The Wizards of Venus Book One: Magic Touch (10 page)

* * * *

Gracie stood at the edge of the gardens. She tried to push all thoughts of leaving from her mind. She didn’t want Zara to realize what she’d planned until it was too late to stop her. After Ruzac had placed a…a shudder raced over her…sexual containment spell on Zara, she’d realized enough was enough.
This has gotten totally out of hand.
It’s time for me to leave. Perhaps time and space will lessen the affect of the mezclar
.

A twinge of regret washed over her as she’d scrawled a note for Rand, gathered a few things and exited the room via the balcony. She made her way through the extensive gardens. Looking back up at the lighted windows of the palace, she knew it was time for her to disappear. Even though it would be fruitless and only temporary, she needed a little breathing space.
I know Rand will follow for certain but perhaps I’ll luck
out and get enough time to figure this whole thing out.

“What are you doing, Gracie?”

“Taking some time and space away from the whole situation.”

“You can’t…dammit! Ruzac, she’s getting ready to run…”

“Damn it, Zara, why did you have to do that?”

Stealing one more glance at the palace, she whispered an invisibility spell and disappeared into thin air.

“
Good-bye, Rand.”

96

* * * *

Rand's head flew up. He could’ve sworn he’d just heard Gracie whisper ‘Good–bye, Rand’.

“She’s gone. Zara just called out. Gracie’s running.”

"No!" He knocked over the chair he’d been sitting in. Yanking open the French doors, he stormed across the balcony towards her room.

“Rand, where are you going?” Jonathan trailed after him.

“She’s gone!” Jerking the door open, he stormed into her room. Of course it was empty. Glancing around, he immediately noticed a note lying on the dresser. With a vicious jerk, he ripped it open. His anger grew as he read. Crumbling it in his fist, he threw it at Jonathan. “I’m going to paddle her ass!”

Smoothing out the paper, Jonathan read it.

Rand,

After what happened between us, I’ve decided I need to take some time away from
our situation. I’m sorry but I can’t stay here right now and fight both you and this thing
with the mezclar. Let me go. I promise I’ll return in time for the ceremony, if there is one.

Take this time to decide if I’m what you want. I won’t change who or what I am. To be
honest with you if you decide I am your chosen, then be prepared to learn the fine art of
compromising because I won’t sit back and let you make all my decisions for me.

Gracie

Jonathan read it a second time before he looked up from the paper to his best friend.

“Is she delusional?”

97

“I don’t know what she is but I’m not going to stand for this shit anymore.

Compromise my ass. She’s mine and I’m going to remind her of that. Thanks to her, I can now reach out and touch her mind at will. She’ll be back where she belongs within twenty minutes.”

Jonathan rubbed his neck before suggesting an alternative. “Why not let her go, Rand? Don’t establish contact. Let her experience what it’s going to be like without you.

Let her come to her own decision about coming back.”

“And if she decides against it?”

“Honestly, after reading her note, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it.”

“And if it were Pati, Jonathan? Would you be as understanding with her?”

When a warning growl escaped Jonathan, Rand chuckled. “I didn’t think so.”

“I’ll compromise with you, Jonathan, just to prove I can. I’ll give her tonight and then I’m chasing her ass down and bringing her back.”

After his cousin left the room, Rand smiled wickedly. “
Ah, Wildcat, I wish you hadn’t
done this. But we’ll see how well you handle your sentient power tonight without the
dream merge.”

“We need to go after her, boy.”

“No. Just as Jonathan said, Ruzac, I’m in charge here. Tomorrow will be soon
enough. Let’s allow her and your Zara to stew for the night.”

“But…”

“I’m not going to discuss this with you and since I’m the one who controls the
physical body, I’ll be making the decisions.”

“You dare challenge me?”

98

If circumstances had been different, Rand would’ve found the humor in the situation, but with his nerves already raw from his last confrontation with Ruzac, humor was the furthest thing from his mind.

* * * *

Patience paced across her living room. She’d wanted to resist his request to see her after what’d happened the last time they’d been together.
But when he told me it had to
do with Gracie, I couldn’t in good conscience refuse. I did give my word to help get my
sister to the altar. I just can’t believe she ran. After all the warnings Rand gave her, plus
the fact that Zara let her go is such a surprise.
"So what’s Rand doing about it? How are we going to help him if she’s gone?”

"Sweetheart, calm down." Jonathan placed a hand on her shoulder.

She went still while pleasure filled her at his touch. “Let go of me, Jonathan. I haven’t given you permission to touch me.”

He chuckled and bent his head to hers. “Do I honestly look like a man who waits for permission to touch his woman?”

“No, but I’m not your woman nor will I be. Besides now is not the time to rehash this issue. We need to find a solution before she brings disaster down upon my mother and father. Her running from Rand is not a small slight that can just be attributed to premarital nerves. Not to mention the Council of the Elders may possibly imprison her for it. The daughter of an advisor doesn’t turn down marriage to the Crown Prince. It’s pure luck that Rand hasn’t called out the cavalry to bring her back."

"And if he did, quite a few of them would’ve been hurt in the process. I won’t go back until I’m ready, Pati.”

99

Both spun around to see Grace standing in the doorway. When Jonathan reached for the com unit strapped to his waist, Gracie sighed.

"I don’t want to hurt you, Jonathan, but if you try to contact Rand, I will. Even if you did manage to get a call off to him before I stop you, I won’t be here by the time he arrives. So is it worth the pain it’s going to cause both of us?" She spoke more calmly than she felt. "Don’t force my hand. You’re not going to call him."

"He's our best friend. The Gracie I knew wouldn’t be so cruel. He cares about you.”

"I know he does and I care too much about him to marry him when he wants more than I can give.”

Pati watched the interplay between Jonathan and Gracie. If it came down to a battle of powers, she wasn’t sure who’d win. While her sister’s power was not yet known, Jonathan’s was well documented.

"You know I’m going to call him. As your chosen he has the right to know you’re safe. Simply let me know where you’re going and I’ll tell him.”

“And he’ll promptly show up.”

It was obvious Jonathan was thinking of another angle when he switched tactics.

"He has a real bond with you. You know there’ll be no other for him.”

“Playing the poor Rand card are we? Okay I’ll play. Rand started this. I didn’t ask to be his chosen nor did I ask for his hand in marriage. And I damned sure didn’t ask for the constant burn of the
mezclar –“

“I warned you, Sweetheart. If it’s driving you insane you’ve no one to blame

but yourself.”

“I thought we already established we weren’t going to talk about this, Zara.”

100

“No you’re just being your normal stubborn self and refusing to face the

reality of your situation –“

“Rand, I’ve found her.”

Jonathan’s voice jerked her out of the argument with Zara. He was holding his com unit and speaking into it.

“Damn it, Jonathan, I wished you hadn’t done that.”

Taking advantage of his distraction, she flew into the traditional forms of the
Vindexicis
training she’d taken with Rand. His curse was short lived while she flowed smoothly from one form to another with blazingly accurate speed. Within moments Jonathan was laying in a heap on the floor, unconscious with a shattered kneecap.

“Oh my God! Gracie you’ve – “

“Relax, he’ll be fine. He might have a bit of a headache when he wakes up though.”

“If anyone had ever asked me, I would’ve never guessed you’d ever hurt him. For the love of Mica, he’s your best friend! I can’t believe you took advantage of that.”

“Advantage of what?”

“The fact he’d never hurt you because Rand would never forgive him if he did. You used it to your advantage!”

“Of course I did. But have you ever known me to not do what was needed? And in this case, I need time and if the two Neanderthals I call friends won’t give it to me, I’ll take it.”

“Even if it includes hurting them?”

Propping her hand on one hip, she locked eyes with Pati. “I’m not like you Pati. I can’t keep giving and giving. I’ll serve my country and my king but if I’m going to give 101

the ultimate sacrifice to it, I need to make my peace with it and having all of you - even Mom or Dad in my face about it isn’t helping me in any way. I need to be alone to think.”

“You act as if giving yourself to the man you love is a bad thing.”

“It is when I’m sacrificing my friendship for it. Not to mention the new relationship Rand wants to have with me will more than likely be the battle of my life.”

“So what are you going to do to me? You’ve knocked out Jonathan, so what are you going to do to keep me from telling Rand or using our twin bond to find you?”

“I was hoping you’d understand, Pati, but it’s obvious you don’t.” Drawing her sister into a hug, she exerted just the right pressure to ease her sister into a deep sleep. “I’m sorry, Pati but I’ve got to deal with this on my own terms.” She gently lowered her sister to the floor beside Jonathan then placed a powerful healing spell on his broken kneecap. After making certain the two of them would awaken within a few hours, Grace vanished again.

* * * *

When Rand showed up at Pati’s, he found both of them in the living room. Pati was sitting on the couch holding her head and Jonathan was pacing without even a trace of a limp. Jonathan stopped when he saw Rand. "I'm sorry, I didn’t think she’d fight me."

Looking at his best friend, Rand saw the bruise running down the length of his jaw.

“
Wildcat, you sure did a number on my best friend. Damn if I don’t love that feisty
side of yours.”

Silence greeted him.

102

“I know you can hear me. Do your thinking fast because come dawn, I’m coming
after you. You got your reprieve, enjoy it while it lasts, because once I’ve got you back
at my side you’re not leaving it again.”

* * * *

Standing outside in the Palace gardens, Rand stared up at the stars. He wasn't surprised when his father joined him. "Hi, Dad."

"How are you holding up, son? I know giving Gracie time, even overnight, has got to be difficult.”

"It is, especially with your grandfather riding my ass about it. Was he really as aggressive and dominating in real life?”

“That he was. I remember many a time when your great grandma locked him out of their rooms. In fact Gramps was known for sneaking into my room and bedding down with me when she did. Grams was a stubborn woman at times.”

“So it’s no surprise when she chose to merge with Gracie.”

“No, it isn’t. I hope you realize how blessed you are to have Gramps. He could’ve chosen any wizard he wanted. “

“I know and he chose to become
my
sentient power.”

"So when are you going after her?”

“At dawn and she’d better pray I don’t have far to look.”

* * * *

Gracie lay on the bed in the rented room she’d purchased for the night. She’d hoped that with distance her struggle with the
mezclar
would become easier. 103

“I could’ve told you it wasn’t going to, Grace Ann. But as usual you’re going to

do this the hard way. Do you realize what is going to happen the longer we’re

gone?”

“I was hoping it would lessen and I’d be able to reason this out.”

Zara laughed.
“Sweetheart, there is no reasoning with the mezclar. It is what it

is and it has one solitary purpose - to bind completely. It doesn’t care whether or

not one party is struggling with the changes it requires; it just simply is…and

mere distance has no affect on it.”

“I’m simply tired, Zara. Can you understand that? Tired of being told what I’m going
to do. Tired of having no choice in my future. For the love of Mica, I’m even tired of
fighting my need for him. Sometimes I swear it’s going to swallow me whole and leave
nothing but an ulcer.”

“I understand. Why don’t you try to sleep, while you can. I’ll resist as long as I

can, but be prepared for a hot and bothered Rand to show up in the early

morning.”

Rolling over, she tried to ease into meditative sleep. As usual she examined her power as she slipped into the first ring. She could already see the obvious connection between her sentient power and Rand’s.
I wonder what other changes will occur once
we’re fully bonded.
As she navigated the inner rings of the ritual, she became more relaxed until she came to the final inner ring. When, instead of accepting her into its embrace, it remained closed. Gracie frustrated - questioned Zara.

“Why is it closed?”

104

“It’ll remain closed until you accept your chosen. Now that you’ve begun the

bonding, the inner circle of introspection will never again allow you to enter

without your chosen at your side.”

“Wonderful!”
Rolling over to face the open window, she watched the stars come out one by one.