Kindle Edition
Amazon
Liquid Silver Publishing
Amazon
Category:
Romance
Publisher: Liquid Silver Publishing
Type: Fiction
Pages: 74
Copyright: June 6, 2016
ISBN-13: 9781622103591
Price: $4.99 (eBook)
Healer Selena welcomes all to her door, but the stubborn man who shows up pushes her limits. Although Tristan has trouble accepting her abilities, the attraction between them cannot be denied.
Facing a lonely existence after the death of her mother, Healer Selena is startled when two strangers show up on her doorstep. One is badly injured, beyond her help. It is the injured man’s companion who draws her notice. She wonders how much her mother had to do with bringing him here. After all, Selena’s mother was a witch. The ruby she enchanted before she died is glowing, telling Selena that this man is her chosen mate. But he’s a shapeshifter, a being she has learned to distrust.
Tristan had been against the journey with his godfather, Jacob, but a promise is a promise. An attack by outlaws sealed his fate. Injured and on the run, they come upon a secluded cabin and a beautiful woman. When she shows powers that go beyond the imagination, he is certain he’s been bewitched, but for some reason, he doesn’t mind as much as he thought he would. When he finds out she is actually the daughter of his mentor, he knows there are forces at work that go beyond the realm of normalcy. His lion recognizes her as his mate, it takes the man a little longer.
Excerpt
SELENA Dovina knelt next to her mother’s bed, tears streaming from her dark eyes. Her long hair had escaped its braid and formed a curtain over her face. Madelyn reached out a slender hand, smoothing Selena’s dark hair back. Except for the color of their hair and Selena’s willowy height, she was almost identical to her mother. She’d received the best of both parents, and the worst. Her temper could be formidable, and she fought now to rein it in along with her grief.
“Shh, Selena. Be at peace.” Madelyn’s voice barely broke above a whisper.
“Why didn’t you phone me? Or answer when I called? I’d have come sooner. Meena is fine, and so is the new baby. They didn’t really need me there. I stayed more to visit than out of any need, though the Oregon packs are vastly different from the Washington ones. So very different.” A sigh escaped her lips. “They don’t attack their healers. We knew Vincent was up to something before I left. I should never have gone to Portland.” Selena mixed a liberal spoonful of honey into the tea she’d brewed for her mother. “Here. Drink. Vincent has gone too far this time. He had no right to do this. It goes against all pack laws for him to attack you!”
Madelyn struggled to sit up, the pain from broken bones barely healed showing in the lines of her face. “I didn’t call because you could do little for me. Crossing Vincent would do neither of us any good. Besides, Marcus came in and checked me out. He knows.”
Selena clenched her jaw. Marcus Cardan was a doctor and coroner in the human town. He was also a friend of sorts. As much as a human could be a friend. If Madelyn had called him, then he knew how close she was to death.
Madelyn paused to cough again. “Tell me about Portland. Did you find anyone of interest there? Anyone who pulls at your heart? Anyone who can take you away from here?”
“I can’t leave you. I won’t leave you alone with Vincent.”
“I can handle Vincent.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“Don’t get snippy with me. Now, did you find anyone at all?”
Selena rose to pace the small room. Long scratches in the wood paneling and furniture ripped apart stood as mute testament to the fight that had occurred there. She should have been here. Then maybe her mother wouldn’t have gotten hurt so badly. It was only because of Madelyn’s powers that Alpha Vincent had left. Had Selena been there, even being an alpha would not have saved him from her anger. How dare he attack her mother? He had no right! Sparks flew from her fingers, and she struggled to tamp down her anger. Selena moved to lay her hands on Madelyn’s chest, but Madelyn stopped her.
“No.”
“But I may be able to help you. Let me try.”
Madelyn shook her head and blew out a painful sigh. “You would overexert yourself, and it won’t stop the inevitable. The damage is too much, and I have grown too old.”
“You’re not old, Mother. You’ve barely crossed your second century. You should have many years yet.”
Madelyn shook her head, but smiled. “Our powers, like those of the shifters we tend to, give us longer lives, but they are not without end. It is my time. And you didn’t answer my question.”
Selena rocked back on her heels. “None of the alphas at the gathering selected me as a mate. Even if they had…” She shook her head. “A couple were willing to take me on as a second wife, but I don’t want that.” Not only did she not want to be an afterthought but, of those who had offered, she wouldn’t have joined them even if she’d been tempted. Animals all—and not in a good way.
“And I don’t want that for you either.” Though weak, Madelyn’s anger pulsed around her.
“I’m done with packs and prides, Mother. I know we are blood-sworn to help them, to use our powers to improve their strength as they protect us, but I’m done with them. They’re beasts. All of them.”
“Not all men are like Vincent and his pack. Your father wasn’t. Meena’s alpha isn’t. Besides, you are meant for someone special. The signs at your birth foretold that.”
“Signs, Mother? You never told me about any signs.” Selena peered at her mother. Her brows furrowed, worry and grief clutching her heart. Had her mother lost her reason?
Madelyn spent several moments coughing as Selena held her. Blood stained Madelyn’s lips. When she could speak again, she continued, “At your birth, there was a flash across the sky in the Leo constellation. That and other signs say you will be happy only when you meet a man who is attuned to the beasts, specifically a pride.”
Selena touched her right shoulder where there was a small birthmark, the sign of the lion. She dropped her hand and shook her head. “No. I’m done. I won’t have anything to do with any of them, pack or pride. They rule by force, not by wisdom or fairness.”
“Not all.” Madelyn paused to cough again. “Would you do me a favor, dear heart?”
“Anything.”
“I need your help to cast one final spell.”
“Mother?” Selena’s shoulders drooped. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, but she nodded. “As you wish.” She laid her hand on her mother’s cheek. “I love you.”
“As I do you, my treasure. And always will. Now, help me to the sofa.”
“You should stay here. Why use up your strength like this?”
“Selena, you will obey me. Now.” Though weak, Selena could no more ignore her mother’s demand than she could stop breathing. She bent over and easily picked Madelyn up, carried her to the living room, and gently laid her on the only section of the sofa still intact. Then she tucked a quilt around Madelyn. The living area had fared worse than the bedroom with furniture upended and cushions shredded.
“Go to the fireplace and count the bricks. Three to the left, and two down from the mantel. Push on the brick as hard as you can.”
Selena did as directed, twitching back when she heard a click, and a section of the hearth opened up. “What is this? How come I’ve never known about it?”
“You didn’t need to. There is a box in the space. Get it.”
She peered into the dark hole, then reached in and felt around, pulling out a carved box about six inches long, four inches wide, and two high.
“Is this what you want?” Selena righted the coffee table and set the box on it in front of Madelyn.
“Yes. Give it here.”
Selena handed Madelyn the box and watched as her mother lovingly ran her fingers over the top and sides. “Remember these words. Only they, and your touch, will open the box.” She spoke three strange words, having Selena pronounce them until she said them correctly. Then placing one hand on top of the box, the other on the bottom, Madelyn repeated the phrase and the box popped open. Inside lay a leather pouch, the material cracked with age. There was also a piece of paper, yellowed and creased, as well as a packet of what looked like letters. Madelyn handed Selena the paper and set aside the packet. “Gather the items listed on this paper and bring them to me as quickly as you can. Not much time left.”
Selena looked over the list, frowning at some of the items. “I haven’t heard of some of these herbs.”
Her mother looked up from the pouch. “Oh. Here. Let me see.” Selena handed her the paper. “That’s because the names have changed over the centuries. Give me a piece of paper and a pen. I’ll rewrite the list.”
Moments later, Selena had a new list of ingredients she did recognize, but she was no less puzzled. Still, she gathered the things and laid them out on the coffee table for her mother. “What kind of spell is this? I’ve never seen this combination of herbs and crystals.”
“And you won’t again until you are ready to do it. Like my mother and my mother’s mother, and so on back to the first of our line, this will be my last spell as it will be yours when your time comes. It can only be said at the time of passing and no other time.”
“Mother? No!”
Madelyn shook her head. “You know as well as I do what is happening. It cannot be stopped. Light the candles while I take care of this.” She pulled at the ties on the pouch, but the old leather bindings refused to give without a struggle. When she got them loosened, she emptied the contents into her hand. Nestled in her palm lay a ruby the size of a hen’s egg. The smooth facets caught the light, sending streams of color dancing over the walls.
“What is that? Where did you get it?” Selena’s heart pounded. Her mother had this hidden for years. The ruby had to be worth a fortune. They’d been living in near poverty for decades, subject to the whims of Alpha Vincent, when they could have gotten away. “Why, Mother? Why?”
Madelyn bowed her head. “I hope you will understand one day and forgive me. This stone can never be used for your own gain. It has been in our family for centuries untold, and is passed from mother to daughter. The box was carved by your father. I received it on the day you were born. It is made of the heartwood of an ancient tree brought down by a storm.” She paused to cough and struggled to breathe. Selena dashed back to the bedroom, returning with the honey-tea. Madelyn sipped some before returning to her tale.
“Your father was beta of a northern pack. We met at a gathering, much like the Oregon one. Though I was supposed to meet and marry the alpha, once I met Jacob, we both knew we were heartmates. The ruby confirmed this. For the women of our line, the stone lets you know when you’ve found your heartmate. Even with that proof, pack laws being what they were at the time, Jacob and I were forbidden to mate—though in reality, we already had. We planned to run away together, but were found out. He was sent off to another pack in the south, and I was sent here. We were forbidden to ever have contact with one another. Through friends, we did keep in touch, especially after I discovered I was expecting you. I sent a letter to Jacob, and he swore he would come to me. Unfortunately, this was during the Second World War. Times being what they were, communication wasn’t easy. We didn’t have cell phones back then. Just letters.” She pointed at the packet tied up with a faded ribbon. “Those are from your father. He was drafted and stationed in France. I heard he was killed during a skirmish. I never saw him again. This box was the last thing he sent me.”
Madelyn’s head drooped. Selena feared the worst, but her mother rallied. “Quickly. Do exactly as I say.”
Selena mixed and crushed the herbs as Madelyn directed her and placed them in a crystal bowl. “Help me to sit.”
After getting Madelyn up, Selena moved the table as close to Madelyn as she could. “Now what?”
“Best be done quickly. Light the herbs.” Once they were smoking, she placed the ruby on top of the herbs, like an egg in a nest. Finally, she took the knife, and with hands shaking from weakness of body, not of spirit, drew it across her left palm. She laid her hand atop the gem.
“From fire and earth, from death, a birth,
As on this offering, my blood doth fall
To imbue my spirit in ruby walls.
For those in my line, those pure in heart,
’Twill join true love from farthest parts.
I call these powers bid darkness flee.
So mote I say. So mote it be.”
As Selena watched, the light of the ruby flared, covering the room in a red glow that pulsed like a heartbeat, then went out. As it did, Selena knew. Tears formed again as she laid Madelyn’s body out on the sofa and covered her gently with her favorite quilt.
“Goodbye, Mother.”
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