A Gift of Magic

Chapter 4

            Leigh’s senses were on high alert with the stranger with her. Turning him away wasn’t an option, he would most likely just follow her anyways, at least in this case she could keep an eye on him. She constantly found herself looking at him then admonishing herself. Guys like Logan weren’t attracted to girls like Leigh. Growing up around the were she knew that they stuck to their own kind and found her curves disgusting. She heard the comments enough growing up that she knew this good looking stranger felt the same. She just needed to keep her distance and get rid of him at the first opportunity. She went to nervously run her fingers through her hair to find it had unusual tangles in it. She absently undid the tangles as she walked the base of the mountain feeling for the tug of the book she sought. She could swear she herd tinkling laughter again, but it was gone as soon as it had started leaving Leigh to believe it was just her imagination running wild.

            Logan was watching Leigh intently. He could tell by the way she was walking that she did not know the area, but her steps were true and her path unmistakably sure; she was looking for something. He was following behind her, and his eyes kept falling to her hips. She had luscious curves he was dying to run his fingers over. Her body moved in soft waves that entranced him. When she started playing with her hair, seeming to try to untangle small knots in it he thought he heard tinkling laughter, but brushed it off, that could be any nighttime animal. He was entranced watching her fingers working through her wavy black hair and the unusual bright green highlights. Her highlights were the same green as her eyes which reminded him of the green of new growth. He was itching to run his fingers through her hair to see if it was as soft as it looked. Instead, he clenched his hands at his sides. “How much further are we going?” he asked Leigh to break the comfortable silence. Maybe he could get her to talk to him.

            Leigh answered in a distracted tone, “I’m not sure.” She reached out to the mountain and was lightly skimming her fingers along the stone face a far away look to her face.

            Logan realized that she was using senses that he couldn’t fathom so he sent his own senses out to ensure there were no surprises coming their way. He could hear muffled voices about a mile away but sensed nothing else. He decided not to mention them to her unless they got closer.

            Abruptly Leigh stopped and Logan bumped into her, he lightly grabbed her upper arms to steady her, so he didn’t inadvertently knock her over. The front of his body was pressed to the back of hers for a delicious moment. She was so small compared to him that she only came up to his chest and he had to lean down slightly to get a good whiff of her scent, rich fertile soil with hints of dried sweet grass and wild orchids. Her scent was intoxicating to him. The contact between his hands and her arms had tingles running along the points where their skin touched. He briefly wondered if she could feel it too as she shivered slightly and stepped out of his immediate proximity. He felt bereft of the contact but knew he had to move with caution, she was a Druid not a werewolf and courtship would have to be different as well. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “I didn’t mean to run into you.”

            She gave him a speculative glance and rubbed her hands over where his hands just were. She said softly, “please be more careful.” Looking back to the base of the mountain she placed her fingertips to it again and mumbled, “I must connect with the land.” Without another word she dropped to the ground sitting cross legged and placed her hands palms down on the ground. She closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths, a moment later the highlights in her hair started to glow. Logan wanted to watch her but knew that the light made them a target and so he reluctantly ripped his gaze from her to the sparse woods surrounding them. He sensed nothing but stayed alert. She softly said, “four shifters about a mile out haven’t come across our scents yet, but that’s inevitable. Animals are scattering to avoid them. A cave.” She opened her eyes; the cave is close we need to move before they find our scents.”

            Logan nodded as he followed Leigh. She walked ahead about ten feet then started climbing the mountain base. She was about a foot shy of reaching the ledge above her and there were no outcroppings for her to use, Logan reached up and placed his hand on Leigh’s ass giving her that last boost to reach the ledge. Once she pulled herself over, he easily followed. Leigh was giving him a skeptical look, “thanks for the boost, but you could have just boosted me up via my foot.”

            Logan shrugged, “you couldn’t have made the ledge without help. I had more control over the boost being closer to your core, I wouldn’t want to hurt you,” he looked at her in his periphery to see if she bought it. She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t say anything more as she turned to see the opening to the cave. Logan couldn’t help but to be impressed she had known exactly where the cave was. “What’s in the cave?” he asked as nonchalantly as he could muster.

            “The next step in my journey” was all Leigh said as she stood up and brushed herself off. Suddenly a chittering sound came from below them and Leigh took off her pack, held it by the strap, laid down on the ground, and put her arm down with the pack dangling from it. Before Logan could ask what she was doing, a pudgy raccoon came running up her arm and onto her back before standing next to her body while examining Logan. Leigh stood back up and opened her pack. She tossed a papaya to the raccoon. She held out a mango to Logan and asked, “hungry?” Stunned Logan just nodded and quietly accepted the fruit. He wasn’t actually hungry but exchanging and sharing meals was part of the mating ritual and he wasn’t going to miss an important step because she was human and didn’t understand his culture. Logan elongated a claw and cut a piece of mango off and offered the piece to Leigh. She waved him off taking a banana out of her bag and peeling it.

            Logan took a bite of the mango and moaned, “this is the freshest mango I have ever tasted. Where did you get it?”

            Leigh smiled, “you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t been here 24 hours yet.  

            Logan said, “try me, you’d be surprised what I would believe.” When she looked at him, he winked at her. A faint blush tinted her face but was gone quickly.

            Leigh said, “I helped the fruit sprout on the trees this morning in the sss Rain-forest.” She looked at Logan directly to see if he would challenge her.

            I was just outside the clearing in the bushes as you brought the fruit trees to life outside the cottage. I believe you, although I don’t know how you made it across continents in minutes.” He looked at her to try to divine her secretes but she abruptly finished her banana and placed the peel to the side of the cave opening by some struggling plants. She picked up her pack, secured the straps and put her pack back on. The raccoon had finished her fruit and Logan had just finished the mango when the raccoon ran up to him and snatched it out of his hands and hissed. Logan held his hands out to her palms out in a placating gesture grumbling, “I would have given it to you if I knew you wanted it.”

            Leigh chucked softly as her new raccoon friend swiftly stole Logan’s mango seed. To her relief he didn’t look upset about the raccoon and her adorable antics. He stood up after the mano incident and brushed off his hands on his pants.  He gestured to the cave entrance, “would you like me to go first to make sure it’s safe?” he asked.

            Bristling at the idea that he thought she couldn’t handle herself she said, “you don’t even know what I am looking for, it is better for you to just follow me.”

            She waited for him to take offense, but he just shrugged his muscular shoulders, “that’s find, the view is must better back here.”

            Leigh gave him a confused look, “listen, I know what shifters think of bigger women. If we are going to be traveling together you need to just be honest with me. If you are going to make fun of me then you can just go your separate way.”

            Logan had a hurt look cross his face. He said in a sincere tone, “I don’t know who insulted you so, but you are a beautiful woman, Leigh. I would never describe you as big, but voluptuous.” Logan looked Leigh directly in her eyes, “If you want honesty, you have curves that make my hands itch to caress and hair that I just want to run my fingers though.” He finished his statement and they stayed looking at each other for a moment before Leigh turned abruptly and walked into the cave. Shrugging his shoulders Logan followed her.

            About seven feet into the cave, Leigh came to a stop. There was a pentagram carved into the floor with notches dug down into the rock. Leigh sighed, “I am going to lose my favorite travel stones.”

            “What was that?” Logan said looking at Leigh with confusion.

            “This first step is to ensure only a Druid could open the passage. My travel set of pentagram stones will be needed. Hopefully I will get them back.” Leigh started to move her pack off her shoulders when Logan stopped her.

            Pointing to a shelf on the wall he said, “might you be able to use those stones instead?”

            Leigh sighed, “thank the goddess! I spent a lot of time collecting my stones I didn’t want to have to do it again.”

            Leigh pulled the bottom of her shirt out and gently scooped the stones into her shirt making a slight hammock for them and walked toward the pentagram. She immediately stopped at the circle surrounding the pentagram and placed a piece of corundum and a piece of menilite in the notches. The corundum was a grey stone which looked to have blue coloring on the outer sides, the menilite was a flat white unremarkable stone that almost looked malformed. “Surrounding the pentagram, I place these stones of corundum and menilite, they represent the connection my family has with the goddess Brigit and the combination of all.” Stopping at north she picked out a chunk of amazonite, a bright green stone with beautiful delicate gold-colored lines running through it she placed the stone in the notch. Standing she said, “I place this stone in the North, it represents the connection I have to the goddess Danu.” Walking in a straight line to the East she picked out a chunk of orthoclase, a light pink stone with sporadic lies of dark pink throughout and placed the stone in the notch. Rising she said, “I place this stone in the East, it represents the connection my family has with the god Nuada.” She walked straight to the west and pulled out a chunk of red coral and placed the stone in the notch. Rising she said, “I place this stone in the West, it represents the connection my family has with the god Manann.” She then walked straight to the northeastern point and found an apatite stone, a bright blue stone with streaks of black running throughout and placed it into the notch. Standing she said, “I place this stone in the Northeast, it represents the connection my family has to the god Canta.” She then walked to the southern point and found a small black lava rock and placed it into the notch. Rising she said, “I place this stone in the South, it represents the connection my family has with the goddess Brighid.” She walked straight to the northern point again and then to the outer circle. She walked the outer circle in silence three times and suddenly the stones began to softly glow. A noise like the grinding of stone got their attention as a stone rolled away on the side of the cave. Leigh immediately walked through the opening with her raccoon trailing at her heels. Logan was so astonished by what he had witnessed he had to move quickly to catch up before the doorway closed behind them.