Tori Page 9

  It was a stupid thing that not everyone could see spirit pets. They were such wonderful creatures. But only those with paranormal abilities, and people who the animals trusted, could see them. Devon fit one category but not the other. And there were very few of them on Glory. She wondered about paranormal abilities on all the other planets. There should be some kind of development. There was here. And the more there was, the easier her life would be.

  She had never been able to tell others about her abilities. Most of the people she knew didn’t have any. Some of those who didn’t have them hated those who did. She didn’t know if that hatred was sparked by jealousy or something else entirely—like fear.

  Fear made sense. People were afraid of what they didn’t understand.

  And rather than face the fear, or learn enough to not be afraid, they’d shunned it all instead.

  And that meant shunning her.

  It made it difficult to find good friends, and even harder to find boyfriends. Then again, having Granny in their lives had made it a nonstarter to begin with. All three sisters had been in the same boat, and it had helped them to stay close. They’d loved their granny. They owed her lot, and they’d been loved in return. You couldn’t ask for more. Granny had sacrificed a lot to keep the girls. Tori knew it and she appreciated it. She also missed the old lady.

  Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She sniffled and checked on the pot she’d put on to boil. She added the pasta and set the table. She figured that the pool would kick Devon out soon and she wanted the food to be ready at the right time. The refrigerator was almost empty of perishables, so Genesis hadn’t been here in the last few days. But there was some butter and hard cheese to grate over the top of the pasta.

  Other than spices, she didn’t have much else to add. She remembered the herb garden she’d planted outside before she went away. She walked outside to take a look and found chives growing in wild abandon. Delighted, she snipped off a hefty handful and carried it inside. At the door, she turned and studied the strange air outside. The cottage was protected, but it looked like an electrical storm of some kind going on out there. Very weird. She’d seen a few before but had never been comfortable around them. Granny, however, had reveled in them.

  She gave the sky one last uneasy glance and went back inside, closing and locking the door behind her.

  Turning around, she came face to face with Devon, standing soaking wet in the kitchen.

  His face looked ravaged until he saw her.

  “Oh God,” he whispered. “I searched for you and couldn’t find you.”

  “I’m here,” she said, “I just stepped outside to get some herbs for dinner.”

  He ran a hand over his face and shook off the water. “Do you have a towel?”

  “Sure. Let me put this down.” She placed the chives on the cutting board then, stepping carefully to avoid the puddles on the floor, she headed back to the pool room. There, she pulled out a big, fluffy towel from the large stash. Turning, she handed it over to him.

  As he toweled off, she studied him. He looked much better. She walked around behind him to check his wound. She stroked a finger across the freshly healed skin, amazed at the route the bullet had taken. It had caused so little damage when it could have easily been so much worse. He’d been lucky.

  “How does it look?” he asked, twisting his head as if trying to see.

  “It’s not bad. The pool did its job and it’s closed over. You’ll have a small scar, but a minor one.”

  “That’s the least of my worries.” He turned to face her, the towel around his neck. “I guess dry clothes are out of the question?”

  She laughed. “I did try to get you out of those jeans before you hit the water, but you weren’t interested in waiting.”

  “No, I was hurt, and I had such a powerful need to get into the water,” he said quietly. “I had no idea this pool existed.”

  “Not many people do. It was Granny’s, and now it belongs to me and my sisters.”

  “You’re very lucky.”

  “We are. And it’s a special pool,” she admitted. “More powerful than the ones in the caves.”

  She walked over to another small cupboard and pulled out a blanket. “Strip down and wrap up in this. I’ll get your clothes hanging up to dry. Hopefully they won’t take too long. When you’re done, come through to the kitchen. I’ve made a simple pasta meal for dinner.”

  “Thank you.”

  The sincerity in his voice had her heart warming.

  She carried out his damaged shirt. The material was thin and light and would dry fine. She hung it up near the warm stove and left it to serve up the meal. Adding the cheese and chives, she finished off the food and served up two plates. Devon came into the kitchen and handed her his jeans. Tori hung them up next to his shirt.

  “Sorry it’s so meager,” she said, indicating their plates. “I was actually surprised there was this much here.”

  “Doesn’t Genesis come here a lot?”

  “I don’t know, but when Granny was here, the kitchen was always fully stocked. Granny would never see anyone go without a meal.”

  He nodded and sat down awkwardly, trying to keep the blanket wrapped around him and at the same time snug the chair close enough to the table to be able to eat.

  Devon didn’t waste any time digging in.

  Tori smiled at his enthusiasm. She did appreciate a healthy appetite.

  “Why didn’t you stay in touch with your sister?” he asked between mouthfuls.

  Her fork froze in midair, then she slowly popped the food in her mouth as she contemplated what to tell him. She decided on the truth. “I was trying to put a large part of my life behind me, and she got caught in the backlash.”

  “That must have been tough on her.”

  “Looking back, I’m sure it was. At the time, she seemed invincible, and I was in too much pain to consider hers.”

  It was his turn to freeze. He stared at her, then slowly forked another bite into his mouth. She waited and when he didn’t question her, she continued to eat, polishing off her portion. Retrieving the pot, she gave herself a little bit more and offered him the rest.

  “Yes, please,” he said, holding out his plate. As she replaced the not quite empty pot on the stove, she gave his shirt a shake. It was drying well. She glanced out the window at the weird electrical storm. The storms on the planet had become more odd in the last century. Scientists were all over it, but of course no one still had an answer. Perhaps it was because they were looking on a global scale.

  Tori just wanted answers regarding her own small world.

  *

  As heroic actions went, Devon pretty much sucked. He thought back over the last few hours. He had found her in the woods, but then managed to get hurt and needed her to save him. What the hell? He was a legal investigator, a problem solver. And this situation was fraught with puzzles.

  He wanted Tori back in his arms, and in his life, and definitely back into his bed. When he’d come out of the warm water, feeling calm and serene inside, he’d known exactly what he had to do. And the natural appetite drove him forward. To take her to bed. To make her his—again. She’d always been his. Had never been anything other than his. They’d had stupid fights at a time when she’d been vulnerable. He couldn’t even remember the details, except they had involved Grandfather and her spirit pet—which, at the time, he thought had been a joke. Nothing more than her imagination on overload. But after she’d left, he’d heard enough about spirit pets to make him kick himself for laughing at her before. Not being able to understand, or have their presence validated by anyone he knew at the time…well, it had swayed his judgment. Even Grandfather had said she was making it all up. Devon had been a fool for believing him.

  He knew his grandfather had said something to her when she’d bolted. It wasn’t just the spirit pet issue that had sent her on a year-long run; there had been something else involved. He needed to know what it was, but getting her to open
up… Yeah, that wasn’t so easy.

  If he could get her into bed, he knew they could work things out. But she lived in her head so much that the minute she got to worrying about things, she could blow something small into something much bigger. He was the one that had made the mistake of thinking small things didn’t matter, whereas what he should have learned was that the small things needed to be nipped in the bud before they became something huge and horrific—if only in Tori’s head.

  Trying to take his mind off her, he studied the interior of the small cottage. It was cozy. Bright patterns covered the walls, and the floor was made of very old stone. There were a few modern amenities, but most were like the old stove—ancient. He could imagine her granny living out her days quite happily here. She’d be safe in this place.

  As the word popped into his head, he frowned. Why would he assume that Granny might not have been safe? The horrific woods outside should have kept almost anything at bay. Only the most determined predator would continue to work through the dense foliage. In a way, the cottage was ideally protected.

  He glanced over at Tori, sitting quietly at his side, lost in thought. If she hadn’t been here for over a year and it was her childhood home, he imagined there would be a wash of memories running through her.

  Tough times.

  She’d walked away and things had blown up behind her.

  She had to feel guilty, and even if she wasn’t to blame, she had to feel a little bit of remorse for having left her sister to deal with all this mess. “Did you have something to do with the woods outside?”

  “Sorry?” She turned to look at him, puzzled.

  At the confused look in her eyes, he almost didn’t repeat the question, but he figured that it was an elemental issue, and he’d really like to know. “Did you affect the woods outside?”

  “Affect how?” she countered.

  And he knew she had.

  “Making them behave in such a crazy manner.”

  She shrugged. “Granny did most of that. They also protect me more than they would protect, say…you.”

  “Interesting.”

  “The cottage is sacred ground.” She laughed, although the sound was humorless, and he could only wince at the bitterness in her voice. “You do remember my granny was a stargazer, right? Something everyone laughed at my whole life.”

  “You really hated your childhood, didn’t you?”

  She stared at him in shock. “No, I didn’t. Not at all. My granny was everything to us growing up, and she was mocked and shunned all the years I knew her.”

  “I didn’t know her; you know I only arrived in town a few years ago. I never mocked her,” he said quietly. “I know what the townsfolk said, but I’ve never had anything but the utmost respect for her.”

  Tori’s shoulders sagged. “It’s not you I’m mad at. It’s the world that treated her so unfairly. It’s me—for walking away and leaving my sister all alone. It’s just…everything right now.”

  “Sounds like you need to go into the pool and let it help you. You’ve had a couple of tough days, and I am the cause of that. I’m sorry for the way I brought you back, but not sorry for bringing you back. Those people needed you. I need you.”

  He added the last part slightly under his breath, but she caught it.

  And ignored it.

  Chapter 15

  Tori rose and cleaned the dishes off the table. She tried to stuff his words down deep inside—where she could ignore them. Only she couldn’t.

  He was right, though. The healing water would be lovely, the perfect answer. She turned back to him. “I do need the pool. I’ll show you to your room for the night, then I’ll go.”

  He stood up and looked outside. “So you don’t want to try and walk out tonight?”

  She shook her head. “No, I really don’t. I’m going to stay overnight and leave in the morning. You can leave if you want.” She turned and walked toward the bedrooms. She stopped in Genesis’ room and laughed out loud. A double bed now filled the tiny room. That was the biggest indication that things were good between Genesis and Connor so far. “Good for you, Genesis,” she murmured as she walked into Granny’s room, with its big double bed and old, hand-hewn posts.

  As Tori stood inside the room, her heartstrings tugged at her. She’d spent many mornings sitting on Granny’s bed, visiting. In her later years, Granny, although still spry, hadn’t been so eager to leave the comfort of that bed. When those lie-ins happened, the girls knew it wouldn’t be long before they headed to the healing pools in the caves to stay for a night or two. Granny, even with her healing pool in her own cottage, had an affinity for the healing pools in the lower chain. It took years to be able to adjust to the waters and energy of those powerful pools. The girls would often sleep at one pool, knowing Granny would make the trek down to the others while the girls slept. The pools had helped them heal much of their broken, teenage hearts. Maybe that was why despite their difficulties growing up, they had come out relatively unscathed.

  Beyond being simply special, some healing pools helped with physical maladies. Others seemed to affect the mental state more, and still others, the emotional.

  Granny said the pools on the lowest levels of the caves actually affected the energetic system.

  Tori hadn’t ever been that low, so she wasn’t certain.

  “Tori?”

  She started, then glanced at Devon standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Sorry, lost in thought.”

  She waved a hand around the room and toward the bed. “This is Granny’s room and this was her bed. You can sleep here tonight, if you are staying.”

  “I’d like to stay.”

  She heard the tiny catch in his voice and studied him carefully, wondering why. “The pool didn’t kick you out, did it?”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, if the pool had done all it could for you, then it would have kicked you out of the water. That it didn’t means you weren’t quite done healing.”

  “I was in there for a long time and was worried about overstaying my welcome.” He shrugged.

  “Damn.” She rubbed her temple. “It means you need to go back in.”

  “No, it’s your turn.”

  Tempted, she thought about going in while he waited but then realized that wasn’t going to work. She wanted privacy to do her own thing in there. Including cry buckets full of tears if they came. She wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that, knowing he was waiting. With a decisive motion, she shook her head. “No. I’ll go afterwards. And if I can’t until morning, then I’ll do that instead.” She waved to the room. “Go back in while I wash dishes. Maybe you won’t need much more. Then straight to bed so that your body can rest and recuperate. This much healing is exhausting.”

  “And you?”

  She smiled. “I’ll be fine. Just rap on my door when you’re on your way to bed.”

  Not giving him a chance to argue, she gently pushed him toward the pool, watching as he walked carefully, his blanket only reaching to mid-calf, the muscles of his legs bunching with every step.

  When he was inside, she returned to the kitchen and made short work of the mess. Carrying a cup of tea for herself, she headed to her room to wait. She’d done that a lot, growing up. If it wasn’t an emotional healing where one or the other sister needed privacy, then the pool would welcome two or three of them. But when it was deeper issues, then they went in one at a time.

  Her room hadn’t changed since she’d been here last – it was just dusty. And neither had anyone slept in her bed from the looks of it. A poignant thought hit her, almost dropping her to her knees. Had Genesis come here to sit and not be so alone? Had it given her comfort to know it was her sister’s space? Or had she lain here and cried because she was so alone?

  Tori hoped not.

  But she was starting to realize how bereft Genesis must have been as they all walked away from her. Especially after losing Granny.

  And Connor.

  A t
ough year for all of them. Maybe the hardest on her sister. Tori had made a conscious decision to go. Celeste probably had, too.

  Genesis had no choice. She had to stay.

  Powerless to do anything when everyone walked away from her.

  Shit. Right now, Tori felt like the worst sister in the world.

  And she wasn’t likely to feel better any time soon. Not until she could hug her sister and apologize.

  She sat on the side of the bed, wondering how to pass the time, when an odd sound caught her ear.

  Tori rose and walked to the kitchen. She stared out into the dark sky, watching in surprise as landing lights heralded the arrival of a fancy hovercraft.

  Tori felt a flash of panic. No one should have been able to find the cottage. No one should have been able to access the cottage.

  No one except…her sisters.

  When Connor stepped out from the pilot’s side and the passenger door opened, she caught her breath…hoping.

  It was.

  Genesis.

  Tori threw open the door and raced to her sister’s side, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  And was instantly engulfed in the love that had always accepted Tori for who she was. Though she may have often been irritating, or a pain-in-the-ass, Genesis had always been a loving sister.

  *

  Devon sat on the edge of the pool. He’d only been in the water for a half hour when it gently rose and deposited him on the edge. He assumed that meant he was done. He was only slightly disappointed because the water was warm and deliciously cozy, but it was time to get back to Tori. He wished he had dry clothes to wear, but unfortunately, it was back to the blanket for him.

  Standing, he was just finishing toweling off when he heard voices.

  He straightened, then he folded the blanket and wrapped it around his waist before he strode out to the kitchen.

  Through the doorway, he could see Tori and Genesis hugging and crying just outside the cottage. He smiled. Now that was a sight he felt happy about.

  Until the glow of the hovercraft’s landing lights was blocked by a body in the doorway.

  Connor suddenly stood in front of him, wearing a huge grin.