"I'm not going to lie, I had a feeling in my gut that something wasn't right. That was why I wanted you to meet me." I felt the muscles in my jaw tighten.
I felt sick to my stomach. They were the closest things I had to family and most of it was based on lies. I felt so betrayed and more alone than ever. I should have paid more attention to my instincts.
"I know, I'm sorry. I tried to do the best I could to protect Axel and try to help you with your current situation without giving too much information to Phaela." Patience looked over at her husband and her eye dropped.
"Where is Phaela now?" Graven interrupted.
"And whom may I ask are you, young man?" Patience crooked her neck in his direction. "Here we are talking about trusting people, and I certainly do not know you."
"He is with me. It's a little bit complicated, but at this moment I trust him, you should too," I suggested.
Patience looked him up and down suspiciously. "Well you certainly are handsome." She turned back to me, "I hope you are not letting his good looks cloud your judgment, sweetheart."
"Patience, I can assure you that he is here to protect me and to try and help you and Axel. Graven is actually the only reason I am standing here alive right now." I walked over to Graven and held his hand at least as much of it I could fit in mine. "Now, where is Phaela and how can we help you? I think we should get you somewhere safe."
"I am not going anywhere without my husband, and he can't be moved. That is part of why Phaela put a spell on the house. We didn't want you to see him like that and get scared off.
"I really was sick over your disappearance. I am not sure what Phaela's intentions are with you. Quite frankly, I wasn't sure if you were safer with The Taker or with Phaela."
"So what about all the stuff you and she told me about the prophecy and about the power from my amulet? Was all that a ruse to get me to trust you both enough to tell you what my powers were?" I let go of Graven and started to walk toward the kitchen. It wasn't something I made a habit of, but I found myself cracking my knuckles. I think it helped me to not ball them up into fists. "Clever, got to give it to you both. Very clever."
"It wasn't like that, Kasha. Phaela actually has visions. She herself spoke of what you would become. She seemed to know things about you that even your grandmother, Mage did not know." Patience followed me into the kitchen.
I stepped into the familiar space, this time I could actually touch my surroundings, sit at the table if I wanted to. There was a part of me that wanted to just sit down and share a cup of tea with this woman whom I had considered to be more than my friend.
I loved the cozy and rustic feel that her kitchen had. The old furniture and hanging herbs reminded me of home with Gram. "So every time I was here and you were drinking tea she was drinking Gram's tea so she could see me? How much tea does she have?"
"Yes, she was. I don't know how much tea she has left, but Mage told her that if she kept drinking the tea it would eventually become permanent. If I knew your grandmother as well as I thought I did, I find that hard to believe.
"I don't know who or what she knows. She is dangerous and on a mission. One I wish I wasn't a part of. She could be back at any time. It would be best if you were not here when she returns. I can tell her you popped in in your astral form, but only for a minute.
"She wants your family's book. I told her I gave it back to your grandmother. She is the only person that knows where the book is."
"Can't she just have her medium friend ask Gram?" I asked her forgetting that she told me that was a lie.
"It isn't so simple to communicate with the dead. It is possible that Mage has moved past the ghost realm. It isn't safe for her there."
"Why isn't it safe? Do you know how I can communicate with her?" I asked, but before she could answer, Graven walked in the kitchen.
"Kasha, I am getting a really bad vibe, I think it's time to go."
"If Phaela is coming you really should go. Come to me in astral form if you really absolutely need me. I can't guarantee that she won't be here so think twice before you speak openly to me. I can't let her know that you know about Axel. It is her only leverage against me. If she thinks that is compromised and that I won't help her, she will kill him on the spot."
"Ok." I walked over to her and hugged her little body. "I am going to search for a way to help Axel. Graven has a lot of connections; he might know someone that can help us. But please Patience, you are not safe here."
"I know."
"Not just because of Phaela, Graven works for The Taker. It's how we know that they are looking to punish a story keeper for the murder of Anton Leviath. We know they are looking for someone in New Mexico. Are you the only ones in New Mexico?"
"I told you not to worry about us. I might not have seen this coming with Phaela, but I am quite crafty when I know what I am up against." She locked her arm around mine and started to escort me to the front door. "I'm sure your grandmother left you something that will help you. She wouldn't have left you with nothing."
"The Taker took most of my belongings; maybe I just have to think about it. Gram always had a cryptic way of telling me things. Perhaps she told me more than I realize." I wasn't about to tell her about my storage unit. At this point I really wasn't sure to what extent I could trust her.
"I am so sorry that you and Axel wound up getting hurt by something that had to do with me. I am going to try to find a way to help him. Please try to stay safe. Come to us astrally if you need us." We hugged.
"I really hope that you are what you say and take good care of this girl. She is a very important person and deserves the very best," Patience whispered to Graven as he passed her.
"I will honor and defend her with my life. That is one thing you can know as a fact." Graven smiled at her.
We got in the truck and watched her walk out of the house with a broom. She swept away our tire tracks as we made our way out to the main road.
Chapter Eighteen
"GRAVEN, WHAT CAN WE DO? I feel so responsible for what has happened to Axel." I turned to him and bent one knee up laying it flat on my seat so I could turn toward him.
"Well, for starters, do you think that maybe your grandmother left you something that would tell you what is either happening to you or what kind of encounter she had with Phaela and Patience. We can go to your storage unit now. You said that you had some of her things there." It made me a little nervous how long he always kept eye contact with me while he was driving. It also gave me flutters in my stomach because there was something so magical about the way he looked at me.
"Yeah I have a lot of her stuff boxed up. Mostly books and trinkets I couldn't part with when I emptied her house. I wonder if maybe she left something at the old house."
"We are in Santa Fe now, so let's get into that storage unit. You should probably take whatever you really need. There is no telling if someone is watching to see if we show up there. Ziona already has everything from your apartment."
"That does sound like a good idea, but how are we going to get everything back to Sedona? I thought we were flying back tonight with Maritza." We couldn't very well lug it through the air.
"Hmmm." Graven grabbed at his strong chin.
I loved the way it dipped in a tiny bit. I pictured myself kissing it. My heart started to dance at the idea of his lips on my body. I knew it was not an appropriate time, but I couldn't fight off the images of how sexy it was watching him devour me between my legs.
We were on the go so much we didn't even talk about what happened this morning. Do people talk about that kind of stuff after it happens? I didn't know what the proper etiquette was. Then again most people probably don't have astral sex while they watch themselves getting busy with the same person. Did that count as sex? I am going to go with...ah who cares? It was better than anything I ever could have imagined sex to be.
Graven looked over at me and his lip curled up in the corner. If his eyes could have growled at me they would have been
roaring up a storm.
Oh screw it. I couldn't help myself. I unlatched my seatbelt and climbed over the obnoxious console dividing us. I had to kiss that chin.
I leaned over and started to kiss him at the crook of his neck, I gently sucked at his skin as I worked my tongue up toward his ear.
He took in a rough breath when I got close to his ear and adjusted himself in his seat. I kissed from just under his ear along his jaw line. He turned his head and planted his lips over mine opening his mouth to deepen the kiss.
I could feel a throbbing between my legs. I ran my hand over his chest feeling how godly his muscles were crafted under his shirt. The sky around us was turning orange as the sun was making its final decent down behind the mountains.
The highway we were on was fairly desolate. I hadn't noticed a car in a while. I had to have more of him. I knew he could drive with his eyes closed if he needed to. He could use his astral body to see where we were going.
I climbed the rest of the way over the console and mounted him. He was bursting at the seams between my legs. He took his left hand and grabbed at my ass and pulled me harder onto him.
Our kiss intensified and there was a fire in my pants burning for Graven's touch. He pulled the truck off to the side of the highway. There wasn't much of a shoulder, but there was enough for us to park.
The second he put the gear in park I lifted my top off. Graven's giant hands palmed each of my breasts, pulling the cups of my bra down in front exposing my hard nipples.
He leaned in and flicked one with his tongue while he pinched the other between his fingers.
I threw my head back and moaned with pleasure. The slight bit of pain set off a rhythm of sparks that went straight down into my lap. I focused my mind and my consciousness to stay locked in on Graven and the now. I wanted all of me to feel all of him, in our physical forms.
"Your breast couldn't be any more perfect." He gently kissed the soft mounds working his way up toward my neck. "I can't get enough of you." His voice was deep and almost ferocious.
"Then take me. I want you to have me." I grabbed his face and looked him in his eyes that were nearly black in this lighting. "Consume me and fill me with your light."
"Kasha, I want to give you all of me, but once we mate at this level, once we make that kind of exchange, we will be bonded for life." He kissed my mouth and my cheek until he got to my neck. "We need to wait until you know that is what you truly want. I won't pressure you or take advantage of heightened emotional state."
"You feel so good though. I want more of you." I gasped for air as his kisses found their way back to my breasts.
"I will pleasure you all day long. There are many ways for you to have more of me. I will offer you an endless supply of me." He took my erect bud between his lips sucking half of my breast into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the hardened tip.
"Ahhh...Mmmm." Oh my heavens he made me feel like we were out of this world.
I grabbed his pony tail. "You might be right, but that doesn't negate my desire for you." I kissed him hard one last time and pulled myself back off of him. I needed to gain my composure. I fixed my bra. "I think I got a little carried away."
"As long as you take me with you, carry us anywhere you want to go. I will be by your side as long as you will have me, and then I will still defend you from any darkness that tries to threaten your existence." Graven got serious. He gently touched my cheek.
"I guess we should really get to that unit. It is going to be a little bit more difficult to see now that it is getting dark out." I took a deep breath and tried to regain my composure.
"We can drive back to Sedona tonight, I don't mind. We can leave after we get what you need from the storage place. You bring whatever we can fit into this truck. Maritza can come with us or fly back by herself." Graven helped me get back into my seat. I put my shirt on and he put the truck back in drive.
We decided to be cautious about approaching the storage unit. Graven insisted that he drive around the area first, for two reasons. The first to make sure he didn't recognize anyone that could be potential trouble. It made sense to think that Ziona might have eyes on us to see what we are up to. She trusted Graven because up until now he had not given her any reason not to, but she didn't get where she was by playing fair. The second reason was to make sure if there was anyone on our tail that he would better be able to see them and lose them.
I thought it would be a good idea to project myself into the unit to make sure it wasn't tampered with. Graven was not fond of the idea of me going anywhere by myself.
"What can really happen to me if I am just astral projecting?" I defended my idea with ignorance.
"I appreciate your braveness, but remember that things are not as simple as humans think they are. And you, my love, are not human."
"I am so human. Why would you say that? Just because I have some special abilities doesn't negate my humanity," I huffed.
"No one said anything about your humanity. But you are not genetically the same as your average Joe-human. You know I am speaking the truth. Please just remember that I could stop you when I am projecting, I don't know how many other people can do that, and I don't want to find out the hard way." He put his hand on my left leg and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You might be right about everything, but I am still going. You are right here. You know where I am; I will be ok. It will only take me a few minutes to see if anyone has been there. I went there a few days ago when I was still in captivity. I will know if anyone has been there." I put my hand on top of his. "Trust me."
"Ok, be quick about it. I will start take another loop and then park."
I gave Graven's hand another squeeze to let him know I would be ok and then I sat back in my seat and let my consciousness drift into my astral body. I looked over at Graven and saw that he was ready to project himself. I just smiled, if felt good to know I wasn't alone anymore.
It might have only taken me three minutes to assess the situation in the storage unit. Everything was as I left it. Part of me wanted to stay and start rummaging, but I knew I would be there in the flesh in just a few minutes.
"It's all good in there, how about out here?" I asked him.
"That was quick. I haven't seen anyone or anything suspicious. How do you feel? Do you get any bad vibes?" he asked.
"Nope. I just can't wait to get my hands into everything. Are you sure you want to take a six hour drive tonight?"
Graven pulled into the parking lot of the storage facility. I showed him where the unit was and he pulled right in front of my locker. I was glad that I used a combo lock instead of a lock with a key otherwise I'm not sure how I would have had the means to get in.
I might have unlocked the combo and entered into the small metal room before Graven fully exited the vehicle.
"Do you want me to come in there with you, or do you want a few minutes alone with your stuff?" Graven leaned into the unit respectfully.
"I don't mind. I don't have anything to hide in here. You can come in." I looked around trying to guesstimate how many of the boxes would fit in the back of the truck.
"I think we can fit most of this in the back of the truck, especially if we put the seats down. Do you want to go through things here or shall I start packing the trunk?" Graven offered.
"I'm not sure. Let me look for a few things first." He was right, there weren't too many boxes, but I wasn't sure it was necessary for us to drive all that stuff back to Santa Fe.
"Do you have enough light? I think there is a flashlight in the glove compartment. I'll go check for you," Graven said and disappeared before I could argue the point with him.
For some reason, the first box I opened was my box from college. I never saw a reason to open it when I got back. I packed what I needed to move to the city and left the rest in boxes. I just couldn't live at the house without Gram. I donated a majority of the things in the house to a local charity. Whatever I felt sentimental about came with me to Santa Fe
.
I told the realtor to do whatever she needed to do to sell the house. I gave her my bottom line number and told her to call me when it was sold. For all I know, she has been trying to reach me. I will have to add her to the list of things to do eventually. I left the old house empty.
I looked in the box marked desk stuff. I took out the few pictures I kept in my room, my small address book with the information about the few classmates I might have wanted to keep in touch with and my backpack.
I found the box that was labeled Gram's docs and stuff and ripped the tape off the top. The box mostly had stuff from Gram's room. Her small fireproof box took up a lot of space, but there was a mix of a few boxes of her jewelry and perfumes. I don't know why I kept them, it's not like I would ever use her perfume. I guess I just like that they smelled like her, like home.
I knew the combo for her lock box, it was the date she gave me my amulet. It was always a special day for both of us, something that only we shared.
Inside the box were some old photos of her and her parents when she was a child, along with some other family photos of Mom and me. All of her documents for her banking and estate were in there. I knew I would have to address each thing, but it was too painful and figured I would get to it when I was ready.
Now I had no choice. I riffled through the papers to see if anything stuck out. I guess I hoped that there was a letter for me, explaining all that she failed to inform me about while she was alive.
There were a few blank pages mixed in, but Gram wouldn't have kept them in that box if they didn't hold some sort of significance. Maybe Gram left me a secret note like when I was a little girl. I took everything out of the box and tucked them in my backpack.
I needed to figure out where Gram's recipe books were. I knew that if there were a potential recipe for an antidote to help Axel it would have to be in one of her books or journals. The only problem was I didn't remember packing them at all. I actually thought it was weird that they weren't in the house.
Betrayed: Breaking the Darkness Series Book Two Page 19