Aconite (The Elektita Series Book 1)

by Alvarez, Christine

  The thought had me cuddling up to sleep quicker than I would have imagined my reaction would be at sleeping in a strange man’s bed. Sebastian didn't feel strange though. Even before he told me of our past I had always felt like he was never a stranger. I knew I hadn't been sleeping too long before the bed dipped ever so slightly next to me. A large warm body scooted itself flush with mine. Sebastian in nothing but loose flannel pants spooned his warm body against me, curling his arm around my chest. Tension zoomed through my body as he let out a content breath.

  "Shh, don't worry, I just need to sleep." I didn't know if it was exhaustion or what but I trusted him, letting myself sink into his embrace.

  "Jonathon loved her, didn't he?" I knew he didn't want to talk anymore, but I needed to know. I needed to know that at least one of the conclusions I had come to was the truth. I did not love this man, but she did.

  "Love is a weakness."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  "En alia vivo." His voice was sad as he cradled me in his arms. I didn't understand. I couldn't quite wake up, our night had been magical. Full of love making and hard rough sex. We had talked of plans for the future, ways to stay hidden from my family. They would be looking for me soon so we had packed what we could before we had fallen asleep. Something must have happened—the look that he gave me now was far too pained to warrant good news.

  Sharp pain tore through my chest drawing wet warmth down my belly. The world twisted and grew hazy as I was finally jarred fully out of sleep. Sebastian still held me, rocking, slowly in our bed. Tears flowed down his face. Never before had I seen this warrior of mine show weakness. He was always the epitome of strength. I needed to know why he looked so broken but the words wouldn't form. I watched as he grew farther away. My breath grew short. I had been stabbed. Who would do such a thing? I did not think my family had figured out what I had done—not yet.

  I was dying, that I was sure of. Guilt gnawed at me. How could I have made him sleep so soundly that an intruder was able to get past him to me? That was it he was crying because he couldn't save me. Healing wasn't magic that he possessed. Not since the change. I reached my blood soaked hand towards his face. I wanted to wipe away his tears, reassure him that he could have done nothing more. I couldn't, my arm would not respond. Sebastian's body spasmed with his growing sobs. The world was beginning to fade; soon I would be at the mercy of the Gods. I said a quick prayer that they would look kindly on my life.

  My world felt as though it had shifted as I looked down on my lifeless self-curled into Sebastian's bare chest. I knew it then. There had been no intruder. His hand still held on to the dagger that was buried hilt deep into my chest. He had taken my life and the plan had been laid out hours or days before. The salt circle that prevented my spirit from holding on had been poured all around the bed we shared. It felt odd looking down on the last moments of my life knowing that my lover was also my murderer.

  My eyes flew open as I simultaneously lurched out of bed, flinging Sebastian's arm off me in the process. Sebastian had put a dagger in my heart. I had seen the whole thing. I had felt myself float away, able to see in full color the truth of it all. There was no intruder. Sebastian would not have let a murderer escape, especially someone who had killed the one he loved. We were alone in the room. He did it himself. I felt the bile rise in my throat as I replayed my newly acquired memory over and over.

  "What is it?" Sebastian had awakened and was beside me in no time. I beat my fists into his chest with my eyes squeezed shut. I couldn't even look at him. I wanted to wedge a knife into his chest like he had mine.

  "You murdered me!" I wailed and continued to slam my fists wherever I could manage. He didn't move out of my way, letting me hit him over and over until my muscles became too weak to continue.

  "You took my life in this very bed." No wonder I had such a physical reaction when I first saw this bed. He flinched back like I had struck him. I looked up into his face to find a single tear had escaped and now slid down his cheek. He grabbed me, folding me into his body. I couldn't find the comfort that I had once before; the memories where far too close to the surface. He held me so tightly that my breath came out in short pants.

  "I told you no more, you stupid, stupid girl." His voice weak with strain as his tears slid through my hair. This was the moment I wished more than anything that my tattoo would do its thing. I didn't want him to touch me. He had no right to cry when my death was by his hand. I sank my teeth into his chest, a bitter metallic taste moved across my tongue. That got his attention. His release, hard and abrupt was welcomed.

  "I'm leaving. I don't fucking care what you say! Take me back to the Inn." I grabbed my bag off the floor. I didn't even want to change; my mind had focused on escape. Whatever I left behind was of no importance. I could buy more. His eyes followed every move I made as I slipped my feet into the flats that Richland had brought with my things.

  "You cannot leave; I won't allow it. No matter what your feelings are towards me at this moment. There are things that you don't know that makes up a much larger picture than you or I." His words caused an explosion of fury within me. I dug around trying to use it to spark the magic that I possessed. Maybe I was stronger than the Vero. Minutes passed and nothing happened. I couldn't do it. Damn Jonathon and Sebastian, both.

  "Then I will walk!" I wasn't bluffing. I was more than capable of walking to the main road. Then I would hitch a ride to town. There was no way I was going to stay another night with him.

  "You don't even know where we are. It is dangerous out in these woods at night, even more dangerous for you. Animals are not all you have to worry about." I had been pacing the room, bag in hand, for what felt like forever. I hated to admit it but he was right. I had no idea where I was or even how I got here. I headed towards the bedroom door anyway. Before I could even make it into the hallway Sebastian stood, blocking the path.

  "You. Are. Not. Going, Anywhere." He slowly emphasized each word while increasing his volume, causing the last word to come out more like a roar. His words had been meant to intimidate me, I was sure of it, but the bite mark on his chest took away what reaction I would have had. Where my bloody teeth prints should have been, his tan skin was flawless. I still had the faint metallic taste that was the key identifier of blood in my mouth so I knew I had really bitten him. But here he stood healed in record time. He caught my hand just before I could touch where I was sure I had left the mark.

  "Please." My request came out a whisper. He brought my hand to his chest; laying it directly where I had bit him.

  "There is much that you do not understand." I remembered he had called himself a werewolf, again he was right, there was much more I did not understand.

  "Then I will sleep on the couch. Alone." I wanted to get as far away from him and that bed. I never should have let him stay with me. That was one piece of information I could have lived without.

  "So be it." He stepped aside letting me pass. I rubbed the spot where he had stabbed me, not from pain, but the memories of it. How could you cradle someone in your arms that you loved and stab them in the chest? Sebastian obviously wasn't human so maybe he didn't think like one. His tears and outright remorse didn't read right for a man lacking empathy.

  "What did you say just before you stuck that blade in my chest?" I remember the words like they were my own. En alia vivo, obviously wasn't English. There was the same disconnect within my dreams as there was in real life. It felt like me but wasn't. We shared the same memories, thoughts and feelings but yet she was not me. I did not understand her language.

  "In another life," he said, handing me a blanket to sleep with. When I grabbed the blanket he wouldn't release it. Instead he pulled me closer to him.

  "It was a promise that I intended to fulfill." Before I could protest further he cupped my face in his hands and brought his lips down, claiming mine. In betrayal of my thoughts I deepened the kiss. Our tongues fought much like we had. The kiss was carnal, it felt rushed and angry, our teet
h slammed into one another as if in a battle. He broke away before I did.

  "Now get some rest, Alexis. Tomorrow is a new day and everything is about to change.

  I reached my finger to my swollen lips. I had just kissed the man that murdered me. I think everything already had.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The way his eyes roamed my body felt dangerous, erotic, and places down low began to beg for his touch. The feeling was harsh against the prudish life I have led so far. It scared me; the things he could do to my body if only I would give in. My body craved the danger, invited it. The need for him to take me, here and now, in the middle of the cafe was exhilarating. I had never wanted anyone so badly in my entire life.

  "Alexis, did you hear me?" My thighs clenched with the sound of his voice.

  "I told you never to come here no matter the reason." He trailed his fingers across my belly as he passed. A small thump fought back in protest. I knew they were going to meet for their weekly updates. Sebastian had told me to stay home but I couldn't. He had begun to trust that I would stay where told so I took advantage of his growing trust and spelled my way out. Used his own teachings against him. I wanted her to be a part of his life. I wanted him to watch her grow. None of us knew how much time I had. This was unprecedented. To live this long plus be carrying a child. I took a sip of my tea. It felt good, God I missed coffee, neither of them would let me even look at caffeine let alone drink even a cup. They had been searching scrolls and ancient texts since the day I announced my pregnancy, trying to find something that would help what had been a virtual consistent for hundreds of years. They would come and I would die. Mack sat down next to me concern and sympathy wrapped his face.

  "You’re not supposed to be here. The house is the only safe place for the both of you." I knew that but being cooped up, only leaving for a few minutes at a time, was hard on me. Richland visited daily and Jo even came from time to time but it wasn't the same. Seasons will come and go and I won't get to enjoy it. I missed watching the people of this town that I had grown to love. I rubbed my rounded belly. She was worth it. Her safety was above all else. Hell, Jonathon and Sebastian had even come to the same agreement.

  "Arrrg." My face meeting a hardwood floor was never a good way to wake up. My back ached and my head was pounding its way to a migraine. I hadn't been asleep that long but my body hated me at this moment.

  "Are you okay?" Richland's laugh preceded his concern.

  "Yes, I'm fine." I picked myself up off the floor, stretched and soaked in the light of the sun. It felt great, far greater than sleep deprivation should feel. The dream held me still. I couldn't shake it. Like all the others it felt impossibly real but the scary part was I knew this one hadn't happened yet. I rubbed my belly knowing good and well it sat empty.

  "Do I only dream memories of the past?” I tried to mask how scared I sounded with the remnants of sleep. It must have worked because he didn't even give me a second glance.

  "Of course, your dreams have always been to remind you of what you are. Why, did you have another dream?" He was interested now. I couldn't risk it getting back to Sebastian though. I wanted to keep some parts of me as my own and until I figured out what that dream meant I would do just that.

  "No, actually I didn't dream at all." He gave me a skeptical look but let it go.

  "What time is it?" I needed to steer this conversation away from my dreams. I bent down stretching to touch my toes. I felt like the tin man frozen for far too long.

  "It's three thirty in the afternoon." The smell of coffee had me standing bolt upright. Mm mm...Caffeine. After the dream I had, caffeine sounded fabulous. Richland had two steaming mugs of coffee in hand while he waited for me to finish my stretches.

  "How did you know I would wake up soon?" They all seemed one step ahead of me.

  "I knew you had to wake up sometime. You have died many different ways but death by sleep hasn't been one of them." God, why did he have to remind me of my many lives and many deaths? I didn't want to remember how one of them had been at Sebastian's hand because that would just lead in to the memory of our kiss. Now I knew why Jonathon carried so much hate for Sebastian. He had killed the women that he loved.

  "Don't even remind me." I took a deep drink out of the mug he had handed me. Even though the coffee was far too hot to drink it still felt good as it burned a path down my throat. I was a coffee junkie, what could I say?

  "What, too soon?" He shot me a wicked grin. Yes, jokes about my death would always be too soon.

  "I can't believe you let me sleep all day."

  "Don't you mean two days?" I let his words sink in. I had slept for two days. No wonder my body ached and my head felt like it had been kicked in by a horse.

  "Are you sure?" I had never slept for even an entire day in my whole life and now all of a sudden I could sleep for two and the sad part was that I couldn't even put that in the top five of the weirdest things that had ever happened to me anymore.

  "Yes, I do know how to read a calendar. When the sun rises and falls twice in the sky it generally means two days." His sarcasm was not amusing. "Hence the coffee readily available; I had to keep awake somehow." He nodded taking a drink out of his mug. I looked him over. He did look disheveled and the dark circles under his eyes defined lack of sleep.

  "If I was out cold why did you not sleep?" A twinge of guilt crept through me at the fact that it was my fault he looked like death warmed over.

  "Boss’ orders." Why, oh, why did everyone seem to follow what Sebastian said? Even I was guilty of that hence the fact that I was still here.

  "Where is Sebastian anyways?" I knew he had a day job but being here in his house without him felt odd. Plus, we had a deal. He had things he needed to tell me.

  "He is out but left strict instructions to call him as soon as you wake." I wanted to talk to him but that kiss in my latest dream made any further conversations more complicated. I didn't want to talk about either one. I knew technically we had been far more intimate. But that was another life, another time. It was easier to make myself believe that it wasn't truly me. Richland had left me with my coffee and thoughts while he excused himself to call Sebastian and inform him that his prisoner was awake. I could hear his muffled voice in the next room. The conversation was short and to the point, I suppose, because Richland had made it back in the room before any in depth conversation could take place.

  "He will be here in a few hours," he said taking a seat next to me on the couch.

  "So what’s stopping me from leaving? I don't want to be stuck here for another few hours." So far Richland and been the only one that hadn't done anything wrong or maybe it was just a matter of time before I had some vision, memory, dream, or whatever you want to call it that showed his true colors as well. But for now I would give him the benefit of the doubt.

  "I'm sorry for snapping at you but I have a job I need to get back to as well as a room that has a bed that won't send me into a blubbering heap on the floor."

  Richland had said that I was asleep for two days but I was still utterly exhausted. He gave me a sympathetic look. Wow, his eyes where so much like mine.

  "I heard about what happened." How much did he know? Did Sebastian give him all the details up to and including our kiss? I sounded like a child but it was not every day that someone knowingly kissed their murderer and liked it.

  "How can you stay with him? If I was your sister then it was your sister he murdered all those years ago." He looked down at the mug he clutched in his hands. A great sadness that always appeared when anyone spoke of her wiped the happiness right off his face.

  "He did not murder my sister. Alesiya was your third life." From what I had gathered Alexandria was my first life, so if Alesiya was my third, then who was I in my second life?

  "My third; I was someone else in between?" I felt my brows pinched together as I finished the question.

  "Your second life was a fluke. You died even before anyone knew you had been reborn. Your family
felt your death and rejoiced with little care as to who witnessed them." My family rejoiced at my death. What had I done that made them hate me so? I chose to hold on to that instead of how he just defined one of my lives as a fluke. I needed someone that I didn't despise right about now.

  "We were born together, as twins, in the summer of seventeen-seventy; nine years after Alexandria died."

  Two things struck me hard: One, Richland was my twin. I stared at him trying to find anything that would prove him right. We stood at the exact same height and our eyes where exactly the same. I leaned forward; he even had the same odd green spec that sat in the pupil of his right eye. The second thing that had struck me was I had been young when Sebastian had stuck a dagger in my heart. Twenty-five if I had done my math correctly.

  "It's true. Well sort of, Alesiya and I where twins. Not you and I of course, but with each life from then on you still have kept the few things that made us twins."

  I remembered now how Sebastian told me that Alexandria was before Richland's time. The never ending flood of information that I waded into was beginning to wear down on my ability to be surprised. It kind of made sense though. I had noticed our similarities right away and the feeling of kinship was quite strong even though at the time I didn't recognize it as so. It was hard to believe that only a week ago I was living a very sheltered life, tucked away from anything supernatural.

  "Are you reincarnated?" He hadn't regained his handsome smile and I felt a flicker of pain in my heart.

  "Alexis, you are the only one to bear that particular curse. I am Lupo, like Sebastian." That didn't make any sense. If we were twins how can I be a witch reincarnate and him be a werewolf?

  "I made a choice after Alesiya died. I knew that she would come back, maybe not as her but as someone else. So I chose to become Lupo so I never really had to lose my sister." He answered my question even before I asked it. He had given up his humanity for her. I knew twins had a deeper connection than regular siblings and I guess it made sense if you had the ability to stay with her in some form or the other you would choose to no matter what that took.