Legacy of Secrets 01-Cursed Secrets (21 page)

“The fact is, we don’t know if the same rules apply to you. You have amazing abilities that neither of us has ever seen as well as a triggered werewolf gene. Everything could be completely different with you.”

“What if it isn’t?”

“But what if it is? I don’t care what you are, Lia. I’m trying not to sign your death warrant,” he crossed the room to me, placing his hands on top on my fists. The jolt of electricity was borderline painful and I couldn’t help but wince.

“What did he do to you?” Christian’s eyes searched my face.
             

“He made it so I wouldn’t be afraid anymore, but things I felt before are much stronger now. I feel stronger too, but also terrified. I don’t know how to do this, Christian. I don’t like feeling this way and I don’t like admitting it. I’m broken. I don’t know how to be whole,” he wiped a tear from my cheek, leaving a trail of crackling current behind. The longer it lingered, the better it felt.

“You aren’t broken. You’re just lost. I won’t let you give up, no matter what you believe. Just because I can’t be
with
you doesn’t mean I can’t be by your side”

“But it does. You cannot tell me that you don’t notice how I feel when I see or think about you. Being at my side will only make it worse for you. I will accept your help with getting me to The Council, but I have to do that alone.”

“I can’t let you go alone, Lia. There’s too much about this that you don’t know, too many facts to cram into your head in a few weeks. It’s suicide to go alone.”

“If that means the rest of you are safe, it’s a chance I have to take,” he stared deep into my eyes; into my soul. The words didn’t seem to be enough for him.

“No. I’m going. End of conversation,” he looked away, seething with anger.

“No, you aren’t,” I turned away and braced my hands on the bed, trying desperately not to black out.

“I told you I would see this through and I will. You are the most stubborn, selfish…” I whirled on him.

“Selfish?
Selfish
? Stubborn I get, but selfish? Have you not been paying attention to the self sacrificing comments I’ve been making since we’ve met? Have you been completely blind?! You’re the selfish one,
Casanova
! You don’t want me but you’ll keep me at arm’s length ‘
just in case
’. I have to live everyday knowing that the tiniest bit of happiness I’d known in years completely crumbled out of fear. The kicker is that I wasn’t the one afraid this time!
Do not
pass judgment on me. You have no idea what it’s like inside this skin; inside my mind!” I’d been walking toward him, bracing myself on anything solid. I felt the walls caving in.

“Let’s get you outside,” he wrapped his arm over my shoulders and the shock stiffened me. My breath caught in my throat and it felt as if I was being torn in two.

I could feel his arms around me, racing to get outside, but I was shaken by what I saw. I blinked my eyes rapidly and gasped when the view didn’t change. I was standing in front of him, watching the scene from the outside. When we reached the door, cold air brushed my face and I snapped back together. I vomited several times and he wrapped me in a blanket. I cried for a while, but he said nothing. I knew he felt everything I was trying to hide and more, which made me cry harder. By the time I was done, all I could do was lean into his warm arms and stare up at the sky.

“I’m sorry,” I croaked.

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for,” he whispered into my hair.

“No, I do. I shouldn’t have flipped out on you like that,” my stomach fluttered when his breath touched my neck.

“I deserved it. I know you aren’t selfish. I’m not quite sure why I said that. It seems I’m saying many things lately that get me into trouble”

“I seem to have that problem, too,” I added breathlessly. I replayed the last good night we spent together in my mind and the heat rose.

“We should get back inside,” he slipped his arms from around me and helped me to my feet. I nodded, feeling deflated, and walked past him with renewed sadness.

“When we get my things tomorrow, I’ll introduce Austin to Nana and Pops. He can come with me from then on. What I feel for you isn’t going to change, Christian.”

“Goodnight, Lia,” he said to my back and disappeared into the night.

It took a long time for me to wake up the next day. I tossed and turned most of the night, finally falling into a dreamless sleep around dawn. I felt like death washed over.

I heard feverish whispers outside the door and managed to untangle myself from the cocoon of sheets. I listened, holding my breath, as they tried to figure out what to do with me.

“I think I have something, but I’m not sure what to make of it,” I heard Austin say.

“What now?” Christian responded, sounding irritated.

“I had one of my assistants do some research on the types of things Lia can do and most of it pointed a very strange way,” he stated, rustling some papers.

“How is this possible?” Christian asked.

“I haven’t a clue. This is a whole new can of worms, my friend. What I know is limited, at best. I don’t even know where to go from here if this is true.”

There was a long pause, which left me itching. I opened the door to both men staring at me wide eyed. I knew I felt bad, but I didn’t think I looked the same. I sighed heavily and crossed my arms, waiting for an explanation.

“You do realize you can’t keep hiding things from me. After all, it
is
my life we’re gambling on. What are you talking about? What fucked up thing is going on this time?” The sunlight streaming in hurt my eyes, so what should have been a threatening look probably seemed more like a squint. Austin cleared his throat.

“I think we may have discovered the origin to your abilities. It seems that much of the power you possess is reminiscent of a Shaman.”

“Which is what, exactly?”

“Shamanistic peoples were among the very first to form any type of religion. They were incredibly spiritual beings. Shamanism is deeply rooted in nature and what one can learn from the Earth. They are usually healers on both a physical and spiritual level. They’ve also been known to travel the Spirit World for answers.”

“I don’t understand. I can’t talk to dead people” I rubbed my stinging eyes uttering several less than ladylike curse words.

“Are you alright?” Christian asked, startling me.

“My eyes hurt. Everything’s fuzzy and they sting,” he moved my hand away, gently forcing my eyes open. I tried to ignore the static charge.

“They look dry. I’ll get you some eye drops. We’ll move this downstairs. I’ll get some ice packs, too. Can I carry you? I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” he asked slowly.

“Make it quick,” I answered.

He set me gently onto the chaise, placing the ice packs over my eyes with great care. I hadn’t realized I went to bed wearing one of my tank tops and panties until I felt his fingers fall gently on my upper thigh. He tensed, feeling my skin, and I pushed him away with a sigh. A blanket was draped over me a moment later, which led to another sigh from me.

“Thanks,” I said flatly.

He whispered next to my ear “When she raises her eyelids, it's as if she were taking off all her clothes,” my breath caught. “I’ll take care of your eyes,
Schatzi
”. I wracked my brain trying to remember what little German I was taught, coming up empty. I exhaled after a few moments, hoping he disappeared.

“It means treasure, in case you’re wondering” Austin added, laughing lightly.

“Why would he say that?” I asked more to myself than him, but he answered anyway.

“Because he’s confused, but I don’t blame him. You are definitely a rare type of woman,” I knew he winked without being able to see him.

“Yeah, yeah. So where did we leave off with the whole Shaman thing?”

“Traditionally, Shamans were extremely close with nature and, like I said before, their purpose was to keep the balance.”

“I don’t understand what that means,” I sighed.

“There is a balance between Earth and the Spirit World. The Shaman’s intent is to travel to and from the Spirit World seeking answers, as well as enhancing their ability to heal others. There is strength and healing that can only be obtained from that realm. There is a small amount of witchcraft in the practice, but most of what your people represented was peace and healing.”

“How am I anything close to a Shaman?”

“Your energy manifests from the elements, Lia. When it builds up too much inside you, that energy reacts negatively. It explains why I felt the vacuum the other night. By keeping all of the energy inside without expanding your abilities, your spirit reacts negatively. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“So let me guess, this will get me into more trouble with The Council?” I asked knowing the answer before he could reply.

“That’s uncertain. There hasn’t been a true practicing Shaman in many years. There was a sect of Shaman during the wars, but they all disappeared. We don’t know if they were all killed or if they left. Still, you’re the most powerful I’ve seen of any Shaman. We will need to see if you are a direct descendant of anyone on record. It certainly would explain a lot.”

“What does this mean for me, though? Am I going to gain anyone’s favor, lose favor, or be burned at the stake? What are my odds here, Austin?” I pulled the ice packs away to look at him, although it hurt.

“Now that we know where your power originated, the odds are better than yesterday. You will still have the favor of the sorceress and were king, I’m just not sure of the others. Do you mind if I asked what happened last night? What happened to your eyes?”

“Well, Christian and I were talking about things in the journal, he made a stupid comment and I flipped out which caused me to have another attack. Whatever spell you cast on me was effective, but also made this whole mess harder for me by the way.”

“Did anything else happen?”

“I’m not sure. I thought I saw something I couldn’t possibly have seen,” I shivered at the memory. Putting the ice packs back on my eyes, I leaned back and tried to breathe deeply. The whole experience freaked me out.

“What was it?” he sat on the end of the chaise. He touched my foot with his hand and the heat overwhelmed me. I jumped in surprise, mumbling curses.

“I saw us. Like my mind somehow detached from my body. It was…strange”

“That’s interesting,” I heard him ruffle more papers, talking to himself.

“What?”

“It sounds almost like astral projection. That’s very good news.”

“You mean like an out of body experience?”

“Exactly. What did it feel like?” he was scribbling furiously. I sighed.

“I could still feel my body, but it wasn’t the same. Almost like feathers touching my skin where he held onto me. I could see everything clearly. It felt like I was literally coasting in front of him as he carried me. As soon as we stepped outside I snapped back together and threw up.”

“What do you mean you snapped together?”

“Think of a tiny rubber band being stretched as far is it will go without breaking. When you release it, it snaps back and causes a vibration from the tension. That’s what it felt like.”

“Fascinating!”

“It felt strange. That’s an understatement really, but I don’t know how else to explain it.”
             

Christian breezed through the door, his scent assaulting my nose, and eased his way beside me. He removed the ice packs and silently worked to relieve my tainted eyes. The stinging calmed, but I still wasn’t able to see very well. He buzzed around the room and returned with a glass of what I assumed to be my special elixir. Austin filled him in on our conversation, but I felt his eyes on me. I kept my mind clear and thought of nothing that might cause excitement.

“I think we should still make the trip to your house. There are things you need that I didn’t get last time. Do you feel well enough to go?” Christian spoke from the corner of the room.

“Not particularly. I’ll call Nana and ask her to pack some stuff. I’ll let her know you’ll be picking it up. You should bring Austin with you, introduce him.”

“What if they ask why you’re here with two men?” Austin asked mischievously.

“Figure something out. Tell them we’re doing a case study or something and there are several more of us. I really don’t care, just don’t worry them. Also, don’t forget to put up the protections. He’s not beyond hurting them.”

“I’ll take care of it, Lia. You should rest now. We’ll be back shortly,” Austin adjusted the blanket over me and slipped silently from the room.

“Is there anything you need me to get other than what you tell her to pack?” Christian asked again, from the doorway.

“I don’t think so. Just don’t be gone long; this place isn’t exactly fantastic when I can’t see.”

“It won’t take long,” and he left, too.

I called Nana, explained what I needed, and reassured her that everything was fine. She made me agree to stop by as soon as I could get away, and of course I would. I needed to make sure they were safe first, but she didn’t need to know. I talked to Pops briefly, he sounded less convinced, but didn’t object. I hated lying to them, but trying to explain what was going on would surely land me in the looney bin again. No thanks.