“That’s not the point, but no.”
“Whatever.” She looked away from him, “I’m not gonna beg.”
He paused, “We have to go in, Lyssa. I don’t know what they want, but they said it was urgent. You comin’ or not?”
“No, I’ll stay here! I don’t want to talk to them. I don’t care what they want,” she said, feeling tears burn her eyes. She looked away from him, staring at the ocean so he wouldn’t see her cry.
“Whatever floats your boat,” he shook his head and stomped down the dock away from her.
Chapter Nine…Clutch?
…Lyssa…
“Why am I crying? This is ridiculous. I barely know him. They might not be reassigning him. This might be about something completely different. I need to get a grip. How am I supposed to convince him that I’m not a child if I’m sitting here acting like one?” She stared hard at the white-capped waves in the distance as the tears ran down her cheeks. She clenched her jaw, trying to get them to stop.
She looked back towards the dock. The gate in the stone wall had already closed behind him. Even though she felt stupid for having feelings for Thomas, she still wanted desperately not to lose him. She imagined for a moment returning home, with some stranger, never hearing his sweet, southern, drawn out interpretation, of her name again. She imagined not having him watching over her. She would miss his statue-like presence that now seemed a permanent fixture there by her bedroom window.
She stood, tossing aside her fears and shutting her mind off. She stepped out of the boat and hurried down the dock to the stone wall. A guard tower situated high in the trees above it seemed empty from the ground. After only a moment though, the wall sank back and slid to the right.
She took her time. She was in no hurry to find out what was going to happen. She spotted Thomas walking with Ava and followed them as they turned to go around the back side of the castle. Luckily there were quite a few people scattered around and she blended easily behind them. Lyssa stayed close to the castle and stopped just behind a small stone wall. She could hear them talking now. She peeked around the wall.
Ava tilted her head, “That’s why we brought you here. You must keep it to yourself.”
“I will.” He shifted his weight uncomfortably, “You said you found a Keeper for her, too?”
“Yes, she is going to step in temporarily,” she stepped closer to him and tilted her head. “Is something wrong, Thomas? You can talk to me you know.”
“No, I just,” he shook his head as if he wasn’t sure how to start. “What about me? Am I going back with her?”
Ava paused, “No. You’ve been reassigned. With a new Keeper she should be okay now.”
Lyssa inched a little closer, holding her breath, some part of her screaming for him to stop this. This couldn’t be happening. She wanted to burst from behind the stone wall she now stood behind and scream at him to stop this from happening.
Thomas rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, “I don’t like the idea of her going back with no protection. If you aren’t going to assign someone else, send me back with her. I need to know she will be protected.”
Ava folded her arms, “Thomas, do you have…”
He didn’t let her finish, “I take my assignments seriously. I just don’t think sending her back without some real protection is a good idea, ma’am.”
Ava lifted her chin and a small smile flickered across her lips. She shook her head, “The decision has already been made, but I can speak with Alec when he returns. I’m certain we can find some way to protect her. You can’t stay there with her forever.”
Thomas sighed and shook his head, “I know, but...” He paused, then suddenly blurted. “Maybe she could join the guard!”
Ava, looking as surprised as Thomas did, tilted her head, “You’re saying that she should come to the island to train for the Clutch, as a Green?” Ava looked up suddenly and right in Lyssa’s direction, “What do you think, Lyssa? Do you want to join the Clutch?”
Thomas whirled around to look at her.
Lyssa, stunned at what had just been proposed and completely embarrassed at having been caught eavesdropping, couldn’t answer right away. “I, um, I just, I…,” she fumbled, trying to come up with some sort of reasonable response.
“Come on over here,” Ava said.
Lyssa felt her face burn as she walked towards them. She kept her eyes on Ava, refusing to meet Thomas’ dark eyes as she walked over and stopped next to him.
Ava looked at both of them for a moment, lowering her brows as if she were staring at a puzzle.
“Well, Lyssa? What do you think?” she asked.
Lyssa glanced at Thomas.
He was looking at her intently and she noticed the insistence in his dark eyes and turned back to Ava and nodded, “Yes, I think that might be something I would like to do.”
Thomas released a relieved sigh and said, “It would be a great solution to the whole problem. She wouldn’t need a guard anymore and she wouldn’t be in any danger here.”
Ava nodded, “Is that what you want, Lyssa? You would be okay with leaving your father’s house behind?”
Thomas glanced at Lyssa, “The pay that Clutch guards get would be enough to keep up the mortgage on your house. We get a percentage of the funds donated by everyone born of the Element and a guaranteed monthly salary generated by equipment we build for storm chasers, the wind turbines, and other small businesses that are operated by the Clutch.” His eyes were pleading.
Ava touched her shoulder “That would only be if you became a Clutch Guard. Greens don’t get much. This is a big decision, Lyssa. Are you really sure this is what you want to do?”
Lyssa felt panic rise up inside her. She thought about the guy who had paid off the back payments on the mortgage, the deal. She looked over at Thomas and tried to think. If she said no, she would lose Thomas. If she said yes, she would lose everything else. She stared at him. She couldn’t think. She needed time. Then it happened. She got lost in his stare. She swallowed hard and said, “Yes, that’s what I want.”
Ava smiled, “This would be a great solution, but,” she glanced around them, “I’ll have to speak to the council about it.” She looked at Lyssa, “I’m not sure they will agree given your history.”
Lyssa nodded, “Okay,” she said, feeling rushed and confused. She didn’t know what she wanted. “Do I want to join?”
Ava sighed, “I will speak to them today. You will both stay on the island until they decide, just in case they want to talk to you. It may take a few days for them to deliberate.”
“Okay,” Thomas said.
“Thomas, you can show Lyssa to one of the guest cottages for now.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Thomas nodded.
Ava headed back towards the castle.
They stood perfectly still as they waited for Ava to get out of earshot.
Lyssa watched Ava turn the corner around the front of the castle and then she let Thomas have it. “What the hell were you thinking?”
He shrugged, “I wasn’t...” He stopped, looking down at her.
She glared furiously, “Obviously! You had no right! I don’t even know what I want to do yet.”
“What else were you gonna do, Lyssa? They wouldn’t let you keep a guard to watch over you forever and I won’t allow you to be put in danger. What, were you going to sell your story to that rich guy?”
She took a step back feeling like ice had just melted down her spine. “He knows about that!?” She took a breath, “Whatever I decide to do is supposed to be my choice, not yours.”
He moved closer to her, “What did you think I would do? Nothing? If that’s what you thought, you don’t know me from a hole in the ground. No matter what’s happening or not happening between us, I want you to be protected. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I thought,” he paused. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I just had to be sure you were going to be okay.”
She felt the air in her lungs thicken, “I don’t
know either, Thomas. I do know one thing though. I know that what I feel between us feels right to me.” She looked up at him and placed her hand on his chest.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her around the back side of the castle. Pressing her against the wall, he leaned in close, “You have to stop this stuff, Lyssa. This is hard enough. You don’t know what you want. I don’t know what’s happening with us, but, whatever it is, it has to stop.”
“Us? He admits there is an us? I don’t think you know what you want either tough guy,” she thought, taking in his scent and noticing the positioning of his hands; one on her shoulder and the other on her hip.
He seemed to notice his hold on her at the same time and pulled back.
“Wait,” she closed her eyes and opened them. “Before I can figure out what to do, I need to know how you feel…about me. You want me to join the Clutch. Is that so that we can be together?”
His eyes on hers, he said, “I don’t know why I suggested it. I don’t want you to join for me. I just know that I have to protect you and to do that I have to be near you. I also know that I have to protect you from me. Maybe when all of this is over we can see where we are. Maybe when you’re a little older, like eighteen...”
“You’re only a year over legal age. Why are you being so weird about this? It doesn’t even make sense.”
“It’s the law, Lyssa, and I was taught better than that. I was taught that you don’t take advantage of people, especially somebody who is as screwed up as you are!” his voice was cold, but his eyes quickly flashed with regret.
She felt her heart squeeze. She took a breath and brushed past him, “Just show me where I’m supposed to sleep!”
Thomas moved past her and silently led the way to the guest cottages on the other side of the island.
…Ava…
Ava stood behind Thomas and two other Clutch guards as they waited for the prison gate to be unlocked. Nisca stood behind her. The three Clutch guards were there by order of the council. Ava was also pretty sure that Alec had also had a hand in the overabundance of protection she had suddenly gained when dealing with Blake. Nisca was there because Aunt Avalene wanted her there. Ava didn’t mind doing what Aunt Avalene wanted. Her presence on the island made her feel more relaxed, more at home, and that was a good thing.
Bill, the guard at the prison’s main gate, let them into the prison and they walked to Blake’s cell and waited as Thomas unlocked the door. Thomas and the two other Clutch guards slipped inside to strap Blake to a chair before Ava was allowed to enter.
Ava stepped inside and noticed the way two passing Greens took their time walking by, curious about the man in the cell.
Blake was smiling as he looked up at Ava. “There you are,” he said.
“Hello, Blake,” she said. “I know you want to go home. You know what we want. So let’s get this over with. Are you ready to tell us what we need to know?”
He looked down and then back up with an even wider smile, “Now darlin’, don’t come in here sweet talking me.”
Ava shook her head, exasperated. “Where did you get the ring?”
“I’ll tell you if you give me one thing.” His face took on a more serious look.
“What?”
He jerked his head back, signaling for her to move closer.
She sighed and moved forward. Thomas placed his self protectively in front of her and looked down at him. “Don’t touch her,” his words were ice cold.
“It’s okay,” Ava said. “He can’t hurt me.” She moved a little closer, “What is it?”
He looked intently into her eyes, “I just want one kiss.”
Ava stepped back, “You’re insane.”
“Back off!” Thomas yelled in his face, “Just one more nasty word...” He stared him down.
Blake stared at Ava, the strange smile seemingly permanent on his now scruffy face.
Ava didn’t remember him acting so strangely the first time she’d met him. He’d seemed instantly attracted to her, yes. Not like this, though. It left an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Look Blake, just admit it. You found the ring on the ship, didn’t you? You found something else too?”
He dropped the smile and his eyes met hers, “I’ll tell you if you really want to know, Ava. I just want to make you happy.”
“Okay,” she said, caught off-guard.
Everyone looked down at him, surprised.
He shook his head, almost dejectedly. “We did find the ship and that’s where I found the ring.”
“Is there anything else down there?”
“No, there’s nothing else down there.”
Ava nodded, “You know you have to give us the ring?”
“I know, but will I get to see you again?”
“No,” Ava shook her head, “How did you remember the island?”
“Remember it?” he looked perplexed.
“Yes, how did you remember the last time you were here?”
He looked even more puzzled, “I don’t know what you mean. I haven’t been here before. I found the ring and your guards brought me here, this is the first time I’ve ever been here.” A small line formed between his brows, “I dreamed about you though. I remember dreaming about you and the island. Somehow I knew there was something here. Have I been here before?” he asked.
Ava didn’t answer him.
“That would explain the dreams, I guess. The only person that believed me was the man funding me.”
“What man?” Thomas stepped forward.
“I don’t know his name. He said he had heard about my dreams and that the island was a real place. Then he gave me a lot of money and said if I found the island, he would double what he had given me. He even gave me a fifteen thousand dollar camera.” He shook his head, seeming suddenly calmer and confused at the same time, “Can I have my camera back?”
“No,” Thomas said.
Ava touched Thomas’s shoulder, “Yes, after we take care of the pictures.”
Thomas looked at her.
Ava tried to send him a signal with her glance. Blake wouldn’t ever remember this conversation after he was gone, so he could make all the demands he wanted.
“Give me the ring and then we will get your camera and get you home.” She held out her hand.
He slipped it off and slowly pressed it into her hand, “Will I ever see you again?”
“I…,” Ava was briefly taken aback, he had asked the same question just a few minutes ago. “Probably not,” she said.
Blake looked suddenly drained and his big shoulders sank lower, “Okay, let’s get it over with.”
After Ava repeated the memory spell on him, they walked down to the dock to release him and she noticed the sadness in his eyes. He didn’t even ask about his camera again and his memory had not had time to completely fade yet.
Ava placed her hands on his and released him. His hands shook under hers. Thomas and two others escorted him off the island and Ava stood still and watched long after they were gone. The whole thing was strange, and really creepy in a way. She had almost completely forgotten Nisca stood beside her until she touched her shoulder, “Don’t worry, he will get over you.”
Ava looked at Nisca “Get over me?”
“Yes. He is obviously in love with you.”
Knowing what she knew about Nisca and her abilities, she was sure Nisca could pick up on such things. She felt her nerves rattle as silently walked back to the castle. “The curse?” She thought in a panic, “The Vangeretta Curse!” Lareina’s words shot through her mind. “A Vangeretta woman will be able to have any man she desires, but he will die a horrible death if he falls in love with her…and he will!”
Ava went straight to Aunt Avalene’s room. She raised her hand to knock as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. She did not desire him. How was it possible? Could the curse be set off, simply by thinking a man was attractive? She had only thought that for a fraction of a second. Could it happen simply because he wanted her? May
be that was it. Either way this could not happen. She wouldn’t let it. No one deserved that. “Please no!” she thought. “Please don’t let it be true.” She had already escaped the curse once with Alec. Their bond had saved him. She had no such bond with Blake.
Aunt Avalene opened the door wearing her night gown, “What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I want to know everything you know about The Vangeretta Curse,” she said.
Aunt Avalene’s eyes widened, “Come inside.”
Ava paced the floor until Aunt Avalene grabbed her by the arm, “Calm down, Shug. Sit down; your pacing is making me all antsy.”
Ava sighed and sat on the end of the bed.
Aunt Avalene walked over to her suitcase and pulled out a small ring box. She clasped her hand around it and walked back to Ava.
“Is it really true?” Ava felt her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Is the Vangeretta Curse really real?”
Aunt Avalene sat down, “I don’t know what to tell you. I think that’s something you have to decide for yourself. It could be real or maybe it’s all coincidence.
“Maybe what is all coincidence?”
Aunt Avalene looked down and squeezed the box in her hand, “My mother told my sister Nadia and myself about The Vangeretta Curse when we were just girls. I think I was nine or ten and Nadia was around thirteen. She told us the story of the woman who put the curse on Victoria Vangeretta. She told us we had to be careful not to allow ourselves to be attracted to, or to allow ourselves to love, any man. There were tears in my mother’s eyes as she told us.
I remember us saying she was crazy, giggling about the idea of such a thing. Our father had died years before this when we were both too young to remember him. When I was older my mother came right out and said the curse killed him. I didn’t really believe it. He died in a terrible accident at work, a coal mining accident. Seven other miners died at the same time. I thought my mother was just heartbroken and looking for something to blame his death on...” She looked at Ava and patted her hand, “Are you sure you want to hear this.”
Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series Page 42