Luminescence (Luminescence Trilogy) (23 page)

Jared’s eyes twinkled, but it was Gavin’s voice behind me who answered. “Not tell Jared, show her,” he told him coming to stand next to me and taking my hand.

“I’d be delighted to,” he was gleaming in roguery. His dimples winked on either side of his cheeks.

Right before my eyes Jared effortlessly began to change. His form shifted so quick to the eye that I almost didn’t believe – or see it. A gray and white coated wolf stood where Jared had moments before, his eyes the same piecing blue as Gavin’s. In a blink of an eye Jared had transformed into was a beautiful fierce looking wolf.

I walked up to the wolf, needed to see for myself that he was real indeed. Kneeling to his level, I scratched the sides of his fluffy neck. His fur was much softer than I expected. Jared the wolf closed his eyes in appreciation at the neck rub.

At this point I was becoming good at weird. “Wow,” I exclaimed. “You’re a shiftshaper. That is seriously wicked. Any chance I’ll be able to do that?” I asked standing back up.

Just as smoothly as before Jared returned to his human form. The three of them looked at me like I had grown horns. I think they had expected me to freak out or faint.

“You never fail to surprise me,” Gavin commented. “Just when I think I understand you, you blindside me again. Why is it you don’t bat an eye when Jared shifts, but you lock yourself away for days when I said you were witch?”

I eyed him levelly and shrugged. Even I don’t understand how my mind works, why would I expect anyone else to. “Maybe I’m getting use to the unusual. I should since I am one.”

“At least you’re started to believe,” Sophie replied. “Common on let’s see what you can do,” she said excite brewing in her eyes.

“Where do we start?” I asked, having no idea what in the world I was supposed to doing. This wasn’t exactly like learning how to play battleship.

I sat across from Sophie on the grass. Jared and Gavin were behind us.

Sophie’s started in a no BS voice, “Well, now that you are aware of the energy inside you it should be a little easier for you to focus on it. We need to get you to feel the energy so that you will be able to command it.”

Okay sounded simple enough.

“Close your eyes,” she instructed. I did as she said. “Now relax your breathing. Gavin says that your power is at its strongest when you are angry. I want you to find that energy source that feeds your anger. That is where we are going to pull your powers from. You need to be able to access it at your whim, not just when your emotions are out of control.”

No longer did this sound simple as pie. “I don’t know what I am looking for,” I admitted feeling a little defeated.

“Just like your heart beats, magic has its own sound so to speak. For some it’s a vibration, for others it’s a humming, but its there in your blood pumping alongside your heart. Once you recognize the source you can begin to tap into it,” she explained. “I want you to listen, find the energy within you.”

Listening I heard the rolling waves of the ocean, the evenness of my breathing, in and out. Focusing deeper on myself I picked up the stable rhythm of my heartbeats, pumping strong against my chest. And there keeping time with my heart was a steady hum, traveling throughout my body. I could follow its movements extending from one side to the other.

“I can feel it,” I whispered to Sophie.

“Good,” she said with a smile in her tone. “Now let’s use it. Your powers seem to have an affinity with the elements according to what Gavin has seen. Concentrate on something from nature.”

Something from nature. The first thing that came to mind was butterflies. I pictured the little soft pale yellow butterfly I sometimes saw hovering in the large tree outside my house. How its tiny wings sunbathed on the tree limps during the summer. There was a little tingle at the base of my spine.

Biting my lip, I opened my eyes and saw nothing. “It didn’t work,” I said deflated. She could see the disappointment in my violet eyes.

“There won’t always be so much preparation. Just like anything new the more you practice, the more in tune you will be with your powers.” She looked above my head at Gavin and Jared. “You guys need to leave, you’re distracting her. Especially you,” she said pointedly to Gavin.

I could feel him smirking behind me, but neither protested as I heard them walk back inside the house. My cheeks bloomed in color at her insinuation. Groaning in frustration, I complained, “Why was it so simple before with Gavin?”

“Because you are fighting it. Before you didn’t know what you could do. You opened yourself up on faith and trust, but you are unwilling to trust in yourself. It is holding you back. Believe,” she told me.

Believe that I was a witch – believe in myself. Take a leap of faith on myself. That was asking a lot. With a deep breath I closed my eyes again. Harboring all my determination and attention, I imaged the butterfly, except this time I multiplied by a dozen. Maybe if I envisioned more it would help boost my magic. Whenever I thought of spelling before I thought of hocus pocus rhythms. I couldn’t decide if this was harder or easier harnessing the power this way.

The tingling I’d felt before tripled and expounded throughout my body, filling me with a heady feeling that I craved more of. My mind wanted to get swept away in the sensation.

“Brianna,” I heard Sophie call my name. “Brianna!” It wasn’t till the third or fourth time that her voice penetrated through my thickening concentration.

This time when I opened my eyes a whole new sight greeted me. Hundreds of butterflies in vibrant colors danced in the air around me. Purples, blues, turquoise, pinks – I’ve never seen such beautiful species before. Their delicate wings fluttering against my cheeks like tissue paper. Holding out my hand, a lilac one with black spots landed on the tip of my finger. Laughing I realized that magic didn’t have to be scary, dark or unnatural – it could be wonderful.

I looked to the large picture window and saw Gavin grinning at me through the glass. His dark poetic features reflecting the excitement I felt. Turning to Sophie, she was staring at me.

“Holy crap. I didn’t think I was going to be able to reach you,” she said with butterflies in her hair.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked, as they started to spread out.

“Are you kidding me?” she said smiling. “You just blew the roof off that spell. There must be two hundred butterflies. Very impressive. He was right,” she commented. “I’ve never felt so much energy before and you weren’t even at full potential.”

My smile faded a little from my lips. It worried my each time one of them mentioned on how theoretically strong my magic could be. I didn’t want all that responsibility and I didn’t want to be different. Once in my life I wanted to be like everyone else, or in this case like other witches.

Gavin and Jared came back outside swatting at my butterflies.

“You’re a natural,” Jared stated, his dimples making an appearance.

“Great,” I muttered.

Gavin must have noticed my change in spirit. He came to my side. “Let’s go to my room. I think we’ve had enough witchery for one day.”

“Thanks Sophie,” I called over my shoulder as we headed for the house. Most of the butterflies had taken off in flight.

“What’s wrong?” he asked the moment we stepped into his room. It was just as I remembered it and smelled just like him.

I sighed. “Everyone keeps telling me how much power I have. I don’t want it all. I don’t want to be some super witch.”

“I don’t see how you have much choice in the matter.”

“That’s just it. I’m scared of it. What if I can’t control it? You’ve told me that I’ve used it before and I never even knew.”

“You used magic on me the first time we kissed,” he revealed taking a step closer to me. The air suddenly charged with my aggravation and his aggression.

I don’t know how that was supposed to make me feel better, because it didn’t. If anything I felt worse. “What are you talking about?”

“I felt it that night, under the moon. You demanded me to kiss you. Your eyes lit with this incredible dark violet. The moon reflected in your sultry eyes.”

“Are you saying I made you kiss me?” Dread wove in my belly at the anticipation of his answer.

“No… It wouldn’t have worked if I hadn’t wanted too. You just nudged what I was already thinking,” he said backing me into a corner.

I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. Would everything in my life me so complicated? “I can’t believe that I used magic to make you kiss me,” I said in mortification, completely unaware that he had me cornered.

“You didn’t
make
me Bri,” he said, but I wasn’t listening anymore.

“I’m sorry,” I uttered and turned to leave.

He blocked my exit, grabbing onto my arm his fingers melted into my skin he was so hot. “I’m not,” he said and then the world rocked on its axis.

He cupped the back of my head and brought his mouth down on mine. My back hit the wall of his bedroom as he deepened the kiss and I relished in his taste – dark and sinful. The scent of him heightened every tiny blissful tingle. My world shattered. Ravenously my fingers curled into his dark hair and yanked him closer. Too much space sat between us, and I couldn’t get close enough. Even as the contours of his body molded against mine, it didn’t satisfy the craving for him. I sank into his lips, basking on the feel of his silver hoop teasing mine. The undeniable urge to tug on it was almost too much to resist. Moaning on an explosion of hunger, his hands roamed, skimming the sides of my breast. A shiver raced down my spine at the contact.

His mouth was just a breath away. “Tell me I didn’t make you do that,” I whispered.

“No, you didn’t,” he sighed. “I don’t want to let you go,” he confessed.

“Don’t,” I pleaded.

“I don’t know that I have a choice,” he admitted struggling with his emotions. “There is so much you don’t understand… I don’t understand.”

“What more do you need to know? I thought me being a witch was what you wanted. Now you’re telling me that you don’t know what you want?” The mood was blown and I was tired of feeling misplaced and disconcerted. I wasn’t a yoyo.

“It’s not that simple Bri,” he argued.

“Nothing is with you. I think you should take me home,” I stated emotional spent.

Chapter 2
6

AFTER HE DROPPED ME OFF, I left his car without even a good-bye. Rushing inside I tiptoed up to my room. My aunt was home and I didn’t want to disturb her or honestly talk. I knew that if she took one look at me, she would see the raw emotions I couldn’t hide. Closing the door softly behind me, the room was submerged in darkness. I reached for the light switch. Fumbling along the wall I must have miscalculated how far the switch was. Instead of my hand connecting with the switch as I expected, my head connected with the door of my bathroom.

Everything went black as I lost consciousness.

When I awoke I wasn’t alone and I was no longer in my room. There was giant size knot on the side of my head and a killer pounding at my temples. Scrambling to my feet off the blacktop I raised a hand to the side of my head and caught a flash of red take off around the corner.

“Hey,” I yelled out after the figure.

Taking off, I hit the pavement at a dead run. Not exactly the smartest move. My head protested at the quick movements and slowed me down. As I turned the corner a woman with flaming hair and burning violet eyes so like mine stood a few feet in front of me. She smiled at me and I couldn’t help think she looked like an enchantress. And then it dawned on me. She was the woman from the painting in the Mason’s library. What had Gavin said her name was?

Before I had the chance to mull it over, she beckoned me forward. I didn’t really see how I had a choice. I had no idea how I got here, where I was or what she wanted with me. So of course I followed her.

As we walked I studied her, fascinated by her presence and the amount of confidence she oozed.  Stunning in a black dress, her hair whipped out around her, a striking contrast to the dark she wore. I tore my gaze from hers and looked at my surroundings. It was past time I started figuring out what was going on, or at the very least where we were headed. As the shoreline came into view, I noticed the houses up on the embankment. We weren’t far from Gavin’s house and only a block or two from mine. Somewhere in the middle was my guess.

A gentle breeze ruffled my hair and for the first time I looked down at myself and was stupefied to find that I wasn’t wearing the jeans and tank top I had on all day. Instead I was donned in a white flowing dress that trailed behind me, a similar style to what the flaming haired woman wore. The top part cinched my waist in an old fashion corset. And I was barefoot.

Occasionally she looked over her shoulder at me to see if I was still following. Our identical eyes caught and her name vibrated in my head. Morgana le Fey.

Now I knew I hit my head a lot harder than I thought.

When we reached the shoreline, my feet sunk into the cool sand. The sky was dark and thickly layered in ominous clouds. “What do you want?” I called to her back. My feet were tired and beaten from the lack of protection. I didn’t know how longer I would be able to keep up with her. We were fighting against a wind that seemed to be getting stronger with each step and I flittingly wondered
if
I was the cause. Maybe I was heedlessly using my magic. Where my emotions were concerned anything was possible. What I did know was my body wasn’t up to this long trek after being knocked unconscious.