The Council, A Witch's Memory (10 page)

“How much do you remember of your childhood?”

“What does that have to do with the lake?” he’d never asked me that. We never talked about anything before my life with Mara and Jackson. They were everything I knew, everything I had.

“Humor me.”

I wracked my brain. But it was blank. It was as if my life started with Mara and Jackson the day I moved into their house. “I-I…nothing. I don’t remember anything.”

I’d never dwelled on it before. There was nothing there. Sometimes I thought it was because I suppressed my life before coming to Capeside. Other times I felt a void inside me, like part of me was missing.

Until the lake.

“Was I remembering something?” but he didn’t have to tell me that I was. The place with the dock, and the sea…I’d been there before. “Henry?”

He scooted closer to me and held my hand in his. “Don’t push it. Just let it happen naturally.”

I blinked, trying to focus on his eyes. “I’d never thought of, or really cared about my past.”

His expression turned grim. “Oh, really?”

I swallowed. “In fact, before today, before now, it never crossed my mind. If I ever started thinking about it, it just of went away. Like I lost track of my thoughts.”

With a shake of his head, he sat against the log next to me and pulled me to his chest. “We will figure this out. I promise.”

“Okay.” That made me feel better, at least I wasn’t in it alone.

As the minutes ticked on, I started to get sleepy. My eyes were drooping, my arms felt heavy. I listened to the beat of Henry’s heart, and just before I drifted off I tilted my head back and smiled at him.

“I can’t move the log.” I smiled at his incredulous expression.

“Venna, I-I can’t…I don’t…”

“It’s okay, I won’t ask, even though I’m dying to know.” I pressed my fingers to his lips and laughed. “If you ever wanted to kiss me, I would be okay with that.”

His face filled with relief. “Yeah?”

I nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

With a chuckle he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. It was a soft, sweet, slow kiss, and I finally fell asleep.

Chapter 12

“Venna, wake up.” I felt someone shaking me and rubbed my eyes. I blinked, opening them to stare into the campfire I’d lit. “Come on.”

I found myself pulled to my feet so fast I swayed. “What’s going on?”

Henry took my shoulders in his hands and bent to look me in the eyes. “We have to go.”

“What?” I glanced around to see the party was still going strong around us. The music was loud and fast. The smell of beer and smoke filled the air. “Why?”

He didn’t answer me and tugged me along behind him for the trail leading back to the mustang.

“Henry,” I pulled on his arm, forcing him to stop and face me. “Tell me what’s going on!”

His eyes were fierce as he rounded on me. “Do you feel that?”

I gulped, taking a step back. “What?”

“Concentrate. Close your eyes.”

I shook my head, “I don’t understand.”

“Do it.”

“Fine.” The second I closed my eyes, focused on feeling anything at all, I felt a chill run through me.

Anger, hate, pain, and even more malice than I thought was possible thickened the air. It surged through me, overwhelmed me. It felt as if the air was being pulled from my lungs and the atmosphere heavy enough to smother me.

I opened my eyes and forced the feelings away. I felt relief, but not enough to ease the tremors of fear inside me. The darkness seemed to close in on us and I moved closer to Henry. It felt as if we were surrounded. “What is that?”

“Stay close to me.” He pulled me around so I was in front of him and nudged me forward. “Walk, but don’t make it look like you sense anything.”

I nodded, going for as nonchalant as I could manage. “Where are Zane and Flora?”

“Gone. They left just before I woke you up.” I felt him move closer to my back, his hands settled on my waist. “Do exactly as I say.”

I nodded. “But I don’t understand.”

“Really, the time to stop and explain is not now.”

“Later?”

“Yes.” He pushed me, forcing me to go faster. “I wish…”

“What?” he sounded a little more frantic than he was before.

A scream, one that made every hair stand up on my body, echoed in the woods.

I stumbled to a halt. Henry ran into the back of me. We stayed frozen for a few seconds. Listening. It was a girl. She screamed again, and then suddenly, was cut off.

“Run.” Henry shoved me, none to gently. “Run, Venna.”

I ran. Hard. My feet were killing me. My hands and legs shook. Henry was right behind me, urging me on. He was so close I could hear him breathing. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t look back. Just run.” He roared. “No!”

A bright flash of emerald light filled the woods.

I turned back.

Henry was gone.

“Run!” he shouted, but I couldn’t see him. “Run, Venna!”

I bolted down the trail, heart pounding in my chest. I followed the route I’d taken numerous times as a child as I raced for the gate leading to Henry’s house.

Each nerve-wracking footfall took me deeper into the woods.

The trees around me grew dense and the ground uneven with stones and weeds. Large tree roots warranted my jumping over them as I pumped my legs furiously. I could taste the humidity. The smell of dirt and rotted wood flooded my senses. My head swam and eyes watered from the intoxicating perfume.

I didn’t know why I was running, or what I was running from.

But, I trusted Henry.

So I ran faster.

The ground sloped past a rotted tree stump. I took a hard left to avoid it and tripped over a branch hidden by dead leaves. I slammed so hard into the earth felt myself bounce against the ground.

“Venna,” a voice whispered.

I screamed and rolled away. It wasn’t Henry. It didn’t even sound human.

“Venna?” it came at me again from behind. Playful, singsong.

I pushed myself up, and looked around.

No one was there.

I pushed forward, running again, ignoring the pain, and dragging in as many ragged breaths as I could to keep going. Because I knew something was behind me, somewhere. It was so close.

And worst of all, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being hunted.

My legs began shaking as if they would give out and I darted behind a tree to catch my breath. I could feel the cuts on my feet bleeding into the socks I wore. They throbbed. My knees hurt. Everything hurt.

I took several calming breaths through my nose, and readied to start running again. I was so close to the gate of Henry’s backyard. If it was daytime, I would be able to see the ivy-covered fence on the crest of a hill.

“Venna?” A voice sang out, cutting through the eerie silence. “Come play.”

I wasn’t going to utter a word or move. I reached for my cell phone, thinking it was in my pocket, and remembered it was in my backpack back at the campgrounds.

Damn and double damn.

“Boo!”

I shrieked, spinning around to find a man behind me.

He was tall. Almost as tall as Henry. I couldn’t make out much of his face in the darkness, but I could see he had a ponytail. Black hair, maybe. I was too dazed to focus on what he looked like, and instead tried to shove past him.

“You didn’t think I’d let you escape, did you?” He forced me back against the tree and bent close, placing his hands on either side of my head. Shiny black eyes, twinkling with a sinister playfulness that was the most visual example of insanity I’d ever seen, seemed to light the area around his face. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re needed alive.” His breath licked my skin. I cringed away from a burning sensation, a fire, as he hissed in my ear. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I balled my fists, ready to fight. He chuckled, backing away to watch me with inhuman eyes. His right hand twitched and his facial expression brightened. He was excited, in a happy, psychotic way.

“Oh, this is just wonderful. I’m sorry Henry isn’t here. I’d love to see his face,” he said.

Maybe I’d be able to stall him, buy some time. What I would do with that time was beyond me. “H-how do you know Henry?”

“I hate him.” He snarled, going from insane happy man, to insanely angry man. It wasn’t the reaction I’d hoped for. He looked even more deranged. Again his hand twitched, the same way the cowboys hands did in old western movies before they reached for their gun in a standoff.

“Henry was right behind me.” I could lie. Zane did all the time.

“You think the prince will save you?”

“Prince?” I squeaked.

“Yes, His Royal Highness is a little tied up at the moment.” He laughed.

“What did you do to him?” I kicked his legs and hit his chest. “Where is Henry?”

He didn’t flinch, “I can see why he finds you so attractive, red hair, blue eyes. Not common at all.”

Shifting so our faces were inches apart, he grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips. Not breaking our eye contact, he laid a kiss on the back of it.

My skin burned, flames shot up my arm as if someone stabbed me with a hot poker.

I screamed, jerking my hand back.

“You might have been queen one day. Henry obviously cares a great deal for you,” he said.

Squaring my shoulders and bracing my feet, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I would fight my way free from him or die trying.

“Who are you and what do you want with me?”

“Oh, forgive me, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Cal. I have a friend who wants to use you for…well, I’m not sure exactly. I don’t see why he would want you.” He fisted a hand in my hair, forcing my head back and turning my face from side to side, squinting like I confused him. “You don’t look very powerful. Your aura is almost weak. Of course, once he’s finished, I’ll have you all to myself.”

I slapped his face with every ounce of strength I possessed.

“Venna, I don’t want to kill you,” Cal screamed wildly, eyes illuminating from within, crazy with rage as he tried to subdue me. His hands flew to my throat, squeezing enough to make me gag.

I hit and kicked him, trying to wriggle away, and the feeling that I was fighting a losing battle swept over me. But I wasn’t going to make this easy, or go with Cal quietly. He’d see me as his worst nightmare, and if he did kill me, I’d haunt him until the day he died.

I grabbed a chunk of his long hair and yanked hard, my knee went up to connect with whatever part of his body I could reach.

He anticipated it.

My feet left the ground and I flew backwards, slamming into the tree.

The bark dug into the skin on my bare shoulder and pain radiated through me instantly, unbearably. A rush of hot tears clouded my vision.

I fell to the ground and rolled onto my back, thinking I’d play possum and lunge for his throat when he least expected it.

He knelt next to my head, brushing rough fingers through the stream of tears running down the side of my face. “Maybe I will kill you. I’m sure we can find someone else,” he muttered darkly, eyes alight with pleasure. “But how? Which way would be most fun?”

I flailed, hitting him as he wrapped his hands back around my throat. At first I tried to push him away, dig for his menacing eyes, but other things started happening.

Blood trickled from his nose, a large gash appeared on his forehead, and then I heard a stomach-turning crack.

I gasped in horror.

His right leg jutted out, stuck at an unnatural angle.

“Damn you!” Cal howled in agony and raised his fists high over my head. I held my breath, bracing myself for more pain.

In a blur he flew back, crashing into a tree so hard the ground shook. The roots ripped free of the earth. I looked up to see Zane standing over him with his arms crossed. His blond hair was mussed and windblown, chest heaving.

Cal raised his hands and bright white bolts of light shot from his fingers. I couldn’t do anything to protect my brother and watched helplessly.

Zane disappeared right before my eyes. He was just gone! The white lights hit the tree next to me, crackling like lightning.

It snapped in half. I kicked my legs, crawling backwards as fast as I could to avoid being crushed. But the tree hit never the ground.

Hazarding a glance up, I saw that several large branches were floating in the air above me, along with the top half of the tree.

The sight transfixed me.

How was this possible?

“Zane, move!” Henry bellowed. I tore my gaze away from the amazing sight above me to look for Henry. The rage in his voice would no doubt flame in his eyes like a green inferno.

Zane shot past me, his figure blurring. The top half of the tree rocketed through the air, heading straight for Cal. Not wanting to see what was left of the evil man I closed my eyes, trembling.