Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) (14 page)

Elise giggled. “Wow.”

Kayci smiled at Elise and Rosemary. She was just as impressed as Elise was. She felt energized and hopeful. She looked forward to experiencing the effects of the spell.

“We can help you clean up,” Kayci offered.

“Thank you, ladies.”

Rosemary leaned down and blew out the candles. She began gathering the items on the table. Kayci and Elise grabbed the remaining items and helped Rosemary put them away in her armoire.

“Elise, would you like your reading?” Rosemary asked when they were finished putting things away.

She smiled. “Absolutely.”

Rosemary moved the bowl to the counter and came back and took her seat across from Kayci and Elise. She shuffled the cards twice, then fanned them out.

“Elise, close your eyes, form a question in your mind, then ask it out loud before picking a card. You may ask three questions.”

Elise closed her eyes, let out a small puff of air, and then eagerly opened her eyes and reached for a card.

“Will I find love?”

Elise pulled a card and set it down.

“Will I get the new-world journalist promotion?” Elise eagerly pulled her second card and placed it on the table.

“Is Kayci’s father alive?” The third question came quickly, followed by the final card.

Kayci’s eyes widened. She silently and anxiously awaited Rosemary’s responses. Rosemary set the unselected cards aside and slowly moved her hands over the cards on the table. She paused above each one, with an expression of concentration.

“The first card is the Lover. It seems you have already found love, but he will not be the only one. You, Elise, will have several lovers in your lifetime.”

Elise smirked. “I didn’t expect that.”

Rosemary grinned. “You will love each and every one of them, as they will you. They will enrich your life and bring you great joy, but not without heartbreak, of course. Fortunately, that heartbreak will fuel your writing.”

Rosemary looked down at the second card. “This one means you will have good fortune, undoubtedly in your career. You will receive the promotion, but not as quickly as you would like. Be patient, and it will be worth the wait.”

Elise’s mouth twisted. “Patience is not my virtue.”

Rosemary chuckled before looking at the last card. She seemed puzzled by it. “The Shield,” she mumbled. She looked at Elise and then Kayci, with an expression of empathy. “I’m sorry, ladies. I cannot answer the question. The card is not providing insight. Another’s magic is blocking my perception.”

“Another witch?” Elise asked anxiously.

“Yes, another witch with magic older and stronger than mine.” She addressed Kayci. “If your father is alive, he doesn’t want to be found.”

Kayci sat back in her chair with a sigh, annoyed. Rosemary’s answer disappointed her. The moment Elise had asked the question, she had strongly wanted to know the answer. She shoved the disappointment down into her gut and chose to ignore it.

“You wanted to make a pendant for the moldavite stone, right?” Kayci asked, intentionally changing the subject.

Rosemary picked up the three cards and set them aside. She looked at Kayci with sympathetic eyes. “Yes, I can get started on it. Bring me the bowl, my dear. The stone should be ready. I’ll get the materials for the necklace.”

Kayci headed toward the bowl on the counter while Rosemary went into her shop. Elise stood up and followed Kayci.

“Kayc, you aren’t mad that I asked that question, are you?”

Kayci turned to Elise and smiled. “I appreciate that you asked the question. I was disappointed by the answer.”

Elise frowned. “Yeah, me too.”

Kayci turned back to the counter and reached for the bowl. She stopped midreach from utter surprise. “Elise, look at this!”

Elise rushed over and peered inside the bowl. Kayci and Elise looked from the bowl to each other and back to the bowl.

“Incredible,” Kayci murmured.

Kayci stared at the bowl that now held the moldavite stone, with more visible variations of green and shades of brown intertwined with the greens. The water was nearly gone, and all that remained were a few droplets around the inside of the bowl. There were barely any remnants of ash. What was left had coated the edge of the bowl.

“Seriously, this is awesome. I’m so glad you brought me here,” Elise said.

Kayci chuckled. “I assume the spell worked.”

Rosemary entered the room. Kayci and Elise gawked at her.

“Ah, the spell worked, then?”

Kayci nodded. “I think so. The water and ash are pretty much gone. Absorbed into the stone, I assume?”

Rosemary nodded. “That was the intent.”

“So you
literally
meant soak into the stone?” Elise asked.

Rosemary smirked. “Precisely.”

Rosemary set the materials on the table. “Bring the bowl over here, my dear.” She set jewelry tools on the table, with a silver chain and metal clasp for the pendant.

Kayci watched with fascination for the next several minutes as Rosemary attached the moldavite stone to the pendant and then the pendant to the chain. She handed the necklace to Kayci when she finished. Kayci carefully held the chain in her hands while admiring the design on the pendant. The pendant had a round chunk of silver at the top of the moldavite, and then several diamond-shaped pieces of silver trailed about halfway down the moldavite stone in a shield-like formation from the solid piece of metal at the top. It reminded Kayci of the Celtic jewelry she had seen at the local art shows. She had always admired those pieces of jewelry and had even purchased a couple items that ultimately she’d tired of wearing, but this necklace had meaning and value that those pieces were without. The stone itself had developed a glimmer it didn’t have before. She found herself quickly entranced by the transition of its beautiful forest colors gleaming in the light.

“Should I put it on?” she asked while still admiring the stone.

“Yes. We should test the spell while I’m here with you.”

Kayci noted the slight concern in Rosemary’s statement, which made her nervous, but she was even more excited to see if the spell worked. Kayci slowly and carefully undid the clasp of the necklace and placed it around her neck. The stone’s energy was undoubtedly alive, and its warmth against her chest affirmed it. The tingling sensation she had felt on her skin when she held it before now developed at her core. It grew within her stomach, transforming into a fiery, prickling sensation that bubbled and festered as if it would explode right out of her abdomen. Kayci leaned over, holding her hand to her stomach instinctively to help alleviate the strange sensations. She fought back the urge to hurl.

Kayci reached her hand out and placed it on the table to stabilize the dizziness swirling inside her head. Her vision became hazy. She lost focus on Elise, Rosemary, and the room around her. The pain in her stomach grew so intense she gripped the table fiercely. She thought she heard splintering.

“Kayci, are you okay?” Elise asked.

Kayci’s complexion turned pale. Her eyes glistened. She appeared weak and feverish. She heard Elise’s voice—it seemed distant.

Rosemary stared at Kayci, fascinated.

“What’s going on? What’s wrong with her?” Elise asked, panicked.

Rosemary answered without taking her eyes off Kayci. “She’s responding to the spell and the stone. We must wait.”

“She looks as though she is going to pass out,” Elise squeaked.

Rosemary continued to observe Kayci closely. “She might, my dear, but we must not interfere.”

Elise frantically glanced from Rosemary to Kayci and back. “Are you sure?!”

“Yes.”

Kayci’s temperature spiked. Her skin glistened with sweat. In the background she could hear voices but couldn’t make out the words. She mentally tried to stabilize her own body and control the peculiar energy within it. The effort stifled her breath. A disorienting fog clouded her eyesight, disrupting her thoughts. The fog seemed to whirl around her, penetrating each and every pore of her skin. The only object she recognized was the table beneath her hand. She focused her energy and concentration on her hand holding the table. Her fingertips seemed to indent the wood. With her disorientation she couldn’t identify if she truly had. A wave of pain ripped through her abdomen once more. She squeezed the table and swallowed down the bile rising in her throat. She focused hard on not collapsing or vomiting. She forced herself to will the very energy threatening to overtake her.

“What’s wrong with her eyes, Rosemary? They’ve changed. Her eyes are normally blue!” Elise stared at Kayci in shock. Her eyes had glistened and then sparkled with a hint of gold flecks before transitioning entirely to a bright-golden color. She remembered seeing the same gold eyes when Adrian was standing on Kayci’s porch.

“Kayci, can you hear me? What’s wrong?” Elise asked frantically.

Elise stepped toward Kayci and gently reached out her hand to touch Kayci’s arm. Elise’s surroundings became fuzzy and her senses disoriented, yet still she felt unusually calm. Her panic dissipated. She felt strangely tranquil. Too tranquil, she thought. Elise looked toward Rosemary. Rosemary’s figure appeared indiscernible. Elise squinted to see Rosemary more clearly.

“Wha…is…goin…on?” Elise’s speech came out slurred.

“Step away from her, dear,” Elise heard Rosemary say.

Elise released Kayci’s arm as instructed and quickly moved several steps away from her. Within moments she regained clear vision and senses. Her heightened emotions rushed back. Elise looked at Rosemary with concern.

“What the hell just happened?!” she screeched.

“The spell is obviously working. You just reacted to her enchantment. It takes vampires years to harness that ability, but apparently Kayci is rushing through a few steps during her transition.”

“Transition,” Elise whimpered.

Kayci recognized the feeling developing in her stomach. It had gone from pain to nausea to now insatiable hunger. As the pain subsided, her grip on the table eased. She was gaining control over the energy pulsating and whirling around her. The haze was clearing, and she was beginning to hear actual words now. The fog had dissipated but hadn’t left her. It wasn’t fog at all, Kayci realized, but unleashed, unruly, disorganized, and powerful energy. Her energy. Energy she could control if she willed it. She took several deep breaths and stood up straight. She gently released her grip on the table and pulled her hand back to her side. With her vision restored, she peered down at the table. She had indeed damaged it. She was surprised by the amount of strength it must have taken.

Kayci’s eyes shifted around the room, studying everything with her new eyes. The colors were all brighter. It was as if a new world had opened up in front of her. She delighted in the sights and smells before her. Details she hadn’t noticed before emerged. A smile spread over her face.

“Kayci, my dear.”

Kayci heard Rosemary’s voice and whipped her head in the direction of the sound. Kayci caught both of their startled reactions from her sudden movement and wondered how fast she had moved. Rosemary stood several feet away from Kayci, but her voice sounded much closer and louder. Kayci remained silent, studying both of them. They looked stunningly beautiful. Their hair glimmered in the dim light of the room. Their skin took on a new glow. Kayci could even see the fine hairs on their arms glistening beneath the light. Their clothes appeared brighter and more attractive.

Kayci stopped smiling at them once she heard it. The thumps. Two thumps. Rhythmic thumps. Repeating over and over. They echoed in her ears. She looked away from them, startled by the feelings. The insatiable hunger had returned. Their heartbeats rang so loudly in her ears, she couldn’t think of anything else. She glanced back at them only to notice the veins of their necks expanding as blood rushed through them. She looked away from them, embarrassed and fearful.

“Kayci, my dear,” Rosemary said once more.

The sound of Rosemary’s voice broke through the echoes. Kayci focused on the nervous voice and forced the other sounds out of her head.

“I’m okay,” Kayci said awkwardly. Hearing her own voice sounded strange.

“You looked awful there for a bit,” Elise told her with distress in her voice. “And your eyes are different.” She waved her fingers toward her own eyes.

Kayci blinked with surprise. “Startling, aren’t they?” Kayci asked, remembering the first time she’d seen Adrian’s eyes change.

Elise nodded.

“Sorry,” Kayci said.

Rosemary pulled out one of the chairs for Kayci to sit in. “How are you feeling?” she asked, as if she were the doctor and Kayci the patient.

Kayci took the chair in her hand. The soft wood felt different now. She found herself rubbing her hand across the chair a couple times, enjoying the feeling of the soft, worn wood. Kayci stopped rubbing when she noticed Rosemary and Elise staring at her. She quickly sat down.

“I feel…alive,” Kayci told her. “Like a part of me was missing, and now I’m whole. I don’t know what happened when I first put the stone on though. It was painful and overwhelming, but then I somehow gained control over it. Now that I have control over it, I feel good, really good.