Morgan, however, would not be cowed. With sweat glistening on his face, he took a quick look over at Adriana. Shaking his head, he stood up taller, squaring his shoulders. “No, Mother.”
A bolt of lightning cracked loudly, making Adriana jump. A horse whinnied in fright, but Adriana held onto her cries. She wrapped her arms around herself as the hot wind grew stronger.
“What do you mean, no?” Lady Vallentyn’s voice became lower and even more frightening.
But Morgan showed no fear. “I mean, no. I will not return to the forest. And I will not listen to you anymore.” Morgan’s voice carried like a cool breeze, cutting through the stifling heat, and over the howling of the wind.
“How dare you contradict my orders!” The trees swayed dangerously, as the wind grew even stronger all around them. Looking up, Adriana prayed that nothing would fall on top of her. She would have moved away from the tree she was under, but fear of being thrown back once again kept her still.
“I will do as I please. You have no hold over me anymore, Mother.” Morgan waved his hand. Immediately, the wind died down.
Slowly Adriana began to unfurled herself.
“I am not a little boy. I am a man, and I am stronger than you realize,” Morgan said, taking a step forward.
“We’ll just see about that!” Lady Vallentyn began to raise her arms, but Morgan stretched out his hands in front of him and she froze. “No, Mother. You will do nothing more here tonight.”
“But...” Lady Vallentyn lowered her arms and then tried to raise them again, but once again they were stopped about halfway up her body. “How did you do that? What has happened?”
Adriana resisted the sudden urge to laugh at Lady Vallentyn’s chagrin at her inability to move. Clearly, if she couldn’t move, she couldn’t do anything.
“I have learned, Mother. I have learned to use my powers, and they are growing. Soon I will become even more powerful than you.”
“Never!” she spat, her face darkening with rage.
“We’ll see about that,” he said quietly.
Without another word, Morgan turned and held out his hand to Adriana. It was cool, and tingles shot into her wherever he touched her.
“Come, let’s go,” he said. He put his arm around her waist protectively, and began to lead her past Lady Vallentyn and toward the house once again.
As they passed her, Lady Vallentyn caught Adriana’s eye. “Adriana, stop! You will not go with him.”
The voice sounded both inside and outside Adriana’s head. Her feet stopped moving, and suddenly she was rooted to the spot, unable to move.
“No! You will not control her,” Morgan’s angry voice cut through whatever it was that was holding her in place. Gently he led her forward, “Do not listen to her, and do not look at her. I will protect you. Come now.”
The trembling throughout Adriana’s body increased as she allowed Morgan to lead her away from a stunned Lady Vallentyn. Her tremors diminished as they moved further away from Lady Vallentyn, although all of her muscles ached from being tense for so long.
The further away they moved, the stronger was the small voice that whispered in the back of Adriana’s mind. It is all right. There is nothing to fear. Morgan will take care of you.
It made no sense, but somehow, she was able to heed the voice and continue on.
<><><>
“Could your mother have somehow transferred some of her powers to you?” Nestor asked the following morning as he, Morgan and Cosmina were discussing the events of the previous evening.
“Is that possible? I didn’t know powers were transferable,” Morgan said, taking another bite of his hearty breakfast.
The hopeful light in Nestor’s eyes faded. “I’ve heard myths, but they were probably just that. I’m simply looking for some explanation for how you became so powerful suddenly.”
“Well, no matter how you got the powers, Morgan, I am very happy you were able to defend yourself and Adriana,” Cosmina said, giving Morgan’s arm a pat.
He gave her a little smile. “Thank you, Cosmina. I only wish I could stop worrying.”
“What is there for you to worry about?”
“The fact that my mother knows I’m here in London. And she knows I have become powerful...”
“But she doesn’t know just how powerful you are,” Nestor pointed out.
Morgan nodded slowly. “That’s true, but neither do I. And I am still worried about what she might do next.”
“What could she do? You have beaten her. You are more powerful than she. Now, you need to go and meet Adriana once more and convince her...”
“We don’t know that Morgan is more powerful than Lady Vallentyn,” Nestor said, putting down his tea cup with the smallest of tinks. “Even if you are, Morgan, what about the other consequences? People noticed the odd weather last night. Did anyone see you leaving the garden? Could anyone associate you with it?”
Morgan sighed, and rubbed his hand over his eyes. He was quickly losing his appetite with this conversation. “No. I don’t believe anyone did. I slipped out the back and stayed away from the road, taking the alleyways as far as I could.”
“Perhaps someone noticed Lady Vallentyn coming from the garden? Could someone associate her with the odd happenings?” Cosmina asked, hopefully.
“It is unlikely. Why would anyone associate an odd patch of weather with a woman who is well respected in society?” Nestor asked.
“I don’t know. Why would anyone associate it with Morgan?” Cosmina asked in the same scornful tone of voice.
“Because he is thought to be a gypsy,” Nestor answered.
“And what have gypsies got to do with odd weather?” Cosmina’s face flushed.
“Please!” Morgan interrupted their quarrel. “No one will associate the odd weather with anyone. That is not what I am worrying about.”
There was silence for a moment while Nestor and Cosmina cooled their tempers.
“What is it you are worrying about, Morgan?” Cosmina asked. “Is it Adriana? I am certain she will admire you even more now that she has seen how strong you are. She will certainly want to be more than just friends, perhaps even...”
“I was thinking about my mother,” Morgan interrupted. He hadn’t even begun to think about his relationship with Adriana, and didn’t have the luxury to do so just now. “I told you, my mother is a very powerful Vallen. She is not used to being thwarted. She will find some way of punishing me for this. I’m just afraid...”
“Afraid of what?” Nestor asked.
“I am afraid she might hurt Adriana."
Cosmina gasped. “She wouldn’t!”
“Yes, she would,” Morgan sat back and tried to relax his tightening muscles. “That is the way she punishes people, by hurting that which they love most.”
No one said anything as they digested this information.
A knock sounded on the door, and the maid peeked her head in. “A young lady to see you, Mr. Vallentyn,” she said, giggling. “I’ve shown her into the drawing room.”
Morgan stood up at once. “A young lady, you say?”
Nestor too stood. “Did she give her name?”
The maid lost her smile. “No, and I didn’t think to ask, Mr. Nestor,” she said, closing the door with a snap.
Morgan looked at Nestor and then Cosmina.
“It could be Adriana,” Cosmina ventured.
Morgan nodded his head slowly. “It could be, but I...” A smile came to his face as a familiar, warm feeling came over him. “It is Kat.” He strode out the door and across the hall to the drawing room.
Indeed, his cousin was sitting looking nervously around at the shabby furnishings when Morgan entered the room. Close on his heels was Cosmina, followed at a more dignified pace by Nestor.
“Kat!” Morgan embraced his cousin warmly. “It is so good to see you!”
“It is good to see you,” she said, giving a little laugh. “You act as if we haven’t seen each other for a year. It’
s only been one week, Morgan.”
“It feels more like a year.”
A gentle cough came from behind him.
“Oh, Cosmina, Nestor, this is my cousin, Kat...er, Katrina Havelock,” Morgan said awkwardly.
Cosmina gave her a little curtsey, while Nestor bowed.
Morgan ignored the odd look she gave him—obviously wondering who Cosmina and Nestor were—and instead took her hand, leading her back to the sofa. Sitting down with her, he asked, “Did you hear about last night? You are staying with my mother? Has she said anything? Done anything?”
Kat looked from Morgan to Cosmina and Nestor and then back again to Morgan. Morgan could sense her unease, as well as a touch of fear.
“It is all right. Nestor and Cosmina are friends. I told them what happened, and Nestor is Vallen.”
Kat’s discomfort lessened a bit, but not entirely. She gave a little nod, and then said, “Your mother has not spoken to anyone. She has not even come from her room yet today, and you know how early she is up and about normally. I knew something was wrong, which is why I came to see you.”
“I beg your pardon, but how did you know where to find Mr. Vallentyn?” Nestor asked.
“It was not easy. I’ve been walking around the area for the past hour trying to get a sense of where he might be. Luckily, you have a very strong aura,” she said, turning back to Morgan.
Morgan gave her hand a squeeze. “You’ve always been able to find me, no matter where I was.”
“What an interesting talent,” Cosmina said, in awe. “I do hope you didn’t get too wet.”
“I can only sense people I am very close to,” Kat explained. “And I, er, managed not to get too wet.”
“By using your magic?” Morgan asked laughing a little.
Kat gave him a guilty little smile and a shrug. She then turned serious and added, “But Aunt Vallentyn...”
“Must be furious,” Morgan finished for her, also losing his smile.
“Beyond furious, Morgan. I’m scared for you. I don’t know what she might be planning.” She looked down at their hands, still interlocked. “Can you tell me what happened last night?”
“Let’s just say, my powers have increased again,” Morgan said briefly.
“He was magnificent, Miss Havelock. He proved himself to be Lady Vallentyn’s equal, defending himself and...”
“Cosmina,” Morgan said, warningly. He desperately wished she was more discreet. He didn’t want to have to watch what he said in her presence.
Kat looked at Morgan, her eyes wide.
“It is not what it sounds like. I was able to stop my mother from harming anyone, that’s all.”
“That’s all? That’s quite a lot.” Her eyes narrowed again. “What do you mean, anyone? Who else was there?”
“Just Adriana,” Morgan said as nonchalantly as possible.
“Morgan! You met her? What... no, wait. Let’s deal with Aunt Vallentyn first. She is much more of a threat than Adriana.”
“Adriana isn’t a threat at all,” Morgan said, smiling at the thought.
“No. Of course, she isn’t. But your mother definitely is.”
Morgan sobered up immediately. “You don’t know what she might do, do you?”
“No. I wish I did.”
“I’m certain she will not let this go unpunished,” Morgan said quietly.
“But she may also be wary of you now,” Nestor put in. “Now that she knows how powerful you’ve become.”
Morgan gave a little shrug, “It’s but a drop in the pail compared to her powers, I’m sure.”
“You don’t know that, Morgan,” Kat said. “You know what the proph...”
“Yes, yes, I know,” Morgan said, cutting her off. He hadn’t told either Cosmina or Nestor about the prophecy pertaining to him. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to share so much information with them just yet. “The point is that no matter what my powers are now, she will be planning something. She wants me to return to Vallentyn, and I have no doubt she will do anything to ensure that I do.”
“You will need to be very careful,” Cosmina put in.
“Yes, Morgan. You don’t know when, where or how she will strike.”
“It is not for myself that I’m worried, Kat. She’ll hurt Adriana. I just know she will.”
Kat bit her lip. Morgan could see her eyes become glassy with unshed tears. “Oh, Morgan, you are right.”
“I must go and warn her. I’ve got to... to protect her somehow.”
“But how? You can’t be with her day and night,” Kat protested.
“I know,” Morgan said, getting up and moving to the window. He looked out at the rain–soaked morning. “It is imperative that you find out anything you can about what she is planning.” If she couldn’t, and Adriana came to any harm because of him...
He came back to the sofa, and took Kat’s hands in his own. “We need to know what she is going to do so that I can protect Adriana.”
Kat nodded slowly. “I will do my best.” She frowned at him, suddenly upset. “You needn’t have put a suggestion into my mind. I would have done it anyway.”
Morgan sat back, dropping her hands. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to. I...”
“You just don’t know your powers. You’ve got to be careful!”
“I know. I am trying to control them, but sometimes, when I feel very strongly about something, it just happens.” He sat back against the sofa, feeling bad. She was absolutely right, he had to learn to control his magic better.
She sat back and thought about this for a moment. “What you need is someone to teach you how to control them.”
Morgan sat forward again. “Yes! That’s just what I need. Could you...?”
She shook her head. “If Aunt Vallentyn ever found out, we’d both be sunk.” She paused, “But do, please, remove the suggestion you just gave me.”
<><><>
“Where have you been?” Tatiana kept her voice low and quiet, despite the anger simmering in her breast.
“I just went out for a walk,” Kat answered, removing her hat and gloves, and putting them, along with her umbrella, into the hands of her maid. She gave the woman a nod, turning back to Tatiana as the maid closed the drawing room door behind her.
Tatiana took a deep breath and let it out slowly. If she played her cards right, she would have the information she needed from Kat with no trouble at all.
“I do hope Morgan is well?” she asked, casually putting aside the book she had been reading.
“I don’t know what you mean. Morgan is at Vallentyn,” Kat answered a little too smoothly.
Of course, Kat would not remember she had already revealed Morgan’s whereabouts. And now she thought to play with her? It wasn’t easy, but Tatiana kept a strong hold on her temper. Narrowing her eyes at her niece, she said, “There is no use in lying to me, Katrina. You know I can always tell when you are lying. You know as well as I do that Morgan is here in London, and you are even aware of what happened last evening.”
She stood up and moved toward the fireplace. Keeping her back turned so that Kat could not see the fury in her eyes, she asked, “Did he tell you all of the details? Did he gloat and tell you how he managed to best me?”
Kat didn’t answer right away. Tatiana veiled her eyes before turning back around. The girl was standing with her hands clutching her arms, her knuckles white with tension. But Tatiana didn’t need to see her protective stance to see how scared she was—she could feel it. It radiated from her like heat from a fire. Poor, dear Katrina knew everything and was terrified of her own knowledge.
And so she should be, Tatiana thought.
“He, he didn’t tell me anything.” Kat grimaced as soon as she had finished speaking, knowing full well what she had just accidentally revealed.
So she had met with him! This was too easy. Tatiana gave a little nod of her head, and then sat down, apparently at her ease, but with all of her senses ready to pick up the smallest bit of information.<
br />
“I don’t suppose it is a pleasant day for a walk.”
Kat drew her eyebrows down in confusion. “No, not very. It is raining.”
“And you were not too obvious using your magic not to get wet.”
“Oh no, Morgan’s not...” Kat stopped speaking before she gave away any more information.
All right, he was clearly living within easy walking distance. Now to find out where, exactly.
Tatiana smiled and encouraging smile. “He’s not what?”
“Nothing. I wasn’t going to say anything important.”
Tatiana gave a little nod of her head, as if to say it was fine for Kat to stay quiet. “I believe I may visit him today, as well. Won’t he be surprised by two visits in one day? Of course, I will combine my visit with a stop in Bond Street—I need some new feathers for one of my hats.” It was not a smooth ploy, but perhaps it might work.
Kat kept quiet, however, not revealing which direction she would need to go to find Morgan and whether she would pass by Bond Street on her way. Very well, she would find out where he was another way.
Tatiana thought for a moment. Where would the boy have found lodging close to Mayfair?
“He didn’t mention whether or not he was in need of funds, did he?” she asked.
“No, he didn’t.”
“Well, perhaps I should take him some anyway. He’ll need to pay his room and board, for certain.”
“I believe he has money, or at least he didn’t mention the need for any.”
So he was not staying with friends—not that he had any.
“But where would he have obtained money? Unless he applied directly to Vallentyn—but Jonathan would have told me,” Tatiana said, as if thinking aloud.
Kat once again kept silent. She was becoming altogether too clever.
“Enough of these games, Katrina,” Tatiana said, standing and coming toward her niece. “My patience has come to an end. Tell me where Morgan is staying.”
“N–n–no,” Kat said, taking a step backwards, and firmly keeping her eyes on the floor.
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