The Willow (7 page)

He arched a sexy brow. “Don’t remember, do you?”

His sarcastic tone deserved a very dirty look, which he got. So, I’d been drunk the last time and can’t remember. It could’ve been worse. I could’ve puked on him.

“Come here, Álainn.” He chuckled and reached his hand out.

As soon as our skin connected there was a flash of light forcing my eyes closed, and when they opened again, I was back in the foyer.

“Bah!” I shouted. “How did you do that?” I was beginning to accept the fact that I was going to live in a constant state of the hebejebes.

He was holding back laughter that was obvious. “A temporary portal opens when you enter the Earthworld.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, just go back to where you came in and think of the Otherworld. It will always bring you back to the foyer.”

I gave myself a good shake, breaking Kyden’s hold. He burst out laughing.

Suddenly, a rip-roaring voice blasted through. “Where the hell have you been?”

When I glanced toward her, Haven was standing just a few feet away apparently completely pissed. “It’s the summer solace and Zia’s casting a circle. She told me to come and get you.”

“My fault,” Kyden told her.

She scowled. “Of course it was.”

Without even the chance to say goodbye, she yanked me out of the foyer and outside.

“Where were you?” she growled.

“At my willow,” I answered, a little taken back by her aggression.

“What, are you two together now?”

“We are.” I went with the truth, even though her tone and face said I shouldn’t.

"Hrmph," she grumbled, scowling so deep her face was almost unrecognizable.

What the hell was going on? Why was she acting this way? She appeared almost jealous. Is that what this was? Did she not want to share me? Trying to lighten the mood, I changed the subject. “What’s a circle?”

“It’s a ritual cast by the Master of Witches calling on the elements.” Her voice began to ease with each word.

A light breeze wrapped around us and it was warm and refreshing. The garden was just up ahead, and as we drew closer, I wished I came here sooner. It made the botanical gardens look like a place of weeds. A stone path weaved its way around the grounds as thousands of brightly-colored flowers, neatly tailored bushes, and small trees decorated every square inch of it.

“What element do you have?” I asked her.

“Earth.”

“What can you do with it?”

She wiggled her brows. Happy Haven restored. “Oh you’ll see soon enough.” She pulled me forward and stepped into the gardens.

A small pond made of hundreds of flat rocks surrounded by large blooming plants and flowers sat off to the right. Florescent-colored fish were swimming beneath the surface while flourishing lily pads sat on top. I glanced back at Haven. “So, what kind of witch is Zia?”

“She’s a Spirit Witch—a very powerful witch.”

“What elements can she use?”

“All of them.”

I raised my brows in awe.

She nodded. “Exactly. Like I said, they are very powerful. Plus, they are the only ones that have the ability to heal.”

“Like fix wounds?”

“Yuppers.”

The path ended at a wrought iron gate. Completely overrun by green leafy vines, but the beautiful floral accents that decorated the front could still be seen.

Haven opened it, and when I stepped through, I gasped. Places like this just didn’t really exist. A meadow filled with rolling hills, thick plush green grass and a large creek that ran through it. Wild flowers littered the grounds making this place picture perfect. Hundreds of trees were scattered throughout, some I recognized as birches, oaks, and willows. Others I’d never seen before. “Where are we?” I exhaled.

“Guardians have the Guardian’s Hall. We have the Witches Meadow,” she answered, then sucked in an excited breath. “Oh look, they’re starting.”

Following her gaze, Zia was standing in the middle of a large circle of witches, all joined together holding hands. Haven pulled me down to the ground just as Zia said, “May our powers protect us and connect us together.” She raised her hands to the sky. “To the north, we summon you, Earth!”

Suddenly the ground began to shake. Not to a dangerous level, just more like a rumble moving underneath my body. “What’s happening?” I asked Haven.

Her eyes twinkled. “Earth’s responding.”

Zia continued, “To the west, we summon you, Air!”

The breeze picked up and the trees began to sway. A slight wind whipped past my body, raising goose bumps along my skin.

“To the south, we summon you, Fire!”

Abruptly, an earsplitting sizzle came around us as fire tore around the circle of witches, and even from where I sat I could feel the heat radiating off it. “Christ,” I gasped, squirming back.

Haven grabbed my arm. “It won’t hurt them. It never could. It protects them.”

As I glanced back to Zia, she continued, “To the east, we summon you, Water!”

A thunderous swish came as water began to swirl around the witches just above the fire. I shivered slightly from the dampness that spread across my skin and gave my arms a rub.

“Connecting it all, we summon you, Spirit!”

A brilliant explosion of light blasted through the meadow and all the witches had a glittering light moving around them—dancing around their bodies.

There was a real pull to this element. Envy—I was sure of that. Whatever they were feeling looked good. I hadn’t had the time to mull over my being half witch all that much, but now being here, experiencing this, I couldn’t deny that this world didn’t intrigue me.

“Return elements,” Zia shouted. “We thank you for your presence and the gifts you have bestowed upon us.”

A deafening bang echoed around us and the magic was ripped away. “That was incred—” I started. Instantly, my mouth shut when all the witches turned to look at me. “Er—”

“Come to me, Nexi,” Zia called out. “Join us.”

I jerked my head to Haven. “Huh?”

She laughed. “I love your reactions. They’re so funny.” She jumped to her feet and pulled me with her.

The witches parted to let me pass as we approached. Haven gave me a little push forward and joined the circle.

Zia stepped forward to wrap her warm hands tight around mine. “We have a new witch among us.” Her voice rose with happiness. “One who has been lost for some time. Let us unite with her.”

With a loud whoosh, a blue ribbon appeared around the circle and wrapped from witch to witch.

“Blessed be, Nexi,” the witches shouted in harmony.

Zia squeezed my hands and my response came from deep in my soul. “Blessed be.”

As quickly as the ribbon came, it withdrew.

“You are a part of us now.” Zia smiled. “I know you don’t feel it, but soon you will.” She gave me a push forward. “Go now, meet your sisters.”

From there, I was showered with hugs and kisses. Witch after witch introduced themselves. By the tenth witch, I’d already forgotten the first one’s name.
Shira…Saria…Serin
. It was pointless—I gave up trying.

After the final kiss, Zia took my hand. “Come and chat with me.” Haven gave me a wave goodbye, then I followed Zia over to a large birch tree. “You must have questions?”

I did—thousands of them. Taking a seat next to her, I got right to it. “What’s the circle for exactly?”

“It’s to keep our sisterhood of witches united, and to give thanks to the elements for gifting us.”

“So, am I part of the sisterhood now?”

“You are, but you won’t understand it until you find your magic.”

Her words led into my next question perfectly. “When will that be exactly?” The idea of me having magic seemed not only ridiculous, but also dangerous.

“As I told you before, I am unsure when your magic will be released to you. Your age is going to make this difficult for you. Most younglings find their magic when they are around two years old, and the magic is weak. I’m not sure what will happen once yours is released or what will trigger it. I’ve never seen a witch come into her magic so late in life.”

My panic rose to near lethal levels.

She caught it instantly and patted my hand. “Not to worry. If you cannot control it on your own I will help you.”

Her tone was firm enough that I believed her. I trusted her almost as much as I trusted Haven, which was definitely saying something. Strange really, I didn’t have a soul sister bond with Zia and I barely knew her, but there was something there—a very deep connection.
My mother?
They’d been close. I learned that the first night I talked with her and Drake.

“We were soul sisters,” Zia said out of nowhere.

“Pardon?”

“We were soul sisters, your mother and I,” she repeated. “Did you know that?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t know it ran that deep.” I actually didn’t know much about her and the curiosity was eating at me.

Zia laughed softly. “You want to know what she was like?”

I nodded, laughing with her. That was starting to get freaky! She was answering my questions before I even had a chance to ask them. Either we have some spooky connection between us or maybe it’s just two great minds think alike. The latter theory sat better.

Zia quieted her laughs and took a deep breath before she said, “Your mother was a wonderful spirit. She had a fun sense of humor, a quick wit, and she was stubborn as a mule. But underneath all that was a deep and caring love for everyone around her.” Then, she grinned. “You are very much like her.”

“I am?”

“Very much so. In your looks alone, I see so much of her, but it’s your personality I notice most. The things you say, the way your voice sounds, it reminds me so much of her.”

Her voice trembled slightly and her eyes were drowning with sadness. “Is that hard for you?” I asked, softly. Imagining that it would be, it’d be like staring into the face of a ghost.

“It is, but it is also wonderful. Having you home is like having a piece of her back.” She sighed deeply and her bottom lip quivered. “When she was taken from us my heart broke. I am sure having Haven now you can understand how hard this would have been.”

I understood perfectly. It would feel as if half of your soul was gone—a part that would always be in a constant state of mourning.

“There has not been a day that I do not think of her and miss her terribly.”

It was hard for me to miss her. Having your mother described with a few short sentences is just not enough to know her fully. She must have been an amazing woman, considering Drake and Zia still felt so much pain over her death. Only someone pretty incredible could have that kind of effect.

If only…

Before I could finish my thought, Zia touched my hand, instantly slamming me into vision after vision. It only took a moment to realize that I was seeing her memories. All the experiences she had with my mother. They came unbelievably quick, and it was hard to keep up. Hard to grasp every little detail that made her who she was, and all the characteristics that defined her as my mother.

The last vision was one I wish I never saw, and one that would remain forever burned into my memory.

Tyrianna was running through the woods, screaming for help while I cried loudly in her arms. She fell, tripping over stones and branches, but continued to get up, running away from the vampire stalking her.

“You cannot run from me, witch. I could kill you at any time,” a vampire said with a composed tone.

This was him, the vampire who altered the course of my life
—
Lazarus.

She tripped again, falling to her knees. She lowered her lips to my crying face, tears pouring down her face. “Go, Nexi. Be safe, my love.”

Suddenly, I vanished from her arms and she turned to face Lazarus. She looked drained, exhausted. He closed in on her. She tried to throw Magic at him, but she had nothing left. Her strength was gone from sending me away.