Magick (The Unwanted Series Book 1) (12 page)

“Can you go…”

Daniel gasps and bows his chest unnaturally. Rhydian leans further over on Daniel, looking like he’s about to collapse. I break free from Emily and slide across the floor to the two of them. Rhydian is aging. It’s in his face. Crows feet at the eyes, deep wrinkles on the forehead. Am I loosing Rhydian? I will myself to give part of my magick to him, I lay my hand on his and remove it from Daniel’s body. When I do, Rhydian collapses, and Cross is there in a flash to catch him.

“This house is not safe. We need to leave,” Cross says.

“We can’t. Not while they’re in this condition. I can hold the house.” Emily says. She produces a staff out of thin air and hits the floor with it. A blanket of sheer light radiates from the staff along the floors, coating the walls, stairs, and out the front door, spreading over the entire house.

“Damn, that’s hot.”

Emily winks at Cross. “I know.”

Marco starts to roll on the floor. One minute he’s covered in fur, and the next his naked cappuccino skin is showing. I turn away to give him privacy, and follow Cross to the formal living room where he lays Rhydian on the sofa.

“Will he be all right?” I ask Cross.

“Yeah, he’ll be okay. Just needs to recharge. I think ya man needed it, though. Musta’ have been on the cusp. Rhydian’s not a halfway guy. Guessing he wanted to make sure all the healing was right, but it puts him at risk. Glad you intervened, what did ya do?”

“I tried to give him part of my magick for him to use.”

Cross’s breath hitched.

“Watch over him. I need to check on Daniel.” Cross lifts his chin to me, and I see Tullen transport in, battle ready. He goes to Cross and Rhydian.

Marco is standing next to Daniel, who is laying on the dining room table. Daniel’s chest is rising and falling with each breath, he looks peaceful. He’s going to be all right. Rhydian is right: I can’t be with him. He’s in this situation because of me.

I touch Daniel’s hand and look at Marco. “I’m sorry, I would never put Daniel in danger.” My voice cracks saying Daniels’ name.

“I know that, Willow. I’m here for him tho, not you.” He said it matter of fact, but there was something hidden in his eyes. Gah, I hate me too right now.

I leave the dining room and come to stand in the foyer, where Emily is with the staff protecting the house and everyone in it.

“Do you blame me for Lucy?” I ask her.

“No.” Her eyebrows draw together.

“I do.” I sit on the stairs, the living room on the right and the dining room on the left, right in the middle between Daniel and Rhydian. My familiar life and my new life.

Chapter Fifteen

L
ike a siren’s call, a sharp noise bellows through the house. I yell and cover my ears, but everyone else just looks puzzled. I stand with my hands on my ears, yelling, “Can’t you hear it?”

They all shake their heads no.

I follow the noise rounding the back of the stairs on the left to my father’s office. The secret door is cracked open, and there’s a glow beckoning me. The sound pulses lower and lower as I get near. I’m nervous to walk into the hidden room, both afraid and hopeful about what might be in there. Is it be possible that my father and Lucy are in there? I go into the chamber like a hopeful child, and no one is there. I suppose that’s a relief, because it could have been someone — or something — else instead. The passageway door shuts behind me, enclosing me in the empty room.

The family Book of Shadows is not on the bookshelf where I placed it last; instead, it’s open on the coffee table. An eerie soft white light glows from the pages, and the noise is gone.

The book summoned me.

I head to the overstuffed chair and touch the book. I snap my fingers back from the pages, feeling an electrical charge. The book comes to life, with pages flipping of their own accord. It stops on a blank page. I move the book closer to me, and the ink begins to appear. It shows me what I desperately want to know: the location of my father and Lucy.

I read aloud: “The details of finding your blooded family reside in a potion for transporting.” It lists out ingredients I’m not familiar with, but the most important are something from the blooded family member you’re looking to find — including shared blood.

In my excitement, I pick up the book in my arms and walk out the hidden room, ready to show everyone our golden ticket. I stumble, when I find everyone already in the office — including Rhydian and Daniel, who are now conscious.

They sit in opposite chairs, and I stop myself from heading over to Daniel directly.

“Oh, thank god, you’re okay! Both of you,” I say. Looking from Rhydian back to Daniel.

Daniel adjusts himself slowly in the chair. “Thanks to Rhydian… and you I hear.”

Rhydian nods to me. “Is that your family Book of Shadows?”

“Yes. How did you all know I was in there?”

Marco, pipes up, “I saw you go in there, and Tullen suggested it might be a Wiccan solitary circle space, so we stayed out here to wait on you. Plus, with Rhydian awake, he’d feel and know if you were in trouble.”

I look at Rhydian, but he’s avoiding my eyes. Daniel looks at Rhydian sideways. “Thanks. I found a way of locating my father through a transporting potion. I think that if we locate him, Lucy should be nearby, and we can rescue them both.”

Emily, who was in the doorway, comes over to look at the book. “That’s great, but it’s a blank page, Will.”

“No, it was, but it’s not anymore… can’t you see?” It dons on me, they are not my family, of course they can’t read it. “Don’t worry it’s there — I’ll read it aloud and we can get to work on this.”

Cross shifts his legs and says, “yes, and make enough so that several of us can go, cuz there’s no way he’s not guarded with his powerful magick. Whoever has ya father is most likely counting on ya to show up hot-headed and ready to do something stupid, and then they’ll have ya both.”

I smirk at Cross. “Hot-headed? I thought that was your title?”

“Only when required.” His dimple appears, and I swear Emily grinned.

Tullen writes down what I read, and then he, Cross and Rhydian start gathering items from the hidden room. I go upstairs and pull a piece of my father’s hair from his hairbrush. Upstairs, I hear Duke whining.

“Oh my god, Duke!” I open a closet door, and my dog bounds out, jumps on me, and begins licking my face. I hug him, thankful he’s okay in all this chaos. He follows me down the stairs and begins to growl deep in his throat. The hair on his back is ruffled, and he’s staring at Marco.

“Easy, Duke,” Marco laughs. “I’m guessing he doesn’t like cats?”

“Ha ha.” I respond. “Easy Duke.”

Duke follows me into the room and lets Emily pet him, but he seems put off by Marco. When Cross and Rhydian walk in, Duke bounds over to them.

“Funny, a witch who likes dogs over cats. I think I like this about you,” Rhydian says. Duke looks like he’s made a new best friend, deserting me.

“We’re ready. Quinn is on the way.” Tullen says.

Daniel sits near the empty fireplace, solo, looking out of place. Emily nods her head toward him and murmurs, “He can’t go. It’s too dangerous. Marco’s going to take him home, and once I know where we transport to, I’ll come back for Marco if we need him.”

I nod. I don’t want to put anyone else in danger. I’m overwhelmed that Emily and Marco want to help me — for Lucy and my father.

The sun is starting to set and time seems to be getting away from all of us. Marco helps Daniel stand, and I walk with them to the front door, past Emily’s glowing staff that’s protecting the house.

“Daniel, I’m really sorry you were…”

His finger is on my lips, and he moves closer to me. “Let’s not go there, okay?”

How can I not go there? He almost died. My friends are being used against me, and he doesn’t belong in this craziness. Plus, it’s all my fault that Daniel is in it. All I can do is nod.

Marco goes to get Daniel’s truck, pulling it up near the entry by the stairs.

“Be safe, Willow, and when you get back, let’s talk. Good luck.” He wipes the tear from my eye and kisses me. It’s the kind of kiss that’s gentle and soft. I don’t want him to go, with so much left unsaid. It’s not safe for him to be associated with me and I know this. I feel my magick and I will it to change his memory of the camp trip, that we were together all night — I never left. His crystal blue eyes change to the darkness of the ocean. I will our breakup for when he wakes in the morning. It’s amicable and simply, our relationship ran its course. He’ll be happy Daniel with no regrets. I kiss him goodbye and he holds me to him. This memory I conjure is released from me to him as I pull away.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He releases me and is gone. I should have taken note of that more. I touch my lips to feel his warmth leave me. I turn back to the house just in time to see Rhydian walking away.

“Rhydian, wait!”

He turns in the hallway just from the office.

“Rhydian, Daniel’s my… Why are you… are you mad?”

“It’s dangerous, is all. I’m not mad, but I don’t need to be an audience member for your private moments.” He points at the front door.

“I don’t get why you’re acting this way.”

“There isn’t anything to tell you that I haven’t already said.” He huffs as if he’s been holding his breath. “We have about another hour or so. Go get some rest? You’re barely standing as it is.”

Instead of following him into the office where everyone is gathered, I turn toward the stairs, where Emily is watching and holding the staff.

“I know what you did, Will.”

I stop and hold onto the rail. It steadies me so I don’t break in tears. “I had to Em, he — I can’t have him hurt because of any of this.”

“I know.” She says simply.

I head upstairs to my room. I take a shower and change clothes, then I lay on my bed and close my eyes. I feel like I’m sinking into my mattress which allows the peacefulness of the dark to claim my mind quickly.

Chapter Sixteen

T
he elevator is familiar, with its blankets tacked to the back and sides due to construction activities. I’m alone when I enter and hit the button for the sixth floor. Arriving on the correct floor, I turn to the right as I’ve done millions of times in the past, and walk through the glass doors into an office.

The familiar blonde receptionist smiles and lets me know that Dr. Bauche will be with me shortly. I pick up the two-month-old People magazine and flip through the pages. I’ve already seen this magazine several times before, but keep flipping the pages to keep myself occupied. As I set the magazine down, Dr. Bauche appears in the hallway just to the left of the receptionist and calls my name.

Familiar and friendly as always, her hair is perfectly styled, and she’s wearing a cute pencil skirt with black high heels. I follow her back to her office.

“Willow, I’m actually surprised to see you. What brings you in today?” Her voice is nice and soothing.

“I’ve been having some problems with changes. A lot of changes in both my family and personal life,” I say.

I tell her about everything — and I mean everything. Her response to the information is accepting. Being able to get it off my chest is great. It’s this heavy burden I didn’t know I needed to release. I tell her all the lies about where I come from, about meeting my long-lost grandmother and uncle, about discovering that I come from Wiccan royalty and I’m next in line for the throne, expected to take on this new role. I tell her about the tug I feel for my life before all this knowledge. I tell her about the tug I feel to Edayri, and finding the lure of the magick within myself. About Mrs. Scott, and the threats on my life. I even tell her that a few of my friends are from the Edayri realm, and about the rogue Guardians — and how I don’t want to disappoint them; I want to be a positive change in Edayri. I tell her about Rhydian’s connection to me, and his blooded vow. About how I feel indebted to him, and the fact that I’m attracted to him, even while I love Daniel. How I let Daniel go to keep him safe. How broken my heart is at the loss of Mrs. Scott and Daniel.

“I’m sorry for the heartbreak, but that’s a part of life that allows us to grow in companionship and in ourselves. Not what you wanted to hear?”

I shake my head and stare at my hands. I simply ask, “How do I manage all of this? I feel like I’m going to burst. I’m scared it’s all for nothing, and that I’ll fail at something — and I’m worried about who that will affect.”

“Those who accept and manage personal change well are those who are clear about what they want. They are quick to decide. What they cannot change, they put it to one side. They are also good at taking the necessary steps towards change, and taking control of those elements that they can change.” She stands and circles to the front of her desk to sit on the corner. “Willow, I get the impression that you have decided on a few of the situations you’ve described to me, and in others it’s okay to take some time. Nothing is permanent.”

She’s right. I feel like I’ve been trying to speed my way through everything, because I really haven’t had a moment to pause.

“I want you to try some relaxation breathing techniques. It will help for you to slow down when you feel anxiety coming on, as you face some of these challenges. It helps to center yourself and your thoughts — to clear out the noise.”

Dr. Bauche leads me in a routine to breathe in deeply and exhale deeply, first for 20 seconds, then increasing the time with my next breaths. It really does help, and I feel better and more focused on the immediate tasks I need to deal with.

“Look at compartmentalizing issues, especially when faced with compounding issues and tasks. This is where you can judge whether to spend time on others later. It’s a way of time management. The key is not to push off an issue and never address it. That’s when it comes back to haunt you.” She pats me on the hand and tells me time is up.

I stand up and follow her to the door. I don’t really want to leave, but I know I should.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” I say. “It was helpful, your guidance.”