“You guys are so embarrassing. See you later. And thank you.” I tease them, as I make my way to the door. Once we get outside, Evan gently pushes me up against the side of his SUV, and he barricades me in between his arms. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on in my entire life, Scarlet Winter.” He whispers to me. He’s so close that I can feel his breath on my neck. It’s giving me chills all the way down to my toes. He leans closer and lightly kisses my neck, right underneath my ear. I hear myself moan and literally feel the goose bumps rise on Evan’s arms. It’s euphoric.
He gently lifts my face and softly touches his lips to mine. We instantly get a shock the moment our lips made contact. And instead of pulling away, we both embraced it. Electricity running through us for the first few moments, but then it quickly turned to heat, a warm energy smothering my soul. I wanted more. No. I needed more. I part my lips and lightly grab his bottom lip with my teeth, giving it a light bite, causing his hands to roam all over my body.
Between his apple scent and the soft velvet of his tongue, I feel as if I am going to explode. I have such a need, such a raw desire to have him, all of him. But Evan had other plans. He abruptly stops kissing me. And we stand there, heads touching, trying to catch our breaths. “As much as I would love to continue this, I have better plans for that special moment with you,” he admits as he gives me a little smirk. I blush when I see the honesty in his eyes. But he’s right. For now, we enjoy tonight and save that moment.
The restaurant Evan brought me to was misleading. It was in a quiet, secluded area by Manhattan that I’ve never been to before. We pull up to a very tall building that looks like it’s in a permanent shadow. When I feel Evan put the car in park, I quickly turn my head over to him with wide eyes. “I don’t see a sign anywhere showing the restaurant’s name. Are you sure this is the right place?” I question him, as he looks at me amused. Evan chuckles and says, “Don’t you trust me, love?”
I do, with my life. But I'm slightly frightened and confused. He holds out his hand waiting for me to take it, and he leads us to the front doors of the scary building. He pulls on the handles of the door, but they don’t budge. It’s locked! Great! “Okay. We tried. Now let’s go somewhere else,” I beg as I begin to walk back to his SUV. Evan mumbles something under his breath, and I look at him with questioning eyes. Through a smile, he tells me, “Close your eyes.” Now eager to see what is going on, I do as he says. The first thing that I notice is the change of smell. It smells pure and untainted by the garbage in the New York streets. Coming closer to my ear, he says, “Open your eyes.”
As soon as I do, I'm instantly shocked. I inhale all of the fresh air in a huge gasp. The first thing I do is look up. The building I saw before was completely gone. In its place was the tallest building I have ever seen. It almost looks made of gold. There are green vines climbing up its sides all the way to the top. It has windows that reached the whole length of the floor, from top to bottom. Every other floor had a floor to ceiling window tinted gold. I drag my eyes down in front of me, where the locked doors were. Two humongous glass doors with vines running on the outline, making it look like it is framed in leaves now appear welcoming.
Evan is smiling when I turn to look at him as he informs me of our location. “Welcome to Salem Village.” I shriek. “This is the Village?! But I was never allowed to come because I never got my power,” I say in awe. “Why am I able to come here now?” With a wink, he says, “Well, for one, you're here with me.” I nudge his side with my elbow, and he laughs. “And two, even if you don't believe there’s magic in your blood, I do. I figured between your visions and the weird stuff happening since your birthday, that would be enough for you to see through the glamour. And I was right. You can see it all,” Evan says, as he looks at me with an I-told-you-so look. I stand there frozen in place. Maybe he is right. Maybe there is something magical finally running through me. Tomorrow I vow to get answers. Tonight, is all about Evan.
He takes my hand and opens the doors with a flick of his wrist. Once we step through, my mouth falls open. I thought the outside was gorgeous, but the inside is a whole other world, literally. There is a huge reception desk as soon as you walk in with a double staircase on each side, curving until it meets at the top. After that, there are four elevators made of glass that you can see going up and down to endless heights. Each floor looks like a different place or location. From where I'm standing, I can only see the beginning of about 50 floors. On one floor, it looks like the beginning of a boardwalk. Another floor looks like it has grass on the ground. And another looks to be sandy.
The woman at the front desk interrupts my gaping. “Good evening, Mr. White. You are just in time for your reservation.” She snaps her fingers, and another woman comes walking out from a door behind her that I didn't even see was there. Evan nods his head in their direction and says, “We won’t be needing any assistance tonight.” Both women bow their heads, and the receptionist focuses on some papers on the desk, as the other woman heads back through the same hidden door she came from.
As Evan leads us up the left staircase, I quietly attempt to tease him, “Mr. White?” It seems as if he has been smiling since we pulled up. “I am whoever you want me to be, Miss Winter,” he flirtatiously replies. I roll my eyes with a smile and continue following Evan towards one of the elevators. We step into one, and he puts his thumb on some type of scanner. A green laser moves up and down until it recognizes his unique print, causing the elevator to move up.
“How much do you actually know about Salem Village, love?” He asks as he intertwines his fingers with mine. “Not much. My dad doesn't talk about it, and Dimitri usually doesn't remember his experiences because he gets so drunk. He says they have the best White Russians here. Demi has been the only one that’s ever really talked about it. But I guess my dad told her not to tell me much because she’s never went into detail, just about how much fun it is.” I shrug my shoulders, annoyed with the answer I gave him. I wish my family told me information, so Evan didn't have to explain everything.
“Well, I’ll be glad to be your caster mentor,” he says playfully. “Each floor has a different destination. There is a floor that holds a carnival; a floor that leads you to a beach with water as clear as glass, and a floor to practice your powers or to train for the Caster Matches. There are 15 floors of hotel rooms for people who choose to stay here for a while, restaurant floor, fight training floor, and medical floor. The list goes on, and there is always room to expand.”
“That is incredible,” I say, stunned. “Yes. But there are a few rules, just as any other place. One, you are only allowed entry if you have your power. So that means there’s usually never anyone here under the age of 15. Two, the drinking age is 18 at all Villages. We have rooms here for people to sleep off the alcohol. And three, no use of dark magic. Period.” He sternly says the last rule, reminding me of its importance. “That all seems fair,” I agree.
The elevator doors open, and I get hit with delicious odors. My mouth is watering. The scent is so good. We exit and are immediately greeted by a hostess. “Mr. White, it is a pleasure to have you in the West Side restaurant tonight. If you and your guest would follow me to your table,” she finishes. He takes my hand in his as we follow the hostess. When we enter the restaurant, I'm taken aback. All of the walls are painted black, making it seem like you're dining outdoors. The hostess walks us to the far back, and as we’re nearing a wall, she doesn't stop walking. I start to slow my pace, but Evan tugs my hand and pulls me closer to him. Instead of the hostess banging into the wall, she walks right through it.
The wall shimmers away, and a door lined with red brick appears. We walk through and onto a stone pathway leading to a lone round table. It is surrounded by a small park with a pond and hundreds of lightning bugs flying around it. A huge tree with a swing hanging from one of its thick branches sways in the windless breeze. It’s so beautiful that it left me speechless. I didn't notice the hostess left until Ev
an whispered my name in my ear. I turn around as he goes to pull out the chair for me.
He takes his seat across from me and sultrily says, “When you discover something new, it is deeply satisfying to see. I really enjoy showing you this world, Scarlet.” I instantly feel my cheeks get hot, and I look down at my hands. “It doesn't bother you how unacquainted I am?” I ask him, curious of his answer. He leans forward, takes my hands in his, and lifts them to his lips, leaving a soft trail of kisses across the tops. “No, love. Not at all. I like being the one to introduce you to it, to our world. And I can’t wait to show you more,” he says.
It looks like he has more to say, but he gets cut off when someone walks through the invisible door. We both turn to see our waitress standing there with her hands on her hips. She actually looks really annoyed to be there, instantly rubbing me the wrong way. She comes closer to our table and clearly sizes me up, causing me to blush. The rude waitress says, “Welcome to the West Side. My name is Kristy,” she says sluggishly, “What can I get you to drink?”
I turn even more red when I realize I haven't even picked up the menu. I don’t know what there is to drink here. This mean waitress is going to spit in my food if I take long answering her. Evan comes to the rescue, “Kristy, we’ll start off with the wine that’s in the lock box.” She turns to Evan and turns the lightest shade of white, in a completely different attitude than a minute ago. As her complexion returns to its normal color, her eyes have taken on a sparkle, and her body language screams flirty. She leans over towards Evan and says, “Anything I can bring you for appetizers, honey?”
Who does she think she is? She sees him holding my hand. Evan sees my inner battle and attempts to get her out of here by ordering quickly. Still not getting the hint, she doesn't move. She bats her eyes at him and says, “I’ll be right back with your wine.” I'm on my feet, and my hands are reaching out to choke her from behind. But Evan is faster and grabs me before I kill her. “Relax, love. I'm yours, always and forever,” he reassures me. Although his words did seem to visually relax me, I was still a bundle of jealous anger. “I’d still like to see her break a bone or something,” I admit out loud.
Evan chuckles and lets me go. I shake myself off to get rid of the angry energy, trying to take over my body. All night Kristy ogles Evan, putting me on edge almost the whole time. It’s difficult to completely savor this dinner because of our terrible waitress, but I still manage to finish every last bite. She comes in with our dessert and leans a little too close to Evan, when she’s handing him the check.
I slam my hands on the table, pushed to my limit. “Can you really not comprehend the fact that he’s taken? He’s here having dinner with Me! Back off!” Evan stands up right away and hands her back the check, “Kristy, was it?” She nods her head with big eyes, obviously not expecting me to react that way. “Did anyone tell you who you were serving tonight?” He asks her. She shakes her head no, and he continues, “I'm Evan White, the new director of this Village.” She turns white again and bolts out of the room. I can’t help but mumble, “I still wouldn't mind seeing her break a bone.” I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help feeling bitter.
Not a second later there is a scream in the restaurant. Evan and I race to the entrance of the door and see Kristy on the floor, writhing in pain and holding her wrist. Evan snaps his head in my direction and grabs my hand. Without giving me a chance to ask where we are going, he has us both running through the restaurant towards the elevators. They open right away, and we’re both in it in less than a second. The doors shut, and all I hear Evan say is, “Can it be?”
Not only do I feel terrible for ruining our first date with my temper, but I'm also incredibly confused about what just happened in the restaurant. Did Evan just break her wrist for me, just ‘cause I said I wanted it to happen? I didn't really expect him to do something like that. The elevator dings, and we step out on a new floor when I stop Evan. “Wait, Evan. I'm sorry I ruined our date. The food was amazing. This place is amazing. You are amazing. Well, at least until you broke that waitress’ wrist…” Before I can continue, he stops me and says, “I didn't do that, Scarlet. I think you did.”
Chapter 21
Practice
“Scarlet, you have been getting visions, and I know you feel the same electric energy I feel when we touch or come into close proximity with each other. We can communicate with our minds. That’s all magic, love. It had to be you that did that to that waitress.” Evan responds, as he clearly gets lost in deep thought. I’m in shock and begin to tremble as Evan comes closer to me, “Scar, breathe. I promise, everything will be okay. I will be right here with you, always. But we need to test my theory out and see if I'm right. I brought you to the training floor. Will you try a few things with me?”
All I can do is nod, unable to form coherent sentences. I barely notice all the details on this floor. All I remember is walking through a long and narrow hallway. There were tools hung up all over the walls, tools for casting. Evan quickly stopped at the entrance and reached for satchel to put a few tools in. He looked nervous. His complexion was lighter, paler. And I can see drops of sweat forming on his forehead, as he moves rapidly. And, of course, his reaction is making me more nervous than I already am.
He pulls me around a corner, and we walk into a circular room full of doors. It’s humongous in here. There has to be at least 100 doors with a neon blue light bulb above each one. Some are lit, and some are off. Evan hurriedly runs across the room, with me in tow, to the biggest and most elaborate door. The light above it is off. Evan mumbles a few words, and the door unlocks. He enters first, but it looks so dark in there that I hesitate.
The light above turns on, and Evan’s arm appears, grabbing my hand and pulling me through. The door shuts behind me, and I saw nothing but blackness, immediately panicking. “Evan?” I say shakily. “I'm here, Scarlet,” he says as he lightly grabs a hold of my hand. It causes me to jump. “It’s all right, love. I'm here. I’ll always be here, no matter what,” he declares, making me feel more at ease.
Feeling as if his words solved everything, I felt my shoulders sag to their normal position, and I no longer felt shaky. Instantly relaxing, all my thoughts came crashing at me. “Evan, what’s going on? Where did you take me? And why is it so dark?” I can tell he’s growing frustrated, but so am I. “Scarlet, that waitress, I swear to you, I didn't do that. And no one else could have heard you wish for that to happen. So it had to have unintentionally been you. I mean, you said you've been having nightmares. The vision you had on your birthday, and…”
“Evan, stop!” I protested. I felt like I was going to burst. “Please, just turn the light on, and we can continue the conversation.” Simply, he answers, “No,” Now I was getting angry. “No? What? Why?” Confusing me even more, he tells me in all seriousness, “You do it. If you want the light on, turn it on.” I’m beginning to feel my patience come to an end. “What are you talking about, Evan? I'm scared, and this isn't helping. Let me out of here.”
He lightly runs his fingers up and down my arms. “Scarlet, I can feel all of the emotions running through you right now. Use that and focus.” On the verge of tears, I repeat, “I don’t have powers, Evan,” But he’s not giving up. “Will you try, for me?” I grunt and fall for his plead. He can feel my body relax, so he starts to coach me through it. “Good. Now close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. In…. Out…. In…. Out…. Good, love. Now, all of those emotions you're feeling right here, in your heart, try to focus all of your attention to those feelings. Once you feel them all, turn it into energy, whatever you feel most comfortable with. I like to think of electricity.” he explains.
I'm doing everything he’s telling me to do, feeling silly at first with my eyes closed, so I opened them since it’s pitch black in here anyway. I'm trying my hardest to focus, but I can’t fully get there. I try to remember how I would meditate when I was a kid. So I repeat those steps. It takes me a minute to relax myself enough to start bundling
my emotions. And immediately I think of lava. I feel the energy forming into a hot ball of lava. It feels exhilarating. I don’t even notice the sharp intake I took. But Evan did. “Yes, Scarlet. Exactly! You're doing great. Now that you have your energy contained and ready to flow, imagine it moving down your arms and right to the tips of your fingers. Once you have it there, point or just open your palm. Turn that energy in your fingers into a light source. You can make a ball of light. You can make light spark out of your fingertips. Whatever way you want to illuminate the room, will it to do so.”
Now I close my eyes, feeling this energy run through me is unexplainable. I feel the energy ball flow from my chest to my shoulders. I feel it reaching my elbows and it’s in my fingertips. The first thing I think of is the night of my birthday when Evan lit up my room with stars. I focus and will that energy out of my fingertips and into the same beautiful stars, and it feels incredible. I cast the last bit of energy out of my fingertips, and I focus all of it into light. For a second, I thought I failed. And just as I was about to open my eyes to give up, an unknown force threw me back.
As I hit the door behind us, I momentarily have to readjust my eyes. “Oh, my Ava!” Evan says, awestruck. Confused about his reaction, I finally get to my feet and wait for my eyes to refocus. The whole ceiling is lit up with shooting blue stars. Too stunned to speak, it takes everything out of me to turn towards Evan. His eyes are huge, and it looks as if his breathing is hitched, like mine. He takes both sides of my face gently with his hands, and he kisses me softly under my sky of shooting stars.
Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1) Page 19
