Rekindled Magic

by T. M. Cromer

  “Quentin, what’s wrong?”

  He lifted his head to meet her concerned gaze. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Because you changed history? How?”

  “I don’t know if by telling you the past, I’m might break a cosmic rule.”

  “Was it so very different from now?”

  “Yes.” He closed his eyes against the pain of the past. “Yes, Hol, it was. I thought you were lost to me forever.”

  The light, soothing touch of her fingertips as she stroked the planes of his face caused him to open his eyes to her and the truth of their love.

  “We’d have always found our way back to one another, my darling man. I’m sure of it.”

  The sting of tears burned behind his lids and his nasal passages as he struggled to hold the emotion at bay. “Goddess, I love you, Holly. More than you can ever possibly know.”

  “I love you, Quentin, to the very depths of my soul.” Holly leaned in and lowered her forehead to his. “I’m glad you fixed our timeline to allow us to have all this.”

  He opened his mouth to respond when she jerked in his arms. “Hol?”

  “Our girl is raising a fuss!” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her abdomen. “I guess you were right to paint the nursery pink.”

  “Pink?”

  “You said you had a feeling we were having a girl.”

  Quentin shook his head in wonder. The memories formed in his mind as if she conjured them with her words. This new reality was going to take some getting used to. He could feel the heel of their daughter’s foot as she kicked the wall of Holly’s uterus. All he could do was stare in shocked awe. “She’s a little badass.”

  “She totally is,” Holly agreed on a laugh. “What are you doing?” she asked on a husky breath when he lifted the edge of her top over her head and tossed it aside.

  “I want to see you. All of you.” He stripped her bare and trailed his fingers over her curves. “You’re beautiful, love.”

  She snorted her disbelief. “And you’re blind.”

  “No, Hol, you are the most incredible woman I’ve ever seen.” He drew her closer and pressed his lips to her baby mound. “I think it’s time to settle on a name.”

  “What about Francesca?”

  Quentin tried it out. “Francesca Anne Buchanan, you get your butt back here this instant!” He nodded. “It works.”

  “You predict you’ll be yelling at her often?”

  “I predict, if she is anything like her mother, she’ll have me wrapped around her little finger.” He grinned and drew her down to straddle his lap. “I was trying the full name out for you since you’ll be the disciplinarian.”

  Holly’s throaty laugh curled around his dick and squeezed. “Now, it’s time for our little one to go to sleep. Mommy and Daddy need fun time.” She smoothed a hand over her belly, then snapped her fingers to dispose of his clothes. “That’s better.”

  “We won’t be able to do this much longer,” Quentin grunted as she shoved him backward on the bed and sank onto his erection.

  “Bite your tongue.” She placed his hands on her breasts with a suggestive half-smile. “I say we do this up until the second I go into labor. You with me?”

  “Fuck. Yes!”

  He cupped her engorged breasts and prayed they would never lose their fullness. When she threw back her head and moaned, Quentin shifted his hips and thrust up in a long, smooth stroke.

  “Again,” she panted.

  They fell into a faster rhythm. When he thought he couldn’t hold on another second, Holly shattered in his arms and screamed his name. His own orgasm was put on hold to allow him to stare up into her beautiful flushed face. His heart was as full as it had ever been when she opened her eyes and smiled down at him.

  “You going to finish anytime today, stud?” she teased.

  “Now you’ve asked for it.”

  “And I’m hoping you’ll give it to me.”

  Holly was disturbed out of her sleep by a knock at the bedroom door.

  “Holly? Quentin?”

  “Summer?”

  The door creaked open.

  “Hey. What’s going on?”

  “It’s Mom. She’s failing. Dad called and said we need to perform the ritual now or we could lose her.”

  The shock of her sister’s words sent her reeling. “Tonight?”

  “I know it’s a lot to ask after the day you’ve had…”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course, I’ll help.” She turned to gaze up at Quentin who had wordlessly sat up beside her.

  “I heard.” He looked to Summer. “Head to your dad’s. We’ll be right behind you.”

  After Summer left, Holly sat in stunned silence.

  “Are you okay, love?”

  “I never thought this day would arrive.” She bit her lip to hold back the outpouring of words she wanted to say. Anything she told him would be redundant at this point, but it didn’t make her nerves any less raw or leave her feeling any less battered. “I don’t know how we are going to save her without the scroll.”

  “I think I do.”

  Her head snapped around, and she gaped at his smiling face.

  “Athena gave me a bride’s gift for you. In all the craziness, I forgot to pass it along. She must have foreseen you would need it.”

  “What is it? A gift to help my mom?”

  “I believe it is. It’s called the Heart of Artemis.”

  “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “No, but I’ll lay odds Nash or your father have.”

  “I need to get a quick shower. Will you find out what Nash knows?”

  “I can do that.” He leaned in to drop a light, lingering kiss on her lips. “Stay strong, love. We’ll help your mom.”

  “Thank you.” She felt like a live wire—all full of hope and fear, mixed with a ton of trepidation. “I’ll meet you at my dad’s.”

  Holly rubbed her lower back and waddled to the bathroom. For a long second, she stared longingly at the jetted garden tub before she stepped into her shower and adjusted the spray settings. A long, relaxing soak would be great, but she’d settle for the next best thing. There was nothing like the overhead waterfall and additional two shower heads to complete the experience. Summer had known what she was doing when she conjured this house last year after coming to town to start her veterinary clinic and animal sanctuary. The spa-like en suite bathroom she’d created for Holly’s home was to die for.

  She lathered herself from head to toe and concentrated on clearing her mind for the upcoming spell. It was important to cleanse all the negative energy to promote better magic. She strongly suspected they were all going to need every added boost they could get. The shower helped to restore and center her, but she still needed one more step.

  Adding a few drops each of lavender and rosemary oils into a diffuser, Holly then lowered herself into an armchair with all the grace of a lumbering rhino. She only allowed herself five minutes to meditate because she knew the others would be waiting on her to help revive Aurora. It was scary business. Do or die—literally for her mother.

  The underlying concern was whether her mother would wake normal or as a shell of her former self. When her sister Autumn woke from her stasis after having only been in a coma-like state for a few days, she’d been different from her former self. It had taken weeks and a magical boost from Alastair for her to return to a new standard of normal. She’d confessed there was still a small part of her that remained affected after all these months. What did that herald for their poor mother, who had been in stasis for twenty years?

  A ripple in the energy of the surrounding air alerted her to another presence. Holly opened her eyes when a knock sounded on her door.

  “Come in.”

  The door swung open, revealing her father. He looked as haggard as she’d ever seen him.

  She struggled to rise, but before she could, he was there with an assist. She took his proffered hand and rose to stand in front of him. “Tha
nks. It’s getting a little more awkward to get around these days.”

  “Are you almost ready, child?”

  “I am. I was finishing up.” She shrugged. “I wanted to be as clear as possible for the ceremony.”

  “That’s good.” He seemed distracted, and the grooves on either side of his mouth were deepened with his worry.

  “Are you going to be okay if this doesn’t work,” she asked softly.

  “I don’t know. It’s highly doubtful.”

  The confession propelled her into his arms. Her heart ached for him. If the situations had been reversed, she’d probably be the same way. “It’s going to be okay, Dad. I promise, regardless of which way this goes, you always have us.”

  His embrace tightened a millisecond before he released her. “Thank you, darling girl. We should go.”

  They joined hands, and Holly could feel her cells ramp up twice as fast as he teleported them to the hallway outside of Aurora’s room. The others were gathered inside the open doorway of the bedroom.

  “Are we doing this here or in the clearing by Thorne Manor?” Spring asked. “The last time, we needed the magic of the stones to revive Autumn.”

  “Actually, this place is built on another sacred site,” Alastair informed them as he stepped forward to scoop up Aurora.

  The loving way he cradled her to his chest brought tears to Holly’s eyes. As always, Quentin was attuned to her emotions and wrapped her in a warm hug.

  “What did you find out about the Heart of Artemis? Did Nash have any ideas?”

  “He’s searching his library now. He said he’ll join us in a few minutes once he discovers what we need.”

  Together, Holly and Quentin walked hand in hand, following the procession down a long hallway to a set of French doors that opened out onto a quaint garden. Holly had never visited this lovely refuge with its breathtaking view and trickling waterfall. It was a hidden paradise.

  “This is freaking amazing!” Autumn said what they were all feeling.

  “I created it for your mother. She’ll want a place to read when she recovers.”

  “Jesus, you are really a romantic sonofabitch, aren’t you?” Autumn’s husband muttered.

  “Keaton!”

  His cheeks took on a light pink tinge at his wife’s scolding. “Sorry.”

  Alastair surprised them all when he snorted. “It’s quite all right. I’m used to the boy being unable to hold his tongue.”

  “Where’s Summer? I thought she arrived before we did,” Holly asked. Her sister should have arrived a good twenty minutes ago.

  “She’s helping Nash search his archive for information on the object Athena gifted you,” Alastair informed her. “She should be here momentarily.”

  They continued on their way in silence. Out through the wrought-iron gate, they traveled single file down a stone path until it became dirt. Still they journeyed to a clearing the length of a football field from the main house.

  By the time they arrived, Holly’s back was aching like a bitch. The pain was rivaled only by her swollen feet. “What’s next?”

  “We wait for your brother and sister,” her father informed her. The expression on his face was as grim as it got, and Holly wondered if he doubted they had a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding.

  Chapter 22

  They didn’t have long to wait. Summer and Nash broke through the trees within minutes of their group’s arrival. Summer was flushed, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “That was one hell of a gift Athena gave you, sister!”

  Holly was about to ask what they’d found, when Coop spoke up.

  “You didn’t sneeze.”

  All eyes turned to Summer. She looked confused and glanced around. “Is it the magic of this place?”

  Holly squealed when as she realized the significance of the suspended curse. “You’re pregnant!”

  “What?” Both Summer and Coop parroted in unison. They looked like Holly had whipped out a bat and pulled a Morty on them.

  “The only reason you wouldn’t sneeze is if you are touching another Thorne, sister.”

  Summer’s hand flew to her flat abdomen as she turned her blue eyes, wide with wonder, on Coop. “We’re going to have a baby?”

  He laughed and gathered her close. “It would appear so, but I honestly don’t know how you wouldn’t have figured that out on your own by now.”

  “Well, you didn’t figure it out either!” she retorted.

  “It’s not my body, sweetheart.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear, making the color flare hot in her cheeks.

  “Shut it!”

  “As much as I love a good Hallmark moment, we should really get this show on the road, sister.” Autumn softened her words by running a hand down their sister’s long, blonde hair. “Congratulations. Now, tell us. What did you find out?”

  “The Cheirotonia Scroll was never going to work for this ritual,” Nash informed them. “It was only ever meant for one man’s use.” He nodded at Quentin. “That would be you. I believe it was why Athena offered up the globe. But, as a Traveler, the Heart of Artemis is the one tool you cannot use. If you do, you take the risk of getting locked in an inter-dimensional time warp. That object is that strong.”

  “Lovely,” Quentin muttered.

  Nash dug into his messenger bag and pulled out the globe in question. “I’m assuming Athena gave it to you with a warning?”

  “She did.” Quentin looked to Alastair. “I’m betting this means I need to sit this one out. We can’t take the risk of my magic counteracting that of the other artifacts.”

  “I think that’s wise, son.” Alastair gently laid Aurora on the stone altar in the center of the clearing. As he gazed down at her, he asked, “What else did you find about the Heart of Artemis?”

  “It’s a type of conduit. It’s what’s going to connect you to the Otherworld and allow Aurora to pass through to this plane. It works in conjunction with the other three artifacts you’ve collected.” Nash approached Aurora and set the globe at the crown of her head. “The problem is that you need seven witches who are blood-related to her, Alastair.”

  As Holly watched, the life seemed to drain from her father. He’d instantly done the math and realized there were only five direct blood relatives present. “It’s over then. There is no way to find her brother in time, and trying to sway any of her living aunts to assist us is pointless. Those old battle-axes are more likely to bring the whole Witches’ Council down on our heads rather than help us.”

  Alastair perched on the edge of the stone and smoothed Aurora’s hair on either side of her face. He didn’t bother to hide his devastation. “My apologies, my love. I truly thought we could pull this off.”

  “We have more than seven,” Holly said. All eyes turned to where she stood with her hands cradling her unborn babe. “By my count, we have eleven.”

  “I don’t understand,” Keaton said. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Four of the five of us are pregnant. Winnie is sporting triplets in that massive belly of hers,” Holly clarified with a grin. “That makes eleven. I should think that is more than enough power between us all. My little muffin is a direct descendant of Zeus.”

  With a happy laugh, her sisters enfolded her in a group hug. Spring was the first to pull away. She held out her hand to Nash. “Let me look at the spell.” When he handed her the sheet of paper, she read through it and nodded at whatever conclusion she’d come to before handing it to her fiancé, Knox. “What do you think?”

  “I think your sister is almost as brilliant as you.”

  “Hey!” Holly laughingly scolded. “Not cool.” But they all knew Spring had an IQ off the charts, and she wasn’t in the least offended by coming in second to her sister.

  Holly turned her attention to her father. “What do you say, Dad? Want to give it a try?”

  The line between his brows deepened as he continued to stare down at Aurora. Reaching an internal decisi
on, he glanced up at Nash. “Will it risk the babies?”

  “I don’t believe so. We can have GiGi on call in the event anything goes wrong.”

  “Is there a real chance of that?” Winnie’s fiancé, Zane, who had remained silent throughout the whole discussion, asked. “I won’t risk my children.”

  “Nor would I,” Alastair agreed. “If there is the slightest chance even one of the babies might be harmed, we will abort this plan.”

  “I don’t think Athena would have given Holly the Heart of Artemis if she didn’t expect her to use it,” Quentin reasoned. “She knew Holly was heavily pregnant when she handed it to me. If everyday magic doesn’t hurt the babies, then I can’t imagine this would either. A spell is a spell.”

  Autumn stepped forward. “I agree.”

  “I’m willing to risk it,” Winnie said as she placed a soothing hand on Zane’s chest. “She’s my mother, Zane.”

  All four pregnant sisters joined hands, their decision made.

  Spring stepped to the others and linked her fingers with Holly’s. “The babies’ magical powers can only amplify the spell.”

  When Holly met Alastair’s grateful gaze, a sheen of tears shimmered and caused his eyes to brighten in color. She caught her breath. The color of her father’s irises hadn’t been that light since she was a child, before tragedy had ripped her family apart.

  “We’re with you, Dad. We can do this. We’re Thorne witches, aren’t we? It’s my understanding that there’s no one on this planet as badass as a Thorne.”

  “Word!” voiced Autumn in agreement. “We’ve got this, Uncle. And before you get all worried that we don’t understand the consequences, we can all assure you, we do.” She looked to her sisters for confirmation before she spoke. “We’re willing to take the risk. But I’m betting that if Spring believes it’s okay, then it is.” She shot a warm, confident smile at their youngest sister. “I have faith in her.”

  Nash stepped forward. “Let’s get this show on the road.”