Words of Power (Alice Gray Book 3)

11

"Ouch."

It came out as more of a screech than a word, as I twisted away from Evan's sharp elbow that he'd jammed into my ribs.

"You can't ask that, Alice. It's rude," Evan hissed, sliding me a warning look from his narrowed eyes.

"Sorry," I said, eyes still glued to the man who was now as solid as any enormous biker dude in a convoy of Hell's Angels.

That rumble again, but there was a glint of interest in his eyes. And something else. Some twitch of his beard that looked very much like amusement.

"What's he still doing here?" I hissed at Lucas, unable to fathom why the large cheese scented man didn't return to the riveting business of guesthouse management.

"Ralph has been assigned by the DPA to regulate the magic in the guesthouse," Lucas said.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise at his tone of reverence. I wasn't used to hearing awe in my Alpha's voice.

"Regulate the...wait. You're the one keeping my magic from me?"

"No, child. That was done by the cunning folk," the hairy man growled.

My face twisted with scepticism. "What magic are you regulating then?" I asked, deciding to ignore the child comment. I was twenty-five years old for God's sake.

"Alice," Evan hissed, jabbing me again with his elbow.

"What?" I barked, unable to hold my temper under the onslaught of jabby elbows and cryptic answers.

The rumble that came from the man-mountain in the corner was definitely a laugh this time. My brows drew together and my mouth scrunched up. The rumble got louder.

Bastard.

"A witch's bind is not sufficient for one such as you."

"What? Why not?"

That rumble again. Heat travelled through my veins, anger scorching me inside and out. Lucas placed a warning hand on my shoulder.

"The Eye. It blinked," Ralph said.

"How is that possible?" Evan asked quietly.
Why the hell was he allowed to ask questions?

"Witch magic is not the only force at play, my child. You have to search within."

"The vamps?" I asked, realising that's what Ralph might mean. "The vision. It showed me what they're doing to Jonathan. They're torturing him Lucas."

"Hey, shhh, it's ok."

"It's not ok." My voice rose with panic. Why weren't they taking me seriously? "The vamps, they're the other force, aren't they?"

My question was directed to an empty space. Ralph the biker dude had gone.

"Alice, look at me," Lucas ordered.

My eyes shot to his face without hesitation. Damn pack bond.

"We'll find out what's going on with the vamps. Don't worry. But we've got to get you through this trial first. We need to focus on you before we help Jonathan."

"You don't understand. What they're doing. His face, it..."

The urgency left my voice under the calming influence of my Alpha's touch. Lucas rubbed small circles on my back as he held my gaze. When he pulled me to his chest, I didn't resist.
I needed this warmth, this acceptance. I needed him.

"I don't think that Ralph was speaking of vampires, Alice. Their magic is different to yours," Lucas said, his mouth twisted with distaste at the thought of dead, unnatural vampire energy. "They couldn't be involved in your magic coming back, they have no control over witch life-force."

Lucas's eyes left mine and sought out Evan. "What do you know about this Eye?"

"Only the same old legend that everybody knows."

Lucas caught Evan in his Alpha gaze, and motioned with his hand for him to get on with it.

Evan let out an exasperated sigh. "Centuries ago, witches were much more powerful than they are today. We use Earth's natural forces to power our spells, right?"

Lucas nodded his understanding for the both of us.

"Well, back then, witches had access to a higher power."

"A higher power than nature?" Lucas asked. I could feel his confusion. Shifters were a part of nature. Their power was hot and raw; it was wild and dangerous and could explode like a thunder storm or destroy like a cyclone. It was hard for Lucas to understand power beyond nature.

But something that Evan said made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I had seen power work outside of nature. Controlling the elements, untwisting nature's work and re-making it according to individual whims.
My father had done that with his gargoyle army.

I had done it too.

I held myself still in Lucas's arms, hardly daring to breathe as I waited for Evan to speak.

"The legends say that when witches first walked the earth, they were blessed. Gifted with the sight of a Third Eye, which allowed them to see into the future and draw power from other realms."

"What happened?" Lucas asked.

"Greed riddled the community. The witch leaders tried and tried again to draw all the power to the earth, leaving none elsewhere. When it was seen that witches were more human than divine, their Third Eyes were closed. Forever."

"Ok, but he said The Eye. If all witches have a Third Eye, whose did he mean? Whose Eye blinked?"

"I don't think he meant a witches Third Eye," Evan said quietly. "Back then, from the time of the legend, we were the beneficiaries. I think the Eye that blinked was the benefactor."

"And who the hell is that?" I asked, hardly daring to listen to the answer.

The plot thickens! Is Alice finally going to get some answers about the unwieldy power?