Garden of Graves

by Keary Taylor

  And the word stills the both of us. Our eyes widening. Kai’s eyes drop to my stomach. Then slide over to Lexington, who looks just as surprised as I feel to have heard the word that came out of my mouth.

  “I get it,” Kai says quietly. “I guess I forgot that little detail for a while. So, you take care of yours. I’ll take care of mine.”

  He looks back just once before he opens the door. And something in them tells me that he’s thinking the word goodbye.

  I let out a frustrated scream-grunt as the door swings closed. My hands rise to my hair, knotting through the strands.

  “This is all such a…such a mess!” I cry. Even as tears spring into my eyes. “I’m so sick…I’m just so sick of it all. And tired. And I’m done being so hormonal.”

  “Hey,” Lexington says, coming up behind me. Tentatively, he places a hand on my shoulder, giving me a moment to decide if I’m okay with him touching me again. I turn, closing the distance between us, and he pulls me into his arms. “It’s all going to work out. It’ll pass. Maybe like a kidney stone, but it will.”

  I let out another frustrated grunt into his chest. I cling to him hard. If he were human, I’d probably be hurting him. It’s a good thing he’s immortal.

  “I’m just…” I search for the words, but I can’t seem to find the right ones. “I’ve just been trying to help, but…”

  “So let’s take a step back,” Lexington says into my hair. “We’ll talk to Cyrus so he doesn’t get suspicious. But let’s you and I…take a little vacation. Let everyone else handle the drama, because, let’s be real, there’s not much of anything you and I can do about anything right now. We’ll tell everyone that we need some time away, a little relaxation time for the baby, and a few days to plan our wedding. All of which is true.”

  “Really?” I say, looking up at him. And I didn’t realize any tears had broken free until he sweeps his thumb across my cheeks, wiping away the moisture there. “I…” A little chuckle breaks free from my lips. “That never would have even crossed my mind, to take a vacation.”

  Lexington chuckles too, pulling me close to him again. “See, that just tells us even more that we need it.”

  I wrap my arms around him, and once more I’m reminded that it doesn’t matter if he’s not human. If he has to drink blood to survive.

  What matters is that he understands me. Better than I understand myself sometimes.

  “That sounds perfect,” I say. “And I’m sorry, about last night and this morning.”

  “Hey,” Lexington says, tipping my chin to look up at him. “Like you said, you needed some time to be human. That’s your right, Elle. I think I’d be more worried if all of this never ever bothered you.”

  I smile, stretching to my tip toes so that I can press a kiss to his lips. “Thank you, for always understanding.”

  That night is a crazy and hectic one.

  Lexington immediately booked our tickets. I stayed busy in the shop, helping customers all day, going over things with Casey, not that she needed too much instruction.

  And then when night fell, we headed to King Cyrus’ place and told him that for the health of the child, we thought it best I get some relaxing time while they came up with a plan to track down Charles.

  The moment I referred to the baby as a she, Cyrus’ expression softened and he immediately agreed.

  Suspicion diverted.

  It was nearly ten before we got to pack our bags. I was exhausted by the time I crawled into bed, asleep almost the second my head hit the pillow.

  It felt like I was asleep for two minutes before Lexington shook me awake and told me it was time to head to the airport.

  Lexington completely spoiled me and booked us first class tickets. And I barely enjoyed them, because I slept nearly seventy-five percent of the flight.

  The familiar feeling of extreme humidity greets my lungs like an old family member as we step out into the terminal. I look outside the windows, and everything is flat.

  Boston is my home now, but the South has my roots.

  “Welcome back,” Lexington says as he takes my hand and we walk through the Jackson airport.

  We collect our bags from the luggage claim and head for the pick up area. And the moment we step outside, there’s Alivia, grinning the world’s biggest smile.

  “Welcome home,” she says, darting forward and enveloping me in a warm embrace. “It’s so, so good to see you.”

  “Thank you for coming to pick us up,” I say, melting into her arms.

  Relief. That’s what I feel, being held by the woman who is my sister in all the ways that matter. Being in the presence of someone who understands what it’s like to make calls that others might not agree with.

  “Lexington,” Liv says, moving to give him a hug and a wide smile. “Welcome back.”

  “Good to be back in Mississippi for a bit,” he says. He grabs the bags and puts them in the trunk of Alivia’s red Jeep. “Though I’m rethinking our decision to come back in July.”

  He’s right. The summer is a little miserable here with the high temperatures and insane humidity.

  “You’ll get used to it again,” Alivia says with a wink as she climbs into the driver’s seat. Lexington holds the passenger door open for me and then climbs into the back seat.

  “Everyone’s really excited to see the both of you,” she says as she pulls away from the curb and heads to exit the airport. “Cameron has some major plans, Lex. Just be warned.”

  Lexington laughs from the back. “Man, I’ve missed that kid.”

  Alivia smiles at him in the rearview mirror and then turns to me. “Wow, it’s been so long since you’ve been back in Silent Bend. What, like, four years?”

  “Five years, next month,” I say. And something squeezes in my stomach with the realization. So many mixed emotions when it comes to the town where I grew up.

  “How did that go by so fast?” she shakes her head. “I still can’t believe it’s been nine months since we went to talk to Charles, and you stayed in Boston, Lex. And now you two are engaged!”

  I smile, Alivia’s excitement contagious. “I don’t think anyone saw that one coming. Certainly not me.”

  “Hey!” Lexington says defensively. “What’s that supposed to mean? I wasn’t that much of a creeper.”

  “I just mean that I kind of never thought I’d end up with anyone,” I say, turning to look over my shoulder. “Liv knows. I’ve just always been kind of…a loner.”

  Alivia reaches over and puts her hand on my knee. “You were always so much more than everyone your age. You put anyone to shame. You just had to wait for someone who was at your level.” She winks at me.

  “Trust me, I’m nowhere near her level,” Lexington says, and there’s a humility in his voice that tells me he really feels that way.

  I reach my right hand back, searching for his, squeezing so he knows that he’s exactly everything I needed.

  The time flies by as we drive south, and soon we’re getting off the freeway and heading west. And only twenty minutes later, there’s the sign at the edge of town, welcoming me to Silent Bend.

  I’m almost overwhelmed by the familiar sights. The homes of kids I’ve known all my life. Of particular trees, of dirt roads that turn off of Main Street.

  And my heartbeat slows slightly as we drive past the road that turns off to the left and leads to my old house. The one where Lula raised me. The one where so much of my personality was formed.

  “It’s a really nice family who lives in your old house,” Alivia says, sensing my nostalgia. “They have two kids. A boy and a girl. You’d like them.”

  I smile and nod, a little ache in my chest.

  A few moments later Liv turns right and drives past two neighborhoods, and I’m surprised to see there’s a new development on the other side of the road. There are probably a dozen new houses.

  “Town has grown a bit in the last few years,” she explains. “Now that people aren’t so scared and the legend of
the Curse Storm is losing some strength, people want to live here again.”

  “They even had to add on to the high school,” Lexington adds. “You probably wouldn’t even recognize it anymore.”

  I shake my head. “High school seems so long ago. Like a different lifetime.”

  “It was,” Liv says as she turns and a second later, there are the gates of the Conrath Estate. “You’re a different person, Elle. You were always brave and strong, but you’re your own person now. We’re all very proud of you.”

  The gates swing open, splitting right down the middle of the iron raven crest. And once more, my breath is taken away as we drive up the expansive property.

  The trees are in full green. Their branches stretch wide and massive, Spanish moss hanging from their branches. Magnolias bloom all over the place. Flowers give off bursts of color everywhere. The grass has been perfectly manicured.

  And then there’s the mansion, rising breathtakingly on the horizon.

  The middle piece of the house is all white siding, shining brilliant and perfect. Huge white pillars stretch from the massive front porch to the towering roof. The north and south wings are covered in stone, built after the original parts of the house were nearly burned down in the eighteen hundreds.

  “You’re smiling, Elle,” Liv says with her own grin as she pulls around the side of the house and opens one of the many garage doors.

  “I guess it’s nice to be back,” I say, trying to suppress my smile, but failing.

  She parks and we climb out, Lexington grabbing both bags. And it’s just like I live here again, and I don’t even hesitate in walking in the door that lets into a mudroom just to the side of the grandiose kitchen.

  “My man!” An excited and overly dramatic voice cuts through the house. I look up, and find Cameron walking toward us, his hands held up and wide. “Little sister!”

  He crosses the space, and just after Lexington sets the bags down, he wraps his arms around the both of us. He hugs tight, sandwiching my belly between us.

  He smells faintly of marijuana.

  Cameron is almost always just a little high.

  “Good to be back, man!” Lexington says excitedly. He reaches up and ruffles Cameron’s hair, which is always a little too long and unkempt. “Feels like it’s been forever.”

  “Because it has,” he says as we walk into the house. We pass the kitchen, where there’s a man busy cooking, and from the looks of his tanned skin, I’m guessing he’s human. “I mean, you came back an engaged man with a baby on the way.”

  “Cameron, you know-” Liv begins correcting.

  “I know, I know, it’s not actually his,” he plops down in a chair in the dining room, kicking his bare feet up on the edge of the table. “But it’s not like that Allaway prick is gonna be raising it.”

  My eyes slide over to Lexington’s, and there’s a whole lot of words to be said about that, but now is not the time.

  “Is lunch almost ready?” Cameron says, instantly changing the direction of the conversation without any thought. “I’m starving.”

  “Why don’t you go check?” Liv says, raising an eyebrow at him.

  I chuckle as he scrambles to his feet and scampers off to the kitchen.

  Liv laughs, but I know she’s ever patient with him. Cameron is her best friend, after all.

  “Is that the long lost Elle Ward I hear?”

  Nial’s beautiful and clear voice carries through the house only a moment before he steps into the dining room. A smile cuts on my lips as I step forward, wrapping my arms around him.

  “I found my way back after a while,” I say, breathing in his ever-crisp scent that always has just a tint of hospital to it. “It’s good to see you.”

  “And you as well,” he says, taking a step back, getting a good look at me. “I trust you’ve found a great obstetrician to take care of you?”

  I nod, smiling. “Lexington tracked down the best in the city,” I say, glancing back at him. “We really like her.”

  “I’m happy to hear that,” Nial says with a smile. “You look well. Perhaps a bit travel weary.”

  Lexington crosses to my side, wrapping an arm around me. “It’s been just a little stressful the past while.”

  “Finally,” another voice echoes through the house, just as Anna walks into the room. “More drama going on somewhere other than here. About damn time.”

  “Hi, Anna,” I say bashfully. The woman has always immensely intimidated me.

  “Welcome back,” she says with a smile as she leans her forearms against the back of a chair.

  Just then Cameron comes, practically skipping, back into the dining room, carrying a platter of sandwiches. “Lunchtime!” he calls loudly.

  The cook follows after Cameron, carrying a big bowl of fruit salad, and an even larger pot of baked beans. He sets both on the table, and I hear footsteps down the hall.

  I’ve just sat in my seat between Alivia and Lexington when Markov and two women I don’t recognize walk into the room.

  “Welcome back, Elle,” Markov says, giving me the smallest of smiles that is ever terrifying. I only nod to him and Lexington’s hand comes to my knee under the table in reassurance.

  I’m not scared of Markov. But he will always make me uneasy.

  “Elle, this is Stephanie and Nikki,” Alivia introduces me to the women I don’t know. “They’ve been with us now for about six months. Girls, this is Elle, Ian’s younger sister. She lives in Boston. And I guess you haven’t met Lexington either. He’s…” she hesitates, looking at him. “Well, I guess he’s part of both the House of Conrath, and the House of Allaway.”

  “We’re not really calling it that, for now,” Lexington says. He doesn’t even have to look at me, he just knows the unease the very name causes me. “It won’t be led by an Allaway for a long while, so for now, it’s just the House of Martials. To everyone but Cyrus, I guess.”

  I see it in Liv’s eyes. She’s dying to know how things have been going, and I don’t miss the little spark of fear that ignites in them. But she knows why we’re here. She knows I need a break.

  So she doesn’t say anything.

  “Quite fascinating, everything you’ve been doing up North,” Nial says, smoothing things over. “But I’m happy for you two that you’re getting some time off.”

  “When is all this going to be over?” Cameron asks. “I mean, things have been real quiet here with so many of us up there. Danny, Christian, Smith. Pearl and Juanita. I mean, poor Liv, hasn’t had her husband around for six months.”

  “It’s fine, Cameron,” Alivia chides him. “We’re happy to lend a hand. They’re family, after all.”

  Cameron nods in concession. “Family takes care of family.” He looks over at me and winks.

  It’s weird he still looks the same nineteen years old he was when he died. Older than me when I met him, and now he’s frozen at four years younger than myself.

  “Speaking of family,” Markov says. “Congratulations on your engagement.” He raises his glass to us.

  “Thank you, Markov,” Lexington says, raising his glass as well. “We’re quite happy.”

  “Now, did I hear that you two both used to live here?” Nikki asks, turning her brilliant green eyes on Lexington and I. “When she was just a teenager?”

  I sigh, barely resisting the urge to roll my eyes. “Yes, that’s right. I was sixteen when Lexington first joined the House.”

  “Unlike us Born, people like Elle grow up,” Lexington says with bite that isn’t even close to hidden. I feel his old self creeping up. “We didn’t know each other really until I moved to Boston last fall.”

  “I’m sorry,” Liv says. She looks around at her House members. “You came here for some relaxation and time away from drama. I tried to explain that to everyone. But I guess we’re all just so excited to catch up.”

  “It’s okay,” I say quietly, even though I’m actually really sick of it all. “There’s a lot to catch up on.”

>   Everyone seems to get the hint from there on out. For the rest of lunch, conversation is casual and easy. No more prying about what’s happening up North. No more awkward questions about Lexington’s and my status.

  I look over at Alivia and offer her an appreciative smile.

  “It used to be Trinity’s room,” Alivia says as she stands in the doorway. “I kept hoping she’d come back. Realize what she had here. But considering she took everything she owned…”

  “Trinity left?” I ask, my brows furrowing.

  Lexington nods. “About three years ago.”

  Liv also nods. “She was never happy here. I don’t know if it was me, or just the never-ending drama. But she said her goodbyes and headed somewhere in South America, I think. I haven’t heard from her since.”

  “I’m sorry,” I offer. “I know that can’t have been easy for you.”

  Alivia shrugs, but I see the pain there in her eyes. “Things and people change. Life moves on.”

  Lexington sets our bags in the corner, next to the queen sized bed. There’s no trace that this ever once belonged to the angry girl with the nose ring and an ever-present bad attitude. It’s a blank canvas, only a bed, a dresser and a mirror left.

  “Thank you for having us,” I say, even as exhaustion takes me over. “I appreciate it.”

  “Of course,” Liv says, stepping forward for a quick hug and a kiss to my temple. “This is always your home, too. Whenever you need. Goodnight.”

  “Night,” I say. She steps out, closing the door behind her.

  I drop backward on the bed, tiredness creeping up from my toes, all the way to the tips of my hair.

  “Was that not the longest day ever?” Lexington says as he goes to his bag and unzips it. I look over, watching him.

  He digs around for a moment, though he doesn’t pull anything out. He reaches for the hem of his shirt and pulls up, slipping it off.

  And he looks over his shoulder, a knowing little smile on his lips.