Forgotten Visions (The Divinities Book 1) (17 page)

“
I know what
I saw,” Kalissa blurted out for the third time since telling Khloe about the man at the Café.

“It can’t be him. He’s dead! You were there when his heart stopped beating.” Khloe had real panic in her voice. She wanted to believe what she said, but Kalissa felt her sister’s doubt as well as heard it in her words.

“I know,” Kalissa said quietly.

“He could be a relative. A cousin or some family member of his father’s,” Khloe said.

“Maybe,” Kalissa replied. She wanted to change the subject but didn’t know what to say.

“Did you tell Ayden?”

“About who I thought I saw?” Kalissa shook her head. “No. I’m still not sure if it was him.”

There was a loud thump followed by rattling windows, and it caused them to stop talking. Khloe looked to Kalissa. “I didn’t do that,” she said defensively.

Kalissa laughed. “It sounded like something fell outside. A very large something.”

“Guys, you’ve got to come see this,” Lydia called from the back door.

Kalissa and Khloe looked at each other and shrugged. They hurried downstairs and to the back door. Lydia and Melaina stood on the back porch, looking into the yard. Kalissa followed their line of sight to see something truly unexpected. Teddy-Bear lay flat on their back with all four legs in the air. Rolling back and forth, they laughed while they scratched their back on the ground. Their paws were waving wildly in the air as they played. By the looks of it, they seemed very happy with their new living arrangements.

Their body froze when they noticed they had an audience. “Hey, Ted, the peeps are watching us,” Bear whispered loudly.

“I noticed,” Teddy said. They flipped over and stood. “Is something wrong?”

Kalissa shook her head, a wide smile on her face, her past worries temporarily pushed to the back of her mind. “No. We were just noticing how happy the two of you look.”

“Who wouldn’t be happy?” Bear rolled his eyes.

“We have more freedom here,” Teddy answered, and then they were back to one of them starting a sentence and the other finishing it.

“No outside peeps to notice…”

“…a two-headed, truck-sized hound romping around in the backyard.”

“Well, romp all you want.” Kalissa swept her arm toward the property. “There’s plenty of room to do it. Just be careful about jumping too close to the house. It shakes the whole thing.”

“We will, little mum,” they said in unison and trotted off to play in the wooded area of the grounds, their huge tail wagging happily behind them.

Kalissa laughed at the two of them and could totally see why her mother loved them so. This was a diversion she needed. Togetherness and the feeling of family were seeping its way back into their lives, and it felt wonderful. She turned around to head back inside. There was a knock at the door that made her heart flip in the confines of her ribcage. Kalissa looked at the clock and smiled as butterflies fluttered in her belly. It was four in the evening, and time for Ayden to show up. Going to the front door, she felt like she was fifteen again as she reached out to the doorknob and opened it.

She frowned at Zach, standing in the doorway, holding a couple of suitcases. Zach smiled at her. “Ayden said he changed his mind. I’m moving in, instead.”

“Oh, hell no!” Khloe came up behind Kalissa.

Kalissa sighed and turned to the others, now standing behind her. “I’m sorry. I forgot to mention it. Ayden is moving in.”

Khloe waved her sister off. “We already knew that. I said ‘hell no’ to Zach moving in. Good gods, I see enough of him as it is.” Khloe laughed and dodged Zach’s foot when he swung it out at her. 

Kalissa laughed and stepped aside for Zach to come in. She looked out to the driveway and saw Ayden pulling two more suitcases out of his Jeep. “When did you get the Jeep?” she asked Zach.

“I teleported to the cabin last night and drove it down. Good thing I have a great boss to give me the day off to pick up
his
Jeep,” Zach said loud enough for Ayden to hear him.

Laughing again, she waited anxiously for Ayden to climb the stairs to the porch. When he did, Kalissa was overcome by his power. Melaina was right. Ayden’s gift was very powerful. Kalissa didn’t know how he dealt with all that power.

“I learned to lock it down,” Ayden said when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his body. Kalissa frowned at him for reading her mind. “I’m sorry. I think it’s our bond.”

“Oh,” she whispered and then nipped at his ear playfully. Another thing to get used to. Her bond with her twin was something she’d been born with, but the connection with Ayden was new. 

“Anyone hungry?” Lydia asked sheepishly.

Kalissa laughed. “Yes, I am.”

Lydia smiled. “Oh, good. I thought I was the only one.”

“Don’t worry, I eat like a pregnant woman, too,” Zach replied.

Khloe laughed and said, “That is so true.” She linked arms with Lydia and tugged her toward the kitchen. “Let’s go make a snack.”

They disappeared into the kitchen with Zach right behind them. 

Liam’s mood had
turned from bad to lethal by the time he pulled into the driveway of his Jacksonville home. He’d watched as Kalissa had gotten cozy with the sheriff of Maxville at the Café. It took every fiber of self-control he possessed to keep from revealing who he really was. If he did that, he would never be able to take her as his mate. Besides, he was not ready to reveal too much to her yet. She’d recognized him at the Café. The icy stare she’d cast him spoke volumes.

On top of that, Samoan had shown up with a stick up her ass.

Demetrius had something cooking, and the Divinities were in for a big surprise. Liam planned to be there when things went down, waiting for the right time to strike.

He walked through the front door of his two-story, Victorian-style home into the foyer. Liam had moved into the eleven-thousand-square-foot house about five years ago. There were no neighbors for miles.

His father had moved into one of the apartments above the warehouse about two years ago to be closer to Grayson Distributions and farther away from the memories of his wife. The regret had become too painful for Paul to stay in the home that he’d designed for his wife in hopes of keeping her happy.

Now, Liam would give the mansion to his Kalissa as their wedding gift.

His biker boots fell heavily on the white marble floor as he made his way to his office. It was one of two rooms he truly called his. The other room was his bedroom suite, directly above the office. The rest of the house held painful memories of his mother and her rejection when she’d found out that her husband and child were demons. The most undesirable room was the kitchen.

Arriving home about fifteen minutes before his father, he entered through the front door to a well-lit house. It was just past midnight. His mother should have been in bed asleep. The eerie silence set him on edge, making his pulse race.

“Mom?” he called out. Something was wrong. He felt it. His mother was supposed to be safe, protected by Khan’s Regals. Any demon who touched her signed his death warrant.

Stalking farther into the house, he stopped even with the kitchen entrance. Death drifted in the air, making his blood boil. He would rip through the Underworld to get his hands on any creature that had touched her in any way.

Taking a sharp turn, he rushed into the kitchen, only to stop cold. Emotions mounted in him, overflowing to become tears streaming down his face. He shook uncontrollably and let out a cry of agonizing pain.

In the center of the large kitchen, dangling by a decorative support beam with a thick rope around her neck, was Barbra Loomis—or rather her lifeless body. An overturned chair lay beneath her feet.     

Liam had had to leave the house before his father got home, because he knew he would have killed him. After that night, their father-son relationship changed.

Sitting down in front of the computer, he fired it up, took out the digital camera from his shirt pocket, and plugged the USB into the computer. As he waited for the pictures to download, his phone rang. He pulled the phone out of his pants pocket and answered it.

“Yeah?”

“Any news?” Demetrius asked in his usual neutral tone. The demon never showed any emotion unless it concerned his daughter.

“The Sinew has a keeper. Besides that, they are still waiting for your next move.” Liam sat back in his high-backed, black leather chair, his jaw clenched. The demon General never gave information, he just demanded it. But Liam knew the Echens would be released soon, and he was going to be there.

“Yes. I know of Hecate’s hounds,” Demetrius replied in a flat tone. After a few moments of silence, he added, “Do you want to speak to your father?”

Liam released a heavy sigh. “Nope.”

“Very well. Keep me updated on the Divinity activity.”

Liam didn’t have time to reply before the line went dead. That was Demetrius, though. He was never one for small talk. The only reason he’d asked if Liam wanted to talk to his father was that it was getting close to the anniversary of his mother’s death. Liam didn’t want to talk about it. He blamed his father for her death. If only he had manned up and made the woman his bonded mate, Liam would have his mother with him now.

Instead, Paul had wanted to live a normal
human
life with his human wife and half-human son. Paul had kept Liam in his human state by feeding him a potion made specifically for slowing the demon DNA in human-demon halfbreeds. Only Paul ignored the warnings of the damaging effects the potion had on the mind. The one thing they’d never anticipated was the change in Liam’s DNA. Somehow, he was stronger and possessed powers normal demons did not.

Liam also blamed his father for him losing Kalissa. She would be by his side now instead of the male he’d stolen her from fifteen years ago.

I’ll just have to steal her all over again.

A beep from the photography software indicated that the photos on the camera were downloaded. He unplugged the USB cable and began to choose his photos carefully. After a couple of changes through editing and cropping, he printed two photos to add to the collection in his bedroom.

Walking out of the office, he headed upstairs to his room and stuck the photos onto the large mirror over his dresser. They fit in perfectly with his growing collection. He reached out to his favorite photo. It was of Kalissa and her sister on a shopping trip. Kalissa had been happy that day. She had the most beautiful smile. Stroking her laughing face with his thumb, he vowed, “We will be together again, my love.”

Lydia stood at
her bedroom window watching the pinkish orange sky fade into darkness. Twilight was the death of day and the birth of night. All passing ceremonies were held around this time. The symbolism of death and rebirth, the cycle of life.

Noah, Vanessa, and a few other coven members arrived an hour before sunset to help with preparations for Jacen’s passing ceremony. Lydia wanted it simple, but after meeting the Danielses, she knew their taste for simple was a little more elegant than hers. Khloe advised her to let the Elders handle it and take it easy.

Relaxation had been missing from her life since the day she’d lost her parents. It hadn’t been good enough for the demons to take them away. No, they had to come back and take her husband and now her brother. Although Jacen’s death had been more self-inflicted, leaving a hole in her heart and an emptiness in her soul. She was a little angry with him but understood why he thought he had to do it.  

They’d been bonded siblings since they were teens. Their mother had hoped it would quiet the voices of his telepathic ability. It had helped some, and with Lydia’s help, he was able to mute the chatter to a hum. But as they’d gotten older and started their own lives, the bond had weakened, and his control over the noise slipped. If only she could have done more for him. 

“We could have found another way, brother.” She sighed, moved to her bed, and removed a family photo along with a single picture of Jacen from one of her albums. She wrapped a black cotton handkerchief around the photos in a protective shroud so they could be placed with his body.

A soft knock on her bedroom door put a rush in her step. She’d taken much too long preparing herself. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Khloe walked inside. Her new friend had released her glamour spell, revealing her natural, dark blond hair that matched Kalissa’s perfectly. The only way to tell them apart now was the fact that Khloe’s hair was shorter, falling about two inches below her shoulders and her eyes were teal, opposed to Kalissa’s violet.  

“The only magic inside the circle is that of the Priest and Priestess,” Khloe said with a smile and an eye roll.

Lydia laughed softly. She knew the ritual rules, but Khloe was complaining, politely. One last look in the mirror to check her long, fiery red hair and to smooth her black, floor-length gown over her baby bump, she was as ready as she’d ever be to say goodbye to another loved one.

They were burying Jacen in a tiny cemetery about two hundred yards from the Bradenton home where Kalissa and Khloe’s parents had been laid to rest. Because Connie Bradenton had listed the land and farmhouse as part of the coven with the town’s property appraiser’s office, they could have a legal, private burial ground on the grounds.

In the backyard, four elfin males waited beside Jacen’s casket. They were beautiful in a masculine kind of way, with hair that brushed the tops of their broad shoulders and pointed ears that stuck out slightly through the dark strands. Their skin glowed with otherworldly magic.

Taking her eyes from the elves to look around, Lydia was surprised at the amount of people who had come to pay their respects. Most of the faces were familiar from her visit to the coven that morning. A sense of belonging filled her heart and tears threatened to overspill her lids. She’d always felt like an outsider among Mikal’s people.

Her eyes found Zach talking quietly to Ayden off to the side. As if feeling her stare, his gaze shifted to meet hers. A moment later, he headed her way. His ruffled light brown hair begged for fingers to run through it. The gold in his brown eyes intensified as he stalked toward her. Warmth flushed over her skin, and she knew her cheeks blushed. She looked away. This was wrong on so many levels. Why did she have the urge to drag the deputy off to a private room?

“Hi.” His husky voice brought her eyes back to his. He reached out to take her hand but let his drop before it made contact. Uncertainty marred his features.

Nervously, Lydia took his hand and gave a slight squeeze. “Hello, Zach.”

His smile sent a flare of desire through her. The baby stretched, and she gasped at the sudden discomfort and rubbed circular motions over the protruding section of her swollen belly.

Zach was about to say something, but Noah appeared beside them. “Lydia, we are ready to begin when you are.”

She nodded and stepped away from Zach. “I’m ready.”

In single file—with Noah and Vanessa leading—they followed the casket through the woods to Jacen’s new resting place.

They came to a stop at an open grave inside a gated cemetery. Only two headstones sat in the middle of the area. Jacen’s grave lay to the left of Connie and Troy Bradenton’s.

The elfin men lowered the casket into the hole and stepped back, beyond where the circle would be cast.

Vanessa conjured a small altar table and began placing ritual items on it while Khloe passed out small white candles. The Divinities lit their wicks with the will of minds and then turned to the guests and illuminated their tapers.

“Brothers and sisters, we gather on this night to bid farewell to Jacen Rayners—Divinity, brother, son, and friend.” Noah’s deep, confident voice boomed through the silence of the night.  He held his hand out to Lydia. “Would you like to light his candle?”

She nodded, not trusting her voice, and stepped closer. Instead of using magic, she reached out a shaky hand and dipped her candle to the one in the middle of the altar, meshing flame to wick. With a shuddered breath, she stepped back.

Once the candle flared to life, Noah spoke. “Just like the flare, Jacen’s memories will burn in the hearts of those who knew him and loved him.”

Everyone raised their arms with lit candles still in hand and chanted, “May the Divine embrace Jacen, surround him with their love, and give him ease so that he may be free to journey on to a new adventure.”

Arms lowered, and Noah completed the ritual. “Death is not the end, but the transition from this life to the next. We bid Jacen safe passage into the Afterworld and to his next life.”

When the circle was broken, the guests smiled sweetly and offered their condolences as they made their way toward the house for snacks and refreshments. Lydia’s heart swelled at the amount of love and friendship the Maxville Coven offered her.

Spotting Ayden and Kalissa, she pulled them to the side. “I want you to know that you shouldn’t feel guilty about Jacen. He, um…the voices were too much for him. I believe he was looking for a way out.” Sadness wrapped around her as she spoke the words out loud.

A sobbed gasp escaped Kalissa, and she pulled Lydia into a hug, causing the dam holding back the flood of tears to break. “I’m so sorry. We are all here for you. Anything you need.”

Nodding, Lydia allowed the other woman to hug her.

After several moments, she pulled back and wiped the tears from her cheek. “I am grateful for all of you. He just couldn’t…”

Ayden rubbed her arm. “I know. I heard his thoughts, too. I didn’t understand them at first, but now they make sense. He felt you would be safe and happy with us.”

Lydia sniffed and bobbed her head. “I know. Thanks.”

As they made their way back to the house, a calm fell over her. Jacen was free from his torment but hadn’t left her alone. She had a new family and new friends. Her son would be raised in a positive and strong household. And if it were the last thing she did, her mother would be found. And the demons would pay for their crimes.