Chapter 61(Crossover #2)

(**Rayne’s POV**)

Standing on the outside of the magical circle next to Parker, Rayne watches as four of the White Witches take their places. Each one next to a large stone. They each hold a crystal that corresponds with the element inscribed on the stone they stand by. A Sunstone for fire, an Aquamarine for water, an Opal for air, and a Moss Agate for earth. Hysin stands in the middle of the circle next to the binding stone. A small stool is set up in front of her to hold a crystal bowl. She adds some water, lavender, and a few other herbs, then stirs it around with her finger. When she looks up, her eyes lock with Rayne’s before she looks around at the faces gathered outside the circle.

“Who is the seeker?”

Irina steps forward, “I am.”

“Then join me in the circle.” When Sebastion moves to join her, Hysin lifts her hand palm outwards towards him. “Only the seeker may enter the circle.”

Sebastion growls at her, but steps back next to Natalia. He was clearly unhappy with this, but did as he was told for the sake of his mate. Natalia shoots him a warning look before she goes back to watching her sister.

Irina walks slowly into the circle, visibly shaking as she does. Rayne can feel all the nervous energy pumping off Irina in waves. Then came the fear when she steps into the circle.

“Calm your fear, child, nothing we do will harm you. Now, put the locket in the bowl and give me your hand.” Hysin held her free hand with her palm up for Irina.

Irina reaches behind her neck to undo the locket, then hesitantly places it in the bowl. “Will I get that back?”

“Yes, it will be safe and on the ground outside the circle when we are done.”

“Now give me your hand,” Hysin demands, “palm up.”

Irina follows her command, then Hysin pulls a small curved blade from the sheath at her belt. She slices open Irina’s palm causing an angry growl to tears from Sebastion’s throat. “Calm your wolf or I will make you calm. I need her blood for the spell.”

After Sebastion calms his wolf, Hysin turns Irina’s hand over so that her blood can drip into the bowl. Once she determines there is enough of Irina’s blood in the bowl, she turns her hand palm up and seals the wound with her finger. “Go to the edge of the circle but stay inside”

Irina moves to the edge of the circle where Sebastion stands. When she is in place, Hysin looks to her fellow witches and gives them each a nod.

One by one each Witch raises their crystal to the sky then they chant as Hysin closes her eyes and lifts her face to the sky. Four voices calling upon the elements one by one, over and over as they channel the magic forth into the center binding stone.

“Fire, we seek your light to show us the way.”

“Air, we seek the gusts of wind for a sign.”

“Earth, we seek the budding roots to guide us.”

“Water, we seek your wisdom to wash over us.”

“We ask for your guidance in this hour. Please lend us your power to find this child who is hidden. Please guide us so that we can bring her home safely.” Hysin’s voice can be heard over the others.

A gentle wind sways the branches of the surrounding trees. The sound of the ocean became louder as the waves pound down on the shore. The ground beneath them trembles as small roots spring from the earth. Fire in all the candles rises like geysers then simmers down to dancing flames. Five voice rise in volume as the magic builds. Each voice repeating their part over and over again.

Rayne reached out for Parker’s hand at the same time he reached for hers. Looking over at him, she saw his eyes are wide in wonder. They have seen magic done before, but it was something altogether different to see it from another source of White Witches. Arabella had her own flare to her magic, but until recently she was a solitary witch. Her magic was never quite this powerful. Until the night of the spell she did for Morty. With Lynn and Jazmine, her power had exploded.

Watching the five White Witches in the circle gave them a glimpse of what covens could do. It was truly awe-inspiring.

The chanting continues until the candles burn out. The wind dies down, the ocean calms, and the earth sleeps once more. Hysin’s eyes open to reveal they have gone white as a vison grips her. When she opens her mouth to speak, what comes out sounds nothing like her. It sounds like many voices at once speaking for her.

“That which you seek is in a place that is known to the seeker. She is hidden away where he thinks you would never look. In plain sight. Be careful, be vigilant.”

Hysin’s eyes close and her head bows as the vison fades. Silence descends on the clearing as everyone waits for her to lift her head. Rayne glances at Sebastion. She can sense his eagerness to get to his mate. His hands are at his side, opening and closing into fists. His jaw is clenched so tight it is a wonder if his teeth don’t break. The flashing of his human eyes to his wolf’s eyes lets her know that his control is razor thin.

*Parker, Sebastion is about to snap. Be on guard on the off chance that this takes any longer* Rayne whispers to Parker through their link not wanting to break the silence in the clearing.

*Got it.*

She felt him subtly shift his body closer to Sebastion’s trying not to draw his attention. The tension from earlier came back as they waited. Finally, after what felt like hours, Hysin raises her head and opens her eyes. They are clear as she looks around the clearing at everyone.

“I am sorry, child, but that was all they showed me. The room she is in is underground but looks comfortable. She is safe where she is, but she is alone. Your daughter was playing with a doll and looks sad. I am sorry that I couldn’t give you an exact location. Sometimes the magic only helps as much as it wants to.”

“Thank you for all you did. Any help I can get is enough.” Irina’s says with hope in her voice.

“We will leave now. The stones will shrink back down to the pebbles they were by nightfall.” Hysin looked in Rayne’s direction. “When you are ready, my coven leader would like to speak to you on a few matters. She will contact you when she thinks you are ready. Good luck to all of you on your task.” She steepled her hands together and bowed her head. Then the five witches and all their gear vanished like they were never there.

Rayne motions for Parker to step back towards her as Sebastion pulls Irina to him. Once he had his arms around her, the tension in the air dissipated almost instantly. Magic still hummed subtly in the clearing, but it was fading like the lost body heat of a lover’s touch. It kissed the skin, then cooled as the surrounding air returned to normal.

“Can we go back to your house to think?” Sebastion asks as he walks with Irina and Natalia towards Rayne.

“Yes, that was what I was about to suggest.” Nodding her head, she leads them out of the clearing and back to the beach house.

The smell of bacon, cheese, and freshly grilled meat greets them as they exit the forest. Her father must be cooking up a storm for them. Though she isn’t sure anyone other than her and Parker will have an appetite.

“Is that bacon I smell?” Parker asks with a smile on his face.

“Who is at your place?” Natalia pipes in.

“That would be my father. He lives in the guest house above the garage. He is probably just trying to be helpful.”

“That and he wants to make sure you eat. Edmund seems to have fully embraced the idea of being a grandfather.” Parker says with a laugh.

“You are pregnant?” Sebastion questions.

“Yes, we found out two weeks ago.”

“Wow, congratulations you two.” Irina and Natalia say at the same time making everyone laugh.

“Are you sure you are not twins?” Parker asks as he turns his head to look at both women.

“We are not, but we were very close growing up. Kat takes more after our father than our mother, so she looks less like the two of us,” Natalia explains.

Edmund greets them as they all enter through the sliding glass door off the deck. He pulls Rayne in for a hug when she joins him in the kitchen. “There is enough for everyone, so come in and get it before Parker eats all the bacon,” he calls out to them.

Laughter follows as they all sit around the table to eat the meal he provided. Conversation flows naturally like it did that morning. Everyone seems eager to talk about anything but what happened in the clearing. Rayne knows it must weigh heavily on Sebastion and Irina but wants to give them time to decompress their thoughts. Once lunch is over, she is sure they will discuss it all.

Eventually, when everyone finished eating, Rayne suggests moving into the living room to talk about what happened in the clearing. Once they were all seated, she asks the first question. “Do you have any guesses to where she could be?”

“Somewhere known to me and in plain sight,” Irina repeated what Hysin said, “There are two places that I think he could have her. One is his office, but I don’t think there is any hidden yet in plain sight place to keep her. Most of that room is glass walls. There is a private bathroom, but again I don’t think there are any hidden places in there either.”

“The second place?” Sebastion prompts her to continue.

“The house where he holds our meetings. I have been in every room, nothing stands out that I can think of.”

“Does it have a basement?”

“Not that I am aware of.”

“Hysin said plain sight, yet hidden. Could there be a secret room in the house that he wouldn’t share with you?”

“Possibly, but there may be one other place. My apartment. I haven’t been there since right before Vicktor left for France. No one lives above me, below me, or on either side of me. He could have her there and I wouldn’t know it. I am rarely there anyway, but to eat and sleep. Since I have been staying in Redwood, there has been no reason for me to go back.”

“That seems like plain sight to me,” Parker says as he bites into a piece of bacon.

“Didn’t you get enough earlier?” Rayne raises a brow at him.

“No such thing.”

“Will you guys head back to Oregon now?”

Sebastion looks at Irina, “We can, I know how much you want to find her.”

“Let’s leave first thing in the morning. Unless you want to stay for the wedding.”

Sebastion looked up at Rayne at the question of staying for the wedding. She could tell that he wanted to but hadn’t wanted to invite himself. The indecisive look he gave her was understandable. What was more important at this point in time? Finding his mate’s daughter or attending the wedding of his ex-mate and her new mate. Oh, how complicated that sounds when she thinks about it.

“You are all welcome to stay if that is what you want. Though I would understand completely if you left right now or in the morning. I am not a mother yet, so I can’t imagine what you are feeling right now.”

“Can we decide in the morning?” Sebastion asks.

“Certainly. The wedding isn’t until noon.”

With a nod of his head, Sebastion grabbed Irina’s hand. Conversation picked back up as they all settled down for the night. Rayne knew that for Sebastion and Irina, this was the calm before the storm.

*Later that night*

Rayne sits on the deck after everyone else finds their beds for the night. Sebastion and Irina in one of the guest rooms and Natalia in the connecting one. She was thinking over the events of the day as she listened to the sound of the waves along the shoreline. Parker gave Irina and her sister a brief show of what shapes he could take. Sebastion, having already seen Parker’s abilities, just silently watched.

When Parker weakened from all the shifting, she helped him to bed. He needed to be refreshed and lively for their wedding tomorrow. Unable to sleep, she came out onto the deck to think of ways to help Irina find her daughter. Knowing that soon she would be a mother herself, she felt that there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to get her child back. Irina had done everything she could to keep her child safe. Even if it meant leaving her in the hands of a monster like Vicktor Treadstone.

The sound of the sliding door opening made Rayne look back to see who else couldn’t sleep. Sebastion shrugged his shoulders as he slipped outside to join her. He plopped down on the empty lounge chair, letting out a heavy sigh as he looked out at the rolling waves.

“This is one of the most beautiful spots I have seen. This place must have cost you a fortune.”

“Not really. The original owners were moving to Florida to be with their grandchildren. They were in a bind and wanted to unload the property fast, so they snapped up my offer and headed to the east coast. The wards on the place cost me more than the house did.”

“So, you are going to marry that shifter tomorrow, huh?”

“Well, since we are already mated and shifters don’t do mating ceremonies like werewolves do, we decided a commitment ceremony would be middle ground. He calls it a wedding, but it isn’t legally binding like humans do theirs.”

“Do you ever think of how our lives would be if things had turned out differently?”

“Like had you chosen me over Gia?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“No, but I thought about what would have happened had I stayed back in Jade Moon. The Moon Goddess gave you the choice she did because she meant for us to help each other in other ways. I am glad that you found Irina. I can see a change in you for the better and I look forward to getting to know the new Sebastion Drakos.”

“I am looking forward to knowing him too.”

“I am glad you are staying for the ceremony tomorrow. Life seems to like circles. Starting at one point and ending back where you started. Only with the experiences along the way being what makes the journey worth it.”

“To you and Parker. May life keep you two together and that baby of yours safe.” Sebastion reached out his hand to shake hers.

“To you and Irina. May you find what you seek and the happiness that you both deserve.” Rayne reached to shake his hand and gave him a smile.

Once she despised this man for his words and selfish actions. Even if she didn’t want a mate back then, he still hurt her, but his actions gave her the anger and courage she needed to fly free of her pain. Now here they are as friends. Some say life works in mysterious ways. Today, Rayne believes some things work out exactly how they are meant to.

“The more we love the more we lose. The more we lose the more we learn. The more we learn the more we love. It comes full circle. Life is the school, love is the lesson. We cannot lose.”
― Kate McGahan