‘It makes sense. A lot has gone on since you found out you were a banshee as well as a medium.’
‘Maybe.’
‘Not maybe. Definitely.’ He swept his hand across her brow, brushing away the strands of hair stuck to her face. ‘Your power … it’s extraordinary.’ She frowned. No. No, no, no. He didn’t want to make her frown. He wanted her to smile. Needed her to smile. So, with a twist of his lips, he said, ‘And if this is the way you need to release it, count me in as your release valve.’ Her lips twitched. Yes! He had her. Now for the follow up. ‘I thought that kiss at the dam was something. But this …’ He blew a breath. ‘It quite literally lit me up.’
She laughed outright this time. ‘You are the most ridiculous man I know.’
‘You love that about me.’
The laughter left her face, the brightness in her eyes snapping off like the gas had been turned off on a flame. She edged back, her gaze darting everywhere, not landing once on him. He let her go, a hollow ache in his chest where warmth had just been. Her warmth. Fuck, he was an idiot.
She cleared her throat, hands twining in front of her once again. He wanted to grab them, to stop the painful, lost movement of them, but after what he’d said, he couldn’t touch her right away.
‘Adam?’
Jason’s voice sounded choked, wondering. He turned. His brother was looking right at him. In fact, all of them were looking right at him. ‘You can see me?’ He suddenly remembered hearing their discussion when he was kissing Shelley. ‘You can see me.’
Jason nodded, as did the others.
He looked down. His form was edged in sizzling amethyst. Eyes widening, he lifted his hands. ‘Shelley’s power.’
‘Yes.’ Bron said. ‘It went into you, like it would to any of the Were.’
‘He didn’t change into his wolf,’ Jason said.
‘No. Because he’s …’ she waved her hand, ‘whatever he is. He didn’t need her power to change into a wolf, he needed it to become corporeal.’
‘He’s not corporeal,’ Eloise said slowly. ‘But using Shelley’s analogy, he used her power to bring him into phase with us.’
‘He sucked energy from her,’ Iain said, worry in his tone. ‘Then he is a Shade?’
Eloise shook her head slowly, taking a step towards Adam. Iain grabbed her arm to pull her back, but she shook her head. ‘No. He’s not a Shade. We already determined that in the car. He’s something else. Something born of spirit and man and Were. Something unique.’ She turned to the others, her eyes bright with wonder, with understanding. ‘Shelley’s power can light him up. I think, maybe, all of our power could. He’s a conduit for it. More truly now than ever before.’ She walked forward a couple more steps, Iain right behind her. When she lifted her hand to touch Adam, Iain hissed, fists clenching. Eloise turned to him. ‘It’s okay. I’ll be fine.’
‘How do you know?’
Her smile was almost beatific as she met his gaze. ‘I don’t know, but something inside is telling me what I said is true. It feels right, like I need to do it. Do you trust me?’
His tension dissolved. ‘Always.’
She reached out to Adam.
He let her touch him, trusting her instinct. Her fingers slid down his arm to his hand. He gasped at the sensation that surged through him. It didn’t have the same heated sexual feel of Shelley’s power. More innocent somehow and yet vastly more ancient. It sank into his skin, leaving a glow of green sparkles along with the purple of Shelley’s where she’d touched him.
‘Beautiful,’ Bron said, stepping forward to touch him too. Her touch, on his other arm, left an orange glow behind, was warmer than Eloise’s power, but not as warm as Shelley’s and made him feel lighter. Skye joined them, Jason right behind her. She touched his shoulder, leaving blue sparkles in the wake of her fingers. Bron touched where Eloise had touched, the colour of her power not overlaying hers, but mixing in, so that his skin looked like it was covered in tiny sparkling lights of orange, green and purple. The three of them laughed and then began placing their hands over where the others had touched.
Adam’s lips twitched. ‘Girls, I know I’m irresistible, but you don’t want to make your mates jealous, do you?’
Jason, River and Iain snorted.
‘How long will he stay like that?’ Patrick asked in a hushed voice.
‘I don’t know,’ Eloise said, her voice equally hushed, like they were standing in the Sistine Chapel discussing the Michelangelo paintings on the ceiling.
‘Where I touched him seems to be fading already,’ Bron whispered.
‘Thank the moon for that. I look like a bloody Christmas tree,’ Adam commented, his arms out wide while he looked down at himself.
‘If it was purple,’ Patrick snorted.
‘Whoever heard of a purple Christmas tree?’ Iain said, laughing.
‘All right you two. You can cut out the double act,’ Adam said. Then he stared. ‘You can hear me too?’
They all nodded and Jason stepped forward, tears in his eyes. ‘God, Adam. You’re a sight for sore eyes.’ He went to reach for his brother. His hands slid right through him.
Adam shuddered.
Jason turned to the witches. ‘How come you can touch him?’
Eloise shook her head and looked at Bron.
‘Maybe it has something to do with our power? Maybe he’s only in phase with witches. I don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like this before. Shelley?’
Shelley was still standing where she’d stood through this entire discussion, eyes wide, face pale, her gaze having come back to Adam again.
‘Shelley?’ Bron closed the distance between them and touched her friend.
Shelley jumped. ‘What?’
‘What do you think of all this?’
She shook her head, sucking in a breath. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t read anything in the diaries that could explain this at all, if that’s what you’re asking. But then again, I haven’t been looking for anything like this, so I am unlikely to have found anything about glowing still-alive spirit beings.’
‘You mean that they’re still hiding information from you?’ Jason asked.
Shelley’s attention snapped to him, fists clenched. ‘Not hiding. Just not responding in the way I want.’
‘Maybe you’re not asking the right questions.’
She glared at Patrick and then closed her eyes, shoulders drooping. ‘Perhaps. But if I’m not, I don’t know what the right questions are.’
‘Maybe you’re just not picking up the right diary.’
She looked questioningly at Skye.
Skye waved her hand. ‘When I’ve had a specific question in mind, when I wave my hand over them as Cordy told us, some of them flutter, indicating there is some information in them that could be useful, but often one simply jumps open, or flies into my hand, and I know that’s the one I need to look at. Is that happening for you?’
Shelley sighed. ‘Yes and no. I have so many questions, they’re all fluttering and jumping. It’s like watching a box of puppies trying to get my attention.’
‘That’s annoying,’ Bron said. Shelley gave her a look.
‘Speaking of annoying,’ Eloise said. ‘I don’t know if this happened for you, but sometimes I’ll go back to a diary I was looking at the previous day and the information I read then is no longer coming to the surface.’
‘Yes!’ all three witches said.
‘What’s that about?’ Skye asked.
‘It’s like …’ Bron added, ‘… like they also sense what you need to learn and if they feel you already have read or learned something, they give you something else. It’s fascinating and aggravating all at once.’
‘That means you can’t really use them as a true reference material,’ Patrick said, the idea obviously horrifying to his librarian sensibilities. ‘How can you truly learn something if it won’t show you the information again?’
Skye shrugged. ‘But we are learning. The diaries have help
ed us all a lot with understanding and controlling our powers.’
Everyone except Shelley nodded. Adam knew exactly why—she hadn’t been looking for anything about her own power except how to mute it with better shields. He really had to do something about that.
Jason’s voice cut into Adam’s thoughts as he asked Shelley, ‘Can you look into them about why Adam is able to suck in your power and be seen by all of us? I’d like to know if this is something that can be repeated or if it’s a one-off.’
‘Did you miss my handsome face?’
Jason smiled wryly. ‘Perhaps. Although I didn’t miss your lack of humility.’
Adam laughed, but then sobered when he saw Shelley frowning again. ‘What is it?’ Her mouth twisted and she looked down and away. Adam was certain he saw tears. ‘Kitten?’
She turned back to face them, misery and anger in her eyes. ‘I just remembered I have read something that might help explain this.’ She told them what she’d found about Tricksters, how they’d been affected by the pact and the magic of the covens in ways that changed their empathy, making it magical in form, and far stronger than it ever was meant to be. ‘I thought it meant emotions and some degree of physical health, but it possibly also allows him to syphon magic in a way we’ve not seen before and use it for something other than the change.’
‘Fascinating,’ Jason said. ‘Then if he can …’
Shelley made a chopping motion with her hand. ‘It might be fascinating, but it’s pointless delving into it now.’
They all stared at her, obviously shocked by her outburst. She couldn’t make herself care about that now. Adam stepped closer to her, but Shelley edged away. She couldn’t let him touch her. She didn’t want to be held, or comforted or made to laugh until her worry faded away. It wasn’t going to fade away. ‘This,’ she said, waving her hand around, indicating Adam and her before any of them could rally enough to speak, ‘still doesn’t help us know more about what truly matters.’
‘And what is that?’ Adam asked.
‘Finding a cure for you. Working out what Morrigan and Cain are going to do next. Protecting ourselves from whatever is to come.’ She raked her hand through her hair and blinked rapidly, hating that she was so close to crying. ‘I just feel like we’re running out of time. The knowledge is building inside me, like the banshee is humming and it’s getting louder and louder every day. I feel we’re on a countdown and yet I can’t see what the end time is. All I know is it’s coming and I’m afraid I’m inadequate to the task of finding the solutions.’
‘Kitten,’ Adam said, reaching for her again.
She jerked away, glaring at him. ‘Don’t touch me.’
‘Come on Shelley,’ Bron said, stepping warily forward, gaze moving between her friend and Adam. ‘You know that’s not true. You’ve helped me and Skye so much in understanding our powers. You’re found so much information and shared it. We’ve all learned from you.’
‘But not now. I can’t seem to find anything now. Except for information that’s not relevant to any of this.’ Except for her relationship with Adam. Not that they had a relationship or ever could. The diaries had made it perfectly clear that was well and truly off the table.
‘We’ll help. We’ll all help more,’ Skye repeated. ‘And if we’re not doing enough, you just need to ask us.’
‘Skye’s right. We never meant to put all of this on your shoulders,’ Jason said. ‘I’m sorry if that’s the way it’s felt. I’m sorry none of us has noticed what a strain this is putting on you.’
She shrugged. ‘It’s partly my own fault. I can’t seem to ask for help.’
‘I think maybe that’s been a problem for all of us in the past,’ Bron said. ‘But now we’re part of the pack. Part of a coven. It’s not just us anymore. We’ve got everyone else to lean on too.’
And everyone else’s expectations riding on her shoulders. Shelley sighed, unable to say it, refusing to look at Adam for fear he was reading that very thought from her head. He didn’t need to give more than he’d given already.
‘So, let’s take a breath and start again,’ Jason said. ‘Patrick, how about you do up a roster of those available and able to truly help Shelley and we’ll make sure it’s followed.’
‘Put me down too,’ Adam said.
‘That’s right,’ Bron said. ‘Shelley said you can read the diaries.’
‘It’s proof that he really does have some magical element in him,’ Jason said.
Shelley tried to keep the terror of that fact from her face as she nodded. ‘Yes. It’s proof. I realised it after I read about the magic of his Trickster nature. It’s why I was so upset about him draining himself before. It’s not like when you give Skye or Bron some of your power, Jason. Or even what a mate does for a mate. It’s more than that. It’s even different from a witch using too much power and draining themselves, because from what I’ve read, the ancient witches realised a Trickster’s power is tied into his life essence. There’s a limit to what a Trickster can give because of it.’
‘And you said you hadn’t learned anything important,’ Jason said, staring horrified at Adam. ‘A—you need to be more careful.’
Adam crossed his arms. ‘Don’t get your knickers in a twist, Jas. I’m fine. I think Shelley’s overreacting.’
‘I’m not.’
Skye stepped between them. ‘I think we’re all a little overwrought for tonight. How about we all have something to eat and then get a good night’s sleep and come back to this tomorrow?’
‘My sis, the peacemaker—will wonders never cease!’ River said, a smirk on his face. She clapped him on the back of the head. ‘Ow! Bron, save me.’
Bron laughed. ‘Nope. You asked for that one my love.’ She leaned up and kissed his scarred cheek. ‘Skye’s right. Let’s all eat and then sleep and start this tomorrow.’
‘I need to go speak to the spirits in the hospital room.’
‘Tomorrow will be soon enough to do that. You’re exhausted. We all are.’
Shelley didn’t argue—she was happy to put it off for a little longer and happy to fill her time with doing something other than worry about what they did and didn’t know. For the first time in a long time, she shared cooking duties in the kitchen with her friends. It was the best she’d felt in ages.
Chapter 13
It didn’t take long to track down Adeline the next day or to discover she knew little more than Adam had gleaned when he’d managed his rough communication with her.
‘I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, Shelley.’
‘That’s okay. I guess I’ll have to ask some of the others.’
‘You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to,’ Bron said, squeezing her hand.
Shelley looked at her friend, the worry on her face, and realised she’d done the wrong thing by her friends in sticking her head in the sand about her powers for so long. She’d burdened them with her fears and that wasn’t fair, especially when they had their own issues with learning about their powers. ‘I want to do this. It’s about time I put on my big-girl-knickers and took my powers in hand rather than letting them happen to me.’ She pushed her lips into a smile. ‘Besides, it’ll give me a chance to truly test my new shielding and see if it works as promised.’
‘Sounds good,’ Bron said. ‘Do you want to do it up here?’
‘No.’ She looked around. There weren’t many spirits here and some of those that had arrived left when it became obvious she’d only wanted to speak to Adeline. ‘Let’s go down to the hospital room. There’ll be more down there, and who knows, Adam’s mysterious ghost-woman might have turned up and then I can talk directly to her.’
‘Okay. Whatever you think is best. You’re the expert in this.’
Hardly, but she was going to try to be. At least until they’d managed to defeat Morrigan and Cain.
They headed downstairs, out to the four-wheel drives, and drove to the barn that hid the entrance to the mines. The others were already there—the
y’d left her to talk to Adeline with only Bron and River as an audience. Even Adam had left her when she’d asked him to go. He was a distraction she hadn’t wanted when lowering her outer shield enough to talk to Adeline.
‘Is Adam still with them?’ she asked River when they were in the lift to the lower mines.
He closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded, a slow smile on his lips. ‘Yes. He’s busy being the life of the party while everyone can still see and hear him.’
Shelley’s gaze whipped to his. ‘He’s doing it again, isn’t he?’
River frowned and then realised what she was talking about. ‘No.’ She frowned at him. ‘I’m telling the truth. Jason says he’s still glowing as strongly as last night and making jokes about being useful at raves. Jason wouldn’t let him do more than that. None of us would. Not after what you told us.’
‘Good.’ She still couldn’t help but be worried. They were talking about Adam after all.
He closed his eyes again.
‘What’s wrong, baby?’ Bron stroked his arm.
‘Jason’s asking if Adeline knew anything about what Cain and Morrigan might have been doing. I’m telling him she didn’t know anything, other than something’s going on in the spirit realm that’s got everyone in a bit of an uproar.’
‘Yes, it makes Eloise’s vision of Cain even more worrying, doesn’t it?’
‘You’re not wrong,’ Shelley mumbled. ‘Have Eloise, Iain and Patrick left yet?’
‘Yes. But Iain wants to know if you can find out from any of the spirits if they know anything about Eloise’s shifter family. It would be helpful to know before they speak directly to the nurse who looked after this woman we think is Eloise’s relative.’
Shelley nodded. Patrick had told them over dinner the night before what he’d discovered about Eloise’s shifter family. That morning he’d rung the hospital where she was supposed to be, but had discovered she’d been discharged by a family member some time ago. They didn’t know anything other than she’d not woken in all the years she’d been with them and the family member was going to organise private care somewhere. They thought the nurse who had cared for her might know more. It was the only lead they had and Eloise was keen to follow it. Jason had agreed to them going, given if they found the woman or any of Eloise’s family, they might have some answers that would help them figure out what was coming at them next.
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