Adriel’s relationship with the group of women and men who had figured highly during her best—and worst—hour had passed beyond the boundaries of charge and guardian to something more intimate. Not quite friendship, because her job required her to remain impartial, and yet, circumstances had forced something more open, more reciprocal. Each and every one of them had gone to extraordinary lengths to banish an Earthwalker from a man who had hurt each one of them with his actions, and then to save one of their own. If nothing else, she at least owed them a conversation. Surely nothing they could say would make her feel worse about what happened than she already did.
“Yes, please tell them to come.”
***
Three days of hard slog cleared the stack of boxes from the porch and reduced the volume in the living room by well over half. Adriel finally felt like she was making progress when the blare of a car horn sounded outside. True to his prediction, Kat sat in the driver’s seat of a shiny little compact car. Adriel couldn’t have said what make; she preferred older cars to newer ones. To her eye those all looked too much alike. Julie, Gustavia, and Amethyst were crammed in like clowns in a circus car. Gustavia’s brightly colored clothing did nothing to dispel the illusion.
Chattering lightheartedly, the four women walked toward the cabin, eyes assessing, yet not judging. Adriel felt a weight lift just knowing they were there. Gustavia, wearing one of her more subdued outfits—a three tiered skirt in pink, green and yellow under a neon green tank, and only two strings of beads—bounced onto the porch to rap on the door.
A flock of butterflies circled Adriel’s stomach. Some advance notice would have been nice. Not that she could have tidied up the place in its current condition.
“Galmadriel, are you in there?”
Almost wiping out trying to hurdle a box, Adriel pulled open the door. Hello died on her lips when Gustavia pulled her into a fierce hug before she had the chance to speak. Adriel leaned in, enjoying the sensation, and held on tight. Once Gustavia let her go, the others each took a turn. It had been a mistake to downplay the history they all shared. A bigger one to overlook the value of loving friendships.
These strong, brave women had put themselves firmly in the path of evil in order to protect a man who, frankly, didn’t deserve their compassion. Julie’s weak-hearted ex-fiancé, Logan Ellis had caused all manner of trouble. First as a con man who tried to bilk Julie out of her property, and then, by becoming the perfect vessel for an ancestor who just happened to be an Earthwalker—a spirit who deliberately refused to cross over for nefarious reasons. It was a choice of dark over light; evil over good. Only the most powerful managed to take over a human vessel the way Billy had with Logan. Moreover, no banished Earthwalker ever left their host alive. Using the unique talents of these four women and their menfolk, Adriel had pulled off the impossible.
“I…” Words failed her. They might not realize how badly wrong things had gone. Now she would have to expose her every mistake.
“Zack told us everything. There’s no need to explain it all again.” Kat spoke for the group. “Can you ever forgive us for letting you down?”
Adriel searched Kat’s face for any sign of the crippling fear her psychic abilities had once produced. Compassionate blue eyes twinkled from under a dark fringe of bangs with no trace of accusation or recrimination. Part of the burden lifted from Adriel’s shoulders.
“But it’s you who should forgive me. I made a horrible mistake and nearly cost you your life. What happened to me is nothing more than what I deserved.”
“Well that’s the biggest load of hooey I’ve ever heard.” Amethyst’s statement was one of fact, at least as she saw it. Turning to look at her, Adriel found the petite, lavender-haired woman treating her to the same deeply assessing look.
“Your aura has totally changed,” she said, her voice deeper than expected from someone who barely topped five feet in height. “It’s fascinating.” She tilted her head, let her eyes go soft and unfocused, then reached out to pluck at strands of color and light only she could see. “Sorry,” she muttered, “I should have asked first. It’s just…I’m seeing something…and there it is.” A flick of the wrist preceded a smoothing motion. “There’s a block, but it’s one I can’t move. I cleared the way for when you feel ready.”
“You seem to have settled in with your new level of aura vision.” Amethyst’s power tingled along Adriel’s skin even though the other woman had not laid so much as finger anywhere on her body. For the first time since waking up human, Adriel felt balanced.
“Remind me to tell you about it sometime.” Dry and low, Amethyst’s voice rasped. “Today, though, we want to hear about you.”
“Here, let me move some things around so we can all sit down. I’ll tell you what I know, which isn’t really all that much, and then I want to hear about what’s been happening to all of you.”
“I’ll help.” Gustavia picked up a plastic bin and shook it to try and guess the contents before moving it out of the way.
Kat gave her an indulgent smile before focusing her attention on Adriel, who rushed to speak.
“Kat, I’m…” Kat held up a hand before Adriel could finish.
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry. You helped Zack save me, it’s everything.” A tear welled at the corner of her eye.
“How can you say that? I’m the one who put you in danger to begin with.” Twinges of guilt crept back to tweak Adriel’s shoulder muscles into tense ropes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amethyst’s fingers twitch
