She couldn’t wait to get started.
26
Quinn
Quinn sat on the floor of the lean-to as Shade and Scout ran the property and re-marked the boundary, like they did every time they had been away. His brothers would go out and make sure no large predators that didn’t belong had snuck in and caused any problems.
He poured over the notebooks he’d been using to take notes over the last few weeks. His handwriting was improving, he knew that. He could see it. And he enjoyed the texts Sawyer had given him, except he knew when things were wrong.
They were wrong a lot. He tried to not let it bother him.
He should tell Sawyer about how the books were wrong. She might laugh about it.
Sawyer. She occupied his thoughts too much now. He looked up from his notebooks towards the house. He couldn’t see it, but he knew exactly what direction it was in. He could imagine her in there, walking around in sweatpants that were too big and a sports bra. He could nearly taste the sexual attraction his team mates felt for her and that he felt for her.
He wanted. He wanted to push her to the forest floor and take her in the grass. Against a tree. In her bed, and he normally disliked sleeping in beds. He wanted to do all of it with her, at her command, for her pleasure.
He had heard the whispers of the team during the case, stuff about Sawyer and what they wanted. Vincent, Zander, and Jasper had made a deal that Elijah was a part of. Elijah was going to tell him about it soon, Quinn knew. Elijah didn’t keep secrets from Quinn, but the case had them busy; and they knew not to bother Quinn when they got home.
Quinn couldn’t handle so much time dealing with people. The people they dealt with on cases made it worse. They were… so wrong. So different from what he knew and understood. So, whenever they got home from a case, he would come out here to his lean-to, no matter the weather, and get back in touch with his land and the way of things he was used to.
He could wait to know the details of this deal until he was feeling up for the human attention. Right now, he wanted his woods, his brothers… and the books.
They reminded him of Sawyer.
As night fell, he lay down next to Shade, Scout against his back.
That was when he felt it.
A ripple of power from the south. Far, far to the south.
He could barely feel it. He was just strong enough to recognize it and decipher it.
A Druid had just unleashed her magic to her full power. They all felt the same, the Druids. But he was strong enough and knew enough to recognize it when he felt it. And this… this was power, everything that marked them as so much more than he was. He was probably the only Magi on Earth who would realize what that ripple had been. Regular Magi would have to be much closer to the Druid to feel it, and they wouldn’t understand what it was.
A second ripple came, and that had Quinn standing up slowly. He narrowed his eyes to the south and waited.
A third ripple never came.
That concerned him, but it also wasn’t his business. He avoided Druids. He was marked, not only as claimed by his mother, but also as an enemy to them.
And for good reason.
He would only deal with whatever that was if he was asked. And he hoped no one realized he was there and would ask. He hoped it was nothing. He didn’t want to go south and see why two Druids were unleashing their power like that.
He would much rather stay in his strange position in the modern world than go back to the world of Druids.
Dear Reader,
Well. This book was a thing.
Thank you for reading it!
Book two of Sawyer’s journey took me to some uncomfortable places. A Heart of Shame, when I was writing it, was a book that honestly scared me. Abuse, religion, fanatics, insidious feelings that corrupt the very ideas of who someone is and how they view themselves. The idea that shame can corrupt the heart just enough to cause someone to do horrendous things or deny themselves happiness. I have a saying with friends. “I’m going to take it there.” This book, I really did, at least to me.
It’s not over yet. Sawyer has more story. Three more books, to be exact. Her story has been laid out since I start writing A Life of Shadows. If you want to stay up-to-date on the future of the series, you can find my social links on my About The Author page.
Whether you loved or hated the book, please consider leaving a review. Every review, even just a few words, is appreciated.
PS: To those who really wanted some Quinn love. Sorry.
Abilities
Glossary
Note:
It’s important to remember that every Magi is unique. Two Magi could have the same ability and use them in different ways due to their personal strength levels.
Legends are the exception. (ex. All Druids are exactly the same in power and abilities.)
Example: Sawyer can walk through a thick wall with Phasing but another Magi may only be able to pass through a thin door and push an arm through a window for a short time.
Ranking Code
Common- C, Uncommon-U, Rare-R, Mythic- M
Air Manipulation-C- The ability to manipulate the element of air or wind.
Animal bonds-C- The ability to bond with one to five animals. A person with this ability can feel emotional currents of the animal and use the animal’s senses by inserting themselves in the animal.
Animation-C- The ability to make inanimate objects do tasks for time periods. I.e. Dancing brooms
Astral Projection-R- The ability to use a non-corporeal form that can be seen by others. Renders physical body unconscious.
Blinking-U- The ability to teleport short distances (10-20 feet) within eyesight.
Cloaking-U- The ability to become invisible.
Dream walking-U- The ability to walk through the dreams of others and go through the person’s subconscious to reveal secrets and memories to the person.
Earth Manipulation-C- The ability to manipulate the element of earth.
Elemental Control-M- The ability to manipulate all elements and all combinations of them.
Enchanting-C- The ability to enchant physical objects with specific properties, such as never losing a sharp edge for a blade.
Fire Manipulation-C- The ability to manipulate the element of fire.
Healing-C- The ability to heal physical wounds.
Illusions-U- The ability to alter an individual’s perception of reality.
Magnetic Manipulation-U- The ability to control or generate magnetic fields, normally a very weak ability.
Mind reading-M- The ability to read another’s mind, normally requiring touch.
Naturalism-C- The ability to control the growth of plant life and identify plants’ properties.
Petrification-R- The ability to freeze a person’s movement without harming them by touching them. Can also be used to harm, by stopping basic life function for a short time.
Phasing-C- The ability to walk through solid objects with concentration.
Portals-U- Temporary holes through time and space to travel nearly instantly. (Not time travel)
Reading-R- The ability to read the abilities of others, requires touching the individual.
Shape-shifting-U- The ability to take the form of one animal, not chosen by the Magi.
Shielding-C- The ability to create force fields that block physical interaction.
Sound Manipulation-U- The ability to manipulate sound waves.
Sublimation-R- The ability to transform into a gaseous form, normally looks like black smoke.
Telekinesis-C- The ability to move objects physically with the mind.
Telepathy-U- The ability to send thoughts to others for silent communication. Cannot invade the thoughts of others. This is a one-way ability, unless the other person also has telepathy.
Tracking-R- The ability track a single individual by having a item that belongs to said individual.
Water Manipulation-C- The ability to manipulate the element of water.
About the Author
KristenBanetAuthor.com
Kristen Banet has a Diet Coke problem and smokes too much. She curses like a sailor (though, she used to be one, so she uses that as an excuse) and finds that many people don’t know how to handle that. She loves to read, and before finally sitting to try her hand at writing, she had your normal kind of work history. From tattoo parlors, to the U.S. Navy, and freelance illustration, she’s stumbled through her adult years and somehow, is still kicking.
She loves to read books that make people cry. She likes to write books that make people cry (and she wants to hear about it). She’s a firm believer that nothing and no one in this world is perfect, and she enjoys exploring those imperfections—trying to make the characters seem real on the page and not just in her head.
She might be crazy, though. Her characters think so, but this can’t be confirmed.
You can join her in being a little bit crazy in The Banet Pride, her facebook reader’s group.
Also by Kristen Banet
The Kingson Pride Series
Wild Pride
Wild Fire
Wild Souls
The Redemption Saga
A Life of Shadows
A Heart of Shame
The Wolves of Wild Junction
Prey to the Heart
A Heart of Shame Page 33