Inevitable (The Curse of Avalon Book 2)

by Sariah Skye

  I turned to Trystan, who quickly glanced away to stare at his fingernails. I sighed audibly and continued speaking to Summer.

  “We think she may have tried to get into Wild, but Bash’s expert wards scared her off.” He snorted, chuckling. “That, and Sammy.”

  I flashed him a grin. “Sammy would scare anything.”

  “Except Mathias.” We both finished together, then laughing, pointing at each other, and saying “Jinx!” in unison.

  “Maybe we should go then,” Naomi said, suddenly worried. “Do you think she’d come after Summer?”

  I shrugged, my grin fading.

  “I wouldn’t put it past Morgaine to do anything,” Trystan said dryly.

  Naomi let out a squeak. “We were here to give my roommate and his date some room, but…”

  “—You can always come to Wild,” insisted Mathias, who re-entered from my mother’s half, Bash and Xander close behind.

  “Well?” I asked expectantly. “Find anything?”

  Xander thrust another piece of parchment towards me. I grabbed it, mouthing the words scrawled there. Well, word.

  “What does it say, lass?” Trystan inquired.

  I lifted a brow. “It just says… ‘Help.’”

  “’Help?” Bash repeated, glancing over my shoulder. “Looks like quite a long word to be ‘help’!”

  I nodded fervently. “Yes. It says ‘Ah-ie-calle’. ‘Help.’”

  Bash raised one of his thick brows. “Your mother—asking for help?”

  I shook my head, with a shrug. “I don’t know why, but that’s what it says. Maybe she didn’t finish it?”

  “How do you know it’s your mother?” Summer asked.

  “Who else would it be?” Bash said. “We think it’s Avalonian. Only people inhabiting Avalon can speak the language. Lachlan doesn’t even know it.”

  “There isn’t any other explanation,” Mathias said, arms crossed in front of him, one hand drumming fingers against his dark-stubbled cheek. “Unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “Could it be someone else from Avalon? Arthur maybe?” Mathias wondered aloud.

  Bash laughed loudly. “Arthur was only taken to Avalon for healing, supposedly. I don’t think he ever spoke the language. The isle was pretty heavily female for most of its existence, from what I can gather.”

  “Are you sure?” Mathias asked.

  Bash tossed up his hands in exasperation. “Best I can gather, between the research and Lachlan, yes. There is no way Arthur is still alive. He wasn’t immortal. He was mortal, who had many supes as friends.”

  I chuckled. “I’m sure my father would have mentioned if his best friend was still alive!”

  Mathias glowered. “Yes, you’re right.” He sighed, turning to Summer, and Naomi. “You’re welcome at Wild anytime, you know. I know Ava would appreciate having you around,” he said, lowering his gaze pointedly at her. He was right, of course—I missed living with Summer terribly. But I didn’t want to interfere in her life.

  “Maybe we will. For now, though let’s get out of here and go back to your place,” Summer suggested, wrapping her arms around Naomi, and giving her a gentle hug. “Most of my stuff is already there.”

  “Wise,” Xander piped up; he’d been unusually silent so far. I noticed his eyes were wide, pupils partially enlarged, and the tension off him radiated like electricity. “We should go, too. There’s a nasty storm brewing.”

  Trystan and I raised from our chairs. When Xander said it was going to storm—it was going to be a doozy.

  I turned to Summer, offering her a hug.

  She reciprocated, resting her chin on my shoulder. “Miss you, Short Shit.”

  Fighting a sob, I snorted instead. “You too, Tall Shit.” I wanted to beg and plead her to come to Wild, but pride got the better of me, and I just said, “Call me, huh?”

  She nodded quickly, pulling away. “Drive safe.”

  With a wave, I followed the guys out the door to the Suburban, leaving behind the only home I’d ever known, and the only family I still had.

  I was silently sullen on the way home, and no one questioned me as I pressed my forehead against the cold glass. I stared out the window at the oncoming storm as we drove, and tried to block out the negative thoughts that kept invading my mind.

  Chapter Sixteen

  My father was waiting on the doorstep when we arrived back home. The thunder loomed over head and fat drops of rain were beginning to pelt down, making their mark on the concrete driveway. Bash had to run like crazy to arrive at the front door before the sky opened up completely, drenching the “priceless” parchment and the mysterious ink.

  Xander, Trystan, and I all darted quickly for the front door, hoping to dodge the oncoming downpour. Mathias pulled the vehicle into the garage to avoid any possible hail. The sky cast a slight yellowish hue around us indicating it was a distinct possibility, and Xander was visibly uncomfortable. It was going to be a brutal one.

  “Just in time!” My father said, brushing the water droplets off his t-shirt as a loud crash of thunder shook the house. He eyed us as we sauntered inside, Bash in a frenzy to get all the parchment from under his shirt—where he shoved them away from the rain—to the kitchen counter to spread them out.

  Mathias entered from a room in the rear; a door that connected a slight hallway to the garage. He set the briefcase he’d been carrying on the white tile next to the stove and pulled his cell phone out of his front pants pocket. “Trystan, are all the animals safe? Looks like this is going to be nasty. We’ve got a severe thunderstorm warning, and a tornado watch.”

  Trystan was still shaking off in the doorframe, before shutting the door behind him. Running his hands through his hair, he appeared deep in concentration. “Aye, everyone seems fine. Sammy’s deep in his cave, the other bears aren’t on the property right now. Everyone seems to of taken cover for the barn.”

  Mathias breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

  “You can communicate with them from that far away?” Lachlan inquired, sounding surprised.

  Trystan bobbed his head in a shrug. “Yes and no. The barn isn’t far, and since they’re there, I can get a feel for them. The fox den is nearby, and underground a few steps also, so they’re okay. The others don’t live permanently on the property; they come and go as they choose. But they’re not stupid, they find shelter.”

  I chuckled. “A regular Disney princess, you are.”

  He gave me an impish grin. “Oh, aye; you should see my dress!” He kneeled in a mock, awkward curtsy, and ambled off towards the hallway feigning a supposed, feminine swagger. “Nessie, ol’ girl! Where are ye?”

  I swiped my hands over my face, shaking my head at him. “Where are all the dogs, anyway?”

  Trystan paused his sassy walk and appeared to concentrate for a moment. “All downstairs; can’t feel the storm as much down there. I’m going to go check on them.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

  “So, what do you have there, exactly?” My father, sufficiently dried off joined Bash and Mathias at the counter. Bash had spread the parchment out, trying to place them in any sort of order. “Is this what was so—” his eyes widened, large as plates as he reached for the nearest page. “Where did you get this!?”

  “Outside the Stargazer,” Xander explained, his voice uneasy. I offered him a sympathetic smile, as he wrung his hands out in front of him; his normally handsome face distorted in an expression of distress. I desperately wanted to comfort him somehow, but it felt strange in front of my father, who eyed Xander with a confused expression until Bash started speaking.

  “The sky opened up in some sort of crack and Link—the business operator—tossed some bizarre powder at it, and it dissolved into nothing. Then all this paper started falling out of the sky,” Bash explained.

  “A crack? Paper falling from the sky?” Lachlan gingerly picked up one of the pages at the corner, dangling it in front of him with disgu
st like it was a dead mouse. “This is…”

  “Weird? Fucked up? Bizarre?” I offered. “It’s all those things.”

  Mathias let out a quiet groan. “Do you have any idea what it could be, Lachlan?”

  “Can you read it?” Bash asked.

  Lachlan set the page down, sufficiently disturbed. “No. I can’t read it. But it’s an old language.”

  “We think it’s Avalonian, because Ava can read it,” Bash said.

  My father gave me a surprised look. “Of course you can. The only other I knew of that could read it was Morgaine. Makes sense now you have the power, you can too. Has to be more of her magic.”

  “But how?” Mathias asked. “Last we saw her she was depleted and just disappeared. Not hide nor hair of her anywhere in weeks.”

  “Except these. And the one outside, and at Ava’s house,” Bash said, setting two more pieces of parchment on the stack. He ran his hands through his wavy blond hair, shaking his head with confusion. “I just don’t get the purpose.”

  “There were others?” My father asked incredulously as the lights suddenly flickered, the hair on the back of my neck standing at end with the abrupt electric charge in the air.

  We all swiveled around; Xander was pacing about the room, hands clutched on either side of his head, sparks jutting out from his fingers.

  “Shit…” I said, with a frown.

  “It’s stronger now,” Xander said, his voice distressed.

  My father lifted a brow. “Did you and he…” he began, pointedly.

  I shook my head quickly. “No! Just a kiss.”

  “Shit…if that’s what a kiss can do, imagine…” he thought out loud. “You’re much stronger than I thought, then.”

  I narrowed my eyes in dismay. “Great. I want to get rid of it.”

  “I’ve been working on it,” Bash said, finally glancing up from the parchment spread. “I’ve been trying anything, doing all the research. Without catastrophic results, I’ve had no luck yet.”

  Crestfallen, I frowned. I knew that it was a longshot of course, but it was nice to have hope that maybe I could be rid of this shit. That maybe I could live a somewhat normal life with the incubus men, and not worry about blasting them to kingdom-come. Literally.

  “No! You can’t do that!” My father exclaimed in a panic, clutching my arm tightly. I winced at the pressure, and his expression softened, releasing me, looking apologetic. “Sorry. Just, you can’t get rid of it. Not yet.”

  Mathias inhaled deeply, a dark expression washing over his gorgeous face, making him look more intimidating than I knew he really was. “And, why not yet? Is there a reason?”

  Lachlan shook his head quickly. “No, it’s nothing like that. But—that kind of power, loose in the world? Like energy, magic doesn’t just dissipate. It just finds another host. This kind of power in the wrong hands?” He shuddered for emphasis. “No, at least we know Ava here isn’t evil and she wouldn’t do anything wrong intentionally.”

  Bash sighed. “He’s right. I mean, we have the grail, but…I can’t figure out a way to put the magic back in. I was hoping that if this belonged to Morgaine, we’d be able to find a spell or something. These look like bits and pieces of spells the way some of the words are listed in columns.”

  “Magic is very much responsive to its owner. The best magic in the evilest vessel won’t change the user, but change the magic,” Lachlan said, giving me a sullen expression. I pouted, glancing away. “I’m sorry, but for now you’ll just have to learn to deal with it.”

  I snorted. “Yeah. Because that’s been easy.”

  The lights flickered once again, turning off completely before struggling to come back on. My gaze fell to Xander, still pacing, clutching his hands together and trying to disperse the lightning magic coming from them.

  I sighed. “Xan…” I crossed the room and reached for him, but he pulled away.

  “No! I could hurt you,” he said, grimacing sadly.

  “You won’t,” I said softly. Slowly, I reached for his fisted hand. His fingers were so tight his knuckles turned white. Sparks still flew from his other hand, and he held it out at his side as far away from us as he could.

  “Avie…” he whispered, both pleading and strangled.

  “You did it for me, remember? Just close your eyes,” I instructed calmly.

  He took a staggering breath, fluttering his eyes shut. His body shook as I stepped nearer to him, though I think it had to do less with my proximity and more to do with the obnoxious energy charge pulsing through him. This time, I could really relate. Gazing at his attractive, yet troubled face, I reluctantly closed my own eyes, forcing myself to think calming thoughts instead of flirty ones. As he attempted cleansing breaths, his lower lip quivered slightly, and I had the sudden urge to nibble on it.

  Stop it, Ava! I felt a tell-tale buzzing in the back of my mind again and I clenched my eyes shut, forcing it out of my mind. Deep breaths…enough of this…Xander needs you like before.

  “Okay…” I pried open his fingers, and softly brushed my fingertips over his palm. “My touch is a feather,” I began, repeating the only spell my mother ever taught me, “light as air, freeing of tension—”

  “No!” My father exclaimed, and dashed quickly through the living room, gripping my arms and pulling me away from Xander.

  Both our eyes flew open, and I scowled severely at him. “The fuck?”

  “You can’t do that, that’s one of your mother’s spells!”

  “It’s harmless!” I protested, giving my father a forceful shove. Xander was by my side, taking me under his arm, also glaring daggers at the ancient knight.

  “We’ve done this before, and nothing happened. Except I felt relaxed. It worked.” Xander said through gritted teeth, his voice dipping an octave like it did when the generally passive storm-wielder became angry.

  “Lance—err, Lachlan,” Mathias interrupted our ominous stare-down. “Look, despite everything, Ava is half witch. We know that now. If the magic is controlled by the user, and Ava—the user—isn’t evil, stands to reason that she could perform such an easy spell with beneficial results. Even if it was her mother’s spell.”

  Bash nodded vigorously. “I saw her do it before; just a very easy relaxation spell. It worked, and Xan did feel better.”

  Lachlan grumbled, but held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, but you should know, you don’t inherit being a witch. If she inherited powers, she’s a sorceress, not a witch. A witch’s powers are learned.”

  Bash’s forehead furrowed. “Ah…I didn’t know that.”

  “It might explain this invisibility shit,” I said, with a shrug.

  “A sorcerer usually can use all magic, or more than one kind; this is just a fluke skill. Probably a magical mutation somewhere along the lines,” my father insisted, stepping back. “Anyway…I’m sorry. You’re probably right. I just recognized Morgaine’s words, but now that I think of it, it could have easily been her mother’s spell.”

  “And her mother was kind, right?” Mathias asked, and Lachlan nodded.

  “Most venerable and admirable, yes,” my father replied, with quiet reverence.

  Xander and I exchanged a look. “Want to try again?”

  He nodded earnestly. “Yes,” he said, chuckling as his palm released another spark. “I trust you.”

  I smiled solemnly. “Okay.” He reached out his hand, and I took it again, holding it close to my chest. “Deep breaths, right?”

  “Like Tai Chi Chih?” he asked, with his sideways smirk.

  My heart fluttered quickly, imagining myself pressed in between both his and Bash’s hard, sweaty bodies. “Not quite,” I shivered with quick need, but took a deep breath, pushing aside thoughts of kinky excursions, and focused on Xander.

  Which almost didn’t help, but feeling the strong sparks—actual sparks, not chemistry ones—against my skin, I focused my thinking elsewhere. Like, not having Xander blast me with his lightning. Thank god I was apparently immor
tal now, just in case. Or immortal-ish, anyway.

  I gently shut my eyes again and began tracing gentle paths in Xander’s outstretched palm. “My touch is a feather, light as air, freeing of tension, imbuing with peace.” Due to our closeness, I could still feel his chest rise and fall quickly. “Feel the peace, Xan,” I said softly, tracing a hint of a feather on his hand, his breathing slowed slightly. Like before, I lifted his hand to my lips, and blew gently. He tensed ever so briefly, before relaxing once more. “My air is like fire, heating the pain, easing the ill…away…away. Just breathe slowly…the storm is going away, and the sun is out, warming your shoulders.”

  “How about a pool instead?” Xander cracked. I opened my eyes long enough just to see his sexy smirk, replacing the panicked frown he had earlier.

  “Sheesh, enough about the pool,” Mathias quipped irritably from across the room. Xander and I exchanged an easy chuckle.

  “See?” I said, nudging Xander carefully. “You’re feeling better already.”

  “I really am. But finish, please,” he agreed, somewhat pleadingly.

  “Okay.” I raised his hand up towards my body and placed it gently at my chest. Before, I tapped his hand softly, but this time I needed to call in the big guns. Nothing bigger and gunny-er than a pair of boobs to a guy, right?

  No really, it was that my heart was buried between them, there was no other choice. The boobs were just an advantage.

  I giggled, as one of his fingers started to venture out of my grasp to the top of my cleavage. I tapped it gently. “Stop that.”

  “Sorry,” he said, eyes still closed, but grinning up a storm.

  “Hmph.” Holding his hand still, I began tapping a finger calmly against his knuckles. “My pulse is the beat of a drum, linking you to the earth and the steady ground. Its solidity will grant you comfort.” I tapped my fingers against his palm gently, to mimic a steady beat. “Together, they will chase away the pain, and the fear; the elements guide you to peace and harmony. So, mote it be.”

  The sneaky spot inside my mind buzzed painfully for a split second at the words “So mote it be,” a rapid charge shot out like a laser from deep inside, and streamed out of my hands.