“That sucks. It was only a dream, though.” He rubbed her arms.
“I know.”
“Do you normally have dreams about her?”
“Not like that. I did when I was younger.”
“Maybe it’s just because you’re thinking about her a lot.”
Ava shrugged. “Do you ever wonder why you were chosen?”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “Chosen for what?”
“This life.”
“We weren’t. We were born into this. We were chosen for this particular Aureole. It feels natural. Like I was supposed to do this. Don’t you?”
“I do, but a part of me keeps fighting with it, as if I’m not meant for this.”
“You only think that because of your lack of powers. You’ll get more. You’re meant for this. Besides, if you weren’t an Enchanter, I’d probably be with someone I didn’t like.” He smiled—a smile that could make any woman melt. Except Ava.
“Do you like me?”
Thomas grimaced. “Of course I do. I love you. Why would you think otherwise?”
“You’ve been so petulant. Ever since I turned you down.”
“Petulant?”
She sighed at his ignorance. “Irritable. And you’ve been aggressive.”
“Oh. Right. I’m sorry if I’ve been that way. It’s just football and hormones. And this incredible energy flowing through me. Don’t you feel it?”
“No. I don’t.”
“Maybe because you’re afraid to give it your all. If you get all this emotional crap out of your system, you’ll be able to focus. We need you and we can’t have you unbalanced because of whatever’s going on in your life.”
Her heart sank, and the anger began to simmer inside her. Was he really more worried about the mission than her? She’d just opened her heart to him, and this was his suggestion? “You are an incredibly selfish jerk,” she snapped, and pushed him away.
“What?”
“That’s it. We’re done.” Ava clenched her teeth and took a step away from him, but he caught her arm.
“What’s your problem? Dammit, Ava. I’m trying to help. Why do you get so pissed off?”
“I just opened up to you, and you want me to get this emotional crap out of my system? I’m sorry if my problems are impeding you.”
“I didn’t mean that.” He held her in place. “I just meant, for you to feel all this energy, and for us to be prepared, you gotta clear your mind. You heard Colden and Savina. I know it’s a hard time, but come on. I’m just trying to help.”
“By making me feel like a burden?”
Thomas groaned. “You’re not a burden.”
“Yeah,” she said icily and jerked her arm out of his grasp.
He tried holding her hand, once they entered the school, but she slapped it away. Ava saw Peter through the crowded hallway, and immediately looked away, hoping he wouldn’t see her with Thomas. Ava reached her locker and opened it.
“Babe, don’t be mad,” Thomas said. “I suck at trying to explain myself. I’m sorry.”
She grabbed the books she needed and slammed the door. “Whatever.”
He sighed, and then leaned down. Ava tried backing away, but his lips were on hers. A rush of excitement enveloped her, and her insides twisted. She felt his love and was sure both their necklaces glowed.
“What was that?” she asked.
He leaned closer to her ear. “That’s the fire burning inside me.” It probably should have sent shivers down her spine, but it didn’t.
When he pulled away, Ava was embarrassed seeing Melissa and Gillian walk up.
“Whoa.” Melissa fanned them. “Someone put the fire out.”
Gillian giggled. “You two are so cute.”
“See ya later.” Thomas smiled and left.
Ava sighed. Why did she have such an intense feeling when he kissed her? It had been a while since Thomas kissed her like that. Was it his powers? She strode to class with Melissa and took her seat still in a daze.
“What was that all about?” Melissa asked.
“Whoever made these necklaces was the dumbest person,” Ava said.
She nodded. “Yeah, I agree. But I told you that you and Thomas would get back to where you were.”
“Yeah. Sure. He told me to stop being so emotional because we needed to focus.”
“Ah. So that’s why you were angry earlier.”
Curse this necklace.
After algebra, she went to chemistry, still thinking about Thomas’s kiss. She opened her book to try to figure out derivatives. She had to or she wouldn’t pass. Or maybe she just wanted to think about something else.
Peter slid into the desk next to her. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She felt her cheeks fill with blood. Why was she blushing around Peter? She never had before. Was it because she was thinking about Thomas and felt guilty, even though she should feel guilty thinking about Peter all the time.
“Will you be here tomorrow?” he asked, seemingly to be polite.
“I should be, why?”
“I wasn’t sure if you would be absent or not for your birthday.”
“Oh. I’ll be here. Why?”
He hesitated. “I sorta got you something.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” There was no way she could hide a present from Peter from Thomas. “Why don’t you come over tonight?”
He paused. “Sure. I have work, but I’ll swing by afterwards.”
“Cool.”
Peter wasn’t his usual cheerful self. His eyes seemed sad. Or confused. Disappointed. Ava couldn’t figure it out. He focused on the lecture, and at times, she would glance at him, but he didn’t seem to notice. Was something bothering him?
He walked beside Ava to her locker but was quiet. The awkward silence annoyed her.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, and fished out her psychology book.
“No. I’ll call you when I get off tonight,” he said.
“Okay.” She watched him walk down the hallway, and hoped he’d be all right. She wished she had more time to talk to him, but maybe they could later.
Thomas was right on time, and they made their way to the cafeteria. Ava looked at Xavier’s table. They carried on like normal. If they really were Enchanters, why did they come to school every day? Unless they were scoping out more Ephemerals. No one believed her, but how could they explain someone like Kristen suddenly changing like that? Or Seth who completely avoided his friends. She shuddered, and sat across from Gillian.
“Oh, Ava, are you okay?” she asked, twirling a black curl around her finger.
“Yeah.”
“Why were you sad last night?”
Melissa slammed her book on the table, and plopped down next to Ava. “Ugh, I swear I’m going to put a spell on Mrs. Norris.”
“Why?” Ava asked. “What’d she do?”
“She gave me an F on my test. I studied for that thing.” Melissa narrowed her green eyes. “She actually told me that maybe I should spend more time studying and less time being a teenager.”
Gillian dropped her jaw. “She said that?”
“I thought you didn’t believe in school work,” Ava said.
“That’s not the point,” Melissa snapped.
“Mel, calm down,” Lance said, and placed a tray with a salad in front of her.
“What’s your deal?” Thomas asked.
“She wants to do something to Mrs. Norris,” Ava replied.
Thomas laughed. “Like what? Turn invisible and scare her into having a heart attack?”
Melissa thought it over. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”
“What?” Ava asked. “You can’t be serious.”
Melissa shrugged. “She’d die of natural causes.”
“What is with you? We’re supposed to protect them.”
“Yeah. I know why you want to.” Ava hoped no one else knew what Melissa meant. “I’m so sick of you getting on my case like I’m a bad person.”
“I’m not.”
“I mean, do you really think I’m going to hurt anyone?”
“Mel, lay off,” Thomas said. “She had a rough night last night.”
“I don’t care.”
What was with her today? Ava knew this attitude wasn’t simply because of a test.
“You should care,” Thomas told her. “She had a dream about her mom’s death.”
Ava’s stomach dropped, and she threw Thomas a glare. “Why’d you say that?”
“They need to know.”
“Your mom died years ago,” Melissa said. “You should just get over it.”
Ava shifted her glare to Melissa, and her necklace grew warm. “Go to hell.”
“Babe, come on,” Thomas said.
She snatched up her backpack, and hurried out of the lunchroom. She thrust open the bathroom door and it slammed into the concrete wall with a loud crack. Ava gripped the edges of the sink and took several deep breaths.
How could Melissa say such a thing? And Thomas lost her trust again. What was going on with them? Had their powers made them act so differently? Where was this perfect love and perfect trust?
She peered into the mirror, and the hole in the wall behind her drew her attention. What looked like the outline of the curved rectangular door handle had imprinted into the concrete wall.
Ava turned around and examined the damages. “Did I do this?” She brushed over the hole, and loose bits of concrete fell to the floor. “That’s impossible.”
The bell rang, startling her. She fled the room to avoid others from coming in there, and mingled with the dense crowd. She felt a hand pull her arm.
Thinking it was Melissa, she cursed, and then turned around. Ava felt her shoulders go limp with relief at the sight of Peter. “Hey.”
He gave an uneasy grin, and pulled her outside into the small, empty courtyard. It was a space for seniors to enjoy their lunches, except it only held maybe ten picnic tables.
“I saw you rushing out of the lunchroom,” he said. “What happened?”
“Oh. Melissa and Thomas upset me.”
“I’m sorry. He upsets you a lot, you know that?”
“Just lately.”
“What’s going on? You seem distraught.”
She twirled her ring around her finger. “It’s just been a bad day.”
The late bell rang, but they ignored it.
“I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot lately. Which is strange, because I usually only do that around the anniversary.”
“I imagine since it’s getting closer to your birthday and holidays thinking about her is stronger. At least, it’s like that with me.”
Ava nodded, but it was something else entirely that made her think about her mom. “I would give anything to talk to her again. I just miss her so much. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about her. And I wonder if she would be proud of me. Or would she be disappointed in my choices?” She took a deep breath and pushed the tears back. “Melissa told me I should be over it.”
“What? How dare she say that?”
“She’s right. It’s been ten years and I still get so upset.”
“Ava, there’s never a time limit on grief.”
“I had a bad dream last night. And Thomas just told them all about it. I trusted him not to say anything. But he keeps saying they need to know.”
“Why haven’t you talked to them about it?”
Ava shrugged. “I just feel like they won’t understand. And Melissa’s comments clearly proved that. It’s almost like I feel closer to you than them.”
He took her hand in his. It was warm and comforting, and it jolted her heart awake.
“Ava, I have to ask something,” he said.
She stiffened. “Okay.”
“Have you only been talking to me because you’ve been having problems with him?”
“It does seem that way, doesn’t it?”
“A bit.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “It’s not like that at all. Everything about me now is just confusing. The only thing that makes sense anymore is you and me, but even that’s getting difficult.” Her lips trembled, but she let the words freely escape. “I’m changing, and there are…” She paused. How could she explain it to him? “Things I have to do now. Things that I’m unsure about and I don’t know what to do. And I’m fearing…” She stopped. Fearing for my life.
Peter drew his brows together. His brown eyes were full of concern. “Ava, you’re shaking. What kind of trouble are you in?”
Her eyes blurred. She didn’t know how to answer that.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“No.”
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and relaxed. Except that her heart pounded. Ava resisted the want, the need, the curiosity of having his lips on hers. So many urges she abstained forced tears to the forefront of her eyes. She took a deep breath.
“Ava.” He paused. “Do you love Thomas?”
She drew back. “It’s…complicated.”
“Complicated,” he echoed, shaking his head.
Ava wanted to brush her fingers through his thick hair and trace the smooth outline of his face. Feel the small dimple in his right cheek when he smiled. How was she supposed to end her friendship with him? This was ridiculous. She couldn’t do that.
So what if her parents were Enchanters. Didn’t she have a choice on how to live? Her friends had obviously not taken the oath seriously. Wouldn’t she be safer from Devon if she carried on without using her powers? She couldn’t tell her dad about her feelings. What about Colden? Would he help her? He had no power. Would he resent her for not wanting to be an Enchanter?
“Whoa, what’s that?”
“What?”
Peter pointed to her necklace, and she froze. Ava looked down and silently cursed. She quickly moved the glowing pendant under her sweater. “It’s nothing.” A few seconds later, she felt her friends’ worry. Would she ever get used to that?
He chuckled, bringing her up short. “That’s neat. My cousin has a ring that does that. She presses a button, and it lights up.”
She was relieved that he didn’t think anything about the necklace.
“I should go,” she said. “But we can talk tonight.”
“I can call into work if you want.”
“No. Your job is important.”
“I think you’re more important. It’s a measly retail job, Ava. It’s not like I’m going to stay there forever.” He gave her a lopsided smile.
She would love to spend the entire evening with him, but she had to go to the cabin and channel with the others. “I just have to do something first. But I’ll see you tonight.”
“Yeah.” He hugged her, and then she left the courtyard.
Ava wasn’t going to class. She wanted to talk to Colden. Would he be there? Would he be upset that Ava came without invitation? Savina had mentioned that they were there for them.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
DEVOTION
Driving on the same winding path as three weeks before, and just as nervous, she searched for the mansion. The road was lined with tall arched trees that blocked the sunlight. The lush green colors seemed odd in November. Ava braked at the entrance. A high stone wall surrounded the property with a black iron gate in the center held by two columns. Black raven statues perched atop each column. She let up on the brake and eased through the open gates.
To her amazement, the mansion was still intact. Her heart thrummed against her chest, and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Her necklace warmed, and she grasped it.
Ava opened the car door. She hesitated a moment, and then got out. A breeze blew, removing some color off the trees. It was colder than it was when she left school. She closed the car, and made her way to the front door, never taking her eyes from it. Not knowing what to say, part of her wished Savina or Colden wouldn’t be home. Don’t back out now.
She knocked on the door, and waited. Seconds later, it opened. Savina stood with a quizzical look on her pale face.
“Ava,” she said. “What is bothering you?”
Ava’s words seem to be stuck in her throat, but her courage returned after a few seconds. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know who else to talk to.”
“Please, come inside.” Savina moved aside to let her in.
Ava remained on the doorstep. “I would’ve come to you earlier, but you vanished.” She raised her voice. “For ten years. I thought you were supposed to be there for us.” She stared into Savina’s green eyes.
“Please, Ava, come inside. We will talk.” Her voice was firm, yet soft.
She crossed the threshold, and then followed Savina to the same room as the other night. She stopped in the doorway. Colden was talking to a man who stood by the fireplace with an arm propped on the mantle. Dressed in a black suit, the tall, slim man turned to her. His cropped brown hair looked almost black, as did his small goatee. He had slight laugh lines around his russet eyes, and he looked as if he were in his forties.
“Ava.” The man beamed. “I am so grateful to meet you finally.” He spoke eloquently in a Southern accent. “Savina has told me much about you. Are you not well?” His expression turned to concern. He reminded her of someone from the late 19th century. The only word that came to her mind was dashing.
“I…” Her words lodged in her throat.
“Ava, this is Aaron, my companion,” Savina said.
He bowed his head, and she felt like she needed to curtsy, but didn’t.
“Aaron, could you please give us time alone?”
“Of course. I shall return shortly.” He shook Ava’s hand, and then left.
“What has happened?” Colden asked, still standing by the fireplace.
Savina sat in her Victorian red chair. “She is worried.”
Ava moved to the couch, and suddenly felt very awkward. How could she have behaved like that?
“I’m very sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have erupted like that.”
Savina smiled warmly. “I understand.” And the look in her eye proved that. “I suspect this hasn’t been very easy for you.”
Under A Blood Moon (Elemental Enchanters) Page 12
