by Lora Edwards
Giving the baby one last squeeze, she walked back to the bedroom and laid her in the crib Mrs. Sanderson had provided. Delphine went into her en suite bathroom to wash her face, brush her teeth, and slip into her nightshirt. With one more peek at the sleeping baby, she lay down, exhausted from the events of the day and soon drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 12
Delphine wiped a stray tear out of her eye. She knew Clarissa would take good care of Esme while they were away, but it was hard to leave the little girl. The baby was surprisingly stoic about the whole transfer. “It will be okay, Delphine. We will play in the water and have lots of fun,” the sprite told her reassuringly.
Teagan walked up behind Delphine and put her hand on her shoulder. Esme immediately brightened at the site of Teagan and reached out to her.
“Hello darling,” Teagan said as she took the baby, holding her up to touch the baby’s little nose to her own, causing Esme to giggle.
“She really seems to have taken to you,” Clarissa said, eyeing Teagan curiously.
Esme smiled up at Teagan and then snuggled into her, laying her head on Teagan’s shoulder.
“We have only met once, but we do seem to have a bond,” Teagan said as she rubbed the baby’s back.
“How do you feel about having her stay with you and Bran? She may be more comfortable with you. I can come and take her swimming to give the two of you a break when you need it,” Clarissa said, reading Teagan perfectly.
“Are you sure she wouldn’t be more comfortable with you,” Teagan asked.
“No, she really seems to have taken to you, and she has had enough change. You take her home and I will come by to take her for her swim every day. What do you think, Esme?”
Esme smiled and snuggled deeper into Teagan, beaming a picture of snuggling Teagan into the adults’ minds.
Delphine smiled and felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. She knew Clarissa would take excellent care of Esme, but from the way the baby reacted to Teagan, it seemed she would be much happier this way.
The two women waved at Clarissa and began their walk back to Teagan’s apartment. “How are you feeling,” Delphine asked her friend in a whisper.
“I am exhausted, but less nauseous, thanks to you.” She gave Delphine a tired smile.
“You sure you’re up to watching Esme?”
“Oh yes, it will be good practice for Bran and me,” Teagan replied reassuringly.
“Babies,” Esme said, pointing at Teagan’s stomach and making the two women laugh. If one looked closely, you could see that Teagan’s belly had started to round.
“With this little lady around, the babies won’t stay a secret for much longer,” came a smooth voice from behind the women.
They turned to see a grinning Bran standing behind them.
“Now who is this beautiful creature,” he said, smiling. The baby looked at him, her eyes wide. “Hello there, darling. You are lovely, aren’t you?” He smiled at Esme once more.
“Babies,” she said, again pointing at Teagan’s stomach, making them all laugh.
“Yes, I am afraid I am responsible for those babies,” he said with a sly grin.
Esme reached out her chubby arms and he gingerly took her from Teagan, hoisting her up to look in his eyes then settling her in the crook of his arm.
Bran’s eyes became unfocused for a moment as he looked at a scene only he could see. Teagan watched him closely.
His eyes slowly came back into focus and he grinned at his wife before turning his gaze back to the little one in his arms. “So that is what it’s to be, eh,” he asked, jiggling her in his arms a bit and making her giggle.
Bran sobered and looked over at Teagan. She shook her head slightly in his direction, as if to say, Later. He gave her a slight nod and hugged the little one in his arms a bit closer.
“I think you will get along just fine,” Delphine said, a smile crossing her face as the weight of anxiety she had felt about leaving the little girl slid away. “Clarissa will come by once a day to give you two a rest and take Esme for her daily dip in the water. Thank you so much for keeping an eye on her for us. It is my fondest wish that we will be able to return with her father and mother and reunite their little family,” Delphine told them.
Esme reached out and laid a hand on Delphine’s cheek. An image of a beautiful woman with long fiery red hair and eyes of deep emerald appeared in her mind, hugging a man with Esme’s sapphire hair and twinkling blue eyes that matched his daughter’s.
“Yes, little one, I will find them,” Delphine said, turning away and missing the lone tear that tracked down the baby’s face, the wave she gave, and the sorrow that filled Teagan and Bran’s eyes as they drew close together, sandwiching the baby between them in a hug.
Chapter 13
Delphine took a deep breath and shivered in the damp air of London. Even in the layers of petticoats, long skirts, and heavy wool cloak, the cold reached in and chilled her bones.
“Is everything all right,” Flynn asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“Yes, it is just this dampness creeping in beneath my clothes. At home in the institute, I have sun and sea just a room away to help chase away the gloom, but here there is just damp and chill.”
“I, for one, find it refreshing,” Ovidia announced, striding up next to Delphine and causing her to let out a little giggle.
“Of course you do. England must feel quite balmy compared to the arctic temperatures of Kvenland.”
“Enough talking. Let’s get on with it,” grumbled Erik, always one to get straight to the action.
“The institute has a fully stocked stable. I will go make arrangements with the stable master for four good mounts,” Flynn said, leading them away from the steps of the London institute where they had come through.
Flynn made short work of acquiring their horses and soon the small party was riding hard through the English countryside, Erik and Ovidia letting out loud war whoops as they let the berserker warrior side of themselves shine through.
Delphine felt herself grinning as she watched Ovidia whoop and holler along with Erik. She had let loose the other side of herself more freely now, and it made Delphine happy to see her friend embrace every part of herself. She had only known Ovidia for a short time before she had reconciled with Erik, but she had seen the internal struggle inside the woman who had now become one of her closest friends. Ovidia was still brash and bold, but she had found her anchor, her center, and she was steadier for it.
They rode until late afternoon then pulled up at an inn to rest for the night. Delphine found herself swaying in the saddle from exhaustion.
“Let me help you down,” Flynn said, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her out of the saddle with an ease that made her heart flutter.
Not wanting to appear weak, Delphine straightened away from him when her feet touched the ground. She swayed a bit then righted herself, squared her shoulders, and marched into the inn behind the others. Flynn let a little grin slip across his lips at the sight. He loved her fierce independence and knew with Delphine by his side, his life would never be boring.
“I have secured us rooms and ordered dinner, and I have set up our identities. You two are brothers, traveling with your cousin and her lady’s maid to our country house,” Ovidia explained in a low voice as she led them to one of the round scrubbed wooden tables that dotted the inn.
A pretty young woman soon brought them cups of ale, plates of roast beef with root vegetables, and chunks of crusty bread. They all ate hungrily; it had been a long hard ride to get to that point. Thankfully the manor house where the society was holding the last of supernaturals was just a short distance away.
“Tell me we are not actually resting tonight but instead going to the manor house under cover of darkness,” Erik enquired as he sat back in his chair, sipping his ale after finishing his meal.
Delphine felt the weariness she had felt earlier lift at the prospect of finding E
sme’s parents and rescuing the rest of the supernaturals.
“Aye, that is the plan.” Flynn nodded as he also sat back in his chair. “We just rented rooms here for appearance sake.”
Delphine, who had also finished her meal, found her mind wandering. Behind them the girl who had served them their food was busy whispering to another woman who was wiping down the tables.
“Ma, I heard it again when I was going out to deliver the supplies they ordered. There is something going on in that house on the hill. There were screams this time. Please don’t make me go back. It scared me something awful,” the girl finished, her voice trembling on the last word.
“They are paying good money for the supplies we send up there every day, and we aren’t making you go alone. You will be fine—it was probably just the sound of the wind across the moors and your fanciful mind dreamed up what it thought it heard,” the woman said, brushing off the young girl’s concerns. “Now stop with your gabbing and get back to work,” she commanded harshly before moving to another table to wipe it down as she had the previous one.
Delphine caught the girl’s eye as she swept past and gave her a kind smile. The girl was right to be afraid. Delphine knew terrible things were happening at that house on the hill. She scanned the girl and saw the palest light of the seer in her, just enough to be called good intuition. The girl had most likely sensed as well as heard the horrible things that were going on at the manor house. The sooner the society was stopped, the better it would be, not just for the supernaturals trapped there but for the local townspeople as well.
It was only a matter of time before someone else heard the strange noises coming from the manor and investigated. The society would not allow anyone to live once they had gleaned the horrific things happening there. They needed to get rid of the society as soon as possible.
“I overheard the serving girl talking with her mother. It sounds as if the manor house sits atop a hill, so we will have to be careful approaching it. We do not want to give them any indication of our arrival.”
“They are only humans,” sneered Ovidia as she drained the last of her ale.
“Only humans, yes, but they have access to magical items, and we are not altogether sure none of the members do not have significant supernatural blood,” Erik said, ignoring the snarl his wife sent in his direction.
“Are you saying we can’t best a group of humans with some magical toys, Erik? Losing your nerve, darling,” she asked with a twist of her lips.
Erik’s blue eyes darkened and his voice lowered, coming out guttural as he spit something at Ovidia in an unknown language.
Ovidia only laughed and grabbed him around the neck, kissing him passionately.
Delphine watched this display with a mixture of curiosity and horror.
Flynn leaned over and whispered in her ear. “It’s the berserker warrior in them. Sitting idle is hard, and they are anticipating a possible fight ahead. They will calm down once we get to the manor house.” He smiled at Delphine as she watched Ovidia and Erik go from kissing to snarling at each other once more. “Alright gang, let’s get on with it,” he said in an overly cheery voice, standing from his chair. Erik and Ovidia joined him, and Delphine stood as well, though a bit more slowly.
“Shouldn’t we at least pretend to be going to our rooms,” she asked.
“Yes, you and Ovidia head for the rooms while Erik and I go check on the horses,” Flynn said, winking at Delphine.
“Come along, Delphine. It is time for the ladies to retire,” Ovidia said in a sarcastic voice, a gleam in her violet gaze.
Erik rolled his eyes as he followed Flynn out of the inn while Ovidia and Delphine walked to the stairs at the back of the room.
They went to the room they were assigned and shut the door. Ovidia began to pace like a caged animal.
“Vid, you going to be okay,” Delphine asked, taking an involuntary step back when Ovidia rounded on her with a snarl on her face, her eyes gleaming purple.
Ovidia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry fish girl, it is the battle excitement—it gets me edgy until it is time to fight.” Ovidia smiled apologetically.
“It’s okay, I think we are all a bit keyed up.” Delphine patted her friend’s shoulder reassuringly.
A plinking sound echoed through the room and Ovidia grinned. “I think they are ready for us.” She moved to throw open the only window in the room.
Delphine peeked over her shoulder and saw Flynn and Erik standing on the ground below, holding the reins of their horses. The animals stamped their feet and blew steam out of their noses. They seemed as eager as the humans to get on with the task at hand.
“How are we going to get down from here without being noticed,” Delphine asked Ovidia, looking down two stories at the men.
Erik frowned and gestured for them to hurry up.
“We are going to jump, fish girl,” Ovidia said matter-of-factly, her face glowing with excitement.
“I am not jumping out this window,” Delphine hissed, watching in horror as Ovidia crawled up on the sill.
“See you down there,” she said just before leaping out. Delphine watched, her stomach tight with anxiety as Ovidia landed hard but gracefully on the ground in front of the men. Erik smiled and clapped lightly, chuckling as Ovidia gave a bow.
Delphine looked down at them, and Ovidia gestured for her to jump. She frowned and shook her head, leaning out and looking at the awaiting party. “I am not jumping down from up here,” she insisted.
“Okay then we will come collect you on the way back to the institute.” Ovidia shrugged and turned to mount her horse.
Delphine straightened her shoulders and looked down at Erik and Ovidia as they mounted up. They really meant to leave her. She had not come all this way to sit at the inn and fret, and she had no intention of missing all the action. Ovidia had made the jump and did not appear to have suffered any ill effects, so Delphine decided to go for it.
Ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach, Delphine crawled out onto the ledge, shutting her eyes for a brief moment. The height was making her nauseous. She opened them again and saw Flynn standing under the window. “Jump! I’ll break your fall,” he called up to her.
Delphine looked down into Flynn’s beautiful green eyes, closed her own, and shoved off the windowsill.
The fall seemed to take forever. Delphine felt her stomach flip then she heard Flynn grunt and felt him stumble as she landed in his arms. She opened her eyes and looked up into his grinning face.
“You did it.” He lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“All right, break it up you two. We have a society to catch,” Ovidia called from her prancing steed.
Flynn set Delphine carefully on the ground as if she was something precious and moved over to his own horse. Delphine had never felt so cherished. With muscles screaming in protest, she mounted up as well.
They quietly picked their way out of the yard of the inn, slowly moving to the edge of the village. Once there, they kicked their horses into a gallop, heading toward the large manor house that could be seen over the next rise. Delphine enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her face and the beautiful bleeding colors as the sun set behind them.
Tying their horses to a tree, they dismounted and looked up at the large home, lights blazing in the darkness of the night. It appeared every room in the mansion was lit, and people could be seen walking around in the rooms. The odd scream or moan could be heard coming from the building, and Delphine shuddered at the sounds. The anger she had been holding at a simmer since she had been kidnapped boiled over into a full-blown rage.
“All right, Delphine, do your thing,” Ovidia whispered, winking at her friend.
They had hidden in a copse of trees to wait for full dark and to observe the security precautions the society had put into place around the mansion. They had decided to let Delphine use her Siren voice to lure the two guards in front out to them, thinking it would cause less ruckus th
an if they went in swords raised and guns blazing.
Delphine smiled at Ovidia. “I thought we may need to use my voice so I brought spelled amulets for you to avoid the effects of my Siren song.” She pulled out familiar wooden amulets, which the others recognized from their last mission. Ovidia had had them made by a powerful witch—Teagan’s mother, in fact—during the mission to rescue Delphine. They had gone to the Siren isle to meet with her father and had used the amulets to immunize them to the song of the Sirens who protected the island.
“Hello again, old friend,” Ovidia said to the wooden amulet as she slipped it over her head. Delphine made sure Flynn and Erik had done the same before she opened her mouth and began to sing.
The tune carried on the wind, a melody of sorrow for a lost love. Even with the amulet protecting him from the power of the song, Flynn thought her voice hauntingly beautiful. Delphine began to glow slightly as she sang, her powers pumping up her already beautiful face as a soft wind began to blow her hair back gently.
Ovidia grinned wide as the men guarding the front door perked up and looked into the woods. Delphine raised her voice slightly and the breeze picked up a bit, the scent of the sea lingering in the air.
The men at the door began to walk toward the sound, their feet shuffling along in an abnormal gait as they moved forward.
“Billy, what are you…” Another man had come from the stables and he too got caught in the snare of the Siren song, eyes glazing over as he joined the two guards in their shuffle toward the small party in the woods.
The men reached them and kneeled at Delphine’s feet. The lust that gleamed in their eyes as they stared at her made Flynn’s stomach turn. This was not love; this was men bewitched. He knew the men had no choice, but he still found himself angry at the way they stared at Delphine.
Coming up behind them, Flynn gave each man a chop on the back of the head, watching as each fell to the side, unconscious from the blow. He grinned, finding a little too much satisfaction in stopping the men from staring lustfully at Delphine.