Page 43 of The Mating Frenzy
“Or she can be touched by anyone.” Ella locked gazes with him. “I’m getting itnow.”
“Good.” He smiled and then glanced at the sisters. “Suggestions?”
“The archives,” Danica told him. “It’s the only area that is under magick protection. I’ll make sure no one else gets inside. Meet us there. I’ll have to ward the library, get the Skins and Others out so you can move herthere.”
The two sisters left on Danica’smotorcycle.
“Pack a suitcase,” Kieran told her. “You’ll need clothing and essentials for a week. Pack light clothing as well as what you usually wear here this time ofyear.”
“Where are wegoing?”
She didn’t like this, didn’t like the idea of running off and leaving her mother alone, but if this Gideon was right, she could find the power to cureNellie.
“Florida. It’s where we can find the crystal you need.Hurry.”
Half an hour later, she’d stuffed clothing, and some personal objects into the battered suitcase that had belonged to her father. As an afterthought, she added a few of Darcy’s toys and somecatnip.
When she went downstairs, he took the luggage from her. His nostrils flared and he gave an appreciativesniff.
“Catnip.Yum.”
Yum? She didn’t want to know. Instead, she sat on the armchair, watching her mother as he popped the trunk of his car and placed the caseinside.
He returned, giving a worried glance at the Swiss cuckoo clock on the wall. “We must hurry, Ella. The longer we linger, the easier it will be to findyou.”
With extreme care and wearing his leather gloves, Kieran lifted Nellie into his arms. Her mother looked so frail and thin, her arms and legs dangling as Kieran carried her outside. Ella ran out, opened the back door and Kieran carefully placed Nellie on the backseat.
They roared away from her house. Ella clung to the door handle as he raced down herstreet.
“Must you go so fast?” shemuttered.
He flashed a smile. “Xavier and Gideon did not like my driving,either.”
But he got them to the library quickly. The parking lot was deserted. Kieran lifted her mother and carried her into the library as Ella opened the door. Darcy and Danica were inside, lookingworried.
“You’d best hurry,” Danica told him as she escorted them to the elevator. “Darcy picked up traces of spectral magick in the air headed thisway.”
“Which means, for lack of the explaining, that something wicked this way comes.” Darcy patted Ella’s arm. “Ray Bradbury. Great novel. You have a wonderful collection. While you were at work, I caught up on a lot ofreading.”
Ella almost laughed at the image of her beloved cat reading a horror novel. Then again, her cat was not her cat. It was enough to make her start drinking. Alot.
She started to follow Kieran, but Darcy caught her arm. “No, honey. Say your goodbyes here. Danica has to ward the archives with a protective spell and we can’t be certain if it will have a bad effect onyou.”
Tightness coiled in her stomach as she went to her mother, cradled in Kieran’s arms. Careful not to touch her, Ella leanedclose.
“Goodbye mom. I love you. I’ll find a way to cure you. Please stay with us until I do,” shewhispered.
She turned away and walked off as the elevator dinged. Ella headed for the receptiondesk.
I will not cry. I must be strong. That wizard said I have strength, I have to find it,somehow.
Darcy came up to her, hugged her. “It’s going to be okay, my friend. Remember all those times you thought you couldn’t go on without your dad? The times you talked to me? You made it. You can dothis.”
Ella blinked against the hot flood of tears. “Yeah, but you were acat.”
“Well, if that helps.” Darcy snapped her fingers and a black cat replaced thewoman.
Ella picked her up, burying her nose into Darcy’s fur. A stray tear slipped down her cheek. Sniffling she placed Darcy on the counter. “Don’t get into trouble. Your sister will bepissed.”
