Magick (Immortals and Magick Book 2) (20 page)

I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers. I had no idea where that saying came from, but it was apt for the way I was feeling as Noah and I walked up to the front porch of his family’s house. He gave my hand a shake, since he could feel my nervousness about to break into chaos.

“It’s ok, they don’t bite. I promise.” He teased and I gave him a wan smile. I hated meeting the parents. I was never a parent’s type girl. Not that parents had any problem with me, but I just didn’t like it. Parents were authority figures and I did badly with authority.

“So they aren’t like you?” I asked, remembering his snobiness when we first met.

“My charm is my own. My parents are more gracious.” Noah said sardonically.

“Oh good.” I muttered.

As soon as we reached the top step of the porch, the screen door flew open and a Goddess came out. That was my first thought upon meeting Noah’s mother. Tall, willowy, draped in a gossamer cream colored dress and long, flowing cardigan, she came towards us, her arms open. Before I could even speak, she enveloped me, much like her son always did.

“Teagan, it’s so wonderful to finally meet you! Noah has said so much good about you.” She said as she squeezed me, my face buried in her mass of silver-streaked black hair.

She pulled away, holding me at arm’s length. She smiled down at me, and the thing about Amity Jacobs is, you can’t help but smile back. She radiated warmth and happiness. I could almost believe this woman had never had a negative thought in her life. She was tall, like her son, and he had her perfectly straight nose, but her eyes were a warm, chocolate brown.

“It’s good to meet you too.” I mumbled and looked nervously at Noah.

“I hear felicitations are in order.” She said as she slid a hand down to grab one of mine, and pulled me into the house.

“Ben, come meet Teagan. Noah’s finally brought her by.” She called as she steered me to the back of the house. I had barely a chance to look around at the old colonial house before we were in a combination kitchen slash keeping room. Dried herbs and flowers hung drying from the old wooden beams, and a cheery fire was going in the huge hearth, with a cauldron-of course-steaming away from a cooking arm attached to the back wall of the fireplace.

Noah’s father descended from the back stairs leading into the kitchen, and I could see where Noah got his looks from. Ben Jacobs was an older carbon copy of Noah, still tall, still trim, with Noah’s sandy brown hair and stormy eyes. All in all a very handsome older man.

“Teagan, welcome to the family.” Ben walked toward me and gave me another of what I was starting to think was the Jacobs Family Hug. I was marrying into a family of huggers, the girl who hated public displays of affection. It could be worse.

Once Ben pulled away, Amity motioned us to sit down in the chairs clustered by the fire, and she brought us all coffee.

“Congratulations to you both. We’re happy to see that Noah has finally found someone that’ll put up with him.” Ben said, raising his coffee mug in our direction, a smile so much like his son’s beaming at us.

“We thank you, but that’s not the only reason we came here today. We need to find out whether Harley’s consciousness is with Padraigan or lost in the Between, and we also need information about the stasis spell.” Noah began, then filled his parents in on everything that had happened in the past few days. They listened intently, frowning and nodding in unison, then sharing sidelong glances with each other. Those glances made me nervous. I knew they were communicating with each other, but was it something we didn’t want to hear?

“Padraigan is an asshole, and has been causing trouble in our community for a very long time.” Amity murmured, and I’m sure she was thinking of her daughter. Not that it had ever been proven Padraigan was behind Helene’s turning, but he was a prolific sire, according to Gareth.

“Yes, he is but we’re trying to stop him. He needs to be stopped, not just for our sakes. He’s a poison that needs to be drawn out and neutralized.” I said vehemently.

Noah laughed and reached over, gave my hand a squeeze.

“Isn’t she great?” He said to his parents and they both grinned.

“You’ve met your match, Noah. You need a spitfire to keep you in line. We can answer your first question right off the bat. Padraigan doesn’t have your friend. He can’t hold a consciousness. He can facilitate it being cut off, but he can’t hold it. Is she strong, your friend?” Ben asked me, his voice strong but his eyes kind.

“Very strong. She’s holding on. I can feel it.” I answered, fiercely.

“Have you been able to contact her?”

I slowly shook my head. “No. When I try, it’s just…static. Like dead air.” I flinched when I used the word “dead”. That’s not how I wanted to think of Harley, but it was accurate. There was just nothing.

“She’ll come out of it. If she’s strong, and she has you pulling for her on this end, she’ll be back.” Amity comforted, reaching across for my hand. I surprised myself by reaching out and taking her hand in mine. Something about Amity just felt like home, and it didn’t bother me like it usually did to make human contact. Finally meeting Ben and Amity explained my reaction to Noah in a lot of ways.

“We’re all pulling for her. She’s like blood to all of us now. She has a small, but enthusiastic, fan base.” Noah put in, and it made me warm inside that he adopted my best friend as a sister. 

“Is there nothing that we can do to bring her back? A spell? Anything?” I asked but both of them shook their heads.

“Just keep talking to her. Keep trying to contact her. About the stasis spell…that’s a different matter. Obviously, without something, she will need to go to the hospital.” Amity said as she got up and walked to the wall of bookcases that I just noticed. I must’ve really been off my game for me not to have noticed that when we first walked in.

She ran a finger along the shelf she had moved to, tapping a long nail along the spines of each book. She stopped at one, then moved on, as if she were reading what was inside the books just by touch. Interesting. An ability I admired and envied. I guess being a sorcerer did have
some
benefits that being a witch didn’t, I grudgingly admitted to myself.

“Ah!” Amity exclaimed, and pulled out an old book that Harley probably would have given her left arm to have at the shop. Leather bound, its covers were cracked with age and the pages yellowed and unevenly cut, it was a thing of beauty, even to my eyes. When Amity placed it on the table between the chairs, I saw that the cover was embossed with a family crest.

Amity saw me admiring it. “My family’s Book of Shadows. It’s been in the Bishop family for centuries, passed down to each first born female. We’ll have the answer here.”

I watched as Amity thumbed through the pages of the old book, taking in all the spells and incantations that had been used for centuries. The history alone was incredible, but I could feel power radiating from the book, as if all the sorcerers that had used it had imbued it with their power.

“Here it is. Oh goodness, it’s a doozy. You know Noah that this spell hasn’t been used in over a century. We don’t even have someone that we could go to for guidance?” Amity asked her son, who nodded.

“I know but none of us want to see Harley in a hospital. Nor do we have a plausible excuse for why she is the way she is. I could always create something, but I don’t like doing that, messing with people’s thoughts. If there’s any hope that we can do this, we’d just rather. Plus, a hospital isn’t safe. Padraigan can get to her in there, whether himself or one of his lackeys.”

Amity and Ben listened to this patiently and then shared another one of those glances. There was going to be a parental clause. I could feeling it coming.

“We understand. However, you’re not going to do the spell.” Ben said, then shook his head when Noah started to speak, probably to protest. If I weren’t here meeting my future in-laws, I would have jumped up and started cursing.

“Calm Noah. You’re not going to do it, but we are. There is some real risk to this spell going awry, and we won’t put either one of you in that position. We’ve lived our lives, you’re starting your own now. No argument.” Ben finished in a stern voice, anticipating our arguments.

“This isn’t your fight Dad. This is ours. If I had known there was danger here, I wouldn’t have come. I don’t want to trade one life for another.”

“Teagan, what are your thoughts on the matter?” Amity asked me, a small smile playing about her mouth. I looked at her, and knew she already knew what I was thinking. It wasn’t a nice thought and Noah was not going to be happy with me. However, I was not known for holding my tongue.

“She’s my sister. I would fight to the death for her. I would use whatever tools I had at my disposal and damn the consequences. If the only way to help her is to have you do the spell, then that’s how it’s going to be. If that means danger to you both, then I can’t say it doesn’t bother me, but I also can’t say that I’d stop you.”

“Spoken like a warrior queen. Very good. Now, Teagan, do you want to see baby pictures of Noah?” Amity said, the small smile developing into a full grin.

“They totally tested you. My own parents.” Noah said as we climbed into his truck. Plans were set in place and Ben and Amity would be coming to Noah’s to perform the spell. Our other plans were in place, just waiting to be executed. All in all, it had been a productive day.

“Yeah, they were. I guess they wanted to make sure that you had someone worthy of you.” I laughed, shaking my head. Parents were just weird. I would have to set up a meeting with my own parents and Noah. Then a parental summit, with both set of parents. Oh boy. Things I never thought I’d ever do. I could just picture my totally square, un-magickal parents meeting Noah’s. Good times.

Noah gave me a long look across the cab of the truck, then shook his head ruefully.

“I forget sometimes that my parents are actually powerful sorcerers and not just parents. You’re right. They want to make sure the Jacobs line will be carried on with strong lineage.” He said as he turned the key and started the truck.

“Whoa there buddy. We’ve barely gotten engaged. We’ll cross the lineage bridge later. Much later. Way later.” I shivered. He laughed.

“Do you think it’s going to work?” I asked, changing the subject.

“I do. I have faith in my parents. They are the strongest people I know, and joined together…well. Harley will be fine.” He reversed the truck and pulled on to the road, headed home.

“You’re not worried about them? Or mad at me?” I asked, steeling myself for an argument.

“Yes and no, in that order. Why would I be mad at you?” I could hear the puzzlement in his voice and knew he wasn’t trying to be smooth.

“Well, because I basically said that I didn’t care if your parents sacrificed themselves for my friend. Some guys would take that the wrong way.” I replied, heavy on the sarcasm.

“Well, I’m not most guys. This is a situation that no one has ever been in, let alone me. Yeah, I’m pretty powerful in my own right, but I know when to accept help when it’s offered. This asshole can get to any one of us, and our families, if he wanted to.”

My heart almost stopped. A sick feeling came over me. No, he wouldn’t…

“Noah. My family. My parents. They aren’t protected.” I grabbed his arm, almost causing him to jerk the wheel.

“What?” He looked at me sharply.

“I…there’s no protection at their house. Oh shit, I’m so stupid.” I jerked to the side as Noah spun the truck in a sharp U-turn. Car horns blared behind us, but Noah was flying, leaving them all behind.

“Call them.” Noah barked out and I scrambled for my cell phone. I punched in the house number and heard it ring. And ring. Finally voicemail picked up.

“Mom, Dad it’s me. Call me as soon as you get this.”

Noah and I shared a look, and he didn’t have to be part of me to understand my terror.

“They’re probably just out. Call their cells.”

I dialed first my father and then my mother, but still no answer, my terror ratcheting upwards with every empty ring.

“What about your brother?” Noah asked as he took a sharp right turn. I grabbed the dashboard to keep from sliding into him.

“He’s in school. Colorado. He’s safe. Oh Christ what was I thinking?”

“That’s not going to help. You can’t think of everything. We’ll get there, and they’ll be safe.”