The next thing I knew, Sinjin was at my bedside with Bella. I didn’t recall the sound of her knocking on my door, nor had I heard him leaving my room to let her in. So either I’d fallen asleep for a few seconds, or my fever was accompanied by delirium.
“What is wrong with her?” Bella demanded caustically, eyeing me with disinterest. I didn’t get a good look at her but what I saw was enough. She was dressed in skintight black pants and a magenta sweater with a deeply plunging neckline. I bet this woman couldn’t be casual if she tried.
I heard Sinjin inhale deeply before he told her, “I am not certain. However, I believe it to be a magical attack.”
“A magical attack?” she repeated in an abrasive tone. “Who would possibly want to attack her? No one knows about her anyway.” She sounded dismissive, not to mention irritated that someone would bother about me—since she saw me as just a nobody.
“I refuse to discuss the specifics with you, Isabella. Please use your powers to detect what has happened to her.”
There was silence for a few seconds, but I could feel the tension in the room. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Bella not only was unaccustomed to being spoken to in such a way, but really didn’t like it. “I am not at your beck and call, Sinjin,” she said flatly.
“You know why you are here,” he countered. By the sound of his voice, he was just as irritated as she was.
“I understand we have an agreement, but—”
“Enough!” His angry tone caused my heart to race for a few seconds, and I felt a rush of pain in my head. The headache I’d just willed away moments before had returned with a vengeance.
“Put her on her back,” Bella said in an aggravated voice.
I felt Sinjin’s hands on either of my shoulders, and he smiled down at me almost apologetically as he gently rolled me from my side to my back. Then he pulled away and I was faced with Bella’s beautiful but fuming countenance. She narrowed her eyes as she looked down at me and offered no form of a greeting. Instead, she held out her hands, palms above me, and closed her eyes. Her lips twitched as she seemed to recite some sort of chant in her head. But it was the space between her hands that had me enthralled as a light began to build between them. It was purplish and then began to morph into what resembled smoke, circling between her palms. She opened her eyes and brought her hands to my face, touching her fingers to my temples. At her touch, the smallest spark of energy—a gentle drumming that fizzed against my skin—ran through me. I could see the purplish smoke light cycling around my head now, right before my eyes. I glanced at Bella and noticed her eyes were shut again as she chanted something to herself.
She opened her eyes sharply and pulled away, dropping her hands from my temples. Immediately the swirling smoke dissipated. She faced Sinjin and arched her left eyebrow. “You’re right. She has been the victim of an attack of magic through her unconscious mind,” she announced simply.
“What does that mean?” I demanded.
She glanced in my direction. “It means that someone knew it would be easiest to plague you when you were sleeping.”
“So?” I continued.
“So he or she infiltrated your mind with a dream, attacking you when you were at your weakest and leaving behind the sickness you’re currently experiencing.”
“So the dream was some sort of illness?” I asked.
Bella nodded. “Essentially, yes.”
“Attack by witch or fae?” Sinjin asked, his voice laced with concern.
“I don’t know,” Bella responded.
“How advanced is her condition?”
She glanced at me again without even the slightest bit of concern in her expression. “It seems to be progressing rapidly.”
“What can you do?” Sinjin insisted.
She shook her head. “I will need time.”
“Time is a luxury we cannot afford,” he barked.
Her jaw was tight. “In this case, you don’t have a choice.”
“What—” I started. “What is wrong with me?” My voice was rough as my heartbeat started escalating. I could feel my breath coming in short spurts.
“She should sleep,” Bella said. “There is no use in keeping her awake.”
“Charm her,” Sinjin ordered as he turned to me again. He smiled sweetly as he held a hand to my forehead and ran his fingers down my temple to my cheek. Bella swallowed hard as she watched him, her eyes narrowing on me again.
She said nothing but faced me and never took her eyes from mine. Then she held up her hands, a white light glowing from them, as she said, “Sleep now.”
My eyelids were instantly heavy. I fought to keep them open, though, since I wanted to understand more about what was happening to me. I’d never been so sick, seemingly deathbed sick. But it was no use. I began to succumb to Bella’s power, my body falling into a deep sleep. My eyes were the last to give in to her power, and before I closed them, I caught the image of Bella looping her arms around Sinjin’s neck as she smiled up at him, asking him when it would just be the two of them, when she would have him to herself again.
I never heard his response.
I was dreaming, some part of me well aware that I’d been charmed to sleep. Another part of me, however, somewhere in the back of my mind, remained awake. But it really made no difference because most of me was already lost in dreams.
These dreams were much more welcome than the last batch I’d been unfortunate enough to endure. Now I dreamed of a man with wavy brown hair and eyes of the same color. I could see him above me as he smiled, his dimples giving him a boyish sort of grin. There was rough stubble on his cheeks and chin that tickled when he kissed me. I giggled against him, and when he pulled back, proclaiming I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, I just laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss me again.
We were outside in the sunshine, rolling and laughing in a field of heather. There was a certain crispness to the air, a salty mist brought over from the sea.
“Come with me, Jolie,” the beautiful man said and stood up, reaching down for me. I put my small hands in his, and as he pulled me upright, I glanced down at myself to find I was wearing a white eyelet dress that came to my knees. The sleeves were long but did nothing to keep me from shivering in the brisk sea air.
“Where are we going?” I asked, brushing my long golden locks over my shoulder to find they were decorated with bluebells.
“It’s not safe for you here,” he answered as he pulled me close to hug me and I wondered what he could mean.
Then my handsome man began to fade right in front of me, right there in my arms. Soon he vanished into the air as if he’d never been there at all.
“Wait!” I screamed after him, alone in the cold air that was now surrounding me. “Come back!”
I felt my eyes pop open as confusion muddled my mind. I was no longer in the meadow with the beautiful man. Instead I was in my bedroom, and the garish sun was forcing itself through my windows, blinding me with its intensity. I tried to identify the shadow of a person sitting in a chair beside me, blinking a few times against the intrusive sun, waiting for my pupils to constrict. When they did, I half wished they hadn’t.
“Bella?” I asked, sounding puzzled.
“You’ve been asleep for half the day,” she responded in her usual irritated tone.
“What are you doing here?” I continued in a feeble voice, feeling as if my head was going to split in two. Exhaustion and weakness were consuming me, just as they had the night before. I couldn’t even lift my head.
“Sinjin put me on duty while he rests,” she responded and began inspecting her nails.
I nodded and closed my eyes again, feeling even sicker than the night before. As soon as my eyelashes touched my upper cheeks, I heard something. At first it sounded far off and muffled, but the more I focused on it, the clearer it became.
Jolie.
It was a man’s voice and a voice I knew, a voice that I suddenly felt
I had known forever. It was the voice of the man in the meadow, and I had to wonder if I were dreaming again. I opened my eyes to test the theory but found Bella sitting beside me, glaring at her phone as she texted someone. No, I definitely wasn’t dreaming.
Yes, I thought the word, testing to see if it was in my head. Who are you?
Rand, the voice said and a flush of warmth crept through my body, overwhelming me with the sensations of safety and happiness.
He is your enemy, came my next thought but I shook it away as something within me, something bigger and stronger, insisted that Rand was not my enemy and never had been.
Listen to me, Jolie, his voice said. You must trust me or you’re going to die. I can heal you—I’m a warlock and I have that ability.
But you’re my enemy! You’re dangerous.
You know that isn’t the truth! Trust me.
How are you in my head? I asked, suddenly feeling even more exhausted.
It is the connection we share, one we’ve always shared. He paused for a second or two. It’s just a small link of our bond.
I didn’t understand what he meant so I didn’t respond.
I can feel your weakness, Jolie. I can feel your illness.
I swallowed hard, not even bothering to wonder how that was possible, much less how we were having a telepathic conversation. I just chalked it up to my fevered mind, which was just as sick as my body. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I answered in my mind’s voice.
I am coming for you, he said. We can heal you.
I didn’t have the strength to wonder who “we” meant and let it go. Instead, I felt relief flooding me at the thought of seeing him again, feeling his arms around me, knowing that I was safe.
Are you alone? he asked.
No, Bella is here.
There was silence for a moment or two, and I could feel the beginnings of anger welling up within me. A split second later I knew it wasn’t my own anger I was experiencing but Rand’s. It was, as he said, our connection.
You must send Bella away, Jolie. You must think up a diversion.
I swallowed hard but figuratively nodded.
When she is gone, contact me again, he finished.
How?
Just think the words, the same as you’re doing now.
I breathed out a large breath and tried to imagine a way to get rid of Bella. What could possibly send her away? At first, I drew a blank; then it came to me.
I opened my eyes. “I feel something,” I said, my voice hollow, pained.
“What?” she demanded with little or no interest, continuing to fiddle with her phone.
“Sinjin, I feel like there’s something wrong with him,” I finished and smiled inwardly once I realized I had her attention.
“What do you mean?”
I shook my head and sighed, feeling exhaustion beginning to claim me again. It took all the energy I had just to speak. “I don’t know. I just … have a bad feeling about him. Can you … can you go check on him?”
She narrowed her eyes, but something in them hinted that my words worried her. “He told me not to leave your side.”
“Please, Bella, I just feel something … bad about him, like something’s … happened to him.”
She stood up and threw her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll be back,” she said before disappearing into my hallway.
I smiled as I closed my eyes and reached out for Rand. Rand! Can you hear me? I thought the words.
Yes, I heard in my head. Did you manage to get rid of her?
She’s leaving but you’ll only have twenty minutes, at the most.
I am already on my way, he said, and then our connection was lost. I smiled to myself before clenching my eyes tightly as another headache hammered me.
It felt as if mere minutes had passed when I heard footsteps. I opened my eyes and found Rand before me. He was wearing dark jeans and a white T-shirt that contrasted against his tan skin, making him literally glow with healthiness. It was the same outfit, I suddenly realized, that he’d been wearing in my dream.
“Jolie,” he whispered.
“I don’t know what’s wrong,” I started but he brought his fingers to my lips and silenced me.
“You must sleep, Jolie. When you wake, everything will be fine again. I will see to it.” His words must have acted like a spell because I suddenly felt myself falling back into the seas of sleep, cresting the waves of dreams.
“I think she’s coming to.”
There were voices—three of them, one woman and two men. And they all sounded tense. I could hear the sound of pacing—footsteps going to the far end of the room and back again, only to repeat themselves. I groaned as I opened my eyes and rolled my head to the side, feeling the prick of goose down from the pillow my head was currently lying on. I rolled my head upright again and spotted a thatched ceiling just above me. I had to still be dreaming.
“Jolie?” It was Rand’s voice.
I turned my head and my focus went blurry as I tried to look at him. He hurried to me from across the room and I guessed he was the “pacer” I had heard walking back and forth when I woke up. He appeared as a brown blur at first, but after a few seconds, this delineated itself into the insanely handsome man I was coming to know. “What … what happened?” I asked.
He grasped my hand as he smiled down at me. His smile reminded me of the dream I’d had when we were kissing in the heather, feeling the sea breeze wrap around us and caring about nothing besides each other.
“We’ve healed you,” he said softly before turning to face someone else in the room. “Mathilda?”
I glanced beyond him at the little old woman who was now hobbling up to my side. There was something about her that was also familiar—something that tugged at my memory. She smiled down at me and held her hands above my face. I felt my eyes focusing on the lines etched in her skin, hinting at just how old she was. That was when it hit me. She was the same old woman who had come into my store. Just like the first time I’d met her, she was wearing the same ill-fitting, outdated long dress, and her hair was just as unruly in its extreme length. And she still possessed that same aura of age-old beauty.
“The block has been removed,” she said simply as she dropped her hands, turning to take a seat just beside the bed.
“But …,” I started, still staring at her. “You … you were in my store.”
“Yes, child,” she said and smiled softly, her voice again reminding me of the ringing of bells. “Yes, that was I.”
“You’re a witch?” I asked as I focused on the blaze of blue light emanating from her. How had I missed it before? I tried to remember if there had been any indication she was otherworldly when I first met her. Try as I might, though, I could think of nothing.
She shook her head and Rand patted my hand, pulling my attention back to him. “No, Jolie. Mathilda is one of the oldest and wisest of the fae.”
“The fae,” I repeated, shaking my head as doubt seized me. “You mean, like a fairy?”
“Aye,” a man’s voice called from the corner of the room. I craned my head and swallowed hard at the vision of an incredibly tall, broad, muscular man who stepped out in front of me. “I am Odran,” he said simply.
“Odran is the King of the fae,” Rand said, smiling as I regarded the King of the fae with openmouthed astonishment. He was just so … so … big! Big and beautiful … stunningly so. His long blond hair fell about him in a mass of waves, pale against the bronze of his body. His eyes reflected the tan color of his skin, flecked with rays of amber. He was wearing nothing but a kilt, and his chest, though riddled with muscles, was completely hairless. His face and overall stature seemed reminiscent of a lion.
And that was when feelings of dread descended on me. I was completely at their mercy now. If Rand and Mathilda had evil intentions where I was concerned, I was as good as dead. God, I’d been so stupid. Why had I trusted them? Why had I allowed myself to get into this predicament?
Because you
were dying and Rand saved you, my conscience announced.
So what, maybe he just saved me so he can kill me later.
You know that isn’t true.
Well, you can’t tell me what the truth is so why listen to you anyway? And dammit all, how is Sinjin going to find me?
I turned to face Rand again, needing to know where I was and what was happening. “I don’t understand what’s happened and where I am …”
“Ye are in oone ah me villages, lass,” Odran responded in a thick Scottish brogue. It was as if he’d crawled off the cover of one of those Highlander romance novels they sold at the grocery store.
“Jolie, I will explain all of this to you in time but suffice it to say you’re safe now. No one can harm you.”
I closed my eyes and swallowed down the relief that suddenly washed over me at his words. Relief that was immediately replaced with fear.
No one knows where I am.
I felt like I wanted to sit up again. Rand tried to hold me down but I adamantly shook my head. Admitting I’d won the tacit argument, he assisted me. He pushed the pillow behind my back so I could prop myself against it. “Am I still in Los Angeles?” I asked, wondering where a fairy village could exist in the city.
Rand shook his head. “No, we’re in the sequoia forest.”
I swallowed hard. “The what?” I asked, thinking to myself that the sequoias had been a good four-hour drive the last time I’d ventured up there. And that had to mean that at least four hours had passed since I blacked out at my house … Oh my God. Four hours!
“All fae villages exist in forests,” Rand continued, but I couldn’t say my mind was on the habitation and villages of fae.
“How long have I been here?” I inquired, my voice laced with worry.