The Secret of Spruce Knoll (15 page)

Chapter 28

Halfway home she felt someone approaching, still a good distance away from their energy’s pressure, but coming up fast. She was afraid it was Luke with some excuse to see her again. For a moment she contemplated running away, then thought better of it. It would not be a good thing to have him show up at her house. Aunt Sylvia would freak.

Pasting a fake smile on, she turned around and prepared to be cheerful. In the last few steps before the running figure reached her, she saw that it was Aiden. He swept her up into his arms and spun her around before pulling her close. His energy encased her and held her in a more complete way than his arms ever could. It was so comforting and enticing it made up for the horrible day she’d endured. Laughing, she clung to him and pressed her face against his neck. He smelled great too, like spice and evergreens. Even the gel he used to spike his hair up into disarray smelled good.

“I hate staying away from you,” he complained after he finally put her down.

“I know, this sucks,” she agreed.

They walked hand in hand and she told him everything Luke and Elisabeth had said that day. As they walked down the road, leaves crunching underfoot, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the walk Elisabeth had tried to get her to go on yesterday. Sprinkled amongst all the towering evergreens were deciduous trees whose leaves had turned an array of yellows, oranges, and reds. It was breathtaking and she was grateful to be experiencing it with Aiden instead of his siblings.

“He must have invited you to dinner to show the parents that he’s planning something. Everything he does is to impress them, it’s disgusting. I don’t think you’re in any danger at dinner. The party is another story,” Aiden said.

“With so many people there what could he do?” Eren asked.

She knew that was the time he’d most likely try something but he didn’t have much of a chance getting away with it with so many witnesses. That was part of what made it so perfect.

“E, you haven’t channeled yet have you?” Aiden asked.

A flush of embarrassment blazed its way up her cheeks and she quickly found interest in something off in the trees. Aiden squeezed her hand.

“Hey, there’s no shame in that, especially after what happened. But the party he invited you to is a channeling party. Only kids who’ve already channeled are invited. No one would bring someone who hasn’t, it would be too dangerous,” he explained.

“Too dangerous?” Eren asked.

“Sometime during the party, everyone channels. The healers and the warriors get competitive, and almost everyone will be drunk. Accidents can happen, bad ones,” Aiden said.

He had the haunted sound to his voice of someone who knew a lot of stories on the subject, most of them bad. But it wasn’t old stories that filled his eyes with fear. It was the thought of her getting hurt. She didn’t need to read his mind to know that, she could feel it.

“That’s probably what he has planned for me,” Eren muttered.

“Which is exactly why you can’t go,” Aiden said.

Eren sighed and stopped walking. She pulled Aiden around to face her. Taking both of his hands in hers, she looked deep into his eyes. It wasn’t easy to do and not get distracted, but she worked very hard at it.

“I have to go. This is our best chance. It’s time for me to channel. Will you help me try again?” she asked.

His eyes widened and the fearful look in them was replaced by restrained excitement.

“Okay, but this time let’s do it right. This weekend my adopted parents are taking Luke and Elisabeth to the city. I’ll be left here, that makes it perfect,” he said.

“Perfect,” Eren agreed as they started walking again.

“Just keep making them think you haven’t channeled. They’re more likely to try something that way,” he said with a shake of his head.

Their conversation took a lighter turn as they came to the gravel road and knew they’d have to part ways soon. Aiden couldn’t risk being missed back home and he’d have to find a way to get rid of her energy that clung to him before he got there. His siblings would be able to feel it, and would know he’d been with her. This meant they couldn’t touch too much and their parting kiss was a lot shorter than either of them wanted it to be.

Chapter 29

Eren was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear her aunt call her name. Her eyes were on the spaghetti she was stirring but her mind was far away. Aunt Sylvia laid a hand on her shoulder and she about jumped out of her skin. The surprise tried to trigger the channeling and she had to concentrate very quickly to stop it.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay honey?” she asked.

“Yeah, just thinking,” Eren said with a smile.

Little red spots dotted the sleeves of her blue shirt. Jumping at Sylvia’s touch had splattered spaghetti sauce everywhere. Groaning, she grabbed a paper towel and quickly wiped it off the stove before the heat could dry it.

“I should have known better than to sneak up on you after all we’ve been talking about lately. Let me help with that,” Sylvia said as she brought over a wet dish rag.

“It’s okay. It’s my fault for being distracted,” Eren said.

Sylvia pulsed with nervous energy. Something was up.

“A package came for you,” she said with an odd tone in her voice.

Was it sorrow? Eren thought maybe it was. She tossed the paper towel in the trash and turned to the bar. An overstuffed, beat-up manila envelope lay there. The return address was a coroner’s office in California. Chills raced through her, followed by the vibrating feeling of channeling. She banished the desire to channel with nothing more than an irritated thought.

Her hands shook as she tore the flap open and slid the contents out. A letter of apology for the delay was wrapped around everything. The contents included her dad’s leather wallet, some loose change, her mom’s cell phone, and a necklace in a baggy. The necklace was a big ruby set in an ornate pendant, hanging from a thick gold chain. It looked expensive and old, and way too gaudy to be anything her mom would wear.

That was very strange. The hiking trip her parents had gone on was to celebrate their anniversary. Her dad had bought her mom a very special necklace. This was not it. Eren knew because she had gone to the jewelers to help pick it out. Her mom had been a jewelry designer who was very particular about what she wore. This necklace had not been in her jewelry box. Eren was sure of it.

When she picked up the cell phone, she forgot all about the necklace. Flecks of dried blood clung to the keys. She couldn’t bring herself to touch it. Sylvia reached over and took it from her with a shaking hand.

“If its okay, I’d like to charge this so we can check her last calls and see if there are any photos on it,” she said in a hollow sounding voice.

Unable to speak, Eren just nodded. Very carefully, she placed the other items back into the envelope.

“I’m going to put this in my room,” she said as she headed for the stairs.

Aunt Sylvia said nothing, she just let her go.

***

The smell of burning sauce finally drew Eren back downstairs. She ran through the loft and took the stairs two at a time, using the railing to help her skip down them. She skidded to a stop before the stove and moved the sauce off the burner. It hadn’t been scorching for long so most of it was still good.  The spaghetti was already sitting in a strainer in the sink. Aunt Sylvia must not have become completely distracted. There was little worse than burnt spaghetti, except for maybe burnt popcorn.

“I’m so sorry. I was on the phone and forgot all about it,” Sylvia said as she practically floated into the room.

Grabbing plates, silverware, and glasses, she danced around the bar, humming to herself as she set their places. Something had drastically changed her mood. Good, that would make it easier for Eren to ask her about tomorrow.

“A friend invited me to dinner tomorrow. Is it okay if I go?” Eren asked, working hard at sounding casual.

“Of course,” Sylvia answered.

Eren almost spilled the iced tea she was pouring. Sylvia must really be distracted, that had been way too easy. She’d halfway expected an interrogation of some kind. Aunt Sylvia was very different from her mom.

All through dinner Aunt Sylvia chatted about Halloween and how they should decorate the house. Eren tried to pay attention and contribute as many ideas as she could, but it was hard with such heavy thoughts weighing on her. Halloween was a big deal in Mayan culture, though they called it something different. It was a time to honor the dead, a time Eren’s family had always taken very seriously, and which seemed even more important now. Hearing Aunt Sylvia talk about it brought up that familiar ache of loss.

Sylvia explained to Eren that the holiday was special to each of the four cultures in Spruce Knoll. They all called it something different but the meaning was the same. She made it sound like the holiday was a huge event here. It sounded like fun. Too bad she didn’t have the luxury of enjoying it.

Eren started putting the leftovers away while Sylvia loaded the dishwasher.

“Would you like to meet Alin and Fane?” Sylvia asked.

“Yeah! But how?” Eren asked. A trip to Romania in the middle of the school year didn’t seem likely. Her aunt was pretty outgoing though, anything was possible with her.

“Webcam, of course,” Sylvia laughed.

Of course. Eren almost had to laugh at herself for not thinking of that. This town lacked so many of the amenities of civilization that there were times she forgot about such things altogether. That was something she had never thought possible.

On the way to Sylvia’s office, Eren practically skipped. A big family was something she had always dreamed of belonging to. Now, knowing that she had any family at all was a blessing. She could hardly contain her excitement as her aunt clicked away on the mouse, inviting them to chat.

The computer screen showed a room. A man walked up and sat down in front of the screen. Suddenly Eren understood the huge smile her aunt got every time she mentioned her family. This man was gorgeous. Like, Calvin Klein model gorgeous. Dark, wavy hair that was just a little too long (but still managed to look tremendously stylish) framed a handsome face with deep set eyes and a strong jaw line.

“Alin, this is Eren,” Sylvia introduced them.

Eren sat down in the chair that her aunt was holding out for her. They talked for a long time. He was charming, funny, and wanted to know all about Eren. His accent forced her to concentrate to understand him but she didn’t mind, it was charming.

Finally, he stepped aside and let her talk to Fane. He was a flawless blend of his mom and dad, neither completely Romanian looking nor Maya, but somewhere in between. He had black hair that curled a bit at the ends and big brown eyes. Someday he would be handsome, for now he was cute. Fane explained that both normal people and Americans fascinated him and he wanted to know all about them. For a fourteen year old, he was remarkably well mannered, always saying please, thank you, and listening intently to every word Eren said.

This warm welcome from them was unexpected and touched her deeply. They were good people and she felt incredibly lucky to have them. Knowing she had a family that cared about her changed everything. She couldn’t be reckless and selfish in her pursuit for justice. She would have to be careful. Too much depended on it now.

Chapter 30

She slept hard that night and dreamt disturbing dreams she couldn’t quite remember upon waking. The morning was over and she was enduring school before she knew it. Part of her couldn’t wait for the day to get over while another part of her never wanted it to end. When it did…well, she didn’t even want to think about that.

Stolen glances with Aiden were all she got. Luke wouldn’t leave her alone all day and he insisted on walking her home after school. Her time at home went way too fast. By the time five o’clock came she was seriously questioning the intelligence of such a plan.

The walk to the turnabout in the center of town was a lot shorter than she remembered. It was chilly out but she scarcely noticed. The cold didn’t affect her like it did normal people. All she had to do was let a bit of her energy to the surface and it warmed her instantly. She had wound her long hair up into a loose bun and held it in place with two long hair sticks that had belonged to her mother.

The sticks were each nine inches long and made from iron. Eren felt something strange about them the moment she’d picked them up out of her jewelry box. Not only were they heavy, they felt like they dampened her energy, made it to where it couldn’t rise to the surface as easily. When Aunt Sylvia had seen them she’d explained that iron helped suppress a channeler’s power. That wasn’t the only reason Eren had worn them though. She recognized their potential as weapons. She wasn’t crazy enough to go completely unprepared.

Dusk was just beginning to soften the edges of everything when she reached the turnabout. Luke was there waiting for her, leaning against the brick wall with his arms crossed. Black jeans that were almost too tight hugged him, topped by a red muscle shirt that was definitely too tight. He worked so hard at being a badass that it was pathetic.

Despite it, he did look pretty hot. It wasn’t extremely hard to look as though she appreciated his efforts. Maybe if she kept looking at his biceps and the way the shirt accentuated his pecs, then she could convince everyone she was interested in him. There was no doubt he would fall for it, but the question was, would his parents?

“You look great,” he said, making his voice as deep and sexy sounding as he could.

Despite a shiver of revulsion, she forced a smile and looked away in case it wasn’t convincing enough.

“You’re cold,” he said, mistaking her reaction.

Before she could protest he was at her side, using the excuse to put his arm around her. She shivered again and he pulled her closer, pressing his body against hers, forcing her to stifle a whimper. He was pushing his limits farther than he ever had. She’d have to be careful.

They took the east road and turned down the first side street on the right, heading into Romanian territory. Luke gave her a back story about every house and she was surprised to find it interested her. He told her all about who belonged to which Society, with particular emphasis on his family’s standing in their own Society. It was clear he really only cared about the most powerful families.

When he slowed his pace to draw out their time alone, she knew they were getting close. Her eyes wandered to the huge yards bordered by tall wrought iron fences topped with vicious looking spikes. It didn’t appear to be a very welcoming neighborhood. She imagined that when Bram Stoker wrote Dracula he had probably walked down streets that looked just like this one. In the back ground Luke droned on about his parents’ high standing in their Society, but she hardly listened.

Finally, he stopped in front of a massive iron gate and punched a code into the keyboard sticking out of a hedge. There was no eerie creak as the gate swung open like she had expected. It only made a click as the locks disengaged and a quiet whooshing sound as its high dollar hydraulics kicked on.

Luke was beside her before she could blink, his arm around her waist pulling her way too close for comfort. This time she was able to suppress her shudder because she was distracted by the monolithic house that loomed in the distance. It looked like it could have been the gatehouse to Frankenstein’s castle.

Her high-heeled boots clicked on the cobblestones, making her think of the dark alleys of Scotland Yard. Possibly her mind mustered this image because it felt like she was walking with Jack the Ripper on her arm. The closer they got to the house, the worse the feeling became. Since Aiden had been missing, she’d been reading a lot to keep her mind busy, maybe too much.

Huge stone gargoyles flanked steps that led up to a massive porch. They looked old and expensive, definitely not just garden store knock offs. Tall double doors carved out of what looked like a rare imported wood opened the moment they reached the steps.

A woman that resembled Morticia Addams from the old TV show “The Addam’s Family” stood waiting for them. Eren’s dad had loved that show. The woman’s resemblance to the ancient icon made it easy for Eren to smile at her. She had trouble not laughing. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all.

“Welcome to our home, Eren,” the woman said in a voice that was sweet like antifreeze.

She scoured her memory for the woman’s name. Camilia sounded right. “Thank you, Camilia,” Eren said.

When she reached the top of the steps she looked up and froze. Sparkling around Camilia’s neck was a delicate chain of white gold with three strands of diamonds dangling from it. Each strand was topped by a different jewel: a peridot, a sapphire, and a ruby. Eren would know that necklace anywhere. She had helped her dad pick it out for her mom. There was no doubt it was her mom’s necklace. Her father had it specially made. The jewels atop the diamonds were to represent Eren’s birthday, her dad’s, and her mom’s.

Eren’s dad had planned on giving that to her mom the week they went hiking in the Sierras. The week they’d been killed. There was only one way Camilia could have got that necklace. She’d taken it from Eren’s mom after she’d murdered her.

Camilia noticed where Eren was looking. A wicked smile turned up her over-rouged lips. There wasn’t an ounce of fear or surprise in her eyes. She had worn the necklace on purpose. Eren wanted to scream and tear it from her. Self-preservation was all that stopped her from trying it. She conjured up Fane’s smiling face and used it to motivate her to keep control on both her anger and her power. The last thing he had said to her was how much he couldn’t wait to meet her in person. She would not disappoint him by getting herself killed. Which was probably exactly what Camilia was hoping would happen. Well, she wouldn’t give her that satisfaction.

Camilia stepped aside and swept her arm wide in invitation. Luke whisked Eren inside. The foyer alone was enough to take Eren’s breath away. She was pretty sure the floor was white Parisian marble. The runner rug was Asian—probably true Asian, not a cheap replica—and the bench it led to was made from the same beautiful dark wood as the front door. As they walked farther into the house it just got better, or worse depending on how you looked at it.

Eren’s family had money. She was used to luxuries. But this was different, these people lived in opulence. Gold and expensive crystal glimmered everywhere she turned. Everything in this house looked like it was either rare or an antique. Eren was not impressed.

“Elisabeth is still setting the table. I’ll call for you kids when dinner is ready. Lucian why don’t you show Eren around,” Camilia said as she turned down the hallway.

Luke cringed at the use of his full name. It made Eren smile. The name fit him.

“Come on, I’ll show you my room,” Luke said far too eagerly.

That was the last place in the world she wanted to see. Eren’s eyes widened as he grabbed her hand and led her up a beautiful, winding staircase. When they reached the next level and started down the hallway, it struck Eren that she had yet to feel Aiden’s power. Even if he wasn’t here, she should have felt traces of it on everything. They passed a few doors, one of which hung open. With all the stuffed animals and purple accents Eren didn’t even need to feel Elisabeth’s energy to know it was her room.

By the time they reached the end of the hall she still hadn’t felt Aiden’s energy. The doors didn’t need to be open for her to know which room would be his. She would be able to feel his power through walls. That much she had discovered at school. Clearly none of these rooms were his.

Strange, why wouldn’t his bedroom be up here with the others?
Eren wondered.

Luke opened the door to his room and pulled her inside. Panic rose in her throat as he closed the door behind her. Somehow, she managed to swallow it down.

Every wall was covered with posters of scantily clad women, some pop singers, some models, and—to his credit—even an athlete or two. That much of his room was a typical boy’s room, the rest was not. He had a queen size four poster bed that probably cost more than a Vespa. And then there were weapons.

Yes, weapons. Thankfully they were all in glass cases so at least they would take a moment to get to if he decided to attack her. There was a wicked double headed spear with handgrips that looked worn smooth from a lot of use. And there were daggers, a lot of them. Eren had no doubt that they were all iron. Hair sticks seemed woefully inadequate in comparison. Fear tingled along her spine as she realized just how deep in she was right now.

“Some of those have been passed down in my family for generations,” Luke said.

Only because your dad stole them when he fled Romania
, she thought to herself.

Out loud she just said, “Wow.” She leaned closer so her hair fell down and hid the fear on her face.

It looked as though she was trying to get a better look and that was exactly how she wanted it to appear. He leaned over her shoulder, his breath hot upon her neck. It smelled coppery, like blood. That had to be her imagination. Revulsion shot through her and tried to raise her power. She squeezed her eyes shut and sent it away, stopping the vibrating with ease.

Luke’s energy spiked with excitement. It was the kind of excitement that she really didn’t want him feeling about her. Worse yet, she was beginning to think he got excited when she was scared or uncomfortable.

She wanted to stand up but she knew if she did he’d be pressed against her. There was no way she wanted him that close so she feigned continued interest in the weapons. She tried to shuffle down the length of the case, pretending to look at them all so she could edge away from him. It didn’t work. He followed her step for step.

Someone totally unexpected saved her. The pressure of Elisabeth’s power reached Eren before her voice did. Quiet as a whisper, Luke growled in frustration, an eerie sound.

“Dinner’s ready,” Elisabeth said.

There was an irritated sound to her voice. Eren wondered if the irritation came from being sent upstairs as a messenger, or if it had more to do with Luke.

When he straightened and backed off, Eren turned to see Elisabeth glaring at him. Then her gaze shifted to Eren and she smiled. Her eyes flicked to her too fast for Eren to hide the desperate look on her face. Elisabeth surprised her by skipping into the room and taking her hand. Maybe her ire had been directed at Luke after all.

“Enough hogging Eren,” Elisabeth said as she pulled her from the room.

The tremendous relief didn’t keep Eren from wondering why Elisabeth would bother to rescue her. Over the past weeks, Elisabeth had done everything she could to bring Eren and Luke together. For her to help Eren now was totally out of character. Eren didn’t know if she should feel suspicious or grateful, so she settled somewhere in between.

All that was forgotten the moment she laid eyes on the dining room table. The carcass of a pig took up most of it, leaving just barely enough room for the place settings. It lay on its back, stomach split open and filled with what she hoped were vegetables. The pig’s skin was golden and looked crispy. When the initial shock wore off, Eren was surprised to discover that it smelled wonderful.

“I know huh? It smells great!” Elisabeth said.

“Yeah it does,” Eren agreed.

“Well thank you,” Camilia said as she entered the room carrying a platter of roasted potatoes.

Before Eren could wonder where she was supposed to sit, Luke was at the table pulling a chair out for her. Smiling, she thanked him as she sat down. He took the chair beside her and her heart sank. She’d hoped maybe Elisabeth would sit there. Instead, she sat on the opposite side of the table from Eren. Camilia sat at one end of the table and Virgil finally made his appearance and sat at the other end.

His resemblance to her uncle Alin was so startling that Eren’s breath caught in her throat. There was no doubt they were brothers. From Aunt Sylvia’s stories, Eren knew Virgil was fifty years Alin’s senior, but the man didn’t look a day over thirty five. Before she had learned that her kind lived to be five hundred, thirty five had seemed old. Age had taken on a completely different meaning to her now.

“Welcome to our home, Eren Donovan,” Virgil said.

There was a similar timbre to his voice as Alin’s, but then there was a slick, almost sinister edge to it. Eren wondered if he’d said her full name to remind her of their family’s rivalry. It felt that way.

“There’s no need to be so formal Father,” Elisabeth said with wide eyes.

“Well, it’s not often we get guests,” Camilia said as she shot her daughter a piercing look.

Eren felt the tension in the air as if it had thickened with an electric charge. It wasn’t just toward her anymore. Now it was also directed toward Elisabeth.

“We get them all the time,” Elisabeth mumbled as she found something interesting on her plate to look at.

“True, Dear. To better phrase it, we don’t often get guests from outside the Romanian Societies,” Virgil said with false cheer.

The rest of dinner didn’t get any more relaxed. Virgil and Camilia asked how Eren liked Spruce Knoll but besides that there were many uncomfortable moments of silence. Luke chatted about school a bit, seemingly oblivious to the tension. Eren knew it was an act. The glimmer in his eyes and the constant smirk he had to work to hide made it clear that he was enjoying this game. Elisabeth remained silent until everyone had finished and Virgil pushed back from the table.