Enlightenment (Children of Ankh series Book 2)

by Kim Cormack

  She announced, “Use this robe, it’s almost dry.” Kayn strolled towards Frost and handed it to him. Their fingertips brushed against each other and their eyes met.

  “Thank you,” Frost replied, he grinned as he casually strolled away.

  She watched him walking away. His rear view was a spectacular site to behold. He ducked into the bathroom. She heard the steady humming of the shower’s stream almost immediately and all she could think of was how badly she wanted to join him. She needed a distraction. She tried flipping through a magazine that had been left in the nightstand. As she got off the bed, the mattress squeaked in protest. She strolled towards the kitchen sink, knowing she’d better grab a glass of water if she planned on drinking anything else. Kayn snagged some crackers from the box on the counter. She spied the snack bag and tossed a few Twinkies onto the bed along with a full bag of Swedish Berries. Then she sat on the counter and began to flip through the local newspaper. Frost emerged from the bathroom wearing shorts and nothing else. Why did he have to be this ridiculously good looking?

  He retrieved a surprise bottle of wine from the bag, removed the cork and asked, “Do you need a glass?”

  “I’m from Vancouver Island honey. Everyone knows you’re supposed to drink it right from the bottle when you’re at the lake,” Kayn teased. She strolled over and sat down next to him on the giant luxurious bed.

  “I thought you didn’t drink?” Frost teased. He pulled it away in jest for a second and grinned before handing the whole bottle of wine to her.

  “That is just what I’ve heard,” Kayn replied with a wry smile. She took another giant swig and passed the bottle casually back to Frost.

  He took a slow sip and teased, “Right… What you’ve heard. I’m on to you Miss Brighton. You’ve been playing with me, haven’t you? I bet you used to drink every weekend with that Kevin kid.” He instantly regretted his slip and he winced.

  Her mind flashed an image of Kevin making a valiant attempt to open a bottle of wine with an umbrella. Kayn had heard what he said but knew if she wanted to move on with her life, she’d have to be able to survive conversations about her past. Not freaking out when Kevin’s name was mentioned would be a significant first step in the right direction. “We stole a few bottles of wine from our parents on occasion. Doesn’t everyone sneak their parent’s alcohol in their early teens? I thought it was a rite of passage?” she sparred.

  Frost said, “I was at war at eight or nine years old in Rome. We were allowed to drink as adults but we were also allowed to die as adults.” He passed the bottle back to her.

  She was feeling the effects of the wine already. The spirits had definitely taken the edge off. She couldn't over think the situation if she tried. “That’s really messed-up,” she replied. As she handed the bottle back to him, they brushed fingers and her breath caught in her chest.

  “Believe it or not, back then that was pretty normal,” He chuckled.

  She grabbed a Twinkie, ripped the packaging open and chomped off the end. Then she stuck her finger into it and took her time licking off the cream.

  Frost began to choke on his last sip. He swallowed what he hadn't spit all over the white sheets and offered the bottle to her. It was only once she had seen his reaction that she realized how seductive her Twinkie eating must have been. She hadn’t even thought about it. It was completely unintentional. Kayn took the bottle from his hands. She wrapped her fingers around it and held it to her chest for a second. She had so many questions. It was hard to wrap her mind around his real age when he looked to be in his mid-twenties. She tipped the bottle upwards, taking an extra-long swig of the wine. She was clutching the wine bottle with one hand and holding her piece of Twinkie in the other. He tried to signal to her by touching his own face that she had cream on the corner of her mouth. She kept trying to lick it off but kept missing it.

  Frost grinned as he leaned in and whispered, “Let me get that for you.” He wiped the cream off her face with his finger and slowly licked it off without breaking eye contact.

  Oh yah…That was hot. She’d been ogling him for a second to long when he caught her and winked. Kayn casually said, “Don’t you ever feel like a bit of a dirty old man, flirting with girls that are nine hundred and eighty years younger than you are?” Her eyes widened. Her verbal filter was officially turned off.

  Visibly impressed by her alcohol induced ballsy comeback, he teased, “Do I look like a dirty old man?”

  Kayn met his naughty expression with one of her own as she replied, “You’re a dirty something.” She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t going to deny a damn thing.

  He chuckled, “I stopped worrying about the age difference thing a long time ago. I want whoever I want and do whatever I want to do. It’s an immortal thing.”

  Kayn took another swig from the bottle and sat on that comment for a minute. There were far too many comebacks to filter through. She said, “Please, you have to let me make you an online dating profile. My name’s Frost and this is the testosterone show. I want whoever I want and do whatever I want to do. It’s an immortal thing.”

  Frost shook his head at her and snatched the bottle out of her hand. He took a drink and placed the empty bottle on the magazine. He grabbed a Twinkie out of the wrapper and took a giant bite out of it. She pouted a little, it was the last one. Instead of eating another bite he offered the other half to her. She attempted to take it from him and he teased, “Open your mouth.”

  That was a brilliant move. He expected her to say forget about it and probably assumed she’d be scared off by his advances. She opened her mouth and he slipped it between her parted lips. She chewed it up and swallowed it. There wasn’t really a seductive way to chew a Twinkie. Frost licked the leftover cream off his finger. Then reached forward and tucked one of her silky damp curls behind her ear.

  He slowly ran two of his fingers all the way down one of her ringlets until it slipped from between his fingers and whispered, “You have to stop trying to seduce me Kayn. I’m supposed to behave.”

  Every nerve ending in her body was humming because her mind had been feeding her slivers of her sister’s sensual memories of him for months and a part of her felt like they’d already been together. It had been hard at first to tell the difference between what she was feeling and what her sister had once felt. She wasn’t trying to seduce him. Truth be told, she had no idea what she was doing. Kayn stared into his devious eyes as she replied, “I don't recall asking you to behave.” Did she just say that out loud? What in the hell was wrong with her? There was this pained expression on his face. She knew he was torn between what he should do and what he wanted to do. He leaned towards her and as he shifted his weight on the bed, the empty bottle of wine rolled off, making a loud clang as it hit the floor. Startled by various things she toppled over with an ungraceful thud onto the unforgiving hardwood floor. Both guilt and confusion ached in the pit of her stomach. She planned to make light of her reaction as she climbed back on to the bed. It was a cruel game her mind was playing. She felt panicked. This wasn’t right. Her first time was supposed to be with Kevin. She was pushing her heart past where it was ready to be. This rustic little cabin… all of this had been planned in her heart with someone else. What was she doing?

  An obvious resolve passed over Frost’s expression as he said, “Don’t over think another word. I was already taking a risk pushing the limits of my orders.”

  Kayn wasn’t sure what to say in response. She moved towards him and quietly said his name, “Frost...”

  He whispered, “You think if you put your heart somewhere else the pain will go away. I have real feelings for you and I know better.” Frost abruptly got off the bed and put some distance between them.

  She tried to explain, “I just need to know for sure that Kevin’s gone. I think I need to see it with my own eyes.” She saw the hurt cross his expression. “That came out wrong. It’s not that I don’t want you. I’m just not ready to give up on the idea of..
.” She’d tried to save it but she could tell by his face that she had punched him in the stomach with her words.

  “I understand,” Frost answered curtly as he started to walk towards the washroom. He paused, glanced back at her and added, “For the record, I just wanted to be with you. Here with you, eating Twinkies and drinking wine. I wanted the memory.” He attempted to smile before excusing himself and disappearing.

  He’d walked away from her. She didn’t blame him. She couldn’t bring herself to let go of the fantasy that Kevin would remember her and somehow the obstacles between them would disappear. She was still holding on to their imagined reunion and she just wasn’t quite ready to let that fantasy go. She had demanded that Frost let go of his fantasy of Chloe, lured him in and thumped him out. She began to blink her eyes to avoid the embarrassment of the tears that threatened to spill. Had she destroyed her chance for happiness because she was blindly waiting for something that might never be? She sat on the bed awkwardly waiting for him to come out of the bathroom. When he finally emerged, there was an understanding smile planted firmly on his face.

  He sat down beside her and said, “I want you. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t. That would be an insult to our intelligence and nobody here is stupid. I know where you are in your head right now, I’ve been there. Try to prepare yourself. It won’t stop your heart from being demolished but maybe you can maneuver your way through your first run in with him, without coming off like a complete psycho.”

  Kayn was afraid to respond even though she was certain she couldn’t stick her foot in her mouth any further.

  Frost spoke softly, “You still have lessons to learn and strangers to kiss. You need to know how it feels to be lonely.” He took her hand as he added, “I don’t care if I’m your first. I don’t care when we happen but when we do…I don’t want to be a choice. I want to be an inevitable fact. The Oracle was right. I won’t be around to play your savior. You have to learn how to be your own hero. Concentrate on the bond you have with Zach and Melody. You need them. They need you and I need to get out of your way.”

  The infamous Testing was coming. Kayn said the only two words that came to mind, “I understand.”

  He turned to walk away and paused. He turned back and said, “After the Testing is over and you three make it out, if you ever decide that you want to be with me and only me...You tell me. Just promise me one thing. Don’t ever say those words to me or to anyone else just because you are afraid of being alone. You tell someone you love them when they leave the room and it runs out of oxygen. I don’t want to play second fiddle to some kid. So… You stay here tonight. I’ll send someone back here to spend the night with you.” Frost stood there for a second staring at her like he had something more to say. Instead of speaking he strolled out the door, leaving her feeling strangely empty inside.

  Kayn laid on the bed and rethought every second of the night until she felt sick to her stomach. He’d been so sweet. Lily was sent back to the cabin to keep her company.

  Lily sprawled out next to her and said, “He’ll stay away from you for a little while but he’ll come around. He just needs time to get his emotions in check. He was warned to stay away from you. He was told to keep your relationship G-rated. I should have stopped your little sleep over. I was curious to see how far he was going to try to push the boundaries. We aren’t free to do whatever we want.”

  Kayn fell asleep replaying those words in her mind. We aren’t free to do whatever we want.

  She awoke the next morning with a pulsating headache. She staggered groggily into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. She stared at her reflection. She’d definitely made a mess of things. He was going to ignore her again. Perhaps she deserved it? Demanding he forget about Chloe and then pushing him away with her unresolved feelings for Kevin. She wanted him, that wasn’t a lie. She heard someone come in the front door. It was Zach and Melody.

  Before she left, she found her eyes wandering to the carvings on the back of the door. Frost had carved their initials. When did he do that? He must have done it after his shower. She slid down on the other side of the door and sat on the floor. She traced her fingers across the freshly carved initials F + K 4 ever. She had the urge to take a picture of it and preserve it for prosperity. She had to allow him to let her go. She decided to pretend she hadn’t seen it.

  He spent the next day avoiding her. To avoid someone in the small space of a motorhome was not an easy task.

  Only a Fool Isn’t a Little Afraid of the Unknown

  She was going on this next job with Zach, Melody, Lexy and Grey. Kayn wouldn’t be lying if she told someone she was nervous. She’d been warned many times that jobs involving the undead rarely went as planned. The clan’s Oracle had given them exceedingly loose details for what the job entailed. The house was on a rather isolated piece of property and it was a murder-suicide. The family’s bodies would not be discovered for weeks so they had plenty of time to do what needed to be done. It was basic angry spirit removal detail. They were supposed to make sure the family moved on. It sounded far too easy. They had taken the truck and left the other two alone to pack up the campsite. As the five of them drove down the remote feeling stretch of forested road, it occurred to her that this was the first job she’d ever done without Frost. She was going to have to get used to it, he was going to avoid her like the plague now. If she thought he’d been avoiding her that first year, she suspected she hadn’t seen anything yet.

  Zach slipped his fingers through hers and whispered, “You okay?”

  She nodded as she replied, “I’m fine, I’m just over thinking things.”

  Zach squeezed her hand and said, “Never try to have an emotional conversation while drinking. Filters are important.”

  Kayn leaned over and whispered, “He told you?”

  Zach whispered back, “Not me, I overheard his conversation with Grey.”

  Grey heard his name mentioned and said, “Don’t worry about it Kayn. We’ve all done and said things we wish we could take back. It’s part of life. You have lots of time to fix it.”

  Kayn watched as the trees flashed by her window. She glanced away, knowing that if she kept looking she’d be queasy before she arrived. She wouldn’t be able to help anybody if she spent her time barfing in the bushes. It was stupid to be worrying about this stuff right now. She was on her way to her first job involving a murder-suicide. What would it take to kill your own family? What they would find there would depend on how brutal their murders had been. There were so many unknowns in this job. This would be another first for her…The first time she would have to see a dead child.

  Melody had been staring at her the entire ride, it was unnerving. It was as though they all expected her to snap and bawl at the slightest trial. They didn’t think she was as strong as the rest of them were. She could read that loud and clear. Dead children ...This wasn’t a small thing to see. She could handle it. She had come a long way and the rest of her clan needed to cut her some slack. They had passed by several gravel roads with street numbers posted on signs on the drive. It was a long time before they hit the next unpaved driveway that led into the dense forest. They turned and drove down the long rural drive for about ten minutes. This was why the bodies wouldn’t be found for such a long time. The property was so isolated that you could probably stand outside and scream at the top of your lungs and nobody would hear you. This also meant that they were in the clear and nobody would see them as they attempted to right evil’s wrongs. The farm house was oddly square shaped and covered in ivy with dark weathered looking green shutters. There were tiny intricate carvings in the wood. They were closed as though someone had been preparing for a storm. Had the family sensed something coming? Had the wife woken up that day feeling sick to her stomach without knowing why? Had she known that her husband was capable of hurting them? Kayn grabbed the handle and struggled with it for a second before realizing that it was still locked. The truck’s doors unlocked from the f
ront and Lexy hadn’t let them out.

  Lexy turned around, looked at her and whispered, “Don’t be in such a hurry Brighton. What you’re about to see, won’t be able to be unseen.”

  She wasn’t an idiot. Kayn took a breath and replied, “You guys really have to stop treating me as if I might emotionally implode at any moment.”

  “Everyone else has seen a dead child. It’s not the same as seeing a dead adult. This is going to be another hard first for you. You shouldn’t take this situation lightly,” Lexy explained.

  “I can handle a few small dead bodies,” Kayn replied. She gave the truck’s door another frustrated pull and glared at Lexy. It was a hint for Lexy to stop babying her and just open the door.

  Lexy opened the glove compartment and began filling her pockets with small bags of salt, as she said, “Spirits can be extremely hostile when they are murdered by someone they trusted and loved.” She unlocked the truck’s door when she was finished saying her piece.

  Kayn opened her door and stepped out. As her feet hit the gravel she shivered. A warning perhaps of what was to come. Kayn didn’t say anything. She just followed the group up the worn looking wooden steps towards the large double front door. It had been left slightly ajar.

  Grey raised his hand, waved it slightly and opened the door without touching it. He whispered, “For the record. I hate this spooky ghost shit.”

  The door slowly creaked open the rest of the way on its own, revealing a dark long hallway to the left and a set of stairs to the right.

  Zach calmly observed, “No bodies visible from the front door.”

  Lexy whispered, “We always check the bedrooms first. Young children are usually killed in their beds.”