The BlackBurne Legacy (The Bloodlines Legacy Series Book 1)

by Apryl Baker

  I climb out of bed and make my way to Jason’s room. He’s tossing and turning, the covers thrown into the floor.

  “Jase?” I shake him and jump back when I see his eyes. They seem to be…glowing. I blink hard, and when I look again, they’re normal.

  “What, what is it?” he asks groggily and sits up.

  “I had a nightmare…” My eyes zero in on his feet. They’re dirty. No, they’re filthy. My hand finds the lamp, turning it on.

  “Al,” he gripes and rubs a hand over his eyes.

  “Jason, why do you have mud on your feet?”

  “What?”

  I point to his feet. They are caked in mud. It’s almost like he’s been running through the muddy woods. It’s rained for two days straight, and the ground is a sodden mess.

  He frowns and examines them more closely. “What the…I haven’t gotten up since I went to bed.”

  “Could you have been sleepwalking, maybe?”

  His frown deepens, and then I see a small spark of panic brighten his eyes. He can’t remember getting up and walking anywhere. He stares at me in horror for a heartbeat and then forces himself to relax, to calm down. I know what has just gone through that head of his. He’s afraid. He’s afraid my mental illness might be taking hold of him. I never remember anything I did while I was in one my fits, my night terrors. I lose chunks of time.

  “It’s probably just you being overly tired and stressed, Jase,” I try to reassure him. I hope that is all it is. “Go get cleaned up, and I’ll throw these sheets in the washer.”

  He nods and does as I tell him. I grab a set of new sheets from his closet and change his bed after putting the sheets in the washer. He’s fine, I tell myself forcefully. He is. Worry about my brother drives the memory of the dream I’d had to the back of my mind.

  When Jase comes back, he looks tired. I put him to bed and then take a throw and curl up in his cushy chair. It’s a long time before I fall asleep, worry keeping me awake until almost morning. Jase is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. He’s exhausted, and I have to wonder if he hadn’t had a mad, three a.m. run through the woods himself. God, I hope we’re not both crazy.

  ***

  The steady knocking wakes me. I yawn and rub my eyes. Jason is up and gone. I stumble through the house and yank open the door. Luka is there, and I almost slam it in in his face. I have serious bed head. He gives me a crooked smile and brushes in past me. The scent wafting from the bags he’s carrying has my stomach growling instantly and my feet trailing him like a lost puppy.

  “You need to eat.”

  I can even ignore his high-handedness because of the smells assaulting my nose. He unpacks several Styrofoam containers, asking me to get us some silverware and drinks, which I do with some haste. I’m starving. The sight of my favorite breakfast from The Coffee Shop has me all but running to the table. Luka laughs at my eagerness. Since we found out about Mom, my appetite has suffered. Jase and I barely eat anymore.

  The sausage is calling my name and I waste no time in digging in. The savory taste explodes across my tongue and I sigh in sheer pleasure. Food orgasm.

  “I knew the pup no feed you right,” Luka grumbles as he watches me inhale my food. “You need to eat to be strong.”

  “I eat just fine.” I swallow down half the glass of orange juice Luka poured for me and ignore his snort of disbelief.

  “How are you?” There isn’t worry for my sanity in his eyes, only for me. I appreciate that.

  “As well as can be expected, I guess.”

  Dad and Emma keep staring at me, afraid of my withdrawn mood and my screams in the middle of the night. Jason has been tattling. I think I’m scaring him. They’ve come to check on us every day. Jason is having issues as well. He keeps waking up with dirt on his feet, and he can’t remember how it got there. Everything is falling apart. Only one thing really terrifies me, and that is the fact that I’m truly crazy. The last few weeks has made me admit to myself I might be crazy, and my brother could be heading in that direction too. I’m scared for both of us.

  I won’t go back to Compton or another facility like it. The only thing my family ever saw was the dorms, the school, and the doctors’ offices. They didn’t see the actual hospital past that initial visit when I was admitted. The rooms are barren, stark, and colorless. The only sounds you hear are the screams, the rants, and the cries from the other patients. The feel of the safety straps is embedded into the surface memories of my skin. I can feel them digging into my arms even now.

  The silence is what bothered me the most. Late at night when everyone was asleep, or at least medicated, it would get utterly quiet, the only sounds the ticking of the clock and the beating of my heart. I used to get lost in that rhythm—the sound of the clock and the sound of the pulsing of my blood. It was soothing sometimes, and scared the hell out of me other times. It fascinated me. The sound of life, of blood flowing through a vessel, made me almost dizzy with awareness in those moments. It was as if I could hear the whole of the hospital in the sound of its heartbeats. That was when I knew I had to get out of there, when I started to make a conscious effort to look like I was getting better. If I’d stayed there, I’d never get better, I’d get lost in that cadence of blood.

  Crazy, right?

  “You no look well, munya.” Luka leans forward, his fingers caressing my face. “Please remember to eat.”

  “I will. I promise.” When he looks at me like that, I melt. It’s impossible not to. I stand and start clearing the table. The uneaten food goes in the fridge for later. When I turn around, Luka has my journal in his hands, a strange look on his face.

  “Where you get this, Alexandria?”

  Uh-oh, he only calls me by name if it’s serious. “Emma gave it to me a couple weeks ago. It was a present from my mom.”

  “Do you know what it is?” His eyes are intense, causing me to back up a step.

  “Do you?” I ask instead of answering.

  “Yes. Is a jurnal vrăjitoare.”

  “A what?”

  He frowns, trying to find the right words. “Witch book.”

  “Dad called it a witch’s journal.” My voice goes quiet.

  “Arvah, yes.” He gently sets it back down. I half expected him to flip through it. “Do you understand what it mean?”

  “Only what my Dad told me. My mom thought she was a witch, and I guess she wanted me and Jase to have something of her beliefs to hold onto.”

  “You no believe in magic?”

  “No. I believe in what I can see and touch. Magic is for fairytales.”

  “I need to tell you…” Luka’s phone buzzes and he pulls it out. A low growl escapes him. “I must to do something, Alexandria. I will return and we talk more of this witch book. Arvah?”

  “Arvah,” I say on a laugh.

  I blink, and he’s standing in front of me, his eyes intent. “Your laugh is lovely. You should do it more.” He leans in and brushes his lips to mine. “I must go.”

  “That’s all the kiss I get?” I ask, my hands bunching the front of his shirt and pulling him closer.

  A dark chuckle rumbles through him. “If I kiss you like I want, munya, you end up naked and bent over the table.”

  My thighs clench in response. He gives me a quick kiss and backs away. “Tonight, Alexandria. You get that kiss and more. This I promise.”

  My eyes widen at the sultry promise.

  “You need nap,” he decides. “Go to bed for a while.”

  “I do not need to sleep,” I lie. Truth is I do need sleep, but know I won’t get any. Too many nightmares.

  “Why always so stubborn?” he asks, exasperated.

  “Why are you always so bossy?” I counter.

  “Bossy?” He looks startled. Does he not realize how bossy he is?

  “Yes, bossy,” I tell him. “You are forever trying to tell me what to do, and I don’t like it one bit.”

  His smile turns devilish. “But I like to tell you what to do.”r />
  “Well, you can’t.” I lock eyes with him. His are open and warm, a rare occurrence.

  “Oh, but I can, Alexandria.”

  A shudder goes through me at the softness in his tone.

  He trails a finger down the curve of my cheek. “I show you how much I can tonight.”

  Then he’s gone and I slide down the fridge, my butt hitting the floor with a thud. Erotic images of him naked, his mouth on me, dance in front of my eyes. Damn him. He knows exactly how he affects me. If I stay here, I’m going to drive myself crazy with thoughts of what Luka has planned for tonight. I’m not a virgin. Granted, I’ve only slept with one person, but I know what’s coming, and it’s driving me mad thinking about it.

  Uncle Sabien has asked me to come by his house for about a week now. I’ve put it off because I don’t want to face the conversation he’d had with his friends. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that is has to do with my mom’s beliefs. What does that mean for me, though?

  On my way to my Jeep, I see Conner lounging by his own car. He waves me over as soon as he sees me.

  “Hey, babe.” His eyes are twinkling, but I can see concern in them too. “How you been? You look like hell.”

  “Gee, thanks.” I roll my eyes and give him a mock punch in the arm. “What every girl likes to hear.” I’m shocked at my easy behavior. A few weeks ago, I’d have been terrified to act like this, my paranoia getting the better of me. With these guys, my friends, it’s like we’ve known each other forever, and I don’t panic around them. My life is weirdly normal, at least on the friends front. The rest of it? Bizarre beyond belief.

  “I’m serious, Al.” Conner pushes off the car to face me. “You don’t look well. Are you sleeping? You look really tired.”

  “I am,” I sigh. “I haven’t been sleeping very well. Nightmares.”

  He raises an eyebrow.

  “Weird and scary,” I tell him. “I can’t seem to make myself go back to sleep after I wake up. They scare me.”

  “Dreams can be like that. Gran always says we should listen to them, though. They tell us things, help us figure stuff out. We see so much that our minds can’t always process it, but when we dream, we make sense of the things we already know, but can’t quite grasp.”

  “That sounds very…”

  “Superstitious, I know,” he interrupts me. “Nonsense stuff, but Gran believes it.”

  “I think everyone in West Virginia is superstitious in one way or another.” That’s an honest truth, right there. I’ve never met such strange, superstitious people in all my life. Granted, most of my life was spent locked away, but still. These people take it to the extreme.

  Conner laughs. “That’s true. I’m going to go watch a movie, I think. Want to tag along?”

  “No, but thank you. I need to go see my uncle.”

  “Probably a good thing you said no, now that I think about it.” A contagious grin spreads across his face. “Luka would beat me within an inch of my life if he thought I was moving in on his territory.”

  “He wouldn’t.”

  “Yeah, he would.” Conner’s expression turns serious. “Be careful of him, Alex. There is more to him than you think.”

  “Not you too.” A sigh escapes. I am so tired of everyone acting like Luka is the Devil incarnate just because he’s not from around here.

  Conner bumps his shoulder to mine. “We’re just trying to look out for you. It’s what friends do.”

  “Thanks.” The smile I give him isn’t nearly as happy as before. Everyone keeps warning me away from Luka. It’s starting to wear on me. Do they know something I don’t?

  “Chin up, babe. Luka’s into you. Don’t worry about the rest of us.” He winks and gets in his car. “You have fun.”

  Not likely. Uncle Sabien is going to answer some questions. Questions I don’t think he wants to answer. I know exactly where he lives, as I drove by there several times already trying to work up the nerve to talk to him. His home is beautiful. I learned from Dad it’s the Blackburne family home. We lived there with him and Mom when we were little. The three-story mansion sits upon a hill overlooking the town and college campus. It’s made of stone and wood, blending into the backdrop of the mountains. A castle is what comes to mind with all the stone and sharp angles on the roof. The architecture has me drooling. I love old houses, and this one is probably the best one I’ve seen in a long time. I’m hoping I get the chance to snoop and explore every inch of it.

  The grounds have been well kept. The gardens draw my attention as I pull up the driveway. It isn’t just a small garden surrounding the house, but it extends down a hill and into what can only be a park. Uncle Sabien has a park on his property. Rich people. I shake my head at the opulence of the grounds.

  I knock on the front door, but when I get no answer after a full three minutes, I let my feet wander down the hillside to the park. Much to my delight, there is a swing set. I love swings. This one has seats big enough for adults, and I sit down and push off. Flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes grow in abundance around me, the trees making a perfect circle of privacy. Utter beauty. It’s relaxing.

  So much has gone on the last few weeks. All I wanted when I left Compton was to be normal, or at least a shot at being normal. I’m beginning to understand normal isn’t what I thought it was. It’s more dealing with the circumstances you are dealt in the best way you can. Aside from the voice that pops up sometimes in my head, I think I’ve made huge strides. I don’t shy away from every social situation, thanks to my forcing myself to deal with my friends and people at school. I do go see the therapist once a week, but I haven’t said a word about the voice. No need to make her worry for no reason. It hasn’t popped up since my mom died.

  The nightmares worry me. I haven’t had such severe ones since right before I went to Compton. Jason locks his door at night. Not that I blame him. Given our history, I think I might too. My nightmares have gotten that bad. My therapist is concerned too. It’s the one real thing I talk about with her. I saw something that day in the park. It wasn’t dogs. They were bigger than dogs, and it’s haunted me since. I wish I could ask my mom about it, if only for some closure. I need to understand what happened that day.

  Frustration pours out of me as I push off the ground as high as I can. Nothing makes sense. People going on about magic, my mom thinking she was a witch, the strange sensations I get from the journal she left me. None of it.

  A low, menacing growl interrupts my thoughts, and I look up.

  Good Lord Almighty.

  Not more than fifty feet away from me stands the biggest black cat I have ever seen. It has to be a panther. The only ones I’d ever seen were in books, but I don’t think they are supposed to get this big. This thing is huge. They aren’t supposed to come into populated areas either, yet here it is.

  Its size doesn’t alarm me as much as the way kitty is looking at me, though.

  Kitty’s eyes say I am dinner.

  So, so not good.

  “Easy, kitty,” I whisper and stand up.

  The cat crouches into a pouncing stance.

  This is very, very bad. There’s nowhere I can run.

  It snarls at me, low and deep.

  “Alexandria, do no move.”

  Luka comes toward me out of the woods. His clothes are dirty and streaked with…blood? He keeps his eyes on the big cat as he approaches.

  The cat screams, shifting to face him.

  “You need to stay very still,” he says softly.

  As if I’m going to move a muscle with that thing ready to jump?

  Definitely not.

  “I hope you have a plan,” I whisper.

  “I do.”

  The cat launches itself at us.

  Chapter

  Fifteen

  The cat hits Luka square in the chest with such force it sends them both rolling backward into the woods. I see claws sink into him before they disappear.

  I can’t see them and panic.r />
  Please, God, no. I start to chase after them, but the low, snarling growls behind me put a stop to that plan. I whirl and come face to face with three more of the big cats, all stalking me with deadly intent in their eyes.

  This cannot be happening.

  “Alex, move, get out of the way!”

  Uncle Sabien barrels down the path, taking aim with the rifle he carries.

  The first shot brings down the cat closest to me. It yowls in pain as it falls not more than a foot from me.

  More shots ring out, but I pay them no mind. My attention focuses on the animal at my feet. It’s…changing.

  I don’t understand at first what I see. It isn’t until the paw begins to shift into the form of a human hand that the reality hits me.

  I close my eyes, refusing to believe what I’m seeing.

  Snap…crackle…pop. Muscles tear, cartilage pops, bones snap and shift.

  No, no, no, no…

  It’s not real. I’m dreaming.

  Oh, God, please don’t let it be real.

  I force my eyes open.

  A woman is lying at my feet where the cat had fallen.

  No, no, no, no…

  A dream, just another one of my nightmares.

  I will wake up any second now.

  Sabien lays a hand on my shoulder, trying to turn me away from the scene.

  I flinch away from him.

  “Alexandria, you’re safe now.”

  A dog howls in the distance, its cry full of rage.

  Sabien looks up, startled, his eyes sweeping the area carefully.

  “We need to get you inside, honey,” Sabien tells me softly. “It’s not safe out here.”

  He takes hold of my arm and pulls me toward the path leading home. I can’t help but stare at the cats now turned humans until they are out of sight.

  Please, please be dreaming.

  Sabien leaves me at the house with orders to stay inside and lock the doors until he gets back.

  I try to lock the door behind him, but can’t. My body shakes so hard I can hear my teeth rattle. Someone starts to pound forcefully on the door. I jump away from it, unable to hold in the scream that tears out of my throat.