Spectrum of Magic Complete Series - Spell Breaker - Fate Shifter - Cursed Stone - Magic Unborn - Libra

by D. N. Leo

  “Your friend in London?” Keeva asked.

  He wanted to answer his sister’s question but darkness claimed him.

  Chapter 11

  Keeva checked Lorcan’s bullet wound one last time and pulled the blanket up to cover him. Unlike the wounds on his back, this bullet wound was still bleeding and didn’t appear to be healing. She didn’t need medical knowledge to guess that regardless of whatever special ability her brother had, the wound wouldn’t heal with the bullet still inside it. That was why Lorcan wanted Riley. From the little information she had, her brother’s best friend Riley was a medical doctor.

  Was he her blood brother after all? Where had he come from?

  Things had happened so quickly she didn’t have time to ask her father. He had gone into town to meet with someone who could help find Mother and send people to London for Riley. He had a lot of connections, and she hadn’t yet seen anything her father couldn’t handle. Well, maybe only the earlier incident.

  Father didn’t believe in anything magical. But Mother was a believer of magic, although she had never admitted it.

  She needed to find Riley now, but she couldn’t leave Lorcan here by himself, unconscious. She could go to the internet, but looking for what? There was something that looked like a watch that Lorcan always had with him. He had so many technological gadgets; she couldn’t keep up with him. She stared at Lorcan’s wrist unit, and it stared back at her. Then the screen flashed with an incoming message alert. She touched a green button. The screen flashed in red, punctuated by a loud beep. “Unauthorized access.” The message startled her so much that she almost threw the device on the floor. She tucked it underneath Lorcan’s pillow.

  “Unauthorized my butt,” she mumbled. Could she cut the bullet out herself? Keeva dismissed the thought. One minor surgery on an injured wild dog’s leg when she was a little kid didn’t warrant experience to cut her brother’s chest open. She wiped the sweat on Lorcan’s forehead and saw that his temperature had increased considerably. It was obvious that his body was trying its best to heal itself, but it couldn’t do so with a foreign object inside his chest.

  Keeva was in desperate need to hit something now, or maybe just to yell. Then she heard the doorbell. She cursed. People working in the house had mysteriously disappeared since yesterday, and their phone line in the house had been cut off. This may be a routine delivery guy who couldn’t get into the kitchen from the back door.

  Keeva opened the door. In front of her was not the delivery man but a man in his thirties and a boy of about nine or ten.

  “Hello, my name is Riley.”

  “Riley? My brother’s friend?”

  “You must be Keeva.”

  The boy’s eyes welled up with tears, and before Keeva could ask anything, he ran past her into the house. “I need to see Uncle Lorcan,” his voice echoed back after he vanished up the stairs.

  “Hey!” Keeva yelled. Riley grabbed her elbow, and when Keeva stopped and turned to look at him, he released her arm.

  “I’m sorry. Lorcan was shot, wasn’t he? I can help.”

  Keeva couldn’t stop the tears filling her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the anxiety or the fear. But the world around her had been moving too fast, she had lost her bearings.

  Without a response from her, Riley pressed on. “My son, Noah, he had a vision . . . he saw Lorcan get shot, and he’s been nagging me for three days to come here. I know you probably won’t believe me, but . . .”

  “I believe you.”

  “Oh . . .”

  “Yes, I said I believe you. I’ve seen some strange things here my whole life. A psychic vision doesn’t surprise me. Please help Lorcan. The bullet is in his chest, but he didn’t want any medical doctor except you.”

  Riley nodded and shifted the heavy bag he was carrying. “Is he upstairs?” Riley asked while heading toward the stairs.

  Keeva rushed ahead to lead. “How did Noah know where to go?”

  “As much as I hate admitting it, he’s a psychic. I’m not.” The bag he was carrying was so heavy he almost lost his balance on the stairs.

  Riley chuckled. “Sorry, I didn’t know what I’d need, so there’s a portable hospital in my bag.”

  Keeva and Riley found Noah in front of Lorcan’s room, tears staining his face. Keeva crouched down to his level. “Lorcan told me if I could get your father here, he’ll be okay.”

  Noah nodded. He stepped aside to allow Riley entrance to the room. Keeva followed and felt a tug at her hand. It was Noah. His little hand was cold, damp, and a little shaky. She wrapped her hand around his and rubbed it to keep him warm. Noah looked up at her. His light green eyes were so much like his father’s. Innocence. That was all Keeva could see. But what surprised her the most was that his hand in hers felt so natural.

  Riley turned around, looking at Keeva after examining the wound.

  “Oh God, please don’t tell me you can’t do it,” Keeva said.

  “The wound is so close to his heart. I’m afraid I have to do this at a hospital. It’s too risky here.”

  “He doesn’t want to go to a hospital.”

  “He always says that . . .”

  On the bed, Lorcan stirred and opened his eyes. “Riley . . . I knew you’d come . . .” His voice was barely audible.

  “Lorcan, I have to take you to the hospital. This is a major surgery—I can’t do it here.”

  “Just take the bullet out. If I survive that, I’ll heal quickly . . .”

  “But I don’t think you can survive it.”

  “I’ve had worse. Trust me. Just take the bullet out.”

  “I’ve seen his wounds heal themselves, Riley,” Keeva added.

  Riley shook his head.

  “Please,” Lorcan said and passed out again.

  “Please do what he said, Dad!” Noah cried.

  “Did you have another vision, Noah?” Riley asked.

  Noah shook his head.

  “Yesterday he came home with nasty wounds on his back. But in a couple of hours, they healed as if they’d never been there. But he can’t do it with a bullet in his chest, Riley,” Keeva said.

  “Are you sure?”

  Keeva nodded.

  “Okay. Please give me some space and wait outside.”

  Keeva picked Noah up, left of the room, and closed the door behind her.

  Chapter 12

  “Please keep an eye on her. I mean it, Alana.” Bradan put an unconscious Orla on the bed.

  Alana stood up from a comfortable reading chair in the corner of the room. “What happened to her?”

  “Maeve knocked her out.”

  “Again? I knew it. Violent bitch.”

  “She was only trying to help.”

  Alana’s hands were on her hips. “She’s a white witch, Bradan!”

  “She tried to help, and what she did was very complicated. Not just watching Orla as you do.”

  “You helped her run away. You talked to Maeve and let her do this to Orla. Now you’re blaming me for not watching her!”

  “I’m not blaming you for anything. If I could watch, I’d do so myself.”

  “I want to go home. I have a life, Bradan.” Alana strode toward the door.

  “Please!”

  “What about all the aunts in the family?”

  “You’re the only young one, Alana. I can’t put an aunt in here with Orla.”

  Alana rolled her eyes and walked around the room in agitation. “So what am I supposed to do when she wants to leave? Knock her on her ass?”

  Bradan shrugged. “Apparently we can’t just lock the door because she got off the roof last time. We might have to tie her up.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  “Do you have any suggestions?”

  Alana rolled her eyes again. “What if she puts a spell on me and makes me free her? Or worse, what if she curses me?”

  “Damn it, Alana, you’re a sorceress. Don’t you practice at all?”

 
Alana couldn’t find a word to say back at Bradan. She stomped toward the desk and grabbed her books and her bag. “Well, if I’m not mistaken, you’re asking for my help. I’m not good at black magic and will never be. I don’t care for it. This clan’s business is none of mine. Now get out of my hair!” She stormed toward the door.

  Bradan barred her way. “Oh, come on. I’m sorry, Alana. Just stay one more day, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  Alana glared at him.

  “Please!”

  “Never look down at me again!”

  “Never. I promise.”

  “You owe me.”

  “Definitely.”

  “I need my laptop.”

  “What?”

  “Do you seriously want me to sit here for two weeks, melting in boredom?”

  “Okay. I’ll get it for you.”

  Alana grinned. Bradan shook his head and left the room.

  The sound of a computer game woke Orla. She opened her eyes to find that her hands were tied to the bar of a headboard. In the corner of the room, Alana was glued to her laptop. Orla sat up on the bed, but that didn’t break Alana’s concentration on her game.

  It was rare that Orla had a chance to observe her distant cousin. She’d make a perfect movie star, Orla thought. Long sandy hair, big blue eyes, oval face, and perfect lips. She could play a princess in one of the Disney fairy tales. Orla cleared her throat, and that caught Alana’s attention. She turned the volume of the game down.

  “Damn, one more level, and I’ll beat this bastard,” she mumbled.

  “Go ahead. I can wait.” Orla jiggled at the chains on her wrists.

  Alana shook her head. “That’s all right. I can always come back and beat the hell out of him later.” She grinned.

  “What game?”

  “You know games?”

  Orla chuckled. “Not really. But Lorcan is a game fanatic.”

  Alana’s eyes sparked with curiosity. “Really? You should introduce us. When you become the leader, you won’t be able to be with him anymore. I can take him. A good gamer is hard to come by.”

  “I’ll consider it.” Orla smiled.

  “Please do. Are you hungry?”

  Orla shook her head while Alana yawned.

  “Bradan told me you went to Oxford. Why come back if you don’t care about the clan’s politics?” Orla asked.

  Alana chuckled. “I miss that world. Really. My parents died. I’m sure Bradan told you that, too. I came back to make arrangements for the funeral. I thought it would be a short trip. Then one thing led to another. No one was taking care of the business they left behind. Before I know it, I was stuck here.”

  “Don’t you want to go back?”

  “Of course. Soon, actually. I promised to help out with the ceremony and then, after that, I’ll be back to London. I’ve sold the family business here. Two more weeks, and I’m out of here.” Alana grinned.

  Orla smiled. “I can sense there’s a man involved.”

  Alana blushed. “Can’t tell you.”

  “I’m jealous, Alana. I don’t want to take the post. Why can’t they let Bradan? He wants it.”

  Alana shrugged. “It’s not for me to say.”

  Orla adjusted her position. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

  “Don’t try anything, Snit.”

  “You want me to pee right here?”

  Orla smiled because she could feel Alana had put up her protective spell so she couldn’t manipulate her mind. She opened the chain. “Try anything, and I’ll hurt you, Orla.”

  Orla went to the bathroom and closed the door.

  Inside, she turned on the tap and looked in the mirror to examine the bruise on her forehead. She waited for a bit and then cast her spell, a white spell she’d learned from Maeve. Shortly, she heard a thunk on the floor. She turned the water off and rushed out.

  Alana had fallen on her face on the floor. Orla checked to see if she had hit her head on anything. Seeing no damage apart from a small bruise on Alana’s forehead, Orla pulled the blanket off the bed and tucked Alana in. Then she crawled out onto the roof again. This time, she dipped her head down low and checked to ensure Bradan wasn’t around. Then she hopped down to the ground and darted into the night.

  Chapter 13

  Keeva sat in a reading chair in a smaller room upstairs. She couldn’t do much until she heard the news from Riley. It had been a while. She should feed Noah. She looked down and saw that Noah had fallen asleep while curling against her side. The kid had just met her, but the strange thing was that it didn’t feel unusual at all that he displayed such affection in his interaction with her. Keeva always did well with animals, but she didn’t think she would do well with kids. What happened to your mom? she thought as she looked at Noah’s thick lashes, freckled cheeks, and fair skin. She must be beautiful. She played with Noah’s hair but stopped when he stirred.

  As soon as Riley walked into the reception room, Keeva sprung to her feet. Riley’s hair spiked up as he raked his hands through it, and there was a blood smear on his face. “How is he?” Keeva asked.

  Riley breathed out heavily. “Alive when I left. I took the bullet out, but I’m not sure about this at all. He lost a lot of blood.”

  Keeva darted toward Lorcan’s room. Riley trailed behind. “I sedated him,” he said, “so he’ll be out for a while. But the most important thing is that the bleeding has stopped . . .” He trailed off when he got into the room and saw that the incision on Lorcan’s chest that he had just stitched up had already begun to form scar tissue. The wound was healing by the second—right in front of Riley’s eyes. “What the f—” Riley began but stopped himself when he saw Noah approach the bed, looking at Lorcan.

  Keeva turned around. “Thank you.” She tiptoed over and hugged Riley.

  “You’re welcome,” he mumbled awkwardly when she released him.

  She cleared her throat and pointed at his face. “You’ve got some blood . . .”

  “Oh.” Riley wiped randomly and missed the mark.

  “Let me.” Keeva pulled out her handkerchief and wiped mark away. She bit the inside of her mouth and looked away after she finished. The contact was too close for her comfort. She cleared her throat again. “Lorcan’s wound will heal quite quickly as you can see. But it would be—”

  “I’ll stay until he’s up and about,” Riley interrupted.

  “Oh . . . thanks. I’ll show you to your room.”

  “Yes, please.” Riley smiled.

  He had a killer smile, Keeva thought, cursing silently. “This way, please.” She pointed toward the door and scurried out.

  Later, Keeva turned on the kitchen light and braced herself against the door frame on the off chance she’d see another dead body on the floor. But there was no dead body on the floor this time. She exhaled a sigh of relief and searched the cabinet for something with which she could cook a meal. It dawned on her at that point that the delivery man hadn’t come, but it wasn’t a big deal because the chef always kept enough stock available to make a feast.

  Keeva frowned at the cabinet. Unlike her mother, cooking wasn’t a skill she could earn a living with. She survived on what she cooked when she was in college because she didn’t really have a choice. Hearing a noise at the door, Keeva turned around to see Noah standing there wearing his backpack.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need some food.”

  Keeva uttered another internal curse. She had known it would come to this. How could she explain to the guests that she had found the chef dead in the kitchen, and therefore none of the house staff had come to work today? “Well, sure. Come in. Sit down.” She pointed to the kitchen table.

  “The food isn’t for me.” Noah placed his bag on a chair and pulled out the most beautiful kitten she had ever seen. He put the kitten on the table. “We were in a hurry, and I forgot to pack his food. He eats what we eat, but he doesn’t like milk at all.”

  Keeva sat down next to him. The cat looked her
up and down, seemingly judging whether she could be trusted. “I can take care of him.” If her cooking was bad, at least the cat couldn’t complain. “What’s his name?”

  “Aris. Short for Aristotle.”

  “You named the kitten after a Greek philosopher?”

  “Yes. Aris is a very deep thinker. He just doesn’t tell you what he’s thinking.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Well, if he doesn’t like something, he’ll find a way to let you know.”

  “Humm . . .” Now she started to worry about the food she was going to feed this little kitten. She would go with the safest bet—a sandwich. The kind that required no cooking.

  “Would you like a sandwich?” she asked.

  “Do you have ham, cheese, and tomato?”

  “Sure, I do.”

  “Toasted, please?”

  “You’re too demanding, Noah.” Riley stood at the door, giving his son a disapproving look.

  “It’s easy enough,” said Keeva. “But I can’t guarantee anything fancier than that!” She stood up to make the sandwich. “And what would you like, Riley?”

  “Anything is good. I’m easy.”

  She smiled. “Why don’t I make you my favorite?”

  “Thank you. I’m sure I’ll love it.” Riley smiled and scratched Aris behind his ears. Aris purred so loud it made everyone laugh.

  “Come on, you seriously don’t even care what I’m going to feed you?” Keeva asked.

  Riley shook his head. “I do care about what I put in my body. It’s an occupational quirk. But it’s merely the nutrition I think about and not so much tastes or preference.”

  Keeva scowled. “I feel sorry for you, Riley. Even Aris here has preferences.”

  Riley laughed. “Yes. That cat has preferences in everything. You should have seen his reaction when I called him Edward.”

  “Really?” Keeva looked at Aris, and she swore she saw the cat scowling at Riley. He saw it, too, and laughed. He has such hearty laughs, Keeva thought. Honest and from the belly, a giving-it-all kind of laugh. She shook her head, trying to clear out the inappropriate thoughts that threatened to invade her mind. “Well, given you won’t tell me what you like, you’re going to be stuck with my favorite—a tuna and cucumber sandwich.”