Free Demons (Eirik Book 1) by Ednah Walters Page B

pressed on my chest and secured my back to the bed. “Let your inner self settle.” She closed her eyes and swept the air above my body with her hands. She was checking my aura.
    I looked around at the familiar yellow curtains and green walls and sighed with relief. I was in my bedroom, and from the lights, it was nighttime. Piles of blankets were on top of me, and I was sweating. I pushed them aside. Tammy touched my forehead.
    “She’s no longer cold,” she said.
    “You scared the crap out of us,” Hayden said.
    Me too. “What time is it?” I asked.
    “Eight-thirty,” Dad said, entering the room with Aunt Genevieve, Zack’s mother. They didn’t look happy. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
    Five hours had passed since I’d gone into a trance? I sure hadn’t spent it in that man’s dungeon. The cave must have warped time, but how? No, it didn’t matter now. I was home.
    “I’m okay. Really,” I said. Tammy was still checking my aura.
    “Not after being out for hours,” Dad said. “Where did you go?”
    “Not yet, Richard,” Aunt Genevieve said firmly. “I’m checking her vitals first. Excuse me,” she added, concern mixed with annoyance in her voice. She looked pointedly at Tammy. “You can finish when I’m done.” Tammy didn’t argue. My aunt pressed her fingers to my wrist and checked her watch.
    Aunt Genevieve was Mom’s younger sister. She had grown up surrounded by magic, but the Witch gene had completely skipped her. She didn’t fully understand the power of magic, but she respected it. I always thought her attitude had influenced Zack and made him reluctant to embrace his gift. I never discussed magic with her and we rarely talked about Mom, but she was the one Dad had called when there was a medical emergency or whenever I had women issues, including the talk when I hit puberty.
    “I’m okay, Aunt Genevieve,” I reassured her.
    “Hmm-mm.” She inserted the thermometer in my ear. “You, my foolhardy niece, were not here when your temperature dropped.” She checked the reading, threw away the tip, and pocketed the thermometer, then pulled out a flashlight. “Your skin grew icy and your lips turned blue. Look at me.” She moved her hand and flashed the light into my eye. After a few repeats, she moved to the other eye. She glanced at Tammy. “I don’t know where she went, but next time you see signs of hypothermia, call an ambulance.” She stood and gave them a sweeping glance. “Okay?”
    No one spoke, but they nodded.
    “Good. I’m late for my shift. Richard, we’ll talk later. Tammy? A word, please?” She marched out of the room, and Hayden’s mother followed her.
    I sat up and blew out air. “She’s ticked off.”
    “You can’t blame her. I don’t get your ways,” Dad whispered. “I’ve seen people go into a trance, but I don’t recall anyone going under for hours and turning blue.” His voice broke.
    Dad was a heavyset man with a full head of brown hair sprinkled with gray at the temples and blue eyes, which I’d inherited. His dimples were long slashes on his cheeks, while mine were rounder. I’d inherited a lot from him, except the shape of my face, my nose, and my lips. Those had come from Mom. He was pretty cool for a dad. And despite his words, he’d accepted that magic existed long before I was born. He was raised in the bayou, fell in love with a practicing Witch, and married her.
    I squeezed his hands. “I’m fine, Daddy. Really. I made it back okay, didn’t I?”
    “You were shivering and your teeth were chattering. Then it just stopped. Even Genevieve said she’d never seen anyone recover that quickly. Where did you go?”
    “I don’t know. There was a man.”
    “Man? What man?” Dad barked. He was so overprotective and saw red flags whenever I mentioned guys.
    “Richard,” Tammy warned. She’d come into the room without me noticing.
    “The guy I’m talking about, his mother is keeping him a prisoner in a dungeon. He’s