Spirit Bound - Christine Feehan [110]
“He’s very dangerous,” Judith pointed out. “You know what he did to my brother. And Paul wasn’t the only one. It’s very possible he’ll attempt to strike at me through one of you.”
“No one ran away when I brought danger here,” Rikki said staunchly. “And no one’s going to now. If that man is planning something—anything at all—you’re not alone, and he’s going to get the surprise of his life.”
“My brother was strong,” Judith said softly. Her heart clamped down hard, a vise grip of pain at the thought of what he’d gone through because of her.
“That’s true,” Blythe said. “But this is different, Judith. You’re not a young girl anymore. We’ve all gone through the fire in our own way and its honed us, made us stronger, and we’re together now. I believe that together, there is no possible way for this man to harm us. You have to believe that too.”
“Levi is helping all of us with security and personal self-defense,” Lissa said, “but we can be a little more proactive in that department as well as working on our ability to control our elements. Practicing a craft always perfects it and I know we’ve just started tapping into our strengths together as a unit.”
The women nodded.
“What made you release so much energy tonight, Judith ?” Blythe asked.
“Not only was it powerful,” Airiana said, “but happy. You felt happy to me.”
“Me too,” Lissa agreed. “Real happiness.”
Judith took a sip of tea, allowing its familiar soothing properties to help calm her suddenly pounding heart. “Thomas. Thomas Vincent. That’s why.”
Her sisters exchanged long, shocked looks.
Again it was Blythe who took the bull by the proverbial horns. “You might elaborate on that just a little, Judith.”
Judith put down her teacup, to keep from betraying that her hands were shaking. “I thought a lot about this. When I’m with Thomas, I feel alive, truly alive—my spirit does. It’s hard to explain, but I’m not afraid of that power inside of me. I feel as if—” She broke off, took a breath and tried again. “When I’m with him, I feel as if I’m totally free to be me, yet safe at the same time—that everyone around me will be safe as well.”
Her eyes met Blythe’s. “I know it makes no sense. When I’m not with him I tell myself all the things I’m certain you’ll tell me. It’s too fast. Physical attraction isn’t something to rely on, but all that goes out the window when I’m with him. He just . . . makes me happy—with who I am. I’m not afraid and I don’t have to hide from him. Even the worst in me, I think he can handle.”
Blythe looked at Rikki. “What does Levi say?”
Rikki shook her head. “Levi hasn’t said much because I didn’t give him the chance. I knew Judith needed us and that took precedent.”
“Besides,” Judith pointed out, “Levi doesn’t like anyone besides us, so that’s hardly fair.”
Lissa laughed and covered it with a slight cough. “She has a point, Rikki.”
Rikki sighed. “Well, I don’t like anyone else either, so it works.”
Airiana held up her teacup, toasting Rikki. “You love us, and that’s all that counts, baby.” She took a sip and looked over the rim at Judith. “What’s his aura like?”
“Sort of muddy, like you see in a lot of powerful businessmen. Good and bad. But sometimes I can’t even see it.” Judith sighed. “I’ve tried not to see auras. I don’t trust my reading of them, and his is sort of difficult. The more I tried to focus on it, the less I could read it.”
“Great.” Airiana scowled. “I hate that.”
“Why?” Blythe asked.
Airiana sent an apologetic look toward Judith without meeting her eyes. “Because that kind of aura almost always is a product of concealment.”
Blythe frowned and leaned toward Airiana, rubbing her left palm on her thigh, a habit that usually signaled she was becoming upset or unhappy. “On purpose? Someone could conceal their aura on purpose? Wouldn’t that mean he had some sort of psychic talent and that he would know to conceal his aura around us?”
“No, I didn’t meant that, Blythe,” Airiana corrected. “More that the