Darkness Unleashed Read Online Free PDF Page A

delicacy of the magic, the less chance for interruption, the better.
    “ Do you need me for anything?” Devlin asked.
    “ I don’t think so. This is something I can do by myself. I’ll need you close, however, Mason. You have the strongest connection with her.”
    I nodded. “Whatever you need.” From the corner of my eye, I watched Devlin move to sit near Daniel, picking up one of the thick tomes to read. Returning my concentration to Vivien, I offered her a tight smile. “Thank you for this.”
    “ Anytime. I was hoping she’d start feeling better; but like I said, you have the strongest bond with her, so if you say something’s wrong, I would never second guess it.” Taking my hand, she led me over to where she’d set some things on her altar. “Okay, what I’m going to do is drop a few hair strands in the goblet and then heat it while speaking my intentions. I’ve already mixed up a potion of certain herbs and added some blessed wine.”
    “ I won’t be drinking it, will I?” I blurted out.
    Her hushed laughter somehow soothed my nerves. “No, Mason. The wine is strictly a conduit to the Goddess. I’ll heat the mixture over a candle strictly set apart for truth seeking; and within a few minutes, the smoke should reveal whether something is amiss.” She must’ve seen my uncertainty because she continued, “I’ve done this before and it’s always worked.”
    I let out a stifled breath. “I don’t doubt you, Vivien. I’m just kicking myself for not noticing sooner.”
    Vivien placed the hairbrush back onto the altar and turned to face me completely. “You listen to me, Mason O’Connor. Don’t you blame yourself for this. You hoped she would recover, just like the rest of us did. And the moment you realized something didn’t seem right, you acted.”
    “ I’m her husband, her mate.”
    “ And you’re doing exactly what you need to be doing.”
    A lump formed in my throat. “Okay.”
    She nodded before resuming her preparations. Tugging a few long, brown strands from the brush, she carefully dropped them into the goblet, swirling all the ingredients around inside. Then, lighting the candle, Vivien smiled. “Make sure you all keep quiet. It’ll also help if you all focus on Darcy and uncovering the truth. With all our intentions centering on the spell, I’m confident this won’t take long.”
    My mind swiftly flooded with images of my beautiful wife—the way she looked as she laughed, the way her eyes twinkled with merriment. I had no trouble obeying Vivien’s request and every part of me filled with the love I had for Darcy. I wanted her well. I wanted her happy. If she was lost, hurt, or in danger, I wanted her returned safely to me.
    A solemn hush spread through the room as Vivien began. Unlike other times, she murmured her incantation in low tones, the words indiscernible. I could sense the sudden flare from her magic, but still I remained silent and centered on our purpose.
    Come back to me, sweetheart. Show us what you need.
    Vivien held the metal cup over the flickering flame and I willed the smoke tendrils to start rising. At first there was nothing. But true to her word, a few tentatively began swirling and dancing in the stilled air. I couldn’t make any sense of it, seeing only patterns in the rising fog; but judging by Vivien’s increased pace in chanting, she did.
    The waiting was killing me, stretching my patience thinner and thinner. Just when I thought it would snap, she stopped and leaned forward to blow out the candle. When she straightened up, her expression didn’t inspire hope.
    It tightened the invisible noose I felt wrapped around my neck.
    “ And?”
    “ I’ve never had that happen before. The smoke showed me something is definitely wrong, something magical. But it wouldn’t clarify what. Usually it’ll reveal what we’re facing, but all I saw was fear,” Vivien answered, perturbed. She picked up the goblet again, staring into the cup. “I did