Magic to Spare: Prologue

Note from author: Hi, Tricia again but this time I’m sharing some different content. This is something I’m working on just for this blog, a paranormal romance novella. This prologue is just a teaser and contains no sexual content but I must warn you that there will be a fair amount of it once I get into the meat of the story.)

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A man and a woman stood alone on a wooded cliff, the sun shone high and bright in the sky that day but its rays offered them no warmth. Sadness enveloped the couple, insulating them from the beauty that surrounded them. Nothing could replace what they lost and they felt they’d never be whole again, what was the point of beauty if they existed in such pain? But a strange man has promised them hope and solace, a substitute for the one that passed on. While they were skeptical of his offer (not to mention distrusting of anyone who would offer them a little one so easily), it was a testament of their need that they were there that day, where earth met water and sky.

At precisely noon a woman stepped from the shadows of an old oak, a wriggling bundle in her arms. Her beauty was stunning, even with grief evident on her face and a cloak wrapped tightly around her body. The couple hesitantly met her halfway, hope warring with the pain in their hearts. For a moment no one spoke and the woman looked at the babe with adoration, its head obscured from the couple.

She spoke suddenly, eyes never leaving the child, “You will love her as though she were your own. No one will ever know otherwise, especially her. Treasure and protect her.” The air resonated with her words, making them something more. She met their eyes and they nodded wordlessly.

Love swelled in the couple’s hearts when the woman revealed their girl to them. Golden curls covered her tiny head and teal eyes sparkled beneath thick lashes. The baby giggled and reached for them. Heartbreak briefly marred the woman’s features before she covered it with a stoic mask. She placed the baby in to the mother’s waiting arms and walked away silently. The couple was too busy cooing at their daughter to notice the woman’s departure or the single tear the slid down her golden cheek as she disappeared into the shadows.