As he walked back to his car, he turned to me and said, “Alixia?”
“Yes?” He ran back and took me in his arms. “I need another kiss.” I didn’t let him finish his plea. I kissed him passionately, and he picked me up in his arms. I laughed softly. “Phillip, put me down.”
The door opened and Mother walked out. He let go of his embrace and steadied me as my feet touched the ground. Mother stared at us silently, but we both could read her thoughts; she didn’t care for our behavior.
“Well, I guess I’d better get going.” Said Phillip. Mother nodded and said, “Yes, it is getting late.”
I walked him back to his car and said, “See you tomorrow.” I pressed up against him, brushing his lips with mine. He groaned and got into his car.
“Alixia, you have bewitched me.” He said.
“Good, I will see you tomorrow. Remember, you can’t tell anyone about Marcus. Swear to me.”
“I swear, Alixia. Trust me. ”I watched until he was out of sight and walked back to face Mother.
“Well, it seems like you and Phillip reunited quickly tonight. Did you have a nice drive?”
“Yes, it was nice and it helped clear my thoughts.”
“Good, I am not in the mood to debate anymore tonight.”
“Neither am I.” I said.
“Good, let’s go inside.” We walked into the foyer. “By the way, the dresses for Mardi Gras were delivered while you were gone.”
“Where are they?”
“Upstairs. I had the staff put them in our rooms.”
I was excited. “Come on, Mother. Let’s go try them on. Where’s Madame Cecilia?”
“She’s in the kitchen. Are you sure you want to do this now?”
“Yes, I’ll meet you upstairs.”
She smiled and said, “Okay, I will meet you in your bedroom.”
I went into the kitchen to find Madame Cecilia. She was sitting at the table with Sofia.
“Alixia, you’re back. I‘ve been waiting for you. We need to discuss what Angel said about Charlotte tonight.”
“You know what?” I replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “I really don’t want to discuss her anymore tonight. I came in here to see if you would like to join Mother and me upstairs. We’re going to try on our dresses for the ball.”
“That would be a nice little diversion this evening, especially after today’s events. Let’s go.”
Mother had all the dresses out of their bags; she had laid them out on the bed.
“They’re beautiful!” I picked up my dress and hurried over to the mirror. The golden-peach color looked great against my skin. “Ready to try them on?” I asked with excitement. “Yes let’s do it.” Mother said.
We slipped off our clothes and put on our dresses. The fullness and the length fit perfect. I started dancing around the room, enjoying my moment of normalcy. Then, I stopped and turned as I heard Madame Cecilia say, “Alixia!” I turned, her eyes were very dark. Suddenly, I felt it too, a flash with an image of someone in danger. My body became tense. Madame Cecilia took off her dress, grabbed her clothes and went toward the bedroom door.
“Alixia, we have to go! Get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs.” She left the room.
Mother helped me out of my dress and said, “Hurry, Alixia, it doesn’t take long.”
“What doesn’t take long?” I asked, slipping on my jeans. “The Dark Ones.” She said in a panicked voice. “They are going after someone in our Realm.” Fear set in immediately. I left the room, hoping Marcus wasn’t involved. The flashes of images were still coming. It was of a woman. I ran downstairs. Madame Cecilia was just going out the door, so I ran after her.
“There you are, Alixia. Hold my hand and concentrate on the image in your head.” I closed my eyes. I could feel a different power running through me. We were accelerating through the night’s darkness and everything was a blur around us. Before I knew it, we were standing in a back alley in New Orleans. I stood there for a second, trying to get my bearings and I wondered how we had traveled so quickly.
“Alixia.” Madame Cecilia got my attention. “Are you getting an image?” I looked around, trying to focus. “She was here. They took her this way.”
As we walked cautiously, Angel and the other Ambrosines began showing up. I sensed the Dark Entity’s presence around me, but where? I knew we were close, I could feel the heat of the Ambrosine blood throughout my body as if it was a homing device closing in on its target.
We spread out in a half-circle fashion, combing the hidden corners of the alley. I sensed the intense evil, but it was like looking for air. I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was out there, hiding in the shadows. Then, I heard a scream and turned to see a small, young woman crying out and shaking, begging us not to take her. I walked slowly toward her, but Madame Cecilia pulled me back. The other Ambrosines engulfed her. I stood frozen, as I listened to her screams. Then it was quiet. “Alixia.” Madame Cecilia said. “It’s time to go.”
“Why did you have to kill her?” I asked, upset. “She didn’t want to die.”
“Her soul’s been taken, so we had to kill her before she infested the Realm.” She took my hand. “Are you ready?”
“No!” I pulled my hand away. “Aren’t we even going after the ones who did this to her?”
“It’s all over, Alixia. The Dark Ones are gone. Let’s go home, please.” I took her hand reluctantly.
I could still hear the woman’s ghostly screams in my head as we walked up the steps and onto the veranda. Mother was waiting for us. She came over to me and held me. Mother looked toward Madame Cecilia, who shook her head sadly, acknowledging that we were too late.
We went inside. I was still shaken with what I had witnessed. “I am going up to bed.” I said, not wanting to be around anyone at that moment.
Heading for the staircase, Madame Cecilia called out, “Alixia, do you understand why she had to be destroyed?”
“Yes, she wasn’t one of us anymore. I get it. I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning.” I walked into my room. My dress was lying on the bed. I moved it to the chair and flopped down on the bed, trying to erase the terrible memory of the woman’s pleas.
I heard a tapping sound at my door and sat up. “Alixia, it’s Angel. Can I come in?”
I sighed. “Yes, come in.” I lay back down.
She sat down on the edge of the bed. I put the pillow over my face. “Are you going to sit up so that we can talk?”
“Do I have to, Angel?” I groaned. “I just need to clear my head after what I witnessed tonight.”
“I understand, Alixia.” She said sorrowfully. “It’s always harder when it’s an innocent one instead of a Dark One.”
“I still have an image of her in my head. What family was she with?”
“The Aimeri family from the South. The darkness is over for her now.” I sat up. “I don’t get it. What was the reason for killing her so fast?” Angel looked disheartened for a second, and then took a deep breath. “We have to take them out quickly, before Marcel gets complete control. That’s just how it is.” I got up from the bed and walked to window. “It’s just unsettling to me that Ambrosines are the ones that actually killed her.”
Angel interjected harshly, “Alixia! She wasn’t part of the family anymore. She was part of Marcel’s Realm, and as terrible as it seems to you that we killed her, if we didn’t, she would have come after another family member. For centuries, Marcel has tried to infiltrate our families’ Realms by using the weaker family members to get what he wants and—”
She stopped suddenly. We both looked toward the balcony doors as we sensed his presence.
Great. Nice time to show up, Phillip. She will probably tell Mother; that’s all I need. Just open the door.
I walked over and opened the door for Phillip. He kissed me and said, “Are you ready for our date?”
I looked at the clock: 5 a.m. I couldn’t believe it was almost sunrise. “I guess so.” I gazed over at Angel. I
could sense she was perturbed. “Would it be okay if we talked about this later?” She stood up, walked to the door and grabbed the door handle. “Yes, go ahead. We will all talk later, and that includes you, Phillip.” She said, glaring at him. Then, in a critical tone she added, “By the way, Phillip, I do think it would be a little more appropriate if you used the front door, don’t you?”
I panicked. “You’re not going to say anything to Mother, right?” Phillip squeezed my hand and got into my head.
Don’t worry, she won’t.
“Phillip’s right…I won’t for now.” She was in his head. Phillip eyed her. “I will see you both later.” She said as she left, closing the door behind her.
“Good, we’re alone.” He said.
“Phillip, Angel’s right, maybe you should use the front door. I don’t need Mother to be upset with me about that, too.” He brought me in close to him and I felt the heat of his body next to me. “Phillip, the sunrise. Remember?”
He smiled and didn’t say a word. As I looked at him, he drew me in with his eyes. Leaning down, he kissed me ardently. Then he let me go. “Now I am ready to go.” He went out on the balcony and jumped. I ran to the railing. “What are you doing?”
“Being appropriate. I’ll meet you at the front door.”
I laughed and said, “You can start that tomorrow.” I jumped into his arms, and we went on our way toward the orchards.
He put his arm around me and said, “I heard there was a soul taken last night. Are you okay?”
“Yes, and I really don’t want to talk about it. In fact, I don’t want to talk about anything.”
“I understand.” We walked in silence to the gazebo and sat quietly, watching the sun come up over the horizon. I let the warmth of the day wash away last night’s events. Phillip stood up and looked toward the mansion. “Are ready to go back?” He asked.
“Yes.” I said. He reached for my hands and pulled me up. “Alixia, I have a very important question to ask you.”
“What is it?” I asked anxiously. He lowered his head and then raised it with a teasing smile and asked, “Don’t you ever wear shoes?”
I looked down at my bare feet. I pushed him. “Seriously, Phillip, that’s the important thing you wanted to ask me?” He laughed loudly. I shook my head, knowing he wanted me to cheer up. “Let’s go.” I said.
We entered the mansion to find some guests had already arrived for the Mardi Gras event. The staff was busy showing them to their rooms. “I had better get cleaned up for the day; Mother’s probably been looking for me.”
“Hey.” He said, reaching for my hand. “Before you go upstairs, I really need to talk to you for a minute.” He looked into the den. “Good, no one’s in here. Come on.”
He shut the door. “Phillip what is it?”
“I didn’t want to bring this up now, but now that the guests are arriving, I think it’s imperative you get a hold of Marcus and see if we can meet tonight.”
“Tonight! Phillip, I don’t know if he will even meet with you.”
“Alixia, you have to convince him.” I bit down on my bottom lip softly and walked to the phone. I dialed Robert’s number, hoping I was doing the right thing.
Can I trust Phillip?
He answered, “Hello?”
“Robert, hi. It’s me, Alixia.”
“Alixia, why are you calling? Are you all right?”
“Yes, I am fine, Robert. But I do need to see Marcus. It’s important. Can you set it up for us to meet tonight?” He didn’t answer, so I ask again. “Robert, can you do it?”
“Yeah….sure, if that’s what you want. I will pick you up at six.”
“Thank you, Robert. I will see you then.”
“Alixia?”
“Yes?”
“Never mind, I will see you at six.” He hung up the phone. I turned to Phillip. “Okay, it’s set. I’ll meet Marcus.” He didn’t let me finish my sentence. “I am going with you, Alixia.”
“No, you’re not!” I said stubbornly. “I will bring Marcus to meet you. That’s if he will come.”
“Alixia...”
“No, Phillip, we’re going to do this my way. Just listen.” He sat down in a chair with a grim look on his face and said, “Okay, I’m listening.”
“This is the plan. When I meet Marcus, I will tell him that you need to talk to him. If he agrees to meet with you, I will call you and let you know where the meeting will take place. Agreed?”
“Do I have a say in this at all?”
“No!”
“All right. I’ll wait for your call.” He stood, walked over and kissed my forehead. “Go get dressed.” He said.
I left the room and was halfway up the staircase when Phillip called out to me, “Alixia!” I turned to look at him. “Don’t forget your shoes.”
I smirked. “Funny.”
I walked into my room and took off my clothes, slipping on my bathrobe. I went into the bathroom and turned on the cold water faucet on the tub. Letting it fill, I put my hair up into a ponytail and I got in. My skin was cooled by the cold water at first, but it didn’t last long. My body warmed the water as I lay in the tub relaxing. With my eyes closed, I thought of Marcus and wondered if he would meet Phillip tonight. I focused on Marcus, trying to get in his head. I started feeling his presence, but it stopped when I heard a voice.
“Alixia, where are you?”
I sat up in the tub. “Mother I’m in here.” I got out, grabbed a towel and dried myself.
She walked in. “Alixia, you’re not dressed yet? Hurry along. We have a lot of things to do today.”
“All right, I’ll hurry.” I said as she handed me my bathrobe. “Thank you, I’ll be down as soon as I get dressed, I promise.” She kissed my cheek and went to the door. “I will meet you in the ballroom.”
“Wait, Mother, there is something I have to tell you. I won’t be here this evening.”
“Why?” She creased her brow. “There are families here to meet you. You really should be here.”
“I’m sorry; I’ve made plans with Robert. He will be picking me up at six.” I could sense her irritation, but she kept calm and asked, “So, is Phillip going with you?”
“No. It’s just Robert and me.”
“Alixia, tell me the truth. What’s this all about? Why does he keep asking to meet with you?”
“He’s just worried about Marcus, that’s all. He is in the city tonight and wants to know if I would go out to dinner with him. The reason I am not taking Phillip is, like you said, the less family involved, the better.” I avoided eye contact with her. “All right.” She said with hesitance.
“However, I do expect you to be here for the remainder of events during Mardi Gras. Understood?”
“Yes, Mother.” She left and closed the door. I let out a breath and said aloud, “Well that easy.” I went to the closet and pulled out a blouse and skirt to wear.
Hopefully when I see Marcus, it will go easy.
I finished getting dressed and brushed out my hair. Then, I looked down. No shoes. I went to the closet and got a pair of open-toed heels and slipped them on, smiling as I thought of Phillip’s comment. “There, that should make him happy.” I said to myself.
Coming through the doorway, I heard, “Bonjour, Alixia. You’re looking beautiful today.” It was Charles. He greeted me as I walked into the den. He was with Pierre Reynaud, a family member from the North, who added, “I agree and bonjour, Alixia.”
“Bonjour, gentlemen.” I said as I looked around the room. “Have you seen Phillip?”
“He was here, but I think he and Angel went to the ballroom.”
“Thank you, Charles. It was nice seeing you again, Monsieur Reynaud. I will see you later Charles.”
“Yes, of course.”
I hurried to the ballroom and saw Phillip talking to a guest. “Phillip?” I said. He excused himself and walked toward me. Taking my hand he said, “Come on, Angel and Madame Cecilia are waiting for us. I guess they need
to talk to us about something.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea.” We walked to a mirror door. Phillip pressed on it and we walked inside. Both women were in conversation with each other as we entered the room. Looking up at us, Madame Cecilia said anxiously, “Alixia, good, you’re here.” Phillip closed the door behind us. “Sit down please.” As I sat down, I could sense something wasn’t right. “What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously. Madame Cecilia bluntly responded, “Alixia, your mother told me you are going out with the outsider this evening.” I read her.
She knows I’m meeting Marcus.
“Phillip, you promised!” I shouted angrily.
Phillip moved away from me, extending his hands out of denial. With pleading eyes, he said, “I swear, I didn’t say anything.”
“It’s true, Alixia. He didn’t say anything.” Madame Cecilia interrupted. “I read Millie’s thoughts, that’s how I know.”
Damn! What was I thinking, involving Millie? She was the easiest target for them if they wanted to know my secrets.
“All right, you know now. Did she say anything else?”
“No, because she doesn’t even know I read her, and actually, she doesn’t even know that we’re even having this conversation right now.”
I shook my head.
Stupid! I should have kept my thoughts about seeing Marcus to myself.
“Alixia.” She shifted in her chair to face me better. “I have one question for you. Why are you trying to put this family in danger?”
“I’m not!” I exclaimed, glancing at Phillip. “I’ve been trying to tell you, Marcus is not the dangerous one. He came here to warn us, and that’s why I’m meeting with him tonight.”
“What is this about?” Angel shouted furiously.
Phillip jumped in to rescue me. “It isn’t her fault. I made her call Robert to set up a meeting with Marcus tonight.”
The room became silent. Phillip moved closer to me, probably thinking it was safe to sit beside me again.
“Phillip!” Angel said angrily. “A meeting with the Dark One! What are you two thinking?”
Before Phillip could answer, Madame Cecilia forcefully asked, “What have you gotten my granddaughter into?” Phillip stood, motioning with his hands as he defended himself. “Ladies, calm down and let me explain, please.” They looked at him coolly with their arms folded across their chests, waiting for his explanation. “Thank you.” He said, taking in a breath. “The reason I asked Alixia to set up a meeting with Marcus is to find out what he knows.”
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