They all watched in fascination as Krista reached out and grabbed Kiernan by the front of his shirt. Seeming to expend no amount of energy at all, she lifted him off the ground, astounding considering he outweighed her and was at least a good six inches taller. Still smiling, Krista proceeded to throw Kiernan across the library and into a shelf of books. He came down with a crash as piles of books rained down on his head.
“Oh crap, Kiernan, I’m sorry.” Krista gasped, covering her mouth as she ran to his side. “I’m still getting used to all this new strength.”
Racine and Tabitha quickly rushed over to Kiernan and Krista. Kiernan pushed the pile of fallen books off and stared up with shock.
“How did you do that?”
Krista smiled. “Cool, huh? I moved around the furniture in my room. Dad never cleaned in there. Do you know how much dust collects in ten years?”
Tabitha had almost forgotten how her little sister’s mind wandered off sometimes. “Krista!”
She smiled sheepishly. “Right, sorry. So I moved my dresser, you know the big heavy one. I just barely pushed it, and it went crashing into the closet. It knocked the doors off. Dad was really pissed.”
They all stared, stunned. Krista smiled, excited about her newfound abilities. Racine finally spoke, breaking the silence.
“Have you discovered anything else? Any abilities like your sister?”
Krista turned a shy smile onto the Enforcer leader. “No. I’ve never had powers like Tabitha. I’ve never had any kind of power until—”
“Stryden was killed, and you woke,” Racine finished.
Krista nodded.
“What does it mean?” Kiernan asked, rising to his feet.
Racine shook his head. “I’m not sure, but it appears Stryden’s strength transferred to Krista when he died and lost his hold over her soul. I’ll send a message to Celia and ask her to look into it.”
“Daemon strength? Cool.” Krista smiled at her sister.
Tabitha had explained all about the supernaturals living amongst them, though she did not have to do much explaining since Krista had been half aware during her ten-year coma. Her sister knew as much if not more about the supernatural world than Tabitha. Unfortunately for them, every encounter Stryden had with the High Master had been indirect, through letters, emails, and phone conversations. Krista had no more of an idea of the High Master’s identity than they did. Her memory was also a bit fuzzy at times on specific events.
Celia did some digging and discovered powerful magic interfering with Krista’s memories. Another reason the Witch went up north. From the phone calls they received, however, the only thing Celia discovered was she and the Enforcer leader, Damien, did not see eye to eye. Still, she was there to help and report back any findings. She promised Tabitha on her last call she continued to try to unlock the memories from Krista’s mind. Though, sometimes Tabitha wondered if that was really a good idea.
“At least I get something cool for lying in a bed for ten years being someone else’s sanity control.”
Tabitha’s heart clenched at her sister’s blithe words. She would always feel guilty for what had happened to Krista. Her sister had lost so much, her childhood, her adolescence, her teenage years. Krista went to sleep an eleven-year-old girl and woke up a twenty-one-year-old woman. As hard as it had been on Tabitha, waiting for her to wake up all those years, it had to be much harder on Krista now that she was awake.
“Oh come on, Tabby, don’t look at me like that.” Krista gathered her sister in her arms. “I’m fine.”
Her sister was not fine. Physically fine, better then fine it appeared, but Krista had a lot to deal with in the coming months, emotionally and mentally.
“I have to get back home. Dad flips if I’m gone for more than like an hour.” Krista rolled her eyes.
“I’ll drive you home and we can discuss these new changes,” Racine stated.
Obviously, he was curious about whatever power exchanged between Krista and Stryden when the Kako had been killed. Ever the researcher, Racine’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. Krista’s eyes burned with a whole other emotion as she looked at the Enforcer leader. Yup, Racine was certainly in trouble.
Tabitha remembered when Krista was nine and had a crush on their paper boy. She had gotten up every morning for two months just so she could sit on the front porch and wait for ten-year-old Matt Hornsby to ride by on his bike. When her sister crushed, she crushed hard.
It lightened her heart to see Krista’s spark still held. She just hoped her sister wasn’t too disappointed when Racine did not return her feelings. She had never known the Euadaemon to show any romantic emotions toward anything other than his books.
Krista squeezed her, then ran to do the same to Kiernan. She smiled as her little sister left with Racine, a bounce in her step and a complaint about not having a driving license.
Tabitha thought of all the things her sister would have to catch up on, when she felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist. She leaned her head back onto a thick broad chest. Her head tilted up, and she looked over her shoulder into a pair of ice-blue eyes full of love.
“She’s going to be fine, Tabby Cat,” Kiernan’s deep warm voice assured her.
She sighed, turning in his arms to face him. “I know. It’s just, she missed so much.”
He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “From what I see of your sister, she’s going to make up for it in record time.”
She laughed. Her sister always had a go-get-em attitude. Nice to see being a Drone for a decade had not changed that.
“We’ll all help her. Whatever she needs,” he promised.
If possible, Tabitha fell even more in love with him. He not only supported her, but his love and support included her family as well. She reached up, bringing his face down to hers for a soul-searing kiss.
“I love you, Tira,” she said breathlessly, pressing her forehead against his.
“I love you too, Tira. And now that I have you, I am never letting you go.”
She smiled deviously. “It’s just too bad…”
He tensed, eyeing her suspiciously. “What’s too bad?”
“Too bad it took us so long to figure it out.”
He growled at her playfully. “Well, someone was playing hard to get.”
Her smile turned seductive. “Guess we will just have to make up for lost time.”
“I think we both deserve a little time off.” In a quick move, Kiernan swept her up into his arms. She gave a small squeal of delight. “I know of this little cabin up in the mountains. Very secluded, not a person around for miles.”
A shiver of excitement ran through her body. She tightened her arms around his neck. “How fast can you get us there?”
“Less than half an hour if you hold on tight.”
The fear that normally wrapped itself around her belly when she thought about flying wasn’t there. Instead, only butterflies of anticipation and tingles of desire. In her mind, nothing could get her to the cabin fast enough. A place where it would be only her and her Tira, her soul mate, the Daemon she loved.
“Promise not to let me go?” she asked, gazing into his deep blue eyes.
She knew he understood the double meaning in her words when a smiled curved those sinfully tempting lips, and he gave her the only response she wanted to hear.
“Never.”
A word about the author…
Mariah began writing at the tender age of five. Her first book, George and the Green Glob, received high praise from her mother. Many years and green glob stories later, Mariah received a playwriting degree from the University of Wyoming. After a few years in Hollywood, working in “the biz,” she came home to the beautiful Rocky Mountains. When she’s not writing, Mariah loves to read, crochet, and play her ukulele. She loves to hear from readers.
www.mariahankenman.com
Twitter @MAsbooks
www.facebook.com/mariahankenmanauthor/
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