by Rachel Jonas
He robbed me of so many things.
“At least something good came out of this,” Roz said, cutting into the fantasy I envisioned, one where I got to do Liam bodily harm.
“What’s that?” If there was something good, I’d clearly missed it.
“We know he thought the witches could help,” she stated, sounding a heck of a lot more optimistic than I felt. “And I think I know how to contact them.”
I turned to face her.
“Give me a few days to gather some items,” she smiled. “Before we leave Seaton Falls, we’ll have ourselves some answers.”
There was no fighting the hope that swelled within me. Maybe, by some small miracle, I wasn’t doomed after all.
—Chapter Twenty-Three—
Evie
Nothing about this holiday season had been typical. And now, tonight, having dinner with Elise, the mother I never knew existed, would make it even more surreal.
Our dealings had been sparse, but at least they were no longer hostile. On the rare occasion that she came out of her office and wandered the halls, I smiled, but didn’t make it a point to hold a conversation.
What would I have said anyway?
She was nice enough from what I could tell, but I could admit to not knowing how to relate to her.
Three short knocks at the door made my heart race. Looking over my hair one last time, I placed the brush on the dresser. On my way to answer, I kept thinking I should have put on something nicer than the yoga pants and hoodie I threw on. After all, we were heading up for Christmas dinner at Elise’s, but Liam reminded me more than once to dress comfortably. His exact words were: ‘wear whatever you’d wear if it was just you and me.’ With him, I didn’t have to get dolled up, seeing as how most of our interaction was in the gym, sparring. Still, as I looked myself over, I really, really hoped this was what he had in mind.
Pulling the door toward me, I scanned his attire before saying anything. A pair of stylishly faded and tattered jeans with a t-shirt. It wasn’t as ‘comfortable’ as my yoga pants, but I guessed it was the male equivalent.
I breathed deep, feeling nervous. I hated it.
“Ready?” he smiled.
Slipping the lanyard with my keycard around my neck, I stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind me.
“Ready.”
Liam led the way because I’d never been to Elise’s before. I didn’t even know which floor or sector she was in. We twisted and turned our way to an elevator I hadn’t used before and I guessed it was just for staff.
We stepped on and the doors closed in front of us.
“Relax.”
A faint smile rested on Liam’s lips when he spoke, and I hated that he knew me so well. I was sure that, to anyone else, I would’ve pulled off the ‘calm and indifferent’ act I was going for, but not him. He had this way of reading me even when I wasn’t in the mood to be read. It reminded me of my mom and dad. They always seemed to know what the other was thinking or feeling without having to communicate with words. Standing beside Liam as we watched the numbers above the elevator door change, I couldn’t believe I just compared us to my parents—a couple. One that had been married for two decades, no less.
A soft buzz notified us when we reached Elise’s floor and so did my phone. I mostly carried it out of habit these days, but a barrage of notifications flooding through made it clear the signal up here was much better than in my quarters. A stray glimmer of hope had me checking for text messages or voicemail from my parents, or anyone else I knew, but there were none. Only spam that had piled up in my email and a few others from apps. Nothing significant.
Liam stepped off first and I tucked the disappointment away, pretending not to be affected by the reminder I’d been erased.
Our sector was nearly empty, with most of the other students being home for the holidays. But up here, it was a whole other kind of empty. The quiet was so deafening, leaving me to wonder if she had this entire area to herself.
At the end of a narrow hallway, there was one lonely, silver door with an insane locking mechanism securing it. A camera identical to the one outside my room shifted when Liam and I got close. I imagined Elise’s topflight security system had just made her aware of our presence.
Without hesitation, I latched onto Liam’s arm.
When he stopped about a foot from the door and didn’t knock, I guessed I was right. She already knew we were here and he was familiar with this procedure. He’d come to visit several times since she and I cleared the air. It wasn’t lost on me that he waited until then, as if he needed my permission. While, no, it wasn’t necessary, it was beyond thoughtful the way he considered my feelings. Even above his own.
After several metallic clicks and clanks, the heavy door opened and Liam and I were greeted by a wide smile.
“Merry Christmas,” Elise beamed. The smell of either chicken or turkey, plus all the fixings and dessert, hit me all at once. On cue, my stomach growled.
“Merry Christmas,” I echoed, leaning in to return her hug. Liam did the same and then she closed us inside with her.
Aside from having a door that resembled what you’d expect to see on a bank vault, her place was almost homey. Granted, the same stark whites and grays decorating the lower levels were still present here, but there were plants, plush rugs, and bright, colorful pillows to warm the space.
“I hope you two are hungry,” she crooned, gesturing for us to have a seat on the couch. “I got a bit excited and went overboard.”
“We’ll make sure you’re not stuck with a bunch of leftovers,” Liam assured her. And I’d seen him eat before, so there was no doubt in my mind he meant every word.
He and I sat side-by-side and I was tempted to take his arm again. I knew the nervousness wasn’t warranted, but couldn’t help it.
On some level, I don’t know, I think I was scared of getting let down in some way. Scared Elise would pull the rug out from under me just when I decided to open up to her. As much as I hated admitting it, my heart was sort of fragile these days. For more reasons than one.
Elise emerged from the kitchen carrying a large, silver platter.
“Need help?” Liam offered.
“Sure,” she smiled and headed back toward the kitchen. Liam stood and I did, too, thinking it might break the ice to help set the table. When I walked in behind him, Elise and I locked eyes. There was warmth and hope in hers and I found myself praying tonight went well. I really did want this to work out.
“Your hair is different,” she commented, eyeing the tight curls I didn’t bother straightening after my shower. “It’s nice.”
Without thinking, she lifted her hand to touch it, but then seemed overly aware of her actions, letting her hand fall to her side instead. I imagined it was strange for her to be so formal around me. This awkwardly stiff interaction with her was all I’d ever known, but that wasn’t the case for her. I was sure she and I once shared secrets, laughed and cried together—things I’d only done with Rebecca in this lifetime.
Sadness filled Elise’s expression and I knew she’d turn away and go into her shell soon if I didn’t say something.
“Seeing it straight took some getting used to for Liam. I prefer it in it’s natural, curly state too, but it’s more work to manage it throughout the week,” I shared.
She smiled when I addressed her. “Well, you’re beautiful either way if you ask me. And I’m sure our Liam here feels the same way.”
My cheeks warmed when my gaze synched with his, when I noted how his lips curved upward in their usual, devious way after Elise’s statement. He turned, but only to take the pan from Elise’s hands, not because my stare made him shy. He was never shy with me. There was only ever confidence and certainty.
A bowl of corn with a silver serving spoon resting in it was the last thing to carry out. I placed it on the dining room table and then sat when Liam pulled out a chair for me. He took the one to my right and Elise settled in across from us both.
>
“I hope everything came out okay. It’s been a while since I’ve made such a big meal. Until now, it’s usually only me eating here, so…” Her voice trailed off and I hadn’t missed that she said ‘usually’, nor had I missed the extra plate she wrapped and set aside in the kitchen.
“I’m sure it’ll be perfect,” I smiled.
She smiled back and then filled all our glasses from a pitcher.
“So, are either of you looking forward to the next quarter starting?”
Liam and I looked at one another, wondering who should answer first.
“It’s been interesting,” I replied. “I feel like I’m ready for the next combat module, thanks to Liam.”
Elise’s gaze volleyed back and forth between he and I. She grinned at us, but there was a little something more hidden beneath it. Hope maybe?
“You two have still been training?”
Liam nodded. “A few times a week. She’s getting stronger.”
Heat crept up my neck when his attention settled on me. “What he means is, I spend slightly less time on the ground,” I joked.
“In Bahir Dar, you had quite the reputation for yourself,” Elise chimed in. “Most knew better than to cross you, and it wasn’t just because your brothers and Liam hardly left your side,” she laughed. “They taught you to defend yourself well.”
“I wish I could see them, wish I could remember their faces,” I clarified.
Sadness touched Elise’s eyes again and I regretted saying so much. “You were their pride and joy. Just as you were to your father and I.”
There was a question begging to be asked, but I wasn’t sure I should ask it. Liam seemed to notice me warring within myself and gave a discreet nod, encouraging me to speak. He was so much more familiar with Elise than I was, so much more comfortable. With his gentle, silent nudge, I opened my mouth.
“Do you have anything of his? My father’s?”
Elise’s brow lifted. She seemed surprised I was interested. Surprised, but pleased.
“Of course.”
She stood from her seat, leaving her plate untouched as she disappeared in her bedroom for a moment. When she returned, she carried something about the size of a large book in her hands. Only, it was much thinner and, when she brought it closer, I saw a silver frame.
“I managed to keep a few trinkets,” she explained. “With the low profile I’ve been forced to maintain, as well as there being a period of time when I had to stay on the move, I held on to what I could. It’s always been important to me that I not forget the past. When you live as long as we do, that can be easier said than done sometimes.”
She smiled, but it never reached her eyes.
I held my breath as she handed it over, giving me a glimpse into the eyes of a man I’d never had the pleasure of meeting. The other half of me. My father.
When I first studied the painting, there was a strange sense of familiarity. There was no jarring ‘aha’ moment. Almost as if his was exactly the face I expected to see. While I saw a lot of myself in Elise’s features, I noted a fair amount in his as well.
In the portrait, he wore a kingly robe and crown, but I saw beyond that. His warm, brown skin creased beside his mouth and I distinctly remembered the curve of his smile. Distinctly remembered the feel of his tightly wound curls as I ran my fingers through them, something I guessed I’d done when I was small. The vivid imagery got to be a bit overwhelming, forcing me to close my eyes when my next breath didn’t come so easily.
These memories weren’t so much locked inside my mind, they were etched in my being. These people I was once linked to were part of me.
“How did he … how was …” I couldn’t quite put the question to words, but tried again as I stared at the contours of my father’s face as rendered by the artist.
“Liam told me your story, how you came to be the original dragon, how you turned many others that same day, but I’m not sure what the process was for lycans. Especially with the women in my father’s bloodline being witches. I used to think it was a familial curse, but …”
Elise shook her head as my sentence trailed off. She sipped from her glass and her gaze went to some distant place when she answered.
“Your father, Noah, was never an ordinary man,” she started, the blank stare eventually fading into a thoughtful smile. “In so many ways this is true, but what I mean is … he was born lycan.”
That seemed impossible—for the original lycan to be born a shifter to human parents. A quirk in my brow accompanied a question.
“How could that happen?”
My eyes locked with my father’s through the portrait as I tried to imagine him as a wolf—large, intimidating, deadly like every other I’d seen.
Elise let out a breath and I listened intently. “You were half right; it was a curse, one placed on his father before Noah was even conceived. In the time before shifters, witches were the sole supernatural force, and they weren’t shy about wielding their power.”
I glanced up toward her. “Did his father do something to cross one?”
Elise was thoughtful for a moment. “I suppose if you were to ask the witch who cursed him, she might think so.”
Intrigued, my eyes shifted back toward the painting as Elise continued.
“Your grandfather was a religious crusader in his time, one well-spoken of, respected throughout Ethiopia and beyond. He often traveled with a group of Englishmen when they ventured into new lands,” she went on. “His work took him to many foreign lands, and his path crossed with many who believed as he did.”
When she paused, I glanced up again.
“The Sovereign’s father, Luca, was one of his mission’s converts in Italy, a man who went on to follow him for many years, went on to become one of his closest friends.”
A strange sensation in my chest made my breaths come quicker, more arduous.
“Their journey eventually led full-circle, back to a small village just north of Bahir Dar. There was said to have been a confrontation with a local coven who practiced dark magic. It’s believed the men sought to convert them, to make them turn from their ways,” Elise explained, the tension in her brow spreading as she continued. “Needless to say, the men were unsuccessful. A curse was placed on your grandfather and Luca, because they were the only two brave enough to enter the coven’s camp. The witches declared that the men’s firstborn sons would be slaves to the moon. And from their loins, vile, ravenous beasts would forever taint their bloodlines.”
Liam and I both sat quietly, although I was sure this was a story he’d heard before.
“But, as I’m sure you’ve already discovered,” Elise added, “magic has its limitations, it’s hidden clauses and rules. So, after the men were cursed, the very magic the witches thought they controlled, eventually controlled them.”
Unsure what she meant, I blinked.
“The day Noah first transitioned, mere months before Sebastian, the witch’s curse backfired. Once immortal, they were now slaves to the very beasts they enslaved to the moon; their immortality now dependent on the will of the lycans. Needless to say, for a period of time, there was a great dying off among their kind, those older than one hundred years.”
I had so much to learn. Luckily, Elise and Liam were more than willing to share their knowledge, answering questions that were probably so basic to most shifters.
“Thank you,” I whispered, meaning to speak at full volume, I just couldn’t. I was past the point where it all felt surreal. Now, the feelings were just incredibly powerful. Powerful enough to begin filling a void I only recently became aware of.
“I’m not just thanking you for sharing the story,” I added, “I appreciate you sharing the portrait as well.”
“I wish there was more,” Elise said apologetically, gesturing toward the frame I still held.
“No, it’s … it’s enough.” I handed the portrait back.
In the time it took her to return it to its rightful place, I gathered myself. Bene
ath the table, Liam gave my hand a gentle squeeze and the feel of it strengthened me like always. Elise rejoined us shortly after and we finished our meal mostly in silence. Not the awkward, uncomfortable kind. The thoughtful, reflective kind.
We cleared the table and cleaned as much as Elise would allow us to. Settling in the living room, the mood was far lighter than when the three of us met at Liam’s. Then, I’d been angry and confused, directing my frustration at Elise. But now, I was focused and becoming stronger every day. In every way—emotionally, physically. For the first time in a long time, I believed I had a handle on things. Our time here was winding down. I could feel it. Hopefully, we’d be dismissed before summer. The sooner it was over, the sooner we could all go back to Seaton Falls and return to our normal lives.
The war we’d been warned about seemed to be a false alarm from what I could tell. There hadn’t been any threats or reports from the Seaton Falls clan. While my ties to the town were severed, Beth’s parents updated her on the regular. Life in Michigan was quiet, and that could only be a good sign.
Unless … this was just the calm before the storm.
“I’m so happy you agreed to come tonight, Evangeline.” I glanced up as Elise smiled at Liam and I. We sat on the couch adjacent from the sleek, white leather chair she perched in. My gaze followed when she leaned to retrieve two small bags from the left side of her chair.
“It wouldn’t be Christmas without gifts,” she beamed.
My heart squeezed inside my chest. “You didn’t have to. I wasn’t—”
She waved me off and reached to hand us our presents from across the coffee table. “I insist.”
I accepted and thanked her. Liam and I both undid the black, satin ribbons that bound the handles of white giftbags. Inside, black tissue concealed a small, velvet box. Embossed on the lid in silver, foil lettering … an ‘E’.
