The Hunted (Blood Series Book 0)

Chapter 9

  The ride home was full of laughter and fun. They joked and talked about all the things they had seen at the aquarium. It truly had been a perfect first date.

  She told him how she had concentrated to read his mind that morning and how easy it seemed.

  “See, I told you it was just a matter of time. You just had never really tried. Now that you know how, I’ll probably never be able to surprise you again.”

  “Well, that’s a bummer,” she said, “because that means I can’t surprise you either. Is there a way to block your thoughts from others?”

  “Yes. Remember when you and I connected when I got shot with the crossbow? You described a gossamer sheer area that you were not able to see through. I was blocking that area of my mind. It takes practice, but it can be done. You’ll be able to sense when someone is poking around in your mind and you can put the block up. Blake is very good at this and he might be able to give you some more insight and instruction than I can. I can’t read or block people as well as he can.”

  “Well, that will be handy; at least I will be able to surprise you occasionally!” she laughed and he joined in.

  “I was hoping that you could give me some information on the healing pouch you gave me. Can you make them for protection too?” he asked her.

  “Oh sure, the book lists all kinds of things charms can be used for. Rowan, too, is pretty good at reading runes and tarot cards, which might come in handy.”

  “That does sound interesting; is she pretty accurate?”

  “More often than not, and she cooks better than me too,” Darby joked.

  “Very cool. We should also probably decide who is going where? Ireland or Maine?” he said.

  “Definitely,” she said and with that they turned into the driveway of the house next door to hers, behind the Audi.

  When they walked into Darby and Rowan’s house, Blake and Rowan were on the couch talking.

  “Hey guys,” Darby greeted them. “How’s it going?”

  “Good, good…how was your official first date?” Rowan asked.

  “Absolutely perfect!” Darby answered.

  “In every way!” Devon added and kissed Darby on the cheek as he closed the door. “You?” He looked at Blake.

  “Oh, we were able to scrounge up some fun,” Blake replied, sitting with his arm around Rowan who jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

  “So have you guys thought about what your preference is? Maine? Or Ireland?” Devon inquired.

  “Yeah, I think we’ve decided,” Blake looked at Rowan for some indication of agreement. Rowan nodded and Blake continued. “We think it makes more sense for us to go to Maine since I don’t know where the storage stuff is in Ireland. You know where that is and have all the keys and stuff; it just seemed logical to us.” He looked again at Rowan. She turned from Blake to Devon and nodded in agreement.

  “Good, then I will get online and look at some times and dates for the tickets for you and Rowan and book our flights into Ireland,” Devon said.

  “No 6 A.M. flights, Devon. I know you think you’re funny when you do that, but it will come back to haunt you...trust me,” Blake threatened.

  “The flights are cheaper at that time,” Devon argued.

  “Fine, I’ll chip in for a 10:00 A.M. flight, okay? Besides, it’s not just me you’re torturing anymore,” Blake said, kissing Rowan on the head. Rowan beamed smugly.

  “Yeah. I hear you! No problem!” Devon said.

  “Rowan, your sister was telling me about your talents with runes and tarot. Do you think maybe we could have you do a drawing or reading of some sort to see if you can come up with any ideas why Paine has this vendetta? Or what we might be facing?” Devon said.

  “I suppose,” said Rowan. “I need very specific questions though. You ask a vague question, you get a vague reading.”

  “Oh, I see. I also talked to Darby about her attempting to do what she did the other night to see if maybe it’s something she needs to practice. I told her that she could test it on Blake and me since we heal quickly; if she had any accidents, she wouldn’t hurt us permanently. I know she’s very nervous about that,” Devon said, looking at Darby who opened her eyes widely in agreement.

  “And Blake, I thought you could give Darby some pointers or insight on reading minds and blocking others from her thoughts. She has seen into my thoughts now twice, once by accident and once by concentrating,” Devon continued.

  “Yeah, no problem, Darby. Just let me know when you want to start,” Blake said.

  Darby asked, “Rowan, did you feed Harry?”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s not like he doesn’t remind you as soon as you walk in the house,” Rowan teased.

  “Thanks, sweetie, I’m going to ask Allison to stop by and feed him while we are gone, can’t have him losing any of that, ummm….manly physique of his.”

  “Oh, no. We wouldn’t want that,” Rowan said sarcastically.

  “I’m going to go and grab the book of shadows and the chest of crystals. Devon, you are welcome to use my computer on the coffee table, if you want. Anybody need anything from the kitchen while I’m back there?” Darby asked.

  “No, I’m good,” Blake answered.

  “No, thanks,” Rowan said, as she jumped up and headed for her room. “I’ll grab the tarot cards and the runes,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Thanks, Darby, but, I’m good too,” Devon said as he reached forward to grab the laptop in front of him.

  Rowan came back in the living room with a stack of books and a wooden box with a velvet pouch set on top. Darby came in with the large leather bound book and a small wooden chest. As Darby re-appeared from the hallway, Rowan said, “I just thought of something. Devon, before you make reservations maybe we can talk to your father directly.”

  They all turned to her. Blake said, “What do you mean, talk to him?”

  “I mean we could summon his spirit here and maybe he can tell us first hand why Terrence Paine is on this rampage,” Rowan explained.

  “Can that be done?” Devon asked.

  “Well, we can certainly try. It would simplify things, but there are never any guarantees. Spirits are not always as helpful as you might think. However, this does involve his boys, which makes it very personal and that’s a plus. That may give us the added edge to make it work,” Rowan answered.

  “That could be very helpful. How do you do it?” Blake asked, totally amazed by his beautiful witch.

  Rowan smiled at his gaze, blushed a bit, and then continued. “We will need a photo of your father or something personal of his, so that Darby and I can picture him. You and your brother can just visualize him in your minds, but since we’ve never met him, having the picture will help us concentrate on him. With the four of us, and maybe Harry, it might be able to work.”

  “Harry?” said Blake and Devon in stereo. “The cat?” Blake continued.

  “Yes, the cat! When you don’t have a coven, the more energy and focus you can get, the better. Besides, Harry will be involved in another spell later. He will be our personal James Bond. Harry is always around, inside and out - lurking in the bushes or what not. No one would think that Harry was informing us of a stranger,” Rowan explained.

  “How does that work?” Devon asked.

  “Well, we’ll all stand in a circle and concentrate on him and when the spell is complete, if in the next couple of days Harry sees something or someone out of the ordinary around here, he’ll let us know,” Rowan told him.

  “How?” Blake asked.

  “It can happen in many ways, a feeling, a mental image, I’m not really sure how it will manifest itself, but just be very aware of your feelings or thoughts. We will all feel it at the same time so if you are unsure of something, ask one of us if we feel it too. If we all have felt it, it was probably Harry trying to let us know something is up,” Rowan explained.

  “That’s cool. I had no idea. When can we start?” Blake as
ked.

  “Well, I will make a list of things I’ll need and we can get started this evening. It’s a very good time for this. I was checking my moon charts last night and the moon is in its waxing phase tonight,” Rowan said.

  “What’s a waxing phase? Is that when it’s getting bigger or smaller? I can never remember the difference between waxing and waning,” Blake asked.

  “Waxing is when the moon is getting bigger, so it is gaining in strength. Because we are in June, we are also dealing with the Honey Moon. This is an opportune time to cast the problem solving spell, if we have time, and that should help us all in figuring out how to solve this issue with Paine,” Rowan explained.

  Darby spread out a piece of black velvet fabric and a bunch of different stones in front of Blake. She said to him, “I would like you and Devon to look over these and see if any of them intrigue you. I know it seems odd, but think of it as something your body craves, something it needs. Often you will crave red meat if your body needs iron, or maybe milk if it needs vitamin D or Calcium. Often we don’t do anything about these cravings, but it is a way that our body tells us what it needs. It’s the same with the stones. Your mind will point you towards the stone or stones that it feels it needs. Pick it up and see if you feel any connection to it – a vibration or a warmth. If you find one or more, keep them in your pocket. They can add to your strengths, and help you with your weaknesses. I also have some charm bags together that we can use. These will give you some added protection, power, and psychic abilities.” Darby handed the tiny pouches to each of them. “Hopefully, the psychic one will help us all connect better, especially since Rowan and I are still learning.”

  “What’s in them?” Devon asked.

  “Well, lets see: cinquefoil, barberry root, black haw, pennyroyal, celery seed, and hemite for power; eyebright, mandrake, hibiscus, mugwort, moonstone, and clear quartz for added psychic powers; and clove, juniper berries, nettles leaf, Solomon’s seal root, St. John’s wort, belladonna, agate, and citrine for protection,” Darby answered.

  “All that in these little things? Sweet! Thanks, Darby,” Blake said.

  “I can’t have anything happening to any of us. You’re my family now, you and your brother, as much as Rowan is,” Darby said and grabbed Devon’s hand.

  “Here is a list of things I’m going to need for tonight,” Rowan said as she set the list on the coffee table.

  “Great. You need to do some preparations, right Rowan?” Darby asked.

  “Yes, a few things,” Rowan said.

  “Devon, would you be willing to go and get the things Rowan needs for tonight?” Darby asked, looking at him. She continued, “I think everything on the list can be picked up at the bookstore. Don’t tell Allison who you are. The less she knows, the safer she is.”

  “Absolutely. I’ll also try and find a picture next door,” Devon added.

  “Be careful. I really think it’s best if you hop the fence and go in the back. Paine’s men may be watching the front.” She tossed him her keys. “I know it’s not as nice as your car, but they could be watching. We need to be very careful from now on. My car is in the garage. You can get in it without going outside. The garage opener is on the visor. After this, no more separating, okay? We are safer together - as a team.”

  “Good thinking!” Devon said.

  Darby turned to him and hugged him very tight, “Please be careful, I can’t live without you!”

  “I promise.” He kissed her forehead.

  “Blake, while he is doing that, can we practice?”

  “Definitely. Lets do it,” Blake said, then turned to Rowan and pulled her close, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head. “If you need me, we will be in the back yard. You yell and I will be here before you finish.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Rowan smiled.

  “Promise me!” Blake pushed.

  “I promise,” Rowan said.

  “Okay, Darby let’s go,” Blake said.

  Darby followed him to the backyard. “So what do I need to do?” Darby asked.

  “You need to think about what you were thinking about when you felt the force peak in you. From what I gathered from what you told us, it was that you were angry,” Blake explained.

  “Yes – shock, sadness, and then anger,” Darby remembered.

  “Okay, so now I want you to focus on Devon. On losing him, having him lying at your feet, and dying. Focus that anger, frustration, and sadness. Then open your eyes and put up your hand towards me, like you want to stop me from advancing towards you. Visualize a bubble around you or a wall in front of you that would prevent anything from penetrating it. I’m going to stand across the yard. When you are ready, open your eyes and tell me with your mind. Might as well kill two birds with one stone, right?” Blake said and then chuckled.

  “Sure…okay,” she said and closed her eyes. She could hear Blake head away from her. She thought about the Van Helsing guy, Max. She thought about him aiming the crossbow at Devon, the crossbow arrow sailing in slow motion towards him, and the terror of losing him that washed over her. She tried to lock on to that feeling. Then she tried to send the message that she was ready, but it was hard to juggle both and still hold the emotion of the fear and anger. She opened her eyes and held up her hand, towards Blake.

  She tried to visualize a bubble around her and sent the energy of the emotion into it. She felt it as it washed over her and then out and around her.

  Blake took a step forward, felt nothing, and took another step. He could feel the electricity in the air, the tension, but no wall or pushing force. He took another step forward and said to her, “Picture me as Max; I’m coming to kill Devon and you will never, never be with him again.” He could feel the tension increase. He continued, “Extend the field towards me. I’m Max. I’ve just killed Devon and I’m coming after you now.”

  That’s when he felt the force push towards him. He pushed at it with his hands. It felt rubbery, not solid, but it definitely would slow him down. He said, “Good, now, I’m coming after Rowan!”

  That’s when the rubbery field went solid and bumped him back a good two steps or more. “Great, hold that feeling; remember this in your mind. When you’re in trouble think about this, what you’re doing right now. Imagine this and if you can, extend your bubble to people you want in your bubble. Wow, you’re a natural. Okay, now. Slowly release the energy – imagine Devon sitting up and he’s okay and relax.” The crackling of the energy subsided as the wall against him dissipated.

  “Oh, boy…I feel weird,” Darby said. Then everything went gray and she could hear Blake talking to her, but it was like listening to an adult character in a Peanuts cartoon. “Whaaa waaaaaWaWaaaaWaaaaawa!” is all she heard. It was his voice, but it was getting farther and farther away and then there was nothing.