Wait For The Wind

By Brynna Curry

Free to return to Ireland, Ryan Corrigan must face the demons of his past to reclaim his lost magic and embrace the second chance waiting for him...

Kate O’Connell grew up loved by the Corrigan family but secretly suffered the inescapable reality of her own abusive father. At a young age, she gave her heart and innocence to Ryan. For once happiness seemed within her reach, until in one horror-filled night, the monster she called ‘Daddy’ changed everything. Years later, Kate returns home to open her clinic and raise her daughter, Allaina, closer to Ryan’s family.

After his father’s death, Ryan lost touch with his magic and his music, choosing to focus on filling his father’s shoes. He found love and hope for future with Kate. Then that future was stolen away, forcing Kate and Ryan apart. Although he is glad to be back on Irish soil, the reason he left still haunts him.
To forgive a terrible wrong takes courage and strength. But it is just as hard to be forgiven. Can love truly heal even the deepest scars?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brynna Curry
• Release date: May 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463033883

Brynna Curry

Bethany Cagle, who writes as Brynna Curry, was born south of the Mason-Dixon Line in a small Alabama town. Growing up, books fueled her dreams and imagination, ultimately became her sanctuary during the hardest times in her life. After living all over the southern states, she finally landed back in north Alabama where she met her husband, Jackie. She spent a wonderful twenty-two years with her hero, raising their three children. Now widowed, she spends her free time writing. Her furry minions, Jace, Styxx, Beerus, and Asheron, are always willing to keep her company while she works. She insists love is the truest magic and with it, every day is an adventure. You can read more about her work on her website, www.brynnacurry.com.

Book preview

Wait For The Wind

Elemental Magic: Book Three

By

Brynna Curry

Wait For The Wind © May 2019 by Brynna Curry

Second Digital Edition

This book was previously released digitally.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted in violation of the authors’ rights. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are the product of the authors’ imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or establishments is solely coincidental.

Cover design © Brynna Curry - Images appropriately licensed from Dreamstime.com.

Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyright work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

About the Book

Free to return to Ireland, Ryan Corrigan must face the demons of his past to reclaim his lost magic and embrace the second chance waiting for him…

Kate O’Connell grew up loved by the Corrigan family but secretly suffered the inescapable reality of her own abusive father. At a young age, she gave her heart and innocence to Ryan. For once happiness seemed within her reach, until in one horror-filled night, the monster she called ‘Daddy’ changed everything. Years later, Kate returns home to open her clinic and raise her daughter, Allaina, closer to Ryan’s family.

After his father’s death, Ryan lost touch with his magic and his music, choosing to focus on filling his father’s shoes. He found love and hope for future with Kate. Then that future was stolen away, forcing Kate and Ryan apart. Although he is glad to be back on Irish soil, the reason he left still haunts him.

To forgive a terrible wrong takes courage and strength. But it is just as hard to be forgiven. Can love truly heal even the deepest scars?

Dedication

To L.J., Anna, and Kayla, you are my greatest treasure, quite simply my reason for breathing. I am truly blessed to have the three of you in my life. All my love, your mom.

Author’s Note

When I first released Wait for the Wind in 2011, the reviews I received were a bit of a shock to this then fledgling writer. Before Wind, I had consistently received four and five star reviews, so I won’t lie, the low ones stung. All those advice givers in the biz preach ‘don’t read your reviews’ and tons of other things you should and shouldn’t do as a new writer. Well, I disagree with that. If you take the time to write them, I’m going to take time to read them. And so Wind was received with a mix between: How could she forgive him? True love truly can forgive anything. How could you write this garbage it’s not ‘true to life’? This is a story of forgiveness.

Why am I telling you this? Let me explain.

This book has a lot of darkness in it. Consider this a trigger warning. This is story Kate and Ryan demanded I write. I didn’t plan it. I had an entirely different plot in mind when I sketched out the series arc. In actuality, Kate has been both the easiest and hardest character for me to write. I grew up in a home where domestic violence was commonplace. I have witnessed things that would make your blood run cold. And so has Kate. I could not do her character justice; rightly portray her actions, unless you understand what she comes from.

There is a flashback scene Ryan witnesses through magic which contains ‘triggers’ that will disturb (and honestly it should disturb) readers. Kate’s father, who really isn’t her biological father, beats and rapes her. In this revised version, I have rewritten that scene to make the details extremely vague, but enough to understand what has happened to her. I’ve thought about cutting the scene, but I feel it is a crucial character development for both Ryan and Kate. If you would rather skip this flashback scene, you may skip Chapter Six without missing the rest of the story.

Terrible things happen to people every day. We can’t pretend evil doesn’t exist because it’s uncomfortable. We can’t always protect ourselves or those we love from the bad things in this world. All we can do fight to remain strong. Kate is one of the strongest characters I’ve written. To survive the hell visited upon her and still open her heart to love shows amazing strength, hope, and faith. I hope you think so too.

Prologue

With a flourish of her hands, Arianne coaxed the flames in her hearth to rise high against the wind slipping around the window covering. Storms were brewing in the distance. Candles on the table flickered and mirrored the rising fire. Her power was stronger with Briella’s stolen magic, but not quite enough to create fire, only control it for her benefit.

Not enough to gain my sister’s husband and child, either.

Once she unleashed Daemon’s inner demon and manipulated it into doing her bidding, she’d not only take Brie’s power, but her life.

Briella’s hold over the nixie was strong, but her naiveté would be her downfall. Even now, the threads connecting her to Briella slowly siphoned her power. Arianne gathered the dried herbs she had prepared for the next step in her plan.

Together in a stone crucible, she ground rosemary, lavender, and thyme into dust. Then added a splash of water and mixed it adding other herbs to her potion. Past attempts to win Daemon had failed. She and Briella were twins. Did they not have the same eyes and face? Did they not have the same body? Once she had been kinder than Brie, but even that hadn’t swayed his heart. Still, she knew ways to appeal to his wicked nature her sister did not.

Stirring the air, she lifted the stone bowl and allowed it to float above the flames and boil heavily. An incantation whispered under her breath imbued the liquid with her power. Daemon need only drink the smallest bit of the mixture and he would be hers.

How will I trick him into consuming it? One way to be sure.

Arianne dipped her finger into the concoction and began to paint her mouth with the mixture. Her prey was just like any other man inside. She would bind him to her lust.

Someone pounded on the door. She set aside the bowl, walked across the room, and opened the door to face a furious Daemon. He could kill with a look, a thought, in his current state. Now was her chance was to make him believe she was Briella. She began to mask her power, pulling on her sister’s magic until it was impossible to tell the opposing forces apart.

What are you doing to Brie? I feel her energy waning!

Arianne smiled sweetly. Don’t be silly. Ari’s done nothing to me. I’m right here.

Brie? Are you sick? Your magic. It’s…

I’m tired, that is all. Nothing to be concerned about.

Why are you here?

I’m waiting on Ari to bring some herbs for Etain’s poultice. Her shoulder aches horribly with the cold. You seem pale. Are you feeling ill?

Arianne felt his forehead, pretending to check for a fever.

No. You seem…different. Daemon kissed the palm of her hand where the potion lingered.

And now you are mine.

Brie.

Arianne accepted his kiss, his embrace, and triumphed quietly inside. She’d finally taken one of the two things her sister held dear.

Chapter 1

Ryan rolled on sweat-dampened sheets, waking from the dream startled and disoriented. Beads of sweat slicked across his bare chest in spite of the cool temperature in his air-conditioned bedroom. He tossed off the covers and sat up unable to catch his breath.

Liv’s bloody legend is sneaking into my dreams.

Swinging his feet over the side of the bed, he walked barefoot toward the bathroom in the dark. He bumped his knee into a large object. Cursing, he half-hopped into the other room and flipped on a light. He examined the blooming bruise in the shape of a long curved line across his kneecap. It must have been the dragon statue still waiting to be shipped by the movers. Bloody hell.

One more night on American soil, just one, and he’d be on a flight back to Ireland. The morning couldn’t come fast enough to suit him. Finally, all the trials were over. Agent Spiller had kept his word, seeing to it Ryan was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony.

I’m free.

He looked around the sparse bathroom. Everything had been packed away to be donated or sold, except for a couple of suitcases filled with clothes and larger items to be shipped overseas. Ryan opened the glass shower door and turned the knob to cold. Standing under the chilly spray, he let the water pummel the dream away. He didn’t have time for cryptic messages and devilishly witchy dream women who sucked his sleeping mind into insane dreams.

He’d sold his house to a young couple just starting their family, people who would appreciate the space and history his house had to offer.

When I get home and settled a bit, I’ll find a new one. Maybe one that needs fixing up. That would give