Power (Soul Savers) Read Free Page A

way in. The physical exertion quieted my anger and
frustration with Tristan, and then I completely forgot about it when a new idea
occurred to me.
    “Were they there for Owen ?”
I asked once we stood on the beach of the Amadis Island, dripping wet. I’d
thought Vanessa was corralling me into the arms of the enemy, but she’d shown
no interest in me. Had Owen been the one they wanted? But why? “What if …?”
    I couldn’t finish the thought of what may have happened to
him.
    “I’ve told you before. Scarecrow can handle himself,”
Tristan said, taking my hand. “Remember, he’s pretty damn powerful, even for a
warlock.”
    How could I forget? His extraordinary power was exactly why
he was gone. He’d disappeared the day he learned the source of all his power:
Kali, the evil sorceress whose spirit had taken over the body of Owen’s father,
Martin.
    I shook my head. “I still don’t get it. Why would he throw
himself into the middle of so many of them? I don’t care how great he is, that
was plain stupid.”
    Tristan gave me a look, wordlessly reminding me I’d just
about done the same thing. “You know why. He still needs time.”
    I let out a harrumph. Everyone, including Mom, kept saying
Owen was a grown man and needed to work things out the way he felt was right.
Although the Amadis had rules, each member had free will. Well, everyone but us
daughters, since the council tried to control us at every chance they could,
but we’re a different story. As for Owen, if he wanted to abandon us to deal
with his own issues, he could choose to do so. And apparently, that’s what he
chose, still. But, he’d been so close to home. There had to have been a reason
he showed up on that island tonight. He had to have been thinking of coming
back. But if that were true, why would he follow the Daemoni when they’d left
the island?
    I kicked a stray rock on the path from the beach to the
mansion, thinking about how much I missed my protector, my friend. Tristan
missed him, too, I knew, and Dorian constantly asked about his uncle. But the
way Owen had snapped at me earlier—he didn’t sound worried about my
safety. Rather, he made sure I knew the door to his life remained closed. Why
did he shut us all out when he needed us most? Because he’s a man . That’s all I could figure.
    As we walked into the mansion, I expected to find it quiet
and dark with Mom sitting in Rina’s quarters and Bree staying with Lilith.
Dorian slept in his room—I sensed his dreaming mind signature. But Mom
wasn’t in Rina’s suite. She came rushing from the sitting room, tears streaming
down her face.
    “Alexis, Tristan,” she croaked, her wet eyes flitting
between us. Her hand covered her mouth as she shook her head. Mom rarely cried.
Something was terribly wrong, and considering both Rina and Lilith had been on
the brink of death for so many months, it wasn’t hard to guess what. And Mom had
been down here, waiting for us, while Bree was noticeably absent.
    “Oh, my God,” I whispered. Tristan’s arm around me was the
only thing keeping me upright as my knees gave out from under me. Whatever had
happened between him and me tonight became a distant memory—we would need
each other in the days to come.

Chapter 2

 
    The late spring breeze whipped at the hem of my skirt,
promising to bring a thunderstorm within the next few hours. Salty sea air
filled my nose and coated the back of my throat as we stood on the edge of the
cliff, saying our farewells. My hair lashed at my face, but the tears that
stung my eyes rose from the deeper pain in my heart. Grief and the boulder of
guilt that had replaced my insides made it difficult to breathe.
    Tristan stood tightly against me, his hand intertwined in
mine, returning the squeezes I gave every few minutes. Reassuring me that he
didn’t hate me. “It’s not your fault,” he’d told me numerous times over the
last two days, and I’d tried to make the statement my mantra. Still, I