”So, what does that mean? I won’t know until you return?”
“Yes, I guess that’s what it means. And by the way, you will return here to the mansion tomorrow, without any argument. To watch over Millie until we get back.”
“But…”
“Alixia, no argument. We made an agreement, “Fine!”
I flopped down on the couch.
Marguerite’s account
Walking onto the porch at Marguerite’s mansion, I didn’t sense Marcus at all. Marguerite followed me outside.
“I think I’ll sit out here and wait for Marcus to return,” I said. She sat beside me in one of the wooden rocking chairs.
“I’ll keep you company. It’s a little chilly, but not too bad.” She wrapped her jacket tighter.
“So, Alixia, would you like to hear the rest of the story?”
“Sure.”
I swatted a bug. It was still warm enough for them.
“Okay, I left off when Correa took her mother’s life.”
“Yeah, that was so cold-blooded. I don’t think I could have killed my mother, if she had lived.”
“You would have, Alixia. Once you witness their maliciousness…” She paused for a second, not finishing the thought.
“Never mind. You will just have to witness some things before you understand why some have to die. Now, back to the story.
“Correa’s father took her mother’s lifeless body to a cave. He warned her never to tell anyone where her mother was placed, and she kept her father’s confidence. But she was saddened by her father’s obsession with the body. Her father would return to the cave each night to hold a vigil over her, and then return and speak about her as if she were still alive.”
“He was probably like my mother. She did the same thing after my father died.”
“Yes, sometimes the dead do stay alive in our minds. Anyway, on with the story. Three years passed and Correa grew into a beautiful young woman. She fell in love with a boy named Alexandre Constantine. They hid their love from everyone except their good friend, Marcel Levesque.”
“Why?”
“The reason was her father, Alixia. He had a hatred for the French soldiers. He thought they were all evil, bringing sickness and death to the innocent villagers. However, Correa didn’t share that hatred. In fact, she fitted in well with both the townspeople and the soldiers. Because of her light skin color, she could move around freely. Her father noticed this, and occasionally used her to help slaves escape.”
“She helped slaves?”
“Yes, she would guide them to her father and he would take them to a safe haven deep in the jungle, where he hid them in caves.”
“That is so cool.”
“Yes, I guess you can use that term to describe what she did. But her father, on the other hand, wasn’t as cool. It wasn’t out of compassion that he helped them. He only wanted to learn their secret rituals, because Correa’s mother had told him they held strong magic.”
“What kind of magic?” I asked curiously.
“Let’s just say, very poisonous black magic that is still practiced today.”
“Do you practice it?”
“Yes, sometimes. But we will not discuss that. So, back to Correa and Alexandre. They had their little trysts and Marcel would come along to be their lookout. One night when Marcel was waiting for them to finish their tête-à-tête, he went to the river to drink. There, he came upon Correa’s father, carrying out one of the dark rituals. Marcel hid quietly and watched, shocked and yet captivated by what he saw that night. His curiosity became obsessive and he’d head back to the river most nights, hoping to see more. He wanted to witness and learn more of the Priest’s cryptic secrets.
“Then one night, everything changed. Correa arrived crying. She was with child, and knew if her father found out that she was carrying a soldier’s child, she’d be killed and so would Alexandre. They decided to leave for France, where Alexandre thought they would be safe. Leaving their good friend Marcel behind, they journeyed to Paris, married quickly, and a few months later Correa gave birth to a beautiful daughter. She had ivory skin, blue eyes, curly blond hair, and they named her Charlotte.”
“What? No!” I jumped up. “It can’t be. She had twin boys, not Charlotte!”
“No, she had Charlotte first. She was carrying the twin boys when she made her Choice.”
“Wait…” I put my hand up, not believing this. “Then this means I killed her firstborn!”
I walked over to the railing in utter shock and disbelief. Marguerite came up behind me.
“You didn’t know?”
“No, they just told me she was Ambrosine. I had no idea that she was Correa’s first child.”
She patted my shoulder.
“Well, first ease your conscience. She wasn’t Ambrosine. She was never tainted with their blood. She was born before the change came. She got her immortality from Marcel.”
“Yes, I knew that part about her and Marcel. But what I don’t understand is why were they so protective of her if she didn’t have the blood of Ambrosine.”
“She was protected because she was Correa’s only daughter. She was never supposed to be destroyed. And if she did cause problems, she was always dealt with in other ways. Until you...”
“…killed her.” I finished her sentence, and sat in a rocker.
“Marguerite, why do you think it was kept from me?”
She pressed her lips together, staring at me.
“I don’t know. Maybe they were waiting for when you finished the rest of your training in the Ambrosine Family.”
I sat up in my chair.
“There’s more!”
“Alixia, there is so much more for you to understand about their world. There are hidden secrets that only the Ambrosines are privy to. I’m sure your mother must have had told you that?”
“Yes, she did say something about going to France, where the Dominions… Oh, wait,” I said in a sarcastic tone. “That was a lie, too. The Dominions are in the West Indies.”
She raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. “You are a difficult young lady to understand. You have a lot of bitterness for someone who is so loved within the Families.”
“I’m not that difficult. It is just being lied to at every turn, Marguerite. It makes me distrustful.”
She leaned forward in the rocker.
“But there are good reasons for the lies and deceptions. They protect the Family. And as soon as you understand that, the better off you will be.”
I sat back in the rocker, not wanting to debate with her. But she made me wonder how many more lies were out there.
“Marguerite, let’s just get back to the story. I really don’t want to argue about this.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Maybe it will help you understand. Okay, a year after Charlotte was born, Correa started having bad dreams about her father calling out to her. He was tormenting her with visions of death. This, of course, made her even more fearful of him.
“One night when Alexandre was away on business, Marcel showed up on Correa’s doorstep. She knew right away what had happened to him.
“You know what I am?” he asked. She nodded, pushing him back out into the darkness. She called out to her staff, telling them to watch over Charlotte. Then she took him to an old abandoned guesthouse on her estate. They sat with a lantern between them and Marcel told her what had happened. He described how he had gone back several times to watch her father preform rituals. And then, one night, they were waiting for him. They dragged him to a cave, where a woman was lying on an altar. They bent him over her so that he could look down at her face, which was white as alabaster. Then they cut into his throat – not enough to kill him – and he watched his blood drip onto her lips. They began to chant in an African tongue. Then he watched as her father went to the woman’s side and bent over her body. He kissed her on her bloodstained lips, and pulled a knife from her chest.
“Suddenly, her eyes opened! They wer
e as black as coal. She reached up and grabbed Marcel with a strength he had never felt before. Correa’s father called out to her, telling her not to destroy him. They needed him, he said.
“She pulled him close, so close that he could feel her cold breath. She asked: “ Live or die?” She was giving him the Choice! He told her: “Live” And that is when she bit into him.”
“Wait, wait! Back up. So, the knife hadn’t destroyed her mother?”
“No, the only ritual to destroy them back then before the Change was to remove their hearts and burn them in a fire. That’s why Correa’s father knew that he could bring her mother back to life. That’s why he learned the black magic rituals.”
“But why would he bring her back?”
“Love, Alixia. He couldn’t be without her any longer. And there was another reason: he was obsessed with the powers she had, and could give him.”
“So, what you’re saying is she changed him so that they could be together?”
“No.”
“No? But you just said…”
“I said he wanted it, but I didn’t say that she gave it to him. Instead, she demanded something before she would change him.”
“What was that?’
“Her daughter.”
“She wanted her daughter? Why.”
“The Dark Ones’ only obsessions in the beginning of their change are blood, and their children. They start looking for both right away. That is why the Ambrosines move quickly to kill: they know the Dark Ones will try to seduce their own children into their domain.”
“That is insane. I can’t believe they would go after their own children. Did Marcel come to take Correa back to her mother, then?”
“No, he didn’t. As Marcus cares for you, so Marcel cared for her. And remember, he was given the Choice so he had free will. His vendetta wasn’t against her, anyway. It was against her parents, for taking him into the darkness.”
And then I sensed Marcus close by.
“Marguerite, Marcus is coming and he’s not alone.”
“Okay. We will talk later. Remember, not a word to anyone.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
I stood up, not really caring about the story anymore. I just wanted Marcus’s arms around me again. He walked out of the shadows with his friends following him. They looked ghostlike, and seemed to glide effortlessly toward us.
“Alixia,” Marcus said, taking me into his arms and giving me a kiss. “Let me introduce you to my friends.”
I looked over them intently. There were the four young men whom I had sensed last night, but the girl I had heard was missing.
“This is Ethan,” Marcus said.
“Hello,” I greeted him, taken aback by his dark eyes as he nodded, yet kept his distance from me.
“Next,” Marcus said, waving them forward. “These are Olitha’s brothers.”
I looked at him, shocked.
“Yes. Jon, Paul, and Ryan.”
“Hi.”
How tragic. Three brothers’ souls.
I watched as two of them just lowered their eyes, not saying a word. But one showed no fear and walked right up to me, taking my hand.
“Hello, I’m Paul.” He pointed to the smallest of them. “Jon is my younger brother, and Ryan here, he’s the oldest.
“Well, it’s nice to meet all of you.”
Marguerite spoke up. For a second, I had forgotten she was there.
“Come now, let’s go inside and give Marcus and Alixia some time together, before she has to leave in the morning.”
“You’re leaving?” Marcus asked, squeezing my hand.
“Yes, but not for long.”
”How long?” Behind him, Paul opened the door for Marguerite.
“Boys, as I said, let’s give them some privacy.”
“Thank you.” Marcus wrapped his arm around my waist as we watched them go.
“Okay. What’s this all about?”
“Millie.”
“Millie?”
“Yes, I’m sorry but I’ve been asked to stay with Millie until Marguerite and Madame Cecilia return from the West Indies.”
“They’re going to the West Indies. Why?”
“Well, evidently to defend you.”
He stepped back from me.
“Is this a joke?”
“No. Madame Cecilia says they’re going to try to talk the Dominions into sparing your life. I’m still anxious about believing that she will help…”
I looked at him. I could sense that he wasn’t even listening.
“Marcus, what’s the matter?”
“I just don’t know if I can let you go again. I mean, I’m glad that Madame Cecilia is trying to help, but why can’t Millie just come here? She’ll be safe.”
“I know,” I said moving in closer to him. “I already tried talking her into that. But Millie wouldn’t hear of it. She isn’t comfortable being around you, after what happened.”
“I wasn’t the one who went after her.”
“I know, but in her mind you’re all evil. Hopefully, I can change her mind when it comes to you.”
”Well, she had better change.”
He kissed me.
“I’m not giving you up.”
“She knows that.”
I could sense that it wasn’t only Millie he was thinking about. It was Phillip, too.
“Marcus, you have to trust me. “
He looked at me, startled.
“You were in my mind?”
“Yes. And stop this jealousy of Phillip. We need him!”
“Okay, okay. I don’t want to talk about him. Let’s go.”
“Go? Where?”
“Just come with me.”
He took my hand.
“Ready?”
I nodded. I felt the power between us start to intensify as an accelerated rush went through our bodies, propelling us into the night air. Marcus guided me as we wove in and out of the swamp and over the countryside, like a quick breeze passing through. I looked over at Marcus. He was smiling at me. He pulled me closer as we descended to the ground. The moon was bright, illuminating a path for us. We made our way into a cavern in a hillside. Walking inside a few feet, there was a deep hole in front of us. Marcus looked at me boyishly.
“Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Alixia!”
“Oh, okay.”
He took me in his arms and we jumped into the abyss, going straight down until we reached the bottom. He set me down gently and turned me away from him.
“Okay, open your eyes.”
It was exquisite! There were lit candles all around us reflecting on jagged crystals hanging from the roof. I stood there in awe.
“It’s beautiful, Marcus.”
He moved in closer, wrapping me up in his arms.
“Yes, and private too. They can’t get into our heads down here.”
“Really?”
“This is where Marguerite took me until I could control my urges. And it’s a safe place from the Ambrosines, too. So, we have the rest of the night without interruptions from anyone’s realms.”
I listened. Nothing. My mind was clear.
“Oh, Marcus you’re right. They’re out of my head!“
“Told you. Come.”
We walked over to the left side of the cave, where there was a cot made up into a bed, a small oak table and a couple of straight back chairs.
“You actually lived down here?”
“Yes. And I still come here when I want to get away.”
“I can see why. It’s so peaceful. I like having this sensation back, having nobody else in my head.”
“I know. It’s great, huh?”
I kissed him.
“Yes, it is.”
Looking around, taking in the beauty of the crystals, I felt as if we were in a fantasy world – like the ones I had imagined when I was a little girl playing freely in the orchard. There was even a small spring, streaming its way through an op
ening in the back of the cave. I walked over and sat down by it. Putting my hand in the water, I let it gently weave through my fingertips. Marcus sat close as I felt the water warming. I sighed, taking my hand out quickly before the water started bubbling around it. I snuggled into Marcus, feeling the coldness of his chest. He kissed my neck lightly.
”Marcus? “
“Yes,”
“Do you think we should trust them?”
“Who?”
“Madame Cecilia and the rest of the Ambrosines.”
He kissed me again.
“Don’t worry. Marguerite won’t let anything happen to us.”
“But what if it’s a trick?“
He squeezed me playfully.
“You have to stop with the suspicions.”
How could I stop? He is so naïve.
“Marcus, I’m trying.”
I sat up and moved out of his embrace a little.
“But I just can’t shake the feeling that something is not quite right. Especially with Madame Cecilia supposedly being on our side now.”
“Okay, if it will make you happier we will both keep our guard up. Now move back over here.”
I scooted over, smiling at him.
“I have something for you,” he said. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box with a white ribbon, and handed it to me.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
I took one end of the ribbon and pulled gently, letting it drop to my lap. Opening the box slowly, I looked down, overwhelmed. It was a ring, an oval emerald with small white diamonds encircling it.
“Marcus, it’s beautiful.”
He took the ring from the box and placed it on my finger.
“I want you with me always,” he said, tenderly.
I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him passionately. He leaned me back, laying me down. I looked into his dark blue eyes as they drew me in so deeply that I could no longer help myself.
I reached into his mind and sensed an unwavering obsession for me as he kissed my neck. His hands moved as if he were a sculptor, up and down my body, wanting to know every inch of me, sending me into an ecstasy of restlessness.
The Legacy (Ambrosine Book 2) Page 5
