Liam was gone like a shot down the stairs, yet again leaving us to follow. But this time he was slowed by the writing on the walls of the narrow flight, twisting back and forth from one side to another, cries of joy and exclamation bursting from him, kind of like this:"Mesopotamia! Holy, can't be, how cool is-Egypt! The pyramids are what? Now I have to go to-Greece. Yes, of course. Of course! Why didn't I guess that might be the-Rome? No, really? All of Rome? How did they control the flow of-"He stopped below me, hand hovering over the wall, and when he turned to face me there was so much sadness in his eyes I descended to share his step and hug him while he shook."So sad," he whispered. "The Dark Ages."Ouch. Not a great time for those with magic. "The Inquisition?" All witches knew about the Spanish Inquisition, their unholy need to eradicate all of us from the face of the earth, only to ultimately fail because we were simply too smart for them."It wasn't what we thought," Liam s
-I'm in the dream again, watching the two armies face off, the ghostly specter of the maji woman hovering next to me. Only now the battle has engaged, power slashing between combatants, death and life coming together in a mix of screams and the discharge of opposing magicks.I want to help, reaching for them, but the maji holds me back.Iepa. I turn to her, see her face more clearly with contact, and know I'm right, it is she, the author of Liam's book, who has brought us together, to this place, with purpose. I have to stop it.You will have your chance. Her voice is liquid in my mind, gentle and soft. I hope. But not in this moment, Sydlynn. This is but an image of what could be, a possible future. If we were to go elsewhere in this place, you would see far different outcomes than this one. And yet, the possibility of its coming to pass is enough to bring us worry.Us. I turn back to the battle, heart pounding. The maji.She doesn't answer, just watches with me for a moment. Thi
I turned without a word and retreated, climbing the stairs, letting my fingers run over the carvings as I did, feeling my bodywere close on my heels, the press and warmth of Sassy's furred shape against my leg as we emerged in the chamber above.Time for me to be going. Now that the vampires were awake, it was probably a good idea for me to make myself scarce, though I was sure Liam and Galleytrot would be here for a while yet.My mind returned to the two kids and Iepa's warning as I emerged into the main house level and walked the hall toward the front door, head down, eyes locked on the carpet, mind far away. I needed to figure out a way to find the pair, but I had no idea how.Arms slid around me and since Charlotte didn't protest I assumed I knew the owner of those arms. I hugged Sunny back immediately, feeling the warmth of her, thankful she at least had eaten before I ran into her and wondered if hunger for blood made Sebastian's problem with me worse. It was much more likely
It was a short trip across the park and to the back yard, but I worried the entire time. Despite being careful, I didn't want to be caught by a normal while levitating the two kids now in my charge. I could have used the veil, but I hesitated in taking them into it so soon after the attack. Besides, the wards on the house and surrounding property wouldn't let me ride the veil all the way to the back door anyway, so I figured a little quasi-illegal magic use was worth the risk.As luck would have it, not too many people were out an about in the middle of the night in Wilding Springs. None, actually. Only me. Surprise, surprise. Oh, and my very anxious bodywere and demon cat who both came bounding across the grass toward me as I crossed the wards and entered the family property.Charlotte looked very unhappy. And when the weregirl showed her emotions, it was all kinds of bad. Sassafras stopped in his tracks at the sight of the boy and girl, wrapped in glowing blue magic, floating besid
Even though I felt bad for the boy, a twinge of nerves put my back up. After all, according to Iepa, weren't we going to war with sorcerers? How smart was it to have one in my house?And yet, there was no way the sweet-faced kid standing in front of me, his crushed expression telling me how much he worried about his own abilities, could possibly be a threat. At least, not on purpose.I'd take it.His sister, on the other hand, had this way with my last nerve that was about to get her a serious smackdown. She grabbed her brother and shoved past me, heading for the door, a harsh, determined look on her face. I naturally reached for her to pull her back. No way was she storming out, not after I'd saved their butts from whoever was trying to hurt them.My fingers slipped over the denim of her jacket, caught her hand. The moment our skin touched, power rippled between us. Trill came to an immediate halt, turning to face me, her eyes at my height, slim body quivering."Why haven't you f
Breakfast wrapped up pretty quickly after that, Meira and Owen volunteering to clean while Gram's magic interjected from time to time to speed the process. Trill and I left them to it, retiring to the back yard."You might not be able to reach your grandmother through the family wards," I told her as the cool grass crumpled under my bare feet, the touch of the Sidhe Wild Hunt, sleeping far below the earth whispering to me in its slumber. "But then again, I have no idea what maji power is capable of, so it's worth a try here before you expose yourself."Trill's lips twisted, a hint of arrogance on her face. "All that power," she said, "and you still have no clue."My fists clenched at my sides, good will fading rapidly. "Listen," I said, getting all up in her personal space, letting my demon out to snarl. Trill didn't back down. "I'm here to help, remember? You're freaking welcome."Trill's nostrils flared, but she nodded. "You're right," she said. "I'm sorry. It's just... you reall
I hadn't bothered to warn the two siblings about our mode of transportation, considering how they'd arrived in my life to begin with, though from the glaring anger on Trill's face when she stumbled forward out of the darkness I probably should have.Yeah, not.Shielding still firmly wrapped around the pair, I led our small group into the library and down the back stairs, to the entry to Liam's safe haven. Which I was counting on for Trill and Owen, too.He was waiting for me when I crossed the green barrier, arms wide as he hugged me, kissing the top of my head. I absorbed his warmth, the scent of him so familiar and wonderful, all fresh turned earth and fabric softener mixed with his own subtle taste. His smile didn't waver as he released me to hug Meira, stroke Sassafras's fur and nod to Charlotte before turning his attention to the newcomers.A quick introduction and I had him up to speed."Fascinating." He stared at Trill like he wanted to dissect her, or at least ask her a mi
I was already in the hall, heading for the stairs, when Liam burst through the barrier and caught my arm, turning me to face him. He didn't speak, just wrapped his arms around me, holding me with his whole body.One thing about Liam? He gave the most amazing hugs ever.He let me go then, with a farewell wave and a smile just for me. And while part of me was embarrassed and ashamed I needed such confirmation of his feelings, the truth was his love did wonders for my mood.And what right did I have, really, to be jealous? Considering my own personal predicament.Sigh.Though I intended to ride the veil to the mansion, when I stepped out into the open air I made a different choice. I had a lot to think about and the drive would give me time alone to work things out. Mind you, with Charlotte attached to my hip, it wasn't like I'd be going alone. But I was used to her by now, no longer feeling like I had to entertain her or anything. Liam dropped the van off at the house the day before