Sacred Circle by Rachel James Read Free Book Online Page B

he didn’t think she was owed the death of her mother as part of that karmic recompense. Should he confess his sins of betrayal to make her feel better? No, she’d not understand; she’d think he was humoring her. He heard a weary sigh, laced with annoyance.
    “Alright, let’s hear it. What else do I owe you an apology for?”
    So much for turnabout, Devlin thought. He followed her second sigh with one of his own.
    “We’ve said it all, I think.”
    “Well, if we’ve said it all, then you’re just holding a grudge against me for no good reason, and that’s just plain stupid.”
    “I’m stupid?”
    “Yes, stupid. I’ve apologized for wishing harm on you, and if I can humble myself to make an apology, I don’t see why you can’t. After all, it’s not as if I did anything wrong that day.”
    “No, of course not. You were a saint. It was my fault.”
    “Exactly. You were the careless one.”
    “If I remember right, you were emceeing the circle.”
    “Under your eagle eye. It never dawned on me that you thought I was capable of conducting the ritual on my own. After all, I was only seventeen.”
    “You’ve been conversant in Sacred Circles since you were twelve. Why wouldn’t I trust you to know what you’re doing? Your parents certainly did.”
    “Of course. Blame Brenda’s death on them now.”
    The slur was cutting, and Devlin wondered why he was letting her get away with such a cheap shot. Had she not once in the past fifteen years thought that Brenda’s death might sit squarely on her head? He glanced out the side window. He should’ve followed his first instinct and let Brianna drive herself home. And more importantly, he should’ve gone to Florida as planned. Why had he changed his mind?
You still have a “thing” for her,
his inner voice chided. Right. Stupid is as stupid does.
    He focused on the roadway ahead again, praying their conversation was truly at an end this time. A loud sigh escaped Brianna’s lips.
    “Don’t you think I know that I mishandled the spell that day?”
    “I think that accidents sometimes happen,” Devlin interrupted. “It’s no one’s fault; energy just collides. Let’s drop the subject, huh?” He stepped on the gas pedal and brought the car up to a steady seventy miles per hour. It settled under the rush of fuel, giving him time to wish he could turn the clock back a few minutes. Right now, falling asleep at the wheel was preferable to regurgitating an incident that he thought he had buried long ago.
    “I never thought I’d want to discuss that day with you.”
    “Don’t then,” Devlin cut in. “We were both there; we know what happened. We paid the price. Enough said.”
    “How long were you ill?”
    “Drop the subject,” Devlin stated, turning his attention to the CD player. She fell silent, but not for long.
    “Don’t tell me you weren’t ill; I was. We both know that a bout with a powerful negative force can cause an illness to linger for months. How long were you down?”
    Devlin ignored the question, hoping his silence would persuade her he had no intention of discussing the past anymore. He pressed the “start” button and listened to the soft, soothing tones of Il Divo. Liking their sound, he turned the music track up. The music disappeared a moment later.
    “You may as well answer me. You know what a brat I can be when I set my mind on something.”
    Devlin turned the music back up again, ignoring her statement. Once more, the music disappeared from his hearing.
    “I mean it, Devlin. I need to know the answer to the question—now more than ever.”
    Devlin gave a huge sigh.
    “Look, the punishment fit the crime. You miscalculated the level of your energy, and by the time I realized the error, the ritual tanked.”
    “And because Brenda was standing behind me, she took the hit.”
    “Right, so we deserved exactly what we got. Now, drop the subject before I’m forced to toss you out of the car.”
    “You, and what army of