The Rebel Queen (Outlaw 1)

Rhys and Shy had taken little Justin to the house Neil and Chad were staying at. Neil had promised Lisa he would watch over her son while she tried to take care of his father.

Courtney wiped tears from her eyes and stood. “Can I see him? Is Mom okay?”

No one had been able to convince Courtney to leave. She’d sat in a chair by the fire, silent the entire time.

Daniel put a hand on her shoulder. “I think he would like that very much. And your mom is being strong. Like I said, he’s stable, but I’m still worried. He deteriorated very quickly. We’re bringing someone in. I need you to understand that I will do everything I can.”

She nodded and let Daniel lead her inside.

The door behind us opened and Lily walked through, a basket in her hand. She was followed by Lee, who’d gone to find her and Dean. Dean looked around the place like he wasn’t sure of his welcome. I rather thought he missed Kelsey. She’d been the one he’d spent the most time with when we were on the outer planes. He’d been shoved into this brand-new world and then pushed to the side because we’d been in constant trauma mode since the moment we got here.

He was far from everything he knew, and the person he’d been closest to was gone. He’d followed Lee around, but he still looked so lost. I hoped Lily and the other witches were taking him under their wings. He stopped in the middle of the room and went still as though he was taking in his surroundings and finding them alarming.

“I have a couple of tonics we can try.” Lily set her basket down on the coffee table. “But I also thought we could let Dean have a look. His magic is different from any I’ve ever felt.”

“Different how?” I asked.

Lily stepped in close, her voice going low. “Magic has a texture to it. I know that sounds odd, but it’s the only way I can explain it. You know how spells can leave a scent behind? Or how you can feel the air crackle around you when a powerful witch casts?”

I remembered how it felt when Sarah worked her magic. There was an electricity that surrounded her when she concentrated. “I do.”

“Dean has an aura around him. Like he’s not merely a witch. Like there’s something inside him that’s constantly giving off magic. It’s weirdly soothing,” Lily said. “When I get close to him, I feel…calmer than I was before. I would say he’s working some kind of charm magic, but he’s not. It’s not a charm or a glamour. I think it’s just who he is. Or what he is.”

“Do you think it’s dangerous?” We had no idea how strong he was. I felt comfortable with him because he seemed so genuine. He’d saved our butts on the outer planes when it would have been easier for him to leave us behind. He was facing his destiny despite the fact that he had a privileged existence on another plane.

And Summer had cared for him and he for her. Now Lee seemed drawn to him. I wanted another perspective, though. I wanted to know how a witch would feel around him.

“I think he has no idea what kind of power he could wield, so yes. He could be very dangerous if he was turned the wrong way,” Lily replied quietly. “Or he could be the hero he wants to be. There’s a goodness to him that’s hard to deny.”

Her answer eased my mind a bit. I knew any witch on Myrddin’s team would be wary of Dean and his odd magic, but it was good to know our witches liked him. “And you think he might be able to help Zack?”

“Zack was hit by a curse. It was battle magic, but there was a curse aspect to it. That curse is what’s killing him. We’ve tried clearing it, but it’s Myrddin’s magic. It’s the single most powerful magic we’ve ever seen on the Earth plane. That’s the problem. We’re using Earth plane magic to combat it. Even our dark magic flows from the Earth plane.” She glanced back to where Dean stood frowning. “I understand that Dean was conceived here on Earth, but he wasn’t born here. He was taken off plane while his mother was pregnant. Unborn souls are tricky things. They can be influenced, especially by their environments, or in this case by the mother’s environment or the things she experiences.”

Didn’t I know that truth? Mine was sitting quietly in the corner watching Dean. “You think the act of being taken to the outer planes might have changed Dean’s magic?”

She nodded. “Yes. From what he’s told me, his mother was transported by a Planeswalker. She was in the demon’s company for at least a day. That demonic energy is powerful, especially when they go through the doorways. It’s possible that energy changed what would have been normal Earth magic into something else. I’m going to check into his mother’s line. I suspect she might be from one of the lost families.”