Wait for the Wind by Brynna Curry

 
    Chapter 1
     
    Haleyville, Alabama 2010
    Ryan rolled on the sweat-dampened sheets and tossed with the effort to wake up. Disoriented, he only knew that his body seemed trapped in sleep while his mind dreamed in the conscious of another.
    With a flourish of her hands, Arianne coaxed the flames in her hearth to raise high against the wind of the brewing storms. Candles on the table flickered and mirrored the rising fire. Her power was stronger with Briella’s stolen magic, but not quite enough to control fire, only change it to her benefit. Not enough to gain her sister’s husband and child, either. Once she unleashed Daemon’s inner demon and manipulated it into doing her bidding, she’d not only take Brie’s power, but her life.
    Briella’s hold over the nixie was strong, but her naiveté would be her downfall. Even now, the threads connecting her to Briella slowly siphoned the young woman’s power. Arianne gathered the dried herbs she’d prepared for the next step in her plan. Together in a stone crucible she ground rosemary, lavender and thyme into dust. Then added a splash of water and mixed it into a thin soup of disastrous means. Her past attempts to win Daemon had failed. She and Briella were twins. Did they not have the same eyes and face? Did they not have the same body? Still, she knew ways to appeal to his wicked nature her sister could never have dreamed.
    Stirring the air, she lifted the stone bowl and allowed it to float above the flames and boil heavily. An incantation whispered under her breath imbued the liquid with her power. Daemon need only drink the mixture and he would be hers, but how would she trick him into consuming it? There was one way to be sure she’d have what she wanted. Arianne dipped her finger into the concoction and began to paint her mouth with the mixture. Her prey was just like any other man inside. She must bind him to her physically.
    Someone pounded on the door. She set aside the bowl, walked across the room and faced a furious Daemon. He could kill with a look, a thought, in his current state. Her only chance was to make him believe she was Briella. She began to mask her power, pulling on her sister’s magic until it was impossible to tell the opposing forces apart.
    “What are you doing to Brie? I feel her energy waning. Let her go!”
    Arianne smiled sweetly. “Don’t be silly. Ari’s done nothing to me. I’m right here.”
    “Brie? Are you sick? Your magic. It’s–”
    “I’m tired, that is all. Nothing to be concerned about.”
    “Why are you here?”
    “I’m waiting on Ari to bring some herbs for Etain’s poultice. Her shoulder isn’t doing well and still aches horribly with the cold weather. Are you feeling ill?” Arianne stepped to him and felt his forehead, pretending to check for a fever.
    “No. You seem different.” Daemon caught her hand and kissed her palm where the potion still lingered and was caught. “Brie.”
    Arianne accepted his kiss, his embrace, and triumphed quietly inside. She’d finally taken one of the two things her sister held dear.
    Ryan woke startled and disoriented. Beads of sweat slicked his bare chest in spite of the cool temperature in his air conditioned bedroom. He tossed off the covers and sat up. For some reason he couldn’t catch his breath.
    Swinging his feet over the side of the bed, he walked barefoot toward the bathroom in the dark. He bumped his knee into one of the taller statues he had yet to ship back home. Cursing, he half-hopped into the other room and flipped on a light. When he examined the blooming bruise across his kneecap in the shape of a long curved line, he decided it must have been the dragon statue he hadn’t packed yet. Bloody hell.
    One more night on American soil, just one, and he’d be on a flight back to Ireland. The morning couldn’t come fast enough to suit him. Finally, all the trials were over. Agent Spiller had kept his word, seeing to it Ryan was granted immunity in exchange for