Awakenings (Intertwined Souls Series Book 4)

by Mary D. Brooks

  Eva and Zoe laughed hysterically.

  “Oh, my god.” Zoe sat up and looked down at her naked self. “My aunty saw me like this.”

  Eva rolled onto her back and giggled. “Stella is a doctor, Zo. I think she’s seen more than one naked woman.”

  “Eva!”

  “Yes, love? You have a beautiful ass as well,” Eva lifted her head and lovingly gazed at Zoe, who was standing naked before her, her damp hair hanging limp, her green eyes directed at her.

  Eva swallowed the lump in her throat. What with the conversation she had just had with Tessa and being reminded of the night she finally let go of the fear, it was proving to be an emotional evening.

  “My god, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” she said in awe as she pushed herself into a sitting position and took Zoe into her arms. “We have been truly blessed. We are going to have the most beautiful babies.”

  “Jump off the cliff and enjoy the ride.” Zoe’s voice broke on the words she had told Eva so many years ago.

  “Let’s jump off another cliff together. I sure wish kissing would make you pregnant.” Eva looked down at her own body. “Well, I’m not a boy, but right now I wish I were.”

  “Maybe we can ask Aunty Stella how to do it.”

  Eva couldn’t help but smirk. “Oh, I think Stella has a good idea that we know what we are doing.”

  Zoe shook her head. “Your jokes are getting worse than Earl’s.”

  “No, mine are better.”

  “Do you think we can? She can tell us, can’t she?” Zoe asked seriously.

  Eva nodded.

  Zoe smiled broadly, tilted her head a little, and regarded Eva. “Did something happen while I was gone? How’s your back?”

  “Tessa gave me some painkillers,” Eva admitted, and smiled at the look of shock on Zoe’s face.

  “Real painkillers?”

  “Devil’s Claw is real, love. Yes, they were proper round white pills.”

  “Did they work?”

  “Yes, they did.” Eva hadn’t felt this relaxed since they had started their journey. “Tessa also told me about some other things. We need to talk about it later.”

  Eva arranged their suitcases and took out a few clothes to put in the wardrobe while Zoe got dressed. When they were both presentable they left the room and went into the living room, where Stella was reading and Tessa was sitting near the open door, painting the storm.

  “I’ll iron those black pants for you for the wedding. You’re coming with me to the wedding, right?” Zoe asked Eva.

  “No.”

  Zoe leaned against Eva as she intertwined their fingers. “They did invite you.”

  “Because they had to, love.”

  “You are going.” Tessa looked up from her painting.

  “No, I’m not.” Eva shook her head.

  “Oh, yes, you are,” Tessa replied in a singsong voice. “Everyone in the village is going to the wedding except me.”

  “Who said you won’t be going?” Stella asked as she joined them at the door.

  “Demon possessed, quite dead former lunatic. Remember?”

  “It’s been thirty years. No one remembers the lunatic. You’re going.” Stella patted Tessa on the backside, and Eva snickered.

  “This is like listening to the comedy serial on the wireless.” Zoe giggled.

  “I’m not going,” Eva persisted, and turned away from the door to be met by Stella, who was staring up at her, daring her to get past her. “Yes?”

  “If Eva is not going, I’m not either,” Tessa announced.

  “It is important you both go.”

  “Why?” Eva and Tessa said in unison.

  “You need to be there because you are a friend of the groom.” Stella pointed to Eva. “You need to be there because...”

  “Because?” Tessa grinned.

  “Because you need to be there. It’s the first time you’ve been back to Larissa, and I want them to see what a strong woman you are.” Stella leaned against the table and smiled.

  “If no one remembers the lunatic, what good would it do if I’m there?”

  Eva thought that was a very clever response. She and Tessa grinned at each other.

  “There are some that still remember the lunatic, and you are going.”

  “Hmm. Wow, she’s got you there,” Zoe said.

  Tessa smiled. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

  Stella smiled sweetly. “Yes, you do. I packed your blue suit.”

  Eva put her hand over her mouth and giggled. “Is she like this all the time?”

  “Yes.” Tessa took two steps towards Stella and put her arms around her. “Yes, she is like this all the time.”

  “The things I put up with.” Stella laughed and patted Tessa’s cheek. “Zoe, darling.”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you find your missing clothes?” Stella asked as she went back to her book. Eva tried to suppress the snicker. She definitely liked Stella.

  “Angel, leave Zoe alone. You know how hard it is to keep your clothes on when you’re wet,” Tessa said from the doorway and chuckled.

  Eva suppressed the urge to tease Zoe, who was taking the ribbing in her stride. She walked to the window and watched the raging storm outside. Something was going to happen. She didn’t know what, but she was getting an uneasy feeling.

  Chapter Four

  ZOE STIRRED AND opened her eyes to find Eva was not in bed. Eva had been tossing and turning for most of the night because of her back despite Stella’s massage and the pills Tessa had given her. Zoe was not surprised to find the bed empty. Eva had probably got up to make herself a cup of tea and left the door open.

  Zoe threw back the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed, willing her body to move. She heard a yelp that was quickly followed by glass crashing to a stone floor. She bolted for the door just as she heard a thump.

  Zoe ran down the corridor into the living room. Her heart was in her mouth when she saw Eva lying on the kitchen floor. A man’s silhouette was in the semi darkness. She grabbed a vase from the living room and brought it up just as the man touched Eva’s face.

  Zoe swung the vase and smashed it against the man’s shoulder, sending him sprawling on top of Eva. Water and flowers exploded all over the man, Eva, and the kitchen as the vase sent shards of ceramic everywhere.

  “Theo!” Zoe screamed as she launched herself onto the man, who screamed and tried to fend himself against her.

  Zoe heard Theo’s footfalls and was grabbed by the waist and pulled off the man. Stella and Tessa rushed into the kitchen.

  “Oh, dear Goddess,” Stella muttered as she dropped to her knees beside Eva.

  “Theo, let me go!” Zoe screamed as the man crawled away and collapsed onto the stone floor.

  “Stop!” Theo yelled and held tight.

  Zoe struggled to free herself from his powerful hold.

  “Stop screaming. I know the idiot,” Theo said.

  Stella shook her head as she tended to Eva. She got a jug of water and damped a towel. Very tenderly, she wiped Eva’s forehead, where bits of ceramic, water, and flower had settled. “What happened?” she asked the young man, who had managed to crawl to the side of the kitchen and braced himself against the kitchen cupboard. Blood was dripping from a cut on his neck, and he was holding his shoulder.

  “Crazy woman attacked me!”

  “Eva is not crazy, you half crazed idiot!” Zoe screamed and kicked at him, while trying to break from Theo’s grip.

  “Not her; you,” the young man yelled.

  “Hush, the both of you.” Stella turned on the lights and then knelt beside the young man. “What possessed you to creep on Eva like that, Tommy?”

  “I wasn’t creeping,” Tommy whined as Tessa examined his neck.

  “It’s just a small cut. You’ll live.” Stella unbuttoned Thomas’ shirt and looked at his shoulder. “I think you just bruised it. As soon as I’m finished with Eva, you’re next.” She patted his ch
eek. “That’s some entrance, Tommy.”

  “I was trying to surprise you.”

  Theo, still holding Zoe back, shook his head. “You are lucky my sister didn’t have good aim or else your head would have exploded.”

  “I’m an idiot.”

  “Yes, you are,” Theo agreed. “Zoe, will you stop trying to attack him? We know him.”

  “Who is he?” Zoe growled, her eyes fixed on Eva while Stella loosened Eva’s nightshirt. “Aunty, is she okay?”

  “She will be,” Stella said. “Theo, let go of Zoe and come pick up Eva so we can take her to the bedroom.”

  “Zoe, don’t attack him,” Theo whispered and let go of her.

  Zoe stood her ground, glaring at Tommy, who was still seated on the floor. What she wanted to do was kick him, but she restrained herself.

  Theo knelt down, picked up Eva, and cradled her in his arms.

  Zoe hovered nearby as they all went into the bedroom, where Theo laid Eva down.

  Stella shooed Theo outside and closed the door. She returned to Eva, who was now stirring. Zoe scrambled to the other side of the bed and held her hand. Stella removed Eva’s nightshirt to wash a small amount of blood. She wiped the blood with the damp cloth. Zoe brought the blanket up with one hand.

  Stella tucked the blanket around Eva, whose eyes fluttered open. “Shh. You had a fall.”

  “I… I…” Eva stammered and tried to get up and then moaned in pain.

  “Please, stay still,” Zoe whispered and kissed her forehead. “You’re hurt.”

  “Tell me what hurts.”

  “My back,” Eva replied through gritted teeth. “My head.”

  “You knocked it on the stone floor. It’s bound to hurt,” Stella said as she gently felt the back of Eva’s head. “Stone floors would do that to you. You’ve got a nasty bump back there. Look at me.”

  Eva blinked and stared into Stella’s eyes.

  “What’s your name?”

  Eva winced. “Eva Haralambos.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Larissa.”

  “How many fingers am I holding up?” Stella held up two digits.

  “Two.”

  “Alright, so you don’t have a concussion, but you do have an almighty bruise on the back of your head. Let’s turn you over so I can see your back.”

  Stella very gently turned Eva on her stomach, causing her to moan. She felt along Eva’s lower back. “Bad news is that you strained your back. There’s some bruising here from when you fell. Zoe, go to the kitchen and tell Theo to break off some ice from the icebox. Have him crush it with the meat tenderizer and put it in a towel.”

  Zoe took a moment to kiss Eva on the cheek before she scrambled off the bed and went into the kitchen, where Theo was sitting at the table.

  “Aunty Stella wants some ice. She said to smash it and to put it in a towel,” Zoe said, and glared at Tommy.

  “How is Eva?” Theo asked as he knelt beside the icebox and sheared a large part from the block of ice with a knife.

  “She got a bruise on the back of her head when she landed on the floor, but Aunty Stella says she doesn’t have a concussion. Her back is bruised.”

  “Oh, dear.” Tessa gave Zoe a hug. “She’s going to be alright.”

  “I know, I know, but seeing her like that over something so stupid is driving me crazy. You are so lucky that Eva isn’t seriously injured or you would be dead,” Zoe said to Tommy.

  Theo gave her the towel with the ice. She threw another murderous glare at Tommy and left the kitchen.

  Zoe entered the room and gave Stella the ice-filled towel. She went around the bed and lay down next to Eva. Eva turned her head and grimaced.

  “This is going to be cold.” Stella applied the ice onto Eva’s lower back. “We will keep this on for twenty minutes and then I’ll strap you in so you will be a bit more comfortable.”

  Eva drew in a breath and exhaled slowly. “Good thing it’s summer,” she said, her voice strained.

  Twenty minutes later Stella walked out of the bedroom with the wet towel and found the others in the living room. “Tessa, did we pack your back brace?”

  “Yes, we did,” Tessa replied and left the room.

  “While I’m here, let me look at you.” Stella went to Tommy.

  He took off his shirt, and Stella felt along his shoulder, and asked him to raise and lower his arm.

  “It’s just bruised, Ma,” Tommy said.

  “You’re lucky the vase didn’t hit you on your head. That was one of my favorite vases,” Stella muttered as she gently tapped her son’s head.

  “You’re lucky my sister didn’t have a gun,” Theo quipped, and got a wry smile from Thomas. “You are also lucky I’m a big, strong boy, because she may be small, but she was really fighting me to get loose.”

  “I owe you my life, again,” Tommy said quietly.

  Tessa came back with the brace and handed it to Stella, who walked back to the bedroom.

  Tessa stood with her arms akimbo. “Thomas, what are you doing here?”

  “Surprise?” Tommy got off the sofa. “I’m sorry, Mama, but I thought it was you.”

  “You thought it was me?”

  “It was dark, and she was tall, so it wasn’t Ma, so it had to be you,” Tommy explained, getting a dubious look from Tessa. “I got off early for my vacation and here I am.”

  “You startled Eva?”

  “Yes. She was drinking some water. She dropped the glass and got startled by that as well, and then she took a step back and hit her head on the open cupboard door.”

  “How did she end up on the floor?”

  “She slipped,” Tommy explained. “I was going to see if she was alright when the banshee from hell—”

  “Hey, that’s my sister!”

  “I know, but, Theo, she came at me like a demon. Doesn’t matter that I’m twice her size; she just attacked me.”

  “I should have killed you,” Zoe said as she and Stella walked out of the bedroom and into the living room. “Who are you?” She glared at Tommy. She frowned at his familiar features. “What the hell?” She turned to Tessa.

  Tessa put her arm around Zoe’s shoulders. “Zoe, this is my not-thinking-clearly son, Thomas.”

  “Your son? Eva has a cousin?”

  “She does, and at the moment he’s not too bright.”

  Zoe was amazed. She was staring at the male version of Eva. He was slightly taller than Eva, with thick black hair and sky blue eyes, and even though he was unshaven, she could see the dimpled chin.

  “Hi, I’m Thomas Lambros.” Thomas grimaced and offered his hand to Zoe. “I’m sorry I scared Cousin Eva.”

  “Sweet Jesus,” Zoe exclaimed in absolute shock at what she was seeing. “She has a cousin? Wow.”

  “You are a dead man.” Theo slapped Tommy on the back. “Once my sister stops comparing you to Eva, you are dead.”

  “Shut up,” Tommy mumbled.

  Zoe narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Oh, boy,” Tommy said.

  “What in God’s name did you do?” she asked.

  “I put my arms around her and kissed her cheek,” Tommy explained. “I thought she was my mother.”

  “Zoe, sit down, we have much to discuss,” Tessa said.

  “I want to go to Eva.” Zoe turned.

  Tessa gripped her arm. “Zoe, sit down.”

  “I’ve given Eva a sedative and she’s out cold, so just sit down,” Stella said.

  “Alright.” Zoe sat down.

  “There’s something we have been keeping from you and Eva.”

  “You have a son,” Zoe said, and looked up at Theo. “You knew about this, right?”

  “Um, yes.”

  “You knew about Eva having a cousin and you didn’t say anything. Theodore Lambros, I could kill you,” Zoe muttered darkly. She turned her attention back to Tessa.

  “There is one more important thing that needs some explaining. I know you are angry, you are frustrated, and
you want to be with Eva right now, but you have to hear this.”

  “Alright.”

  “It has to do with Eva’s time in Aiden.”

  Zoe sat up straight. “Aiden? What does this have to do with Aiden?”

  “In 1917 when Stella rescued me from the asylum, I found out I was pregnant.”

  “Oh, no, because of what they did?”

  “No, darling, no, they didn’t do that.” Tessa patted Zoe’s hand. “That was all my own doing. I had fallen in love with Stella, but I thought my feelings were from the treatments I was getting for my disease. I had struck up a friendship with a young man who was a patient as well. He was very sweet and a gentle soul. I thought if I had relations with him, then those feelings for Stella would be gone.”

  “I don’t think it works that way,” Zoe said with a hint of amusement in her voice. “Did it?”

  “No, it didn’t. The day that Stella took me out as a treat, the asylum burned down. Unfortunately, most of the patients in my ward perished, including that young man.”

  “He was Thomas’ father?” Zoe asked.

  “Yes, Karl Steigler. He was a very troubled young man but he was gentle, kind and a gifted artist.”

  “Did he know you were pregnant when Stella took you out?”

  “No.”

  “If you had gone back, would the baby have been taken from you?”

  “Yes. More than likely my parents would not have wanted the child because he may have had the same disease as me or his father.”

  “Oh.”

  “Stella didn’t want me to go back because she had fallen in love with me, and we decided to have this child, to raise him as our own.”

  “And nine months later this ugly boy was born,” Theo said.

  Tommy slapped Theo on the shoulder, which started a mini wrestling match between the two.

  “Boys, behave,” Tessa admonished before she turned back to Zoe. “My son is a nurse and I sent him to Aiden.”

  “Because you had the vision?”

  “Yes and no. I wanted him to help Eva but it didn’t work out as we had planned.”

  “Oh, dear God.” Zoe put her hands over her face. “When were you going to tell Eva?”