by Leela Ash
Kelly stared from the flower to the woman and then, in panic, she grabbed the shrieking flower from the woman, fixing her with wide, accusing eyes.
“What did you do to the flower?” Kelly demanded. God, she was beginning to sound like a crazy person, she thought.
“I didn’t do nothing! Everyone knows Elderwood hates being touched. Give it here,” the woman demanded.
With a dubious expression, Kelly handed over the flower.
It started shrieking again the moment the woman touched it and with an exasperated sigh, she threw it on the floor. “Why doesn’t it shriek when you touch it?” she asked, peering at Kelly.
She started to say she was pristinely ungifted when she remembered Derek telling her humans could not find out about them.
She offered a shrug instead, “I’m not really sure why. Florists’ touch maybe.”
The woman stared at her in silence, her gaze so intense it almost felt as though she were trying to read Kelly’s thoughts. Then, with a frustrated sigh, she turned and sailed out the front door of Kelly’s florist shop in a sea of billowing black robes.
Who had that woman been? She had been somewhat … odd. Had she been a witch, perhaps?
Still lost in thought, Kelly packed up the shrieking flower with her arrangement of lilies. She had taken to carrying lilies to Joshua after she had discovered they calmed him; something about them reminding him of a distant time when he had found love in the fields of Australia.
She would test the shrieking flower on the boys too; Derek had been faintly amused when she had found the flower and he hadn’t touched it, so she had no way of knowing if the flower only shrieked around humans. It would be fun to learn if it did that with shifters too.
She drove up to the mountain and grabbed her flowers from the trunk. As soon as she crossed the threshold, every head snapped in her direction.
“I feel magic,” Derek said.
Kelly paused, arrested by his words and open declaration right in front of Joshua and the others. A blush began to steal up her cheeks and she deliberately looked everywhere else but at him as she walked up to them.
She smiled at Joshua, “Hi, Joshua.”
“I feel the magic too,” Joshua muttered, peering at her. “What do you have there?”
“Oh, just flowers. I got you fresh lilies and I thought I’d throw in this Elderwood. See if I can make it work.”
At the word “Elderwood” it seemed as though an electric current had passed through the entire room. All eyes riveted to the flower in her hands and in a flash, Drake was beside her, reaching for the flower.
The moment he touched it though, the flower shrieked louder than when the woman from the shop touched it.
Kelly threw back her head with a full belly laugh.
“The flower doesn’t like anyone except me,” she told him as she took the flower back.
It immediately quieted.
“This must be it!” Drake exclaimed, reaching for the flower again.
The poor thing recoiled.
“Leave it alone, Drake. It only stays silent when I touch it. I have magic fingers,” Kelly said happily as she deposited the flowers in the centerpiece.
Drake rushed to grab a huge book that had fallen on the floor where he was reading.
“I was just reading about the Elderwood Silken Staff, Kelly. It says here, it is ‘a cure for all that can be harnessed by none except they which walk the way of the ungifted.’ Kelly, you’re ungifted!”
“Gee, thanks,” she answered with withering sarcasm.
“No, I mean it, you’re Pristinely Ungifted, remember?” he persisted, coming to grab her arm. “We need the Elderwood Silken Staff to heal Joshua, remember? What if this is it?”
Dead silence enveloped the room for a second. Then Luke’s voice broke it, with a loud whistle followed by, “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“He’s right,” Jack agreed, also coming to stand beside her. He peered at the flower, careful not to touch it. It reared back from him, leaning fearfully toward Kelly.
She grinned at the flower’s antics. It acted as though it were alive and with an actual mind of its own.
“How do we use it? It can’t hurt to try,” Jack sang.
“The Elderwood is a staff,” Derek reminded them.
“But a silken staff. What if they meant a flower and one which hates all contact, which was why no one has been able to cure Takun Poison?”
Derek’s gaze sharpened as he repeated the words Drake had read out, “And it can be harnessed only by the ungifted! Kelly, you’re Pristinely Ungifted!”
Kelly swallowed, feeling all kinds of exposed. “How do I use it?”
“To cure Takun, Elderwood must kill all else in a three foot radius but the ungifted,” Drake continued, reading from his tome.
Everyone hastily stepped away from Joshua and Kelly.
“The staff, inserted in the blood of Takun, destroys Takun for all time and its dying embers must return to the feet of its Master.”
“What does that mean?” Kelly frowned.
“Kelly? Squeeze out the juice of the flower and try to inject it with a needle, let’s see,” Joshua said.
“I’m Elderwood, a delicate cocktail of life and death. A drop of my essence disarms Takun; two multiply Takun; three brings Salem upon your head.” Drake continued, reading. “It reads like some damned nursery rhyme,” he scoffed.
“I guess you should only put in a drop then,” Derek directed.
Kelly shook her head. “But how would I ensure just one drop from a syringe?”
“Drop it in his mouth,” Jack suggested.
Kelly grabbed one petal of the Elderwood flower and rubbed it fast between her palms until it mashed into little bits between her fingers. She squeezed all the harder and then she looked at Joshua.
He opened his mouth slowly, his eyes fastened on hers. Kelly read the wealth of meaning in his gaze. He was asking her to be careful and he was thankful she was doing it too.
Derek suddenly began to sniff the air. Then he looked at Kelly, “Hurry it up. Salem witches are headed this way.”
Kelly goggled at him, “What? Why?”
“The Elderwood. They must have heard its shriek. Hurry.”
In a flash, Kelly stretched forth her hand and with painstaking effort, squeezed one drop straight into Joshua’s mouth.
A surge of light erupted from his mouth, slammed against her and then vanished into thin air.
Kelly blinked. This was becoming a dream.
Joshua’s perpetually white skin was now a healthy flush of pink. He looked healthier!
Shouts of jubilation rent the air and all five men jumped to envelope Joshua in a bear hug, laughing and shouting.
As she beamed happily at them, one large-muscled forearm stretched out and grabbed her, hauling her into the fierce hug.
Kelly’s heart warmed to her toes. Derek had accepted her as part of his family; she knew it. And pulling her into the hug now was his way of reminding her.
She threw him a quick smile and his eyes blazed into hers as he enunciated the words she wanted to hear, “I love you.”
Kelly’s heart somersaulted in her chest and she grinned happily and started to reply, when the door burst open behind them and a flash of bright white light hit them, followed by a shout of, “Rekana!”
Kelly screamed as Derek was wrenched from her side and everyone else went flying, slamming into walls and collapsing into heaps at her feet.
She turned to the doorway, her face drained of all color and her throat dried up as she stared at the apparition at the door.
18.
Three women dressed in long flowing robes of varying colors stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the door.
“Where is it?” the tallest of them demanded.
She was very tall and very slim; her eyes were an interesting violet shade, with lips done in bold red lipstick and a flowing mane of long black hair that flowed down to the back of her knees. She had a smal
l pink crown perched atop her riotous curls. Her beauty was heart stopping, but something about her−an aura−struck terror in Kelly’s heart. This woman was dangerous, and she relished evil.
Kelly looked around. Derek, Joshua and all the other shifters were passed out. She licked her lips out of nervousness and looked back at the women, “Who are you?”
“I’m Nabradia,” the tall woman announced. “You don’t want to know more than that, honey.”
Nabradia! She was the head of the Salem witches. Derek said she had ruined their good nature and reputation for helping people and was all for power and wealth.
The other women with her were silent. They were all very beautiful too. It was easy to see they were also Salem witches.
Kelly put up her chin. This woman had hurt Derek and Joshua and the others. If she expected her to cower before her, she had a nasty surprise in store.
“I would welcome you in for tea but seeing as how you broke down our door and knocked everyone out, you’ll understand if I don’t extend the hospitality,” Kelly purred.
The woman’s face darkened with anger. “Who is this mere mortal? You aren’t scared of Nabradia?”
“The hex didn’t knock her out,” one of the witches with Nabradia muttered sotto voce.
In an instant, it became apparent that Nabradia wasn’t one who loved the obvious being pointed out to her.
“I see that, Luferia,” she snapped. “Why do you think that is?”
“She’s human. I can smell her,” the second witch volunteered.
“Palma? Get the Elderwood,” Nabradia snapped at the woman who had spoken.
The woman walked forward with jerky steps and grabbed the flower. Its shriek was piercing.
Nabradia grinned, unperturbed. She cast a contemptuous glance at where Joshua was still sprawled in a heap and then she sneered, “Tell the old loser I said thank you. I knew he would be able to help me get the Elderwood,” she stated over the shrieking of the flower.
Then, Nabradia threw back her head and began to cackle. The two women with her joined in on her malicious laughter, their snapping eyes flitting around the room as she snapped a finger and they all vanished.
Kelly blinked. It had been deliberate then. Inflicting the Takun Poison on Joshua had been deliberate because Nabradia had known the only possible cure was Elderwood and she had somehow known Joshua’s sons wouldn’t be able to let him die without at least trying to get and use the flower.
It was such a brilliant, and yet simple, plan, which was why it had worked so well.
She rushed over to Derek and shook him. “Derek! Derek!”
He groaned and then his lids lifted, in slow motion, to reveal his beautiful silver eyes.
A sob of relief escaped Kelly and she flung herself against his chest, crying as she hugged him. “I was so worried!”
“Yeah, worry about lover boy, why don’t you? I’ll just sit here quietly until the room stops spinning,” Bo grunted.
Derek chuckled and threw a lily at him. “Get over yourself, old man.”
Kelly looked up with tear-brightened eyes and saw that everyone had come to and she wilted with relief. They had scared her terribly, she thought as she hugged Derek again.
The thought of losing him or any one of the Damaged Pack or Joshua made her heart constrict in her chest with genuine terror. She loved them. She had fallen in love with Derek and his entire family.
She pulled back from the hug and stared at him, her eyes shining as she asked, “Are you all right?”
He was searching her eyes as though trying to read her thoughts as he rose to his feet, taking her with him. One warm, large palm cupped her cheek, stroking, soothing. “I’m all right, sunshine. What happened? Why did we pass out? Did you see who it was?”
She nodded, “Nabradia and two other witches.”
“Did they—” Derek began.
Kelly cut off his urgent inquiry with a firm shake of her head. “They couldn’t hurt me. Apparently, I’m just as immune to witch magic.”
He grabbed her without another word and melded his lips with hers in a fierce, urgent kiss that made his brothers whistle, and made her blush.
“What did that crazy bitch want?” Joshua demanded testily.
“The Elderwood flower. She said to tell you thank you,” Kelly added.
None of them were slow on the uptake. They understood Nabradia’s motives with haste, and curses filled the air as they all expressed their anger and frustration.
“Drake? Find out what the Elderwood can do for those witches.”
“Witches can never uproot it, no matter how hard they try. But if someone gets it for them, they can use it and some other potions to trace the location of anything in the world,” Bo said quietly.
“How did you know that?” Derek demanded, turning to his friend with suspicion in his eyes.
Bo shook his head, “It’s the nursery rhyme Marissa’s kid sings all the time. I’m an elder, I’m a wood. In the hands of a witch, I can lead you to your treasures.”
“Marissa?” Luke asked in an odd constricted voice.
Bo paused and then looked up at Luke, “Yes, her. She stayed behind after you left. But she didn’t wait for you; she’s got herself a kid. Bright little girl.”
Luke turned away and strode over to the window. He exaggerated a casual nonchalance but Kelly could feel his pain, and sympathy pushed her to his side. She laid a careful hand on his arm and trembling, she smiled up at him. He accepted her comforting gesture by patting her hand.
“So, what treasures could Nabradia possibly want?” Jack inquired.
“That’s obvious. She’s hot on the trail of the Tiara. She knew the Elderwood would help point the way. She couldn’t get it herself because she knew it couldn’t be touched. She wanted us to get it for her and the only way she knew to do that was to infect me with the one disease that could be cured with the same flower.”
Joshua was quickly piecing the facts together and he looked far from pleased with what he had learned.
“We have to stop her,” Derek growled.
Kelly looked at her wristwatch. “School should be out in a few minutes. I’ll go get Tom.”
“We’ll think of something, Joshua. I’ll help Kelly,” Derek intoned.
They turned to the door, and Joshua’s voice stopped them, “Derek?”
They both turned as one. “If you want to be with Kelly, then be with Kelly. She’s different.”
The words were simple and yet, it felt as though she had just been given the royal seal of approval. Kelly shook her head as she fought down a blush.
Kelly rushed into speech to cover her blush, “No, Joshua, there’s no need to —”
“There is every need, Kelly,” Bo said quietly.
She looked from him to his brothers and Joshua. Then she looked at Derek, her eyes brimming with silent questions.
“He’s reminding me that I can marry you if I want to, Kelly. And I do. I love you,” he said.
Kelly took a step back. Marriage? She was only just coming out of Jason’s clutches. She loved Derek more than her own life, but marriage was something else entirely. Her heart pounded with dread at the thought.
He cocked his head to the side, “Why are you looking at me like that, Kelly? Don’t you love me too?”
An uncharacteristic trace of vulnerability lit his eyes and it made her want to burst into tears that she had made this proud, confident man unsure of himself for even a second.
She took several steps backward, putting space between herself and Derek. He was watching her in what could best be described as shock.
“Kelly?” he whispered, stretching out a hand to her, palm up, and it was clear he was offering her his life and his heart and asking her to be his.
Kelly shook her head as more images of Jason marched across her brain. With a stifled sob, she choked out two words, “I’m sorry.”
Then she turned and fled, leaving Derek staring after her in white-faced silence.
19.
As she drove up the old dirt path to Tom’s school, Kelly tried to be brave so the thundering in her chest would still. If she tried hard enough, she could banish the vision of Derek standing alone and grim-faced in the doorway as she fled from him.
She knew what he was thinking. He must think she didn’t love him; he had no way of knowing she loved him with every fiber of her being, and that was exactly what scared her.
She had fallen for Jason in much the same way; not with the same intensity, true, but still. At first, he had been smooth and charming, then a few months into their marriage, the façade had faded away and she’d seen the real ugliness beneath the smooth veneer. Jason had rewarded her love with years of such philandering, lying and manipulation that she had ended up a shadow of her former self. He had never been abusive, in truth, but every time he was displeased with her — and toward the end of their marriage, he’d always been displeased — he delighted in passive aggressive behavior. Mocking her every move, slanting derisive glances loaded with contempt her way, and almost always keeping her on edge until she was such a nervous wreck that she became clumsier and more got into more domestic accidents.
One time, she had dropped a pile of dishes by mistake, after he had trailed her with his silent, contemptuous gaze for minutes on end. Tom had been hanging onto her legs and the broken dishes had slashed his little hands, and he had burst into tears.
She had cried too that night and promised Jason, in broken sobs, that she would never check his phones again, nor ask about lipstick marks, nor challenge him when he tried to leave the house in the middle of the night.
After that, she had started to die a silent death little by little, until, one day, when Therese had happened upon her washing the lipstick marks out of Jason’s shirts with a fixed, tight-lipped smile. Therese had been appalled and her shock had broken through and the whole sordid tale had come pouring out.