The Center: A Psychic Paranormal Romance (Building the Circle Book 3) Read online

  Brother. Jake. Jacob. You've seen him before, Sam reminded her.

  Not since happiness found him. He's different now. Love. Joy. Lust. Worry. Why worry? She asked.

  For me. He worries for me, Sam admitted. They all worry about me. I worry about you.

  Today, blue jays hatched. Beautiful, Adaline said.

  She felt his amusement at the topic change. She didn't want him to worry for her.

  Show me? He asked.

  Reversing course, Adaline pulled a spark of energy from Sam's mind through the ward to her own mind. She showed him the birds and the cougar that was her companion and the violet flowers that bloomed that morning.

  When we are like this, can you tell me where you are? He asked.

  Instead of explaining, she expanded her mental net to show the empowered minds actively trying to reach them at that moment. The minds that felt their shared power and wanted it for themselves.

  There are thousands! Sam said, outraged.

  She sighed. These are just the ones in the path from me to you. If they're strong enough, they can hear us. Hunt us. Hurt us. Dangerous to do this when awake. Others can feel us. The ward doesn't help as much when we're like this. But, I miss you. I worried when I could not find you.

  Call me to you when darkness comes. Help me, Sam begged as he was forced from her mind. The ward only tolerated so much interference before breaking the connection.

  Behind the safety of her wards, Adaline slept, oblivious to time as it passed.

  ✽✽✽

  Mama was sitting in the darkness with her when Adaline woke.

  "Hi, baby girl," Ava whispered. "You're still here with me. Stay for a while longer, OK?"

  Adaline tried to share her love with her mother. Ava couldn't feel the binding anymore.

  "People were here today. Different. Did you feel them?"

  Addy shook her head.

  "Lords Terror and Peace," Ava said.

  Adaline sat up.

  "The Pillars are surfacing. The Walker will come to you soon," Ava said with more confidence than she felt.

  Adaline nodded.

  "Harbor will visit next week. Jared will be here to check on me. Pay attention, OK? We can't let him know you're here. Remember?"

  Adaline nodded.

  "Within the next week, OK? Seven nights? After he leaves, come home, baby girl. Dad's birthday is next Sunday. Come home to see him?" Ava asked.

  Adaline's eyes closed as she drifted back off to sleep. She couldn't see her father; her presence hurt him.

  She'd stay in the forest, in her clearing, where she wouldn't harm anyone.

  ✽✽✽

  "Ah, Jared. How quickly the year goes by," Ava muttered, almost a week later.

  "Ava, I'm glad you're well. I'll need to feel your energy, and that of your daughter, as usual. Where is Jessica?" he asked tersely.

  If Ava had stayed in Harbor instead of being cast out, she'd likely be married to Jared. He was now the youngest corner in Harbor's circle, though his energy wasn't anywhere near what Ava had at hand.

  "Jess is not required to participate in this, Jared. She was never part of Harbor and poses no risk to the circle. For you to force her involvement in what is a rather intimate act goes against Harbor's own practices."

  "Ava," Jared ground out, "We have this exact same conversation every single visit. She is required to participate by the very nature of your power and hers. If either of you would prefer to not participate, the circle will come to tie off your power, such that you no longer pose a risk to us or to anyone else. What is your choice?"

  "You know, it's funny you should mention tying off power," Ava said. "I made a new friend last week. A member of Harbor. At least, he was a member of Harbor. I believe he's left the circle now."

  Jared's face flamed with anger. "How dare you! How dare you interfere with our-"

  "Oh, stop it. You know I didn't do a damn thing. I'm not stronger than Greggory, and we all know it," Ava laughed. "Let's get this done. JESS!"

  "Oh, for fuck's sake. It's the toad," Jess groaned, coming down the back stairwell from the apartment above the bar. "All green and scaly with envy. Sorry my momma hurt your feelings, big guy. Get over it already. Go talk to Peace, maybe he can set you to rights."

  Ava scrunched up her face. "I already made a Lucas crack. It seems like poor form for us to both do it."

  "I'm OK with it," Jess shrugged.

  Jared sighed. "Jessica, have either of your children manifested or shown themselves to be empowered?"

  "Jared, the girls are 3 and 5 years old. If they manifest at this age, we're all in deep shit," Jess chuckled, knowing it irritated him.

  A little bit of sadness flashed through Ava. Adaline had manifested before she was even born. Jess manifested at two years old.

  Most people manifest during their teenage years. Typically, the younger someone is when power manifests, the stronger their energy is.

  "And, your marital status hasn't changed?" He asked.

  "Jared," Jess's voice turned taunting, "even if it did, I wouldn't willingly join your circle. My marital status and children are none of your fucking business. My power is not your business, either. Let's be done with the bullshit, K?"

  "We can close the circle in the backyard," Ava said as she led the way out of the restaurant.

  Jared was sent on status check errands like this because he could detect stolen energy by merely closing a circle. Once their circle was closed, the energy flowed naturally toward Jared - the weakest of the three.

  "Your energy seems fine. Strong as ever, Ava. While the circle is closed, I'd like to ask you about your wards," Jared said abruptly.

  "Yes?" Ava said cautiously. Telling partial truths in a circle was difficult.

  "They're enormous. The outermost ward has more than a 20-mile radius," Jared said.

  "Yes," Ava said again. That wasn't a question.

  "How are you holding the five concentric wards around this building and the surrounding land?" Jared asked.

  "I don't hold them all, Jared," Ava said. This was a little harder to sidestep. Ava and Jess held the wards while Adaline powered them with all the effort it took an average person to bend a finger.

  "Fine. How are you holding the outermost, largest ward?" He asked.

  "Very carefully," Ava said with complete sincerity. It was the truth. The ward was very powerful. If it blew in the wrong direction, it would do severe damage.

  "What is powering the ward?" He continued to dig.

  "Life, as you know from the type of ward. Why are you so interested in my wards?" Ava asked. "They do absolutely no damage. They encourage growth, harmony, and health. They protect against psychic invasion and make it harder for hunters to detect us. They haven't changed in the last ten years."

  "Ah. This is the first year I was aware of them," Jared admitted.

  Ava looked uncomfortable.

  "What?" Jess asked.

  "Who came with you?" Ava asked.

  Jared stared at her.

  Ava broke the circle abruptly without permission. "You've done your visit. Get out. He's not welcome here. I'm surprised the wards let him through."

  "You will see him, or we will tie your power," Jared said.

  Ava glared at him. "No, you'll try to tie my power. Don't forget what I am, Jared. I allow this little indignity out of a sense of duty, nothing else."

  Jared sighed. "Ava, please play along. He will tie you in a heartbeat. You were supposed to come crawling home more than thirty years ago, begging for forgiveness. You weren't supposed to do whatever it is you're doing here.

  "When Lucas's tie broke last Sunday, it almost killed him. He's weak now. Just play along and get through this."

  Ava snorted. "Lucas rightly took back what was his. If that hurt Greggory, that's his fault for using the energy without Luke's knowledge."

  "Luke was overloaded when he came to us. On his way to mental illness-"

  Ava sighed. "I told him that's likely h
ow it started."

  Jared stared at her. "How did you break it? Nora, Ben, and I have been quietly picking at it for almost ten years. Ben and Nora are better with mental energies than you. How did you break it?"

  "I didn't break it," Ava said, surprised.

  "Ava, there is no one else. There's no one else that would have the power, know-how, and motivation to do it as it was done," Jared said levelly. "I'm sure it's why Greggory came with me. He's going to blame you."

  "I didn't break it, Jared. I poked it in a circle with his sick mother last week. The kid threw up for fifteen minutes straight," Ava explained.

  "Ha! I'm still laughing at that. Poor Puking Peace," Jess muttered.

  Ava's face flashed a look of concern. "How was it done? When Claire told me he left the circle, I assumed he pulled it apart himself."

  "No," Jared said. "Someone overloaded him until it burst. Greggory very nearly died. We knew he was taking from Luke, but didn't realize it was so much. When the wave of power hit, he almost choked to death. Literally."

  Ava winced. "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Is Luke OK?"

  "He has not returned phone calls. It turns out that no one knows where he lives, including Claire. I had hoped you'd be able to tell us how he was healing," Jared said.

  Jess sounded annoyed. "You're all kinds of fucking nosey and snide. Your colors are truly foul. It's hard to reconcile them with this genuine concern."

  That comment was meant for Ava, so Ava knew Jared was sincere. "I haven't talked to him. Claire told me. I have the contact information for his mother. I'll reach out."

  "Thank you, Ava," Jared nodded, then sighed. "He can't cross the third ward line."

  "Ahahahahahahahaha!" Jess lost her shit. "Let's go say hi, I can't wait to meet him!"

  ✽✽✽

  Ava glared as she walked into the diner with Jess. "Back corner booth."

  Greggory stood as they approached the table. Now 91 years old, he looked to be a fit, robust gentleman in his early forties. Not quite six feet tall, his brown hair was just going grey at the temples. Life holders typically lived several lifetimes.

  "Was your hair grey before the tie broke?" Ava asked, a false smile stuck in place.

  "Ava, lovely as ever. I don't think you've aged a day in more than thirty years. Is this Jessica? You look like sisters, rather than mother and daughter. The townsfolk will be talking soon," Greggory said, forced cheer in his voice.

  Ava rolled her eyes. "The townsfolk know all our secrets and still adore us. Careful. They'll come at you with pitchforks if you make me cry."

  Greggory took a deep breath, determined to keep things pleasant. Turning to Jessica, he began again. "Young lady, your power is the envy of every organized circle on the planet, and probably the disorganized ones, too!"

  "What do you want?" Ava said.

  Greggory sighed. "So antagonistic? I helped raise you, Ava. What kind of greeting is this?"

  "The kind of greeting that's shown when one casts me out because I wouldn't sleep with him," Ava said coldly.

  "Darling girl, you know why they asked that of you, you know I tried to prevent it, and you know that I also hated it. And now, look at you. No circle, and an amazingly talented daughter. It's a loss all around and a shame," Greggory lamented.

  "What do you want?" Ava asked again.

  Greggory sighed. "I would like you to come back to the circle. You and Jessica both, of course. And if Jessica's children are interested, they'd be welcome as well."

  Ava blinked.

  "Thirty-five years of being outcast is too long. It's amazing you're still sane. It's time to come home. Your mother and aunt are long gone. I thought you'd come home when they moved on," Greggory said.

  "My mother and aunt have been gone for more than thirty years. Why in the world would you come here and offer this now?" Ava asked.

  Before Addy, Ava would have given a lot to be invited back without groveling for her place. Now, there was just no way. The circle couldn't hold Addy's power, couldn't protect her. And, there was no way to hide Addy from an entire circle.

  "Would you please sit so we can discuss this like functional adults?" He asked.

  "No." Ava and Jess said at the same time.

  Greggory smiled a little bit at that. He sat back in the booth.

  "Your wards are very interesting, Ava. The intricacies of each line are not what I would expect from you. Many of the nuances should be beyond your sight. I couldn't have drawn them, and I am generally considered the most adept warder on the planet. I'm glad to see you've become so accomplished.

  "Where did they come from? How are you powering them? You are strong. Still. Very strong. I can feel it coming off you. Other energy, too. Maybe Jess? Maybe another uncircled empowered? An unorganized circle? I don't care; I have no problem with whatever keeps you healthy and safe. But, I know you don't have the energy to power all the wards and function as you do."

  Ava tilted her head in a nod. "They're highly efficient and somewhat self-sustaining. It doesn't take as much energy as you would think." That was true.

  It didn't take as much energy as he'd expect to power the wards. It took a lot more power than he'd anticipate to stand up those wards. The amount of energy consumed by a ward increased exponentially with size. Greggory didn't know that. He'd never try drawing a twenty-mile ward.

  Greggory sighed again. "Is Lucas healing? That was a horrible thing to do to such a kind heart, Ava. I would have removed the tie myself if I knew he didn't want it there. When he came to us, he was overloaded. His ignorance was going to kill him. After that, he didn't show any interest at all in more power."

  Ava shook her head. "I didn't break that tie, Gregg. He was here with his sick mom. I poked it. He puked everywhere. I sent him home. When Claire told me, I assumed he broke it himself. Jared hinted that was not the case-"

  "Not the case! You funneled raw elemental power through his brain! A storm? The world's largest campfire? Something like that. I recognize you have a certain level of disdain for me, but to hurt another like that - just to get back at me? How could you?" Greggory asked, genuinely affronted.

  Ava held out her hand to him. He looked at it warily. "I offer you my truth and no more by my own energy."

  Greggory took the hand.

  Jess snorted. "I can't help but notice he didn't offer you the same assurances as a courtesy, Mom. One person in this conversation is a known thief, and it's not you or me."

  Greggory glared at Jess.

  "I did not break that binding. I did not hurt Lucas. I would never do such a thing," Ava snapped, ready to be done with this conversation.

  Greggory stared at her for a few seconds. "Did Jessica?"

  "No," Ava said. "She doesn't have the juice, even if she wanted to, and you know it."

  "She would if you gave her your power to combine with hers," he said.

  Ava sighed. "I did not, in any way, through any use of my power or other power, break the binding on Lucas. I played no role in it, other than making him aware that it was there. I don't know how it was done. Stop this. You know me better than this."

  He nodded, admitting the truth of her words. "We've lost two college kids in the last six months. Those kids had fresher links to Harbor than you do, and the hunters still got them."

  "Oh, God," Ava muttered, sitting down in the booth. "I'm sorry."

  "How is that possible? Did they break from the circle when they went away to school?" Jess asked. She didn't sit, didn't try to offer comfort.

  "No," Greggory muttered. "They stood the circle with us over the holiday break. We think one was romantically involved with someone that did it. Her place was just gone from the circle one day. We know the second one was taken by force. Nora felt the energy disruption as the circle tried to protect him."

  "Harbor is weaker," Ava whispered. "Much weaker than it used to be."

  He nodded. "The circle is fine. The energy cycles. But the more distant links are weaker. The energy overal
l is weaker. We're not sure why. It's dropped off in the last five years or so."

  "You were pulling Luke's energy to supplement the links?" Ava asked.

  Greggory dropped his gaze. "If you asked yesterday, that's what I'd say and believe I was doing with it. Today, I couldn't cross your third ward line. If I'm reading it correctly, the ward stops anyone that has stolen energy for personal gain. Clearly, I need to do some reflecting on choices made."

  They were all silent for a few seconds in acknowledgment of that honesty.

  "Please come home, Ava. It's not safe like this anymore."

  Ava and Jess walked out of the diner without another word.

  Chapter 2

  Two days later, Jess was wandering around the forest behind the restaurant at dusk, looking for her sister.

  "Addy! Where are you?" Jess called. "Come on, Adaline, come home for tonight. Just for dinner. Come home, Addy!"

  Adaline rustled some leaves so Jess would hear her coming.

  "There you are! I've been calling for you for ten minutes. Thanks for rustling the leaves," Jess said with a smile. "Will you come home? Just for dinner… Just tonight, sis. For Dad. It's Dad's birthday. He just wants to see you. Come for dinner?"

  Jess felt the sadness streaming from her little sister. Sadness, love, and loneliness.

  "Addy, maybe we can close a circle. We can try. Let's see if we can close it, just the three of us. Here, in the clearing, where there's lots of room to spread out. It would help, I know it would! Please, Addy? Please? I know Mom wants to try it. Let's try it," Jess begged.

  Adaline's lips turned up just a bit. Her mother and sister hadn't been able to close a circle with her since she was six years old. There was just too much energy.

  "What if Dad came out here? You could stay in the middle of the clearing, and he could stay where I am now. Just so he could see you and talk to you a little bit like this. He loves you so much, Addy. We all do. We don't want you to be alone. Please? You won't hurt us if we stay far away like this. Mom said she got within a couple of yards last week."

  Adaline shook her head, fear radiating off her. Ava could come closer because Ava could hold more energy. She could sense where the energy got too intense. The last time Adaline got within six feet of her father, his uncovered skin was scorched with second-degree burns.