Chapter 14
Once the butler attended to her injuries, Anna went to bed. It was a relief to close her eyes.
Her dreams were ... unsettling, though. Anna usually dreamt of inane silly things.
Tonight, she dreamt of dark rituals and hidden magic. By the time she woke in the morning, she was sweating.
She shifted up, pressing a hand to her sweaty brow.
That’s when she noticed Luminaria was sleeping on the pillow beside her. The cat opened one eye, the move slow and dangerous. “You’re disturbing me,” she warned. “Also, move over – your massive body is taking up too much room.”
Anna shifted to the side. That’s when she noticed Luminaria had something pinned under her paw. On close inspection, it turned out to be a rat’s tail.
“Eww.” Anna leapt out of bed, jumping from foot to foot. “You had that thing in the bed the whole night! Where’s the rest of the mouse?” She made a face as she drew back the covers and checked for the remains.
“In my belly.” Luminaria still had half of one eye open.
“Why didn’t you leave the tail outside?”
“Because it is enormous fun to see you squirm, child. Now shut up – I’m tired and I need my rest. I had a big night last night.”
Anna was about to point out she’d had a big night too – but thought better of it.
Instead she turned and walked around her room.
It was generous, and had plenty of space for a large queen bed, a dressing table, a wardrobe, a desk, and a recliner. Everything was antique and looked more expensive than anything she’d ever be able to afford.
Standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, her bare feet sinking into the invitingly plush carpet, she scratched her arms. She didn’t want to touch anything in case she broke it. Aaron seemed like exactly the kind of guy to make her pay for any damaged goods.
After a minute or so, she walked carefully over to the window. She pressed a hand onto the sill and stared down at the garden below. It was even more beautiful in the daylight. The old oaks and birches stood tall and proud, their verdant leaves casting a mottled shade against the side of the house.
Aaron’s house was, appropriately, in the expensive section of town. It was easily on an acre or two of sprawling gardens, and if you angled your head right, you could block out the rest of the city and pretend you’d been transported to the countryside.
It should have been idyllic – and was – but Anna was in no mood to appreciate it.
She brought a hand up and compulsively rubbed her chest.
Though it sounded crazy, she swore she could feel the fragment of that wizard’s soul in there. It felt like a shard sticking into her heart. Not enough to kill her, but enough to cause constant discomfort.
She wanted it out, and she wanted this damned situation resolved.
She sighed heavily.
“Oh, for the love of god. Stop standing there and sighing like the most pathetic witch in the world. If you want to find out if Aaron’s caught that little snot from last night, just go and ask him,” Luminaria snapped as she rolled over and curled with her back to Anna.
He’d probably already left for work – considering how monumentally busy he always was – but Anna nonetheless dressed and wandered down stairs.
The butler instantly appeared from somewhere, with all the suddenness of an apparition. “Wizard Arana requests your presence in the dining room.” He swept his arm to the side, revealing a door at the end of the hall.
Realizing she was underdressed for this house, let alone breakfast with Aaron, Anna tried to arrange her ripped top so it didn’t look so bedraggled.
It was a thankless task, and she gave up by the time they reached the dining hall.
The butler opened the door to reveal an enormous room. While the house was large, this room looked like it belonged in a castle. A really fancy castle.
There were large, gilded windows to the left that offered sweeping views of the garden, with the stacks and towers of the city only barely visible over the tops of the trees.
If the view from her room was idyllic, this was mesmerizing.
In the middle of the room sat one of those mile-long extravagant tables you only ever see in illustrations from fairy tales. No one in the real world could afford a table that immense, made from a single continuous piece of the most luxurious red-brown wood in the world.
Aaron wasn’t from the real world.
He was sitting at the head of the table, reading the paper and eating marmalade toast.
She shuffled her way over to him, her hands clasped awkwardly before her, as if she expected to be told off for muddying his perfect room with her disheveled presence.
“There are clothes in the wardrobe in your room.” He took a sip of his coffee from a hand-painted bone china cup. Still reading the paper, he didn’t turn to her once. “It’s magical – it will produce whatever apparel you desire. You can ask the butler if you can’t figure out how to work it.”
Anna looked at her feet.
Why was this guy always so brief? She’d seen him be nice before – he could be incredibly dashing and charming. Just not with her.
Why? Was it her looks, or lack thereof? Was it because he thought she was weak?
Or did she not even register on his radar?
“You can sit, Anna.” He gestured to a seat.
She dutifully sat.
“And you can eat,” he added after she stared at the empty plate before her for a few seconds.
Obediently and silently, she reached for some toast.
She tried to butter it as quietly as she could, wincing as the elegant silver knife scraped over the bread, sending crumbs tumbling onto the pristine white tablecloth.
Aaron ignored her. He kept reading his paper.
He kept ignoring her until she brought a hand up and rubbed her chest in discomfort.
His eyes snapped up, and he looked on with focused interest. “How are you feeling?”
“... Okay, I guess.” She kept rubbing her chest.
He folded his paper, placing it neatly beside him. He stared at her.
She’d been about to take a bite of her toast, but instead paused with the bread hovering near her lips.
After a few seconds, he leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and looked thoughtful. “What did you dream of last night?”
She blinked quickly, surprised at his sudden question. She’d heard that some families discuss their dreams over the breakfast table, but hopefully not with such directness. She felt like she was being interviewed by the Spanish Inquisition.
Realizing she couldn’t stare at him blankly forever, she placed her toast down. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because there is every likelihood you dreamed of your attacker’s life. With a part of his soul, you’ll – in part – have access to him. His life, his memories. His dreams,” Aaron emphasized as he clasped his fingers together and looked searching.
Anna couldn’t hide her shiver. It crossed up and down her back with all the speed of light.
She pushed her toast away.
A part of her didn’t want to share her dreams – or nightmares – with Aaron. Because, for some strange reason, they felt personal. They weren’t – they weren’t hers at all.
She took a sharp breath and forced herself to speak “dark stuff, mostly. Rituals, spells,” she stared at her hands, “crypts, caves. The usual fare of evil wizards, I guess.”
Aaron didn’t say anything; he kept sitting there, locking her in his penetrating gaze. Eventually, however, he leaned forward. “You’ll be okay, Anna,” he said in a reassuring tone, “I’ll find out who he is, and the MEC will deal with him. I’ll leave for work shortly, but you’ll be safe here.”
Aaron was speaking with a calm determined tone that could melt any girl’s heart. It was completely at odds with his usual dismissive attitude towards her.
She opened her mouth, but couldn’t think of a word to say.
“So I ... just stay in all day? I mean, can’t I help?”
Aaron smiled. “The only thing you can do right now is stay out of his way. Luminaria is right – he will be back for you. Before midnight, if I’m any judge. He won’t be able to call upon the soul catcher without a complete soul of his own. So now is our chance to catch him.”
Anna scratched at her arm distractedly. “So I just ....”
“Stay here. Have a bath, change your clothes, and rest. Considering what you’ve gone through the past couple of days, you deserve a rest. You can wander through the house – we have a great number of facilities, both magical and mundane. Just stay away from the doors that are locked. And, of course, don’t leave the gardens.”
She nodded.
Aaron smiled again. It was a full cheek move that crinkled his eyes and reminded her there really was a man under that often-dismissive façade. “Relax. You’re in safe hands.” He bowed, turned, and walked off.
“Good bye.” She turned in her chair, offering a completely unnecessary and unreturned wave as he walked out.
Really? All she had to do was spend today resting?
She spread a generous serving of marmalade on another piece of toast. Then she took her plate over to the window, sat down, and looked at the view.
Though a niggling pain welled in the center of her chest, she ignored it.
She was safe.
Anna's Hope Episode One Page 14