She glanced over her shoulder and stared into his mesmerizing eyes, which reassured her. Despite everything, he remained constant. Always there, fighting in her corner. She wanted him there by her side, always, even though she couldn’t bring herself to even kiss him right now. Wanting to show him how much she cared, she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his, uniting them.
“I know, and maybe it would be easier if I was, because now there’s more at risk than ever before,” she said, returning her attention toward the witch.
Zephra nodded. “Yes, there is always danger. But you possess powerful gifts from your ancestors. You see, most natural witches, a person born with a power from a biological gene that gives them magical powers, have one elemental gift. I have the ability to see the future and the past. Isabella was able to see the spirits of the dead and was able to help them pass onto the next plane. Raine could control the weather, which could be temperamental, depending on her moods. You have descended from a bloodline that is far more powerful. These women from the past are like armor you pull out every time you need them.”
Ella left the safety net of Marcus’s arms and strolled around the kitchen, remembering something from long ago, buried away, an instinct as old as time. She grabbed a bunch of dainty white and yellow flowers from the drying racks and strolled toward the center wooden island, searching the drawers. Happy with the small utensils she discovered, she started to pull off the leaves and crush them. “Marcus has a migraine forming. I can sense it right here.” She stroked her temple. “It’s no wonder, after everything going on, but these leaves will ease the ache.”
Holding the stone pestle, she froze, staring down at what she was doing. She had never used natural remedies before, but instinctively knew that the leaves she had ground together would release Marcus’s headache if he ingested them. A shiver trickled down her spine.
“Gwen…are you here?” Ella whispered as she spun around, lifting her head and gazing into the empty spaces in the warm kitchen. “Gwen…talk to me.”
The back door banged closed, and a ruffle of air blew her hair backward.
“I’m here. I’m always here.” The motherly woman stood before her, smiling, and she reached out to touch her hand, with tears in her eyes.
“What about Isabella and Elizabeth? Are they here too?”
The other women appeared, surrounding her in a circle and bathing her in a white light, shutting out Marcus and Zephra. “We always answer when you call, Ella.”
They spoke the truth. Seeing the three different women, a powerful connection sizzled between them, allowing her to sense their thoughts and emotions. The overwhelming sadness shocked her. As they stood in a circle, a pulsing energy emanated and questions filled her mind. Ella studied the unchanged faces of the other women, whose lives had once been hers. But she had only ever reached out to them in desperation, as if not wanting to get too close, regarding them as ghosts, nothing more.
“What am I meant to do?” she asked.
Gwen stepped forward and gathered her hand, flipping it over and stroking the lifelines on her palm. A warmth tingled on her skin, lighting it in bright gold.
“Open your heart and trust us. Accept who you are and let us go. Our magic will live on in you if you do. Only then will you fulfill your destiny. The Morrigan is not as powerful as she believes and has enemies too.” Gwen withdrew her hand.
Ella reached out to hold on.
“You don’t need us any longer.”
The women spoke in unison and her heart pounded as they disappeared, leaving her to face Zephra and Marcus. A sense of panic and fear set in. These women had been with her for over a decade.
“No…don’t leave me,” she cried out.
“What’s wrong? Tell me,” Marcus asked.
Lifting her head, Ella kissed him on his cheek, watching as his muscle twitched at the intimacy. She knew he wanted to help her and yet he didn’t know how; his frustration reached out to her in waves. Cupping his cheek, she saw his strength and intensity etched in every curve and hard line of his serious face as his dark coffee eyes penetrated hers.
“I have to let the women from the past go,” Ella said.
“My dear…I understand you get comfort from them. But I believe if you release them, you’ll inherit their magic, which will make you stronger. Perhaps more powerful than you ever imagined.”
The witch’s words hovered in the air as she faced Zephra and Marcus.
“Honestly, I didn’t realize I was holding them captive, but I never stopped to analyze why they remained.”
“It’s all right to be scared, Ella, but do not let fear hold you back. You’ve been holding on to them and drawing on their magic for far too long. Each life you have lived has acquired knowledge and magic. It’s time to take ownership. Release them.”
Ella bit into her lower lip. “But how?”
“I’ll guide you, if you’re ready,” Zephra said.
Ella straightened herself. When she stepped away from Marcus, her bracelet prickled against her cool skin, as if warning her. Zephra had predicted she would face the Morrigan, which right now seemed easier than saying good-bye to the women who had been the one constant in her life.
“What will happen? Will I feel the separation right away? Will I feel different?”
Zephra grabbed her hand and led her through the double doors into a smaller room of soft greens and creams. She directed her to sit on a long velvet couch as she rearranged several plump cushions, swinging her legs up.
“Magic doesn’t act like
