Secrets and Lies (Cassie Scot) (37 page)

“What do you want?” Evan asked.

“I-where have you been all weekend?”

“Busy.”

“With what?”

“You’re not my keeper.”

I took a step back, trying to regroup, but finding I had no footing for what was happening.

“You did talk to my father, didn’t you?”

“Wednesday night, after you left my house.”

“What did he do?”

Evan stared past me, at something in the distance only he could see. “Let’s just say, he settled your debt.”

For a second, I considered arguing that I didn’t care what my father had done. The debt was between the two of us, and always would be. But thinking about his reservations when it came to how I felt about him, I chose a different tactic.

“So I don’t owe you anything?”

“No.”

“I still love you.”

Something flashed across his face – something like agony, I thought – but it went away so quickly I wasn’t quite sure.

“It would never work between us,” Evan said. “There’s too much hatred between our families.”

“What did he
say
?” My body felt numb all over. This couldn’t be happening, whatever
this
was. I should at least understand.

“I’m leaving town for a while,” Evan said. “It’s-it’s over between us.”

“Just like that? No.” I shook my head. “There’s no way Grace’s prophecy was this straightforward. No.”

“It is, though.”

“Did my dad put some kind of spell on you?” I asked, still not quite able to believe the things my best friend was saying to me.

“No.” But he said it too quickly, and that made me more suspicious than ever.

“I’ll find out.”

“Don’t.”

I shook my head. “If I don’t owe you a debt any longer, you can’t order me around.”

We squared off, with him giving me looks that, to anyone else, would have seemed quite threatening. I wasn’t afraid of him, though, and I let him know it. He looked away first.

“Good-bye, Cassie.” With that, he closed the door in my face.

I’m not sure how long I stood there, staring at the grain patterns of the oak door, as if it could tell me what Evan had not. I rang the doorbell a few times, but the door didn’t open. I couldn’t even hear Evan moving inside. Finally, with every part of my body numb save my aching heart, I walked away.

E
VAN DIDN’T MOVE FROM THE FRONT
window until Cassie’s taillights
disappeared from view. Then, with a bellow of rage, he shattered the glass, barely noticing when fragments embedded themselves in his skin. He stalked back into the den, his eyes flying almost automatically to the small velvet box on the end table. Inside was his grandmother’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring. Only two weeks ago she had assured him that one day soon, he would need it. So much for her ability to see the future; she couldn’t even see the past.

He’d done it. He’d known what he would have to do, had even rehearsed it, but he hadn’t understood how it would make him feel inside. God, she’d hate him now! He deserved it, but that didn’t make it any easier for him to bear. Grabbing the box from the table, Evan opened it and sank heavily onto the sofa, thinking back to the night he had lost Cassie forever. It wasn’t tonight, as she probably supposed. It had been Wednesday night, and she hadn’t even been there. It had only been Evan – and her father.

* * *

When Cassie had told him she loved him, he should have felt elated – victorious. Instead, he felt all twisted up inside, worried that it wasn’t real. Even before the life debt, his kiss had always made him worry that he wouldn’t know real love when it came along. With Cassie, he thought it would be obvious. It wasn’t. Even looking into Cassie’s eyes, and knowing her as he did, he feared he had somehow coerced her. And he knew of only one way to find peace or certainty. It was ironic, he supposed, that in order to keep her forever, he would have to first let her go. A few short weeks ago he refused to give her up, clinging to whatever part of her he could. Now he knew that part hadn’t been the one that mattered.

“Hello, Mr. Scot,” Evan said, stepping into the man’s foyer. He didn’t expect to be allowed further inside, and the man didn’t disappoint him.

“What do you want?”

Straight to the point, then. “Your son approached me a couple of weeks ago, offering to buy Cassie’s debt. At the time, I wasn’t interested. But now, I think it might be for the best. Only I’d feel more comfortable dealing with you.”

For some reason, Edward’s mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” He wouldn’t go into his reasons, not with this openly hostile man who wouldn’t believe him for a second. He wondered if they would ever find common ground, for Cassie’s sake, but doubted it.

Edward Scot looked over his shoulder. Evan didn’t sense anyone, but Edward still activated a rune to encompass them both in silence, not permitting any word that passed between them to be overheard.

“What’s that for?” Evan asked.

“She doesn’t owe you a thing and you know it.” Edward’s cold assertion sank like needles into Evan’s skin, and were the last words he had expected to hear.

“I hate to disagree with you, but I did save her life.” Quickly, Evan added, “I don’t think it matters, though. I’m in love with your daughter.”

“If you loved her, you’d let her go. How could you even think of trapping her like this after what you did to her?”

Evan blinked. “What did I do, exactly?”

Edward gave the younger man a shrewd, piercing look. “Don’t you know? I would have thought your father would brag about it.”

This was quite enough, Evan decided. He was perfectly prepared to be reasonable, but he wasn’t going to let Edward level these unfounded, veiled accusations. “If you don’t tell me what you’re talking about, I’ll hang onto the debt. I just thought this way might be best for everyone involved.”

“You really don’t know?” Edward gaped, clear astonishment written across his face. “I can’t tell her, you know.” Edward gestured at the rune hanging from the amulet around his neck as if that explained everything. “Even after everything he did to me, I owed your father a debt, and he asked me never to tell Cassie what he did. Can’t imagine why he wanted that price, but it’s been hanging over my head ever since.”

“What did my father do?” Evan asked, pronouncing each word slowly and purposefully.

Sparks flew dangerously from Edward’s fingertips. “I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out by now. Let’s do some math. Two children born to powerful families within twenty-four hours of one another. One, mysteriously, with no magic at all. The other has more than twice the expected amount.”

Evan felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. For a second, he didn’t understand, then he didn’t want to understand. After that he didn’t believe. Then he didn’t want to believe. “I-that’s impossible. How is that possible?”

“Ask your father,” Edward said, “and let me know what you find out. Not that it would help anything, but I’d love to know how he did it.”

“How do you know that he did, then?”

“Oh, I know,” Edward said. After a pause, he added. “Haven’t you hurt her enough?”

Evan closed his eyes against a wave of anguish. He had no idea what to say, so he left, barely noticing what he was doing even when he climbed into his car and headed for his lonely home.

He stayed awake all night, agonizing over what to do. He considered telling her the truth, hoping they could work something out. Would she understand? Could she find it in her heart to forgive him?

Could they possibly have a future together with this hanging between them?

The next day she had confirmed his worst fears:
I would never forgive someone who did that to me, and I’d find some way to get revenge.

* * *

The overhead light gleamed off the brilliant blue sapphire for another moment, then Evan shut the box with a loud snap. He hated himself, hated the whole godforsaken world. He had botched everything, including his breakup with Cassie. She hadn’t believed his lie for a second, even though it caused her obvious pain. She knew him too well, and sooner or later, she would learn the truth – whether he told her or not.

So tell her
, said the irrational part of his mind that still wanted to reason with the universe.
If you tell her, she’ll understand
.

Right. She wouldn’t blame him in the least. She’d take his word for it that he hadn’t known until a few days ago. And she wouldn’t demand a piece of his magic for herself.

Her life had been defined by her lack of magic. He knew that better than anyone because she had openly confided in him. But he had been defined by strength of magic, too. It was a part of him. It was his!

He hadn’t faced his father yet. Maybe that would help, but he doubted it. He wasn’t even sure he would be able to stand the sight of the man afterward. He had a sudden flash of insight into how Cassie must have felt when her father disowned her, and then another, far more troubling insight: He knew how Cassie would feel when she learned the truth for herself.

He’d lost her. For a minute, he held his dreams of the future in his mind: Cassie, her belly swollen with his child – maybe even the third or fourth – by his side while he tried to save the world. She’d offer him her insights and perspectives, and maybe even a touch of that intuition she tried to deny, and he’d keep her safe despite her tendency to fall headfirst into danger. She would be a great mother, and their children would be powerful. Maybe even strong enough to undo the damage their selfish grandfathers had wrought.

The dream exploded into a million tiny fragments. When the dust settled, all that remained was a single personal resolve: Somehow, he wouldn’t let his power go to waste. It had cost him too much.

End

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that affects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams.

Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children, Drake and Celeste.

http://www.christineamsden.com

Cassie Scot series

Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective
Book 1

Secrets and Lies
Book 2

Mind Games
(May 2014) Book 3

Other books by Christine

Touch of Fate
, paranormal mystery

The Immortality Virus
, SF

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