“I know,” he smiled. “That’s part of my irresistible charm.
They got on the second to last boat in the long row of boats. It was huge and really nice. “A sail boat?” she asked as he helped her on.
“Yes, have you ever sailed before?”
“No,” she looked around at the white deck, leaning against the steering wheel. “Do you know how to do this?”
“Sail?” he pulled the anchor up. “Yes, I know how. I’ve been sailing for years.”
The shiny silver steering wheel glistened in the sunlight. She touched it surprised that it wasn’t hot. “Is this what you do with all your dates?” She turned the steering wheel back and forth with her hands, “Take them out on your big boat?”
“No,” he reached around her and put the key in, whispering in her ear, “You’re special.”
She turned around to face him; he kept his arms on either side of her, holding on to the steering wheel. She titled her head, “The question is…are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Special,” she said, feeling her pulse suddenly race.
He paused uncomfortably… and then smiled “Of course I am!” He backed away suddenly and started moving things around.
She wasn’t really asking him if he was special or perhaps magical, but he seemed to think she was and that had been enough to send him running. Apparently finding out if he really was special wasn’t going to be easy. She found a seat and tried to keep the conversation going. “So um…, you really know how to work this whole thing?” she pointed at the ropes and pulleys.
He grinned, “Nope…I’m just going to drift out into the ocean and hope for the best.” He pressed a button on the steering wheel and put the key in. “I know exactly what I’m doing. I promise you’re perfectly safe.”
She glanced at the small motor on the back and then at him, “We’ll see.”
Troy shook his head, turning the boat towards the open water. “Has anyone ever told you you’re stubborn?”
She smiled, tilting her head, “Maybe once or twice.” “Alec,” she thought. “Alec.” His name floated there in her head again.
Troy passed a fishing boat and maneuvered the boat out of the bay and into open water. She was surprised when he lifted the sail and worked the lines like a pro. Not that she knew what a pro looked like. She wanted to find out. She had to know. She watched him closely as he finished getting the sails ready. “Did she imagine the grape soda thing? No, it was real. He had to be like her, she just knew it. Now all she had to do was find out for sure.” She watched him from the corner of her eyes. He looked pretty hot right now. His brown hair was flying in the wind and his tight white t-shirt fit his body like a second skin…that was enough to think about for right now.
Water sprayed over the side of the boat. “Come over here,” he said, taking the wheel in his left hand.
She stood carefully, holding her arms out for balance.
He reached out to help her, “Don’t worry. You’ll get your sea legs.”
“I doubt that. And did you really just say ‘sea legs’? You sound like an old sailor guy.”
“I am an old sea guy, older than you anyway; by almost a year right?”
“Uh…you know when my birthday is?”
“It’s coming up in July, right?”
“Yeah,” she held on to his shoulder for balance.
“Here.” He slid over, “Take the wheel.”
“Oh no,” she held her hands up. “You don’t want me steering this thing! Trust me.”
“You’ll be fine.” He took her hands and put them on the wheel, “Here.” He put his hands over hers.
“You do realize,” she said looking up, “that we are getting pretty far from the Marina…and land...”
He smiled, resting his chin on her shoulder, “You worry too much. We’re fine.”
“Okay,” she whispered, really liking having him wrapped around her the way he was. Somehow, it felt almost comfortable, well if you could call every hair on your body standing at attention and your heart pounding so fast it might explode, comfortable.
Water sprayed up and splashed them.
She screamed.
He turned her around in one motion and kissed her as he took the wheel from her. She kissed him back slowly. It was magical; the water spraying around them, his lips moving softly against hers as his hands maneuvered the wheel behind her back. “He’s kissing me. Troy Drake is kissing me. And it is awesome.”
He broke the kiss slowly and didn’t pull completely away from her, “I really liked that,” he said.
“Me too,” she bit down on her bottom lip and smiled up at him.
“I know why you came,” he pulled his brows down.
“What do you mean?” she asked “I came because I wanted to.”
“Maybe; there’s another reason too.”
“What’s that?” she tried to act casual, but she could feel her ears burning with guilt. Her mind screamed. “He knows.”
“You came because you want to ask me something…” he said as he took a step closer to her.
She felt cool sweat prickle her forehead.
Chapter Twelve… (Guilty)
…Alec…
Alec stood in Lareina’s office waiting for her. Normally he was never called to her private office, but just as he had been about to leave, he’d been given that message that she wanted to see him. The room was dimly lit and so sterile. The floor was shiny with perfectly applied wax and a big rug in the middle of the room held her dark mahogany desk. Maps hung on the walls behind her desk. The sound of a weatherman forecasting rain for Florida boomed from a radio in the corner. A big Doppler screen on the far wall showed the bands of rain moving across the globe.
He glanced around the room looking at pictures he didn’t care about. Then he spent a little time counting how many papers sat on her desk. He had to keep his mind busy or his nerves were going to take over and then he was probably going to end up in trouble. He looked back at the maps and stopped. He stepped forward and squinted. At the top of the map, just along the St. Mary’s River, was a small blue dot; Ava’s house. He took a breath and a step closer. He ran his finger over the map. Two more blue dots, another in Georgia. “What do these barely visible blue dots mean?” Then it came to him, “The storms.”
He recognized the different locations as places where there had been big storms this year; the natural disaster kind. The only one that hadn’t had a major storm yet was the one by Ava’s house. “Does she know, or is it a coincidence?”
The door opened.
He took two quick steps backward and put his hands behind his back.
Lareina entered the room so quickly that her skirt appeared to be dancing around her legs and her salt and pepper hair flowed behind her like a dark train. She has a certain presence, a powerful and bold presence; she is beautifully evil. Looking at him from the corner of her eyes as she crosses the room, Lareina moved behind the desk and put her hands behind her back. “Aleczander,” she said, nodding her head.
“Ma’am,” he dropped his head respectfully; clamping down on the anger raging through every cell of his body so nothing would show on his face.
“I called you in because it’s come to my attention that you have a problem.” She paused “Are you angry, Aleczander?”
He tilted his head, locking eyes with her, “Not particularly, Ma’am.” He clenched his teeth.
“Well,” she said, reaching up to touch her crown, “As a Clutch guard you know there are rules of conduct that must be followed.”
“Yes, I know,” he said his mind racing. “Does she know?”
“I know you have had a problem controlling your temper in the past. I have been patient with you I think. I know about the incident with Benjamin. During a ceremony in front of thousands of guests you assaulted a fellow guard.” Her eyes narrowed, “Aleczander this is not acceptable behavior. This will be your last warning. Get yourself under control, or there will be conseque
nces.” Then she smiled, “Oh, by the way, I was so sorry to hear about Scott’s unfortunate accident. It’s such a tragedy when these things happen. I would hope that everyone stays safe from now on and that there are no more…accidents.”
He glared at her, his heart racing. He wanted to strangle her, but he was powerless against her and she knew it.
She smiled again, “You’re excused…just keep our little conversation in the back of your mind when you start feeling…angry.” She waved him away. “Have a wonderful day, Aleczander.”
He shivered as his muscles tightened. He didn’t say anything. He just turned and walked out; using what was left of his willpower to keep from slamming the door into a million pieces. His mind was racing, “She knows. We will have to be even more careful now to make sure that she doesn’t find out about Ava.” He went down to warn Shawn about their conversation before he left for the mainland.
…Ava…
Troy stared down at her. His eyes were such an intense blue. “You came to ask me something didn’t you?” he asked for the second time.
Ava gulped in air. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe “I…um,” she shook her head, trying to get her words to work.
“Just ask me, Ava,” he pulled his brows low over his ice blue eyes.
Her mind raced. “What if I was wrong? How can I ask him without revealing myself? Grape soda!” She looked at him, “How did you make the grape soda go back in the can?”
He sort of smiled, “I think you already know how I did it. You’re like me, aren’t you?” he tilted his head. “It all makes sense now. The more I tried to figure out how to hide it from you, how to explain what you saw, the more I thought about you. Admit it…you’re like me, aren’t you, Ava?”
She blinked and let out a breath that she had not realized she had been holding, “Yes…I think so.”
“You’re an Elementris,” he breathed the words out like they had been waiting inside him for a really long time.
She nodded.
“I knew it!” Relief washed over his face. “How long have you known…what you are?”
“I’ve always known… pretty much.”
“What’s your affinity?” he asked excitedly.
“Um…” she started. “I can’t tell him I’m a True Elementris; that I have all the elements. Not yet anyway.” “Fire,” she said, without thinking too much about it.
“Cool,” he took her by the hand and pulled her over to the seat.
“What’s yours?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“Water...” He sort of sounded disappointed by his own words.
She looked up and put her hand over her eyes shielding them from the afternoon sun. “I just can't believe we’ve known each other all this time and neither one of us knew.”
He reached forward and brushed back a strand of her red hair. “I’ve always known there was something about you. I just never thought it was this. I don't know if you know this, but I always sort of had a crush on you. You know I never told anybody about this. My dad doesn't even know about my gift.”
She reached over and put her hand on top of his.
He looked right into her eyes, “My mom was like me. She told me all about it; Element Island, the circle of five, all of it. I still haven't found my four others.”
“What is your mom’s element?”
“She… had… Earth,” he looked down. “She died when I was eight and I just never got the courage to tell my dad about it. He's always stayed so busy anyway.”
“How did she…? I mean...”
“Die?” He looked behind him, towards the water. “Car accident.”
“That's horrible, I mean… I'm sorry.” She laced her fingers between his, “So you've just been…keeping this secret… all this time? You didn’t have anyone to talk to about it after…”
He nodded and lifted his eyes, “Yeah.”
They both sat there silently for a moment. Not having her mother in her life has always been hard for her. It still is, but at least she is here… alive. Then again, maybe it’s worse knowing that she doesn't want you.
“Have you ever been there… to the island?”
“No.”
After Troy dropped her off that night she thought about it all. The years of school with him, Bobby Ranson, the shared glances. She thought about keeping her secret all this time. How horrible it must have been for Troy, at least she had Aunt Avalene to talk to about it…Not that she ever wanted to talk about it before.
She pushed the kitchen door open. Aunt Avalene was there, cooking. She looked up with a smile, “Hey, Shug.”
“Hey.” She sat her purse down on the counter, “What'cha making?”
“Chicken Soup.” She stirred the pot, “Brea called and some other girl too.”
“Who?”
“I can’t remember her name. It’s written down with her number by the phone.”
“Okay.” Ava walked out into the hall and picked up the phone pad. “Jenna? Why the hell would Jenna Ross call me? She must have heard about mine and Troy’s date.” Ava sat the pad down and stared at it for a minute. She dialed Brea’s number and pressed the phone to her ear.
“Hey” Brea said in a hushed voice. “I need your help.”
“What’s wrong?” Ava sat down in the chair next to the phone table.
“It’s him…I think he’s hitting her again. I think she’s just hiding it under her clothes or something.”
“Oh my god, Brea!” Ava felt instantly ill at the thought of it. “What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to figure out how to do a protection spell…for her. I’ve got to do something to help her. It’s not like she’s going to tell me.”
“I will…I mean, I will try my best. I could talk to Aunt Avalene…”
“No.” Brea said quickly “I don’t want to worry her with all this.”
“She could help.”
“No Ava. She almost got hurt the last time.”
“Okay, I’ll do it. When will you be off restriction?”
Brea let out a breath, “Tomorrow, if I continue to pretend like I’m okay with him in front of mom.”
“I bet that’s hard,” Ava said.
“You have no idea, he makes me sick.” She paused, “Don’t tell Aunt Avalene though, okay? I think we can handle this, now that you have that book.”
“Okay,” Ava muttered remembering that horrible night. “Bye.” She hung up the phone and images flew through her mind.
The tear filled phone call from Brea, her waking Aunt Avalene up, seeing the blood on Brea’s mothers face, and him hitting her over and over again when they burst in the door. Aunt Avalene tried to stop him and that’s when he turned on her. He came after her and even hit her once. That’s when Aunt Avalene’s face went completely pale and the house started shaking. She said something under her breath and he suddenly ran out of the room screaming something unintelligible. He still doesn’t like us and will go out of his way to avoid Aunt Avalene. Too bad that didn’t stop him from coming back.
Ava never asked Aunt Avalene what exactly she did to him…or what she made him see that scared him so bad, but she always wondered. She knew they were not supposed to use their magic on people like that. Who wouldn’t in that situation though?
She picked up the phone pad again trying to get those horrible images to leave her mind and dialed Jenna Ross’ number.
“Hello,” Jenna said on the first ring.
“Um…hey…this is Ava.” She paused, “You called me?”
“Yes, I did.” She paused and the silence was completely awkward “I uh…need to talk to you about Troy.”
“What about him?” Ava asked defensively.
“I wanted to do this in person, but I just…well it’s too late now and I can’t talk to you about this at school. I know I’m the ex-girlfriend and you’re probably not going to listen to a word I say. Hell, any sane person wouldn’t listen to a word I’m about to say. I have to say it though. I
have to at least try to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“Troy,” she paused. “Look, just hear me out okay?”
“Okay.” Ava whispered.
“Troy and I dated for a long time. You know that. You learn a lot about a person when you date that long. He isn’t what you think. His family’s kind of weird and he can do things.”
“What do you mean, ‘he can do things?”
“Well he gets mad a lot. I know he seems nice and sweet at first, but he gets mad and he…does things.”
“Like what?” Ava knew Troy’s secret now. Did Jenna figure it out? Was she attempting to warn her about something that Ava already knew? Was he using his gift to do mean things?
“Okay…you’re going to think I’m crazy, but there was this one time that he got really mad at me and he tried to drown me.”
“Drown you?” Ava repeated her voice shaking.
“Yeah, but the weird thing was we were in his living room. I don’t know where the water came from,” she paused, “he can make other things happen too.”
“Like what?” Ava persisted.
“Since we broke up, strange things have been happening to me. Like my car engine caught on fire yesterday and I swear I’m gaining weight and my hair…it’s falling out.”
“I…, I don’t know what to say Jenna.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I just had to tell you. I mean I would never have thought such crazy things, but I found this weird box thing under my bed and I know its Troy doing all this. He said some weird words and put a hex on me or something. Look, just be careful okay and please don’t tell him about this. I’m scared of what he might do to me.”
“I won’t.” Ava felt her pulse in her teeth now.
“Okay,” she breathed into the phone. “I have to go…please be careful.”
“I…um…I will.” Ava hung up the phone and stepped back from it like it was a poisonous snake.
The next morning she couldn’t let it go. Jenna’s words rang through her mind. “He tried to drown me. He can do things. He put a hex on me or something.” Ava finished straightening her hair and then something else crossed her mind. Brea, protection spell, the book! She walked over to her closet and bent down. She opened the old chest and pulled out the book. She still had fifteen more minutes before she had to leave for school. She carefully placed the old book on her desk and sat down. “Protection spell.”
Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series Page 16