“Yes, thank you.”
Nathalie poured and they went to sit out on the back terrace and enjoy the warm sunny weather.
“I have a gift for you,” Elanah said with a smile, reaching into the pocket of her jeans. “A hostess gift, for being so sweet and inviting me over.”
A gift. Nathalie looked at Elanah and felt another weird shiver of premonition.
She accepted the small box. Inside was a silver charm shaped like a rose. It was exquisite. “Thank you,” Nathalie said appreciatively. “I’ll put it on my chain and start a charm necklace,” she said, pulling off her necklace with the man-shaped amber charm she kept nestled over her heart. She added the beautiful silver rose and admired it before putting it back under her shirt.
“That necklace is beautiful. Is the charm amber? You shouldn’t hide it under your shirt all the time.”
“Habit,” Nathalie said simply. She was reluctant to talk about it with Elanah. “And yes, it is amber.”
“It looks similar to Dean’s.”
Nathalie was surprised, and a bit miffed. “They’re a set. He showed his to you?”
Elanah nodded, looking around. “You have a wonderful home. Barrington has grown into quite a quaint and pretty town.”
Nathalie nodded, taking a sip of her wine. “Our town is gorgeous. You should see Town Circle in the evening, with the lanterns lighting the paths. The apartment Dean and I will be moving into has a great view of the circle.”
Elanah just smiled. Nathalie tried quizzing her about the Limerick of her past, but she didn’t seem to want to talk about it.
“It was a hard time. Much of my life then was very unpleasant. Not a lot to go around. No control over your own life. Lawless…”
“But you had Sean…” Nathalie hinted, wanting to hear the love story, and hoping to remind Elanah how much she had loved Sean and perhaps rethink her pursuit of Dean.
“I had his love,” she agreed, “but no life with him. Our grand affair was always about sneaking around. Now he’s lost to me forever. I sometimes wish I could just start over.”
Start over? Nathalie’s heart sank and warning bells sounded in her head. She needed another tactic. “Let me get dinner,” she said. When Elanah got up to help, she motioned for her to remain seated. “Stay. We’ll eat here.”
She set the patio table quickly and brought out their food. They ate in silence for a few moments. Nathalie was feeling more nervous as time passed, not more comfortable. Elanah looked serene and commented how delicious the food was.
They sipped their wine and Nathalie got up the courage to ask Elanah her questions. “May I ask you something?”
“Absolutely,” Elanah said, wiping her mouth daintily with her napkin and turning her gaze to Nathalie.
Nathalie shivered. The girl may appear young, but the look in her blue eyes was ageless. She cleared her throat and took another sip of her wine. “So, why did Hester bring you to this time now if you couldn’t do the spell until the summer solstice?”
“She, more than anyone, would realize the time needed to prepare.”
“Do you have everything you need?”
Elanah didn’t lie. “Yes, I do.”
“Could you do the spell now?”
“Certainly, but it would not be as effective. I need to do a thorough cleansing. You don’t want to end up with the same problem a few years from now. Waiting until Litha will ensure success.”
Somehow, Nathalie didn’t believe her. “But, a spell’s a spell, and people are getting sick. Ella and Sadie…”
“Timing is everything in spell casting. The power needed must be readily available.”
Nathalie was getting annoyed at Elanah’s short replies. She knew she was stepping over a line, but her irritation with Elanah’s friendship with Dean made her careless.
“When you arrived you said the containment spell was necessary to protect Barrington, but that wasn’t true. I didn’t catch it at the time, but I recalled later that the barn spell’s true purpose was to protect the demon’s cage from possible magical energy from Barrington.”
Elanah stared at Nathalie, her face betraying nothing. Nathalie continued. “Superstition was only just being built, and its sole purpose was to guard the cage and ensure energy never compromised it. This was Limerick town business as you and Sean dealt with a demon problem. In essence, you didn’t have to set that spell in Barrington and all this,” Nathalie waved her hand around, “didn’t have to happen. You betrayed Jacob, and you were willing to put his town and every witch in the spell radius in mortal danger. The only kind of magic that can do that is black magic.”
Elanah’s face hardened and fear flickered in her eyes at the mention of the demon, and she became defensive. “I was very sorry to have to keep information from Jacob, and tell him an untruth about the true purpose of the barn spell. He was very kind to me, and a sincerely good man, but the demon was exceedingly dangerous. I did not do this without weighing my options, but I had to ensure his eternal imprisonment. It was crucial to the survival of all the people I loved. I had to make a difficult decision, so I did,” she said firmly, without remorse. “I used whatever power I could. Magic is magic, Nathalie. It’s what you use it for that matters, and I set the spell with the best of intentions at the time. There’s no black or white. Only a witch understands this.”
“But if you create evil to do good, like this poison, does that justify your actions?”
“Evil? I couldn’t be sure what would happen. I set the windmill spell at great cost to myself. I shed my blood to help Jacob, and I’m here to help now. Is that the work of an evil person?” she snapped, frowning. “What more do you want from me, Nathalie?”
Nathalie was unsure of herself now. Elanah’s argument was very convincing, but she noticed that the woman was very tense at being questioned. “I’m sorry if I’m out of line here, but tell me, why aren’t you sick?” Nathalie asked, genuinely curious. Elanah may not be as powerful as Sadie, but she was more powerful than Ella. Why wasn’t she affected?
Elanah narrowed her eyes as she looked at Nathalie and folded her hands in her lap. She was very still and suddenly Nathalie felt she was in immediate and terrible danger. “Widdershins,” she said in a low voice, shaking her head in disgust.
Nathalie was scared. “What?”
“Widdershins…it means counter clockwise. That is how I see you, Nathalie. Always going against the grain, causing angst wherever you go, always fighting things, people, power greater than yourself. You are a thorn in my side.” Elanah looked menacing now, her smile unfriendly.
“I think this has more to do with Dean,” Nathalie said angrily.
Elanah laughed, low and scornful. “Dean? Perhaps he plays a part, but I think it’s your general nosiness and refusal to mind your own business that irks me. People smarter than you have agreed on a plan, and timing, so I don’t see why you choose to involve yourself in this at all.”
Nathalie was very insulted. “I was instrumental in helping get rid of the hex—”
“Yes, well, that was then. Your help with this matter is not required.” Elanah stood up and put her napkin on her plate. “Thank you for dinner, Nathalie. I wanted to clear up a few things, so I am glad we had this talk.”
Nathalie stood up as well, red in the face. They hadn’t talked about her flirting with Dean yet! “Elanah, you should know that Dean and I are engaged, and planning to move in together. He’s not available. Do you understand me?” The speech she’d planned to give, or the “talk,” as she called it, had completely flown out of her head. She winced at the bluntness of her words. She sounded like a jealous harpy.
Elanah shook her head, a sly smile on her face as she left by the Parker’s side yard gate. “Nathalie Parker, sometimes you can’t fight what is inevitable.”
“Oohh.” Breathing heavily with anger, Nathalie pulled the necklace out from under her shirt and grabbed the rose, meaning to pull it off and throw it at Elanah, but when she touched it she yel
ped as minute thorns cast into the tiny stem at the base raked her fingers. Blood drops pooled and smeared over the rose and her amber charm. She heard a small crunch and realized that the little amber man she’d kept near her heart for years had cracked.
Soft laughter could be heard as Elanah walked away.
Horrified, Nathalie went to call Luke. He was the Seer. He would know what to do.
After talking with Nathalie, Luke went to speak to his father about Elanah. The tarnish he’d seen on the champagne fountain at the party didn’t seem farfetched anymore, or the fevered imaginings of a distressed mind off balance because his wife went insane. Now he wondered if Elanah had planned it that way.
John was reading in the salon, enjoying his paper and a glass of port.
“Something is not right with Elanah,” Luke said and told his father what Nathalie had just experienced.
His father sighed. “There’s nothing wrong with Elanah. If anything, there seems to be some jealousy on Miss Parker’s part when it comes to Dean. He’s just being neighbourly.”
Luke was surprised. “You don’t think it’s strange that she could do the spell right now but is choosing to wait? No one has to be sick! Even mom’s looking terrible these days!”
His father put down the paper, annoyed. “Luke, I know you’re distressed about Sadie, but it’s all under control. The council agrees with Elanah. We can’t take any chances that a spell performed earlier won’t be powerful enough to fix the problem completely. We may only have Elanah for a short time, so we have to be smart about this. The summer solstice is only four weeks away, and she assures me your mom will be just fine. You and Nathalie are the most paranoid people I’ve ever met. Everything’s evil to you.”
“Paranoid? Elanah said everyone’s going to die…and all of a sudden no one cares anymore.”
“Not true, son. What she said was that everyone would die, eventually, if nothing were done. We are doing something. Plenty of time until then.”
Luke was flabbergasted. He didn’t know what to say anymore. His father didn’t care.
“Enough about that. The jeweler I told you about is in town. Leave me your wedding ring and I’ll have it resized and back to you tomorrow.”
Luke hesitated at taking off his ring, his precious link to Sadie, before twisting it off his finger and giving it to his father.
Frustrated, Luke left the manor, and hopping in a golf cart, headed to the Barrington Hotel to find Gabriel. He found his brother sitting in the dining room with Tess. They weren’t touching, but the intimacy between them was telling. Dismayed that Nathalie was right, he headed to their table. He gave Tess a cold greeting, which she acknowledged with a murmured hello and flushed cheeks. She excused herself and left, leaving the two brothers alone. Luke sat down and Gabriel looked at him, irritated. “What’s up, little brother?”
“Gabe, are you cheating on Rain with Tess?”
Gabriel looked uncomfortable. It was pointless to lie as Luke was the human lie detector. Stupid magical power. Silence was his only refuge, along with a scowl for good measure.
Luke frowned. “Don’t even try lying to me, Gabriel,” he threatened.
“I haven’t said anything!” Gabriel slammed his hand down on the table. “It’s none of your business, Luke!”
Luke was devastated, and it showed on his face.
Different emotions showed on Gabriel’s face: guilt, confusion, determination, but not remorse. He wasn’t sorry.
“My God, Gabe, this is Rain we’re talking about here you idiot. The girl you want to marry.”
“It’s complicated,” he responded quietly, looking out the window beside him.
“Do you love Tess?” Luke looked at the bracelet on Gabriel’s wrist. “Is that a gift from her? Did you know it was glowing? Let me see it,” he said, reaching for it. “It looks as if it’s been spelled!”
Gabriel pulled his arm away. “No, it wasn’t from Tess. It was from Elanah for helping her with something…I don’t remember what. Leave it!” he growled when Luke tried to touch it again.
“I don’t think you should be wearing that,” Luke said seriously. “I wish Sadie were here. She’d be able to tell right away what the spell is.” He missed his wife desperately.
“A spell? You’re going nuts, Luke. Go home. I need to think, and you’re not helping.”
“Did you get Tess a gift?” That seemed important somehow, as if the exchange of gifts was symbolic.
“What gift? No, I didn’t.”
Luke got up to leave.
Gabriel stood at the same time. “Don’t you dare tell Nathalie or Rain what you know, Luke. I will speak to Rain myself tomorrow. Got it?”
Luke shook his head sadly. “Nathalie already knows. You and Tess were indiscreet after the gala. She hasn’t said anything yet, but I wouldn’t wait too long to come clean with Rain.”
After leaving Gabriel, Luke looked for Elanah but couldn’t find her. He called Nathalie from the lobby and told her what he’d found out, and that Elanah wasn’t back at the hotel yet. He told her about Gabriel’s bracelet.
“It glows, and it’s not from Tess. It’s from Elanah.”
“Elanah?” Nathalie said, worried. “Now why would she give him a bracelet?”
“He doesn’t exactly remember why.”
“Tess got a necklace as a gift. I saw it at the ball. After seeing her with Gabe, I thought it was from him, but now that I think about it, the necklace isn’t a romantic type of gift at all. Is Tess still there? Can you look?”
Luke felt bad. “No, not tonight. I gave Tess the cold shoulder and I think she’s pretty embarrassed by all of this. I’ll try and catch her tomorrow.”
Nathalie was angry. “She should be ashamed! Cheating with my sister’s boyfriend! She’s supposed to be my best friend. Now Elanah’s after Dean…. What’s happening, Luke? Our lives went from normal to notorious in a few weeks flat.”
He didn’t know. His whole world was about Sadie, but he realized that his family and friends needed his help too. He was going to have to check back in to life. One thing he did know—once again, this mess had started with a stranger.
When he arrived home, his father handed him his wedding ring. “Done, try it on.”
The jeweler had adjusted it already? “That was fast,” Luke said as he slipped it over his finger. Only then did his sight kick in and he saw the ring was glowing. “Shit,” he mumbled as he tried to pull it off, but it was too late. It contracted painfully around his finger and he yelped in pain, but after a few seconds he felt different, calmer. He examined his hand. The ring looked normal and his finger no longer hurt.
He looked up and Elanah walked out from the Barrington’s kitchen. She was sipping coffee and standing with his mother, who was smiling at him.
He knew something was wrong. He tried to use his sight on Elanah, to see who she really was, but his brain wouldn’t focus. His power flickered and died.
Whatever. He found he didn’t care.
Elanah looked at Luke. “You can tell your friend Nathalie that Tess’ necklace and Dean’s rabbit foot were gifts from me. No need to bother Tess about it.”
Luke found himself reaching for the cell phone in his pocket to call Nathalie.
“Oh, and one more thing…” she said, as she smiled.
Max was frozen at the top of the stairs, listening. He had been heading to the kitchen for a snack. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but that exchange didn’t seem right. Many of the girls in school were becoming listless and unwell. Max felt that Elanah’s presence was doing more harm than good. It was a clinical observation. The only one who was still perfectly healthy was Katie, and he suspected that was because she wasn’t originally from Barrington. Surprisingly, she’d been great with her apathetic friends, making sure they ate and did their homework. She told Max frequently how surprised she was she hadn’t caught the bug they’d written about in the newspaper. She didn’t know everything that was going on right now, but Max planned
on telling her tomorrow at school. He just saw his brother go from living in a fog of despair to blissful oblivion, and after what he’d seen and heard today, they were going to need all the help they could get.
The next day at lunch, Nathalie marched over to the hotel to meet Luke. They were to confront Elanah together. She was sure both Tess and Gabriel were victims of a foul hex orchestrated by Elanah and her bespelled jewelry. Not only that, she found out that Dean bought Elanah candy at the shop, and she was angry he hadn’t told her he’d done that. Then he disappeared from the office this morning without telling her where he was going, but she suspected she knew where.
To make matters worse, Nathalie was furious because that stupid silver rose had cracked the amulet Taline had given her. That amulet meant everything to Nathalie. It was a promise to keep Dean safe. She couldn’t even wear it anymore because the rose had fused to the amber and couldn’t be separated. The tiny thorns scratched her skin and drew blood every time she touched it. It was as if the charm bit her. She knew her amber charm wouldn’t click together with Dean’s anymore either.
When she arrived at the designated meeting place, Luke was waiting for her. He looked a bit pale, but that was to be expected with everything going on in his life. Dean was with him.
“Spending time with Elanah, again?” Nathalie raged at Dean, losing her temper. She was so tired of women trying to steal him. This time she felt it was his fault. What was he thinking, spending so much time with her? “Are you attracted to her, Dean? Because it sure seems like it to me,” Nathalie said jealously. “You’re always here or coming to her rescue.”
Dean flushed. “You’re being unfair, Nat. It’s not like that.” He was clutching his rabbit’s foot angrily.
Nathalie was not in the mood to be understanding. She was so angry these days. “So, she needed you to buy her candy too? Are you her beau? You haven’t answered my question. Are you attracted to her?”
He stayed silent, looking at her angrily, and Nathalie’s heart sank as she stared at him.
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