CarnalHealing (12 page)

“I’m not sure what’s so funny,” she said. “But it’s better
than what I expected.”

“What did you expect?” Jeff asked, wiping his eyes. He
realized that he felt much better.

“That you’d tell me you never wanted to see me again.”

He nodded. “It crossed my mind. But I don’t think I could
manage it. Not seeing you again, I mean. Could you?”

Lenore frowned, then she shook her head slowly. “No. No, I
don’t think so. “Then,” she sighed, “Jeff, there’s more I haven’t told you.”

“
More?
” The helpless laughter threatened to return,
but Jeff managed to check it. “What more could there possibly be?”

“Well…” She looked around, as if for the right words. “What
we—I mean, me and Tish and the other Leonoreans—what we know about the history
of our magic is spotty at best. Most of the lore was passed down through
generations and, by the time someone bothered to write it down, it was changed
to the point that you can’t tell what’s real, and what’s been exaggerated or
just plain made up.”

Jeff nodded, and she continued. “More than one source
references something called the
Mutatio—
the Transformation. It’s
something that happens to a Leonorean’s magic when…when a certain event takes
place in her life.”

Jeff was intrigued. “What event?”

“I’ll get to that. I don’t know how clearly you remember
what happened when you were—impaled on that cable.”

“I remember there was a commotion going on, and then I
remember arguing with you about calling the emergency room.”

She nodded. “Well, that commotion was me, fighting the
Draíodóir
.
I was able to sort of reflect his own power back onto him—use it to push him
over the edge.”

“You told me that,” Jeff replied.

“Yes, but what I didn’t tell you was that
I’ve never done
anything like that before
. No Leonorean has, at least not the ones I’ve met
or read about. Except for the witches in the legends, after they underwent the
Transformation.”

“And you think that’s what happened to you?”

Leonore took a deep breath. “Yeah. I think that’s exactly
what happened. Which means…” She stopped, and Jeff though she might be blushing
again.

“Which means what?”

She looked at him, her expression wry. “Which means
Millie—Ludmilla—was right about you.”

“I don’t understand,” Jeff replied. “I’ve never even met
Millie.”

Leonore smiled. “You’ll like her. Ludmilla’s power is
different than mine—she can tell a lot about what’s going on with a person by
touching them. And, when she touched me, she told me I was undergoing the
Transformation. I didn’t want to believe her.”

“This is all very interesting,” Jeff said, meaning it. “But
what does it have to do with me?”

Leonore took another deep breath, blew it out, then said. “I
think it’s because, when you threw yourself between me and the
Draíodóir
’s
missile, you were willing to sacrifice your life to save mine. According to the
legends, a Leonorean only undergoes the Transformation when…when she is loved
by the man who is destined to be her ultimate—her final—lover. Her one true
love.”

Chapter Nine

Leonore couldn’t believe she’d actually used the words—
one
true love
. Even more astonishing was that she believed them. But she’d had
a lot of time to think while Jeff had been sleeping, exhausted as much from the
emotional roller-coaster ride as physical trauma, no doubt.

The Transformation had been real. Millie claimed it had
started the first time Leonore had sex with Jeff, but she’d been able to ignore
those first, more subtle changes. But the power that crackled around her now
was undeniably different.

“Leonore,” Jeff said, calling her back to the conversation
at hand. She tried to read his expression and failed.

“What?” she asked.

“What you just said—that I’m…that we’re…” He seemed at a
loss for words.

“Destined to be together,” she finished. “I know, we’ve only
known each other for a few days. But the magic doesn’t lie, Jeff. Believe me, I
fought the idea myself. I didn’t think this would happen so soon. I thought I’d
have more time.”

Jeff looked puzzled. “More time for what?”

“More time with my sisters.”

“You mean Letisha, and the other…witches?”

Leonore nodded. “Yes. I’ve always known I was a witch. My
mother told me, when I was still a child. She knew a little about the history
of the Leonoreans—it’s why she gave me the name. And she’d met some other
witches, but the idea to find others—to form a circle—that was mine. I thought
I’d have more time to learn about what we are, and what we can do, before…” She
trailed off. This was still new to her too.

“Before you met me,” Jeff finished.

“Right,” she said. “I’d always studied the lore, what I
could find anyway. My mother always thought of it as a fun little hobby. She
was proud of what she was, but never thought about taking it farther.”

“Did she heal people too?”

Leonore shook her head. “No, it doesn’t work that way.
Daughters in the Leonorean bloodline usually have
some
power, but it’s
not necessarily the same as the mother’s. Mom can—could, she passed away three
years ago—see through objects.”

“You mean, like x-ray vision?” Jeff smiled. “I’ll bet she
was wicked at blackjack.”

He was joking. Good. Leonore felt some of the tension leave
her face, and she smiled back. “Yes, you did
not
want to play cards with
my mother. She was too honest to run a serious scam, and she certainly didn’t
need the money, but I had some suspicions about her popularity as a bridge
partner.”

“You took magic more seriously, I guess.”

She nodded. “Maybe it was because I’m a healer. I felt like
I had a responsibility to understand what I was—what I am. So I got serious
about the magic. One of the first things I found out was that there are rituals
to strengthen power, but that they could only be performed by groups of
witches. Leonorean witches, I mean. So, I started looking for them.”

“When?” Jeff asked. “Did you find them right away?”

“Not at first. I was still a teenager, and I didn’t know
where to look. I thought Wiccan groups might be a good place to start, but that
was a bust.”

“Not the real thing?”

“No,” she said. “Not that I’m saying all Wiccans are
powerless—far from it. Some of them take their magic very seriously and study
hard. And some achieve a certain degree of power. But, without the blood, they
aren’t of any use for the Leonorean rituals. I was pretty frustrated. I almost
gave up. Then, I ran into Tish.”

“Where?”

“At a Summer Solstice festival in Vermont. She was doing the
same thing I was—checking out the Wiccan events, hoping to run across another
Leonorean, not really expecting to find one. She shook my hand and,
bam
.”
She smiled at the memory—the astonishment on Tish’s face, mirroring the shock
Leonore had felt. “That really energized us both to step up the search.”

“And now there are seven?” Jeff asked.

“Yes. The number required for the most powerful rituals. We
just found Vinnie—Lavinia—a few months ago. Now the circle is finally
complete.”

Jeff grinned. “And, just when everything was going so well,
I came along and upset the apple cart.”

Does this mean he’s accepting it all?
“Well, yes, in
a way.”

His grin turned to a frown. “Maybe…” he started, then
stopped.

“Maybe what?”

“This is all new to me, and you’re the one who’s been living
with it for years. But it seems like a pretty big coincidence. You get your
circle together, then you meet your…you meet
me
. At the same time, this
sorcerer guy shows up, and it turns out he’s a member of some group that’s
sworn to destroy you.”

The hair stood on the back of Leonore’s neck. “It’s a bigger
coincidence than you know,” she said. “In a few weeks, it’s the autumn equinox.
And not just any equinox—the position of the planets this year is special.”

“Special, how?”

“Any ritual performed at the exact moment that the earth
reaches its closest point to the sun will be more powerful than in over three
hundred years.”

“I don’t suppose,” Jeff said, “That you and your sisters are
planning just such a ritual.”

She nodded. “Yes. We’re flying to England, in order to
perform it at a place near where the original Leonore’s children—her seven
daughters—are supposed to have first done it.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“I, uh, had another thought,” Jeff said. He was smiling
again.

“What’s?”

“You said that healing drains your magic, and sex
replenishes it.”

“Yes,” she replied and, like a dozing cat overhearing its
name, her magic seemed to stir and stretch.

“Well, I’d imagine that after what you did for me last
night, your tank must be just about empty.”

Leonore laughed. Trust a man to think about sex, right in
the middle of a heavy discussion. “Yes, it’s pretty drained. Although, not as
much as I’d expect. I think the Transformation makes it a little more
resilient.”

“Do you need to recharge?” His smile was becoming positively
lascivious.

“It wouldn’t hurt,
” Leonore admitted.
“Also, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“What’s that?”

“Once a Leonorean has undergone the Transformation, and
she’s met her true—well, you know.” She was still not totally comfortable
calling Jeff her true love. Not until he acknowledged it aloud. But he nodded,
and she went on. “The sex is supposed to change. To intensify.”

His eyes widened. “It’s been pretty damn intense already,”
he said. “I told you, before I even knew what was going on, that I didn’t think
it was normal.”

“That’s because I shared magic with you.
Unintentionally—I’ve always been able to control that before. But with you, the
power kept slipping through.”

He nodded. “I see.” Leonore could practically smell his
arousal.

“But after the Transformation, it’s supposed to get more
extreme. The lovers—the predestined couple—are able to sort of experience one
another’s sensations. It’s supposed to be incredible.”

That got his attention. “I guess,” he said slowly, and the
sound of his voice made Leonore’s senses—and her magic—dance. “There’s only one
way to find out.”

He walked over and took her hand, and she stood to meet him.
Leonore expected him to kiss her, but he reached up and held her face in his
hands and just stared at her for a few seconds.

The magic flowed up her body and into the skin of her cheeks—and
into his hands. His eyebrows rose, then he smiled.

It was incredibly arousing. Leonore almost whimpered, so
badly did she want him to lean forward and put his lips on hers, but she
waited. She realized she was holding her breath.

Then, finally, he kissed her.

The magic surged through Leonore and into Jeff, and he made
a small noise in the back of his throat but didn’t break the kiss. Their
tongues touched, explored and danced, and the sensation of the kiss combining
with the magic was like champagne bubbles bursting in their mouths. Leonore
wanted to melt, to go limp, but still the kiss went on.

When he finally broke the kiss, her face was still cradled
in his hands. Without realizing it, she’d moved so that their bodies were
touching from toe to chest, and they were cocooned in the power’s embrace. The
air shimmered, as if they were inside a cloud of sparkling dust.

Jeff’s hands slid down to her back as he gazed around, wonder
in his expression.

“If this is what your magic is like when it’s depleted, I
can’t wait to feel it full strength.”

“Neither can I,” Leonore breathed, and he looked puzzled.

“It’s transforming,” she explained. “After we…make love, it’s
going to be stronger than before.”

“Let’s go,” he said, and his voice was deep and full. He
took her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.

They made it about halfway up the flight of steps before the
magic seemed to take control of Leonore. She stopped, and Jeff, still holding her
hand, turned to see why. Her arms flew up, as if of their own volition, and
wrapped around him, and her weight pushed him back onto the steps.

“Leonore, we’re almost—” he started, but she stopped him
with another kiss.

The awkward position should have made it hard to get his
jeans unzipped, but Leonore’s fingers were nimble with power. In seconds, she
had his cock in her hand. It wasn’t fully hard yet, but it throbbed and
twitched and stiffened, even as she squeezed it.

Leonore felt the wonderful, aching pressure as if it were
happening between her own legs. Caught off guard, she gasped, pulling her mouth
away from his.

Jeff looked at her face. “Did you…feel that?” he asked, his
voice husky.

“Yes,” she managed. “It was as if…” She squeezed again, and
again she felt the throb. She was Leonore and yet not Leonore. “Jeff, you have
to…you should…”

“I’m way ahead of you,” he said, as he reached to unzip her
pants. Within moments, he had a hand inside her panties, his forefinger dipping
into her wetness as his thumb brushed against her clit.

She gasped again, and as her body tensed from the pleasure, Leonore
involuntarily gave his cock another squeeze. The twin sensations—his and hers—crashed
against one another like roiling waves, and she almost lost her breath.

“Oh, my god,” Jeff said, sounding as breathless as Leonore
felt. “That’s…that’s…oh, my god.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I thought I wanted to do it right here.
But if this keeps up, we’re going to roll down the stairs.”

“It would be worth it,” he said, and his finger slid farther
inside her.

“A-a-a-ah,” Her moan was a rising note. She rolled to one
side, her back against the banister rails, so her arm was free, and started to
slide her hand rhythmically, up and down the shaft of his cock, which was now
rock hard. She could feel the smoothness of his skin against her palm, and at
the same time she felt the pressure of her hand as it slid from his balls up to
the head. He groaned.

“Jesus,” he said. “We need to…we need to get somewhere so I
can touch every part of you.”

“Not unless I get a turn too.” Reluctantly, Leonore released
his cock, then felt his finger slide out of her cunt. Her breath was already
ragged, but she reached for the banister and pulled herself to her feet.

Luckily, it was only a few steps to the bed.

They wouldn’t have made it otherwise.

Leonore’s jeans were already unzipped and pulled partway
down her hips, so she pulled them past her ass, then sat on the bed to tug them
the rest of the way off. Before she could finish, Jeff lifted her and tossed her
onto her back in the center of the bed, then grabbed the hem of both jean legs
and tugged. Laughing, Leonore lifted her legs so they could slide off more
easily.

“You too,” she told him, and he stepped out of his jeans and
crawled up the bed so he was kneeling between her thighs.

“Off with the T-shirt, woman,” he commanded, then helped Leonore
pull it over her head.

He grinned and did that eyebrow dance Leonore was already
starting to love. “Let’s see…where to start,” he teased, then slid backward and
leaned toward her pussy, tongue already visible between his lips.

“Whoa,” she said. “Just wait a minute. If you get to feel what
it’s like when you go down on me, then I want to know what a blowjob is like
for you. Lie on your side.”

He stopped, shrugged and obeyed. Leonore pivoted, then lay
facing him. The tip of his cock was right in front of her mouth, and she
reached to pull it closer, just as she felt the side of his head rest against her
thigh as he nuzzled his face between her legs and put the tip of his tongue
against her clitoris.

She felt his body tense, and she opened her mouth and slid
her lips around the head of his cock.

The simultaneous tingle of her clit, which he was licking
and sucking and pushing against the edge of his teeth with his tongue, and the
unfamiliar throb of her phantom cock as she sucked, hard, almost made Leonore
come on the spot. But she was afraid that if she did, he would too, and she
didn’t want this new, amazing sensation to stop.

With her free hand, Leonore encircled the shaft of his penis
and rubbed her thumb along the line of taut flesh on the underside. The
intensity of the pleasure made her understand why almost every man she’d ever
touched in that spot moaned aloud. Leonore did so herself and almost laughed
when she heard Jeff doing the same. They sounded like they were performing in
stereo.

Which, she supposed, they were.

She let his cock slide out of her mouth and nibbled along
the underside, then caught the shaft between her teeth, gently. She felt the
pressure and played with the line between pain and pleasure.
Amazing.
She cupped his balls, squeezed experimentally.
Careful
, she told herself.
Too much of that particular good thing could be dangerous.