Daughter of Magic

by Teresa Roman

  I shook my head. “You just don’t get it.”

  My mother furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?

  “There had to have been another way to protect me without lying to everyone.”

  “Yes, there was.” The tone in my mother’s voice shifted. “I could’ve done what Zoran did and asked a demon to use dark magic to get the life I wanted with you and your father. But doing that would’ve changed me, I would’ve no longer been the person your father fell in love with, and I refused to let Zoran and his mother turn me into that.”

  “You tried to keep me from my destiny, but you couldn’t,” I said in a whisper.

  “I suppose not.” My mother lowered her head.

  “You don’t see it?” I said, dumbfounded by her blindness.

  “See what?”

  “Your vision of Zoran with his hands around my neck,” I started. “Have you ever stopped to think that it was all your lies and deceptions that made it come true? Every decision you made brought me closer and closer to that moment when I almost died.”

  My mother covered her face with her hands and started to cry. “I just wanted to protect you. Some witches say that what you see in a vision can’t be changed, but I was determined to keep you alive.”

  “Did you actually see Zoran kill me in your visions?”

  She shook her head. “No, but when you see a man with his hands around your child’s neck, what are you supposed to think?”

  I sat down beside my mother and circled my arm around her back. Now that I understood why she’d made the decision she had, I realized I had no right to be angry with her. I felt sorry for the choices she had to make at such a young age. And nothing she’d done excused Zoran for trying to hand me over to a demon. “We can’t change the past,” I said, trying to comfort her the best I could. “No matter how much we wish could.”

  My mother dried her eyes with the edge of her sleeve and took a deep breath. “You’re right, we can’t. I know you’ve been through a lot over the past few days, but things will get better. I saw . . .”

  “Please no.” I held up my hand to stop her. “I don’t want to know my future, especially if there’s nothing I can do to change it. Too much has happened. Between losing Dad, and now Devin . . .”

  “You haven’t lost him.”

  She was wrong, I was sure of it, but I didn’t feel like talking about Devin.

  My mother leaned forward to kiss my cheek. “Get some more rest, my darling Lilli. I’ll be back after, and we can talk more then.” A moment later, she was gone.

  Chapter 32

  I headed upstairs, peeled off my clothes, and stepped into the shower. As the hot water pelted my skin, I began to relax. I did my best to empty my mind. So much had happened, and I was too tired to sort through it all.

  When I finished in the shower, I wrapped myself in my bathrobe and went back downstairs to the kitchen. A few boxes of frozen pizza were stacked in the freezer. I placed one in the oven and sat staring outside at my backyard while it baked.

  Too impatient to wait for it to cool, I practically burned my tongue as I bit into the first slice. Three slices later I was still hungry, but the sound of someone knocking on the front door made me pause between bites. It couldn’t be Katy, she would have just let herself in. Panicked, my mind flashed through the possibilities. Anyone supernatural wouldn’t have bothered knocking. I sat there frozen, hoping that whoever it was would just go away. But they didn’t, there was another knock.

  The third round of knocking was accompanied by a voice. “Lilli, it’s me. I know you’re in there. Open the door, please,” Devin pleaded.

  At the sound of his voice, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I rose from my chair and started for the door, my need for him intense. Halfway there, I stopped. I wanted to open the door and run into his arms, but I was afraid. For a minute I considered pretending I wasn’t home, but I knew that wouldn’t do any good. He could probably hear me from where he was.

  “Go away,” I shouted. It hurt to say those words, they were the last thing I ever wanted to tell him, but the look of agony on his face from earlier was etched into my mind. I refused to cause him pain like that again.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” His voice sounded as tortured as I felt, and I was afraid that it was me hurting him all over again. “I’ll stay out here all night and all day and the day after until you open this door and let me talk to you.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you again,” I said, trying to be strong, not only for myself, but for him, too.

  “The only thing that hurts is being away from you. Please, just let me in,” he pleaded. “You won’t hurt me. I can help you. I can teach you how to control your power.”

  “No.”

  “Lilli, please . . . I need you. I can’t breathe without you. I love you.” His voice cracked and I wondered if I’d heard him right, but then he said it again, and again, and again.

  Forgetting everything else, I ran to open the door and threw myself into his arms. Relief flooded through me as he wrapped his arms around me. I seriously doubted I’d ever be able to let go again.

  Devin scooped me up into his arms and carried me inside. He kicked the door shut behind him and laid me down on the couch. “Tell me I’m not dreaming,” he said as he stared at my face. “I thought I’d lost you forever. Tell me I haven’t.”

  His lips were on mine before I had a chance to answer him. No, I wanted to say. This is definitely too real to be a dream. His kiss seemed endless, like he was afraid if he stopped, I would disappear.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered into his ear. His lips returned to mine as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I groaned, feeling a mixture of pleasure from his kisses and pain from my bruised ribs.

  I must have flinched because he pulled away. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, more than fine, now that you’re here.”

  He rested his head on my chest, and I liked the way his soft hair tickled my neck. I watched as his back rose and fell with each breath. The rhythm of it soothed me, as did the knowledge that perhaps I was soothing him right back, thanks to my newly acquired power.

  “I almost forgot how beautiful you are,” Devin murmured as he looked up at me. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “And how delicious you smell.” When he opened his eyes I felt his lashes brush softly against my neck.

  Then he arched away from me abruptly.

  “This is what Zoran did to you, isn’t it?” he said through gritted teeth as his fingers stroked my neck.

  I reached for his hand, which was still touching my neck. Of course there would be marks there. I hadn’t bothered looking into any mirrors since I’d managed to barely escape with my life. I nodded, trying desperately to push away all thoughts of my struggle with Zoran. I had never been so aware of my own emotions, but now that I knew the damage they could do, I didn’t have any other choice.

  “We don’t have to talk about it now,” Devin said, sensing my unease.

  “You don’t hate me?”

  His kiss said he didn’t, but a part of me feared that when he really thought things through, he would realize that being with me wasn’t what he wanted anymore.

  “Hate you?” He frowned. “How could I ever?”

  “I hurt you earlier.” My voice dropped. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry. I didn’t even know what I doing until my mother said it was me. I still can’t believe that I can do something so . . . horrible.”

  “Shhh. We don’t need to worry about that right now. You didn’t mean to hurt me; I know that. If anyone is to blame, it’s Zoran. The stress that he put you under is what made everything happen the way it did, and being in the Void didn’t help either.”

  “What is the Void exactly?”

  “It’s a no man’s land between worlds. Magic tends to be a little unpredictable there.”

  A no man’s land; it felt a lot like that when I was there. All I knew was the Void was one place I never wan
ted to go back to, or think about. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “Do you hate me because of who my . . . father is?” I almost choked on the words.

  “Did you hate me after I told you about my father?”

  I shook my head. “You know I didn’t.”

  “Zoran wasn’t the one who raised you. You’re nothing like him. Just because he’s your father, it doesn’t change who you are.”

  “So you think my mother was right for lying to my dad and letting him think he was my real father?” I asked.

  “No . . . yes,” he stuttered. “I don’t really know. But what I do know is that if she hadn’t, we would never have found each other, and right or wrong, I can’t be sorry about the way things turned out.”

  “You don’t think we would have found a way to each other if we’d grown up together?”

  He shook his head. “No. Zoran would’ve forbidden you from being with me.”

  “Because your father is a shapeshifter?”

  “Yes.”

  I didn’t argue with him, although I was sure he was wrong about us not being able to find a way to be together. I couldn’t see the future the way my mother could, but it felt like Devin and I were destined to be with each other.

  “You look tired,” Devin said. “Let me bring you upstairs.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to sleep. I want to be with you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Devin said, stroking my cheek. “After what you pulled, leaving me back in Kansas City the way you did, I doubt I’ll ever let you out of my sight again.”

  “I’m sorry. I thought . . .”

  “I’m not angry with you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m too happy to have you back in my arms to think about anything else,” Devin said. “Perhaps it’s for the best. If I let myself think about Zoran with his hands around your neck . . .” He shook his head like he was trying to clear the memory from his mind.

  “I don’t want to think about that either. I’m worried that if I do I’ll hurt you again.”

  “No. It’s different now. You know what you can do, so you can control it. With time you’ll be able to use your power to do amazing things.”

  “How did you know I was here?” I asked, changing the subject. The thought of my ability was still too frightening and overwhelming.

  “Your mother told me.”

  “Did she tell you anything else?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like about her vision?”

  “What vision?”

  “It’s not important,” I said. I wasn’t up for any more serious conversation. “I thought you wanted to take me upstairs.”

  Devin stood and held his hand out to me. I took it and followed him to my bedroom. I lay down on my bed and Devin settled in beside me wrapping his arms around me as I rested my head on his chest.

  We lay there quietly for a few minutes until Devin broke the silence. “Lilli, we have something important to talk about.”

  “No more talking,” I said. I pulled Devin closer and pressed my lips on his. My hands slid under his shirt and I stroked every inch of his chest. I climbed on top of him, and let my lips travel down to his neck, smiling as he groaned softly with each contact my lips made with his skin. I wanted more. I lifted his shirt so I could kiss his chest. My tongue darted in and out of my mouth as I let myself taste him. From the way Devin’s chest rose and fell I could tell he was breathing fast. Every time I found a new spot to kiss, he arched his back and moaned. His skin felt silky and warm under my hands. I wanted him to touch me the way I was touching him. I wanted to be as close to him as it was possible for two people to be. There was nothing but my robe between us. I reached for the belt at my waist and began to unknot it.

  Devin’s eyes flew open and he inhaled sharply. “You have to stop, Lilli,” he said drawing the edges of my robe back together

  “I don’t want to stop,” I said. “I want you to see me and touch me; all of me.”

  “Lilli, no. I already told you, once I do those things I’m afraid I won’t be able to pull myself away from you. I don’t want to do the wrong thing.”

  “You won’t do the wrong thing,” I said. “I want you.”

  “Don’t say that unless you’re sure,” he whispered. “I can wait as long as you want. It’ll be hard, next to impossible, but I’d do anything for you.”

  “I almost died today, twice,” I reminded him as I bent forward to kiss his lips. He shuddered and moaned as I pulled off my robe and pressed my naked flesh to his. “I don’t want to waste any more time.”

  Devin threw my robe on the floor. He flipped me onto my back and pulled his shirt over his head. Despite how badly I wanted him, I was nervous and a little afraid. Somehow he must have sensed that so he took his time with me. I reminded myself to breath as he made me feel things I had never imagined were possible.

  Chapter 33

  After we had made love, I trembled in Devin’s arms.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I turned my head to look up at him and smiled, unable to hide how incredibly blissful I felt. “More than okay,” I replied resting my chin on his chest. “You’re the only good thing in my life, did you know that?”

  “You deserve more than just me.”

  “No. You make up for everything I lost. You’re the only one I need . . . I love you.” It was the first time I’d had the courage to tell him.

  “Do you?”

  As I nodded, he smiled and kissed my forehead. “Never let me go, Lilli,” he said with a far off look in his eyes.

  “Hey,” I whispered. I waited for his eyes to meet mine. “I’m yours and you’re mine, for as long as you want.”

  “Forever is what I want.”

  “That’s good.” I smiled. “I guess that means we both want the same thing.”

  We lay quietly. I was tired, but I didn’t want to sleep. I was afraid that when I woke up in the morning everything would be different, and I liked the way things were right at that moment.

  “Lilli,” Devin whispered. “There’s something important that I really want to talk to you about.”

  My lips grazed his chest. “What is it?”

  “I want to return to the Wilds, but only if you will go with me.” I lifted my head. “And before you say no, you have to hear me out. Your ability isn’t exactly the easiest to keep hidden. We could stay away from other people until you learn to control it, but I’m not sure how long it would take. Then there’s Zoran to think about. I have no idea what his plans are—he disappeared after you left—but you’re his daughter and he will seek you out again. It will be easier to protect you back home.”

  “What am I going to tell Katy?” I asked. “I can’t just disappear; that wouldn’t be right.”

  “We’ll think of something,” he assured me. “I’m sure she anticipated that one day you’d leave Crescent City.”

  “Yes, but . . . what about when she tries to call me, or if she wants to visit?” I asked.

  “That’s something we can work out after you agree.”

  I looked into Devin’s eyes, the ones that made me feel like diving in without caring whether or not I would drown. A week ago, I’d had my doubts about ever returning to the Wilds, but despite everything, I knew it was where I was supposed to be. Devin probably thought it would be a hard decision for me to make after everything that had happened, but it wasn’t. Crescent City hadn’t really felt like home ever since my dad died. The idea of continuing to live in my house didn’t feel right anymore. The memories were painful enough before, but now, after everything that had happened, things were even harder. Knowing the truth didn’t make me love the man I called Dad my whole life any less. If anything I loved him more, because he’d raised me and loved me even though I wasn’t his. He hadn’t known it, but I had a feeling that even if he had, he wouldn’t have done anything differently.

  “We can’t leave until I at least get a chance to s
ay goodbye to Katy.”

  Devin's lips curled into a smile so big it nearly filled the entire room. He pulled me into his arms and I found myself smiling, too, and not just because Devin was, but because we were going back to the Wilds again. Together.

  Acknowledgements

  I’ve been working on Daughter of Magic for three years. Although it isn’t my first published book, it is the first book I started writing. That’s one of the reasons it’s so special to me. Daughter of Magic has undergone many re-writes, edits and even title changes until I felt that it was just right. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  Thank you to my husband, Ben, for your support. Thank you to my children who talk about my characters, Lilli and Devin, as if they were real people. They are the best little cheerleaders a mother could wish for. Thank you to my sister, Elisabeth, for reading so many versions of this book, for your edits, for helping me find beta readers and for just being there.

  A big thanks also goes to Jennifer Skutelsky for her amazing job editing this book. She really helped me to shape it in to something I could be proud of, and I am in awe of her talent with the written word. I would also like to thank Damonza for creating my beautiful book cover. Their designers really know what they’re doing. Finally, I would like to say thank you to all my readers, I hope this book brought a little joy into your lives.

  About the Author

  Teresa Roman is a lover of books, she loves the way they can take you to a different time and place. Born in Romania, she moved to the states as a young child and has lived on both coasts and the Midwest. Now, she happily calls Sacramento, CA her home, where she lives with her husband, three kids and a dog. When she isn’t at her day job or running around with her children, you can find her in front of the computer writing, or with her head buried in another book. You can read more about Teresa at www.teresaromanwrites.com, where you can also sign up for her newsletter to receive the latest news about book releases and giveaways.