Gift (Enchanted Ardor #2)

Chapter Nineteen

Olivia scanned the faces at the breakfast table in the great hall. Fatigue dragged at her as she lifted a cup to her lips.

Dolph was absent, as he had been all the previous day, since Gena’s arrival.

The others had been casting surreptitious glances at Gena’s misty form; a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

“We haven’t had so much excitement since we arrived here.” Donder grumbled, sitting next to Olivia.

“None,” Blix sat on her other side, mindful of Gena’s swirling particles. “We’ve never had a Djinn serve the grove before.”

“She can’t stay.” Olivia said.

“Neither can you,” Gena was quick to add.

“Pity,” Blix reached for a slice of warm bread. “Though I’m curious as to how you’re able to be here at all. You’re still fully living?”

Olivia shrugged with a chuckle. “As far as I know, yes. Maybe because I don’t know the rules?” She blinked as the question slithered through her, as she met his serious gaze. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘fully living’?”

“Olivia, this place is a part of the afterlife.” Gena whispered. “A place for the dead to do whatever they do here, before moving on to their next phase.”

Olivia stared at Gena’s incorporeal face, then slowly looked at the rest of the individuals at the table. “They’re all…?”

Gena nodded.

Olivia dropped her hands to her lap, twisting her fingers as questions and suspicions flooded her mind. “Am I?”

“Not yet.”

Olivia searched Gena’s face, unable to read her expression in her current state. “But?”

“It’s best left forgotten, Liv. It was so long ago.”

“Gena.”

Her shoulders seemed to droop. “You were sick when your family left you at the dragon’s cave.”

Olivia nodded. “I remember. They thought I was going to die anyway, once the dragon came back to accept my sacrifice. But he never did. He just let me be. Took pity on me.”

“He did. Then you found me, hidden away, and we became secret friends when he wasn’t around, which was often. Your illness progressed, and I’d grown to love you as a sister.”

Olivia’s heart swelled with emotion as Gena’s glittering onyx particles drifted over her entwined fingers still on her lap.

“You breathed your last breath and I couldn’t stand the silence that followed. I’d been alone in that lamp for so long. And you—you brightened everything.”

“I don’t remember any of this.” Olivia said.

“You were unconscious a long time.”

“So why didn’t you just cure her illness?” Donder shoved a chunk of ham into his mouth, reminding Olivia that they weren’t alone.

Her gaze darted to the rest of the diners, regarding her with curiosity now.

“As a human, she was meant to have a finite life. I let her go—until she was gone and I—I couldn’t stand it.”

“So you brought me back from death?”

“I did. Your spirit still hovered nearby. It didn’t take much to lure you back.” She lifted an incorporeal shoulder. “We carried on as though you’d just had a rest. And, some time later, you hatched your plot to free me of my lamp.”

Olivia huffed. “And failed.”

“Not entirely. It was enough. And I loved you all the more for it.”

“And gave me the gift of longevity.” Olivia leaned into Gena’s misty form.

“By then, I had realized that I shouldn’t keep you with me. You couldn’t live as you were in the dragon’s cave, and had much to do in the world. You shone with it. It’s what makes you special, Liv.”

“And why you need to go back,” Nick’s voice cut in from the open door, cutting into their reminiscences. “But only once we make it safe for you.”

The intensity of his gaze bore into her as her mind whirled.

What of Nick? Was he..? But he left this place. How else could he have been in Ottawa to meet her?

Blix leaned into Olivia’s side. “Nick’s different. More like you than us.”

“He isn’t Djinn-touched.” Gena said.

Blix shook his head. “Something else, though I don’t know what. Just who. I was already afloat by the time whatever happened, happened.”

“Who?”

“Ayo.” Donder said.

Olivia shook her head. “I don’t know who that is.”

“I’ve heard the name. He’s one of the original ‘Saints.’” Gena said.

“I forgot Nick was a saint.” Olivia picked up her mug of warm cider with both hands.

“I’m not,” Nick said from behind her, making her jump, splashing the cider on the table. “Cupid’s ready for the transmission.”

“Transmission?” Donder twisted around as Olivia rose from her seat.

Nick nodded. “We need to confirm final coordinates before we go. The Council is establishing a new point of contact for the hand-over of the requested extra barrels for the Nisse.”

Don nodded, wiping his mouth and hands on a cotton napkin. “I’ll let the others know, in case there is a change with the process and collection.”

“There shouldn’t be, but yes, we need to be prepared.”

Olivia and Gena followed Nick out of the great hall. Just outside the door, they stopped.

“Ready?” Gena asked Olivia. To Nick she said, “Merging with Olivia’s life force will mutually augment our power through our connection.”

Olivia nodded with a deep breath.

Gena’s glittering particles swirled around Olivia, tickling her skin as she surrounded her and slowly merged into her.

“Oh, this feels so weird,” she whispered as the pressure of Gena’s life force merged with her own from within her body, no longer a tether following her through the village. She felt as though they vied for space, awkwardly settling around one another without pushing the other out.

‘Agreed.’ Gena’s voice sounded in Olivia’s head.

Even with Gena’s power as faded as it was, she trembled as it coursed through Olivia’s human veins, heightening her senses.

It was a refreshing boost, after her lagging energy since her arrival. Like being at a different altitude, her body struggled to adjust.

Once Olivia had a handle on the new sensation of Gena riding within her, she followed Nick to the tower.

Curiously, she sensed the Nisse hiding in the bushes with watchful eyes like little glowing beacons of power, ones that felt different from Gena.

Her gaze swept the nearby forest, which now appeared wholly different than it had with her purely human eyes.

She gasped, transfixed, as currents became visible coursing up and down the trees, their branches radiating to the sky’s light and deep down into the ground where their roots entwined. The vast network pumped energy down and around and back up with pulsing breaths.

“Nick, it’s so beautiful,” she breathed.

He stopped on the path midway to the tower, glancing between Olivia’s face and the tree line.

The purest sense of interconnectivity bloomed within her, even though she stood apart from it. To see it, raw and pure, overwhelmed her.

“Do you see it, Nick? Is it always like this?” She swallowed, tears blurring her vision.

He studied the wide-eyed rapture on her face. “I don’t think I do see what you’re seeing, but I suppose it is.” Turning to Olivia he scanned the hamlet and spoke at a slightly elevated volume, but not overtly obviously. “I’m going to take you with me to do the run, Olivia. When Sleipnir opens the portal, he’ll hold it open while the crew bring in the barrels of ale and maple syrup as quickly as possible before we go. Once done, you and I will see to these shadows that targeted you.”

“Maple syrup?” She blinked, finally turning her attention to Nick’s face. The brilliant inner vision of the trees faded as she focused on his lovely face where his soul shone with a golden light. She blinked again trying to control her vision.

“The Nisse got the idea, hearing that you came from Canada and that I’d be taking you back at some point.”

Olivia shook her head, unable to help smiling.

A shadow moved among the trees surrounding the hamlet.

‘He’s here. I can feel him.’ Gena’s voice was soft in Olivia’s head. ‘Wait here a moment so I can get better sense of him.’

Olivia reached for Nick’s large hand. “I wanted to thank you for trying to keep me safe, Nick. Even though my presence has complicated things here. I—I just want you to know that I’m going to miss you.” She searched his face.

While she was giving Gena time to do what she needed from within, she wanted to take the moment to say what she needed to Nick before it was lost in the whirlwind of later.

She stood on tiptoe, to kiss his cheek as she held his hand.

His warm fingers grasped hers as she eased away. He turned his face toward hers as though he was going to kiss her back. They both froze in place for a long moment, hovering close together. “I’m going to miss you too, Liv.”

His breath was warm on her lips, sweet with cider as she met him, pressing her lips to his. His free hand rose, fingertips gentle on her face.

Her heart ached, swelling in her chest.

I love you.

The thought fluttered through her mind as she eased away from him.

The tip of his nose brushed against hers as he released her from his light grasp. “I wish…” he swallowed. “Let’s go.”

She nodded, closing her eyes against the surge of regret. Loss. Hers and his.

‘Oh, Liv. I’m so sorry honey. We’ll figure out a way to make this work somehow.’ Gena soothed.

Olivia shook her head, blinking away the emotion gathering in her eyes. ‘No. Forget it, it’s done. Focus.’

‘My power is diminished here, but I can try to pull you through their communication portal with me. My apartment is warded and we can figure things out from there.’ Gena reasoned.

Olivia smiled. ‘As much as I love hanging out at your place, I actually would like to stay here a little longer.’

‘Nick?’

Olivia’s heart sped up. ‘And who can resist a night with Santa Claus on Christmas eve?’ Her breath hitched. ‘The seeds—the trees are so special.’

As they reached the base of the tower, Olivia’s nape prickled. The draw of something heavy and dark pulled at her. The taint of something unnatural, resonating with a dissonance, intermingled with rich anger and bitterness.

‘You feel that?’ Gena’s voice was strained against Olivia’s consciousness as she trembled from within.

“He’s coming,” she whispered to Nick as they ascended.

“Dolph?”

“Yes, I think so.”

The sensation of Nick’s guilt washed over her. “Cupid’s waiting.”

‘I don’t like how this feels, Olivia. This Alfar is, or is influenced by, something dark and powerful, but I can’t quite figure out what it is yet. Once the channel opens and I reconnect with our world, my power will increase and I’m going to do all I can to make things safe for your return.’

‘I don’t want you involved, Gena. I won’t risk that bastard finding you, you’ve come too far to jeopardize your own peace and safety.’

‘My past is the past. If he hasn’t found me yet, perhaps he never will?’

They rarely discussed the individual, Gena’s first love so very long ago, that had caused Gena’s entrapment, and Olivia wouldn’t press the issue further.

They stepped into the tower room where Cupid waited for their arrival.

‘Do not put yourself at risk for me, Gena.’

Olivia gasped as the portal roiled with untapped electricity, contained within Vixen’s crafted framework to control its access. The draw on Gena was significant, pulling at her particles, forcing her to work harder to remain attached to Olivia.

“One last Council meeting to finalize delivery details coming up.” Cupid piped at Nick’s signal, his hands fluttered over runes as he watched the polished panel.

With Gena’s energy fused with her own, everything was heightened. She felt Cupid’s aura. Felt the runes ignite as her vision caught their flare. Saw the thread of magic reaching for the framework that contained the portal fissure.

The portal opened with a blast of light that didn’t seem to faze Nick or Cupid, reminding her of Sleipnir’s portal.

Too many things were happening at once for her to focus on just one as Gena’s power amplified her senses. Her gaze locked on Nick’s incredible golden aura, calming herself as she allowed the sensations to wash over her.

Dolph slowly drew closer; his lower frequency made her gut churn, as she struggled to regulate her breathing.

‘Ohhh…’ Gena moaned, her anguish ripping through Olivia’s body.

“No.” Olivia gasped, unable to consciously grasp what was happening.

‘Shattered,’ Gena’s voice trembled in Olivia’s head as Gena struggled to maintain her connection to Olivia as her particles reached into the portal’s connection.

The second the Councilman appeared on the panel creating an open connection, Gena locked onto both ends.

Her struggle ripped through Olivia, whose knees gave out. Nick caught her before she hit the floor. His grasp on her steadied her and gave Gena the grip she needed.

Dimly, Cupid’s voice droned on as he spoke to the Councilman.

It—whatever it was—and Dolph, were just outside the door.

Impressions of power, and images, and energy signatures rippled through Olivia, overwhelming her body, as she was unable to filter any of it.

Finally Gena growled her revulsion. ‘It’s Djinn magic, Olivia. Shattered Djinn magic, being manipulated by someone in our world.’

Through the storm of crackling magic, electricity and auras, Olivia sensed what Gena had found.

The entity was similar to Gena’s own particles, but dissonant. Wrong. Then there was the female being that she’d mentioned before, whispering to Dolph through the connection. The domination of her will rode the black magic anchored within him.

Words were garbled. Her control of the magic was strong.

‘Liv, stay close to Nick.’ Gena gasped as she let go, flowing out of Olivia and back into the portal channel.

The room dimmed as Olivia’s senses returned to normal. Her head spun as she leaned against Nick. “She’s gone.”

The portal crackled behind the panels, drawing Olivia’s attention. Gena’s sooty particles collected into a mass behind the Councilman, solidifying for a moment, lifting her hand before she faded into her glittering mist and drifted away again.

Nick and Olivia occupied the chairs of his living room in silence.

Her eyes remained fixed on the cooling cup of cider, her thumb tracing the imperfections in the rim of the glazed ceramic.

She hadn’t said a word since her announcement that Gena had left.

He’d held her trembling body close, trying to ease her distress.

She seemed weaker than before the merge, amplifying his concerns that she was feeling the same effects that he did when he stayed away from the grove too long.

Nick focused on his own cup as impatience bunched his muscles, but he resisted the need to ask her anything until she was ready.

He could not imagine the intensity of a Djinn bond and therefore forced himself to be patient until she collected her thoughts to tell him what had happened.

All he knew was that Dolph had followed them. Nothing more.

It could mean anything. Nothing. Everything.

Finally, she sighed, set the cup aside and ran her palms down her thighs. “That was a lot.”

He nodded looking into her haunted gaze as she searched to put her thoughts into words. “I can only imagine.”

“She said…” Olivia bit her lip. “She said that there was shattered Djinn magic connected to Dolph that was being manipulated from someone in our world.”

“How is that possible?” Nick stood, moving the cups to the dry sink, no longer able to contain the need to move—to act. “The third female presence?”

Olivia nodded. “I believe so.”

Nick rubbed his hands over his face.

Dolph. Again.

After so very long here, and no change.

Perhaps this entity prevented it?

Perhaps this entity attached to Dolph was the cause of it?

Dolph had always had an edge to him, deeper than any other Alfar he’d ever known, but that night, the one that led to their thousand years tending the groves, had been his tipping point.

Everyone’s tipping point.

“Ayo predicted this,” he whispered.

Nick’s heart twisted as he studied Olivia’s lovely face strained with worry.

What role does she have to play in all of this?

“Did he?”

“In a sense, yes.” Nick blew out his breath, pacing from chair to kitchen table and back. “My memory isn’t clear on what happened—all I remember is that he said we’d be needed to keep the grove safe.”

“But what do we do?”

“I don’t know. Dolph isn’t here to harm the groves, he’s had centuries to do that.” Nick rubbed his hands over his face. “For a long time, he seemed to be settling, changing. Calmer. But in the last century he started becoming edgy again.”

Nick resumed pacing the limited space. “I have to call everyone. Cupid will already be working on the runes to pick up any more foreign traces. Vixen is headed for the other portal to finish securing it—if it can be done in time.”

“Do you think whatever’s going to happen will be soon?”

“I don’t know. But we have to be prepared, whether it’s tomorrow or ten years from now.”