Magical Tendencies (25 page)

"You're here!" She smiled at me. Her teeth were perfect and her sparkling hazel eyes reflected in the moon beamed at me like she was proud of me for some reason.

I smiled back for reasons unbeknownst to me. My body sang with joy.
Huh, that's weird.

I looked her up and down, surveying the woman before me. She couldn't have been more than twenty-two years old. She looked even younger than that but the way she carried herself screamed that she was older. She stood taller than I did, probably 5'11" give or take an inch. She had long, straight rich brown hair that swayed at her back with the breeze. Her body was slender like a runway model but her curves were everywhere they should be—curvy hips, firm chest, an elfish face and a slight grin on her full, beautiful lips. She was absolutely perfect. Shaking my head to clear the murk, I looked at her with a questioning eye.

"What is this about?" I got straight to the point, "What did you do to my guard?"

Smiling at me, she took a step closer, causing a ripple in my shield even though I was unaware that I had cast one out. I could feel her positive energy surging along it, though, and that gave me one moment of peace as I looked her up and down one more time. No one was that perfect and good at the same time. Right? Was she a goddess come to manipulate the poor unsuspecting humans?

I put my hand out as if to stop her. She took the hint and halted her advance, looking at the sand beneath her black Nike tennis shoes and back up to me. That was when I noticed what she was wearing.

She was dressed in fitted jeans and a white long sleeved peasant blouse. The denim hugged her perfect legs like they were made just for her and her blouse blew lightly in the breeze. I was afraid that she was going to get cold.
Should I offer her my jacket?

"I just put Solomon to sleep, that's all." She shrugged, toying with a stray tendril of hair that was trying to escape from her back. She looked nervous.

"Why? How?" My voice hedged on suspicious. What was this woman all about?

Sighing, she released the stray hair and squared her shoulders. "I put a spell of sleep on him. It's simple and won't hurt him at all. He will awake when I release him, refreshed and ready to battle the world." She smiled sweetly as she gazed up at the beach house looming up on the edge of the hill.

"I don't know of any sleep spells." I shook my head.

"
Yes
you
do
. You are the one that taught me the spell." She looked back at me with deep, loving eyes.

My chin dropped slightly, popping again like it does when I'm a bit surprised. She giggled under her breath at my response and I snapped it shut when I realized what I had done.
Idiot. You are so transparent!

"Look, I know this is weird. I'm actually not sure how to begin this conversation. I honestly considered just texting you about this but texts can be misconstrued so easily that I figured it was the best thing to speak to you in person. You have always told me that the best way to communicate is always in person where you can read a person's reactions, taste their essence. That has always been true but… " She looked at me sideways. "Uhg! I ramble on and on when I'm talking to you." She shook her head as she stroked her hair back, looking at the sand again. "Geesh, I always feel like such a child when I am around you. How do you do that to me?" She gazed up at me like she
was
a child, unsure and seeking reinforcement.

"You're doing just fine." My instinct was actually to try to reassure her.
Wonder why
. "Keep going," I smiled gently at her.

She nodded and tugged at her blouse to ensure that it was staying where she intended. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. My smile spread more broadly at the image of her doing that. It gave me peace.

Another breath, "My name is Cora. Cora Elena Ravenwood and I'm your daughter."

Silence hung in the air. The ocean even seemed to pull back and hold its breath. "What?" I asked slowly. "What did you just say?" My knees began to shake.

"I'm your daughter. Mother, you must see the resemblance." She waved up and down her body as if she was supposed to be the spitting image of me… but she wasn't. She looked like… well, I couldn't put my finger on
who
she looked like.

"My daughter?" My question was breathy, shaky. "I don't
have
any children." I shook my head. This was wrong. I think I would remember the nine months of hormones, the agonizing birth, the years and years of pampers and spit up.
Urg, whatever!

"No, you don't. Not yet." She shrugged. It looked like she was itching to move but she stayed where she was, planted and firm.

"So… you are from… ?"

"The future." She nodded.

"Huh." My mind was befuddled. This was so weird. Absolutely, freaking, creepingly weird.

"So… what are you doing
here
?" I asked, instantly suspicious of the direction the conversation was taking, "Aren't you toying with the future by coming here and even being on the same beach with me?" I eyed her again. Was she a demon sent to torment me with visions of a beautiful daughter?

"I have to talk to you. I have to tell you about… my fathers."

"FATHERS? As in PLURAL?" My voice squeaked. Wow, I was really cutting quite an impression with my daughter.

She nodded happily. She was clearly thrilled with the subject, "Yes! My fathers! Oh, mother, they are all so wonderful! All of them are the very best fathers I could have ever asked for—strong, creative, caring, powerful, protective, insightful, thoughtful, loving, supportive, knowledgeable, resourceful… "

"And a partridge in a pear tree." I sang, stopping her from continuing.

She smiled brightly at me, "Oh, yes, all that and a bag of chips too!" She giggled.

"Just like Tisha." I shook my head. Did Tisha know about her? The thought suddenly struck me that she may actually know
everything
.
What the heck?

Cora shook her head and looked down at me. I was actually pretty short compared to her, "Mother, you must listen to me. My fathers, these… men… they have taught me so much, preparing me, honing my skills, showing me things I never thought were possible." She beamed. "You were so right to choose them. I had to tell you that because… because." Her voice faded out as I watched the glow on her face fade slightly.

I watched her as her body instantly tensed, seemingly turning to stone. She looked over her shoulder as her hands twitched and there was a small flash of light within her fists. Instantly she had two cruel looking sabers in her hands—each a mirror image of the other. They were bound in leather at the hilts and glimmered with the silver that made the wicked blades. They were not huge but long and sleek, obviously made for a woman's hands.

I took a step back when I realized that she was holding such lethal weapons. Was she going to use them on me?

"Stay still." She whispered and then she flashed out of sight. My eyes went wide with fear as I looked around in the moonlight, catching small shadows as they darted back and forth between the beachline and the stairway leading to the beach house.

Like fingers reaching out for me, I saw three shadows inching closer to my position from the treeline shadowed on the beach, elongating as if they were a wicked oil slick spreading across the beach. Fear began to take hold of me as my shields flew higher and my reaction became more palpable.
Where was Cora?

In an instant three demons, feral and frightening were standing no more than eight feet away from me—easily a distance they could cover in a heartbeat. My heart fluttered frantically as I surveyed their dark, wrinkled skin, their black soulless eyes and their menacing clawed hands that were held up in front of them like they were animals getting ready to pounce.

My eyes narrowed and anger flared within me. "NO!" I shook with rage as a flash exploded in my hand and I was holding a simple silver dagger.
Dang! Definitely not as cool as Cora's blades
.

The demons eyed me wickedly and one actually licked his lips like he was planning on feasting on my soul. Or was that my heart? Who cared?! Leo was definitely going to PAY for this! Or maybe it was Camela. That little demon witch!

Squaring my shoulders, I quickly worked to assess the situation. Three demons and one of me and a daughter that I wasn't sure was even mine was playing hide and seek. Well, dammit, I was going to have to do something.

Just as I was preparing myself for their attack there was a quick 'fwip, fwip, fwip' noise in the background. There was a moment of absolute quiet as all three demons fell to their knees, heads rolling off of their shoulders in a quiet 'thump, thump, glump sound.
Gross!

I jumped as one of the heads rolled right up to my feet, trying to snarl and bite at me as the black left its eyes and was covered in a thick white film.

My eyes were huge with fear as I looked up to see Cora standing behind the lumped bodies on the sand. She was looking down at them with distaste as she shook her head, "Damned shadow demons. How I hate them so." She leaned over one of the bodies and cleaned her blades on its black jeans. She then walked calmly over to the shoreline and washed the silver off with the sea water.

She came back to me and looked up at the house, "I need to clean my blades. The seawater is bad for them but the demon blood is even worse. Kind of like an acid wash. Very nasty." She looked at me again for approval, "Mother, you must invite me into the house. I am not allowed past the wards unless you do."

That couldn't be right. "Why would that be, Cora? Why would I have to invite you into the house? If you aren't evil then why would I need to invite you in?"

She shrugged and gave me a tiny smirk, "Because I have demon blood."

***

About the Author

Selena Hunter is a writer in the North Texas area. She has a wonderful family and a tight circle of friends that she turns to when she is inspired to write about supernatural beings and love stories with interesting twists. When she isn't writing, she loves to entertain herself with Sci-Fi and Discovery Channel shows, digging for new ideas and concepts that would always make a story more fun and alluring. Inspiration is everywhere as far as she is concerned.

* * *

Would you like to read more about Celeste, Solomon, Leo and Cora? Follow the story in order in the Magical Tendencies Series:

Magical Tendencies - Book 1 - August 2013

Ritual Magic - Book 2 - August 2013

Magic Isn't Everything - Book 3 - October 2013

When All Magic Fails - Book 4 - December 2013

Books 5 and 6 are in the works so please keep your eyes open!

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SelenaDHunter.com
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