Making Magic (44 page)

Jake chuckled. “That kind of sums it up.”

“The queen bee doesn’t really rule the hive. Daniel says she barely makes any decisions at all,” Nick mused. “But without her the colony collapses.”

“Seriously,
stop
with the bee metaphors,” said Thea. “Daniel’s ears are probably burning.”

“Nick? Grace?” It was Daniel’s voice at the front door.

“Okay,
that
was creepy,” Thea said.

“In here!” Nick yelled.

Daniel practically ran into the kitchen with Mel right behind him. He looked around anxiously. “We alone?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong?” Nick said.

“It’s Diana. Diana Morgan.”

“What? What happened?” Grace said.

“Who’s that?” asked Thea.

“Dr. Morgan is the person who’s been restoring those journal pages for us,” Grace explained.

Daniel leaned on the counter and Mel slipped her arm around his waist. “You know when I met her in Patton Springs a few weeks ago?”

“She brought that journal page,” Grace said.

“Yeah. We invited her to the wedding but she never showed up and…” Daniel seemed to hesitate.

“He was worried,” Mel said. “He had a dream about her in a car wreck on the mountain a long time ago. So I made him call and check on her this morning.”

“She was supposed to go to a conference not long after she met with us. When she didn’t show up for work after it was over, they started checking,” Daniel said. “She never arrived at the conference. They found her car at Raleigh-Durham airport, but the rest of it is wrapped up in red tape. I expect a phone call or a visit any time from someone trying to find out what
I
know.”

“Damn,” Jake said.

“Oh, Daniel. That’s horrible,” Grace said.

“It gets worse,” Mel said.

“On a hunch, I went to see your mom, Jake.”

Thea had a sudden inkling of where this was going. “Oh no.”

“Shit,” Jake had evidently reached the same conclusion.

“Exactly,” Daniel said. “One of those people she saw in town with those flickering auras—”

“Was Diana?” Nick said in disbelief.

“I guess my gift is not as reliable as Thea’s,” Daniel said.

“Shush. You’ve always said there are a lot of possible futures and they change constantly,” Mel said, patting his arm.

“I hugged her, Grace. I
hugged
her and I didn’t see a thing.” Daniel slapped his hand down on the counter. “No dreams about any of this. Nothing.”

“Equal parts of awesome and incompetence,” Thea said under her breath. Jake squeezed her hand.

“You think she’s one of the people Greg’s organization has somewhere,” Nick said to Daniel. It wasn’t a question.

“It would make sense. As Mel says, there is no such thing as coincidence.”

There was a long moment of silence. Thea could hear birdsong out in the garden.

“Well, as bad as this is, at least we have a trail to follow,” Nick said.

Jake nodded. “You said Raleigh-Durham?”

“She’s from Raleigh.”

“I guess this reserve deputy thing
will
come in handy,” Jake said. “Hopefully I can cut the red tape. This might be a real break.”

“But we may need Emmy and Aaron a lot sooner than I expected,” Nick said. Thea could tell he was already mapping out a strategy.

“What kind of gift do you think Diana has? Did Marilyn have any idea?” Grace asked.

“I was going to bring Mom up here later, to talk about the different colors and configurations of the flames she sees—to see if there’s a pattern,” Jake said.

“Diana wore gloves a lot,” Daniel said, “but her job does have her handling a lot of really delicate antique material.”

“Well, while it would be helpful to know what kind of ability she has, it won’t get us any closer to rescuing her,” Nick said.

“Sounds like we need to set up a command center in your dining room sooner rather than later, Mel,” Grace said.

“No problem,” Mel said. “But I’ll need a bigger espresso maker.”

“Take Nick’s monstrosity,” said Grace. “Ouida hates that thing.”

“Hey!”

“And I’ll need groceries.”

“I’ll have Ouida double up our next order.”

“And Ouida. I’ll definitely need Ouida.” She grinned.

“I see what you did there.” Grace smiled. “A temporary loan, maybe.”

“We’ll need to work on our cover stories,” Jake said. “What are we supposedly doing up here?”

Nick smiled. “Mostly, we’re going to do exactly what Pops intended—helping out worthy environmental causes worldwide. And there are a
lot
of organizations in need of our various kinds of expertise, anything from legal aid and journalistic skills to advice on sustainable agriculture and beekeeping.” He gestured to Jake and Thea. “Even a bit of entertainment for fund-raising purposes.”

“The kids are going to be a challenge.” Jake rubbed his chin. “And my mom.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Nick said. “But we need to get started ASAP.”

As if it were a signal, everyone started talking at once.

Jake stood and Thea reached for his sleeve. “You realize this means you’ll probably have to get on a plane at some point.”

“Yeah, I know. Probably one of those little charter jets.”

“So you’re okay with it? The flying?” Thea was amazed at how calm he seemed.

“I talked to Nick about it. He said he would get me a short flight out of Asheville, to see if I can handle it. Now I suspect I’ll be flying to Raleigh.”

“Can I go with you?” Thea asked.

“Are you kidding? That’s the whole point.” Jake leaned close. “He’s getting one with a private bedroom on board.”

Thea feigned an innocent smile. “Your method for conquering your phobia is to spend the flight
sleeping
?”

“Nope.” He nuzzled her ear. “I’m going to be in that bedroom with you—making magic.”

Acknowledgments

This book is dedicated to Holly Lisle, whose writing courses and articles taught me so much and whose constant encouragement to all the writers she shepherds is invaluable. I also want to show my appreciation for Lisa Dunick, the editor at Samhain who pulled me out of the slush pile and dusted me off. Thank you for being willing to mentor a newbie author and offer invaluable advice.

In addition, I want to thank E.J. Clarke of Silver Jay Media, who did an initial edit of my very first manuscript and helped me immensely in finalizing it for submission. I also want to acknowledge all the book bloggers out there, too numerous to list here, who work tirelessly reading, reviewing and promoting our books, often with no recompense except our thanks.

Finally, someone I should never have left out of my first acknowledgement page and who will get her own book dedication soon. If it weren’t for her and her demand for morning walks every single day, I would not get in the necessary time away from the computer to really think and create and plot. So thank you, Caliente, my dear fur child. Without you, none of these books would exist and this one wouldn’t have a Bailey in it.

About the Author

When she’s not being dragged down the sidewalk by her Jack Russell (if you know Jacks, you understand), Donna June Cooper is belly dancing (shiny!), reading (three books at once), writing (of course!) or complaining about the heat (no matter the temperature). A child of the Appalachians who was transplanted to Texas by her Italian husband, Donna returns to her mountain roots as often as possible and takes us with her in the Books of the Kindling. Visit Donna at
www.donnajunecooper.com
.

Look for these titles by Donna June Cooper

Now Available:

Books of the Kindling

More Than Magic

Mostly Magic

Making Magic

One terrifying premonition brings them together. Another will threaten their future.

Mostly Magic

© 2014 Donna June Cooper

Books of the Kindling, Book 2

Do dreams come true? Dr. Daniel Woodruff hopes they don’t, because his dreams predict a devastating future for him, for those he loves—and for the planet.

His latest premonition, which blows a huge crater in his eroding sanity, holds a singular horror—the loss of a wife and unborn child. Yet another reason he can let no one into his chaotic life, least of all a perky, persistent investigative reporter he finds simultaneously frustrating and fascinating.

Mel Noblett leaves no stone unturned in her one-woman crusade to save the environment. When a whistleblower in Italy proves too frightened to talk, Mel turns to a fall-back lead, an extremely eccentric, beekeeping professor who might just make the trip worthwhile.

Despite their instant attraction, Mel is relieved when Daniel keeps her at arm’s length. After all, she has a secret of her own—one that makes her preternaturally good at her job. And, when Daniel’s terrifying visions prove cannily accurate and begin to revolve around Mel—it is a gift that could put her life in danger.

Warning:
Reluctant seer of a bleak future meets petite force of nature who lights up the heart of his darkness. Where there’s smoke, there could be an unpredictable blaze of passion, but the rewards are oh, so sweet…

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Mostly Magic:

“I need a gurney or a room or something, now!” Daniel walked through the glass doors into the ER carrying the woman in his arms. It wasn’t difficult. She felt far too small and fragile even bundled in all those blankets.

A burly man in scrubs came around the admissions desk. “Let me have her.”

“No. I’ll carry her. Point me to a bed,” Daniel insisted.

“Take it easy, fella.” The man waved his arms. “We can’t let—”

The double doors to the treatment area banged open and Beth Campbell came running out. “It’s okay. This is my neighbor, Daniel Woodruff.”

Daniel was relieved to see Beth’s familiar face as the burly orderly backed away.

“We’re ready, Daniel,” Beth said. “Bring her on back. Room 6. This way.”

“The contractions haven’t stopped,” Daniel said, trudging after her. “She’s only five months along, Beth. She started bleeding—”

“Let’s not panic. It could be a false alarm,” Beth said.

“It’s not a false alarm,” Daniel said. “It’s not Braxton-Hicks or anything like that. Grace said—”

“It’s all right, Daniel. I know. Lay her down and we’ll take over,” Beth soothed, patting the bed. The room was suddenly full of people as Daniel eased the woman onto the bed. She was still warm, still breathing. But she was limp and unresponsive, her face far too pale and sweaty. He leaned over to kiss her brow, but someone’s hand pulled him away. He was herded out the door as the professionals took over, bustling around her bed until he could no longer see her and the door swung shut in his face.

“Danny? Danny!” came a tinny voice from his hand. He realized he was still clutching his cell phone, still connected.

“Grace?”

“Yes, I heard. You got there in one piece.” Grace’s voice was thin and far away. “Take some deep breaths. The OB on call is in there.”

“Yeah. But she looks so pale.” He looked at the blood on his sleeve. “And she’s bleeding a lot.”

“She’ll be all right,” Grace said.

Daniel noticed that Grace didn’t mention the baby. “I know. She’s a tough little thing.”

“Yes, she is. We’re boarding in a minute. I’m…I’m so sorry I couldn’t get back in time, Danny,” Grace said. “So sorry.”

Grace could have stopped this from happening. Grace could have fixed it. But she couldn’t get a flight home fast enough.

“She was fine. We were so careful. She hasn’t been out of the house in weeks. We haven’t even let Jamie come around. How could she have—”

“You don’t know what’s wrong. Not yet.”

“What else could it be?” Daniel barked. “How is this thing being transmitted, Grace? Has anyone down there got a clue?”

“Maybe,” Grace said, but she didn’t sound convinced. Daniel heard the noise of an announcement and then the rumble of Nick’s voice in the background. “We’ve got to get on our flight. We’ll be there as soon as we can. I love you!” Her voice broke on a sob. “Tell her I love her. Tell her I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“It’s okay, sis. It’s okay.”

“Hey, Daniel.” Nick’s voice came over the line, steady and reassuring. “Hang in there. We’ll be home in a few hours.”

“Thanks, Nick. Tell Grace it’s not her fault. She can’t be everywhere at once,” Daniel said brokenly. “I didn’t see this coming. I didn’t.”