Page 1 of Sealed With A Kiss
Prologue
Nikolai Survolar
“Idon’t know what’s wrong with me.” Frustration bubbled to the surface of my skin, the magical signature of the emotion poured out in tangled strands of moss and lemon curry color. Another planter exploded on the shelf to the left of me. “I had this magic thing down. I didn’t blow things up any longer. I hadn’t accidentally transformed a plate into a slug instead of a mug like I did two years ago at Rayne’s birthday party. I had this. Why don’t I have this?”
“Because your body is screaming at you to take a break. Your magic is showing you that things are not cohesive with spell-weaving. Even your daughter is over there in Rayne’s office crying because she can see her daddy is working himself to death.” Wolf scratched his scruffy chin and put down his notebook where he had been making notes on my progress. Or lack of. “I have been your trainer for the last few years, my brother is married to yours, and I have gotten to the point where I can call you a friend. I saw how much you achieved in yourstudies of the craft. But you have been through a lot this last year and that takes a toll. The whole family and center sees it and are worried. As your friend, but more importantly, as your trainer, I am putting my foot down. You must take a break. I am forcing you to pause the program for six months. Minimum. Stay home with Willow and appreciate every second of her being this little. Take her to the beach or a few playdates. We have enough kids around the training center that you have tons of options. But what you are not to do is practice any type of magic. Even a spell to reheat a cold cup of coffee. You have a microwave for that. I want you to live in the mundane world, solidly, for half a year.”
I plopped down on the chair near the wall; my body was heavy and drained of energy. “I don’t want to be home alone—”
“You won’t be alone. Willow is there.” Wolf placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it three times and let just a taste of his magic flow between us to replenish my strength. “She’s the one who needs you most right now. Honestly, you need each other.”
“That’s not what I meant.” A sigh released from deep within me. I was so tired of feeling this afraid. “I can’t see all of Stacey’s things still covering every inch of the house and knowing that she isn’t there. Yet, I can’t pack it up. So, I need to come here.”
“I know it feels that way.” Wolf sat beside me and handed me a steaming cup of herbal tea. “But running from the grief will only make it chase you. One day, it will catch you and if it attacks you on its terms instead of your own, that monster will take you down.”
“It’s just so unfair.” My shoulders shook with the force of my magic attempting to erupt out of me. “We made plans to raise our daughter together—to grow old together. Stacey is supposed to be next to me at night, listening to me vent about how training is going. Instead, there’s an open expanse of cold sheets. What is worse are the moments when I hate her.” A sob forced its way past my guards. “How can I hate her, Wolf? How can I blameher for leaving me while also dying a little each day? She isn’t here and my soul is incomplete without her. How can I love her with every part of my being, while wanting to scream at her for making me face every day without her?”
“I wish I had those answers for you.” Wolf sighed and leaned his head back. “I won’t pretend to know how you feel or to know what will help you heal. What I do know is that Willow needs her father and you need her just as much. Trying to practice magic weaving while filled with all those emotions will only lead to accidents. That’s why I need to stop you from destroying yourself like you just shattered those vases. I’ve also made an appointment with Doctor McPherson regarding grief counseling. The appointments are preloaded into your shared calendar. Ollie will stop by every Tuesday afternoon to watch Willow while you attend your session. Besides that, you will have a nanny come in periodically when you need it. You haven’t been getting enough sleep and when Rayne stopped by the house last week, he noticed what you were trying to hide.”
“He did?” Grimacing, I hung my head. More shame filled me with the realization that Rayne witnessed my downfall.
“Dude, don’t let yourself worry about us finding out you’re struggling to keep the house clean. It’s only been two months since your world was flipped upside down, and no one is shocked that you are overwhelmed. We are just upset you didn’t ask us for help. Next time you need someone to help pick up a few things or take Willow for a few hours so you can nap, you better call one of us. We are all here for you. We are your pack, coven, clan—whatever you consider us.” Wolf stood up and reached out a hand. “Now. Let’s clean up this mess and then get your daughter. I will grab my minis, and we can play in the field for a bit. Your beast has been pushing at you to shift. I see the surge in your energy whenever he’s at the surface. It’s time to start payingattention to what he’s saying. Our beasts always hold the key to what we need. Listen.”
Grabbing his hand, I stood and walked over to the broom we kept beside the door. “I think you are right. A few other people have told me I need a vacation. Perhaps I better listen.”
“We only want what’s best for you and Willow.”
“I know.” Sweeping up the shards of glass, I realized that Wolf was right. I couldn’t keep causing this destruction. “Shifting sounds good. Tomorrow I will start my sabbatical. It’s time I tackled this mess my life has become.”
“You’re not alone.” Wolf tied closed the first garbage bag and opened a new one. “We are all here for you.”
I nodded. “I think I’m going to need you all.”
A spark of hope lit in the pit of my stomach as I felt my dragon push his thoughts into me.
We’ll be okay because the clan sticks together.
1
Nikolai Survolar
“Imay have mastered magic again, finally, but this parenting thing is a lot harder.”
I wiped my daughter’s bottom with a wet wipe and tried not to vomit. “Instead of explosions in the training room, now there are explosions within her diaper bag.”
“Well, to be fair”—my brother-in-law, Rayne, raised a brow and quirked his lip up—“the explosions in the training room did return for a while, and they still happen occasionally. I heard of a recent incident surrounding the snack machine…”
Damn, my brother. He tells his mate everything.
“That wasn’t my fault. The choco mints were stuck, and I started to get weak. I needed a dose of sugar. The machine was asking for it.” I realized I sounded like an idiot. But when you were working on four hours of sleep per night, had a baby who already could do more magic than she should, and well-meaning but extremely annoying parents, the littlest of inconveniences could set you off.
Plus, I really needed that sugar.
“Oh yes, those evil machines tend to do that when we are under stress and sleep deprived. I thought taking a six-month break would make you more balanced. You’ve only been back a couple of weeks and are already exhausted? And you are only back part-time?” Rayne shook his head and tickled my daughter, making her laugh. “Are you giving your daddy a hard time, sweet girl?”
Although she was still too young to speak much, the deviously sweet smile that my little girl flashed her uncle would have anyone believing her innocence.
“It’s not that she isn’t sleeping through the night, but I keep waking up to find her stuffed bear floating above her crib, the radio turning on by itself, or if she is feeling a bit hungry in her dreams, she can heat up a bottle and have it brought up to her room. Unfortunately, it’s not always the right temperature and I am now too scared to sleep. What if she starts a fire or burns herself on hot milk?”
