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She called to her owl. “Stormy, come in please. I need you with me.” She stepped aside to m
ake room for him through the doorway.
The owl dipped off the branch and once clear of the leaves flapped his broad wings a few times then glided through the open doors to a perch in the center of the room. Stormy created a layer of protection for Emma as she slowly imbibed the potion designed to enhance her ability to see the future.
When the red cup was empty, she slid it beneath the chaise-longue. She stretched out and allowed the brew to work within her mind. After a few minutes, she set about casting her spell, invoking words she’d written years ago, calling the future to her.
She waited.
But nothing happened.
She could feel the spell all around her and inside her. But the power she’d experienced in the Graveyard seemed to hover at a significant distance.
Spreading out her arms, she once more opened herself up to her power.
But again, it was as though she was stunted in some way she didn’t yet understand.
She sat up and instinctively knew everything should have worked. She glanced at Toby who eyed her with what she thought was a rather skeptical expression.
She shifted her gaze to Stormy. “What do you have to say?” The owl rose up once and flapped his wings, then twisted midair to face away from her toward the door leading into the hallway.
When Toby trotted toward the door as well, she knew her familiars were trying to tell her something.
She rose to her feet and followed in Toby’s wake.
He went straight to Vaughn, who now sat in the front living room, ensconced in the large, dark leather chair she’d bought for Max when he’d first moved in. He held his phone in one hand, checking emails, a heavy frown on his brow.
For some reason, images of making love with him in the dressing room flowed through her mind. Her entire body tingled at the memory and her eyes burned with sudden affection.
He looked great in Max’s t-shirt and jeans. He was also barefoot, which made her smile. Even sitting down, he looked like a warrior, shoulders broad and the snug dark gray t-shirt conformed to thick pecs. He had strong cheekbones that angled to an equally strong jawline. His nose had a slightly hawkish appearance.
He looked up at her. “Hey.”
His steely gray eyes melted her. For a moment, she couldn’t remember why she’d even come in here. At least, not until Toby jumped up on the arm of the chair. Vaughn’s hand went to the cat’s back, and he pet him absently all the way down to his tail.
Vaughn’s eyes narrowed. “Everything okay?”
On some level, she knew she was behaving oddly since she hadn’t said a word. But it might have been the spell keeping her off-balance.
She could feel the brew working in her now as it hadn’t in the spellroom. Images began moving through her mind like a carousel, spinning round and round, similar to her experience in the Graveyard. Though she knew the future was right there, she couldn’t access the snapshots.
She took a step toward Vaughn, then another. The carousel began to slow and a couple of the images, this time of a pine forest, appeared very clearly. But nothing more.
“Emma?”
She lifted a finger. “Give me a sec.”
She took a few more steps in Vaughn’s direction and the spell tightened. More images fell into place. “I think I need you,” she said.
A soft smile touched his lips. “You do?”
She didn’t mistake the look of pure affection on his face. She realized her words had a second meaning. But rather than respond, she pondered the question.
Did she need him?
God, yes. To talk to her on the phone, to ease her, to sex her up, to make her time in Five Bridges bearable, and to help her feel safe when she was nothing but vulnerable because an evil wizard wanted her dead.
After a moment, she returned his smile. “I wish things were different. So much.”
