Ever After Read online

  “I will be here for you, Mia. But are you quite certain you want to contact the spirit? I sense black and white magic attached to this brooch. What if the spirit is a dark one? We don’t have the power to combat that kind of evil—we’d need a few more with our talents to fight it.”

  “It isn’t a dark one—I can tell that much. The spirit is trapped and all of his power has been taken from him.”

  “You know it’s a he?”

  “Yes. I’ve dreamt about him. I know he’s tortured and he needs our help.”

  Leo sucked in his breath. They were talking about him—he had finally found two owners that could solve the mystery. Thank the Fates.

  Poppy sniffed the air. “Did you bring in some Lily of the Valley with you, Mia?”

  “It’s March. They haven’t bloomed yet.”

  “And still, I can smell it.”

  “Well, I’m not wearing Lily of the Valley scented perfume today—it’s violet for me today.”

  “Most unusual,” Poppy murmured.

  Lily.

  His heart quickened. If they could smell Lily of the Valley when it wasn’t in season—then, that could mean only one possible thing—Lily could be in the area. Had she finally figured out where he was?

  He leaned toward the mirror. Poppy took off the brooch and held it toward Mia.

  “You should be the one to hold it. The psychic echoes might help you to get into the trance.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Wait.” Poppy stood up and reached for a sage bundle. “We should burn some sage while you’re in the trance. If something dark is attached to it…,”

  “You are right. Thank you Aunt Poppy, you do think of everything.”

  Mia was about to meditate herself into the trance, when someone rapped at the door so hard that it made both of them jump.

  “I’ll get that.” Mia stood up and walked to the door.

  “I’m not expecting anyone, Mia! Do take care. Look out the window before you unlock the door!”

  “I will.” A pause. “It’s a man.”

  “What sort of a man?”

  “Someone I’ve never seen before!”

  “You don’t know him from town?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t know. I really don’t think we should allow anyone strange to come calling, not when we have an unfinished job ahead of us.”

  “He’s wearing a poppy on his coat.”

  “Well, maybe he’s a veteran. You should probably open the door—he might have been a friend of your grandfather’s. If he’s an older man, I don’t think he could give us much trouble.”

  “That’s just it, he’s got silver hair, but he doesn’t look that old.”

  “Well, open the door, then, Mia. I don’t have any kind of ill feeling about him.”

  Leo knew it was Hawthorne, and since Poppy now held the brooch, he could give her subconscious messages. She was getting thoughts from him, and she wasn’t even aware of it.

  Finally. His curse was at an end. The only problem that could arise was if the Unseelie bitch that had cursed him was still alive. If she was, she would feel his salvation coming near, and she would be back to make certain he didn’t live much longer after being set free.

  That could be a serious problem. When they finally released him from his prison, he would be disoriented. Coupled with the fact that he hadn’t used his powers for a thousand human years, well, he would be hard pressed to protect himself not to mention Hawthorne, Poppy and Mia. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He didn’t want anyone dying because of him.

  Hawthorne would be no match for a seasoned Unseelie sorceress. He would have no idea on how to combat her evil magic.

  “I’m looking for my younger sister, her name is Lily. She was headed this way, have you by chance seen her? She’s quite lovely with pitch black hair, violet-blue eyes, and she’ll be wearing dark purple as it’s her favourite colour.”

  Hand it to Hawthorne to completely lose sight on how humans interacted. No greeting, no introduction. He’d just gunned right for his point.

  If he was looking for Lily that meant she was lost.

  Paralyzing fear struck him. He stood up and started pacing. If she was in the human realm, maybe he could reach out to her.

  ‘Lily!’ No thought answered him.

  She had to be somewhere confused.

  He watched as Hawthorne started to inspect Poppy’s knick-knacks in her living room. The woman had far too many ornaments for his taste.

  “Humans have such strange tastes,” Hawthorne mused.

  Idiot. He had to keep quiet.

  “What did you say?” Poppy sidled up behind him. “I don’t know why I’ve even let you in. I never let anyone I don’t know inside of my house.”

  “Ah, well, I know you.” Hawthorne’s eyes dropped to the Celtic Brooch.

  “Leo.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “I know that brooch.”

  “Did you own before it went to the women who sold it to my niece?”

  “I was there when it was created.”

  “Impossible. This brooch is very old, and yet for some reason it’s still in mint condition—it’s almost as if it’s enchanted.”

  “You can say that again.” Hawthorne snorted. Leo wanted to hit him. His cousin never did know when to keep his mouth shut. “Would you allow me to hold it for a moment, dear lady?”

  Mia popped back into the room. “I was just looking out the window, and I could have sworn I saw a woman with long black hair standing outside—she looked like a faerie princess. I must be mistaken. It must have been a trick of the eye.”

  “It could have been one of the spirits of the land. Don’t worry yourself about it, Mia. You know that I stay here because of the spirits that are attached to this land.”

  “I know. No one can harm us as we are protected by our ancestors.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Spirits? Then the two of you know of The Otherworld?” Hawthorne sounded hopeful. “When I was drawing up the lane, I ran into a woman that was talking about having to churn more butter.”

  “That would be my great-grandmother. She likes to visit every so often when I need my reminders. I still make my own butter.” Poppy smiled.

  Leo sighed.

  Hawthorne looked hungrily at the brooch. “I don’t know why I didn’t meet up with Lily. She should be here.”

  “Maybe she had something come up,” Mia suggested.

  Leo didn’t like the way things were going. If the Unseelie sorceress was on her way here bad things were about to happen. As it was, he was already using the full force of his limited abilities by placating Mia and Poppy into allowing Hawthorne into the house. It had taken him about a hundred years to figure out how to influence the people that owned him. Now, he was quite proficient at manipulating those around him.

  The sound of Mia’s mobile ringing broke the uneasy silence. “I should really get that.” She went out into the hallway and started to talk on her cellphone.

  “I need to take this. Apparently, Richard’s cousin is in town, and he’s determined to bring her back here. He just keeps insisting that she meet Aunt Poppy. So, since I don’t really feel like getting into another argument with him, she’s coming back here.”

  “You and Richard are arguing a lot lately.”

  “He wants to take that job overseas. I would rather stay closer to home. You know how it is.”

  Poppy sighed. “Actually, I don’t. I was never lucky enough to find someone to be able to argue with.”

  “What is this?” Hawthorne held up a crochet hook. Both women looked at him in surprise. “It’s not a wand, not with a hook on the end of it. It’s most unusual…,”

  Leo groaned. “Just get to getting me out of here, you little imp!”

  Hawthorne’s head snapped to the side. He dropped the crochet hook on the coffee table.

  “If you would be so kind, Lady Poppy, I would be immensely grateful to be able to ha
ve a look at that brooch. It is most intriguing.”

  “I…,” Poppy faltered. “Why do you want to look at it?”

  “You know the spirit that’s attached to it!” Leo shouted, hoping that Hawthorne could hear him. He’d heard him the first time, so he could only hope that he would hear him this time around.

  “I know the spirit that’s attached to it,” Hawthorne repeated without missing a beat.

  “Thank you!” Leo shouted.

  Hawthorne stared at the brooch hungrily. “I can ease the spirit’s suffering if you allow me to hold it. I will get the psychic vibrations from it that way.”

  Could he?

  Leo didn’t even know if Hawthorne had the magic at his disposal to break the curse.

  Lily would know what to do. He had one idea, but he knew it wouldn’t work with Hawthorne. Since Lily was his true love, her kiss just might break the curse and set him free.

  Lily.

  Again, his heart felt heavy. How many couples had he led to each other? How many times had he seen love blossom between two compatible hearts? He’d brought soul mates together, and he couldn’t even be reunited with his one true love.

  “At any rate, Richard and his cousin should be here within ten minutes,” Mia spoke slowly.

  Leo could see that she was trying to figure out how to get rid of Hawthorne. His enchantment was wearing off, as Mia had a stronger will than her aunt.

  “Mia, perhaps, he could help the spirit. You know I feel his frustration. You admitted to sensing it as well!”

  “I know but we should be able to get him to move into the light without this poor man’s help.”

  “Poor? Me?” Hawthorne suddenly seemed to snap out of his daydream state. “As for leading this spirit into the light, I should think that will never happen.”

  “Why? Is he anchored to his world somehow?”

  “Aye. He’s anchored to the world by an ancient evil curse.”

  Poppy and Mia both gasped.

  Leo groaned. Hawthorne would never learn.

  Chapter Four

  Lily felt out of place. The clothing she wore, and the absence of her wings gave her a sense of discombobulating discomfort.

  “This is the safest way for you to appear to everyone in this world.” The Timekeeper known as Richard gave her a keen look of approval. “You’ll do until we can get Leo set to rights.”

  “Had you allowed me to implement my own plan, he would have already been set to rights.”

  “Listen, my wife doesn’t know what I am. Indeed, she is quite talented for a human, but her potential as a future witch hasn’t quite blossomed yet—and I don’t want her to see anything she shouldn’t see. It might give her the fright of her life!”

  “How do you know? She might be quite delighted by having the world of magic unveiled to her. Nonetheless, I’ll do as you wish. All I want is my husband back. As for blowing your secret wide open, my lips are sealed. Just as long as you don’t go and tell her I’m a faerie princess.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Has Evelyn gotten a fix on the Unseelie sorceress that cursed Leo?”

  “She’s hiding. As soon as our magical radar pinpoints her, Evelyn will track her. If she goes after Leo, we’ll be the first to know.”

  “Why did she curse him?”

  “According to our sources, she cursed him because he got in her way. Apparently, the woman Leo saved had sparked her ire. In retribution for saving her, Leo was cursed.”

  “What happened to the woman?”

  “She went on to give birth to a king.”

  “Ah.” Her head felt muddled. “I need to sit.”

  “No. You need to come with me. You can sit in the car.”

  “Car? Why don’t we just use…,”

  “No magic. Not in this realm. I use it in only extreme circumstances. It’s too easy to get careless. If Mia ever caught me using magic, I’d have to tell her about my other life—and I’m not prepared to do that—yet.”

  “Secrets in a marriage are dangerous. You’re about to set off the spark that will eventually burn down your matrimonial house”

  “I will take care to keep Mia safe from everything.”

  “She probably already thinks you’re having an affair on her. I just bet she doesn’t think it’s with your job. Have you ever introduced her to Evelyn?”

  Richard gave her a stern glance.

  “That is none of your business. Do take care around Mia and her aunt. The two of them are eccentric in some ways, but I don’t want you giving them bloody fits.”

  “You need to come to terms with who and what you are, Richard. You need to stop hiding what you are from the woman you love.”

  He snorted. “You shouldn’t be giving me marital counseling. Not in your situation. You’ve been apart from Leo for such a long time—how do you even know the two of you will still love each other?”

  Her heart sank. How could he ask such a question of her? Of course Leo’s love still burned brightly for her. Didn’t it? The seed of self-doubt was planted. It had been ten years for her. In that time, she hadn’t thought of another man. She walked to the ends of all of the known realms that she could think of—never believing that he’d been trapped while on Terra.

  She never should have overlooked this realm as a possibility. Leo had been waiting for her for over one thousand years. She could only imagine the wear and tear that wrought on his heart in that large space of time.

  “Come on. You look the best that I can do.”

  “I don’t like the way that I feel.” She stared down at the trousers he’d given her to put on. “These are far too constricting.”

  “Live with it.”

  She bristled. “I could use my magic.”

  “Don’t.”

  “I really can’t figure you out. You do not have the authority to tell me what to do.”

  “Here on Earth, I have the authority. If you’d like to take it to the Council, we could go there, but then, that would waste precious time that you don’t have.”

  “I don’t think I like you.”

  “That’s fine. You don’t have to like me, and come to think of it, I don’t have to like you. Regardless, you need me in order to get around Earth without sticking out like a sore thumb. The last time you were here, King Arthur ruled over Camelot. You’ve missed out on a lot.”

  “I get it. I need you, that doesn’t mean I have to like the fact that I need you.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What about Hawthorne? I don’t see him with a guide.”

  “Hawthorne has a charm on him. He should be able to muddle his way through. Besides, he just looks like a man that is in dire need of some help. I can tell you that Mia’s Aunt Poppy will take to him like a mermaid to water.”

  “Then, onward, my little annoying friend. We have a quest to finish. I’m nearly crawling out of my skin with the thought of looking upon Leo again. I want to hold him so badly.”

  “Save the lovey-dovey sentiment for someone that will care. I’m quite certain that Leo will be more than happy to hear you moon over him.”

  “You need to melt the ice encasing your heart. I don’t know why your wife married you.”

  Richard settled into the automobile and gave her a startled expression. “She married me because she is in love with me.”

  “Are you certain of that? You don’t seem to be the type of man that would inspire love in any person. You don’t even talk about Mia as if you love her. You talk about her like she’s a big pain in your—”

  He held his hand up. “Stop it. Again, we aren’t here to talk about my marriage. We’re here to talk about yours.”

  “If Leo could see the way you talked about Mia, he’d give you a good kick up the backside. He was always a romantic at heart—he said that love was the only force strong enough to make a man into a man. He said it was better than magic.”

  “He sounds like a bloody poet.”

  “He was a great faerie. He had the resp
ect and awe of many of his kind.”

  “Then, I’ll be happy to shake his hand when we free him.”

  “How can he be freed?”

  “No one knows. I assumed that he would be released as soon as a faerie pure of heart touched the brooch.”

  “Has he been able to use his powers to any extent while trapped in the brooch?”

  “We have had our Watchers observing the brooch’s travels.”

  “Why didn’t any of them come and get me?”

  “Because, this was meant to be. His destiny and the brooch are written in stone. We couldn’t change it. We had to let it play out its course, no matter how much it might have pissed off a certain little pampered princess.”

  She snorted and tossed him a glare hot enough to melt ice. “And has it played out its course?”

  “Indeed.”

  “I don’t like that. I wish someone had told me sooner.”

  “Like it or not, it is done. You can’t change what has happened. Leo has been able to use some sort of magic in his silver prison.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Everyone that ever owned the brooch found their perfect love match.”

  “Look at Mia, she owned the brooch before she gave it to her aunt.”

  “Hmm, perhaps, she should have worn it a bit longer. Leo might have led her to her perfect lover as well.”

  “Ha, ha,” he chuckled, and then turned onto a winding driveway that led up to a large house. Smoke billowed from one of the many chimneys.

  She sat forward on the seat, straining against the seatbelt.

  “There’s something wrong.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You should. Do you completely siphon off your magic when you’re in this realm? Shame on you, Richard. There is dark magic afoot here, and it’s headed straight for the house.”

  “Mia.”

  “Leo.” Their voices rang in unison. Each carrying mirrored fear in their hearts for the ones they loved.

  “Can I use my magic now?”

  He gave her an angry glance and then, snapped his fingers.

  Chapter Five