Memories of Magic (The High Priestess Trilogy) (4 page)

“My other patients completely regained their memory along with all of their other abilities. Honestly Emily, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

He liked the feel of her name on his lips and suddenly found himself thinking about Santa Monica again. In his mind he could see Emily lying on the beach under a full moon. He studied her worried face and hoped that her magical ability wasn’t the only thing he would be able to reignite for her.

“Have there been
any
powers you’ve been able to sense at all, or anything that feels familiar but that you can’t explain?” He tilted his head and tried to read her eyes.

She felt utterly flustered as her heart skipped a beat. He was too handsome.
How am I supposed to concentrate when those dark eyes are probing me?
She thought to herself, fighting the distraction. For a moment she forgot the question he asked.

Em
ily shook her head, trying to push aside the far too sensual thoughts she was having of the good doctor.
Her long blond hair
swung gently across her back as she re-focused her thoughts. But it was a total distraction for Jake.

“Nothing,” she finally answered. “I haven’t been able to conjure a spell or invoke a spirit. I even read through my own Book of Shadows, but it means nothing.” Exasperated, she rubbed her fingers against her temples.

“If it weren’t for my family,” she continued, “I wouldn’t have even remembered that I was a witch. It’s only at their insistence that I’m even here. How awful is that?” She shook her head again, not totally convinced he’d be able to help her.

“I understand your frustration, I do, but I want to assure you that I can help.” Jake leaned forward to stress the sincerity of his words. He wanted to reach across the desk and touch her, but instead he leaned back in his chair.

“Now, can you tell me any details, anything at all, about the accident?” Jake was eager to find out as much as possible.

Emily’s shoulders fell as she released a deep sigh. She tilted her head back into the chair’s cushion and tried to recall any details. “I was going back to my hotel. At least I’m assuming that’s where I was headed because I was out of town. I was in Santa Monica. Apparently I was at some kind of convention down there. Not that I remember,” she smiled at Jake. “Like I said, there are still some very fuzzy parts.”

“Anyway, this car just came out of nowhere and smashed into my driver’s side door.” Emily shuddered at the one clear memory she did have. “It was terrifying, but that’s about all I remember. I blacked out after the impact. The next thing I know, I’m at my mom’s house. I don’t even know how I got there.”

Hearing her words swamped Jake with guilt.
Why hadn’t I sensed that something was wrong?
Even as he berated himself he knew it was because all his attention had been focused on the safety of the High Priestess. Jake vowed to do everything in his power to make this right for Emily.

“Did you get any information from the driver who hit you? Have they been helpful?” He chose his words carefully, wondering at the possibility of a connection between Emily’s accident and the recent emergency meeting with the High Priestess.

“No, nothing.” The irritation was evident in her tone. “And it’s not like I left the scene. I mean, my car was destroyed; I was told it was completely written off.” Emily shook her head, wishing she had more answers.

“Good thing I paid extra for the insurance because apparently it was a rental.” She forced a smile but felt a pressure building in her chest, like there was something simmering just below the surface that wanted to explode its way through. She just couldn’t put her finger on it.

“I can definitely help you.” Jake’s words were spoken with conviction but laced with guilt. “But I need you to do more than just believe me...I need you to trust me completely. Can you do that?”

His heart felt heavy as he watched Emily struggle with his request. He wished more than anything that he’d left Las Vegas and returned to the conference instead of heading straight for home.
If only.
He abruptly stopped the useless train of thought and looked at Emily who was studying him carefully.

Nothing had worked so far and she desperately wanted her life back. She cocked her head and eyed Jake from across the desk. “Yes, I’m willing to try.” That was the simple answer. And at this very moment it was all she could give him.

Still staring at Jake, Emily realized the more important question was actually figuring out how was she going to put aside her obvious attraction to this handsome doctor and not allow it to interfere with her recovery?

“Excellent.” Jake smiled. “So when can you start?” He pretended to scan his planner but knew he’d make himself available for whatever time she wanted.

“I don’t suppose you have any free time today? I mean I’m here...,” she let her words just hang there.

“Actually I do. I’ve got a client coming in shortly, but after that I have an opening. Would you mind coming back in about an hour?” His deep chocolate eyes seemed to bore straight into her heart where they filled her with hope. They also sent a shot of adrenaline through her veins that filled her with something more.

“Sure,” Emily said easily as she pushed herself up from the chair. “I’ll come back in an hour.” She followed Jake out of his office and down the hall.

Standing only inches from his side as they walked towards the reception area, Emily was sure she felt something grip her heart. It wasn’t just physical attraction that was causing the stir; she felt a knowing in her heart that she hadn’t felt since the accident. Emily knew, just knew that Jake would fix her. There was a spark of certainty, something like her intuition being
inspire
d.

Emily nodded to Nancy as she passed by her desk. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

“See you then,” Nancy said with a smile as she finished writing out a message to Jake from Lochlan that read:

I’M ON MY WAY TO TOWN. SEE YOU SOON.

Jake didn’t waste any time. He pulled out the pictures from the top drawer of his desk as soon as Emily left his office. Now that he understood just how serious Emily’s diagnosis was, he looked to the pictures of the Santa Monica Pier for inspiration. Emily wasn’t in any of the pictures because he’d taken them before
they
ran into
each other, but he still believed they held the key to unlocking her amnesia.

He leaned back in his chair and smiled, not because his thoughts were consumed with Emily, but because the answer came swiftly. He needed to re-create Santa Monica!

Unfortunately
he had less than one hour to prepare the scene.
Jake
had told Emily just a little lie - he
didn't
actually
have another client coming
in; today was all about Emily. He knew that if she agreed to treatment after his initial consultation, he would need some time to devise a plan.

It was time to get busy.

He swung open the office door and yelled down the hall.
"Nancy
,
"
his voice bounced off the walls down to
the lobby.
"I'll be unavailable
until she returns
."
With his dark hair flying, Jake ran to
the large studio space at the
very
end of the long hallway.

The room was sparse, just the way it should be when you wanted to fill it with magic. Jake opened up the enormous unfinished pine closet that covered almost one entire wall. It was filled with his many essential tools, among them glass jars filled with; feathers, stones, twine, leaves, herbs, incense, essential oil, salt and sand. He wrapped his hand around the jar holding the precious sand, took a deep breath and opened it.

With the early afternoon sun streaming in through the two sizeable windows at the back of the building, Jake placed his jar of sand on the small log table along with a green candle and a mixture of thyme, sage and sandalwood. He crushed up the herbs and placed them in a small dish then thoughtfully added a few drops of the sandalwood oil. He went back over to the cabinet and removed his favorite silver candleholder.

He worked efficiently to set up the tiny alter then took another deep breath as the scents began to fill the room. The spell came to him quickly. He softly chanted the healing words aloud three times:

By the sun’s early afternoon light

Help to unearth and ignite

The powers within Emily Pierce

Feed her fire, make her fierce

Rid her of the trauma within

Heal her now. Let us begin.

So mote it be!

He grabbed the jar of sand, placed only a few grains into his hand and closed his eyes. He pictured the beach in Santa Monica where he and Emily had spent some more intimate moments. He could almost feel the warmth of her skin and the taste of her on his lips. The vision he held in his mind was that crisp and clear.

“Go, go, fly, fly, all these grains must multiply!” Jake threw the grains of sand out of his hand, forcing them across the room. With the expertise of a fourth generation witch, the room was transformed into a beach within minutes. Still working quickly, Jake continued to replicate Santa Monica as he made palm trees materialize out of a single blade of grass and a few broken pieces of coconut shells.

Pleased with how the room was taking shape, his next task was to light up the long wall so it resembled the pier itself. He raced back to his office and grabbed the laptop. With only minutes to spare, Jake sauntered back to his office and waited as if he had all the time in the world.

Emily had walked down the street
to the coffee shop she’d seen earlier while she’d been circling the block looking for the doctor’s address.

She hardly tasted the coffee she drank; her thoughts were consumed with Jake and what he might be able to offer. Something tugged at her when she thought about the witch doctor. She knew it was impossible, but he felt somehow familiar. It was almost like she was experiencing an intense sense of déjà-vu.

As Emily sipped on her coffee thoughts of her aunt repeatedly popped into her mind. For some reason she felt the need to call her and warn her about something, but as she groped around her brain, Emily had no idea what it was. She looked down at her watch and counted down the minutes until she could return to Jake’s office.

She tried not to think about his tousled hair and deep brown eyes. She glanced at her watch again and tried to ignore the heat she felt when she thought about the enticing witch doctor. She didn’t need any magical abilities to recognize that she was wildly attracted to the handsome witch doctor.

Alright, let’s see what you’ve got
,
she thought to herself. After almost an hour of waiting impatiently, Emily pushed back her chair, left a generous tip on the table and made her way back to Jake’s office.

“Hi there,” Nancy greeted her as soon as she swung open the door. “Jake is ready, come on in.” She stood from behind her desk and led Emily down the hall. Nancy gently knocked on the door at the far end of the hall, then ushered Emily in.

Emily took a step back in shock. She was immediately transported to another place entirely once she stepped into the room. “Oh my God!” She squealed out loud, unable to contain her amazement.

“How did you . . ?” She couldn’t even finish the question. “Wow, look at the picture.” Emily gasped as she took in the details of the enormous image plastered on the wall; the Santa Monica Pier was staring back at her. Bright with lights and alive with energy, the photograph captured the epic life of Santa Monica in all its perfection.

Jake carefully studied Emily’s reaction. He allowed himself to be only mildly disappointed when he saw no obvious signs of any memories being triggered. He wanted to get started right away so didn’t waste any time. “I’m glad you like it. Now...let’s get to work.”

“Alright, but I have to ask,” Emily’s blue eyes were filled with confusion, “what does all of this,” she spun around, her arms wide, “sand and palm trees and...pictures of Santa Monica, what does this have to do with recovering my magical abilities?”

“Hopefully you will see shortly.” He tore his eyes away from her and reminded himself to stay completely professional.

Although the room was filled with the sweet aroma of sage and sandalwood, Jake found Emily’s scent overwhelming. He took a sideways step away from her and barely missed one of the palm trees. All he wanted to do was ravish her right there in the soft dunes of sand he had created with his own hand.

“First we are going to start with Air,” Jake said, reigning in his thoughts, reminding himself why they were there. He walked to one of the tall windows at the back of the room and opened it wide. “Let’s have some fun shall we?”

Hoping the element of surprise would let him know just how deep Emily’s trauma was, Jake didn’t give her any warning when he harnessed the air, spun around and pushed an energy ball in her direction.

Instinctively Emily swerved to the side to miss the invisible ball of energy from hitting her. Although she couldn’t see it, she felt the charge in the air as it barreled toward her.