Inception (The Reaping Chronicles, 1)

by Haviland, Teal

  He was less than a foot away. Lord help her she wanted to touch him so badly. He just stared at her. She could almost see his mind searching for a response, desperately trying to find the answer. He couldn’t find one, she could see that.

  Whatever, whoever, he is … he honestly doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

  Now … she was stunned.

  “Gabby, I’m clueless. The language thing … I’ve always been a natural at foreign languages. What makes that one so special? Why couldn’t I have known it or have heard it somewhere before?”

  Realizing she couldn’t tell him the answer unless she told him who and what she was, she turned and ran from him. For the second time that day.

  As Gabrielle made her way to her car at the end of the school day, she was lost in thought about her exchange with Lucas. She was now sure that there was something very unusual about him. But she was also convinced he was at a loss as to whatever it was.

  Looking up from the ground, she stopped. Lucas was leaning against her car. She’d left her last class early specifically so this wouldn’t happen, but there he was anyway. Now that he was there, she realized her resolve had weakened. She started walking again, shaking her head.

  “Boy, you don’t give up, do you?”

  “Nope.”

  She reached him and leaned against his Wrangler, now conveniently parked next to hers.

  “What’s left to say, Lucas?”

  “For starters, I should have a chance to tell you what really happened that morning you saw me with Mara. And I think there’s a little something to talk about now concerning what you were asking me a couple of hours ago.”

  He had her on the last one at least. She’d opened that can of worms right up, and she needed to buy some time to figure out how to put the lid back on. If he really didn’t know what he was, there was no need to freak him out more than he probably already was. Now there was also the little problem of not being able to tell him who and what she was so she could explain further about his voice and language.

  “Okay, Lucas. But not here.”

  Lucas looked relieved, even smiled a little. “Sure … where do you want to go?”

  Good question.

  After thinking on it a few seconds, Gabrielle decided it would be safe enough to go to her house. An angel would notice a human’s energy, so there wouldn’t be surprise manifestations.

  “How about my house?”

  “I’ll follow you.”

  As they pulled out of the school lot and made their way toward her house, all she could think about was Lucas and what he might be and how she could explain away her concerns about it without telling him everything.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Lucas ~ Chances

  “Finally.” Lucas said to no one but himself as he pulled out of the school’s parking lot behind Gabby. He had thought it would take longer to convince her to talk to him after he’d learned she saw him with Mara draped all over him.

  A chill ran through him with just the thought, but at least Mara had been staying away from him since. He wasn’t planning on telling Gabby the whole story about what had happened that morning, though. If she thought he was strange now, it’d be worse if he told her he thought Mara’s eyes not only changed colors, but that her entire eye went completely black, and that she’s not the same person he’d originally met.

  Yeah … I think I’ll keep that little tidbit to myself.

  After about five minutes, Gabrielle pulled into the driveway of a brick townhouse. He turned off his Jeep and slid out, and they both silently climbed the steps and went in.

  Lucas tried to take in everything he saw. The townhouse was larger than he thought, but its exterior was deceptive; it was built deep instead of wide. From the large entry where he stood, stairs hugged the left side of a curved three-story wall; a large contemporary chandelier hung from the ceiling directly above a round entry table in the center of what was really a room in itself. A beautiful arrangement of the most unusual flowers he’d ever seen were on the table. He was borderline captivated by it, actually. The colors of the unusual petals and buds were like they were from another world. Gabby stepped in front of them as she placed her things on the table and gave him his mind back as he continued to take in what he could from where he stood.

  A music room or a study—maybe both—was immediately to the right and showcased a white baby grand piano, a large ornately carved wooden desk, and shelves of books that lined every wall he could see—most looked aged. He loved books and hoped he would have the chance, one day, to spend a lot of time in there looking them over. The only other thing in the room was a very large dark brown leather couch that looked like the most comfortable thing he’d ever seen.

  Gabby turned and motioned at him to follow her. “Are you thirsty or hungry?”

  Lucas followed, but both his feet and mouth responded slowly as he continued deeper into her home.

  “Yeah … sure.” He walked through a long, wide hallway with nooks and crannies holding paintings and sculptures. Eye-candy was everywhere, capturing his attention like a five year-old walking through the gates of Disney World for the first time.

  “Are you coming?”

  Lucas managed to just glance at the remaining art as he left the hall that led into a massive room that held the kitchen, family room, and dining room. He had already thought the hall was full of interesting and beautiful effects, but after a quick scan of this room, he realized it had been simple in comparison to the one he was now in. Beautiful things were everywhere.

  Not at all in a cluttered way, just … interesting. He’d never seen a home with so many styles of furniture, art, and nick-nacks. And somehow, it all worked together perfectly. Nothing looked out of place or like it wasn’t meant to be among all the other things on the walls or in the room. And everything was anchored by more of the same oversized, comfortable looking, dark leather furniture that was in the library. Only in here, there were two couches and one chair with a matching ottoman that was easily big enough for two people.

  A large flat screen was situated over a fireplace with more shelves on either side of them, full of CD’s and … more things. Quite a few unframed black and white photos had been left on the ottoman, making him wonder if Gabby had taken them.

  What does she fill her time with outside of school?

  The dining room was about what he would have expected, furnished with a large wooden table and chairs and a buffet server. There was more eclectic art hanging on the walls and a larger arrangement of those unusual flowers on the table.

  The kitchen was a gourmet chef’s dream with dark stained cabinetry and tiles that were as current as the high-end stainless steel appliances. A large island in the middle held a six-burner gas range and a bar that curved around one corner with six stools nestled around it. The back wall of the townhouse was almost completely glass, bathing the room in light.

  He glanced around the room again. There were no pictures of Gabby or her family—or anyone else for that matter—anywhere.

  Absolutely none. Odd.

  “Do you want some sweet tea or a Coke?” Gabby called from the fridge she just opened.

  “Coke’s great … thanks,” he said as he walked through the family room into the kitchen, pulling out one of the stools to sit.

  “This is a really great place, Gabby.”

  Gabby turned and looked at him, a smile parting her lips as if she was pleased he liked it.

  Man … I miss that smile.

  “Thanks.” She slid a can of Coke across the counter to him and popped the top on her own, picking up a notebook that he’d glimpsed a few lines of poetry in before she closed it to conceal its contents. “It’s kinda … different, I know. But I really like it. Chips or pretzels?” She asked as she made her way to the pantry.<
br />
  “Chips.” She grabbed a bag and opened it, handing it to him as he continued to talk. “You and your family must have done a lot of traveling to have found all of these things,” he said as he put a chip into his mouth and opened his can to take a drink.

  Gabby chuckled lightly. “Yeah, you could say we’ve been around.”

  There was an awkward silence as he ate chips and she randomly looked at different objects. Lucas took another drink and then cleared his throat nervously. “So, about the Mara thing.”

  Gabby’s attention was solely on him, and the intensity in her gaze made him wish she would keep looking at her things as he talked.

  “There was something wrong with her that morning. Something is wrong with her, period. And what you saw was me trying to help her get somewhere so she could sit down.” Lucas paused to see if she might possibly, hopefully, believe him. Her expression gave nothing away. “Gabby … she literally collapsed into my arms. What should I have done? Let her hit the ground and walk away? I couldn’t do that. Not then, anyway.” He stopped and waited for her response.

  “Say I believe you … I still want to know why you’re so angry with her. Are you going to tell me now?”

  Oh, boy … here we go. How do I bring her back to me without telling her everything?

  “That’s complicated.”

  “Complicated, huh?”

  Then, the staring at each other began and continued for several tense moments.

  “Gabby, she means nothing to me. She never really did. Can’t we just leave it at that?”

  More staring.

  “I don’t know, Lucas.”

  Green eyes … dissecting him.

  “Can you think about it while we talk about the thing in the hall today?”

  Finally, she blinked.

  “Sure, Lucas.”

  Back to staring.

  “Okay … I guess I’ll start. What was so strange about my voice? And why shouldn’t I have known that language? If you know it, why is it such a stretch that I could have heard it before?”

  Gabby shifted in her chair and took a chip for the first time, chewing it slowly. Lucas thought it was a delaying tactic. Especially as she took another one, chewing it just as slowly, and then a sip of her drink.

  Why doesn’t she want to talk about it? Am I that strange to her?

  “Gabby … “

  She cleared her throat this time. “Yeah,” she said and took another drink. “It’s just hard to explain some things.”

  Tell me about it.

  “Maybe it’s nothing. I’ve been taught to be overly cautious by my … parents, so maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

  “Why do you have to be overly cautious?”

  Gabby seemed to ponder this question a little too long.

  “They spend most of their time at the island resort they own in Florida, which leaves me alone quite a lot. They just want me to be safe, I guess.”

  “Oh.” He didn’t believe her for some reason. But he didn’t care, either. What he did care about was keeping her talking, to spend as much time with her as possible, to figure out how to get them back on track. At least they were communicating.

  “So, you’re being over-cautious because you think I might be a danger to you?” His mind flashed to his dream where she seemed threatened by him.

  Gabby actually smiled at that suggestion.

  Maybe she’s not afraid of me after all? He thought with more than a little relief.

  “Cautious, yes. Because of you being a danger to me, no. I can handle myself pretty well,” she said with a lot of confidence.

  “Okay. Then why did you pull away from me?”

  More silence, more of those green eyes that seemed capable of penetrating his soul.

  “I became worried that things were moving too fast, and that I was more interested in you than I should be.”

  That seemed honest. “Why shouldn’t you be interested in me?”

  “Because, Lucas … I don’t usually stay in one place very long. Like I said … we get around.”

  She’s not afraid of me; she’s afraid of getting hurt. That’s easy to relate to. “I’m willing to take the chance if you are, Gabby. I have just as much chance of getting hurt here as you do, you know.”

  She seemed to feel the honesty in his statement. Her brows softened, and a smile played at the corners of her full, red lips. Something in her eyes made her look happy … a glow seemed to be coming from them now. Though it was so subtle, it was probably just his imagination or a trick of the light in the room. But damn … it made them even more beautiful.

  “Yeah … you do.”

  Lucas took a chance and reached out to take her hands. The strong, warm energy he’d gotten when they’d touched before still happened, and it made him smile. Something about it made him feel connected to her in a way he had never felt with anyone else before.

  And that’s just from touching her hands. To his relief, she didn’t pull away. “Will you take the chance with me, Gabby?” He asked with his eyes even more than with the words he’d spoken. Every ounce of him wanted to be with her. He couldn’t explain it, but it was what it was. He felt she was the answer to questions about things he did not yet understand and of things he had wondered about for years. Her response took so long that he began to think he might be willing to get on his knees and beg when, thankfully, she smiled. Before she opened her mouth to say the words, he knew that she was going to say yes.

  “Okay, Lucas. I’ll take that chance, too.”

  Those are the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard … in any language.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Gabrielle ~ Sisters and Demons

  Since returning from Corstorphine with Phalen, the amount of time Gabrielle spent worrying about completing her original task and needing to find the Book had worsened. The days were fewer to do either, but the Book was the main cause of her concern. It was on her mind more and more as though something was prodding her to find it—like a silent, invisible creature harassing her to hurry up and get her hands on the artifact.

  While making her way to New Orleans to meet Phalen, Gabrielle reflected on how the week had gone quite unexpectedly.

  The conversation with Lucas and their decision to move forward with whatever it was that they were doing had lifted her mood dramatically. She felt like she gave in too easily, but something in his eyes—and the way he made her feel—caused her to push the screaming voice of reason behind the door it came out of and shut it tightly, muffling its disapproval.

  That was Monday.

  For the rest of the week, she and Lucas spent as much time together as they could. Both arrived early to school, and they spent lunch with Nonie and Nate. Gabrielle was growing fond of Nonie and Nate and found she looked forward to seeing them each day, too. They always made her feel at ease, with the exception of a few times when Nate would watch her intensely. Something about him made her leery of him, but most often, he was enjoyable to be around.

  The twins were always laughing and poking fun at each other, themselves, and any innocent or not so innocent person they chose. More times than not, that other person was Lucas, and he seemed to enjoy the banter as much as they did. Gabrielle felt a real bond between them—like Lucas was their brother. With what she’d learned about Lucas’s past and family history, she was glad he had the twins and their family in his life.

  Lucas confided in Gabrielle that his mother and father died when he was just a baby. She could tell by the pain in his eyes when he spoke of it that, even though it had happened a very long time ago, he hadn’t come to terms with the loss. From what he’d been told by his grandmother, Emma, who had raised him, they’d died with his grandfather in a home burglary gone wrong. No one had ever been charged. Gabrielle knew she coul
d find out who was responsible and bring them to justice if it hadn’t already been taken care of. However, she shouldn’t. It was for Yahuwah alone to decide when it was time to make someone reap what they’d sown, who would be rewarded or punished.

  Gabrielle just decided how the karma would be given, not how severe the punishment or high the reward. She brought happiness, or woe, in thousands of different ways. Sometimes simple, sometimes intricate, sometimes mild, sometimes severe. Then she waited for her next lot from Yahuwah.

  Lucas told Gabrielle his grandmother was wonderful to him, but if it hadn’t been for Nonie and Nate and the rest of the Daniels family, he would have been lonely. They were, as Gabrielle had already begun to suspect, his family. Nonie and Nate had a little sister, Chloe, who was seven. And apparently, a very happy and unexpected surprise for their parents, Lizzie and Ben.

  Ben was the pastor of a large church just around the corner from where the Daniels family and Lucas lived, and Lizzie was a semi-retired surgeon. Holidays and special occasions always found the two families together, and they frequently ate dinner under the same roof. Really, the two families weren’t separate at all except for the space the pavement and grass placed between their two homes.

  Gabrielle enjoyed hearing about the festive times they shared. The funny, and not so funny, stories of escapades the three teens and the rest of the family would find themselves in. She found she wanted to be part of that family somehow, in some way, and was looking forward to meeting the rest of the Daniels crew and Lucas’s grandmother.

  Her fourth week of high school had just ended, and tomorrow was Nonie and Nate’s first touch-football game—a weekly event until Christmas. She would get to spend even more time with all of them and was particularly happy that Lucas would be picking her up. Right before leaving school, he said he’d see her at about eleven the next day so they could grab something to eat before the game.