Deep emotions flooded to the surface, causing her entire body to tremble. She saw and felt his intensity. “But what did she do to your brother?”
“She tried to use magick she didn’t understand and knowledge she didn’t possess to control Dylan and make him do her bidding. She wanted to use him to achieve her selfish goals, one of which was to usurp me. Apparently, she believed control of my blood sibling would give her that power. Spells she tried to cast, incantations she attempted…she only succeeded in destroying Dylan.
“When she finally realized what she had done, she went into hiding. If she had attempted a singular spell, I could undo it. Unfortunately, she attempted a multitude of things. Without knowing exactly what she did, what herbs and charms she employed, what words she used, which spells she tried to cast, I have no way of countering her actions. With more time, whatever she did might eventually wear off and Dylan could return to being his self again. But that’s not for sure.”
“And…uh…that was your only reason for wanting to make contact with me? To use me to find Miranda?” That possibility grabbed Raina, choking out everything except the emotional pain stabbing at her heart.
He held her tighter, conveying a true sense of warmth and caring. Her pain began to subside but didn’t completely go away.
“True, my initial reason for orchestrating a meeting with you was for the sole purpose of locating Miranda. True, I still want a face-to-face meeting with your sister.” He brushed a loving kiss across her lips. “But once I met you that deception quickly went by the wayside. I don’t want Miranda, who she is or what she’s done, to come between us. I still want to confront her, for her to face me and admit what she did, show her repentance and do her atonement. But your feelings in the matter are more important to me than anything other than seeing Dylan well again.”
Raina closed her eyes, her head spinning with everything he had told her, especially the part about her being important to him…so important that he would alter a century old plan of revenge.
Raina wrapped her arms around Devon’s neck. “My first thought was disbelief that Miranda could betray the very code we live by and in such a destructive way, to put greed and selfish ambition before anything else and to compound that transgression by doing that to your brother. But it certainly explains her behavior over the last twenty years that you’ve been actively trying to find her. And having taken a moment to reflect on what you told me, I can believe it of her.”
He looked deeply into her eyes, delving into the depth as if searching for some sort of truth. “I could destroy Miranda with not much more effort than a wave of my hand, see to it that she was ostracized from the community and shunned by everyone. But I will not have my actions put a wedge between you and me. I do, however, want her to admit what she’s done and provide me with the key to heal Dylan.”
He leaned forward until his forehead touched hers, closed his eyes, then emitted a sigh of resignation. “Would that be acceptable to you?”
The morning had produced a strange interaction between them, the revelation of deeply held emotions each had for the other, and for Raina the realization of exactly who and what her sister had become, a reality she had long suspected but had suppressed from her consciousness. A reality she had to admit continued to linger in her subconscious. But was Devon being honest with her when he said he would not destroy Miranda, as long as he could confront her and obtain her confession?
“Yes…” Her voice was soft and carried all the emotion coursing through her body. “If Miranda did what you claim, she needs to answer for her transgressions.”
They remained silent with Raina sitting on Devon’s lap, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Neither of them needed to speak. Their newly forged emotional commitment had been strengthened by the sharing of truths. Time seemed to stand still, the only reality being their emotional bond and a newly discovered love. Several minutes passed before either of them made an attempt to move.
Devon finally spoke, breaking the silence of their emotional sharing. “Let’s go to breakfast. We can discuss this further after you’ve had some time to sort out all of this in your mind.
She leaned her face into his and placed a soft kiss on his lips before easing off his lap. “Sounds like a good idea. I’ll get my purse, then I’m ready to go.” She disappeared into the bedroom.
When she didn’t immediately reappear, Devon called to her. “Are you ready? Breakfast is calling and I’m hungry.”
Raina took her cell phone from her purse as she entered the parlor. “Give me a moment to check my voice mail. I’ve had my phone turned off, but I need to see if there’s anything I should handle right away.”
Devon watched as the strange look covered her face. “What’s wrong?”
She looked up at him, confusion showing in her eyes. “It’s a message from Miranda. She wants to get together. She says she stopped by my house and I wasn’t home. She’ll call me later.”
He hurried across the room to where she stood. “Did she leave a number, some way for you to get in touch with her?”
“There’s only the number on the caller ID. I can try that.”
“Yes…see if you can get her. Arrange to meet her somewhere. It probably would be suspicious if you suggested she meet you at a hotel room in the same city where you live. If she doesn’t want to meet at your house, have her pick a location. Don’t mention me.” He pulled her into his embrace. “Are you okay with this?”
****
Devon and Raina positioned themselves where they couldn’t be seen from the gazebo on the grounds of the art museum. Raina nervously glanced at her watch.
“Miranda said she would meet me at the gazebo at eleven o’clock…in ten minutes. She definitely did not want to come to my house even though she had stopped by yesterday while I was out. She didn’t say why, but I know I feel more comfortable with this public place. She won’t be able to do anything other than talk without attracting attention.”
“If she tries anything, I will put an immediate stop to it.” Devon took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her inner wrist. “Everything will be okay. Please try not to worry.” He emitted a quiet chuckle. “I know that’s much easier for me to say than it is for you to do.”
“I’d better go to the gazebo. Miranda should be here any minute.”
“Remember, station yourself facing this direction so she’ll have her back to me and won’t see me approaching.”
“Won’t she sense your presence?”
“No, I can mask that.”
Raina took a calming breath in an attempt to settle her nervous tension. “I know everything will turn out for the best, but now that I have it all settled in my mind about Miranda, I just want this to be over. I need to establish a permanent separation from her, to know that I’m on my own path to the future and not one she is trying to control.”
She made eye contact with Devon, holding the emotional moment for several seconds before she rose to her feet.
He caught her arm to prevent her from leaving. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I…I love you, Raina. I know it’s been so fast, but I also know it’s real.”
Tears immediately flooded her eyes. A type of joy she had never known before swelled inside her until she could hardly breathe. “I love you, too.” She gave Devon’s hand a loving squeeze, then hurried toward the gazebo. After doing a quick visual survey of the surroundings, she sat on a bench facing the area where Devon waited.
It seemed to Raina as if time moved at a snail’s pace as she waited for her sister. She checked her watch—five minutes after eleven. As usual, Miranda was late—her sister’s annoying habit of purposely arriving after everyone else in order to make a grand entrance with all eyes on her, being the center of attention she so craved.
She looked around, studying the people in the park—a pair of lovers walking through the gardens holding hands, a couple spreading a blanket for a picnic, father and son playing catch, and a group of children playing tag. All of them enjoying a carefree interlude during the middle of the day. All excerpt Raina. The nervous energy churned in the pit of her stomach as the minutes ticked away.
Then she saw Miranda making her way through the park. She shot a quick glance in Devon’s direction, reassured by the look of rapt attention on his face as he stared in the direction of the approaching Miranda.
“Raina, sweetie. It’s so good to see you. It’s been much too long.”
Miranda’s smile matched the meaning of her words, but her tone and the uneasiness in her eyes said something entirely different. Her words had been forced, as was the smile, betraying her level of anxiety.
“Well, Miranda, whose fault is that?” Raina hadn’t intended to be so caustic, but once she opened her mouth, she couldn’t keep her hurt and sense of betrayal from her voice or soften her choice of words. “I’m not the one who has been impossible to find or the one ignoring my phone calls.”
“Really, sweetie. That type of an attitude isn’t at all attractive. But it’s so typical of how you—”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Miranda.” Devon’s authoritative voice intruded into the conversation. “I find Raina’s words and attitude totally appropriate to the situation.”
Miranda whirled to face him, her eyes wide with fear, apprehension covering her features. “Devon!” She took a couple of steps backward as the color drained from her face. Then in the blink of an eye, her entire demeanor changed as she turned on Raina.
“Haven’t I warned you about this man? I told you what kind of a person he was, his shady character and abuse of his position as High Priest. We’re family, not only blood sisters but also of the bloodline. How could you allow him to drive a wedge between us? How could you betray me in this manner, do this kind of harm to me?”
Devon physically stepped between Miranda and Raina, turning the full force of his dynamic presence on Miranda. “You dare to use the word
betray
in front of me! After what you did to Dylan—”
“Your brother is a liar, nothing he said is true.”
“Since Dylan has very little memory of exactly what happened, there’s no way he can be lying about it. I was able to discern on my own what happened.” He fixed her with a hard stare, the kind intended to send a wave of fear through her. And he could tell from her body language that it had done just that. “And I definitely know exactly
who
is responsible. I, personally, believe you should be brought up on charges, ostracized, stripped of what powers you have, and shunned for all time. You not only betrayed Dylan, you betrayed the entire community. You made a mockery of our core commitment of
Harm To None
.”
He narrowed his eyes as he directed a harsh stare at her. “As you know, with not much more than the blink of my eye, I can turn you to dust, and with a wave of my hand, the winds will scatter that dust to the four corners of the earth.”
“And I could—”
“There’s nothing you can do. I have insulated my physical being, spiritual life, and my soul against anything you might try, and I’ve extended that protection to Raina.”
Miranda visibly trembled under the force of his words and his harsh glare. In what could only be described as a move of total desperation, she tried to turn on the charm and use her manipulative skills. She forced a smile and placed her hand on his chest in an intimate gesture.
“Really, Devon. We shouldn’t be quarreling like this. You know I have the utmost respect for you. We should be toiling in an arena of cooperation to achieve good works.” She took a quick glance toward Raina. “And from what I see here, you and my dear sister have become very close. I would certainly be honored to welcome you to our household.”
“
Dear sister?
”
Raina had been listening to Miranda’s desperate attempt to dissuade Devon from using his considerable power against her. “
Welcome you to our household?
” Her total disgust came out in her voice as she turned her anger on her sister. Suddenly it all became very clear—Miranda’s manipulation, lies, and deceit. Her attempts to take power that didn’t belong to her. And most reprehensible, her misuse of magick by trying to cast spells she wasn’t qualified to perform and for her own selfish purposes.
“How could you—”
Devon put his hand on Raina’s shoulder to stop her words. Every muscle in her body had drawn into tight knots. Her angry eyes glistened as she attempted to blink away her enraged tears.
“Miranda…” He saw at once that he had her complete attention and her full measure of trepidation. The mixture pleased him. “As you well know, your transgressions are reprehensible. You have not only betrayed the trust and affection of my brother and your own sister, you have also betrayed the very basic beliefs of our community. You have purposely inflicted great harm, both physically and emotionally, on people who had done you no harm. People who had opened their hearts and lives to you.
“Only my feelings for Raina prevent me from exacting revenge for what you did to Dylan. And even that consideration is of the moment. It’s dependent on you providing me with the exact spells you attempted on Dylan, what incantations and tangibles you employed. I want everything no later than six o’clock this evening. If you ever try to cast spells or manipulate anyone again, I’ll know and will take appropriate action.” He fixed Miranda with a hard stare, one that left no confusion about his intent. “And I can assure you I won’t be so generous with any future consideration of your transgressions.”
He saw the defeat in her eyes, her acceptance of what he was capable of doing. “At some point in time, provided you have proven you’ve changed your ways, I will probably forgive you. It’s who I am. It’s the credo I live by and the laws of nature I hold dear…but not today.”
Miranda turned a pleading look toward her sister. “Raina?” Her shaky voice clearly defined her uncertain state of mind and vulnerable status.
“I forgive you, Miranda, but only because it’s the right thing to do. Certainly not because you’re my sister.” Raina held eye contact with her for a long moment. “Because we are no longer sisters.” She took Devon’s hand, and the two of them walked away together.