“And what exactly do I have?” My voice came out low and pain shot across my chest, strengthening the hunger that threatened to drop me at any moment.
Voices from further in the cafe stopped our confrontation in its tracks. Apparently the customers whose food LeAnn was so graciously letting grow cold had been watching our interaction and they wanted the food that sat between us.
She shot me a menacing smile before flouncing off to her table.
On top of trying to figure out what in the hell that was all about I couldn't stop from wondering where that traitorous co-worker of mine was. I snatched up a burger and fries that Mack had just sat on the receiving counter.
"Sorry Mack, you'll have to make another." I couldn't even bring myself to fain regret over making him work harder.
Mack shot me a wink and dropped another basket of fries. Now that was a man I could get used to; no questions, no judgment, no issues. He just rolled with his surroundings.
I had no qualms about being unladylike as I jammed hot french fries in my mouth. I could ignore the white hot pain that seared my throat with each swallow in return for the quieting pains in my gut.
My office door was ajar, so I finished opening it with my foot while I continued shoveling food in my mouth at breakneck speeds. Low and behold my two deserters were sitting in my office. Jonathon looked sleek as always in a black business suit and his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, the ever familiar silver pin holding it in place. Jo was not in standard work attire; she looked more like a steam punk model. My eyes roamed up her body; her black crisscross stilettos and her bare legs accented all the right things. The heavy ruffled skirt that barely made it to her knee line was magnificently tailored, my eyes continued upwards taking in the leather black corset that doubled as her shirt, finally ending at her shocked face. Her style was simply amazing. I had never given a woman such attention but out of all the women that may deserve it Jo should be at the top of the list.
Jonathon didn't even acknowledge my entrance, so I took that as I wasn't fired and sat down in my empty chair. I would have kicked either one of them out of it. This was my chair. Even though Jo still had all her attention focused on me I turned away determined to enjoy a few minutes of my life.
"I'll be right back, forgot the Dr. Pepper." Mack's food was spectacular to say the least but a good Dr. Pepper was a must. My drink sat on the receiving table, covered straw and all. Spying a bottle of ketchup I plucked it off the counter as well.
"I figured you'd be back for this." Mack stood behind with a warm smile filling his attractive features. One day when my life isn't full of crazy I should take him up on his flirtation.
I took a huge swig as I made my way back to the office. Good Lord, caffeine had never tasted better. I sat in my chair concentrating on the false moon that I had painted on the wall. I could ignore them as long as they could ignore me. That sense of calm that the painting had supplied began to wash over me again, helping to anchor myself and clarify exactly why I had come back here. Free food wasn't the only reason.
I dabbed my last fry in a glob of ketchup and popped it in my mouth. Garnering enough courage, I spun around, facing my deserters. They had all their focus pinned squarely on me. I gave them both a cool, calm smile. Jo's eyes darted from me to the door; her only exit, she kind of reminded me of a trapped animal debating the likelihood of escape.
"Relax Jo, it's not like I left you high and dry." My voice sounded calmer than I felt. I watched as she worked her response through, opening and closing her mouth with each changed decision. The look Jonathon gave her stopped her in her tracks with her mouth still wide open. Maybe she needed one of Linda's cards. The idea let a giggle escape, sending Jo's panic into overdrive.
"Don't throw stones at glass houses, Mr. Evans." My formality was a stark indication of how disconnected I was at the moment.
"A stone would not be my weapon of choice." He had latched onto my irritation and threw it back at me with equal force. The intensity in his onyx eyes lit a heat within me that I wasn't expecting. His eyes narrowed beseeching, pulling something from within me out. I shook myself, breaking away from his attentions; I needed to regain some sort of composure. I turned away; the orange moon was my source of comfort in this moment.
I felt him rather than heard him approach. He had risen without making a sound. Was his silence in fear of frightening me? I was very aware that Jo still occupied the room and had a front row seat to whatever was about to happen. Lust bloomed throughout my body. His growing proximity was making it increasingly difficult to fight the need. I held on to all the crap that has happened thus far trying desperately to fuel my rage. He stood just at my back, crushing that plan like a bug.
"We need to talk." His words, a repeat from the night before, ran their way down my spine pooling between my legs. The rumble of his voice was like a match to a flame. An explosion of pleasure had me seeing stars. My need was far greater than I thought, turning mere words into a mind shattering orgasm.
The room began to grow, it felt large and without end. My body rocked with the power of it all. Jo's scream came like a jolt.
"Control it!" Jonathon was so close his command was deafening. This wasn't just an orgasm. Whatever was happening was not only affecting me but everything around me.
I spun around in my chair, still reeling in the power and pleasure that felt ever expanding. It was hard to see around Jonathon's body that sheltered me from the rest of the room. I didn't need to see around him to know that the lights in the room had grown dim and a light fog was building all around us.
"Control what?" Even still, I held onto denial like a child would his blanky.
My heart was racing and his nearness was not helping my supernatural panic attack. The smell of salt and forest began to fill my senses just before the lights faded away completely. The yelps and panicked screams let me know that the power was out in the entire cafe.
"What’s happening?" My question was drawn short when strong masculine hands lifted me from my seat pressing me firmly against his chest. The body that curved against mine was like a key to a door that was long ago locked away and forgotten.
"You are why this is happening. You have to control it."
I couldn't think of anything past the feel of him; the feel of his heart beating slow and steady against my own. His breath as it remained calm and sure. I was safe here with him. I wanted to escape into this moment, into his arms and never look back. But the Alexis that I had known for the last twenty two years fought against that feeling. She fought against this person that was so unfamiliar yet held so much of me within her. She knew this was wrong. I couldn't be the sole reason for what was happening. Before Jonathon or Sebastian or even Reedsport as a whole, I was not this person. I was a cookie cutter image of normal.
Finally, the me that I trusted won out. I tried with all my might to escape his hold on me but his strength never faltered.
"Let me go!" His release was instantaneous, and I knew it was completely against his will. Control could become dangerous.
I felt around the office, making a path towards the door.
"Please Alexandria, we will explain as much as we can." I reached out touching Jo's face.
My night vision was strong so being unable to see a person standing so close gave way to panic. Had she planned on escaping as well or was she here to stop me. I ignored the fact she had called me by the wrong name, aiming more for the immediate problem.
"I can't." My head shook back and forth even though nobody was able to see it.
"Yes you can! I believe in you." Her misguided confidence showed just what kind of person Jo was. Her voice held power that I never knew she possessed, but what exactly did I know to begin with?
"It’s not me." I felt down her body in the dark for her hand. I squeezed, hoping that she would hear the true meaning behind my words. A cool mist swirled around us, rendering the mounting storm silent. I could almost bet if something didn't end this madness soon my h
eart was going to burst out of my chest. It may be me who had created this madness, but it wasn't me who was escalating it.
"Okay." Her exasperation let me know she understood but wasn't happy about it.
Jonathon must have understood as well. His knuckles brushed mine sending pleasure coursing through my body as he passed by us both in the direction of the door. The fog and mist swirled around the room, sending unanchored supplies crashing into the walls. What was I thinking sending him away? I didn't want him to go; I needed him to stay. A tear slid down my already damp face. I had to let him go. I was the coals, and he was the spark. Jonathon's presence now would only fuel the fire.
When I heard the door shut I whirled around, slamming my fist into the wall. Sheetrock carved into my flesh as my fist sank through, coming to rest in the insulation beneath. My reaction to his departure was strong and fierce. I couldn't handle him near or from afar. I relished in the pain as I pulled my hand from the wall, opening new wounds in my flesh. I deserved the pain it caused.
Wind whipped around me as I screamed for what I had been denied, for my lust, and for all pain that filled my soul. Jo grabbed my arm but if she was saying something my rage held her plea back. I was drowning within myself and I didn't think she could pull me back. For the second time I heard wolves beckoning in the distance.
"Do you hear that?" I screamed over the storm brewing all around us. I couldn't hear her reply. I was only able to garner brief glimpses of her face. She was shaking her head back and forth as she said something. How could she hear me but yet I was unable to hear anything but the renewed pounding of the storm.
Jonathon's arms wrapped around me enveloping me within the warmth of his embrace.
"I couldn't leave you." His words played against the storm that both raged inside and out. He held on tighter as the winds began to die down and the rain turned back into mist. But it wasn't his return that had ended the storm. The cry of the wolves had been the true savior.
"Do you hear them?" My voice was strained. I couldn't hold myself up anymore. My body crumpled, sending us crashing to the floor.
When I was finally able to focus on his face I was shocked at what I saw. This Jonathon was different; the sadness that shown through weighted heavily on my heart. He searched my face seemingly unable to find what he was looking for.
"Not anymore." With his answer the howls, only heard by me, transformed into growls so loud pain rang through my head.
"Jo, you cannot hear it either?" I hoped with all my heart that her answer would be different. That she could hear what no one else seemed to.
"No, Alexis, I don't." My heart sank further. It was me.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jo's clothing that I had admired so much hung in a soggy mess. The rain soaked skirt must have weighed a ton. What had I done by coming here? The office was destroyed and I couldn't find a good way to spin the development of a storm within a building that would comfort the town’s curiosity. I'm sure just like any other small town, news traveled fast.
My question didn't cover only why I had come here, to the cafe today, but why I ended up in this town. I had no clue as to what drew me to Reedsport, Oregon; population everyone knows everyone. The only answer I had was a dumb postcard from a dumb truck stop that I had stopped at on my stupid quest to find out what I wanted to do with my life. Look how that turned out. Jonathon held me on the wet floor letting me mentally berate myself. He ran his hand through my hair trying to comfort poor little Alexis. I let him continue even though it was far more irritating than helpful.
"Would either of you happen to have a bottle of liquor stashed away some place." Alcohol wasn't generally my go-to when I was stressed, but I think what had just happened warranted something that would numb me inside just a little.
The look on Jo's face would have been amusing under different circumstances. Even now it had me cracking a slight smile.
"I thought you wanted answers?" Her voice sounded just as rough as mine. I never once heard either of us scream but our voices begged to differ.
"After all that, I don't think I could handle answers straight away. Mind numbing medicine and then answers sounds like a better plan."
Jonathon's chest rumbled against my back with silent laughter. Laying here was nice. It felt normal, and right about now I could definitely use a dose of normal. He lifted me with the care you would give a child and placed me back on the floor. All the chairs in the office were flipped and strewn haphazardly all over the room. My chair still sat just as I left it. I really wish he would have sat me in it instead. I had no strength to move myself all on my own.
"I think I might have something." He too was battered from the storm. The pristine suit was now disheveled, hanging haphazardly on his chiseled frame. The silver clip must have been violently ripped from its place in his hair. Even storm weathered Jonathon was stunning.
"Could you manage to locate something without laughing?" I yelled as his laughter began to fade to the front of the cafe. The request only caused the opposite. Jo's feminine laugh now married with the deep baritone sounds that traveled down the hall. He must have a secret cache of liquor that I was unaware of because the cafe wasn't licensed to sell it. Either that or he drove around with alcohol in his car for special occasions such as this.
"Here let me help you with your arm," Jo said as she cradled my marred arm in her lap. I had completely forgotten my arm with all the other pain that wracked my body. Jagged cuts and scrapes marked up my fingers and arm. I watched with detached interest as trickles of crimson slid down my skin, running pink onto the floor. Jo pulled a small tube from her purse. She squeezed a bit of its brown gritty contents between her fingers and slathered the thick paste against my wounds. It stung for just a bit before giving way to a blissful numbing effect.
"This version of you is absolutely the most entertaining by far," Jo choked out as she worked. I could hear it in her tone that she was trying with little success in holding back her laughter. Her slip reminded me of how she called me the wrong name during the storm.
"Alexandria, you called me Alexandria during the storm." Her invitation sent my mind careening straight into the questions that I needed to avoid.
"Who is Alexandria and what do you mean by this version?" She had let something crucial slip and by her sudden cold disconnect it was something I wasn't supposed to know. She had finished with her work and placed the tube back where she had pulled it from. I examined my arm, extending it back and forth. I couldn't feel the pain that I knew accompanied the stretching that my marred flesh did with each extension. Instead of answering my question she began fidgeting nervously with her clothing. The state of her attire could not be fixed by a few fluffs and pats. She was avoiding me. She didn't strike me as the submissive type but her behavior only confirmed that someone else was pulling her strings.
I struggled to pull myself up off the floor. My body felt foreign; my limbs, unwilling participants to my brain's command. My will and returning adrenaline helped me finish out the motion. I was slow and clumsy as I closed any remaining gap between us.
"This version?" My voice refused to rise into the scream that so desperately wanted to escape but the heat behind my words sent renewed tears down her cheeks. Cool salty air rose all around us.
"What in the hell happened now?" Damn Jonathon and his ninja silence. He let a bottle clink against my desk but my focus remained on Jo. She needed to make a choice of her own but her eyes slid in Jonathon's direction. He was her puppet master. Her wide eyed gasp let me know the minute she realized how very wrong her choice was. Rain poured from the sky that manifested once again in the room.
"Stop this! With magic there comes a price and your life is set as collateral. This could end you!" Those last four words resounded within me. This could end me; I couldn't ignore how right that sounded. I shut my eyes and took in the salty mist and let the rain die away with each breath I took. The need to know who, when, or what I was had become so strong that even the smal
lest hint at knowledge sent me spiraling further into insanity. I began to chant my now regular mantra reminding myself that this was not really me until finally I was again grounded to the here and now.
"What version am I? I could still feel the growing unrest within me but for now I could hold it back.
"Version?" Jonathon looked almost as puzzled as I felt.
"Yes, version. Jo said this version of me has been by far the most entertaining. I'd just like to know what version am I. Am I version 2.0? 5.0? Do I have a make or model and where I can find my serial number? Is it magically tattooed under my tongue because if it is my parents would have had some explaining to do."
I jerked the bottle of who knows what off the table and took a huge swig before slamming it back down before their laughter could grow even more. I was tired of being lied to, laughed at, avoided, and only getting information when someone let it slip. Silence once again descended all around us. Neither spoke even though it would work out better for all involved if they did.
"Jo does not know when to keep her mouth shut." Jonathon's anger filling each word till I thought it would become its own entity.
"Alexis, there are no other versions of you out there. You are the one and only Alexis Davis." His tone was clipped and matter of fact.
"Then who is Alexandria?" A theory began to sprout deep within me and I wanted him to rip it out and kill it like the weed I hoped it was. I stared at him willing him to do just that.
"History." His answer was accompanied by a deep pain filled sigh. Jesus, I was really beginning to hate this man. This was all so utterly pointless. Questions answered with more questions. Answers given with half-truths and avoided lies. I snatched up the bottle and took a slow drink of the unfamiliar liquor. I welcomed the slow sweet burn as it slid down my parched throat.
Aconite (The Elektita Series Book 1) Page 9