Daughter of Magic

by Teresa Roman

  “You and Devin?” she practically squealed. “I knew something was going on between the two of you. I guess that explains why you haven’t been picking up your phone. When are you guys coming back?”

  “Probably in a few more days.” I hated lying to her. “Listen Katy, I gotta get going. I’ll call you soon, I promise.”

  “Okay. You take care of yourself, and tell Devin I said hi. Love you.”

  I hung up and turned to look at Devin, knowing he’d overheard our conversation.

  “That was quick thinking, not telling her where we really are,” he said. His voice sounded calm, but the tension in his jaw told me he was as worried as I was.

  “You were right.” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. “Someone else is already after me.”

  “Hey.” Devin gripped my arms in his hands and stared into my eyes. “You’re not alone in this.”

  “I don’t like it. I don’t like that my aunt is involved.”

  “It’s not Katy they’re after. She’s a means to an end, that’s all. And thanks to your quick thinking, if Katy is bewitched into revealing where you are, whoever’s looking for us will head in the wrong direction.”

  “I only bought us time, Devin. What happens when Zoran, or whoever he sent after us, realizes we’re not really in Portland?”

  Devin got out of bed, walked over to his bag and pulled out a pair of jeans. “I told you last night I had a plan. It’s time we start working on it.”

  “You haven’t told me what it is yet.”

  “The first thing we need to do is get in contact with your mother, but that’s not something I can do without returning to the Wilds. I won’t risk leaving you here by yourself, so that means the only way to do it is through your magic.”

  “My magic? Devin, I have no idea how to use it.” A small detail that had become a major source of frustration for me.

  “I’ll teach you,” Devin said as he slid his legs into his jeans. He pulled a t-shirt out next and tugged it over his head. “C’mon. You need to get dressed.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked as I slid out of bed.

  “Somewhere quiet where there won’t be any distractions. I’ll ask the clerk downstairs where we might find such a place. The faster we can contact your mother, the better.” Devin started for the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Be dressed.”

  He walked out of the room before I had the chance to argue with him. I let out a deep sigh and walked over to my duffel bag. I threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt. I was barely done brushing my hair back into a ponytail when Devin returned.

  He was clearly in a rush to get wherever we were going. We didn’t even stop for a real breakfast; instead he drove us to a drive-through fast food restaurant. A few minutes after I finished my last bite of a greasy breakfast sandwich, we pulled into a parking lot. A wooden sign read Torrey Pines State Reserve. We got out of the car and started walking.

  “It’s a bit of a hike to get to where we need to go,” Devin said.

  I was used to hiking, and in pretty good shape, or at least I thought I was, until we got to a set of stone steps that seemed to go on forever. It was no wonder we were the only people on the trail. Eventually, we found our secluded spot and sat down.

  “Have you ever taught anyone how to do magic before?” I asked.

  “No. Usually, magic comes naturally to witches, and I’m sure yours will come soon, too. But, given our unique circumstances, we don’t have time to wait.”

  “We don’t even know what I’ll be able to do.”

  “Not true. You were able to teleport, so we know you can do that. We know you can also see through glamour. Now all we have to do is get this telepathy thing with your mother going. I have a feeling that once we do, the rest of your abilities will come quickly.”

  “So what do I do?”

  “The key is to relax, empty your mind.”

  Easier said than done.

  Devin rested his hand on the small of my back. “Close your eyes. Block out your worries, and pretend I’m not here. Focus on the sound of the ocean, the roar of the waves as they crash along the shore.”

  Closing my eyes was the easy part, the rest felt impossible. I couldn’t pretend Devin wasn’t near me, especially not with his hand still on my back. All of a sudden I felt silly and started laughing. Devin moved his hand and I opened my eyes. He looked at me sternly.

  “This isn’t the time for laughter, Lilli. You need to take this more seriously.”

  “I am taking it seriously,” I replied. “But I’ve never been into this whole mediation, become one with your surroundings crap.”

  “Are you even going to try or am I going to need to come up with another plan?”

  “I wouldn’t know. You haven’t exactly told me what the plan is, just that it involves me getting in contact with my mother.”

  “I’m wondering if Zoran has confronted Naiara about keeping you hidden all these years. I suspect that he hasn’t, but we need to find out first.”

  “And if he hasn’t?”

  “Then he will have no reason to be suspicious when Naiara lures him to the place I have in mind. While she has him distracted, I’ll get close enough to kill him before he realizes I’m even there.”

  “How? With that dagger you used to kill the demon?”

  “Yes.” Devin smiled. “I’m very skilled with them, you know. My father taught me.”

  “I didn’t even know you kept one of those things strapped to your leg.”

  “They’re very effective in killing demons, as you may have noticed,” Devin said. “But enough about my weapon of choice, we need to get back to my plan.”

  I didn’t like it one bit—his plan seemed full of holes. “What if you’re wrong? Maybe Zoran did confront my mother, what if he’s done something to hurt her?

  “No.” Devin shook his head. “First of all, if something had happened to your mother, you’d feel it through your connection. And second of all, I doubt Zoran would hurt your mother, at least not directly. He won’t confront her about you, either, because he’s smart enough to realize that if Naiara went to the lengths she did to conceal you, you mean a lot to her. You’re not just some half-human child she had as the result of a fling. Hurting you will only put her further beyond his reach, but his pride won’t let him do nothing. Whatever he plans on doing, it’s something that he wants to make sure your mother never finds out about.”

  “It sounds like you know him well.”

  “Not him particularly, but I know the way people like him think.” Devin took my hand in his. “Come on, enough talking. Let’s try again.”

  I did everything Devin asked me to, or at least I tried my best to, but nothing happened. Nothing at all. With my eyes closed, I blocked out everything except for the wind and the waves and the briny scent of the ocean air. I felt relaxed, my heartbeat slowed, and I emptied my mind, but that was as far as I could get.

  “Why isn’t this working?” I asked, kicking at the sand with my foot, frustrated by my failure.

  “You have to picture your mother,” Devin instructed. “You have to see her in here.” His fingertips pressed against my forehead. “And you have to feel her here.” He pointed to my heart.

  That was the problem. I was okay with the seeing her part, but I couldn’t make myself feel. Our brief reunion hadn’t lasted long enough to remove all the doubts I had about her from my mind. Whether she had a good reason to or not, it didn’t change the fact that she’d left my father brokenhearted and me without a mother. I’d spent an entire lifetime trying not to think about her, so forcing myself to feel a connection with her went against everything I’d taught myself to do.

  “It’s no use,” I said, feeling hopeless. “I can’t do it.”

  “You can,” Devin insisted. “But maybe we just need to take a break and try again when you’re less frustrated, and less hungry.” He stood and held his hand out to me. “C’mon, let’s get some lunch.”

  Devin tri
ed to hide his discomfort as we headed back to the car, but I could tell when he was troubled. An uneasy quiet settled between us.

  By the time we returned to our room, I still hadn’t thought of anything to say to lighten the mood. I turned the TV on for no other reason except I couldn’t stand the silence any more.

  Devin took a seat at the desk and pulled out a map from his back pocket. I didn’t need to ask him what he was doing—I already knew he was deciding where the two of us would head next. We hadn’t even gotten to see the San Diego Zoo or SeaWorld, I thought bitterly, not that I would’ve really been able to enjoy those things, and we were hardly on vacation.

  Eventually, I got tired of flipping through channels and got up to take a shower. By the time I emerged from the bathroom Devin was lying down in bed. He gestured for me to join him.

  “Did you figure out where we’re going next?” I asked as I lay beside him.

  He frowned and shook his head. “It’s hard to choose. A big city seems safer, because the more people there are the harder it will be to find us, but I’m not sure which one yet. I think it’s better if I wait until the morning to decide. It’s easier to think after a good night’s rest.”

  I nestled against him and closed my eyes. From start to finish this had been a crappy day and I was just pretty much ready for it to be over.

  “Lilli,” Devin whispered.

  I looked up at him. “Yes?”

  “Kiss me.”

  Those two words sent a fire raging through me. One of my hands reached around the nape of his neck and I pulled him closer. The caress of his lips on mine made me forget everything. He twined his hands through my hair as he kissed me. His lips parted mine, deepening our kiss. Devin flipped me over so I was on my back. The feeling of his body pressed against mine was electric. I felt breathless as he planted kisses on my neck. My fear and worry melted away with each scorching touch.

  I was so tired of being scared, so tired of trying to figure out what to do. I didn’t want to think about my conversation earlier with Katy, or about my mother, or Zoran. Devin knew how to make the pain go away. His touch, his kiss, was all I needed. As his mouth moved along my neck, I reached under his shirt and softly kneaded the smooth skin on his back. He let out a low moan that I took to mean he liked the way I touched him. I lifted his shirt over his head and met his lips with mine again. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed me even tighter to him. His lips lingered over the hollow at the base of my throat, I arched my back, enjoying the way he made every cell in my body feel alive. I reached for the hem of my shirt, overcome with the need to feel his skin against my own. I ached for his warmth.

  But before I could lift my shirt off, Devin tensed and began to pull away.

  I reached out. “Don’t stop,” I whispered. I kissed him, slipping my tongue between his lips, he groaned softly. My hands stroked his sweat-slicked skin. I could feel his desire for me, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from tensing and pulling away again.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, afraid I’d done something he didn’t like. I was new at this, and he probably wasn’t, although I didn’t have the nerve to actually ask him.

  “Nothing. It’s just that . . . we have to stop.”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “Wrong?” He shook his head. “Not wrong. Terribly, terribly right.”

  “Then why are we stopping?” I asked, inching closer to him. “Are we supposed to be married first?”

  I felt silly asking the question, but I didn’t know all the rules witches in the Wilds lived by. Maybe that was one of them.

  “No, that’s not it. For us marriage is more about ritual and ceremony, something witches love. The bond between two people comes long before that takes place.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” I asked, trying not to feel rejected.

  Devin sat up and swung his feet onto the floor. His back was turned to me. “If we went any further, I wouldn’t be able to control myself, and I don’t want to make you do anything until you’re ready.”

  “Who says I’m not ready? Maybe I am. I’m eighteen after all. Most girls my age have already had sex . . . a bunch of times.” I didn’t actually know whether I was ready or not—how did anyone know that for sure? What I did know was, that when I was in his arms, I felt happy and safe, and I didn’t want that feeling to stop.

  Devin shook his head and lowered his face into his hands. “When you touch me . . ., you have no idea what it’s like. Every inch of me feels on fire. Everything about you, your touch, your scent, even the way your breath feels on my skin, it makes me feel wild. I feel like I’m not in control of myself anymore, and that scares me because no matter how badly I want you, I won’t take advantage of you.”

  “You’re not taking advantage of me,” I insisted. “I don’t feel that way at all.”

  “But I do,” he replied. “Between losing your father and finding out that you’re a witch, you’ve been through enough. You’re away from the only home you’ve known. You’re scared and confused and you don’t know what to feel. And that’s okay. I don’t expect you to feel the same way I do.”

  “You don’t get to tell me what I’m feeling,” I said, testily.

  “I wish I knew how to make you understand.”

  I scooted closer to him and laid my hand on his shoulder. Devin lifted his head and turned to look at me. “Just tell me.”

  “That bond I was telling you about; I feel it. It’s like you’re my forever, Lilli. You’re in my blood. I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but it did. If we did anything, if we made love, and you walked away from me one day, I couldn’t handle it. I can’t get any closer to you than I already am until I know you feel the same.”

  “I know what I feel, I’m just not good at saying the words,” I said, avoiding his gaze.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m scared.”

  “Hey.” Devin lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. “What are you scared of?”

  “Of losing another person I care about.”

  “You won’t lose me, ever.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not a promise you can make. My father never planned on dying, but he did. My mother abandoned me when I was still a baby to keep me safe from some lunatic, but now he’s after me, and he’s not above hurting you to get to me, you said so yourself.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to me—or to you.”

  “Is that even in your power?”

  “You give me power I never even knew I had.”

  But was it enough?

  At Devin’s insistence, we tried to get some sleep, but that question echoed in my mind while I lay there listening to his heartbeat. Eventually I drifted off to sleep, hoping that love would give us all the power we needed to protect each other.

  I woke up some time later in the night and panicked as I reached out for Devin, only to find his spot on the bed beside me empty. I sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. Relief replaced fear as I spotted him sitting in the chair in the corner of the room staring outside at the night sky dotted with lights from downtown.

  “What are you doing out of bed?”

  “Just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  Devin turned his head toward me. “How to tell you what I really am.”

  Chapter 24

  Devin’s last big revelation had left me stunned enough to last a lifetime. I was almost tempted to tell him to just forget it, that whatever he wanted to tell me, I didn’t really need to know. Almost.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, bracing myself for his reply.

  “I should’ve never been born,” Devin said, his voice flat, without emotion, as if he were telling me about the weather.

  “Devin, no. Don’t say that.”

  “It’s true.” He looked away, and I had to move closer to hear him. “Twenty years ago, my mother was attacked, raped, and practically left for dead. By some miracle, she managed to make her way to a healer. His name
was Marik, Rayden’s father and Naiara’s uncle by marriage. Anyway, Marik came from a long line of healers, so his family owned an apothecary shop. When my mother showed up at his door, Marik was there with a friend. Together they helped bring my mother back from the brink of death. The friend I speak of is my father, Tibor. Except, well . . . he’s not really my father.”

  I sucked in a quiet breath as I began to realize what Devin was trying to tell me. He turned his head in my direction before continuing his story.

  “After recovering from her injuries, my mother realized she was pregnant. It was too late for her to do anything about it, so she was forced to have me. By then, my father had fallen deeply in love with her. He didn’t care that she was carrying another man’s child. He wanted to help raise me, even though I was a product of rape. And half shapeshifter.”

  I wanted to say something comforting, but no words came. I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

  “Your mother was raped by a shapeshifter?”

  Devin nodded. “I don’t want to hurt you in that way, Lilli. I don’t ever want to take something from you that you’re not ready to give.”

  “Devin, you’re not like that man who attacked your mother. You’re kind and gentle and . . .”

  “Half-monster. That’s what I am, Lilli, whether I want to be or not. I can’t do anything about the fact that my father was a shapeshifter—an animal,” Devin said, gritting his teeth.

  I crouched down in front of him. “Stop, Devin. Please don’t say those things about yourself.”

  “Even if I wanted to forget, to pretend I was something else, I can’t. I’m a witch with no active powers. For a while, I think my parents hoped I would develop one so they could dispel the rumors about me, but if anything, my shapeshifter traits only grew stronger with time.”

  “But you do have an ability. You told me . . .”

  Devin shook his head. “All shapeshifters have heightened senses. We’re hunters, a characteristic we get from the animal in us. My ability is just something passed down to me by the man who raped my mother and sired me.”