Drake Sisters 03 - Oceans of Fire

she left on vacation. I chanted, lit candles, and had a lot of fun and then hid in the nearest closet just in case there was a backlash. I’m so pleased to hear it worked.”
    “It definitely worked,” Abigail confirmed. “He took one look at me the day I wore them and he was so hot I didn’t think we’d make it to his room. He had me up against the wall and…” She trailed off, fanning herself. “Suffice it to say, the ritual works.”
    “Thanks a lot, Abbey,” Elle said, “that’s just not right. I’m eating the last cookie and I deserve it.”
    They all watched solemnly as Elle ate the last chocolate chip cookie.
    “So he made you feel beautiful, he’s great in bed, and he’s smart and funny and sings to you,” Sarah ventured. “He even had you believing in yourself and sharing your gift. So tell us more about what went wrong, Abbey.”
    “He was working very hard on a case. He had several, but this one investigation was ongoing and he’d been working on it nearly two years. It was awful. At first he didn’t want to talk about it because it involved a series of brutal child murders. He was certain he was getting close to finding the murderer. It’s very different there than here and he was frustrated at times with the level of cooperation and the threats from his superiors. I know the deaths haunted him and he felt responsible because the killer eluded him for so long.”
    “How terrible.” Joley sat up, frowning. She put one hand on Libby. Hannah did the same. They were all empathic, but Libby would feel the most, especially with her sister, and Abigail was in pain. “For everyone. The parents, the children, Aleksandr, and you as well. It must have been so awful for you to experience what he and the parents were feeling. Was he aware how empathic you are?”
    “How could he be? How can anyone be? Look at how Irene Madison keeps insisting Libby heal her son, Drew, of cancer. She has no idea how dangerous even trying would be. It’s the same with everyone. And when we try to explain it, they don’t want to hear because whatever they’re asking is that important to them. Aleksandr reached a point where he wanted me involved because all that mattered was saving children and I agreed.”
    Abigail sat up and leaned her head back against the sofa. She looked at her hands. “How many times do you think we start things with the best of intentions and end up hurting other people?”

    Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    “Abbey,” Kate said, “all of us have done things we’re not proud of. Everyone makes mistakes. We all make choices based on the information we have at the time. It’s all well and good to look back after the fact and see what we should have done, but we rarely know what path is best when we take that first step.”
    “When I went to the station to meet Aleksandr, I was told he’d brought in a suspect and that he was in an interrogation room waiting for me to help question the man. All I knew was that Aleksandr had told me he was close to breaking the case. I assumed the suspect in custody was the man he was certain was the killer. When I went in several officers were in the room and everyone was yelling at the suspect. They stood over him and pounded the table and accused him over and over.”
    “I’m so sorry, Abbey,” Sarah whispered. “That wouldn’t be easy for any of us.“
    Abigail shook her head. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I wanted to be there. I wanted to help him solve the murders. I wanted to be important to him.” She rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. “I was so stupid. I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t go in there thinking of the suspect or even with a clear mind. I went in thinking about myself. My own glory. Of helping Aleksandr and making him happy.” She hit the back of her head three times against the sofa cushions in an agony of recrimination. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”
    “It’s human, Abbey, not stupid. You loved this man and you wanted to help him. Using magic takes steps, we all know that, but all of us have skipped those steps in the heat of the moment. I imagine it was very emotional for everyone concerned.”
    “I asked him if he was guilty. But I didn’t ask what his crime was or what he had done to the child, I simply asked if he was guilty. The other officers were shouting questions and Aleksandr was using his cold, very frightening voice and I was just so certain that I