Violet Midnight

Allie Burke

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, incidents are a product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, events, or organizations is coincidental.

Violet Midnight

Copyright © 2010 by Allie Burke

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced without permission.

For my Husband, who supports my obsessions of books with grace. I love you, even more than I love Edward Cullen.

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

~Vincent Van Gogh

Violet Midnight

Allie Burke

The Enchanters: Book One

Prologue

He ran through the tall evergreens, cradling her in his arms, not in the least phased by the dark of the night. They had walked this trail together so many times before; navigating was not of consequence. She existed. That’s all there was.

Her body was so cold. She had always felt cool to him, soothing like an evening breeze, but her temperature was that of ice now, chilling him to his core.

He continued through the forest, ignoring the screams of death behind him. The atmosphere threatened the small mountain town with the worst storms imaginable. Thunder roared around him, trees fell in his path, large chunks of ice fell from the sky. He leaped, dodged, and ran faster. A massive earthquake loomed below him, ready to strike. Still he ignored it. The entire world around him could perish in an hour, but he wouldn’t care less. His only responsibility lied in his arms.

He reached a cliff, its overhang marking the end of the trail. There was a vast lake below it, beckoning to him. He ran at the edge, hopping down from the end of the cliff to the soft dirt, and he went around to the small space of shore between the cliff and the trees, hastily racing into the water. He stopped when the water level reached his waist and rested her on the surface. He withdrew his arms from under her, his heart hollowing as she floated away from him.

“Jasmyn, please help her,” he said to no one. “I can’t live without her. Please.”

He swam to the side of the lake where large boulders peeked out of the crystal blue surface. He propped himself onto one of them, using his monstrous upper body strength against gravity. He sat, and he waited.

Chapter 1

Jane woke with her hand between her legs. She had had that dream again. That beautiful man, his strong hands melting every inch of her skin, her dreamy moans so loud that they sometimes woke her up. A tempestuous blaze began burning in her chest. It slowly spread into her breasts, smoldering her with its fire. She grunted quietly to herself, closed her eyes until the sensation passed.

It was seven thirty in the evening. Jane hated the daylight. At night, the stars winked sparkles at her, and the crescent moon reflected a joyous smile. That form of beauty didn’t exist during the day.

She removed the purple plush blanket from around her, and sat up from where she lied on the couch, shivering as her body heat dispersed into the air. Jane owned a bed, but never slept in it. Not since Annabelle Clarke died. She rubbed her eyes, and beamed up at Van Gogh’s Starry Night, crookedly hanging on the wall above her fireplace. She sighed, her grief for Annabelle excruciating.

Jane went to the kitchen, gathering all the necessary ingredients to prepare her birthday cheesecake. It was tradition. At least, it was, for a too-short time. Jane closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, freeing the depressed thoughts from her mind. She never allowed herself to enter such negativity. It was bad for her energy.

Jane began preparing her treat, even smiling a little as she mixed the ingredients into a creamy concoction. She didn’t use a recipe. Each step was locked away deep in her heart. She finished stirring, and dipped her finger into the mixture for a taste. When the delectable cream met her taste buds, a single tear ran all the way down her face, silently leaping from her chin to the bowl of cream. She ignored it, scooping the mixture into the graham cracker crust, and put it in the oven and set it.

She made a cup of sweet orange tea, the luscious aroma relaxing her mind and spirit, like yoga, but without the uncomfortable positions or the exercising part. After her evening tea, she changed into a white cotton dress and slipped her feet into a pair of flat, brown woven sandals. She walked out the front door, not bothering to engage the lock. She turned left out the white picket fence, and began walking through the lush green forest that surrounded her home. She was walking with her head tilted back, eyes facing the night sky. She often got distracted looking up at the trunks of the tall evergreen trees, admiring how the leaves at the tops of them seemed to kiss the stars.

Jane lived in a secluded area in already secluded Jasmyn Lake. This town populated less than twenty people. Her nearest neighbors were out of quick reach, which was just the way she liked it. Hidden. Remote. Personal.

She turned right, around an assortment of some hundred year old trees, and went through a small path lined with azalea bushes. The bright pink flowers exhaled a sweet aroma. Jane thought of Annabelle again, of home. She continued through the forest until she reached an opening. She paused, taking a moment to revel at the natural beauty before her. Just beyond the tiny opening was a small cliff, a pine tree on each side. Below the cliff was a vast, blue lake, so clear that the little brown stones on the lake floor shown through the top from below. Snow tipped mountains lined the opposite side of the lake, making a reflection of themselves on the surface. On Jane’s side, big white rocks popped out of the water just to the side of the cliff. Near the edge, the water was more teal colored, as if Jasmyn was inviting her in. She removed her sandals and stepped on the tip of the largest rock she could find, balancing on the tippy toes of her feet. Then, as if to accept Jasmyn’s summons, she dove in.

~ * ~

Jane was sitting on the couch, reading, her normal middle of the night activity, when there was a knock on the door. Jane thought it strange. Her home was so secluded that she never had any accidental visitors.

She put the book down and walked quietly to the door. She didn’t have a peep hole, she never needed one. Until now.

“Who is it?” she asked from behind the closed door.

“Open the door, Janie, please,” an unfamiliar voice said from the other side.

Janie? She silently questioned the nickname. She had never heard anyone call her that before, but the tone of the voice coming from outside suggested that the owner of it had known Jane all her life.

She decided to open the door. She felt obligated to, for a reason that was not known to her. Standing on her doorstep was an old woman—she must have been about seventy years old. Her dark brown hair was tied behind her head in a loose bun. Slight wrinkles accented the eyes that were as dark as her hair. She was wearing a long cotton black dress that went down to her ankles, and brown sandals. Her outfit was alarmingly similar to every piece of clothing in Jane’s wardrobe.

“May I help you?” Jane asked the woman.

“Oh, Janie, I knew you would be beautiful, but I never imagined—” The woman suddenly paused mid-sentence, inhaling and exhaling a quick breath. “My name is Annabelle Clarke. May I come in?”

Chapter 2

Jane floated on her back on the top of the lake. Any other time Jane felt cold, forced to layer with clothes and blankets to keep warm. But not in the water. It always felt warm to her, no matter the temperature. The natural water soothed her.

In a cloud around Jane’s body was a violet aura that slightly shimmered, the color of it gleaming like an iris flower lightly kissed by the morning dew. The aura protected her, providing a comfortable force of security.

She opened her eyes and stared up at the night sky. She silently pointed out all the constellations, smiling at the sparkling beauties. She averted her gaze across the sky. She was not surprised that the smiling moon’s light magically brightened when she found it.

Jane flipped over, dipped her entire body into the water, and swam towards the middle of the lake. Sparkly violet flakes trailed her. She relaxed her muscles, and let her body drift to the bottom. She moved her arms through the water in a squiggly motion, forming little underwater waves around her. Small species of green and brown fish arrived, circling her. She brought her closed fists to her face and concentrated, releasing any negative energy from her mind. The energy forced itself through her arms, down to her hands. She opened her palms and pushed her hands forward, discharging the negative force into the open water, encouraging it to swim away into the night. She closed her eyes and imagined a green hummingbird, fluttering from tree to tree, its sparkly pink neck shining in the afternoon sun as it roamed free. She opened her eyes as her violet aura broke up into little pieces of shimmering glitter and floated to the surface. The fish swam after the sparkles, chasing them, and as they reached the surface, they leaped from the water like dolphins. As the fish reentered the lake, they came back to her. Jane’s giggle made air bubbles, amused at the color of the fishes’ scales, now a deep, glimmering purple. They looked like they had been swimming in a pool of purple eye shadow.

Jane closed her eyes, dug her toes into the lake floor, and swirled in circles. Her imagination shifted to a parakeet, caged, perched on a wooden log, chirping with hopes of getting out into the world. She stopped spinning, and slowly the purple color broke up into tiny sparkles again, returning to Jane from each fish. When she opened her eyes, she found her fishy friends watching her, back to their normal green and brown colors. They quickly swam away, each with a snobby look in their eyes, like they had much better things to do than to amuse her.

Jane used the bottom of her foot to propel herself to the surface, inhaling a deep breath when she emerged from the water. She swam back to the rocks and climbed up. Sandals back on her feet, she made her way back home.

~ * ~

Jane let the old woman inside and politely asked her to sit down, offering the couch to her. Without asking, Jane handed her a cup of sweet orange tea.

“Thank you,” she said. “I love what you’ve done with the house.” She paused, but it was a short silent moment before she spoke again. “I would like to help you, Janie.”

“Help me with what, exactly?”

“I am well aware that you are very different, very special. I am very experienced. I would like to stay with you for a while, if that’s okay, offer any assistance I can provide. I know what you’re capable of, Jane. I know that you are the most unique of all of us. With the right guidance, you could be the most powerful.”

Jane nodded at all the right places, but she wasn’t really listening. As Annabelle spoke, Jane concentrated on her little nose, the way she bit her lip when she was nervous, how she drank her tea without sipping it first to check the temperature. Jane covered her eyes with her hand to hide the abandonment that she felt. She breathed, righting herself, and stared right into Annabelle’s too-familiar eyes.

“What took you so long?” Jane said.

Annabelle twitched involuntarily. “You were too young, Janie.”

Her response did nothing to relax the tension in Jane’s eyes. That wasn’t an excuse. Seventeen is hardly too young, especially since she was already on her own at that age.

“Try to give me a chance. I promise you, I’m not like them.”

Jane didn’t bother arguing, though her emotions were pulling her every which way, tempting her to cry. Family was family. It wasn’t just a love for family—in their world, it was more than that. If they didn’t have family, they didn’t have a thing.

Jane gave a single nod. “I won’t call you Grandma.”

“You never called me Grandma, even when you were two.”

“What, then?”

Annabelle closed her eyes, as if her memory was so far away that she couldn’t grasp it with her eyes open. “Anna,” she smiled.

Chapter 3

A sweet rosy aroma greeted Jane as she reached her property. She stopped, assessing her home. It was a small cottage, painted blue—the color of peace, the door silver—representing security. The front yard was covered in tall grass that was way overdue for a mow. There was a pathway leading to the house, filled with little rocks and cobblestone stepping stones. Two square planters stood on each side of the walkway, attached to the porch, occupying rose bushes of all different colors.

Jane stood completely still at the edge of her walkway, and she closed her eyes. She concentrated, and felt a warming sensation enter her body, a lot like a morphine injection, the pain medication slowly dripping, almost numbing the senses. She opened her eyes, and saw an invisible mist lurking around her house, a mist that was invisible to everyone except her.

Satisfied, Jane walked down her walkway. She was ready to go inside when something caught her eye. It was a white piece of paper, taped to the door, folded over once, its edges lightly flapping with the evening breeze. His elegant scripture decorated the front of it. Jane lifted it from the door and sniffed it, bathing in his otherworldly wild scent. She unfolded the note and read the two words on the page.

Happy Birthday.

It was signed by the single letter C, but that miniscule signature created a gulp in her throat and a massive quickening of her heartbeat. Jane held the note against her chest and forcefully widened her eyes, refusing to allow any tears to pass through.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to the night sky, and outstretched her fingers, commanding the wind to steal the piece of paper from her hand, propelling it far, far away.

She walked inside and turned off the oven, leaving the cheesecake inside. She made her way to the bathroom, undressing as she went. She showered, the water scorching hot, her body releasing little clouds of steam as the moisture came in contact with her skin. Before going to the bedroom to dress, she stopped at the hazy, moisture covered mirror, and waved her hand in front of it. The moisture disappeared, as if she had wiped it away with the palm of her hand. Except, her skin never came in contact with the glass.

She stole a quick look at her reflection. Jane was thin, with a round face and tiny features. Her skin was pale white, her eyes a bright emerald green. Her wavy red hair did what it wanted, so she never tried to tame it.

She turned from the mirror to go into the bedroom. She removed her black jeans from the closet, the knees of them ripped and the bottoms shredded, and she put them on. She found a black t-shirt halfway hanging off the bed, pulled it over her head, and tied her hair back. She went out to the backyard and flipped the outside switch. Blue string lights hung above, illuminating the yard with an ocean blue glow. To the left was a large garden, its small flowers and herbs spurting out from the ground. The garden was very random; there was no order to it. There were just plants everywhere. The rear of the yard inhabited a greenhouse that populated more plants, of all shapes, sizes, and colors. There was no walkway out here, just dirt, plants, and flowers, bursting with essence.

Jane found her garden shears buried halfway in the dirt below her feet, and collected handfuls of rosemary, lavender, and lilies. She went back inside and arranged the bouquets around the house. The scent of lavender released anxiety, the rosemary calmed her brain, her thinking patterns, and helped her concentrate; while the lilies symbolized beauty. The combination of the three was invigorating.

Jane started down the hallway to change again, and suddenly an odd feeling overwhelmed her. She felt light-headed, as if she was seconds from fainting. She stopped, stood in the middle of the hallway, and grasped the walls on each side to hold herself up. Her arms started shaking, and dark spots appeared in front of her eyes. She concentrated on the scent of the rosemary, focusing on clear consciousness. She felt her arms gaining their strength, and when the dark spots disappeared, she was, she was—somewhere else.

She reflexively looked down. She stood on a polished wood floor. The bright light from above made the polish glimmer, like a clear glass window on top of the wood. She looked around. All around the large room, people stood in small, quiet groups. They were dressed up: silk gowns, suits, jackets, all black. She peered past them. Art. Contemporary—colorful, deep portrayals of everyday items and people that were not what they seemed, or seemed what they were not. The different colored walls caved into themselves, making doorways to enter rooms with no windows or ceiling, just art. There was a long wall to the left, a doorway leading to more art on each side, with a big sign on it. Meet the Artist, it said. A private party.

Jane refocused on the people that filled the gallery. They weren’t just dressed nicely, the women’s’ hair was professionally done, perfect makeup, no wrinkles in the men’s’ suits. Jane felt very out of place in her torn jeans and t-shirt. Not that anyone was really looking at her, no one even glanced her way. Like no one saw her. Impossible, though. There had to be one person that would notice she was barefoot at a function like this. Maybe they couldn’t see her.

Jane started to sing. Not on impulse, she did it on purpose—it was the only thing she could think to do to prove to herself that she was invisible. She hooked herself with her own tune, some Doobie Brothers song, and she started dancing. No one paid any attention to her. Her verification of invisibility grasped, she continued to dance, having a little fun. Sliding, twirling—pausing. She had to stop halfway through her spin as she saw him, standing in the corner. Someone was talking to him, but he wasn’t listening. He was staring at Jane. This man, this beautiful, gorgeous, sexy man, the man she had been dreaming about for months, was thoughtfully staring at her, the invisible girl.

He rudely abandoned whoever it was that he was speaking to, ignoring stares, and walked towards her. Jane felt her heart tie anxiousness and nervousness together into a tight knot. Her knees trembled slightly. He was huge. Tall, muscular, sharp, defined features. He had cropped, jet black hair, deep blue eyes—the exact color of the ocean. When he reached her, he stopped abruptly, as if running into a wall. He paused, and just stared into her eyes, really stared, as if he could see her soul from where he stood. Jane was suddenly very warm.

She inhaled a deep breath through her nose, and experienced a very unique scent. It was him, he smelled lovely. She looked up at him—he had half a foot on her, at least. His lips parted, but before Jane could hear the sound his voice made, everything went black.

Elias walked into his new house, sighing at all the boxes littering the floor. It was a small house, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a living room with a medium sized kitchen attached to it. In the living room, he only had a leather couch and chair, a forty-two inch flat screen television, and an oak dining table by the kitchen. Everything else was scattered all over the house in boxes. He had no decorations or paintings on the walls yet, it was all very plain at the moment.

He had just moved to Hazel Grove, a small winery town just outside of Jasmyn Lake. He moved from Hayward, Washington, where he resided his entire life. He had lived in a big Victorian home with his parents and his twin brother, Liam, until they got an apartment together. Fifteen years later, Liam was murdered.

Elias and Liam were like a lot of twins: inseparable and complete opposites. Liam was gay, but that didn’t change their relationship. Liam was Elias’s brother, not some gay guy that he was ashamed of. Their parents didn’t feel the same way. They were in the law business, his mother a Supreme Court Judge and his father the Assistant D.A. As far as Mr. and Mrs. Linden were concerned, a gay son was an abomination. They disowned Liam. Luckily he still had Elias. He always would.

The death of Elias’s brother had practically killed him. He developed migraines and chest pains. Getting out of bed was a battle that he rarely won.

Elias and Liam had loved the rain since they were children. The sound of it tapping the tin roof of their back shed was heartwarming. It drained out the sounds of their parents’ fighting. It was beautiful to watch through the upstairs windows. As the twins got older, they couldn’t break their love affair with the rain. It reminded them of life, of survival, survival of their childhood and their parents. Every time it rained after Liam died, which was most days in Washington, Elias was lost. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He had to get out of that town, where he was constantly reminded of his only brother. When he found the small town of Hazel Grove, just minutes from his favorite aunt, his spirits were lifted right away. An art gallery owner interested in his work less than a mile away, it was perfect.

Elias removed his jacket, and sat down on the couch. He rubbed his temples. When he thought about his odd encounter tonight, he felt a headache developing. One minute he was speaking to some guy that babbled way too much about who knows what, and he was suddenly compelled to look away. When he looked around, though, no one looked disturbed. But then there was music. He couldn’t make out the song, but he definitely heard singing. He remembered walking in the direction of the noise, but after a few steps, he had to stop. He physically could not move, like his feet were buried in concrete. He knew he said something like “huh”. He felt very weird after that, hollow, like cracking a nutshell to find no peanut inside. When Lily called his name, he was depressed. It wasn’t the same grief for his brother; this was something he didn’t recognize. It wasn’t until Lily came over to him and took hold of his arm, that he was able to move his feet again.

There was something else. He could have sworn that he saw purple glitter floating around the gallery for the rest of the night. And the whole place smelled like some kind of herb: minty. He rubbed his temples again.

Elias got up and went to the kitchen to make a midnight breakfast. He couldn’t stop thinking about what a weird night it was. While the eggs and bacon cooked, he went to the counter where the spice rack sat, just to see if he could match the scent. Basil, cumin, oregano, ginger, rosemary. Rosemary.

Elias grabbed the small canister of the chopped green herb, and opened the top. He took a whiff, and was so startled by the herby scent that his arm flinched and he sprayed half the contents of the canister into his face. “Shit,” he said out loud, wiping his face with his hand. This was the scent looming around the gallery all night.

He walked away from the spice rack to remove the various pans from the heat of the stove. He scooped all of his food on a plate, and sat down at the table. He lifted his fork, and immediately he dropped it back onto the plate. It clanked. He wasn’t even hungry. He cooked because he should eat, not because he had an appetite. He couldn’t force it down tonight. He was too tired. He let the food slide off the plate into the trash can, and threw his dish in the sink. He walked to his bedroom that was empty except for a bed with just one cotton sheet. Elias didn’t sleep with a blanket, he always felt hot, as if he had an ongoing fever that would never break.

He undressed and showered—a cold shower. It wasn’t because of his unusual evening, Elias liked his showers frosty. Cooled him off, even if it was just for a few minutes before he began to feel like he was burning alive again.

Elias came out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. He put on some cotton boxers, and rolled into his single sheet. A lot went through his mind as he was trying to fall asleep. He had been raised so strictly, sent away to boarding school as soon as he was old enough, along with Liam. Their parents dressed them in expensive clothing since they were babies, and forced them to start wearing dress pants and collared shirts as soon as they could fit in them. They were constantly influenced by their parents to be successful, rich. Elias’s father had told him that he was going to be a great lawyer when he was six. Elias didn’t want any of that. The arts were his escape. The vivid colors on a canvas really spoke to him, blended together to tell him their story.

He felt abandoned. Liam was gone, his parents, well, they didn’t count. They didn’t care about anything but themselves and their status. They only had children because it was expected of them. Neither his parents missed a beat when Liam passed away, like it was bound to happen eventually. Like they were just waiting for their son to die. Elias turned on his side. He felt sick.

Elias finally drifted into a restless sleep. He tossed and turned so much that at one point during the night, he fell off his bed. Not realizing where he was, he turned his head to get up, and hit it on the corner of the iron bed frame.

He rose from the floor and went into the kitchen. He flipped on the switch to turn on the kitchen light, shielding his eyes from the brightness of it with the back of his hand. He decided to make some tea, maybe it would help him sleep. He filled a small saucepan with water from the tap, and heated it up. He went to the pantry to retrieve some tea. He saw the open canister sitting on the counter, half filled with rosemary. He emptied some of the minty herb into his palm, and dashed a few sprinkles in the pan of boiling water. He poured it in a mug, and steeped the tea bag. He plopped himself in his black leather recliner and drank it. Elias let out a long breath after a few sips. His head felt clear, the cloudiness of his thoughts finally thinning.

He got up from his chair and left the half full mug of tea on the table. He walked lazily down the hallway, and fell face first on his bed. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the soft cotton. It was then that he experienced the most peculiar dream.

There was a woman, standing as still as a statue in the middle of Lily’s gallery. She was barefoot, her purple painted toenails glimmering up at him. He took in her appearance, a little confused by her torn jeans and dirt stained t-shirt. He looked at her face, and he was mesmerized. She was beautiful. Her hair was red, not orange, but really red—crimson. The woman’s eyes were a deep emerald green, so illuminated that he saw his reflection in them. She looked—wild.

She looked around, and then, she started singing. Listen to the Music was the name of the song. She did a cute little spin, and she was dancing. There were several people around her, but no one looked at her. It was as if Elias was the only one who could see her. It was absurd, and hilarious, and the foremost terrific display Elias had ever seen.

Elias woke up laughing hysterically, so loudly that he had to bend over and put his head between his knees to muffle the sound of his deep guffaw, as not to wake the neighbors. He was eventually able to contain himself, and he fell back asleep. His headache was gone. Only a smile remained.

~ * ~

“You’re not coming in with me?” Jane asked Annabelle.

Annabelle looked down from the cliff where they stood. “No. Jasmyn and I, we have issues.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, water from the edge of the lake miraculously splashed ten feet in the air, swashing over Annabelle’s body. Her clothes were drenched and her hair was pasted to the side of her head, slicked with moisture.

“Jaz!” Jane exclaimed, scolding the water below her.

“Ignore her,” Annabelle said. “Go on. Hop in.”

Jane dove in, and swam to the middle. She submerged herself under water, closed her eyes, remembering Annabelle’s instructions.  Just concentrate. Think of rosemary, and release the negative energy from your body. Feel the electricity in your head, feel it pulse side to side, temple to temple. Push it out. Use your arms. Don’t lose your focus.

Jane opened her eyes as the violet sparkles floated away from her. She felt her body go mushy all over. She swam towards the broken up aura, her strokes lazy and slow. She relaxed for a moment, using her mind to rid the complete exhaustion overcoming her, and used what strength she had left to do the opposite, to call the purple cloud back to her. Once she felt the security of the aura attach to every inch of her, she let her muscles rest, her body giving in to the fatigue. She tried to feel satisfied that she did it on the first try, but she was so tired. She didn’t move, not sure if she could if she tried. As she hoped that she could hold her breath long enough to regain her strength, her body floated upwards without any effort, like a low cloud lifting her high up into the sky.

“Thank you, Jaz,” she said, quiet enough so that Annabelle wouldn’t hear.

Chapter 4

Jane woke with a start several hours later. She found that she was lying in the middle of the hallway, arms out. She let her arms fall, and discovered that there were little claw marks on the walls. She must have scratched them while she slept. She let out a long sigh, and lied on the carpet for a moment, without desire to get up just yet.

“Meow.”

Jane tilted her head back, and found her brown tabby cat next to her head.

“Hey Parker, I haven’t seen you in a couple days. What’s up?”

“Meow.”

“No, I have no idea what just happened. Are you hungry?”

“Meow.”

“Alright, help me up.”

Parker jumped over Jane’s head and landed weightlessly on her stomach. He walked to her feet, lightly bit her big toe and moved his paws backwards, like he was trying to drag Jane through the house.

She giggled. “Awww, Park. You’re so sweet.”

“Meow.”

“Alright, alright.” Jane got up and stood still for a moment to be sure that the lightheadedness wouldn’t stick around. Satisfied that she could walk, she went to the kitchen.

Jane retrieved the cat food and poured it into Parker’s bowl. Parker was a gift from Annabelle. Shortly before she died, she brought him home for her. Parker was a very unique pet. He seemed to know her; he knew when she needed comfort and when she needed space. Parker came and went, as he pleased. Jane was used to him. They were used to each other.

Jane set down the bowl. Before Parker ate, he looked up at her and meowed again.

“You’re welcome.”

Jane went down the hallway to her bedroom. She changed into some purple and turquoise flannel pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt. She put some socks on, and went into the bathroom to wash her face. Once she was all cleaned up, she went to the living room. She opened the purple curtains covering the window and looked outside. Still dark. She looked at the clock on the wall. Two o’clock. Time for dessert.

Jane opened the oven door and removed the cheesecake. She should have chilled it in the refrigerator first, but she didn’t want to wait. She grabbed a spoon, and dug in, not bothering to cut herself a piece. It was good. Melt in your mouth, flickering taste buds, I forgot my name, good. Jane didn’t like regular cake. It was so dry, and the frosting on top of traditional cakes was gross. It was like pouring sugar on top of bread. It tasted very fake. Cheesecake, the sweetness was meshed right into the creamy deliciousness. Delightful.

Instead of the grief that the once-a-year cheesecake should have brought to her mind, Jane thought about the hallway adventure. Very odd. She never slept at night. Ever.

And that man. He was lovely. “Mmmm,” Jane said, not because of the cheesecake. She remembered the way he smelled. Something deep, like a woodsy smelling incense, burning bright, little twirls of gray smoke leaping from the wooden stick, mixing into the air to combine all of the elements of the night. Jane quietly laughed at herself. Her imagination was out of control sometimes.

Everything about this man excited her as she thought of him. She wondered if he was real, or just a fantasy. Regardless, she couldn’t wait to see him again.

Elias woke up late in the morning, feeling well rested and refreshed. For the first time in a while, he felt okay. He got up and put some jeans on, and walked around the house. He really needed to do something about this mess.

He saw the mug on the corner of the dining table, and wondered if that was the reason he felt so rejuvenated this morning. It must have been the tea with the herbs that had helped him sleep. Elias brought his hand to his chin, thinking. There was something, a dream he had last night. He silently chastised himself for not being able to remember it. It was significant, he was sure. He could almost place it, but not quite, like a word on the tip of his tongue, the pronunciation of it eluding him.

He removed the cup from the table and brought it to the sink. He washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. He ended up in the living room again, and glared at all the boxes and bags all over the house. He got busy. He had at least five pieces of furniture to assemble—everything was new—he had left all his furniture at the apartment. He didn’t want any of it.

Once he had a coffee table and end tables and a dresser and more than one chair at the dining table, he put all his crap away. Clothes, shoes, movies—he could actually see that his carpet was tan colored. Elias looked around. Better. It actually looked like he lived here. His walls were still unbearably desolate, though. He emptied the contents of some large plastic bags leaning against the walls, demonstrating care with each one.

He found his favorite paintings and hung them up above his bed, in the living room, around the kitchen and in the bathroom, giving the house some color. He was back in the living room, and the empty wall above the couch caught his eye. Oh. How could he forget that one? He retrieved one last painting from his garage, and carefully unwrapped it. One glance at it, and he was lost in the sea of its beauty. The blues, the yellows, the greens, the purples. They all fused together in one mystical masterpiece, the painter of it an absolute crazy person. Elias had to admit that he wouldn’t have minded walking around with one ear, though, if he had the talent to bring so many people that kind of out-of-this-world beauty. Starry Night.

It was well into the afternoon, the time when the sun radiates its orangey light from a distance, at its brightest of the day, getting ready to rest for the evening. He spent a moment looking out the window. The sunlight reminded him of a painting that his Aunt Jeanine had once shown him. She had captured every element of the bright sun on that canvas, its orange rays so unbelievably vivid, they almost looked red.

Up until this moment, he had no ideas, no inspiration for his Meet the Artist “special unveiling” this weekend. He had just been waiting for it to come to him. Now, as colors filled every crevice of his mind, her face was all he saw, her emotions were all he felt. He turned from the window and ran to his studio at the back of the house.

Black curtains hid the windows—he’d made sure to set up his studio the minute he walked in the first time. He kept the walls bare. Other works were not an inspiration, but a pressurization. Staring at the works of art of other men and women, all he would get was a copycat, not an inspiration.

He picked up a sheet of canvas leaning on the far wall and set it on the easel in the middle of the room. He always used store-bought canvases, never stretched his own. When he had something colorful in his head, he always raced to the paints. The more preparation he had to do, the more he feared that his vision would get lost in the swirl of the thoughts and imaginations in his head.

He sat in his swivel chair, and began mixing the oil paints on his palette. He smiled as the two colors mixed on the knife to create the perfect shade. His expression went solid, all serious. He was ready. Impulsively, Elias began to paint.

Jane was reading on the couch with Parker bundled up at her feet. She didn’t own a television, she’d much rather read at any time of the night. She didn’t have a phone; all her acquaintances knew where she lived. No computer either. All that stuff would just take up time. Not like she had that much to do, but she refused to get sucked into the world’s problems. She lived in the middle in the most beautiful forest in California. Why waste it?

Jane was reading her favorite book for the second time. Not because she didn’t own a lot of books, she had a very extensive library. Hundreds of books, not even read yet. But she just couldn’t resist reading it again. It was a story of love, a forbidden love that brought two separate worlds into one. It was senselessly romantic.

Jane reluctantly put down her book, and got up to relieve herself. She hadn’t slept all day today; her pattern was irregular because of the long nap in the hallway. She would stay up tonight, and sleep tomorrow morning, get back on her preferred schedule. She had been reading all day.

She didn’t take a step before her legs started shaking and her head lightened. She smiled, excited that she was going to embrace the remarkable experience again. She was aware of what would happen next, so she wasn’t afraid of passing out this time. She sat back down and waited. The black circles came, and after a few moments, her vision cleared. She took in the scene before her. She was standing in a near empty room.

He was in front of her, sitting in an adjustable swivel chair, his back to her. Jane had to admit silently to herself that his backside was almost as lovely as his front, especially since he had no shirt on. Settled on a tripod in front of him was a canvas. He had a paintbrush in his hand, the muscles in his arm slightly twitching as he shifted from the canvas to a palette of colored paints and back again. He was so muscular. It wasn’t like he was ripped from working out six times a day or anything, it fit him, like it was his natural form.

Jane could no longer manage the suspense of it all. His vast body was blocking the canvas, and Jane was very curious. She crossed the room, absolutely quiet, her bare feet gliding silently across the soft carpet. She stood beside him, and ignored the urge to squeal at its beauty when she saw it.

It was stunning. He had painted a woman with red hair. She sat at a small white table, her elbows resting on top of it, a book in her hands. The color of her eyes was a mystery as she read. The book had no title, but a picture of an apple on the front. Resting on the corner of the white table was a simple purple ceramic vase, in it a single stick of rosemary.

The similarities between Jane and the woman in the painting were unmistakable, but she couldn’t believe that it was her. This woman was so perfectly beautiful, Jane couldn’t compare her to the person she saw in the mirror.

He shifted in his chair, sat back and folded his arms. He traded his brush for a different one, and continued. She watched the small movements his body made as he worked, shifting her weight from foot to foot, impatiently waiting for him to finish.

When he sat still, Jane looked up, and this time was really taken aback. She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent some loud noise from escaping. There was only one small addition, but it developed the work of art into a masterpiece. The woman was still sitting in her chair reading, but just above her vivid red head was a cloud of violet glitter, emanating from her like steam. Jane squinted her eyes as he used a small paintbrush to autograph his painting in the glimmering violet color.

Elias Linden

Elias. The word seemed to roll effortlessly off her tongue as she silently moved her lips. Elias stood up, but Jane didn’t move. He stood behind his chair, hands resting on the back of it, admiring. A wide smile streaked his face. Jane practically fainted from the beauty of it. His smile was radiant, like watching a red rose bloom to its full beautiful potential in the span of a few seconds.

Elias opened his mouth to say something.

“No!” Jane screamed, grasping his arm. “Don’t talk!”

It was too late. Elias was already gone.

Chapter 5

He knew she was gone the second her cool touch withdrew from his arm. He never saw her, but had felt her disappear into some cold, dark place. He perceived the black emptiness where she had been summoned, her deep anxiety filling his heart. But he couldn’t reach her. He didn’t even know her name.

Elias opened his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He hadn’t been asleep, but in some kind of dark trance.  He was standing in his studio, his completed painting in front of him. What was the last thing he said? He couldn’t remember. Whatever it was, he knew he heard a voice. It was a woman’s voice, alarmed, scared almost. Still a beautiful voice, though, like the sound a piano’s high keys made when played in a melody. He spun himself around, searching every corner of the room. No one was here.

Elias racked his brain for a moment. He remembered a cool sensation on his arm before he heard the voice. Then, nothing. Nothing until he found himself standing here. He looked down at his arm. On it was a hand print of glitter, purple. Elias looked at his painting, then looked at his arm, back and forth. The purple color in the painting was the exact shade of the handprint on his arm.

He was crazy. That’s all. A raging lunatic.

He went to the bathroom to shower. He washed his arm with soap, but it wouldn’t come off. He got out, ignoring his new tattoo, and he dressed in jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. He put on some black leather boots, and went to the kitchen phone and dialed. After one ring, an older woman’s voice answered.

“Hey, Auntie.”

“Elias! Don’t call me Auntie, it makes me feel old. I’m so glad to hear from you! Did you get the spices and the tea I sent you?”

“Yeah,” he whispered, a quiet attempt to hide any skepticism or awkwardness that may be in his tone.

“What’s wrong?”

Elias closed his eyes. She was too good. There was no point in answering her. He had no idea how to explain how he was feeling at the moment.

“Has your mom called?”

“No.”

Jeanine let out a long sigh, which Elias could hear through the phone. She didn’t say anything further on the subject. There was nothing to say.

“Listen,” Elias said, “I’ve heard about this great place. Come out with me, I’ll buy you dinner.”

“Sounds great, honey. I’ll be ready in ten.”

Elias walked out the door, and got in Liam’s black Aston Martin. Liam had left everything he had to Elias, except the firm. He knew Elias didn’t want it.

He reversed from the driveway, and started making his way to Devonbrook, a small town right next to Hazel Grove. Gray County consisted of three towns: Devonbrook, Hazel Grove, and Jasmyn Lake. Hazel Grove was the party town, Devonbrook the family town, and Jasmyn Lake—Jasmyn was just really weird.

After a few minutes of driving, Elias reached a small residential area. He turned onto Church Street and pulled into the driveway. He smiled at his aunt’s house. Most of the small houses on this street were painted different shades of browns. Jeanine’s house was fuchsia with lilac trim and royal blue stairs leading to the porch. The yard was a mess. The grass couldn’t have been mowed in years. A small piece of white cloth distracted his view, and he looked up the tall oak tree in the yard. Hanging from the branches were shredded pieces of toilet paper, looking battered and weathered, like the tree had been teepee’d several weeks ago. Someone had used a screwdriver to draw a large X on the tree’s trunk.

Elias walked across the yard, the weeds attacking his knees, and went up the stairs. Two dead rats were next to the welcome mat, and several broken egg shells were scattered around the porch. Avoiding the dried egg goo, Elias knocked on the green door.

The door opened, and Jeanine smiled at him. She was sixty-two, not a gray hair on her head. Her fine brown hair was long, but she never let it down. She wore a long dress, every color known to man coming together on it. A bright blue scarf circled her neck, and her brown eyes were lined with pink shimmery makeup. He let out a long breath, relieved at the sight of her.

“Look how handsome you look,” Jeanine said. “It’s been too long. Come here.”

Elias stepped forward, hugged her and kissed her cheek. They walked to the car. Elias opened the passenger door for her, and drove back to Hazel Grove.

“Why don’t you move to Hazel, Jeanine?” Elias asked her in a very strict tone. They were thoughtless pranks, the neighbors clearly upset that Jeanine lived in their town without a family and with her crazy antics. Elias worried that it could turn to something dangerous. If Jeanine was harmed—Elias shivered, unable to complete the thought in his head.

“You know, I was going to. I was looking for a new house, so I rented this place temporarily until I could find something I liked. But I decided to stay the first time I found dead rodents on my porch. So I painted it pink.” She was smiling.

Elias just laughed. She was completely serious, and would not be influenced. That was just her.

“So. Do you want me to mow your lawn, at least?”

Jeanine laughed. “No, I like it. It scares the neighbors.”

Elias shook his head at her. She did sound crazy sometimes, but she wasn’t. She was the only sane one in their family, as far as he was concerned. She was nothing like her younger sister, Elias’s mother. Jeanine was a free spirit. Her paintings were amazing; she sold them to Hollywood celebrities and wealthy people all over the world. She never married, had no children, and didn’t regret a minute of her life. Of course his mother didn’t approve, but Elias could care less. He admired her.

After a few minutes, they reached Ruby’s Diner. He parked in the back, ignoring onlookers’ stares. They were looking at the car, not at him. They went into the diner, and found a small table in the corner. A young girl in a red polo shirt walked up to their table. She was a little plump, like she enjoyed food, but not fat, just comfy. Her nametag introduced her as Audrey.

“Welcome to Ruby’s. What can I get you?”

Elias looked across the table to Jeanine. She shrugged. “Whatever you think.”

“Are the rumors true?” he asked Audrey. “Is The Ruby as good as everyone says?”

“Yes,” she laughed nervously, “absolutely.”

“We’ll both try that.”

“To drink? We have a special blend of iced tea. It’s fused with rosemary.”

Elias’s throat crackled, and his laugh was so loud it was almost obnoxious in the setting of the quiet diner. He cleared his throat and forced a calm look on his face.

“That sounds great,” he said carefully, short pauses bubbling composure between each of his words.

Audrey narrowed her eyes at him before she walked away, like he was insane. Elias covered his eyes with his hand. He felt Jeanine’s eyes on him, but he didn’t look up until she spoke.

“Tell me what’s going on, Elias.”

He just stared at her.

“I’m waiting.”

“You’ll think I’m nuts.”

“I’m going to think your nuts? Really, Elias? Look at me. Look at me and tell me that anything you could say would make me love you any less.”

Elias breathed deep, and gave in. He told Jeanine about the strange encounters at the art gallery and in his studio.

“I want to see her,” he heard himself say.

Audrey arrived with the food, her presence preventing Elias from seeing Jeanine’s reaction. He didn’t want to worry Jeanine too much, so he ate. Even with his lack of appetite, the sandwich was surprisingly delicious, there were at least three different meats, and different cheeses in between each layer. The grease dripped from the bottom of the bread onto his plate. The tea paired with it well; it was very different.

Halfway through his meal, Jeanine finally spoke. “Elias, I want to tell you a story. No questions. Just listen.”

~ * ~

“I got something for you,” Annabelle said, walking in the house, and she revealed a painting of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Jane squealed. “Oh, Anna, it’s beautiful.” She ran to Annabelle and gave her a tight hug.

Annabelle kissed her cheek. “Let’s go hang this up.”

Chapter 6

Jane opened her eyes, a little startled at the darkness around her. She was in a flat position, like lying on her back, but nothing was under her. She was floating.  Her surroundings were completely dark, she couldn’t see anything. She shivered as cold air wafted over her skin. She crossed her arms in a bundle, but it didn’t help. It was like being in a cave, cold and dark, but not a cave at all, the absence of walls or a floor very un-cave-like.

She wasn’t scared, just cold. This magic, it didn’t frighten her. She could feel the aliveness charging through her body, like she was trapped in a bubble of it, the power of her energy separating her from the rest of the world.

She became irritated as she thought of Elias. He was the reason she was here. She couldn’t understand why he talked to himself so much. If he could just be quiet, she could stay with him. She grunted, upset that she was torn away from him so quickly.

She remembered touching him. He was so warm. She felt strong waves of heat set her chest ablaze as she came in contact with his skin. She was irritated again. She wished he was here with her. He would keep her warm.

Aware that there was nothing else she could do, she closed her eyes and waited out the dark emptiness.

Elias leaned back and relaxed, his best effort to keep an open mind. Jeanine began.

“Sometime in the 1600s, random people all over the world were changing. Women and men of all ages noticed unique strengths in their bodies. They had unique abilities. They didn’t understand it, so, in fear, they made promises to keep the world safe. They would keep their existence a secret and they would only use their powers to defend themselves.

“Generations later, grandchildren of these people were acquiring the same ability as their ancestors. Still today, they are inheriting their family gift.”

“Witches,” Elias whispered.

“No. Witches don’t exist. They’re Enchanters. Enchanters are born with magic in their blood. Nature helps them thrive.  It could be the sun, or the moon, or the earth. They manipulate elements.”

Elias must have had a very skeptical look, because Jeanine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Elias quickly evened his expression, regretting his immaturity. This was, hard, on Jeanine.

“The important ones, the especially powerful ones, they have a destiny. They cannot ignore it. The magic in them will force them down the path that leads to it.”

Jeanine finally opened her eyes. “The woman. I think her destiny is you.”

Elias did not argue. He had never seen a more serious look in her eyes. He knew Jeanine. She wouldn’t tell him any of this unless she was absolutely sure. Unless she had seen it for herself.

Jeanine continued. “If you’re going to pursue this, you have to be careful. They are protected. They carry auras. Its colored, based on their element, but you will not be able to see it. It is only visible to those of their kind.”

Elias blinked. “Color?”

Jeanine narrowed her eyes. “You left something out?”

He pushed up his sleeve, and held his arm out to Jeanine. She caught a glimpse of the glittery hand print on his arm, and she covered her mouth with both hands. Her makeup smeared under her eyes. She was crying.

“Jeanine?” Elias didn’t know what to do, didn’t understand what he had just done.

Her hands went to her chest. “Her voice—”

“Music,” he murmured.

Jeanine nodded. “Her name is Jane Wildes. She’s not just any Enchanter. She’s The Enchanter. One of a kind.”

Kate Linden sat up from the leather chair behind the desk in her office, taking a break from the paperwork she had brought home with her. She stretched her arms and walked to the opposite wall where a picture of her smiling three year old boys hung.

The office was very conservative, decorated in earth tones. The desk was oak, accommodating a computer and a framed photo of Kate in her judge gown, her face in it completely serious. Next to the desk on the wall was a long bookcase, containing mostly textbooks and references. Kate remembered that she loved to read at a time, constantly immersing herself in romance novels. She couldn’t recall when she had stopped reading. She wondered how something like that could happen—how at one moment a person could possess an overwhelming devotion for literature, and then at one point in life they couldn’t remember what events cut them off from their desires.

Kate seldom allowed herself to think of Elias, but at the moment she missed him, yearned for his company. She wasn’t feeling up to pushing him to the back of her mind tonight.

She couldn’t think of Elias without thinking of Jeanine. Kate had tried so hard to keep Jeanine away from her children, but she was so insistent on being there for them, even though she was completely aware that Kate and Grant did not approve of her lifestyle. Elias was devoted to Jeanine. Kate could never keep them apart.

Kate inhaled a deep breath. She had changed so much since her mother died. Eve Hadley was so… she couldn’t even think of a word awful enough. Kate was aching to get away from her mother her entire life. She had to get away after Eve was gone. Not everyone was as talented as Jeanine anyway, some people had to go to college.

She met Grant in college. He was an aspiring law student, and Kate was in love. He was strong willed, confident, and charming. They married just after graduation. Kate didn’t particularly want children, but Grant convinced her that it was imperative to their careers. She was overwhelmed when she gave birth to twins. Shortly after the boys were born, Kate and Grant fought about everything. She thought that they could work out their marriage once Elias and Liam graduated high school and moved out. But then, a disgrace was among them. Liam was gay, and it was her fault. He was her son, after all. Grant disowned Liam. Kate had no choice but to do the same. Grant even lost interest in being a father to Elias, being so close to Liam. Neither Kate nor Grant had seen Liam for years before the funeral, except in court, where their choice of company was nothing if not limited. There was no emotion at the time of his passing.

Kate walked to the window and watched the rain dance onto the glass, until she heard the office door open. She turned to find Grant standing in the doorway. He was a handsome man, medium build with a hard face: typical lawyer material. He was dressed in a tailored suit and conservative tie, as always. He wore his black hair slicked back, the darkness of it contrasting his ocean blue eyes. Kate looked at his lips. She couldn’t remember the last time her husband had kissed her.

“I have to go back to work for a few hours,” Grant said. “Emily just called. Apparently there is some new information on the Camden case.”

Emily Greene was Grant’s assistant, a pretty young blonde woman who Kate was sure he was having an affair with.

“Have you called Elias?” Kate asked, changing the subject in an effort to erase Grant’s infidelities from her mind.

Kate watched her husband’s entire body go stiff, his mouth set into a thin line. “No,” he answered, the one word completely advertising his hate for his son.

“You should. They threatened him directly.”

“He is not our concern.”

“Not our concern?” Kate was working very hard to keep her tone level. “He is still our son.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“They’re dangerous, Grant. He could die.”

Grant’s voice sunk deeper. Angrier. “He’s already dead.”

Kate turned, unwilling to show Grant her tears. She heard him leave. She crossed the room to the phone, and picked it up. But Grant reappeared in the doorway.

“If you call him, I’ll be sure that the Superior Court knows that their judge has leaked protected information on the Camden Case.”

With that, Kate placed the phone back on the receiver, and watched her husband walk away.

~ * ~

“Janie, come out to the front with me, I want to show you something,” Annabelle said, coughing in between words.

“Are you alright, Anna?” Jane asked her.

“Fine,” she answered shortly.

Jane refrained from pressing. Annabelle would just lie, as she was doing right now. Jane stood from the couch, and followed Annabelle outside.

“I want to show you how to set a defense ward, to keep you safe.”

“A defense what?”

“Pay attention.”

Jane only nodded, a little nervous at Annabelle’s stricter-than-usual tone.

“Come stand next to me,” Annabelle waved Jane over with her hand. “Now, I want you to focus on the most horrible creature you can. A monster. Concentrate on the most dreadful thing the monster could do.”

Jane opened her eyes. “Anna, is this really necessary?” Her voice trembled. Jane had a very vivid imagination. Behind her eyelids, she saw horrifying things taking place.

“I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t,” Annabelle coughed again. “Close your eyes. Alright, now get into your comfort zone. The water. A large wave, blocking your house on all sides. Visualize the monster running around it. He can’t get in.”

Jane did what was asked of her. After a moment, Annabelle told her to open her eyes.

“Do you see the mist?”

Jane looked at it mysteriously. “What is that?”

“It’s a defense ward. No one can pass through, unless you want them to. Now, let me show you how to test its strength, so you can keep it standing.”

Chapter 7

“Her grandmother, Annabelle, was my closest friend,” Jeanine said, wiping more tears away. “I loved her dearly.”

“What happened to her?” Elias asked, placing his hand on Jeanine’s, consoling her.

“She passed away, just a few months back. I haven’t seen Jane since.” Jeanine sucked a long breath in. “I’m sorry, Elias, I didn’t mean for—”

“It’s okay,” Elias said. “Come on. It’s getting late.”

Elias drove Jeanine back to her house and went home, kicked off his boots and collapsed into bed. He closed his eyes, aching to ignore the information his aunt had shared for the moment, just so he could get some sleep, but within a few seconds his eyes popped open with a shocking realization. He lifted his arm, and looked at the purple handprint again. He got out of bed, and walked into the studio. When he had set up the canvas, it didn’t occur to him that it wasn’t his own intuition that his work of art was derived from, but the inspiration of the dream that inspired him. He remembered it now, down to the purple painted toenails.

Elias sniffed the air. He smelled that same scent; the scent that was everywhere. Rosemary. He looked around, and watched the strange, confetti-like decorations float in his house, like a thick, purple air freshener.

Unexpectedly, he felt movement against his chest. He listened. There was a quiet breath that was not is own. He looked down as the black swivel chair in front of him rolled to the side, and hit the wall beside it. As the chair came to a stop, he heard a thud, like something had fallen to the floor.

Elias froze, staring at the chair. A single muffled word drew his eyes to the bare carpet.

“Ow.”

It wasn’t much, but he was sure that he heard it. The same voice, the beautiful voice from earlier. It spoke again.

“Sorry, I really didn’t mean to do that. I kind of tripped. Oh, yeah, um—” it paused, “I’m Jane. Can you help me up? My head hurts.”

Elias didn’t make an effort to move; he was lost in the black hole of his mind.

The voice again. “Not much of a gentleman, are you? Where is Edward when you need him? Never mind, I can get up myself. Just don’t talk.”

Elias blinked away the blankness, returning himself to the reality of his current situation. There was an invisible woman in his house who had tripped and fallen, and she was asking him to help her up. No big deal.

He slowly stepped forward. He leaned down, and held his hand out. A quiet moment passed before he felt her cool hand in his. He blindly maneuvered his other hand until he found her invisible lower back. He gently tugged, his body straightened, helping her up.

“Thank you,” she said. He could feel the vibration of her voice, just inches from his lips. He moved to let her go, but felt her body start to slide downwards, so he tightened his grip.

She whispered to him. “I’m really not always this clumsy.”

He smiled. His hand glided up her back, and his other hand found the back of her legs. He lifted carefully, cradling her cool body against him. His eyes closed. Her touch—it was serene. Like a cool breeze.

Elias walked out of the studio, down the hallway, into the living room, and gently placed her down on his couch. He went to the kitchen, found a small towel, and drenched it with hot water. Then he went to his hall closet and found a blanket that had never been used. He returned to the living room, and covered his empty couch with the blanket. It revealed a form under it; she was tiny. Not that short, just little. Fragile.

Elias held the towel out. It removed itself from his grasp, and dangled in the air for a long time.

“Your head,” he said, and his whole body cringed. He closed his eyes, afraid to open them again. When he did, he found the blanket lying flat and the towel on the floor. She was gone.

Elias let out a discouraged breath, annoyed at himself for his blatant idiocy. Just don’t talk, she’d told him. Elias shook his head. Dumbass.

Jane opened her eyes, and saw Starry Night hanging on her wall. She was sitting on her couch, several hours after she put her book down. She still had to pee.

She remembered getting back to Elias’s. She was in her little dark private abyss, just waiting, and suddenly she was in that room again. He just stood there, looking at his painting. She walked over and settled herself in front of him. She just wanted one tiny whiff. She was greedy.

She leaned forward, very carefully put her nose up to his chest and inhaled a deep breath. She became so captivated by the smoky essence that she began leaning to the right. Before she could regain her balance, she tripped over her own feet. Next, the chair rolled as her side hit it, and she was on the floor. She was humiliated, even if Elias couldn’t see her. She had covered her face with her hands, an automatic reaction to her embarrassment. Her head was throbbing. She couldn’t prevent the pained word from slipping out of her mouth.

Jane found herself covering her face again. She couldn’t believe that she had asked him to help her up. He only stood there, squinting, like he was trying very hard to see something that wasn’t there. She had been so rude! She actually compared him to a fictional character. Her headache must have been raging.

She didn’t bother attempting to get up on her own, even though she said she would. The entire room had been spinning. She just watched the blank expression on Elias’s face turn into something more thoughtful. He stepped forward, helped her up, and carried her to the couch. She smiled, remembering that he had covered her up with a blanket, and gave her a pleasantly warm towel for her head. She knew what it was for; she was just so lost that she was unable to move. She was looking at his eyes. They were so peaceful, so blue—she had no desire to ever look away.

Jane sighed. She missed him.

She got up, and finally went to the bathroom. She walked to her closet, and dressed in some leggings with jeans over them, a gray hoodie, wool socks and shoes. She was going out.

She started walking, but then she stopped, turned around and came back. She positioned her body in front of the house. She closed her eyes and saw Elias’s handsome face. Very faintly, the words “Elias Linden” whooshed from her lips. She opened her eyes and watched the mist change. It was normally a faint gray like a thin fog, but now there was a new glow to it, a deep red mixing with the darkness of the night. It was beautiful.

Jane walked through the woods and stepped onto the asphalt from the brush. She walked down Lilian Highway, making her way to Hazel Grove. As she walked, her light tapping footsteps the only sound to accompany her, she recollected that she had thought before that Elias could be a fantasy. He wasn’t. She sensed it deep in her heart that he must exist. She was falling for him. Maybe, just maybe, everything she was feeling would be real this time.

Elias sat in his leather chair, suddenly missing Liam. He had his eyes closed, forcing deep breaths into his lungs. His head ached. He didn’t take any medicine for it. No pain medication so far invented would ease it.

Elias got up, and put his boots back on. He got in the Aston Martin, and was driving again. He arrived at Rosen Books after a few minutes of cruising through the busy streets of Hazel Grove. This was his favorite book store. They never closed. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Ironic that he never bought books here.

He went inside, and picked out a few movies—a comedy, some war movies, some lovey dovey chick flick that he would never watch by himself. At least he would have it, if ever needed. He made his way to the checkout counter. A blonde woman rang up his movies, and suddenly a longing feeling washed through him. It was gravitational. He wanted to walk backwards. Elias jerked his head around. Ten feet away, was—her.

Her bright red hair exploded over the light gray hood of her sweater. She held a book with a title that he couldn’t see from this distance, her head down as she read the back of it. She stood with her legs close together, her arms were bundled up against her chest. She was cold. He reflexively took a step away from the checkout counter. If he could just hold her for a moment, she would be warm…

“Excuse me, Sir?” the woman asked from behind the counter.

Elias turned back to the woman, blinking his eyes. They burned. He must have been staring for a while. He paid her and got his bag. He didn’t look back again, just quickly walked out to his car. What would he say? Hi, I heard your voice in my studio, do you want to get a drink?

Elias looked back at the door. It opened, and he watched a slim figure emerge, the body topped with a bright red flash of curly hair. She crossed her arms again and started walking.

Elias took a deep breath, and did the last thing he ever thought he would do. He got out of his car and he followed her.

Chapter 8

Jane left the bookstore, and walked up Lilian Highway. She was hearing things. It was normal to hear voices or laughs on the sidewalks of Hazel Grove—the town was very busy and very loud. It was not normal to hear trailing footsteps as she walked on the side of this highway. There were no houses. No people. Just forest, both sides. Trees and dirt. Nothing else.

Jane stopped. She wasn’t scared, or distressed, or panicky, only curious. She had a right to know if someone was following her. She turned around. Nothing was there. Just trees. And dirt. She shrugged, and continued walking. Must be her wild imagination tricking her again.

When Jane reached the house, she found Parker lying on the top step, his head hanging over the ridge. He lifted his head as she approached. He looked unhappy.

“Meow.”

“Sorry, Park, they don’t allow pets in the bookstore.”

He tilted his head. Now he was offended. A pet. Appalling.

She laughed, and went inside. She dropped her books and closed all the dark purple curtains over the windows, getting ready to shut out the light. It was well past midnight, the morning not far behind. Jane felt a sense of relief that sleep was on her agenda in the next few hours. She was exhausted. Her summons to the art gallery and to Elias’s had drained her.

Jane felt a grumble, and she patted her stomach. She must have forgotten to eat again. She went into the kitchen and made some grilled cheese sandwiches. She only shrugged when she ate them, her taste buds were used to it. Baking was a science, precise, just mix it all together and let the oven do the work. But actually cooking, she couldn’t cook a tasty meal if her life depended on it.

She changed into her pajamas and turned off all the lights except for a dim lamp in the living room. She picked up Pride and Prejudice, and tucked herself into her blanket on the couch.

Elias followed Jane to Jasmyn Lake, keeping a safe distance, trying not to feel like a stalker. When she reached a small blue cottage in the middle of Dare Forest, she spoke, the words lost in the distance between them. She went inside, but he didn’t follow. He wasn’t ready yet.

He continued through the forest, absorbing the beauty of the tall trees. Jeanine had told him stories about Jasmyn Lake, how the town itself shunned outsiders, the leaves on the trees blowing in a way that caused a feeling of fear, the dark lake inducing anxiety. Like a horror movie. Elias thought of the tales of this town, waiting for his mind to betray him. He did feel anxious, but didn’t think it had anything to do with the trees.

He stopped at a boulder settled at the edge of a path, next to some pink flowers. He sat down on the rock. The flowers’ sweet scent caressed his senses, and he immediately thought of his brother. He saw three year old Liam, leaping into rain puddles in their street. Elias remembered the day clearly. They were playing together in the rain, splashing each other with muddy water. Their clothes were soaked and dirty. Elias remembered thinking how upset their mother would be when she found out they had ruined their clothes. He sighed. That should be the last thing on any toddler’s mind.

He placed his hands on his knees to stand up, but he felt some type of debris on his pants. He looked down, and let out an embarrassing chuckle at the leaves and sticks protruding from his jeans. He had jumped from the highway into the brush when Jane had stopped and turned around, looking for someone following her. He removed the mess from his pants, and walked back to Jane’s house. He followed the trail, and eventually the trees opened up into a clearing. The house had an odd color scheme—light blue with a silver door. The grass was like Jeanine’s, overgrown and out of control.

He walked to the edge of the stone walkway, but then he stopped. The same questions invaded his mind. What would he say? He turned around, and started walking away from the house. After a few steps, he felt the longing feeling again. It was telling him to walk the opposite way. He continued walking, but his heart tightened. It was as if the life was being squeezed out of it. He turned and glared at the house, waiting for a confession to escape. He walked towards it again. The clenching feeling slowly dispersed, and was completely gone by the time he reached the fence. He walked away from the house in a different direction. He walked much farther, forcing his feet to move in defiance of the unbearable constriction in his chest. He performed this ritual time and time again, each time in a different direction. As the disagreeable pain turned to agony and torment, he stopped. He planted himself within a cluster of trees across the clearing in front of the house. He gazed at the exterior of the cottage, wondering how it could be doing this to him. He became angry—accelerated breathing, tight fists, erratic heartbeat. He rubbed his temples. He didn’t have a temper and he never yelled. But right now, so completely enraged, he felt exactly like his father. The thought scared him more than anything in the world. Even more than losing his thirty-five year old brother forever.

Elias let his body fall backwards. The soft packed dirt was cool—almost wet—he could actually breathe again. Tiny beads of sweat damped his shirt. He’d worn himself out a bit, not because he was out of shape, he was always just so damn hot. He would believe he was dying of a fever after the tiniest exercise, if he didn’t know any better.

He got up and nodded at the house. An understanding. He walked forward, never stopping this time. Actually stepping into the front yard proved a little difficult. He had to push his body forward, almost like the atmosphere around the house was deciding whether or not to let him pass. He looked up to the sky, and saw faint sunlight basting through the trees. He squinted at it. He had failed to notice when the sky shifted from darkness to light. He ascended the steps. He lifted his fist in the air, and he knocked on the door.

Chapter 9

A knock on the door stole Jane away from her bliss of deep, soundless sleep. She peeked at the window with listless eyes. Her dark purple curtain wasn’t dark purple anymore. A natural light behind it lightened it, revealing every imperfection in the stitching. She grunted. I’ll kill him, her irritated body flinched. He knew better than to show up here during the day.

“Comein,” her uninterested voice blurred her words together.

A couple seconds of silence, and she thought he had left. She buried herself back in the cushions of the couch. Then she heard the door open. She let out an exasperated breath, and opened her eyes. Her jaw dropped.

He was so gorgeous, standing in her doorway in a long sleeved shirt that did nothing to hide his massive muscular body.

“Hi, Elias,” she said sleepily from under her blanket.

“Jane,” he whispered her name like it was the most satisfying fresh air he had ever breathed. He looked at her barely opened eyes. “I’m so sorry, I woke you up. I can come back—” he turned to leave.

“Don’t leave,” she begged.

He turned back, shoving his hand in his jeans pocket. He was nervous.

“Um. Can you see me?” Jane asked.

He laughed lightly. “Yeah. Finally.”

His voice, so deep, so calm, so peaceful. “Okay.” She closed her eyes. “I’m dreaming. We’ll go in the kitchen and you’ll kiss me and touch me everywhere I want to be touched and— wait,” she opened her eyes to find a very amused smirk on Elias’s face. “No, that’s not how it goes. We wake up in my bed and you make me breakfast and it smells so good—” she blinked at him. “Right?”

He cleared his throat. “I, uh, saw you at the bookstore, and well, I—” he took a deep breath, clearing his mumbles. “I followed you.”

Jane could not stop her eyes from widening as she suffered the deepest embarrassment she had ever encountered. She erupted into loud, uncontrollable giggles. “So this is not a dream, and I just babbled all that—” she laughed some more, and pulled her blanket up over her head as she felt her cheeks burn bright red. She counted to ten, and pulled the edge of the blanket just past her eyes.

“You dream about me?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her whisper sounded almost relieved.

“How often?” His eyebrows lifted a little. Curiosity.

“Every day.” She bent her knees, clearing a spot for him at the end of the couch. “Please, sit.”

He sat down. He slowly took hold of her ankles under the blanket. She didn’t flinch. It felt natural, his hands on her skin. He pulled her feet into his lap, and began massaging them.

Jane made a rash decision to start talking before—well, she didn’t really know what she would do. Fall asleep, probably.

“Are you always this warm?”

“Yes. It freaked my parents out when I was a kid. They took me to the hospital a lot. The doctors had no idea what it was, so we all kind of ignored it.”

“Tell me about them.”

“My parents? I’d rather not,” he said with an embarrassing laugh that wasn’t really a laugh at all. Jane thought about pleading with him, but the grim line that was suddenly Elias’s lips persuaded her against it.

“What about your family?” he asked.

“Um. I don’t—” Jane paused for a moment, trying to word it right. She gave up quickly. There wasn’t another way to put it. “I don’t have any.”

“None at all? What about your parents?”

“They didn’t want to deal with me. Too much for them, I guess. They gave me up for adoption.”

Elias’s mouth gaped open.

“I’m sorry, I’m babbling. You just asked me about them. I don’t know.”

Elias clamped his mouth shut. “No, no, I just don’t understand how they could give you up. Sorry. Go on, please.”

Jane smiled a little proudly. “I lived at a foster center with other children. I kept to myself. They all just thought I was weird, so it wasn’t so bad.

“I snuck out at night to get to the water. It was all I had. I always got caught. Eventually they just stopped introducing me to families. I was a ‘troublemaker’,” she whispered the last word with a dark humor.

Elias didn’t laugh.

“When I was seventeen, a woman came to see me, said she had been hired by my grandmother. She brought me a package. It was filled with contacts and legal papers and money, lots of money. She told me I was emancipated, legally an adult, and free to go.”

“So what did you do?”

“I went,” she laughed. “I walked seventy miles to Jasmyn, and saw my house. It was perfect, in the middle of the woods and a lake within walking distance. I visited a real estate agent in Hazel Grove—the business card was in the package. The owner of the agency, an older man, he told me it was my name. He said that he’d been waiting for me to claim it for ten years.

“I decorated it. I was happy.”

Elias smiled, and then he tilted his head like a light bulb had turned on inside his brain. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a cell phone, pressing the side button to illuminate the screen. “I guess I didn’t realize the time,” he said. “It is a little early.”

“No, I don’t—” Jane looked away, “I sleep during the day.”

“Why? Do you work graveyard or something?”

“Um, no, I don’t work. Why do I sleep during the day,” she pondered, “’cause I’m up at night?”

He laughed. “But there’s a reason for that, right?”

She didn’t answer.

“Honestly, I’m just curious.”

Jane inhaled a deep breath, and whispered to him. She didn’t want him to hear her answer. It was stupid. “Bad things happen during the day.”

“Like what?”

“My parents gave me up in the morning. My grandmother died in the afternoon.”

Shame in his eyes, Elias looked down at his hands.

“Okay, I’m done now, really. You can tell me to shut up, you know.”

Elias looked back up, and stared directly into her eyes. “I like listening. Your voice is beautiful.”

Jane blinked frantically. “Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“That thing you do with your eyes. They get bluer, and I’m lost.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Elias took advantage of the break in conversation to admire Jane’s home. It was purple. Dark violet curtains decorated every window inside. Purple candles and incense ornamented the surfaces of tables and shelves. There were glass vases everywhere, filled with flowers and herbs. Purple glass lamps hung from rods bolted to the ceiling. They were practically sitting darkness; only one lamp next to the couch exhaled a faint glow.

Elias looked at the fireplace, and found Starry Night hanging above it. “What’s your excuse?”

“Huh?” Jane asked sleepily. She had had her eyes closed.

“I always ask people why they love Starry Night so much. It’s always the same answer. ‘It’s beautiful’. They can never tell me why.”

“I often think the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day,” she said immediately.

Van Gogh. He only smiled. She’d rendered him speechless.

She stared at him for a long time.

“What?” he asked.

“You look tired. When’s the last time you slept?”

“I don’t know.” A year.

Jane got up, and tightly wrapped her blanket around her body. “Come sit in the kitchen.”

He grinned.

“Oh, shut up,” she said, and walked away.

He followed. Jane was just standing in the middle of the kitchen, clutching the blanket like it was her lifeline. He walked to her, and said, “Come here.”

She didn’t move. He opened the blanket, and pulled her close, warming her skin quickly. The blanket fell, and she shuddered in his arms. Elias brought her forehead to his lips. Jane looked up, into his eyes. They stayed silent like that for a while, but then Jane smiled, breaking the spell.

“You’re doing it again,” she patted his cheek, and waved him over to the kitchen table. She went to the fridge, and pulled out some plastic baggies filled with herbs and plants.

She crushed them up into a bowl, and added some oil. She walked over to him, and applied a strip of the liquid to his forehead with a basting brush. She dipped her fingers into the bowl. “Close your eyes.” She lifted her fingers to his temples and massaged them in a circular motion, slowly removing all his tension with her magic. “The ginseng increases stamina. Ginger stimulates the blood flow. Grape seed oil reduces fatigue.”

There were three different plastic bags. She had left one out. “What about rosemary?”

“Good for the mind. It keeps the brain healthy.”

He felt her cool touch disappear, and was aware of a damp towel gliding across his forehead.

“That’s better,” she said.

He blinked, and immediately felt rested. “Huh,” he said.

“It won’t last too long. You should get some rest soon.”

Elias got up and retrieved her blanket from the floor. He grasped her hand in his and led her to the living room. He sat down on the couch, and patted his leg—a place for her to relax. She lied down, her head resting in his lap. He covered her with the blanket, and softly ran his fingers through her hair.

He chatted her up for a while, art, Hazel Grove, movies, but after a while her “uh-huh’s” and “mmmm’s” disappeared. Only soft breathing filled the small cottage. She had fallen asleep. He looked at his phone again. Hours had passed like mere seconds. He had to go. He got up quietly, retrieved her pillow from the other side of the couch, and eased it under her head. He went into the kitchen, and found some paper and a pen. He wrote her a quick note, and placed it on the coffee table with a card from his wallet. He kissed her cheek, and left Jane. He already missed her, even before he shut the front door behind him.

Chapter 10

Jane didn’t have to look out the window to know it was still daytime. She was still exhausted; she hadn’t slept enough. But, she was awake. Elias was gone. She felt too empty to even sleep.

Her dreams were always so vivid and crisp, she had no problem believing that the hours before were a dream. He looked so perfectly gorgeous. She was happy to have had a different dream of him; something new. Conversation, romanticism, sweetness. She wondered if he was as charming in real life.

Jane rolled her head to the side. A surprised breath lunged into her chest. There was a note on her coffee table. Her arm shot out and her fingers grasped it with a supernatural swiftness, like she believed it would disappear if she let it lie there any longer. A business card fell onto her chest as she unfolded it. She felt her lips form a wide smile as she read.

Hey Beautiful,

Are you still dreaming? I am. Sorry I had to go, I have a meet and greet thing. You have good taste (Starry Night). You should come. I know you hate the sun, but who knows? It might be worth the risk.

-Elias

P.S. Can’t wait until the next time we’re in your kitchen.

Jane’s blood danced through her veins so gracefully, she shuddered under her blanket. She picked up the business card. It had a phone number and an address. In bold red letters in the middle, it said, The Valentine. The place was in Hazel. Close enough to walk to.

Jane didn’t have a car. Not that she wouldn’t love to have a ridiculously fast sports car, but she stayed in Jasmyn most days. Necessities like groceries could be delivered; if she needed anything else she could walk.

It must have taken a great amount of courage for Elias to knock on her door early this morning. It wouldn’t be fair if he had built up even more courage to invite her out, and she neglected him. She was nervous about going out at this hour, but her excitement outweighed the fear.

Parker hopped on her belly and sprawled out. “Meow.” Where you going?

She scratched him behind his ear. “I have a date.”

Elias could not have prepared himself for the moment that he walked into that cottage and laid his eyes on her. Her emerald green eyes—the way they gazed upon him like there were no surroundings or time or sounds to distract her, like he was all that existed.

He hadn’t spoken to anyone with that kind of charm since before Liam died. It was so natural, as soon as he was with her, to be—himself. Everything about her entranced him, and for the first time, Elias cursed his artist responsibilities for pulling him away from her.

Elias had walked through Dare Forest and down Lilian Highway to get his car. He was home now, showered and shaved, getting ready for his day. He found himself rushing, though he wasn’t in a hurry or running late. He didn’t really think she would come; he understood vows were like secrets, they shouldn’t be broken, for good reasons. He just wanted to get through his uninteresting day, so he could cross over into the night, and find his way to the red headed light that brightened the black sky.

Jane got up to take a shower. She couldn’t stop thinking about Elias. His hands caressing her feet, his arms around her body, his fingers entangled in her hair—he was so warm. It wasn’t only the temperature, it was some deep connection that ran down to her soul, his touch mollifying the core of her. And his voice—it was no wonder the magic ceased when he spoke. It was so deep, but so level—not even the most kindhearted and loving women deserved to hear such a sexy sound come out of a man’s mouth.

She got out of the shower, put on her soft, white robe, and blow-dried her hair and applied some makeup. She went into the bedroom and slid the two mirrored closet doors to the other side, revealing some clothes and shoes she never wore. She removed a black satin dress and laid it on the bed. She dressed in tiny black lace underwear and put on a matching bra. She removed the dress and carefully fit it over her head. She slipped her feet into low black heels, two crisscrossed thin straps going over the top of each foot, the backs of them open. Jane risked a look in the mirror. Her hair was wispy, her eyes were accented by the smoky black eye shadow clouding them. The dress had thick straps, the front shaped in a v-neck, the back of it low, classily revealing. It went down three quarters of the way, halfway past her knees. The bottom of the dress looked like it was flowing, as if a light wind was breezing against her, gliding the fabric back and forth across her skin. The shoes were simple, an elegant contrast to the obviously expensive dress.

Jane inhaled a long, deep breath, and then she did something she hadn’t done in twelve years. She went out into the daylight.

Elias dressed in black slacks, loose black dress shirt, no tie. He walked into his studio. He halted at the painting of Jane, staring at her on the canvas. He admitted that he had captured her pretty well, her demeanor, the way her shoulders sunk inside the book. He was glad that the setting of it was as it was, because if he had to capture the beauty of her green eyes, he believed that he would have failed.

He removed it from the easel and brought it with him to the car. He made his way to The Valentine. He found himself glancing at the clock every ten seconds. He forced his eyes away from the glowing numbers on the dash, but he was just an arm-lift away from checking the time on the watch fastened to his wrist, so it didn’t make a difference.

Exasperated, he huffed out a breath. He hadn’t been away from Jane for very long, but he missed her so much, it was almost agonizing. He felt a hollowness in his chest, the pain slowly weakening as the seconds passed, the hole slowly filling as time progressed to the point when he got to see her again.

He arrived at the gallery and parked in the rear parking lot. He went inside and to the back of the gallery to Lily’s office. He knocked.

“Come in,” her low voice said, and he opened the door.

Lily was sitting behind her desk with a pen in her hand, studying some paperwork. Lily Cavanaugh was Elias’s age. She was short—her long blonde hair seemed even longer than it was due to her height. She was gay. Not that she had ever told Elias as much, but he had a little experience on the matter.

Lily inherited The Valentine from her father. She spent every minute of the day doing her best to live up to her father’s lively reputation, with the utmost success. She loved the arts. But more than that, she had faith in people, no matter what their pasts were. Just like her dad.

She looked up at him, and her expression twitched happily. “Elias. You’re glowing. You look great.”

He just smiled.

“Ahhh. You’ve met someone. A woman.”

He narrowed his eyes at her unbelievingly. “How the hell do you know that?”

She laughed. “Don’t feel bad. You’re a man. You just don’t know any better.” She winked at him, and looked down at the painting in his hands.

He held it up for her. She didn’t look away for a long time, her head tilting, her hand rising to her mouth, her smile developing. “She’s beautiful, Elias,” she finally said, congratulating him as if he was the creator of the beauty of her.

Elias didn’t say “thank you”, but just nodded. He agreed with her.

“What’s the title?” Lily asked suddenly.

He answered without hesitation. “Jane.”

Lily smiled, gently took the painting out of his grasp, and left him in the office.

Elias felt his jaw tighten with discouragement as Jane’s name floated in the air after he spoke it. He didn’t know why, he had already told himself that she wouldn’t come, he must have had some tiny spark of hope in the back of his mind. That a hundred fans could give this artist their support, but the impact would never be great enough, unless she was here.

Elias yanked at the collar of his shirt. It was suddenly too tight. He was nervous, that was the problem. Being the center of attention, even if it was only for one night, brought him anxiousness. He needed to take a deep breath, relax, have a shot of tequila or something.

Elias laughed at himself. Nervous. Anxious. Yeah, right. Anxious because she wasn’t coming? Or nervous because he didn’t know what he would do if she actually did?

Chapter 11

Elias left the office and went into the front room of the gallery. Lily had set up a stage on the long wall, home to one large tripod and other smaller ones around it. His other pieces from over the last few years were displayed, and Jane was set in the middle.

“Sorry to say, but the other ones don’t compare,” Lily said from the stage. “Its like you found your element.”

Elias lifted his fist to his mouth to keep himself from laughing at the irony of her statement.  He was luckily saved by voices outside.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

He nodded. Lily propped open the door, and four women walked in, all dressed in similar cocktail attire. He introduced himself, occupying them with small talk and joining them for a tour of the gallery. Shortly, more and more people began pouring in. After an hour or so, the place was buzzing with people.

Lily walked up the small steps to the stage, and everyone instantly quieted, gathering around her. Elias stood behind the crowd.

“Thank you all for coming,” she began. “You know, I don’t do very many of these things, most artists are impossible to talk to, they’re all so mentally unstable they just want to go hide in their rooms and cover themselves in paint.”

Everyone laughed.

“That Elias could be anything other than an artist would be inconceivable. His grandmother, Eve Hadley, has been remembered in this area for her artistic visionaries, his aunt, Jeanine Hadley, is our very own Hazel Grove Picasso.”

Whispers. Anyone who had ever stepped foot in any gallery in California knew who Jeanine Hadley was. The fact that Elias was related to her, it made them feel important, honored as they stood in the same room as her nephew. That was why she wasn’t here. Don’t want to steal your fire, she always said.

Lily waved her hands, displaying the art that surrounded her. “His pieces are nothing short of phenomenal. His insights, his intellect, his brilliance, it makes me feel proud to hang his treasures on my gallery walls.” Lily smiled at Elias. “Friends, it is my great pleasure, to introduce you to Elias Linden.”

The deep applauds that filled the building were overwhelming as Elias walked up to the stage. He hugged Lily, thanking her in a whisper.

“Thank you,” he said, turning to the crowd. He didn’t have to project his voice, it was already so deep, he had no desire to scare everyone half to death. “Thank you for being here. The support of all of you tonight, it’s an honor, really.” He found himself looking around. “This place, it hasn’t ever been just a gallery for any artist I know. We’ve found a place that cares, not just about us, really cares about the art, treats every piece with diligence, a real regard for the beauty in them.” He looked over at his friend. “I wouldn’t let any other person in the world handle my art, other than Lily Cavanaugh.”

As happy tears welled up in Lily’s eyes, the place erupted into cheers. He kissed her cheek, and stepped down. He escaped the large room for a moment, giving everyone a chance to get a drink, break up a little. He came back out, found a group of thirty-something women to talk with. Suddenly Elias had an overbearing wish to go outside. He needed a break. The special blend that Jane mixed up for him must be wearing off.

Suddenly the entire room fell completely silent. He looked around at the women he stood with. Each faced the door.

He looked over, and had to lean against the wall for leverage. Her beauty nearly stole his consciousness away. Jane walked in, dressed in a black dress that hugged her every curve so perfectly, it was a good thing he didn’t trust his ability to walk at the moment, or he would have pulled her in the bathroom and locked the door and never came out again. Her hair hung around her in loose curls, the typical wildness of it gone. She smiled at him, and he stopped breathing.

The women around him flipped their heads around with an attitude that was so rich, they could have been teenagers. Jealous. They had a good reason. Their husbands were still staring at Jane. Some of them hadn’t even bothered to wipe the drool away. He had no choice but to force himself to continue with his conversation, not like he could do what he really wanted, disappear with her. Eventually, people started leaving, and after a short while, the gallery was empty. Even Jane had disappeared. Had she left with everyone else? He walked to the back of the gallery to a large auction room, his tenseness dispersing at the sight of her. Her bare back peeked out of the low dress as she admired Starry Night. She had it at home; he wondered how it still mesmerized her. Maybe it took her somewhere else, a quiet, peaceful place. That’s what they did for him.

Right by the door stood a table with a small speaker dock and MP3 player on it. He turned it on, scrolled to the D’s. Luckily, the song was on it. He pressed play.

Jane turned, and quickly covered her face with her hands. Her embarrassed smile peeked out from under them. He walked towards her, and he removed her hands from her face.

“Dance with me.”

Her cheeks were so red they were the color of strawberries.

“Come on,” he said. “Let me prove that I really am a gentleman.”

Her cheeks reddened even more. She looked mortified. He couldn’t help but laugh.

He pulled her close, and they danced. Jane was very graceful. She seemed to know his next move before he did. He twirled her, and pulled her back to him.

“You’re not clumsy at all,” he said.

“I told you.”

The song ended just then, but he didn’t let her go. Instead, he pulled her closer. She gazed at him, her beautiful green eyes begging him to do it. He lifted his hand to her cheek and he kissed her. The sensation was unreal. He felt the ocean. He could hear it, the waves lightly crashing down. He felt it, the light breeze, the spray of mist on his back. He ignored all of it, just focusing on her, the maker of the passion that fueled him.

He felt Jane’s arms wrap around him, and then she was kissing him. Her lips were hungry for him as she moved her hips to press up against him. He groaned. He lifted her up into his arms. She responded, fastening her legs in a knot around his waist. He carried her to the wall, pushing her against it, using the structure to bring her closer. She moaned for him. And then, as quickly as it started, it was over. She placed her hands on his cheeks and pushed his face away from her.

“Put me down,” she breathed.

It wasn’t the time or place, he knew that before he kissed her, but he got lost somewhere in between. He set her down, but stayed close. Their bodies still touching, he sighed, yearning for her.

“You look beautiful,” Elias said.

Her smile was interrupted by faint footsteps.

“Stand in front of me,” he said.

She laughed. The reason for his concern was obvious as she looked down at his pants. She maneuvered herself in front of him just as Lily entered the room. He wrapped his arms around her waist. For good measure.

Lily smiled at her. “You must be Jane.”

“Yes,” Jane modestly declared, offering her hand. “You have a beautiful gallery.”

“Thank you,” Lily shook her hand. She looked over Jane’s shoulder at Elias. “Why don’t you take off?”

Jane interjected. “That’s really not necessary, I’m sure he wants to help you clean up—” Jane attempted to remove herself from Elias’s grasp, but he refused to let her go. She tilted her head back to look into his eyes. “I’ll see you later—”

“Shhh,” he whispered, “she’s trying to get rid of me. You are a bad influence.”

More footsteps. Elias looked up as a glamorous woman walked in. She was very pretty.

“See?” he whispered to Jane. “She really wants us to leave.”

“Shut up,” Lily whispered back. She turned a little pink. Her cheeks had nothing on Jane’s, though. “Get out of here. I’m closing up for a couple weeks, anyway.”

“Finally going?”

Lily nodded with a happy grin.

“Where are you going?” Jane asked.

Lily inhaled an excited breath. “I’m going on vacation. Hawaii.”

“Dreadful place,” Jane said. “Too much sun.”

Grant Linden sat behind his desk in his office, straightening his tie. Emily had just left.

His office was very professional, no pictures of his wife or children, the walls white and empty. It looked like he had just moved in, though he had occupied this corner office for several years.

Grant heard a knock on the door, and his boss entered.

Ian Hart was a plump man with a belly that protruded over his belt. He was well respected, fair, an all around good boss.

“Grant.” Fair as he was, he didn’t like to waste time. “Have you contacted your son?”

“You know very well that I don’t speak to my son, Ian.”

“I am aware of that, yes, but that’s not really an excuse. Have your wife call him if you don’t want to talk to him.”

“Ian—”

“Grant. I have kids. Surely you don’t want anything to happen to him, since—” he let the sentence float away.

Grant banged his fist on the desk loud enough for everyone in the building to hear. “Don’t you mention him to me. He was never my son. Elias is barely my son.”

“Barely or not, he’s your son. He doesn’t deserve to die because you don’t like him. Furthermore, I suggest you fix your tone. Quickly.” His tone never faltered. His expression stayed even. This was the reason he was the D.A.

Grant lowered his voice. “I’m not calling him. My wife is not calling him. I would appreciate if you wouldn’t, either.”

Ian didn’t say anything. Just walked calmly out the door.

Jane got in Elias’s car as he held the passenger door open for her. Aston Martin. Sleek, sexy, fast. Beautiful.

“Nice car,” Jane said.

He didn’t answer right away. She looked over at him. He stared at the road, thinking about something. He could have just said “thank you”, but he didn’t.

“It was my brother’s,” he said finally.

“Was?”

“He died.”

That was it. Not how, or when, or why, just “died”. She didn’t apologize. It was insulting when people said “I’m sorry” for the death of someone they didn’t know.

“Were you close? You know, some siblings aren’t really that close, but sometimes—” Jane clamped her lips together. She was babbling again.

Puzzled, he looked at her. It was a short moment before he sighed, and stared at the road again. “His name was Liam. He was my twin brother.”

Jane bit down on her lip. What right did she have, pressuring him to confess his grief, when she kept everything inside? Especially grief.

“I don’t like talking about him like he doesn’t exist,” he said. “It doesn’t feel right.”

Jane didn’t say anything else. They arrived at Elias’s house after a few minutes. He let her inside. She still hadn’t said anything. Neither had he. He approached her, pulled her close. She tried not to look at him, ashamed, but she didn’t have a choice. His finger hooked her chin, and her eyes met his.

“Come sleep with me,” he said.

She raised her eyebrows. It was a very direct proposal to lovemaking.

He laughed. “No, sleep.”

She peered at the darkness under his eyes. It reminded her of her own sleepiness. They went to the bedroom, and he disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

She threw off her very uncomfortable black sandals, exhaling a relieved breath. She lifted the dress over her head, and found a big, black t-shirt in one of Elias’s dresser drawers. It fit her like a skimpy dress. She looked up as the bathroom door opened. Elias came out in his boxers, but she couldn’t look down from his eyes. He was staring at her. He groaned.

“It’s too big,” she said.

“So take it off.”

“Are you sure? You already promised me sleep.”

“Are you saying I can’t handle it?”

“Maybe you can’t.”

He tried not to smile, but the twitch in his lips flashed at her. He slipped under a single sheet and watched her, his elbow propped up on one of his pillows. She closed her eyes, willing her cheeks to stay cool, and she took the shirt off. She watched his Adam’s apple slide slowly down his neck. She hesitated for a moment, eyeing the bed fearfully. She reminded herself that Elias was watching her, and forced a smile. She slid in next to him gently. He reached over, twined his arm around her, and pulled her to him. A second passed, and she felt his excitement flare between her legs.

“You win,” he grunted.

“You lose,” she said, and she flipped around, only arching her butt into his groin a little bit before she fell asleep.

~ * ~

Jane woke up to a quiet house in the middle of the day. It was very odd for her to be up at this hour, but she was wide awake. She got out of bed and walked down the hallway to check for Annabelle in her room. She found her lying awake in her bed. She had something in her hand—Jane couldn’t make it out. Her other hand was on her chest. She looked awful. There were dark circles under her eyes, more wrinkles on her face than yesterday.

“Anna? Are you alright?”

Annabelle opened her mouth to speak, but instead of words, drastic coughs betrayed her. She coughed into the item in her hand. As she pulled it away, Jane recognized it as a white tissue spotted with blood.

“Anna?”

“Come here, Janie.” Her voice was quiet. Strained.

Jane sat on the bed gently, as not to disturb Annabelle’s comfort.

“I’m, sorry, I wasn’t expecting for this to happen so quickly,” Annabelle said. “I’ve used too much energy. I had to see you. I love you,” she coughed again.

Jane spoke in a stern voice. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Oh, Janie,” her eyes filled with moisture. “I’m dying.”

Chapter 12

Jane’s eyes opened, and immediately she was sitting up, gasping for air. She heard Elias shift, but she looked the other way, resisting him. He placed his warm hand on her back.

“Hey.”

Jane finally looked at him. She regretted it as she took in his shocked reaction. She forgot to wipe her tears.

“I’m okay,” she assured him. “It’s just beds. They creep me out.”

His thumb grazed her cheek, wiping the moisture away. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. She couldn’t let him take the blame. It wasn’t his fault. It was hers. She was weak. He was grieving for his brother, and she couldn’t even be strong for him because she was practically hyperventilating at the sight of his bed.

He took her face in his hands and he kissed her. More tears swam out of her eyes. She didn’t want him to break the kiss, but he did anyway.

“Was she sick?” he asked quietly.

“No.” She wasn’t in denial. Annabelle wasn’t sick. Annabelle couldn’t get sick. None of them could.

“How did she die?”

Her voice cracked. “I have no idea.”

Disturbed, his eyes twitched. He entwined his fingers into her hair, and brought her head to his chest. She lost it. She cried uncontrollably, really balling, her wet tears soaking his skin. Elias held her long after she stopped, stroking her hair, gently coaxing the grief from her body with his fingertips. She lifted her head and kissed him.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

Jane blinked her eyes. Surprisingly, she was okay. “Yeah. Thank you. I can—breathe.”

He kissed her cheek. “Will you watch a movie with me?”

She smiled, got up and put Elias’s t-shirt back on. A noise escaped from him, a deep, roaring complaint. He led her to the living room, popped in a movie. He sat on the other side of the couch, positioning her feet in his lap.

“What is it?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” he answered simply.

The opening scene displayed on the LCD screen. There was a young girl with dark hair. She stood in the desert, holding a small cactus in one hand and a garden trowel in the other.

Jane gasped as the girl’s voice sprouted through the speakers. She glanced at Elias thankfully, but quickly looked back at the TV, not wanting to miss anything. It was an adaptation of her favorite book. She watched the beginning of it, her eyes wide, following every detail closely. The scene changed to a school cafeteria, and her unintentional moan filled Elias’s living room as the view zoomed in on the sexy, tall, brown-haired vampire that she was aching to see since the movie had started. Elias’s hysterical laugh startled her. She glanced at him again.

“Sorry, he’s just so—”

“Edward,” he said.

She smiled, returned her eyes to the screen. She watched the rest of it, absorbing every detail. The credits traveled up the screen, and Elias got up. He pulled on her arms, forcing her to stand. He gripped her side, pressed in her breasts with his massive body. Her limbs turned pliable. Edward who?

“Breakfast?” he asked.

Not for the breakfast, she moaned.

While Elias started on eggs, bacon, and potatoes, Jane propped herself on the kitchen counter. He turned from the stove and stared at her. She felt a little self conscious, imagining her hair had lost all its beauty. Probably wild again.

One stride, and he was standing between her legs. He pulled her to the edge of the counter and kissed her. A scolding fire ignited inside of her. She kissed him passionately, starving for the taste of him. She pressed herself against him. He may have made a noise, but she couldn’t be sure. The blaze distracted her, hot flames, bright red, oh! Her hormones jumped, his stiffness against her. Oh, she wanted him, wanted him more fiercely than she could ever imagine wanting anything…

The phone rang. Ugh. Again. And again. She reluctantly released him. “Do you need to get that?”

He growled. “It could only be one person.” He walked to the far kitchen wall and pressed the speaker button, never taking his eyes off her.

“Hi, Elias.”

The voice was familiar. Too familiar. Oh, no. How did he know her?

“Auntie.”

Jane nearly fell off the counter. Her eyes saw Elias as a kid, Elias with a paintbrush, Elias with his twin brother. She had seen the pictures, remembered how she fell in love with his smile through the glass of the picture frames. Jeanine talked constantly about her nephews. How could she just simply forget?

“Don’t call me Auntie. What’s wrong?”

“There is a beautiful woman in my kitchen. She’s wearing my t-shirt. Nothing else. And I’m sitting here, talking to you.”

“So, sorry,” the phone said. “Well, you might as well talk to me now. I’ve already ruined the moment. Hi, Jane.”

“Hello, Jeanine.” Her tone was overly cautious.

“Elias, why don’t you bring Jane over for dinner?”

“You don’t cook.”

“I didn’t say I would cook. You don’t have to cook to have dinner.”

“I’m cooking now.”

“Let me guess. Bacon and eggs. You know you can’t live off breakfast food?”

“Oh, yes I can.”

“Well, Jane can’t. See you in an hour.”

There was no more arguing. Jeanine already hung up.

Elias drove Jane to Jasmyn. They hadn’t spoken since Jeanine called. He threw her an apologetic smile once the conversation was over, but she just hopped off the counter, put her dress back on, and asked him to take her home.

“I need a quick swim,” she said. “Come with me?”

“Yeah,” he said, his tone more agreeable than his scrambled thoughts. He wasn’t sure what to expect when they got there.

He parked the car next to the white picket fence, and turned his headlights off. It was dark again. They enjoyed a quiet walk down the same trail Elias had toured the night before. They reached the end, and the woods spread into an opening, exposing a crystal clear lake lined by mountains and large rocks. He stared intently at the natural ambience before him.

“Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”

He looked into her eyes. With the utmost honesty, he said, “No.”

Jane bit her lip. “See you in a minute,” she mumbled. She stepped forward, and elegantly dove in.

Elias looked up at the stars, searching for guidance in the bright constellations. He undressed down to his underwear, and walked around the lake to the shallow shore. He gently stepped in, but he froze when he heard Jane bark “Hey.”

He looked up. Her head was above water, her eyes down. “Be nice, Jaz,” she said.

“Huh?” Elias asked.

“Go ahead, Elias. She won’t hurt you.”

“Um. Who?” He frantically searched his surroundings. They were alone.

“Jasmyn. She’s a little protective.”

“O-kay,” he said skeptically, and walked forward until the water level reached his waist.

He froze again, halted by the sight before him. Jane was lying on her back on the surface. Surrounding her body was a purple cloud of sparkly glitter, a—what did Jeanine call it? An aura. It was the same color as the shimmer hovering over her in the painting, but seeing it in person was incomparable. It bundled around her like an army of tiny purple lights, bright as the stars, ready to protect her against anything and everything.

He swam towards her.  Elias slowed as he neared the aura, and then he swooped forward, taking her body into his arms. Unexpectedly, the glitter stretched to envelop Elias’s body as well.

Jane looked surprised. This particular phenomenon was new to her, too.

He leaned in for a kiss, but Jane’s chest vibrated against him with a heavy breath.

“Jane? What’s wrong?”

“There’s someone at my house.”

“Who?”

“Enchanter. I have to go—” Jane swam away from him, a purple trail leading to her. She hopped onto one of the rocks and climbed up onto the cliff. He followed her.

He dressed quickly as Jane paced back and forth between the trees. He buckled his belt, and she came over to him. She settled close, and glided both of her hands through his wet hair. He felt a slight breeze waft over him, and his hair was suddenly dry. She spoke before he could ask anything about it.

“I’m sorry. I’m probably freaking you out. We’re not in danger. Enchanters, they just make me nervous.”

“Why?” Elias couldn’t help but feel confused. Weren’t they her kind?

“They’re not stable.” She looked away, thinking, and turned back. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Of course,” he said immediately.

She smiled, grasped his hand, and led him back the way they came. As they passed the same pink flowers, his mind raced again. He didn’t see Liam this time. He saw Jane, not as she walked next him, she was older, still beautiful, just older, more comfortable as she sat next to him on her couch speaking casually about something inconsequential.

“What’s with the flowers?” he blurted.

She smiled. “What did you see?”

He blinked his eyes, wishing the vision would reappear. “Happiness,” he whispered.

“Home,” she said.

“What?”

“The azalea bush. In Chinese culture, it’s known as the xiangsi shu. ‘Thinking of home bush’.”

He smiled. The future. He could only hope. He squeezed her hand in his, and they kept walking.

He stopped abruptly as a rustling in the trees distracted him. Protectively, he stood in front of Jane. He waited a moment, listening. A man stepped onto the trail from the woods. He was tall, brown hair, chestnut eyes, tanned skin. He would have been very good looking if he hadn’t been staring at Elias like he was going to kill him.

Jane sneaked under Elias’s arm and stood in front of him. The man looked at her, and every line in his face softened.

“Hey,” he whispered. His voice was extremely calm, like he couldn’t ever raise his voice if he wanted to.

“Hey,” she said, her tone just as soft.

“You know there’s someone here.”

“I know.”

“You know he has your energy.”

“I know that, too.”

“You need some help?”

“I’ll let you know.”

He nodded, and turned to go back into the woods, but Jane called him back.

“Thank you.”

He opened his mouth like he had something else to say, but instead he sucked a deep breath in, turned, and left.

Jane stood there for a while, staring at the spot where he disappeared into the trees.

“Who was that?” Elias carefully said. He was afraid to even ask. Their conversation was way too familiar to be friendly. Way too constricted to be kind. They knew each other better than they knew anyone else in the world.

“That,” Jane breathed, “is the man that hates you more than you could ever understand. Come on. Let’s go.”

Jeanine ordered Chinese food and was cleaning up the house a bit, readying it for guests. She was so excited to see Jane again. Jane had disappeared when Annabelle did, except Annabelle was gone forever. Jane had just been distant.

A knock on the door startled her. What were they doing here already?

Jeanine opened the door. The old man outside surprised her. His features were very familiar.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“Hello. I am trying to locate a family member. I’m told she lives near here. I thought maybe you’ve seen her around?”

He produced a picture. It was obviously old, the quality of the photo incomparable to the digital technology available today. It revealed a smiling, middle aged woman. It must have been taken thirty years ago, at least. But Annabelle’s dark brown eyes were unmistakable.

Jeanine looked up at him. A gush of air was stolen from her lungs as she saw something before her eyes that she wasn’t supposed to see. She slammed the door in his face, locking the dead bolt. She ran to her cell phone and dialed Elias’s number. Voice mail. The tone beeped, and Jeanine left a frantic message.

“Elias. Get Jane out of there. Now.”

Elias and Jane stood amongst the trees across the clearing. A man, old, probably seventy or so, stood right beside Elias’s car. His silver hair gave his age away, but he was not carrying himself as an old man. His demeanor was that of a twenty year old: confident, energized.

Jane stepped forward, and they walked towards the house together. The man turned. He spoke in a gnarly, devilish voice.

“Hello, Jane.”

“Who are you?” she asked coldly.

Elias flinched. He hadn’t seen this side of Jane yet, didn’t know it existed until this moment.

“My name is Lewis Clarke,” he said, “but you can call me Grandpa.”

~ * ~

Jane brought a cup of tea into Annabelle’s room. The coughing had progressed, and Annabelle looked much worse. She set the mug down on the table next to the bed, and sat next to her. The movement slightly shifted the bed, igniting one of Annabelle’s coughing fits. It didn’t stop for several minutes.

“Janie, there are things I need to tell you.”

“Anna, stop, please.” Jane was shaking.

“Listen to me child, I don’t have much time.”

There was nothing Jane could do but sit there.

“Make sure you keep the wards strong. Use what I have taught you. Follow your heart. This is your home. Defend it.”

“Anna,” Jane cried, “don’t do this—”

“They will come for you. All of them.” Annabelle’s head rolled to the side, her eyes closed. Jane squeezed her hand, but this time, her grandmother did not squeeze back. Annabelle was gone.

Chapter 13

In the corner of his eye twinkled the slight bend of Jane’s knees, and Elias caught her. Her eyes flickered closed. She’d fainted.

“Weak,” Lewis said, “just like her grandmother.”

Elias clenched his teeth together. He gently set Jane down on the soft dirt, turned around, and punched Lewis hard across the cheek. He fell to the ground. Elias smiled down at him, feeling much better. That is, until the black cloud formed around the old man, a dark, hateful, evil aura. Oh, shit. Elias couldn’t feel the smile on his face anymore.

“Elias.” Jane’s voice behind him. “Help me up, please.”

He turned his back on the scary old guy.  He should have argued with Jane. If she was too tired to get up on her own, she shouldn’t get up. Her voice was determined, though, and if he didn’t do what she asked, she would have found a way to get up without him.

“Stand behind me,” she said.

“No.” He stubbornly planted himself in the dirt between her and Lewis.

She gripped his arm, pulled him back. He stumbled. Actually stumbled. He looked at her, dumbfounded. She hadn’t grown larger muscles in the last five minutes, still little, beautiful Jane. He was three times her size. How was that even physically possible?

Jane stepped in front of him. She raised her arms, tightly forced them outwards. Her purple aura appeared in a sparkly, glittery flash of violet. It was different outside of the water. The blue lake water altered its color, but here, against the dark night, it shone like purple electricity.

“What do you want?” Jane’s voice was dark and angry, her tone full of power.

“You. Dead.” Lewis got to his feet.

Elias’s heart swelled in his chest. He couldn’t fathom the emotional impact of “Jane” and “dead” in the same sentence.

In her silence, the wind started blowing. The branches on the trees jumped up and down, their green leaves swaying side to side. No other traits of a storm, no clouds, no shift in the temperature, just wind.

“Elias, come closer,” Jane said.

He stepped forward, the coolness of her body slightly grazing him. Jane lifted her arms higher, and then there was water. It was everywhere he looked, summoned over the trees, thousands of gallons of water surrounding them in a whirlwind, large waves bulging, nothing but the forest to contain it. Jane pushed her hands forward. A large wave escaped from the water tornado and shot itself at Lewis, knocking him down. The impact was much worse than when Elias had punched him. He thought he heard Lewis’s head smack the ground, even over the monstrous swishing sounds. The waves calmed, all the water fell to a flood on the ground, flowing away. It gushed towards the lake, like it was returning. Elias was dry; not a drop ever touched either of them.

Jane’s arms relaxed, knees wobbling again. Elias held onto her. Lewis lied on his side, soaked, coughing up water.

“You’re lucky he’s here,” Jane said to Lewis, “or I’d fucking kill you. Get the fuck out of my woods.”

Elias flinched, her sharp words oblivious to the weakness in her knees as he realized he hadn’t yet heard Jane curse. Melodious was not the right word to describe her voice at the moment. Frightening was more like it.

With that, Lewis jumped up hastily, and ran very quickly out of Jasmyn. He had underestimated her.

Jane stepped forward, out of Elias’s arms, but he stepped with her, placed his hand on her shoulder. She breathed heavily, the silence between them deepening.

“I’m sorry, Elias,” she said to the trees. “I never wanted you to see that.” She paused to catch her breath. “If you want to leave—if you don’t want to be with me after—” she breathed again, “I’ll understand. But please, if that’s the way it is, go now, or else I won’t be able to let you go.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he answered without thinking. He turned her around and pulled her to him. He moved the wild strands of hair from her face. “Promise me that will be the last time you ever talk about me leaving you.”

Her face fell along with her body, her muscles and expressions succumbing to him. Elias caught her again, held her close to him.

“I promise.”

She kissed him. He could feel Jane’s chest heating up against his as her limbs strengthened. Standing on her own, her leg lifted and knotted around him, her hands were under his shirt, and then, their kiss died. Elias’s own strength gave slightly, his disappointment weighing him down. He could still feel her, her cool hands on his chest, her thigh tight against his side. Elias opened his eyes.

Jane leaned with her head tilted back, deep, heavy breaths parting her lips.

“I’m sorry, I—”

“No,” she interrupted him. “I just—” she moaned. Twice. “Never mind.” She entwined her hand in his, and they went into the house, sat down on the couch.

He thought of something Jeanine had said. The Enchanter. One of a kind.

“Can I ask you something?” Elias’s words approached her carefully.

“Of course.”

“If your element is water, how can you dry me off?”

She let out a long sigh. Her “of course” empowered him to be bold. He didn’t think she was going to answer him now.

She finally spoke. “I can manipulate all elements. Water, Earth, Wind, Fire. And others.”

His confusion must have been painted thickly all over his face.

“I’m a Brooks,” she said. “We’re different.”

He didn’t ask what that meant. If she was going to elaborate, she would have done so on her own.

“Will you show me sometime?”

“No.” There was the angry tone again.

He lifted her into his lap. “Are you afraid?”

“Yes.”

“You won’t hurt me. I trust you.”

“Don’t.” She stood up, and walked out of the room.

Don’t what? She couldn’t really expect him not to trust her? She had already saved his life twice. The first time was when she walked into his world.

He waited for her. He was positively sure that pushing her was not the right thing to do. She came out after a few minutes, wearing a black sundress, her hair still wild, but not so frizzy.

“I’m sorry.” She stood behind the couch, her eyes past sadness, on the verge of misery.

He got up, went to her, took her face in his hands. “I need you to relax. If I take you to Jeanine’s house like this, she’ll know it was all my fault, and then she’ll hit me, I’ll get a bruise, you’ll have to take me to the hospital—”

She was laughing. Her smile. Thank you.

He kissed her cheek, and they walked out of the house. She started down the stairs, leaving him on the porch.

“Aren’t you going to lock your door?” he asked.

“No. I have the wards,” she waved her hand around in the air.

“What?”

“Defense wards. No one can pass through unless they’re invited.”

His smile mocked her. “I passed through. Were you waiting for me?”

She shook her head. “You are too charming for your own good, Elias Linden.”

Knock, knock, knockity knock. Jeanine sat on the couch, a mental disaster, worry making her crazy. The Chinese food sat on the kitchen table, cold and nasty. At the sound of the fist on the wooden door, her body jumped up and ran to it. When she opened it, she saw Elias, and with Elias was—she had to breathe deep before she could form the word—Jane. She was so beautiful.

She ignored her nephew, leaped forward and wrapped Jane in a tight hug. “Janie,” she whispered, “where have you been?”

“I—” Jane stuttered, “I had an emergency.”

“No,” Jeanine backed up, holding Jane’s arms. “Where have you been? It’s been months! Where did you go?”

Tears welled up in Jane’s eyes. “I’m so sorry—”

“Jeanine,” Elias angrily cut in, “stop.”

Jeanine pulled her close for another hug. “I’m sorry, Janie. I’ve missed you.” Jeanine looked at Elias. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.”

Jeanine stepped aside, and waved them in. They all sat down.

“Tell me about Lewis Clarke,” Jeanine said.

Jane’s face flushed. “How—”

“He stopped by here, asking if I had seen—”

“Wait! He was here?”

“Yes.”

Jane leaned in close to Jeanine. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine, sweetie.”

Jane covered her eyes with the palm of her hand. “He claimed to be my—”

Jeanine interrupted again. “He is.”

She removed her hand from her face. “He is what?”

“Your grandfather.”

Jane’s mere flushy cheeks turned fiery within half a second. She started shaking, and she bent down and placed her head between her knees.

“Elias,” Jeanine looked over at him, sitting silently next to Jane. “Go into the refrigerator and get Jane some bottled water, please.”

He got up slowly, his movements reluctant. He looked back at Jane a few times, and went to the kitchen.

Jeanine knelt down in front of Jane, placed her hand on her leg. “Did you kill him?”

“No,” she muttered, without lifting her head.

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, still speaking through her knees. “I didn’t want Elias to see—” she finally sat up. “I don’t want him to think I’m a monster.”

“You are not a monster.”

“Look at me, Jeanine. One mention of Lewis’s name and I want to go outside and throw a tree at your neighbor’s car.”

“Go ahead. They egged my house.”

Jane tried to hold back, but she quickly exploded into laughter. Just then, Elias walked in with the water. Jane’s smile disappeared immediately. She watched his every step towards her, like a gunman, just waiting for him to make a wrong move against her. He handed her the bottle of water, and she drank it slowly, never taking her eyes off him.

“Elias, bring Jane into the back when she’s ready.” Jeanine got up, and left the lovebirds alone.

Jane crushed the empty water bottle in her hand. Elias was watching her, his eyes stiff and motionless. She opened her mouth, but then she closed it again. How would she apologize? My energy controls me. If I ever get too upset, I could kill you. Hardly.

“Unstable, right?” he said. “That’s what you said?”

“There’s no excuse,” she said.

“Yes there is. You have something inside you that’s sometimes more powerful than you. So don’t sit here and kick yourself for something you can’t always control.”

“Elias—”

“You’re still human, Jane.”

She wasn’t. As much as she looked like a human, liked to feel like a human, she could never be. “Am I?”

“Shut up.” He lifted her by her waist so she stood with him. He firmly grasped her hair in his fingers and kissed her hard. “Shut up,” he repeated. “I never want to hear that shit again. You know who you are. I know who you are.”

She bit her lip. “You’re too good to me.”

“You deserve it. Come on, Jeanine has something for you.”

Elias took a strong hold of her hand and walked her into the kitchen, down a hallway, and into a back room. Each room had a color, a theme. Jeanine’s kitchen was bright orange, decorated in a Tuscan style. There was a long table in the dining room, covered with an orange tablecloth and black table settings. The hallway was painted an earthy green, the walls exhibiting paintings of nature. They passed a blue bathroom, decorated like the ocean, with seashells and ships and flip flops. Jeanine’s home was put together beautifully, though no one would know it from the view of the outside.

They arrived in the last room. She gasped when they entered. The rest of the house she had seen, but never this space. The entire room was a mural, its beauty painted on every space of wall. It was all Elias and Liam, when they were babies, when they were boys, and then grown men. Lying in a crib, building a sandcastle, playing in the rain, having a beer. Every different event of their lives melted into the next one, all one portrait. It was breathtaking.

“It’s beautiful,” Jane said.

“Thank you,” Jeanine said, her stare as blank as the colorless canvas before her. “Every artist needs their space. I’m sure you can understand.”

Jane looked back at Elias, holding her from behind. “I’m no artist.”

He only smiled.

“Don’t be silly,” Jeanine said. “Of course you are.”

Jeanine got up and went to a closet. “Alright, it’s been sitting, waiting, so it may be a little dusty.” She opened the closet door, and removed a framed canvas. She turned it to Jane.

A world of emotions passed through Jane. Her hand shot to her mouth, tears streamed down her face. An old woman in a garden smiled up at her. She was surrounded with beautiful blooming flowers and full trees. She tended her garden, a sun hat on her head and gardening gloves covering her hands. The sun shone upon her body, casting a glow on her thick, dark hair that fanned around her in the breeze. Jane had forgotten how she had looked, how absolutely beautiful she was before her eyes turned black and her skin grew old. It was Annabelle.

Chapter 14

Elias let go of Jane, and stepped forward and hugged Jeanine. He leaned forward, and whispered into Jeanine’s ear.

“If you make her cry again I swear I will never speak to you for the rest of my life.”

She pushed him away, spoke to Jane. “Let’s go to dinner. Anywhere you want. Elias is buying.”

He couldn’t help but smile. Jeanine was so stubborn. She’d never admit she was wrong, even if she knew she was. He drove them to a steakhouse, Jane’s choice, and he paid for a ridiculously expensive dinner. He couldn’t complain as his two favorite girls in the world ate and drank and laughed. He was completely ignored, but if that’s what it took to keep Jane smiling tonight, he was compliant. They finished up, and they made their way back to Jeanine’s.

Movement against the windshield dropped his heart from his chest down to his stomach. He distracted himself, turning on the wipers, focusing on them as they swished back and forth. The radio was on, but it was too quiet to overpower the sound of it. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. He couldn’t breathe.

“Elias, pull over,” Jeanine said from the back seat.

“I’m fine,” he grumbled.

“I’m not talking about you,” she argued.

He looked over at Jane. Her eyes were wide open, her hand stretched in front of her, as if she could touch the drops through the windshield. Her distress was opposite his. He was trying to get away, she wanted to be—in it.

Elias pulled into a small parking lot, abandoned of any cars or people. As the car slowed down, Jane got out, leaving the passenger door open. He hadn’t even parked yet.

“Jane?” he quietly asked.

“Can you see her aura?” Jeanine asked. “When she’s in the water?”

“Yes,” he answered, peering at Jane as she walked away from the car.

“Watch,” Jeanine ordered.

He looked closer. Jane stood in the rain with her arms out, the headlights glowing over her skin. Her eyes were closed. He saw Jane’s aura, but it was different. Instead of one cloudy form, there were thousands of little purple sparkles near her. They exploded off her body and returned to her skin, like little indecisive jumping gnats. Elias was glad he was paying attention, because he never would have been able to understand what happened next if someone tried to explain it to him. Jane’s aura wasn’t purple anymore. The sparkles had changed colors, and were continuously changing back and forth, green and yellow and red and blue and still purple, all together in a scattered swarm of glitter, lighting up the entire sky. It was an out of body experience, like watching a new life go though its cycle, eventually reincarnating into a new vivid color of the rainbow. The depth of the colors, he had only ever imagined shades so vibrant, never thought he would have the chance to see them in person. He wished he had a paintbrush with him.

Elias got out of the car and went to her. She didn’t open her eyes. He touched her face, but she didn’t move. Oddly, she wasn’t freezing. Her temperature was close to his, if not hotter. He held her in his arms, and her eyes finally opened.

“Elias?” she whispered.

“I’m here, beautiful.”

She smiled, inhaled a breath of fresh air through her nose. She stretched on her tippy toes and kissed him. Elias felt alive. He was warm, not hot, but warm like the morning sun felt against his skin. A cool breeze gave him goose-bumps. Water whooshed through his veins. He smelled the wood of evergreens, trees and dirt and the aromas of a thousand luscious flowers. He couldn’t recognize what else, Jane was kissing him, her hands in his hair, her legs wrapped tightly around his body. He held her perfect ass in his hands, her lips plump on his, her legs pulled him against her, oh, god, if he could just get her inside the car…

Jeanine. Shit. He squeezed Jane against him once more, and disentangled his lips from hers.

“Sorry,” she said, her mischievous grin not very apologetic at all. “Don’t let go. My legs are mushy.”

Elias carried her to the car and sat her in the passenger’s seat. Elias couldn’t get around the car to the driver’s side before she was asleep.

“Do you love her?” Jeanine asked Elias.

They were in Jeanine’s bedroom. Elias had brought them back to Jeanine’s house, and carried Jane, still asleep, to the couch. She still had not woken.

“Yes,” he confessed immediately.

Jeanine got up and went to her dresser where a wooden box with glass doors and little drawers stood. She opened it, removed an item, and held it out to him.

It was a very unique ring. It had a silver band, which held a single red ruby square jewel.

“I’ve never seen you wear this,” Elias said.

“It was your grandmother’s. I want you to have it, for Jane.”

Elias stared at the ring. “It has crossed my mind,” he said, to Jeanine or to himself, he wasn’t sure.

Mrs. Elias Linden. He couldn’t help but feel unreasonable, but it felt like he had known her so much longer than he actually had. He pocketed the ring, ignoring his man instinct that screamed Are you crazy?

Jeanine sat back down, rested her hand on Elias’s knee. “How are you feeling?”

Elias thoughts reeled back to Liam. “I haven’t had so many good days since he died.”

“You know what I think?” Jeanine said. “I think that she would love to hear about him.”

“Yeah,” Elias nodded in agreement, “I know.”

Jane woke in Jeanine’s living room, blinking in her surroundings. She didn’t get up from the couch, she just lied there with her eyes barely open, staring at the ceiling. Footsteps ascended on her. Jane’s eyes drooped as Elias entered.

“Oh, beautiful, I’m sorry. I wanted to be here when you woke up.”

Jane was surprised that her lips would move despite her exhaustion. “It’s okay. I haven’t been awake for very long.”

“You ready to go?”

Jane nodded.

“Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I think so, but I need a little help.”

Elias removed the quilted blanket from her body, and served as her leaning post as they walked out to the car. He drove them back to his house so he could pick up a few things, and then to Jasmyn. They went inside to the couch and sat together.

“Rain,” he said, asked, challenging her guardedness with his stare.

She glared at him. “Rain is the most unique form of nature. Everything is affected by it. It comes from the sky, where the sun shines. Rain is wet, it shifts with the wind, sinks into the earth. It brings all the elements together, as one.”

“Is that what you do? Combine them?”

“No. What you felt—you’re the only human—” Anger clouded his eyes and she chose her next words carefully. “The only non-Enchanter that can penetrate my aura. It was a transfer of energy, the elements of me, wired to you.”

“That’s how you feel? All the time?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. Jane resisted the urge to laugh. His body language said okay but his facial expression was almost childish, like wow, that is so awesome!

“So what about the lake?” he asked her.

“What about her?”

“Her,” he said. “So, she would have hurt me?”

Jane smiled. “No. Jasmyn just has a very dry sense of humor. Not everyone gets her.”

Elias chuckled. The water has a very dry sense of humor. Ha-ha.

Jane got up, and walked down the hallway.

“Where you goin’?” Elias asked casually.

“Jammies,” she called over her shoulder.

She took off her sundress, and threw it in the hamper. She went to her dresser and removed some flannel pants and a white tank top. When she turned around, Elias was standing directly in front of her. She breathed surprise, and the pajamas dropped to the floor.

Elias lifted his hand to her shoulder, and slowly glided her bra strap across her skin. It fell, dangling off her arm.

“It’s impossible that you could be so beautiful,” he whispered. “My eyes are burning.”

He held her cheek and he kissed her. His hand traveled down her neck and to her chest, his fingertips trailing even farther, between her breasts, down her stomach and between her legs. His hand was inside her panties and she couldn’t help but express a sound that was not familiar to her ears. Elias glided them down and off. His lips were still fastened to hers, so she felt around, found his belt, and unbuckled it. His pants came off, then his shirt. His hands went up her sides, and slid to her back. He unfastened her bra with ease, and she let it fall off. Elias took a step back, gazed at her naked body, but mere seconds had not passed before his arms were around her again. She removed his boxers. He kissed her, his lips warm and his tongue hot, cupping her breast in his strong hand. Jane tore her head back and sucked in a breath that was shocked at the arousal that she felt.

He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him. He took a step, and then she was up against the wall. He stared at her. Jane bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood. She had never been unsure about her sexuality before, but now, under Elias’s gaze, she was nervous. It was like he was peering deep inside of her, his stare revealing every detail of her heart to his eyes. What if she wasn’t as good as he believed her to be? Jane’s bloody lip trembled under her grip. She was a wreck.

Elias placed his thumb on her bottom lip, and set it free. “Jane, let go. Let go, even if it’s just for one night.”

She exhaled a breath, and Elias slid into her, his pace perfect as he made love to her. She moaned with every breath. Her breasts were pressed up against his chest, his hands were tight on her skin, and his complete manliness was stiff inside her. He kissed her neck, and the most extraordinary orgasm consumed her.

She looked up at Elias. He mildly gazed at her with soft blue eyes, ready to let her down, but she held onto him and kissed him. She slipped her eager tongue into his mouth, and maneuvered her hips forward, sinking him deeper into her. Not for the first time since she met Elias, she was greedy. She wanted more.

Elias released his lips, but kept them close. “Tell me,” he whispered.

Loud moans altered her unrecognizable words, her prayers answered as he plunged in and out of her deeper and quicker than before. There passionate sounds melted into one, and they finished together.

Elias set her down, and she led him to the bathroom. They showered together, their lips seemingly connected during the entire hygienic ritual. When they got out, Elias dried her hair—the natural way, with a towel—and began drying her neck and chest. When the soft cotton warmed her breasts, Elias pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and kissed her. Before she knew what was happening, the cold temperature of the porcelain sink was chilling her thighs as she begged him not to stop, and then she was face down on her bed with her hair entwined into Elias’s grasp. They ended up on the floor, Jane’s exhausted body collapsed on top of him, his hands fiercely gripping her sides. They needed another shower.

Chapter 15

Elias and Jane lied in Jane’s bed, after showering again.

“Are you sure this is okay?” he asked her, pointing at the sheets.

“Yeah. Just don’t leave me, okay?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” It wasn’t the first time he’d made this promise to her.

Jane snuggled up closer to Elias, rested her head on his shoulder.

“My brother was murdered,” he said. The dramatic rise of Jane’s chest was bright in the dark bedroom. “It was a client—the only case he ever lost. The guy broke out of jail and came after him. I was at a show. When I came home—” like Jane’s, Elias’s chest rose with a massive breath.

She looked up at him, her distraught expression pleading with him to stop.

“No. You have opened your entire life for me to see, Jane. I haven’t been fair.”

“Elias—”

“I found him in the living room,” he muttered. “He was propped up against the couch. I couldn’t see his face, it was—” Elias shuddered as he saw Liam’s bloody, matted face in front of his eyes. He couldn’t finish the sentence, so he started a new one. “Liam Linden was shot with a twelve gauge shotgun. Point blank, by a man he defended.” His voice cracked, but he couldn’t stop the words from spilling. “This guy was a killer. Liam knew that. He never should have defended—”

The rest of his words were jumbled. Jane had covered his mouth with her hand. She kissed his cheek.

“Tell me about him,” she said.

“He was gay. My parents didn’t approve. They disowned him, and then me for picking him over them. The fucked up thing is, my mom’s a judge and my dad’s an Assistant D.A. Liam was the best criminal defense attorney in the state. He followed in their footsteps.” Elias paused. “It’s not like he went public with it, he kept it a secret. No one knew, but they shunned him anyway.”

“Were you two a lot alike?” Jane cleared her throat. “I mean, besides the, you know, gay part.”

Elias smiled. “No. He was—” he looked over at her, a quick wonder if she would believe him. Of course she would. She had seen weirder things. “He was telepathic.”

Jane sat up quickly, exhilarated. “Really?!”

“Yeah. That’s why he was such a great lawyer. He got into people’s heads. If they were lying, he knew.”

She smiled. “Where are your parents now?”

“Still in Washington. Probably trying to figure out how to cut me out of their lives forever.”

Her smile ran away from her face into the dark room. He regretted her sadness.

“I don’t care,” he said. “I don’t need them anymore.” He looked deep into her eyes.

She kissed him, and said goodnight a little more quickly than was necessary. She saw his unbearable pain, and regretted it as much as he did hers.

They were both asleep in minutes, resting in the same position throughout the day, into the night. After twelve hours of dreamless sleep, Elias opened his eyes and saw Jane’s beautiful face. He kissed her. After what Elias thought was the cutest little waking up groan, Jane opened her eyes.

“What time is it?”

“Past ten.”

“Hmmm.”

“You hungry?”

“Starving.”

“I’ll make you breakfast. You don’t have a phone, so no interruptions this time.”

While Elias cooked, Jane sat on the counter, in the same position as in Elias’s kitchen, the last time he tried to cook for her. She was glad he was cooking now, feeling a little deprived that she didn’t get to taste his food.

Elias took a break and joined her, kissing her. Her legs wrapped around him, and his hand entangled in her hair.

“I want to pleasure you,” he said, and didn’t wait for her answer.

His hands went to her neck, and he kissed her more earnestly, using his warm tongue to excite her. He traced his hand downwards. Jane moaned deep in her throat, aching for him. He caressed her over her panties, building her lust, and he moved the cotton aside, sliding his fingers into her. Jane cried out, and her delightful orgasm followed soon after.

Elias held onto her, warming her every nerve. “What happens now?” he whispered.

She looked up at him, her heavy breathing out of her grasp of control. The kitchen dream. Her body still twitched with pleasure, she hadn’t even thought about it.

“You tell me that you love me,” she mumbled.

Elias’s face was unreadable. His hand disappeared into his pocket—his eyes never left hers—and he pulled out a red ruby ring.

“I love you,” he said, and slipped it on the finger. “I know it’s soon. Just wear it for me?”

Jane’s eyes must have been as wide as her mouth.

“I love you,” he said again.

Joyous tears rained on their moment. “I love you,” she said.

Even as she kissed him, the similarities of the ring and the red necklace in her jewelry box hung thick behind her eyes. The resemblance infected her mind like the plague.

They ate their breakfast from one plate, the single dish exploding with eggs, sausage, hash browns and biscuits and gravy. Elias sat in one of the chairs at the table, Jane on his lap. She all but licked the plate clean.

“Do you want to go to the beach?” she asked.

“I would love to go to the beach with you,” he said.

“Okee,” she patted his leg and jumped up excitedly. “Let’s go!”

He laughed. She was adorable. “You’re excited?”

“You’re not?”

“Well, yeah—”

“Come on, come on!” she exclaimed, grasping his hand.

Jane danced down the hallway, pulling him along. They got ready quickly, and went out the back to the garage, where Elias had parked the car the night before.

“Can I drive?” Elias recognized the cautiousness in her question. “I just thought,” she said quietly, “you might want a break from driving.”

He appreciated her sensitivity, it was Liam’s car after all, but he didn’t think that he was that emotional. At the end of the day, it was still just a car.

“Do you drive?” he asked.

Jane nodded with a fierce smile.

He smiled back and threw her the keys.

As it turned out, Jane was a crazy driver. Elias rethought that, crazy wasn’t really the right word. He couldn’t really pin her as a crazy driver, she was actually a good driver. She just drove really fast. She actually drove the Aston Martin. She weaved through cars on the freeway, making her way to the beach quicker than he ever could. He sat comfortable in his seat, safe in her hands.

“We’re not in that much of a hurry, beautiful.” His voice shifted the humming sound of the engine.

“I know, but I’m having fun,” she said with a little girl smile, as if the black Aston Martin was a pink Barbie jeep and she was like, four.

She giggled, and pressed her foot down on the accelerator pedal even farther, giving a whole new meaning to lead foot.

“Liam would have loved you,” he heard himself say as they pulled up to the sands of Aster Beach. Her eyes flickered with his quiet words. It was too late to take them back.

She placed one hand on his cheek, fighting the regretful edge most likely dominating his eyes. “You could not know how much that means to me.”

Elias leaned in for a kiss, but Jane let go of him. “Nuh-uh. I’ll never get out if you do that. Come on.”

They walked barefoot across the cool sand, their sandals in their hands. The night sky was unbelievable out here, no street lights or building illuminations to taint it. Aster Beach was often free of visitors due to the lack of restaurants or shops, it was just sand, stars, and ocean.

The sand under their feet changed from dry and soft to wet and compact. Aster Beach’s water was unlike a lot of California’s beaches. Its water was vast; spreading far into the Pacific Ocean, but it was clean. It was free of that awful gloomy color of most other California beaches, it was actually blue. The water was calm, the waves gently flushing over to them.

They walked in, and swam in deep enough to be in, but still shallow enough to stand with their heads above water.

“Stay close,” she said, “and if you start to feel nervous, or anything, just let me know, okay?”

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about,” he said, “I’ve already seen the water whirlwind thing.”

Jane tilted her head back and laughed hysterically. Elias wondered if she had a better name for it. If she did, she didn’t say as much.

“The water whirlwind thing,” Jane smirked. “Okay. Well, you haven’t seen it like this.” Her face was suddenly stone and serious. “Close your eyes,” she said.

He did, and he waited. Seconds later, a crashing sound like thunder bombarded his hearing.

“Not yet,” he heard her voice.

He kept his eyes fastened closed, a little excited. She was right. He didn’t hear anything like this back in Jasmyn when she had almost drowned Lewis.

“Okay,” she said.

Elias opened his eyes. The tiny, peaceful waves had fluctuated into something completely unnatural. This ocean, its waves normally orderly, crashing when they reached the shore, was now completely erratic and deranged. There were hundreds of waves surrounding them, crashing down in every direction. They busted backwards, forwards, every which way in an impossible frenzy of madness. The waves were huge. They weren’t all the same size, but some of them traveled fifty feet high before they leaped and slammed into the water below. None of them even came close to Jane or Elias. Though the friction of these monstrous waves should have swept them under, the water in their little kingdom was undisturbed.

Elias looked over at Jane. She held her arms out, her eyes scrutinizing every area her sight could penetrate. She was so amazing. She was controlling the whole ocean.

Jane looked at him, and laughed a proud, giddy chuckle. “Wait for it,” she said, and she looked back at her water.

Elias looked around again, his senses ready to grasp any new development. Jane dipped her head under the water. Suddenly, everything relaxed. The waves were gone, and the night was utterly silent. Alright, Jane, I’m getting nervous now, he thought, though he would never say it aloud.

Abruptly, a sturdy force launched Elias twenty feet in the air. It was like the effect of a busted fire hydrant, its contents shooting upwards, releasing everything in its path to the open air. Elias was sitting on top of a bursting waterfall. It let him down easy, gradually descending him until his body dipped back into the ocean, feet first.

Jane was waiting for him. She smiled when she saw his probably paralyzed expression. “Awww, did I scare you?”

“No,” he said weakly.

“I’m sorry!” She laughed, and jumped into his arms.

He held her tight. He had to admit, it was cooler than any rollercoaster he could ever ride. Scary as it was, to be practically flying twenty feet in the air.

“Come on,” she kissed his cheek. “Sun will be up soon.”

Elias drove home, Jane controlling the radio. She had an interesting taste in music, for a woman in her late twenties. All the classics she listened to were way before her time: Eagles, Billy Joel, Tom Petty. She sang along, the perfect tune on every note.

They went inside to Jane’s bed. She cuddled herself in his arms, and fell asleep quickly. Elias stayed awake for a while, experiencing a change of scenery after a few minutes. Instead of Jane’s dark room, he saw the trees around Jane’s house. He looked over at her from where they sat together on the porch. Her lips upturned in a sweet smile, but she wasn’t looking at him, her eyes stayed straight. He looked ahead, and saw a little girl in the trees. Her red hair gleamed against the moonlight as she played in the forest.

Jane was dreaming.

Chapter 16

Elias woke up as Jane leaped out of bed. His heart suddenly wrenched in a knot, as if he had woken up alone and Jane was nowhere to be seen. She stood at the edge of the bed, leaning with her palm against the closet door. Her heavy breathing vibrated his sleepiness away.

“Jane?”

She looked back at him, her expression filled with fear and anguish. He moved to the end of the bed, took her hand.

“I’m sorry,” she said, lying back down with him. “I thought something happened to you.”

He wrapped her into him. “What would happen to me?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, “I didn’t feel you—I must have moved during the night and I didn’t feel you—”

“Hey,” he kissed her, “its okay. I’m right here.”

She nodded.

As she relaxed, he said, “I want to take you dancing.”

She smiled. She was a great dancer. He wondered if there was anything she wasn’t good at.

Jane dressed in a purple dress, matching it with some black heels. He dressed with her, nice jeans and a black dress-up shirt. They drove to Hazel Grove so he could pick up a few more of his things before they went.

As they reached the porch, Elias knew something was off right away. The front door of his home was slightly ajar, light from the inside peeking out. Unlike Jane, he always locked his door, the result of growing up in a house where crime was always the high topic.

“Be quiet, and stay with me,” he said to Jane behind him. She was close enough that he could feel her breaths on his neck. He became overwhelmed when he walked in, taking in his ransacked house. The couches were flipped over, the dining table broken into sharp pieces of wood. His paintings were slashed, and every light in the house was on—he was sure that they were all off when he left. All the drawers in the kitchen were open, their contents lying on the floor.

They went down the hallway, and found that the bedroom was in the same condition the rest of the house was: furniture ruined and clothes littering the carpet. On the far wall were three words, written in some kind of red paint.

NEXT TIME LINDEN

Jane looked over at Elias. As if she was psychic, she backed away from him. Without any warning, he lifted a ceramic vase from the floor and hucked it at the wall, shattering it into tiny pieces.

Elias’s phone rang from his pocket. Jane jumped at the sudden sound.

“Hi, Lily,” he answered stiffly.

“Elias, the police called, my gallery has been turned upside down. They destroyed everything.”

“Shit, Lily. I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. I’ll pay for everything.”

“The insurance will cover it. Elias, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright.”

“Jane?”

“Yeah, she’s with me.”

“Is there anything I can do? I have some police friends, maybe I can call them, they could help—”

Elias didn’t give her the chance to continue. There was no sense in Lily wasting her time. “There’s nothing they can do.”

Her frown was as clear through the phone as it would be if she was standing right in front of him. “Take care, Elias.”

He closed the phone and pocketed it. His back was still turned to Jane. He said her name in the angriest, most furious tone imaginable.

She didn’t answer him, but he knew she was there.

“Take the car to your house. Pack a bag, a few days worth. Come back to me.”

Minutes passed before she said anything. “Where are we going?” Her casual tone was forced.

“Washington.”

She took the keys from his hand, and practically ran out the door without kissing him goodbye. She was smart. She knew he needed space, and gave it to him, knowing they both might regret it if she didn’t.

Elias went to his living room and righted the couch upwards. He sat down, held his head in his hands. He heard the door open after a while. Just Jane, naturally back quicker than they got there in the first place. She kneeled in front of him, her leery silence forcing him to look at her.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t worry. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

He nodded, shame slitting his eyes.

“Are we driving?”

“Yeah. I mean, if that’s okay with you.”

She smiled, linked her arms around his neck. He held her to him, relieved that the only person in the world who could soothe him was here, dedicated to him, despite his flaws.

Kate was frosting a red velvet cake she had just made, for herself only, since it was just factual that Grant wouldn’t be around to enjoy it with her. She was certain of his affair, but there was nothing she could do about it. Divorce in her position was impossible, so she was just going with it, enjoying cake instead of sex.

A little shriek escaped from her throat as a heavy knock on the door surprised her. She walked to the door, licking her frosting tool on the way. If she was surprised when she heard the knock, she was bewildered when she opened the door to find her son standing on her porch. Accompanying him was a stunning woman with red hair, who looked shockingly familiar to Elizabeth. Kate knew she had passed away years ago, but this girl could have been her twin, if it wasn’t for the fact that this woman was even more beautiful than Elizabeth, Elizabeth, who was the most beautiful woman Kate had ever seen back in the day.

“Elias,” Kate breathed.

“Mom,” he said strictly, like he was stating a fact rather than greeting her. “Can we come in?”

“Um,” she looked at the woman, and decided to rebel against her husband’s rules. She didn’t want to be rude to the only woman Elias ever brought home. “Of course. I was just finishing up a cake.”

They followed her inside to the kitchen. Neither of them said anything.

“Elias,” Kate said, “are you going to introduce me?” She wanted to know as much about her as was possible, starting with her name.

“This is Jane. Beautiful, this is my mom, Kate Linden.” Elias made the introductions without any movement whatsoever. He was completely stiff, like every one of his limbs was glued to the air.

“You have a wonderful home, Mrs. Linden.”

Kate was taken aback for a moment. Her voice was as beautiful as her.

“Thank you,” Kate said, eyeing Jane’s outfit. The purple dress she wore was very elegant, long, flowy, expensive material. It was as if it was tailored to her perfect body. The rhinestones on her heels sparkled up at Kate.

“I can’t help but notice you are dressed very nicely,” Kate said.

“Oh, thank you. We were on our way to go dancing, but, well, you know, Elias’s vandalized house.” Her musical voice turned cold, her gaze pierced Kate’s like a threat.

Kate looked over at her son. She could have sworn she saw him smiling before he said, “Oh, please. Since when do you care?”

“Elias, please don’t do this. Not now.” Kate looked back to Jane.

“What? Now that I bring my fiancée to meet you, it’s all different? Now you’re sure that I didn’t turn out like Liam. Does that mean I can be your son again?”

“Your—fiancée?” Kate’s frantic eyes found her mother’s ring on Jane’s left hand, and tears gushed out of them.

Jane stepped closer to Elias’s side. Elias looped an arm around her.

“I need to speak with my father,” he said.

“He’s upstairs, getting ready for work.”

“It’s eight o’clock at night.”

Embarrassed, Kate’s teary eyes dropped to the kitchen floor. Elias actually growled.

They all heard footsteps, and Grant emerged. Kate saw the same dark hair and blue eyes in her son, the charm, but never the anger she saw in her husband’s pale face right now.

“Jane, stand behind me,” Elias whispered.

Jane did what she was told. Kate watched her fingers spread apart at her sides. Kate blinked her eyes clear. Oh, shit, Kate thought. She had seen this before.

“Oh, what the fuck are you doing here?!” Grant yelled at Elias, charging at him.

“Hi, Dad,” Elias said, his entire body tight with tension.

“Answer my goddamn question,” Grant was an inch away from his son now.

“Someone came to my house,” Elias said. “Luckily I wasn’t home, or I’d probably be face down on my carpet with two fucking bullets in my brain. I know you knew about it.”

All things considered, Elias was pretty calm.

“It was not my place to interfere in an ongoing investigation, Elias.”

“Don’t give me that D.A. babble bullshit. What if my fiancée was home? I know you don’t give a shit about me—”

“You’re what?” Grant interrupted. The mop of red hair hiding behind Elias registered in his eyes, and he looked over at Kate. Kate should have wiped her tears. Grant’s temper was about to flare, incomparable to the temperature in its flames the second before.

Grant’s hand formed a closed fist, and he screamed at Elias. “You barge into this house, after you left, and make your mother cry? Who the hell do you think you are?”

Elias exploded back. “She’s crying because you keep her from me! Can you really be that fucking stupid? Worlds greatest dad, is that what you are, Grant?”

Jane’s hands flattened on each of Elias’s arms. When Grant’s fist went for contact with Elias’s cheek, it was slammed to a halt in the air, millimeters from Elias’s face. It had been—blocked. Tiny purple bolts charged into Grant’s hand, like a transfer of lightning. He immediately retracted it, held it in his other hand like it was broken. He took a few steps back, horror blotching every inch of his face. Okay. Kate had definitely not seen that before.

“Dad,” Elias said, his tone softer, “just have them arrested, or killed, I don’t care. I just want to live my life without the mob chasing my family. Take care of it, and I won’t ever come back.”

“Get the fuck out of my house,” Grant said, and ironically, he walked out.

Elias leaned forward to say goodbye, but Kate held onto him. She spoke to Jane around Elias’s muscle. “Jane, sweetheart, won’t you please have a seat,” she pointed at the dining room. “I need to speak to my son.”

Elias stepped back, linked his hand into Jane’s. “No.” Elias looked fearful, as if a separation from this woman, even for a few minutes, would mean something terrible for him.

Kate kept her eyes on Jane. “Please.”

Jane looked up at Elias, and he looked back at her, their eyes connected for a long, silent moment. She let go of his hand, moved to walk out of the room, but he yanked her back. He bundled her into his arms, kissed her hair.

“Thank you,” he whispered, and he let her go.

Jane glared at Kate. Kate longed to talk to her, sit with her, ask how she was doing. Kate wondered if Elias knew what Jane only suspected. For all she knew, Jane might not even know herself.

Jane turned, and walked out of the kitchen.

Kate went upstairs, and Elias followed.

Elias sat on his parents’ bed as his mom fumbled around in the dresser. He hadn’t been up here in years. Everything was so ridiculously expensive in this house, he had always been afraid to touch anything. The entire house was so brown and neutral, absent of any color. If Jeanine’s house could have an opposite, this was it.

Kate sat down next to him, and handed him a small velvet box. He opened it, revealing a flawless diamond ring. The stone was outrageously large.

“How much did this cost?” he asked.

“I’m not telling,” Kate said. “If it get’s back to your dad, he’ll really be pissed.”

“She already has a ring,” Elias said, ignoring her attempt at some humor.

“She’s very beautiful, Elias. This one,” she pointed at the box, “fits her better.”

Elias squinted at her. He didn’t understand why Kate didn’t want Jane wearing her mother’s ring.

“She’s one of them, isn’t she?” Kate asked.

“One of what?”

“I don’t remember what they call themselves. The, um, element witches.”

Elias’s deep gulp was loud in the quiet room. “Enchanters.”

“That’s right.”

“How do you know about them?”

“Jeanine would never forgive me if I told you.”

“Why do you care?”

It finally occurred to Elias that Kate must have hated her mother.

“That’s why you hate her so much, isn’t it, because she’s so much like your mother.”

Kate’s body twitched wildly, his words slicing her heart wide open. “Jeanine is nothing like her. Jeanine couldn’t have a heart as black as Eve Hadley’s, even if she spent the rest of her life trying.”

He shifted, the confusion pushing him away from what he knew. Kate had always complained about Jeanine. Up until now, he spent his life believing that his mother loathed her sister.

“Don’t let Jane wear that ring, Elias. Annabelle would roll over in her grave if she knew.”

Elias felt all the color drain from his face. It must have been as pale as his father’s was a few minutes ago.

“Jeanine was friends with Annabelle for a very long time, Elias,” Kate said. “I knew her mother, too. Elizabeth. Red hair, green eyes. Jane looks just like her.”

Elias relaxed, giving his mother some credit. She wasn’t as out of the Hadley loop as he thought.

Elias got up, pulled her into a hug. He kissed her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Kate said.

He only breathed, didn’t answer her. He moved for the doorway, but she called him back.

“Ly.”

Elias gripped the molding of the doorway. The color in his face was back, ten fold. He felt heat rise into it, hotter than the rest of his body. He hadn’t heard that nickname since before Liam died.

He turned to her. “Don’t you ever fucking call me that.”

She shivered. Elias regretted his overreaction. As horrible of a mother he believed Kate to be, she would never have said it on purpose. It must have slipped out. Tears watered her face again.

“Tell her I love her,” Kate whispered.

“Who?” he asked.

“My sister.”

Chapter 17

Jeanine stood in her house, pacing up and down the hallway. She jumped at the knock at the door, ran to it.

She leaped onto Elias, held him in a tight squeeze. She put her hands on his face, asked him if he was alright.

“I’m okay.”

She maneuvered his face to the left and right, checking it for any sign of violence. Jeanine looked up at him, asking him a silent question.

“He tried, but he couldn’t get past Jane. Messed up his hand. You should have seen the look on his face.” Elias was smiling.

Jeanine wrapped her arm around Jane, led her into the house. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to him,” she whispered. “You know that don’t you?”

Jane smiled. They sat on the couch together, Elias sat on a chair next to them.

“Your mom?” Jeanine asked him.

Elias shook his head. “He’s having an affair.”

“She told you that?”

“No. But he is.”

“Excuse me,” Jane’s voice broke the conversation between them. She ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

“Is she okay?” Jeanine asked.

“Long drive. She probably has to pee.” Elias paused a moment, and said, “She told me to tell you she loves you.”

“Who? Jane?”

“No.” He paused again. “My mom.”

“Now I know your lying.”

Elias opened his mouth to answer, but Jane joined them again. Jeanine thought that Elias might pass out, his distress rolling his eyes around his head. Jane was green in the face. He ran to her, cradled her face in his hands.

As Elias spoke to Jane, Jeanine couldn’t see them. Again, she saw something flash in front of her eyes, something that wasn’t really there.

“What’s wrong?” Elias asked Jane.

“I think I need to see a doctor.” The beauty of Jane’s voice had been replaced by a raspy crackle. “Can you take me please?”

“Yeah. Jeanine, we gotta go,” Elias said.

“Call me,” Jeanine said. The words did not travel far, halting in the air as the front door slammed and trapped them inside.

Jane told Elias to drive to Hazel Grove’s only medical building. She spent the car ride with her cheek leaning against the window. As soon as they arrived, Jane jumped out of the car and ran to some bushes, bent over, heaving. Elias stood close, ready to be there if she needed him, but not forcing himself on her.

“I don’t know what to do,” he apologized.

She cleared her throat. “My energy—it’s gone.”

They walked together through the parking lot and into the double glass doors of the high white building. They went to the elevator. As it ascended, Jane pressed her lips together and slammed her hand against the elevator wall. Elias let go of her other hand and stepped back. His heat could not be helping. Her hand frantically danced in the air, blindly searching for its companion. He returned, grasping her hand again.

“Don’t do that,” she whispered.

The elevator door opened. They walked into the hallway together, and entered a suite marked Charles Blaine, M.D.

It was a simple room, white walls, cheap abstract paintings hanging on them. There were blue chairs next to magazine racks, and a reception desk directly ahead. The room was free of patients, the desk empty.

A man emerged from the door. He was older, not quite Jeanine’s age, but close. He wore a long white doctor’s coat, traditionally dressed with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. The man stopped, his features suddenly stiff. His eyes grazed Jane’s white face, ghastly pale. He looked at her flickering eyes, struggling to stay open.

“Oh, dear,” he said softly. “Get her inside.” He held the door open for Elias.

Elias followed the doctor, scooping Jane into his arms, and laid her on a patient bed in one of the rooms. As her skin came in contact with the loud white paper on the rubbery surface, her head fell to the side and her eyes closed completely. Elias’s breath caught in his chest.

“It’s okay,” Charles said. “She’s alright. Her body needs rest.”

His assurance didn’t help. Elias couldn’t breathe.

Charles went to a small counter in the corner of the room and mixed several items in different bowls. Elias sat next to Jane, his hand tight in hers, gazing upon her face with frightened eyes.

Charles brought the bowls over, and placed one of them in Elias’s free hand. Elias looked down at the thick green liquid. The bowl Charles was holding contained a clear substance. He used a basting brush, and applied it to Jane’s entire face. It was just like Jane’s concoction.

“Are you an Enchanter?” Elias asked.

He answered without looking away from his task. “No, my wife is. I’m just an Enchanter doctor. Can you lift up her shirt please?”

He did, and found Jane’s stomach black and blue with bruises. He gasped.

“It’s alright,” Charles said. He took the other bowl from Elias, and began applying the liquid to her stomach with his fingers, massaging in circular motions.

“These are herbs. Rosemary, citrus, some oils. They will help more than any medication I can give her.” He continued his ritual. “What are her symptoms?”

Elias racked his brain. “She was throwing up.”

“She needs food. What else?”

“She said something about her energy, she said it was gone.”

“Gone,” the old man quietly chuckled. “More like stolen, I think.”

Elias wanted to sock him in the face. Why was he laughing? Elias must not have hid his feelings well, because Charles held his hand up defensively.

“Really, your girl is perfectly well. Well and pregnant.”

Elias didn’t really have some exaggerated reaction. Every nerve in his body charged with shock as the news was announced by the doctor, but he tried to stay calm. It didn’t really make sense.

“Uh, pregnancy, morning sickness and all that, it takes longer. Right?”

“Not this one,” he said, pulling Jane’s shirt back down. “Her energy is powerful. She’ll give birth in four months, five tops.”

“How do you know that?”

The doctor smiled a warming smile that must have made people that hated doctors feel much better. “I come from a long line of doctors. We have been treating the Brooks women for generations.”

There was that Brooks again. He ignored it. He didn’t have time for that right now. “Tell me what to do.”

Elias drove his sleeping Jane home, a bag filled with vitamins and instructions at her feet. He carried her inside, lying her down gently on the couch. He closed all the windows and curtains, keeping the light out, just as she liked it. He sat down with her, laying her head in his lap. In a few minutes time, he was asleep, one hand weaved into her hair, the other resting on her stomach, embracing his little girl.

Chapter 18

Grant left for work extra early, wanting to catch Ian before his meeting. He reached the office quickly, and ran up the stairs to knock on Ian’s slightly open door.

“Come in,” Ian’s voice drifted, and Grant walked in.

“You’re early,” Ian said.

Grant took a deep breath. “They went after my son and his fiancée.”

“Christ. Are they okay?”

“Yes. They weren’t hurt.” Grant could no longer look into Ian’s eyes. He had never felt so ashamed. “I sent a cruiser over to Elias’s place, it’s them. Elias will make a statement if needed.”

“I know this may be an awful thing to say, but, this is exactly what we needed. That fucking mob stayed off the radar since the trial started. I’ll call Raymond. They will never have the opportunity to come near your family again, Grant.”

Grant finally looked up at his boss. “Thank you, Ian.”

Ian nodded, and Grant walked out. He walked down the hall to his office, but Emily Greene stepped in front of him, blocking his path. She couldn’t have been more than twenty, blonde, large breasts. As he thought of her naked body hanging halfway off the desk in his office, he finally realized that, no matter how much plastic surgery she had, she could never be half as sexy as his wife.

“What happened to you yesterday?” she asked.

His tone constricted, Grant said, “I had a family emergency.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I can meet you in your office in five, we can catch up on what was lost.”

She mischievously smirked up at him. Family emergency, he’d said. She didn’t even ask if everything was okay.

“No.”

“No?” she asked, confused.

“No,” Grant said again. “I’m married. Leave me alone, Emily.” Grant walked to his office, leaving her speechless in the hall.

Grant closed his door, dropped his briefcase, and rushed to the phone. He dialed the court’s number. She answered after just ring.

“I hope I’m not too late,” Grant said. “Mrs. Linden, will you go out on a date with me tonight?” He spoke to his wife seductively, using the famous Linden charm to his advantage, the same charm that had been passed on to both of his sons.

Grant heard a loud exhale of breath through the phone, and then the answer came, the answer that stopped his hand from shaking as he held the phone to his ear.

“I would love to.”

Kate’s office phone rang again. After Grant’s call, she was bubbling with excitement. She knew there was a reason that she stayed with him all this time, after the anger and the betrayal. It wasn’t just the public humiliation of a divorce, she was loyal to him. She didn’t cheat, just because he did. She could never forget why she married Grant. It was just love. She had always loved him. She would always.

“Yes,” she answered the phone.

“Hi.”

Kate’s wide smile beamed through her voice. “Hi, Jeanine.”

“I heard you wanted to talk to me.”

“I said I loved you, not that I wanted to talk to you.”

Jeanine laughed. “Stubborn ass.”

“Yeah.”

“How are you, Katie?”

“Alright.”

Jeanine inhaled an annoyed breath. “You can leave him, you know. You don’t have to get a divorce.”

“Shut up.”

“When’s the last time you got laid?”

Kate shook her head. Good ‘ol Jeanine. There was no point in fighting her on it. “I don’t know.”

“You better hurry up and do something, girl. You’re getting old.”

“You’re older than me!”

“Well, I’m not the one about to be a grandma.”

Kate didn’t falter. She was completely aware of the fact. One look at Jane, and she knew she was pregnant. Some weird instinct she always had. She just knew things.

“How’s she doing?” Kate asked.

“They just left. She looked almost as bad as you did when you were pregnant.”

Kate laughed. “Impossible.”

“I miss you,” Jeanine said. “Come see me.”

“You make sure my son invites me to his wedding, and I’ll see you soon.”

“Alright. Bye, Katie.”

“Bye, sis.”

Chapter 19

Jane woke suddenly, frantically calling out Elias’s name.

“Hey, beautiful, it’s okay, I’m here,” Elias’s deep voice traveled from above.

She looked up at his smiling face. His blue eyes calmed a tenseness in her heart that she didn’t even know was there. “Oh, Elias, I dreamed we had like ten kids.”

Elias’s head flew back with laughter.

The memory from the day before was absent from her brain. She had no idea what had happened. She glared at him, and his humor disappeared.

“You’re pregnant,” he said.

Her bottom lip quivered, and moisture glassed over her eyes. She craned her neck up to kiss him, but halfway there, her head clouded with dizziness. She brought her hand up to it, willing the queasiness to leave her.

Elias leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’ll make you some food, and we’ll go for a swim. Okay?”

“Kay.”

He got up and walked into the kitchen, and she squealed into her knees. She was going to have Elias’s baby! A white wedding on the beach entered her thoughts. Her imagination progressed. She watched her belly bulge, her child grow, her hair turn gray. Elias was there with her in every scene.

Elias brought her lemon roasted chicken with rice pilaf and a cup of rosemary tea. He helped her sit up, and let her eat in peace while he took a shower. She was lying back down when he returned, her plate empty. He stood at the edge of the couch.

“Where did you learn how to cook like that?” she asked.

“Liam. It’s a rule. All gay men have to be good cooks.”

Jane giggled. “Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome, beautiful.”

“You can stop calling me that, now that I’m gonna get fat.”

He laughed. “Never.”

Jane blinked at him. “Should we talk about this?”

“What?”

“The, er, baby.”

“What is there to talk about? I love you. You’re having my baby. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

Jane got up and kissed him.

“Are you ready to visit Jasmyn?” he asked.

Jane breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes.”

“You need to take your vitamin before you go.”

Jane felt a stink eye developing, scrunching wrinkles into the tip of her nose.

“What is that for?” he asked, stifling a laugh.

“I don’t do medicine.”

“Too bad.”

Jane crossed her arms and stared at him, and he stared right back at her. Minutes passed.

Oh, no. Her eye itched. How could she have an itchy eye? Elias was silent, still staring. Ugh. She blinked.

Elias smiled, so she kicked him in the knee.

“Twin brother. Did you really think you could beat me?”

He was laughing at her. Maybe she should kick him again. Harder.

“Get me the stupid vitamins.”

Elias laughed, and he handed her an orange chewable tablet. He had it in his hand the whole time. She chewed it, a burst of orange flavor exploding onto her taste buds. It tasted satisfying, as if she had been craving it. Of course she would never tell Elias that.

He handed her a bottle of water and said, “Down it. Three of these a day.”

“You’re not going to give up, are you?”

“No,” he said, still smirking a patronizing grin.

“You know, one flick of my pinky and I could drown you.”

He leaned down and kissed her neck, using his tongue to warm the crease of her skin where her neck and shoulder met. He stood up and met her swimming eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t hear you. What was that?”

Jane’s eyes flickered, and she mumbled something incomprehensible.

He chuckled, and told her to go change. She came out in a green sundress, her wild hair tied back in a ponytail. He reached behind her, pulled out the hair tie, and ruffled her hair into a wild fro.

“Mmmm,” he said. “That’s better.”

There was a quiet knock on Kate’s open office door, and she looked up. Grant was standing in her doorway, looking sexy in his suit, as always. There was something else. His blue eyes weren’t as crisp as they always were. They were soft, cloudy. He was nervous. She had never seen Grant look nervous in her life.

“Hey,” he said.

She tugged on her short brown hair, more nervous than he was. “Hi.”

He stepped inside. He was holding a black box wrapped beautifully in a thick, silver ribbon, a shiny blue bow at the top. He set the box down and sat at a chair in front of her desk.

“Open it.”

She opened it slowly, taking care not to ruin the pretty ribbon. She opened the folded tissue paper inside, revealing a silky, black dress. It was the dress. The dress that she passed in the store window every single day on her way to work, the dress that was so ridiculously expensive that Grant would murder her if she bought it. The ring she had given Elias cost less.

“Can you take off early?”

Kate looked up at Grant. He was smiling. She held onto her desk, resisting the urge to close her office door and let him take her right here.

“I’m a judge,” she said. “I can do whatever the hell I want.”

Grant took Kate to her favorite restaurant, some overpriced place that had tiny portions of food. He didn’t care, he wasn’t thinking about dinner. He couldn’t stop looking at her. She was wearing the dress he bought her, looking amazingly beautiful.

They sat down, and Grant took her hands in his. “I’m sorry,” he began, breathing deep, doing his best not to choke himself up. “You raised my kids without me, you have stuck by my side for so many years—” He took a deep breath. “I fucked up, Kate. I’m so sorry.”

Tears ran down her face, cringing every vein in his body. “Elias needs a father, Grant.”

He tightened his grip on her hands. Her tears drove him crazy, anytime he saw them. “I was just so afraid of being a bad father, I lost—”

“You have been a bad father,” she said.

He didn’t get angry. She was right. “I know.”

“Your son died not knowing that you love him, Grant.” She was really crying now. “Elias needs you to be his father. What kind of father will he be, if he has no example?”

Grant sucked in a breath. “What?”

“His fiancée is pregnant, Grant. Our son is having a baby.”

Grant’s eyes closed. He never thought of Elias as a father. He hadn’t realized, until this moment, the impact that he had on his family, on his world. Uncourageously, his eyes barely opened.

“Can you forgive me?” he asked her.

“I will always forgive you,” she said. “I’m your wife.”

Grant let out a breath, so deep it was like he was holding it in for thirty-five years. She was too good. He didn’t deserve her. He leaned forward, kissed the top of her hand.

“I love you,” he said.

“I know,” she said simply.

Grant looked up as the waiter arrived with the food.

They ate, made fun of criminals, even laughed a little. Grant ordered Kate some chocolate cake, her favorite, and he took her home. They walked up to the house, still joking, but when they reached the door, Kate suddenly stopped. She brought her hand to her neck, twiddled her necklace—another gift from Grant—and her lips moved.

He didn’t get to hear what she said, his movement was so abrupt. He slammed her against the door and he kissed her, oh he kissed her like he never had before. Her skin was so hot against him, her heart pulsing in his ears. Her fingers were undoing his belt, and oh, god, he had to find his keys before one of their neighbors called the police.

He finally opened the door, and they knocked down lamps and picture frames as they stumbled through the house, a hazy path to the bedroom. They somehow ended up in the kitchen, and he picked her up, carrying her to their table.

“That is a ten-thousand dollar table,” she said.

“I don’t care,” he growled, and set her down on it.

He kissed her again, and she unbuttoned his shirt. She kissed his chest, sucking on his skin, and he let out a shuddering breath. “Jesus, Kate,” he said, and let his pants fall. He couldn’t take it anymore. He lifted her dress, pushed her underwear aside, and then he was fucking his wife of thirty-seven years on their custom made, ten-thousand dollar kitchen table.

“Oh, Grant,” she called his name. She always called his name. He felt like he was twenty years old, in his dorm room and stealing Kate’s virginity all over again. “Oh, yes,” she moaned, “oh, Grant—Grant!” Kate screamed, and her body trembled. He held her as his body did the same.

He lied on top of the table next to his wife.

“Do not ever make me wait that long again,” she said.

“I promise,” he said, and he took her again, on some other expensive piece of furniture in the house. They never did make it to their bedroom.

Chapter 20

Elias and Jane walked to Jasmyn. Elias stopped, released Jane’s hand as they reached the opening.

She stopped with him. “You’re not coming?”

Elias forced his expression solid, the abandoned manner in Jane’s eyes making it very difficult for him.

“No,” he said. He walked away, sitting himself on a rock by the cliff.

She stared at him. “You don’t have to do this. I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie to me,” he said. He couldn’t force away the image of her debilitating in his arms.

The saddened expression spread from her eyes to her entire face.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

Jane stole one last look at his eyes, and removed her shoes. She walked around to the side of the lake to the shore, stepping into the water rather than diving in. She was being more careful.

Elias’s tough expression sunk as her head disappeared under the water. She was heartbroken at his restraint towards her. He could barely stand to sit here.

His eyes twinkled as something flashed under the surface. He squinted. A familiar purple sparkle excited his vision. There was a tiny tangle of purple glitter in the shape of a butterfly. The form raised upwards, shifty like a baby bird learning to fly. It ceased to ascend, and flew in a straight line. When it reached him, it floated around to the side of his face. It came in contact with Elias’s cheek, tickling him, like a sweet kiss. Then it was gone, breaking up into microscopic pieces and falling down into the water. Elias intuitively lifted his hand to his cheek, longing to feel the love that had just grazed it. There was a splashing noise, and Elias looked down. Jane’s arms and feet slightly disrupted the calm water as she swam towards the shore.

“You okay?” he asked her.

She nodded.

He pulled her to him and kissed her. They walked back together, holding each other as they crossed the clearing in front of Jane’s house.

Halfway up the stairs, Jane tightened her grip on him, as if she was falling. Her eyes closed, her legs shook, her throat rumbled. She couldn’t get air into her lungs. Elias enclosed her into his warmth. She wasn’t cold—she looked like she was having a seizure—but he hoped it would at least calm her down.

“Talk to me, beautiful, talk to me.”

“I—I don’t—”

“What is it?”

Elias didn’t ask the question. It was a calm voice a little farther away. Elias looked behind him. At the bottom of the steps stood that same man, the one that hated him. Elias opened his mouth to answer, but he felt Jane’s back straighten in his arms. She opened her eyes. She looked over at the man, but didn’t remove herself from Elias’s embrace. Her closeness eased his jealously a little. If this man could have crossed into her front yard, it meant Jane wanted him to.

“I don’t know,” Jane said.

The man’s eyes turned to Elias. “Stay close. If you can’t protect her like I can, at least—” he looked down at Elias’s body, his frame, “at least you can keep her safe.”

Elias didn’t have time to muster a comeback. The man was already in the trees.

Jane exhaled a long breath. “Can I use your phone?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s get you inside.”

Jane changed into some cotton pajamas, towel dried her hair. She sat cross legged on the bed next to Elias. He handed her his highly technological cell phone. She looked at it for a while, and handed it back to him.

“Dial, please,” and she gave him the number.

He smiled lightly, and gave her back the phone.

“Yell-o?”

“Hey, Cam,” Jane said into the phone.

“Janie! How the hell are ya, darlin’?” His southern accented tone blasted loudly through the speaker.

Cameron Myers was older, late sixties. He was from Louisiana originally, trying out a change of scenery after divorcing his wife. He was a good friend. Caring, polite, and very, very powerful.

“I’m good, Cam. How is life over there all alone?”

“Great. Thanks to you.”

Jane laughed, remembering back to a month before when she had purposely flooded Cameron’s neighbor’s house to oblivion, forcing the annoying old lady to move.

Cameron interjected quickly. “So. Are you gonna tell me what the hell that was?”

“I don’t know.”

“Nearly knocked me on my ass.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

They were both quiet for a while. Jane spoke first. “Can you do some rain?”

“Think it’ll help?”

“Probably not. But it will make me feel better.”

“Sure, Janie.”

“Thanks.”

“Did you meet him yet?” Cameron asked bluntly.

Jane smiled, looked over at Elias. “Yeah. We’re having a baby.”

“Congratulations.”

They both were silent, but then Cameron said, “Annabelle would have been so happy.”

Jane’s only response was a single tear that ran silently down her face. Elias squeezed her hand.

“I’m sorry, Jane,” Cameron said. “I should really learn to keep my mouth shut once in a while.”

“Its okay, Cam. Listen, I’m gonna go. I’ll call you if I need you.”

“No need. I’ll be there anyway. Asta,” he said his goodbye, and hung up.

“Friend of yours?” Elias asked.

“Yeah. Anna and him, they had a thing.” A breath whooshed from her lips, and she fell back, onto Elias.

He held her. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” she grunted. “I’m really getting tired of saying that.”

Elias smiled at her. She owed him an explanation.

“The energy was too strong. I couldn’t control it.” It wasn’t much, but it was just so hard to explain to someone who wasn’t capable of understanding. He had to feel it to know it.

Elias’s hand went to her stomach. As the sweet sound of raindrops fell down to the earth, Elias’s shoulders shook.

“Why don’t you like the rain?” she asked.

“I never said I didn’t like it.”

She blinked at him.

He let out a breath. “Every memory I have of him is associated with rain. I don’t feel happiness when I remember him, like everyone said I would. It’s just emptiness.”

Jane blinked hard. She could feel his grief in her head, an unbearable blast of pain. She pressed her lips together, suppressing a tear for them. Elias and Liam. Both of them separated from the other, lost forever. There was nothing she could say to illuminate the darkness that Elias felt. She couldn’t even compare her own loss to his. Half his soul had been taken from him, stolen, and then buried in the ground.

She leaned into him, but she stiffened as the overbearing mass of energy took her over again. She clutched Elias’s shirt in her hands. The power pulsed in her chest, each time stronger, deeper, like angry footsteps. Elias held her tight as she screamed. Energy. Not hers. Theirs.

“Christian,” she whispered. “I need you.”

Chapter 21

Angry breaths vibrated Elias’s chest. He needed to relax. He was going to make himself sick, merge into a self inflicted heart attack. Christian. Jane had been wrong. He could surely understand how deep the hate lived. He could feel it rising up, like bile in his throat.

Jane’s shakes stilled, and she got up. He didn’t try to stop her, just watched her walk away from him. He was breaking. He wasn’t good enough for her.

Elias’s heartbeat escalated, and he jumped up from the bed. He couldn’t give up on her. She loved him. He just had to help her understand how much. As much as he loved her, he was sure.

He walked to the front door. He leaned in the doorway, watching her walk the opposite way. The other man stood in the clearing with his eyes closed, the rain soaking his clothes. He didn’t open his eyes until Jane wrapped her arms around him. He held her, sniffed her hair. Elias made a fist, a dark ping of jealously threatening his heartbeat again. The man spoke to her, but the loud pouring drowned his words.

Elias straightened his posture as this man walked towards him.

He held out his hand, and said calmly, “Christian Reed.”

Elias thought about laying him out with one blow, but Jane was watching. She needed him to be her man, not an immature guy.

“Elias Linden,” he said, and firmly shook his hand.

Christian flinched. Elias thought for a second that Christian cowered under his grip, but the flinch arose as he came in contact with Elias’s skin.

Christian turned to Jane, still standing in the clearing.

“You leave Earth for Fire,” he yelled over the rain, “is that it?”

Her lips mouthed “what” but her voice was lost.

Christian hopped down to the yard and charged at Jane. He pulled a knife from a sheath attached to his belt. He positioned himself behind her, secured his arm around her stomach, and brought the blade to her neck.

Elias’s hands balled into fists, and he took a step forward, but then he stopped. This man was one slice away from stealing everything Elias had to live for. A sudden move could be the biggest mistake he would ever make.

Elias tried to force air into his lungs as his entire body began to shake. His heart started beating so fast that each beat melted together until his chest hummed. Rage boiled his blood to an excruciating temperature. His throat made a hacking sound, he couldn’t breathe, it was too hot. He focused his wide eyes on a tree right behind Christian—he couldn’t risk a look at Jane. His muscles bulged and his skin tightened, and the tree, it burst into flames. The whole of it, from the trunk attached to the earth to the top branches bursting with leaves, was engulfed in a bright red fire. He saw Christian release Jane, and holster his knife. Jane turned to the tree, and then back to Elias. She stepped back, a deep fear pushing her even farther away from him. Elias looked down. The air around him was deep red, the color of Jane’s hair, the color of the ring on her finger. It surrounded him, the red sparkles joining together in a bloody, protective cloud. His aura.

Jane’s unbelieving squeal tore his every strength in half. “Elias!”

“Jane—”

“Elias, how could you?” She stepped forward, her purple aura forming quickly. “HOW COULD YOU?!”

Christian grabbed her wrist. She leaped forward, her momentum begging to be out of Christian’s grasp. He held on tight.

“Jane, I didn’t know, I promise you,” Elias’s voice was constricted. It was not his own. “Jane, I’m sorry, please—”

Jane tore her arm away from Christian, breaking free. She turned on her heel, and ran into the forest. Elias didn’t follow her, but Christian did.

Christian kept his distance, intentionally leaving space between him and Jane’s terror. He leaned against the trunk of his favorite tree for a while, and then made his way to the lake. He found Jane sitting on one of the white rocks, her head between her knees. He joined her.

“Surprised you didn’t go in,” he said.

She looked up at him with a reddened face. Anger, sadness, confusion, but no tears. Yet.

“I don’t feel like being an Enchanter right now.”

“You don’t get to choose who you are, Jane.”

“Yeah,” she laughed lamely, “wouldn’t that be nice.”

Christian removed a carelessly wrapped joint from his pocket, and handed it to her. It was a miracle it was still intact. It looked like a five year old had rolled it.

“You still can’t roll a joint? Why don’t you just use a pipe?”

“What, some bright glass thing like a stoner teenager? No, thanks.”

Jane shook her head, crumpling it and dropping the remains on the ground. She held out her hand, folded her fingers into her palm. He reached into his pocket again, and handed her a plastic baggie stuffed with homegrown marijuana and a packet of papers. She opened the seal, and Christian inhaled the scent, basking in its earth.

Jane couldn’t help but roll with two hands. She tried to hide what was on her finger by pushing it to the side, but the red jewel still gleamed up at him from her left hand.

“Have you told him?”

She wouldn’t look at him. “No.”

“So you’re pissed at him because he’s an Enchanter, not really something he can control, but it’s okay for you to keep from him the truth about the death of his grandmother?”

He watched her glide her tongue slowly across the paper. He inhaled quiet, deep breaths. He swore she did that on purpose.

“Give me a lighter,” she said.

He eased a green one out of his pocket and handed it to her. She lit the joint, inhaling a long drag. The tip of the white paper glowed in the darkness, brightening her beautiful face. She held the joint in front of him, passing it, but it took him a moment to look away from her. She glared at him with an attitude that he didn’t remember. Bitchy.

“What’s the matter with you?” he asked.

“Let me see. My destiny man is Fire, out of nowhere. Fifty Enchanters are on their way to kill me. You hate me. Do I really need to go on?”

“Shut up.” She knew what he meant.

As her features finally softened, he stiffened, fighting the urge to touch her cheek, to hold her, to kiss her.

“I’m pregnant,” she said.

Christian hit the joint, avoiding her words. He closed his eyes, calming his inner turmoil. She needed him, even if was just for right now, even if she would never need him again.

“What a coincidence,” he said.

“You’re pregnant too?”

He rolled his eyes at her corny humor. “My girlfriend just gave birth to my son.”

“You’re girlfriend?” She didn’t seem jealous, just curious.

“Some dumb blonde who thinks I love her.”

Jane laughed. That perfect melody of a laugh that made his toes tingle. “You’re such an asshole.”

“You say it like you didn’t know that already.”

“What’s his name?” she asked.

“Evan.”

“Is he—”

“Yes. He’s a Reed.”

Jane closed her eyes. They flickered sporadically. She was thinking about something.

“Here,” he handed her the joint.

She shifted to grab it, but her hands started shaking, her mouth opened wide. Her forehead glistened. She was sweating. He held her hand.

“If he won’t save himself,” he said, “you’re the only one who can.”

“Elias,” she breathed.

Jane stepped out of the trees with Christian at her side. Elias sat on the top step of her porch, his aura flickering like a bloody sun. It was strong; it stuck with him. He stood up, but stumbled. She ran to him.

She reached her porch, and jumped into his arms. She ignored his feverish, sweaty skin, his violent trembles, and she kissed him. As he passionately held her against him, the whole world disappeared. It was just him. It had always been him.

“Jane,” Christian’s unnaturally calm voice beckoned to her from some distant place. “Do it. Now.”

Jane grasped Elias’s arms tight, and pushed him away from her. His skin turned ghastly pale as his muscles weakened under her fingertips.

“Jane.” Christian again.

“I love you,” she whispered, and she set him on fire. Christian pulled her back. Elias’s expression was a hurtful accusation as he gazed into her eyes through the flames burning his entire body.

“Don’t fight it, baby,” she cried, “you have to let it take you—”

Elias’s face twisted. His head fell back, he writhed and screamed in pain. Christian’s hold on her was not strong enough. She fell to her knees. She was no human at all. How could she leave him, a brand new Enchanter, the love of her life, to bathe in his own uncontrollable emotions? She watched him trip on the top ledge, watched him collapse and roll to the ground in front of her. She screamed. Tears clouded everything but the bright red flames. Her sobs pierced her ears. She was still aware of Christian holding her, but she couldn’t feel him. Blackness consumed her very existence.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and the whole world disappeared again.

Chapter 22

Elias’s pinky twitched, and he was suddenly aware of himself. Everything came pouring down on him like a bad dream. It wasn’t, though. Much too vivid, much too real.

He opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a round, burly man, sitting in a chair directly in front of him. He had a bald head, and a full beard.

“Hello. I’m Cameron.”

Elias’s voice cracked like a puberty ridden thirteen year old. “Jane.”

“Christian’s got her. She’s asleep in the back.”

The back of where? Elias looked around. Purple. He was on Jane’s couch. The back. The bedroom. With Christian. Elias felt his eyes bulge.

“Take it easy,” Cameron said. “She can kill him too easily.” A gurthy, southern chuckle filled the space between them.

Elias ignored him.

“How ya feelin’?”

Elias took a moment to think about it, and felt something soft covering him. He looked down. A blanket. He had a blanket on, and he wasn’t hot.

He held out his arm to Cameron. “Do I feel hot?”

Cameron sandwiched Elias’s arm between his hands. “Yes. But you shouldn’t feel it. Your energy will protect you from the fire.”

“Well, shit. That’s the best news I’ve heard all night.”

Cameron laughed again. “Can you sit up?”

“Yeah,” he leaned up against the arm of the couch.

Cameron reached into his pocket. He handed Elias a folded piece of paper. A letter, discolored with age, wrinkled every which way. It had been read more than once.

Cameron cleared his throat. “Read it. And then burn it. If Jane ever finds out it still exists, I’m a dead man.” Cameron got up, and took his chair with him out of the room.

Elias opened the note, and read.

Dearest Jane,

If you have received this letter, my soul has passed on and I have left you. I am sorry. I know I will miss you.

Janie, I don’t know that I have made the right choices in life, for you. I have done my very best, I can assure you. You are so special, I hope you realize that. Someday, you will be the most powerful, beautiful person on this earth and it makes me sad that I shall not see the day. Someone will be there, Janie, to love you and to hold you forever in his arms. You will know the true destiny that will shape your life. I promise.

Janie, I am leaving you everything I have. You shall never have to work one day in your life. I hate to do this to you, but I must ask that you do me one last favor. If you feel that you cannot bear the responsibility, I will understand, but I hope you can be strong for me, because this much I owe to my dearest friend.

I need you to pass a message to Jeanine. Please do not show her this letter, I shall be mortified if she sees it in my own hand, even while I lie in my grave. Jeanine’s mother, Eve, did not drown. She did die, but it was not an accident as Jeanine has thought all these years. Eve Hadley was murdered. I killed her.

Elias gasped, his eyes circling around the room. He was alone. He had forgotten where he was as he read, completely lost in this person’s words.

His mother knew about this, he knew his mother knew. She spoke about Annabelle, she spoke about Eve, she got that glisten in her eyes when she knew something no one else did. Kate knew, and somehow, Jeanine did not. He looked back down at the letter, continued reading.

I know what you must be thinking. But please look deep down into your heart, and remember who I am.

Eve Hadley was an Enchanter. Jeanine and her sister were aware of their family history, of what their mother was. Eve was Fire and she had an aura as bright as your hair. She was out of control. She cared for no Enchanter’s well being, their secret, or their lives. She would have killed, even humans, if given the chance. She used her gifts in public. We tried to help her, but she would not be reasoned with. She was endangering her kind. She had to be silenced. I caught her at a weak point, and drowned her with Jasmyn at my side. She never forgave me for what I did, Jasmyn. She didn’t agree with my choice.

Jane, I am truly sorry, for this must come as a shock. I hope you can forgive me, but most of all, I hope that Jeanine can. I know that the loss of her mother caused a great heartache and changed her life forever.

The red necklace I have left you belonged to Eve. Please return it to Jeanine. Please tell her I love her, and tell her I am sorry. I cannot wait to see her one day when it is her time. She has a beautiful soul.

Jane, I love you. Please take care of yourself, and whoever may stand at your side in the future.

Always, your grandmother,

Annabelle

P.S. Cameron, I know you’re reading this, you nosey fool. Take care of my granddaughter. And be good. I want to see you again someday.

Elias folded the note. The initial shock that the information had seeped in was gone. He didn’t concern himself with the obvious. He had no right to be upset about the death of a woman he never met. He only worried himself with what was hidden in the context. This letter revealed everything about Jane, and Elias believed that Cameron knew as much. That was why he gave him the letter.

Jane spent her entire life alone, secluded from everything normal. She didn’t know how to communicate; she never had anyone to communicate with. For a grandmother she had never known to show up on her doorstep out of the blue, walk into her life, and then shortly pass away, would be enough. Add the reality that her grandmother killed her friend’s mother, and left her with task of revealing the secret, that was too much for even the toughest men to bear.

Family could be the strongest force, if one believed it to be. For Enchanters, it seemed, family was everything. They relied on their ancestors to provide them with the power to survive, to show them the way. If Annabelle was a killer, then Jane was a killer.

Elias let out a long breath. He regretted every second of his self pity for the last year. He would not know real pain until he lived in Jane’s shoes for five minutes.

Elias got up, throwing the blanket off of him, and walked down the hallway to Jane’s bedroom.

Jane lied under the covers, propped up on the bed frame with a million pillows. Her body ached all over. Her heartache had spread to every limb, making it impossible to move. Christian lied next to her, and Cameron sat in a chair next to the bed. They were deep in discussion about something. She kept her eyes closed. They burned too much to keep them open.

“Hey, beautiful,” she heard him say. She stayed still. She was imagining things. Elias may be breathing out there in the living room, but he would never love her as he once had, never call her by that name again. She had risked his life just because she let her temper control her. A person didn’t come back from that.

Suddenly the room got quiet. She could hear Christian breathing next to her, but he wasn’t speaking to Cameron anymore.

“Don’t ignore me, babe.”

She opened her eyes. Filling up the doorway was her fiancée, her child’s father, her whole world. He looked great. His color had returned, his aura gone. He was actually smiling.

Elias walked in the room, and slapped a piece of paper onto Cameron’s chest.

“Annabelle says hi,” he said.

Jane turned her head and glared at Cameron. He hadn’t kept it, and then gave it to Elias?! Jane pressed her lips together, trapping the fury inside. She should have known better. Cameron was too kind, he would have never had the heart to get rid of it.

“Traitor,” Cameron said to Elias.

“Cameron Myers,” Jane said, “if you don’t walk out of this room right now, I will kill you myself.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, and walked out. Christian followed, but he looked back at her before he shut the door. The meaning of his expression was simple. Regret. Sorrow. Hate. She knew him too well.

“How far are they?” Elias asked lightly.

“Couple hours, at least.”

“Well, I can help. That’s good, right?”

“Depends on how you look at it.”

Elias’s features still basked in happiness, but Jane couldn’t manage a smile. It was too much. She felt so weak. She didn’t know if it was emotional or physical. It was all the same now.

Elias walked to the other side of the bed, and got in with her. He pulled her down so she was really lying with him, and he kissed her softly. She closed her eyes as his hands held her face, his touch melting her into him. His lips moved away, too soon, and he grabbed her left hand, twiddling his grandmother’s ring around her finger.

“You’re still wearing it,” he said.

“Why would I take it off?”

“Christian—”

“Christian knows me. It’s not what you think.”

“What? That you and Christian were together for a really long time?”

“That I’m leaving you for Christian.”

“So you and Christian were together for a really long time?”

Jane let out a shaky breath. “Eight years.”

“What happened?”

“I left him. I had to.”

“What does that mean?”

Another shaky breath. Why did she think she would never have to tell him this story?

“Destiny, fate, whatever. It’s—he asked me to marry him. My energy spread through my body so thick, I felt like I was choking. I got so angry at him, I screamed and hit him. I told him to never come back.” Jane felt her wet tears slide down her face, but she didn’t have the strength to wipe them away. “He didn’t deserve it.”

“He loves you,” Elias said.

“No. He hates me.”

“Then why is he here?”

Jane didn’t have an answer for that.

“When did this happen?” Elias asked.

“The day before Annabelle knocked on my door. Two years ago.” Her tears flowed freely. “I’m so sorry, Elias.”

He looked into her eyes. “Can you still love me, Jane? Forget about destiny. Forget about Enchanters. Do you love Elias?” He placed her hand over his heart.

Her lip quivered and she inhaled short, quick breaths. They were loud and violent, threatening her chest with a total shutdown. Her eyes filled with moisture again. She blinked them away. “I love you, I’m sorry, Elias, I love you so much—”

Elias pressed her face into his chest, held her to him. “Okay, I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. I’m sorry. Breathe. Just breathe.”

She eventually calmed down. She was a mental case. How would she ever get through this night? Without him, she wouldn’t.

He lifted her chin so she would look at him. He gripped her hair and kissed her fiercely. Not like she was fragile, not like they were fighting. He kissed her like she was his, like she would always be his.

Elias removed her left hand from under the covers, and took off the ring. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a white gold ring with a huge diamond bursting from the top. Flawless sparkling diamonds, one in the middle, and smaller ones trailing down the sides.

“Tiffany’s,” Elias said. “Compliments of my mom.”

“It was your mom’s?”

“No, it’s new. She bought it for you.”

Jane finally felt herself smile. “What will you do with Eve’s ring?”

“Return it to Jeanine. The necklace too. I’ll tell her the truth.”

“Elias, it’s not your responsibility.”

“It’s not yours either.”

“Elias—”

“Shhh,” he eased the ring onto her finger. “Tell me you’ll be with me forever.”

Jane nodded. “Yes.” More tears. “Yes.”

He brought her closer, wanting to kiss her again, but he paused. A deep engine roared outside.

“Not them,” Jane said. “They’re on foot.”

“Why?”

“Enchanters. We’re so dramatic. I wouldn’t be surprised if they show up with wooden torches.”

“Who, then?”

“Don’t worry. It’s just a few—Oh!” She smiled, excited to play teacher. “How many?”

Elias moved to get up and walk to the window, but she held onto him. “No cheating. How many?”

Elias just shook his head, perplexed.

Jane slid her hand over his eyes, closing them. “What does your energy feel like?”

He was quiet for a moment. “Kind of like, well, a bubble.”

“Good. Look outside the bubble. Don’t let it trap you inside. What do you see?”

“I see—” Elias’s body shook. “Whoa!—”

Jane laughed. “Ignore that. That’s me. Keep looking.”

“Trees. It’s raining.”

“Christian and Cam. Look farther.”

He didn’t pause this time. It was coming natural to him. “Bright lights.” Stars. “Blue.” Sky. “Now it’s just gray.” Elias opened his eyes. “Just two?”

Jane smiled. She didn’t play fair, it was a trick question. “Three. One is human.”

“You cheated.”

She didn’t laugh. All the violence, it was making her crazy, before it even started. She got out of bed.

“What is it?” Elias asked.

She shook her head. She opened the door, and called for Christian. He walked in, and closed the door.

“You’re gonna get them killed,” Jane said.

“They called me,” Christian answered, staring at everything but her face. She momentarily forgot about her short pajama shorts and skimpy tank top. She sighed, crossing her arms over her breasts.

“Talk them down?”

“I don’t think so,” he said. “They’re here for you.”

“Reckless,” she shook her head again. “Alright. We’ll be out in a minute.”

Christian nodded, only staring her up and down once more before he left.

“Who are they?” Elias asked.

“Friends. Come on. Let’s go be social.”

Chapter 23

Jane and Elias walked out the front door once Jane had changed into some jeans and a sweatshirt. Christian was pacing across the clearing, and the three guests were watching him. Cameron had temporarily stopped the rain. Everyone getting soaked was not exactly comfortable.

“La,” Jane greeted her friend with as much excitement as she could fake. She didn’t want them here. She didn’t want them dead.

Lana West looked back at her, her shiny brown hair breezing around her head as she turned. She was dressed in tight jeans tucked into knee-high, stiletto-heeled boots, and a beautiful pea coat. In the woods. Jane rolled her eyes. Diva.

“Jane!” She walked over as fast as she could without breaking her ankle, but she didn’t hug Jane right away. Instead she stopped right in front of Elias.

“And who is this fine gentleman?” she clicked her tongue.

Elias looked over at Jane. All was normal in this group of friends. Lana had already embarrassed someone.

“Ignore her,” Jane said. “She doesn’t bite.”

“How do you know?!” Lana smiled, stepped to the side, and softly hugged Jane.

Lana turned back to Elias again, and squeezed his bicep. “Mmmm,” she screeched, “strong and gorgeous.”

“Lana,” Jane scolded, “your husband is standing right behind you.”

“I don’t care,” she said, turning around. “Do I, hubby?”

“No, she really doesn’t,” Sean West grinned, stepping forward and embracing Jane in a friendly hug.

“Sean, La, this is my fiancée, Elias.”

Lana’s head snapped at Jane, and her curious eyes quickly found her ring. “Look at that rock! Let me see that.”

Jane held out her hand. “Tiffany’s?” Lana looked up at her. “Tiffany’s!” She looked over at Elias. “You have lovely taste.”

“She’s my woman,” Elias winked charmingly. “She deserves the best.”

Jane pressed her lips together, holding in giggles. He was showing her off.

A gorgeous young man walked across the yard. His brown hair was as shiny as Lana’s. Lana’s younger, human brother.

“Hey, Mark.”

“Hey, Jane. My sister pestering you?”

“What do you think?”

He laughed. “Good to see you,” his lips plumped, as if he was getting ready for a kiss. He was very sure of himself. Jane could never control her hormones when he was around. Enchanters were all beautiful, women and men. But this one, he was the sexiest human she had ever seen.

“You, too,” she succeeded.

Jane watched Cameron pull up in his truck. Her stomach growled. Louisiana chicken.

“Elias, will you show everyone inside? I’ll be right in.”

He kissed her cheek, and opened the door for the guests.

Jane went down the steps, and approached Christian.

“How are you feeling, love?” he asked her, his entire body bending as the words came out of his mouth. Jane didn’t hold it against him. It was his nickname for her for so long, it must be hard to break.

“Alright. What are you thinking?”

Christian pointed at the trail. “They’ll probably come in through here. They won’t chance getting lost.” Christian turned to the other side of the clearing. “Lana and Shawn can dim it from there. The path is narrow. If Cam can strike as they come in, I can advance, and you and Elias can hang back. Your man will probably come last.”

He wasn’t referring to Elias as her man. He was talking about Lewis.

“No,” Jane said.

He looked over at her accusingly. He was the only one who could make her feel so stupid. It angered her.

“Do you have a better idea?” he asked.

“I can’t protect him at his side.” Now she was talking about Elias. “I need to be in front. With you.”

“He should protect you,” Christian said calmly.

“He can’t. You know that.”

He looked to the other side of the clearing, the entrance. “Stupid,” he said.

“Stupid that you think you can take them all out by yourself.”

Christian looked up at the night sky.

“I won’t let you die for me, Chris.”

“It’s not your decision,” he said, and walked into the house, leaving her alone to figure out how she was going to protect both of them.

Elias looked over at the front door as Christian walked in without Jane. He scooted his chair back to get up and go outside, but she walked in soon after. She shot him a constricted smile, and walked down the hallway. He was sitting with Cameron, Lana, Sean and Mark. He had a plate of fried chicken in front of him, but wasn’t really eating it. Based on the “mmm’s” all around him, it must have been delicious.

He got up, and went to the back of the house. He found her in the second bedroom. It was also purple, but not so deep. Lilac bedding, glass tables, white candles. Annabelle’s room.

Jane sat on the bed, her face in her hands. She needed some space.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked her.

She looked up. “Some tea,” she whispered.

He nodded, and walked out. He boiled water with rosemary, ignoring everyone. His movements were robotic, his mind was too busy to pay any attention to his reflexes. He wished there was something he could do for her. The water bubbled, and he turned off the heat. He got a cup, found some tea in the cupboard, and brought it to Jane.

“Thank you,” she said, took it by the handle, and leaned her elbows on her knees.

As difficult as it was, he left her alone. He went to the living room, found Sean alone on the couch. He sat down next to him.

“How’s she doing?” Sean asked.

“Not that great.”

Sean nodded. “She doesn’t really like this. Weird. Most of us, we like the action, the challenge.”

“How do you all know each other?”

Sean shrugged. “Enchanters, we stick together. Makes us feel more human if were with others of our kind, I guess.”

“You guys really don’t consider yourselves human, do you?”

“What do you mean, you guys?” He laughed. “You are one of the Mother elements, aren’t you?”

“Mother elements?”

“Earth. Wind. Water. Fire. That’s you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, tell me. Do you consider yourself human?”

“I did, I do. But my opinion doesn’t really count. My aura just formed an hour ago.”

Sean’s eyes widened. “What?! How old are you?”

“Thirty-five.”

Sean made an incredulous sound. “Dude. That sucks.”

Elias laughed. “Thanks.”

Sean was silent, so Elias asked another question. “Why is Mark here?”

“Wicked knife fighter,” Sean said.

Elias shook his head, remembering Christian’s knife. Did he just walk around like that with a knife attached to his belt? Yeah, he must have. Elias had no idea that Enchanters used weapons.

“Why not guns?” he asked.

“Not accurate enough.”

“What?” Elias was not about to profess his knowledge of guns, but most of them were made for accuracy, he thought.

“Auras have holes, but they’re tiny. To be as far away as you would need to be to hold a gun, you would never penetrate. Knives are personal. Up close, they can be more valuable than your element.”

Elias didn’t really have time to think about this, because there was a knock at the front door. A tiny lady stood on the porch. Her blonde hair was spiked around her head, and she wore a long dress. She carried a wooden case with a black handle.

“I’m here to see Jane,” she said.

“And you are…?”

“Brenda Cook,” she said.

That meant nothing to him. Well, if she was here to harm Jane, he would at least know her name. He waved her in, led her to the bedroom where Jane sat.

“Hi, Brenda. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“No, problem. You have quite a husky bodyguard, here.”

Jane laughed. The humor in it was nonexistent. “My fiancée, Elias. Elias, meet Brenda Cook.”

He shook the woman’s hand, and turned to walk out.

“Stay,” he heard Jane whisper to his back. He turned around, but stayed by the wall, giving Jane the space to do whatever it was she needed to do.

Brenda sat next to her, and opened the case. She revealed a lineup of knives of all different sizes and colors. Speak of the devil.

Jane picked two of the biggest ones, one with a red handle, the other purple. She held them up. They glimmered in the dim light of the room. They were obviously hand crafted.

“How much do I owe you?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Brenda said.

“Brenda, please—”

Brenda waved her hand in the air. “Jane, I cannot take your money. All your future orders have been paid for.”

I am leaving you everything I have, the letter said, you shall never have to work one day in your life. Annabelle. He wondered what she had done to earn enough money to support Jane her entire life. He didn’t think he would ever find out. If Annabelle was anything like Jane, she kept things like that to herself. Jane probably didn’t even know.

“Thank you, Brenda,” Jane said.

“Anytime,” she said, closed her case, and walked out.

Jane flipped the knife around in one ridiculously swift movement, holding the blade in her hand. Again, Elias wondered if there was anything she wasn’t good at.

He took it, not nearly as smoothly. “What if I wanted the pink one?”

She gave him a bare smile. “Only use it if you have to, Elias.”

“I was talking to Sean—”

“Ignore Sean,” she ordered. “He’s careless.”

“So who can I trust, then?”

“Me. Cam. And Christian.”

“I doubt that last one.”

“Christian is the most dangerous Enchanter here, next to me. He will kill ruthlessly, and he will kill quickly. But he will have your back, no matter what.”

They couldn’t have been talking about the same person. “That really doesn’t sound like him, Jane.”

“He will give his life, for anything he feels has more of a right to live than he. Make no mistake, Elias. He’s a Reed. It’s what he does.”

Chapter 24

Elias held Jane as she suffered another one of her energy attacks. He felt it this time. The house had gone quiet, so he guessed that everyone else had felt it, too.

“It’s time,” she looked up at him. “Kiss me,” she said.

“No,” he said stubbornly. “I won’t kiss you goodbye, Jane.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She said, “I love you,” and she walked out. He followed her. Christian, Cameron, Lana, Sean, and Mark stood in the living room, waiting for her. She removed several sticks of rosemary from a vase. She tucked one behind each of Lana’s ears.

“Alright,” she said, positioning herself in the middle of her crowd. Her voice was like the night Lewis was here, firm, angry. Jane was in control.

“Lana, Sean, you’re in back, right side of the clearing. You’re our assets tonight.”

Elias didn’t really think she meant what she said, about Lana and Sean being most important. That was Jane, trying to protect everyone. He wondered who would protect her.

She continued. “Mark, you’re in front of them. We need it dark. Don’t let anyone get to them.”

“Elias,” she gazed at him, her eyes suddenly greener, the bright love in them hypnotizing him. “You’re with Cam, in front. Cam,” she looked back at Cameron, “take care of my man. My little girl needs her father.”

Cameron nodded. “You got it, Janie.”

“Christian,” her voice died down to a whisper. “you’re with me.”

Christian didn’t say a word. Elias had seen him out there, pacing. He was sure Christian had plans to keep Jane back, just as Elias would have planned. Jane must not have listened.

“Let’s get this over with,” she said, and the seven Enchanters walked out the door.

The rain poured down on Jasmyn Lake like no rain Elias had ever seen in Washington: cold, hard, and vicious. He took up his position next to Cameron; Mark, Lana and Sean behind them. Jane and Christian stood in front, their hands intertwined. Elias looked behind him. Lana and Sean held hands as their aura’s formed around them, Lana’s white, Sean’s blue. Darkness drowned out everything except the colorful auras. He couldn’t even see Mark, but he knew that he was standing right behind him.

Elias looked ahead. Enchanters began pouring into the clearing, one by one, lighting up the night with their colored auras. Most were men, only a few women. Their eyes were lined with revenge, all here for one thing. The woman he loved.

Elias lifted his arms, but Cameron patted his shoulder. “Not yet. Half them fools’ll be dead in two minutes.”

As if waiting for Cameron’s cue, Christian and Jane stepped forward. Jasmyn loomed in front of the trees, one large wave swishing in the air, waiting for its command. Christian swung Jane by her arm, and she flipped over his head, landing in a crouch on the ground next to him. His aura sparked a bright emerald green, and suddenly there was debris everywhere. Huge cyclones of dirt and rocks circled every space, blocking everyone’s sight of the next person.

The rain poured harder, and then there was thunder. Elias looked over at Cameron. His silver aura protected him, but he was still. He looked back at Jane. She still stood crouched, her purple aura flickering madly.

Blue flashes brightened Elias’s vision. The angry Enchanters started dropping like flies. He looked at Jane again. Her hands went up and down, up and down, like she was pulling something from the sky. He focused on the blue. It was lightning. Jane was striking people down with lightning.

Christian held out his hand, and Jane took it. They killed gracefully, dancing with the elements. The earth cracked, trapping Enchanters inside. Branches broke off of trees, the wind picking them up and catapulting them, stabbing Enchanters in the heart. Waves crashed down, drowning them out with severe impact. Neither Christian nor Jane ever used their knives.

Eventually, it was just too many people, and the Enchanters ran around Jane and Christian, towards Elias and Cameron.

“I’m gonna stop the rain,” Cameron said. “Do your thing.”

The rain abruptly stopped, and five Enchanters stood in a line across from them. Elias’s aura burned red around his body and he waved his hand across, burning every one of them with his fire. Elias felt no emotion. If he had to kill to protect Jane, that’s what he would do. Cameron nodded, and it started raining again.

Elias looked up. Bodies and blood covered the clearing. It felt like it had come and gone too fast, but there was no one else. The stars were bright again, as was the full moon. He scrutinized the area in front of him. He only saw Christian, standing in the middle, inhaling the death around him. Elias couldn’t see Jane. His head jerked around the clearing, searching for her.

He saw movement, and she emerged from the trees. She walked towards Christian. His back was to her. There was more movement, and Elias’s eyes twitched as Lewis Clarke appeared behind her.

“Jane!” he yelled, and he ran to her. Christian turned, just as Lewis sunk a sharp blade into her back. “No!” Elias screamed, still running. She was so far away.

Jane turned, and Elias saw the knife sticking out of her back. She pulled the knife out herself, dropping it to the floor. Blood curdled over the wound, reddening her clothing. Christian went to her, and handed her his knife. She grabbed her own from a sheath attached to her leg. Christian walked behind Lewis, got a strong hold on him, and held his arms back. Jane raised her arms, and slashed the knives into an X across Lewis’s face. His cheeks bled, she raised her arms again, and stabbed him in the heart with both blades.

She took a step back as Christian let Lewis fall to the ground. Her knees bent, but Elias finally reached her, and he caught her. He knelt on the ground, cradling her in his arms.

“Elias,” she said, placing her hand on his cheek, “I love you.”

“No,” he sobbed. “You can’t do this, Jane, you can’t leave me here.”

Her hand fell, and her limbs went limp in his arms. She closed her eyes. “No,” he rocked her, “please, no.”

Christian knelt down with him, his expression and body language perfectly calm. He gripped Elias’s shoulder. “Take her to the water,” he said. “Jasmyn will save her.”

Christian got up, and yelled for Cameron. “Pour it down harder, Cam. We got thirty more rounding the corner.”

Elias lifted Jane, and he ran.

Chapter 25

Two hours later, Elias sat on the rocks, still waiting for the tiniest movement of Jane’s floating body. She lied on top of the water, completely still. Suddenly, a deep gasp filled her lungs. Her head popped out of the water, and her arms and legs flailed as she went under.

Elias jumped in. Jane was lying on the bottom of the lake, her eyes closed. He scooped her into his arms, swam to the top, and laid her down on the soft dirt.

“Jane,” he said softly, and she immediately opened her eyes, as if she was waiting for him to call her name.

“Elias?” she whispered. “Elias!” She wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his chest. “I’m sorry, Elias, I’m so sorry.”

She cried for a long time. When she quieted, he lifted her up, and released her, encouraging her to stand on her own. She tilted her head to the side, and leaned over and threw up. She held her hand out to him, beckoning for him to come to her. He grasped her hand, still keeping a little distance. His heart pumped, his stomach writhed, his head ached, but he could not grasp the emotion she felt.

She straightened her back, and looked down at her stomach. She lifted her head, an expectant look in her eyes.

“Oh, Jane,” he said, softly caressing her hair. “It’s not possible. She’s gone.”

“No,” she cried, “I can feel them, they’re here.”

What she meant by “they”, Elias had no clue. Still breathing, Jane collapsed in his arms. She had fainted, the strained thoughts of losing her baby unbearable.

Elias carried her home, taking the long way around to the back of the house. There wasn’t anybody left, he knew that, the storms were gone, he just didn’t want to deal with whatever was there.

Elias bathed Jane with a soft sponge, dressed her in her flannel pajamas, and tucked her into bed.

He called Dr. Blaine, and within minutes, the doctor arrived at the house with a woman. Her long auburn hair matched her freckles. She was pretty, twenty years younger than the doctor, easy.

“Dr. Blaine,” Elias greeted him at the door, relieved he was here to help Jane.

“Please, call me Charles, Elias” he said. “My wife, Kristin. She’s here for Jane.”

His wife. The Enchanter wife. After tonight, Elias didn’t even want to shake her hand. He felt outrageously rude at the thought, and tried to recover himself.

“You’ll have to excuse me,” Elias said, “it’s been a long night.”

“I know,” she said.

Elias cleared his throat. He hoped there weren’t bodies lying all over the front yard.

“It’s nice to meet you, Elias. I’ve been fighting my energy for hours. You all must have had some powerful people here tonight.”

Elias relaxed. She felt it. If there were bodies, Elias was sure Charles would have said something. Or ran away.

“May I see her?” Kristin asked.

Elias nodded, and led them to the bedroom where Jane slept. Kristin gently pulled back the covers, and lifted Jane’s shirt. An Enchanter, any Enchanter, standing that close to Jane as she slept, was making Elias extremely nervous.

“What’s your element?” Elias asked.

“I’m not an Enchanter,” Kristin said, shocking him. He couldn’t understand why Charles would lie about that. “I only have the energy,” she said. “Those of us with the energy, without the gift, they call us Healers.”

“Do you heal?”

“No,” she giggled. “That’s Charles’s job. I just tell him what to do, like any good wife.”

Elias couldn’t even try to smile.

Kristin looked back at Jane. She placed her palm on Jane’s stomach, her other hand on her forehead. She felt around her stomach, and used her other hand to touch her cheeks, her neck, her chest. Kristin got up, smiled at Elias, whispered in Charles’s ear, and left the room. Charles pulled up a chair next to Jane, pulled her shirt back down and covered her with the blankets. Elias started pacing.

“Elias,” Charles said, “come sit with your wife.”

Elias didn’t bother correcting him, just sat down on the edge of the bed, next to Jane.

“Let me see your hand,” Charles said.

Elias lifted his right hand, surprised to see it scratched and bloody. It didn’t even hurt.

“What did you do?”

“I don’t know, punched a big rock or something. I don’t remember.”

Charles produced some alcohol and a piece of white gauze, began working his magic. “You’re going to need this hand, you know. I’m sure Jane is very strong, but I doubt she can hold two babies at once.”

Elias’s head jerked up at Charles.

He laughed, dropping Elias’s hand. “Twins. A girl and a boy, probably. Healthy babies.”

Elias’s emotions burst into the air, fogging up the small room with its thick relief. His head fell onto Jane’s stomach, and he sobbed uncontrollably, his arms tight around her waist. When he looked up again, Charles was gone.

Epilogue

Elias woke up slowly as his phone vibrated next to him. He looked over at the window. The moonlight lightly shone through the bedroom.

“Hello?” Elias whispered into the phone.

“Hi, Elias,” the old man said.

“Hey, Dad.”

“How are my grandbabies?”

Elias smiled. “They’re good. Abby misses Mom. And Daniel keeps asking when Pops is coming to visit.”

Grant laughed. “Tell them we’ll be down soon. Can I talk to your wife?”

Elias looked over at the explosion of red curls directly in front of his face. Her eyes were smoothly closed, a tiny smile on her lips.

“She’s sleeping,” he whispered quietly.

“I can never get this schedule right.” Elias could hear his dad smiling through the phone. He probably waited as long as he could, knowing they would still be asleep.

“Tell her we said happy birthday?” Grant said.

“I will.”

“Alright. I love you, son.”

Elias swallowed hard. He didn’t know if he would ever get used to those words as they came out of his father’s mouth, no matter how many times he’d said them. “Love you too, Dad. Tell Mom hi.”

“I will, if she ever gets back from shopping.”

Elias laughed. “Bye, Dad.”

Elias barely got the chance to set the phone down before a tiny, musical voice echoed in his ears.

“Hi, Daddy.”

His five-year old daughter stood in the doorway in purple pajamas, her blazing red curls ravaging her pale face. She held a cat in her arms. His name was Parker. He was brown and shaggy, and would only let two people come near him. Jane and Abby.

“Hey, baby,” Elias whispered.

She came in, set Parker down on his chest, and sat in his lap.

“Where’s your brother?” he asked.

Abby’s twin brother walked in just then. His features were not like Abby’s. His dark hair and blue eyes were a splitting image of Elias, of Grant. Daniel hopped into the bed, lied next to his mother.

“Hey, Daniel,” his wife said, waking up.

She leaned over, and kissed Elias. “Good morning.”

“Hey, beautiful.”

“Can we give it to her now?” Abby asked impatiently.

Elias smiled at her. He leaned over and opened the drawer of the hutch next to the bed. He pulled out a white box, and placed it on Jane’s chest.

“Happy birthday,” Elias said.

As she opened it, her green eyes brightened. She pulled out the gift, its chain dangling on her finger. It held a square gem. A necklace, just like Eve’s. Except the jewel was amethyst, not ruby. Purple.

She smiled at Elias, and immediately put it on. She kissed their son, and then their daughter. “It’s beautiful. I love it.”

Surprisingly, neither of the kids responded. Elias looked at Abby. Her skin was suddenly paler than it ever had been. The fear in her features was a frightening expression that a child should never wear. She brought her hands to her chest, and a dark violet shimmer of glitter clouded around her.

Elias threw the covers off of Jane. Daniel was trembling beside her, as pale as his sister. The cloud that surrounded him was black.

Jane jumped out of bed and pulled Abby into her arms. Elias did the same with Daniel. Jane grabbed Elias’s hand, and they ran out the door, across the clearing, down the trail, until they reached the opening to Jasmyn.

Jane set Abby down, and looked to Elias holding Daniel. She looked back to their daughter, and back at their son, back and forth.

“Christian!” she yelled, clearly frustrated.

Elias closed his eyes and inhaled deep breaths to control his threatening anger. He told himself, all those years ago, that he would never have to see Christian again. It had been five years.

It was like Christian was waiting to be called. Within seconds, he appeared, holding in his arms a boy a little older than Abby and Daniel. He was a cute kid, light brown hair and brown eyes, tanned skin like his father. Christian set him down on the dirt, and stared at Daniel with wide eyes.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” he said.

“Please, Chris,” Jane said, “I can’t get up there like you can.”

Christian nodded quickly, barely thinking about it, and approached Elias. Elias held his son tight.

“I’ll take care of your son, Elias,” Christian said. “I swear to you.”

Elias nodded, and he set Daniel into Christian’s arms. Christian passed his own son, firmly grasped a nearby tree’s branch with his free hand, and swung himself upwards. He ascended each branch effortlessly, and stopped when he reached the highest branch that would hold his weight. He placed Daniel on his shoulders, and called down to Jane.

Jane’s aura formed quickly. Elias looked back up the tree. As Jane lifted her arms, Christian’s hair swayed with a heavy breeze. Daniel lifted his head against the wind, his chest bulging with a deep breath of it. His aura darkened, and he looked down from the sky.

“Hi, Dad,” he called down.

Elias breathed hard, relieved. He waved at his son.

Christian made his way down the tree with Daniel in his arms, and Jane picked up Abby, and ran around to the side of the lake. She hopped in with Abby in her arms, dipping her under the water. Elias sucked in a breath as the color of the entire lake changed. It was now purple.

“Is that you?” Elias asked Jane.

“No,” Christian came up behind him, setting Daniel down. “It’s your daughter. The Brooks girls get more powerful with every generation. And more beautiful.”

Luckily, being married to Jane for five years, she had opened up to him, and he finally knew what the name Brooks meant, what the name Linden meant, Reed, and even Hadley. But he couldn’t think about that now. Elias was mesmerized. Abby’s aura was just like Jane’s outside of the water, but in the water—her aura changed its element.

Abby surfaced, and she inhaled a deep breath.

“Thank you, Mommy,” she said simply. She swam on her own back to the shore, and walked over to them.

Abby smiled at Elias, but she halted in front of Christian’s son. The young boy had stood there throughout all of this, just calmly watching. Now, the two kids stared into each others’ eyes so deeply, it was like nothing in the world could ever separate them.

The boy smiled. “My name is Evan,” he said.

“I’m Abby,” she said.

Christian cleared his throat next to Elias. He raced over to his son, grabbed his hand hard, and started walking away.

“Wait!” Evan cried, and somehow removed himself from his father’s fierce grasp.

Evan ran back to Abby, reached in his tiny shorts pocket, and produced an orange-red leaf, colored by the Fall. Abby just looked at it.

“It’s a leaf from my favorite tree,” Evan said. “I want you to have it, just in case I never see you again.”

Elias closed his eyes unbelievingly. Smart kid. He opened them to find Evan staring at his daughter again.

She took the leaf, and smiled. “Thank you, Evan.”

“Goodbye, Abby,” he said, but he didn’t turn away. He stared at her, waiting for something. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye?” he asked.

Abby shook her head. “I don’t want to say goodbye.”

Wordlessly, Christian hefted Evan into his arms and turned away. Elias hadn’t seen such deep anger pass through Christian’s face, even when fifty Enchanters were trying to kill him. They disappeared into the trees.

Abby looked back at her father, silent tears on her cheeks as it began to rain outside. He looked over at Jane. Her face was an empty book, her eyes glowing out of its blank pages. He stepped forward, and lifted Abby into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, and the four of them walked back to the house together in silence.

As much as he would have loved to, Elias couldn’t stop thinking about the way Evan looked at his daughter for those long, uncomfortable moments. He had seen it before. That look—the overly calm brown eyes, the complete stillness of the body, the unintentional smile—it was the same way Christian looked at Jane. Elias was glad it was Christian that tore Evan away from Abby, because if it was Elias that had to keep them apart, his daughter would hate him for the rest of her life.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my lovely husband, just for being as lovely as you always are. To all my favorite writers, Sarah Addison Allen, Lauren Kate, Stephenie Meyer, for all your inspiration. To 311, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, STP and more, I would not have been able to write a single page without my music. And to Heather, for your willingness to read, to edit, and to always tell me that you love my books. Over this past year, you have been the best friend a girl could have. I couldn’t have done it without you.

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