Casted (Casted series) (19 page)

I stepped up to take a closer look. Edge placed his hands on my shoulders, “I believe I was about four when that picture was taken,” he said.

“This is your house?”

“Yes. It was my mothers and she passed it down to me,” he said, slipping his hand down my arm and linking his fingers through mine. “Come, I want to show you something else.”

“There’s more?”

Edge let a soft laugh out as he walked over and pushed a button on the wall. The glass shimmered and then disappeared.

I let go of his hand and darted to the balcony railing. Water, sand and blue sky–it was a picture of perfect harmony. I pulled in a deep breath of salty air and held it before letting it go on a huge exhale of happiness. The book fluttered in agreement and this time it felt right. Like the book was supposed to be there. Edge was supposed to be there and I was supposed to be with him.

Strong arms wrapped around me and I leaned into them–into him. I knew at that moment that I would give into what the book wanted. I knew what I had to do. Just like my mother had and who knows who else before us did too.

I wasn’t exactly letting the book get what it wanted. I had to pick my battles, and this was one I wasn’t even close to winning. The pages fluttered in my mind as if agreeing with my thoughts.

“It’s pretty secluded here, so we shouldn’t run into any unwanted guests,” Edge said as he pulled me away from the railing. “But I want to go over some security details with Matheson. And I have to get with Jude to make sure the computers are up and running.”

“Do you mind if I stay up here?” I asked.

“Not at all.” He winked. “I’ll be back soon.” He lifted my fingers and placed a soft kiss on them before turning to leave.

I stood at the balcony watching the waves crash against the sand. Seagulls darted in the briny air. A cool breeze slid along my skin keeping me cool while I let my thoughts drift. The book pages in my mind fluttered, as if they too were experiencing the calm I felt.

I sighed, wishing there was a way to communicate with the book. I’d tell it to give me a little space and I’d do what it wanted of me. It sure would make me feel better to feel like there wasn’t a third party watching every move I made–watching every encounter with Edge.

My name became a whisper on the breeze. I tilted my head to catch what it was saying. The book took over, forcing me to step backwards until I was sitting on a thick rug. My eyes closed and the whisper became the sound of pages fluttering.

Blackness surrounded me, holding me in place as an old wooden table appeared with the thick leather tome resting atop it. The cover flipped open and the pages ruffled front to back, front to back, and then settled in the middle. I tried to step back, but my body wouldn’t budge. Wisps of smoke rose from the book as the image of a woman appeared. Her full body never emerged from the pages. It was as if the book was still holding onto a part of her.

“Mmmmm, I do love the South of France,” she said, exhaling a deep breath.

How was this happening and who was this woman?

Her eyes snapped to my face.

“Who am I?”

Her misty body bolted forward at me. “You would do well to mind your Elders, little girl,” she spat.

“You can hear my thoughts?”

Her tethered body turned away from me, back to the book. Her image flickered, and once again she was facing me.

“You accepted the book, therefore accepting me.”

“I did accept the book, but I had no idea you were a part of it. I’m really sorry, but I have no idea who you are.”

Her shifting body grew larger. “I am of the Original Coven. I am the one they fear and whisper about. I can, and will, destroy all who try to keep me locked inside these pages. I will destroy you, little girl, if you do not carry out my legacy.”

“Please, I mean you no disrespect by my questions.”

“Do you think to fool me as others have? I’ve waited a long time for this and you will not fail me.”

I struggled with what to say. How was I supposed to figure any of this out when she wouldn’t even tell me who she was and why she was trapped in a book?

Her wispy evanescent body wrapped around mine. I could feel traces of energy where her fingers trailed along my skin.

Her form snapped back to the book as she tapped her fingers against her lips in thought.

“You honestly have no idea who I am…” She almost sounded shocked.

“No, I honestly don’t.”

Her eyes squinted in aggravation. “Very well then.” She snapped her fingers and a chair appeared. “Sit,” she ordered.

I slid into the small seat and waited.

“If you are to fulfill the destiny I have set upon you, then it is imperative that you know the history of this book. Once told to you, you will remember all I’ve said, but you will not be able to speak of it.” She pierced me with a menacing look.

I nodded for her to continue as I swallowed the lump of fear stuck in my throat.

“Do I scare you, little girl?” she asked with a bubble of laughter.

I couldn’t help but think that the apparition in front of me was stark raving mad.

Whether she chose to ignore my thought or was too caught up in her own merriment, I was glad she let my frantic thought go.

“I’m going to tell you a little story,” she began. “Hundreds of years ago, the Original Coven came to be. Magic was in its infancy and those who began to wield it were shunned from their homes. They met others of their kind and formed a society–which is why they are called the Original Coven.”

“After years of hiding, the Coven numbers grew. People of magic were splitting off and creating their own Covens under the blessing of the Originals. As time went on, the magic became stronger as people of the craft united and created life between them.”

“I was born into the second generation of the Original Coven. At the age of 16, I was told about my future husband, preordained to him, as the Originals call it. By the time I was 18, we were married with a baby due any day.”

“Our Coven was attacked late in the night as the cries of my newborn daughter pierced the air. A sister Coven had turned against us. Wanting control over all of the Covens, they chose to try and take out the Originals in their quest for power. My husband and daughter died that night.”

A misty tear slid down her face and disappeared.

“I survived, but with survival came guilt. Guilt so profound, that it turns to madness, a madness that could only be contained in this book.” Her hand slid along the edge of the pages making them ruffle.

“You see, I cannot rest until they pay for taking my loves away from me. I will not rest until the past is righted and the Triad is no more!” She slammed her hand against the table.

“You are not ready for my name, little girl. As it contains the power of the book of spells that my soul inhibits. I will do as you’ve asked and grant you the time you need alone with your preordained, so long as you complete the spell in return.”

She waited for me to answer. Seconds ticked by as I processed what she had told me. I wasn’t going to be able to speak of this–but really, what did she tell me that was so top secret?

“Will you tell me your name when I complete the spell?”

“When the time is right, I will tell you who I am. What you ask for is a gift and a curse, little girl, one that you aren’t ready to bear.”

Her form began to slide back down into the pages of the book. They fluttered softly as the cover closed. The book sank down into the wooden table and everything went black.

I blinked my eyes, adjusting to the brightness of the room. All was quiet in my head and I wasn’t sure if I should be concerned or elated because of it. How long before the book was back–before she was back? One thing was for certain. She had a serious hatred of the Triad. Did Lorenzo know who the book contained? Was he out to destroy it before it could destroy him? And how did I fit in to all of it?

All I could say for certain right now was that I had a crazy lady haunting the book inside my head. How on earth could one person get so lucky? My sarcastic thoughts were interrupted as Edge opened the door and found me on the floor.

“Why are you laying on the floor when there’s a perfectly good bed right over there?” he asked as he strode over to help me up. “Everyone is downstairs and rumor has it, Julie is making dinner,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“Lead on,” I said, pulling him out the door.

Everyone was outside, soaking up the last remaining rays of the sun even though it hadn’t been but a handful of days that we’d been underground. By the looks of the smiling faces around me, I knew Edge had done the right thing by bringing us here.

Dagger sat up on the chaise lounge he was sprawled in. “I walked the perimeter. Nice place you got here,” he said to Edge.

“Thanks. I think we’ll be just as safe here as we were in the cave. Jude has the security cameras online now, so taking outside shifts won’t be necessary,” Edge replied.

Rainy linked her arm through mine. “We’re going to go stick our feet in the water,” she said to whoever was listening and pulled me down the steps.

The warm breeze tossed our hair as we made our way down to where the water was lapping at the sand. The frothy water bubbled over my toes as my feet sank a little into the cool wet sand. The sun was beginning to set, leaving streaks of pinks and oranges against the sky. Rainy let go of my arm and spun in circles, kicking droplets of cool water into the air with her every turn. I couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of someone losing themselves so completely to the moment.

She stopped spinning and came to stand beside me again. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed this,” she said with a goofy smile on her face.

“How are you holding up?” she said, bumping her shoulder into mine. “We haven’t really had much of a chance to talk lately.”

It made me feel bad. Jessa and Rainy had been my only support for years and in the past few weeks, we had hardly said more than a few words to each other.

“I’m okay.” I smiled. Rainy’s eyes betrayed her smile. She was worried about me. I could tell. But what was I supposed to say? That it would be okay? I owed her more than that nondescript short reply.

“Honestly, Rainy, I wish I had a better answer to give you. Right now, figuring this out will be up to me. I’m not sure how much I like the idea that a book was pretty much taking control over my life.”

“We can keep trying, you know. Did your mother say anything more about how she bound the book before?”

I waited for the book to do the normal bang and slam thing inside my head, but it didn’t come. She’d kept her promise of leaving me alone- for now.

“I haven’t finished it yet. She had names of people who she’d met up with, but no explanation as to why. It’s like the book kept her from giving any details.”

“Maybe she just thought that it would never come to this,” Rainy whispered. “It’s possible she thought that once the book was bound, it was over.”

I wanted to tell her about the book and what the woman had said to me, but the words wouldn’t come. They were stuck in my head, just like she’d promised. I highly doubted my mother thought it could be over. Especially if the woman in the book told her what she had told me. The hate that had fueled her for revenge wasn’t going to just sit idly by while the Triad was still around causing problems.

How long would it be before Lorenzo put it all together? Could he really have accepted Edge’s explanation of using a Mick librarian to find the coveted book? Something wasn’t right and I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

Rainy jiggled my arm to get my attention. “Earth to Jade… Did you hear anything I just said?” She pointed at the house. “It’s starting to get dark. We should head in.”

“You’ve been awfully quiet lately,” she said, as we started walking back to the house. She placed a gentle hand on my arm and lightly squeezed. “I just want you to know that whatever is going on, I’m here for you…ok?”

“Thanks, Rainy,” I said, bringing my hand up to rest on top of hers.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I chose to stay out on the deck and watch the stars as they began to appear in the sky. It would only be a matter of time before someone came looking for me. So far, the woman in the book had kept her promise. But for how long? I knew she wouldn’t wait forever. I just hoped that she would give me more than just a few days. There was nothing like feeling pushed. And what she was asking of me wasn’t something I wanted to rush into. It wasn’t like picking out new furniture. This was a huge decision.

Dagger came out and sat down in the chair beside me. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. Everyone was settling in for the night. I could hear them chatting back and forth. Some were saying goodnight while others found a quiet corner to curl up and read. My eyelids were getting heavy as the breeze coaxed me into a tranquil state.

I rubbed my dry eyes and forced myself to sit up. Dagger shifted to look at me.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Alright, I suppose.”

He grunted in acknowledgement.

I smirked. “So you and Jessa, huh?”

Dagger dipped his head and smiled.

“For the longest time, I thought it would be you. Now I realize that it was just the need to play the protector that drove me for so many years. It’s funny how all this worked. I found Jessa and I kept you safe until I could get you to Edge, like it was meant to be.”

“I’m really happy for you guys,” I told him.

“Thanks,” he said as he lifted his eyes to meet mine.