“Do they know Sally is your daughter?” Costin asked.
“Before she was abducted, I wouldn’t have thought it possible. But now … I have to assume they must know. It would be foolish to believe otherwise. The Order of the Burning Claw is a powerful organization with powerful members. They’ve been lying low for a long time. The fact that they’ve resurfaced is bad. Very, very bad.”
“It means they have gotten stronger,” Costin agreed.
She nodded. “Sally is much more powerful than I. But I have no doubt the Order would love to have both of us among their ranks. I think they’ll use one of us to try and get at the other.”
“Why? And forgive me, but why haven’t they pursued you until now?”
“For one, I haven’t used my magic in over thirty years. They’ve had to keep track of me the good old-fashion way, like humans do, through records, because there was no magical signature to follow. And two, they haven’t been in a position to make a move against anyone in a long time. The Order sort of … crumbled a while ago. I don’t really know what happened, but there was dissension in the ranks and their leadership faltered. If the beast has no head, it can’t do any damage. Now we can only assume someone powerful is back in charge.”
Costin’s eyes narrowed slightly. “But why do they want you both?” he asked again.
Cindy sighed. She hadn’t wanted to tell Sally what she truly was. In fact, the fewer people that knew the better. “I told you there were different kinds of sprites. I am a healer sprite, yes, but I am more than that. It is extremely rare for one of my kind to receive two abilities, but when they do, their offspring are more likely to have a dual nature. Lilly said that Sally is the most powerful gypsy healer they’ve had in centuries. That’s not a fluke. She likely has such power because I am a seer.”
“Like Lilly?” he asked.
“Yes and no.” Cindy glanced around the room. Though it was stupid, she wondered if there were any ears listening that should not have been. “Lilly receives visions of the future, but they are not at will. She can’t just make her powers manifest whenever she wants. She is at the mercy of her visions. They come and go as they please. I, however, am able to control my ability. I can see the future simply by thinking about what I want to know. This is a terrible gift, for obvious reasons. But I can choose not to know the future, which I have for thirty years. Unfortunately, I believe my parents shared this knowledge with some members of the Order. The fact that they have not pursued me all these years tells me they have been extremely unorganized and weak. Now, all of a sudden, they are reaching out to me, testing the waters, if you will. This means they believe they can take on anyone who stands against them.”
“They want you because you would be able to tell them every move their enemies make.” The statement seemed more like a thought he was speaking out loud rather than something requiring a response. “Okay, that’s bad. But back to my mate. You said this darkness in her is actually magic, so it’s something that can be removed.”
“Theoretically,” she said carefully. “Luminous sprites aren’t healers, but their light is powerful. What combats darkness?”
“Light,” he murmured. “Always light.”
“Exactly.”
“I will be with her always. Please do not try to take her to your realm and do this without me.” His eyes were glowing again, and he was staring at her with a crushing intensity. “You need to understand, there is nothing I wouldn’t do, no one I wouldn’t destroy, no place I wouldn’t tear apart, in order to get her back. She is my light. I will not step aside, even for you. How we proceed will be our decision to make, Sally and me, not you or your husband’s. I am thankful that you brought her into this world and took care of her until I met her, but now she is mine. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She nodded. And Lilly said he was the mellow one of the pack, she thought to herself as she stared back at the man who had just made it clear he would destroy his mates’ mother and father if it meant keeping Sally safe. She had to give it to him, he was what Jen would no doubt call … ballsy.
He stood up and pushed his chair back under the table. “And we will know by tomorrow evening if your luminous friends will be willing to help?”
“Yes. Costin…” She stood and walked over to him. “I couldn’t have picked a better mate for her. In the short time I’ve known you, I can see you are a man of integrity and great character. Thank you for loving her.”
His lips turned up in a small smile. “It’s not hardship, I assure you. I am the one undeserving of her. She doesn’t see it. She has no clue how amazing she is.” He began to walk backward toward the stairs and then winked as he said, “I’ve made it my personal mission to show her.”
Cindy watched him jog up the stairs and chuckled. He was an enigma. Serious and threatening one minute and winking and dimples the next. She could see why Sally was enamored by him.
With nothing left to do but wait for the morning, Cindy went to bed. Chris was already there, reading a book that looked as old as she was.
“How’d it go?” he asked as he gingerly set the book down in his lap.
“He threatened to kill us if we got in between him and Sally in any way,” she said in a cheery voice. “So, all in all, I’d say it went good.”
He nodded. “We’re both alive, so I’d have to agree.” He reached for her hand and pulled her over to the edge of the bed. “He’s good for her.”
“I agree, and I told him as much.”
“We didn’t want her dragged into the supernatural world, but if it had to happen, at least her mate is strong and capable of fighting her enemies.” He squeezed her hand gently.
“I agree with that as well.” She pointed to the book. “What is that?”
“Well, while you were sharing your secrets with Costin, I did some digging into my own.”
He picked up the book and showed her the front cover. The symbols there matched the ones on Sally’s locket.
“Where did you get this?”
“Remember that box of stuff that I put away when we married?” he asked.
Cindy nodded. “You said it was stuff your grandmother had left your mother.”