Page 15 of Touch Of Fate
“Why don’t I try with Mara?” Rome turns his attention to me, and I lose my breath. I have to get a handle on how he makes me feel, or I’ll never be able to concentrate again. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I move to the middle of the room, sit on the floor, and cross my legs. “Is this okay?” I ask, looking up at Rome as he stands over me. “It’s a habit to ground myself on the floor.” Every witch practices magic differently. My spells come more easily when I am closer to the earth.
“It’s perfect,” he says, fluidly sitting, crossing his legs, his feet brushing mine. He lays his arms across his knees, holding his palms flat. “Put your hands on mine. We can test the connection. Learn our limits.” I nod and press my palms to his. At the first touch, the air is sucked out of the room. “Damn, that’s powerful.”
“All my hair is standing on end,” Lace comments and rubs her arms. “I need to sit.” She drops weakly into her chair. Archer doesn’t say anything, but moves behind Rome. He slides down the wall, leaning against it.
“Mara,” Rome says softly, and I look at him. “Keep your eyes on mine.” I exhale and focus on him. “Good. Don’t look away. Feel our spells and the energy between us.” I nod and look within.
My magic is fluid, always moving. It would be difficult to explain how it works to a human. Shifters have the presence of an animal inside them, a part of them, the same, yet different. My spells are me. They have always been there, so it’s in my blood, in my bones. It isn’t a separate entity. Even though I’ve had trouble with my gift, I love being a witch and feeling the energy inside me that I can call on when I need it. It’s secondnature to pull it from all corners of my body. I push and pull it to the center of my body, molding it into a ball. When it is pulsing in my gut, I reach for Rome’s spells.
I’ve resisted feeling his power too deeply. He is a mass of magic, old, skilled, and holding back his gifts. The vibration travels from his palms to mine, almost caressing my magic. I urge my spells forward, inching closer to him. At the contact, the walls in the room creak. My heart races, and my body feels electrified.
“Damn,” I gasp, unable to hold the sensations inside.
“Agreed,” Rome says, his eyes glowing. “We have been looking for each other. Needed each other.” His mouth parts, and he tilts his head. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yes.” I swallow and lick my lips. “Mine wants to join yours.” Witches do magic together all the time. I’ve done it many times with Lace, my mom, and Savy. Nothing compares to being next to my bond and feeling the power. Completing the soul bond will feel similar, but it will be a different connection. My soul wants to merge with his, but it’s not time. I have to trust him completely and accept the bond.
“I want you to think of the man,” Rome says softly. “Bring his image to the front of your mind.” I nod hesitantly. “I won’t let it hurt. His emotions are null and void. I’ve taken them.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath and think of him. He has sandy brown hair. The suit he wears to work is blue.
“Oh my,” Lace whispers. The light in the room goes dark, but I don’t look away from Rome.
“I can see him,” he says, and I can see the image in his eyes. “You’re projecting him.” I hear his words, yet don’t respond.
The woman he killed flashes, and Rome jerks. Tears cover my eyes, not from his emotions but mine. It’s sad to know they were killed. I flip through the pictures, quickly moving away from them, and concentrate on the man.
Find him. Find him.
The movie in my head fast-forwards, past the death and the joy he felt, and stops briefly at the body of water he tosses them into. Things I didn’t notice before, while I was in the throes of the vision, are popping out. Without the emotions affecting my judgement, the details are coming forward. The color of his truck is green. It’s old and not the vehicle I thought he would drive. The fender is bent and discolored. He was wearing jeans when he dumped the last body, and his shirt had the name of a sports team on it. The smile on his face is sickening as he gazes out at the water. He’s satisfied and brushes his hands together.
Find him. Find him.
The image flies forward, and I see him driving. He’s listening to music, bobbing his head to the beat, his hands drumming on the wheel as he turns it. Entering a nice neighborhood, he slows and waves to a woman walking her dog. He’s charming and a good actor. The woman annoys him, but he tolerates her. He has an image to uphold.
Pulling into a driveway, he sighs and opens the garage. The car in it is sleek, black, and very expensive-looking. He uses the truck to dump the bodies. As he starts forward, I see the address on the house. He glances over his shoulder, and I see the road name on the corner of his property.
“Got him,” Rome rasps, and I blink. “Fuck.” His eyes widen, and I look around for the first time since we started.
We’re floating. Hovering two feet off the ground. Sparks of energy pop throughout the room, glowing in the dark. They zig-zag across the ceiling like lightning.
“Holy shit.” I look away from the ground to Lace. Her hair is fuzzy.
“Yeah, we didn’t want to say anything,” she says.
“That was unbelievable,” Archer says.
“Uh…Rome.” I look at him.
“One second, Mara. I’ll get us down,” he says, grinning. I gasp as he closes his eyes and we float down. I brace one palm beside me.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that.” I feel close to Rome, even though I know nothing about him. We connected on a level that not many do. I can feel his goodness in his spells. “My gift has never worked like that.”
“You’ve been concentrating on the emotions. It forced you to feel them, so it’s understandable. You needed me to ground you.” He tangles his fingers with mine. “My mom can teleport. Before meeting Dad, she would pop in and out all over the world without direction. She couldn’t control the direction or where she would appear. Dad is her anchor. He guides her, so wherever he is, she comes back to. She can travel the world, safe in the knowledge that she will always find him.”
“That’s beautiful,” I whisper.
