The Dark Rising (7 page)

“That’s a good improvement, I’d say,” my dad answered.  “And in a short amount of time too.  Let’s go talk things over.”  We followed him, finding Grandma and Babs sitting together on the sofa.

“Well, hello!” Grandma said, looking up in surprise at us when we entered the room with our arms around each other.  “How are things going?”

“We’re good,” I replied, smiling at Vance.

He gave my shoulders a little squeeze and winked at me.  The two of us went over to sit on the loveseat and my dad sat on the arm of the couch next to us.

“Vance says he’s experiencing some feelings for Portia, but he hasn’t regained any of his memories,” Dad explained.

“Well, we came up with an idea that might help you a bit,” Grandma said directly to Vance.

“Let’s hear it,” he replied.

“We thought if we, the members of our coven, could also give you all of the memories we have of you, then it might help to close in some of the gaps and holes you’ve got.  You know, things which Portia’s didn’t fill for you, like interactions with other people you’ve had and such.  How do you feel about that?” she asked him.

“Sounds good to me,” he replied.  “I know Portia’s memories are helping me to sort things out much better.”

“How would we do it though?” I asked.  “I gave Vance those memories through our mental link.  No one else here has anything like that.”

“We came across a blood spell we think will work for us.  It’ll require each member to prick a finger and place a drop of their blood in a bowl,” she explained to him.  “We’ve already contacted the other coven members and they’ve agreed to it.  We can meet together this evening at my house if this is acceptable.”  Grandma glanced back and forth between us.

I turned to Vance for approval.  This was his decision.

“I guess that’d be fine,” he answered.  “Is there anything special I need to do to prepare for it?”

“Just show up,” Grandma said with a smile.

He nodded.  “I can do that,” he replied.  He stood to shake both of their hands.  “I appreciate your concern.”

“We’re just happy you’re with us again,” Babs said with a warm affectionate smile.

“Thank you.”  He smiled back at her.  “I’m glad to be here too,” he added before he glanced over at me.

“Why don’t you kids go do whatever you were doing,” my dad remarked casually, dismissing us from the conversation.  I blushed a bit at the remark, but we both eagerly made our exit. 

We ran up the stairs to my bedroom, hand in hand.  As soon as we went through the door Vance kicked it shut behind us while reaching out to grab me to him, molding me against his wonderful frame.

“So where were we?” he asked, looking down and giving me a seductive smile.

“On the kitchen floor I believe,” I answered in a tease. 

“And a very nice floor it was,” he said, grinning before leaning in to kiss me.  I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his lips connect with mine, and a knock sounded.

He let out an exasperated sigh.

“What now?” he grumbled, resting his forehead against mine for a second before dropping his arms away from me and turning to answer the door.  Krista was standing on the other side.

“Hi,” she said with a smile.  “I’m not interrupting, am I?”

“Not at all,” I lied and Vance stepped aside allowing her to enter.  “Come in.”

She moved around the corner to lean up against the wall.  “I thought I heard you.  I was reading in my room.  Did you enjoy your ride?”

“It was … enlightening,” Vance replied, turning to give me a wink.

“Really?  How so?”

“Well, I realized I have some pretty strong feelings for Portia and we had an interesting discussion about them,” he answered honestly.

“That’s good.”  She gave him a smile, watching him while he came to stand next to me, loosely draping his arm about my shoulders.

She appeared like she was waiting for him to elaborate, but when he didn’t she cleared her throat a bit uncomfortably and glanced down at her bare wrist.

“Look at the time!  It’s well after lunch.   Have you had anything to eat?”  She rubbed at her arm as if to disguise the fact she wasn’t actually wearing a watch.

“No,” we replied in unison.

“I’ll go down and make you something,” she said, quickly turning to leave the room.

Vance stared at me with a moment of regret before he called out after her.  “Wait, Mom.  Portia and I will come help you.”

“No!  I can take care of it,” she called back over her shoulder.  “Don’t trouble yourselves.”

“It’s no trouble at all, Mom,” he answered.  We joined her in the hallway and the three of us went downstairs together.

We filled Krista in on the ritual taking place tonight and invited her to come with us.  She said she would like to participate.

“Mom?  How are feeling about staying here?” Vance asked, changing the subject.  “I thought you might like to rent a place of your own somewhere close by.”

She pondered on this for a moment.  “I think I’d like that.  Sean and Stacey have been wonderful to take me in, but I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”

“I bet we could get her a bungalow at the Fountains at Fontane,” I suggested, referring to the resort which Shelly’s family owned.  “Maybe we could get us one too,” I added as an afterthought.

Vance smiled widely at my suggestion.  “That does sound good.  It would be a temporary place we can stay until we decide what we are going to do with our future,” he said.  “And it has privacy,” he added to me through our mental link.

“I’ll go call Shelly right now,” I replied not wanting to put it off for another minute.  “I think she can tell us what we’d need to get booked without raising any questions.”

“Good idea,” he agreed and I left the room to use the telephone.

Shelly turned out to be a great help.  She was able to get us two bungalows right next to each other.  She also said they’d have them ready in the hour.  I thanked her and told her we would be up sometime after lunch.

I told my dad what we were planning and he volunteered to help us drive all of our things up there to get settled in.  We hurried and ate, before going back upstairs to pack.

“I’m excited about having a place to ourselves,” I said, smiling at Vance while I was pulling my clothing out of the closet.

“Me too,” he answered.  “Finally, we’ll have a little privacy!” I laughed and we continued to magically pack our belongings into suitcases.

“I guess we can put some of this stuff in your car,” I suggested to him, referring to the Audi which he had owned since Marsha’s death.

“Yeah.  We might as well take it too.  What about the scooter?” he asked with a grin.

“Too obvious.  We can leave it here,” I said, smirking back at him and he laughed at me.

“So do you want to do anything special for our first night in our own place?”

I stopped, letting my gaze run over him.  “I think the plans we have right now sound perfect to me.”

He stopped what he was doing and pulled me into his arms, kissing me so passionately I soon forgot all about packing and concentrated only on the heated streaks racing through my body.

He truly has to be the best kisser in the whole world,
I thought to myself while he ravaged my lips. 

“I can’t wait,” he said, lifting his face back from mine, but he kept me wrapped tightly in his embrace.

“Me either,” I answered before reaching up to place another kiss on his lips and he backed me up until I was pressed to the wall.  He moaned into my mouth as he pushed his body up against mine and I felt like I would melt with the contact.

There was a knock on the door, and this time we both laughed at the intrusion.

“Hey are you two ready to haul out your things?” my dad’s voice called from the other side.

“Yes,” I said back to him, releasing Vance so I could reach over and let him in.

“What do you need me to carry?” Dad asked and I pointed him in the direction of the suitcases.

“Have you seen Jinx lately?” I asked.  “I thought I’d take her up there with us.”

My dad shook his head.  “No.  I haven’t seen her since yesterday.  You know how she is.  Probably off on one of her little cat adventures, or whatever it is that keeps her out for days at a time.”

“Yeah, she’s definitely a free spirit,” I replied with a smile.  “Just give me a call if she shows up and I’ll come get her.”

We got everything loaded into the car and left.  Krista rode with me in the Audi, while Vance drove his motorcycle, and Dad followed us in his car.

My dad was the one who checked Vance and me in, only under my name.  Krista checked herself in while Shelly ushered us the keys to our bungalow so that Vance could get inside without someone recognizing him.  I couldn’t imagine anyone staying here would know him, but better to be safe than sorry.

After everyone was registered, my dad helped Krista and I carry our belongings to our respective bungalows while Vance began to put our things away.  I thanked my dad when we were done, and he left. 

I gave Krista the keys to the Audi in case she ever needed to go anywhere, before I turned to head to my new temporary residence.  Vance met me at the door with a smile on his face.

“Welcome home, baby,” he said, and I noticed he had used his pet name for me the second time today.

I stepped inside and he closed the door behind me.  “Are you aware that you’re calling me that?” I asked him.

“Calling you what?” he said, with a confused look, not following my question.

“Baby.”

He thought about it for a moment and I figured he was shuffling through some of the memories.

“That’s what I used to call you, isn’t it?”

“Yes.  I wondered if you had picked it out of the memories I’d given you.”

“No.  I don’t think so.  It just seemed natural,” he said with a shrug.

“So maybe you are remembering something,” I suggested.

“I don’t know.  Maybe,” he replied before he suddenly picked me up into his arms and carried me into the bedroom, tossing me on the soft, fluffy bed.  “So, I’m thinking we have a little time before we need to go to your Grandma’s.”  He smiled suggestively.

“This is true.” I grinned back at him.

He crawled onto the bed, stretching himself out next to me.  “Do you mind if I join you?” he asked, a familiar light glinting in his eyes. His gaze traveled with longing down the length of my body.

“Please do,” I replied, feeling a moment of nervous anticipation.

He sidled up against me and leaned in to kiss me, slipping an arm around my waist, holding me tight as his lips sought out mine.  I reached up, grabbing his neck with my hands, pulling him harder to me and instantly the spark between us ignited into a flame again.

Vance suddenly rolled so he was leaning over the top of me.  “You taste so good,” he murmured hotly against my lips.

“Mmm … so do you, now enough talking,” I replied and I pulled his mouth back to mine, eager to resume the tasting of him, only to be interrupted by a knock on the front door.

“You have got to be kidding me!” he exclaimed in exasperation, lifting his head in annoyance before climbing off the bed and going into the other room.  A deep wave of disappointment washed over me as I got up to follow after him.

Krista was standing at the door.

“I’m sorry to bother you again,” she apologized quickly.  “Portia, I was wondering if you wanted to run to the grocery store with me to pick up some food and anything else we might need before the ritual this evening.  If we wait until later everything will be closed.”

“Sure.”  I smiled warmly at her before turning to look at Vance.  “Is that okay with you?” I asked, knowing he would feel completely let down.

“I’ll be fine,” he replied, going over to flop on the sofa.  “I guess I’ll watch some television.”  He reached for the remote.

“Alright,” I said, and I grabbed my purse off of one of the end tables.  “I’ll be back in a little while.”

The coven gathered in the ritual room located in my Grandma’s secret basement.  We all stood around the table in the center in our hooded robes with our cowls over our heads.  In addition to the regular coven members, my mom and Krista were also in attendance, sitting next to each other in the corner.

The candles had been lit, the circle cast, and Grandma was getting ready to speak the blood spell she’d prepared. 

Vance stood to my left, in between me and Babs.  He seemed a little anxious, which I chalked up to nerves.  He’d been reintroduced to several people who were technically strangers to him and was now about to receive their memories.

That should be reason enough for someone to feel out of sorts,
I told myself.  I needed to quit fretting over his every little thought or expression unless I wanted to drive both me, and him, crazy.

I absently became aware Grandma had started reciting the spell since she now held a crystal bowl in her hands.  When she finished, she placed the dish in front of her and picked up her athame lifting it to lay with the flat side of the tip against her temple.

“Release my memories,” she whispered, before she removed the knife, pricking her index finger.  A drop of blood welled up and she squeezed it into the bowl before she slid it to the right, in front of my dad. 

Vance fidgeted restlessly beside me, and I wondered again why he seemed so nervous.

My dad proceeded to follow the same procedure before he moved the crystal over toward Babs.  She started the process, poking herself with her knife until a large drop of blood fell off her fingertip into the glass bowl.

Suddenly Vance’s hand shot out, grabbing Babs by the wrist and he pulled it up under his hood. 

Babs let out a sharp pitched scream of pain.  “No!”

 I saw a sizable squirt of blood spray from under Vance’s cloak out into the room and it seemed like everything moved in slow motion. 

My dad reached out for Babs and I yanked hard at Vance’s robe, exposing him.  My heart sank to my toes at the sight in front of me.

Vance had bitten two of Babs’s fingers completely off, down past the second knuckles.   He quickly placed his mouth over the damaged area, drinking the blood spraying from there, his face like a mask of evil straight out of one of my nightmares.  His eyes glowed bright red, his brow had slightly furrowed, and two small bumps resembling horns were on his forehead near his hairline.