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Chapter 166
While Leesa was practicing magic, the storm outside had intensified. The rain was now coming down so hard it exploded back up off the pavement like a thousand miniature fountains. Leesa watched it with Rave and Dominic from the motel room doorway. It was really quite pretty.
“Drive safely,” Rave said.
He risked a quick peck on Leesa’s lips. The familiar thrill shot through her, rendering her momentarily speechless.
“I’ll see you back at campus,” Rave said. He turned and began jogging away.
Leesa watched him as he trotted out alongside the highway, to all appearances just some fool jogger in the rain. The storm didn’t seem to bother him in the least. And why should it, she thought? The rain certainly wouldn’t make him cold, and it probably dried almost as soon as it hit his skin.
She was not quite so fortunate, however. Even the short dash to the Blazer soaked her cap and parka. As soon as she pulled t
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 167
Ten miles away, Josef strode through a wooded hillside, his waziri senses guiding him unerringly toward the place where his vampire pets had been destroyed. He had received two more rides in his journey south, including one that took him from just south of Springfield all the way to Hartford. He had walked the rest of the way, in the rain for the last day and a half. He did not mind at all. Indeed, he scarcely noticed that the rain had just stopped.He was almost there, he knew, so he slowed his pace, not wanting to miss anything. If there was any trace of magic in the area, he would know it.Finally, he found what he had been seeking—two piles of soggy black ashes, pounded almost flat by the rain, scattered on the ground about twenty feet from each other. Josef stopped and focused on everything his senses could tell him.The first thing he sensed was vampires, many of them. He sorted through the vibrations and counted five, including his two pets. The pil
Leesa's Advent Chapter 168
Dominic’s grip on Leesa’s shoulders tightened.“You cannot come,” he said. The look in his pale blue eyes was hard, intense. “I forbid it.”Leesa tried to meet his stare with an equally powerful one of her own.“I have to,” she said. “I can help. I know it.”“It’s too dangerous.”“Your concern for me is keeping you from seeing this clearly,” Leesa said, her voice steady. “Hasn’t your plan all along been that your enemies will not be able to sense my magic? That’s how I can help.”Dominic shook his head, but Leesa could see in his eyes that his resolve was wavering.“My plan counted on you having mastered your magic, not having barely begun your training.”“I know. I’m not fooling myself. I realize I can’t hurt Josef in the slightest. Heck, I don’t think I could hurt even an ordina
Leesa's Advent Chapter 169
Leesa’s heart raced, her body shot full of adrenaline from fear and worry. Josef’s black bolt had pushed to within five feet of Dominic now. In moments, the black magic would overwhelm him. And once Dominic was out of the way, the black wizard could turn his full might against Rave. Rave wouldn’t stand a chance. She had to do something—but what?The growth spell had produced a distraction, but it was much too short-lived. She needed something bigger, something that would grab Josef’s attention in a much more solid way. As hard as it was for her to do it, she pulled her eyes from Rave and Dominic and scanned the woods around Josef, searching desperately for some kind of idea.Ten or fifteen feet behind Josef, she spied a small log. It was about a foot thick and maybe eight feet long. She had never moved anything close to this heavy. But she had sent Edwina hurtling through the air, and she was a vampire. If she could just get the log rollin
Leesa's Advent Chapter 170
The thought of the deadly enemies still searching for Dominic sent a chill through Leesa’s body that had nothing to do with the cool, damp February afternoon. She moved closer to Rave and slipped her arm around the back of his waist, pressing against his side. Sensing her agitation, he draped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Leesa sighed as Rave’s volkaane heat flowed into her. He felt even warmer than usual, his body and lips still heated from the battle. She wished his magical fire could melt away her troublesome thoughts as easily as they soothed her body. She looked at Dominic, whose mind was clearly elsewhere. His blue-grey eyes bore a vacant, faraway look as he absently stroked his pointed, salt-and-pepper goatee with the fingers of his right hand. He looked so ordinary, she thought, in his black shirt and khaki pants. It was hard to reconcile his appearance with the powerful magic he had just displayed. Leesa was pre
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Dominic reached into his back pocket and pulled out his old leather wallet. Holding it in front of him, it looked much too large to have fit in his pocket, but Leesa knew the wallet was magic. Not only did it fit in places it shouldn’t, but it somehow held more stuff inside than a good-sized suitcase. She had seen Dominic pull stacks of cash and handfuls of jewels out of it. She wondered what he was going to take out now.Dominic unclipped the brass fastener that held the walled closed and reached inside. His hand disappeared halfway up to his elbow as he rummaged around inside the magic container. When he drew his hand out, he was holding a thick, leather-bound book the size of a small dictionary. The book was much larger than the wallet that had just contained it. Leesa wondered if things shrank when they went inside, or if there was just more space in there than the normal laws of physics would allow. She guessed it didn’t really matter—magic was magic. T
Leesa's Advent Chapter 172
“It means that I will have to keep on the move—buses and trains again, I’m afraid—trying to stay a few steps ahead of my foes. I will be going everywhere, but staying nowhere.”“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Leesa asked.“I hope so. I eluded my black brethren a hundred years ago—I do not see why I cannot do it again. This time, I am actually glad they will be able to track me so easily, for it will allow me to draw them away from here without actually seeming to. They will expect me to flee after using my magic. They will think I am running from them, rather than leading them away from you.”Dominic put his hands on Leesa’s shoulder and looked into her eyes.“If you sense any danger at all to you, Leesa, leave immediately. It doesn’t matter where you go—go anywhere, but go quickly. As long as you wear my ring, I will be able to find you when the time is right.&r
Leesa's Advent Chapter 173
Thousands of miles away from where Leesa and Rave said their goodbyes to Dominic, five shadowy figures sat in a large, dimly lit room, gathered around a dark, round table at least ten feet in diameter. The table’s smooth surface was fashioned out of a special, highly polished material that looked almost like black glass. Candles flickered in brass sconces on the chamber’s stone walls, but strangely, none of the light reflected off the top of the table. The dark surface seemed to swallow any illumination that struck it. In addition to the five occupied chairs, four more sat vacant.One of the seated men was significantly larger than his fellows, in girth more so than height. His high-backed chair—more of a throne, really—was larger and more ornate than the others as well. Intricate carved runes covered much of the chair’s dark wood surface. The special chair left little doubt that this man was the leader of the group.His body seemed almost
Leesa's Advent Chapter 174
Leesa breathed out a soft sigh as she and Rave neared the edge of the trees. She wasn’t ready for her wonderful ride in his strong arms to end. The ride had been all too short—Rave had covered almost a mile in little more than two minutes, and she knew he could have done it faster had he needed to. Once they reached the road where they could be seen, he would put her down and they would walk the rest of the way like normal people. And that was not nearly as much fun. She thought about asking him to circle back to make the ride last longer, but she didn’t think it very wise to return the vicinity of the battle. It was best to put as much distance from that place as possible. She would just have to be satisfied with the ride she had gotten.So she was totally surprised when Rave slowed his pace at the wood’s edge but did not stop to put her down. Instead, he kept her cradled in his arms and began walking east along the road.Leesa pulled her cheek
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