Origins (A Black Novel, #1)

by Jessa L. Gilbert

  I smile sadly. “Of course.”

  “Good. Should I go tell Lucien you’re ready to head back?”

  “Does he really need to come with me?” I ask with a frown.

  “That bad?” Vraiden teases.

  “You have no idea!” I shudder. “I don’t even want to talk about it.”

  “It’s only for a few more hours.” His voice is soothing. “The oath ends at midnight.”

  “Thank God!” I exclaim, sighing as I flop down onto the bed facing him. “Your brother is impossible!”

  Vraiden laughs loudly, showing off a dimple. “You’re telling me this?

  I had to grow up with him.”

  We’re both still laughing when the door opens and Luc walks in. “I thought I heard my name…” Vraiden and I look at each other and laugh even harder and I have to clutch my stomach, in pain from laughing too hard.

  “What are you two laughing about?” Luc asks, a bewildered expression on his face.

  “Oh, nothing,” Vraiden replies with a straight face.

  “Uh-huh. Did the two of you have a good ‘talk’?”

  “That’s none of your business,” Vraiden counters.

  “That would be a no or you’d be in a better mood,” Luc replies smugly causing Vraiden to roll his eyes.

  “Will you just shut up and take Adelin back to her mom’s?”

  “Anything to get away from you,” Luc smirks wickedly.

  Leaving Vraiden’s proves to be much easier than getting in was.

  “Wait, where are you going?” I ask Luc as he opens the door to the hallway.

  “I’m taking you to Sera’s,” he replies as if I’m mentally incapable of understanding.

  “But we came in from the terrace,” I say confused.

  “So…?”

  “You two snuck in?” Vraiden questions with a laugh.

  “So,” I continue while shooting Vraiden a glare to silence him, “why are you going through the door?”

  “Because that’s the easiest way to get to the front door,” Luc says obviously.

  I scowl at him in return. “How are we going to get out without being seen?”

  “The house is empty. Eris and my mom went to the mainland for the day.”

  “Why didn’t you just say that?!” I shout, making Vraiden laugh. I shoot him a glare and he apologizes, bowing his head sheepishly to hide his grin.

  “Can we just go already before they come back?” Luc questions impatiently. I flip him off and storm past him out the door, ignoring his booming laughter.

  “Mom?” I call out as Luc and I enter the house.

  “Kitchen!” she yells in response.

  I head off in the direction of her voice, stopping when I realize Luc isn’t tagging along behind me. “You aren’t coming?” I ask as I turn to face him.

  “I think I’ll stay here so you and your mom can talk. I don’t want to intrude,” he replies.

  My eyebrows knit together at his overly polite tone. Since when had he ever not wanted to intrude? “You have no problems with trying to ‘intrude’ on me in the shower,” I point out.

  “Does your mother shower with you? I think not,” he states without waiting for my reply. “Frankly, your mother makes me uncomfortable.” He mumbles the last part, looking down at his shoes in embarrassment.

  “My mom makes you uncomfortable?” I question incredulously, a laugh spilling out.

  “She’s one of my mother’s closest friends and my mother scares the shit out of me. You’ve never seen her angry. I don’t need Sera running off telling her anything that might upset her.”

  “Fine. Stay here you big baby,” I chide. “Make yourself comfortable, this will probably take a while.”

  “I’ll be here when you get done. Make sure she doesn’t try to kill you though, would ya? I’m still bound by the blood oath until midnight,” he teases as he tromps happily into the living room and plops down on the overstuffed couch.

  “I’m kind of hoping she does now,” I mutter before making my way back towards the kitchen. I stop, confused, as I walk into the room and arch an eyebrow comically at Sera’s appearance. Her normally perfectly styled brown hair is twisted messily on top of her head, the sleeves of her blouse are pushed up past her elbows and most of her is covered in flour and some yet-to-be-identified sticky looking brown substance that smells deliciously like chocolate.

  “What are you doing?” I say laughing.

  “Tomorrow’s your birthday so I thought I’d try my hand at mothering and bake you a cake!” Her face lights up with a triumphant smile as she gestures gleefully at the mess coating the entirety of the kitchen.

  My shoulders slump in despair. Great. She just made this even harder. I take a deep breath before opening my mouth. “Mom? I think you should sit down. There’s something I need to say.”

  Chapter Twenty

  I blow out a deep breath and glance at the clock, noting that it’s now eleven-thirty. Sera and I have been talking for nearly two hours and it had gone a lot better than I had expected. Sera hadn’t freaked out when I’d told her, instead she had been quite understanding and had listened quietly until I was finished and then asked me a few questions. My guess is that she was secretly thrilled that my life wasn’t going to end up like hers and I was going to have a chance to live and grow old.

  “I just got off the phone with your dad,” Sera says as she walks back into the kitchen. She’s changed out of her flour coated ensemble into a pair of sweats although her hair is still sporting cake batter and bits of flour.

  “And?” I prompt with a smile.

  “He said that he’s excited you’re going to be coming home and he will be here in the morning. I think he misses you and wants to be able to spend time with you in the car ride on the way back home,” she replies with a wink.

  “I don’t think it’s me he missed that much if he’s driving all the way here just to turn around and drive back,” I hint. “I think he wants to see you but he’s too embarrassed to just come out and admit it.” Her face flushes a bright shade of red and her eyes go wide. “Oh, dear, you think so?” I laugh in response and she looks around, eyes frantic as she surveys the mess in the kitchen. “I’ve got to get this cleaned up…and I need to shower. I smell like a cake!” She exclaims as she sniffs her hair and begins throwing dishes into the sink.

  “I hear guys find the smell of chocolate irresistible,” I tease.

  “Oh, Adelin!” she chides. “Why don’t you go keep Luc company? He was looking pretty lonely in the living room when I came back downstairs.”

  “Will do,” I say with a mock salute in her direction before ambling out of the room. I’m glad that my dad and mom are finally going to get the opportunity to see and talk to one another after all these years. Who knows, maybe my dad will decide it’s time to pack up and move and the three of us can have our happily ever after? Sera seems like she’s got the whole Immortal thing under control and, if nothing else, Dad and I could just move to the island and live by ourselves and we’ll all still be able to see and visit each other. “Luc?” I ask as I walk into the living room. “We’re all done.”

  “How’d it go?” He sits up and flashes a smile.

  “Pretty good. My dad’s going to be here in the morning so he can spend time with my mom before we head back.”

  “That sounds promising.”

  “I hope so,” I reply wistfully. “And….there’s only half an hour left until your part of the deal’s over!” I exclaim triumphantly.

  “Thank God,” he teases. “I was beginning to get sick of having to babysit you all the time!”

  “Hey now! I’m the one that had to coddle you when you were crying about having to sleep on the floor!”

  “I wasn’t crying about it and, by the way, you owe me a massage for that. My back still aches. So, I’ll be collecting on that in the near future,” he remarks with a wink. “And, I prefer nude massages.”

  “I’ll get on that as soon as you find so
me way to reimburse me for having to deal with you for the past two weeks.” He flashes a sexy smile and wiggles his eyebrows at me. “That’s what I was offering….I get a massage, you get to see me naked. We both win.”

  “Ha! No thanks, I’ll pass. I’d probably go blind from fright!” I say with a laugh.

  “Why don’t you quit trying to insult my manhood and go for a walk with me? Do you think you can pretend to be charming for the next half an hour?” He stands up and arches an eyebrow quizzically at me.

  “I don’t need to pretend, I am charming, and yes, I’ll go for a walk with you. I’ve been sitting down for the last two hours and my ass is numb, so maybe a walk will help get some circulation back in it.” He shakes his head and laughs as he follows me back out of the house. We set off in the direction of the ocean and decide to walk out onto Sera’s private boat dock. Once we reach the end, we sit down and take our shoes off, letting our legs dangle over the side of the dock with our feet skimming the top of the water. I lean backwards, supporting my weight with my arms and stare up at the moon. I am going to miss this, being this close to the ocean anytime I wanted. It’s so peaceful out here, surrounded by nothing but nature.

  “So,” Luc says, bringing me back to the present, “what’s next?”

  “Huh?”

  “Well, you’re leaving and Vraiden’s staying. You’re going to be mortal, he’s not. What’s next?”

  “Way to be a buzzkill, Luc.”

  He raises his hands, defensive. “I’m just asking.”

  “I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it. He’s supposed to stop by in the morning,” I reply, suddenly feeling weighed down. I sit up straight and pull my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.

  “I’m sure everything will work out. Vraiden will make sure it does,” Luc responds.

  “What’s next for you?” I ask, attempting to change the subject.

  “Well, normally I travel a lot but seeing how things just got really complicated around here I think I might stick around for a bit and keep an eye on my little brother,” he replies with a wink.

  I smile in response. “That sounds like a good idea.”

  “Twenty-one, twenty, nineteen…”

  “Um, Luc?” I ask. My brows bunch together in confusion as he keeps right on counting.

  “Thirteen, twelve, eleven…”

  “What are you doing? Seriously?”

  He holds up a finger and smiles widely, “Four, three, two, one….Happy birthday!” he shouts, grinning from ear to ear.

  I burst out laughing and throw my arms up in the air, “I’m free!

  Finally!”

  “Haha, very funny,” he remarks as he climbs to his feet and offers me a hand. “Think you can make it back all right?” Really? “Luc, the house is right there,” I state, pointing. “What am I going to do, get lost?”

  “From what Vraiden says, you’re pretty good at that.”

  “Vraiden told you about that?!”

  “Calm down, he didn’t say anything bad. He thought it was cute,” Luc laughs.

  “I’ll bet he did, the asshole.”

  Luc suppresses a grin and holds open his arms. “Come here and give me a hug so I can go let him know you’re home safe.” I move closer and allow Luc to give me a small squeeze before stepping back.

  “Now, get outta here. Take care of yourself kid.”

  “I’m not a kid,” I reply stonily.

  “You are to me,” he teases as he starts walking backward, waving like an idiot.

  I shake my head and wave back as he slowly disappears into the tree line before turning and heading back towards the house. Halfway across the wide lawn, I hear a sound off to my left and stop, turning around to face the forest. I stand there and wait, thinking Luc was heading back this way but, as the minutes tick by, there’s no indication of movement or another sound, so I start walking again.

  A few steps later the sound is back, this time closer, louder. It sounds as if there’s a large animal crashing through the trees.

  Uneasily, I turn back around and narrow my eyes to try and pinpoint the source of the sound. I stand in place longer this time and cock my head to one side, listening intently, but all I can make out is the sound of the waves behind me.

  I glance towards the house and calculate the distance. I’m a little over halfway there so I take off again, deciding to just try and make it there as quickly as possible. My feet hit the gravel of the driveway and I hesitate as the sound of rapidly moving footsteps booms behind me. My heart begins to beat rapidly in my chest and I take off at a run, suddenly afraid. Very afraid.

  Fifteen feet from the front door I am suddenly swept off my feet and fall to the ground. Hard. As soon as my backside hits the rocks, I hear an eerie laugh and look around, frantic, but to no avail.

  Whoever it was, they didn’t want to be seen. Wearily I climb back to my feet and dash towards the house. I don’t even make it three feet before I’m struck down again, this time even harder. The air whooshes out of me on impact and I lie stiffly, gasping for air as my vision begins to swim. A high pitched giggle cuts through the fog and I squint, barely able to make out a grey and black silhouette standing over me.

  “Gotcha!” The voice sounds distant, far away. My attacker giggles again, definitely a girl, before drawing her leg back and letting loose, aiming at my head. My eyes close automatically and I throw my arms up to protect my skull but I’m too late. I hear a loud thwap and then everything goes black.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I wake up disoriented and try to move but can’t. My eyes flash open at the sound of chains and I search for the source of them before realizing that I’m the one causing the noise. My arms are chained, over my head, to the wall behind me and my legs are stretched out before me, bound together at the ankles with rope. I attempt to wiggle into a standing position but my body refuses to cooperate. I try to pull at my restraints but my arms are heavy, numb with fatigue, and no matter how much I pull or strain nothing happens except the awful clank and chime of the chains. I look to my left, taking in my surroundings.

  The room is longer than it is wide, with white walls and a rough dark grey carpeting. Along the far wall a solitary window sits, a dim light filtering in. The only furniture is a wooden dining chair that sits awkwardly off to one side. I turn my head to the right, shocked to find Sera similarly bound and chained to the wall several feet down, the only difference being that she is still unconscious; her head slumped awkwardly to one side. I open my mouth and call to her, panic setting in when I get no response. Is she dead? She’s Immortal- who could do that to her? I begin to shout her name, begging her to wake up, to open her eyes.

  Fear soon overshadows all of my other emotions and I begin to holler for help. Shrill, frantic wails erupt from my mouth, “Help!

  Somebody help! Vraiden! Luc! Help! Anyone!” After a minute my screams become nothing more than nonsense, just a guttural noise mixed with my sobs as tears stream freely down my face. I scream until my throat is raw and swollen and then I scream some more. I continue until my lungs feel like they’re going to bust, then I inhale deeply and start again. It’s only when I realize my voice has given out that I stop.

  Silenced, my head falls to the side to rest wearily against one of my aching arms. It doesn’t take long for unconsciousness to once again lovingly wrap me in its embrace.

  I awake some time later to the sound of a door closing and footsteps padding across the room towards me. Slowly, my eyes open to reveal- a girl? The girl is undeniably beautiful with a pale, porcelain complexion, long black hair falling past her waist, and silver-blue eyes, yet there is something unmistakably sinister about her. She’s dressed in a stained, free flowing white dress that falls to her knees and her bare feet are coated with debris from the forest, tiny pine needles and damp leaves sticking to her flesh.

  She notices I’m awake and stops, cocking her head to one side.

  “Finally give up with the screaming
?” she asks wickedly, flashing me a predatory smile.

  I stare back, silent, at the girl before me, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of an answer. In the blink of an eye the girl whips across the room and squats down, straddling my bound legs, to stare in my eyes.

  “I don’t like being ignored, little girl,” she bares her teeth with a small growl, a malicious glint in her silvery eyes. “Do you have any idea who I am, what I’m capable of?”

  All of a sudden, everything clicks into place- who she is, how she overpowered Sera, why she took me. “Eris,” I whisper, suddenly frightened.

  “Oh, Lover Boy told you about me! Goody!” she claps her hands excitedly before leaning in as if we were two friends just chatting.

  “What did he say? Did he say I was cute?”

  My eyes narrow instinctively and I remain silent. “What did he say?!” she yells, her face contorted with anger.

  I swallow loudly. “He said,” I state, my throat sore and scratchy,

  “that you were bat shit crazy.”

  Whap! My head whips to the side, face stinging as she slaps me open-handed on the cheek hard enough to cause my eyes to blur.

  “Liar!” she screams, spitting rabidly. I turn my head back to face her and automatically cringe away from her vengeful expression. Rage burns in her eyes as a snarl curls her lips back wickedly. Upon seeing my reaction she throws her head back and laughs maliciously. “Oh, honey, you should be scared…..one way or another I’m going to make sure you suffer.”

  She jumps up enraged and stalks across the room to stand in front of Sera. Bending over she grabs Sera by the hair and yanks her upward, causing her head to flop back unnaturally. My eyes widen in horror as Eris leans in and rips a chunk of flesh out of Sera’s neck with her teeth.

  “No!” I scream. “Leave her alone!”

  Eris throws her head back and cackles loudly while turning to face me. Blood drips from her lips to coat her chin and fall onto her already stained dress. She reaches a hand up to messily wipe her mouth off before licking her lips. “She’s Immortal, remember? She’ll heal- I just wanted a taste.”