In Rapture (Destined) (30 page)

When
she could cry no more Grant picked her up in his arms and carried her back to
the manor. She clung to his neck while he transported her upstairs. He helped
her into bed and wrapped her up in the warm cozy blankets. He lay down next to
her until she fell asleep, then left her there to rest.

Malinda
awoke to the smells of fresh stew steaming from the small table next to the
fire. She rose slowly, her legs stiff from the traveling she had done over the
course of the past few days. She walked over to the food and breathed in the
delicious aroma of Gertie’s best stew. She savored every drop as she stretched
her legs and feet before her. When she was finished Gretchen came in to assist
her with a bath. When she was clean and dressed she decided it was time to go
downstairs.

When
she reached the bottom of the stairs she heard a familiar voice coming from the
study. “Brenda?”

“Malinda!
So glad you’re awake. I had a feeling you might have need of my services.” A
smile lit up the redhead’s face.

“You’re
right about that.” Malinda looked over at Grant, who was seated next to Brenda.
“Do you have that pouch?”

Grant
reached into his desk and extracted the small brown pouch. He handed it over to
Malinda. “I’m not sure what you wanted it for, but here.”

“You’ll
find out soon enough.” She handed it over to Brenda.

“Well,
there’s only one thing left to do.”

“What’s
that?” Malinda and Grant asked at the same time.

“A
ritual, of course. We’ll have to send her off to the other side so that her
spirit can finally find peace.”

“I
would like that.” Grant looked to Malinda with an almost wary look on his face.

“It
will be okay, Grant. Have faith. I know Brenda is very good at what she does.
When would you like to do the ritual?”

“This
evening will be soon enough. I’ll just go about gathering some materials and
making a place for it. Which room is the most haunted?” Brenda looked from one
person to the other.

“This
one, I would say. I’ve added salt to protect the others. She seems to favor
this room.” Malinda knew that Maria favored this room because of Grant, but she
did not comment on this.

“Fine.
I will want access to this room during the day as I acquire everything I need.
I’ll need some privacy.”

“Of
course. Malinda?” Grant rose and extended his arm to his wife.

“We’ll
see you later then, Brenda?”

“Hmm?
Oh yes, of course.” Brenda was already sizing up the room, trying to read the
energy and figure out what things she would need for this evening.

After
Malinda did her daily meditation she gave thanks to the animals of the forest
who had ventured forth to protect the world around them. She had food sent into
the forest surrounding Wickford Manor. It was placed far enough away from
animal dens to protect the safety of the animals and would be something that
Malinda would have the people of Wickford continue to do.

After
she was finished with these things Grant, Malinda, and Sophia spent most of the
day enjoying the beautiful weather outdoors. It was nice to sit next to her
family with not a care in the world for the moment, for now that Seamus was no
longer a concern they could feel at ease. They both knew the Lair had not been
destroyed, for when one head was cut off, another two seemed to arise in its
place. The need for power and control was a huge drawing factor for those that
could not decide where their allegiances lay. Malinda was thinking about this
when Grant interrupted her thoughts.

“Malinda?”

“Yes,
Grant?” She turned to him with a peaceful smile on her face.

“I
need to tell you something.”

The
serious look on his face made her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. “Yes?”

“I
was talking with Marshal Madigan.”

“I’m
not ready to deal with him, Grant.” She tried to cut him off, but it was clear
he had more to say. “And?”

“It’s
not about that, Malinda, although I daresay at some point he would want to be
included in his grandchild’s life. When I was away, I asked him to consider
adding other people into his army.”

“What
are you getting at Grant?” His train of thought was confusing.

“The
Lair has become accustomed to every form of attack we know, or at least they
had, until the Women of Lena came along. I think it may be time to consider the
endless possibilities in enlisting your help.”

“Do
you mean it, Grant? We care about our world as much as any man does. I’m sure
the others would be willing to work for the better good and, the more we are
known, perhaps we will find more women from Lena along the way. Many of us are
still in hiding from the world.” A large smile lit up her face. “You really do
love me, don’t you?”

“Aye,
I do. In fact, speaking of that, I think perhaps it is time for me to prove it.
Will you marry me, Malinda?” His golden eyes searched hers.

“We’re
already married, Grant.” Malinda looked away from him. It was sheer madness.
She felt like a swollen water skin and he was proposing they have a wedding.

“Yes,
we are, by the nature of the word, married, but I want to do it properly, here
with all our people present.”

The
silent plea in his eye called out to her. He was not asking to make her happy.
He truly wanted this ceremony and, while on the surface Malinda felt it was a
ridiculous proposal, the star-crossed lover inside her wanted nothing more than
to shout her agreement to the world. “Fine, but we will have to wait until
after your son is born.”

Grant
brought his hand up to her chin and pulled her into a soft, heartwarming kiss
that they only broke when Sophia giggled loudly at them. Malinda smiled and
thanked the gods above for having such a wonderful destiny carved out for her.
Her life may not have been what she had planned it to be, but it was massively
better than anything she could ever have dreamed. She laid her head on his
shoulder and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.

When
evening came Malinda and Grant joined Brenda in the study. Brenda lit several
candles around the room and it was covered in dancing light with the pungent
smell of sweet grass permeating the air. Brenda gestured for them to join hands
with her as she called the spirit of Maria forth into the room. The air swished
around them and cold icy fingers ran up and down their spines as the specter
finally made its shape known to them.

“Dear
Maria. Today we set you free. No longer will any living soul control your
spirit.” Brenda picked up the brown pouch and tossed it in the fireplace behind
them. A loud shriek left Maria’s mouth, the bright white light that surrounded
her flickered, and the darkness melted into light around them. Her aura
intensified and glowed so brightly that it felt as if they were staring
straight into the sun. The air swirled viciously around them and there was the
sound of glass shattering before an awkward silence.

When
they looked up, Maria’s spirit was still floating above the floor, but the
feelings of rage no longer surrounded her. She had a soft serene glow of light
around her and she smiled at Malinda. “Thank you.”

“You
are welcome, Maria.”

“Take
care of them.” Maria’s plea was easy to understand.

“Always.
As if they were my own.” Malinda saw a door form behind the ghost, and the
bright light behind it spilled forth underneath the closed cracks. She looked
over at Brenda, who then nodded at her. Malinda glanced back at the spirit and
smiled. “Maria, it is time to cross over.”

The
ghost looked at Grant one last time, whispered an apology, and gave him a soft
smile goodbye before opening the door. A large blast of light erupted around
the room, but it did not blind their eyes. The spirit crossed over the
threshold, closed the door behind her, and the room was back to its previous
state. For once Wickford Manor was surrounded with a peaceful tranquility that
had been missing for years, a peace that would blanket and protect the family
for the rest of their lives.

Epilogue

A
large oaf of a dog circled around his pacing feet, almost tripping Grant for
the fifth time in the past sixteen hours. The dog was the spitting image of his
sire. “Dammit, Ox!” He could hear Malinda’s screams through the door and
pounded his fist against the door. “What are you doing to her?”

April
opened the door to yell at Grant. “My lord, you need to go away. We’re trying
to bring your child into this world.”

“Not
without me, you don’t.” Grant pushed the door open and made his way inside the
room.

“I
have great magic and I know how to use it, Grant.” Lysandra’s threats made
their way from across the room. She was holding Malinda’s hand while she wiped
away the sweat from her forehead.

“Do
your worst, Lysandra. I’m not leaving.” He grabbed Malinda’s hand. When she
squeezed his hand like a vise, he stood without flinching. When he thought she
would snap his fingers from his hand he almost faltered, but his devotion to
his wife held him steady.

“One
more push, Malinda.” April was at the foot of the bed with a warm clean towel
in her hands. “That’s a girl. Here comes your baby!”

Malinda
screamed with her last push and collapsed onto the pillows. Her eyes sought
Grant’s as a slight panic took her over. “Why does he not cry?”

“Give
it a moment, love.” Fearful thoughts threatened Grant as well, but he knew that
they were surrounded by the only people who could help them, the only people he
would ever trust with his wife’s health.

April
rubbed the baby over with the towel and, within seconds, the infant was
squalling so loudly there was no doubt that the baby was more than fine. “It’s
a girl.”

“What?”
Malinda closed her eyes and blinked. “A girl? I thought it was a boy.” She felt
a sharp pain in her side, and started to cry.

“Ah,
that there would be the boy. Ready for round two, Mama?”

“Twins?”
Grant looked over at his wife, a look of awe on his face. To be blessed with
one baby was more than he could have hoped for, a sibling for their daughter,
but two was an amazing event. He held his wife’s hand and hoped to give her
whatever strength he had to get through it. The second child came much faster
than the first, almost as if he had already missed his womb mate. His cries
left his tiny body the moment he entered the world and a calm started to ease
the fear in the room.

“Do
all of you have multiple children?” Grant eyed the women in the room and
chuckled.

“Only
the lucky ones.” April swaddled the second child, then placed him on Malinda’s
chest. Lysandra brought the girl over and placed her right next to him.

“What
shall we call them?” Grant’s eyes misted over as he looked at the precious
lives before him.

“I
would like to call the girl Ada Maria.” Malinda looked over at Grant for his
approval. The woman that had come before her was no longer a ghost that haunted
them. Instead, she was the catalyst that had paved their destiny.

“And
the boy?”

“Madigan.”
Malinda looked away from him before he could see the tears in her eyes. She had
realized, at that very moment, that she did, indeed, have need of a father in
her life.

“Aye,
a fine name. Marshal will be pleased. I’ve already sent someone to fetch him.”
A knowing look lit his golden eyes.

“How
did you know?”

“I’ll
never tell.” He leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek. “I love you,
Malinda.”

“You’d
better.” An impish smile flashed across her face, and he chuckled against her.
Their lives were now complete. “Grant?”

“Yes,
my love?”

“About
that wedding.” Malinda saw a beautiful day surrounded with love and laughter in
their future. She kissed the tops of her children’s heads and said a prayer to
the divine ones who had paved this path for her many moons ago.

Lysandra
decided to stay to help with the wedding preparations, but April had the urge
to travel back home. When the day of her departure arrived a strange man came
to the doorway. His hair was balding and his eyes sparkled with mystery. He
offered to ride along with her, and for some reason, she had felt comfort with
his presence. She had heard of this man before, and knew that this Bradford
Marcus would soon be showing her a world filled with intrigue. She was quite
ready for the adventure.

About
the Author

Ever since childhood, Elissa Daye has enjoyed reading stories
as an escape from life. When she was a teenager she started to write her own
stories that kept her entertained when she ran out of books to read. When she
was accepted into Illinois Summer School for the Arts in her Junior year of
High School, she knew she wanted to become a writer. Elissa graduated from
Illinois State University in December 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in
Elementary Education and began her teaching career, hoping to find moments to
write in her free time.