Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

earlier?” Judith asked as the laughter subsided.
    “I almost forgot,” Airiana said. “Inez called. She said she needed you to call back as soon as possible. Someone’s inquiring about buying the gallery and she’s hoping you can take the time to show them around.”
    “That would be so nice for her and Frank to get out from under that payment,” Blythe said. “She really struggled to keep things going for Frank while he was in jail. His health is so fragile right now that they can’t keep both the store and the gallery. You’ve been so good to them, Judith.”
    Judith indicated Airiana with her teacup. “I’ve been working at the gallery more than in my own shop. If Airiana wasn’t helping out, I wouldn’t have been able to help them.” She grinned at her sisters. “I might just get out of working out tonight.”
    “Oh, no you don’t,” Blythe protested. “If I’m going, you have to go too.”
    “Levi doesn’t even let Rikki off the hook,” Airiana pointed out. “You’re going to go, Judith. Call Inez back, but don’t you dare try to make an appointment to see them this evening. We promised Levi we’d learn self-defense.”
    “But I’m hopeless,” Judith wailed.
    “Only because you won’t hit anyone,” Airiana said. “Personally, I enjoy hitting the man. Try it, honey, you might like it. Just pretend he’s someone you don’t like.”
    Judith’s heart jumped. She forced her mind away from that possibility. Airiana had no idea just how dangerous that would be. Judith could tap into every element, draw power from all energy, ignite the room with Lissa’s fire, flood it with Rikki’s water, bury it with Lexi’s earth or use Airiana’s air to blow a house down. She couldn’t afford—not ever again—to lose control of her emotions. She didn’t even dare acknowledge a darker emotion, for fear of what would happen.
    She was afraid to hit someone, especially someone she loved. She ducked her head to hide her expression, hanging on to her smile a little grimly. “Levi thinks I’m a pansy ass.”
    Airiana nudged her with her toe. “Isn’t that better than having a big ass?”
    “Or no ass at all?” Blythe asked.
    Judith gave them both a mock scowl. “You’re both obsessed with my butt.” She studied Blythe’s face. “But you didn’t come here to discuss any of this, did you? What’s wrong, Blythe?”
    Blythe sighed and put down her teacup. “You know Elle and Jackson are in Europe. He’s taken a leave of absence for six months and they’re touring right now. But they’ll be coming back. The seventh daughter has always lived in the Drake house in Sea Haven. They’re definitely coming back. Joley Drake married Ilya Prakenskii. We can pretend that Levi is a Hammond all we want, but Ilya’s going to know. And Jonas is going to tell Jackson.”
    Judith bit her lip. Levi Hammond would not be welcomed to Sea Haven by Jackson, Elle’s husband. Levi had been there when Stavros was holding Elle Drake captive. He’d been deep undercover trying to stop a major human trafficking ring and he couldn’t risk blowing his cover to save Elle. But, none of that would matter to Jackson. Elle had been raped and tortured for months by Stavros, and as far as Jackson was concerned there was no goal important enough to justify turning a blind eye to her suffering.
    “You’re afraid they’ll make his life hell,” Airiana ventured.
    “Or worse. Rikki is too fragile for that.” Blythe rubbed her temples in agitation. “If they force Levi to leave, Rikki will go with him, and she won’t do well out of this environment. It took her so long to adjust.”
    “The Drakes can’t force us out of Sea Haven,” Judith said. “But if they can’t get over who and what Levi was, and they make his life here impossible, I’m willing to relocate.”
    Blythe looked up at her. “Really think about it, Judith. We all should before making a personal decision. You have your business and studios here.”
    Judith nodded. “I love Rikki. She’s my sister and she’s autistic. She needs us. She needs the ocean and she needs Levi. If they go, I’ll go with them. It doesn’t matter to me where I work. I love this place, but our family is what matters most, not where we are.”
    Airiana let out her breath. “I’ve been worried too. I didn’t realize anyone else was.”
    “Have you spoken to the others? To Lexi?” Judith asked.
    Lexi spent most of her time on their large farm. She grew the