Aconite (The Elektita Series Book 1)

by Alvarez, Christine

  "If you know what happened how could you have taken off with Richland knowing his ties to Sebastian?" At least she already knew who murdered Alexandria all those years ago, and I wasn't the one to cause an ever deeper rift between them.

  "To be fair I found that out after I had taken off with Richland." I still didn't want them to know that I had indeed spent the last few days with Sebastian.

  "Now that you know, you also know that he is dangerous and why we shouldn't trust him." I didn't know any of that for sure. It seemed as though everyone involved has something to hide so for the time being I wasn't planning to trust anyone. They all hid themselves from me in the beginning being far from forthcoming with any of this.

  "I remember not too long ago your complete ignorance when it came to all the weirdness in my life. Looks to me you are just as good at hiding things as him." I didn't think she was hiding herself as an accomplice to any of my untimely deaths but still she hid things just as well.

  "You have got to be kidding me! I think murder is a hell of a lot worse than small things like your past."

  Was she kidding me? They are both equally important from where I am standing. I tried to summon any of the magic anger that I possessed but nothing happened. There was no mist, or the sudden silence of anything in the room. That seemed to make me even angrier; reminding me of the time Jonathon had overdosed me on Vero.

  "It doesn't work with me; it’s one of the perks of being your familiar. My job description makes me immune to your magic. You should be happy it also makes it impossible for me to turn on you."

  "You are forced to be allegiant to me?" It reminded me of Jonathon's blind love. They followed me whether it was good for them or not. Jo gave me a fraction of a smile.

  "At least I have always liked you." The reminder of Jonathon also reminded me that I had left him or possibly pulled him into a mess that I couldn't fix.

  "I left you, too." My words came out small, barely a whisper. I was ashamed with myself. I was really that much different as Alexandria. I couldn't imagine myself running from those bound to me without a choice.

  "Ironic isn't it? I am irrevocable tied to you, unable to do harm to you, yet you do not have to suffer the same burden."

  I slid across the bed and wrapped my arms around her stiff frame. All my anger had been washed away with her words. She smelled warm and inviting and I felt a small sense of relief as her body melted into mine. I held her. Even though I was suffering inside and could use some TLC, she has had to endure centuries of torture due to being magically tied to me. I couldn't image having to feel someone’s death over and over again while having them push you away at the same time.

  "I promise this time will be different," I whispered into her ear. I didn't know how it was going to work but I was determined not to scar her any further.

  "History always repeats itself." She wasn't confident in the fact that I would make things right. Maybe I had promised something similar in another life. I let go of her fully facing the girl that had been bound to me even beyond death.

  "You knew who I was the minute I walked into the cafe didn't you?" Her smile was large, filling her cheeks and letting her laugh lines show through.

  "I knew who you where the minute you were born." I didn't know what to say to that. All I could do was lay down and pat the mattress next to me. Maybe tonight I would finally get a dreamless sleep.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The smells of chestnuts and roasted pig filled each room of the house. They hadn't come for me yet and I wasn't ready to take the fight to them. We would just enjoy this time as if tomorrow was guaranteed the same. Sebastian and Jonathon had finally agreed to hold back their hatred and celebrate Christmas with me. Jo and Richland had even agreed to come. None of them held any faith in a God but they would put that aside. It had taken me hours to explain to each of them that Christmas was also about family. We may be a dysfunctional, hate filled, untrustworthy bunch, but we were still family. In the end I had to threaten them all, each with a threat that hit closest to home.

  I worked nervously making sure all the place settings were perfect. They should be arriving soon. Even the baby felt my anticipation, she had begun her favorite game—rolling and stretching her way across my belly. I had apologized profusely to her once we had made it to bed the night I had invited them all to dinner. She was the threat I had used the most; the threat of never seeing her come into this world and growing up around them all. I even kicked Sebastian out of the house so he would stop hovering around me. Jonathon had hated the idea of meeting here but in the end we all agreed this was the safest place. It had been spelled in such a manner that I could only hope that Sebastian had given them the proper incantation to find it this evening. It still amazed me that Jonathon could not find his own gift. It had surprised me even more when he left it to me with no strings attached.

  The doorbell gave way to nervous butterflies. It had to be Jonathon and Jo; Sebastian didn't need to use the bell. Even with my protruding belling I half skipped to the front door jerking it open. I felt my smile die instantly when I took in the cloaked figure standing at the door. Wolves howled their deadly cry. Why hadn't they warned me of the intruder? I tried to shut the door before they could get in but I was far too slow. The cloak brushed against me as they made their way down the hall. My flower flared to life for the first time in quite a while. The pain sang along my nerves quieting the baby's acrobats. She must have felt the warning as well.

  The wolves’ angry cries began to come closer until I felt them not yards away.

  "Be still child. I will not hurt you." The voiced traveled through the house.

  Death sang through my mind as the world grew black all around me.

  I woke up screaming and clutching my now empty womb. The emptiness felt foreign even though I knew that it was only a dream. Jo was up and alert scanning the room for danger that I knew she wasn't going to find. There was never any physical danger just mental danger that lurked in the night. Pain shot through my chest making it hard to breath. I panted and swayed while Jo made sure the room was clear. I didn't know what she was looking for but right now was not the time. She sat back down on the bed searching my face and the bed for what would have caused such a reaction. Finally she scanned my face for some kind of answer.

  "What did you see?" She must have finally realized that it was a dream. I didn't know if I should tell her the truth. These new dreams scared me even more than the others. The others were of a life that wasn't mine. I could lump them into the category of a true dream not a memory because this me didn't truly experience them. The dreams seemed to be more like glimpses into the future. They were about me, this me.

  "Talking about Alexandria's death must have triggered a repeat of that memory." I lied.

  "Do you want to talk about it?" I could tell by her tone she really didn't want to hear it. She had lived through it just as I had experienced it. I didn't want to reawaken that pain for her as well. I didn't want to talk about that memory anyway. Not that memory or this latest edition to my life.

  "No, not really." She looked as visibly relieved as I felt. We were both on the same page when it came to the subject of my many deaths. Neither of us cared to remember.

  "So hey, I have to get to work. Do you feel up to tagging along?" Jo said, heading for the bathroom. "I need to stop by my place first of course." Her invitation made me laugh for the first time in a while.

  "I thought I would have been fired by now." Her laugh rose over the water that ran in the sink.

  "Don't think you’re getting away from him that easily," she said peeking out of the doorway with her toothbrush in hand. She had come with necessities on hand. I was beginning to think I had been played.

  "Sure, why not. Let me take a shower first." I answered back. I like it at the cafe and I especially liked the coffee. Plus, an opportunity to see where Jo lived was something I just couldn't pass up.

  Just before I turned the water on I heard Jo on the ph
one. The bathroom door was closed so I couldn't make out what she was saying but I was positive she was checking in with Jonathon. Even though she had declared that she was bound to me and that she was magically unable to betray me her loyalties still lay with Jonathon above me. I couldn't blame her though. From what she had hinted at would have made anyone hesitant to blindly follow someone just because they say their different. I still wondered what she was telling him and fought the urge to crack the door to find out. I had trust issues of my own to work through and I needed to start somewhere.

  The heat and pain that had coursed through my body had me taking a cool shower. I hadn't taken one in years and even then I didn't like them very well. This one though was soothing. The ice cold droplets pelted my skin, icing my nerves, and dulling the pain. If I didn't know better it felt like the water had its own magical properties that would shut out everything else around me.

  When I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my body and another held my hair Jo sat expectantly at the desk with two cups of coffee in Styrofoam to-go cups waiting. The mid length lace up dress let me know she was feeling far more confident than she had on arrival. Her happiness gave way to my own.

  "Hurry up, chick or we're going to be late." She gave me a once over. "Or we could go now. I think Jonathon might overlook my tardiness if I brought you to him naked."

  I untwisted the towel from my hair and threw it at her.

  "First, I don't think he will mind if you are a bit late today. Secondly, I won't be going to work naked, thank you very much." I began riffling through my bag as Jo laughed and sipped her coffee.

  "So what did you call Jonathon for?" She had proved to be an excellent liar in the past but this would act as a test to see if she really wanted me to trust her enough not to leave her behind once again.

  "Nothing sinister, I promise. I just called to tell him he needed to pay up. See, I had made a bet with him after you stormed out of the office the other day. I thought that you would come back to work and he didn't think there was a chance in hell."

  "Huh, so how much did this little bet win you?" I cannot believe she put a wager on be coming back to work or not. I couldn't figure out if I should yell or laugh.

  "Five hundred dollars." My jaw dropped at that. She had won five hundred dollars just because I was going back to work. I was running on fumes and had pennies in my name and they just threw money around.

  "Don't worry, we're good for it." That was easy for her to say. They have had centuries to fill their pockets. I was a drop out that hadn't even received my first check yet. I shrugged it off. There was little I could do about it now. It did feel like such a trivial matter when you really thought about all the other crap I was dealing with.

  "That reminds me, Jonathon owes me a check." Her smile broadened at that.

  "Well then, let’s get out of here. I think I may learn what it feels like to drop dead for real when you see what you're getting paid," Jo said with a smile.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Even though my car was in the parking lot we walked. Jo must have ridden with Jonathon last night. I tried to think back to see if I had ever actually seen a car but couldn't remember. The car that I had borrowed from Sebastian's garage was gone as well. I wonder who had come to pick it up?

  The walk was silent as I took in this small town from a whole new perspective. It was colder now hence the wool jacket I had chosen to wear over my clothes. Even though I had only been gone for a few days it had felt like an eternity. The air still smelled the same, just a tad crisper. The fisherman still manned the ports even though fewer townsfolk walked the streets. A thicker stream of cars passed us by, shielding their occupants from the harsh ocean breeze. It took a few moments before I realized the change was not only the town but it was also within me. Reedsport felt more like home than before. I felt connected to it somehow.

  "Something is different," I spoke my observation, hoping that Jo would take it as an opening to tell me something. But she didn't speak and when I looked her direction she was focused, brows drawn and screwing up her nose towards a spot far of in the distance.

  "Are you okay?" I watched as she actually shook herself from whatever she had been pulled into. She hadn't stopped walking, only turned her attention back to me.

  "I think it is everything you have been through." Her words and false smile betrayed the worried look in her green eyes. I didn't know what would cause such change, but I had a horrible feeling I would find out soon enough. I hadn't noticed before but Jo lived a few blocks away, putting her smack dab between me and the cafe.

  "Have you always lived here?" It was odd that we happened to live in such proximity to each other and I never noticed it before. Then again, I have been rather preoccupied.

  "No, actually I just moved in," she said unlocking the door to her apartment. It was a duplex, so she only had one neighbor but the FOR RENT sign meant that she didn't need to worry about neighbors at the moment. The apartment was small with boxes that sat haphazardly throughout the rooms. The furniture was the only thing that gave it character, even her bedroom was full of boxes with clothes and shoes thrown everywhere. Living out of boxes would drive me crazy.

  "I'll get to unpacking eventually. I've kind of been busy as of late." I watched as she flung clothes around creating larger piles before finally deciding on her outfit of choice. It couldn't be that hard. As a waitress she only had one choice in tops. The black t-shirt with the cafe logo on the front was the only acceptable shirt.

  Jo shut herself in the bathroom, emerging fifteen minutes later looking much more like herself. She wore a high-low layered red skirt with the cafe shirt tucked into it. High sleek stilettos and a mini top hat that must have been in the bathroom completed her work attire.

  "I don't know how you can stand the cold in something like that," I said, waving my hand up and down at her outfit. The tattoo that ran up her leg was vibrant and beautiful, no wonder she wore skirts all the time. If my tattoo didn't glow and cause gut wrenching pain I would probably wear clothes that showed it off too. Here I was wearing skinny jeans, a cotton blouse and a wool coat and I was still contemplating how I wasn't going to freeze to death and we hadn't even made it into winter.

  "Beauty hurts," she said tipping her hat to me.

  The cafe was open and buzzing with business when we finally arrived. It didn't appear that the indoor storm that I had caused last week had any negative effect on business. Which was good. When we walked in, the smell of my favorite coffee smacked me in the face. Even though I had already finished one cup a girl could never have enough. I headed straight for the counter, greeting customers as I passed. When I finally made it to an empty stool, Mack was coming from the kitchen. It was always nice to see him. It felt like he was the sanest of the bunch at times. I dearly wish that I never find out that he was a werewolf, witch, or familiar. I think that would burst the bubble that I had placed him in. My dream didn't seem to coincide with what I wanted though.

  "Glad to see you back, Alexis." His warm smile was about as nice as the cup of coffee he had in his hand. I tried not to use what I had seen the night before to change how I felt about Mack.

  "Well aren't you clairvoyant, Mack."

  His laugh was hearty and deep as he sat the cup in front of me.

  "Nope, just observant I saw you come in." I nodded at that before taking a sip of the warm liquid. Without further prompting Mack went back to wiping counters and taking to-go orders.

  "Where's LeAnn?" Normally she worked the counter taking orders so Mack could get the food out on time.

  "Home, I guess. She called in this morning and said she wasn't feeling well."

  I didn't want Mack to over work himself so I strapped on an apron and got to work, taking orders and bussing tables. I had gotten into a good flow before I realized that Jo hadn't made it back up from the office. I made sure all my tables where taken care of and Mack was good with the two people that stood at the register before heading back
down the hall. Before I even made it to the office I could hear raised voices clearly arguing about something. One problem, it was in a language that didn't resemble my own. I rounded the corner into the office without giving them time to recover from whatever they were arguing about. My entrance didn't stop the argument. They knew I didn't understand anyway.

  "Arguing over the money or the bet?" I had to make a joke of it even though it was clear that a silly bet wouldn't cause that big of a problem.

  "You told her about the bet?" Jonathon's voice was light and joking as he pretended to be appalled that I knew they had bet against my temper tantrum.

  "Yes, Mr. Tight Ass here swears we only bet a hundred dollars but I clearly remember him saying five hundred," Jo retorted. Her voice had gone back to her normal high pitched tone. Jonathon only laughed at Jo's use of the words tight ass.

  "Well, I don't know if it was one hundred or five hundred all I know is I am owed a check." I chose to ignore whatever had caused the argument for right now. Because I was sure that it was not about the bet. I'd find out some other time, one way or the other. Jo's grin from earlier grew even wider as she clapped her hands together unable to contain her excitement.

  "Ah, your payment." Jonathon sat at my desk in one of client chairs while Jo, per usual, sat on the top of my desk. So I sat in the crimson chair that I had picked out with me in mind.

  "Real quick, why doesn't anyone ever sit in this chair?" I ran my hands up and down the leather arm rests. I couldn't imagine how anyone wouldn't want to sit in it.

  "Because it's yours." They both said in unison. Or maybe they were scared of my magic temper tantrums? I couldn't help but wonder. Maybe they thought that one day I would come to work during the wrong time of the month and have a supernatural melt down because one of them were in my seat and create a tornado that would sweep this place away.