Lost Wanderer Awakened - Book One of the Airendell Chronicles (36 page)

“Go Luca, I am fine. I have my wits about me
now, I will stop acting like a coward,” she promises him.

“You have never acted like a coward Darling,
never,” he assures her. He kisses her lightly and leaves to speak
to Damian.

Morna looks at her reflection in the full
length mirror by her destroyed wardrobe. And says, “Well my little
eavesdroppers, we know better don’t we?” When she finishes
dressing, she spots her new luggage on the bed where Luca had put
it before joining her on floor. She snatches up the smaller bag and
takes it into the bathroom. There she washes her face, trying to
calm herself. Then she brushes her teeth and quickly packs all of
her toiletry items into the bag. Zips it up and takes a look in the
mirror above the vanity. “Yeah, not a coward. Then why am I so
thoroughly terrified to find out what I have to do next?” she asks
her unseen audience.

She carries the small bag into the bedroom
and lays it on the bed. She opens the larger one tosses half the
contents of the wardrobe into. She also packs all the clothes that
Luca insisted on buying today. She’s really not paying attention to
what she’s packing. She zips it up. And then she sits on the bed
beside the suitcases and puts her face in her hands, in an effort
to collect her wits. Her cell phone rings and she groans. She digs
it out of her purse, pushes the speaker phone button, “What now
Breena?”

“Easy sister. I just wanted to let you know
my plane will arrive at Chicago O’Hare three hours after you two
get there. Brigid will send someone to pick me up at the airport.
We will all meet up at her practice, the next morning at 10:00 am.
And sis, don’t be self-conscious about the connection, and yes, I
would have forgiven you. I truly understand now why you two have
always acted the way you do, you are really two halves of a whole
aren’t you? You need each other as much as you need air and water
to survive. He needs you as much as he needs blood. Morna, it’s
amazing!”

Morna just nods. She knows that Breena
doesn’t need her to answer. Then she asks, “Do you know who else I
have connected with?”

“No,” Breena lies. “It’s okay sister. Go do
as Luca says and get something to eat, or go smoke that cigarette
you have been craving all day. Luca’s gone, he called me and said
he was taking Mac to the Bridge.” Just then Morna hears Damian call
up the stairs.

“Breena…” she starts. But Breena cuts her
off, “I know, I heard him too. Go invite your, uh, son upstairs. I
suspect he is very worried about you. God, that boy is gorgeous! He
makes me want to rob the cradle.”

Morna laughs, and says, “Well, biologically
speaking, you two are nearly the same age. But he’s a young vampire
sister, they can be very dangerous. Luca just makes being a
bloodthirsty monster look easy. But it’s truly very, very hard for
them to control themselves around humans.”

Breena chuckles wickedly, “But it might be
worth the risk…”

“Bye Breena.” Morna hangs up and walks into
the living area still chuckling softly and shaking her head.

“Come on up Damian,” she calls out.

Damian comes up the stairs and looks around
uncertainly. “Should I be up here without Luca?” he asks.

Morna laughs and says, “Well I am not
planning on molesting you young man.”

“That’s not what I meant Morna and you know
it,” he says.

“I know what you meant, goofy,” she motions
to the kitchen area. “Come join me. I need to eat.” Damian follows
her into the kitchen area and sits at the table while she makes a
sandwich. She grabs a coke out of the refrigerator and says, “Let’s
go outside. I want a cigarette after I eat this.” Once outside they
settle on the swing on the porch.

“How’s it hangin’ kiddo?” she asks, throwing
on her best light-hearted attitude.

“Wow, ma’am, you are really asking about me?”
he asks incredulously.

Morna shrugs as she bites into her sandwich.
“Sure, you have had a lot thrown in your lap lately. I assume Luca
told you about the envoy from the Elf Lord?”

“Yes, and he said I might need to be part of
some gathering to help break a curse that’s binding you? I don’t
understand, I thought you were a magical being yourself. How can
anyone curse you? I mean I thought you were really powerful,” he
asks, clearly confused.

Morna looks at Damian thoughtfully, perhaps
looking at him through Breena’s eyes for a moment. She is startled
to realize he is truly a beautiful man. Nearly as tall as Luca, but
not as powerfully built. He has straight, jet black hair, a much
longer than Morna likes on a man, but beautiful none the less. His
huge eyes are a rich amber color, widely spaced. His lips are full
and very pale. His nose is straight and strong. He has lovely high
cheek bones and a strong chin. “Yes,” she thinks to herself. “I see
what you are talking about Breena.” Then she chuckles.

“Damian, I don’t remember everything yet, but
the witch who cursed me was apparently very powerful... Or she had
help.” Morna looks thoughtful at that and continues, “She
apparently constitutes some kind of threat to my people, the Spell
Weavers of Airendell,” Morna answers.

“Why did she curse you?” he asks.

“Because I had killed her mate.” Morna sighs
and runs her hands through her hair before she rubs her throbbing
temple. “Look, her mate was an ancient stone cold vampire. He was
killing my mate when I came upon them,” her face and voice clearly
revealing her hatred for the ancient vampire. “So I killed
him.”

“Wow!” breathes Damian. “And your mate? That
was Luca?”

“Yes Luca has always been my only mate. I may
have lived as wife or lover to other men in my various
incarnations, but Luca is my only mate, for all of eternity,” she
vows.

“Other incarnations?”

“Yes, that was the essence of the curse. She
couldn‘t completely take away my immortality, but she cursed me to
be continuously reborn a mortal with no knowledge of who I am, who
Luca is… nothing. It’s been hell on Luca, I can’t even imagine what
he has had to go through in the nearly 600 years since that day. He
has to track me down over and over. He has to help me to remember
him, to remember myself. It’s a real nightmare for both of us, but
mostly for him. At least I am blissfully unaware of what I don‘t
know until he helps me,” she whispers as tears silently roll down
her cheeks.

Damian is so moved by her admission and tears
that he starts to embrace her. She puts up her hand to stop him.
“Easy Kiddo. Let’s not stretch that self-control of yours beyond
reason. I am fine. I promise.”

“Okay, sorry. I didn’t mean anything
inappropriate Morna. You know that right?” he asks uncertainly.

“Of course I do,” she assures him and pats
his knee. “I just understand, probably better than any human in
existence, the pull the scent of human blood has on your kind. Luca
has mind-shared many of his experiences as a vampire with me.”
Morna shudders at some memory before continuing, “And you have
already said that my blood smells especially appealing to you. Why
push it, right?”

Morna looks at her sandwich and pulls a face.
She walks over to her car and gets the spare pack of cigarettes out
of the glove compartment. She lights one and sits back down by
Damian. She notices him wrinkle his nose and says, “Sorry.” She
draws deeply from the cigarette and enjoys the taste and effects of
the strong chemicals in the tobacco smoke.

Damian shrugs. “I used to smoke, but I don’t
like it anymore, not since the change.” Morna nods at that and
Damian continues; “When we first met, you said you had killed my
kind. Okay, so one of them was when you were an immortal, before
the curse. What about the others? Were they before the curse?”
Damian asks, trying hard to understand the woman sitting beside
him.

“As a warrior of Airendell I killed vampires
who killed mortals. And yes, I did kill vampires after the curse.
Apparently your kind is drawn to me, for some reason I can‘t
fathom.” Morna chuckles at that, thinking about all the encounters
she has had with vampires over all the years, including the two
last night. I was a mortal when I killed the other three, I had to
break them apart and burn them. I was attacked by three different
vampires in two different lifetimes. Many of your kind see my being
mated to Luca as, well unnatural. I seem to be a bit of magical
being even when I am trapped in this curse, so I am able to defend
myself against them. But my memories are a bit incomplete, so I
can’t really explain it any better than that. Sorry.” says
Morna.

“Okay, so you said that ancient vamp was
killing Luca. How did he get the drop on Luca? I means wasn’t he a
Spell Weaver at the time or did that come after he changed into a
vampire?” asks Damian.

Morna is very thoughtful when she answers.
“He was apparently in a trance. But that shouldn’t have been enough
for the ancient to catch him unaware. It confounds me, it always
has. The ancient should not have been able to overtake him. Luca
was and remains, a very powerful Spell Weaver. It is almost as
though someone was interfering… NO!” she gasps. “Magdrid! I could
sense her energy, her presence when I found them in the glen!
Magdrid, was in league with the ancient vampire! She meant for that
beast to destroy my beloved.” Morna stands up so fast she almost
unseats Damian from the porch swing. “That bitch! My own mother
tried to have Luca killed!” she shouts. “I’ll destroy her!”

Two things happen simultaneously, her cell
phone rings and Luca, who had just pulled up in his BMW, appears by
her side.

Luca takes her into his arms and demands,
“What do you mean? It was Magdrid? I always suspected someone was
helping the ancient one, but Magdrid? Are you sure love?” The cell
phone is still ringing. Luca retrieves Morna’s phone from her back
pocket and hands it to Damian and tells him to answer it, “It is
probably Breena, tell her to sit tight, while we sort this out,”
Luca grinds out between clenched teeth.

Morna has silent tears coursing down her
enraged face as she looks at her beloved mate. She nods wordlessly,
then swallows hard. “Luca, forgive me. I should have seen it
sooner. I should have realized at the time. Now I can see it
plainly. It seems so obvious now. It’s the only thing that makes
sense, my mother is the only Spell Weaver that was strong enough to
do such a thing, and she and I had had words earlier on the day of
the attack… I don’t remember what brought the fight on… She told me
that I would live to regret my impertinence for marrying you
against her wishes. I have never understood what she had against
you.”

“But I am certain that Mother was jealous of
me from early on. We argued often about the true mission of the
Spell Weavers, she felt we should be increasing our strength and
our territory, while I held that Spell Weaver magic was only for
healing and defense of mankind. The Elders often sided with me
during these times. I guess she feared my growing strength and
resented how the Elders were looking to me for counsel more and
more. There had been whispers that I was to take over for her when
I reached my majority at three hundred years old. I was two hundred
and sixty-five when she tried to have you killed.”

“I should have seen this before; She was
seeking to destroy me through you. I am sure that she sent a vision
to the witch, Kyera. That’s how she knew I had killed her mate and
where we were,” she breathes. “My own mother did this to us, Luca.
I am certain of it. It is an extreme version of tactics that I have
seen her use often enough.” Shame fills Morna as she looks at her
one true love, she knows in her heart that her own mother was
behind the attack and the curse.

He holds her close and tries to ease the pain
he knows this apparent betrayal is causing Morna. She clings to him
desperately for a moment, until she senses another person near her.
She looks up and is shocked to see Samantha. Sammy is standing on
the steps of the porch, she is staring at Damian with obvious lust
in her eyes.

Morna sighs and looks up at Luca, “Why did
you bring her?” she asks, feeling very frustrated at the thought of
having to deal with the impetuous and promiscuous Samantha along
with everything else.

Samantha speaks up then, “Morna, I sought you
out. I have been drawn to you for over a year now. I have had many,
many visions about you. Today I had one about a tiny black haired
woman in some sort of tryst with the tall silver haired woman who
caused the crash. I think they are plotting against you, against
all of the sons and daughters of Airendell that have moved to
America. She is plotting to kill you if you remain in Oklahoma.
When Luca dropped Mac off at the halfway house, I snuck out my
bedroom window and waited for him around the corner. I told him
about my visions, and that I thought I should come with you guys to
meet the Elves on the ridge.”

“Wow kiddo, your visions keep you remarkably
well informed,” muses Morna thoughtfully, wondering what this new
development means. She sighs and rubs her forehead to try to ease
the monstrous headache.

She asks Luca if he is packed. “No, but it
won’t take long. Damian, please go get her luggage from the
upstairs bedroom and put it in the back of the BMW.” Luca kisses
Morna’s forehead and says, “Baby, when you have satisfactorily
satiated your nicotine craving, join me upstairs.” He smirks and
then disappears.

Morna looks at Samantha and says, “When we
get in the car, you get in the back seat young lady. I will ride
back there with you.” Morna lights another cigarette and rubs her
throbbing temples. The pain is excruciating, and she‘s nearly
blinded with it.

Sammy smirks and says, “You afraid I will
rape the gorgeous Damian?”

“Not really, but he might find you a tasty
morsel. I don’t want to put any more temptation on that kid than we
have to,” Morna replies.