by Alanea Alder
Serenity exchanged looks with Laelia and Radclyffe. Aiden's quiet statement spoke volumes about the vampire prince. She was doubly glad she ignored the council to come. Men like Prince Magnus were rare, especially in leadership positions.
When Adriel opened the door without knocking, Serenity looked back at Radclyffe and Laelia. They both looked as surprised and nervous as she felt.
Adriel lifted his arm and pointed to the dining room. "Luckily you caught us at lunch time, so we will be able to get you up to speed."
When Serenity walked in she was shocked to see Kendrick Ashwood sitting at the table munching away on a sandwich. "Kendrick!" she exclaimed.
Kendrick looked up, inhaled and started to choke on his lunch. Aiden pointed and laughed. "Not so funny when it happens to you is it?" he teased as he sat down next to dark-haired young man.
Kendrick stood pounding his chest. Scowling at her fiercely he walked over to them. "What on earth are you three doing here?" he demanded.
"We've come to help," Serenity said simply.
Kendrick looked from her to Radclyffe then to Laelia. He pinched the bridge of his nose before giving Laelia a sour look. "You couldn't stop them?"
Laelia smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "We've missed you too." She looked around. "What's for lunch?" She glided easily past Kendrick to take an empty seat.
"Oh, I like her already," Rheia said. "Are you a nurse?"
Laelia laughed. "In a way, yes."
Kendrick exhaled and pointed to them. "This is Serenity Meadowsweet, the temple head for the Water Temple in Storm Keep. The two who should have hogtied her and kept her home are her best friends and water temple dedicates Radclyffe and Laelia Juniper."
Radclyffe clapped a hand on Kendrick's shoulder. "You're the only one who likes tying people up old man. Don't project that kink on to me and my mate." He walked past Kendrick to join Laelia at the table.
Kendrick rolled his eyes and pointed her to the table. "You might as well sit down."
She gave him a flat look. "Thanks ever so much," she said sarcastically taking the seat next to Radclyffe.
Kendrick sat down next to a woman who was trying to catch her breath from laughing. "Oh hush you," he said smiling.
"My name is Anne Ashwood, Kendrick's mate," the woman said introducing herself.
Kendrick looked around wincing. "We should do introductions again."
The dark-haired young man next to Aiden popped up out of his chair waving his hand. "Let me! Let me!" he begged.
Serenity was shocked at the gentle smile on Kendrick's face as he nodded to the youngster. He wasn't known for his patience in Storm Keep. In fact, she had heard many a witch create dares involving approaching Kendrick for a spell or advice. He was legendary for being grouchy and ill-tempered. Maybe being mated had mellowed him.
Starting with himself Pip introduced everyone giving her a bit of information with each introduction. When he introduced the warrior Micah Sageson, her heart began to race. How? How could this be the man from her dreams? Under the table she squeezed her hands together. Was he her mate? Or did she have a premonition about him warning of something terrible about to happen because of the sickness? Micah looked a bit shell shocked. Had he dreamt of her too? He recovered quickly and winked at her in a conspiratorial fashion. He threaded his hands behind his head and tilted back in the chair watching her closely.
She turned quickly to smile at the sweet youngster. "Thank you Pip, that was wonderful."
He beamed at her. "I just met them too."
Serenity stared. "You've memorized everyone's names that quickly?"
Pip nodded looking proud. "Meryn says I am a genius."
"I'll say," Laelia agreed.
Serenity smiled at the two other familiar faces. "Hello boys."
"Hey Seri!" they said waving.
She had a huge soft spot for Nigel and Neil Morninglory. Between helping to care for the other youngsters at the orphanage and training for their warrior exam, they spent a lot of time at the Water Temple. They seemed to be the only ones who could be around Kendrick without being blasted or turned into small animals. When they were assigned to Noctem Falls she found herself missing them terribly.
"Now that you know everyone. How did you get here?" Kendrick asked.
"Queen Aleksandra found the Healer's Clause in the original spell used to create the city portals. It states that if a portal is opened from within the Water Temple, witches are able to pass through to assist in any type of crisis. She pretty much got us up to speed on what's been happening here. I have to say, I am very impressed with the progress you've made thus far."
Kendrick rubbed his chin. "I'm surprised that the Witch's Council allowed you to come." Serenity winced and looked away. "Please tell me you didn't disobey the Witch's Council to come here?" Kendrick said in a low voice.
Serenity turned back and scowled at one of her oldest friends. Unlike other witches in Storm Keep his poor attitude hadn't affected her in the slightest. She simply ignored it. "Where the hell else would I be? The Water Temple has the largest collection of body magic spells on record. Ever since I took over as temple head I've incorporated healing magic into daily studies. You have yourself to thank for that, by the way. You were a huge influence on me growing up and as I reorganized the Water Temple."
Kendrick threw his arms up in frustration. "I wanted others to know how to heal so everyone would leave me alone, not for you to be prosecuted by those puffed up, self-important muppets."
"Muppets," Meryn repeated snickering.
"Maybe it won't be that bad," she said, not really believing her own words.
"She'll just have to stay here," Micah suggested giving her a saucy wink.
"Leave the poor woman alone Micah," Kendrick groused.
"Never. She's my mate," he announced silencing the table.
Kendrick blinked. "She's what?"
"She's my one and only," Micah said meeting her eyes. There was a peacefulness about him that projected an almost a spiritual contentedness. The way he called her his one and only nearly brought tears to her eyes.
"It's about damn time!" Declan exclaimed pounding Micah on the back. "Congratulations to you both!"
Kendrick's perpetual scowl returned as he looked at her. "Is he right? I know that our mating dreams can be a bit tricky."
She gave a slow nod. "I've been dreaming of him. I just didn't know he'd be here."
"Micah Sageson... isn't he the horrible Lothario here in Noctem Falls?" Radclyffe asked glowering at Micah who blew kisses at him in return.
"Micah flirts all the time, but it's harmless. He's the sweetest guy ever," Meryn said. "He calls me his delicate flower and dewdrop," she added.
Meryn's proclamation had her heart sinking. Maybe her mate's endearment didn't mean anything to him. She felt silly for overreacting. She turned to Rheia and Ellie. "Put us where you need us. If we're going to get in trouble for coming I want to make a difference."
Ellie's eyes lit up in excitement. "What can you guys do to help?"
Laelia and Radclyffe exchanged smiles. Laelia turned to Ellie. "Thanks to Serenity we've gotten so much better at healing. We won't be able to cure anyone, but we can bring down fevers, help with pain, and ease breathing. Our magic helps the body return to a healthy state."
Ellie and Rheia exhaled in relief. Ellie looked to them, tears in her eyes. "Thank goodness! Our medicines are losing their effectiveness by the day. I was terrified of what would happen when they were completely useless. The virus causes a lot of joint pain and I would've hated to see the children suffer."
Radclyffe draped an arm around the back of Laelia's chair. "We know absolutely nothing about science and human medicine, but we do know how to keep the body functioning. Our bodies want to work properly, so it's easy to help things along. It's nowhere near as taxing as trying to eliminate a sickness completely. As long as we have some time to recharge our magic and eat properly we can ensure that none of the children wil
l be in any pain."
"Leave the healthy, filling meals to me," Sebastian promised.
"And leave finding a cure to me," Vivi said. She tapped her lips. "If you looked at a patient can you tell me if anything stands out as abnormal. For example higher white blood cell count or maybe inflammation?"
Laelia nodded slowly. "I would be able to point to a place on their body and tell you that they have an imbalance, but Serenity is better at the nitty gritty, like types of cells and chemicals released."
"She sounds amazing," Micah said his eyes still locked on her.
She blushed and ducked her head. "After helping out the unit warriors so much I found that I had a knack for body magic. I tend to see a lot of illness and pain in the form of colors."
Her eyes strayed back to the pretty blonde sitting next to Prince Gavriel. She was torn. Did she know? Should she say something?
"Serenity, never play poker," Kendrick teased.
She looked up. "Huh?"
"Law and I saw it too. But I have to say I am very impressed with you. You saw it right away," Kendrick said pointing to Beth. "Do you know what it is?" he asked.
"Yes," she said nodding. She had noticed it immediately.
His mouth dropped. "What?"
Law burst into laughter. "Oh how the mighty have fallen! You've done nothing but scour your books and haven't got a clue!"
Gavriel leaned forward. "You know what the shadow is?"
Serenity hesitated. Kendrick frowned. "How bad?"
She winced. "Pretty bad." She took a deep breath. "It's a death curse."
Her words caused mass chaos around the table. Gavriel pulled Beth into his arms, Meryn began to shake, Beth's fathers moved closer to their child and Sebastian hurried over to stand behind Beth as if to ward off any harm. Micah stood and walked down the table to take the seat on her other side. Without saying a word he wrapped an arm around her.
She took a moment to appreciate his support. She had faced the world alone for so long that his small gesture meant everything.
Meryn looked at her, her lower lip trembling. "But, she's not dead right?"
Serenity smiled gently. "No Meryn, she's not dead." She looked at Beth again. "But not for lack of trying. I've never seen a more fragmented spell. It must have been trying to kill you for decades."
Beth stared at her stunned. "I think it has. I have the world's worst luck. I can't even begin to list the injuries I've sustained over the years."
"How in the devil do you know this?" Kendrick sputtered.
She raised an eyebrow. "Have you forgotten my heritage?"
Kendrick slumped back in his chair, eyes wide. "Of course!"
"What? What about her heritage. Can she fix Beth?" Gavriel demanded his worry making his tone harsh.
"Gavriel," Micah said simply. He stared at the prince a hard look on his face.
Beth placed both hands on her mate's chest. "Calm down my love. Kendrick already said this has been with me for a while, I'm not going anywhere."
Gavriel took a long shuddering breath. "My apologies Serenity, I did not mean to put you on the spot." He inclined his head to Micah. "Thank you for calling me out on it."
Serenity frowned. "That was shockingly humble of you, for being a prince."
Everyone around the table smiled at her observance. Micah turned to her. "He was a unit warrior first, we're a humble lot."
The women mostly shook their heads at that statement.
"Back to my mate...please," Gavriel insisted gently.
Serenity turned back to Beth. "I'm half fae, so I am extremely sensitive to black or dark magic. My magic is greatly affected by my fae blood. It's why I see things in colors, the way fae tend to see colorful auras. It's probably why I saw it right away and Kendrick didn't." She took a deep breath and reached deep into her magic. Suddenly the shadow around Beth became clearer and she was able to differentiate shades of grey and traces of bright colors. She let out a low whistle. "If I'm reading this correctly, it wasn't meant for you. It was meant for someone tied to you by blood." She winced. "Whoever cast this spell had a sick sense of humor."
"What do you mean?" Kendrick asked his brows knitted together.
She pointed to the darker grey color, even though she knew she was the only one who could see what she could. "The spell caster was simply that, the one that cast the spell. Another person wanted it done and the hatred they had for whoever this was intended for, is down-right frightening. What the spell caster didn't tell the person who requested the spell was that this particular piece of black magic required a human sacrifice." She glanced at Kendrick. "They killed the requester to cast the spell."
Kendrick blinked. "I see what you mean. Very tricky."
Serenity turned back to study Beth. When she saw threads of amethyst running through the spell she began to piece together what may have happened. She looked at Broderick. "Were you and Beth's mother mates?"
He shook his head. "No, she wanted a child and I volunteered. We were both bunny shifters so it made sense." He inhaled sharply turning white as a sheet. "It was meant for me, wasn't it?"
She nodded. "I think so. The different shades of red are usually indicators of anger, hatred and jealousy. There's so much rage in this spell." She looked Beth in the eye. "But there's also a fierce thread of love, it's amethyst and beautiful." She smiled gently. "A mother's love and protection."
Beth's hands flew to her mouth. "My mother?"
"The carriage accident," Broderick said his voice trembling. "We were the ones who were supposed to go to town that day, but you weren't feeling well so I stayed behind to tend to you."
Serenity nodded absently as the story came together. "If the spell was affixed to the carriage to kill you Broderick, then when Beth's mother died instead, it followed the bloodline from her toward you because you shared a child together. But it reached Beth first since she was tied to both her mother and to you by blood."
"Oh gods, it's my fault," Broderick whispered.
"No, Papa it's not. It's whoever wanted this wickedness done who is at fault," Beth said hugging her father close.
"Who would want to kill Broderick and Beth that badly?" Caspian asked. "She was just a baby."
Serenity took another deep breath and refocused her magic. "Whoever it was had an extremely strong tie to Beth's mother."
"What if it was Beth's mom's mate?" Meryn suggested.
Broderick sat up straighter. "That could very well be it. Beth's mother said she was meeting someone in town, which is why she went in our place. She said she couldn't wait to introduce us. I didn't think anything of it after she died. Whoever he was must have seen us as a threat to their mating."
Serenity swayed a bit and Micah pulled her close. "There you have it," she said, shaking her head to clear the colors from her mind.
Gavriel blinked. "Have what? How do we get rid of it?"
Serenity shrugged. "We can't. It's so entrenched into her very aura there's no removing in." She smiled. "But on the bright side, it will dilute with each future generation."
Behind them they heard a loud thump. She and Micah turned in their chairs to look down. Micah turned back to the table. "Tarak fainted," he announced brightly.
"This is not funny Micah," Adriel admonished smiling wide.
"Gods no one tell Tarragon, he'll slit his own wrists," Declan muttered.
Gavriel stared down at the table eyes wide in shock. "Next generation?"
Broderick absently patted Gavriel on the back also looking a bit lost. "We can do it," he said nodding repeatedly in a daze.
"So. Jack will need a bubble huh?" Meryn asked.
Beth looked from her mate to her father to Meryn. She looked back behind them to the floor where Tarak still lay, out cold. "Don't call my baby Jack, Meryn." She smiled at everyone. "If my mother's love can protect me from a death curse, then I'm pretty sure I can keep my baby from getting hurt too badly."
Serenity gave her a short nod of encouragement. "Exactly."
/> "Oh I can't stand it," Radclyffe said standing. He walked over and placed a hand each on both Broderick and Gavriel's backs. He whispered low and after a few seconds both men sat a little straighter looking less stressed.
"Feeling better?" Radclyffe asked stepping back.
Gavriel looked up at the healer. "That was amazing. One second I could barely think and then it was like the fog cleared."
Radclyffe cracked his fingers. "Just negated a bit of shock is all." He walked back over to sit down next to his mate.
Broderick turned to Ellie. "They are exactly what we need, what the children need."
Meryn held up her hands forming a 'T'. "Okay peeps time out." She pinned Serenity with a questioning look. "So Beth is okay right? I just need clarification for that."
Serenity smiled. "Yes Meryn, she's just fine. She is as she always has been. In fact, from the gradient around the edges of the curse I would say she is better than she has always been. I think finding her mate and creating another bond helped to defuse the potency of the curse."
Gavriel sighed and sat back in his chair. "I would be too selfish to ask for more."
"I guess round two will not be too bad then," a deep male voice said from the floor. Tarak stood shaking his head. He looked at Beth then rubbed the back of his neck. "The keystones will not work with an infant. Maybe a bespelled stone that would activate to certain pain levels," he turned and kept muttering to himself as he walked out of the dining room.
Gavriel looked exhausted as he smiled. "I like the way he thinks."
"Personally I think he's being overly dramatic," Beth sniffed raising her chin.
Around the table everyone fought to hide their laughter but soon everyone was chuckling out loud.
"Oh really!" Beth exclaimed.
Meryn looked over to Anne slyly. "If Anne hurries up and gets pregnant then her kid can heal your kid," she suggested.
Anne looked at Beth excitedly. "That's a great idea!"
Beth grinned back. "I forgot that my child won't be alone like I was growing up."