Seduced by Power (14 page)

Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell;

Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace,

Yet grace must still look so.

— William Shakespeare, Macbeth

IT HADN'T BEEN
easy getting away alone, but in the end I convinced Derek to let me go, that I could handle myself. As I waited in the church garden, the angels looking sadder than they had last time, I thought about Blake. He hadn't gone to the prison I'd been kept in. From what I'd seen, the demons who did what he'd done to me were put in a much darker, more desperate place of despair.

I hoped Beleth would help him.

When the dark angel fell from the sky, landing soundlessly before me, I smiled. "Thanks for meeting me." I pulled the sphere from my pocket and handed it to him. "I thought you'd want this back."

He took it from my hand and nodded. "Thank you. What fate did the demon meet?"

A tear escaped the corner of my eye. "Not one he deserved. He died a hero, sacrificing himself to save me, to save us all."

Beleth became so still, even the statues moved more than him. "And did you see into his true heart?"

"I did. May I show you?" I held out my hand, and he took it. "He freed my true powers just before he died, and I've been working with some friends to learn how to use them. I recently learned this."

I closed my eyes and remembered that night, the way Blake's soul had felt as he died. Pouring golden light into Beleth's hand, I gave him a glimpse into Blake, showed him the love Blake learned to give.

Beleth's eyes glistened with moisture when I released him. He looked at his hands as the last of the glow faded. "You have a rare gift, one I've only ever seen once before in all my years. But it's not your power that makes you special, it's your heart."

Before he could disappear on me, I slipped one more thing into his palm. "A gift from the Druids."

Beleth glanced down at the vial of rose oil and smiled. "Thank you, Rose Wintersong of the O'Conner clan. This gift will help effect great change when the time is right."

"Beleth, can you maybe do me a favor?" Here was the real reason I'd come.

"What might that be? If it's in my power to give, consider it yours."

I had a feeling he didn't say that lightly. "Can you give Blake another chance at being human? He doesn't deserve to suffer the way he surely is right now."

Beleth cocked his head. "While I acknowledge his act of love in the end, he spent the majority of his life in misdeeds of evil. Why should he be given another chance?"

The question didn't feel antagonistic, more like Beleth honestly wanted to know my thoughts on this. "Because everyone deserves a second chance, and because we can't judge someone by their past alone. We have to look at who they are now."

My hands glowed golden, and I smiled at him. "Surely even you have done deeds you now wish you could take back? Can you not find compassion within you now?"

I touched his chest, letting the gold absorb into him until his eyes lit up and then faded to normal.

"You speak the truth with much wisdom. I promise to do what I can."

In the end, that's all I could expect. I clutched the silver locket with Sandy's picture and sent out a silent prayer to whoever was listening to keep Blake safe in the meantime.

If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me.

— William Shakespeare, Macbeth

THE SUN SHONE
bright, dancing over our magical roses as I waited for my bride to walk down the aisle sprinkled with multi-colored rose petals.

In the three months since the winter solstice, our lives had evolved into something I could have never imagined. Rose had grown into her new powers and become even more nurturing to those around her, so much so that we'd moved into the mansion at the paranormal school so she could spend more time working with the kids and their powers.

I taught martial arts, which the kids enjoyed. It also seemed to help them with control and mental awareness, something the teachers enjoyed.

Dean had made a full recovery and would likely be flirting his way through our reception with every single female he could find. He and Ocean had a brief fling, but had decided they were better as friends.

Tammy no longer moped around the house and had even started dating a man I might approve of someday. Jasmine was taking longer to recover. Her hair never regained its color, staying white no matter what product she used in it, but her body had healed and her heart, we hoped, would follow suit. We'd heard her singing around the house, sad songs, but it was a start.

My dad had hired someone to track down Donna Smuckers. She was still in the hospital after waking up from a coma. No one believed her tales of demons and dragons, but she was expected to make a full recovery with some therapy.

It was the best we could have hoped for under the circumstances.

And Rose and I were about to wed, making our union official. My cousins had erected a floral arch made of roses that I now stood below.

Our kids, the ones we taught, sat hands on laps in rows of chairs. Only a few lost control of their powers with a streak of flames or a little levitating.

Good thing our guests were all used to the paranormal.

Father Patrick stood ready to officiate. My dad would lead a private ceremony later for the clan.

The music started, and I wiped my hands on my pants and strained to get the first glimpse of the woman I would spend the rest of my life with.

She appeared, a vision in white, her dark hair flowing around her, her skin shining with a hint of the gold that never seemed to leave her now. She looked like a goddess.

I lifted her veil when she reached me, wanting to kiss her pink lips, but knowing I'd get the chance soon enough. Hopefully Father Patrick made it a fast ceremony.

"We are gathered here to join Rose Wintersong and Derek O'Conner in the loving bonds of marriage. When two souls are destined for each other, nothing is more powerful than the love between them. Rose and Derek have overcome the greatest of hardships to come together as one today."

"That's an understatement," I whispered to Rose.

She pinched my arm and giggled as Father Patrick continued.

We said our
I Do
s, but I wanted the kiss.

My lips claimed hers before the priest had finished saying, "You may kiss the bride."

I didn't care if we had an audience. The first kiss I gave my wife was going to be the best kiss she'd ever gotten.

I had a lot to live up to, but the moans she made as she pressed her body against mine let me know I was doing it right.

Might be the be-all and the end-all—here,

— William Shakespeare, Macbeth

HIS KISS LEFT
me breathless and blushing and elicited a few catcalls from our students as we ran down the aisle.

The party lasted into the night, with dancing, wine, food and cake. Sam and I chatted about our messed up family stories and laughed at the similarities we shared. Psycho power hungry parent who betrayed us? Check. Absentee parent? Check. Saving the world from said parent? Check that.

We'd become good friends since Derek and I started working at the school. I was glad, because my only other best friend was about to leave me for other adventures.

Ocean skipped over in her impossible high heels and sea foam green bridesmaid dress. She sat down next to me, smiling. "How does it feel to be married?"

"You know, I didn't think it would feel different at all. We've been living as a married couple for some time now, but there really is something to be said for that piece of paper. I feel a shift in energy, a permanence that I had assumed was there before. I like it."

We linked hands, and I thought about where her road would take her. "Have you heard back from them?"

I knew she had, she looked about ready to pop with news. "Dean just brought me this." She pulled out an expensive looking envelope with her name written in calligraphy.

"Wow, fancy."

"I know, right? Check it out." She slipped the card out of it and handed it to me. It said only, "You've been selected."

I waved the card. "What does this even mean?"

Sam looked at it. "Oh my God, you got into IPI? That's awesome!"

"This is how they invite people?"

Sam nodded. "It's how my friends were chosen. Congrats, Ocean. You'll fit in well there, from what I hear. International Paranormal Investigators have a lot of fun in their hunt for not-so-nice paranormals."

It definitely sounded like something Ocean would enjoy. Me? I was content to live the most perfectly boring life, waking up with my husband everyday, kissing him goodnight each night, and filling our days with everyday acts of love. Nothing sounded more amazing to me than that.

Drake joined us with Ana in tow, looking so sweet in her frilly pink dress. Sam reached for her daughter, and Ana smiled a dimply smile at her mommy. Sam settled the little girl on her lap. "So, any plans for babies?"

I choked on my champagne. "Um, no. We're good for now. We're going to wait awhile before we dive into that adventure."

Derek joined us, hiding something behind his back. "I haven't given you your present yet."

I stood and kissed him, wanting to run my hands over his body, but holding back as people watched us. "I thought you were the gift. I have plans to unwrap you later."

He nipped at my earlobe. "You're naughty. And yes, you get that too, but I have something else for you now."

Something whimpered from behind him, and he brought forward a beautiful Alaskan Husky pup. "For you. I tracked down the people who bought Sandy's puppy and told them what happened. Well, the muggle version of what happened. They wouldn't even let me pay them for her."

Tears threatened to destroy the hard work Ocean had done on my makeup as I took the puppy from him and nuzzled her to my face. "What's her name?"

"They called her Hope."

Hope. The perfect name. She licked a tear that had escaped and I fell in love, my heart bursting with joy knowing a part of Sandy lived on in this beautiful girl.

"Thank you, Derek. This is the most amazing present ever."

When the guests left and the sky filled with stars, the next ceremony began— the one I was most looking forward to and most nervous about.

My new father-in-law raised his hands to the sky and spoke in a big voice. "Tonight we welcome a new member into our pack. She and my son will one day lead this group and take up guardianship of the roses they risked their lives to save. We owe her our lives and tonight, we open our family to her and take her as one of our own."

He presented a cup to me, and I drank the bittersweet brew. It burned down my throat and into my gut. Clouds blocking the moon moved aside as if in honor of this night, and under the moonlight my body cracked, bent over, DNA reconfiguring itself into something new.

I landed on all fours, nails digging into the soft earth. The air changed around me, coming alive with sounds and smells I'd never noticed before. Each rose had a different scent, and I found I could tell what properties they would hold. I understood then how the O'Conners chose what to use in their salve and creams.

Derek, in wolf form, howled, and I joined him, enjoying the rumble in my chest. We ran through the woods, chasing each other and leaping over rocks. I'd never felt so free, so connected with the world around me.

For hours, we played under the moon as the rest of the pack went to bed.

Exhausted, happy, and right where I wanted to be, I collapsed onto a soft bed of grass and shifted back into human form, stretching sore muscles that still had to get used to being a wolf.

Derek shifted as well, and we held each other, bodies naked and hungry for each other.

We hadn't needed pain to make love in months, though we still enjoyed it rough from time to time. But tonight we took it slow, savoring each taste, each touch, each moment together. When he entered me, hard and huge, my body shuddered, and I pressed my hips against him, taking him deeper even as it ached. My hair fell around my shoulders as we switched places and I straddled him, riding his cock as he sucked on my hard nipples and teased my clit.

I felt powerful. Loved. Completely filled.

A golden hue of light embraced us as fireworks exploded in our bodies.

Overhead, a shooting star streaked across the sky.

"Make a wish, love." His voice was low and husky.

I leaned down to kiss him. "I already have everything I could ever want. My wishes all came true when I met you."