Page 44 of Alpha's Secret Baby Girl
Rafael rubbed her back soothingly. “I’m sorry. We just have a lot of work to do.”
Lianne growled.
“Hey.” Gwen leaned forward and brushed Lianne’s hair from her face. “It sucks, doesn’t it? You want Rafael to stay closer to us.”
Lianne nodded.
“I do, too. And Rafael wants to stay. Sometimes we just don’t get what we want, even as adults.” Gwen stroked Lianne’s cheek gently.
“I just want…” Lianne sighed. “I wish I could change into a wolf. Then I’d fight the bad guy, and we could all stay home.”
Rafael winced. What did she know about the ‘bad guy ‘? It dwelled on his mind as they got her ready for a playdate with her friends. After dropping her off, he and Gwen went to the town hall. Joshua and Michael were there, and when they heard the plan, Joshua scowled, but Michael said it was a good idea. The two left quickly, though, not wanting to be around during the actual use of magic.
“Do you think Lianne will have a wolf?” Gwen asked as she and Rafael set up for their tests.
“I don’t know. She could end up as a witch like you,” Rafael said.
Gwen winced. “I hope she has a wolf. I want her to be happy.”
Was the unspoken assumption that if Lianne were a witch like Gwen instead of a wolf shifter like Rafael, she would end up miserable?
“Gwen.”
She bit her lip and avoided his gaze.
“I will always look out for you. Both of you.” His stomach tightened, and he let out a soft breath as he came closer. Hetucked his fingers under her chin, enjoying the sense of her smooth skin, and tilted her face to his. “And I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” Gwen repeated, her voice soft.
“I handled this whole thing terribly. I should never have decided that you were staying on the island, willing or not. I shouldn’t have decided we were getting married, whether you liked it or not. I wasn’t behaving like a man should. I was acting like my father.” The words were bitter but true. “I never wanted to be him, but I’m still his son. I’m trying to change. I’m trying to be better. I know that doesn’t change what I’ve done. You don’t have to forgive me. I just need you to know I’m sorry.”
She slipped out of his hold. “Let’s concentrate on this magic stuff. It won’t do any good to be sorry if the demon ends up killing us all.”
They finished setting up, and Gwen read the passage in the book about forming a shield against dangers. It was a smaller, less permanent version of the net that was domed over the town. She described what she had to do, and Rafael frowned. There was little ceremony or incantation. Mostly, it was moving her hands in a certain way as a visual way to inspire her brain to think of the shield in certain forms. Other than that, it seemed it was all about mental focus.
“If this goes wrong, it shouldn’t blow anything up,” Gwen said anxiously as she looked around.
They had put together a small series of projectiles for him to throw at her. It ranged from soft, spongy balls to plastic bowling pins. They were hollow and unlikely to cause damage, but would still hit when they struck. Rafael started with the softest of the items.
“Ready?” he asked.
Gwen took a deep breath. She held her hands cupped in front of herself and her face pulled into a determined expression. She shaped her hands into a dome and lifted them over her head before pulling her arms to either side. Nothing. There was meant to be a pale blue flicker that would indicate the shield was in place. Rafael shifted from foot to foot, squeezing the squishy ball in his hand.
She did the same motion to no avail. Her lip curled back, and she did it again, faster and more impatient this time.
Rafael tossed the ball aside and jogged over to the book. “Let’s read the passage again. Maybe you missed a step.”
“I didn’t miss a step,” Gwen snapped, agitated.
Rafael glanced over the passage, then flipped the page and kept reading. He paused on a note that was scrawled in the margin. “An agitated mind will find it difficult to control magic in the shapes it desires.”
Gwen lowered her hands and turned to him. “What does that mean? Think happy thoughts?”
Rafael closed the book, considering. “I think that you are distracted by your fears about the demon and everything else. Which is understandable,” he added quickly, not wanting Gwen to think he blamed her. “Perhaps if you spent some time concentrating on happy memories and tried again?”
“I… will give it a try.” Gwen took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a moment, she lifted her hands again. She put them over her head and moved them more gracefully downward.
A flicker of blue sprang up around her. At Rafael’s gasp, her eyes snapped open. She looked at the light blankly, then squealed. The magic disappeared, but Gwen danced on the spot.Rafael laughed and raced over to her. Gwen threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
