Dani Harper - Storm Bound

“Do you trust me?”

He nodded. “I have the curitas to prove it.”

“Good. Look into the water, and when I tell you to, put your hand in it and grasp whatever you see.”

“But it’s empty…”

Olivia shook her head. “It only looks that way. As I told Brooke, I have few skills with magic, but the ones I have are very strong. I can read the cards. And I can scry .”

“What does that mean?”

“To scry is to view the future or the past, sometimes even the present. Most of all, it used to see truth . Look into the water, Aidan ap Llanfor.”

He bent his head and did as she instructed, staring into the water, looking through the water and noticing only some minute scratches in the silver on the bottom of the bowl. Olivia recited something in Spanish, a solemn poem, an incantation. Her voice was so soft that he couldn’t catch all of the words, so simply did his best to focus on the task he’d been given: he looked into the water. He saw nothing there but found himself wondering at the broad span of silver that held the water: it was so light and thin. It had to be cast, something that wasn’t done until after his time. He could not imagine shaping such a large sheet on his anvil. No matter how careful he was, surely it would tear beneath the hammer long before it became so—

“¡ Mira el agua !” Look in the water!

He looked but the bowl was gone. Instead, he was staring into the water barrel from his forge. The water was steaming and his long-handled tongs were sticking out of it. He didn’t think; he didn’t need to think. He quickly grasped the tongs, and as he did so, an image appeared in the water.

A man in black leathers on a dark horse rode before a storm. His hair was wild to the wind and he held a whip of lightning that sizzled and cracked. A horde followed him, the Wild Hunt in all its power. But the rider wasn’t Lurien. This man was fair and bore features very like his own…

Aidan shoved himself away from the barrel.

“Well done,” said Olivia, and he was suddenly back in the room with her. His hand was empty, and his arm was wet to the elbow, shirt and all. The tongs, the barrel, all were gone, however. Only the bowl of water remained with its scant inch of water still in it. And the older woman who was looking at him approvingly.

“What was it?” he asked. “What did I just do?”

“You drew your future from the water. Oh, not all of it,” she assured him. “No one can do that. You saw a part of your future, a symbol of something that will create balance for you.”

“Did you see it too? What did it mean?”

She shook her head. “I did not see what you did. It’s the feel of the magic that allows me to judge that this reading belonged to the future. I don’t know what it means for you. But you definitely have magic in you, to be able to draw it to you so strongly.”

Aidan felt different—like himself, but somehow more . A strange feeling, not necessarily comfortable, rather like a bucket overfilled. “I did not know I had any magic of my own until I met Brooke. At first I thought it was only the remains from my time in the faery realm, but it seems that is not the case.” He forced himself to smile. What had appeared to him in the water was not Olivia’s fault—she’d only been trying to help. “I wonder if Gofannon had something to do with it. He is the god of both metal and magic, and I was pledged to him at an early age.”

“Perhaps so. I just hope this has given you another tool to aid you in your struggle with the faery princess, and perhaps as you wrestle with yourself as well.”

Aidan thanked her and left. Olivia couldn’t know that what he had just seen only troubled him further and had given him many more questions than he had before. He well remembered his conversation with Lurien outside the home of Maeve Lowri Jones, when the Lord of the Wild Hunt had proposed that Aidan take his place for a time. How could such a thing have anything to do with restoring balance?

George was on top of the effin’ world. He had three uninterrupted days in Seattle with his new woman to look forward to. More important, three nights . Maybe even four if he could talk Felicia into it.

The drive to Morgan’s place in Spokane Valley was a nice bonus, though. He’d get to see his old schoolmate and her new man for an hour, show off Felicia to one and all, and then drive off to the big city for some serious fun. In, out, and gone .

But what was even better, he didn’t need to feel guilty that Brooke was alone. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it wasn’t usual for men and women to truly be just pals , but she was his best friend in the entire world, and it bothered him that she’d had no one in her life for a while now. She was always so caring and kind to people, and she deserved the best, she really did. Mind you, a thousand-year-old death-dog-turned-human wasn’t quite the companion he’d have chosen for her, but Aidan was clearly one of those straight-arrow types, all about honor and vows and hard work. And it sure didn’t hurt that he was good looking, artistically speaking. George could picture the dude as a barbarian hero in one of his comic books, and he had already considered getting him to pose for some sketches. After all, even Devina of Hades could use a man in her life occasionally.

Sure, Brooke had had previous boyfriends. All three of them (he didn’t count the one she’d gone to the senior prom with, since they’d broken up a week later). Each had lasted a couple of years—the last one, almost four. But then, she was more the serious relationship type, not like him at all. George was perfectly happy with the casual dating scene and even he didn’t know how many girls he’d gone out with since high school. Keeping it light had always worked for him, so why change? He worked intensely on his art, he worked hard in the ring, and he made a good living from both. The rest was all fun.

But his mother had been on his case lately about settling down. When he’d finally shown his face at home this morning, she surprised him by not taking him to task about being out all night. Instead, she suggested he bring Felicia by the house to meet her, maybe invite her over to dinner. What was up with that? He laughed aloud as he polished the headlights on Carmelita. Mom, you should know better by now. I only love you and my truck.

But who knew? Perhaps he’d have some feelings for Felicia by the end of the weekend. Because unlike any of his other girlfriends, when he was with her, he didn’t think of much else. Not even his next art project or his upcoming match in the octagon. There was Felicia, and pretty much only Felicia. Wasn’t that what love was supposed to be like? George wasn’t sure it was possible to feel the sting of Cupid’s effin’ arrow in a single day, but he was dead certain he’d never had a relationship quite like this one.

And he’d never, ever, had sex like this in his life. Dios , he’d never imagined sex like this, and he thought his imagination was pretty damn good. He hadn’t slept a minute all night. The woman was a total goddess in more than just looks.

He sighed as he felt the tingle in his groin anew. Damn. Looking for distraction as well as what he liked to call vehicular perfection , George knelt on the pavement and scrubbed dirt off the rim of a tire. It wouldn’t last, of course—his dear Carmelita was going to get even dirtier driving on a country road to Morgan’s place, but it would be worth it. Not just for him, but hopefully for his best friend.

George had proposed introducing Aidan to Morgan’s husband, Rhys. And Brooke had heartily agreed. Since both men were Welsh, it was a no-brainer that they’d have plenty in common—even if Aidan was accustomed to a much older Wales. And Rhys had a forge set up and Aidan was a blacksmith, so hey, perfect fit, right? Brooke’s goal was to help Aidan, but what George really wanted was to help Brooke. Hopefully a little time alone together during the drive up and back (not to mention being exposed to all those super sweet love vibes that a newly married couple like Rhys and Morgan would naturally exude) would strengthen what had already developed between Brooke and Aidan.