Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) (35 page)

I was surprised by the depths of his
insecurity. “I like your bad attitude, so that’s not an issue. The
short jokes will have to stop if we’re going to have a chance,” I
said with mock seriousness.

He eased away from me and looked into
my eyes. “I think I know what part of our problem is. It’s the
anticipation. Maybe I should go ahead and kiss you now. You know,
get it over with, so we can both relax.” Bryce tried to keep a
straight face. “It’s for the greater good, Alisa. We can’t risk
letting all this tension spill over. It could infect the rest of my
family.”

“Well, if it’s for the good of all,” I
said, hardly able to draw enough breath to say the words
aloud.

He leaned over and pressed
his lips to mine. It was different than the light kiss he gave me
on New Year's Eve. I’d thought
that
was my first kiss, but I was wrong.
This
was my first real
kiss and it was everything I’d always dreamed of and more. His lips
were light and soft upon mine at first, then building in intensity.
I melted into him, an act of complete surrender. When we finally
pulled apart, we were both breathing erratically.

“I love you.” He leaned into me once
again.

“I love you too,” I said. Bryce
whispered in my ear—words unintelligible, yet beautiful. And though
I couldn’t decipher the exact meaning of each individual word, I
understood in my soul. “What was that?” I asked softly.

“It’s the language of the Fae. I don’t
know the exact interpretation, but I can give you a rough
translation,” he said, pulling away from me and looking me in the
eyes. “I promise to protect you and take care of you until you
decide you don’t want me anymore. I offer this honestly, willingly,
with my heart and soul.”

My body trembled in response. In sharp
contrast to his earlier joviality, he now seemed unusually solemn
and serious. The words he spoke reverberated in my heart and I felt
a deep connection as the words he spoke took root. He lowered his
lips and grazed my neck.

Heavy footsteps pounded down the
basement stairs. We sprang apart just as Jace entered the room,
Rachel following closely on his heels.

“
So, Bryce,” Jace said. It
wasn’t difficult for him to know exactly what had been going on
before he came downstairs. I’m sure my cheeks were flushed and I
had a guilty look on my face. “You and Alisa, huh?”

“Yes, I’m Bryce and this
is my girlfriend, Alisa. You remembered our names. Good for you.” I
loved it when Bryce was sarcastic. And I
loved
it when he called me his
girlfriend.

“Hey, I don’t have a problem with it.
I’m just surprised by Alisa’s bad taste, but if she’s responsible
for the generous mood you’ve been in since Christmas, then I’m all
for it. Get married. It’s fine with me,” Jace offered
magnanimously. “Mom said to come up in a few minutes. Dad’s on his
way and we’ll be eating soon.”

We all trekked up the stairs to wait
for Abe, who undoubtedly would be anxious to see his newly returned
son. Rachel gave Bryce a hug and told him it was good to see him
again. Then she turned to me.

“Alisa, I’m so sorry I haven’t
returned your phone calls.”

“That’s okay. I know you’ve been
through a lot,” I said.

“No it’s not. That’s no way to treat
my best friend.” She pulled me into a hug and we both had trouble
keeping our tears in check. I glanced at Jace just in time to see
him roll his eyes in response to our emotional moment.

I was relieved to see Jace and Rachel
were back to normal. They held hands constantly, and when they
thought no one else was looking, they exchanged tender
kisses.

The reunion between Bryce and Abe was
joyous and touching. To my immense relief, the family seemed to
accept the idea of Bryce and me as a couple. This was a good thing
because he didn’t stop holding my hand or putting his arms around
me all evening long. Abe and Jerica took it in stride. I guess
after raising three boys with dangerous and unpredictable magical
powers, nothing fazed them anymore.

Unfortunately, the same thing could
not be said for us younger folks. When Jerica made her big
announcement, we were astounded.

“We wanted to wait until everyone was
together again before we told you,” she said, her face glowing with
pure happiness. “We’re having a baby.” Complete silence met this
announcement. Then the room erupted with noise.

“Oh, Jerica. That’s wonderful. A new
baby,” I exclaimed.

“Seriously? When did you find out?
Have you been to the doctor? Is everything okay?” Bryce was clearly
worried about his mother’s health.

“Aren’t you too old? How did this
happen?” Jace asked, much to Rachel’s displeasure. She scowled at
him before offering well wishes.

“Congratulations,” she said. “What
wonderful news.”

Abe was largely ignored through all of
this. I glanced at him and smiled at his obvious pleasure. “Thanks
Alisa and Rachel. Bryce, of course we’ve seen a doctor. Your mother
is fine. She’s in perfect health. Jace, lots of women in their
forties have healthy pregnancies. And if you don’t know how it
happened, then we’ve failed as parents.” Abe laughed at his son’s
embarrassment when he said this.

I fought back tears of joy. After
everything this family had been through, Jerica deserved every bit
of happiness that came her way. They all did.

***

“Bryce, it’s almost midnight,” I said,
looking at my cell phone. “I have to go home. I promise we’ll see
each other tomorrow.”

“Just a few more minutes,” he
insisted. “Please.”

“No. Now,” I urged.

“Fine,” he said, kissing me on the
lips. “Let me tell my mom we’re leaving.”

He left me on the patio and
disappeared inside, leaving the sliding glass door open just a
crack. Jerica’s voice drifted outside and I was surprised to hear
her crying.

“Do you realize what you’ve done,
honey? I’m so worried for you, Bryce. If she refuses
you…”

“How did you know?” he
gasped.

“When you speak the Claiming Words,
the initial ties form. I have Perception, honey. I can see what you
did,” she said.

I couldn’t imagine what she was
talking about.

“I thought you’d approve. I thought
you liked her,” he replied.

My heart sank. Jerica didn’t want me
with either of her sons. I almost ran home, but my pain held me in
place.

“I love Alisa like a daughter. I
couldn’t wish for a better mate for you. But it’s too soon. Once
you say the words, there’s no turning back—not for you,” she
said.

“Don’t tell Dad,” he
pleaded.

“Honey, I can’t promise anything. You
know why that is…” The sound of her voice trailed off, presumably
because they’d moved further into the kitchen.

I strained to hear them, but could
not. Something told me Bryce’s murmured, foreign-sounding words
he’d whispered in my ear earlier, led to this discussion between
them, but I couldn’t be sure. I tried to latch on to the one thing
that gave me comfort—Jerica loved me.

“Just tell me one thing,” Bryce said
as their voices moved closer to the doorway. “Will it work between
a Spellbringer and a human?”

A long pause ensued. Even though I had
no idea what they were talking about, I held my breath and waited
for Jerica’s response. Her voice was so filled with emotion, I
closed my eyes against the anguish I heard.

“Oh, honey. That’s what I’ve been
trying to tell you. It already has.”

Seconds later, Bryce came back outside
and the light of victory was in his eyes. Whatever it was that
worried his mother so, brought him indescribable joy. There were so
many questions I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t figure out a way to
do so without admitting I’d been eavesdropping.

“Ready?” he asked, jangling his
keys.

I concentrated on retaining my
composure and followed him to the front yard. He helped me into his
truck and leaned down to kiss me before he closed the
door.

Climbing into the driver’s seat, he
turned to me and asked, “Are you okay? You’re really quiet all of a
sudden.”

“I’m fine. I just don’t want to get in
trouble for coming home after curfew,” I said.

When we arrived at my house, Bryce put
the truck in park and walked me to my front door. He kissed me
until I had to lean against my front door for support. I sincerely
hoped my dad wasn’t on the other side of the door wondering why I
was taking so long to come inside.

“I’ll see you early tomorrow morning,”
Bryce whispered in my ear.

“Yeah, unless I’m grounded,” I said,
remembering it was past my curfew.

“Don’t worry about that. If your
parents give you any trouble, just let me know. I’ll persuade them
to back off,” he promised. I suspected he spoke of the magical form
of Persuasion, rather than the human variety. He lowered his lips
within an inch of mine and whispered, “We can’t be apart. Not
anymore.”

My soul reached out to his, and in my
imagination, I could see the ties Jerica had spoken of. Ties that
bound us together. Ties that stretched and grew thinner as Bryce
walked away. I could hear his Claiming Words as a whisper in my
heart. My soul reached out to his, and I knew Jerica was right.
Whatever Bryce had done had obviously worked. There was no turning
back—for either of us.

Chapter
Twenty-Six

Rachel

With the new Protection spells
protecting my home, I was able to fall asleep easier, but true
restful slumber remained elusive. Sometimes when I fell asleep, I
could still see the forest. I could still hear the Demon’s call. I
worried Re’Vel would try to contact me, and I worried about my
desire for him to do so. But most of all, I worried my questionable
lineage meant evil lurked within my veins. Maybe that’s why Re’Vel
wanted me so badly. Maybe that’s why the Cold One wanted me as
well. I wondered if the Cold One—the man Re’Vel called Nevare—was a
Demon too. If two Demons were fighting over me, what did that say
about me?

So much had happened lately, it was
hard to come to terms with my own identity. I constantly thought
about my father’s secret past and his side of the family whom I
knew nothing about. I felt an overwhelming curiosity about
Mordecai, the cousin I’d never even met, and I had a burning desire
to know more about him. I’d asked Alisa and Jace for details. After
all, they’d met him at New Year’s. But they didn’t know him very
well. I could tell from Alisa’s demeanor that she didn’t like him
at all. All Jace could tell me was that he was sarcastically quiet.
That didn’t tell me much.

Bryce was the person I really needed
to talk to. He knew Mordecai best. I thought about asking him for
information, but was nervous about approaching him. I didn’t really
know Jace’s older brother, but from what I’d seen of him at
Christmastime, he was pretty abrasive and intimidating. It had been
a week since Bryce’s return and I still hadn’t bolstered up the
courage to talk to him.

Both Alisa and Jace offered to talk to
Bryce for me, but it wasn’t the same. I needed to talk to him
myself. Or better yet—talk to Mordecai. Maybe Bryce could give me
an email address or a phone number so I could contact him. It was
worth a try. I wasn’t sure how to explain to Mordecai that we were
related, but I figured I’d worry about that once I had the means to
talk to him.

I decided to talk to Bryce at the next
available opportunity, but getting away from my house was more
difficult than I expected. Even though it was summer break, I still
didn’t have total freedom. My movements were restricted by the
safety measures imposed upon me by the Alexanders. My movements
were also restricted by my mother. I still had to ask permission
before going anywhere and it was frustrating when I had to forgo
fun in favor of chores and church work. Since I didn’t have a
summer job, my mother expected me to help out at church, cleaning,
doing paperwork, helping the Sunday school teachers prepare for
Vacation Bible Camp.

It was irritating to be stuck in
church while Jace, Bryce, and Alisa were enjoying their summers,
especially when I felt like I was wasting valuable time I could be
talking to Bryce about my cousin.

At last, I’d earned a reprieve. My
mother decided I deserved a day away from church. She even gave me
a little bit of spending money and told me to use it
wisely.

“Before you go off with your friends,
make sure you finish your chores.”

“Yes ma’am,” I agreed, anxious for her
to leave. I couldn’t wait to call Jace and tell him I was a free
woman. As soon as she bustled out the door, I contacted Jace across
our link and told him the good news.

“I can’t wait to see you,” he said.
“Only problem is, I already agreed to play tennis with Alisa and
Bryce. I don’t have to go, though. They’d probably like some time
alone anyway.”

Thinking quickly, I said, “It’s fine.
We’ll go to the tennis courts for a couple of hours and then hang
out alone later.”