Enthrall Me (The conclusion to Enchant Me) (2 page)

Neila’s gaze snapped up to meet mine. “How did you know that?”

I looked over at Alexis. “You didn’t tell them what my powers were?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I thought you could explain it best.”

Neila took up a defensive pose opposite me, with arms crossed over herself, and a suspicious glare to match. The flames behind her in the fireplace grew and flickered. “What else can you do?”

A tall, sturdy looking guy stood up then, his long, red hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail. “Don’t pay any mind to her. It’s not your fault she’s not comfortable in her powers yet,” the guy said, and slid a teasing look at her, before he turned back to me. “I’m Liam, the resident poet.”

“You mean resident bum,” Neila mumbled under her breath.

Liam gave a flirtatious look to Neila. “If you think you can reform me, your welcome to try.”

Outwardly I smiled at their banter, while internally I recognized Liam’s powers over water and ice, but I kept the information to myself this time. Abruptly, Ciara grabbed and squeezed Neila’s hand in warning, apparently sensing a pending emotional explosion. Neila gazed venomously at Liam for another moment then stalked off and sat in a wing chair by the fire, which seemed to ebb and flow with her temper. Liam only smirked, and then sat in the chair across from her, his eyes still resting on her.

I glanced down at Alexis, to find her watching the two combatants with amusement. Finally the last person in the room, a young blonde girl with grey eyes, approached us, quickly moving to Alexis, who immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Christian, this is Brianna.”

I judged her to be around 12 or 13, and painfully shy. My mind catalogued her as a shape shifter, a strong one too. “Nice to meet you,” I said, but didn’t force her to shake my hand. She turned to Alexis, who nodded at her reassuringly. Inwardly I sighed, living here would either be a dream or a nightmare, and I wish Alexis could foretell which one it would be.

Ciara came up, and patted me on the shoulder. “You must be tired. Alexis why don’t you show him to his room?”

“Sure,” Alexis responded with a smile, and with a last squeeze to Brianna, she caught my hand, led me out of the room, and up a flight of stairs. She took me to a cozy room at the end of the hall, filled with books, collectibles and antique furniture. Not a speck of dust marred the surfaces. Alexis stood back, waiting for my judgment on the room. Exhausted I sat heavily on the bed, and noticed my suitcase lying open and empty on the floor. I could feel my brows draw together in a frown.

Alexis sat down next to me and kissed my cheek, “Don’t be mad, Ciara is a bit of a mother hen. She probably figured you would be too tired to do it.”

I sighed and laid back against the bed, dragging Alexis down with me. She laid half on top of me, her copper curls falling all around me. She looked completely at ease here, or more accurately vibrantly alive here. But there had also been something else in her eyes, a sense of purpose? Determination? I wrapped one of her curls around my finger as I stared up at her. “You like it here.”

She began to smile, and then it faded, “You don’t think you’re going to like it?”

I stared at the curl I had captured, “ I haven’t been here long enough to know.”

She tilted her head to catch my eyes. “What’s wrong? And don’t tell me that it’s nothing.”

I huffed out a little laugh, Alexis could be very stubborn if she chose to be. “I don’t think Ciara likes me.”

Alexis crossed her arms on my chest, and rested her head upon them, her expression one of deep thought. “I don’t think that’s it. She’s a little, well maybe a lot, suspicious by nature, and you put off a slightly different energy than the rest of us.”

My head jerked up at this, and I almost head butted Alexis. “What?”

Alexis gave another one of her unconcerned shrugs. “I hadn’t been around enough Druids before to notice the difference, but now…I can feel it.”

I don’t know why, but it bothered me, and I pulled us both up to a sitting position. Was this why Ciara had reacted so strangely to me? Did she sense that stranger inside of me? The one, that only now I was becoming aware of.

“Christian,” she called softly, to get my attention, “this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You saved my life remember?”

I hid my concern for now, and turned to her, and smiled. “I remember, and you owe me one.”

“Hey, I saved your life too,” she replied, pretending to be miffed.

I mimicked one of her shrugs, “If you say so.” She gasped indignantly and started to stand up, but I quickly rolled her underneath me. Playfully she tried to move me off of her, but I let all my weight rest on her, cupped her head in my hands and bent down to kiss her--

“Alexis, it’s time to go to bed, visiting hours are over,” Ciara yelled down the hallway.

We both laughed, and I rested my head in the crook of her neck. “Do you think she sensed what we were feeling?” Suddenly Alexis shoved me to the side, and I almost fell off the bed.

“I didn’t even think of that,” she said, looking and sounding embarrassed.

“We’re teenagers, she’s not going to expect any different.”

Her eyes got even wider, “Are you kidding? Do you know how traditional the Irish are?”

I stood up to hug her, but she took off so fast there should’ve been burn marks on the floor. I wanted to laugh, but the reality of a passionless summer loomed. But since that wasn’t an option for either of us, I decided we would just have to test how far Ciara’s powers went.

Laying in bed, I mulled over everything that I had seen, and felt. Unease crept back over me, and I could see again Ciara’s strange look, and Neila’s obvious distrust. Restless, I got out of bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen for something to drink. The house was quiet and dark, but after a couple false starts, I found the kitchen. I was just about to walk in, when I heard Ciara and Grady talking inside. It was the hushed nature of their voices that kept me from entering.

“I want you to bring Cassandra here,” I heard Ciara demand.

“The seer? Why?” Grady sounded as perplexed as I felt.

Ciara didn’t respond.

“For Christian? He seems a good kid to me. That’s no way to live, going around suspecting people,” Grady said, a touch of anger in his tone.

Quietly I cheered him on, but then grew cold at her next words.

“You didn’t feel what I felt. There’s a darkness inside of him.”

CHAPTER 2

It felt like ice water had been poured down my back. Cold, and sick to my stomach, I crept back up the stairs to my room. I dropped down on my bed, my head in my hands. What did Ciara sense? What was wrong with me? Obviously I couldn’t talk to Ciara, and I was too ashamed to tell Alexis. After all we had been through, I didn’t want her to have to worry about
me
now. I laid down, and forced myself to relax. Should I block Cassandra’s powers when she tried to read me? Or would it be better to know what lies ahead?

I woke up the next morning not feeling any better, but I had made a decision. If I was a danger to myself or anyone else I needed to know. I could hear sounds of activity throughout the house, so I quickly threw on a sweater and jeans, and followed the sounds of boisterousness to a large dining room. Seated around a huge oak table were all the residents of Ward house, including Grady. Everyone smiled and greeted me, even Ciara. Alexis winked at me, and I took the empty chair next to her.

Breakfast passed well enough, with Grady and Ciara discussing what herbs to grow, Liam and Neila exchanging amusing and biting un-pleasantries, while Alexis, Brianna, and I planned a trip to the Hill of Ward. Since Alexis and I didn’t feel comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road, Grady would drop us off.

On the way over, Grady explained the history of the iron age earthen ring fort. “Some preferred to call it by its Irish name of Tlachtga, derived from the Irish Druidess Tlachtga, who according to myth gave birth to triplets here,” he explained. “On October 31
^st
, Druids still observe Samhain here. That’s the festival to celebrate the last harvest and when the veil that separates the living and the dead is at its thinnest.” We nodded quietly, already in awe.

With no official walkway to Hill of Ward, we followed the worn path that others had followed. As I helped Alexis and Brianna over a broken down fence, the headache I had the previous day came back, and it wasn’t playing around this time. Without thinking, I started to massage my temples, catching Alexis and Brianna’s attention.

Alexis laid a hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

I drew my hands away, and smiled reassuringly. “Nothing. Just a headache.”

Her green eyes intent, she looked out over the green field towards Hill of Ward, then she whipped back around and studied me. “I wonder if it’s this place?”

I looked at the Hill of Ward, the last time I had a headache was when Grady had driven me past here. It had to be, but why?

Brianna spoke up in her soft, shy voice. “This place holds a lot of power. Don’t you feel it Alexis?”

Alexis dropped her hand from me and closed her eyes, her brows drawn together in concentration. “Maybe. It’s not strong enough to tell for sure.” She opened her eyes and shot a considering glance at me. “You have a different type of power than us, I wonder if you’re more sensitive to it.” I grimaced at her. Did she seriously not know better than to call her boyfriend sensitive?

“I’m fine, just give me a minute,” I grunted.

“I think you should stay here,” she stated firmly, and grabbed Brianna’s hand, and headed for the hill.

For a moment I watched them walk ahead, the wind tossing their hair about, Brianna’s pale blond strands meshing with Alexis’s red curls. If these two girls could brave it, so could I. I followed at a slower pace behind them, monitoring the discomfort as I went. I regretted my bravery immediately, as I fell to my knees in agonizing pain, and tried not to make a sound. Alexis, assuming that I had obediently stayed behind, hadn’t noticed me yet, and I needed to get myself under control before she did. But the pain spread throughout my body until I fell forward on my hands with a groan. The girls were at my side in an instant. I could feel Alexis hands tremble as she touched my head, shoulders, and back, not knowing where the pain was and how to fix it. “I’m o.k.,” I groaned, knowing they wouldn’t believe me. Brianna rummaged around in her bag, found a bottle of water, and held it out to me. I shook my head; I would probably throw it up if I tried.

“Christian, do you think you could block out your own powers?” Alexis asked.

Although I heard her words, my mind was so wrapped up with the pain it took a moment to know what she meant. “God this hurts,” I whispered to the grass beneath my head. But I had to try. I recalled how I had blocked out Alexis’s powers, by building a wall in her mind. It was different doing it to myself, my own mind was in the way. It was like hacking my own brain. I visualized one brick after another, creating an impenetrable wall, blocking my powers off. The girls were silently supportive, and I almost collapsed in relief as the last of the pain ebbed away. Finally I pushed myself up to standing, and lent a hand to Alexis and Brianna to get off the ground.

“Is the pain gone now?” Alexis queried, bending forward to catch my eyes.

I smiled to put her at ease. “Yes, everything’s gone…” I trailed off.

“What do you mean everything?”

I thought about it. It felt like something was missing, but I couldn’t pinpoint what. Looking at Alexis, I knew what it was. I couldn’t sense Alexis or Brianna on the magical level. I had become so used to sensing Alexis, that the moment it was gone I felt it. It was unsettling, like having vertigo without the dizziness.

Seeing I felt o.k., Brianna moved to the top of the mound, and kneeling down, she put her hand upon the grass. “Wow.”

“What?” Alexis, and I said simultaneously.

Brianna looked up and spoke in a hushed voice. “The power is so strong here.”

Alexis gave a last squeeze of my hand and kneeled down next to Brianna, placing both hands on the mound. Her eyes widened, and a smile burst across her face. “I feel it. It’s like the hum of a beehive.”

Unable to resist I bent down, and placed my hands next to theirs, but I sensed nothing. Then I remembered. I glanced up to find Alexis regarding me skeptically. I could tell she knew what I was thinking, and wasn’t in favor of me trying it. But I wanted to experience the power of the Hill of Ward also. Very slowly, I created an opening in my mind until I could feel the hum of energy they were talking about. It reminded me of a the hum of a power plant. Closing my eyes I concentrated on the power I could sense, adapting to it. Girding myself, I released the rest of the mental blocks, then in a dizzying visual rush, I could see everything, even with my eyes closed. I could see the hill, Alexis, Brianna, everything. But instead of daylight, all about us was cloaked in night. The main source of light was the soft glow emanating from Brianna and Alexis, although the Hill of Ward had a glow about it too. I opened my eyes, but the vision stayed the same, like night had fallen.

“Why are your eyes silver!” Alexis demanded, her eyes wide with shock. I could hear the edge of panic in her voice.

My eyes had changed color? I looked down so she couldn’t see. “I don’t know, my vision is off. It’s hard to explain, how everything looks right now.”

“Its like night, but everything that is magical, or has powers glows?” Brianna asked.

My head jerked up. “How do you know that?”

I could see her like a dark silhouette with a glow all about her, she was nodding her head. “I’ve heard of it. You’re seeing the Otherworld. Ciara said it’s like being able to see beyond the natural world, you can see what’s hidden.”

Alexis squatted down next to me. “Are you alright?”

I grinned and took her hand. “Yeah, it’s fascinating. You both glow the brightest where your powers are centered. For you, it’s in your hands and mind, but for Brianna it’s her whole body. Even this hill emanates light.”

I could see her Otherworld self biting her lip in concern, but her hand relaxed in mine. “Can you control it?”