Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series

by Christina Mobley

  “He’s having a big party this weekend.”

  “Who is?”

  “Troy Drake!” Brea smiled, “We so have to go.”

  “I don’t know,” Ava said, distracted.

  “Seriously Ava, what is wrong with you?” Brea asked.

  “Nothing!”

  Brea folded her arms, “Spit it out Ava!”

  “My mother came to visit today.” She hadn’t meant to blurt that out; but there it was.

  “What!?!” Brea leaned forward, “What did she want?”

  Ava shrugged, pulling in Brea’s drive way. “Who knows?”

  “You know, it’s funny that she didn’t get the magic,” Brea said. “I guess it skips around.”

  “Yeah… I guess.” Ava didn’t really want to talk about that or anything else.

  Brea opened the car door and looked back at her, “Call me if you need to talk.”

  “I will.”

  “Okay, see you tomorrow.” Brea paused, “Hey, don’t let her get to you! I mean it, call me!”

  “Okay,” Ava forced a smile. “Bye.”

  “Bye,” she shut the door.

  Ava backed up and started down the dirt road. She was ready to get home and go to bed. Her house was only a mile down from Brea’s, but an eerie feeling crept over her skin and it suddenly seemed further, much further. The faint moonlight that was able to shine through the trees barely lit the road and the distant lightning that occasionally lit the dark sky gave her a chill. She turned the radio off and that’s when she heard it. His motorcycle, and by the sound of it, it couldn’t be very far behind…

  Chapter Four… (Hidden Places)

  She pulled over to the side of the road, and turned the headlights off. She held her breath as she watched the single headlight come into view in her rearview mirror. She glanced over her shoulder just to be sure. The headlight got bigger and bigger as the motorcycle approached. She wasn’t sure if he saw her or not. The large trees and night sky were hopefully shadowing her car.

  He slowed down, coming to a stop right past her car. She scrunched down in the seat barely peeking over the dash at him. He stepped off the bike and looked right at her. She scrunched down further holding her breath.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded, suddenly at her window.

  She screamed at the sight of him. She could almost completely see his face now. In the dark she could just make out his wide jaw line and dark hair. She squinted, trying to see his eyes. He shifted and leaned in, “What are you doing Princess?”

  She sat up straight, “Me? Why are you following me? Who the hell are you?”

  He tilted his head, “Slide over.”

  “No,” she gripped the steering wheel with one hand and the gear shift with the other, “This is my car and I don’t even know you.”

  “I won’t hurt you Princess.”

  “Quit calling me Princess, and tell me who you are!”

  “Slide over and I’ll tell you,” he pulled on the door handle.

  “Ava pushed down the lock, rolling the window halfway up, “No, tell me who you are and I might let you in.”

  He let out a sigh, “We don’t have time for this, there are people looking for you.”

  “Who? Lareina’s Clutch?”

  “Yes.”

  “But, it’s not a full moon and I haven’t used my magic.”

  “Just slide over so I can explain Princess.” He leaned into the window finally revealing his green eyes, “You can trust me, I promise.”

  She stared back at him captivated by the seductive combination of his voice and his green eyes. His ridiculously gorgeous black hair hanging just right over his forehead wasn’t helping things either. A warm sensation slid from her head all the way down to her toes. “Okay,” she said, softer than she had meant to, “But, I’m driving!”

  “I don’t think so,” he smiled as the lock popped up. She pushed it back down. He made a hook motion with his pointer finger and it popped back up. He grinned and pulled the door open, “Slide over.”

  “No.” She gripped the steering wheel with both hands.

  “Are you this stubborn about everything? Stop fighting me, I’m on your side.” He gently pulled her hands off the steering wheel and lifted her out of the car. She kicked and tried to grab hold of something, anything! He tightened his grip, “Calm down, Princess.”

  “No,” she pushed away, aggravated but unable to help but notice how hard his chest felt beneath her hands. She moved her hands to his upper arms so she could stop thinking about his chest and promptly noticed how well developed the muscles were there too… “Put me down now!” She really needed to get a grip here, this was crazy. He pulled the door handle open and placed her in the passenger seat. She finally stopped fighting him, but crossed her arms with a sour look on her face.

  He smiled and pulled the seat belt over her, looking into her eyes as he buckled it, “Keep your seat belt on.”

  “I don’t take orders from you,” she said as she reached down to unlock it.

  He caught the seat belt in his right hand, as the half smile on his lips turned hard, “Leave it,” he said, and locked it back into place.

  Alec walked around the car, cloaked his bike with a flip of his wrist, and then pulled the driver side door open. She was so feisty and he sort of liked that about her but, he also knew it would make his job a lot harder. Her eyes blazed with aggravation and she was not happy as he slid into the driver seat.

  She lowered her brows over her ice blue eyes, “You need to speak now. I could do things to you, you know…”

  “I could do things to you too,” he said with a grin.

  Ava glared at him, “Fine then. Just tell me what this is all about.”

  He put the car in gear giving her a sideways glance, “I have to take you somewhere,” he said softly. Ava detected the slight anger behind his words, but didn’t say anything.

  He turned the car around and started down the road. “So…, I understand you have decided to give your power up.”

  She turned in the seat, “How do you know that? Who are you?”

  He tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles started turning white. He took a breath and let it out slowly, “I am a royal guard and… I am one of Lareina’s Clutch.”

  “What?!” She pressed herself against the door.

  “I am a descendent of the Stone royal family and I am a guard in Lareina’s Clutch.” He said between gritted teeth, “I am here to protect you.”

  “From Lareina’s Clutch?”

  He turned locking his green eyes with hers, “Yes, and from yourself.”

  Chills moved down her arms and the tiny hairs raised and prickled against her cool skin. She just stared at him not sure what to do. Aunt Avalene's words echoed in her mind, “There will be those who try to stop you from accepting your gift.” She shook the words from her mind looking at him in the dark car, “What’s your name?” her voice was soft now.

  “Aleczander Stone.”

  “Huh?” she leaned closer.

  “My name is Aleczander Stone, but you can call me Alec.”

  Ava turned towards the window, “I guess you already know my name, since you know everything else.”

  “Yes, Avalene Vangeretta.”

  “I go by Ava.”

  They both grew silent as he raced down the dark roads. Her mind screamed at her and she couldn’t believe she was just sitting here when she should be screaming and fighting. She knew he was from Lareina’s Clutch, and she was pretty sure that was a bad thing, but something kept her there quiet in the seat. He slowed down and turned down a long wooded driveway. She didn’t quite know what to do. Her mind raced with questions, “Does he know I’m freaking out? What does he want?”

  Alec slammed on the brakes, coming to a sudden stop in front of a really old bridge; dust from the road clouded around the car. As it cleared she saw the sign on the gate, “Danger” in big red letters. He lifted his hand and pointed his finger. T
he gate swung open and he turned to Ava and locked eyes with her. “Take a deep breath and clear your mind.”

  “Huh?” She said leaning forward. “You can’t drive down this old bridge!”

  “Hold on.” He pressed the pedal to the floor, “Clear your mind!”

  Ava gripped the door handle as they drove across the rickety bridge. The sound of the tires clacking against the old wood echoed loud and the sound was unnerving. Ava looked ahead feeling her heart jump up to her throat, “It’s broken!” She grabbed his arm, “Stop! We're gonna go over!”

  “Close your eyes,” he said, pressing his foot all the way to the floor. The motor revved and her life flashed before her eyes as the car flew across the rickety bridge.

  “Stop! What’s wrong with you? Stop! You’re going to kill us.” She squeezed her eyes shut, “Please!”

  “Calm down and look.”

  She peeked only to see the broken boards and the big empty gap just a foot from them now. Seconds before they went over the edge she opened her mouth to scream, but a bright white light formed around them. The bright white light filled her vision completely. Then the darkness was back and somehow they were on the other side of the bridge.

  She felt like she couldn’t breathe. “How did that just happen?” her voice broke. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Magic,” he said.

  “Where the hell are we?” she demanded as she looked around at the almost other worldly homes—long driveways and stone walls were everywhere. “Is this like an alternate reality or something?”

  He laughed, “No, this is a royal property. The bridge is simply a way of keeping outsiders from finding it.

  She sucked in air, way too much of it, “You mean where Lareina lives?”

  “No, this is just one of the old properties cleverly cloaked and made impassible for normal people. They can’t see it and if they could, they could never cross it. Lareina doesn’t live here.”

  “What exactly is this place?”

  “This is my family’s place. It’s been passed down for centuries.” He stopped in front of a stone house and reached over touching her hand. “I have to tell you some things and I want you to meet my father.” He locked eyes with her, feeling himself-lean into her. She stared back wanting nothing more than his lips pressed against hers, but she had to know, “What do you want with me Alec? If you’re with Lareina’s Clutch why are you helping me?”

  He bit his lip, “I just want you to make sure you are given the chance to make the decision you need to make without anyone influencing your decision. I understand you only recently learned about all of this and it has to be really confusing for you right now.”

  “Yeah, I’ve always known about the magic, but I had no idea about the royal court, the groups of five, or the choice… Wait, how do you know that I didn’t know ‘til recently? How did you know I would want to give it up?”

  “I’ve been watching you for a while,” he pointed at her door and made it open. “Come on.” She looked down at her shaking hands and then got out of the car.

  The front way was lit by old gas lamps and the door was dark solid wood. Two gas lamps burned on each side and there was an iron door knocker in the middle. Alec pushed the door open and shut it behind Ava, “Take a breath…you’re completely safe here.”

  She gave an unsure nod and followed him through a narrow hallway. She was surprised by the old world feel to the house. It was like taking a step back in time. She had more questions than answers at this point. “What am I doing? Can I get out of here if I need to? I wonder what a real kiss from him would feel like…“ She reached over letting her fingers graze the smooth stone walls as they walked. She noticed his broad shoulders and realized she had already memorized the shape of his dangerously beautiful green eyes.

  They turned at the end of the hall and it opened up to a large room with a fireplace that took up a whole wall. Standing in front of it was a tall broad man who had the same jet black hair as Alec. His was longer and tied with a leather string, trailing down his back. He turned to face them and Ava noticed he had the same tattoo on his neck as Alec’s. The firelight glowed over their tattoos, a scorpion wrapped around a rose. She felt a chill as she looked from Alec to his father.

  “Hello Avalene,” he extended his hand.

  She took it nervously, but worked to make her voice strong, “I’m Ava.”

  He smiled, “I am Hazeltrouph. Please, have a seat.” He pointed at one of the wood chairs behind her and Ava watched as it slid across the floor and stopped just behind her. She turned and sat, staring up at both of them now. She felt unsure and as someone who truly hates suspense, decided it was time to get some answers. “Are you two going to kill me now?” she asked.

  Hazeltrouph looked at Alec, “No, we will not kill you.”

  “Well,” she said looking up, “If you are trying to convince me not to accept my gift, don’t worry. I don’t want it or any part of this. I just want to be normal and left alone and you can tell her that.”

  They both stepped closer to her and she stared up not exactly sure what was about to happen. Alec glanced at his father and they both stared down at her for a long strange moment.

  Ava gulped air, “Um, what do you want?” she felt her cheeks burning. She felt like the circus freak in the room and hated feeling like that. “Just spit it out. What?”

  Hazeltrouph shook his head, “We don’t want you to give it up. We want you to accept it. It’s only a matter of time before she figures out who you are. She has known there is another True Elementris for a few months now. She will find you. That is inevitable.” He looked at Alec then back to her, “She will find you…then she will kill you.”

  Chills rippled slowly along her spine, but anger quickly followed making her muscles tense, “Not if I don’t do it. I’ll give it up. I don’t want any part of this!”

  Alec gave her a look that seemed almost pitying, “Even if you give it up, she will kill you. Lareina doesn’t like threats and you are a threat to her. If you don’t learn the magic, she will just kill you anyway. If you learn it, at least you have a chance.” He looked at her intensely, “She won’t just come after you. Once she finds you, she will push to find everyone else in your family and then she will get rid of them too.”

  Ava gasped, “Aunt Avalene…”

  “And your mother and her two children. No one is powerful enough to stop her except you and if you don’t learn your gift, even you won’t be able to stop her. She hates the Vangeretta family. If she found out that a Vangeretta is the next True Elementris, she would be infuriated and nothing would stop her from trying to kill you. She is responsible for killing your grandmother, Nadia.”

  She stood up gripping the back of the chair, “Who?”

  “Your mother’s mother…didn’t they tell you what happened to her?”

  Ava shook her head. “No, she died before I was born. How do you know so much about me? Why are you helping me if you’re part of Lareina’s Clutch?” She stood, “this is some kind of trick.” She backed away slowly, carefully taking another step away from them. “I have to go home,” she said…and she turned and ran.

  Chapter Five… (Bermuda?)

  She came to a stop at the bridge; tiny rocks scooted over the edge in front of her feet. The water was dark, only a glimmer of moon light scattered over it. Ava’s hair was stuck to the side of her cheek and sweat wet her hair line. She wondered if she could go through the way he did or if she would fall. She shook her hands trying to find either courage or enough stupidity to give it a try; she hadn’t decided which she would need yet. She peeked over the edge. It was straight down. The water seemed to be miles under the bridge.

  She wanted to believe it was as easy as believing that she could walk across, but the large gap in front of her made her question everything. “Do I have to do something for it to work?” She clenched her fist, ready for the first step. A rock slipped from beneath her foot and she watched it fall all the way down. Sh
e clamped her jaw and inched a little closer…

  “No, I‘ll fall in…I can’t do it.” She took a big step back and swallowed a scream as she bumped right into Alec. He grabbed her arms and pulled her against him. “Let go!” She yelled as she tried to stomp his feet so she could get away from him. She imagined him tripping over his feet and falling. She concentrated on it hard.

  Nothing happened.

  He wasn’t even straining against her attempts to break free and there was more than just a little sarcasm in his voice as he asked, “Are you done?” To add insult to injury, he let out a fake yawn and said, “You can keep trying as long as you want, but so far it looks like I’m winning.”

  “Take me home,” she snorted. “I’m done with all of this.”

  “Not yet.” He looked down at her, not letting go, “You need to know what all of this is about first,” he paused, “Don’t try to run, oh, and FYI…you would have fallen in.” He released her arms and took one of her hands in his, “Come on, I want to explain.”

  She started to object but her curiosity got the best of her. She didn’t say anything as she walked with him. He was quiet too. She couldn’t help but focus on the pulse throbbing between their hands. She glanced over at him and he stared back at her. She looked away, “So, what is all of this about?”

  “It’s about a lot of things, nature, power and balance. Members of my family have been guards to the True Elementris for centuries. My father even served your grandmother, Nadia, when she ruled.”

  “You mean my grandmother was a True Elementris?”

  “Yes, she was one of the best. When she was in control there was balance. Lareina’s been queen for the past thirty years. Haven’t you noticed the changes in the seasons? Winter lingering into summer and Fall arriving just before Christmas? When our True Elementris isn’t using her gift right, things start to fall out of balance. My father found out that Lareina murdered Nadia Vangeretta so she could take her position as queen and turned his back on the royal guard. He left the royal court and turned his back on the old way completely.”