Retribution (31 page)

“What?”

“I've never heard of anyone having that ability, Layla. Cracking open one mind is a challenge, and you unintentionally opened more than twenty. If you hone that skill, who knows what you could do with it. It could come in handy.”

“I guess, but I don’t have a clue how to hone it, and what just happened wouldn’t do anyone any good. It was a jumbled mess.”

“It was an unprecedented magical feat.”

“I bet you can do it, too.”

He grinned and raised his eyebrows. “Maybe. Then we could hone together.”

“Mm… that sounds a lot more fun than honing by myself.”

He laughed as he glanced at the waiting magicians, noting their expressions and auras had mellowed. “Ready to go wipe those confused looks off their faces?”

Her cheeks reddened as she drew a deep breath. “Yes. I hate that I have to start the introductions with an apology.”

“You don't have to apologize, Layla.”

“Yes I do.”

“You didn't mean to.”

“That doesn't matter. If you step on someone's toes, you apologize whether you meant to do it or not.”

“I see your point.” Pulling her under his arm, he lifted her hand to his lips. “Let's go get this over with.”

The rest of the visit went much smoother than the beginning, and while Layla's cheeks stayed warm, the more she dealt with the process of revealing herself and her lights, the easier it became. She knew what to expect from people now, the wide eyes and open mouths, and she found the reactions easy to ignore if she had a distraction. In the case of Kegan's coven, her distraction was his niece – Shaylee.

Following Layla's bold apology, she and Quin took their seats. Then he introduced her to the two families that comprised the coven. Layla paid close attention to this part, trying to remember at least some of the names, and after meeting over two dozen people, her gaze returned to Kegan’s niece.

Shaylee had just turned one, Quin had explained. And she was precious as she sat at her mom's feet, fidgeting with a daisy while raptly staring at Layla, who was equally enthralled. The baby had bright platinum hair that stuck out in every direction because it was too thick and too short to go anywhere else, and her angular face held small, pixie-like features. Except for her eyes. Her eyes were huge and lime-green, and they sparkled like the top of a lake on a sunny day. Her aura was small, but bright, almost the same color as her hair, and her fair skin shimmered despite the gloomy weather.

Quin went into his explanation, and Layla tuned him out, offering the baby a smile and a wave. Shaylee returned both gestures then fidgeted more intensely, like she wanted to stand, but wouldn't give in to the urge.

Layla left her chair and got comfortable on the grass in front of it, and Quin's story paused as he watched her. Once he realized she wasn't going anywhere, he continued.

Layla smiled at Shaylee while motioning for her to come over, and the baby’s aura brightened as she pushed herself to her feet and toddled across the circle. Layla patted the ground in front of her, and Shaylee sat, expectantly looking up with mesmerizing eyes.

Layla leaned close and whispered. “Hi, Shaylee. You have a very pretty name.”

To Layla’s surprise, Shaylee responded, her voice small and adorably sweet. “Ankoo.”

“You're welcome,” Layla returned, her heart melting. “Do you like daisies?”

Shaylee gave an avid nod. “Es.”

Layla summoned a large pile of miniature daisies between them, and Shaylee's eyes widened and twinkled.

Unable to look away from the baby’s beautiful gaze, Layla blindly picked up a daisy. “When I was a little girl, I liked to put flowers in my friends' hair.” She slowly tucked the bloom into one of her own curls as an example. Then she grabbed another. “Would you like a flower in your hair?”

“Es.”

Layla tucked a daisy into Shaylee's soft, white hair, using a short-term dose of magic to help it stay. Then she leaned back and smiled. “Beautiful. Would you like one on the other side?”

“Es,” Shaylee answered, handing over another daisy.

“Would you like to put one in my hair?” Layla asked.

This made the baby very happy, and she bounced while grabbing another flower. “Es!”

Layla quietly laughed as she stretched out on the grass, lowering her head so Shaylee could reach it. “Tell you what – I'll put some in your hair, while you put some in mine.”

This time Shaylee grabbed a whole handful of flowers. “Tay!”

Shaylee stayed quiet as she concentrated on her task, and Layla held her head perfectly still while giving the baby a crown of daisies. With time to spare, Layla moved on to a matching bracelet, so she was braiding flower stems around Shaylee’s tiny wrist when Quin said her name.

Careful not to move, Layla called back. “Yeah?”

“You can let your aura go.”

“Oh, okay.”

Worried the sudden explosion of color might scare the baby, Layla considered moving away to release it, but she couldn't make herself go anywhere. A tiny palm had just touched her cheek, and big, green eyes were intently watching her.

Layla smiled and softly tapped Shaylee’s nose. “Would you like to see my aura?”

Shaylee straightened and bobbed her head. “Es.”

“Okay, but it's going to be really big and really bright, so get ready for it.”

“Tay.”

Watching the baby’s eyes, Layla released her aura, and of course she couldn't see a thing, but nearly everyone else gasped or mumbled, and she could hear Weylin laughing.

“Wow,” Shaylee exclaimed, running her fingers through the air.

Layla giggled as she glanced at Quin. “Look, Shaylee. Quin’s going to show off his aura now.”

Shaylee obeyed, and Quin smiled at her as he released his new and improved aura.

“Wow,” Shaylee repeated.

Several people stuttered questions at Quin, but he ignored them as he left his chair and lay on the ground, letting Shaylee get a closer look at his aura. Layla
was
able to see his, so it made for a more beautiful moment when Shaylee ran her fingers through the air a second time.

Quin took a flower from the pile and transformed it into a bouquet of much larger daisies. Then he handed it to Layla while smiling at the baby. “Would you like to see some more bright lights?”

“Es,” Shaylee answered, looking back and forth between them, unsure which one would show her the lights and unwilling to miss a second of it.

Taking Layla's hand, Quin gave her a wink while warning the baby. “Here they come.”

Their bonded lights flowed free, immersing Shaylee in gold and silver mist as well as a multicolored haze, and she excitedly bounced while lifting both hands in the air. “Wow!”

Layla reveled in the baby’s reaction, and Quin earnestly watched them both, half soaring, half heartbroken. Layla’s affinity for children, and theirs for her, was astounding. The proof swirled through their auras, sliding over him like a cool river on a scorching day. He eagerly drank it in, this rare and beautiful moment, but he mourned the moments lost when he and Layla bonded, those that starred a child of their own. And if he mourned the loss, she undoubtedly suffered under its heavy weight. But no one else would know it by looking at her. At the moment, she was wholly absorbed in a baby that wasn’t hers, one she may never see again, and she was treasuring every second like it was her last.

Chapter 21

Layla continued to play with Shaylee while Quin completed his explanation, informing everyone about the danger they were in, and just as Kegan and Weylin predicted, their families were eager to help. Quin pointed them in the right direction, telling them to coordinate with Catigern and Caitrin. Then he waited for Layla to say goodbye before taking her hand and soaring into the air.

Staying low and visible, they neared the community's boundaries, and Layla looked over, wondering why they hadn't concealed themselves.

She didn't get a chance to ask.

He tugged on her hand, spinning her to his chest. Then he dropped into thick timber, vanishing their clothes while safely maneuvering through needle covered branches. He landed, but he kept her in his arms and showered her neck and chest in kisses laced with magical heat.

Struggling to catch her breath and focus her vision, she squeezed his tense shoulders. “Quin.”

“What?” he mumbled, sliding his hands to her butt.

He lifted her higher, poising a nipple at his lips, and with another wave of magical heat, he sucked it in, his fingers emitting light shocks across her backside.

“Not here,” she gasped. She didn’t want the coven she’d just met to hear her scream, which would happen any minute if he kept going. They'd only been on the ground for ten seconds, and he already had her chest heaving and her toes curling.

“Yes here,” he disagreed, his breath steaming up her breast. Then his pinkies dipped between her thighs as his fingers dug into pliable flesh. “Open your legs.”

As if he’d said the magic words, her knees parted and rose to his hips. She didn’t even recall making the decision. Her body made it for her.

“That’s better,” he approved, spreading her open with one hand as the fingers of the other delved into moisture.

She arched against his touch, her nipple catching in his teeth as a moan skipped from her chest, and she didn’t even care that it echoed through the timber.

He paused to listen, waiting until her voice faded away. Then he gripped her shoulder and pulled down, keeping her open with his fingers while filling her up. He didn’t take it slow; he took her with a quick thrust, and when her body failed to accommodate his entire length, he forced it to, roughly squeezing her backside while grinding into her. Her cry was inevitable, her core a tight and tingly playground where pleasure outweighed pain and desire outweighed worries. All that mattered was the hunger in his touch and how amazing it made her feel.

He paused again, listening to her voice haunt the forest. Then he raised her up, completely pulling himself from her body. She took a breath, but then she lost it when he pushed back inside, halting in her depths to revel in her vocal reaction.

When he deserted her again, she gasped and opened her eyes, finding a smile that told her he’d love to see just how loud he could make her scream. “You’re cruel,” she breathed.

“You love it,” he countered.

And she did. Moments like these brought her a profound sense of freedom, a release of responsibility she’d never achieved anywhere else. His arms securing her in warmth; his hands squeezing like he never wanted to let go; his body invading hers, taking over every part of her, inside and out; the force with which he ruled over her, stripping away her burdensome power, the measured pain a mere demonstration of the strength needed to shield her from the outside world as well as the conflicts within. And he did it all with the purest intentions, elevating her with devoted touches and loving kisses. Though he took control, he gave her everything, making her feel like a queen while washing away her will, and with it… her shackles.

He was inside her again, pausing to listen to her moan before abandoning his position. He did this over and over, prolonging the burn until she was a fantastic mess of sensations. She wasn’t just on the brink of an orgasm. She’d already been pushed over the edge… a couple of times, but then he’d desert her, suspending her between the jump and the fall.

He left her empty once more, and she clutched fistfuls of his hair. “Quin...” As much as she loved his tricks, she was about to lose her mind.

Letting her nipple slip from his teeth, he moved his lips to hers, poising to fill her up. “What is it, angel?”

He already knew. He just wanted to hear her say it.

“Let me come,” she breathed. “Please.”

He pulled her down around him, throbbing inside her, and her bones sang as her body contracted. She was finally falling, and he let her, slowly rolling her against him as he inhaled her scream.

Her voice faded as her shaking quieted, and Quin smiled as he wrapped her in hug. “Better?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” he murmured, delivering a dose of warmth with a kiss. Then he braced her with magic and forced her to lie back in mid-air. “Ready for another?”

Her eyes fluttered open, and as she gave a lazy nod, he forced her knees out and up. His palms trailed down her inner thighs, coming to a rest on the stretched valleys between her legs and pubic bone. Then his thumbs pressed on sensitive nerve-endings.

“Give me your hands,” he instructed, flipping his gaze between his point of penetration and her aura, both of them beautifully exposed and eager to accommodate him.

Her hands found his, and he took her fingers, forcing her to touch the folds of flesh stretching around his arousal. She offered no resistance, but he still scanned her for embarrassment as he urged her to apply more pressure. Her expression held no shame, only a willingness to please and a thirst for her reward, so he left her fingers alone and took her by the thighs.

As he slowly backed away, she jolted, her hands creeping up her stomach, but he grabbed them and brought them back down. “Keep yourself open for me.”