Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set

by Elizabeth Bevarly

  Dia groaned at that. How many times had she done the same thing knowing the next magical experiment would be the one to set her on the path of the Celestial?

  Rayne laughed. “Yes, I know you can identify.

  “What Camellia didn’t know, however, was her own ancestral history, so after stealing a lock of the man’s hair, she set about creating the potion to make him fall in love with her.”

  As frightened as she was of the answer, Dia was excited to ask the question. “What happened?”

  “Oh, he fell in love with her, as she expected. But he became violent when she got tired of the constant stalking. He wouldn’t let her out of his sight, and when she resisted him physically, he raped her repeatedly. Eventually it elevated to beatings, until he finally killed her.”

  Stunned, Dia shook her head in denial. “Ryan would never do that.”

  Rayne looked at her with sadness in her eyes. “We don’t know that. He was very angry when he left here. But we’ve been watching, and he hasn’t left Mystic Waters. Your Jeep is parked outside the motel in town.”

  Dia forced herself to calm down. “His father was in a mental ward at the hospital before he escaped. Ryan came here to deal with that. Everything that has happened since is my fault.”

  Rayne shrugged. “Well, there is another aspect of the story I haven’t told you about, and it may be what keeps us from wiping his mind completely, if he comes around and can be reasoned with.”

  “What?”

  “Had Camellia read the entire diary of the gypsy ancestor whose spell she was trying to replicate, rather than just taking the spell and trying to make it her own, she would have known the heart of the man must be pure before the spell is cast, or his deviant personality traits will only be magnified. The man she fell for must have had a black heart to start with, otherwise, she may have found at least a temporary season of happiness before the curse found some other way to part them.”

  Relief washed through Dia. “Ryan is pure of heart. He’s the best person I’ve ever met outside of our own family.”

  Rayne smiled. “I believe you are right. So now you have to decide what you’re going to do about it. You can hide away here like you have for the past few days and both of you mourn the loss of the other to the point it destroys your souls, or you can go to him and tell him who we are and what we are about, and see if his love for you is pure enough to sustain a lifetime of happiness.”

  Rayne’s brows pulled together. “There is also a third option. You can try to undo the spell and see if he loves you for yourself, if the undoing doesn’t stop his heart and kill him.”

  Dia stared at her mother before slowly nodding. “I think I have to try that one. I can’t find my own happiness if I have stolen his right to choose.”

  Pleasure sparkled in Rayne’s emerald eyes. “That’s my girl.”

  “But you have to promise me my aunts will forgive me and keep him alive.”

  “You know we will all do our best.”

  Dia nodded, feeling foolish for even suggesting otherwise. “How will I survive if he stops loving me?”

  Rayne moved closer and pulled her daughter into her arms. “If he stops, it means he never really did. But to answer your question, you will mourn your heartbreak as all Cavanaugh women before you have, and though you will wish yourself dead at times, you’ll recover and embrace your gift to nurture the earth and sky.”

  Sudden nausea hit Dia with a punch. She pulled away from her mother and ran out the doors to vomit upon the ground. Shaking, weak, she was thankful when her mother’s arms were once again around her. When she was able to fully stand, tears slid from her eyes.

  Rayne looked her daughter over and then shook her head as she gently placed her hand on Dia’s stomach. When she stepped back, there was caution in her eyes. “Do you know?”

  Dia frowned. “Know what?”

  “That a spark of life grows within you.”

  “What?”

  Rayne’s smile was sad. “Though barely discernable, life is knitting together within your womb. It’s too soon for heartbeats, but warmth and movement are there struggling to create what is to come.”

  The earth spun and tilted. The ground replaced the sky. All Dia could do, her mother stooped at her side, was try to emerge from the fog blanketing her mind. Eventually sunshine lifted the haze and her heart burst with joy even as it shattered into tiny particles of dust. No matter what happened next, for now, all she could do was float in the wonder of a single word.

  Pregnant….

  ****

  Twenty minutes of sitting in a torrential shower did little to help with the turmoil in her mind. She’d been considering, and reconsidering, her options. Though all threatened to end disastrously for her, Dia knew she couldn’t change her mind. Neither could she tell Ryan of her condition until all was said and done. If, in the end, he wanted nothing to do with her or their offspring, then she’d have no choice but to let him go.

  Though she’d protested long and hard, Rayne finally left when Dia asked her to please leave her be, half an hour earlier. She’d needed time to gather her wits, time to come to terms with her situation, and time to question her motivation in making the potion to begin with, knowing to do so was taboo. Sure, she’d convinced herself it was nothing more than the simplicity of the spell, but all of Camellia’s spells were modest in the making. But what rolled through her mind the most, was her own instant attraction to a man she hadn’t even known. She played their meeting over in her mind, but none of it made sense.

  Sure, he’d been cute with his dark rimmed glasses, and was easily hot as hell beneath them. His body was that of a man who took care of himself and she’d later learned delicious to discover. His personality was that of a gentleman, but she hadn’t known that at first either. In fact, she’d run in and out of the other cabin so quickly that night, to get back to her potion, she’d really given him little more than a passing thought.

  Dia’s head came up sharply, causing water to run into her eyes and nose. That wasn’t true! She had thought of him again when the smoke that choked her spiraled its way to his cabin when she’d flung open the shed’s doors and ran outside to clear her lungs!

  The smoke had filled her lungs!

  Laughter filled her, overtook her, and made her eyes flood and her nose clog. She rolled into a ball on the tile floor as the hysteria increased and her tears flowed with the water down the drain. Of all the possibilities she’d ever imagined, this one had never occurred to her until now. She had no idea if she’d enchanted Ryan Steward, but she now knew for certain….

  She’d enchanted herself.

  Time held no concept as her mirth settled, reemerged, settled, reemerged, and finally died. She weakly dried herself and made her way back to the shed, so numb she couldn’t even acknowledge Mother Mountain’s generosity in placing soft moss beneath each barefooted step. The ingredients to break the love spell were still sitting on the stove in the shed where she’d left them along with the instructions her mother had carefully written out. She ignored them and closed and locked up the shed before cutting the generator’s engine. She shuffled her way back through the trees to the little cottage she loved. With no energy or emotion left, she fell onto the bed and let it engulf her in a protective hug. Her last thought before giving in to sleep was she’d gotten exactly what she’d deserved.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ryan sat in the driveway and stared at the large cabin that held so many good memories. For the first time there wasn’t a crowd on the porch or meat cooking on the smokers and grills. He swallowed, wondering if he should have gone to Dia’s cabin first, but he needed to get his game system and game, and then….

  No, the truth was, he was procrastinating. He wanted to see her. He wanted honesty from her. But he wasn’t ready to come face to face with her just yet. If she’d really enchanted him in some way, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to focus on his anger, and demand the truth.

  More than anything right
now, he needed truth.

  “Hey!”

  Ryan jerked around and felt a smile coming on. Covered by a wife-beater T-shirt and running shorts, Heracles sprinted from the tree line to stop at the passenger opening of the Jeep. Bent over, he took a few minutes to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his brow, before plopping himself into the seat.

  “Thanks for coming back. I just won fifty bucks off my brothers.”

  Ryan relaxed, thankful normal was his first encounter with the mystical family. “Good. So how is the wind blowing around here?”

  Heracles grinned. “The mothers were here all the time until today. They finally took Jewell and the babies back to her place. Then Rayne went to see Dia. No one had heard from her since she left right after you the other day.”

  Ryan digested that, wondering if she was okay. As lost and hurt as he’d been, he hadn’t given a thought to her being hurt as well. “Any word on how she’s doing?”

  Heracles shook his head. “No. But that was a couple of hours ago. If there was reason for alarm, we would all know it by now.” He looked Ryan over. “How about you?”

  A long breath escaped through pursed lips. “I’m working it out.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “I have lots of questions.”

  “That would be expected.”

  “I’m not sure if I’m in love with your cousin or if I’m only enchanted by a spell.”

  Heracles laughed. “Dude, seriously? What’s not to love?”

  Ryan grinned and nodded. “I know. That’s what I don’t understand. Why would she need to enchant a guy to have him? One look of interest from her would have us all falling at her feet.”

  Heracles looked around as if he were afraid the trees would overhear before turning back to Ryan.

  “Dia is…special. She always means well, but she has a habit of screwing things up. What happened wasn’t meant to happen, I’m sure.”

  “You shouldn’t talk about her like that.”

  Looking more amused than chastised, Heracles nodded. “Got it. So why don’t you head over there and sweep her off her feet?”

  “I told myself I needed to come here first to get my game.”

  “You lied.”

  Ryan laughed. “Yeah.”

  “So what do you really need?”

  The laughter died from the inside out. He shook his head. “I need a lot of things. Answers. Understanding. And your family’s help.”

  Surprise lit Heracles’s eyes. “What kind of help?”

  Blowing a breath through his nose, Ryan shrugged. “I need to know if anyone here can help my father.”

  Heracles jumped from the Jeep and pulled his cell phone from a little pouch attached to his running shorts. He tapped its screen then held the phone to his ear. After a few seconds, his eyes intent on Ryan, he spoke into the phone.

  “Emergency meeting. Two hours. Everyone who can. Mom and Dad’s place.”

  He pulled the phone away and lifted a tweezed brow at Ryan as he punched another number. “Why are you still here? You have two hours to make pretty with my cousin and get her back here.”

  Embarrassed that tears were filling his eyes, Ryan nodded and started the engine, but he couldn’t pull away as he looked at Heracles in wonder. “Just like that?”

  Heracles nodded. “Yeah, man. Just like that.”

  Ryan pulled off, filled to the brim, yet he wasn’t sure he identified the emotion. With a mother who had been grudging in her affections, he’d never been a part of anything bigger than himself, and now, amazingly, he felt as if he had a brother. It took too short a time yet much too long, before he was pulling into Dia’s driveway. He smiled to himself as the earth decided to buckle here and there just as he’d reach a spot before he stopped the Jeep and looked at the smooth road ahead. Figuring, what the hell, Ryan voiced his thoughts aloud: “I’m not here to hurt her!”

  When he started the Jeep again, he nearly laughed as it now felt like the vehicle was hovering above the dirt road and floating forward on air. As much as his mind rejected what was happening, his heart knew it was real, and he embraced the wonder of this as well.

  The little cabin came into view and his heart rate increased dramatically. As excited as he was to see her again, there was no guarantee she would be as happy to see him. He braced for the possibility she’d be angry and hate him, he just hoped she didn’t try to turn him into anything before giving him a chance to make amends. The last thing he wanted was to end his life as a toad or something equally disgusting.

  Ryan didn’t allow that fear to settle as he exited the Jeep and made his way to the door, hoping it was unlocked. He intended to open it without knocking, not willing to give her a chance to lock him out. To his relief there was no resistance when he turned the knob. To his delight she was sound asleep, her nude body as beautiful as ever, which brought his own to full attention. Rolling his eyes at his completely male reaction, he closed the door quietly behind him.

  It took all he had not to strip and join her on the bed, but he didn’t trust her reaction and had little time to fix all he’d messed up by reacting the way he had. He gently pulled the sheet that balled at her feet and placed it over her body. She moaned and stretched and then jerked around, before a cry escaped her lips.

  Naked, gorgeous female jumped up, clasping his body, as her soft lips collided with his. She moaned and whimpered, wailed yet devoured while pulling him atop her back onto the bed as she fought his clothing. As much as Ryan wanted to let her have her way, he wasn’t entirely certain she was awake, so he pulled back and held her still as he looked into her eyes. They spun with color, with hunger, but with clarity, and he smiled in relief.

  “You’re awake.”

  Dia nodded. Her eyes searching his as they settled back to sky blue.

  “You came back.”

  Ryan nodded. “I should have come before now.”

  Dia shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t tell you. To reveal ourselves places the entire family in danger.”

  “I figured that out. But there is so much I need to know.”

  Dia nodded. “I know. And you will. But for just right now, for just a few minutes, please, just hold me.”

  Ryan was more than happy to. He lay at her side and pulled her to him. Dia settled half on top of him, which made his desire for her hard to ignore. She raised up enough to look him in the eyes again. “I don’t think you want me because I enchanted you. I was so afraid you did, but I don’t think so now. I missed you so much. I’m so sorry!”

  Though her words eased him some, Ryan shrugged, knowing the truth and knowing she needed to hear it. “I don’t care if you did. I would have been enchanted anyway.”

  Dia searched his eyes, her own filled with doubt. “Really?” She frowned. “Why?”

  “Because you are so beautiful, so sweet, so vibrant, and so everything I never knew I wanted in a woman.”

  She snuggled into him, fitting like she had always belonged. Ryan swallowed, realizing how serious this discussion had to be and knowing his mind wasn’t going to stay on task if she didn’t stop touching him. They needed to have more between them than sex. Right now that’s all he could think of. He tried to ignore the weight of her breasts, the smell of her hair, and the fact he was engorged and throbbing to the point of pain.

  It was impossible.

  “I might have to stand on the other side of the room with my back to you if we’re going to talk.”

  Dia ran a finger down the line of buttons covering his chest. “Or you could get naked and we could talk later.”

  “Tempting,” he said, struggling with the tightness at his zipper. “For sure. But I need to know something. I understand what it is about you that has me in knots. I just haven’t figured out what you ever saw in me.”

  Dia’s gaze flittered and she looked down so her lashes covered her eyes. A touch of unease cooled his ardor, some, but he knew he needed to get up if he was going to clear his head comple
tely. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before rolling her over, to sit himself up. He kept his back to her, waiting until control was within his grasp. He glanced back, relieved to see she’d covered herself with the sheet. “Dia?”

  Her chest rose and fell, and her voice shook when she spoke. “I think you are amazing. Everything about you.”

  “Then why aren’t you looking me in the eyes when you say it?”

  She glanced up then, her eyes filled with sadness. “Because when I tell you what I think happened, you aren’t going to believe what I feel is real.”

  Her unexpected answer gave him a moment’s pause. Ryan breathed slowly on purpose. “After learning my mind was wiped, you possibly enchanted me, and all the other stuff, what more could you say that would make me doubt…whatever it is you have to tell me?”

  Dia frowned at his careful worded question. “Do you believe we are mystics?”

  Ryan nodded slowly. “Yeah. But for reasons you don’t yet know about.”

  She looked at him oddly. “What reasons?”

  He bit his lip then released it. “We can get to that when we meet up with your family. I’m still trying to process everything. Just answer my question. Please.”

  “What are you talking about? Why would we meet up with my family?”

  Frustrated, knowing she was dodging his question, Ryan rose from the bed. “Because I stopped by the Whitehawk house earlier and asked Heracles for some help with a personal matter. He made some calls and we are supposed to be back there in about an hour and a half.”

  Dia stared at him. He knew she was offended when he didn’t explain himself, but he was feeling a little offended as well. Even though she was happy to see him, something was off, and he had no idea what it was since she wouldn’t tell him what he needed to know.

  “I’m going to ask you this again, Dia, and I want an answer. Why are you so interested in hooking up with me?” At her hurt look, Ryan sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Dia rose, not caring that her nakedness was on full display. He looked away, not wanting to want her like he did. After everything he’d learned, he wanted her to open up to him. Once she pulled on a shirt and jeans, she turned to him, her eyes filled with sadness.