her the cloth and the same electric charge as before ran through her system, landing squarely in her womb. The sound of water pouring into the tub stopped.
After she had wiped her face, Anya sat perfectly still, eyes squeezed shut. She prayed Devon would just leave her in peace, to die of embarrassment. Instead, he spoke, “Are you okay, a chumann?”
She heard the smile in his voice and the thought of simply sinking under the water again bounced around her brain, but she figured he would just fish her out, so she answered, “Yes, I’m fine.” Anya knew she sounded like a petulant child and Devon’s bark of laughter only served to confirm her thoughts.
“What were you trying to do?”
She pouted a moment longer before answering, “I wanted to wash my hair but the tub was slippery. My top half zigged when my bottom half zagged and well…you know the rest.”
“Are you gonna open your eyes?”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
“Please?” She could hear him trying to hold back a laugh and bit the inside of her cheeks to keep from smiling. She was embarrassed…not flirting with the irresistible man that had once again saved her silly ass.
“Nope.” She worked hard to say that one word without laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.
“Okay, if you’re not gonna open your eyes, how about I help you wash your hair?”
He didn’t wait for her answer, which was good, because she had no clue what she would’ve said. The softness of a towel touched her shoulder, causing her eyes to fly open. The cocky grin and twinkle in his eyes told her that Devon knew exactly what he was doing, but in the end, she really didn’t care. Just having him close made her feel better, whole…complete, and quite frankly, it was worlds better than anything she could remember, so she decided to enjoy it. The towel he had secured to her shoulders covered her breasts, protecting her modesty and showing her what a gentleman Devon really was.
With his hands on her shoulders, he carefully moved her in a semi-circle until her back was to the faucet. Only after he had checked the water temperature no less than four times did he speak, “Lean back against my hand and let’s see what we can do.”
Anya let herself relax into his touch. The warmth of the water against her scalp was heavenly, but when his fingers followed, she sighed despite herself. What is it about his touch that makes it hard to breath? She had no clue but never wanted it to end.
His voice beside her ear sounded like silk sheets felt against bare skin as he whispered, “Is the water warm enough?”
She almost forgot to answer, so caught in the web of desire he weaved. When she did, it sounded breathy and “Fine,” was the only response she could muster.
Far too soon, Devon was shutting off the water and helping her return to a sitting position. He began gently massaging her scalp with a towel, drying the excess water from her locks. If she wasn’t careful, she could get used to all this attention and would damn sure miss it when it was gone.
He wrapped the towel around her hair, folding it on top of her head. “Can you get up on the ledge and get dried off? If not, I can call one of the girls to help.”
“I’ll be fine.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him just a bit closer so he could see the sincerity in her eyes as she spoke, “Thank you very much, Devon. I don’t know wh…”
He cut off her words with just the touch of his lips to hers, lingering slightly before pulling back. It was just long enough to make Anya’s heart race. When he looked into her eyes, she saw a passion and excitement that matched her own. His voice was rough and his breathing ragged as he said, “the pleasure was all mine, mo ghra’.”
He stood, and from her vantage point, the effect their kiss had on him was blatantly evident. Her eyes took a leisurely stroll up his body. She grew breathless the longer she looked, but she looked all the same. Every part she could see, and some she imagined, where perfect. She made it all the way to his amazing jawline, completely mesmerized. Even the man’s stubble is sexy. I wonder…her thoughts stopped dead in their tracks as she spotted the corner of his oh-so-kissable lips raised in a cocky little grin that said she was right and truly busted.
Winking, he turned to leave and reminded her, “I’ll be right outside the door. Yell, if you need me.”
Anya lifted herself onto the edge of the tub as soon as the door clicked shut, mentally berating herself for getting caught looking, no…make that drooling, over that damn sexy man. It only took a few moments for her to dry off and get bundled into the plush pink robe he had left for her. She had just wrangled her libido under control and wanted to walk when Devon returned, but he insisted she’d had enough exercise until she had something to eat and proceeded to pick her up and carry her to the bed, making her temperature rise yet again.
Almost immediately, he left, allowing Anya to get dressed and brush through her thick, wavy hair before facing the whole crew. When he carried her into the dining room, they all stopped what they were doing and seemed genuinely happy to see her. Kyndel set a plate of food in front of her while Grace filled her glass with tea. Sydney climbed onto her lap and kissed her cheek before telling her to try the cookies.
The rest of the day passed in a happy blur. Most importantly, she, Kyra, and Siobhan prepared for the ritual that would return her memories. The two very talented women taught her to make the ‘box’ in her mind that Siobhan had earlier mentioned. It was cool to think she would be able to store her recollections instead of being overwhelmed by them returning all at once.
About an hour before nightfall, they all gathered under the Blackthorn tree in Siobhan’s backyard. Anya watched from her place on a blanket Devon had prepared for her as Kyra lit the ceremonial fire and instructed everyone to form a circle around the blaze, enclosing both women inside. Just as they had planned, Kyra sprinkled rosemary, sage, periwinkle, and dried blueberry – herbs that stimulate memory–into the blaze while Siobhan recited the Ritual of Remembrance that had been used by the ancient Elders of her clan. The words became a part of Anya as she listened to the Healer’s tranquil tones.
“It is the will of Anya, your child of light, to greet her past for what it is. Together, all in attendance, we call the spirits of the past to meet the breath of the present that the future may bring forth life. She brings her heart and mind from the dark of the past to the light of the future. She welcomes all that has come to pass with open arms. We ask for your guidance from the Heavens, the Universe, and the Goddess of All.”
The flames grew higher and burned brighter, almost touching the leaves overhead, and then they suddenly extinguished. The darkness of the night descended and left the group in the light of the third quarter moon with the serenade of the frogs from the nearby pond as background music. Anya sensed Devon just before his hand touched her should
er, the heat from his touch calming her rattled nerves. Siobhan appeared before them and spoke as she knelt, “It will take time for the memories to resurface, and when they do, the ‘box’ in your mind will feel full, heavy even. I suggest you not attempt to open that box on your own or alone.”
Devon spoke first, “She won’t be alone. I have no intention of leaving her side.”
Even in the limited light Anya saw Siobhan smile, beaming with pride at her son’s declaration. She was a little confused by the healer’s reaction but felt such relief she didn’t ask questions. Siobhan touched Anya’s arm right before she stood, still smiling from ear to ear. “It looks like you are in good hands, my dear.”
Later, everyone gathered in the kitchen, eating cookies and cake until Sydney announced it was bedtime. After all the goodbyes and good nights, happily snuggled into bed, Anya fell asleep before Devon returned from his home. She had almost suggested he just stay there, in his own bed, but like the night before, she chickened out and kept her mouth shut. Sleep came easily knowing he would be there if she needed him.
Logically, Anya knew she was dreaming, but still felt herself being sucked deeper into the dream world of her memories. The scene came into view and a voice she had hoped to never hear again asked, “And who are you?”
Scared and still hurting from the bumpy ride in the back of a windowless panel van, Anya simply stared at the tall, unshaven man with mismatched eyes. Undeterred by her lack of communication and with a look of concern that surprised her, he questioned, “Can you at least tell me if you’re okay?”
She nodded and looked at her feet, unable to bear his intense stare. He spoke to another, the one she remembered as John. His long face and little, round glasses perched on the end of his crooked nose would have made her smile any other time. “Was she injured on the ride over?”
“Not that I am aware of, sir but I can have her examined.”
“See that you do. Can you not see that she is special…important?”