In Another Time

by Sage Young

  Aedan remained quiet until the everyone settled down. He leaned in and spoke in a low tone, “You know James, Jewels brings up a valid point. Are you just going to uproot Charlotte's life and move her to Ireland?” His irritation was evident.

  “Actually, I'm the one doing the uprooting,” James stated as he looked over at Charlotte again. “I've decided to make New Orleans my new home.”

  The anger on Aedan's face was apparent as he squeezed the champagne flute, breaking it in his hand. The shattered glass startled Jewels who jumped in her seat.

  Jewels stared at his hand and noticed blood. “Your hand is bleeding,” she said.

  Mimi looked concerned. “I’ll get a wet cloth and the first aid kit.”

  “Is there a problem?” James asked Aedan as his eyes narrowed at him.

  “I'm fine James,” Aedan replied sarcastically. “It's just a lot of information to process at the moment. I mean I'm your business partner and this is the first I'm hearing that you're moving to America.” He thanked Mimi for the warm cloth as he wrapped it around his hand to stop the bleeding.

  The waiter was over immediately to clean up the glass and tried to give Aedan another champagne flute.

  “How about you take that back and bring me a double scotch neat, thank you,” Aedan said to the waiter.

  Mimi already knew they were engaged and was extremely excited for her granddaughter. She could tell by the way James looked at her and the way that Charlotte looked at him that they were truly in love but she also knew that there were dark forces that would try to keep them apart. It was a conversation she needed to have with them alone, but tonight was not the night to discuss that, tonight was a celebration and Mimi was going to make sure that it was a happy celebration.

  Mimi would wait to reveal that she’d been holding onto…a keyless locked book that could only be opened and used by its rightful owner. She had tried on many occasions years ago to open the book by it would not allow her to open it. The book had been in their family for two hundred years. It was given to Clarissa’s father by Justin's father, just in case their souls were able to be joined again, so they would know how to defeat the dark forces that would come for them.

  She had a bad feeling that this wedding announcement would start something that only magic could fix.

  1718

  One week after the death of Jasper Davenne and Clarissa Trudeau, Mary Plauché was summoned before the Council of Sorcerers. The council met in the Chamber of Dissension. It was a place where a nine-member panel settled disputes among sorcerers. The cold dark chamber was indicative of the mood in the room. It was not often this council had to meet and when they did, the outcome usually required someone to be stripped of their powers. The council did allow other sorcerers as spectators.

  The entire room was filled to capacity. Both families involved were held to the highest level by all in their community and everyone was anxious to hear the outcome. The chamber was filled with other sorcerers from all over the country, wanting to know the outcome of Mary’s trial. Many were friends of the Davenne family and wanted to see justice served for the young couple. The nine-member panel sat on high pedestal wingback chairs around a carved stone table.

  Mary was led into the chamber by the high council’s security. They stood behind her as the inquisition began.

  “Mary Plauché, you have accused of breaking one of our sacred rules,” said the head of the council as he glared at her. “You who have taken the mate of another sorcerer in order to gain his affections. Do you have anything to say in defense of the crime for which you are accused?”

  Mary stood erect as she rolled her shoulders back. “Yes, I request to be heard,” she stated in a strong voice. The smirk on her face was evident. “I was promised Jasper’s hand in marriage. A contract with developed between our families. The contract was not honored and my intended mate took another as his own. I was justified in claiming what was rightfully mine,” she said with an air of arrogance, as she faced Jasper and Clarissa’s family. “It was unfortunate that my intended mate chose to take his own life.” Mary knew the council honored contracts made with families above all others.

  The council whispered among each other then asked the Davenne’s family to step forward. The head council looked directly at Jasper’s parents as the leader asked, “Is there truth to what she speaks?”

  Jasper’s father stepped forward. “While our families agreed to the union, it was Jasper’s final decision and he chose another mate. We could not and would not force him to take someone he did not want to be with,” Jasper’s father said as he looked directly at Mary. “The choice was his to make.” He glared at Mary. “And she took the life of his mate and caused him to take his life because she was scorned,” he said in a booming, angry voice as he pointed at Mary.

  The council began to whisper among themselves before looking straight ahead again. The leader of the council finally spoke, “We find there was a contract that should have been honored, and for that, we cannot punish you.”

  Mary’s smiled widen until the head council continued, “But instead of bringing the breach of this contract before the council, you chose to seek revenge. While the contract was defensible, your actions against Clarissa Trudeau was not, and for that, you will be punished. As a result, the council finds you in violation of one of our most sacred rules, purposefully taking the life of another sorcerer without just cause. Mary Plauché, you will be stripped of all but one of your powers. You will be granted the continued use of Illusionism. The powers of Alchemy and Evocation will be forever taken. It is the hope of this council that you will eventually find someone to mate with, allowing you to begin to strengthen your family’s bloodline. This council has spoken.”

  The council members stood and floated into the air before disappearing.

  “No!” Mary yelled as her anger spilled into a fit of rage. She focused her attention on the Davennes. “I don’t care how many lifetimes it takes, I will be with him, he is my destiny,” she spewed at them as she spoke of Jasper.

  Jasper’s parents were not only distraught over the death of their son and his mate, they worried that Mary would be able to interfere with Jasper and Clarissa's reunion in another time. When they petitioned the council to strip Mary of all of her powers and banished her from the council, they never imagined their ill-advised contract would come back to hurt their son. While the council was able to punish her for the death of Clarissa, she was still able to hold onto one of her powers.

  After the trial, The Devannes and the Trudeaus worked diligently to create a magical book of spells that could only be opened by Jasper’s bloodline, if he were to ever reappear in human form. In the book, spells were placed that could only be used by Jasper and Clarissa. It contained everything they needed to defeat and destroy Mary and all other dark forces that would do them harm. They found out about the curse that Jasper put on himself and if he were to ever reunite with Clarisse’s soul, then they would need help making sure that Mary and her bloodline could never have interfered with them again.

  Both families took months creating spells and documenting any conceivable problem they may have so they would be able to destroy the evil that would eventually come for them. Hopefully, they would then be able to live and love each other in peace. The book was sealed with Jasper’s father’s blood and handed to Clarissa’s father for safe keeping. The Devannes had no other children to carry on their bloodline, but Clarissa’s brother would be able to keep the book in his family for generations until the need arose to use it. The Trudeau family decided to stay in America so they could be close to Clarissa’s burial site.

  Chapter 18

  Present Day

  Charlotte and James showed up for Robert’s surprise party.

  They were immediately greeted by Tony who hugged and kissed Charlotte then shook James' hand. “Please come in and have a drink, Rob should be here in about one-half hour,” he said as he pointed to the bar. “Jewels is bringing him here so hopef
ully, they won't be too late.” Tony smiled at them as he moved away to greet other guest arriving.

  Charlotte and James went over to the bar and ordered drinks. “I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow,” she said with a sad look on her face.

  “What's the sad look for? I'm only going to be gone for two weeks and you can come with me, it would be a great trip,” he suggested trying to make her smile.

  “I wish I could but we have so much going on over the next few weeks and I need to be here to make sure the proposals go through without an issue.”

  James leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I hear you are sleeping with the boss and I'm sure if you asked him nicely, he would give you permission to take time off.”

  The sound of his voice sent heat ways through her body. She was in his trance and she didn’t care, she loved him.

  He looked at her and thought he upset her. “I was joking, sweetness.”

  She brushed her lips across his. “I love you.” She laughed. “Be serious.” She nudged him. “It's imperative that I get those two accounts finalized.”

  “I know as hard as you work, you will have it done before I return.” He gave her another kiss.

  They looked around the large banquet hall and noticed some people dancing.

  “Would you like to dance?” James asked as he extended his hand.

  Charlotte placed her drink on the bar. “I'd love to.”

  James pulled Charlotte into his arms as they swayed to the soulful sounds of Maxwell. “You know I will take any opportunity I can get to hold you in my arms,” he whispered as he kissed her on her forehead.

  She rested her head on his chest. Everything about this man felt right. Charlotte knew in her soul that they belonged together, he was the missing piece she’d felt all her life.

  After about a half hour, Tony stopped the music to announce that Robert was about five minutes away.

  Everyone gathered together and waited.

  James pulled Charlotte in front of him and placed his arms around her waist then held her tight as they waited.

  Robert and Jewels walked into the dimly lit room.

  “I thought you said there was a party here? I think your friend gave you the wrong address,” Robert said to Jewels.

  “We are in the right place,” Jewels said as the lights came on and everyone yelled surprise.

  The stunned look on Robert’s face was priceless. At that moment Charlotte, Jewels and Tony knew Robert was truly surprised. They all came up to him and gave him a group hug before Robert turned his attention to the love of his life, Tony. He held him tight before kissing him.

  Charlotte was happy that Tony was able to surprise him without any more drama in their relationship.

  The evening was filled with food, drinks, laughter and dancing. Robert’s 30th birthday was a huge success.

  As the evening was coming to a close, Robert and Jewels stood at the bar doing shots of tequila while watching Charlotte and James sway on the dance floor.

  “I'm still really creeped out by this whole situation with Charlotte. I mean she's marrying a man she's only known for three weeks and what's up with the disturbing portrait of them from two hundred years ago,” Jewels said as she finished her shot.

  “This whole situation has me unsettled too,” Robert admitted as he watched Charlotte and James, “and I agree with you, but I've never seen her this happy before and I think the only thing that we can do is be there and support her in case it goes terribly wrong.”

  Jewels raised her glass as she tapped his in agreement.

  As the party came to a close, Charlotte wanted to make sure that most of the guests were gone before she and James made their way back to his hotel suite. She kissed her friends, wished Rob Happy Birthday again and they headed back to the hotel. Charlotte knew this was her last night with James for the next few weeks. She wanted to make the best of their time together. They made love once before laying in each other arms and talking for hours about their future together.

  The next day, Charlotte tried to hold back her tears as she watched James' plane take off.

  An hour later, Charlotte was back at work and there was a flood of problems with one of their new accounts. She worked the entire day feverishly to resolve the issues. She looked at the time and realized she hadn't talked to James all day. She reached for her cell phone as she remembered the time difference. “It’s only 9 o'clock at night there,” she said softly before dialing the phone. Her call went straight to voicemail. “Hey Babe, I realized I haven't talked to you today, so call me when you get a chance. Love you.” Charlotte hung up the phone and got an uneasy feeling.

  She pushed those feelings aside as she continued to work late into the night before deciding to go home. As she grabbed her purse, she reached for her cellphone. No missed calls. She was beginning to worry but realized it had only been a day. Girl, get yourself together, she chastised herself as tried to calm her nerves.

  Ireland….

  James and Aedan walked off the plane and headed straight to the office. Their plane ride was contentious as Aedan continued to share his disapproval of James’ decision to move to the US.

  “Enough, Aedan, my decision is final. If you have nothing positive to say, then I suggest you say nothing, because you are starting to anger me.” He pulled out his phone to call Charlotte but decided to wait until he was home.

  Colleen was waiting with a stack of paperwork. She followed him into his office as she looked at Aedan signaling not to follow. Aedan turned around and went to his office. Colleen waited for James to sit in his chair when she sat in the chair in front of him. “James,” she said in a soft voice, causing him to look at her.

  He looked into her eyes and became entranced.

  “I’ve missed you so much, sweetheart. I waited anxiously for your return to plan our wedding.” She used her power of illusion to take control of his mind. She could feel the resistance, but her powers were too strong for him to resist.

  James was trying to fight the feeling of being taken over. Then his green eyes darkened as he responded, “I’ve missed you too my love. I can’t wait to have you as my wife.”

  “I will begin to plan our special day.” She stood and walked over to kiss him on the lips when he flinched.

  He stared at her. “I have such a massive headache.” He declared as he began to rub his head.

  Colleen knew his headache was his internal fight to resist her, but with time that would go away, she thought as she smiled. “Here are the reports you requested to see. And I will make sure the plans to sell the US company are finalized.”

  “I didn’t say I wanted to sell…” He gazed into her eyes and began to feel powerless again, as he nodded. “Make sure I have the final papers for the sale on my desk tomorrow.”

  Colleen then saw his phone on his desk. She didn’t want to take any chances of the witch from the US calling and confusing him. “I’ll take your phone and retrieve your messages for you.” She headed out of the office, turned the phone off, and placed it in her drawer. Once they were married, their bond would be sealed forever and there would be nothing anyone could do to break it.

  Louisiana….

  The next day went by so fast that it wasn’t until the evening when Charlotte realized she still hadn’t talked to James. She tried his cell number and it went straight to voicemail. Now she began to worry. She didn’t want to be the needy fiancée but she needed to make sure he was safe. Against her better judgment, she scrolled through her phone until she came across his number. Charlotte dialed Aedan's cell number.

  He picked up on the 2nd ring. “Hello, this is Aedan,” he answered.

  “Hi Aedan, this is Charlotte. I was trying to get in touch with James, have you spoken with him today?”

  “Hi Charlotte, yes we just got out of a meeting and I think he was heading home, he said something about being exhausted.”

  Charlotte caught the smug tone in his voice. “I tried to reach him a few times. He ha
sn’t called me and his phone keeps going to voicemail. I’m getting a little worried.” She knew the angst in her voice came through and this irritated her.

  “I'm sure he'll give you a call when he gets home Charlotte,” Aedan responded without offering any additional information.

  Charlotte continued to hear that superior tone that caused her nervousness to rise. He didn’t approve of their relationship and the tone of his voice made her believe he knew something that she didn’t and it unnerved her. “Okay, I'll try him again when I get home, have a good evening Aedan.”

  “You too Charlotte,” he said before disconnecting the call abruptly.

  Charlotte sat back in her chair and reclined her head. The anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach was now replaced with anger. If he just left a meeting that meant he had worked for two days and it wasn’t bothering him that he hadn’t talked to her. She redialed his number, this time it rang twice and went to voicemail. So he was purposely ignoring her calls. “Fine!” She decided that she wasn’t going to call him, she would wait for him to call her. He confessed his undying love to her before he left and if that were still the case, then he needed to calls her.

  After finishing what she was working on, she headed home. She walked into her house and headed straight for the shower. After showering and getting a glass of wine she sat on her chaise and began to cry. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was losing James. She inhaled sharply as she tried to stop the tears. She grabbed her phone and sent James a text. J, please give me a call, we haven’t talked in a few days and I’m getting worried. I love you. Charlotte didn’t get a response, so she went to bed and cried herself to sleep.