“Don’t move.”

The stern command stopped Cora in her tracks. She had one foot on the stairs leading to Euann’s bedroom, and the other on the marble foyer floor. They had just returned home from an inadvisable amount of drinking at Crimson Tavern. The walk had done her some good, considering Rory had ordered more than a few rounds of shots for the table and they had left her tipsy.

Fine. Drunk. It left her drunk.

“Where have ya been?” The petite bearer of the voice did not match her volume. Like the others, she had dark brown hair and eyes. There was a fierceness to her beauty. It was in the flush in her cheeks and the heat in her gaze.

Cora moved so Erik blocked her view of the woman.

“Ya look lovely, Ma,” Iain said.

Erik shifted his feet, unwittingly putting Cora once more in the angry woman’s eye line.

“Yeah, Aunt Margareta, have ya done something with your hair?” Rory added. “It looks shiny.”

Margareta arched a brow. “Don’t sweet talk me.” The woman began a tirade of words in the language Cora couldn’t understand. She wondered if she was part of this lecture, or if she should sneak upstairs to give the family privacy. She decided to go with holding very still and hoping the angry woman’s eyes didn’t find her.

“Don’t worry. When she’s screaming like that, it’s not too serious. It’s when she’s quiet and whispery that you have cause for concern.” A younger version of Margareta in designer clothing appeared beside Cora; however, unlike Margareta, she had a distinct British accent instead of a Scottish one. She held out a manicured hand. “I’m Malina, disgrace of a daughter.”

“Cora,” she answered, taking the offered hand for a quick shake. “Magickal hostage.”

“Nice to meet you, Cora.” Malina placed her hands on her hips. They both watched Margareta.

“Should I leave?” Cora whispered.

“I wouldn’t make any sudden movements if I were you.” Malina tilted her head as Margareta continued to speak. “She looks a little jumpy to me.”

Euann placed his hand on Cora’s back and leaned to look around her at his sister to whisper, “When did ya get back?”

“About thirty minutes ago,” Malina answered. “Luck was on my side, and I got a good flight out of Vegas.”

“Speaking of luck, is Dar with ya?” Euann glanced around the hall.

“No. He,” Malina looked at Cora for a moment before finishing, “had a poker tournament to attend.”

“She’s cool,” Euann said with a grin. “Cora’s with me.”

“Why’s your nose fuzzy?” Malina studied her brother.

Euann touched his nose and cleared his throat. Cora had no idea what they were talking about and figured it to be an inside joke.

Margareta’s stern torrent of words went on for a few more moments before Malina finally lifted her hand and stepped forward. “You’re welcome, Ma. Now may I please see my brother?”

Margareta took an aggravated breath as she looked at her daughter.

“What does it matter, my love, so long as our son is home safe?”

“That’s my da.” Euann nodded at the man who placed his arms around Margareta’s shoulders. The couple hardly looked old enough to have grown children…at least by human standards.

“Ya want me to thank ya?” Margareta demanded of Malina as if it was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard.

“No. Not just me, Ma, Dar. He’s been grabbing every bit of good luck he can get his hands on to make this happen for us. You have no idea what he’s suffered for me to perform this summoning spell. Bringing back a long-lost brother from the grips of unknown magick isn’t exactly easy. If it were, we would have done it long ago. But maybe now you can see it wasn’t my fault. Maybe now you can stop blaming me for Kenneth’s disappearance. Now where is my brother? I want to see—”

“Ya look well, Malina.” Kenneth appeared in the dining room doorway. Dark circles marred his eyes, and he looked emotionally worn.

“Ken?” Malina gasped. She ran to him, her heeled boots clicking on the floor. She threw her arms around him. “I can’t believe it worked.”

“This was ya?” Kenneth didn’t look angry, just exhausted. “I wish ya would have left well enough alone.”

“How could I?” Malina grabbed his face. Her hands worked over him as if to convince herself he was really there. “I’m so sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kenneth took her hands and pulled them off him.

“The night you left. We fought over how you are overprotective of me, always chasing off boyfriends. I said some mean things.” Malina tugged her fingers from his grasp and again touched his cheek. “Say you forgive me.”

“Yeah, sure,” he dismissed. “I don’t remember what you’re talking about, but sure, I forgive ya.”

“Did you lose your memories? Was it a horrible place you were trapped in?” Malina was finally forced to let go of her brother as he stepped away from her.

“Tell her where ya were, Kenneth,” Erik said.

Kenneth’s mouth tightened.

“Oklahoma,” Erik said. “That’s right. Not a portal. Not a realm. A freaking state in the Midwest.”

“Actually, Oklahoma is considered the South. The Kansas border is where the Midwest…” Cora let her words trail off as all eyes turned to look at her. Now was not the time to be all smarty-pants librarian. She had no idea what possessed her to speak.

“I don’t understand,” Malina said. “What’s in Oklahoma? Leprechauns? Niall dealt with an outbreak there a while back. Did that have something to do with you?”

“Jewel didn’t mean to free them into our world,” Kenneth said. “It was an accident.”

“Jewel?” Malina looked around the room. “I think someone needs to catch me up.”

“I think it’s about time Kenneth caught all of us up.” Erik swayed a little on his feet, and Cora was a little grateful she wasn’t the only drunk one there. “The whole family is here, brother, so let’s hear it.”

“Raibeart was correct. I took the phoenix, but I didn’t know what she was at the time. It’s complicated. Jewel is my daughter. Her ma, Geneva, was an Appalachian mountain witch.” Kenneth appeared deeply troubled. His hands shook, and he kept rubbing circular patterns on his chest as if following a design she couldn’t see. “The witches want the phoenix back, but I promised Geneva that I wouldn’t let that happen. She gave her life to make sure our daughter was free of that place. I can’t let them take her. She’s too powerful and hard to control. I have to protect her. I’m all she has.”

“Ya think we wouldn’t do everything to protect our first grandchild?” Margareta demanded, her words more frustrated than angry.

“I know ya would have tried, but Jewel is special. She…” Kenneth looked around helplessly. “She’s such a sweet girl, but the power becomes too much for her. She acts out and then she…”

“She flames out,” Angus finished for his son when he faltered.

Kenneth nodded. He touched his chest. “I’m protected by whatever magick Jewel’s ma carved on me, but…”

“How long does she have, son?” Angus asked.

“What are ya talking about? How long?” Margareta inserted. “Angus MacGregor, what are ya going on about? What is wrong with my granddaughter?”

“If ya would stop shouting long enough to let a man speak maybe ya would learn something.” Angus kept his tone even. “Also, I love ya, my beautiful wife, please don’t hex me later.”

“The first time she lasted roughly nine years. The second time about ten.” Kenneth leaned against the wall and slid to sit on the marble floor. He leaned his head forward, running his hands through his hair. “I fear not long. Her powers surfaced faster than the last times.”

Cora studied the faces of those around her. She might be impaired, but not so much she couldn’t understand the seriousness of what they were saying. Jewel was dying.

“But, she’s a phoenix, right? Doesn’t that mean she’ll come back?” Cora asked.

Kenneth stared at her as if questioning why she was there.

“Cora’s right,” Euann said, standing closer to her as if to come to her defense. “She came back before. Won’t she come back again?”

“Have ya ever lost a child?” Kenneth asked.

“Aye, we have,” Margareta said. “Twenty-five years ago.”

“It’s not the same,” Kenneth argued.

“I would disagree,” Margareta returned.

“I have held my daughter twice as she died in my arms.” Kenneth slapped his hand on the floor next to him. He didn’t bother to stand. “When she comes back, she’s not the same. Her personality is different, and her likes are different, even her expressions are different. I changed her name because she’s not the same girl. She’s mine, but she’s not the child I lost. I love her each time, knowing I will lose her, knowing that when she is reborn, it will be like she has a new sister. She will never grow up. She will never finish school, move out on her own, fall in love. This is it for her, an eternity of surging from the flames only to smolder. And this is my life, taking care of her, forever. I won’t let her power fall into the wrong hands. It’s no wonder her ma passed this burden on to me.”

“We can help,” Iain said. “This burden is not yours alone.”

“Losing me is one thing.” Kenneth looked at his mother. He appeared defeated. “But losing a grandchild, over and over?”

“Ya were always a bit of a fool, son.” Angus put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “The decision ya made to stay away? That was the wrong choice.”

Cora felt a strange energy flowing in the room, an invisible force that moved like a current over the family. She edged slowly away from Euann to the stairs. Grabbing the oak banister, she used it to steady her as she tried to sneak away.

“I don’t like it when you fight.” Jewel appeared at the top of the stairs. “Stop yelling at my daddy!”

“What are—?” Margareta’s words cut off, even though her lips kept moving. She grabbed her throat, looking around at her family. Jewel had taken away Margareta’s ability to speak.

Malina covered her mouth but the smallest hint of a laugh escaped. “This delightful creature must be my niece.” She went to the stairs and hurried up to meet the child. “Well done, mischievous one. I have been trying to quiet my ma for the last three hundred years.”

“Who are you?” Jewel asked.

Malina held out her hand. “I’m your auntie Malina, and I have the biggest closet in the entire mansion filled with sparkly dresses and princess tiaras. I promise I am much more fun than my brothers.”

“You want to play with me?” Jewel asked.

“Of course I do, munchkin,” Malina answered.

Jewel jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “Yay!”

“Um…?” Cora glanced at Euann. “Should we warn your sister what that means?”

Euann smirked. “No.”

Rory, Iain, and Erik all started laughing.

“What did I miss?” Margareta asked, her voice having returned when Jewel left.

“Nothing, Ma, Malina will make a fine babysitter while we sit down as a family and find a way to protect Jewel,” Erik said.

“We’ll look in the old library.” Margareta whistled and twirled her hand.

“Yes.” Angus nodded. He waved his hand over the foyer. A round table with chairs appeared next to cushioned furniture. It was strewn over the room in a haphazard fashion. Steaming coffee cups also appeared. “Time to sober up, laddies.”

Dusty tomes floated from somewhere beyond the dining room. Margareta controlled them with her hand. Their leather and metal bindings looked ancient. The caked dust was so thick it blew from the books like powder. Cora found herself reaching to touch one as it passed. It glided beneath her outstretched fingers, causing streaks in the dust.

“Cora, I’m sorry,” Euann said as he caressed her arm. He walked with her away from the stairs to where they could have some privacy. “I cannot come upstairs with ya tonight. Please believe that I want to more than anything.”

The thrill of anticipation and desire stirred within her at his admission. It warred with her curiosity about what was happening at the base of the stairs. Cora leaned to watch the books line themselves up on the table in neat stacks. She wanted to look inside them.

Euann glanced over his shoulder and then turned. He pressed her against a wall were the others couldn’t see. His gaze dipped to her mouth. The unmistakable press of his desire bumped her leg. Cora ran her hands up his chest and felt his heart beating against her fingers. She wasn’t sure if it was the liquor or his touch that made her lightheaded. Maybe it was the magick between them.

“I really want you to come upstairs with me,” she whispered. His lips danced close to hers, not completing their journey.

“Ah, love, I’ll come to ya as soon as I am able,” he promised.

A light moan left her as their lips brushed.

“Come on, boy, we have a lot of work to do this night,” Angus bellowed.

Cora stiffened and pulled her head back to stop the kiss. Her eyes rounded as she glanced to the side.

“There are times when having my family so close is a real pain in the ass.” Euann let her go. He brushed his hands over his clothes to straighten his shirt.

Cora followed him to where the others were opening books. As she started to ask what they were looking for, Angus stepped in front of her to block her way to the table.

“I’m sorry ya have been introduced to our family under such strange circumstances,” Angus said. “My son tells me ya had no choice when Jewel possessed ya to come here, and I can see for myself that ya can’t leave us until we know what kind of magick she put inside ya.”

“If there is any way I can help—” she began.

“Ya have yourself a good rest, my dear.” Angus dismissed her with a slightly condescending pat to her shoulder. “Let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay with us more comfortable.”

Angus lifted his hand toward the stairs as if showing her the way to go. She automatically followed the gesture. No one stopped her as she went up. At the top, she glanced down. Euann gave her a small smile from where he leaned against his hand as he sat at the table. A book lay open in front of him.

Angus caught her attention. He nodded at her once. She took his not-so-subtle hint and went back to Euann’s room.

The picnic had cleared from the floor as if it had never been. This night could have gone so much differently if Euann’s family had not interrupted. She grabbed the pillows from the floor and tossed them on the bed. It seemed big and empty. Considering the heat in her blood that had yet to be sated, she didn’t exactly want to climb in it alone. She looked at Euann’s portrait but seeing his likeness only made her longing worse.

“I need to sober up, too.” Oddly, just saying it out loud made her head feel a little clearer.

Light flashed outside the window and she crossed to it, wondering if the storm was returning. The sky was clear except for a few clouds drifting past the moon. The flash came a second time, but it wasn’t in the sky. It came from the forest. The light lifted like tiny ribbons from beneath the trees before dissolving.

Raibeart had not been with the family downstairs. Was he casting magick? They had mentioned something about protection spells.

Her breath fogged the glass as she pressed closer. Cora unlatched the window and lifted it open. The fresh night air hit her face. There was no screen, and when she reached forward, a soft blue light glowed where her hand seemed to pass through a barrier. Was this the protection spell they’d been talking about?

The smell of burning wood drifted on the breeze, but she saw no fire. The gardens were beautiful from the window’s height, bathed in moonlight. Cora leaned on the sill, watching the distance for the lights. The sound of leaves rustled on the wind, growing louder. She squinted her eyes, waiting in anticipation. She thought she heard faint traces of music. A violin maybe?

A cold band coiled around her arm and she cried out in surprise as she was jerked forward. Her limbs thrashed as she plummeted toward the ground. Fear gripped her, and she knew she was going to die.

Inches from impact, she was jerked toward the sky. The cold clamp on her wrist lifted her. It was joined by a second on her ankle. In the twisting darkness it was hard to see what held her. She hung in the air. Her free arm and leg dangled. The force lifted her, higher than the window she’d fallen from, up over the rooftop.

“No, no, no,” she managed to get out, terrified the thing that held her would drop her. She had never been a fan of heights or carnival rides. This was the worst of both. Tears wet her cheeks and she couldn’t stop shaking. There was nothing to hold on to, only empty space.

Her body turned as she flailed. Two long, twisted vines stretched toward her from below to hold her wrist and ankle. Their color was hard to see in the shadows, but above the trees in the moonlight she could make out their shapes. They stopped moving, and the only sound she could make out was the panting of her own breath.

Faster than she went up, the vines pulled her down head first as they retracted into the forest. Cora screamed in terror. Her bound hand twisted, and she tried to grab hold of the plant. Her descent slowed as she neared the treetops, but not enough to keep the branches from slapping her. This time she did hit the ground. The hard earth littered with leaves and twigs jarred her, and she couldn’t remember being more grateful for anything in her life. She dug her fingers into the dirt, clutching it as if it could keep her from being lifted once more.

Cora’s body shook violently, and she couldn’t stand. Tears dripped to the ground beneath her, spotting the leaves.

“Nothin’ like a little star gazin’ to shake the magickal defenses right out of a person,” a woman said, her voice blustery and strong. Her words caused a round of laughter. Her accent had notes of the Appalachian mountain region.

The mountain witches. They were here. They had her.

Cora’s mouth opened, but only a faint whine made it past her tight throat. She couldn’t look up. The cold sensation had not released her leg, and the vine wrapped her wrist like a thick handcuff. The dirt gave way beneath her fingers, so she began clawing at the vine to be set free.

“Hello, Malina. Not exactly the MacGregor we wanted to talk to, but you’ll do just fine,” the woman continued. A pair of old work boots appeared before Cora, close to her forehead. “It seems your luck has taken a turn for the worse. Where’s that luck demon husband of yours when you need him?”

“Not,” Cora whispered.

“What’s that, my dear? Speak up.”

It took a lot of effort but Cora managed to push herself so that she sat on her knees. “I’m not Malina.”

“You think I don’t know a magickal glow when I see one?” The woman didn’t look anything like what Cora thought a witch would look like. She wore denim jeans, a worn button-down shirt, and a faded tan jacket. Her long, straight hair was parted down the center. Gray peppered the black locks. “I might have been born in the last three centuries, but it wasn’t yesterday.”

“I don’t know what that means.” Cora took a steadying breath, well aware of the feel of the ground beneath her. She searched for something permanent to hold on to.

Two men sat on the ground, their backs against a cracked pedestal. Their outfits were of the same cut as the woman’s. One wore a wide-brimmed hat, and the other had a ring in his shaggy hair where a hat had been. Neither one of them spoke, and they seemed utterly enthralled with everything the woman said.

“Why don’t you hang around?” The woman dug into a pouch hanging on her belt. She threw a couple of seeds on the forest floor. She spat on the ground and twisted her hand as if commanding something to grow.

“No,” Cora cried as the vines lifted her once more. The two new vines grabbed her free limbs, and they drew her up off the ground. She hung like an X in the air. “Please, this isn’t necessary. Let me down.”

“Don’t bother trying to escape. The vines are enchanted. Not even warlock power can break the mountain magick’s hold.” The woman turned to the two men. “Watch her until I get back.” She dug her hand into her pocket and sprinkled the contents on her head. Dirt dusted over her face. It began to glow, changing her form. Her hips widened, and her legs shortened. Her hair curled up into a bun. When she spoke, even her voice had changed in pitch. “Ol’ Trina can’t be late for work. Lydia’s expecting me to help out tonight. The shop had a large order come in, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint the boss lady. Especially when I have a surprise for her.”