"Tell me of her." I wanted their story. Maybe it would access those memories of hers I had. I could give Richland what he had given up everything for.
"I want to, I do. But I can't, it would be too dangerous right now. The Vero is nothing to mess with." Was it really that strong that even two days later it still made me vulnerable? I relaxed my body and felt for that hum that was a constant along my tattoo. Nothing, my superpowers where still on the fritz.
"Well then, if my answers are going to be limited I'm out of here. People are probably looking for me." The only other people that would be looking for me would be Jo or Jonathon and I didn't really care if either of them found me at the present time, but I needed an excuse to get the hell out of there. I could not be stuck there any longer. The Vero be damned. As far as I knew there were only four people in this town that could use its affects to their advantage. All I had to do was steer clear of them. But I needed one question answered before I would go.
"Sebastian said that animals weren't the only things out there that could hurt me. What did he mean?" He began fidgeting with a frayed string in the seam of the couch those same hazel eyes purposely avoiding my gaze. He was nervous.
"I don't know what he was talking about. You'll just have to wait ‘till he gets back to ask him." The hell I will.
"No can do, buddy. I have things to do, places to be, and here is not one of them." I grabbed my bag that was leaning against the couch and headed for the door. The only reason I was here in the first place was for answers and those had just been cut off.
"You can't even if you tried. Sebastian placed an entrapment charm around the entire house. We're both trapped here."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The door opened before I was hit square in the face with an invisible wall. No matter how hard I hit, kicked or ran into it, I was stuck. That mother fucker had really made me his prisoner. What kind of witch was I turning out to be? Trapped in a house in the middle of nowhere and no way to get myself out.
"How did he do that?" I swiveled on my heels, glaring at Richland who had since followed me to watch my failures from the entryway.
"You mean how did he do magic? Were you not paying attention to his story at all?" I thought back to his story. I hadn't given much thought to the beginning. That night’s end had definitely thrown me through a loop. He had spoken of our families and their ties.
"He was one of the main families in our village. La Elektita governed over them." That made sense. He had said that our families were prominent.
"Yes, there were three families that held the highest positions under La Elektita. He was a witch first."
"Then how did he become a werewolf?" That part was the most confusing and becoming the most intriguing.
"That is not my story to tell. One of the rules we carry is to never tell the stories of others. Well, you being the exception."
All I could do was shrug. What should I even say to that? I guess I could jump up and down and pout about how it wasn't fair. I could continue to try to break out of a magical prison but I doubt that would get me very far.
"Is there at least something to eat in this house?" My stomach was in knots from lack of food. I always thought about dieting but this is not the way I had thought it would go.
"Of course, I've been stuck in here almost as long as you." Sebastian must have used magic to keep us in not too long after Richland returned. What a douche.
"Did he really think I needed a twenty-four hour babysitter?" The fridge was now stocked to the point of overflow. Now this I could handle. I grabbed a package of steaks and peeled corn on the cob and set it out on the counter.
"He didn't know when the Vero would wear off and he couldn't risk you breaking through his spell." I was really that strong. If I could I would give myself a pat on the back right about now but the fact that I was powerless at the moment squashed any self-praise. I rummaged around in the cabinets looking for potatoes. Steak didn't work without potatoes.
"And Alexis, please for the love of Gods, stop calling me a babysitter. Frankly, it’s demeaning for a man such as myself." He spun around giving me a three-sixty view. I really hope he didn't prove to be anyone but who he was right now.
"Do you know if he brought potatoes?" Where in the hell would he have put a bag of potatoes? I looked in every cabinet in his kitchen.
"Finally, a question that I can actually help with." He popped off a stool that he had been spinning himself in during our conversation and walked towards the fridge. He put potatoes in the fridge? Sure enough he pushed aside a block of cheese revealing a small bag of potatoes.
"Why did he put them in the refrigerator?" I asked, still rummaging through its contents.
"I was born in a time when the woman of the house dealt with things such as this. Is there a problem with the placement of my potatoes?"
I whirled around butter in hand. Sebastian had appeared out of thin air in the middle of the kitchen. At least I could pretend that he had. The idea that he could make such a soundless entry was unnerving.
"I thought you wouldn't be here for another few hours?" I couldn't hold on to my nerves but rather let them show. What did it matter anyway?
"Business concluded early and you are priority at this point." His eyes roamed my body. They held a heat that I didn't expect from the tone in his voice. His words were filled with scorn while his eyes clearly felt differently.
"Traitor," I grumbled towards Richland. He should have given me some sort of warning that Sebastian had come in the room.
"What?" He shot back, hands thrown in the air in mock surrender. I may be the Alesiya reincarnate but I wasn't truly his sister. He had no loyalties to me.
"You know, you're not supposed to put potatoes in the fridge. It makes them sweet and gritty." I didn't know why I threw out that little factoid. If I had to fathom a guess I would say I was stalling.
"Well, thank you for enlightening me. Next time I won't make that mistake." He was patronizing me but I didn't care. I was more concerned about the look on his face. He remained across the kitchen which was a good thing—distance was a good thing.
"Are you hungry? I'm starved; being in a magically induced coma while trapped inside your house really takes it out of a girl." I knew my sarcasm wasn't going to do me any good but I couldn't concentrate through his mixed signals. I tried to stay mad at him. I knew I should be furious but with him standing there, staring at me like that, I couldn't. He looked like any business man would after a long day at the office. His white shirt was already half unbuttoned and his tie hung loose around his neck. The shirt was only tucked halfway into a pair of black slacks and he had even taken his shoes and socks off. He was sneaky, and that scared me.
"Were you planning to be nude for dinner?" I purposefully swept my eyes up his disheveled body. My attentions sat off a minute ripple in his defined muscles. Each one moved with my acknowledgment. That was the first animal-like quality I had noticed. How many others did he have and I had just chalked them up to just another of his oddities?
"Not unless you want me to?" His mood swings had to go. I couldn't deal with them.
"Not particularly." I wasn't lying. I didn't want him to. I didn't think I would have the control I needed to hold on. Plus, killing me was something I wasn't willing to brush under the rug just yet.
"Thank you for that." Richland said, taking the bag of potatoes to the sink. "I'll wash and slice the potatoes and you can man the steaks, sound good?" Richland was the perfect blend of the old times and the new. He would make a perfect husband someday. That was probably why he didn't seem to have a girlfriend. Most women tend to stick men like him in the friend zone, no matter how cocky, cute, or rich they may be. Perfect just didn't do it for them. I made my point by giving my murderer one last appreciative look. The man had murdered me and my body still craved his.
"Do you want to deal with the corn?" I wanted Sebastian to help. It would give us a chance to talk in a normal setting.
"No, I h
ave work to do. I'll be in my room, call me when it’s done." With that he turned and headed back towards the door. Richland didn't comment but instead got to work.
"I thought work was done for the day." I called after him but with little luck in getting a response.
"You know I'm not going anywhere near his room," I told Richland as I unwrapped the steaks and began rubbing them with a thick seasoning.
"I didn't think you would," he said, finally letting a bit of his normal charm slip back through.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The blood curdling scream was the first sign that the Vero had finished its job. Uncontrollable pain shot through my chest causing me to drop my empty plate. Glass shattered and slid across the floor in every direction. The pain had never been this bad. Richland was at my side to hold me up as my body was racked with waves of pain emanating from my tattoo. Within seconds Sebastian was at my other side, both directing me to the bedroom. The screams were ripped from my chest with each wave up pain.
"No! I don't want to be anywhere near that bed." I couldn't do it, even if I wasn't visited with the same memory I couldn't go anywhere near that room. Without an argument they both turned in unison and walked me to the couch.
"What is going on?" Richland's voice was panicked. I couldn't help but panic with him. If he didn't know what was going on I definitely had a reason to worry.
"The Vero has worn off. Her body is now free to feel everything it couldn't during the time that it was being suppressed." I couldn't see through the tears that had begun to well up and impede my vision.
"How long will this last?" Each word came between whimpers of pain. If he only had a time frame it would make it bearable. My tears finally slipped free and slid down my face. They felt like fire along my skin. Igniting even harsher screams of pain.
"I do not know the answer to that." His words were hard and cold.
"Her face!" The urgency in Richland's voice had the tears coming faster, burning against my cornea.
"What about my face?" I reached up to touch it. I drew back soaked fingers. I still couldn't see but it felt thicker than regular tears. What is wrong with me?
"It is her body rejecting the last of the Vero. The amount that still courses through her is far too small to fight against her will." A sense of pride broke through his hollow explanation.
"Will she heal?" I couldn't stand to hear Richland's worry any longer.
"What is wrong with me?" I screamed the question as I tried to push myself off the couch that they had sat me on.
"Alexis, the Vero runs through your veins. It is in your blood. The only way your body has to fight against it is to push it out in the quickest manner possible." I still didn't understand what that had to do with my face and why it would cause Richland to question if I would heal. They let me push myself off the couch. Richland dabbed a soft, damp towel against my pain ridden-face. I couldn't tell which was worse the fire that flowed from my eyes or the pain that burned across my chest.
"Sister, if you insist on seeing what has happened to you, at least let me wash away some of the horror."
I let him wash away some of my tears. I didn't see what good it would do. They were still relentless in their strength. Sebastian had abandoned me to my pursuit. I took that as his disapproval. The one lesson that they all needed to learn was, I didn't give a damn what they wanted. I found my bag with Richland's help and dug through it. The pain that hammered into me with the same strength of the tears that fired down my face had me gasping for breath. Finally I found what I was searching for and flipped the compact open.
Wide purple eyes stared back at me from a burn-ridden face. I watched in horror as tears slid down my cheeks, burning its path into my skin.
"Answer him! Will it fucking heal?" I stared harder into the mirror letting out a shocked gasp. Every so often a flame or two licked its way up my iris. When will it end? I threw my compact at the spelled door, shattering it on impact. I whirled around, crouched on the floor from where I sat in my search for the compact.
"Answer me!" I screamed into the room, igniting more burning tears to free fall down my face. Richland backed away, fear consuming his features.
"It will." The clipped answer wasn't good enough I needed to know more.
"I have never seen Vero act this way." Richland was my saving grace right about now. He gave a voice to every question that I couldn't form through the pain.
"She is strong, her will has forced the power of the Vero out. I have never seen it done before only heard stories."
Rage tore through me at the pride that resided in his words.
"If I am so strong how come I couldn't fight it before?" I didn't want to accept his pride or praise. If I was strong then I would have rejected its effects long before now.
"This particular elixir is stronger than the average one. I have no doubt that if it was of normal stock you would not have had to go through any of this." He began advancing towards me. Maybe he thought his explanation would put a bandage on the pain he had caused me, but it hadn't.
"Stay the hell away from me!"
He stopped in an instant, irritation plain on his face. Richland came towards me instead and I let him. He knelt down, scooped me into his arms and poured all his affection into me. I felt his pain, his sorrow and guilt. He hadn't caused this but yet he felt it all for me. My power was back and in greater force. Sebastian struggled where he stood. I realized with knowledge my power increased.
"Let him go." Richland's words were soothing. "He only wants to help."
"I'll let him go if he keeps his distance. I don't want him to touch me."
"I don't think he could even if he tried." Wait, they had said that my wolfsbane was a shield that none of the Lupo could touch, but here Richland was with his arms encircling and resting against many parts of the flower.
"How are you touching me?"
"It’s a twin thing." His laugh was full and happy pulling a laugh of my own from between my lips. The tears had lessened and the pain they caused had become far weaker.
"Your eyes!" He stared at me in wonder.
"I know they are flaming and purple." I didn't want to be reminded of another problem I had. I just wanted to rest and forget for a moment.
"No, they are fading back into the mirror image of mine."
I wished I hadn't broken my mirror, I wanted visual confirmation that they really were going back to normal. I mentally took stock of the other issues and realized the burning that had spread across my face had died away as well.
"My face, is it normal again?"
All he could do was shake his head up and down as he watched the transformation take place. The pain in my chest still burned and glowed with its presence. One gift at a time.
"Can you stand?" Sebastian had come into my line of sight but stayed out of my personal space.
"There is work to be done." Of course leave it to Sebastian to completely disregard any of this in favor of work. I didn't know if I could stand or that I even wanted to but he was right. I really hated him for being right. I needed more answers, but I also had a little voice in my head telling me to stop both of them and see if I could blast through the entrapment spell placed on the house. Instead I put that plan away for future use. If I didn't like the answers they gave me I would deploy that plan with no notice. Mack's words from my dream floated across my mind. I was safer here than out there. I quickly shoved that advice away. It was only a dream. Richland said it himself, I only dreamed of the past.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Richland handed me a glass of water while I waited for my head to stop pounding. The throbbing had died to a minor pulse, but my tattoo still glowed brighter than ever. He had explained that it was due to the proximity to one of the Lupo and magic that contradicted my own. It was supposed to be a safety measure. A rather painful one if I do say so myself.
"How did you expel the elixir?" Sebastian got right down to business. I almost didn't believe the brief show of concern from
earlier. This distant and straight-forward version of Sebastian was the one I was used to.
"I don't know." That was the honest to God truth. I had no idea. There was a lot of stuff I didn't want to tell him right now but that wasn't one of them. The cool water felt marvelous against my parched throat.
"She wanted to leave," Richland offered by way of a response. I had wanted to leave, but I thought I had come to terms with the fact that I couldn't. I also didn't want to talk to Sebastian, but I left that part alone. They didn't need to know that.
"Your will could no longer wait. It took advantage of the Vero's dwindling presence to push the rest of it out." He talked about my will like it was another being all together. I have always thought your will was an extension of yourself. "Even against your own conscious actions."
"I don't understand." And I didn't. None of this was making sense.
"You are special. In most cases the person controls their will but in your case your will controls you. What you will, it shall be. Mastery of it will prove beneficiary to the future. That is why your family made you, the first child, ever to be a part of the Elektita in our history. They saw what was special in you and sought to use it to their advantage." Here we go, more answers and I made sure not to make a sound. I didn't want to sidetrack him from the wealth of information that I needed.
"They pulled you in when you were but a girl, you were barely nine, it made it much easier that your mother was one of the founding sisters." Yeah, the mother that showed no remorse as her oldest daughter got beaten in front of the entire village.
Aconite (The Elektita Series Book 1) Page 13
