Forgotten Visions (The Divinities Book 1) (7 page)

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’re 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.

Ayden came over and squatted down beside them. “Let me help?” It was a question. Nymphs were temperamental. If he just lifted her in his arms to carry her to the car, she could easily freak out and hurt—possibly kill—him. Kalissa was glad Ayden knew that.

Willow looked at him with her large green eyes and smiled. “Lis, you went and snagged yourself a man, and a damn fine one at that.” Kalissa knew she turned every shade of red at Willow’s boldness. But before she could deny it, Willow answered Ayden’s question. “Yes, you may help.”

Kalissa stood and moved to the side to give him room. He carefully lifted Willow off the ground and into his arms. She snuggled into his chest, most likely seeking warmth. Kalissa felt a tiny wave of jealousy run through her that she had no right to feel. She should be grateful for his help. With a mental shake, she led them back to the car.

Ayden let out
a frustrated breath and raked his hands through his hair. “Two days?”

“That is a guesstimate, too. They said they had something to look into first. It could be sooner.” Zach chuckled into the phone at Ayden’s irritated sigh before adding, “This gives you two days alone with Lis. Who knows? Maybe she’ll regain her memory.”

As good as that sounded, Ayden wouldn’t hold his breath. It had been painful enough losing her the first time. He didn’t want a repeat.

“It wasn’t her fault. If she had her memory, there is no way she would have left you. Especially for someone like Liam.” Zach said her ex-boyfriend’s name like it was the plague or something.

“I take it you didn’t like him,” Ayden probed, wanting to find out more about the man she’d left him for fifteen years ago. And the reason for her earlier reaction to his anger.

Zach snorted with disgust. “He was an ass. He completely controlled her. I don’t think there was any physical abuse, but he did a number on her head. It took her years to get over his death.”

Ayden wanted to ask more about Liam, but Kalissa’s footsteps, followed by the click of the upstairs bedroom door where they’d placed Willow stopped him. Uneasiness had settled over her when the subject had come up at the diner. There was no need to add to her uncertainty. “I gotta go. Talk to you soon.”

Zach laughed and muttered something about Ayden being chickenshit because Lis was coming back into the room. Ignoring his cousin, he said a final goodbye and hung up the phone. He slid the cell into his jeans pocket as she descended the spiral staircase in the far corner of the living room.

“How is she?” Ayden asked when Kalissa came off the last step.

Her violet eyes lifted to meet his gaze from across the room. “Resting. I don’t think anything’s actually broken as she feared.”

“That’s good.” Silence filled the space between them. Nervousness rolled off her and coiled around him. He wanted go to her, wrap her in his arms, and make the storm brewing inside her go away.

A forced smile pulled at her lips as she walked farther into the living room. “She should be back to herself by morning.” She stilled in front of the sofa when he moved toward her.

“I thought you hadn’t been to the cabin in years.”

“It’s been about two years.”

He motioned for her to sit. After she hesitantly complied, he lowered himself into the seat next to her.

“Willow’s half human. My mom raised her. She stays here when no one is around.” She answered his unasked question.

The cabin was clean and free of static energy, surprising him since he’d assumed no one had visited it in years. “It must be nice to not have to clean the cobwebs out of the corners.”

A soft laugh bubbled out of her sensual lips, warming his heart. “Yes, it is. I’m glad Willow is here to take care of things, especially after…”

“Mom’s and Dad’s deaths” went unsaid. Her pain was all too familiar to him and cut to the core. He’d also lost his parents, and the grief was still raw.

Her emotions were starting to run rampant again, bouncing from nervousness to desire. He had to reinforce his shields.

She took a deep breath in, like she was gathering strength from the air. “Willow told me that there’s been more demon activity recently.”

“And you believe they’re looking for the Sinew?”

“Yeah. Did you get ahold of Noah?”

“Zach said he was being held captive by his wife.” Ayden laughed out loud. “Did you know they’re trying to conceive?”

Her violet eyes met his and she smiled. “At their age?”

“Well, they are immortal,” he teased. “Cassia will be four in a couple of months. Grams thinks it’d be nice to have another baby in the house.”

Her smile widened. “She always said she wanted a houseload of children.”

Nodding, he recalled his grandmother saying that but never knew why they’d only had two: Zach’s mom, Lynzee, and Ayden’s dad, Todd.

“How long have they been trying?” she asked.

“A couple months,” he answered and then changed the subject back to her unanswered question, the reason he’d called Noah in the first place. “Zach said Jacen and Lydia called this morning. They are tying up some loose ends and won’t be here for another two days.”

Kalissa froze
. For the love of the gods, she was still trying to get used to the idea of spending the night alone with him, but two days? How was she going to keep her distance for two days? Especially since he could pick up on her emotions.

“Lis? Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she lied, not caring if he knew she was being untruthful. “What are we going to do until they get here?” she whispered.

He was quiet for a few minutes before answering. “Whatever we do, we need to be on guard just in case the demons are looking for the Sinew. Now that they know we’re here.”

Oh, great
. She was betting he wouldn’t let her out of his sight.

“Why don’t you call Khloe?” he asked.

“Oh! I almost forgot.” What was wrong with her? She jumped up and went to the bedroom to grab her phone and the FedEx envelope with the messages from their mother. She came back to the living room, sat back down on the sofa, and called Khloe.

“Hey!” Khloe answered after the third ring. She sounded annoyed.

“What’s up?” Kalissa asked.

“Charles,” Khloe spat out. Kalissa smiled. Charles was Khloe’s flavor of the week. Well, he’d been around longer than a week. In fact, the relationship had lasted longer than any of the more recent ones. Khloe was too high-maintenance for human men, or at least that’s what she said, but Kalissa knew it was an excuse, a ploy to protect her heart from breaking again.

“What happened?”

“Oh, same shit, different man. ‘I’m too exhausting.’ Oh! And he had the nerve to say I was too demanding. How am I too demanding?” Khloe was on a roll.

The breakup must have just happened. “You’re too good for him anyway.” A relieved satisfaction washed through Kalissa. She didn’t like the weasel. Every time she was around him, she got an uneasy feeling.  

“He was too much of a mama’s boy.” Zach’s voice drifted in from the background.

“And here’s the other man that’s not too happy with us,” Khloe said with sarcasm. “Lis, turn on the video cam.”

Kalissa frowned. “You’ll have to walk me through it. I’m not sure if I remember how.”

Khloe laughed. “It’s already set up. Power up the TV, pick up the remote, and push the button that says AUX.”

Kalissa did as Khloe said. Within seconds, Khloe and Zach appeared on the TV screen. “Why are we video conferencing? I thought you were going to teleport up.”

Khloe released a heavy sigh. “I was, but the studio called an hour ago. They need me to teach a couple of classes.”

“Oh,” Kalissa said. 

“I’m sorry. I can call and cancel.”

“No. It’s okay.” Kalissa tried to keep the disappointment from her voice, but she knew Khloe could sense it anyway. “I’m going to fax the messages to you, then.” Kalissa went to the fax machine on the shelf next to the TV. She placed the pages in the tray and punched in their home fax number.

Khloe reached over and took the fax out of her machine. “The first is a spell. I’ll translate it and email it to you. I’m not sure what it’s for or if I should speak it out loud.” She moved on to the second page and read it.

“What you seek is hidden within the chamber, and protected by the twin retrievers. Five score from Lolissa into Mother’s light. But first, you must meet the others at The Wheel.”

“Lolissa?” Zach asked.

“It’s the cabin,” the girls said at the same time.

“Mom named it after us,” Khloe finished. “You think the Sinew is what we seek?”

Kalissa nodded. “It has to be. It only makes sense that Mom would hide it here. It’s protected behind Willow’s wards.”

“You did say Willow has seen more demon activity,” Ayden spoke up.

“Okay. Wait for Jacen, Lydia, and us to get there before you two go looking for it,” Zach said and then quickly added, “I mean it.” He gave Kalissa a pointed look.

Kalissa rolled her eyes, but it was Ayden who spoke. “We’ll wait. Let me know once you hear from the Raynerses.” Ayden’s phone beeped. He pulled it out, opened the text message, and smiled. “I’m going to send you a tag number. Let me know what you find.”

“She came through.” Kalissa smiled.

Zach nodded. “Will do. I have some other demonic news for you.”

“What now?” Ayden and Kalissa asked at the same time.

“Sindee called. She said her source informed her of a Dark Divine round-up. Khan ordered anyone who resists to be killed,” Zach said. He paused briefly before continuing. “I also ran across a name in Papa’s library. Hector D. Grayson.”

“Who is he?” Ayden asked

“He
was
a Khan General before Hecate killed him three hundred years ago. According to the archives, he was the one that used the Sinew to drain the Divinities of their powers. Oh, and FYI, if you are drained of your magic, you die,” Zach said.

“All the more reason to get the Sinew and keep it out of the demons’ hands,” Kalissa said. She thought for a minute. “There’s something that’s been bugging me. If they seek the Sinew and want to harvest our magic, why kill our parents? Why not capture them until they got the Sinew?”

Zach scrunched up his face. “I’m not sure. Maybe there’s been a change in plan?”

“Like gathering the Dark Divine together as part of Khan’s army,” Khloe said, reminding everyone of Sindee’s message.

Zach frowned again. “I didn’t think of that. I’m not sure how many there are.” He pulled out a small notepad from his shirt pocket and made some notes. “Once Grams releases Papa from her evil clutches, I’ll ask him. I just hope he has the strength to speak.”

Kalissa and Khloe giggled.

“Okay, then,” Ayden spoke with a chuckle. “We’ll talk to you when you get here.”

“You two be safe. I would stick close to the cabin if I were you,” Zach said.

Kalissa and Ayden agreed, said their goodbyes, and shut off the video. The demons were up to something; she felt it in her bones. So she would spend the next few days with Ayden. Alone.  It wouldn’t do them any good to draw too much attention to themselves, or end up dead before recovering the Sinew.

With the combined strength of five Divinities, they could protect and guard the power source. But who was going to guard her heart against the one man that could possibly tear down the walls around it?