The Curse of Dark Root: Part Two (Daughters of Dark Root Book 4) (38 page)

“You
are
my family. I’d follow you to hell and back if needed.”

Merry sniffled, her aura flaring white. “I know. I’d do the same for you.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ears. “That’s why I’ve been learning karate. Silly, huh? But it makes me feel empowered.”

I felt suddenly foolish, having thought she did it to impress Michael. What was wrong with me? “It’s not silly at all. Frank doesn’t stand a chance against you.”

Merry beamed. “You are sweet.”

“Who’d have guessed?”

“Me.”

I strolled around the nursery. Montana had a full toy box, ready for the day he was old enough to play with them, and a case of books that would take years to read. I picked up a story about a talking train engine, flipped through it, and returned it to the shelf. “Michael has all of these books arranged alphabetically. I hope our son isn’t as anal retentive as he is.”

“He just likes things neat. I get that.”

“Yeah, neat and in line.” I stared into a bin labeled:
cars
. A dozen tiny vehicles were arranged carefully inside. There was a bin for:
dogs
, and another for:
elephants
. I threw up my hands and walked away.

Jillian entered carrying two mason jars filled with peaches. “Dinner in twenty minutes, girls. I hope you’re hungry.” Her eyes rested briefly on Montana, reading his energy. Her shoulders relaxed and I took that as a good sign.

“We’ll be down soon,” I promised. When she left, I quietly shut the door.

“Merry, do you trust Jillian?”

“Of course. I adore Jillian. So do you.”

I did, of course, but I was learning that there was far more to Jillian than any of us ever knew. “You used to spend a lot of time with Mother and Aunt Dora––did they ever mention her?”

“Hmm.” Merry pressed her finger into the divot of her chin, sorting through her memories. “I heard Mama sent her away for a while. I think it had something to do with Armand.”

“He was in love with her,” I confessed. “She was young and beautiful. I’m sure that put some sour in Mother’s pickle.”

“Mama was those things, too,” Merry said. “Minus the young... and beautiful.” She sighed. “I can see why our father would have been attracted to her. Bad boys always go after the nice girls.” She blushed and looked down at her feet.

“But Armand also had a thing for Larinda, and she wasn’t sent away.”

“It probably had something to do with the original Council splintering. From what I understand, it was all a mess.”

“Armand left too, for a while. He probably went off to make more children. I wonder how many he’s had? There is me, you, Eve, Leah...”

“All girls,” Merry noted.

“Yes, all girls.” A tingle creeped up my spine. Was it a coincidence? “All girls,” I repeated. “Interesting.”

Merry gave me a curious look but I pretended not to notice. This felt like another piece of the puzzle. I returned to the rocking chair, trying to reason it out.

Jillian told me she had a daughter. Was her daughter also Armand’s? Did they have a secret love child that only Mother knew about? If so, is that why Mother sent Jillian away?

To protect the baby from him.

Jillian mentioned to me last autumn that she was about to be a grandmother, and left to help her daughter prepare. Did her daughter have a son?

In that moment, it all made horrible sense.

Merry was suddenly beside me, touching my arm. “Need air?” she asked.

I nodded. “Please.”

She cracked the window. I breathed deeply, trying to keep the fear from my face as one particular question nagged at me: Would she trade my son’s fate for her own grandchild’s, if she thought it would save him from Armand?

“Maggie...” Merry waved her hand in front of my eyes. “You’re not looking so good. Can I get you something?”

“I’ll be alright.”

“You’re as white as a ghost.” She looked around warily. “You didn’t see one, did you?”

“Not a literal ghost.” I ground my teeth, my mind still reeling. Finally, I decided to spill it all, including the snow globe memories of Armand’s dealings with The Dark.

Merry collapsed into a bean bag chair, putting her hands over her face. “I’ve never gotten a bad read on Jillian. Ever. God, Maggie, I hope you’re not right about this.”

“Me too. Keep this between us for now, please. I don’t want to alarm anyone, or accuse Jillian until I know more.”

“I won’t say a word. But I could really use a sip of that catnip tea.” She glanced at the bottle. “Or maybe brandy. From what I know, Armand wasn’t stupid. He could’ve figured out where Jillian’s daughter was, if he wanted to.”

I felt the sudden urge to grab my son and run far, far away. But I knew there was no escaping my father and his tunnel traveling. Dark Root was still my best option for keeping Montana safe.

“Can you read Jillian again?” I asked Merry. “Please?”

Merry nodded. She left the room and returned with Jillian’s silver hair comb. She held it between her hands and hummed a low steady wordless beat, almost a chant.

I waited anxiously. If my suspicious were correct, I wasn’t sure what I’d do.

“I’m sorry. She’s hidden her thoughts well.” She handed me the comb, and I felt nothing but calm energy. “I’ve never felt anything but love from that woman, Maggie.”

“Me either.” I put the comb in my pocket. “Thank you.”

Merry tilted her head. “Given what we know, it does seem likely that either Armand or Larinda put the curse on you. Maybe to weaken you, so you wouldn’t have the strength to protect your son?”

“Probably,” I agreed. I’d never known my father, and I likely never would. I had originally hoped the globes would reveal that he was lost, not evil, but there was no denying the evidence.

Merry flexed her newly-developed biceps and smiled. “You don’t have to worry about Montana with all your bodyguards.” Her smile faded as quickly as it appeared. “But I do have one more question. If Jillian left to have her baby, why didn’t she stay with her daughter?”

I knew. Because Armand was obsessed with Jillian. He would have found her, wherever she hid, especially if he knew she had his baby. He wouldn’t have been as dismissive about her having a daughter as he was with Larinda.

“Redirection,” I said, thinking of how Shane faked his own death and Mother openly performed witchcraft in public.

My heart broke for Jillian. How terrible to have a child with the man you love, only to send it away because you also feared him. I still wasn’t sure if she was on my side, but I felt a tremendous empathy for her in that moment.

“So...” Merry began tentatively. “Not to change the subject, but I wanted to check in with you about Shane. I can’t imagine the emotional roller coaster you two must be on right now.”

I shook my head, replaying the events since his return. “Surreal is the only word I can come up with. And maybe worried.”

“Why worried?”

“It can all be taken away from me again. I can’t go through this twice, Merry. All I think about now is wanting to keep everyone near me, where I can watch over them.”

She laughed, her eyes twinkling. “Don’t worry about Shane. He can handle himself. You just take care of you right now. We’ll all pitch in with Montana until we get this sorted out. I think we’re close to breaking this curse. I just... feel it.”

“I feel it, too. I’m just not sure how it’ll play out.”

 
“You know what they say. What doesn’t kill you––”

“––sends you running into the woods like a crazy woman.” I finished for her.

She laughed. I took her hand, pulling her up out of the bean bag chair just as Aunt Dora called us to dinner.

“If you run, you won’t get far,” Merry said, giving my hand a squeeze. “I happen to know where I can rent a tracker, should the occasion arise.”

TWENTY-EIGHT

God Only Knows

AS I CAME down the stairs for dinner, I overheard Michael and Shane conversing in the living room. I paused mid-step, anxious as to what those two might be talking about.

“I'll speak to her about getting more rest,” Shane said.

“I appreciate that. She's been running herself ragged lately.”

“I'll do my best, but you know how stubborn Maggie can be. Is it my imagination or is there something different about her? She seems... softer?”

“She was a girl when you left. She’s a woman now. Can you handle a real woman, Sport?”

“I seemed to handle her just fine a while ago... Sport.”

“In all fairness,” Michael jabbed. “She already got some of her aggression out on me.”

Realizing the situation was escalating fast, I hurriedly joined them. They immediately dropped their posturing and greeted me with exaggerated smiles.

“Maggie, I was just about to check on you,” Michael said. “How's our boy?”

“Fine for now, thanks to Merry. But maybe we should try another pediatrician, just in case.”

“I agree one thousand percent.”

Shane held out his hand. “Hold on there, Maggie, you can't leave Dark Root. Let Michael take him.”

“Why can’t I leave?”

“Excuse us,” Shane nodded to Michael, as he pulled me into the kitchen and out the back door.

The sun was low and the sky ablaze in a medley of vivid pastels. We walked to the far edge of the garden before Shane turned to me. He looked into my eyes, his face shaven and his hair now clean and combed.

“Shane, what's going on? Why can't I leave town?”

“It's dangerous. People from The Agency are still looking for me.”

“You said they don't know about me. Besides, you’re dead as far as they're concerned, right?”

“They don't know about you yet, but we’re strongly connected and my energy is all over you.” He paused, scrutinizing the barren garden as he scratched the back of his neck. “Irene and I filed for divorce in Vegas days before our 'accident.' The Agency will be wondering why. If they have a good psychic and tracker on their team––which I know they do––they'll be able to get a read on me through you. Dark Root is still magically shielded and doesn’t register on their radar, but outside of here we’re fair game.”

“You're divorced?”

“Yes.”

“Damn it, Shane. You're an ass!”

“Why?”

“You could have told me. That's an important little nugget you left out of the story.”

“I’m sorry. I think I was just sore you weren’t wearing my ring anymore.” He lifted my left hand, displaying my bare finger.

I pulled my hand away. “I lost it.”

“Oh? So it didn't disappear back into the dream world?”

“Maybe that's how I lost it.”

“I forgot how frustrating you can be. Beautiful, but frustrating.”

“All the best women are.”

“So you forgive me?”

“I've realized what's really important these last few months, Shane. Some things aren’t worth dwelling on.”

“Wow, you really have changed.” He stepped forward, his fingers lightly grazing my shoulders.