The Healers

  An unwanted child becomes the greatest Healer coveted by Healer and Hunters alike.

  Magic flows from Layna’s hands, but trusting anyone with her secret is not possible. Leo, her longtime friend, is determined to become more and Layna believes she wants that, too. Everything changes when she meets Alexander, the guard supposedly sent for her. There is something that draws them together, but is it real? Faced with a new reality of what her magic means and threats on her life, Layna must choose where her loyalties lie. Who is out to hurt her and who can she trust?

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  The Healers

  Copyright © 2013 Lynsie Buchanan

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-525-4

  Cover art by Scott Carpenter

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books

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  www.eXtasybooks.com

  The Healers

  By

  Lynsie Buchanan

  To my first readers: Diona, Lydia, Miki, Mom, and Rebecca. Thanks for loving it and asking me for more!

  Prologue

  Loud noises surrounded him from the outside of the temple. Inside he was alone with her. The one he would trust to carry on this legacy. His faith in her rivaled the faith that his people had placed in him. It was true…his gifts were important, but she would play a large part in preserving them.

  Her soft, warm hand enveloped his hand now. Losing his focus momentarily in her caress, he tried to gather his thoughts and then she spoke.

  “What will we do without you?” Fear and pain sliced through his chest at the thought of either of them losing her faith. Althaea must keep faith…all would be lost without it.

  “You will do as you’ve always done, my sweet.” Breaths were coming harder now, and it shocked him. Never had he understood the true pain that mortals endured, but now, as he sacrificed himself to preserve them, he knew their pain. It was only right, as their God, that he would know it. After all they had done for him.

  And she, Althaea, had been his strength. Never in this battle had she doubted herself before. He needed to remind her of her unwavering strength. Now more than ever she would have to continue this path without him. It would only be temporary. Asclepius knew they would be reunited, but he couldn’t share this knowledge with her. He had to tell her about the gift, the one that would ensure their safety.

  “How can I do this without you?” Loud chants interrupted her response and he felt her body tense in fear. They would not be happy until they saw his dead body. Those humans who had pretended to be Healers. He had known them for the traitors that they were, but he had not exposed them yet. Their time would come. It would be without his strength, but there would be others that would fight them. Asclepius didn’t care about death and hadn’t hesitated at all about this sacrifice. Except now. Not because of the pain it would cause him, but because she was hurting. He shouldn’t care this much for a mortal but he did.

  Opening his eyes he gazed upon this amazing creature that would ensure the safety of his people. Her long dark hair fell just short of her curvy hips and he couldn’t help the smile that lifted slightly as he admired it. No, he had never savored it properly. He would, though, in another lifetime. They would meet again—that, he knew. For now she had to know about the blood.

  “I need your vows now, Althaea.” His body lay flat on this stone in the temple, no desires of rising. He would die here. That was the way it should be.

  “No…no!” He knew she hadn’t believed he could die. He heard it in her pleas and felt it in the way she gripped his skin now. Her fingernails pierced his hand but he reveled in this contact. It would be the last contact he would have for a long time.

  “Yes. You will finish this for me. And one after you will save us all.” With all the power left in his body he reached into his pocket and rubbed the vial. It had been a great gift. Powers from each God resided in it. These powers would eventually help take down the ones that did not heal. The ones that would hunt them.

  Chapter One

  With one hand on the chair back and the other on the table, I pushed up.

  “I’m going to the bar.” Not one of my friends at the table seemed to hear me. Shiny lights glittered all over the room and lots of bodies moved together in the rhythm of the new song being played. The loud music echoed in my head as it intoxicated my body. I wanted to sway with the music and tried but of course, the cute, black strappy shoes were not able to keep up with my idea of coordination. Well, it could have been the shoes or the drinks in my system. The room tilted and the ground rushed toward me. A hand reached out to catch me.

  All the magic in my blood responded to that touch.

  Rough, man voice in my ear, “Delicious.” He inhaled deeply. “Definitely lickable.”

  I twisted to find the face of my stranger, but he was gone.

  Pathetic, really. Thirty-four and I still fantasized about hot and steamy one night stands. Going home with a stranger just didn’t happen to me. Not that I would advocate that kind of behavior regularly, but sometimes it seemed enticing. The dizziness in my head clouded my vision as I stared in the direction I thought he had come from. The martinis made it a challenge to focus my eyes to see. Goosebumps prickled my body with awareness of his presence. I could still feel him. Strange, was I in a dream? Wait a minute. Of course I could feel him; my arm burned from the touch of his grip. No. I could feel him everywhere. Fear coursed through my body. Many times the magic had been called forth, but that had been to heal. Never in response to hormones.

  Stopping a foot from the bar, I turned and started back towards our table. I didn’t need any more drinks tonight.

  Arriving at our table, I locked eyes on the only single guy and one of my best friends, Leo. He hopped up to hold me. Giggles escaped my lips as I bounced around, strappy shoes and all. No one else seemed to have noticed my earlier fall. Maybe it had been all in my imagination.

  Tabitha soberly drove us back to Leo’s house. His house was the biggest house, so if we needed to sleep it off for the night there was plenty of room.

  Pride spread through my heart as I gazed at the people in the car I was lucky enough to call friends. Growing up in this suburb outside of Houston was something Tabitha and I had in common. The Earth seemed to have a rope tied around the two of us and it pulled whenever someone went in another direction.

  Just then, Tabitha and Jane began to giggle at something that we couldn’t hear in the back of the Tahoe. Leo and I exchanged glances and my head fell on his shoulder. A glow in Leo’s eyes puzzled me. Was it wishful? Or nervous? He had probably gotten an e-mail about another oil spill. Work consumed his time most days. My heavy eyelids drifted down a little at the feel of his hands running through my hair. Leo looked after me. His affection did not go unappreciated. Just then his hand caressed little circles on my neck as he cradled me closer. The feather light touch from
him that continued to kiss its way across my jaw line rekindled my want. Was it Leo or the dirty, sweet nothings that had attacked my ears earlier? I didn’t know.

  I just ached with want. My head tilted to give him better access. Leo took full advantage as his lips joined the assault on tender skin around my face. He rose to sit up closer to me and his words found themselves on my ears alone.

  “Just rest, baby. I’m going to take good care of you when we get home. It’ll be good for both of us.”

  I closed my eyes. What had I gotten myself into? I needed something, but I wasn’t sure that Leo and I were on the same page. He had wanted this for a long time.

  Whispers from Cameron and her husband Jeff drew my attention forward.

  “What do you want to bet I can get these pants off one handed when we get home? Maybe I can tie you up, too.” I don’t think Jeff’s rogue words to Cameron were intended for my ears. However, I did continue to listen. Voyeurism at its best. They had been married since we finished college. I loved to watch the way they regarded each other. Of our group, they seemed to be the most solid. Maybe that was because they were the first to get all responsible and get married. The rest of us just wandered. Sometimes aimlessly, and sometimes driven. At least we had all graduated and gotten jobs.

  The car stopped and my eyes opened to see we were in Leo’s driveway. I looked around and then squinted as the overhead lights came on in the SUV. Slow seemed best when I contemplated movement. Gripping seats, I guided myself out of the vehicle to stand on the driveway. I knew that I would stay at Leo’s tonight. I took another step and looked up at his house. It overwhelmed, even now in the moonlight. The house was completely done in stucco and had been laid on a full acre lot in this neighborhood. It spread all over the lot instead of having a second floor. At the age of thirty-five, Leo had already managed to find his success in the oil industry. Being in Houston, he had picked the right job. His warm hand found mine and pulled me in the direction of his front door.

  I turned my body slightly towards the driveway and called out, “Good night. Love you, guys!” Exhaustion colored my soft voice, but I think my point came across.

  “Love you right back, girlie!” Tabitha’s voice called out. She opened the door to her silver car. Chestnut hair fell in the straight layers she had tailored them in before going out. I was amazed at how she managed such perfection. A little smile crept across my face.

  “Happy Birthday!” They all crooned together.

  I could almost taste the need that echoed off of Leo’s eyes and I wasn’t going to protest. As we came into the entry way of his house, light shimmered off of those curly blond locks on his head. I stopped and looked up and up. His long and lean body towered over me. He reached to put an arm around my waist and the other arm tended to the door. I gave no resistance as he tugged me over the threshold.

  “Do you need anything?” His question implied lots of things, besides the food and drink that I thought he meant to offer. Stormy blue eyes raked me over with an intent that suddenly chilled my body.

  Leo guided me down the long hallway to his bedroom. My eyes glanced up at the large niche across the hall from his bedroom. It reminded me of something—the slithery creatures resembled snakes—but I couldn’t be sure.

  His hands continued to tug at me until we were in front of his bed.

  “What…um, what are we doing?” The words scattered as they came out of my mouth.

  “I thought it would be obvious.” His thick words fell on my ears.

  Leo snaked his hands around my waist and brought me close enough to feel the hardness that radiated off of his body. His hand slid in the waist of my skinny jeans and rubbed roughly. The tugs on my skin woke up needs that I had disregarded for a long time. I closed my hands over his and brought them to the rhinestone button that would open me up to him. No hesitation, his hands quickly unhinged the button and tugged on my pants. Friction and pressure incited the heat as the pants came down. Then I stood there in a shirt and thong filled with nothing but desire. Nervous bubbles filled my insides and I stepped back to find security in the bed, but Leo tugged me upward.

  “I’m not finished yet and I want to see everything.” A possessive smile tugged his lips upward.

  Hot, passionate lips demanded my attention while his hands busied themselves on my back. His tongue darted in and then taunted me back out. Over and over he encouraged me to play with him until I joined in. My tongue followed his rhythm until I dizzied in anticipation. This would happen. Stuck in a haze of surreal vision I broke off from his kiss to remove my shirt. Discarding it on the floor I stepped back into his embrace, and waited. I still wanted him to approach me and bring me back into the searing heat of our bodies together.

  My heart skipped a few beats. What were we doing? I cared about Leo and he had always been a great friend to me. I knew there was a reason I had avoided this before now, but my body had taken over and I wasn’t currently able to process any thoughts coming from my mind. All of my body screamed yes!

  His eyes were filled with wonder. The way he was looking at me…I knew his lips would soon follow. My feet stepped back and I landed down on the bed. My now drunken gaze was met with those little pieces of a dark stormy sky that were trapped in his face. Leo leaned over into me and I caught his scent. I could detect the clean smell of the white lemon and cedar leaves that came from his cologne. It comforted me. I would never be able to turn down the safeness it offered. Our lips met and his strength enveloped me. His tongue ravished the softness of my mouth and my eyes opened. His body surrounded me, and I didn’t want to move. Leo’s eyes glowed with pure hunger. In that moment, I felt a pang of guilt for knowing that I just needed this physical act. He was the right guy for a happily ever after story. Everything about him made sense and I would not mess this up. I made my decision and placed my hands up around his neck and pulled him closer. My soft gesture answered his silent question and he immediately brought his lips to my neck.

  “Layna.” His lips quivered. The look on his face was pure bliss. The way that his lips slowly scandalized my neckline was outrageous. I might not be in love but my body definitely responded to his need. Slowly, his hands began to fall down until they rested securely on my hips. And then he sat up and pulled me into his lap. Hungry kisses warmed me over as he continued to breathe,”Layna, Layna.”

  “I want you right now so bad that I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.” His voice was heavy with emotion.

  “Uh uh…” was the only sound that emerged clearly from my lips as his hands began to slide over my bare skin. I couldn’t help myself. It had been a long time and it was a restraint on my part to not jump on him. My panties and bra disappeared and I rolled over to straddle Leo. The friction of his clothes on my naked skin tortured my thoughts.

  My hands went to work removing his clothes. My lips followed with kisses that touched all of his skin.

  Our bodies were intertwined and bare, securely tucked in the warmth of his king sized bed. Passion-filled eyes stared at me and his strained voice whispered, “I love you, Layna. You and I are meant to be together. This is right.” My heart broke into a million pieces as I realized how pure he was to declare this to me when I think it was pretty obvious I would have given in already. It also hurt because I knew that he really did love me. Leo knew me and still was here now. I knew the right thing to do. But, I still paused.

  Being a psychiatrist had allowed me insight into the workings of the human mind and I knew that love was a choice. We are supposed to choose what is right for us. Leo was a good choice. I made my choice.

  “I love you,” my voice whispered in the semi-darkness of his room. The words were barely out before he devoured my lips and continued where we left off.

  I savored every wet kiss and caress until I was drowning in his touch. He rolled me over and pinned my wrists above my head. This was it, no going back now.

  Leo brought his hand down between us and pushed himself right on the cusp of being inside me. He s
tilled.

  “I just want to feel you, nothing in between us. Is that okay?” His voice and body strained from his severely compromised position above me. Normally I would say no, but this was Leo. Was there anything I didn’t know about him? I knew pregnancy wouldn’t be an issue since I took care of that on a regular basis. One move and it wouldn’t matter anymore. Neither one of us would be able to stop. I trusted Leo, and knew everything about him. No way would he hurt me.

  Since words and breathing had become difficult, I just grabbed him and wrapped my legs around to push him in.

  A hard sound hit my ears from his throat. His face was covered with shock. He attempted restraint at first, but thankfully, his hunger took over.

  Thoughts escaped as animal instinct compelled us both. Rough, hard pushes in and out brought both of us beyond our sanity.

  Pleasure licked its way through and still I begged for more. Leo continued to trace his hands all over my body as I began to wonder how long we could go without sleep.

  Chapter Two

  There were two serpents, always two. They would kill me. Trapped in the bed, I could see them slowly slithering up the mattress until they rested on the edge of the comforter. Sweat beaded from every pore on my skin and my breaths came in hard gasps. Air dried over my lips as I attempted to pierce the quiet, but no shriek came. I was frozen. The heels of my feet dug into the bed with fervor as my back collided with the headboard.

  Nowhere to escape.

  Did the nightmare come from my head or the snakes? Their power spoke to mine. These were not ordinary snakes. That much, I knew. I couldn’t face them, I wasn’t ready. My magic healed. How would I battle something that hurt? They called to me like a dare, but, I knew better. Like a child with a nightmare, I buried my head under the sheets and kicked until it all went away.