Retribution (36 page)

Caitlyn looked at the ground as she fidgeted with her skirt. Then she took a deep breath and met his stare. “Don't sweat it. I had no delusions about our relationship… or lack thereof. You were straight with me the whole time. And no, it wouldn’t have made things easier to hear you were moving on to another woman, so don't beat yourself up over not telling me. But you could have, you know? I would have understood.”

“If I would have been able to tell you the whole truth, I have no doubt you would have understood. But there are things about Layla I couldn’t talk about then, for her sake, and for our coven’s sake. What little information I could give, would have left you with more questions… questions I couldn’t answer until today.”

“I see,” Caitlyn murmured, curiously glancing at Layla. “How long did you know her before you ended things with me?”

“Three days. I met her the night you left for your trip.” He paused, carefully evaluating what he’d say next. “Please don't take this the wrong way, Cait, because I'm not saying it to hurt you. I'm saying it because it's the truth. If you’d been home the night I met Layla, I would have gone to your community the moment I left her and told you things needed to end. I never wanted to be anything but fair with you, and telling you right away would have been the fairest way to go, because with Layla, there was never a choice to be made. It was decided the second I met her.”

Caitlyn scanned the air around him then shrugged. “After seeing you with her, I have to believe that. She is your dream girl after all.”

“It's much more than that. You'll see, and you won’t be sorry you’re here to witness it.” He paused and narrowed his eyes on Maeveen. “Did you catch all that?”

Her cheeks reddened as she wrinkled her nose. “I get your point, Quin. I'll work on controlling my trigger happy tongue.”

“That would be wise. Not all witches are as forgiving as my angel. Or as patient,” he added, glancing at Layla. “Talk to you ladies later.” He headed for the table, but then he paused and turned back. “By the way, you can tell Meckenzie Layla's here to stay.”

After a smile and a wave, he headed for Layla, who still had her back to him as she visited with her grandparents and sipped her coffee. He magically held the hot liquid in place as he wrapped his arms around her waist and made her jump.
 

She looked down, expecting coffee to burn her hand. Then she smiled and turned her head. “My thorough hero.”

He grinned and kissed her cheek. “My jumpy angel.” Moving beside her, he looked at Caitrin. “Are you discussing anything important?”

“Yes,” Caitrin answered. “We were talking about how lovely my granddaughter looks in yellow.”

“That is important,” Quin approved, raising his eyebrows at her.

She blushed as she leaned into his side. “It's a good color.”

“Wait until you see it with her aura,” Quin added.
 

“Then let's not delay,” Daleen insisted. “Everyone's here. I say we get the hard part out of the way so you two can shine.”

“I like how you think, Daleen,” Quin agreed. “Has everyone eaten?”

“Everyone but you two,” Serafin answered.

Quin looked at Layla. “Do you want to eat before or after?”

“I'm okay with coffee for now.”

Quin smiled then gave Caitrin a nod. “Round them up.”

By the time everyone found chairs, Layla had finished two cups of coffee and was restless. She vanished her mug while looking around the large circle of magicians, and when her eyes met Shaylee's, she smiled and waved. Shaylee waved back from her position at her mom's feet, and her aura brightened as she excitedly bounced.

Caitrin was handing the floor to Quin, so Layla quickly leaned over and kissed Quin's cheek. “I'm going to skip this one, okay? Let me know when you need me to do my part.”

“Where are you going?” he quietly asked.

She smiled and raised her eyebrows. “To play with the kids.”

He relaxed and smiled back. “That sounds like fun.”

“It's okay, right?”

“Of course it's okay. I'll let you know when to let your lights go.”

She gave him one more kiss then headed for Brietta, Banning and Skyla. “You guys know the story already. Do you want to play with me?”

“Yes,” they answered, jumping from their chairs.

Layla laughed at their excitement then moved to Alana. “Want to play, angel?”

“Yes,” Alana agreed, soaring into Layla’s waiting arms.

“Come on, Brayden,” Layla added. “You don't want to sit around listening to the same old story when there's fun to be had.”

“What are we going to do?” he asked, hopping along beside her.

“Oh... I don't know, lots of things.” She made her way to Shaylee then looked at Alana. “Hop on my back so Shaylee can join us.”

“Otay,” Alana agreed, shifting around.

Layla turned to Kellyn – Shaylee's mom and Kegan's older sister. “May Shaylee come play?”

“Sure,” Kellyn answered.
 

Layla knelt and held out her hands, and Shaylee toddled into them.

“Hi, sweetie,” Layla greeted, heading for the next child in the circle. “I'm glad I get to play with you again today.”

The baby eagerly nodded and bounced on Layla’s arm.

“Do you know Shaylee?” Layla asked, glancing at the other angel she held.

“Yes,” Alana replied. “Shaywee's my fwiend.”

Layla continued her conversation as she gathered every small child in the circle. Then she led them away from it, not stopping until they'd reached a wide open area of lawn. She waved a hand through the air, and eight magical chairs appeared, each of them comprised of rainbows and custom made to match each child's individual size.

Quin hadn't started his explanation yet. From the moment Layla left his side, he'd been watching her and nothing else, and he wasn't the only one. Everyone in the circle was watching her, but she was so wrapped up in the children, she didn't notice. Quin cleared his throat. Then he attempted to start his story while watching Layla settle Shaylee in the tiniest of the foggy chairs. He knew his words were a bit mumbled and slow, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from his angel long enough to fix the problem.

She stood in front of the kids now, getting to know those from the Owen/Sullivan coven, and she had Brietta and Banning to her left and Skyla to her right. While she talked and listened, she absently waved a hand through the air. Then she kept an eye out for the sticks that flew from the forest. Catching them from the sky, she worked her magic while continuing her conversation. Then she blew into the end of an altered stick. A soft tone whistled across the lawn, and Layla smiled as she passed out the homemade flutes, making sure they all understood how to use them.

Soon the clearing hummed with haphazard tunes and the sweet laughter of the young; and Layla, Brietta and Skyla were decorating the children’s temples with shiny stars or crescent moons. Once the kids were temporarily tattooed, Layla summoned a few needle-covered twigs, a sprig of Deer Fern, and a pile of flowers. Then she gave the girls wildflower tiaras while Banning gave the boys crowns of pine branches and feathery fronds.

Quin hadn't said a word in several minutes, and nobody had called him on it, so he gave up. “You take this one, Caitrin,” he suggested, turning in his chair so he could watch Layla without twisting.

“Go for it, Kemble,” Caitrin mumbled, his shiny gaze on his granddaughter.

Kemble looked around then shook his head. “No one's paying attention.”

“Just talk,” Caitrin returned. “They'll hear you.”

Kemble stood to better project his voice, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, the crowd gasped, their eyes on a flock of birds diving into the clearing – at least three dozen of them, of varying breeds. They soared over the crowd and gathered in a quivering cluster next to Layla, who found Quin’s stunned gaze and gave a confident wink.

She’d figured out how to creature call.

He didn’t want to interrupt her fun, but he couldn’t help himself. He had to know, so he mind-searched her. ‘
How?
’

‘
I aimed for the sky,
’ she mentally replied. ‘
Didn’t figure I’d intercept anyone up there.
’

The flutes had stopped buzzing, and the kids raptly watched as Layla held a silent conversation with the winged creatures. When she returned her attention to the children, the birds flew away, but Quin knew they’d be back.
 

Layla went along the row of kids, summoning furry caterpillars onto their fingers. Then she stretched a rainbow table across their laps, instructing them to lay their hands on the multicolored mist. Sixteen palms went down, and as the caterpillars crawled away, they transformed into butterflies. The kids jolted in surprise. Then they clapped and squealed while reaching for their fluttering creations.

The butterflies teased the air around the young group for several seconds. Then the winged insects lined up in front of Layla. She reached up, intensely concentrating as she carefully touched the first butterfly in line, and a large, silver bubble appeared around it, quivering with every waft of its inhabitant’s wings. Layla leaned close, examining the shiny sphere to make sure the butterfly was safe. Then the bubble floated toward the sky, not stopping until it was at least forty feet from the ground. Each butterfly took its turn, and soon sixty-four bubbles were tightly grouped above the lawn like a shimmering cloud.

Layla vanished the rainbow table while motioning for Alana to hop on her back. Then she retrieved Shaylee from her teeny chair and instructed the others to stand. They eagerly complied, and she lined them up, forming a train with Brietta, Skyla and Banning at its end. After taking the lead, Layla guided them across the lawn, and everyone happily followed, playing their flutes along the way.

When their caravan halted, Layla waved a hand through the air once more, and a wide, rainbow staircase sprouted from the grass and climbed toward the sky. As it neared the butterflies, it leveled out, creating a large platform. Then it steeply dipped toward earth like a misty slide. The music had stopped as the children stared with wide eyes, but then Layla turned around and twirled her hand like a conductor, prompting them to continue their performance. They obeyed, and she marched them up her spell, looking back every few steps to find the kids dancing along behind her.

They didn’t stop again until they were on the rainbow's plateau, at which point Layla brought her hand down, signaling the kids to stop playing their flutes. Silence held the clearing as eight bubbles descended, halting right in front of the children’s faces. Then they all raised a forefinger as Layla counted down.

“Three… two… one.”

The children popped their bubbles, and as if they’d pushed a magical button, their world became a frenzy of fun.

The birds swooped in behind them, dropping flower petals from their talons and beaks; and the rest of the bubbles exploded, showering the children in silver glitter. The birds looped around, singing as they circled the rainbow platform, and the freed butterflies flitted among the kids, tickling their faces with soft sweeps of their wings.

Layla laughed as the children cheered and played. Then she sent the creatures away and shifted Alana into her free arm. After making sure both babies were snug, Layla turned and jumped onto the slide, riding the rainbow to the ground. Shaylee and Alana squealed the whole way down, and Layla was cracking up by the time she stood and stepped aside, watching the others follow her lead.

Quin couldn't take it anymore. His aura was about to burst free, and his heart ached to go to her, so he abandoned his chair and flew to his playful angel. He swept her off her feet, making sure he had Alana and Shaylee as well. Then he made his way to her rainbow staircase. “Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey back,” she returned. “Are you done telling your story?”

“The story hasn't even started, my love. You’ve been distracting us.”

“Everyone's been watching?”

“Of course they have. Your magic is appreciated by adults and children alike.”

“Well that's embarrassing.”

“No. That was beautiful.”
 

“It was fun,” Layla countered, looking at her tiny passengers. “Wasn't it?”

“Es,” Shaylee replied.
 

“That was the most fun,” Alana agreed.

Quin reached the rainbow’s plateau and smiled at his precious cargo. “Are you ladies ready to slide?”

They answered with a resounding yes, so Quin looked at the slide. “Let’s spice it up a bit,” he suggested, shifting and twisting the colorful mist to add two loops to their ride.

“Ooh yeah,” Alana and Layla exclaimed. Then they grinned at each other before looking at Quin.

He laughed at them. Then he secured his hold on the trio of angels and leapt onto the slide.

Chapter 25

All of the kids and half the adults played on the rainbow while Kemble explained the situation to the Owen/Sullivan coven, but he eventually needed proof, so he mind-searched Quin. '
We're ready for your lights.
'

Quin nodded his understanding then gathered the kids, instructing them to follow him and Layla to the circle of chairs. “It's time to shine, my love. Are you ready?”