Precious Anathema (8 page)

“
I am here now though, and
I want to help if I can.” Freya smiled and shook her
head.

“
You think you want to help
honey, but if it were that easy do you think your mother would have
hidden you away for eighteen years?” I felt a little sick to my
stomach, was I supposed to be a sacrifice?

“
I don’t understand Freya,
what is so bad about helping?” She looked at my hair, then my eyes,
then my smile.

“
You are the key to
unlocking the curse, and only you Delilah, there may never be a
Grace woman born like you for another hundred years, if we can’t
break this curse you will have children that look just like the
rest of us and it will be too late.” It was my turn to look at the
sky, I saw a heart shaped cloud and knew it was a sign; I looked at
Freya and smiled again.

“
I will do it, how hard can
it be right? I mean we already have the key just show me to the
door.” She laughed and gave me a big hug.

“
You really are a unique
young woman and I couldn’t be happier that you are my
granddaughter, but that’s enough ranting for one day. We will talk
more about this after you have a few more days to process it all,
for now go find Xander and enjoy the rest of the day.” I kissed
Freya on the cheek and skipped across the small bridge trying to
forget all the wrong I had just been told, I made it through the
garden without ever glancing ahead, just thinking about what it
could mean to be the key. I didn’t want to let anyone down but the
onset of nausea spoke otherwise of my gut feeling, I tried to
ignore it but found myself looking for answers I didn’t have. I was
the key, I was the only key and it explained to me why mom wanted
to protect me and also why Selene hated me so much, got to take the
good with the bad I thought. I made it past a row of perfect hedges
and found Xander planting a small tree, he was bent over on his
knees, sweaty and he took my breath away. I watched him for a
moment thinking I was being very sneaky, and then jumped five feet
at the sound of his voice.

“
You can stop staring at me
and help if you like Delilah.” I must have been four shades of red
by the time I knelt beside him, I snapped out of it quickly though
wondering if crying made it rain, and getting turned on by him made
the sun hotter, what would being embarrassed do?

*

The heat was suddenly
intense on my back; I knew she was close before I even smelt her as
the wind carried her scent to me. The day had been better today
since I found an old journal of my great grandfathers; he talked
about the ‘
chosen’
one as if she were an alien of sorts. Pages devoted to her
coming, how she would be pure of heart and pure in her magic even
with evil sorcerer blood in her veins. He wrote that he feared her
coming in his time because he would not be able to hurt the child,
it made me feel better to see these words written. He may not have
met her, but he knew more about her than he realized. I closed my
eyes as the sun baked my skin, I knew what it meant and even she
couldn’t hide that it was as natural to feel this way for me as I
did for her. I took a deep breath to calm my heartbeat, my want
that was quickly becoming a need for her as I spoke.

FIVE

“
You know what Ella; I
don’t want to do this right now. Want to take a ride into town with
me and help pick out some flowers for the garden under your
window?” I looked up at his perfect smile and couldn’t help myself
from giggling, I was acting like a crushing teenager and it was
starting to piss me off.

“
I need to tell Freya, but
I would love too.” He looked past my shoulder and waved his arm. I
turned to see Freya standing on the bridge looking at us, she waved
and walked away.

“
It’s all set Hun, come
on.” He jumped up and brushed the top soil from his legs, his hands
were all over himself and I wanted to be his…
Snap out of it Delilah!
I shook my
head and stood up. We walked to the guest house so he could change
his boots; it was beautiful and quite large for a guest house. I
saw a man in the garage and figured that was Xander’s Dad, he saw
me looking and took my hand to introduce me.

“
Dad, hey Dad this is
Delilah the girl I told you about.” A man no older than forty five
at most turned and looked me in the eye. He was very handsome and
built, I couldn’t help but stare as he smiled and I saw that same
smile I see in Xander. His eyes wouldn’t look away from my hair as
he held out his hand to me.

“
It is very nice to meet
you Delilah, my name is Israel.” I shook his hand and blushed as
his eyes never left my hair.

“
Yes, I know it’s a mop. I
hate it.” As I put my hands on top of my head and tried to smooth
out the frizz.

“
No, it’s beautiful I have
just never seen a Grace as unique as you are my dear and our family
has taken care of the estate for many generations so I have seen my
share of them.” Xander coughed and apparently that was a cue,
Israel said goodbye and we walked to Xanders truck, the whole way
feeling his father’s eyes on me. Why was I such a marvel to
everyone around here, even to Xander? Selene was the beauty, not me
and yet when he looked at me his eyes twinkled and his dimples
popped. We walked to the passenger side of his old Dodge, jacked up
and freshly painted antique red. He winked as he knelt down to help
me in. I laughed as his knee hit the ground.

“
I think I manage you
know.” He shook his head and stood up.

“
Have it your way Ella.” I
grabbed the handrail and started to pull myself up, even with my
long legs I couldn’t seem to get my footing right to hop in, after
three tries I turned to look at him with defeat on my face. He was
smirking at me as he knelt back down to help me in. I smiled back
at him as I got in the truck, it was immaculate, and no man had a
truck this nice that I had ever seen. It smelled of his cologne and
deodorant mixed with sawdust and a campfire, no going back now I
was ‘had’ in the best way.

“
I don’t go out much unless
it’s for errands so please don’t think I am this anal because my
truck is so clean.” I giggled to myself and he fired it up, I felt
like I was ten feet tall as we made our way out of the drive. He
took me on the tourist rout first. We hit all the major hang outs,
all three of them and then he took me to the most beautiful place I
had ever been. The local lighthouse, sat on the edge of the world
at the top of a rock cliff. The salt air and sea breeze took my
breath away; it was as free as I had ever felt as we stood on the
edge of the cliff. I didn’t speak for nearly ten minutes and then
our eyes met and he smiled, he knew that I was taking in every
moment of this place and he took my hand in his never speaking as
we looked out to sea. We made our way to a picnic table and sat
among the tourists with cameras who couldn’t speak English very
well.

“
You know I have been
coming here since I was very little and it still takes my breath
away Ella, I am a little jealous as I look at your face being here
for the first time. I wish I could have that feeling again.” I
squeezed his hand and closed my eyes, taking in every sound, and
every smell around me.

“
This is amazing Xander,
thank you so much for bringing me here.” I opened my eyes and he
was smiling back at me.

“
Freya told me that she was
going to tell you some of the heavier information today and I just
wanted to take your mind off some of the stress, I am glad it’s
helping.” I thanked him, and then thought about what he had just
said. She told him, but how much did he know?

“
Xander, do you know what
we are?” He laughed and then let go of my hand.

“
Delilah, I know more about
who you are than you do and it doesn’t scare me.” Scare him, why
would I scare him?

“
No I mean more than just
being a witch. Do you know what I am?” He leaned over the table and
took a breath.

“
Yes Delilah I know
what
you
are, the
question is do you really know what and who
you
are yet?” Did he know what I had
to do, or why my mother was so afraid for me?

“
Xander, if you know
something please tell me I can’t take the waiting anymore.” He sat
upright and then leaned back over the table.

“
Ella, you want real
honesty?” I nodded. “The truth is that Freya thought you would take
it all better coming from me, so she put the nugget in your head
and then sent you off with me.” I let go of his hands and sat up,
my smile washed away.

“
Let me get this straight,
you didn’t bring me here to be
nice
or
sweet
. You took me out today as
a
job
for my
grandmother, are you on the
fucking
clock Xander?” His eyes grew wide and his hands
flew up.

“
No, no Ella I
swear
it to you, she
just asked me if I would tell you the rest so it didn’t seem like
she was lecturing you. I
want
to be here with you, I could have done it in the
garden or the sitting room in the estate, but I
wanted
to take you out and spend
time with
you
. I
am not on the clock when I am with you
ever
.” I was so angry I didn’t
really listen to him, just got up and started walking back to the
truck with him hot on my heels begging me to stop. I talked over
him as I walked.

“
Here I thought you were
different, that it didn’t matter to you that I was a Grace in this
town when all a long you were just doing your job.” I felt a tear
well up, I was so hurt by him, by Freya, by all of it. I felt a
drop of rain hit my shoulder and as the first tear rolled down my
cheek the sky got dark and he rain started to come down in buckets.
I never turned around to see his face, but he yelled to me over the
rain and I stopped cold.

“
Stop
crying right now Delilah Grace,
stop
it I am fighting these feelings
I have for you and it’s
not
my job,
stop
crying!” How did he know I had started crying? I
turned and he was right in front of me, soaked and standing still.
As people ran by us to get to their cars we just stood in the rain
looking at each other. “Delilah, I know everything about you. I
know that you are crying without looking at you. I know when you
are happy because the sun warms me whenever I am near you, I know
when you are mad at me because it makes me nauseas and I know what
you need to do to break the curse too.” I just started to cry
harder and he wrapped his arms around me in a warm and safe
embrace.

“
Xander I’m scared, I don’t
know what to do.” He squeezed me and then kissed the top of my
head, the tears I had been crying dried up and I felt the heat from
the sun on my back.

“
Close your eyes for me.”
My heart began to race as I did what I was told. His lips touched
my earlobe as he began to whisper. “I am going to kiss you now, and
I am going to take your breath away, but don’t be scared Honey I
will catch you when you fall.” I felt his lips touch mine and I
tingled from my head to my toes as our kiss sent waves through my
body. He pulled away just a little and looked me in the eye with
the heat from the sun almost burning my skin. “See Delilah, I know
you feel the same way about me without hearing your words.” I
smiled and wrapped my arms back around him in the sun. We made our
way back to the picnic table without speaking, and as we sat I
looked around us. The tourists had all scrambled to their cars, and
we were alone, actually alone with the trees and the ocean below
us, I smiled and took Xanders hand as he started telling me the
rest of the story.

“
Freya told you about Jim
right?” I nodded and started to feel a little nervous, how could he
know so much about the family history? “The little boy that came to
the door that day was my great grandfather times two or three, Jim
and his wife were thieves and they stole many things from the
estate before they left town and left the little boy in the middle
of the night. No one knows if he was even their son to begin with
or if he was something else they had stolen. Emma wouldn’t turn him
away, a scared ten year old boy when she found him but she was so
cold and angry at Jim she wouldn’t allow him in the house either,
she had the guest house built that summer and put him to work. Our
family has lived here ever since, and the reason I know so much
about your gifts and the gifts of the family is because it’s not
just the Grace family that has been cursed. He was in the guest
house the night that Emma cast the spell. Our family has suffered
this curse along with the Grace family for over a hundred years.
Our Curse is not being able to keep love, every woman that has
borne a child, always a male child at that has died shortly after,
and we also grow old slowly just like you all do.” I was floored,
how could he even look at me after what my family has done to him
and his mother? I let go of his hand and sat back straight with a
fear growing inside me. I heard thunder and Xander
jumped.