Forgotten Visions (The Divinities Book 1) Page 5

  “Only by five minutes.” Kalissa rolled her eyes. She wouldn’t change anything about her sister. She loved her just the way she was. “Everyone spoils her.”

  “That’s because everyone loves her.”

  Kalissa looked into Ayden’s baby blue eyes that seemed to dance when he smiled. He was right. All the Divinities were treated special, but Khloe ate up every ounce of affection that was shown to her.

  Kalissa hated to be the center of attention, and absolutely refused to be treated any differently than the rest of magickin. She let Khloe suck up all the extra interest with grace and ease.

  “So, what about you?” Ayden asked just as the waitress came with their lunch.

  “What about me?” Kalissa asked, crinkling up her nose. She hated to talk about herself.

  Ayden waited until the waitress had left them alone again before replying. “What have you been doing since high school? I mean, I know you took over your father’s cafe, but what else?”

  Kalissa shrugged. “I got my degree in Business Management and went to work at the diner as the day shift manager. That’s about it.”

  “You never married?” Kalissa tensed up at the question. She knew he’d picked up on her tension because he asked, “I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?”

  She shook her head and spoke softly. “My fiancé died when we were seniors in college.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She studied Ayden and didn’t miss the tic in his jaw. Was he jealous? Of a dead man? “It was a long time ago. Don’t be sorry, you didn’t kill him.”

  Chapter 7

  They reached Dahlonega by 4:00 pm. Ayden drove straight to The Wheel, parked the Jeep, and sat there for a few moments, unsure what to do. Or what to say. His head was still whirling with the knowledge that Kalisssa had been engaged. Jealousy engulfed him but dissolved as it sank in that her fiancé was dead. A mixture of pain and guilt had hung thick in her voice when she’d spoken of it.

  Changing the subject to when they were kids, he quickly found out that wasn’t any better. Every time he asked a question or brought up a time that involved only the two of them, she got confused or rubbed her temples as if she had a headache. Could the memory loss be the cause of her conflicted and painful expressions?

  He filed what he’d learned away for later, eager to get to the cabin so he could call his grandfather. He hoped Noah would have more information to share, as well.

  “Should we go in to see if they’re in there?” she asked.

  Ayden broke from his train of thought and shrugged. “We can go in to check now and maybe come back?”

  “Okay. Wanna order dinner? I’m sure there isn’t much at the cabin.”

  He looked at her and smiled. “Sure. We could wait around for a little while to see if they show.”

  They climbed out of the Jeep and went inside the diner, spotting a wooden booth with red-cushioned seats not far from the door. He scanned the small restaurant before sliding into his seat. There were only two other couples inside the restaurant.

  “Do you think they’re coming?” Kalissa asked after they’d placed their orders.

  “I don’t know.”

  “How long should we wait?”

  “Not sure.”

  “How do we know they will come?”

  “I don’t know,” Ayden said sternly, setting his water glass down on the table hard enough that it made Kalissa jump. Fear jetted off her.

  She sat back in the booth and turned to look out the window. Ayden silently cursed himself. Her emotional roller coaster was wearing on him. The more time they spent together, the more in tune with her he became.

  Because we’re magical partners. It was the natural course that prepared them for bonding.

  But the heightened fear that surrounded her now was triggered by his anger. One thing came to mind that caused that type of reaction. If that dead ex-boyfriend was the cause, then Ayden was going to find a necromancer to bring the bastard back to life so he could tear him part, piece by piece.

  He stretched his hand across the table, palm up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just…” He trailed off. A part of him was still hurt and angry with her. Why was it so hard for him to just let it go?

  “You’re just what?” Kalissa asked, still sitting back against the seat as far as she could from his outstretched hand. Fear still leaked out of her, and that worried him.

  He would have to probe Zach for more information on the ex-boyfriend.

  Ayden dropped his shoulders and sighed. “I’m tired from the drive, frustrated about not getting more information from Papa.” It was the truth. That and being around her killed him slowly inside. Not being able to touch her, kiss her sensual lips, and run his fingers through her silky blond hair. It was agonizing. What he wanted to do was drag her to the cabin and have his way with her.

  He couldn’t do any of those things, because to her, they were never more than friends.

  “I truly am sorry,” he repeated. She unfolded her arms from around her waist and sat up closer to place her hands on the table. He covered her linked hands with his, and she tensed. Yeah, he would definitely dig more information up on the ex. “I’ll call Papa when we get to the cabin and try to get more information about the Rayners,” he said in a soft tone.

  She nodded. “I’m sorry, too…for asking too many questions.”

  “Don’t be,” he said, stroking his thumb over her fingers.

  He held her stare for a few seconds before releasing it. The pull toward her was agonizingly strong, growing by the minute. If he didn’t find some answers soon, he was going to go mad. He had to find a way to break that damn memory spell. Then maybe they could get on with their lives. Start fresh. Gods, he could only hope.

  “Are you ready?” Ayden asked softly, breaking the long silence.

  Kalissa took her eyes from the window where she was watching the birds hunt for their dinner in the bushes, to look at Ayden. So absorbed with her thoughts of demons and the Sinew she wasn’t sure if she’d heard the question. Realizing what he’d asked, she nodded and said, “Yes.”

  A few minutes later, they were back in the car, heading west on Highway 60. He offered her the wheel, but she declined. That was a mistake. She sat in the passenger seat, trying to hold down the nausea as he took the twists and turns of the mountain road much too fast.

  She looked into her side mirror. The black sedan was still behind them. She was sure it was following them. The past thirty minutes, the Beamer had disappeared and reappeared with each turn. For the last ten, it had tailed them. Closer than the normal safe distance on the winding mountain road.

  Before she could ask, Ayden said, “Yes they’re following us.”

  She didn’t know whether to be offended or relieved that he knew what she was going to ask. “Just keep driving toward the cabin.”

  Ayden shot her a worried look. “But they…”

  “They won’t get near the place.” Kalissa cut off his statement with a smile. She just hoped that she was right. It’d been years since she’d been there.

  Another five minutes down the road, and the car was still with them. It wasn’t unusual for cars to follow this long. It was the mountains, and there weren’t many turnoffs along Highway 60. But the car was obvious. It kept the same speed and never gave any indication it wanted to go around them. In fact, they’d started to inch closer, like the hide and seek game was over.

  “They’re demons.”

  Kalissa snapped her head in Ayden’s direction, narrowing her eyes. Why didn’t I check for demonic energy? Turning in her seat, she focused on the two individuals in the BMW. She looked back at Ayden with a frown. “You sure?”

  His gave a short nod. “They’re masking their aura.”

  Of course. Ayden and his special abilities. What did she get? Faulty visions that gave her migraines.

  “Don’t slow down or stop. No matter what happens,” Kalissa said. She felt his tension, but he just nodded and ti
ghtened his grip on the steering wheel. His features darkened, but he didn’t argue.

  They passed through an energy wave as they turned the next corner, indicating that they were about a mile away from the cabin’s driveway. Kalissa breathed deeply, taking in the energy and then releasing it on an exhale. She was so glad the safeguards were still in place.

  “What the fuck was that?” Ayden asked, clearly feeling the wave he’d just driven through.

  “Willow’s wards,” she answered with a relieved laugh. “Keep driving.” She unbuckled her seatbelt with a click and shifted to turn around in her seat.

  Ayden grabbed her arm. “What are you doing? And who is Willow?” he asked with alarm.

  She shook her head and answered Ayden’s first question. “I’ll be fine as long as you keep the swerving to a minimum.”

  A rumble sounded to their right. She turned her head in time to see a landslide of rock and dirt come down the incline onto the road, just missing the back of the Jeep. Ayden cursed but kept the Jeep steady. She didn’t think the small avalanche would stop the demons. Watching, she knelt on her knees in her seat. The demons’ car came out of the dirt and rocks unmarked. Damn. The vile creatures had put a circle around the BMW. The landslide hadn’t even slowed them down.

  A familiar voice drifted on the wind and reached Kalissa’s mind. “Welcome home, Lis.” The beautiful, childlike voice flowing into Kalissa’s mind made her smile.

  Kalissa couldn’t stop the loving grin from spreading across her face. “Hello, Willow,” Kalissa spoke back telepathically. Willow was the woodland nymph that lived on the mountain where the Bradenton cabin was located. For some reason, Willow had bonded with Kalissa’s family.

  “Was that your landslide?” Kalissa sent the thought with a laugh.

  Willow huffed. “That was just a warning shot. Those demons will die for entering my property.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” Kalissa asked, knowing they didn’t have much time left. She didn’t want the demons to know where the cabin was. It was well hidden from outsiders, and she wanted to keep it that way.

  Willow let out a mischievous laugh that sent a shiver through Kalissa. The nymph could be dangerous when she wanted to be. “They’re going over.”

  Kalissa nodded, understanding what Willow meant. There was an overlook about a half-mile after the cabin’s driveway. Willow intended to force the car over the edge. Kalissa just hoped there was no one standing there enjoying the beautiful view.

  A loud boom cut through the air, and the Jeep rocked violently. She dropped down into her seat to sit straight. She held on to the comfort that eased through her at Ayden’s control. Her heart pounded in her chest. His concerned glance warmed her. Was it his empathic nature that allowed him to read her so plainly? It was like they were connected on a level she’d never known possible.

  This wasn’t the first time she’d noticed. At the hotel, he’d seemed to be in sync with her thoughts and emotions. A tang of hurt settled in her chest. Was he monitoring her emotions because he didn’t trust her? But why would he do that?

  Another energy ball flew past the car, drawing Kalissa out of her thoughts. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it would leap out of her chest.

  “What the hell was that?” Ayden asked as she shifted to peer over the front seat to the BMW tailing them.

  “The demons threw energy balls at us.” Ayden let go of the steering wheel to reach out to her. She took his hand, gave a brief squeeze, and pushed it back to the wheel. “Keep driving. Willow is going to handle it.”

  “Who’s Willow?” he asked again.

  “She’s a forest nymph that lives near the cabin. She’s been with my family longer than I’ve been alive.” She continued to watch the demons behind them.

  “I thought nymphs were loners.”

  Kalissa shrugged. “I think my mom made some kind of deal with her. I’m just not sure what.” Kalissa hoped the deal would not come back to bite her on the ass, and that her mother had paid her debt before she’d died.

  “I’m glad she’s on our side,” Ayden said with a smirk and motioned with his head to the scene behind them.

  Kalissa looked back to see the demons’ car being slowed down by a vine that came out of the woods and wrapped itself around the back axel of the Beemer. “Yeah. She doesn’t like demons.”

  “I gathered that,” Ayden acknowledged in an amused tone.

  Kalissa sat with her back against the door so she could see behind her and look straight at Ayden. She saw Willow swoop in with her knee-length brown hair, wearing a hunter green dress that showed off her graceful and petite figure. The nymph came to a stop in front of the demons’ car, hovering in midair. One of the demons threw an energy ball at her. She deflected it into the river that ran alongside the road. Another energy ball flew at her. She tried to deflect it, only to get hit with a second one that she was not prepared for.

  Kalissa gasped as Willow took the impact and disappear into the woods on the other side of the road. It became hard for Kalissa to breathe, and her heart pounded so hard it felt like as if it were in her head. What if Willow was hurt? What if she was… No, Kalissa refused to believe that she was dead. She couldn’t be.

  Ayden reached over and took her hand. The image of Willow being propelled into the woods with an energy ball half her size entered Kalissa’s mind. Willow hit the ground hard and slid along the ground farther into the woods. Kalissa let out a sigh of relief when Willow’s chest rose and fell in short, labored breaths.

  Kalissa broke off from the vision and looked at Ayden. She knew he could use others’ gifts, but she hadn’t known to what extent until that moment. She wasn’t sure if she should be mad at him or relieved. It was technically an invasion of privacy to just pull one’s gift out. At the same time, she was glad to know that Willow was alive. “I’m not saying thanks.”

  Ayden frowned. “I normally don’t do that, but you were so worried, almost to the point of panic. I had to make you see because we have bigger issues behind us.”

  Kalissa nodded. “There is an overlook up ahead.”

  Ayden gave her a smile as if he knew what she was thinking. Then again, she wondered, he may be able to read my mind. He was the only Divinity that had the power of adaptability. She started to ask but pushed it to the side for later. Now was not the time. They had to figure out how they were going to get the demons to take a flying leap off the side of the mountain.

  Kalissa turned around to sit straight in her seat and pulled the seatbelt over her shoulder to click into place. She looked back in the side mirror to see that the demons’ Beemer was trying to go around them. That gave her an idea. “Don’t let them pass until I tell you…and then…”

  Ayden gave her a devilish smirk and finished her thought. “Ram them right off the overlook.”

  She nodded and turned her gaze back to the demons. The demons tried to go around them, but Ayden moved in front of the car every time it tried to pass. After several failed attempts to go around them, the demons decided to ram into the back of the Jeep. The impact jerked Kalissa forward. She put her hands out in front to brace herself on the dash.

  “What the fuck? If they can’t go around us, they try to go through us?” Kalissa barked out. She looked straight out the windshield. They were getting closer to the cliff. “The overlook is about a hundred yards ahead.”

  Ayden nodded and reduced speed. “I see it.”

  The demons tried to pass again. He let them, but increased his speed to match theirs when they came up beside them. When they reached the overlook, he jerked the Jeep, crashed into the side of the Beemer, and slammed on the brakes. She cringed at the nails-on-a-chalk-broad sound of scraping metal as the Jeep slid down the side of the sedan until it reached the bumper. With one last jerk, Ayden sent the car spinning over the edge of the mountain.

  “You know they’ll teleport before the car hits bottom,” Ayden said.

  She bobbed her head up and down. “Yeah, at least they’r
e off our tail.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Did you see the spot about a half mile back that looked like a trail?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That was our turn,” Kalissa said. When the Jeep didn’t move, she added, “It’s a hidden drive. You’ll see it.”

  Ayden made a noise but backed up. When he reached the spot she was talking about, he saw it. “Hidden drive,” he repeated with amusement. “It’s hidden, all right—with a spell,” he laughed out, turning onto the driveway and driving up the gravel path toward the cabin.

  About a tenth of a mile up the lane, Kalissa asked him to stop. She figured from his puzzled look that he’d forgotten about Willow. When he stopped the Jeep and put it in park, she got out and jogged into the forest. She heard and felt Ayden follow her. It was a little unnerving that she could feel his presence, but right now, she had other worries. Like finding Willow.

  She stopped and waited for Ayden to come to stand next to her. Raising her hand for silence, she closed her eyes to take in the sounds around her. Every witch had an element that they were connected to. Kalissa’s was air. She could connect with the element and all things that represented it. She listened to the birds chirping happily, and the leaves in the trees rustling in the breeze. She called out to the air spirits to help her locate Willow. Within seconds, Kalissa felt the pull. She cut right through the forest, then left to a small stream where Willow lay on her side with her hand in the water.

  “Oh, Willow.” Kalissa sat on her knees beside the nymph, hands hovering unsurely over the nymph’s petite form.

  Willow’s pale green gaze met Kalissa’s and a wry smile formed on the nymph’s pixie-like face. “Hi.” She sucked in a breath with a pained expression. She waved off Kalissa’s concern before she had a chance to say anything. “It’s just some bruises. They’ll heal.”

  “Come to the cabin with us. I’ll make you some tea,” Kalissa pleaded. She wanted Willow at the cabin so she could watch over her.

  Willow rolled her eyes. She knew Kalissa too well. “Okay, but there will be no cooing over me like some child.” She went to sit up but lay back down. “I think I broke something,” she laughed out, trying to make light of the situation, but groaned at the pain in her ribs.