Altered Souls (16 page)

“Well now you’ve
got
to tell me.”

He grabbed the tiniest of the bottles and opened the cap, placing it near my nose.

“Go ahead,” he offered.

I smelled light vanilla.

“That smells really nice.”

“It’s a calming oil, once our spell is finished between us, we’ll dab it on our skin.”

“Now you’re the healer?” I teased.

He sat next to me
,
and placed my hand in his.
I felt the heat
from
his body, his desire. I stared into his smoldering gaze, and I couldn’t stop
the
anticipation
from building
.
My eyes fell to his lips. They were so full and waiting to be kissed.

“So is this like a normal tattoo?”
I murmured.

He shook his head
not taking his eyes off
mine
. “Once I begin the spell the image we chose will place itself into our flesh.”

“Into our flesh. Not onto our flesh?”

He nodded
and bit his lip.

I could
n’t take it any longer
.

Maybe we can save that until last,” I whispered, pulling him toward me
.

“I don’t see why not,” he smiled, hovering over me.

Logan
’s
lips slowly caress
ed
mine
sending
an electrical current
through me
, but he didn’t let his lips land in any one place. Instead, he teased me by gliding his lips along my neck and then down to my collarbone before quickly stopping. He nuzzled my neck, and I could take no more. A small moan escaped from my lips as he traced his teeth along my flesh.

“Too much?” he asked
, pulling away
.
His blue eyes pierced mine with an intensity that frightened me, but in a way
that I longed for
.

“Not at all,” I breathed. “But you seem so—“

He shook his head
, pressing his finger softly against my lips
. “I’ve thought about being with you for years, and I’m going to make it as memorable as possible.”

A smile spread across his lips, and his eyes danced over my fully clothed body.
I would have to change that.

“Well, it’s working,” I whispered, bringing him back down to me.

“You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted,” he breathed, as h
e pressed his body into mine
. My hands slid along his back until I found the end of his shirt. I pulled it
up
and began kissing his chest with a desperation I’d never felt before.

“I love you,” I moaned.

Logan cupped my face and brought it to his. The longing in his eyes only grew with every second that passed between us. He ran his fingers through my hair as my mind turned to mush.

My
fingers
traced
along his shoulders
,
and
I
gently pushed him back. He sat
up removing his shirt, with his jeans hanging just low enough to make my heart flutter
. His
legs straddled me as I lay on the bed, and I admired how absolutely divine he was.
I didn’t ever want this moment to end.

His hands hovered over my body, and the aching inside became almost unbearable. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. I slowly let it out and opened my eyes to see his lips quirk into a slight smile.

“Yeah?”
he asked, grinning.

“I don’t think I can take much more,”
I whispered, my breathing ragged.

His eyes danced along
my body before he scooped me into his
arms
, allowing
me
to roll on top of hi
m.

I placed my hand
under
his neck, bringing his lips to mine knowing that our souls would soon become one.

Chapter 17

“We’re meeting everyone on Whiteface Mountain. Plenty of space to roam and finalize plans,” Logan replied, as he backed our car out of the driveway.

I nodded, still in a daze from the night before. I never wanted this feeling to end. I didn’t really have much sleep and was probably running on empty, but it certainly didn’t feel like it.

“You look absolutely radiant,” he murmured, glancing at me.

“I wonder why that is?” I asked, chuckling.

He flashed a crooked smile, and I felt flushed.

“You certainly have a way.” I reached over and placed my hand on his knee, he picked it up and placed a quick kiss on my knuckles, igniting my senses once more.

“If only,” I started.

He looked at me and nodded, “If only.”

We drove in silence for a little while as I thought about the possibilities of how everything could end. The fairies said everything is about choices. In every circumstance, I’ll see the options available for the chooser and will have to use my intuition to see what path they might choose.

“There’s a part of me that wants to run away from everything, except that it would only find me again.”

“It would only find
us
again,” Logan interjected. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

“Except tomorrow,” I frowned.

Logan’s eyes darkened, acknowledging my words and panic began spreading through me.

“I’m worried I’m not going to be able to handle everything,” I said, looking out the window as the trees whipped by the window.

“At any time we can come get you. Remember that. Don’t try to be a hero, ever,” he scolded. “No matter what.”

“I wouldn’t.” I pursed my lips together and leaned my head back on the headrest.

He turned the car off the main road, onto the gravel leading us to the park entrance.

“Do you think I’ll always be able to see as much into the future as they implied?”

He nodded. “I think you’ll be able to see events that
may
happen based on people’s choices. They could always choose different
ly
though.”

I bit my lip and looked out the window.

“Just trust your gut, and use the gift they gave you as a supplement. Don’t rely on it, rely on yourself.”

I turned to face him. “Thank you.”

His presence was intoxicating. Everything was magnified since last night. I needed to get outside.

He flashed a lopsided grin and hopped out of the car.

We climbed up the hill until I heard lots of voices and then saw a large group.

Jenny stepped out from the crowd, and I let out a squeal. I knew she was supposed to be here but having her in front of me was a different story.

“Thank you for coming. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

We’re all here for you, and for your mom. And Ellsy.” Her eyes darted to Logan.

“Thank you, Jenny,” Logan replied, walking to the crowd that I
’d
pulled Jenny from.

“My parents are here too, and they brought
some
friends. We’re gonna make things right.”

“You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now,” I
murmured
, attempting to smile.

“I can only imagine.” She turned back toward the group, waving at her parents who walked over to us.

“Oh, Triss. I’m so sorry. We’ve gathered as many as we could. Only the people we trust. We’re certainly second guessing everything and everyone now,” Jenny’s mom, Tamara, replied.

“I understand,” I replied, nodding. I caught Logan’s glance as he listen
ed
intently to someone I didn’t recognize.

“All right everyone. We don’t have much time. Triss will be going in tomorrow afternoon,” Logan’s voice boomed. “There’s more to his ability to persuade than
only
his personality. It appears he’s been using hallucinogenic compounds to help the process along. Because of this, no matter what, we can’t eat or drink anything on or surrounding his property. As such, we’ve got plans to keep Triss going in there as well.”

Everyone hushed and turned their attention to him. He stood on a boulder speaking to the crowd as if he’d given directives a million-times before. I was in awe.

“You guys have really grown up fast,” Jenny whispered.

I nodded and a smile spread across my lips. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but that was what
had
happened. Watching him speak to the crowd was mesmerizing. This setting really suited him, but the reason was unfortunate.

“Triss will be in there for a short time. If there’s any problem we’ll have to go in immediately and get her out of there. I’ve got a schematic that each of you will have in case that happens.”

Leading people was his calling. The crowd was responding well, cheering him on. I suddenly felt like I was the wrong person chosen.

Logan’s eyes locked on mine.

“Break into groups and we’ll wander around and give you more specifics for your teams. We must stop him from hurting any others,” he finished.

The group cheered and applauded as the gravity of his words surrounded me.

He draped his arm over my shoulder, and I felt wholly protected. I didn’t want to leave this feeling, but I knew I’d have to soon. We drifted over to one of the larger groups.

I gasped when I saw Jenna, who was one of the elders from the Witch Avenue Coven, standing in the middle of the group Logan was leading me to.

“It’s okay,” Logan whispered. “She’s on our side.”

“Triss,” Jenna replied, holding out her hand. “I’m so sorry about everything. You’re having to face things I don’t even understand. None of us do.”

Her long, white hair was piled on top of her head with a clip. She wore a black dress, with a red shawl. There was something different about her. She looked exhausted, older than when I saw her at the ceremony.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“The coven is in turmoil. The priestess is at her wits’ end. I’d say thirty percent of our coven has split off to join the P
raedivinus
order. I’ve never seen a divide like this in our world.”

With everything Logan and I
had
been dealing with, we’
d
managed to stay sheltered from the
crises at the
covens across the country. Hopefully, the damage was reversible.

“Enough about that. We can figure out all the politics of everything later,” she replied, frowning. “Logan thought it would be the best if I taught you how to perform the Soul Traveler spell.”

I looked at Logan and he nodded. “She’s said to be the best in the country.”

“
T
he most accurate,” Jenna
interrupted
.

“So I’ll be able to see if my mother has any of her own soul left?”

“It’s kind of like that, yes.”

“How will I know when to perform it?”

“It’s best done at night when she’s sleeping.”

“I’m going to leave you two while I check with the others,” Logan muttered, kissing my cheek.

I nodded and turned to face Jenna.

“If this doesn’t give you the answers you’re hoping for,” Jenna began, “I’ll be there for you however I can when you return. I know that’s not much, but it’s
the best
I can offer.”

“I appreciate that. I do. Seeing a glimpse of my mother didn’t give me much hope,” I whispered, forcing the
sadness
back.

“You saw her?”

“From a distance.”

She pursed her lips together and grabbed my hands.

“If this doesn’t tell you what we hope, you must not get distracted. You’ll need to detach your soul from hers and end the spell immediately. You can’t try to change anything about her either. You’ll have to let go.”

“I understand.”

“Let’s go over there where we can concentrate,” she replied.

I followed Jenna to a clearing and sat down, my eyes still tracking where Logan was standing. His expression was somber as he listened intently.

“Normally this is a spell that we wouldn’t try on another without practicing a time or two, but given the circumstances we have no choice,” she said, bringing me back to the task at hand.

“Could you get hurt?” I asked, adding another to my ever-growing list of things to worry about.

“Not hurt as much as incapacitated for awhile.” She forced a smile.

“Oh.”

“You’ll be fine,” she said, reaching for my hand.

“It’s not me I’m worried about.”

She smiled, unwrapped her scarf and placed it on the ground where she
lay
down.

“The goal of this spell is to understand whether or not you can sense your mother’s soul. When the time comes, you will close your eyes and think of her as your mother, not the woman she appears to be now. Remember her story, her history and when you feel the energy of her past repeat ‘
Anima Viator
’ slowly until you feel above your self.”

“What do you mean above my self? Like literally?”

“You know that feeling when you’ve started dreaming and you lose all sensory engagement to the physical world. You might catch yourself twitching, but there’s nothing you can do to control it?”

I nodded.

“That’s the sensation we’re going for. That moment that you’ve left your own body, your soul will be traveling to your target.”

“Who
a
.”

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.” It didn’t matter if I
was or
wasn’t. I had to master this.

I felt Logan’s gaze on me.
B
ut didn’t look over. I needed to concentrate. I
lay 
next to Jenna and thought about everything she said. Thinking of her over the years as I grew up in the coven, I tried to tap into her energy. My body relaxed slightly as I focused my attention on Jenna’s spirit.

“
Anima Viator
.
Anima Viator
.
Anima Viator
.”

Hovering over my own body, I saw my lips move repeating the phrase as instructed. I panicked and wanted to slip right back into where I came from.
I was out of my body!
I didn’t want to be outside of my body looking in. I didn’t like this feeling at all. I looked over at Jenna and saw her body still, and her breathing slowed.

I had to do it. Waves of Jenna’s spirit washed over me as I turned my attention to her. I could see her dreams, thoughts, and desires. Brilliant blues, purples and reds spiraled around me as I shared space with her soul. Fear began racing through my body. I didn’t belong here. If I had a body to shake, I would have. Instead I attempted to dive into my own shell, and woke up with a sense of vacancy.

I opened my eyes to have Logan holding me.

“Is she okay?” I asked.

“Jenna’s fine,” he whispered. “I’m more worried about you. How are you feeling?

“Tired and depressed, but it worked,” I said, giving him a crooked grin.

“Of course it did.” He shook his head. “Because you did it.”

I wanted to see her, but she was no longer where I last left her.

“Where’s Jenna?”

“She’s over there letting everyone know it worked.”

“But why doesn’t she feel as horrible as I do?”

“You were out for about thirty minutes or so. She woke up as soon as your soul left hers, but the soul traveler has far more recovery
to go through
than the recipient. That’s why your mom wil
l never know anything happened, according to Jenna.

“Wow. Things never stop getting interesting do they?”

The wind kept blowing strands of hair in my face, aggravating me incredibly. Now was probably not the time to try to grow out my bangs. Logan gently lifted my head, and pulled my hair to the side, tucking it behind my ear.

“That’s better,” he whispered.

“I’m scared there’s not going to be a soul to feel in my mother. Or at least not hers.”

“I know, baby. But one step at a time.”

He bent down to place a kiss on my cheek, but a loud clap startled us both.

“What was that?” I asked, sitting up.

Logan looked toward the sky and over to the crowd who were all wondering the same thing.

“Thunder maybe? I’m not sure. Let’s get you up.”

“Do you feel that?” I asked, uncertain if it was my latest experience or if the ground really was moving.