The Price of Power (The Price of Secrets Series Book 2) (18 page)

    “The diary’s out then. I'll just fill you in later.”

    “I know we need to discuss the whole copying thing further, but we can come back to that. Right now, we need to decide how we are going to get you-know-who out of Megan’s house.”

   “Megan? We’re going to help Megan?” Mike asked. It worried me that he added the word ‘we’.

    “Yes, unfortunately. Apparently, it’s the right thing to do and blah, blah, blah.” Jaycee rolled her eyes at me.

    “I’m telling you, Jaycee, your inner growth and kindness warms my heart.” That earned me a hair pulling.

Chapter 17

    “I got a text from Megan today.”

    “Please tell me that she has decided to stay in Tennessee forever.”

    “Not quite. She’s on her way back.”

    “Damn.”

    “You’ve gotten a really bad potty mouth lately. On the bright side, you owe me lots of money for it.”

    Last night went better than I had expected. Meaning, Jaycee didn’t complain very much, and we came up with some really good ideas. Before everyone left, Jaycee pulled me aside and handed me the charm to put on Blaze’s new collar along with a small glass jar. Her instructions were to dump the jar in hot bath water, to get in and to call her, all by noon. So, now I am on the phone with her while taking a tub bath.

Jaycee says it cleanses the body, mind and aura. And that it also calms the nerves while energizing the spirit. She’s taking one too.

    “Tell me again why I had to do this at noon and be on the phone with you at the same time?”

    “I’ve noticed, that in witchcraft, symbolism and tradition plays a big role. I think it’s really so everything we do has a meaning to it, something to focus on. Noon is when the sun is at it’s highest point of the day, and we want to soak in the light, so, noon is the obvious time. Being on the phone? Well that’s just so I won’t get bored.”

    I laughed. “One minute you talk like a powerful witch, then the next you talk like, well, you talk like Jaycee.”

    “I have many layers. I’m a very complicated woman.” She paused. “Hold on, I’ve got a text.”

    I took the time to dry off my hand and change the Pandora station on my new ipod. I wanted something calming in the background and chose the Relaxation and Meditation category. The sounds of trickling water and chimes whispered out from my speakers. I could get use to this.

    “That was Phebs. Her and Kayla are both back in town and wanted to know when we are going to get together for our B.F.C.. I told her tomorrow was good, but that I had to check with you first.”

  The nostalgia of hearing Jaycee use the initials had me smiling. It seemed like forever ago when the four of us came up with B.F.C.- ‘Best Friends Christmas’. During the Holidays each of our families were always so busy, we knew we would never see each other on Christmas Eve or Day. But we still wanted our time together to be special. So, we came up with our own day.

    “Tell her tomorrow's great with me, providing I live through it.”

    “How bout I just tell her you said it sounds great?”

    “That works too.”

    “Hold on.” I could hear the click, click, click of texting through the phone. “Okay, I’m back. Do you have me on speaker?”

    “Yes, but nobody can hear you except for me and Blaze.” Who was curled up on the bathmat beside the tub.

    “Good. Have you thought about Kayla, that she might be apart of us? I mean, come on, she is so good, kind and pure. Can’t you just see her having an angel living inside of her?”

    “I haven’t thought about that. Kayla would be the perfect Traveler. That’s smart.”

    “Don’t act all surprised, I have my moments. Think about this, Phebs looks like a fairy with those green eyes of her’s. Plus she’s short, you would think that a fairy would be short. What if the four of us becoming best friends wasn’t by accident?”

    “It would make sense. Tomorrow, when we’re with them, let’s send out feelers and see what we get back. I don’t like to get inside of my friend’s minds, but I will try to get past their conscious level to see if there is any magic lying dormant. If it was active, they would’ve seeked us out, plus we would have felt it, by now.”

    “How many letters are there in the name Phoebe Starnes?”

    “Ummm,” I counted on my fingers, “thirteen.”

    “How about Kayla Chapman?”

    I repeated my elementary school counting method. “Twelve.”

    “See! Z said twelve would be our clue.”

    “I agree with your logic and where you’re going with this. A sentence I never thought I would say to you.” I heard her snort through the phone. ”We will find out tomorrow. We just have to get through tonight first.”

    “Did Megan say that she was positive she could have everyone out of her house tonight?”

    “She’s got it covered. They have plans to go to a family oriented office party at her dad’s work at eight, and it last until midnight. But she is going to fake being sick. She has already started the ruse on the car ride home by complaining of a stomachache.”

    “What a sneaky bitch.”

    “Admit it, you are impressed, and plan on using her idea in the near future. Let’s see, with that name calling, I think you now owe me about twenty bucks.”

    “It’s not a curse word if it’s descriptive, so there. Mike and I will be at your house around six. If we have to make a quick getaway from Megan’s, all of us riding in one car is the way to go.”

    “About Mike, I don’t think it’s a safe for him to come along.”

    “I have tried to tell him that, but he would not take no for an answer. Which I had expected, so I was one step ahead of him. I took the key chain with our names on it that I gave him for Christmas, and put a protection spell on it. If it works like it should, he will not only be protected, but cloaked.”

    “You can do that?”

    “I hope I DID that. We will find out.”

    My mind started to race. “Do you think you could do that for all of us?”

    “Not yet, but I’m working on it. The only reason I think it will work on Mike is because he doesn’t have magic to use. I feel that if I cloaked you let’s say, once you used your magic the cloak would disintegrate. I’ve been doing tons of research.”

    “You, really?” I joked.

    “Hey, I read! Only when I have to, but I do read.” She laughed. “See you at six. I’m getting off here and out of this tub, I’m turning into a prune.”

    “Ditto.”

    I started to stand up but remembered that Blaze was in here with me. “Out Blaze. I don’t need you sharing images, of me getting out of the tub, with Daniel.”

    Doing as he was told, Blaze got up, stretched, and slowly made his way out of the bathroom.

    “Mom, Dad, can I talk to you a second?” I asked, as Blaze and I stood in the doorway of Dad’s study.

    Last night the three of us decided to write and leave a letter to our parents, tucked under our pillows, in case we didn’t return. Including detailed information and Z’s contact email, just in case the Triune went after our families, we felt that they needed to be prepared. I had started to write mine, then changed my mind. My parents knew what was going on, for the most part, and I owed them this face to face.

    “Sure come on in.” Dad motioned his hand to me. “We were just going over bills.”

    Mom sat with her bare feet curled up under her on the couch, with Dad beside her with folders on his lap. I want that. I want to be around long enough to have that. Their marriage wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty darn close. They are great parents and have loved me through everything that I have thrown at them. It couldn’t be easy having your only child tied up in the supernatural.

    My eyes began to sting and I tried to shake it off. It would only worry them more if they saw me upset. I hopped up on the edge of Dad’s desk, to face them, and tried to start off on a positive note.

    “After tonight, there will be one less demon after Daniel, Jaycee and me.”

    “You mean if everything goes as planned.” I could already hear and feel the terror settling into Dad.

    “There is no ‘if’. It will. It is my destiny as The Heart and as the leader to win this. To finish this.” I was either getting really good at sugarcoating things, or what I said was true, because I believed it. In my gut, I realized, I believed it.

    “I will center myself and send everything I have to you tonight, just like last time, kid.”

    “I know that I don’t have any power to send with you,” Mom said, trying to hold back from sobbing, “but I will pray for you.”

    This time I went to her to comfort. “Isn’t that the greatest power of all? Don’t you realize how much you have given me? You’ve gave me my moral compass to live by. It gets annoying sometimes to always try to do right, but it keeps me grounded. It keeps me on the side of good. If it wasn’t for you steering me in the right direction, I might not have been chosen. You’ve taught me how to be a strong woman by being an example and how to love something, someone, more than yourself. You have done all that, and more, for me.

    “And, Dad, you,” I will not cry, I will not cry, “you passed down this ability to me. All these years I’ve given you grief that you passed down a curse. I was so wrong. You’ve given me a gift that has led me on this amazing, important, journey. One that I am grateful for. I might have been chosen, but it was my own free will that said yes. Do you know why? It’s because of your trust and

faith in me. You both have encouraged me to be whoever, whatever, I wanted to be.”

    “Hannah, it sounds like you are saying this is goodbye.”

    “I’m saying have faith. I’m saying this is a time of celebration, of love and of hope, of the wonders that this world has to offer, and of family. All that, along with every good thought, every good feeling, and every good emotion you can think of. That is what I need you both to send to me- the celebration of life. That is a power the Triune will never understand, will never be able to touch.”

    
You have grown wise beyond your years, sweet Hannah. A true leader, you have become
. MacKenna’s words echoed through my head. It was surprisingly soothing and strengthening.

    Blaze, who had laid beside the desk listening, and understanding I’m sure, the entire time, raised his head to lock eyes with me. He had heard her too.

    What a strange, wonderful, dog I have.

    There were many tears, an abundance of hugs, followed by more tears. Dad had me to go over the plan, in great detail, and gave me last minute advice. And I’m pretty sure Mom wasn’t kidding when she suggested tying me up in the garage until I was thirty.

     All in all, I’d say they took it pretty well.

    One hour until the guys get here. I looked at the alarm clock that I once thought of as an enemy, only to find myself looking forward to it’s next ear piercing signal that it was time to get ready for school. It would mean I had survived. To get rid of the nervous energy I had built up, I decided to take Blaze outside to walk it off.

    It was chilly and crisp, but not a cloud in the sky. Which made a beautiful backdrop for the sun to set.

    “Blaze, you will not be on your leash tonight, but you must stay with me. I know you are meant to be my protector and all but no jumping in front of a bullet, so to speak. We are both coming home safe and sound. Deal?” I held out the palm of my hand.

    He hesitated before giving me his paw. I knew he understood me, so why the pause? I only had to lay my hand on his soft fur to get my answer. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to make a promise that he might not be able to keep.

    “Oh no, mister,” I knelt down to face him, “you might be a part of this, but you will stay a living part of this. There will be no sad endings where the dog dies defending his owner. And I absolutely refuse, and draw the line at, talking to living impaired animals. Got it?”

Blaze barked twice at me before licking my face.

    “So it’s a yes then?”

    As I stood up I saw a black car slowing down at my driveway. It was Daniel.

    “Come on, Blaze, let’s go say hello to Daniel.”

    Of course, he beat me to the car. Daniel was already out, and petting Blaze, before I made it to him.

    “Hey, handsome.”

    “Back at cha, gorgeous.” He slid one arm around my waist and pulled me into a kiss.

    How fine a tight wire my life walks between being a supernatural meant for greatness, and a hormonal teen. I’m sure these butterflies in my stomach, and delightful goose bumps, are from the teen side.

    “You’re early. Not that I’m complaining.”

    “I got a phone call today from my A~li~si.”

    “What did your grandma want?” I knew it had to do with tonight.

    “Just to let me know the ancestors have spoken to her and told her of my part in the battle with the Triune.”

    “The ancestors spoke to her? You never told me just what your grandma can do.”

    “Like I said, you will have to meet her and ask her yourself one day.”

    “Was she mad at you?”

    “For not telling her myself, yes. For being apart of this, no. Her people, my people, come from a long line of brave men and women who knew of being called upon in a quest. Along with the meaning of being apart of something bigger than yourself. It is to be looked at as an honor. She is proud of me.” He broke eye contact with me and looked down at his feet. “She called me a great warrior. But I’m not.” He looked back to me, stopping my heart. Those deep, dark, sexy eyes, turned to me, filled with questions and doubts. “What if I can’t fill those shoes? What if I let you down when you need me the most?”