Evan Elemental (The Evan Elemental Series) (21 page)

Lex
sighs against my mouth before
gently letting me back down. His eyes-and teeth-have returned back to normal.
He starts to say something when she calls for him again. This time she sounds
like she's closer by.
Lex
doesn't even wait for me to
blink this time before he's gone.

About
twenty minutes later I'm standing in the entryway saying goodbye to
Lilian
who, by the way, doesn't seem to have any recollection
about what went down earlier in her room. Whatever Ezra did to mess with her
memory worked. I'm still not cool with it, but
Lex
made a valid point about keeping her in the dark. After an awkward good-bye,
Lex
leaves to take
Lilian
to the
airport, barely looking at me as he goes.

When I
get back to my room, there's a letter on my nightstand. I don't have to open it
to know it's from
Lex
and I don't have to read it to
know that he's gone.

To sum
it up, he basically says that what happened was a mistake and that I'm right in
saying that we need to put distance between us. I had meant it more
metaphorically, but he, apparently, doesn't think that's enough because, when
Magda told him about some super top-secret thing that needed to be done, he
volunteered to go. He also says some more about not being able to tell me
things, but that he'll try to explain more when he gets back in two weeks. I
guess I'm going to have to suffer through the stupid church picnic without him.

The
week leading up to the picnic goes by in a blur of monotony. Since most of the
prepping has already been done, there isn't much to do until the day actually
arrives. If it takes this much work to put together a picnic, I can't imagine
what it's going to take to pull off the festival in September.

Since
Lex
left, I've spent most of my time reading, listening to
records, and being avoided by everyone I know. Jessie isn't answering her
phone, Grace dodges my calls, and Mattie is MIA any time that isn't mealtime.
Even then, she hardly speaks to me or anyone else. I want to grill her about
what had happened outside of the I, but there never seems to be a good time to
do it; there's always some maid or Greta hovering around whenever I try to get
her alone.

That
leaves me with two options for company and neither one of them are appealing. I
still find Ezra undeniably creepy and, confusingly, attractive, and I'm in no
way ready to deal with what Anders told me. If he's telling the truth then it
means my parents lied to me, and there is no way I want to consider that
possibility. So, I keep to myself, something I used to be so good at, but am
finding harder and harder to do.

In my
solitude, I manage to spend some time in the library trying to figure things
out for myself, like
Lex
has been telling me to do,
but I never really get anywhere because Magda always shows up and kicks me out
if I'm in there too long. And then there's the fact that I still can't find my
necklace.

I've
searched everywhere, but it never turns up. I thought it might still be in the lake,
but I'm not really that eager to go down there and find out, and risk the
possibility of drowning in the meantime. I'm beyond frustrated. I can't wait
for the picnic to be over with because, as soon as it is, Magda will be heading
to Italy. She mentioned taking me with her, not that she promised or anything.
Even though the idea of going on vacation with Magda is less than appealing,
I'm desperate to get away from Price and all my problems. Maybe there's some
international statute of limitations on them.

When
the day of the picnic finally arrives I wake up filled with a horrible, all
consuming dread, like the day I saw Jessie get into that SUV, only a hundred
times worse. For a second, I think maybe
it's
just
food poisoning, but I know better.

I dress
in the outfit Greta picked out for me: a dark green fifties style halter dress,
a pair of stacked espadrilles, and a mint colored cardigan. I stand in front of
the mirror, the dread in my stomach doubling at the sight.

It's
not that the outfit is bad. In fact, it's probably pretty stylish. It's just
that I'm all too aware that I'm playing some sort of character, a walking
talking doll.

I can't
help but wonder what the point of all this is. Magda said a lot of things about
upholding the Price legacy, but that seems too simple. I can sense something
sinister in her requests, in the unnerving perfection of the Ladies Council.

After
pulling my hair back with a gold barrette and swiping on some lip-gloss, I make
my way downstairs, dragging my feet the whole time as if the delay would make a
difference. Sunlight streams through the high windows, illuminating the marble
tile flooring as I pass through the entryway. An odd sensation creeps along my
skin, as if I'm being watched. I turn and find Ezra standing behind me in the
shadows. He smiles slightly, his expression difficult to read. Even though I
want to run far, far away, I stay put.

"Good
morning, Ezra,"' I say, trying to sound nonchalant, all the while choking
back the budding panic that he makes me feel.

Ezra doesn't
say anything. He stares at me for a moment longer then turns to leave. Before
he takes a step he looks back at me over his shoulder. I swear I see a flash of
sadness in his eyes, but it's fleeting
;
gone before I
have a chance to process it.

"I'll
see you later, Evangeline," Ezra says in a quiet, deadly voice.

I don't
have a chance to respond, because he's gone before I can blink.
"Fuck," I whisper to the empty hall. Ezra is more dangerous than I
thought.

Outside,
Anders is waiting by the usual black sedan. I slip by him and take a seat in
the passenger side before he can open any doors for me. The drive is fairly
quiet, which is fine because I'm still trying to process the possibility that
Ezra, like
Lex
, is also a vampire. I feel heat rise
in my face at the memory of my last encounter with
Lex
.

"Are
you hot?" Anders asks cutting into my sordid thoughts.

I
flinch. "No, why?"

"Oh.
Your face is all red, I thought you might be too warm or something."
Anders flicks on the air conditioner and I just shake my head, mortified.
"Okay," he says cranking up the air anyway.

We
resume our awkward silence, but I'm suddenly ready to talk. I can feel the
questions buzzing under my skin, all of the answers I have yet to find, and I
know, deep down, that Anders has some of them. I clear my throat, searching my
mind for
a segue
into the conversation that I know we
need to have, but don't want to go in to...at all.

"So,
you said something the other day, about how you were at the scene of the
accident..."

"Evan,
please, not now," Anders says, abruptly cutting me off. "This is not
the time for that."

"Then
when, when is the time?" I ask with a frustrated huff.

I can
feel a hot, black anger swell inside of me. I am so sick of being told no, or
not now, or I can't tell you. The edges of my vision cloud and I'm close to
doing something I'll probably regret later. Right now, with the magnitude of
power that's coursing through me, I don't care.

My
blood sizzles and electricity pops under my skin; I wonder if this is what the
strange woman meant by the darkness coming, if I'm the one to bring it. Before
anything really happens, I feel hands on the side of my face. My first thought
is
Lex
and I begin to feel the rage building inside
of me reside; but then I remember,
Lex
is gone. He
left me because I can't be with him, not yet. Another surge of anger swells in
me, this time tinged with heartbreak and angst. I can feel myself barreling
toward the point of no return.

"Come
on Evangeline, don't be silly. We need you here with us right now."

I blink,
the energy and the anger gone in an instant like a popped soap bubble, leaving
me feeling momentarily exhausted. The car is stopped and my door is open; I
look up and see Ezra standing next me. My head is turned and his hands are on
my face. I jerk back as soon as I come to my senses.

"What
the hell just happened?" I sputter.

"You
tell me," Anders says from behind me. I turn to face him. His face a
sickly white and his eyes are wide and frantic; a cell phone is clutched in his
hand.

"Why
did you call him?" I ask, jerking my thumb toward Ezra.

"I
didn't," Anders replies gruffly. "I called Magda. She sent him."
From the look on Anders' face he's as pleased with it as I am.

"Okay,"
I say slowly. "But why did you call anyone?"

Anders
gives a humorless laugh. "Well, you went completely blank and then the
lights started to flicker and the car stalled. My phone started to die, but I
managed to make one call before it did."

I want
to jump out of the car and run away, but Ezra is still standing there blocking
my exit. Instead, I sink back into the seat and close my eyes letting the shame
wash over me. How long will it be before I lose control completely? What will
happen when I do? Maybe
Lilian
was right: I do need
therapy. That's something else she must have "forgotten" when Ezra
toyed with her memories that day.

"Alright,
come on." Ezra grabs my hand and tries to pull me out of the car.

"What
the fuck," I hiss, yanking my hand away from him. "I'm not going
anywhere with you."

"I
beg to differ. See, this car isn't working, but that one is," Ezra says
jerking his thumb back to another black sedan parked a few feet away, "and
we're running late for that bloody picnic."

I let
out a frustrated sigh and push him to the side before stepping out of the car.
He is, of course, right. It's barely eight in the morning, and the picnic
doesn't start until eleven, but I'm expected to be there early to help finish
setting up.

I try
to look tough as I saunter past Ezra, but I'm still feeling weak, and my shoes
are way too high, so I stumble. Ezra catches my elbow to steady me, flashing me
a wicked grin as he does. His touch makes my skin crawl in a way that feels
entirely too good, but I let him help me to the car, feeling slightly dizzy the
whole time. When we get to the car he opens the door and waits for me to be
seated. Before going to the driver's side, Ezra leans in and presses two
fingers to my neck.

I
flinch. "What are you doing?"

Ezra
smiles kindly. "Checking your pulse."

"I
assure you," I say through gritted teeth, "that I am still
alive."

Ezra
chuckles and straightens up. "That's evident, but your blood pressure is
through the roof. You need to calm down."

I
respond with an icy glare, which Ezra seems to only find amusing. He shuts the
door, walks around to the other side of the car, and gets behind the wheel.

"How
did you get here so fast?" I demand.

"
Hm
?" Ezra glances at me, his hand on the keys in the
ignition.

I roll
my eyes. "How did you get here so fast? If Anders called Magda, and Magda
called you, how did you get here in just a couple of minutes? We're at least
five miles from the estate."

Ezra
raises his eyebrows looking mildly impressed. "You're very astute. Much
more than they give you credit for," he says, nodding his head toward the
car where Anders still sits, probably waiting for a tow.

"You
were following us, weren't you?"

Ezra
just shrugs and starts the car. Before I can ask any more questions, he flicks
on the radio and turns it up full blast. I could turn it off and try to make
him answer all of my questions, but he surprises me by gently touching my arm.
The instant he makes contact, my vision goes black and I slip into
unconsciousness.

When I
open my eyes again I'm lying on the couch in the church office. Mary Morris is standing
above me looking worried.

"Oh!"
she exclaims, stepping back, "you're awake! How do you feel? When Anders
and that British fellow brought you in, you looked de...." she trails off.
"Well, at least you're fine now."

I nod,
too out of sorts to say anything. When I try to stand I feel a little off
balance, but I quickly recover. I actually feel somewhat refreshed. I clear my
throat. "What do you need me to do?" Mary looks at me uncertainly. "Look,"
I say gesturing to myself when she doesn't speak, "I'm perfectly fine. I
just had a late night. Now put me to work."

I
manage to force a smile, which seems to put her at ease.

"Yes,
well, you did work awfully hard yesterday getting everything set up. Why don't
you go to the kitchen and help Grace with the food," Mary says finally.

I give
her another smile and step past her, heading for the door. When I saw Grace
yesterday, it felt like she was avoiding me. Probably because whenever we were
left alone she muttered some excuse and quickly left.

The
kitchen is quiet when I enter. I take a second to lean against the counter with
my eyes closed. I'm in no way equipped to handle this mountain of problems that
seems to keep increasing by the second.

How am
I supposed to control the power growing inside of me when I can't even
understand it? Who can I trust when everyone around me has more secrets than I
do?