The Trouble With Spells by Lacey Weatherford Read Free Book Online Page B

hesitated again.
    “It’s okay. You
can trust me,” I said, trying to offer him some kind of encouragement to
continue.
    He stared at me
for several seconds. “You’ve been calling for me,” he finally blurted out.
    “I’ve been …
what?” I said, confused. When had I ever called for him?
    “You’ve been
calling for me,” he said again. “Maybe you don’t realize it, but it’s happening
a lot lately—mostly when you’re asleep. But you did it consciously today when
you were blowing out the candles on your birthday cake.”
    My face flushed
crimson. “How can you know about that?” I asked in amazement.
    He walked back
over to me, reaching a hand down. I slipped mine into his, and he pulled me to
my feet. We were standing toe to toe, and a breeze stirred up slightly,
swirling around us. He reached to tuck a stray hair blowing across my face back
behind my ear.
    “We’re linked for
some reason, you and I.” His eyes searching mine intently.
    “Linked?” I
whispered, my throat dry.
    “It doesn’t happen
very often,” he explained. “But when it does it’s usually something very
special. I hate to use the word, but it’s kind of like,” he hesitated again,
“like we’re soul mates. Connected in a way that’s extremely unique.”
    “But we barely
know each other,” I said, my heart beginning to beat rapidly at what he was
telling me.
    “I understand why
you feel that way, Portia, but try not to be afraid when I tell you I know you
better than you think I do. I’ve been watching you for a long, long time—a
couple of years, in fact. I just couldn’t say anything to you until you found
out about your magic. I promised your dad I’d stay away from you until then.”
    He seemed almost
relieved to share this with me. I knew his words should’ve struck me as being
odd; however, something in the depths of my spirit began to sing. I knew he was
speaking the truth. My eyes began to water as the emotions flooded my body with
no place to go.
    “What does all
this mean?”
    He shook his head.
“I don’t know. But I’m betting we’ll find out,” he whispered back. He reached
down and took both of my hands into his, interlocking our fingers together,
resting his forehead against mine.
    We stood that way
for a while, looking deeply at each other for the first time. I felt like we
were reading, without words, into one another’s souls.
    “I’d better get
you back to your grandma’s,” he said, finally breaking the silence.
    I nodded, unsure
of what to say.
    He led me back
through the woods to the motorcycle, and a short time later I was safely
through the window once more, into the guest bedroom.
    “Goodnight, Vance,”
I whispered to him.
    “Blessed be,
Portia,” he said quietly, running a finger down my cheek, and then he was gone.
    I thought it would
be even more difficult to go to sleep this time, but I’d been awake almost the
whole night. I fell asleep quickly, but my dreams soon turned to tortured
nightmares. I was running from something, trying desperately to get away, but I
couldn’t see through the mist that was following me. I only knew whatever was
in there was bad, evil, and I couldn’t let it get me.
    “Vance!” I called
his name into the darkness as the fog threatened to overcome me, and suddenly
he was standing there before me. He grabbed me with both arms, pulling me to
him.
    “Portia,” he said,
and I reveled in the heat and close contact of him. I buried my head in his
chest. “Portia, it’s only a dream. You’re safe at your grandma’s house,
remember?”
    I suddenly sat
straight up. I was wide awake and trembling in my grandma’s guest bed. The
dream had seemed so real. Vance had seemed so real.
    I calmed my
breathing and lay back on the pillow, wiping the sweat from my brow.
    My mind was
buzzing with remnant thoughts, but I tried to latch onto something safe and comfortable
to ease my mind.
    Soul mates. The
word kept ringing over and over again. What did it