Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series
Page 61
The night air felt good. It filled her lungs and cooled her skin and she felt a little better. The breeze wrapped around her, making her feel alive and cleansed. She walked back towards the dorm room, feeling the tiny stinging needles of rain. She put her hand over her eyes to see and had to push the hair out of her face over and over again as she walked. Then it happened. She pushed the hair from her face and saw him standing there in the dark. He stood right in front of her as if he had been standing there for hours. Caslan. Lightning lit the sky and his face at the same time. His dark eyes were locked on her.
She stopped, unsure what to do. Her heart started pounding.
“Brea, please, I really need to talk to you.”
“Look, Caslan, I don’t know you and whatever is going on between you and your sister is not my business. I don’t want anything to do with it.”
Caslan stepped closer and grabbed her by the hand, “Brea, it’s not about my sister. This is about Ava. It’s about Element Island.” He met her eyes, “Please.”
She felt her body jerk. “He knows, but how?” She didn’t know what to do. Run, talk to him, ignore him, what?! “No one knows. How does he? This is bad. So, so, bad.”
“My truck.” He pointed, “It’s right across the street. Please.” His eyes were desperate. His hand shaking as it rested on her arm.
Brea took a deep breath as the rain poured over them and the wind went wild around them. “If nothing else, I have to find out what he knows and how he knows it,” she thought. “I have to protect Ava, and her secret.” “Fine,” she agreed.
Chapter Five …(Taken)
…Ava…
Ava stood with Nisca as they searched the cell from top to bottom. Lareina had been moved to another cell and five guards stood watch over her. Alec was in the cell with Thomas and two others. They pulled the cot apart and snatched the drawers out of the simple dresser with no regard for the items flying across the small cell. They pulled the wood apart, careful to search every hiding place possible. They combed through her clothes, and through other books in the cell.
Nisca gipped Ava’s arm. Ava was tense. There was a reason Lareina didn’t want her to have that diary. What was in Ann Marie’s diary? She had already discovered that there used to be a Waevern True Elementris and that she tried to force dark magic on those born of the element. That was only a few pages. What else was locked in that diary? Why was her picture drawn in there and what was Ann Marie trying to warn her about?
…Brea…
Caslan barely waited for her to get her door closed before he drove off. The headlights illuminated the side-winding sheets of rain. Brea was soaking wet and freezing. She looked behind them, wondering if she had just made a huge mistake. A warm hand reached over and touched her arm. She snapped around to look at him.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“I’m fine. What do you want?” She was really freezing her butt off, but she wasn’t about to get all cozy with this guy. Even though the chills dancing along her arms and cold water dripping from her wet hair made him look very warm and inviting.
He sighed and pushed his dark hair back from his forehead. His eyes were a dark brown, but just around the center there was a warm honey color. Those eyes were locked on her even though he was flying down the road. “I’ve been trying to find a way to talk to you. Macy is not who you think she is.”
“What do you mean?” Brea sat up, giving him her full attention now.
He slowed to turn, taking his eyes from hers for a moment. As he sped back up, he began to speak, “Macy and I are both born of the Element.”
Brea’s brows shot up, “Do what?!”
He just looked at her, waiting.
Brea felt her heart speed up, “Macy is born of the Element?” She shook her head, not sure what to do here. “I don’t know what that means.” She crossed her arms defensively.
“Yes, you do.” He flashed pearly white teeth as his mouth curved into a smile, “Brea, I know all about you. Ava, everything.”
His words settled in slowly and as they settled, lead dropped into her gut, “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you’re in danger, and I need your help.” He pulled to a stop in front of a small brick house.
“My help?” Brea mumbled and looked around, realizing they were surrounded by tall trees. They were in the middle of nowhere. She looked back at him.
“Please, come inside,” he said. Opening his door, he got out, and began walking around to open hers.
Panic set in. Brea’s heart went wild and her mind spun in circles. Every interaction she had ever had with Macy flashed through her memory like a slide show, little glimpses, paused. Things she should have seen all slapped together and formed a truth that had been there all the time. Macy’s frequent disappearances. Her fascination with the weather. The day that Macy got into an argument with Mark and the wind picked up two trashcans and threw them at his truck. Brea felt lightheaded. She held onto the door handle to steady herself.
Caslan reached her door and pulled it open, almost jerking her out with it. Just as he did, a flash of lightning lit the night sky and the rain fell harder. “Come on!” he shouted, trying to make himself heard over the wind and rain.
Brea looked over his shoulder at the swaying trees and decided that she was better off inside. Even if he was some crazy serial killer or something, it was more dangerous out here. She took his hand and ran with him through the rain. They reached the porch and a cold wind howled around the house. He opened the door and hurried to shut it after them
They were both soaking wet.
“I’ll get you something,” he said, hurrying down a hallway to the right.
Brea looked around the small living room. It was a piece of crap. The only furniture was a holey sofa and a plastic chair. There was no television and there were blankets over the windows for curtains. An empty pizza box lay open on the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Definitely looks like a serial killer hide out,” she thought.
“Here ya go.” He said, as he tossed her a towel.
She caught the towel and began to pat her dripping hair. She studied him carefully. The soft lighting thrown from the lone lamp in the room illuminated his face and hid it at the same time. His strangely beautiful eyes caught her attention and she had to admit that even with the large jagged scar under his left eye, he was drop-dead gorgeous. It didn’t help matters any when he pulled his shirt up over his head and a well-defined upper torso appeared. She pretended to herself that she was checking out his tattoos; one on his chest and side, and one on his arm. The one at his chest stretched from his chest and moved down his side. It was an intricate tribal tattoo; a combination of tribal symbols that came together to form an image of a lion’s face. It was beautiful, yet dangerous looking. The one on his arm wrapped completely around his bicep. It was some type of script written in a language she didn’t recognize. He was doing a little looking of his own as he pulled a dry shirt off of the counter, only breaking his gaze to pull the shirt over his head and down, covering his chest and abdomen.
She flushed and looked away as she finished drying off. She tossed the towel on the sofa and crossed her arms, “So, how do you know all that?”
He met her gaze levelly, “I know that because mine and Macy’s father is Vern. Vern Waevern.”
“As in...” Brea almost choked on the words, “The leader of the Waevern?”
He nodded.
Brea turned and ran towards the door. Just as she reached the knob, he grabbed her and turned her in his arms, effectively pinning her in place.
…Ava…
“There’s nothing here.” Alec said.
“Are you sure?” Ava asked, looking at him and then Nisca. “What about on her? What about the in the walls?”
“We’re going to keep searching, Ava,” Alec reassured her. “You need to get back upstairs and rest, and Nisca needs to have her arm looked at.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll
find it. Don’t worry.”
“I’m okay, really.” Nisca said.
Alec looked at Ava sternly, “Go get some rest and we’ll make sure there is nothing here. We’ll find out who brought the diary to her. I’ll have Bill give me a list of everyone who has been in the prison the past few days.” He glanced around at the guards, “I promise.”
“Be careful.” Ava implored.
“I always am.” He let go of her hand and smiled.
Ava sighed and turned to leave. She really hated it when he gave her that look. Nisca walked beside her, completely silent until they passed through the main gate of the prison. Once they cleared the gate, she looked at Ava, honey eyes wide, and said, “You didn’t mean to do that, did you?”
Ava’s shoulders sank and tears threatened to fall. She blinked them back and shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.”
“I’m fine, Ava. Really, I am fine. We’ll get this all figured out.” Nisca smiled.
“I hope so, Nisca. I really hope so,” Ava replied.
Nisca’s arm was fine, just a little bruised. Ava went straight to her room as soon as she got Nisca settled in hers. She shut the door behind her and locked it. She ran her fingertips over her stomach. The baby was rolling inside there and Ava could swear she felt the power of the elements swimming inside her, right there. She ran her fingertips over her stomach as she looked in the mirror. “Was it possible? Could the baby be affecting her connection to the elements?”
She walked out on the balcony and looked out over the ocean. The waves were rolling fast, carried by a strong wind. The storm had moved back out again, but it looked darker than normal. Angry. She gripped the railing with both hands and closed her eyes. She focused all of her energy on her stomach, on that buzzing elemental power. She let herself feel it, at the same time trying to remember how she’d found her connection to the elements when she’d battled Lareina.
She took a slow breath and, as she opened her eyes, she could feel it. It was there waiting, begging to be released.
“Are you alright?”
She turned toward him. Alec stood in the doorway. It was easy to forget how quietly he could sneak up on her.
He hurried over to her, his eyes searching her face. “You look so drained. You need to rest.”
“I’m fine. I think I…”
Before she could finish, Alec held up the diary, “We found it.”
“Oh my God, you did?”
“It was in the wall.” He flashed a smile, “I will give you this on one condition.”
She reached for it.
He placed the arm holding the diary behind his back and pulled her into him with the other. He looked into her eyes, “As I was saying, you get it on one condition. You get some rest and take it easy.”
“I will,” she smiled.” Just give it to me.”
“I don’t know...” he teased, holding it up over his head. A sexy smile spread slowly across his face. Each inch of that smile revealed a little more of the Alec only she knew. Most only knew him as a warrior. That Alec was protective and serious. Alec was known for his intensity and his strength as a leader. Her Alec though, the one that only she ever got to see…, he was someone very different.
She hit him in the chest, “Quit playing.”
Something terrible happened then. As her hand connected with his chest, white hot electricity surrounded him and he flew backwards.
Her scream was blood-curdling as she watched his body slam against the hard floor. She curled her hands into her chest and ran towards him.
…Brea…
He had her. She could feel his heartbeat. He was holding her so close that she couldn’t budge; his mouth so close to hers she could smell the sweet scent of his gum. She was completely terrified and attracted to him all at once.
“Let me explain, Brea.”
“Explain!” She pushed her elbow into his chest, “But get off of me first!”
He backed up and gestured towards the old sofa.
Brea snorted and walked past him. She sat on the stiffly on the edge of the sofa and crossed her arms.
He shook his head and walked over. He paced in front of her, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. Then he suddenly stopped and looked at her. His dark eyes were pleading. Brea couldn’t stop herself from staring; the look in them so intense they seemed to almost glow.
Brea straightened and broke his gaze, “Still waiting!”
He walked past her and sat on the sofa.
She didn’t turn towards him.
He cleared his throat, “This is going to be complicated, so I need you to listen.” He waited.
She could feel him staring at the side of her face. She sighed, “Go ahead.”
“Vern Waevern has no children of his own. He tried over and over again. About nineteen years ago he took five children from five different hospitals. Each of those children was born at the same time on the same day. They were all born of the Element.”
Brea turned to him, unable to stop herself. He had her attention.
He locked eyes with her, “Macy and I were both one of those children.”
Brea swallowed hard, his eyes were definitely glowing. She couldn’t look away. It was as if the glowing light was drawing her in, like a dazed bug, making her sit and listen.
“He raised us as his own. Up until a couple of years ago we all believed that my brother and I were his real children and that the other three were adopted. The woman we thought was our mother was actually his dead wife who had died trying to give birth. She wasn’t our mother. Vern told us that Bane and I were twins. He said he found out the other three in our circle were given up for adoption so he adopted them and raised them as his own. It was all a lie. Bane and I were not his children any more than the rest. We were all stolen.” He paused like he was trying to get a grip on his anger. His fists balled and his knuckles were white. “I found all of this out after my sister left.”
“Macy?”
“No,” he shook his head. “Our other sister took off after she found out. She eventually contacted me and told me that she’d found her parents.”
He reached out and touched the top of her hand, “Are you with me so far?”
Brea nodded and jerked her hand away.
He looked at her for a moment before continuing, “After I found everything out, I confronted my father and told the others. That’s when Vern announced that he was getting ready to step down and one of us would take over the Waevern. There were plenty that would kill for that opportunity. My brothers and sisters didn’t care that he was not our real father. They were blinded by the chance for power.”
“Even Macy?”
“Even Macy,” he affirmed. “I left two years ago. I started searching for my birth parents.”
“Did you find them?”
“Yeah. I found my birth parents about three months ago.” He paused. “I didn’t…,” he shook his head.
“You didn’t tell them who you were?” Brea supplied.
“I didn’t even speak to them.”
“Why? Don’t you want to?“
“No, I can’t. You see, the whole time I’ve been gone, Vern has had the Waevern Army after me. Watching me. He wants me to take over. He thinks I have the most…potential.” He made a sour face as he said the word.
Brea took a breath. “Why did you come back?”
“As sick as it sounds, despite everything,” he paused, “It feels like home and when the Waevern army found me, they told me that he was dying. I wanted answers from him. There was still so much I didn’t know; still so much he hadn’t told me. My brothers and sisters. I don’t know what brought me back for sure. Some part of me still loved him, I guess. Don’t get me wrong. I hate what he did, but he had a way of making me feel…” He stopped.
“So, did you just come back?”
“No. I came back about a week ago. Macy just found out yesterday.”
“So, Macy…” She shook her head.
Brea gasped. Her hand cupped her mouth. She couldn’t believe it. All this time?! How could she have been so fooled? “Why the hell are you telling me all of this?” she demanded.
“Because I need your help.” He lifted his chin, “And you need mine.”
…Ava…
Only seconds after her scream, the room was filled with Clutch Guards. The council members and many others crowded the hallway. Ava stood back, horrified, as they helped Alec to his feet. No one said anything to her, but they spoke volumes with their eyes. They feared her. Alec met her eyes, his dark brows knitted with pain. He pulled away from his would-be rescuers and moved quickly to her side. “Ava, I’m okay.” He reassured. “I love you. I’m fine, baby. It’s okay, I’m fine.”
She took two steps back from him.
“Ava?” The look in his eyes was heart shattering.
She shook her head, tears raced down her cheeks; then she ran. No one tried to stop her as she ran down the stairs, through the castle, and outside. She ran into the thick jungle and didn’t stop. She used a path spell to clear the way, but still got bruises and cuts along the way. Feeling the weight of her pregnancy, she held the bottom of her stomach as she ran. She didn’t stop until she came to a ledge, nothing between her and a sheer drop to the ocean below. She skidded to a stop just before the edge. The water below crashed angrily against the rocks. Lightning popped in the wind and all around her. She felt the power surging through her, centered in her womb. Her heart thumped wildly as the wind picked up and tossed her dress around her hips. Her hair lashed her face, blinding her as rain drops fell from the sky in heavy stinging drops. Her legs seemed to turn to liquid and she fell to her knees. She dug her fingers into the earth and clutching dirt in both hands she raised her arms to the sky and screamed, “Stop it! Stop this!”