by Kari Thomas
Laughing, Riana dived at Marissa and caught her up in her arms. “I found her!”
“I’m so relieved.” Kira tickled the little girl behind her ear. “I was afraid her bunny would have to take a nap without her, and it would have been so lonely.”
Marissa vigorously shook her head, making her dark curls bounce with the exaggerated movement. “Nope. Bunny LoLo don’t nap ‘cept early morning. All LoLo’s sisters and brothers nap morning only. Not now.”
“Hmm?” Kira experienced a moment of confusion. Several times before, Marissa had made strange remarks like that and she was at a loss to figure out what she meant. “Sweetie, bunny LoLo doesn’t have sisters and brothers. I only made her. But if you want more I can make a few later.”
“No. Not stuffy. Real bunnies.” Marissa looked at Riana and Kira watched the woman closely. Every time the little girl would say something odd like that, Riana would smile sweetly and place a shushing finger against Marissa’s lips.
Just like she did now.
Why? The same routine, the same results. Marissa wouldn’t say another word about what ever she was talking about, no matter how much she was coaxed.
Riana carried Marissa to bed and tucked her in. “No more nonsense from you, little foxy,” she murmured gently. Marissa giggled and Kira’s confusion intensified. It was as though they shared a secret they were determined to keep to themselves, no matter what.
She didn’t like secrets; they only caused problems.
Sonia had taken a secret to her grave and Kira had lost count of the number of times she wished she’d known what caused her sister to have such a spiraling mental breakdown. She shook off her morbid thoughts, not wanting to dwell on such dismal memories during her precious time with Marissa. She prayed that the sweet baby girl would never sense the sadness that lingered each time Kira thought of her mother. Kira leaned down and kissed Marissa’s baby soft cheek. “Sweet dreams, baby.”
“Not a baby,” Marissa mumbled, already close to sleep, “but a little foxy.”
Kira straightened and looked at the innocent expression on Riana’s face. “She’s fond of that nickname, isn’t she? Who gave it to her?”
“Her father. Kyle’s favorite animal was the fox.” Riana looped her arm through Kira’s. “Will you stay awhile longer? You wanted to see my paintings, and now would be a good time.” Once they left the nursery, Riana steered her down the long hall. All along the long hallway, the walls were covered with paintings. As she studied them Kira decided they were very unusual, not what she had expected to see gracing the walls of a luxurious mansion, or a family of such wealth and position. As they stopped before each portrait, Riana explained who they were and their accomplishments.
Kira’s eyes were constantly drawn to the backgrounds of each portrait, to the animals set amidst their natural habitat. The portraits and animals were so life-like that they seemed ready to spring out of their frames, coming alive. That was when the oddity in each painting caught her eye.
A faint aura had been painted around the head of each person, with a matching color surrounding the animal in their backgrounds. Suddenly, surrounded by the oddly disturbing paintings, Kira felt a sense of overwhelming fear. They were too life-like. It made her feel as though she were completely surrounded by watching wild animals, ready to leap out at her in a moment’s notice. Attempting to shake off her ridiculous imaginings, she turned to Riana. “They’re absolutely amazing.”
Riana smiled. “Don’t feel embarrassed, Kira. You have the same reaction most people have when they first see them. I understand if you feel as if they are watching you. I take it as a compliment.”
“Lena said your paintings sell for thousands the world over. I can certainly believe that.” Kira pushed her uneasiness away. “I guess I just didn’t realize the full extent that you, and your brothers’, careers have in wildlife conservation. Did you add the animals in the portraits because your ancestors were also involved in conservation?”
“Yes. It’s a family tradition, handed down for generations. Marissa’s future will be involved in it too.”
Kira frowned. Would they still expect Marissa to have a career in wildlife conservation even if she raised her? She’d never given it much thought. She’d assumed that Marissa would have the same inborn magical talent as her mother. She’d never thought about Kyle’s inheritance to his daughter. Could she deal with that the little girl’s love of animals? Would she be able to rise above her fear and let Marissa have a future interacting with them, perhaps on a daily basis?
“It’s her heritage, Kira,” Riana said quietly. “You can’t want to take that away from her.”
Kira felt a surge of anger. “As opposed to Aiden never allowing the mention of her mother, her heritage, witchcraft to be spoken around her? She deserves to have a choice, Riana. Surely you agree with me that much.”
“I do.” Riana sighed. “But it’s a complicated situation. Wildlife conservation is her heritage and presents no danger to her. You have to understand, Kira, that we have had a hard time accepting witchcraft as part of Marissa’s heritage because of the threat it was to her, to us, before…”
“Never mind.” Kira turned away and started walking back down the hall toward the stairs. “I don’t want us to argue over this, Riana. Let’s just take it one day at a time. Whatever future path Marissa chooses has to be her decision. And only hers. We will all have to accept that. No matter what happens.”
She was three-quarters of the way down the stairs when she heard Riana’s cry of pain. She swung around and caught her just as Riana tumbled down the last few steps. The momentum drove them to the floor with Kira on the bottom doing her best to cushion their fall. “Riana!” She curled her arms around her and frantically searched the paling features. Riana choked out another cry of pain and Kira gasped in dismay. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“The pain! I…can’t…breathe. It’s…too…much.” The pain shuddered through Riana’s body, causing her to writhe uncontrollably, and Kira held on tight.
Thoughts racing, she gently helped Riana lie back onto the tile floor, then placed her hands on her shoulders to hold her steady. “Aiden!” His name was barely out of her mouth before he suddenly appeared at her side.
She should have realized he had been hovering nearby. She’d felt his presence all morning. But she didn’t have time to delve into the implications at that moment. There were far more pressing matters to address.
Aiden pulled Kira to her feet and muttered gruffly, “I’ll take care of her. You can leave now, Kira.” He dropped to his knees beside Riana, brushing her hair gently off her forehead.
Kira stared at him, speechless.
But she only remained that way for a moment. “You jerk. Do you really think I’ll just walk out of here, with her writhing in pain like this? She’s obviously very ill and I might be able to help. At least until we can get her to a doctor.”
There it was again. That look. As if she were the enemy and he tolerated her presence under sufferance. Well, she wasn’t backing down. No matter what kind of threats came from this man with the fascinating eyes!
“We don’t need your help, little witch,” his low tone rumbled in warning. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my sister. Now…get out of here. This is none of your business.”
“Think again,” she muttered sarcastically. “I’m making it my business. Riana is my niece’s aunt. That makes us related. Sort of. And she’s my friend. I can help relieve the pain until we have the doctor check her out. Uncle Warren will come if we call him.”
Aiden growled low, throwing a steely glance at her over his shoulder as he leaned over Riana. “Damn it! I said leave. She doesn’t need your kind of help. More witchcraft would only make things worse.”
Kira stared at him, confused. Had she heard him right? “More witchcraft? What are you talking about?” Before he could reply, Riana screamed out in pain and then gasped her brother’s name.
Kira didn’t hesita
te another moment.
She punched Aiden on the hard muscle of his upper arm. “Move over. I can’t talk to her with you blocking me.” She went to her knees and grabbed Riana’s hand. Aiden’s black brows rose in a sharp slant, his stare darkening with swirling anger and something else she wasn’t quite sure of. Kira held her breath and stared back at him in defiance then turned to Riana. “Riana, sweetie, tell me what’s wrong. Where is the pain coming from?”
Aiden growled again, this time more menacing. “Don’t make me use force, Kira. Leave.”
“Stay.” The gasp came from Riana as she tried to focus on them. “The pain. It’s too much. I need your help.” Kira resisted shooting a look of triumph at Aiden and, instead, placed her hand on Riana’s forehead.
“Try to breathe slowly, evenly. Concentrate on that. Where is the pain?”
Riana shook her head and gasped as a new wave of pain rolled over her. “I’m not sure. It’s as though my whole body is on fire.”
Kira frowned in confusion. What was causing it? Could it be a reaction to something she’d eaten earlier? They’d had lunch together, so Kira knew it couldn’t be that. “Are you taking any medications?”
“No,” Riana murmured. Her voice was sounding weaker by the moment. Kira forced herself to think calmly.
“Has this happened before? What has your doctor said about it?”
Aiden gripped her upper arm in a bruising hold. “Back off on this, little witch. Now.” Kira shivered at the dark, dangerous threat in his low voice. Just by the way he was reacting, this situation with Riana had obviously happened before.
She managed to keep her features neutral as she calmly asked him, “Do you have herbs in the house? Ginger, sage, chamomile, peppermint plants, slippery elm bark? Any of those?” Riana’s moan of pain barely covered the expletive Aiden shot at her and Kira glared at him. “I can ease the pain, Aiden. Why are you so adamant about not letting me try?” She leaned down close to Riana’s face and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. “Riana, I can help you, if you want me to. But I need your permission first.”
“What do you mean?” Aiden barked the question the same time Riana whispered it.
Kira ignored Aiden. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I won’t hurt you. But if you don’t have any of the necessary herbs then I need to try a pain-relief spell. It’ll work quicker.” Against her palm she felt the increasing clamminess of Riana’s skin. “We need to make a decision now, Riana. I can only do a healing spell with your permission. Will you trust me?”
Fury lacing his voice, Aiden spat out, “You don’t have my permission. Try anything, little witch, and I’ll make you regret it.” She refused to look at him. Something deep down told her he was capable, and more than ready, to hurt her if she went against his wishes. But she refused to back down.
She suppressed her trepidation. “Riana, do I have your permission?”
“Yes.” Riana winced with pain and reached up to touch Aiden’s arm. “Yes, please. Aiden. I need help. Now.”
Kira held her breath as Aiden hesitated for long moments. Finally, with a glare at her that sent her pulses into overdrive, he leaned away from his sister. Kira released her breath on a shaky exhale.
Round number one, won.
With one hand she clutched her garnet power stone and with the other she placed her palm down on Riana’s forehead. She cleared and centered her thoughts. She hadn’t tried a healing spell for years, hadn’t wanted to.
Overwhelming doubts sinuously surfaced. Did she have it in her to do this? What if she failed? No. She couldn’t think of failure. Not now.
Riana needed her.
But deep down inside her, a small voice whispered sinuously: They needed you, then. And you failed them. What makes this time any different? She clutched her power stone tighter. Goddess, help me. Direct my power to where it’s needed. She refocused her thoughts, concentrating solely on the pain that roiled over Riana in waves. Radiating warmth, wisdom of choice and complete control, flowed through her entire body and she mentally grasped at it for guidance. A brilliant fire burned from her center and out through her hands. She nearly gasped at its intensity, its power almost breaking her concentration.
Focus!
Healing power, long dormant, came surging up in a rush. Words of healing spilled from between her parted lips. She spoke them softly, but strongly, chanting them repetitively. The words took a nearly visible shape, flowing from her mouth into Riana’s open one, with a small audible swish of air.
The vague sound of Aiden’s growls behind her, his ire flowing off his flesh in waves, was a danger she ignored. Determined, she strengthened her chanting. Her words, foreign and powerful sounding, were caught up in another rush of air and swirled visibly around her and Riana. The air sizzled with a magically electric power and, for a moment, Kira swayed with dizziness, caught in its vortex.
Just…one…more…moment.
Suddenly a sickening blackness swamped her senses, rolling through her body like a tidal wave. Shocked, she faltered in her chanting.
What was it? And where had it come from?
Tentatively she expanded her senses, cautiously searching the linked path she and Riana shared. Hovering between hers and Riana’s consciousnesses was a Presence. She couldn’t describe it any other way. Unable to see it clearly because of its protective, dense, black aura, she nonetheless felt its dark menace directed straight at her. She felt its anger at her intrusion, as well as its curious interest.
A chill of foreboding shook her to the depths of her soul for whatever it was, it beckoned her closer with an insidious pull. It touched something deep inside her soul she hadn’t known existed.
A dark place she had never explored.
The words of the healing spell abruptly fled her memory and a darker incantation swirled in her mind.
No! She fought the Evil, refusing to succumb to its seductive darkness. She had never used her powers for harmful intent in the past, and she wasn’t about to start now. Riana needed her. She repeated that mantra several times, alternating it with prayers to the Goddess of Light and All Things. Kira drew in several deep, calming breaths, doggedly resisting the pull of the menacing presence, and its power of dark persuasion.
Then, without warning, the presence disappeared.
Instant relief flooded her senses and her mind cleared. She resumed her chant, pushing every ounce of healing strength she had out of herself, and into Riana. She knew the exact moment the spell worked its healing magic, felt the pain flee Riana’s body. They both gasped out a stereo breath of relief, experiencing identical sensations of thankfulness that the pain had passed.
Riana breathed easier.
It worked!
She searched Riana’s pale features carefully, noting the shades of color returning to her pale-as-death skin. “How do you feel?” Her voice rasped out in the barest of whispers, her exhaustion clearly evident. But she didn’t care. Her elation that her power had worked, that Riana was feeling better, seared her soul, rejuvenating her lagging spirits. She was so euphoric about her spell working that the consequences she would experience from her exertion had no relevancy. She just needed a few moments alone, time to regain her equilibrium, and focused all her willpower on not keeling over in an exhausted slump in front of Aiden.
“Thank you.” Riana slowly sat up, then gently hugged Kira.
Without raising her head, or bothering to look at him, Kira ordered the ominously quiet Aiden beside her, “Riana should rest in her own bed. I’ll stay a few more moments before I need to leave.” She didn’t expect him to answer her, and was too tired to care past him doing what was best for Riana.
Aiden quietly lifted the dozing Riana into his arms and carried her upstairs without saying another word. The moment he distanced himself from her senses, Kira heaved a deep sigh of relief, her tension seeping out a micron at a time. She wanted to laugh in complete jubilation, dance in celebration. She’d believed she would never again feel that incredible magical surge of p
ower.
And she hadn’t.
She hadn’t tried a spell, any spell, since that horrible night…the night she’d failed her family. Kira mentally sighed, her thoughts somber. Perhaps it was time to stop hiding behind her guilt and admit her power was meant to be. It just hadn’t been meant that night.
For far too long she had pushed her Wicca knowledge away. She had ignored those patiently taught lessons, learned from her parents. It had been foretold, ordained before her birth, that her gift would be used to help others in their time of need. That she had not been able to help her family, in their most needed time, would always be a burden she would carry, a blemish on her soul.
But she’d healed Riana this day, and knew she could do it again if needed. Albeit the cure was only temporary and, until she knew the source of her illness, no cure would be permanent. Tingling strands of power arced through her, reminding her that she was different.
Awakened. Reborn.
And it felt good!
Lost in her thoughts she didn’t sense Aiden return. He approached on a silent tread that soundlessly glided across the tiled floor until he was right behind her. He leaned down and effortlessly gathered her into his strong arms. Lifting her against his chest, he murmured, “Put your arms around my neck.” She didn’t want to lift her head, to look into those eyes. She didn’t want to see the heated look, that had always been there when she’d caught his gaze, turned to disdain and disgust.
Taking one quick peek, she was unable to stop herself. She rationalized that his face was so close to hers that she would be able to see if she had destroyed their tenuous relationship in helping his sister. But what she saw there made her speechless. There was something different in those dark depths, something more, something she didn’t dare name, and it made her heart beat far too fast, as if her butterflies had changed location from her stomach to her chest.
She put her arms around the strong column of his neck and hid her face against the wide width of his shoulder. He tightened his hold, bringing her closer against him, as if that was possible, and her pulses jumped, her nerves tingling with sudden sensual awareness. Feeling breathless she kept her face hidden against the curve of his shoulder and neck. He carried her up the stairs, his stride slow and sure. Where was he taking her? And why? There was a tenseness in his muscles, a tightness in the possessive way he held her, that kept her from voicing her questions aloud.