Raintree: Oracle (Raintree 4)

No, Emma was not here, and neither was Maddy. She saw no sign of Dante’s kids, or Mercy’s. These children were...

Hers. Hers and Ryder’s. There were blonde girls and dark-headed boys. They danced around some strange stones that glimmered with amazing energy. The fairies were there, sparkling like stars that had fallen near to the ground.

She didn’t want kids, never had, and with good reason. But as she watched these children her heart filled with a love she had never imagined possible. These little people lit the world with a new light. She loved them with a bone-deep mother’s love.

Echo realized she was in a dream. Not a vision, not a premonition, just a dream. In case there was some grain of truth here, she attempted to see...how many kids? There seemed to be a lot of them, but she couldn’t tell. Maybe what she saw were the same children again and again. Children at different ages, at different stages of their lives.

Suddenly Ryder was with her. She couldn’t see him but he stood behind her. She felt him there. As with the running children, that feeling was bone-deep. Love. Not infatuation, not lust. Love. She had never known such a deep love could be real.

His arms went around her; he pulled her back against his solid body, and she settled there.

He whispered in her ear. This is a possible future. It is not set in stone, not a surety, just a possibility. There are many possibilities.

His arms tightened around her. He picked her up, off her feet, and spun her around.

And she found herself facing a graveyard, looking at a row of headstones. Ryder Duncan was there.

So was Echo Raintree.

Chapter 12

Rye walked across deserted green fields. It was a path he’d walked many times in past years. Echo had gone back to her rented room to catch a nap between shifts. He had a million things to do, but he needed to see his daughter in the flesh.

The thatched-roof cottage that had been Cassidy’s home for her entire life sat on an emerald-green hill an easy half hour’s walk from Cloughban. The cottage was small but sturdy, a safe home for a very special girl and her grandmother.

When Cassidy was older and had better control over her abilities, maybe she and Bryna could move to town. Until then, until she’d made it safely through puberty, he didn’t dare it. It was a risk enough to allow her to see anyone other than him and his mother-in-law, but he knew complete isolation would not be good for her.

She normally went to school, but had not been lately. Everyone in town was determined to protect Cassidy from the Raintree. His daughter had friends, but even though those friends all had gifts, they were not in the same class as Cassidy. Not even close. They were gifted. She was exceptional.

The villagers were also determined to protect the stones, which was the reason the book about Cloughban had been snatched from Echo’s hand. It was a shared fear that the stones would be discovered. That others, gifted and not, would flock here in droves. That the roads would be widened to allow for buses filled with foreign visitors to gawk and stare, to touch and take photographs. The very idea was a nightmare to those who had found peace in this village.

The stones were sacred. They were not meant to be a tourist attraction.

Bryna knew he was coming; she always did. Rye got the evil eye as he walked through the front door. That was the norm, too. He couldn’t blame her.

Cassidy ran toward him; she threw herself into his arms. “Da!” she said in an excited voice. “I’ve missed you.”

Neither of them mentioned the early-morning visit. Bryna did not approve of Cassidy’s out-of-body excursions. Neither did he—they were potentially dangerous—but that was a talk they’d have in private. Later.

Bryna didn’t miss much, but her granddaughter had the ability to hide whatever she wished to hide.

Cassidy grinned at her grandmother without letting Rye go. “Da has a girlfriend. She’s very pretty.”

“It isn’t polite to snoop into other people’s thoughts,” Bryna said sourly.

“But, Granny, sometimes I can’t help it. Sometimes the thoughts just scream at me.”

True, Rye thought as he watched the two of them interact. Echo’s thoughts were so strong, so clear. Were his own the same? He hoped not.

Bryna’s expression softened. “I know, ma chroi, but you must try.”

Cassidy nodded and turned her attention back to Rye. “Can we go for a walk? Can we visit the stones?”

Rye nodded. “Fetch your jumper. It’s nippy out.”

Cassidy nodded and ran for her room, and that’s when Bryna turned her hard attention on Rye.

“A girlfriend, eh?”