Autumn Secrets (Numinous Book 1)

by Ivy Rose

  I rolled my eyes. “Mum.”

  “It’s true, you look stunning. The boys will all be fighting over you.”

  I giggled. “Whatever.”

  I almost started to tell her about Adrian but decided to wait until she got back from London.

  I had butterflies in my stomach, as I hugged Mum goodbye and started walking towards the hall. Lexi had texted me over an hour ago, telling me the girls were already inside. I moved towards the hall where I could hear music playing loudly. Most of the school knew about me and Adrian by now; we hadn’t gone unnoticed. I was excited to see him. I passed a few cars on my way in, where students were hanging outside, having a sneaky drink before they went inside. I shook my head and continued towards the school hall. I’d never understood the appeal of alcohol, even more so after last weekend.

  The girls and their crew had done an amazing job decorating. Everything was draped in yellow, red and orange, really highlighting the autumn theme. The hall was full of people dancing or sitting around tables chatting.

  “Aurora! There you are!” a familiar voice called out from somewhere. I noticed Lexi, Jasmine and Mia further inside. They looked absolutely beautiful in their dresses. It was like a prom night, except that you didn’t have to come with a date. I’d never been to something like this before.

  “You guys look great, and the place looks amazing. Everything is so perfect.”

  And for the first time, I actually felt that to be true. I had a great bunch of friends, and here I was at my first ever school party. I really wanted to enjoy this evening.

  The girls led me to a table and Jasmine went to get us something to drink.

  “I haven’t seen Adrian or any of the other guys yet,” Lexi said, looking for something in her bag. When Jasmine came back, Lexi stood up. “Okay, girls, time for a group photo.”

  We hit the dance floor soon after, and it wasn’t until much later that I saw Adrian, Luca, Julian, and some other guys from our year walk through the door. Adrian’s eyes caught mine and he grinned with that playful smile that I’d come to love, as I watched him stride towards me. There was so much heat in his eyes that I momentarily forgot how to breathe. He stopped in front of me and without hesitation, pulled me into his arms. “You look absolutely stunning tonight,” he whispered and brushed his lips over mine.

  “Thank you, you don’t look so bad yourself.” I smiled, trying to control the pleasure my body was experiencing at his closeness.

  “I want to be the one who pulls that dress off you tonight, if you would let me?” he whispered seductively. “Spend the night with me, please?” he entreated and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

  As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t sure my nerves could handle it. I’d never slept next to a boy in my whole life.

  “I promise, I will behave,” he tempted. He let his fingers skim my bare back and I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck. His touch was electric, covering me in goose bumps. My whole body was on fire, and I was beyond curious about what would happen if we took it one step further. I’d had a good taste as to what he could make me feel, and I couldn’t deny that I was now ready to explore more with him. The decision was easy from there.

  I nodded. “Okay, I’ll come home with you,” my answer barely a whisper.

  The gleam in his eyes confirmed what we both already knew: I would never have said no.

  The whole evening was like a perfect dream, and I was having the time of my life. After a few hours with Lexi, Mia and Jasmine on the dance floor, I excused myself to go outside and get some fresh air. I tried to look for Adrian as I made my way out of the hall, but he was nowhere to be seen. The moon caught my eye straight away when I got outside. It was low on the horizon tonight, making it look bigger with its vivid red and orange colour, perfectly in harmony with this evening.

  I knew this was the harvest moon, the closest full moon to the autumn equinox, and a tingle of excitement travelled through my body. The equinox was only one week away, and then I would be bonded with the amulet for the rest of my life. There was so much responsibility that came along with my destiny, but still, I couldn’t be prouder to continue in my grandmother’s footsteps and learn more about the legacy of our family.

  I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I hadn’t noticed that I’d gotten pretty far away from the school. I turned around to walk back, when I found my path blocked by the mysterious Evangeline, who had been standing right behind me. I yelped in surprise.

  “Oh my God, you sure know how to scare a girl,” I said and crossed my arms over my chest.

  Her blonde hair was softly hanging over her shoulders, and she was wearing a beautiful long white dress, similar to the one she had worn the first time we’d met. She gracefully took a few steps closer and stopped just in front of me, her blue eyes boring into mine. There was something about the way she looked at me. Her eyes were so cold and…hateful. I felt a sense of impending danger, but it was like I was paralysed. I thought of screaming, but I couldn’t open my mouth. I just stood there, frozen.

  “Evangeline…” I tried, but word barely made its way out. What was wrong with me? I hadn’t been drinking, but everything was hazy.

  She cocked her head to one side, watching me. “Aurora…” she replied with a soft voice. There was still something so dark simmering behind those blue eyes of hers, and I knew better than to listen to that deceptive tone of hers. I swallowed nervously. “Don’t be scared,” she whispered and raised her hand to stroke my cheek.

  “What do you want?” I managed to ask, but the words were coming too slowly out of my mouth. It was like I couldn’t think or act.

  “I’m here for you.”

  I wanted to smack her cold hand away, but I still couldn’t move. What was she talking about? What did she mean she was here for me? Before I could try to say something, a harsh voice interrupted us.

  “Evangeline, don’t! Just leave her alone.”

  Luca? The last person I would have expected to find out here, or to help me in any way. Evangeline kept staring at me, and suddenly I could feel the veil of fear lifting off me, letting me come back to normal. I immediately took a step away from her.

  “But—”

  “Just leave, Evangeline. Go home.”

  She gave me a final look and without a word or a glance at Luca, she walked past me, bumping her shoulder into mine, disappearing into the night. As soon as she was gone, my mind and body connected again, and I started to shake uncontrollably. It was like I was coming down from an adrenaline rush. She must have really freaked me out to make me feel like this. I looked up at Luca. I felt like he had saved me from something awful.

  “I didn’t know you two knew each other but thank you. That was really weird.”

  He smiled and stepped closer. “Don’t worry about it.”

  I shook my head. “No, honestly, thank you.”

  “Well, she is a jealous little thing. Keeping Adrian busy.” He laughed. “He’ll talk some sense into her later; he always does. Don’t worry about it.”

  The way he said it made me feel uneasy. He made it sound like they were together, and that couldn’t be because he was with me. I had decided to trust Adrian, but Luca’s words made me doubt Adrian. I decided to play along.

  “How long were they together?” I asked.

  “You mean how long have they been together? Forever, really.” He shrugged.

  It was like his words physically punched me in my gut, and I felt a wave of nausea roll over me. Adrian had lied to me. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. This was some kind of sick game to him, and for reasons I would probably never understand, he’d played me. He had Evangeline. I’d been a fool to think that he would have any true feelings for me.

  Bitter tears stung my eyes, and I had to try to not let them pour out in front of Luca. I still didn’t trust him, even though he had just saved me.

  “Hey, sorry. Did I say something to upset you?” Luca watched me with concern.

  I sho
ok my head and tried to choke back a sob. I couldn’t answer.

  “Aurora, I’m sorry. I thought he explained things to you. Oh shit.” He stepped closer and put his hand on my shoulder awkwardly. “Let’s go for a little walk, maybe some fresh air—”

  I shook my head again. “You go back inside to Lexi; I’m going to head home.”

  “Are you serious? How are you getting home?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll call my neighbours.”

  He shook his head. “Come on,” he said and grabbed my arm.

  “I told you, I don’t want to go—”

  “I’m taking you home,” he interrupted and led me towards his car. Who would have thought that Luca of all people would be the one to come to my rescue? We normally didn’t get along that well, but I wasn’t so stupid that I was going to turn down his offer at this point. I just wanted to get out of here.

  “Thanks.”

  I jumped in the passenger seat and buckled myself in. “Thanks again for doing this,” I said awkwardly, my attention turned outside the window, watching the school disappear behind us. “I know I haven’t been that nice to you, but I really appreciate this. I can see why Lexi likes you.”

  He chuckled. “Aurora, is that an apology I’m detecting?”

  I turned to him and smiled. “Yeah, maybe…a little one…for now, anyway.”

  “Well, I wasn’t going to let you walk around in the dark by yourself. Besides, I think it’s good that we’re bonding.” He winked and gave me a quick grin. I couldn’t help but grin back.

  “Yeah, maybe that is a good thing.” I decided to give him a chance. This was a new side of him, and I liked it.

  We continued chatting through Angel Falls and when we turned off to get to the main road, I noticed him go the opposite way from my house.

  “Oh, sorry, Luca, you turned the wrong way.” When he ignored me, I turned to stare at him. “Did you hear me? You’re going the wrong way.”

  He didn’t look at me. “Sorry, princess, but I have other plans for you.”

  My blood turned to ice. “What do you mean other plans? Where are we going? Luca, honestly—”

  Luca chuckled. “Wow, for the next guardian of light, I must admit you’re quite slow.”

  My eyes flew up, and for a moment I forgot how to breathe. He knew. I clenched my purse in my lap. How was I supposed to get out of this?

  “Y-you know who I am?”

  He threw me a glance. “Of course I know who you are.”

  How? I tried to remember everything that I’d recently learned, and Luca didn’t really fit into the picture. Mr and Mrs Peters said that there had been no activity from the dark side in almost twenty years. So, did that mean Luca was on our side then? It didn’t feel like he was at the moment, but maybe I was mistaken? Please, let me be mistaken, I silently begged.

  But somewhere deep down, I knew better. It all started to fall into place now. This was exactly why I hadn’t liked him from the beginning. That’s why I’d been so protective over Lexi. He was evil, and dark, and here was me only moments ago, apologising to him for my poor behaviour. It made me sick.

  My eyes narrowed. “Who are you? What are you?”

  “Aurora, princess. I’m surprised you haven’t figured it all out yet.”

  I swallowed, trying to ignore the building fear in my chest. “Figured what out?”

  “So many things, but I guess you never would have come with me if you had figured out any of this earlier.” He chuckled.

  “Luca, think about Lexi; we both love her.” I was trying to make him see how the two of us were connected, so that maybe he wouldn’t hurt me. It was a long shot, but I didn’t know what else to do.

  He chuckled. “You think I care about Lexi?”

  I swallowed. “Yes? Don’t you?”

  He laughed. “Sure, let’s pretend I’m in love with Lexi.”

  “You don’t have to pretend. If you’re not in love with Lexi, why are you with her? And what do you want from me?”

  Luca slid me a quick look. He was really enjoying this. “Aurora, think—”

  I shook my head. “I can’t. I don’t know who you are, or what you are.”

  Half of me was still holding on to the thought that this was some big mistake, that he wasn’t really here to harm me, that he actually was a good person. The other half dreaded the truth.

  He shot me a menacing grin. “I am your worst nightmare, princess.”

  Chapter 22

  His words stung me with a fear I’d never experienced before, and I started to panic. How could I defend myself against someone like Luca? Who knew what he could do to me? I didn’t even know what he was. I was defenceless against someone like him. I needed to keep him talking, until I could figure out what to do.

  “And what does that mean, my worst nightmare?”

  “That means you are in trouble right now.” He grinned.

  “You need to be a little more specific. I don’t know much about this world you say you’re a part of. What is going on?”

  He chuckled. “I can’t believe how easy this is.”

  “What are you?” I asked again.

  “I’m a mage. I do magic, but not for your side. Do you know what a mage is?”

  “Of course, I do.” The dark mages were responsible for the Black Death back in the day. They were evil and caused so much suffering to humans.

  “You’re on Lilith’s side?”

  “That’s right, princess. Well done.”

  “You’re a dark mage.” It wasn’t a question.

  He chuckled. “Got it, princess.”

  I was kicking myself for not trusting my intuition about Luca. If I had, I probably wouldn’t be trapped in this car with him right now. I knew he was a bad guy; why didn’t I trust my instincts?

  I was also getting madder at everyone who knew about this hidden world I’d been sucked into, and never told me about it. Their decision to keep me in the dark, was backfiring big time right now. If I’d known more, I could have been prepared.

  “What do you want?” I asked and tried to sound as calm as possible, even though my heart was pounding with fear. No one knew where I was. How could I possibly get away from him? He was a dark mage for God’s sake. I was just learning to use my gifts, and they certainly weren’t any use in a fight. I didn’t even know what kind of power he possessed, but thanks to Mr and Mrs Peters, I knew mages were extremely powerful.

  He gave me an arrogant smirk. “Surely you must be clever enough to figure that out by yourself?”

  “I just found out this world of supernatural insanity exists,” I hissed. “I’m not stupid. I’m trying to catch up.”

  Luca laughed. “Sorry, princess, I didn’t mean to offend you. But think. What do you think we’re after?”

  “We? Who else is with you? Evangeline?” I was just guessing here, trying to keep the conversation going until I figured out what to do. He surprised me when he actually gave me an answer.

  He grinned. “Wow, not so oblivious after all.”

  I gave him a stern look. “Why am I not surprised? Of course you two play for the same team. It makes perfect sense; you’re both cold and creepy…and rotten.”

  “Watch your mouth,” Luca interrupted and gave me a look that made my bones chill. He obviously cared about Evangeline.

  I swallowed. “What is she then?”

  “You’ve met her. What do you think she is, Aurora?”

  I thought about my first meeting with her in the classroom, how she had flawlessly moved herself across the classroom, her pale skin, and how she had made me feel this evening. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said she’d compelled me; that’s why I couldn’t scream or move away from her. There was one thing that didn’t add up. I took a deep breath.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I would say she’s a vampire. But that doesn’t make any sense.”

  “And why is that?” Luca asked curiously.

  “I’ve seen her in daylight.�
��

  Luca burst out laughing. “Oh my God, princess. You are just hilarious. There’s a lot more to the vampires of today than what the old tales tell.”

  “And what does that mean?” I asked with an angry glare.

  “Well, I normally don’t kiss and tell, but this is hysterical. They really haven’t told you anything. You see, Evangeline is indeed a vampire. She’s just got a few extra gifts. She’s a special vampire. She is what we call an energy vampire.”

  “Energy vampire? What the hell is that?”

  “She can use our energies, powers, the essence of a human soul. When she’s got access to this, she can use it to her advantage. For example, a human soul will always give her the ability to move in daylight. She just needs to find a way to take it. Energy vampires are unique and extremely powerful. The most powerful vampire there is.”

  Well, this was news to me. I didn’t even know you could have different kinds of vampires. I wasn’t sure Mr and Mrs Peters knew either.

  “What? So, she just takes whatever she wants, whenever she wants? I don’t get it. How can she take a soul from another human?”

  “Well, not exactly whenever she wants. They aren’t that powerful. There’s one thing she needs to do to access another soul’s energy.”

  “And that is…?”

  “She needs to drink their blood.”

  “You mean she has to bite her victim to be able to access their soul?”

  “Yep, exactly. And the effect doesn’t last forever; it’s temporary. That’s why you’ve seen her in daylight.”

  My thoughts immediately wandered back to Julian’s party. I thought I had been hit by something in the back of the neck. But when I woke up on the floor, there were no marks and I had brushed the whole thing off as a fainting incident. I instinctively reached back to the spot on my neck, even though there was nothing there. Was Evangeline behind everything that had happened that night?

  I heard Luca chuckling beside me. I turned my head to look at him.

  “It was her. The night at Julian’s party. It was Evangeline. She bit me, and I lost consciousness.”

  “That’s correct. With a little help from me of course. You see, I’m quite good with mind manipulation. I planted the whole scene with Lexi in your head, and the hidden staircase. Nothing was real of course, except when you arrived on the second floor. That was all real.”