Storm: The Empire Chronicles (13 page)

“Yes, more than once.” Albeit she only remembered meeting me once.

“His mother helped him conjure the veil. I can almost guarantee it.” Cleo nodded.

“But why? We need to erase this veil, but we need to find out why we’re here first.”

“Maybe she’s sending him a message? Mothers will go to great lengths to protect their children.” Mom seemed to contemplate something. “You should start with Elana. Maybe she knows.”

“I will. But I can’t do it without Jared.”

“I know you didn’t come here for information, so what else is there I can do for you?” Cleo addressed Mom.

“Do you still have the package I left here?”

Cleo nodded. “Of course I do. I would never get rid of your things.”

“Thank you. That’s exactly what we need.”

“I think I know what’s in that package.”

“Your guess is probably right.” Mom stood and walked over to Cleo. Cleo stood and the two embraced.

“Don’t wait so long before you return again.” Cleo smiled.

“I won’t. That will be true whether I remember this conversation or not.”

“These veils are interesting things…”

“Dangerous things you mean.”

“Exactly.” Cleo nodded. “If there is anything Anastasia or I could ever do to help you, we’re here.”

“And the same goes to you.” Mom smiled warmly. “I may not be back for a while, but it holds true.”

“It’s funny that you mention that.” Cleo clasped her hands together in front of her.

“Is everything all right with you?” Concern crossed Mom’s face.

“I realize that Vera may be the only one who remembers this conversation, but I’ll ask anyway. Anastasia would like to do some traveling. I’m not comfortable having her do it alone, but I can’t leave the retreat unattended.”

“I understand.” Mom nodded. I’m sure she knew all about trying to protect a daughter.

“Could we maybe coordinate a trip for our girls together?”

“That sounds like a great plan. If this veil becomes permanent I will ensure it happens.”

“And I’ll ensure it if the veil is erased. You won’t have any clue who I am, but I’ll come by anyway.” I’d make sure of it.

“That would be great!” Anastasia practically jumped up and down in her seat. “I’ve never been anywhere.”

“That’s an exaggeration, sweetie.” Cleo patted her arm.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. “I’ve been to New York. Once.” She seemed younger than her actual age, and I wondered it that came from how protected she was. The poor girl. She needed to get out. Even if we erased the veil I was coming back to get her. She deserved to see more of the world, or at least the area. It’s not like I’d been a world traveler either.

“Do you need to leave immediately?” Cleo asked. “Can you stay a night?”

I shook my head. “I need to find Jared. Once we get the crystals that is.”

“I’ll take care of that.” Mom hurried out of the room, and I assumed she was retrieving the crystals from where she’d left them. I’m wasn’t sure why she’d taken them from Norco. There was so much I didn’t know, and I had a feeling I’d never fully understand.

L
evi
and I were still arguing with Toby when we all turned at the sound of a car coming down the road. A few seconds later Allie’s lavender Land Rover pulled into the driveway. She turned off the car and opened the door slowly.

We all stared as she stepped out. Levi’s eyes widened as he saw her for the first time. His whole body stiffened, and he took a step toward her car.

“Uh, what’s going on?” Allie looked to Toby for an answer. She was dressed in a short dress, and both Levi and Toby had definitely noticed. Luckily they snapped out of it long enough to avoid making things worse.

“Are you okay?” Toby watched her with concern.

“Of course I am, but what are you doing here?” Then she turned to where Levi and I waited. “And who are they?”

“I was worried about you.” Toby’s voice was soft, and his concern at least sounded genuine.

She crossed her arms. “I appreciate the worry, but we broke up. It’s not your job to worry about me. Please take your friends and leave. It’s been a long day.”

I couldn’t hold in the smile. Whatever Tiffany thought she’d done hadn’t worked. She definitely wasn’t interested in Toby.

“They’re not my friends.”

“Then who are they?” She watched us with a little bit more apprehension. “Or maybe I should ask you myself. Who are you, and why are you at my house?”

“Your dad sent us.” The excuse slipped off the tip of my tongue.

“My dad?” She put a hand on her hips.

“Don’t believe them.” Toby tried to step between Allie and us.

Levi quickly blocked him. “My father and your father have some business arrangements.” Levi fixed his most dazzling smile on her. “I’m Levi Laurent. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Allie.”

“Uh, nice to meet you too.” She smiled.

Whoa. This was not how it went the first time.

“Allie, step away from him. He’s dangerous,” Toby warned.

“You’re dangerous.” She rolled her eyes.

I laughed. That was Allie for you.

“And who are you?” She turned to me.

“That’s Jared.” Levi’s eyes remained fixed on Allie as he spoke.

“And why are you two here?” Her eyes moved back to Levi. “If my dad sent you, it had to be for a reason.”

“You left the city in a hurry.”

“And my dad noticed?”

“How could anyone not notice you?” Levi’s eyes still hadn’t left Allie.

She blushed. Allie blushing. There was a first time for everything.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and picked up immediately when I saw the unknown number. “Hello?”

“We have what we need, and I may know how and why we’re here.” Vera spoke so fast it was almost impossible to follow.

“Where are you?”

“Almost back to my parents’ house. Can you meet me?”

I looked over to Allie and Levi. They’d probably be better if I got out of there. Toby was sulking, but he wasn’t going to do anything. “I’ll meet you at your house in ten minutes.”

“Great.” She hung up.

I walked over to Levi. “I have to go.”

He nodded. “I’ve got this.”

“Good. I’m hoping you don’t remember any of this, but either way. Take care of her.”

Allie narrowed her eyes. “What is he talking about?”

“He talks in gibberish sometimes.” Levi turned his body as if to block me, and I took it as my out. Then I thought of something. I couldn’t fly in broad daylight.

I turned around. “Toby.”

“What?” He grunted.

“I need a ride.”

“And why would I give you one?” His face said it all. He thought I’d lost my mind.

“Because there’s someone you really need to meet.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“Fine, but it’s your loss. She’s a great girl.”

“I have a great girl.”

“This one’s the one meant for you.” I had to assume I could work on that relationship later if I failed with the veil, but if I wanted any chance to fix it now I had to act.

A black Jeep pulled up at the bottom of the driveway. The driver’s side window rolled down, and it was Chris. “Get in the car.”

“Another friend of yours?” Allie raised an eyebrow.

“Not really.” I hurried over to where Chris waited in the Jeep. I got into the passenger side. He pulled away.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as he sped away from the curb.

“You guys left without me.”

“Because you disappeared.”

“I was trying to help.”

“Help by running off?”

“Help by getting rid of the witches following you.”

“We weren’t followed.” My job was security. I’d have never messed that up.

“No one’s perfect.”

I shrugged off his comment. “What did you do?”

“Nothing that needs to concern you. I called in some favors.”

“Why?” I kept my guard up. “Why would you call in favors to help me?”

“Help you?” He laughed dryly. “I am trying to protect my family.”

“Thanks for the ride. Flying during the day isn’t ideal.”

“Pay me back by making sure my daughters stay safe.”

“I will.”

“And if you break Vera’s heart, I swear I’ll kill you myself.”

“Got it.” I had no intention of ever hurting her. She’d be more likely to break my heart.

Chris drove like a mad man and got us back to Vera’s house in record time.

I jumped out of the car as soon as he parked. I knew she was okay, but that didn’t mean I didn’t need to see her. There something about watching Allie and Levi meet again that made it so much more important.

Vera didn’t make me wait long. She ran out of the house and into my arms. She was wearing a small purse over her shoulder. She never carried a purse, so I assumed she had the crystals inside.

I picked her up. “That’s a nice welcome.”

“We can do this.”

“Your confidence is great.”

“You’re great.” She kissed me hard on the lips.

“Uh, can you guys do that later?” Casey looked away uncomfortably. She seemed so much younger.

“Yes.” I reluctantly put Vera down.

“Vera says I can’t come with you guys.” Casey put a hand on her hip.

Vera nodded. “I don’t want her anywhere near Tiffany.”

“What if she comes here?” Casey asked. Her tone was half annoyance and half worry.

“Chris won’t let anyone hurt you.” I felt way more confident about that now.

“Dad?” Casey looked at me.

“He’s stronger than you think.”

“Are you coming, Taliana?” I wasn’t sure what Vera had discovered. I was hoping she’d explain everything soon, but I trusted her.

“Vera has everything you two need.”

“Does that mean we’re going?” I was anxious to get things moving.

“Isn’t it too bright out to fly?” Vera asked.

“I have another idea.” I pulled out my phone and called Levi.

He picked up after several rings. “Yes?” He was annoyed. I was pulling him from Allie.

“Can I take your plane?”

“Sure. Just make the arrangements.”

“Oh no. We’re not taking the jet.” Vera’s face was a mix of surprise and apprehension.

“Yes we are.” I grinned. “We have some history there, don’t we?”

I
boarded
the Laurent’s private jet again. It wasn’t a new experience this time, but it still felt strange. “I can’t believe we’re taking this plane again.”

“Do you want to get shot down by the government?” Jared walked onboard right behind me.

“Do you really think that would happen?”

“A short flight would be fine, but I’m not risking a cross-country one.”

“It’s not that I’m complaining.” I sat down in one of the leather seats that lined the main cabin. I couldn’t believe how used to luxury transportation I was getting.

“But you like my flights better?” He sat down right next to me.

“Pretty much.”

“Do you remember the first time we were on this plane together?” He turned toward me.

I laughed. “You think I forgot that?”

“You tortured me.”

“And you pretended to be unaffected by it.”

“You knew I was full of it.”

“Oh those simple, easy going days.” I faked a sigh.

He laughed. “Yes, because trying to save Allie, Levi, and Casey was so easy.”

“This is starting to become a pattern for us.”

“Starting to?” He raised an eyebrow.

“All right, it is a pattern.” There was no denying it. Our lives were anything but simple and uneventful. As much as I liked to stay busy, I knew there had to be a better way to do that. “Maybe we need to plan a vacation. A no drama, no saving anyone vacation.” I gazed out the window as the plane took off.

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“It should be.” I watched the ground disappear below us.

“This whole thing is funny if you look at it the right way.”

“Funny?” I tore my eyes from the window. “What could possibly be funny about this?”

“People all wish that they could go back and change things. Right? Like if I only had the chance to make things right? But look at us. Being back is a nightmare, and we’re only making things worse.”

“They say it, but they don’t mean it. It’s just an easy way to punt away our mistakes.”

“What else are we supposed to be doing with our mistakes? We can’t obsess over them our entire lives.”

“I never said they shouldn’t be punted. That’s preferable to what I do. I roll them up into tiny balls and stuff them deep inside. They stay hidden most of the time, but then they reappear keeping me awake at night.” I blinked back tears. I was losing it.

“That may be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I’d have thought you’d have heard much sadder things.”

“I don’t like to hear about you unhappy.”

“You’re not used to feeling. Or caring is what I mean.” I turned things on him. I wasn’t comfortable having everything center on me.

“Not the way I feel about you.”

“I know the feeling, but I don’t think this is the time to talk about it.”

“Agreed. I’ll stop asking questions.”

“Except the important ones about us getting out of this veil.”

“True. Those questions need to be asked.”

“Or I could just tell you.” I pulled my legs up under me. One of the best parts of the Laurent jet was the comfortable seats.

“That might be helpful.”

“Nadia’s mom, Elana, was, or is, a good friend of your mother’s.”

“Do I want to know how you know that?”

“I met some of my mother’s friends.”

“At the retreat?”

“Yes. The woman who runs the place recognized your name.”

His eyebrow shot up. “She knew my name? But I don’t even have a position in The Society at this time.”

“It had nothing to do with a job or even Levi. She knew your mom.”

“Was she a witch?” Jared’s body tensed.

“No.”

“What was she?”

I debated. No one had explicitly said I couldn’t share their identity, but something felt wrong about it. “It’s not important.”

“Of course it’s important. I need to know where your information is coming from.”

I locked eyes with him. “Your information is coming from me.”

“It’s second hand. I need to know the original source.”

“Or what? I mean if you don’t like the source what other lead do you want to follow?” I felt my blood boiling. I didn’t want to get annoyed at Jared, but I was tired and stressed. It didn’t take much to set me off.

“Whoa. Slow down.” He held up his hands in defense. “I’m not trying to pick a fight here. I’m trying to cover all my bases and make sure we’re being smart about things.”

“We’re out of time for any of that. We have to act on this information. Can you imagine what would happen if we stayed here another day?”

“We may be stuck in the veil for more than a day. No matter how reliable this information is, Elana may not be able to help. Being best buds with my mom doesn’t mean she can fix this.”

“But what if your mom sent you back here for a reason?”

“If it was my mom who did it.”

“It wasn’t Tiffany. That makes no sense, and there aren’t all that many other options.”

“Assuming it was my mom, how would she have even known I was with Nadia at this time?”

“You’re asking the wrong person.”

He rested his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. “Fine. We’ll find Elana.”

“It’s okay to be scared. It doesn’t make you any less manly or whatever else you’re worried about being.”

“You think I’m worried about
that
?” He sat up.

“Something’s got you nervous.”

“I’m nervous we’re stuck. I could care less how anyone perceives me.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

“Ok, I care about your opinion, but that has nothing to do with manliness—”

“This isn’t about me,” I interrupted.

“Then who is it about?”

“Your mom. Levi. Allie. The Society. Pretty much everyone but me.”

“Oh yes, because I don’t care about your opinion at all.”

“You don’t. For one reason or another you don’t worry about what I think of you, and that’s awesome. It’s why we work. We can be ourselves with each other. We don’t have to pretend or hold anything back.”

“Which is why you have no problem giving me a piece of your mind right now.” He smiled slightly.

“I’m scared too, you know.”

“Of what?” He asked lightly.

“Of this all being a mistake.”

“All of what? There’s a lot we’re dealing with here.”

“Me coming back with you. Your mother, or whoever else made this veil, couldn’t have intended that I come.”

“Yet you were the one to find our lead.”

“The lead you don’t trust.”

“I trust it, I’m just frustrated you’re not telling me more.”

“I’m being respectful of someone’s privacy.”

“Yes, because I’m going to abuse the information.”

“It doesn’t matter if you never repeat it, I’ve still told you.”

“You are a real stickler for that.” His words didn’t give away whether he felt the same way.

“I want to be a better person, or well Ursus, or whatever. I want to be better.”

“You’re great as is.” He put a hand on my arm. “And beyond finding the lead, you’re the one who thought about the obvious solution to find more crystals. I hadn’t even considered that. I’m lucky you’re back here with me.”

“How did you turn a fight into something sappy?”

“Because your anger isn’t real. At least I don’t think it is.”

“It’s not. At least I’m not mad at you.” I leaned my head on his chest.

“I trust you,” he whispered against my hair. “And because of that I’ll take your word that the source is trustworthy.”

“Thank you.” I didn’t lift my head. I was too comfortable.

“I’m in love with you.”

This time I had to look up. The shock on his face suggested he was surprised the words had left his mouth. The bigger question was whether he believed them.

“I’m in love with you.” He repeated himself, this time with more conviction. “I’m putting that out there with no expectation that—”

“I love you too.” I cut him off before he could make any ridiculously self-deprecating comment insinuating things were one sided.

“Yeah?” There was a question and vulnerability in his eyes I had to get rid of.

I pressed my lips against his, forcing him to open up to me. He quickly responded, wrapping his arms around me as he pulled me onto his lap. The kiss intensified as I buried my hands in his hair. He rested one hand on my hip while his other hand slipped underneath my tank top. I waited impatiently for him to move his hand up further, but he didn’t. Instead he focused on the kiss, making it deeper and hotter.

I slipped a hand under his t-shirt, running my fingers over the muscular planes of his chest.

He broke the kiss as suddenly as I’d started it. “We do a lot of kissing on this plane.”

“Says the boy who doesn’t even like to kiss.”

“Neither do you.”

“I like kissing you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” He put his hands on my hips. “I’ve found kissing can be far more satisfying than I’d originally thought.”

“That was a ten.”

“Oh yeah? I moved out of the eight realm?”

“You moved out of that range forever ago.”

“But I was an eight once?”

“You needed more practice. You’ve had practice.”

“Can I have more practice?”

“You tell me, how much longer is this flight?”

“Long enough to make sure you never rate me below a ten again.”