Page 70 of Cursed Touch
“We both know I can’t,”he told Vanessa.
“I don’t understand,” her mom said.
“Tell her,”she pleaded.
Carter sighed. “I can only heal and push out my magic to sense. My sister-in-law has been teaching me spells, but until I know them better, I can’t do more.”
Daphyne shook her head. “Either you’re lying or you’re wrong.”
“Mom!” Vanessa snapped.
“Listen,” Daphyne replied. “I don’t mean to insult, but I felt your magic the moment you were in front of me. As a full-blooded nymph, my link to earth is powerful, and I knew you were a witch immediately.” Daphyne turned to Vanessa. “I expect you will find yourself drawn to all things earth as well, honey.”
“Whatcanyou do, Mom?”
Daphyne pushed to her feet, moved before them, and spun once. As she did, her clothes transformed. Gone was her blouse and khaki capris. Instead, a beautiful gown made of leaves, flowers, and moss covered her. Flowers and leaves decorated her head, casting a beautiful glow around her face. Vines wrapped around her arms and to her fingers, and a veil ran down her back to the ground. Before them stood a stunning ethereal creature, and gone was her mother.
“Follow me,” she said in a soothing singsong voice, replacing what Vanessa had always identified as her mother’s.
Vanessa pushed to her feet and followed, admiring the beautiful cape running down her mother’s back and to the ground. Carter’s warm hand rested on her lower back, anchoring her to the present.
She had never seen anything as beautiful as her mother. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
They walked onto the patio and neared her mother’s modest garden. With each step Vanessa took, she could feel the magic in the air thicken. Her hand flew toward her face and swatted at a spiderweb she hadn’t noticed, praying the spider was not crawling about her head.
Carter gasped at her side, and she opened her eyes to see what had made him react. “Where are we?”
Daphyne grinned. “My secret garden, of course.”
Vanessa spotted a waterfall in the distance and could hear a brook bubbling nearby. Trees as tall as the sky covered them from the sun. Various bushes, plants, and flowers surrounded them in paradise.
“It’s beautiful,” Vanessa whispered, afraid to disturb the peace engulfing them. “Are we still in the yard?”
“Yes and no. The spiderweb you felt wasn’t real. You stepped through the portal I opened. This was my first home and where I met your father. He’d been out hiking when I first saw him.” A smile lit her face at the memory. “I was drawn to him, and before I knew it, I’d taken on the form of a human.”
She spun in a circle, her arms stretched wide. “This is your legacy, honey—one I’d given up hope that you’d ever receive. I can teach you how to hone your magic and how to open a portal here. You must believe me when I say I never wanted to keep this from you.”
Vanessa rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her mom. Hundreds of butterflies suddenly flew around them, causing Vanessa to step back. “Whoa, where’d they come from?” She giggled.
Carter chuckled. “They were her cape.”
“Nature is as a part of me as the oxygen we breathe. Follow me,” Daphyne told them and padded to the pool of water at the base of the waterfall. “Witches haven’t always been good to my kind. When I sensed you were a witch, I felt your love for Vanessa but didn’t know if you were being deceptive. I apologize for expecting the worst from you.” She pointed at the water. “I want you both to drink. It is my gift to you and your union.”
Carter and Vanessa shared a glance, unsure about the crystal-clear water.
“You are mates, honey. I wouldn’t dare interfere with the goddess’s plan.”
Carter knelt first, scooped water into his hand, and offered it to her. Vanessa joined him on her knees and sipped. She had never tasted water so pure in her life. Carter did it again and drank the refreshing liquid.
Warmth spread within her, and the colors around them became bright, too bright. Vanessa covered her eyes and fell onto her bottom. “What’s happening?”
A voice in the distance spoke, but she could not make out the words. Fear and anxiety filled her. “Carter?” she called, but even to her own ears, his name did not sound right.
Her senses exploded. Each blade of grass prickled her skin, helicopter blades sounded, and a million smells fought for her attention, so she refused to open her eyes to the bright light threatening to burn through her eyelids.
And then everything went black.
