Snowscape Trilogy (5 page)

“Hi,” I said giving her a friendly and
excited grin as I scooted my chair a little closer to hers. No need
to let her in on the fact that the adrenaline rush at her presence
had completely sobered me up. “What brings you back here?”

She smiled and put down her drink. I saw that
she had brought a coaster from the bar and put it down on the table
before her water glass. “I wanted to hang out with you some
more.”

“Do you want a drink? I’m buying”

“No thanks. Water is fine for me.”

“You don’t drink?” I inquired. Any
information at this juncture could help.

“No. Only on special occasions?” She smiled,
sipping her water seductively in front of me. What game was she
playing?

I decided my best recourse was to flirt back.
“And meeting me here is not considered special enough for you?”

She laughed back as me and I could see her
shoulders relax. “I knew we would have fun together, Amy. It’s very
quant and… flattering that you are trying to seduce me, but I
cannot revel anything to you that I am not allowed to.”

“How do you know I’m trying to seduce
you?”

She laughed. “Because I am an expert at that
game. I can recognize it a mile off.”

I smirked a little uncomfortably and changed
the subject. “Allowed by whom?” She rolled her eyes at me and
shrugged. “Fine. Start with this; how did you know I’d be here?”
She frowned and shrugged again.

I fidgeted slightly in annoyance, looking
down at my hands, silently turning the ring I wore on the middle
finger of my right hand, as was my habit when I was frustrated or
nervous. It was a simple wedding band that I had belonged to my
mother and Alistair had often told me during one of our occasional
poker nights, that my ring turning was one of my biggest tells.
When I glanced up I noticed that Violet was looking at the faded
bruises circling my wrist and I quickly shoved my hand under the
table and awkwardly into my lap.

“Lucky guess”. Her lips were puckered as she
asked, “So tell me about yourself, Amy.”

“It seems you already know quite a lot about
me already.”

“Only rumors.”

“What do you mean rumors? From who?” She
starred at me and only after I had given up any hope of her
answering my question I continued on. Maybe if I could get the flow
of information going, she would reveal something back to me. “Not
much to tell actually. I’m an orphan, no brothers or sisters. Grew
up on Portland and moved to Olympia about eight months ago.”

“Why Olympia?”

I shrugged. “Alistair moved here after he
graduated college for work and had an open room for rent. I figured
why not? There was nothing going on for me in Portland.” I didn’t
need to add that I was never welcome at my Aunt’s house and
couldn’t find a job anywhere that suited my interest.

“I like your ring.” She said suddenly.
“Family heirloom?” I shrugged in response. Without warning she took
hold of my hand under the table.

I let her fingers caress with my own and I
felt a calm sereneness come over me. “How did you know I was here
tonight? Really.” She became very still and cocked her head
slightly. I saw a small smile creep across her face.

“Alistair told me.”

That was a lie. We both knew it as soon as
she said it. I pulled my hand back from hers.

“Why did you kiss me last night? “ I
asked.

Violet smiled and leaned closer to me. I
could smell her perfume and closed my eyes to the sensation. It
seemed common to my memory and I could almost place where I knew
her. “You didn’t like it?”

I shook my head and opened my eyes. She was
inches away from me and I could see her lips in a slight part as
she waited for my response. This was all a game to her. “It’s not
that. It’s just…”

“What?” She grabbed my hand again and I could
feel her cool fingers lightly brush over mine. As her fingers
nested against my mother’s ring I felt a slight shock go up my hand
and through my arm. I flinch, but she just smiled. Had she not
noticed it?

I swallowed hard and sat back, trying to
break the spell that she had woven over me. ”Where is your friend?
He paid me a visit today at my job.”

“Who?”

The blonde god with the perfect face. “Sam.”
The name came out of my mouth without thought and although it was
the first time I said it out loud I knew it was correct. It had
been brewing just under the weight of my subconscious from the
first moment I had seen him.

She forced herself to smile and looked at me
with a profound expression of forced determination. Cleary she
wanted to tell me something more, but morals kept the secret hidden
within. With a deep sigh she stood up and turn her chair around. I
thought at first she was just making herself more comfortable, but
as she slid her chair under the table and turned to walk away I
realized that she had ended our conversation. Fuck that, I was sick
of this game they were playing with me. I followed her out of the
bar and into the chilly night.

Chapter 7

I made it outside just as I saw her getting
into the passenger side of a four door, black SUV. The dark night
and overhead lights made it impossible to see who was driving;
although I had a pretty good idea of whom it could be. As they
pulled out of the parking lot I ran to my Chevy and said a quick
prayer that is would start on the first try. It did and I pulled
out of the gravel parking lot and followed their SUV down the road
and into the night. I wanted answers and if following a stranger
into the dark was what I had to do, so be it.

Twenty minutes later they made their way to
the outskirt of town. We were just hitting Edgewood when they
pulled off of Route Five and started down side streets. I had only
been in Olympia for a short time, but I had often found driving a
soothing pastime and had explored much of the surrounding areas
already so I was familiar with this part of Washington State. They
had pulled their SUV into the driveway of a large range style home
with a double parking spot. Trying to be subtle I drove past the
house and continued on for another two blocks. Parking my car on
the side of the road, I walked back to house and found that it was
still dark. I had high hopes of peeking in through the window to
spy on them, but I realized they must have known I was following
them and drove off. The SUV was gone. I checked the name on the
mailbox ‘Garcia’, and filed it away in case it came up again,
although I had doubted it would.

Walking back to my car, I took a moment out
of my annoyance to admire what an unseasonably lovely evening it
was. Just as in my dream the prior night, it was a crisp autumn day
and I could just begin to feel the pulls of winter on my skin.
Thinking about my dream last night made me blush, but then led to
thoughts of Sam today. The look on his face when he had seen my
wrist was of absolute horror. How had he known? And why was he
angry? Surprisingly, his response was weighing more on my mind more
so than how he had known. I guess I had internally know that there
was always something unusual about my dreams so the fact that
someone else might know about it, wasn’t as surprising as I would
have assumed.

“Why are you following us?” The voice
startled me. I had just reached the edge of the field where I’d
parked my car and hadn’t noticed him sitting on the hood waiting
for me. Sam jumped down and walked over to me. Glancing around
quickly, I couldn’t see his SUV or Violet anywhere.

He was still wearing the black-framed tinted
glasses he wore earlier, but had added a light jacket to his
outfit. It looked like soft black leather that molded around his
frame and hugged his near perfect body. In the dim of the moonlight
and the far removed streetlight I could see the beginning of
stubble begin to form across his jaw and his hair still looked
tousled like a perfect male sex symbol. My virgin body reacted
immediately to him, but my solid and reasonable mind knew that he
was not the kind of man I would ever attract. He was way out of my
league. I had followed them looking for answers not a date.

“I should be asking you the same thing. Why
did you show up at my job today?”

He walked over to meet me on the side of the
car and leaned back on the doorframe. He looked out at the field
across from us and sighed. I inched a little closer to him. “I went
to apologize for my sister’s behavior yesterday night at the club.
She’s usually not that forward.”

“You’re Sister?”

He turned toward me and leaned his elbow
against the car. “Violet. You know, blonde, skinny, complete lack
of personal space? I believe you and her just shared a private
moment at the bar as well.”

I nodded. “Why have you been following me the
past few days? It seems every time I turn around you or Violet are
skulking in the background.”

“I didn’t realize we were coming across as
skulkers.” He said with a delicious smirk and ran his fingers
through his curly locks. I saw the moonlight catch between the
strands and had an undeniable urge to do the same.

I shook my head determined to not be
sidetracked by their flirting again. I wanted to kiss him and punch
him in the same moment. “Why are you fucking with me?”

As if noticing my inner struggle he smiled
sweetly, put his hands in his pockets and slouched against the car.
My heart pounded against my chest and I could see that he was
enjoying the state he was making my body take. “Would it suffice it
to say that it has all been a coincidence?”

No. The word screamed through my head with
aggravation, but I just shook my head and held my ground. Safely
three feet away from him. “Why did she kiss me?”

“I’m sorry about that. I told Vi to leave you
be, but she can’t seem to leave well enough alone sometimes. Please
know that she is only working with the best of intentions. I
ordered her not to answer your questions. That is why she chose to
leave so rudely from the bar this evening, because she was obeying
my wishes.” The way he spoke reminding me of how I did when I was
dreaming. His voice was like church bells. The word were perfectly
timed and spoken with clarity of the heart. Despite there tone, I
could see trough every lie he tried to throw at his brazen desire.
He was holding himself back and I could see the struggle in his
words.

“That doesn’t explain why you two have been
following me around. Who are you? Intentions of what? I’m beginning
to feel as though I am part of some sort of elaborate hoax cooked
up by your two.”

“Is that what you think of yourself? A joke?”
He took my hesitation as answer and stepped closer to me. “I am
sorry if you think that. This is entirely my fault. We should have
explained from the beginning...” Sincerity and hesitation dripped
off of his words.

“Explained what? Who are you? Really.”

He laughed to himself for a fleeting moment
and turned towards me. “Deep down. You know why we are here,
Ambrosia.” He moved closer to me, put his arm on either side of by
body, gently pinning me against the car. My heart beat fast and
loud. Not fear though, excitement. Desire coursed through my veins
and I could feel my insides clench at his closeness. “And you are
very beautiful, despite what you think.” He rang a finger slowly
down the side of my chin.

“You don’t know what I think, Riel,” the word
came pouring from my mouth. Words that I had spoken countless times
in the past.

He smiled. ”You don’t know what joy it gives
my heart to hear you say that name to me again. Or to hear your old
self telling me what I shall and shall not…” He closed his eyes as
a pure angelic joy fell upon his face. “I do know what you think. I
know every deep and dark desire of your heart, Ambrosia. You just
don’t remember it yet.” He was so close I could feel his breath on
my face and I could see my dim reflection in his glasses. I wanted
to rip them off, pull him to me and kiss him passionately, losing
all sense of composure. His glasses. That wasn’t right. He
shouldn’t be wearing glasses and I reached up to take them off,
Riel caught my hand and held it against his chest for a moment
before releasing it. He should be wearing a black dark robe and
have jet-black hair that swept across and down his ears. I could
feel a cold rush find its way down my spine. This was all very
familiar, but not the same. No this was not the same man from my
dream. He was dark, lithe and rough. Riel was warm, soft and
caressing. One was light, one was dark. I felt dizzy as Riel slowly
leaned down and kissed the edge of my collarbone. He trailed it up
gently across my neck, to my cheek and finally to my mouth. When
his lips finally touched mine I felt a surge of electricity run
through my veins, going directly to the earth. His hands had not
moved and the only sensation I could feel was his lips against my
mouth and the grass beneath my feet. No, not grass. We were no
longer on the edge of a road where the tough gravel had been kicked
up by so many passing cars. We were standing on a field of lush
ground where a small field of clovers had spring up. I could feel
them under my feet, inching themselves between my toes.

I was in another place. It was spring but the
winter winds were still present and I could feel my hair whip out
behind me. I was late but I had stolen away for quick kiss with hm.
I pulled back from the kiss; my mind rushing to the present and the
dizziness escaped me. “Samandiriel,” His name escaped from my lips
with every ounce of breath in my body.

I looked up and he smiled wickedly at me. He
took my right hand in his and twirled his fingers around my
mother’s gold band that I always kept on. The sensation I had felt
with Violet was there tenfold but it wasn’t painful, just
aching.

I pulled my hand back from him and absently
rubbed my hand, my wrists. “What is going on?”

“Ambrosia,” He took both of my hands in his
own and gently rubbed his thumbs over my bruises. As he did I could
see them disappeared. It should have shocked me, but my emotions
had tumbled out of me in confusion already. “You shouldn’t let him
do this to you.”