Longing for You, стр. 32
She held out her hand, and it shook as she reached into theperimeter of the circle. Amelia looked back to Byron, who smiled and nodded.
“On you go.”
Amelia’s pushed her fingers that final few inches across theperimeter. She immediately felt a warmth that welcomed her in.
“Here goes.” Amelia took a few steps, and she was in the circle entirely.
The warmth she had felt on her fingertips now enveloped her wholebody. She gasped and lifted her arms to see all her hairs standing up on end.
“How do you feel?” Byron shouted.
Amelia looked over to her and smiled. “Good. I feel warm, calm, butat the same time…”
“What?”
Amelia turned in a circle and closed her eyes. “It’s like there isan energy surrounding me. It doesn’t feel scary.” Amelia opened her eyes andlooked at Byron. “It’s almost like a happy energy, if energy can be happy.”
“The power that made that casting circle is pleased to see you,I’m sure.” Byron smiled. “The witches touched that stone in the centre when Iwas here. Maybe you could try that?”
Amelia nodded and walked over to the simple looking grey stone.She kneeled down and held her hand above it. The sensation of electricallycharged air intensified the closer her hand came to the stone, and her heartbegan to pound. Somehow in the back of her mind, Amelia knew something wasabout to change.
She pressed her hand to the stone, and an energy pushed her offher feet, and she landed on her back. Amelia heard thunderous noise all aroundher, and when she opened her eyes she found she was in the centre of whatlooked like a tornado.
She stood slowly. The noise of the wind whipping around her wasdeafening, and she couldn’t see Byron any more. She started to walk back overto the stone. As she did, she could hear what sounded like voices in the midstof the noise of the wind.
The voices got louder and stronger. She kneeled by the stone andshut her eyes to concentrate on the voices, but she just couldn’t catch thewords.
Almost as quickly as it happened, it stopped. The howling windsdisappeared, and she could see Byron standing calmly outside the circle. Thatwas odd. She expected Byron to be going crazy trying to get to her.
“Anything?” Byron said.
“What? Didn’t you see any of that?” Amelia marched out of thecircle.
Byron looked confused. “Any of what?”
Amelia explained about the winds and the voices. “You didn’t seethat?”
“No, nothing. To me it just looked as if you were touching thestone in quiet contemplation.”
“It was anything but quiet. What do you think it means?” Ameliaasked.
“I don’t know. If only the Grand Duchess was still alive. Shewould know what it meant.”
“I wish I could talk to her.” Her death had left a huge hole inthe paranormal world.
Byron took her hand. “Let’s go back to the cabin, and we’ll talkabout it.”
As they walked away from the circle, Amelia heard a voice whisperingbehind her. She turned around quickly but there was nothing there.
“What’s wrong?” Byron asked.
“Nothing. Let’s just get back.”
Amelia shivered. The voices had followed her out of the circle.
Chapter Ten
“What are you doing on your feet?” Alexis said. Alexis had foundKatie pouring herself a drink from the fridge. As soon as she said the words,she knew they were said too harshly, like the way the old Alexis used to talk,and judging by Katie’s scowl, her words hadn’t gone over well. “I’m sorry if thatsounded harsh. I simply meant that you should ask me for what you want. Thatway you can rest.”
“I can get a glass of juice. Besides, I’m feeling a lot better, alot stronger.”
“As you wish, but come and sit on the couch, so I can change yourdressing. Dr. McKenzie said I had to change it once a day.”
Katie took Alexis’s arm and walked back to the couch. Alexis had afirst aid kit and put it on the coffee table, then kneeled in front of Katie.
Katie reached out and touched her mouth. Alexis caught her breath.Why was Katie caressing her? Katie gazed deeply into her eyes, and Alexis’smouth went dry. No enemy she had ever come up against had ever been able todisarm her the way this human did.
Then Katie’s eyes narrowed and she held up her finger with a spotof blood on it. “You missed a bit.”
Instead of licking it off Katie’s finger, which was what Alexiswanted to do, she took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped it away. Shehad drunk some blood from the bottled supply she brought with her.
“You don’t have to look so terrified when I touch you,” Katie saidwith annoyance.
“I wasn’t. I was simply—”
Katie sighed. “You were. Anyway, how are you feeding while you’rehere?”
Alexis opened up the first aid box. “Bottled, and some blood bagsin the fridge.”
“You can’t be satisfied on bottled alone. Byron has Amelia, and Icould feed you.”
“No way,” Alexis said, “you’re recovering from a physical andmental trauma. I’m not taking blood from you.”
Katie couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. “I forgot—you don’t likemy blood.”
“Of course it’s not that. I’m trying to do the right thing here.Can you let me?”
“You never will answer that question, will you?” Katie asked.
Alexis took out the bandages and said nothing. Alexis got thealcohol wipes ready to clean the wound and began to reach for the bandagearound Katie’s neck, then hesitated.
“I have to take off your old bandage. May I?”
Katie didn’t know whether she was coming or going with Alexis’sbehaviour. One moment she was barking an order at her, the next falling overherself to take care of her, not to mention being terrified when Katie touchedher.
She thought when Alexis had shown her passion in her bedroom,after their argument over Josie, that she had finally broken through thosetough layers of steel Alexis had around her, but it hadn’t turned out that way.
Katie had been so angry at herself for ever finding Alexisattractive, far less having the biggest crush on her since she was a teenager,but the way Alexis had saved her from Josie and taken care of her