Annie's Song(10)

“Go—and do not return. This is my place, and it belongs to me.” She backed away from Annie, anger pouring off her. “It will be mine!”

Before Annie could ask what the hell that was about, the woman took off, running across the field and back to town.

“Okay—that wasn’t weird or anything.”

For some reason, the woman reminded her of Mildred. Smiling at the thought, she waved away the spicy-sweet fumes, bent down to check out the damage, and touched the raw ground. Power shot through her, a jolt of pure, blinding light. And edged with a heat she knew she had felt before.

She stumbled backward, her own power on sudden overdrive. It revved through her, left her feeling like she could conquer anything—and completely out of control. The combination had her head spinning.

Annie grabbed for the nearest stone, felt her fingers slip along the smooth surface as she headed for the ground.

Strong hands caught her inches from a painful faceplant.

“I’ve got you.” The smooth, feminine voice stopped her knee jerk retaliation. Not that she had the energy to actually retaliate. “Easy now.” Those hands lowered Annie to her back. “Just lie still for a few minutes, until you catch your breath.”

“Okay—just dizzy.” Annie cringed at her raw whisper, pried her lids apart. Dark brown eyes studied her, surrounded by a rich, deep ring of gold. “You’re American.”

“An expat. And you’re a witch.” She smiled at Annie’s surprise. “I know my own when I meet them, little sister.” She touched Annie’s ring, the sapphire sparking under her finger. “A powerful protection stone. I’m Penn.”

“Annie.”

“Hi, Annie.” She leaned forward. Black hair cloaked her, falling almost to her waist. Annie loved the rebellious aqua blue streaks that broke up the black. “Is the power surge gone?”

“Yes.” Annie started to push herself up, let out a groan. “Most of it.” With a smile, Penn helped her sit. “Thank you.”

“Glad I was here to help. I see you met our resident wannabe.”

“Did the hippie stench give her away?” Penn laughed, and Annie’s head cleared a little more. “She seemed mighty pissed that I was even out here.”

“Diana—she views this as her private worship spot. Never mind that it belongs to the local preservation society, and is on public land.” Penn shook her head. “And she seems to be even more off than usual.” She caught her streaked hair when a gust of wind tugged at it. “A storm’s coming in. Again. We should get you back to town.” Annie used the stone for support as Penn helped her up. She hated how shaky she felt, and how vulnerable that made her.

“It’s something, isn’t it?” Penn said. Annie stared down at her. “How your own power is magnified, like it’s glowing, just under your skin. Being here is like tapping into the main artery. It’s a high you’ll miss when you leave, standing so close to such ancient power.” She smiled. “True facts. That high is the reason I came back.”

Annie liked her—and had a feeling she’d just met her match for smart comments. “Penn—is that short for something?”

“Penni Marie. Not exactly the name to inspire potential customers, so I shortened it.”

“Customers—you have a store?”

Penn nodded. “The only New Age shop in town.”

“Get out—I run one back home, with a friend of mine. I’d love to see it.”

“Come by any time. But first,” Penn wrapped one arm around Annie’s waist when she bobbled. “Let’s get you back to where you’re staying. Your energy is pale, and it’s not good for the baby.”

Startled, Annie stared at her. “Jeez—does everyone know?”

Penn laughed. “You bought three pregnancy tests. At the local chemist. News spreads fast in Briarton. So, yes, everyone knows.”

She kept talking as she led Annie back to the hotel, distracting her from the weakness that kept trying to buckle her knees. As someone who had been athletic her entire life, with few injuries, this vulnerability scared her more than she let on. And Penn seemed to sense that, because she didn’t touch on it.

“So.” Penn stopped in front of the small waterfront hotel. “Home at last.”

Annie sighed. “No secrets.”

“Especially when you’re the only American tourists in a ten mile radius.” She smiled. “And there’s your gorgeous fiancé. I’ll let him take over.”

“Annie!” Eric vaulted down the front steps. “Where have you been? What happened?” He all but yanked her out of Penn’s grasp. “Who the hell are you?”