Free Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) by K. S. Haigwood, Ella Medler

I’ve never done any magic or even felt like I could.” Ariana was shaking so bad, she was sending little wavelets through the sofa cushions which were strong enough to shake Becky, too. She felt elated and scared at the same time.
    “That is because you never awakened your inner witch. It is definitely awake now.” Rainey stood and started pacing around the room. “I’ll put you in my class starting Monday. You’ll start class at eight a.m. and after lunch you will go to work. Tiff is your boss; I will let her know the arrangement. I’ll tell her to only schedule you to do half a shift so you won’t be too tired; you’ll need your rest if you’re going to work on your newly discovered skill so soon. Speaking of rest, you need to get some sleep. Come over in the morning and we’ll see what we can do about quieting down those voices. We’ll try to make you as comfortable as possible between now and Monday. With all that going on in your head, Ariana, I’ll be surprised if you get any sleep, but try to shut it all out. I hear it works like a light switch. Try turning it off.”
    Rainey turned to Becky next. “After breakfast, Becky, give me a call.”
    The girls looked at each other and stood up. Becky put her arm around Ariana’s shoulders and led her gently to the door.
    Rainey’s phone beeped. “I have a missed call. I didn’t even hear it ring,” she muttered.
    Rainey waved at Ariana and Becky as they walked out the door and pressed the button to retrieve Abe’s message. Talk of the devil… Well, think of her, really, and she appears. Yes, Julia could well become a complication. They would have to play their cards right and, for goodness’ sake, not do anything rash. The slightest mistake could cost Ariana her health, or worse. And Abe his happiness.
    Rainey drifted around the place, trying to soothe her mind enough so sleep – and the much needed rest – would come. After all that had happened that day she thought she’d be fighting a losing battle, but soon after her head hit the pillow she started her dream journey.
    Rainey walked along the beach on the other side of Eternal Island far away from the palace walls. She knew this because she could see the top of her favorite restaurant, Mackie’s; they made the best chicken quesadilla she’d ever put in her mouth. She didn’t know why she walked the beach barefooted and alone, but her dreams sometimes could be deceiving.
    Rainey got most of her insights from her dreams, so she always welcomed them. But tonight she wished they would give her a break and let her get some actual rest. She was fast approaching information overload, and when that happened she was certain her brain would explode. She already had trouble keeping track of all the ramifications of visions, events, dreams and conversations; it couldn’t be long until something would go terribly wrong. She wondered vaguely if psychics could be overworked.
    The dream took her farther down the beach and soon a man sitting in the sand caught her eye. He was staring out towards the ocean. She didn’t think he was aware of her presence.
    When Rainey got within twenty-five feet of him she could tell something was amiss. The man’s face was blurry, like she couldn’t focus enough to see him clearly. His body was buff. Shirtless, with only flip flops and khaki shorts on, this man was Heaven sent. Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her to take some time off. Hell, yeah, this dream was starting to be very welcome.
    As she walked closer his face still didn’t focus but he started talking to her; it had to be her, as there was no one else but the two of them on the beach as far as eye could see.
    “Excuse me, are you talking to me?” Rainey asked the mysterious hot guy, to be sure.
    “Yes, Rainey.” The man sounded as if he had a smile on his face, but he was still too out of focus for her to tell. He stood up, walked to her and stopped only inches from her face. She estimated he must