Cooper had never experienced motion sickness until now—and it sucked. “Fuck me. You could have warned me. What the hell was that about? Shit, I need to sit down.” Looking around, he was relieved to see they were on the Lamonts’ patio. Damn, some efficient do-gooder had already put the outdoor furniture close to the building in preparation for winter storage. When a chair materialized out of thin air behind him, Cooper dropped into it and hoped his stomach would settle when his head finally stopped spinning.
“Ley line.” Brigitte’s reply was followed by a disinterested wave of her hand, indicating she considered the two words the only explanation required. Cooper had astral traveled before, but that slow slide was nothing compared to what he’d just experienced. He also knew Cleveland Adler and his wife Vienna utilized ley lines when astral traveling, but no one mentioned how disorienting the process was. Jesus, Joseph, and Sweet Mother Mary, was this mode of travel this nauseating for everybody? Did magicals ever get accustomed to it, or did Brigitte pull something special out of her little bag of tricks just to make his life more challenging? Slapping his palm against his forehead at the stupid question, he wondered how much longer he’d feel like he’d spent the last twenty-four hours strapped into some damned amusement park torture device.
“It’ll get better, Ace. I’m surprised it bothered you since you’ve survived my driving on several occasions. Of course, there have been a few incidents when you looked a little worse for wear.” Catalina’s driving was the one area of her life where his remarkable mate was utterly out of control.
“What saves me with your driving is gravity. This,”—he made a swirling motion with his index finger—“was ass-over-teakettle, as my mother used to say. Something akin to being caught in a vertical tornado with a flash of brilliant colors.” He wasn’t sure he’d be able to find the words to describe the experience to someone who hadn’t been subject to it. It was one of those things you had to experience firsthand to understand.
“It isn’t my preferred way to travel, either, but it’s fast and free. Not all ley lines are created equal, and the one running beneath us is powerful.” Gigi gave a disinterested shrug before adding, “It’s probably too powerful for such a short trip.” Sucking in a deep breath, Cooper felt his body respond to his silent, internal command to calm down.
“Short trips are intense because you have the disorientation of liftoff and landing—for lack of better words—without getting to experience the beauty usually present in between.” Catalina knelt beside him, her warmth seeping in to calm him in a way nothing else could. Within a few seconds, he felt normal once again and breathed in a sigh of relief he hadn’t embarrassed himself by vomiting all over the flagstone patio.
“Wow, that was a really scary shade of green, Cooper.” Looking up, Cooper met Katarina Lamont’s dancing blue eyes and smiled. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I saw a strange flash of light out here and came to investigate. You looked pretty peaked, so I didn’t want to move around a lot or startle you by speaking.”
“Thanks. It was touch and go for a few minutes. I’ve never been motion sick—I don’t recommend it.”
A wicked grin spread over Katarina’s face, but her eyes still shone with kindness. “People who get motion sick easily don’t usually like Colorado. Our mountain roads aren’t for the faint of heart. Just driving through on Interstate 70 makes a lot of people queasy.” Katarina shrugged. “I’ve never been motion sick, but I’ve heard it feels like morning sickness, and that sucked big green donkey dicks.”
“Kitten, I don’t know what we’re going to do with you. I thought we’d erased that expression from your vocabulary.”
“I’m living proof the First Amendment is alive and well.” The irrepressible woman gave a parade wave to the invisible masses before turning on her heel to return to the house. “Come inside, it’s getting chilly, and I’m sure I heard the doorbell.”
Walking alongside Zach, Cooper shook his head. “Let’s go talk to Alex—you’re not going to believe what I just saw.” Two years ago, there were only a handful of people Cooper trusted. A late-night conversation with his sister changed everything.
Yes, opening yourself up means you might get hurt, but watching you exist rather than live is breaking my heart. You deserve so much more, Cooper.
Now, his circle of trusted friends was exponentially larger, and his life felt full for the first time in years. After his parents died, his world had narrowed, his boundaries drawing closer and closer until he could practically touch the walls he’d built around himself. Lakyn had loved him unconditionally, and he was always humbled by how resilient she remained when he’d turned colder and more distant. Now, he could see the only other woman he’d ever loved to the depths of his soul shared his sister’s warrior spirit.
Catalina Adler was the most courageous woman he’d ever known. She’d risked her life for her country more times than he could count and put her own dreams on the back burner to help ensure the safety of agents from intelligence agencies all over the world. Their agencies might have turned their backs on Catalina in her time of need, but Cooper knew their agents were loyal as hell to her. Maybe he’d invite some of them to the open house she’d been forced to push back time and again.
Stepping into Alex’s office, Cooper was surprised to see Franklin Cordesi sitting in one of the leather wingback chairs chatting with Audric. Shaking Cordesi’s hand, Cooper wondered if the man was ever going to own up to making the anonymous call giving him the location where Catalina had been held. His call saved her life, and Cooper wanted to thank him properly, but Franklin’s coy smile let him know that was going to be a conversation for another day.
Two hours later, Alex and Zach both appeared shell-shocked. They looked stunned to learn about the magical battle that had taken place on their property. Katarina’s eyes sparkled with interest, her expression reminding him of his sister when she’d been younger, and everything had seemed to catch her interest. After a tension-filled silence in their long conversation, Alex leaned back and sighed before turning his attention to Catalina.
“You’ve been an interesting guest, Catalina. My one regret is my dad wasn’t here. His ancestors have passed down stories for many years about the epic battles good and evil waged on these mountains. He told me once, you could feel the pulse of the earth beneath your bare feet if you could still your mind long enough to connect with something bigger than yourself.”
“I’d love to meet your father.” Audric leaned forward, his eyes twinkling with interest.
“I’ve always been fascinated by Native American folklore. Your father is right. The ley line running through this area is one of the most powerful on earth. Ironically, your home, the meadow we were in, and the Stone sisters’ store in Crystal, are all in perfect alignment atop the ley line.” No one spoke for long seconds as Audric gave the group time to absorb what he’d said.
“Great Goddess, Dad, cut the dramatic pauses. Get on with it. I’m starving.” Gigi glanced toward the door they all knew led to the kitchen. When Catalina’s stomach growled loud enough for the entire room to hear, Audric laughed out loud.
“I’m more relieved than I can tell you, Catalina is safe. The Council has agreed to work with her part-time until she is ready for something more intense.” Turning to Opal and Ruby, Audric grinned. “Don’t worry too much about Emerald. I believe your granddaughter is going to make some big changes in her life very soon. Ironically, the line we’re sitting on runs within a few yards of her house.”
“When can I go home?” Catalina’s question surprised everyone but Cooper—he’d felt the undercurrent rolling through her and knew she was anxious to get back to work. The renovations had been completed on their home in the Adler Oil building, and everyone was withholding pictures because they wanted to see her reaction firsthand. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, and I’ll never be able to repay you for your hospitality, but I waited years to start my business, and leaving in the hands of other people wasn’t easy.”
“I’ve packed your bags, and there is a plane waiting to take you back to Texas in an hour.” Gigi grinned before casting a longing look toward the kitchen.
“We’ll eat first. I know Audric is looking forward to seeing your table.” Catalina laughed when the elderly wizard’s cheeks turned pink.
“I always knew you’d be trouble.”