Restless

by Scott Prussing

  She looked up. The raindrops splashed off the invisible shield as if she was holding a sheet of glass above her head. The water ran down off the edges, spilling all around her in tiny waterfalls, almost as if she was standing in the dry center of a whirlpool. The effect was strange and somewhat disconcerting, but she did not let it affect her concentration.

  Dominic hurried around the front of the car. “Can you make that big enough for two?” he asked, edging close beside Leesa.

  Leesa pictured the shield extending out over the wizard’s head, and sure enough, the rain immediately stopped pelting down on him as well.

  Dominic smiled. “Very well done. Now let’s see if you can maintain this thing all the way to Balin’s cabin.”

  The rain had turned the rutted dirt roadway into a morass of mud and puddles, forcing Leesa and Dominic to pick their way slowly and carefully. Leesa was glad for her waterproof hiking boots. Dominic’s shoes did not appear to be waterproof, but she knew they would dry themselves, along with his socks and soaked pant legs, as soon as he stepped inside Balin’s home.

  Slightly more than half way to the cabin, Leesa slipped on an especially slippery patch of mud. She flailed her arms wildly to keep her balance, narrowly missing falling splat into the mud before she regained her footing. The surprise caused her to lose her focus and the air shield disappeared. She quickly reestablished it, but even five or ten seconds exposed to the rain was enough to soak her.

  As usual, Dominic seemed unconcerned by the sudden drenching. Since there was nothing she could do about the wet, Leesa adopted the same stoic attitude.

  As they approached Balin’s cabin, Leesa saw Rave standing in the open doorway. She loved how he always knew when she was near—the touch of vampire essence in her blood assured that it would always be like that. She wondered if there would ever be a way that she could sense his presence in a similar manner.

  “If I was the rain,” Rave said as Leesa neared the doorway, “I’d be very frustrated at not being able to touch you.”

  Leesa let her air shield dissipate and ran the last few steps into Rave’s waiting arms. She loved when he said things like that.

  “Luckily, you don’t ever have to worry about that,” she said as she hugged him tightly. “I’ll always make sure you can touch me.”

  Pressed against Rave’s warm chest, Leesa could feel herself beginning to dry. Rave ran his hands across her cheeks and then down her ponytail, quickly drying her with his magical heat everywhere he touched and leaving a pleasant warm tingling behind.

  “Ahem,” Dominic said from behind them, where he was still exposed to the rain. “Would you two lovebirds mind stepping aside so I could come inside? It’s a bit damp out here.”

  Rave lifted Leesa easily and deposited her inside the cabin. Dominic quickly stepped in behind them, his hair matted against his head and his lightweight jacket soaked. In moments, he was completely dry.

  Leesa pulled off her muddy boots and placed them near the door as Balin came over to greet his guests.

  “Welcome,” he said, smiling. “I’d say come sit by the fire to dry out, but it looks like both of you have other means to do that.”

  Leesa glanced over to the fireplace, where a lively fire was popping and crackling. She smelled some of Balin’s delicious stew simmering above the dancing tongues of flames. She wasn’t at all hungry, but she found herself inhaling a deep whiff just the same.

  “I love your fire,” she said to Balin as she pressed herself against Rave’s chest again. “But drying off like this is so much more fun.”

  Balin grinned. “I do not doubt that for a moment.”

  “I think my boots might welcome a spot by the fire, though,” Leesa said. She bent to pick them up, but Balin beat her to it. He carried then across the room and set them in front of the fireplace.

  Her boots taken care of, Leesa turned back to Rave. “Would you mind massaging my neck and shoulders for a minute or two, please? They’re all knotted up from the drive over here. I’m not a big fan of driving in the pouring rain—not that I thought about staying home for even an instant.”

  Rave smiled and spun Leesa gently around so that her back was too him. He began gently kneading her shoulders.

  “I don’t mind a bit,” he said.

  Leesa closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath as Raves strong fingers massaged her muscles. She could feel his heat flowing into her. Not for the first time, she thought about how in demand he would be if he ever offered his services in some fancy spa somewhere. The magical heat in his hands was better than any hot stones or heating pads, without a doubt. In no time at all, her tension had completely melted away.

  “Thank you,” she said as she turned around and slipped one arm behind Rave’s back, holding herself close to him. She looked over to Dominic and Balin, who had moved away from the doorway to give Leesa and Rave some privacy and space.

  “Am I here so that Rave and I can practice some more kissing?” she asked hopefully.

  “Actually, that is precisely why you are here,” Balin replied. “I thought you two should get in one more try while you can.”

  Leesa frowned. She did not like the sound of that one bit.

  “What do you mean, ‘while we can?’” she asked.

  “The solstice is drawing nigh,” Balin said. “With Destiratu still building, my people are getting ready to head north again.”

  Leesa’s heart sank. She had forgotten all about the approaching solstice. During the winter solstice the year before, Rave and his folk had been gone for several weeks—the longest weeks of her life. She wondered if perhaps she should go with him this time—her mom and Bradley were doing well enough now that they would be okay without her. She would miss them, of course, but not as much as she would miss Rave if he left her. If she went to New Hampshire, Dominic could come along with her. The mountains would be a great place for them to practice magic.

  She turned to Rave. “Can I come with you this time?”

  Rave didn’t answer. Instead, he just grinned. Leesa did not understand.

  “You could come,” Balin said, “but I’m not sure why you would want to.”

  Leesa frowned. “Why wouldn’t I want to go?” she asked, perplexed.

  “I just think you might get lonely up in the mountains,” Balin said, holding back a smile.

  Leesa felt like she had just entered Alice’s Wonderland, where questions were seldom responded to in the way you expected. Why was Rave still grinning? And why would Balin think she would be lonely? She had already spent an amazing week up there with Rave a few months ago. None of this made sense.

  “I don’t get it,” she said, looking from Balin to Rave and then back to Balin.

  Balin smiled. “Tell her, Rave. I think she’s suffered enough.”

  Leesa looked up at Rave. “Tell me what.”

  “I don’t plan on going to New Hampshire,” he said.

  “You’re staying here? Alone? Won’t that be dangerous?”

  “Not here. The elders have given me permission to stay in Middletown—under one condition.”

  Leesa’s heart soared. She could be with Rave without having to leave her family behind.

  “What condition?”

  “That I stay with you in your apartment. Do you think your mom will allow me?”

  “Of course she will. But I don’t get it. Why do the elders want you to stay there?”

  “For my safety,” Rave replied. “My people are leaving to avoid the possibility of any full on confrontation with the vampire coven during this perilous period. The elders know I will be safe if I stay with you.”

  Leesa still didn’t understand. What was so special about her apartment that it would keep Rave safe from vampires? Surely it wasn’t the comparatively meager amount of magic she had learned. There was no way she could stand against even one vampire—and they were supposedly hunting in packs now.

  Rave recognized the confusion on her face. “Stefan has given orders that none
of his coven are to go anywhere near you or your family,” he said. “Since he’s a member of the coven’s ruling council, we know his command will be obeyed.”

  Leesa smiled. She was pretty sure Stefan would never hurt her, but she hadn’t known he had extended his protection to her family. Not that she’d really been worried about any danger from the vampires—not with Edwina out of the way. She wondered for a moment what Stefan had done with Bradley’s former tormentor. Whatever it was, Stefan had made it clear that Edwina would never bother any of them again.

  “That’s nice to know,” she said. She wrapped her arms around Rave’s forearm and squeezed. “I guess you’ll have to keep extra close to me, then, to make sure you stay safe.”

  Rave kissed the top of her head. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Leesa turned to Balin and Dominic. “Now, I believe someone mentioned something about kissing a few minutes ago? What are we waiting for?”

  12. BELONGING

  AS LEESA FLOATED in the air with her head near the ceiling of Balin’s cabin, she had to fight to keep from laughing at the absurdity of all this. Below her, Rave stood with his eyes closed. She watched his chest slowly rise and fall as he performed the intricate breathing exercises necessary to begin Rammugul, so he could decrease his inner heat. She had levitated herself so she could implement her heat resistance spell without risking awakening the mysterious power that slumbered beneath the earth in this region.

  She wondered if any two people in the history of the world had ever needed to go through so much preparation just to kiss each other. She didn’t see how anyone could have. It was always worth it in the end, though, when their lips finally met.

  “Tempus resiti,” she muttered, activating the heat resistance spell and then allowing herself to float back down to the floor.

  A moment later, Rave opened his eyes. Balin placed his finger on Rave’s neck, checking to make sure Rave’s magical heat had been lowered sufficiently.

  The old volkaane nodded. “Go ahead,” he said.

  Rave placed his hands lightly on Leesa’s shoulders. When he had massaged them earlier, there was love and caring in his touch, but now, as he prepared to kiss her, Leesa felt nothing but total, uncompromising love flowing through his fingers. She placed her hands on his hips and squeezed gently.

  This would be the fourth time they were going to kiss with Rave using Rammugul, leaving them unfettered by any timer or limits. Balin’s finger on Rave’s neck would monitor his heat and keep her safe. Her own spell would give her a few seconds of protection from Rave’s inner fire should anything go wrong.

  She wished they could do this more often and with more privacy, but she was getting used to being “chaperoned” when they kissed. She knew that eventually there would come a time when she and Rave could kiss in complete safety—after all, since wizards could live as long as volkaanes, the two of them had hundreds of years together stretching ahead of them. She just hoped it only took a small fraction of those years to figure out a way.

  Such thoughts slipped from her mind as her eyes locked onto Rave’s. As always, she kept her eyes open as his face inched nearer, prolonging the joy of looking at him until just before his lips brushed hers.

  He kissed her softly to start, pressing his mouth gently against hers and then slowly tracing her lips with the tip of his tongue. Already, she could feel her heartbeat quickening in her chest.

  When he pushed his tongue between her lips she was ready, opening her mouth to let him in. Her tongue met his and they began their favorite dance, tasting and touching softly at first, then flicking and probing more feverishly as their ardor grew.

  She felt his grip tighten on her shoulders, and she was certain his hold on her was the only thing keeping her from floating back up into the sky. She would not have been surprised to discover she was actually glowing.

  Sliding her hands behind his back, she pulled his body tightly against hers, joining them together as much as their limitations allowed. She loved the solid feel of his muscular body pressing against her, stomach to stomach, his chest against her breasts. Far back in her mind, a part of her longed for the day when they could do this—and more—warm skin to warm skin, but she knew that moment lay somewhere in their future. She was not going to let it rob her of one iota of the joy she was feeling right now.

  And then even those thoughts vanished as currents of pleasure consumed her, wiping all thoughts from her head and replacing them with almost indescribable feelings of closeness, belonging and love.

  Finally, she realized the kiss had ended. Whether Rave had pulled his lips away a second ago or a minute ago, she had no idea, nor did she know whether he had ended the kiss voluntarily or whether Balin had stopped it. Right now, she didn’t care.

  She opened her eyes to see Rave smiling down at her, his eyes filled with love. She sighed and then smiled back.

  “Well,” she said, “I’d say that was certainly worth the drive in the rain—most certainly, indeed.”

  Rave’s smile widened. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said, “because I’d love to do it again.”

  It took a moment for Leesa to realize he meant right now. She looked at Balin, who nodded.

  Leesa turned back to Rave and grinned. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

  She closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she felt herself floating away again.

  13. MORE FRIENDS FOR MAX

  BALIN’S STEW TASTED AS DELICIOUS as it smelled. Hungry, Leesa had gladly accepted a second helping when Balin told his guests that whatever didn’t get eaten today would be thrown outside for the birds and squirrels before the volkaanes departed for New Hampshire later tonight. They were leaving shortly after sundown, because it was easier for them to travel at speed in the darkness, when there was less chance of being seen.

  After returning to earth from her second kiss with Rave, Leesa had practiced her magic for almost two hours, first inside the cabin and then outside. Dominic wanted her to get used to performing multiple spells at once, and the need to levitate above the floor or ground before performing any spell provided the perfect opportunity. Outside, she had added the air shield to her levitation to try to stay dry while she performed a series of other spells. Several times, her shield failed in the middle of one of her incantations, causing Rave to grin in amusement as he stood watching in the rain, letting his heat evaporate the drops before they could even get him wet. By the time Leesa was done practicing, she was drenched and exhausted.

  Rave had quickly dried her off in his special way when they came back inside, making getting soaked well worth it. And now that Balin’s yummy stew had replenished her energy, she was feeling exceptionally happy and content.

  “There’s one thing we need to do before my people leave,” Rave told her as she sopped up the last of her stew with a hunk of bread. “If you think you can manage it.”

  “What’s that?” Leesa asked before taking a small bite of bread.

  “It has to do with Max. Do you think your aunt would let you take him for a walk in the rain today?”

  “Max?” Leesa asked, surprised. “What do you need Max for?”

  “I want to introduce him to Dral and Bain so we can get a message to them if needed.”

  Max’s ability to pass messages to Rave telepathically was one of the stranger phenomena Leesa had witnessed in a year filled with many strange magical phenomena. She hadn’t considered that Max could do it with other volkaanes, but it made sense. Volkaanes and dogs had a special affinity going back many centuries.

  “I’m sure Aunt Janet will be okay with me walking him this afternoon,” she said. “After all, a dog’s gotta do his business, rain or shine. I’ll call her when I get back to the car.”

  A little more than an hour later, Leesa pulled the SUV to the curb in front of Aunt Janet’s house. The rain was still falling steadily, but nowhere near as hard as earlier.

  She grabbed her umbrella and got out of the car. Dominic had remained beh
ind with Balin—the two ancient men always had plenty to discuss—so she was alone. Rave and his friends would be arriving before too long and would wait in the nearby woods until Leesa summoned them through Max.

  Aunt Janet must have been watching through the window, because the door swung open before Leesa even reached the top of the stairs. She closed her umbrella and stepped into a warm hug from her aunt. Max stood close beside them, his tail thumping back and forth while he waited his turn.

  “It’s so nice to see you,” Aunt Janet said when she finally let Leesa go. “Quite a storm we’ve been having, isn’t it?”

  Leesa dropped to one knee and gave Max a vigorous chest rub, causing his tail to become even more animated.

  “The rain’s not so bad now,” Leesa said, “but it sure was coming down like crazy earlier.”

  “Would you like something to eat? We’ve got blueberry and peach pie. And some ice cream.”

  “I’d love some,” Leesa replied, “but I’m pretty stuffed right now. Maybe I’ll have a small piece a little later, after I walk Max.”

  “Well, come sit,” Aunt Janet said, motioning toward the couch, “and tell me what you’ve been up to.”

  Leesa and her aunt settled onto the couch, and Max curled up on the floor against Leesa’s leg. She wished she could tell Aunt Janet all about the magic she had been practicing, but not even her mom and brother knew about that. Instead, she told her about the books she’d been reading, her lunch with Cali, and assorted other normal teenage girl stuff.

  The two of them chatted happily for half an hour before Leesa decided it would be a good time to take Max for a walk. She was certain Rave and his companions would be nearby by now.

  “Are you sure you want to take Max out in the rain?” Aunt Janet asked. “I could just let him run around the back yard for a bit.”