Chapter Fifty
“What have you done to my sister? And what’s up with this so-called magic?” Laynie blocked his path off the porch, feet spread and finger pointed directly at his chest as though she were about to attack.
He’d wondered where Laynie had gone this morning. He’d searched for her while Emma was in the shower. Torin glanced back inside the croft. Good. Emma still perched at the kitchen counter with her head drooping over a steaming mug of coffee. “As soon as your sister leaves for the clinic, I’ll explain everything to ye.”
“She’s not going to the clinic. She said she’s spending the day with me. Start talking. Now.”
Torin scrubbed the scarred side of his face, flinching as a searing tingle surged across his jaw. Not a good sign. His scars warned him of impending disaster. With a sardonic snort, he rubbed his face again. Draecna magic and stone guardian magic made for an unstable mix. But he supposed he owed the beast a heartfelt thanks. When the lethal foreclaw ripped open his chest, the Draecna venom infected Torin with a built-in warning system that would follow him through every incarnation. Casting one last glance inside the croft, Torin fanned his courage with a determined breath. Now was the time, while Emma’s gaze focused on the liquid in her cup. He flexed his senses, then turned back to the glowering female tapping an impatient foot. “Now we can speak as long as ye like. Where would ye like me to start?”
“What do you mean we can speak for as long as we like?” Laynie took a step closer, her eyes widening as the wind chime hooked to the eaves of the porch hung suspended in mid flutter as though frozen while dancing in the breeze. “What have you done?”
“Slowed time for a bit.” Torin rolled his shoulders, focusing his energies. Every muscle flexed, tensing with concentration. The lass had no idea the strain it took to hold the ancient wheel in its eternal spin. “Now we can talk. What do ye wish to know?”
Laynie reached out and barely touched one of the horizontally extended rods of the wind chime, frowning when it didn’t move. She flicked the copper tubing harder, flinching as her finger thunked against the immovable chime. Rubbing the tip of her finger with her thumb, she whirled to face Torin. “What are you? And what are you trying to do to my sister?”
Torin closed his eyes with a groan. How could he make her understand? “I’m no’ trying to do anything to your sister. Unless ye count finally showing her a way to happiness.”
“That’s not the way she tells it.” Laynie poked a finger into the center of his chest. “The way she talks, you’re trying to shuffle her off to some alternate reality or world…or something. And what’s this magic stuff? She made a bottle disappear right out of my hand.”
“Your sister is a stone guardian too. I need her help re-sealing the portal. She and I are the only two left in this realm capable of standing a chance against the beast. There was a time when two orders of stone guardians filled this land. But I deserted my clan, left them weakened without an heir, and now both orders have passed to the next reality. I need her, Laynie. The realms need her. And I want your help in making her understand.”
“My help?” Laynie’s mouth dropped open. “Are you insane? If I help you, from what the two of you have told me, I’ll never see her again.”
Torin flinched. There was that. “I know. I willna lie to ye and tell ye this path will be an easy one.” Torin ground his teeth and inclined his head in Emma’s direction. “But think of your sister. Other than you, she’s alone in this world. What happens to her as ye make a life of your own? Would ye have her constantly sitting in the shadows and watching ye take hold of your happiness while she has none of her own?”
Laynie’s face fell. She peered around Torin, her lips flattening into an unhappy line as she gazed through the doorway at her sister. “I want Emma to be happy. She’s always sacrificed her needs for mine. I’ve been trying to help her find something to live for besides me and her career but she just won’t do it. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s just a tad stubborn.”
“Aye.” Torin nodded. “That I have noticed.” Torin allowed himself a soft chuckle before the severity of convincing Laynie to help him quickly doused his mirth. “And the reason none of your options appealed to her was because Emma doesna feel at rest with your choices. The Powers match the hearts of a stone guardian. Emma is meant to be mine.”
“I don’t want to lose my sister,” Laynie whispered.
Sympathy settled like lead in Torin’s belly. He knew exactly how Laynie felt. The thought of life without Emma ached like a raw wound in his chest. “I know, Laynie. But I canna bear the thought of living without her either. I can make her happy. I swear to ye I’ll always take of her. Please allow me to love your sister. Help me make her happy.”