A Late Summer Bloom (19 page)

“I couldn’t say. I felt compelled to do it, and once it was done, I
never thought of it again.”

A chill ran through her as she looked closely at the little— “Is that a
flower?”

Julien opened his eyes and craned his neck in the direction of his
tattoo. “Yes. I’m surprised you can tell. I call it my ink blot because it
usually resembles a blob of some sort. It’s called
Angelonia
,
a specific flower favored in the Bayou. I can’t explain why, but it looks more
detailed than it’s ever looked before. Maybe when you healed me?”

She furrowed her brow.
“Maybe.
But there is no
color and it’s still quite hard to see.”

“When I first got it, it was brilliant, full of color and detail. It
almost looked like it could jump off my arm and plant itself into the ground.
But over time it faded to nothingness.”

“Hmm.
Does it bother you?”

“No. Never has.”

“Where did you get it?”

“In New Orleans.
I was with my father.”

“And you, at twelve years old said—I’ll be right back daddy, I need to
go get a tattoo? Who would brand a child with a tattoo?” Giselle giggled.

“A woman named Lena, that’s who. I’ll never forget her, she was
beautiful. My intention in the shop was to look. I was curious.”

Giselle swallowed hard. “So what happened?”

“Well, there was the most beautiful little girl
there,
she was about two years old. Her hair was as black as a raven, and her eyes were
as big as saucers. She was fascinated by me, followed me around the shop, pointing
to my arm. At some point, she said “
Angelonia
.” Now,
here’s the weird thing, when she said it, the entire shop, everyone inside, stopped
what they were doing and became silent. They said it was her very first word.”

As realization hit, she leaned up on her elbow and stared at him.
“Then.
What. Happened?”

Julien shrugged. “I felt compelled to mark my skin with the symbol. And
when I left, I could hear her that kid screaming and crying. It was one of the
worst feelings I ever had.”

Giselle felt the blood drain from her face. She sat up. Searching his
eyes, she offered him a slight smile. “Julien, I don’t know how to say this
but—that little girl was me.”

He sat up, draping his arms over his legs, he looked at her.
“You serious?”

“Uh huh.
And Lena is Lena Mercier. Desiree’s sister.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m completely sure, she’s a tattoo artist.
One of
the best.”

“So, you were the little girl?”

“I remember the story of when I said my first word. I’m telling you, I
was the little girl.”

She looked into his eyes. Reaching out she ran her finger over his bottom
lip and smiled. “I think we were meant to be.”

He cast his eyes away.

She felt his hesitation and sadness when she looked at him.

He gave her a slight smile. “Little Witch, you’ve got that look in your
eye.”

“What can I say? You have me under your spell, Mr. Beaumont.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “And you must submit to my every whim.”

“Before I submit to your
whim,
I’d like you to explain what happened when we were attacked. From what I
remember, I thought we were done for.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Honestly, I did, too. When I was
in the form of the stallion, I mostly remember you chanting. I also knew you
were getting weak because of it. I leaned down and let you dismount. While I
shifted, I heard them coming. I threw my body in front of you and began to
fight them with everything I had, but there were at least fifteen.”

“Fifteen?”

“At least.
You took care of them.”

“How?”

“You destroyed them.”

“I—I what?
Me? Giselle
Jareau
?”

“Yeah.”
He chuckled.
“And your army.”

“Army?
What?”

“Okay—okay. Every single tree in the woods has hundreds of roots,
right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“You somehow conjured these tree roots up from the ground. The roots
literally broke through the earth to heed your call for help. You were like a
great general commanding a battle. It was unbelievable.”

Giselle bit her bottom lip, struggling to understand. “Why can’t I
remember?”

“I don’t know. But Giselle, the mist of freedom was the second best
sight of the battle.”

“What is the mist of freedom?”

“When a warlock dies, the souls they once devoured are released. They
fly up through the air, one after the other, toward the heavens. There were hundreds,
Giselle. They lit up the sky like a lovers moon, bathing the clouds in their
orange glow. It was truly miraculous.”

“I have seen that before. I never knew what it was called. I wish I
could remember. You said it was the second most beautiful sight, what was the
first?”

He tipped up her chin, “You. You were surrounded by blue flames that
danced at your feet, moving with you, following your graceful movements. The
fire did your bidding. I knew I had just witnessed one of the greatest powers
of our time. A royalty unbeknownst to the world, but the world is in your debt.
You are the light, Little Witch.”

Giselle blinked. She remembered nothing. Not a thing.

Leaning over, Julien placed a hasty kiss on her lips and grabbed her by
the hand. “Come. There is something I want to show you. The moon will be full
tonight, and there is a place, a special place, I want to take you.”

“How are we going to get there? Is there another car or motorcycle here
someplace?”

“This is a holy cavern, Giselle, there’s no parking garage on the top
level.”

“Oh.” Feeling silly, she mused. “Are you going to shift into a giant
bird or something?”

“I can’t manipulate size. I can only shift into an exact copy of
another living thing.”

She giggled. “I see. May I ask how we are going to get to this place?”

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her along. “We will walk. Hand in hand.
Because tonight, I will not let you go.”

“I like the way you think.” It left her wondering why he said tonight.
Dispelling it from her mind, she held his hand tight as they walked out into
the night.

The night was perfectly clear. The air felt warm when it gently caressed
her skin. After leaving the cavern, Giselle saw every living thing in the
forest with fresh eyes. Her sight was sharp, flawless. Seeing the world with a
whole new perspective, Giselle would march into the future without trepidation.
Holding Julien’s hand, she felt unstoppable. But what if he let go? Would she
still feel the same way?

As they walked, Julien talked about the importance of her gifts. “We
know you have the capacity to control the water, the trees, you can command the
insects and now we can add fire to the list. I also believe you can control all
the elements.
Wind, rain, hail, snow.
There are many
things you need to discover. We will practice as we travel to Cottonwood
Landing and—”

She pulled him to a stop.
“Julien.
I need to
discover more than my gifts.”

“Didn’t we take care of that back at the cavern?” He wiggled his brow.

“Not just sex.
Which I love, by the way.
Because
I love
you.And
I know you love me, too. You said so.”

“I do. I never thought it would happen, but I feel it. Just like Simon
said I would.”

“Simon, huh?”

He laughed, pulling her to him. He glanced up at the sky. “Come on, I
want us to get there on time. It’s not that far.”

She followed along, while his statement from earlier nagged at her.

After a short walk, Julien took her hands in his. “Beyond this brush is
something incredible. I want you to know how I see you, how you have made me
feel since meeting you.”

He pulled her through the brush where they came to rest in a dark
meadow. Its carved out circle was surrounded by vegetation, but she noticed
nothing special. He pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms
around her waist. “Give it a minute.”

“Give what a minute? Why are we here?”

“
Shh
. You’ll see.”

After some time, the moon shone its light directly into the meadow. All
at once, hundreds of night blooming cactus began to open. Giselle was
surrounded by beautiful blooms, each bud opening its glorious petals in a
display of devotion for its creator, the moon.

Holding her closer still, Julien’s mouth nuzzled her neck. “This is not
our magic, but the magic of nature. These flowers bloom only once, with the aid
of the full moon. Tomorrow they will be gone, but right now they are opening
up, allowing us to gaze at their beauty and immerse ourselves in their
fragrance. It is how I see you, Little Witch. You have blossomed into
greatness. And it is the only way to describe what you have done to my heart.”

Giselle blinked away the sweet sting of joyful tears. Then realization
dawned, her eyes widened. She pushed out of his arms, spinning around to face
him. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Your heart.
You’re heart opened to me, like the flowers paying
homage to the moon, but then they die. They shrivel away after one great big burst.
Are you afraid the same thing will happen to your heart?”

She saw the tears well in his eyes. He remained silent. Grabbing her by
the waist, he pulled her close. “Yes. I am very afraid.”

Giselle held him close. “Is this what you meant when you said tonight
you wouldn’t let me go? You think your love for me is temporary?”

Julien let out a long sigh. “You are a queen.
A
royal.
I’m just being realistic.”

“So you’re saying after all this, you’ll leave me once we arrive in
Cottonwood Landing?”

“I must complete my assignment and find
Judias
,
the warlock who holds my sister’s soul. I must free her.”

“I understand. I will go with you.”

“No. That’s impossible. I cannot hunt and worry about you at the same
time. The royals will want you to stay in Cottonwood Landing.
As you should.
It is your rightful place. The covens have
been waiting a century for a true queen.”

She stood up on her feet. “So you think I should let them lock me up
like some exotic bird in a gilded cage? Don’t I deserve a life?
Happiness?
Love?”

“Of course, you do. But is it with me? Do you think you should play
with fate?”

“I—hang on a second. Do you think I cast a spell over you to love me?
Witches can’t do that.”

“Not an ordinary witch,” he murmured.

“What? Only the fates have that power.”

“I’m not angry, Giselle. I am grateful that you have made me
feel—something. I lived with emptiness for so long.”

“You—
You
—” She grasped Julien’s arm when a vision
took hold. Giselle let out a blood curdling scream.

Julien caught her in his arms just as she sunk to her knees.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Desiree woke with a splintering headache. Reaching up, she pressed her
fingers to her temples. It was dark and damp, and the cold made her shiver.
Assuming she was in some sort of underground bunker, she slowly sat up,
glancing at the small filter of light beaming down from above. Trying to get
comfortable, she conjured a spell to give her warmth and light, but nothing
happened.
Great! I'm stuck in a ditch
wired with spell repellent.
What the hell happened? Where was she, and for
how long? Nausea set in, recalling the fight in the alley. Did Colt help her?
Obviously not.
Merde
! I’m in big
trouble.

A loud crash made her jump as a body was hurled down into the trench. She
looked over toward the newest arrival and sneered. “Well, well, well. Look what
just fell down my rabbit hole. A rat in steer’s clothing.”

Moaning, Colt rubbed his head,
then
scooted
over to her. “You have every right to be upset with me, Ma’am.”

“Oh, just stop your polite southern gentleman routine with me. You had
me marked at the cemetery. What the hell? Who are you?”

“I didn’t have you marked at the cemetery. I felt bad for you.
Ya
know, crying and all? After that, it’s all just
sorta
blurry. I knew to stay away, but I ignored my
instinct.”

Desiree narrowed her eyes at him.
“Your instinct,
huh?”
She gave him a sideways look. “Colt is it? What kind of name is
Colt?”