CarnalHealing (7 page)

But it seemed that the intensity and the pounding rhythm was
finally affecting Jeff, because she felt his body bathe suddenly with sweat and
his breathing take on a ragged note. “Leonore,” he said. “Oh,
god
, Leonore!”

His body stiffened and his head went back, and she saw the
veins standing out plainly in his neck, his heartbeat clearly visible in the
cleft above his breastbone. And, in that moment, when she had forgotten
caution, her magic burst from her like water from a fountain. The colors in the
room glowed like the Aurora Borealis, then winked out, but the tingle of the
magic did not diminish as quickly. Jeff’s eyes, thankfully closed during the
fireworks, opened slowly.

“What
is
that?” he said, sounding a little stunned.

“What is what?” Leonore managed to reply. The magic was
receding, but not fast enough. It buzzed like a mild electrical current.

“Can’t you feel it?”

Leonore regained a little more of her control, and the
now-faltering magic finally withdrew completely. “Feel what?” She pulled back a
little on the bed and felt Jeff’s now-flaccid penis slide from her body. It
left a noticeable void.

“Come on, Leonore, I know you know what I’m talking about.
That…
rush
that seems to happen whenever we have any kind of sex.”

“It’s called an orgasm, Jeff.” Leonore hoped her tone was
dry. If she just didn’t acknowledge the sharing of magic, maybe he’d buy that
it was just exceptionally intense sex.

Jeff shook his head. “No, I assure you I know what an orgasm
feels like. This is something else. Are you seriously telling me you don’t feel
it, too?”

“Oh, I felt plenty, believe me.” She hoped that by sounding
playful, she could distract him.
And I should think about getting out of
here.

But she didn’t feel like leaving—not just yet, anyway. The
bed was comfortable and the sensation Jeff’s substantial bulk settling in next
to her was oddly pleasant. Maybe she’d stay for just a little while. Twenty
minutes. Thirty, tops.

“Okay, be mysterious if you want to.” Jeff’s voice was
starting to sound a little sleepy. It should, considering he’d just come like a
freight train. Twice. “I’ll get it out of you eventually.”

“That’s what
you
think.”But Leonore wasn’t
sure she felt as smug as she sounded.

* * * * *

I can’t believe I actually spent the night with him.

“I can’t believe you actually spent the night with him!”
Millie’s voice boomed through the remote earpiece that connected to Leonore’s
cell phone, causing her to wince. “I can’t wait to hear what Letisha says about
it.”

“Don’t you dare tell Tish. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Leonore squinted in the glare reflecting off the hood of her car.

Ludmilla snorted, an uncharacteristic sound that contrasted
with her ultra-feminine image. “As if she isn’t going to get it out of you in
the first ten seconds, next time you see her. And if you didn’t intend her to
know, you never would have told me.”

“I wouldn’t have told you if you hadn’t caught me off
guard,” said Leonore.

“Oh, yes, you would have. I’m giving you a manicure this
afternoon, remember? I would know the moment I touched your hand.”

“Maybe,” Leonore conceded.

“Definitely. And don’t try to change the subject. Tell me
everything about him. What does he do for a living? Is he gorgeous? Rich?
Details, sister, I need details!”

It was impossible to be annoyed with Millie for any length
of time, and Leonore laughed. Or was it Leonore’s own mood that put her in this
irrepressible good humor?

“I don’t kiss and tell,” she teased, gratified to hear
Ludmilla groan. “But I’ll let you try to drag it out of me later anyway.”
Leonore looked up, realizing she had reached her destination. “Millie, I have
to hang up now. I’ll see you at two.”

“Okay, but don’t be late. My schedule is packed this
afternoon and, besides, I’m dying to hear everything.” Millie made a kissing
sound and ended the call, and Leonore concentrated on steering her car through
the security gate and into the Mass General parking garage.

Although she’d managed to sneak out before Jeff woke up,
he’d told her his schedule last night, and she knew he wouldn’t be in the
hospital until late morning. She wanted to see Lucy before he arrived.

Leonore generally didn’t check up those she anonymously
healed. But something had been nagging at her ever since she awoke, despite her
lovely mood. It was like a sour note in the background of a beautiful symphony.
She had finally identified it as a mild sense of anxiety about the child she
had met the previous morning. She’d been almost home when she found herself
turning her car around and heading back in the direction from which she’d come.
Her route hadn’t taken her directly in front of Jeff’s apartment building, but
she’d still felt a flush rise to her cheeks as she passed his block.

Her sense of foreboding increased as Leonore got off the
elevator. The quiet sour note had grown into a discordant gong, and
apprehension prickled the back of her neck.

Something is wrong.
Checking the hallway for anyone
who might stop her, she edged quickly into Lucy’s room and closed the door.

The child’s appearance shocked her. The rosy glow that
Leonore had noticed with such satisfaction less than twenty-four hours before
was gone, replaced by a pallor even more alarming than the original had been.

“Lucy?” She spoke softly, and the little girl did not stir.
She was entirely too still, and Leonore felt rising panic as she placed her
hand on the small chest, to be replaced by relief when she felt the steady
heartbeat.

The relief was short-lived, however. Nausea rose in
Leonore’s throat as she perceived the unmistakable sensation of cancer cells.

Impossible. I know I got all of it yesterday.

Leonore shook off her own puzzlement deliberately. It didn’t
matter how the cancer had returned—right now, the important thing was to
destroy it. As she had the day before, Leonore began to seek out and destroy
the malignant cells, again carefully avoiding the “soldiers”, easily
identifiable by their wholesome feel.

It took longer than it had the first time, and Leonore began
to be afraid that Lucy’s parents would show up at any moment and demand an
explanation.
Why are these new cancer cells more evil than the old ones? Why
are they even here?
Again, she was thankful for the strength imparted by
her recent lovemaking with Jeff. Strong and plentiful as the corrupt cells
were, Leonore’s magic destroyed them easily, seeming to relish each tiny
victory.
Pop, pop, pop.

Finally, Leonore could find no further signs of cancer, and
Lucy was beginning to stir. Not wanting the child to see her again and,
perhaps, mention her to her parents, Leonore went quickly to the door and
opened it. Seeing no one in the hall, she slipped past, leaving it open as she
had found it. She headed toward the elevator.

She took no more than three steps before stumbling. A
horrible sensation seemed to spread everywhere though her body at once, making
her gasp. Her magic recoiled like a finger that had come in contact with a hot
flame.

What is this?
Leonore’s vision blurred and panic
threatened to overcome her. There was something familiar about the sensation,
but she couldn’t quite remember why. She looked around her, both to check
whether anyone was noticing her discomfort and to try to find a source for the
ghastly sense of…of
evil
that was weighing her down. Luckily, no one
seemed to be paying any attention to her, and Leonore began to feel a lessening
in the panic and apprehension that surrounded her.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw something dark
move quickly. She spun just in time to see the figure of a man turning the
corner near the elevator. The suffocating sensation seemed to lessen as he
moved farther away.

Leonore looked at the elevator and then at the hallway where
the man had disappeared. She longed to escape the floor where, at any moment,
Lucy’s parents might appear. Or Jeff might decide to come in early. But
suddenly, Leonore felt—no,
knew
with complete certainty that the figure
she had glimpsed was responsible not only for the cloud of malice that was even
now dissipating, but for Lucy’s relapse.

Running would attract unwanted attention, so Leonore strode
very briskly toward the corner where the man had disappeared. She couldn’t
remember ever being in this particular section of hallway, which she usually
avoided because it required walking very closely past the nurses’ station.
Luckily, only one person was currently behind the desk and he was engrossed in
a telephone conversation. He took no notice as Leonore rounded the corner and
headed down the hall, trying hard to display a sense of confidence she did not
feel.

Longer than the hall where Lucy’s room was located, this one
also ended in a glass door with an exit sign above it. The man, who Leonore
could now see had very dark hair and clothing to match, had almost reached the
end of the hall, and seemed to be heading for the stairwell. She wondered if an
alarm would sound if he opened the door, like the sign in the other hallway
warned.

Leonore soon had her answer. The man reached the door and
pushed it open without hesitation. No sound ensued, and Leonore felt a sense of
panic.
He’s getting away!
She was tempted to sprint.

The man paused, turning. As his face came around and his
gaze met hers, Leonore felt a flash of recognition. She knew, also, why the
sensation of evil had felt familiar. It was the man from the parking garage
yesterday morning, the one who had stared at her as if he knew she was hiding a
secret. She had felt the same stir of malice then, although to a much lesser
degree. Unbidden, she slowed down and then stopped, wanting to pursue him but
unable to do so. Her magic hummed, communicating a warning beat.
Danger!
Danger!

Then, he smiled. Malevolence seemed to engulf Leonore like a
cloud, leaving her breathless. Then the man turned and slipped through the
doorway, and the sensation of ill will was gone as suddenly as it had appeared.

Chapter Six

“I’m sorry you had to wait. One of the girls came in an hour
late, and we’ve been trying to get back on schedule all day.” Ludmilla settled
herself in the chair opposite where Leonore sat with her hands soaking in a
bowl of warm, fragrant water. Unlike less elegant spas, Millie’s customers were
served in private rooms with curtained doors. She lifted the fluffy towel she
had been carrying and held it in front of her, an indication that Leonore
should withdraw her hands from the moisturizing solution and dry them. The towel
was soft and warm, and Leonore tried to relax as Millie gently massaged through
the fabric.

“What’s with the worried expression? After our phone call, I
was expecting you to be a picture of post-coital bliss.”

Leonore shivered. “Something strange happened after we
spoke. It was…weird.”

Millie withdrew the towel and wheeled her chair back to
deposit it in a wicker hamper. “Weird, how?” She sorted through her manicurist
tools, nodding as if completing a satisfactory inventory.

Leonore had been thinking about what she would tell her
sister about the incident. “Remember when you told me about the strange
customer you had? The one you thought was directing some bad feeling toward
you?”

Now it was Millie’s turn to shiver. “Yes. I-I’ve been
dreaming about it.”

“Have you really?” Leonore felt her concern heighten. “Well,
I think I met someone like that. But with this guy, there’s no doubt about it.
He hates me, Millie. He wishes me harm.”

“Did he say that? Where was this?” Alarm was plain on
Millie’s face, and she was sitting very still.

Leonore shook her head. “No, he didn’t say anything. He
just…just looked at me, and I could feel it. He knew I could feel it too, and I
got the impression he was doing it on purpose. He wanted me to know…something.”
She was frustrated that she couldn’t make herself clearer. “I was at the
children’s hospital,” she went on, ignoring Ludmilla’s rising eyebrows.
“Healing a child. Or, re-healing a child, I should say.“

Leonore described the incident in as great a detail as she
could manage, explaining about how she had become worried about Lucy, and
having seen the man once before. Millie listened without comment but with great
concentration. When Leonore was done, she was silent for a moment.

“I wonder if it was the same man?” she said. “The
description fits—dark-haired, handsome, not too tall.”

“That’s a pretty general description,” Leonore said. “If
Lily was here, she could draw him, but I couldn’t produce much more than a
stick figure.”

“Me, either.” Ludmilla sighed deeply. “Do you think they
could be…you know.”

“Members of the
Draíodóir
?” Leonore shook her head.
“Of course, I considered it. It’s way too coincidental, with the equinox coming
up. And our plans for the power-building ritual, although I can’t imagine any
way they’d have found out about that.”

“If they even exist,” Millie said, but she didn’t sound as
skeptical as Letisha had the other day.

“Well, the man I saw existed, whether he was
Draíodóir
or not. The Druid language must have been a tongue twister.” Ludmilla seemed to
shake herself a little. “We need to talk to all of the circle members about
this, to make sure they’re on their guard. And, as long as you’re here, we may
as well do your manicure. And you can finally tell me about your new lover.”

“Do you have time? I took a long time with my story.”

“I’m fine. My three o’clock cancelled.” Millie froze in the
act of reaching for Leonore’s hands. “Do you think that little girl—Lucy, I
think you called her—is in danger?”

“Maybe. I’m positive that she was completely healed before
the…the stranger showed up. I’ll figure out a way to stop by and check on her
again.”

“Good idea. And, you’d better make sure you keep having
regular sex, in case you have to heal her again.” She held her hands open, and
Leonore place one of hers into them.

Ludmilla gasped, and her mouth formed an “o”.

“What?” Lenore tried to pull her hand back, but Millie
tightened her grip.

“
Leonore.
You didn’t
tell
me!”

“Tell you what?” Leonore was mystified at Millie’s reaction,
but she could see that her friend was beaming, all traces of her earlier
concern having vanished.

“Give me you other hand.” Without relinquishing the hand she
already held, Ludmilla gestured emphatically for the other.

“Millie, tell me what’s wrong,” Leonore said, but put her
left hand into Ludmilla’s right, and felt light pressure as both were squeezed.
Millie closed her eyes, and her smile became positively beatific. She signed
ecstatically.

“Will you tell me what is going on?” Leonore was starting to
get annoyed.

Ludmilla opened her eyes and grinned like the Cheshire cat.
“You’ve been with him.”

“You mean Jeff? I told you I spent the night with a lover.”

“His name is Jeff?
Oooh
, better and better.“

“Tell. Me. What. You. Are. Talking. About.”

“Oh, all right. I was just savoring the moment.” She
squeezed both hands again. “You’ve found him, Leonore. You’ve found your one
true love.”

This time Leonore managed to pull her hands away. “You’re
out of your mind!”

Ludmilla raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “Oh, no,
I’m not. You, Leonore, have met your one true love and have had sex with him. I
can’t believe you didn’t figure it out yourself. Your magic is practically
singing it from the rooftops.”

“My magic isn’t…” Leonore trailed off. She had been about to
say that her magic wasn’t doing anything in the least bit unusual, but that
wasn’t true. Ever since she had met Jeff, her power had become increasingly
unpredictable and difficult to control. But she wasn’t ready to concede so
easily.

“Look, Leonore, Jeff Carson is just an ordinary man. I don’t
think you can be sure—”

Ludmilla cut her off. “Jeff
Carson
? Jeff is short for
Jeffrey, no doubt. Oh, come
on
, Leonore. You’re named after the
Ancestor, and her lover was
Geoffrey Carnaethan.
And you finally meet a
man you like well enough to see a second time—”

“Third,” interjected Leonore, before she could stop herself.

“A
third
time,
and
spend the entire night with
him,
and
your magic has undergone the Transformation,
and
—”

“We’ve never confirmed that the Transformation is a real
phenomenon and not just a myth,” argued Leonore, feeling a little panicky.
Jeff
can’t be my one true love. He just can’t.

“Well, of course we haven’t. You’re the first one of us to
find her one true love. Come on, let me feel it one more time.” Again, Millie
took Leonore’s hands into her own and squeezed them, closing her eyes. “Oh,
it’s
wonderful
. Now I can’t wait for it to happen to me.” She opened her
eyes. “Tell me you haven’t been feeling extra terrific.”

“Well, I was, until I ran into Mr. Evil.”

Ludmilla sobered slightly. “Yes, that seems like an odd
coincidence. Meeting your one true love—” She made a motion as if to cut off
Leonore’s protest “And coming across someone who wishes you harm within
twenty-four hours. We definitely need to talk to the circle about this.”

“Now,” she went on, “I’m going to enjoy the sensation and
give you your manicure, and you’re going to tell me every single, solitary
detail about Mr. Jeffrey Carson while I do it.”

“Actually,” said Leonore, bowing to the inevitable, “It’s
Doctor
Jeffrey Carson.”

“A doctor? Be still my heart!” replied Ludmilla, and the
shadow of the morning’s unsettling incident was banished, at least temporarily.

* * * * *

“You have to tell Jeff.” Letisha said for the third time.
Leonore restrained an urge to get up from the sofa, cross the room, put her
hands around Tish’s cocoa-colored throat and strangle her.

“Tell him
what
?” she said, trying to keep her tone
reasonable. “That he’s my one true love? That I’m a witch? That it was magic,
and not his treatment, that saved Lucy? Or that some unnamed evil man who may
or may not be my mortal enemy might sneak into the hospital to magically bring
the cancer back?” She shook her head. “He won’t even have to call an ambulance
to take me to the psychiatric ward—it’s in an adjoining building. He can have
me hauled over there on a stretcher. In restraints.”

“He may believe you,” argued Lupita. It was the first time
she’d seen her sisters since her return from Mexico, and she’d driven up from
Connecticut for the emergency session at Leonore’s apartment. Two of the other
members of the circle lived farther away, but were anxious to hear what they’d
discussed. Lavinia, the seventh sister, had not returned Ludmilla’s call, but
this wasn’t unusual.

“Why would he believe me? It would sound crazy to anyone who
wasn’t a Leonorean.”

“You
said
he could feel it when you shared magic
during sex,” said Lupita, her tone reasonable. “And he already tried to get you
to explain it. You could start with that.”

“Petey, it’s a long way from, ‘I have this little special
ability that makes your cock tingle’ to ‘You need to put a guard on Lucy’s room
to keep the evil cancer monster out’,” Lenore insisted, stubbornly.

“Well, he’s got to find out he’s your one true love
eventually,” said Millie. “Otherwise, he might never propose marriage.” She
ducked, and the sofa cushion Leonore threw at her sailed over her head.

“How the hell did you get from protecting Lucy to a marriage
proposal?” Leonore seethed.

“
When a Leonorean will fynde her one true love, and laye
with him, she will soon quicken with child, even if she be barren
,” recited
Millie. Leonore looked at her suspiciously—Ludmilla was the least disciplined
of the circle when it came to Leonorean teachings. She had to have looked the
passage up and memorized it this afternoon.

Letisha laughed gleefully. She hadn’t bought as completely
into Ludmilla’s theory as had Petey, but she was enjoying Leonore’s discomfort.
“Hell, you may be pregnant already.”

Leonore flushed, but Millie shook her head. “No, I would
have felt it. But if you accept that Jeff is her one true love—”

“Which I don’t,” interjected Leonore.

“Then it follows that she’ll be pregnant before long. I just
assumed she’d like to get married before she starts having children.”

“What I don’t get is why you’re fighting it so hard,” Petey
said. “If I found
my
one true love, I’d be thrilled.” She sighed
dreamily.

“Yeah,” said Tish. “What’s the deal, baby? Why are you so
sure Millie’s wrong?”

“Because—” Lenore started, then stopped. Why
was
she
so opposed to the idea? If the Leonorean legends they had discovered so far
were to be believed, finding her true love was not only inevitable, it was the
only way she could reach her full potential as a witch.

“Because I’m not ready,” she finished, the excuse sounding
lame even to her own ears. “I thought I’d have more time to explore the group
magic first. It’s been barely a year since we found Lavinia, and had the seven
to complete the circle. And there’s so much we don’t know.”

“Leonore, honey,” Millie said, the teasing tone was gone
from her voice, “You don’t get to choose when it happens. Fate decides.”

“But I thought I’d get some kind of warning. Leonore—the
Ancestor, I mean—had a premonition before she met Geoffrey Carnaethen. Nothing
like that happened to me. I need some time to think about what it might mean,
before I go blurting everything out to him.”

“Look,” said Letisha, “you don’t have to tell Jeff the
truth, whatever that is. But someone has got to watch over that child. And
since he’s her doctor, he seems like the person to start with.”

“No.” Leonore didn’t care what the rest of the circle said,
she would not tell Jeff. She would
not
.

Her tone must have finally gotten through to them because
even Millie stopped arguing, although her expression showed it cost some effort.

“What if I volunteer at the hospital?” said Lupita. “I have
some time off. I could be one of those candy stripers or something.”

Letisha shook her head. “I don’t think volunteers get to
pick the areas they work in, and there may be some kind of training period
before you start. No, Leonore’s going to have to be the one. Jeff can get her
in to see Lucy.”

Leonore’s irritation rose again. “I told you, I’m not—”

“Gonna tell him. I know. But you have an excuse to be on
that floor. You can stop by, say you couldn’t wait to see him. Ask him if he’ll
let you watch him with some of his patients.” Letisha pointed at Leonore’s
answering machine, where the numeral four blinked red. “Tell me those four
calls aren’t all from him. He’d be thrilled if you showed up.”

Leonore resisted the urge to snort. “Oh, yeah, that’s just
what I want to do. Be that needy woman who stalks some man she barely knows at
his job. He’ll think I’m a psycho.”

“No, he won’t,” said Millie. “He’s your one true—”

“
Don’t say it!”

Ludmilla ignored her. “Love. And, whether you believe it or
not, you let him feel your magic. You may not have done that before, but some
of us have, and we know what happens to the guy afterward. Right now, you’re
all he can think about. He’s dying to see you. If you show up at his job, he
won’t question whether it’s appropriate behavior. He’ll just be glad you’re
there.” Lupita and Letisha nodded in agreement, and Leonore threw up her hands.

“Okay, okay. I’ll go by there.” She glanced at the clock—it
was six thirty. “He’s going to be there for at least another hour, I think.
I’ll tell him I’m stopping by on my way home from somewhere.”

“Good girl.” Letisha stood up. “Now, get going. I have to
get back to work.”