Light filled her body, spilling out of her eyes and mouth as she screamed.
“Hey,” Conner ceased his chanting, panicking at the sight of her in such distress, “I don’t think it’s supposed to be like this. Stop!” He darted forward to help but flew backward, struck by an unseen force swirling around her. He hit the water with a loud splash. Vincent and Finn continued reciting the elemental prayers as black ooze gushed from her wound, running down her leg until the light within burst through the puncture marks. Conner swam back, pulling himself up and rushing to her side to find Jillian limp and unconscious, the magic having vanished after its work was done.
“Shit! Jillian?” He took her face in his hands.
Please tell me we didn’t kill her.
Her parted lips let out a whisper of breath, and he sat back, putting a hand on his chest as he let out a relieved sigh.
“I can’t believe it.” Vincent looked down at the geometric scars covering his arms. “It’s really her.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The curtains fluttered against the soft breath of the mountain. Vincent’s bedroom window screen was still on the ground outside where Jillian had left it. Large callused fingers moved over her calf, and she hummed at the pleasant sensation.
“It left a scar.” His gravelly voice made her open her eyes. “But you’ll live. Let’s get a look at your head.”
She ached all over but found the strength to sit up. Vincent sat beside her, separating her hair at the scalp where the gash had been.
“Barely even a mark.” He let go.
Jillian ran her fingers through her hair over the spot that had been caked with blood the day before. “This is crazy.” She scratched the spot softly. “How long was I asleep?”
“Sixteen hours, give or take.” He put the blanket back over her legs, and she caught sight of a pink line on the back of his wrist. Placing her hand on his, she carefully rolled up his sleeve to reveal the freshly burned pattern that spiderwebbed over his skin.
“Talk about a scar.” She frowned. “Did this happen because of me?”
“Yes.” The depth of his brown eyes drew her in.
“I’m so sorry.” She reached out and touched the side of his face, and the softness of his beard delighted her fingers.
“Don’t be. It’s an honor to wear these marks.” He pretended not to notice that her hand was still resting on his. “I only had about a third of it done when I left to go to medical school. I didn’t get to finish them.”
“You said your tribe was gone.” She hesitated. “What happened to them?”
“Their village was out in the middle of nowhere. No electricity or running water, we just lived off the land, like the three of us do now. The closest town was a place called Cave Junction. There’s never been much out there in the way of law enforcement. When I graduated, I went home to find everyone dead.”
“My God.” Jillian closed her eyes.
“It looked like they had been that way for a while. I filed a report with the sheriff’s office. My father had a habit of picking fights with the drug cartel that operated in the area. Problem was… the sheriff didn’t give two shits about a bunch of natives living out in the woods.”
“What?” Jillian’s brow furrowed. “An entire village of people gets massacred, and the sheriff doesn’t do anything about it?”
“Well, we made a couple of serious mistakes. First, we were born with brown skin, and second, we lived in the state of Oregon.” He smiled, swallowing his sadness and hiding behind a calm façade.
“I’m so sorry.” She curled her fingers around his hand, and he dragged his thumb over hers. A knock came only half a second before the door opened, and Finn appeared in the doorway.
“If you still want someone to take you to the ranger station.” Finn cleared his throat. “We’d need to leave now before it gets dark.”
“Is that what you want?” Vincent pulled her gaze back to his. “I was hoping that with everything that’s happened, you’d decide to stay.”
Common sense was screaming for her to take Finn up on his offer. That spirit had only given her life back in hopes that she would end up pregnant. She wasn’t afraid of any of these men taking advantage of her. But sparks were already kindling in the primitive depths of her body. It was her own urges she was afraid of giving in to. Still, she had discovered that not only did magic exist, but she was right in the middle of it. Could she walk away without learning more?
“I don’t know if I feel up to a hike just yet.” She smiled. “Do you think I could rest up for another day or two? I could use a bath and maybe something to eat.”
“I guess I’ll go out and find us some dinner then.” Finn pressed his lips together with a curt nod and closed the door behind him.
“Am I being paranoid, or is he trying to get rid of me?” She released Vincent’s hand and rubbed the back of her head again, reaffirming the wound had closed.
“Finn’s complicated sometimes. Every time he lets himself care about someone, they burn him. In his mind, you’re already gone. This is his way of trying to rip the bandage off.”
The door swung open. No knock this time.
“You’re staying?” Conner strode in with a massive smile on his face.
“Only for another day or two.” She shifted her weight. “Is that okay?”
“Are you kidding?” He scoffed. “You’re a lot more fun to look at then these two.”
“Well, I have to catch up on my journal entries for
