Called by the Bear - Book 3 by V. Vaughn

Author:V. Vaughn [Vaughn, V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sugarloaf Press
Published: 2015-07-07T05:00:00+00:00

22

Chapter 2

Carly

Brady is taking me to meet Kimi, and she’ll explain how the binding ceremony will work. After Victor demanded custody of the children he sired with Sierra, the clans decided to compromise with shared custody. But it requires a magical bond to keep everyone honest. And alive. The spell will be cast over the prime and prima of each clan as well as over Sierra and Ashton. The Robichaux have agreed to be mediators in the process, and I’m grateful for their intervention. I know I can keep my cool around Victor, but I’m not so sure about Ashton and Brady.

We’re in a developed suburb of Bangor, and it strikes me as odd. I imagined the Le Roux medicine woman lived in a small cabin set in a remote woodland area, so when I see the sign for Dancing Bear retirement community, I grin. “This is where Kimi lives?”

Brady’s dark-blond hair is highlighted by sun filtering in through the window, and it gives off a false sense of warmth when I’m acutely aware of the bitter December temperature outside. “Did you expect a teepee?” he asks.

“No. But I did think she’d be a little more...” I shrug. “Mystical.”

“Yes. Well, you don’t look like a tattoo artist, do you?”

I hit his arm. “Are you calling me judgy?”

Brady grins at me. “No. Just teasing my wife.”

We pull into a one of the plowed driveways that is just big enough to park the Hummer. When we get to the door, the petite Native American woman that greets us is wearing an oversized T-shirt that says, “Original American. No need to salute.”

I smile at her when Brady introduces us, and she lets us in. Once we enter, I’m overcome by the aroma of chocolate chip cookies, and my mouth waters. Brady teases her, “What? No apple pie today?”

Kimi swats him in the stomach. “Careful, or I’ll make you eat hot dogs.” She glances at me. “You’ll get a cookie if you learn your lesson well.”

I nod and follow her like a good student. She leads us to a small living room that is decorated to reflect her heritage. I wander over to the beadwork hanging on the wall. The tiny beads are smooth under my fingers, and I say, “This is amazing.”

“Thank you. I made it ages ago.”

A folding table is set up with bowls of various herbs, and Kimi hands Brady a box of matches. He lights the candles around the room, and there is a comforting absence of words. The floor-to-ceiling drapes swish when the woman draws them shut.

She moves to the middle of the room and holds out her hands. Brady takes one, and I take the other. Her skin is cool and slippery, but her bony fingers grip mine tight as Brady grabs my other hand. Kimi says to Brady and me, “Close your eyes and imagine your life force as an electric current.”

I wonder what this has to do with learning about the spell over Sierra’s babies, but I do as I’m told and envision a white-hot source of power in my body.

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