“Well, we did,” Cat says, grinning sheepishly. “It’s part of the reason I reacted the way I did when we first met. Sorry about that, by the way.”
“Oh, right. Good point,” I say, butting my forehead with the heel of my hand.
I bend in, looking at the family resemblance between their ancestors and the two of them. It’s uncanny.
“Wait a minute…” I say, working through the timeframe and this revelation. “What about, and I don’t mean to be a total jerk, but what about slavery? I mean, back then, African Americans weren’t really free citizens. Right? Your family wasn’t owned by mine or anything, were they?”
“No, actually. I mean, yeah, slavery, especially with supernaturals was bad news. But the Blackwoods changed all that for our family,” Cat says, smiling.
Colt nods. “Your family was the reason ours was free to live and be a part of the founding of this town. It was practically unheard of anywhere else in the country. Though I gotta say, from the way our mom tells it, the town wasn’t real pleased at first. But Warren and Abigail had a…pull. No one else could deviate once they were involved,” Colt says.
“Cool,” I say, leaning back in my seat.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Cat begins.
“No, it’s not that. I’m just, things have been so weird since I first got back and now things are starting to kinda make sense in an uber strange sorta way,” I mutter. “I mean, if other people know this history, it makes sense they’d be a little dubious with me, I suppose. But they don’t have to worry. I don’t even believe in ghosts—or whatever the hell else my family was into.”
My insides churn and doubt tugs at the back of my mind. I’ve seen some weird stuff lately—stuff I can’t quite explain away just yet—and this is only making it harder.
“Hmmmm…” Colton asks, suddenly serious. He rubs at the space between his thumb and index finger with the opposite hand. “Other than Dominic carving up your car, what else has been weird?”
I meet his expectant gaze. For a moment, I consider telling them about the strange voice and the vision of the woman on the floor.
“Well,” I begin, trying to find the right words, “for starters, I think I…may have… You know what, never mind.”
“May have what?” Cat urges, her eyes wide.
“It’s stupid,” I say, shaking my head.
“You never know. It might not be stupid to us at all,” Cat mutters, shrugging her right shoulder. “There’s a lot you don’t know yet about your past and your family’s legacy. It would take a lot to surprise us at this point.”
Colton’s eyes are a dark pool of concern, but he leans in, placing a hand on mine. “Autumn, you can trust us.”
Surprised by the contact, all I can do is stare at the way his hand contrasts my own. Almost as if melding together in some sort of yin and yang, his darn skin is almost mesmerizing. Suddenly, the colors of our skin fade away from my consciousness and, instead, iridescent flames of blue and orange engulf our hands. When I look up, the same flames are mirrored in Cat’s eyes.
I tug my hand from his and the flames extinguish.
“I, uh—” I say, blinking back my bewilderment. “You know, I think maybe I should go.”
Chapter 16
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Thoughts tumble through my head and I can’t shake this uneasy feeling that when I uncover my powers, they’re going to be bad. Maybe not bad, per se, but definitely not the kind I was hoping for.
Then again, maybe I really don’t have powers at all and this whole thing was a huge mistake. Unfortunately, that would be the biggest let-down of the century, because I feel like I’m finally hitting my stride at Windhaven Academy.
Part of me is desperate to know, and the other is desperate to stay in obliviousness. Unfortunately, the last option isn’t a choice. If I don’t figure out my powers, I’m sure they’re not going to let me stay. They’ll have to kick me out and make room for someone with actual gifts.
The one person I wish I could talk to about this is Mom. But she’s also a no-go, for a multitude of reasons. Maybe I should think about talking to my dad?
Staring at the ceiling, I let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?” Wade says, propping himself up on his left arm.
I switch to a seated position. “Was it that obvious?”
“Maybe a little,” he laughs, sitting up, too.
“It’s just—I’m starting to get nervous about Windhaven Academy. I don’t want to be kicked out for being the powerless kid. At this point, it would be sorta devastating,” I say.
“Well, what do you know so far? Has anything unusual presented itself? I mean, more than the other kids at school behaving oddly,” he says, shrugging.
I shake my head. “No, not really…” I drift off, thinking back to the bizarre flame that ignited when Colton touched my hand. Was that crossing a line? I mean, I never should have held my hand there so long, but it was like I couldn’t help it. What would Wade think?
“Not really? That kinda sounds like a maybe.”
My eyes flit to his gorgeous face and I melt inside. “Well, I guess maybe…but it’s not really a good thing, if you know what I mean.”
Wade lowers his dark eyebrows. “Go on.”
I clear my throat, shifting in my seat. “Well, er, I think I may have seen my dead ancestor, Abigail Blackwood, in the main entry of the house.”
There’s no way I could tell him about Colton’s touch. Not yet.
“Really? Well, that’s something. Good or not, that could mean you sense the past. Maybe you can see through the veil or, heck, talk with ghosts,” he says, excitement tickling at the edge of his tone.
“Oh, don’t sound so excited about that prospect. I’m not about to become the ghost whisperer,” I laugh.
“Now, see, that’s a show I didn’t watch,” he says, smirking.
“Then how did you know it was a show? Hmmm?”
He raises a knowing eyebrow. “Woman, who do you take me for?”
I pause, then raise my right hand in acceptance. “Fair enough.”
“So, what if you can talk to ghosts? I mean, didn’t you say that you heard a woman say welcome home?” Wade says, shifting on the bed.
“Oh yeah. I totally forgot about that,” I say, my eyes drifting down to the bedspread.
Could that be it? Could I really be able to talk to ghosts?
A shiver races down my spine and goose bumps flash across the backs of my arms.
“We could be on to something here… it would explain why you’ve never experienced anything unusual at school. Wouldn’t it? Well, unless there are ghosts at Windhaven, which wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Me neither, actually,” I say, unable to stay seated. I uncross my legs, standing up beside the bed as I start to pace.
“Okay, so tell me—how do you know it was this Abigail?” He says, scooting to the edge of the bed and reaching for my hands. I take his offering and he pulls me closer to him until I stop right before him.
“Well, I stumbled on some town histories the other day…” I say, tiptoeing to the edge of honesty. “I found a picture in there showing our home when it was built, and the woman in the picture was my super-great grandmother. But when I saw her here, it was strange. I was talking to my dad the other day, at the top of the landing. When I looked over the railing, I swore I saw a woman in a white dress laying on the ground, only she looked funny. Like her body was bent at an odd angle. It freaked me out.”
“What did your dad say?” Wade asks, his silver eyes burning into mine.
“Didn’t tell him,” I say sheepishly. “Is that bad?”
“Well, no, but it might help if you did. Maybe he knows what’s going on. This is his house, after all. And who knows, maybe he knows more about your family legacy than you realize. Have you ever talked to him about it?”
“I haven’t, actually. He really hasn’t been around as much as I thought he’d be.
I did ask him if he’d be here this weekend so he could meet you and he said yes. But here we are…” My words fade out as I shrug.
“Right? You know, I’m starting to get the impression he’s avoiding meeting me. Am I being too paranoid?” Wade asks, narrowing his eyes.
I laugh. “I don’t think so. He’s kind of an introvert. He’s probably just giving us space so he doesn’t have to face the reality that his twenty-year-old daughter is having sex.”
Wade’s eyes widen and he quirks an eyebrow. “She is?”
I reach around him, grabbing my pillow and throwing it at him. “You know what I mean.”
“Do I?” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and tugging me to the mattress. “Is that an invitation, then?”
“No invitation necessary, Mr. Hoffman. Unless of course you’d like one. In which case, consider your invitation formally served,” I purr, running my fingertips through his dark locks.
“Well, Ms. Blackwood, I may just take you up on this…” he whispers, bending in and letting his lips graze the side of my neck.
The hairs all over my body stand on end again, but this time, for far more enjoyable reasons. However, he stands back up and gently pulls me to my feet.
“What are you—?” I begin, dazed.
“Oh no…we’ll get there, trust me. But you deserve more than convenient-whim sex,” he says, flashing me a mischievous grin. “I have plans for you, Dru.”
Butterflies erupt from deep inside my belly and I blink back my surprise.
He does sexy soooo well.
“So, if not now, when?” I ask, unable to help myself.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he says softly, flashing me his incredible wink.
I let out a sigh intermixed with desire and impatience. “What are we doing then?”
“Let’s see if we can’t suss out your powers a bit,” he says, grabbing my hand and twisting around. He leads me out of my bedroom and down the hallway, back toward the main entrance. “You said you saw your uber-great grandma here…right?”
As we turn the corner, my eyes land on the rug beneath the second-floor landing and I nod.
“Were you doing anything? Touching anything? Maybe it’s tactile,” he offers.
I shrug. “I was just admiring the light coming through the windows and looked over. There she was, like it had just happened.”
“Did she seem like a ghost? You know, like wispy? Or was she solid?”
“Solid, I guess. She didn’t look like ghosts in TV shows, anyway,” I say, remembering back.
Wade nods. “Okay, that’s something. How did she die? Did it say?”
I scrunch my face and take a deep breath. “Yeah, basically she died after falling from there.” I point up to the landing above us.
“So, she was showing you her death. In my experience, that’s pretty significant,” Wade says, casting his gaze over the rug. “What happens if you touch the rug?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never bent down to give it go,” I snicker.
Wade eyes me expectantly.
“Oh, fine,” I mutter, dropping to my hands and knees. “I feel completely ridic—”
The moment my hands touch the rug, a swirling red and blue iridescent flame consumes both of my hands and radiates up my arms. I shift to a crouched position, pulling my hands from the fabric and stare at them. Other than the color being slightly different, the experience is almost exactly the same as when Colton touched me. The flames continue to travel up my arms until my whole body ignites in them.
Wade rushes to my side, his eyes wide, “Autumn, are you— does it hurt?”
I blink back my surprise, shaking my head. “No, not all.”
Then, as quickly as they sprang up, the flames extinguish. Exhaling in a loud puff, I drop onto my backside.
“Well, I have no idea what that was, but it’s safe to say, dear Dru, mundane human, you are not.”
I lift my gaze, staring at his sideways grin and sparkling eyes. He’s so happy about this, but the only thing I can think about is how similar it was to when Colton touched my hand.
With wide eyes, I nod quickly. It’s all I can think to do.
Wade drops to a crouch beside me. “You don’t seem happy. Why aren’t you happy?”
I chew on the side of my cheek and swallow hard.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” He says, an air of panic rising in his tone.
“I have something to tell you,” I say, patting the spot beside me.
Wade’s eyebrows lower and he actually stands instead. Cramming his hands into his pocket, he eyes me suspiciously. “It’s something bad, isn’t it?” His voice is barely a whisper.
Pushing myself to a stand, I shake my head. “No, I mean, I don’t think so. At least, not in the way you’re probably thinking.”
“Okay…” His silver eyes narrow to slits and his goofy grin has all but evaporated.
“Yesterday, I went to the library with Cat and Colt,” I begin, watching his every move.
“All right?” he says, his face guarded.
I clear my throat, casting my gaze to the rug. “We were only researching, but something strange happened when Colton touched my hand. It was weird, and I didn’t tell you about it because I wasn’t sure how I felt.”
“How you felt?” Wade says, his eyes widening.
I take a step back. “No, not like that. I mean, I wasn’t sure how I felt when it happened. It was weird.” I lick my lower lip, suddenly parched. “Innocent, even. It’s just…when we made contact, it was like I was completely mesmerized by his skin—then it burst into flames. Almost identically to how it did just now.”
Wade’s dark lashes flutter as he takes in the new information. He’s utterly silent.
“Say something,” I whisper.
“I’m not sure what to say. I—” he shakes his head. “Part of me thinks, ‘so what? Some guy touched your hand. It was just your hand.’ The other part of me is furious he even had the audacity to do that. Then, there’s the other part of me…” his voice trails off.
“The other part of you what?” I ask, walking up to him.
His eyebrows tip up in the middle and his jaw clenches. “The other part wonders why him and not me? Why would you have that reaction with such an innocent touch, but never with—”
“I don’t know how it works. I don’t even know what it is or why.”
Wade takes a deep breath through his nose. “Why did he touch you?”
I take a step away, trying to remember. “I don’t know. I think he was trying to console me. Or try to get me to trust them. We were talking about all the weird goings on and they’re trying to help me sort out all of the confusion around my family and my powers. They know more than they’re telling me and he was just trying to make me feel better.”
“Good people don’t keep the truth from those they care about.”
I flinch, knowing his words are aimed at more than just the Gilbert twins.
“There is nothing going on between Colt and me. You know that, right?” I whisper, pushing back the urge to cry.
“Maybe for you. But what about him?” Wade asks, his face scrunching together like he ate something horrible.
Taking a step toward him, I wrap my arms around his waist. “I don’t care what he thinks or whether or not he’d like there to be more. I’m yours, Angel. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Wade takes a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders as he wraps his arms around me. I sink into his embrace, resting my head against his chest. His heartbeat is loud and fast, but he pulls me in tighter, dropping his chin to the top of my head.
Just when I think things are going to be okay, I hear a voice over my shoulder whisper, “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Chapter 17
A Trail To Follow
Wade’s cell phone rings and I can tell by the way his back is ramrod straight, it’s not good news. Nothing like getting bad news at 5:30 a.m. to set the day o
ff with a note of anxiety.
“Are you going to have to leave?” I say, reaching for Wade’s hand as he throws back the covers.
Wade nods, still half asleep. He tugs out a new dusty-blue t-shirt from his backpack and puts it on. His voice is gruff as he whispers, “Yeah, Grandpa’s not doing well. I gotta go check on him.”
“Do you want me to come with? I could—”
“No, no… Go back to bed,” he says, bending down and kissing the top of my head. “No reason for both of us to get up at this ungodly hour. Besides, you have homework, remember?”
“Ugh,” I groan, pulling the covers over my head.
Wade chuckles, zipping up his jeans. “You won’t figure out how your powers work if you don’t test them out. At least you know for sure you can test them here instead of hunting down what’s-his-name.”
“Not fair,” I say, dropping the covers and glaring at him.
He laughs it off as he takes a seat on the bed so he can slide his shoes on.
“Wade…” I begin.
“I’m over it, Autumn. Really. I trust you, and that’s what matters. Just don’t expect me to like the guy. Okay?”
I sit up, resting my cheek on his shoulder so I can plant a kiss on his neck. “Deal.”
He twists around, but there’s still a hint of insecurity hiding in the depths of his eyes.
Shifting closer, I plant a kiss on his lips, then reach around, taking his face in my hands. I kiss his cheek, his eyelids, his chin.
His kisses back are gentle, but reserved, and I can’t help but worry that he’s still taking things with Colton to heart. As he shifts off the bed, his grin doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Will you be able to come back?” I ask, sliding my legs over the bed’s edge.
Wade’s eyebrows tip up in the middle and he shakes his head. “I don’t think so, Dru. I need to spend some time with him to know if he’s getting better or worse. You know? I wish I could—”
I cut him off with a swipe of my hand. “I know. I totally understand.”
The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 Page 14