Page 27 of Morning's Light

Rows of vases filled with blooms in shades of white and dark-pink lined the cases of the shop, ready to go when they’d deliver for the wedding. She surveyed the work with pride, immeasurable pride at what they had been able to accomplish in such a short time. Elon would not have been able to handle the order alone, she knew, no matter what he told her. It made her feel a bit better for asking her sister to drive in the weather.

A box tipped on its side and fell. Aisanna jumped at the sound before giving herself a slap on the wrist. There were no monsters lurking. Nothing lingered in the dark to swallow her whole or suck her into visions.

This was her space, her hour. If she didn’t feel comfortable in her workplace…then where?

The magic was slow in coming when she concentrated on the need, the pressing need for it. She’d used too much for healing and left no time to recharge the proverbial batteries. If she didn’t have those freesias in the next few hours, then it would be for nothing. She knew how particular brides could be, especially when their parents controlled the purse strings. One small slip, and a hard-won reputation was potentially besmirched by unhappy customers.

She’d gone the extra mile for Mrs. Ulrich. She could do it here.

Aisanna drew on every ounce of power she could muster and felt a swell of relief when heat built at her fingertips. This was real. This was stable. This was a physical manifestation of her soul. Maybe her doubts were misplaced. Maybe she and her sisters were powerful enough to face the beast before the eclipse.

“Come to life for me,” she muttered, closing her eyes and picturing what she desired behind her lids.

Instantly the scent of buds assaulted her with a sweetness so keen and sharp it brought tears to her eyes.

Branches of flowers sprouted from nothing, boughs dripping with red and orange blossoms and tufts of long narrow leaves along a slightly angled stem. Loose one-sided spikes of funnel-shaped flowers filled the air with delicious perfume.

Only when she was sure to have enough did she release the flow.

Freesia blossoms surrounded her, enough to decorate the entire room with their beauty. It took her longer than expected to gather them together, placing each delicately into a box and making sure Elon did not hear her tape the cardboard lids together.

That would do nicely.

She slid the box into the walk-in cooler, tucked it just under the bottom shelf.

“Hey!” she called out, standing near the box and holding the cooler door open. “Elon. Come take a look at this.”

He shuffled over from the front and flipped the wall switch on to flood the room with light. “What?”

Aisanna gave the box a small kick with the toe of her boot. “Just open this up and tell me what’s inside.”

Elon did as she asked. He removed a box cutter from his back pocket and released it with a slight snick. Bending, he slid the blade through the newly placed tape and drew the sides apart. For a moment he could only look at her.

“Holy shit!” His smile was wide and relieved. “How did you find these?”

“They were right here the whole time. They must have come sometime during the week. Like I said, mislabeled.” Aisanna surveyed her work. “This is why I stress the importance of knowing your inventory.”

She hated lying to Elon, hated hiding her gift from him and the others. Unfortunately, she knew the consequences of telling normal people of her magic. Resentment and bitterness grew at their lack of power. Soon they came to fear what they didn’t understand. It was a risk the higher-ups in their community refused to take. The rules were in place to protect everyone.

That was where the Claddium came into the picture. They had been birthed after the Spanish Inquisition in an attempt to close ranks on the community and protect those with magic from the rest of the world.

Elon could never know what she was. And she was not prepared to face the penalties if he ever found out.

She watched the play of emotions on his face. He peered up at her with happiness so acute it brought an answering grin, her lips drawing back.

“I can’t believe we missed this.” Elon dug down and removed several of the blossoms, bringing them up to his nose. “I feel stupid for calling you in. If I’d taken a second look I would have found it myself.”

“No, you needed the help. I should have been here, anyway. I hate sitting idle when I should be doing something. At least we found the box before it was too late.”

“You’re right. As usual.” He didn’t sound bitter about it.

She held the door open. “Do you want to bring those out? We can do the finishing touches.”

Elon lifted the package, sailing by her and bringing the entire container to the front room to complete the wedding preparations. Aisanna spared a quick glance at his skinny jean-clad rear before averting her gaze.

“Johan needs to get his eyes checked. With those Coke-bottle glasses, he still couldn’t see a bulls-eye on a horse’s ass,” Elon joked. “He helped me look yesterday. Olivia, too. I double checked today. Maybe I’m the one who needs his eyes checked.”

“You’re right about Johan. He just refuses to buy new ones. He still insists he has perfect twenty/twenty vision.”

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