“What’s so special about these boats?”
“Nothing yet,” Finn said from behind her. “But once they’re spelled magically, they’ll be shrouded from sight.”
“Well, I hope you know what you’re doing.” She whirled around to face him. She could hear the fear in her voice and there was no way to disguise it. “If you think I can work a spell, you’re wrong. I’ve got no idea how to use magic.”
“You do, but now’s not the time to convince you. So we’ll do it together.” He stood behind her, took her hands and lifted them, aiming her open palms at the two small boats.
“Finn,” she whispered low enough that the others wouldn’t be able to hear her, “what if you’re wrong? What if I’m not the witch you think I am?” The events of the last couple of days had been so surreal. How could any of this possibly be happening? Her magic had appeared so quickly, she half expected it to disappear.
He bent his head and his breath came warm and soft against her cheek. “You are my witch, Deidre. And you know it. I know you feel it, even though you’re still fighting both me and yourself.”
His witch.
Something deep within her trembled at those words. Yes, her mind whispered in response. You are his and he is yours. Always and throughout time, we are linked by more than bone and blood—the kiss of magic unites us, makes us one.
Deidre swayed in place as that internal voice forced her to realize the truth of all that was happening. Her body had known Finn even when she had tried to deny him. Now her mind called out to him and she couldn’t pretend any longer that none of this was happening. Deep down she knew she couldn’t escape it. Her life had taken a sharp turn and now the wisest thing to do would be to hold on tight so she didn’t go spinning out of control.
He spoke again, whispering into her ear, sending a chill along her spine. “All you have to do is concentrate on what I’m saying. Feel your power within you and let it slide up and out of your palms.”
Deidre laughed slightly. “That’s all, huh?” She blew out a breath and shook her head. She’d had less than twenty-four hours to come to grips with this witchcraft legacy. She didn’t know what it meant for her other than the obvious dangers every other witch in the world was facing. But she did know that she couldn’t summon this mystical power at a whim. Not yet, anyway. “And just how do I do that?”
His hands tightened on hers as his deep, hushed voice came again. “You’re a talented witch, Deidre. Believe it. Use it.”
She hated that he knew more about her than she did. Hated that this new world had crashed down around her shoulders and she didn’t have the choice of turning her back on it. Hated that she had power she couldn’t use and really hated that having Finn standing pressed up against her felt so damn good.
With him that close to her, heat skittered through her body, lighting up every dark corner within her and burning her up from the inside out. She looked at the faces of the people watching them and read the hope in their eyes. Even Marco and Tony, who had made no secret of their dislike for her, were now counting on her.
Then there was Shauna. Her friend, battered and still streaked with remnants of dried blood they hadn’t had time to wash away. Her warm brown eyes shadowed with exhaustion, Shauna gave her a thumbs-up, and Joe, the tall blond warrior, looked completely confident in her abilities. She really hoped she didn’t let them down. The pressure of everything that was riding on her magical abilities was almost too much to bear. The safety of those rescued women. Her friend’s freedom—hell, her own freedom.
Finn remained behind her, a stalwart, stubborn presence. They were all so sure that she could do this that Deidre nodded and said softly, “Okay. I’ll try.”
“Just do it. Screw trying.”
She almost laughed at the Yoda advice. But there was nothing funny about any of this. His hands on hers were warm and strong and steady. She drew in a deep breath of the icy November air and felt her feet slip a bit on the muddy ground, but Finn was there to steady her. The rushing river was a roar of sound that pushed every other thought from her mind.
She leaned her head back against Finn’s chest, closed her eyes and listened as he murmured,
Hide from sight those we charm
Keep them all from hurt and harm,
We call the power from the night
To aid us in the coming fight.
Each word dropped into her mind and pinged against a wall that seemed to tremble and shake. She frowned because until meeting Finn, she hadn’t even been aware of that wall and she worried about what she’d find when it finally came tumbling down. But now wasn’t the time for those fears.
As she focused, she felt the magic rising inside her, as she had before in the jail parking lot. But this wasn’t a wild, desperate pulse of something foreign.
This was a slow slide of a profound and deliciously familiar feeling moving through her. She recognized it. Knew it as well as she knew herself—which should have been funny, since as it turned out, she didn’t know herself at all. But in this moment, the sensations coursing through her were so far beyond ordinary feelings that she couldn’t laugh. Couldn’t speak. Could hardly breathe as the sweep of elemental magic claimed her. It was amazing. Her body opened under the onslaught and welcomed that spill of power as a drought-stricken land responded to rain.
She fought to focus as Finn had told her to and experienced a new rush of something that was . . . indescribable. His hands tightened on hers and the link they shared deepened, spread, until it was connecting them almost on a molecular level. She felt him as a presence in her heart and soul. She sensed their energies merging, blending, twining together into an inseparable twist of power.
In her mind, she watched as it happened, her magic, represented by a ribbon of chains, each silver link shining bright as the sun. And his magic, a living lick of flame that wove in and out of every link as if searing the two together for all time.
She knew what was happening. It was their souls—and their power—becoming one. She arched her back, riding a swell of ecstasy that was nearly orgasmic. Her body burned with desire for him. She stretched her palms open farther and welcomed the magic. She concentrated on the feel of Finn’s hands on hers, of focusing their combined strength and power, then reached down inside for what she needed. She trusted her instincts, let her own magic guide her and it responded.
Something amazing was about to happen. She braced for it and even then, was shocked to the bone by the wonder of it. The power inside her burst, like a skyrocket erupting into vivid color in the middle of a black sky. It centered in her chest, then spread in a rush down her body, firing her core, shaking her legs, then back up to her arms, to her hands and out—
“Finn!” Deidre gasped and arched into him as the magic pumped through her body and a jet of power shot from her palms to encapsulate the two rowboats rocking slowly on the frigid water. She opened her eyes wide and saw the magic coalesce over the twin boats and the people within them.
What looked almost like a soap bubble, iridescent color flickering over the surface around the boats, locking them into a magical circle. And then the power within her evaporated as quickly as it had come.
She was left dazed, shaken, her body trembling in Finn’s grasp as her gaze fixed on the boats and the awed faces turned toward her. Looking at them, Deidre shook her head. No. That couldn’t be right.
“I can still see the boats,” she whispered. “It didn’t work.”
“It worked,” Finn told her, wrapping one brawny arm around her waist to steady her. “Humans won’t see them. You can because you’re part of the supernatural world.”
She let those words sink in and surprisingly, it didn’t terrify her as she may have expected it to. Maybe it was what had just happened. That rush of feeling, of tremendous power along with the soul-deep connection to the immortal who was still holding on to he
r. Then again, maybe she was growing numb to the whole situation? Or was it something more? Could her true nature have revealed itself? Had she finally been freed to be what she was always destined to be?
Finn’s strength buoyed her. His hard body pressed to hers, offering strength, and Deidre felt more than magic whipping to life inside her. Her body was still thrumming with sensation. Desire blistered the chill air and filled her body with a need enflamed by the rush of magic swamping her. He felt it too. His body couldn’t disguise his needs. The hard proof of his hunger for her pressed against her bottom and Deidre leaned back into him, deliberately increasing the pressure between them.
She heard him hiss in a breath and almost smiled. Good. She didn’t want to be the only one suffering.
“You did it,” he said, releasing her and stepping back. “Now we need to get moving. The Sanctuary witches will be waiting.”
She turned and looked up at him and read the craven need etched into his features. A cold wind slapped at her as they separated. The river roared and one of the rescued women cried softly. It wasn’t the time for what she was feeling. But judging by the look in his pale gray eyes, there would be time.
Soon.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Joe whispered with a glance skyward. “It’ll be light in a few hours.”
“Right.” Finn picked Deidre up and set her in one of the two boats. He climbed in behind her, picked up the oars and pushed off from shore. His powerful body leaned into the task and the rowboat shot out over the black water. Chunks of ice swept past them, bashing into the boat and then disappearing beneath the surface to bob up again later. The oars slipping in and out of the water took on a steady rhythm and became almost hypnotic.
Deidre looked at the boat alongside theirs and she shivered under an onslaught of fear that she knew everyone was feeling. Beaten women, still finding a reason to hope. Strangers brought together to fight against injustice. So many lives at risk, she thought and sent a quick prayer heavenward. It couldn’t hurt and right now, Deidre felt as though she could use all the help she could get.
The cold bit deeper, and she shivered, hunching into the jacket Finn had provided her. Shifting her gaze away from the others, she found her friend watching her. The moon briefly peeked from behind a cloud and Shauna’s familiar features were cast in strange shadows. Still, Deidre saw regret etch itself into Shauna’s expression.
“I’m sorry, Dee,” she said quietly.
Deidre gave her a half smile and a shrug. “What’s a little kidnapping between friends?”
“That’s not what I meant.” She paused and nodded. “Although yeah, I should apologize for that too. No, I mean, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was a witch.”
The quiet was broken only by the sigh of the oars dipping in and out of the water and the continued weeping from the other boat.
“I guess I understand why you didn’t,” Deidre said finally. And she did. This wasn’t a good time to be a woman of power. Hell, there were five women in the next boat who would not have escaped execution without their intervention. “But you could have trusted me.”
“Yeah. I know.” She winced, lifted one hand to her injured shoulder and patted it as if trying to ease the pain. “And if it had been just me, I probably would have. But I couldn’t risk anyone else. If your mom had found out the truth, I’d have been in Doc Fender’s torture chamber in a blink and—” She paused and gave a halfhearted smile. “I’m not that good with pain. I’d have given everyone I’ve ever known up to them.”
Stunned, Deidre stiffened and instantly defended her mom. “My mother wouldn’t have turned you over, Shauna. You’re my friend.”
“And she’s the freaking president.” She shook her head sadly, patiently. “Dee, I know you want to trust her and who can blame you? But you’re a witch too—and judging by that spell I saw a few minutes ago, a damn powerful one.” She reached out and caught Deidre’s hand in her own. “You can’t let your mother know.”
Deidre looked down at their joined hands and internally denied everything Shauna was saying. She had to. Her mother wasn’t the enemy. Okay, Cora Sterling could sometimes be cold and a little too focused on the big picture as she liked to call it, but she was still Deidre’s mother. “Mom is doing everything she can to protect witches, Shauna. You know that.”
“And yet we keep dying.” Releasing her, Shauna sat back and gave a deep sigh. “Your mom’s doing her best, I suppose, but Deidre, nothing’s changing for witches. Last year they executed more than five thousand witches in this country alone.” She shook her head and turned her gaze out over the water, but not in time to hide the sheen of helpless tears in her eyes. “Worldwide, we’re a dying breed, Dee. And there’s no tree hugger out there making a Save the Witches documentary.”
“So what?” Deidre asked quietly, bringing Shauna’s gaze back to her. “We give up? We continue to hide? We trust no one? Not even the ones who might be able to help us?”
“Hiding keeps us alive. Fighting back gives us a chance.” Eyes cold and hard now, Shauna added, “No offense, but the only one I trust my life to is me.”
“What about Finn? You’re here with him and Joe and the others . . .”
“Yeah. And now Tomas and Mike are dead along with Jermaine and Tori outside the jailhouse and the week before it was two others. We fight, we die. We don’t fight, we die.” Shauna smiled grimly. “I prefer to go down fighting.”
It all seemed so useless. Was there really no hope of changing anything? Now that her life had been altered was Deidre looking forward to a lifetime spent in tunnels and caves, always waiting for the next attack to come? Never being able to trust anyone? She didn’t think she could even consider that living.
“I don’t accept that,” Deidre said firmly. “Besides, she’s my mother. She must already know I’m a witch.”
“You know as well as I do, it’s not always hereditary. Sure, the freaks and the MPs and the Seekers lock up whole families on the off chance they’ll nab a coven in the making”—she sighed once again—“but there are witches from families that have never shown power before. Power just is. And by the looks of it, you’ve got a shitload of it.”
“That wasn’t all me,” she confessed, though she remembered all too well the rush of something amazing and magical moving through her body. “Finn was right there, helping me.”
“Bullshit. He was the conduit and hell,” Shauna added, with a sly grin and a wink at Deidre, “who wouldn’t want him as a conduit? But the power came from you. You didn’t see your face, Dee. You were lit up from the inside. Your damn skin was glowing. Hell, for a minute there, you were the whitest white girl I’ve ever seen.”
Deidre laughed, then clapped one hand across her mouth to stifle the sound.
“I know Finn’s got power,” Shauna said, solemn again as she looked from Deidre to him and back again. “He’s never said anything, but I can feel it. But the power I saw a while ago? That was special. That was off-the-charts magic. And it came from you, Dee, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.”
With that, Shauna sat back and slipped into silence as if the conversation had worn her out. Hugging herself to keep warm, Deidre thought about everything her friend had said and had to admit that she felt a little shaken about confiding in her mother. She knew she could believe in her mother, but could she trust the people surrounding President Sterling?
Deidre looked up at Finn. What did she really know about him? That he made her blood burn. That he had kidnapped her and held her against her will. That he was opening up her magic and claimed to have been with her for centuries. Did that make him her hero? Or just crazy?
His pale gray eyes were locked on her and just for a moment, she wondered if he really was here to help her . . . or if he may turn out to be a really formidable enemy.
Chapter 16
&nbs
p; Women from Sanctuary were waiting on the Virginia side of the river. At least a dozen women, all dressed in black and carrying guns, were spread out just before the tree line, as if prepared to duck for cover fast.
“Finn.” A tall woman wearing a heavy dark sweater, black jeans and boots moved toward Finn. Her black hair was short and spiky and her features were taut. In her arms, she cradled an automatic weapon as if it were a newborn. “Good to see you again.”
“Yeah.” He stepped up and held out one hand. As she shook his hand, her gaze swept the others, lingering briefly on Deidre, then moving on to Shauna with a smile.
“Shauna honey. You look like you’ve been dragged through a demon portal backwards.”
“Been a rough couple days, Chris. Glad to see you guys, though.”
Deidre felt like she’d come into a movie too late for the explanations. Everyone else knew the plot and the players and she was standing there blinking like a deer in the headlights. As if the woman knew just what Deidre was thinking, she announced, “I’m Chris, Commander of the Sanctuary Guardians.”
“Guardians?”
The woman shrugged. “Security force. Every Sanctuary has one.” She paused to give Deidre a knowing smile. “But as the president’s daughter, you’d know all about security, wouldn’t you?”
“Crap.” She’d been so worried about everything else, she hadn’t even considered the fact that these people would recognize her.
“Relax.” Chris waved one hand at her. “You’re one of us. That makes your secret our secret.”
Nodding, Deidre sighed and let go of at least that worry. After all, whom would Chris tell? The Sanctuary witches? Not like they would be contacting the government anytime soon.
“We’ve got five for you tonight,” Finn said, “plus Shauna if she wants to stay to recoup.”
“No, thanks,” Shauna piped up. “I’m sticking with you guys.”
Nodding, Chris’s gaze narrowed on the rescued women, standing apart from the others. Then she called out, “Nora!”
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