After I refilled my cup and Savannah’s mug, there was nothing left to do. Nothing to keep me from telling them what they needed to hear.
With no clue where to begin I sat down in the chair where I liked to read.
As usual, Ava seemed to see through me. “What did you want to talk to us about?” she prompted. “I’m assuming it has something to do with Rhiannon.”
“It does,” I answered. “But first I need to tell you a story about two brothers. Identical twins.” I paused, gathering my thoughts. “They were born into slavery a long, long time ago. Though their lives were hard, they found happiness where they could. Until they were ten. Their master could no longer afford to keep them both and rather than separate them, he sold them at a slave market. With their blond hair and blue eyes, they were much sought after. After a great deal of haggling, they were sold to a very wealthy man with certain…proclivities.” I stopped speaking then, fighting back memories that should have faded with the thousands of years that had passed since that time. “The next twelve years were difficult. Even after the boys became too old to interest the man in the way they once did, he had other uses for them. He was a warlock, you see, determined to discover the secret to eternal life. Eternal youth. His experiments were often painful and lasted for days. Finally, when they boys had become young men, he was successful. He turned one twin first, nearly killing him in the process. He was in agony for days. And when he finally recovered, he wasn’t the same. He carried evil in his core. But their master learned from his mistakes the first time. He refined the process over the next few months. Then he came for the other twin and changed him as well.”
I paused in the story then. I didn’t want to tell them what happened next, but they had to know so they could understand what was to come.
“After he turned the second brother, the first managed to escape and killed their master. The second brother thought he would be free, but he was wrong. He was no longer a slave but he was still a prisoner. For centuries, he would try to escape his brother but it was impossible. The first brother would find him and the experiments and cruelty would continue. Until finally the second could take no more. He knew that his only choice was to die or kill the only family he had left. So he studied and planned for his kind were nearly impossible to destroy. When he succeeded in killing his brother, he grieved, but there was also relief. He was no longer under the thumb of madness. But there were unintended side effects.”
Throughout the story, I couldn’t meet either of the women’s eyes. I wasn’t sure what I would see when they looked at me, but now I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I looked to Ava first, expecting to see anger and disgust. Instead I saw compassion and understanding.
Her reaction was unexpected, but it didn’t prepare me for what I saw when my eyes moved to Savannah. She sat on the couch, her cup clutched in her hands and tears in her eyes.
I couldn’t understand why she was crying for me. I had just revealed that I killed my brother, an unforgivable act, yet she looked sad instead of repulsed.
“What side effects?” Ava asked, drawing my attention away from Savannah.
I cleared my throat. “The only way to kill him was to take his soul, and the souls he stole, into my body. I didn’t understand at the time what it would do to me. I see things, usually in my sleep. They’re memories, but the memories aren’t my own. They belong to Cornelius. That’s how I know Rhiannon is dangerous. Since she came to Savannah’s house a few weeks ago, I’ve been dreaming of her. At first I thought it was a trick of the mind. That I inserted her into my dreams because there was something about her I didn’t like, but after a while I realized that wasn’t the case. That’s why I came into the store today. I wanted to talk to you about it, but she was there. Then you said that she practiced dark magic and I knew for certain that she had something to do with how Cornelius and I were made.”
Ava’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“In my dreams, she was there the night Cornelius was made. She helped Gaius create us. She wasn’t there when I was changed, but Gaius never would have been able to succeed if it weren’t for her.” I took a deep breath. “Then throughout Cornelius’ memories she appears again and again. He wanted something from her. Something she wouldn’t give him willingly. Now that he’s dead, she no longer has to worry about his pursuit and she can continue with whatever she had planned before.”
Ava nodded, her expression thoughtful. “That sounds plausible, but we can’t count on it,” she stated. “Each of us is unique in our own right and Rhiannon approached Savannah first. For all we know, it’s Savannah she wants. Or me.”
She made an excellent point. “I’m not sure I’ll be content to watch and wait.”
Ava frowned at me. “I wouldn’t be either, but we also need to learn as much as we can about her before we do anything. It’s clear that she’s been watching us for a while and we have no idea what she truly wants.”
“Power,” Savannah interjected, her voice dreamy as though her mind were far away. “She hides her emotions well, but the desire for power is the strongest. She wants to be respected, no, revered, and the only way to accomplish that is to have power.” Savannah blinked and her gaze refocused on us. “I couldn’t sense anything else from her at the shop except that.”
“What about Macgrath?” Ava asked.
Savannah shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like him. It’s almost as if his heart is encased in stone. There is no getting in there.”
Ava nodded. “Well, I will contact my friends in the area and see what they know about Rhiannon Temple.”
“I have a friend I can call as well,” I stated.
“We’ll talk again in a few days. Until then, be careful and call me immediately if Rhiannon comes back,” Ava commanded. She got to her feet and set her mug on the coffee table. “Rhys, could I speak to you privately for a moment?”
I followed her outside onto the front porch, shutting the door behind me. Ava gestured for me to walk with her to her car. When we were a few feet from the house, she stopped and turned toward me. “I want you to keep an eye on Savannah. She can protect herself, but she never would because she cannot stand the pain it causes if she hurts someone. That means you and I are responsible for protecting her.”
I nodded. “I fully intend to.”
“I assumed you would, but it made me feel better to say it anyway,” she replied with a sigh.
“You care for her a great deal, don’t you?” I asked.
“She is like a little sister to me. I love her,” she replied simply.
“I’ll protect her,” I vowed. “Because I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her either.”
Ava nodded. “I’ll call you in a few days.”
With that, she climbed into her car and left. I returned to the house and found Savannah going through my refrigerator, taking out food and setting it on the counter.
