Precious Anathema (9 page)

“
Delilah, calm down
sweetie
I am
not
afraid of you please
don’t be afraid of
me
. Your powers are growing at a rapid pace since you have been
at the estate and you could
easily
put us into early hurricane season.” He laughed
and took my hand again. I took a deep breath and looked at the sky
above us. No more clouds in sight, no thunder, no rain. I was
causing all of this and I was afraid, not from him, not the curse,
not the estate, only from myself.

SIX

“
Xander, why does your
family stay here if you know what could happen, what has happened
over the years. I would think you should hate us.” Xander ran his
thumb over my hand and looked into my eyes.

“
It is just as important to
my family to rid the world of this curse as it is to yours honey,
and we stay because we are all in this together. Even Emma had no
idea she was creating a curse when she cast the spell. We stay
because in a sense we are all lost and together we are not alone I
guess.” I listened to his words, spoken slow and calm and wanted to
scream at him in a fit of irrationality. I took a breath and looked
out to the ocean before opening my mouth.

“
Do you have any idea how
weird that sounds to someone for the first time?” He shrugged and
nodded.

“
I can understand how it
would seem strange, but until the curse is broken where else would
we go? Always wondering, forever suffering in the hope that it had
been lifted, just makes more sense for us to be around and know.” I
let go of his hand realizing that all of this information was being
jammed down my throat for one reason today, because I was the Grace
that could lift the curse, and that’s what he really wanted, not
me.

“
So, you are not here with
me today because it’s your job or because my Grandmother made you,
but can you tell me that you are not here because you are trying to
convince me to go through with whatever it is I have to do to break
this freaking curse so you can run far away from here and never see
me again?” He ran his hands through his hair and pulled hard as he
made a deep noise and stood up, obviously pissed off.

“
Delilah, you are either
going to trust me or not, that is up to you but I am here because I
want to be here with you. I have no doubt that you will do what you
think is best whether I
am
involved or
not
so take your trust issues somewhere else
and
stop
trying
to shove me under a guilt driven bus!” He walked away and left me
sitting alone, I guess he should have since he was right. I just
wanted to be angry and unfortunately he was an easy target right
now, I had never been able to deal with feeling angry very well and
this was turning into a perfect example of that.

*

I walked away from her to hide the
guilt on my face, I still didn’t know what to do and feared I had
just lied to her. I knew that I had to lock the curse away, and
that once it was inside her that meant one thing. If I didn’t do it
we were doomed in hell and the curse would never truly be lifted. I
couldn’t hide my feelings though, and the more time I spent with
her I felt them growing in my heart. I wanted to protect her, save
her, make her scream my name at night and yet I was supposed to do
the unthinkable. I couldn’t let her see me fighting myself like
this or she would know, as her powers were growing I wasn’t sure
that she wouldn’t touch me soon and know anyway. I had to make my
choice, and I had to seal our fates with it.

*

I got up and ran behind him, I didn’t
wait for him to stop or turn around I just started
talking.

“
Xander, I have only had my
Mom my whole life. I have never had to trust like this before, and
I have never had this much anger inside me that she left me. I
don’t know why I want to lash out and I am sorry, I’ve just had my
mother die and found out that I have over a hundred years of angry,
downright bitchy and untrustworthy witches in my family line. I am
freaking out inside and I don’t know what to do with it all.” He
stopped walking but didn’t turn around as he spoke.

“
I know exactly what you
can do with all of it Delilah.” He was quiet for a moment and then
turned around and grabbed me at my waist, pulling me so close to
him that our bodies were in a hot make out session before his lips
even met mine. My whole body relaxed in his embrace and I felt the
heat on my skin from the sun again, mixed with a new sensation that
shot down my legs and made my toes tingle. He was everything that
scared me, everything that made my heart race and my feet want to
run away and he was just what I needed.

*

Walking into the estate I felt a glow
about me I had never had before, I felt beautiful and confident for
the first time in my eighteen years, I was becoming the woman I
wanted to be and I knew what I had to do. I heard feet shuffling
from the sitting room and Eris almost screamed when she ran into
the parlor and saw my face.

“
Yay, you got laid!” I
tried to laugh but started to choke as she grabbed me and started
jumping up and down. I pushed her away and caught my
breath.

“
No Eris, I didn’t get
laid!” Her eyes were wide in disbelief.

“
Don’t lie to me young
lady, women have that glow for one reason, and that comes from the
big O.” I had never had the bog O so I certainly didn’t know what
she was talking about, but I couldn’t imagine that it felt better
than I did at this moment so she was probably right about my glow,
just not why I had it.

“
I am not lying, we talked
and kissed and that’s it I swear.” She grabbed my arms and looked
me in the eye with a very solemn face.

“
Delilah, I have to ask you
something and it’s very serious, have you ever had your toes curl
from sex?” I started to walk off and she grabbed my arm. “I am
serious, have you?” I turned around, not that it was any of her
business but I knew she wouldn’t leave me alone until I answered
her.

“
No Eris, I haven’t. I told
you on the way here I have not had very much experience with sex
and I use the term experience loosely at that, I don’t think three
minutes would make any woman’s toes curl.” She let go of my arm but
her face went from sorry to excited.

“
That is something I think
Xander will have to change for you honey, if he can make you glow
like this from a kiss I can’t wait to see you after he worships
you.” She winked and walked away as I heard laughter from the
stairs. I looked up and of course Selene was leaning over the
railing and heard everything. I rolled my eyes at her and couldn’t
hold it in.

“
I am starting to think you
are a cockroach, every time I turn around your there, and then you
scatter as quickly as you came.” Without missing a beat she stopped
laughing and looked me in the eye.

“
At least I can say I came,
maybe I should pay Xander a visit so he can spend some time with a
real woman before he has to babysit you again.” I walked up the
stairs and passed her without a look, but she wouldn’t stop. “I
wonder if he gets paid extra to be a nanny for Gram.” She started
walking down the stairs when I heard her yell out in pain, looking
over the railing I saw Freya in the parlor. She had heard
everything and now Selene had to deal with her. I went to my room
and shut the door, the sun was setting and from my window I could
see that Xander had put lights under my window so I could see the
garden at night. I collapsed in a chair when I noticed a large book
on my bed; a little hesitant I stood up and went to the bed. The
book looked very old and fragile but I sat down and opened it up.
It was a journal, it was Emma’s journal and it was in my room. This
was going to be a long night and I wished I had a coffee maker in
my room as I began reading. It told the story from her side, all of
it. The heat the love the passion that she shared with Jim, the
hatred she knew her mother had toward her. Being treated more like
a slave than a daughter and even the death of her mother. Before I
knew it I looked out my window and the sun was coming up, I had
been up reading all night and still hadn’t gotten to the part I
needed to know about, no one was telling me what I had to do to
break this curse, and as the sun came through my window I drifted
off to sleep. I dreamed of walking through the most beautiful
garden with Xander, amazing hedges everywhere the eye could see,
they rose higher and higher as we walked until I couldn’t see over
them, it was a beautiful rose smelling maze of hedges. Xander and I
walked hand in hand, smiling and stealing kisses I had never felt
so happy, and then I lost the feeling of his touch and his image
started to fade from my mind as the sky became darker around me,
and the hedges seemed to grow even taller and as I walked they
almost seemed to move, to confuse me. I turned around to get out of
the garden but a wall was behind me where I had just walked, I saw
an opening and began running. The sky was almost black and I had to
use my hands to feel for openings in the maze. I screamed for
Xander but only heard a woman’s laughter and men screaming for
help, I ran to help them but the sounds got farther and farther
from me the faster I ran, the sounds of men screaming rang through
my ears as I ran, scared and lost I fell on the ground. The hedges
began to close around me, I was so tired I just lay on the ground
crying, begging for help. I felt the branches around my feet and
hands, climbing like vines up my arms and legs. I tried to struggle
free and they tightened around me up to my waist and then my ribs,
I panicked and tried to get up again, they tightened again and I
felt a stab of pain shoot through my body as I heard a cracking
noise. They were breaking my ribs, I screamed out as I felt them
creep up my neck. Everything went black as I tried to yell out but
no sound left my mouth.

“
Help me someone
please
!” I awoke with Eris and Carna
standing over me in my room. I was on the floor and had a horrible
pain in my chest. I had fallen out of bed during my dream. Carna
reached down to help me to my feet.

“
Honey, you have been in
here screaming for five minutes are you ok?” As she touched my hand
to help me on my feet she let go sending me back onto my ass, eyes
wide and a look of terror on her face. “Delilah, you saw it didn’t
you?” She backed up, looking scared.

“
What did I see Carna, I
had a hell of a nightmare but what does that have to do with
anything?” A voice I recognized came from the hall said it all, and
I felt faint as Freya came into the room.

“
It wasn’t a dream Ella; it
was the first clue to where you need to go for the
cure.”

SEVEN

The Cure, they made it sound like
cough medicine only this medicine could kill me and apparently from
my dream that was its intention. I sat in my room alone all
morning, thinking about my nightmare, thinking about my decision. I
had sent everyone away once I realized what Freya was telling me
and hadn’t spoken or seen anyone since. I wanted to sneak out my
window and walk back to Nebraska where I was an average, awkward
girl. I wanted to crawl in my bed and forget about everything, but
my fear of sleeping wouldn’t let that happen again for some time. I
heard a knock at my door and a note slid underneath, I picked it up
and it simply said

‘
Can we come in sweets?
–Aunts
’

I opened the door and walked back to
my bed where I plopped and hugged my pillow. They both walked in
without a word. Kali had a beautiful cup of coffee for me and Carna
had a muffin and a smile as they sat at the foot of my bed. Kali
took a deep breath and just started telling me about the
cure.

“
We have decided we are not
going to let you suffer anymore, you need to know what the cure is,
where it is and what is expected of you Hun. Freya thinks we need
to give you more time but this curse is clearly messing with you
already, and that means it knows you are here to kill it Ella so
the more you know the better it will be for everyone, even if you
decide not to do it.” I heard a lawn mower out my window and
couldn’t help my head from turning, seeing him outside my window
made me smile and my Aunts saw me light up at the sight of him
which changed the subject immediately.

“
Ella, I know that we are a
little different than your mom in many ways, but Xander is an
amazing young man from a very loving and loyal family, if we were
you we would have jumped on that already, and yes we know you
haven’t and we know why.” I blushed as Carna took my hand. “You
know we aren’t trying to embarrass you right? We have always talked
to our girls this way because of the curse; we always had to be
open with them. You are a grown woman and you are an amazing one at
that honey, you deserve to let your guard down and have some fun.”
Carna winked at me as she looked out the window and started fanning
herself, Kali laughed and pushed her off the bed, and it was just
what I needed to relax a little. Laughter was the cure all for me,
and my aunts already knew that it seemed. Carna crawled back up to
the bed and we calmed down as she shoved Kali and sat back
down.