Roman watched over Larissa from one of the residential complexes along the Charles River. He’d affixed himself in an inconspicuous position in stone form once Larissa had stopped running and sat along the water’s edge.

He groaned inwardly. This wasn’t the first time he’d followed her. During the night of the eclipse, a blast of dark magic passed him while he patrolled on a rooftop. He attributed it to her and had tracked her to see if she was dangerous. Funny, that wasn’t too far off from why he’d followed her again now. How much had happened over the last few nights since. They’d joined forces against the demons, but now she was tainted by their magic. Somehow, the relationship between all of them had taken a dark turn, forming a twisted circle. Like one created with barbed wire that pierced at his soul.

Larissa trudged with her head down along the river’s edge. Her body language indicated distress. Perhaps being outdoors would help rid her of the darkness; the flow of water could be as calming as a night flight for a gargoyle. One of the reasons he appreciated this assignment in Boston was its location along the coast.

Although her reaction had been triggered by the demon’s dark touch, Roman couldn’t believe she’d ended their relationship. He felt their connection deep within, even while in stone form. It was so palpable, like a living thing they’d created together. Their bond would cement and grow with time. Yet, with her rejection, she’d wounded their connection. His soul mourned at the sudden loss.

Fate had paired him with a woman who didn’t understand the bond between mates. Shit. What the hell was he going to do now? He longed for someone who wanted nothing to do with him. His attempt to keep the city safe was threatened by the possibility of a demon he still had yet to dismiss or confirm. Maybe he wasn’t fit for command after all—or a mate—since he was failing at both.

Perhaps he should request for the Council to reassign him to a lower position and have someone else take over command of this region. Let someone else make the difficult decisions, instead of having them weigh on him. And then he’d find a way to live the rest of his life, quietly avoiding feelings. If love and mates led to his suffering, it couldn’t be worth it, could it? Besides, it wasn’t as if he was any good being a partner to her. In the short time he’d known Larissa, they’d barely been able to spend much time together.

Enough with the self-pity. Roman steeled himself with a determined growl that rumbled in his chest. It was time to harden up. He’d lived without a mate his entire life. He’d move on without one.

As commander of the Stone Sentries, he had enough going on. His duty was to keep the city safe—even if it meant stopping his mate.

On the river bed, Larissa pulled herself up. She brushed her hands over her clothing, dislodging bits of the earth that clung to her. A yearning rose in him to go to her.

No. He’d fight it.

What the hell did he know about mates anyway? His parents had that connection, but they were both long gone. After his father had been killed, his mother faded soon after. Like one couldn’t exist without the other. Their souls were joined and yearned to be connected again.

That kind of bond was powerful. Something special.

Something worth fighting for.

Was he giving up too easy with Larissa?

It was so fucking complicated.

Larissa headed back to her car. He waited before shifting from stone to track her. Although he was cloaked, she’d be able to see through his magic, so he had to remain at a distance. Thankfully, her red car was easy to spot.

Perhaps he wasn’t giving her enough time. She was learning much about herself with a witch bloodline in her family, as well as dealing with the situations with Janie and her grandmother. He’d thrown even more at her by declaring they were mates.

Once she drove, turning back again onto Storrow Drive, he followed. She drove through Cambridge and then merged onto Route 2, heading west.

Hmm, she had to be returning to her grandmother. He had to continue to follow her. If the demon’s magic still affected her, she might still pose a danger to others—or to herself.

Larissa pulled herself together on the drive to her grandmother’s house. What had happened at the hospital had shaken her, and her hands still trembled as she clutched the steering wheel. She cringed as she replayed the vile things she’d said to Roman. A shudder of regret rippled through her.

Nana will know what to do. She’ll help you figure things out.

God, Larissa hoped so. She was in over her head with demon magic.

During the remainder of the drive west, she took deep, cleansing breaths to help calm her, as her grandmother had directed yesterday. Being rattled by the encounter wouldn’t help; it would merely leave her unable to focus on what to do next.

When she pulled into her grandmother’s driveway, she ran up to the door. She knocked, and after a few seconds, she knocked again. Patience was not one of her strong attributes, and she already felt too vulnerable to work on it now. The demon’s magic had invaded her body, twisted her thoughts, and distorted her mind. That type of intrusion was a violation she hadn’t known existed—and she had no clue as to how to deal with it.

After her grandmother opened the door, Larissa threw her arms around her.

“Oh, Nana.”

“What is it, Larissa?” After returning the hug, her grandmother held Larissa’s shoulders. “Come inside, and we’ll talk about it.”

After she sat in her grandmother’s living room, the cats strode over. Larissa petted them in greeting; the gesture as soothing to her as it was to them. When her grandmother sat opposite her, Larissa let it all roll out in a jumble of thoughts.

“I was able to do it—well, not exactly. With the magic, I mean. I projected it inside Janie. I could feel it.” Larissa covered her heart and she grew animated retelling the events. “It was so—vibrant. Vivid. Like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It was so weird to be inside her, not just inside her body, but like I was reaching into her soul.”

Her grandmother nodded. “Our magic is very powerful. You’re right, it is difficult to understand.” She put her hand on Larissa’s. “You appear shaken, though. I’m guessing something happened, something that disturbed you?”

Larissa pulled her hands to her mouth and crossed her fingers. “Yes.” Her voice came out a whisper. She cleared her throat and repeated, “Yes.”

“What happened?”

The darkness that had invaded her mind...

Larissa reached for her temples. “It was all so awful.”

“It’s okay,” her grandmother said. “You’re safe now. You’re with me, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Neither would Roman. But he was gone, thanks to Larissa. A lump solidified in her throat. She swallowed.

“I—I—I wasn’t able to help Janie. Something inside her prevented me. It was dark, and it pushed back, wrapping its blackness around me. It was—was—” She paused to compose herself. “It was bleak and insidious. It planted horrible thoughts into my mind. Such awful ones. It latched itself on to me—and—” her voice trembled. “And I’m so ashamed of what I did because of it.”

Her grandmother watched her with a concerned expression. “It’s okay, Larissa. You can tell me.”

“R-Roman was with me. Oh my God. The things I said to him.” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean it. Well, maybe a part of me did. Like those shadowy, insecure thoughts you have deep inside that you don’t fully admit to yourself, and you’d never say out loud. Because you don’t necessarily mean them, and you know how much damage they will cause.” Larissa slapped her hands on her thighs in disgust. “Well, I said them. And I pushed Roman away. If I were him, I would never forgive me.”

Her grandmother tilted her head. “He might understand.”

“Why would he? I’ve been nothing but a jerk. God knows what he sees in me. If I were him, I’d run from me and never look back.”

Her grandmother stood. “Let me get you some water.”

When her grandmother returned with a glass of water, Larissa sipped it. Her teeth chattered on the glass. She put it down on a coaster on an end table, unsure if she’d be able to do so without spilling it.

“I don’t know what’s going on, Nana, but I’m a mess. I didn’t help Janie. I screwed things up with Roman. He mentioned they’d scented demon activity back in Boston, but it might have been lingering from earlier. Maybe the threat of them returning is freaking me out or something. I’ve never felt so—despondent. Everything was so bleak. I feel like a fraud, the biggest failure, and I let everybody down. Not only that, I don’t deserve them.”

“That’s not true, Larissa. You mean the world to me, your father, and Janie. And Roman, too. It’s simply that dark magic tainting your thoughts. We have to make sure it is out of you.”

Larissa stared at her grandmother with expectant eyes. “How do we do that?”

Her grandmother walked over to a table covered with jars. She opened one and pulled out some herbs. “We’ll cast a circle, and purify with sage.” She handed two jars to Larissa and picked up a vial. “Come, let’s head outside. I’ll draw on the power of the earth to help.”

Damn, her grandmother had a side to her Larissa had never seen. She followed to the backyard, almost entranced by her curiosity alone.

Once they were outside, her grandmother used a match to light the end of the sage. “I’m casting the circle.”

The smell of sulfur was followed by the burning sage, tickling Larissa’s nostrils. It had a distinctive odor. Her grandmother circled them spreading the scent of the herb through the air.

Her grandmother hummed. She murmured words as she spread the sage. She paused at several points before Larissa’s body, as if trying to get a read on something that only she could see.

“I’m going to call on each of the elements,” her grandmother explained. She opened a jar of white crystals and poured it into another one with a clear liquid. “I’m adding Epsom salt to the water.” She opened the vial. “And some drops of lavender oil.” Once she mixed the contents, she applied it to Larissa’s forehead, rubbing down between her eyes. The faint lavender scent came through over the burning sage. Her grandmother then anointed it on Larissa’s neck and wrists while she continued to chant in that low, soothing tone.

After several minutes, Larissa breathed more easily.

“How are you feeling?” her grandmother asked.

The tension that had captured her limbs no longer clamped her in its possessive hold.

“Better.”

“Good. I’d sensed the darkness in you when you arrived, but I believe we’ve released its hold.”

“How did you do that exactly?” Larissa asked.

“Sage is good for cleansing. It purifies. So, it pushed the darkness away.”

Larissa nodded as she tried to take that in. A day ago, she would’ve laughed if her grandmother had suggested that burning an herb would make Larissa feel better, but she couldn’t deny the effect it had on her. It was like the calming effect of the water earlier, but on a greater scale.

“When I sat by the Charles River earlier and watched the water flow, it helped me feel a little better,” Larissa said.

Her grandmother tilted her head and let out a sound of acknowledgment. “That makes sense. Whenever you are feeling distressed, go to nature. It has immense healing powers. You may find you have an affinity for one of the elements.”

Larissa raised her brow. “Like earth, air, fire, and water–and all that jazz?” The skepticism in her voice sounded more like herself. Maybe this was helping her. She never thought she’d seriously consider the options her grandmother suggested, but she’d never thought any of the events of the last few days would happen either.

“Exactly,” her grandmother said. “I spend time in my greenhouse and in my garden, surrounded by my plants, as the earth heals me.” She glanced at the greenhouse behind Larissa. “I’ve always sensed your element is fire, but you have a bit of an affinity for water, as well—like your mother had. And water can douse the flames. When you’re ‘fired up,’ as they say, calm your restlessness with water. Remember when you were younger? You swam all the time. It’s a shame that you gave it up.”

Larissa shrugged. “It wasn’t intentional. Life got too busy, perhaps. My gym doesn’t have a pool.” Yet, it was close by and convenient. She’d go there to work out more often than if she signed up for a gym farther away with a pool.

“Do you remember what it was like when you swam?”

Larissa bit her lip as she considered it. She didn’t remember when she learned how to swim; she just remembered swimming. She must have been young when she’d learned. In elementary school, she’d joined the swim team and continued through high school. They’d practiced a few times a week and had competitions on the weekends. She’d enjoyed it. Slicing through the water felt natural, more like recreation rather than exercise. She often felt more relaxed after it. Reason told her that it was endorphins from exercising, but her grandmother offered quite a different interpretation.

“Sure, it was great,” Larissa said.

“Do you miss it?”

“I haven’t thought about it. But, yes, I guess.”

“Perhaps you should return to the water, Larissa. It will provide many benefits for you. Not only as a workout and for stress relief—but it can aid in developing your magic, as well.”

“What?” Larissa crossed her arms. “I don’t see how that’s going to work.” Wait, she was acting defensive again. She was seeking a rational explanation for a situation that might require a different one. After all, earlier, she wouldn’t call a demon probing her freakin’ body rational. She lowered her hands to her sides. “No, I’m sorry. I’m listening. If I did go back swimming, how would it help me with magic?”

Her grandmother spread her fingers and placed her hand over her heart. “It will help you find your center and connect with the magic within you. Go near the water when you can. Even better, submerge yourself in it. And try to connect with the powerful magic that lives in you.”

Larissa drummed her fingers along her side. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Hmm, how can I put this,” her grandmother said. “Let’s see. Some witches work with their magic by following rituals. Others find it comes to them in a more intuitive way.” She made a circling motion with her hand and then pointed at Larissa. “Part of the journey is discovering what works best for you.”

Okay, that sort of made more sense. She didn’t expect to come here and learn all about magic in one day. But—swimming?

“I’m used to swimming in pools, which are full of chlorine and other chemicals. It doesn’t seem like that would be helpful.”

“A natural body of water is preferable. Your mother was a water witch. She loved to spend time at the beach—a lake or ocean, it didn’t matter. She loved to immerse herself in the tides, but she also loved the natural beauty of Walden Pond. We used to go there often when you were younger, even after she died. I sensed Walden has provided comfort to many over the years, and it will with you, Larissa.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Even if you just take a bath. A salt bath is purifying, and it helps cleanse negative energy. It will help you connect with your center. The next time you go to Janie, you’ll be more prepared.”

“Whoa,” Larissa put her arms up and stepped back. “You can’t seriously think I’m going to try that again. No way am I ever going to face that despair.”

“But, you must,” her grandmother implored. “You’ve gotten so far. I think you were close to helping reach her, and that’s why you were attacked by the dark magic.”

The unsettling sensation rose. “How can I face that again? It almost wrecked me.” Her voice came out at a higher pitch. She reached for her owl necklace. Shit, she hadn’t put it on. Why did she suddenly feel exposed?

“Where’s your amulet?”

“I forgot it.” Larissa shrugged. “Would it have helped?”

“Yes.” Her grandmother covered her heart. “I’m sorry I didn’t remind you yesterday. It was such an emotional day.” Her voice choked up. “Please wear the amulet during this difficult time in your life. It’s powerful. There’s magic in it to protect you, and help you see your way.”

Her grandmother had always said the amulet would protect her, but Larissa had figured she’d meant in a nurturing way. But, it had magic. Real magic. Not a placebo.

“All right. I’ll put it on when I go home.”

“And before you try with Janie again, make sure you head to the water to center yourself and clear your mind. It will be easier to work with your magic.”

Larissa nodded.

“It may help you connect with your center. Clutch the amulet and think of Janie. You have so much love for her.” Her grandmother spread her arms wide. “Love is magic. Love is light. And light always drives away the darkness.”