Visions of Magic

Chapter 37



Shea sat at the foot of the bed and propped her face in her hands. She didn’t like sensing Torin’s frustration with her actions. His anger at being shut out of her decision. But they were both just going to have to live with it. She’d done what needed doing and she’d lived through it. Time to move on.

She listened to the sound of the shower and thought about joining Torin in the bathroom. But she discounted that idea a second or two later. They had to leave and if she went in there with him, it might be hours before they got moving again.

So instead she rifled through her newfound memories. As she’d told Torin, they were all so jumbled up together, centuries of them, it was going to take her some time to find the one they needed most. Shea knew he was waiting for her to tell him where they had to go. To have the vision. To awaken the memory that would give them direction. Speed them on the path toward straightening out this mess.

But so far she had nothing.

Shaking her head, she grabbed the TV remote and flicked it on, hoping for a mindless sitcom.

Naturally, the news popped on. Before she could change the channel, she was drawn into the report. On her.

“Shea Jameson has been missing now for two weeks.” The camera shifted to show the yard at Terminal Island and the hundred or so women still trapped at the prison. The reporter did a voice-over the images. “An investigation into the escape is ongoing and BOW has been called in to assist. When questioned by this reporter, Warden Salinger insisted that this incident was a rarity and that his prison remains no threat to the general population.”

Shea’s stomach churned as she watched the prison guards in their towers pointing guns down at the women inmates as they walked aimlessly around the yard.

“Warden Salinger further states that magic was used to spirit away the missing witches and that he and his men were helpless to defend against it.”

“Probably not a good idea to advertise that,” Shea murmured, then stopped when her picture flashed on the screen. They were using her driver’s license picture, so she looked hideous, but she was recognizable.

She watched the screen as the reporter gave her description to the audience. Nervously, she ran her fingers through her long red hair and winced. She had tried cutting off several inches and dying it dark brown—as she had done so long ago when she’d been alone and on the run. But it hadn’t worked this time. By the following morning, her hair was down to the middle of her back again and the dark auburn color had replaced the indeterminate brown. It seemed that her Awakening powers were making it impossible to change her hair. Of course, once she got better with her powers, maybe she could try making a change magically.

Disgusted, she flicked the TV off, stood up and paced. If she added up all the steps she’d taken in aimless pacing over the last week or so, she probably could have walked around the world.

So instead she decided to channel her energies into a spell she had studied in the ancient Sanctuary book. If the whole world was looking for her, it was time she did a little searching herself.

She stretched out on the bed, stared up at the ceiling for long, quiet moments and let her mind go blank. She relaxed, counting each soft breath until her body was limp and her soul was lifting from her body. With astral projection, she focused on finding that woman she’d glimpsed once before in a scrying mirror.

Her spirit flew, unfettered, through a starry night, past homes with people tucked inside. She was a part of the night and yet separate. She searched for one woman in the masses. When she heard the the whispered chant, Shea turned, sweeping unerringly toward her goal.

Her mind searched while her body lay still on the bed, an empty shell. Bright lights pulled at her; the chanting voice became more distinct.

A woman sat alone in a dark room, features obscured by shadows thrown by the flames of a dozen white candles. White, Shea thought, for purification and protection rituals.

“I feel you,” the woman said, head bent over the dancing flames. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“Why are you after me?” Shea asked, fighting to keep the connection with this woman. “It was you who sent those men who burned down the motel, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” she answered and though Shea couldn’t see her expression, she knew the woman was smiling. “But don’t worry. I don’t want you dead.”

“That fire was probably a mistake, then,” she said, sensing the banked power inside the woman.

“A miscalculation. The fools were supposed to take out your Eternal and bring you to me.”

“Why?”

“Because, Shea,” the woman sighed, “separate, we are each powerful but limited. Together, we would be unstoppable.”

“Who are you?”

“No more questions!” The woman waved one hand and Shea felt herself tumbling back the way she’d come, only to drop into her body, staring blindly up at the ceiling.

Breath heaving in and out of her lungs, Shea fought to steady herself. She’d heard the voice of her enemy. Felt the power surrounding her. And Shea knew the woman was far more powerful than she was.

She sat up slowly, her magic bubbling up inside her. Drawing down the moon had been dangerous, but worth it as well. She never could have attempted what she had just done without it. The renewal spell she’d worked had made her stronger. Just as mating with Torin was strengthening her powers. It eased her, knowing he was hers. Knowing that he would be beside her no matter what. Though she wasn’t looking forward to telling him about the woman she had just seen and spoken to.

After all, she’d seen for herself what she and her sisters had done centuries ago. The call of the power had been so seductive, they’d only wanted more. And they’d surrendered to something dark and evil. She couldn’t yet see it all. Couldn’t find the mental key to that lock, but she felt the danger in her bones. And that worried her.

If she’d been tempted to evil before . . . what would keep history from repeating itself?

Maybe it was because she was already charged magically. Maybe her defenses were down after her encounter with the woman in the shadows. But whatever the reason, one memory suddenly rose to the surface of her mind, sweeping Shea into a past that was still alive with power.

The cold, dark night was lit only by the occasional whips of lightning darting across the sky. Clouds covered the moon, but its brilliance still managed to stain the edges of its covering with silver ribbons. Wind howled and the nearby sea crashed against the rocks on the shoreline.

Torin grabbed her arm as she walked up the hillside, her steps sure, her features set in an expression of grim determination. She stopped and glared at his hand on her arm.

“Don’t do this,” he said, his voice deep, urgent. “Can you not feel the darkness hovering close? The air itself screams.”

“You worry too much,” she said, with a shake of her head as she slipped past him on the path. “My sisters and I know what we’re doing.”

“No, you don’t.” He flashed into flames and blocked her way. “Your thirst for power is making you all blind to what is really happening.”

“What do you know of power?” she demanded, gathering her cloak and pushing past him once more.

Overhead, clouds gathered and lightning crashed. The wind was cold and sharp and the sigh of the sea droned like the heartbeat of a restless god.

“As Eternals,” she reminded him haughtily, “it is your duty to stand beside us. To defend. Protect. Not to mewl about danger when you lose faith.”

His pale gray eyes flashed and swirled with explosions of magic as he reached out to take hold of her. He shook her hard, until the cowl of her cloak dropped away. The wind instantly lifted her long, dark red hair into a tangled halo around her head.

“My brothers and I stand as warriors. We are chosen to defend you all, even from your own arrogance.”

“Arrogance?” She echoed the word with a wild laugh. “Is it arrogance to know who and what you are? What you are capable of? No, Eternal. It’s you who are arrogant. To think you could stop us from what we know we must do.”

“I am not the mewling weakling you think me, cowering in the night,” he told her, face grim, eyes still swirling dangerously. “I am the warrior who has never failed to be beside you in times of danger. Yet I’ll not be silent when I see you walking blindly into disaster.”

The icy wind tossed her hair across her eyes and she paused to pluck it free. Staring up at the giant of a man who was both lover and guardian, she forced a smile and fought for patience.

“Torin, do you not understand how much more we will be when this is completed? We have left the cloister of Haven to draw the magics through the Artifact for the good of all of us. Can you not see the lure of the knowledge we will gain?”

“At what cost?” he countered. “Do you barter your soul?”

She frowned, out of patience, out of time. “If it comes to that, it is my soul to do with as I will. Come with me or don’t, Eternal. But do not think to stop me. I go to the stone dance to join my sisters.”

“Shea?” Torin’s hand on her shoulder drew her up out of the memory and she shivered as it faded.

“God, you tried to warn me, didn’t you?”

“What?”

She was shaking. Trembling from head to toe in the aftermath of that memory. She could still feel the bite of the wind, hear the ocean, see the banked fury in Torin’s eyes.

“Back then,” she said. “Back in the Dark Ages or whatever, you tried to warn me. You tried to stop me—us—from opening that damn door. I wouldn’t listen.”

Still naked and damp from the shower, he drew her to the edge of the bed, sat down, then pulled her after him. She went willingly, curling up on his lap, burrowing her head into the curve of his shoulder. “And not much has changed over the centuries,” he murmured.

She tipped her head back. “Do you really believe that?”

He met her gaze and gently smoothed her hair back from her face. “No. No, I do not. You’re still stubborn, but there is no great thirst in you, Shea. You’ve learned there are limits to everything. You still won’t listen to me, but . . .”

She slapped him. “I listen. When I want to.”

“Ah. Yes, a fine distinction.” He waved one hand and her clothing disappeared. Shea was grateful. She needed to feel the heat of his skin against hers. The solid strength of him.

“It’s all I can promise, Torin.” She looked up at him.

“As I suspected,” he murmured. Then his hand stilled on her back. “We have to leave again, Shea.”

“I know.” She chewed at her bottom lip.

“What?” He glowered at her until Shea opened her mind to him and he saw for himself what she had done while he was showering.

“Damn it, Shea! You allowed an enemy into your thoughts.”

“I was in hers as well,” she reminded him.

“And what did you discover?”

“Not much.”

“Was it the same woman you saw before? Who is she?”

“Yes—and I don’t know,” Shea admitted, scrubbing her hands up and down her arms. “All I know is she’s powerful and she wants me.”

“Well, she can’t have you.” He pulled her in close. “Leaving your body is a dangerous business, Shea. You shouldn’t try it without an anchor.”

Astral projection was a means of spiritual travel—to leave your own body behind and allow your mind, your very essence, to fly free. The only problem was, if you were cut off from your body, you might just end up stuck in the between world—not alive, not dead, just . . . not.

“Next time I’ll have you with me, okay?”

“Agreed. Now that you’ve unlocked your memories, do you know where we have to go next?”

She mentally grabbed hold of the memory that had plagued her only moments before. “I don’t know the exact spot yet, but I have sensed we have to go to England first.”

“I thought we would eventually end up there.”

She turned against him, pressing her breasts to his chest. “Of course you did. You remember where we were.”

“No,” he said softly, meeting her gaze. “None of the Eternals remembers that last night very well. I only know that the coven was based in Europe for a very long time.”

“I remembered something else,” she told him. “A name. Haven.” She studied his reaction. “You know that name. Do you know where it is?”

“No, not precisely.” He caressed her cheek. “The coven allowed no one into Haven. I know only that it was hidden from all but the coven. But after that?” He shrugged. “Back then, none of you risked sharing too much with us. None of you was willing to allow us too close for fear that you would lose some of the power you craved so desperately.”

She laughed a little and the sound was filled with misery. “God, how did you stand any of us? I only remember pieces, but you’ve got all of the memories, don’t you?” She looked up at him. “How do you see me now without seeing her?”

He cupped her face in his palms, his thumbs tracing over her cheekbones. His gaze locked with hers, he said simply, “I have always seen you, Shea. For who you are. Not for the hungers or needs that grip you as they do all of us. But the woman inside. The woman whose soul has finally found its way. Your time has finally come.”

Shea dropped her head to his chest and just leaned on him, feeling his strength. His permanence. This man had been with her through eternity. He’d watched over her even when she hadn’t deserved his protection. And he was still here, supporting her even though he had every reason to mistrust her.

Funny, she thought. Since the moment she’d met him outside the school—and didn’t that feel like a lifetime ago?—she’d wondered if he could be trusted. She’d held herself back, unsure of him or his loyalties.

Ironic to realize that through the centuries it had been she who was the one not to be trusted.

His big hand cupped the back of her head and held her close to him. “Trust yourself, Shea. Trust in the Awakening.”

She nodded. “I’ll figure it out, Torin. I’ll get us to Haven.”

“I know you will.”

Shea took a deep breath and let it slide from her lungs. “Can you flame us over there?”

He smiled. “No. It’s too far.”

“I suppose it’s not a good time to mention how much I hate flying then, huh?”

“We won’t be flying, either,” he told her, dipping his head for a quick, hard kiss. “With your magic Awakening, you could bring down the plane.”

“Oh, God.” Her mouth dropped open at the thought of crashing a jet with her powers. “Okay. No plane. Maybe not ever again.”

He smiled, running his hands up and down her back until he created a wonderful friction that took her mind off the trouble at hand. “When your magic is stable, flying will be safe enough. Safer even, as you will be able to ensure that the plane comes to no harm.”

“Uh-huh,” she whispered, only half listening now as his hands swept to the front of her and caressed her breasts, her tender nipples. She wasn’t interested in talking about planes anymore. Or witchcraft. All she wanted now was to make love to him once more before they left.

“So,” he was saying, “we will take a boat.”

“Okay . . .” She wriggled on his lap and felt his erection harden instantly. Then she smiled, bent her head to his chest and kissed the flaming tattoo that marked him as hers.

He hissed in a breath. “We will leave for New York immediately. The crossing will take several days.”

She ran her tongue across the tattoo. “Okay, then. We’d better go.”

“Not quite yet, I think,” he murmured and lifted her off his lap just high enough to give him the room he needed to enter her body. He looked into her eyes. “I want you, Shea. Now and always.”

At his words she slowly eased herself down onto his thick shaft. She took him in deeply and felt all the jagged pieces of herself slide into place. This was what she needed. This connection. This joining with Torin.

He moved within her, his gaze locked with hers and every stroke of his body made his eyes flare with more passion than she had ever known before. Her hands at his shoulders, she gave herself over to him and the real magic he created inside her.

Again and again, they moved together. She twisted her hips on him, sparking a delicious friction that sizzled along her nerve endings like live wires. Her heartbeat pounded, her blood pumped thick and hot in her veins. As she rode him, Torin dropped one hand to her center and used his thumb to caress her most sensitive spot.

More electricity arched between them. Brighter. Hotter. She let her head fall back and moved into him, over him. Shea felt his body tense and knew he was close to release. Just as she knew he would wait, contain his own passions until she had found hers. He would drag this moment on forever if it meant she had one more moment of pleasure. And knowing that, feeling that, she reached for the bliss and caught it.

Calling his name she shuddered in his grasp as her body erupted into a series of exquisite orgasms that left her quaking and limp. Only then did Torin claim what was his. Only then did he hold her body down on his and empty himself inside her, with a groan that was her name.

“Wow,” she whispered, resting her forehead on his shoulder. “That just gets better and better.”

He kissed the side of her neck. “And we will have eternity to improve on it even further.”

She stiffened in his arms. “Torin. Something’s wrong.”

He lifted her off his lap and sprang to his feet. “What is it?”

“Darkness,” she whispered. “It’s coming.”

Then the world exploded.