by H. R. Moore
Marcus didn’t know what to say. Anita was wrong, he was nothing like Austin, he was doing what he was doing to put himself in a position of strength, so he could protect them both from Austin in the future. ‘You’re wrong,’ he stuttered, ‘I’m not turning into him, I’m making sure I can protect us.’
‘You think Austin isn’t clever enough to see through that? He’s immersing you in his shady world so that one day you will be so far in that you can’t get out. I don’t want to be a part of that,’ she said, the tears overflowing, ‘and I don’t want you to either. You are an amazing, genuine person Marcus. You take life at face value and that suits you, it makes you fun and daring and carefree, it’s what drew me to you when I first met you, but I can’t be part of this any longer, you need to work out who you want to be on your own. If you want to be like Austin, then carry on as you are, if not, then you need to get out before you’re so far in that your trapped forever.’
Marcus felt like she’d ripped a hole in his chest; he’d never loved anyone like he loved Anita. ‘I thought you loved me?’ he choked, thinking maybe this would remind her that she really did want to be with him.
‘I do Marcus, but I don’t want to be under your control. If the way you try to show me you love me is by trying to stop me from seeing my friends, then it’s not a relationship I can be in with all my heart. It may just be Alexander now, but what if you decide you don’t like Cleo, or Bas, or you think that someone looks at me the wrong way? I can’t live like that. I don’t want to live like that. I’m sorry Marcus but it’s over.’ She said it as gently as she could whilst conveying the finality of her decision, wiping away the tears still trickling down her face.
Marcus couldn’t believe this was happening, he kept hoping he was about to wake up from a bad dream, Anita lying by his side, but he didn’t. He turned to leave; there was no reason for him to stay any longer, his mind racing as he left the room.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Anita said softly as he left, sinking to the sofa and pulling a cushion towards her, unable to stop the tears that just kept coming. She had known it wouldn’t be easy, but that had been a lot harder then she’d expected. She felt horrible and hated to think what Marcus might do now. She just hoped it didn’t push him further towards his father, that some of what she’d said had gone in.
‘Hello?’ called a voice from the corridor, Cleo appearing at the door and rushing over to her best friend when she saw her tears. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked concerned, as she put her arms round Anita and pulled her in. ‘What happened?’
‘I just broke up with Marcus,’ she sobbed, ‘and he didn’t take it very well.’
Cleo pushed Anita away so she could look at her face. ‘You did what? Doesn’t that put you in a bit of a dangerous predicament?’
‘I don’t care about that. If Austin wants to come after me then he’ll come after me, but he was just so hurt, I feel horrible.’
‘Why did you do it?’ Anita had never acted like this before, she’d always been so tough; Cleo wasn’t sure how to handle a teary Anita.
‘Because I realised that I love Alexander.’
‘I see,’ said Cleo, her tone turning firm. ‘So you are sitting here sobbing into a cushion like some silly girl when you broke up with Marcus because some other man wants to be with you? Please get it together.’
Anita looked at Cleo, shocked at her lack of compassion. ‘I feel like a total bitch for hurting him,’ she said defensively.
‘Well I’m sure you’ll get over that as soon as you’re back looking longingly into Alexander’s beautiful eyes. Bloody hell, some people,’ Cleo said cattily, getting up and pacing across the room.
Cleo’s reaction had a sobering effect on Anita. Maybe she was being a little melodramatic after all; it wasn’t like her to let things get to her like this. ‘Is everything ok Cleo?’ Anita asked, wiping away the last of her tears and putting aside the offending cushion.
‘No, everything is not bloody well ok. It’s alright for you, Miss ‘I’ve got two men chasing after me, but boo hoo I’ve just had to tell one of the Descendants I’m not interested because I’d rather shag the other one,’ but for those of us living in the real world, men are total shits who don’t turn up for dates like they said they’re going to.’
Anita realised that because of all the drama going on in her own life, she’d been totally neglecting her best friend and everything going on with her. ‘Sorry Cleo, I’ve been horrible recently, what’s going on?’
Cleo looked relieved she had a chance to get her story off her chest and sat back down on the sofa. ‘Well you know I’ve been seeing that Councillor’s son off and on, the one I went to the ball with?’
Anita nodded, ‘of course, Henry.’
‘Yes, Henry. Well we’ve been seeing quite a lot of each other recently and it’s been going really well, but he was supposed to be taking me to Bas’ concert tonight…you’re coming too, right?’
Shit, she had forgotten all about it. She needed to pull it together on the friend front and stop being so self-obsessed, she thought, nodding to Cleo, ‘of course.’
‘Anyway, Henry was supposed to pick me up earlier. We were going to go for dinner and then go on to the concert, but he stood me up. I walked into town, thinking he must have just lost track of time or something, but as I walked past Temple Mews, I saw him all over some other girl outside the flower shop. I went over to him and tapped him on the shoulder and when he saw it was me he turned away dismissively and said he would see me later. I slapped him, obviously, a little melodramatic perhaps, but it made me feel better and then I stormed off, I didn’t want to make a proper scene. Stupid arrogant arsehole,’ she said, feeling much happier just to be replaying the story to someone else.
‘What an idiot,’ said Anita, ‘the Councillors’ children always seem to think they’re something special and they’re really not.’
‘Well anyway, I won’t be seeing him again. Pity, the sex was good.’
Anita smiled indulgently, ‘come on, we’ll be late for Bas’ concert, and you never know, you might find some fresh meat.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ she said frivolously.
‘Cleo,’ Anita said, stopping before they left the house.
‘Uh huh?’
‘I’m really sorry I’ve been so self-absorbed for the last few weeks. I promise not to be from now on.’
‘Don’t be silly, you’ve had a lot going on. I forgive you, just don’t do it again. That includes the getting kidnapped bit as well.’
Anita laughed, ‘I’ll do my best. Nice touch with the slap by the way.’
‘Thanks, I thought so.’
CHAPTER 19
Anita and Cleo arrived at the clearing in the woods by the river where the gig was being held just as Bas’ indie rock band was taking to the stage. Thank the Gods, thought Anita, she was really glad they hadn’t missed his band, she didn’t want to have something else to apologise for. They sat down in a spot at the back, near the treeline and listened as Bas’ raw, melodic voice filled the air around them.
They listened silently for a few minutes before Cleo introduced herself to the group of guys next to them, who incidentally, were absurdly good looking. Good luck to them, smiled Anita as she lay down, closed her eyes, let the music flow over her and thought about what had happened earlier with Alexander. She replayed their meditation again and again, her lips tingling at the memory. Bas’ fourth song finished, the crowd clapped raucously and Anita felt a familiar, powerful energy all around her. She opened her eyes and looked up to see two electric blue eyes looking down at her, her energy lifting as she remembered she and Marcus were no longer an item.
‘It’s rude to sneak up on people without giving them any warning,’ she flirted up at him.
‘It’s rude to be so grumpy when someone comes to find you especially,’ Alexander flirted back. ‘Come with me,’ he said, offering her his hand and helping her to her feet. ‘It’s probably best not to be seen here for too long, so
soon after your break up with Marcus.’
‘How have you heard already?’ she asked, astounded and a little bit annoyed.
‘News travels fast around here; you should know that by now.’
‘Hmmm,’ she said poutily, ‘we can talk about that later. Let’s go.’
Alexander led Anita into the woods, heading further up the river. When they were safely out of sight of everyone at the concert, he reached out and took her hand, a spark of electric energy flashing between them as their flesh met. They laughed excitedly, elated by their new found freedom.
‘How did it go with Marcus?’ asked Alexander, he knew it must have been difficult for her after everything they’d been through.
‘It could have been worse,’ she said truthfully. ‘He came to see me because he somehow knew that we’d been to the pool together. Someone told him they’d seen us holding hands and he told me I wasn’t allowed to see you anymore.’
‘Oh.’
‘So as I said, it could have been worse. He reaffirmed that it was the right decision and it gave me a chance to warn him about getting too close to Austin’s business transactions. I doubt he’ll listen, but at least I tried. I feel guilty though after what he went through and I think he really does love me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have feelings for him too, but they’re nothing in comparison to what I feel for you.’
Alexander looked at her happily as they rounded a sharp bend in the path that exposed a graceful waterfall, the path coming to an abrupt halt by its side, the water cascading into a deep plunge pool, throwing up a fine white spray. ‘I’m very glad to hear it,’ he said, as she took a step towards him, the mood between them altering as she reached for his lips. ‘Wait,’ he said turning away. ‘Anita, there are some things I need to tell you before we take this any further. I don’t want secrets between us; it would be too easy for us to be pulled apart if there were.’
Anita felt robbed, she’d been fantacising about their first kiss in the real world for a very long time, but she had to admit, what he said made perfect sense. She nodded, ‘I know. There are some things I need to tell you too, but I have one condition,’ she said, looking up at him seductively.
‘Name it,’ he said, matching her tone.
‘That you kiss me first. If you hate me after what I have to tell you, or I hate you, I want to at least have kissed you first.’
Alexander said nothing, instead he swiftly closed the gap between them, lowering his face so it was right next to hers, Anita looking up at him, entranced. He placed his hand on her stomach and pushed her backwards, her body complying without hesitation to his rough touch. She hit the rock behind her, the cold stone halting her movement and holding her in place. He moved a hand to her face and ran his thumb down her cheek, caressing her cheek bone, before closing his beautiful eyes and slowly lowering his lips so they hovered just above hers. He touched his nose to hers, breathing deeply, relishing the tension that stretched at breaking point between them, breathing in her jasmine scent and savouring the contact of their skin. Their mouths finally met to a shower of tingles, Anita forgetting everything but Alexander as his lips caressed hers. He pushed his body into her, kisses more demanding, Anita’s hands clawing at his back, holding him to her. Alexander broke away, pulling back a little, turning his head from hers, his brow furrowed, breathing deeply to get himself back under control, strengthening his resolve, before returning for one last gentle kiss. ‘I hope we can both forgive whatever sins our secrets hold,’ he breathed, moving his face back dangerously close to Anita’s before pushing himself away, leaving both of them a little shaken, wanting more.
‘I couldn’t agree with you more,’ she said, a deep sense of loss welling up inside her, trying desperately to regain some composure, her energy going crazy, her instincts urging her to demand more. Who really cared about secrets anyway?
Alexander sat on the grass next to the plunge pool, just out of range of the spray. Anita sat down next to him, leaning on a rock, her legs out straight in front of her, toes still tingling a little with energy from the kiss.
‘Shall I go first?’ she asked. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to hear what Alexander had to say, so she may as well get her bit over and done with.
‘Sure,’ he said taking her hand, ‘fire away.’
Anita told Alexander everything. She told him that she had been approached by Helena and had said no to start off with, but after the Council meeting and Marcus’ views on the energy, that she’d agreed to help. She told him about the cylinder with Austin’s memory, about being beaten up and about how she’d felt for the past few weeks.
Alexander’s energy remained calm the whole time, he stroked her hand when she told him how empty she’d felt when she had been set free, about the self-loathing and how stupid she had felt. When she finished, Alexander simply said, ‘you thought you were doing something to help. You had no idea Helena was lying to you. We can only make decisions based on the information we have in front of us and you chose to do something rather than sit back and let the world suffer. I would probably have done the same in your situation, especially if the proposal had been from someone I trusted.’
‘But I should have known not to trust her. She has been lying to me for years about my parents.’
‘Anita, things look different with the benefit of hindsight, you were just trying to help.’
Anita took a deep breath, she didn’t want to talk about it anymore, although she was glad Alexander now knew the truth. ‘Alright, your turn,’ she said smiling. ‘Make it quick, we have better things to do.’
Alexander stalled, pulling her towards him to kiss her temple, his chest feeling like it contained a whole aviary full of birds, all flapping their wings furiously inside him. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘When we first arrived in Empire, we came because Christiana was ill and she wanted to find someone before she died. Austin agreed to it because he thought she just wanted to see the person, to make sure life wasn’t treating her too badly, but Christiana had other ideas, she wanted to tell her the truth about something that happened a long time ago, that Christiana had regretted ever since. It would seem that they altered the bloodline so the relic could never be sent back. I have no idea why, or what their motives were, but Christiana thought it was wrong for them to play God and the girl had to be told what had happened.’ Alexander paused, took a deep breath and steeled himself. ‘It would seem that the most plausible candidate for who that girl is, is you Anita.’
His words hit her like a hammer, ‘what?’ she laughed, ‘have you hit your head or something? How could I possibly be a Descendant?’
‘You’ve got to admit you are powerful. You’re probably the most adept Body I have ever met.’
‘But I also have a significant Spirit influence; I wouldn’t be a reader if I were the Body Descendant.’
‘Christiana was a reader.’
‘I’m not a Descendant.’
‘Really? Why not? Who were your parents?’
‘Bloody hell Alexander, that’s a bit much don’t you think?’
‘I’m sorry, but just entertain the idea for a second before you dismiss it, and there is more.’ Alexander told Anita about the conversation he’d heard between Alistair and Peter confirming she was the Descendant, about the note from Philip, and that Austin had killed Christiana to keep her quiet. The bit Anita was most surprised about was that Alistair was involved. He had always looked after her, but surely this couldn’t be the reason why?
‘It all fits perfectly,’ said Alexander, ‘I’m just sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.’
She sat numbly for a minute, processing his words. ‘It’s going to take a bit of time for me to get my head around this,’ she said slowly. ‘But I still want to kiss you,’ she smiled, reaching up and placing a quick, flirty kiss on his lips. Alexander looked relieved and pulled her playfully into him, wrapping his arms gruffly around her and holding her in place.
‘Good, because I want to kiss you too,’ he said, k
issing the top of her head. Anita fought her way out of his arms, tickling him mercilessly to make him let her go. He threw his hands up in defeat and let her wriggle round to face him, pulling herself up onto his torso to kiss him squarely on the lips. She pulled away and got to her feet. ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘I think we should go somewhere more private.’
Alexander smirked, ‘I’m not going to argue with that,’ he said, getting up and putting his arm around her, pulling her close to him as they made their way back towards Empire. They walked in silence, full of blissful contentment, neither one believing this was actually happening, each looking at the other every now and again to check it was real.
They emerged from the woods onto the track that led back to Empire and waited for the energy van that was coming down the road to pass by. However, to their surprise, as the van pulled level with them, the back door opened and four balaclava-clad men dressed all in black jumped out and bundled them inside, where another four men were waiting to restrain them. They struggled wildly and Anita tried to scream, but a gloved hand covered her mouth, stifling her cries. They quickly realised that to struggle was futile, so they stilled. There were eight men against two of them and they already had hand cuffs clamped around their wrists; there was nothing to do now but wait and see where they were being taken.
The van travelled for what seemed like forever, the path it followed winding this way and that, nobody saying a word, Anita and Alexander forced to sit with their backs to one another, so they couldn’t even share a reassuring look. The van stopped abruptly and the door opened, two men dragging Anita out and two dragging Alexander. The others flanked them as they walked, presumably in case they tried to make a bid for freedom. Although it was pitch black, the place felt familiar to Anita, like she had been here before, but she couldn’t quite place it.