“The weather is beautiful,” I whispered, grabbing her hand. Her skin was cold.
“I’m so sorry for putting you through everything,” she began. “It started with only wanting to protect you. I’ve known you’ve had powers that were only going to get stronger as you aged, and I guess I foolishly thought that —”
“Mom, don’t start taking blame for the actions of my father. He’s a bad man, and none of this is your fault.” I shook my head in disbelief. “None of it.”
“He knew my weaknesses. All of them.”
“That’s what he does best. Or I should say did best.” I tried to keep the smile off my lips for my mom’s sake.
“Eben is even better at it.” Her eyes narrowed and dropped to my hand that was covering hers.
“You know about Eben?”
She nodded. “I’m sure he’s the one who has been directing your father.”
“That doesn’t make my father’s actions any better.”
“No. It doesn’t.” Her lips stretched into a thin line. “Nor does it make mine any better. I’m so sorry for putting you through all of this.”
“You were the victim in all of this, mom. You can’t keep torturing yourself. We all made it out okay. I’m just so thankful I had Logan by my side.” My insides warmed merely thinking about him.
“You’re blushing,” my mom whispered.
“No, I’m not,” I insisted.
“Triss?”
“Yeah?” I asked, hoping the conversation would go in a different direction.
“You’re young. Don’t rush things,” her voice softened.
An unannounced anger began erupting deep inside of me. I removed my hand from hers.
“Don’t rush things? I don’t understand where that’s coming from.”
“I want things to be normal for you. I want you to experience what other kids get to experience. Go to college, meet new people, experiment with different types of boys—”
“I think I skipped over the luxury of that experience the first time something or someone tried to kill me. By the third time, I think it was pretty much solidified that my course would be different than an average eighteen year old’s life,” I kept my voice steady, not wanting to expose how angry I was. “I don’t want to experiment, experience, whatever it is you’re trying to suggest I do. I’ve found the person who I’m meant to be with for the rest of my life.”
“How do you know that?” my mother laughed, tossing her hand into the air. “You haven’t experienced life. I know he’s attractive, and I know he’s always had a thing for you, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle.”
Settle? Who was this woman?
“We… He risked his own life to save yours,” I said seething. I could no longer keep my anger in check.
My mother would never have said something like this before. She loved Logan. In fact, I think her secret wish was that we would end up together.
“There are always more fish in the sea,” she whispered, avoiding my stare.
“Are you kidding me?” I challenged. “How many times does that work out for people? Deciding to wait or hold out only to realize the biggest love of their life got away? And how is this conversation getting turned to who I choose to love?”
“I’m only looking out for you.”
It felt like fire was spreading through my veins.
“He has done so much for you — for me — and you are talking about him as if he’s something to discard. I love him and you better get used to it.”
Heat was whipping through my body. I wasn’t feeling right, and it wasn’t only from this conversation.
“You’re so young. You don’t know what love is.” She looked over at me.
I couldn’t take it any longer. My body felt as if it had ignited from the inside out.
“We’re linked for life, mother. You’d better accept it.” I shot back.
My flesh was stinging, my palms burning. I didn’t understand what was going on, but I knew something beyond my anger was beginning to form.
“Oh, Triss. Please tell me you didn’t…” her voice broke off.
I looked directly into her eyes as they filled with sadness.
There was something else she wanted to say but avoided. She’d always get this scattered look in her eyes when she was trying to concoct a story, and that’s exactly what she was doing now.
“I’m asking you to accept my choice, but I’m not asking for permission. This man saved your life. The least you could do is be grateful. The mother I knew would’ve been.” The last words hit her hard, but it was the truth.
My mother had been through so much and she wasn’t herself. I kept reminding myself of this, but the anger wasn’t subsiding. It was only growing. I shot up from the trunk and headed to the door.
“Your dad and I are linked like that as well, Triss. I share the nectunt with him. There’s no escaping the decisions that Logan might make one day. There was no running from the decisions your father made. Look what happened to me.”
I spun around to face her. My hair was getting moist from sweat. It felt as if I was in a sauna and I had no idea why.
“Just because you chose poorly doesn’t mean I did. Logan left the dark arts for me,” I yelled. I could hear footsteps running up the stairs.
“So did your father,” she whimpered. “But he went back and Logan might be lured as well.”
“Don’t be so sure it would be Logan who’s lured back,” I snapped before I realized what words had left my lips. The anger exploded through my system. The pounding in my ears was unrelenting. Things weren’t right.
“Are you okay?” my mom asked, her eyes widening.
I shook my head, looking for something to hold onto.
Logan ran into the bedroom with Aunt Vieta right behind him.
I watched Aunt Vieta put her hands up in horror as Logan directed her to help. I had no idea what was going on, but Logan reached for me as I collapsed into his arms.
“Take care of Veronica,” he instructed my aunt.
“You’re burning up,” he whispered, cradling me in his arms.
He carried me down the hall and into my aunt’s master bathroom, balancing me on his knee as he ran the cold bathwater.
“You’re going to be okay. But we’ve got to get you cooled down.”
I shook my head in confusion.
He turned my palm over and placed his fingertip on it. I flinched from the pain. He bit his lip and looked away.
“From what?” I finally found my voice.
I groaned as the heat continued to ravage my body. I felt like my body was seizing up on me.
He gently placed me on the floor against the tub and began pulling my sweater over my head. I attempted to remove my leggings, but the pain was too sharp when my fingers touched anything but air.
“I got it, baby. We’ll get you through this.” He gently worked my leggings down, and that’s when I saw it. My pale flesh was now patterned with reddish-orange blood vessels. They were tiny and spreading in all directions. I looked up in horror. What was happening to me? My legs looked like something from a scary movie.
The bath was filling with cool water, and he scooped me up and placed me in the tub. It didn’t feel cold, and I knew it should have. He propped me up against the back of the tub, slowly lapping the water against my skin. I looked down at my arms and they were completely covered in the same markings as my legs.
Oh my god! Was my face like that now? Was that why my aunt panicked when she saw me?
“What’s happening to me?” I asked.
Logan’s deep blue eyes steadied on mine, continuing to splash the water against my skin.
“You tapped into an emotion that apparently unlocked something inside of you,” he paused. “Are you feeling any cooler?”
I shook my head.
“Let me dribble some water over your head.” He cupped his hands and dipped them into the water. I caught his eyes running over my body taking me in, and a
rush ran through me.
I clenched my eyes shut as he poured the water over my scalp. I felt the wetness trickle down my neck, shoulders, and spine finally beginning to release the heat from my spirit.
I steadied my breathing as I let the water attempt to do its job. I rested my head against the tile wall and slowly opened my eyes as Logan reached over and turned off the water. The pounding in my head started to subside when it hit me like a jolt of lightening.
The heat. The flames. My father.
“Was I about to?” I stopped. I didn’t actually want to say it.
Logan nodded his head. “You were about to throw flames. I think you tapped into inicio powers.”
“But I don’t know how. I mean I’ve never…”
“I think we can say you inherited them from your father,” Logan replied.
I reached for his hand, pulling it out of the water. The heat was starting to subside. My hand interlocked with his, and I noticed the veins beneath my skin beginning to diminish. Hopefully, the whole Frankenstein look would vanish quickly as I sat in front of him without much on.
“What were you two talking about when this happened?” he asked, his blue eyes locking on mine.
My eyes dropped from his, and I began to feel the heat build once more, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of what just happened or because he had that look in his eyes that always drove me crazy.
“My father,” I murmured.
“Was that all?” his voice quieted.
I shook my head. “And you.”
“All good things, I hope,” he chuckled. “But I’m kind of thinking not after this.” He pointed up and down my body with his finger, but his eyes slowly trailed behind his finger taking me in.
“It wasn’t a pleasant conversation to say the least, and I didn’t even feel like it was my mom talking.” Goosebumps began to surface along my flesh as the temperature of the cold water finally sunk in. Or maybe it was his gaze lingering over my body that produced the prickling sensation.
“Maybe it wasn’t. She’s got a lot of healing to do, which is why staying at your aunt’s house is the perfect place for her. And judging by what just happened, it’s probably the best for you too. Things have changed since she left.”
He touched my cheek, and I felt a flurry rise deep inside me. His touch was so soft and gentle.
“Are you doing better?” he asked, his voice tender.
I glanced at my skin and it was almost completely back to ivory minus the wondrous webbing. Phew. I doubt that was a good look.
“Well…Now,” I smiled at him. “Your touch does wonders.”
“Really,” he teased.
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, that’s good because seeing you in the tub like this is almost more than I can bear.”
“It’s nice to know that even in the gravest of times I’ve still gotta little something to tempt you with, Mr. Greene.” I grinned, trying to ignore the embarrassment factor that was creeping into my moment as to what I must have looked like.
“Oh, you have no idea the effect you’re having on me right now,” his voice was velvety.
He helped me out of the tub and wrapped a towel around me as I steadied myself. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and was relieved to see my ivory skin reflecting back to me. Logan caught my gaze and followed it to me.
“You’re so beautiful,” his voice deeper, bringing his lips close to my wet hair and it left me wanting so much more.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I needed to hear that.”
He caught my eyes in the mirror, and I couldn’t look away. His hand found its way around my waist and slid underneath the towel.
“Let’s get you dressed and back to your house. We’ll need to get a handle on your new ability. I’ve got you temporarily cooled off, but we need to allow the energy to release or it will resurface at the slightest aggravation. And if we’re aren’t near a bathtub, it wouldn’t be good.”
“Is that what’s really on your mind?” I asked, reaching for my leggings to pull on.
His concern turned to playfulness as he shrugged his shoulders. “Beats me at this point.”
“Logan,” my aunt said through the door. “Is she doing any better?”
“Well if that doesn’t kill the mood, I don’t know what would,” I whispered teasing. Logan’s lips broke into a smile.
“I’m doing fine.” I tugged my sweater over my head. “Is mom okay?”
“I gave her some skullcap to relax. She’s not herself,” my aunt began.
“That’s an understatement.”
I opened the bathroom door to have my aunt wrap her arms around me tightly. “Don’t give up on her. I don’t know what she said to you to get you to this state.” She stopped. “But know whatever she might be saying now isn’t necessarily her. She’s got a long road ahead of her.”
“I know. I just never expected a conversation to go like this with her. We’ve all been through so much, but it’s like she doesn’t recognize what I’ve… what we’ve been going through the last several months.”
My aunt flashed Logan a look for help as she released me from her grasp.
“She will in time.” Logan wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and we began to walk toward the hallway.
“She’ll get back to the Veronica we all know and love,” my aunt whispered.
I nodded. “I hope so. But I feel horrible. I don’t know what came over me.”
“We’ve got to take off though,” Logan replied. “I cooled her off temporarily but she’s got to learn her release before she overheats again.”
“You’re making me feel like a ‘67 Chevy,” I retorted, lightly punching him in the arm.
“At the moment, that’s kind of what you are, and I don’t want to see you blow a gasket.” He grinned, pulling me down the hall.
I turned around to wave at my aunt who was smiling at us both, shaking her head.
“Do you know how corny that was?” I asked, turning my attention back to Logan.
“I do, but isn’t that what you love about me?” He tightened his grip around me.
“I’m not sure actually,” I giggled.
“It’s like that, is it?” He let go of me and before I had time to object, he grabbed me and plopped me over his shoulders, carrying me down the stairs.
“This is not funny, Mister!”
“No it’s not, but I’ve gotta get you back so you can get a handle on how to not light things on fire or overheat the next time you get ticked.”
“Point well made,” I sighed, as he carried me out the front door. “I really hope I don’t turn into Frankenstein again.”
“We can hope,” he laughed as he plopped me down beside the front of the car. “It’s actually a cool skill to have. I mean once you figure out how to control it.”
“Do you know much about it?” I asked, climbing into the passenger seat.
“Enough, but we can always ask Dace or Bakula.”
I nodded as he put the car into reverse, and I saw my mom at the window staring down at us with tears streaming down her cheeks as she waved goodbye. I smiled at her and waved back, but she didn’t seem to notice. She had the familiar vacant stare that I saw so many times before when she was with my father. Would we ever be able to get past this? I shoved the guilt aside for my blow-up but then my body started to change again.
The heat in my body began surfacing, and I flashed Logan a look.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“It’s starting again. The fire thing,” I responded.
“We might not be as lucky the second time,” he mumbled, as he stepped on the accelerator.
***
“Feel the fire in your palms?” Logan questioned. “You’ve gotta keep thinking about the fury and fire merging as one. Let it trickle down to your fingertips.”
We were in the backyard, where he was frantically rubbing his hands together to get warm, and I was burning up. It was far worse than when he plunked me
in the tub. He was right about needing to find the release quickly because as of now I felt like I’d implode. I concentrated on the moment that started this entire fiasco.
“I feel the fire everywhere not just my palms. Is that all Bakula told you?” I scowled at him.
“Maybe if I annoy you enough you can turn the flames on me. However you find your release…” he joked. “But we’ve gotta find it.”
“Be careful what you wish for.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “All I can think about is the fury. The fire seems to have a mind of its own. There’s no way I can focus it just to my palms. When are they going to be here?”
I was trying not to panic, but I couldn’t fathom how I was supposed to toss flames with a flick of a wrist. Instead my head was pounding and I couldn’t stop sweating.
“Any second. But it’s not like they’re going to tell you anything I haven’t.” He was walking toward me, zipping up his sweatshirt as the wind picked up and I felt none of it. I still felt like I was in a sauna.
I sat down on the concrete bench that was in the middle of our herb garden, hoping that the chill would penetrate through my leggings. All the herbs had completely withered away from the first frost of the season, leaving piles of mush everywhere I looked. How was I able to think about anything and everything except getting control of my body? What was going on? Why couldn’t I focus on this?
Logan sat next to me and a flutter emerged as he leaned over to me. He was quiet as his azure eyes searched mine. I could feel the sweat from my scalp dribbling down my neck. This was not a good look. I looked away quickly, but he gently touched my chin bringing my attention back to him.
“I know you can do this.” He grabbed my hand and brought it toward him. “Mastering this doesn’t make you like your father.”
His words sliced me through to my core. Was that why I was afraid to harness these powers?
I shook my head. “It’s not that…”
It couldn’t be.
“Then what is it?” His eyes were desperately searching mine. “I don’t think you understand how serious this is. We’re running out of time.”
Witch Avenue Series (The Complete Set) Page 48
