Retribution (62 page)

He'd spoken softly into her thick hair, but the entire awestruck cluster of magicians heard him, and many of them knew what he was talking about.

Layla continued to bask in her parents' heaven-sent message as she hitched a ride back to the lawn on Quin's torso, and for the first time since they left the replica of the golden suite, her heart wasn't performing its impossible feat. It still beat abnormally fast, but not impossibly fast.

Quin stayed silent most of the trip, but when they were almost to the lawn, his chest expanded with a deep breath. “Angel?”

“Yeah?”

“It's time to say goodbye to those who’ll stay behind. They're taking Doreen and most of the coven's pets to Karena's inn.”

Layla's throat closed, her lungs froze, and her heart dropped. Quin quickly hovered upright and cradled her in his arms, looking from her aura to her face.

“Breathe, Layla.”

Her lungs heaved, dragging in air as an ocean burst from her eyes, and she dropped her face into her hands. “I can’t do this.” Her mind flashed through images of the family members she’d be saying goodbye to, touching on fond memories she’d made with them, particularly Skyla and Alana. “I don't think I can pull myself together long enough to do this.”

“You don't have to pull yourself together,” Quin returned, “but you do have to do this. You'll regret it if you don't.”

“I can't let Alana see me like this.”

“No one will breeze through this, Layla. Alana's going to see heartbreak today. I know it's sad, but it's something that has to be done. She's not old enough to absorb the enormity of the situation, but she gets the gist, and she'll demand your farewell. I have no doubt.”

“Oh god,” Layla breathed, trying to find it in herself to be strong for her favorite little angel, but every time she thought she had control, she’d envision Alana's face, and another rush of emotions would have her gasping and crying.

“Okay,” Quin mumbled, carrying her toward the lawn. Then he called for Caitrin.

Soon Layla felt her grandmas touching her hair and back, but it made her cry harder so they stopped.

Quin sat on the ground, keeping Layla on his lap. “Do you have your pipe, Caitrin?”

“Yeah,” Caitrin answered, “but I’m not sure how much it will help with an aura that looks like that.”

“Well it can’t hurt,” Morrigan noted. “Just looking at her makes me want to cry.”

Quin pulled Layla’s cheek to his bicep and moved her hands from her face, forcing her to look at him. After wiping the tears from her cheeks, he reached for the loaded pipe Caitrin held out.

“Hit this,” Quin urged.

She accepted the pipe without hesitation, willing to do anything to find her way through the goodbyes without losing her breakfast. She had to steady her breathing to accept a chest full of smoke, but she finally tucked the pipe's stem in her lips and let Quin light it. The fumes hotly rolled down her throat, and she tried to return the pipe to Quin, but he didn't take it. He just watched her face and aura as she exhaled. Then he pointed to the herb.

“Take another one.”

She'd never taken more than one, but she trusted Quin not to put her in harm's way, so she obeyed. Warm smoke filled her lungs, and as she exhaled, the first hit took effect, relaxing her muscles and tingling her toes.

Quin's eyes stayed on the air around her as he puffed on the pipe, and apparently her aura calmed down, because he eventually released a small sigh of smoke while passing the pipe to Caitrin.

“Thank you,” Layla whispered, finding the rivers of tears wouldn't stop, but her throat wasn’t so tight she couldn’t breathe, and the gasping and heaving had settled.

“Anytime,” Quin returned. “May I make a suggestion?”

She nodded her curious approval, and he took her cheek as he explained. “Let's say goodbye to Alana first, while you're relaxed, because you won't stay that way.”

Finding it difficult to speak, she nodded while wiping away fresh tears, but her lungs stayed steady in their search for air.

Quin stood, and she tucked her face into his neck, trying to find strength in his firm flesh and masculine scent. He let her stay that way as he crossed the lawn, so she didn’t know they’d reached Alana until she heard her tiny voice.
 

“Waywa's weawwy sad, Quinwin.”

Layla’s lungs hiccupped, but she focused on breathing as she left Quin’s neck, finding Alana in Selena’s trembling arms.

Quin reached out and wiped a tear from Alana’s face. “We're all sad.”

“I'm sad,” she confirmed, her pout trembling.

Quin’s chest expanded as he brushed his thumb across Alana’s pucker. “I know, angel. This is really hard, isn't it?”

Alana and Layla nodded at the same time, and Quin swallowed as he glanced between them. “Hey,” he said, “I have an idea. Let’s go for a ride.”

Alana’s eyes widened. “I can fwy with both of you?”

“Sure. Right, love?”

Layla quickly nodded as she looked at Alana, somehow managing a shaky smile. “I’d love to fly with you and Quinlan,” she whispered, afraid a sob would burst loose if she said it any louder.

“There you go,” Quin added, tapping Alana on the nose. “Layla can hold you while I hold her. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” Layla whispered, and Alana flew into her waiting arms.

They hugged each other, and Quin spoke into Layla's hair. “Are you two beautiful girls ready?”

“Yes, Quinwin,” Alana answered, “I’m weady.”

Layla opened her mouth to say the same, but then she snapped it shut when her lips vibrated. Instead, she nodded her approval, and Quin tightened his hold on her before shooting into the air.

Once he was over the houses, he leveled out with his back to the ground, and Alana lifted her face from Layla's chest, watching the scenery fly by as excitement twinkled in her purple eyes.

After ten silent laps around the clearing, Alana shifted her attention away from the bird's-eye-view and looked at Quin, but her little hand stroked Layla’s cheek. “Mommy says you might go away fowr a whiwe. She says I might not get to see you fowr a wong time.”

Layla couldn't respond. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to keep her sobs at bay.

“Your mommy's right,” Quin confirmed, letting Alana's curls feather across his palm. “We might not get to see you again until you're a big girl like your great-grandma Flanna, but we will see you again. I promise.”

“She says you wiww be in a safe pwace with peopwe who wuv you.”
 

“We will,” Layla whispered.

Alana found Layla’s stare while wiping away her newest tears. “I asked mommy why we couldn't go there, too, cause
I
wuv you, and she said we would someday.”
 

“She's right,” Layla assured.

Alana's expression turned thoughtful as her toddler mind tried to decode adult problems. “But I don't weawy know why we have to wait. Mommy says we have things to do hewre, but I’d wather go with you to the safe pwace.”

“Oh sweetie,” Layla sobbed, unable to stop herself. “I want us to stay together and be safe, too, and maybe we will get that. Quinlan and I are going to try really hard to make sure we get to stay with you.” She paused, painfully inhaling. “But even if we can't, and we have to be apart for a while, you're going to be safe, and you're going to have your mommy and daddy and your brother here to take care of you and give you lots of love. And Quinlan and I, and all the others who might be gone for a while, we'll still have each other to love, just in a different place.”

She paused, her face flexing as she took another burning breath. Then she cupped Alana's cheek and slipped her fingers into soft ringlets. “I know that's sad, sweetie. It will make us all so sad to be apart, but you can't come with us yet. There's still fun for you to have here. I need you to stay and learn more magic so you can show me special tricks the next time I see you. And I need you to experience everything there is to do around here so you can tell me about it later. You have a long time before you're all grown up, and I want you to have as much fun as you can before coming to see us. We'll wait for you there. I promise, so take your time.”

“But I wiww miss you,” Alana countered, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes, “and that makes me sad.”

Layla quickly dried the baby's tears while ignoring her own. “I know. I'll miss you, too. So much. But the sad feelings will get better. We'll keep missing each other, and we'll always love each other, but we won't always cry. I promise, Alana. It will only be super sad for a little while. Pretty soon, you'll find something fun to do. Then you'll forget to be sad.”

“Weawy?”

“I promise, sweetie. I bet your mom's already thinking about fun activities that will help the sadness go away.”

Alana's eyebrows furrowed with a sweet concern normal two-year-olds couldn’t possibly possess. “What about you? Who wiww make youwr sadness bettew? Wosewen was youwr mommy, but she's gone...” She halted, her face wrinkling in contemplation then enlightening with answers. “Wiww you go to the same safe pwace Wosewen and Aedan went?”

Layla's mouth fell open. The toddler's knowledge and comprehension of the situation was blowing her away. Plus she didn’t know how to answer. Steadying her voice, she went with the truth. “Yes, angel. If we have to leave, that's where we'll go.”

Alana’s face flushed with painful realization. “But that means you can't come back.”

“Yes,” Layla whispered. “But remember, when you've had all the fun you can have here, and you're a big girl like your great-grandma, you can come to us. It won't be forever, Alana, just a little while. So have fun, and pay attention, because I want to hear all about it next time we see each other.”

Alana sadly nodded, and Layla caught one of her tears. “Just a little while, sweetie, not forever.”

“Just a wittwe whiwe,” Alana whispered back, using her entire palm to wipe Layla's cheek. “You wiww get to see youwr mommy and daddy if you go. That wiww make the sadness bettew.”

Layla found a weak smile while kissing her little hand. “Yes it will, but I'm still going to miss you, and I'll be waiting for you to get done here so I can play with you again.”

“I wuv you, Waywa.”

“I love you, too, Alana.”

Layla hugged the baby close as her control started cracking, and Quin made his way back to earth, his heart beating hard against Layla’s back.

When he landed in front of Selena, he lowered Layla's feet to the ground, but he kept a hold on her to make sure she was steady.

Breathing deep, Layla reluctantly left the child's hair and found her eyes. “I hope I get to see you again really, really soon, but if not, I'll see you when you're all grown up and full of stories and tricks. Deal?”

“Deaw,” Alana agreed. Then she reached out and touched Layla's cheek. “I wiww miss you.”

“I'll miss you, too, angel,” Layla whispered, nearly choking on it. Then she touched her lips to Alana’s forehead, unable to say the word
goodbye
.

Her knees shook as her throat closed up, so she kissed Alana’s forehead then passed her to Quin. She couldn’t watch their farewell. It would kill her, so she turned and stumbled into Selena’s hug. With that, the dam broke, and Layla started bawling.

Quin turned his back on Layla’s haunted aura and walked a few feet away, trying to tune out her sobs so he could concentrate on Alana. He smiled at her. Then he ran his fingertips over her forehead, nose, cheeks and lips. “My littlest angel. We've had some fun, haven't we?”

She nodded, but her frown squeezed his aching heart. “The fun isn't over,” he assured. “There's more to come.”

She nodded again, but she didn't speak as she fiddled with his jaw.

“I look forward to flying with you again,” he added. “I'll never forget the first time we flew together. It's one of my favorite memories.”

“I don't wemembew it.”

“I know, but I do. You were only two days old and just a lazy, little lump. I couldn't even get you to open your eyes and look around. You snoozed the whole time.”

One corner of her pucker twitched at his teasing. “You'we my favowit to fwy with, Quinwin.”

“I know, and the next time we see each other, whether that's tomorrow or when you're all grown up, the first thing we'll do is fly together.”

“Weawy?”

“Absolutely.”

“Otay.”
 

“Practice lots.”

“I wiww.”

“I love you, Alana.”

“I wuv you, too, Quinwin.”

“Lay one on me,” he instructed, pointing at his cheek, and she stretched up to kiss his dimple. He returned the favor then smiled. “Now let's see your pretty grin.”
 

She gave him a weak smile, and he brushed his thumb across it. “Goodbye, Alana.”

“Bye, Quinwin.”

His lungs struggled with red-hot air as he returned to the family and passed Alana to Morrigan. Then he looked at Layla, whose aura was out of control as she let herself be handed from person to person. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to do nothing about her sorrow while preparing for the next goodbye. Then he took a deep breath and turned toward Brayden.