Divided (Elena Ronen, Private Investigator)

by Jennifer Sights

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  It felt like bringing a boyfriend home to meet my parents for the first time, with Kevin sitting on the couch waiting for Vittorio to arrive. When we heard his car outside, Kevin jumped up to peek out the window. “Damn! Nice car! How the hell does that guy afford a Ferrari?”

  I simply shrugged. I knew he afforded it easily, but was too nervous to form a coherent sentence.

  I opened the door before Vittorio reached it, but restrained myself enough to stand and wait for him, rather than run into his arms. I still wasn’t entirely comfortable with being so completely enamored of a man.

  Vittorio came to me and initiated the kiss.

  Even in four inch heels, I had to stand on tiptoe to kiss him. It should have been a quick kiss, but my power had other ideas. I kept it under control, mostly, but it rose in my body to meet Vittorio’s. We kissed passionately. “Wow,” I breathed when we pulled apart. “I’m still amazed by that.”

  “Holy shit,” Kevin said from the couch. “What the hell was that?”

  Our power must have enveloped Kevin, sending shockwaves through his body.

  Vittorio chuckled, low and warm, and said, “Perhaps it is a good thing you told him.”

  Kevin looked a bit frightened, and I couldn’t blame him. At least he had a little warning, unlike my first cruel experience. “I’ve got beer in the fridge for you Kevin.”

  “Yeah, I think I’ll get one.” He went into the kitchen, and I heard him pop open a can.

  “Will he be alright?” Vittorio asked.

  “Yeah, he’ll get over it.”

  A few minutes later, having chugged his beer, Kevin returned. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that.”

  “I’m sorry, Kevin. Apparently I don’t quite have complete control yet.” I cleared my throat as heat rose in my cheeks, then introduced them.

  Vittorio held out his hand to shake Kevin’s. After a moment of hesitation, Kevin shook his hand. He sighed in relief when nothing happened. “Nice ride.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re going to take care of Elena, right? Because power or no power, you’ll have to answer to me if anything happens to her.”

  “I will take the utmost care of her.” He placed his right hand over his heart, as if making an oath.

  “Good. Well, you two have fun. I’m going to go watch some wrestling.” He left before I could say goodbye.

  “Guess he’s a little shocked by our display,” I said. In response, Vittorio kissed me again. “Do we have to go to The Chapel?”

  “I should at least put in an appearance. Rumors are bound to be flying by now. There are others who know of the power. I do not think we will be able to hide yours from them. I trust Samuel to have said nothing, but these things have a way of getting out anyway. Will you be comfortable with that?”

  “Do I really have a choice? I mean, I’m not sure about it myself yet, but I’ve never cared much what other people think about me.”

  “Elena, you must understand. Before this, the women despised you because you won my affections so quickly. Of those who know, everyone will be wary of you now, men and women. New, untested power can be a dangerous thing. Some will try to woo you away from me, but they will not have your best interests in mind. They will want to use you, to mold you to their plans.”

  “And what are you doing? How can I know you aren’t trying to mold me to your own plans?”

  “Elena, please trust me. I would do nothing to harm you. Ti amo, mia bellezza.” He held my hands.

  “I love you, too, Vittorio.” The words escaped my lips before I could think.

  Vittorio looked at me in wonder. “Do you mean that?”

  “Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I love you. And I do trust you.” I smiled. “It feels good to say that. But I’d like to hear you say it in English.”

  “I love you, Elena.” He kissed me, and this time, I did not try to hold my power back. I let it go to him, surround him, pull him to me.

  I didn’t realize I had been pulling him towards the stairs to my bedroom when he pulled away. “Elena, we should stop.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Neither do I, but you don’t have full control yet. I don’t want anything to harm you in any way.”

  “Would sex hurt me?”

  “Not physically, but it can be extremely intense when two people with power make love. It reaches into the other’s soul, and can be a very painful, emotional experience if one is not prepared for it.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I made love with a woman who had power. It was long ago, when I was still learning. I was not ready for it, and thought she would rip my soul from my body.”

  I felt a tinge of jealousy, which must have showed on my face. I knew it was silly; of course he’d had sex with other women. I was no virgin either.

  “Elena, please do not be jealous. It was many years ago when I still lived in Italy, and I do not even know what has become of the woman. In any case, I do not think very highly of her because of what she did to me. I do not want you to experience that.”

  I sighed. “Alright. But we better go, because my self-control isn’t going to hold out much longer.”

  Vittorio chuckled and kissed me on the cheek.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  This was the second time I arrived at The Chapel with Vittorio. Again, I felt like someone walking down the red carpet. However, this time, it had the feel of someone who had been away in rehab or jail, and everyone was curious about the experience. I was uncomfortable. I wanted to talk to Bryn before I had to deal with anyone else, and told Vittorio I would meet him upstairs.

  He agreed, seeming to sense my unease.

  “Been a while, girl. I was starting to worry about you. Have you heard any of the rumors about you?”

  “No.” Vittorio had said there might be rumors. How much did Bryn know?

  “Well, the big one in the general population is you, Vittorio, and Samuel being lovers. The other one I’ve heard floating around, and this is limited to Vittorio’s crowd, is that he’s grooming you for some sort of ritual or something.”

  “A ritual?” What on earth did she mean?

  Bryn nodded.

  “What kind of ritual?”

  “No idea. Be careful, Elena.”

  “I will. Thanks for the warning. But Vittorio wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “Others might, though.” She moved to the other end of the bar to serve a customer.

  When I got to the balcony, Vittorio embraced me and whispered in my ear. “We need to talk, mia bellezza,” and he led me toward the little office.

  My detective brain kicked in, and I made a mental note of everything in the office, feeling guilty for it the entire time. It housed a small desk and comfortable-looking chair, with another chair to the side, presumably for visitors. A two-drawer file cabinet sat in the corner. The desk held only a pen cup; no papers. There wasn’t a hint of anything out of the ordinary. I would have to look through the filing cabinet to even hope to find any useful information.

  “Did Bryn tell you any of the rumors?”

  “A couple. One is quite amusing.”

  “Others are not so amusing. Which did she tell you?”

  I told him the one about him grooming me for a ritual. “Are you?”

  “Absolutely not. I told you, I would do nothing to harm you. I did hear that rumor, though. I believe it has something to do with my spiritual practices.”

  “Witchcraft?”

  He nodded. “I know many who share my beliefs, but that does not stop them from petty jealousy.”

  “What are they jealous of?” I sat on the visitor chair.

  “My success in the business world and the strength of my power. Yes, we perform rituals. Yes, I offered to teach you about witchcraft, but I am not grooming you for anything.”

  “I believe you, Vittorio. Bryn told me to be careful of these people. How much do I need to worry?”

&nbs
p; “Be aware of your surroundings, but I do not think you have much to fear, at least not here. You know this is a VIP area. It is limited to those with power, or those very close to us. Most of them are all talk. Samuel and I will try to find out if there is anything deeper to the rumors, though. My heart would break if anything happened to you, mio amore.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I knew he would keep me safe. “Shall we return to our curious bystanders?”

  “I want to ask you one more thing before we do. When we were talking on the phone earlier, and I said Kevin was all I had until I met you, I saw an image of you in my head, smiling. It was so real, like you were sitting right across the table from me. Was it just my imagination?”

  “No, mio amore, it was not. I have the ability to project my thoughts into people’s minds, a sort of silent communication.”

  “Can you read my mind?” Panic filled my gut. Did he know the truth about me, about my investigation?

  “I cannot. I can sense emotions, but cannot read minds. There are some who can, but it is a rare talent. They must constantly work to block out the noise. Some might envy the talent, but not I. I admit there are times when it would be useful, but it would not be worth it to me.”

  I nodded, attempting to hide my sigh of relief.

  We left the office, Vittorio locking it behind him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  We found Samuel in the balcony area outside the office arguing with two other men and a woman I recognized as Elizabeth Hardgrave.

  “I told you, you are mistaken. No one is usurping your place in the coven, least of all a newcomer. She does not even know our ways yet,” Samuel said.

  " 'Yet.’ Even you admit she is going to learn. And then what?” Elizabeth asked.

  “And then if she is strong enough, she may displace you, but it will be a long time before that is even a possibility. Why don’t you stop trying to cause problems?” Samuel said, jaw clenched.

  “Your friend is the one causing problems by bringing this little girl into our world. We can see what he’s doing. We know he’s just using her to secure his place in the coven,” Elizabeth said.

  “Who the hell are you calling a little girl?” I would not stand by and let some stranger insult me.

  “You, little girl.” Elizabeth eyed me with hatred I didn’t think possible for a person one didn’t know.

  “I’d watch your mouth if I were you.” I clenched my fists at my sides.

  “Or what? You can’t even control your power. We all heard about what happened.”

  “Is that what you think?” I knew I was taking a risk, but it was one I was willing to take. I steadied my breathing and let my power rise up in me. I didn’t know what would happen. I had only focused on controlling how it reacted to Vittorio. I didn’t know how it would react to my anger towards these people. It rose, hot and liquid inside me.

  Instinctively, I knew what to do. I let it slowly reach out toward the three arguing with Samuel, while picturing bolts of electricity in my mind. I only wanted to scare them, to prove I had control over my power. The thought that I might prove them right never crossed my mind.

  Samuel took a few steps toward me, and I saw Vittorio shake his head out of the corner of my eye. I pictured lightning surrounding Elizabeth and those accompanying her, calling my power back to me only after they had cried out in pain. It came reluctantly, wanting to play with these people who had insulted me, but it returned, allowing me to push it down to wherever it was that it slept in my gut. I collapsed, and Vittorio caught me and helped me to the couch. The look of terror on their faces was well worth the energy spent.

  “What were you saying?” I knew it lost a bit of impact as I sat on the couch, but I had proven my point.

  They stayed as far away from me as they could as they made their way to the stairs.

  “Do you realize you just solidified their fear that you are going to try to usurp their place?” Vittorio said angrily.

  Was it anger at me, or them? Maybe both.

  “They insulted me, and you. I couldn’t just stand by and take it.”

  “You have never used your power in such a way. What if you lost control? You would have confirmed their belief that you are weak.” His fists were clenched as well.

  Definitely at me.

  “I thought of that, but it was too late by the time I did. Luckily I kept control.”

  “You did very well, I must admit, mia bellezza, but that was a very dangerous risk to take. I would appreciate it if you do not take such risks in the future,” he said, jaw clenched.

  “I’m sorry. I had to do something. I’m not the type of girl who stands by helpless while she’s insulted.” Not anymore, anyway, I added in my mind.

  “I understand, mio amore. And I am proud of you.” His voice softened as he held me close, and my power rushed out toward him.

  “Oh, shit,” I had time to say before I lost control. I kissed Vittorio madly, as if my life depended on it. Some tiny bit of sanity left in my brain told me I was about to give the club an X-rated show, but my body didn’t care. I straddled him on the couch, pulling his shirt over his head, kissing his neck.

  He neither reciprocated nor pushed me away.

  After what seemed like eternity, I felt someone embrace me from behind. Someone with strong arms pulled me close to him, away from Vittorio. I struggled for a moment, but as soon as I was no longer touching Vittorio, my power calmed. Realizing it was Samuel who held me, I relaxed in his grip and let him carry me to a chair, to sit by myself.

  Focusing on my breathing, I had my power completely under control again in a few minutes. I wanted to sink into the chair and disappear when I realized everyone was staring at me. As it was, all I could do was smooth down my skirt and wonder if Courtney was among the gawkers, too weak to do more than wonder.

  Samuel sat on the couch next to Vittorio. I could not hear their conversation, but their faces were serious. They stood, and Vittorio headed for the stairs.

  Samuel scooped me up into his arms with strength surprising for his size. He followed Vittorio out of the club, and helped me into the passenger seat of his Range Rover. Samuel and Vittorio stood outside the door of the SUV.

  “I don’t think I can ever show my face in there again.” I groaned.

  “Do not be embarrassed, mio amore.”

  “Easy for you to say. You weren’t the one acting like a sex-crazed animal.”

  “You were spent from your first display of power. You did not have enough to hold it back from me. I am thankful I was strong enough to resist returning your advance.”

  My body tingled, craving Vittorio’s touch. I tried to get out of the SUV and go to him, but Samuel held me back.

  “Samuel, do you think you can give her some of your power, so she will be able to control her own?”

  “Can’t I just go home and sleep?” I asked.

  “We have much we must discuss, the sooner the better.,” Vittorio said.

  “How will Samuel give me his power?”

  A crowd of gawkers had gathered around the entrance to The Chapel and were staring at us.

  “Samuel will explain on the drive back to my house. I think we should leave now, though, before we attract any more attention.”

  I wanted to protest, wanted to ride with Vittorio, but knew why I couldn’t, so simply nodded. I wanted to know more about the coven, but also wanted to go home and sleep. I wondered if I could at least convince them to let me have a hot bath and some coffee before we talked about whatever was on their minds.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  On the drive to Vittorio’s house, Samuel tried to explain the process of transferring energy, but as I had found with much relating to power, it was not easy to put into words, or to understand. I decided to trust him and let him do whatever was necessary. I didn’t have the strength to fight.

  I was careful to avoid getting too close to Vittorio when we arrived to avoid a replay of what happened at The Chapel. Samuel pulled a chai
r close to face me while I sat on the couch. He held my hands. Outwardly, it seemed as if he was just sitting there, but I felt his power pulse through the room. His aura was the brown of an oak tree. A moment later, I felt it push into my body. I tried to fight it, but he told me to relax. When I stopped fighting his power, it flowed easily into my body, and I immediately felt stronger, less weary. He pulled his power back into him, and I craved more.

  “It is nothing to fear,” Vittorio explained when I expressed my fear of the craving. “Think of it like this; when you are hungry and have not eaten for a long time, if someone takes your plate away when you are only half finished, you still want more, do you not?”

  I nodded.

  “It is the same with power. Samuel shared some of his energy with you, as you were drained. Of course he can not give you all his energy, and when he pulled away you were still tired, so your power wanted more.”

  It made sense. I realized I was looking into Vittorio’s eyes while he spoke, and I felt nothing. Well, maybe not nothing, but I no longer wanted to jump his bones.

  I wanted to learn more about the coven as quickly as I could, so decided to pass on asking for a bath, but insisted on coffee. When it was brewed I held the mug in both hands for warmth, though I didn’t think the chill I felt was the kind to be chased away by hot liquid or a blanket.

  “We need to talk about the rumors which have stemmed from my absence at The Chapel,” Vittorio began.

  “Yeah, and what about me kicking people out of their place in the coven?”

  “I was not trying to hide anything from you, Elena. I swear it. I would hide nothing from you.”

  Nothing? I wondered how true that was. “Really?”

  “Elena, please believe me. It has been a very busy two weeks for us all. I have not had time to tell you everything about myself. And remember, I still know very little about you and your past.” It looked as if he immediately regretted that last part. “I am sorry. I should not have said that. I do not want to push you to tell me anything you do not want to.”