Winter of Discontent (Four Seasons Book 1) (18 page)

Chapter Thirty-one - Reunion

Sarah

I hadn’t been home long when there was a knock at the door. I had to smile when I saw Erik standing there.

‘I take it psychic is part of being a Warlock? I was just about to call you.’

‘I erm … I’m not exactly a Warlock any more, at least not right now.’

This threw me for moment; it wasn’t quite the response I was expecting.

‘I don’t understand.’

‘I got into a fight with my dad, about you; about me wanting to send Jess back to Canada, about a lot of things, really.’

‘I don’t understand. Why would you argue with your dad about me? And why do you want to send Jess back to Canada?’

As he sat and explained what had happened I couldn’t help but feel sad for him. Throughout the time we’d known each other, I’d felt love, hate, and repulsion toward him but sat here listening to how he had had his power curbed by his father, I felt a real sense of loss for him.

‘Look on the bright side, though. At least I can play sports now!’

‘This is no joking matter, Erik. You’ve talked a lot but you haven’t really told me anything. I still don’t get why you fought with your dad about me.’

‘The other Warlocks are out to find the Moirai. They believe that she’ll be found by a young Warlock so, to try to ensure that it wasn’t me, we bought Jess back with us for me to concentrate on. That meant I had to stay away from you, but I can’t, that’s what we argued about.’

I still felt he was holding back, but he looked so sincere. As he cupped my face in his hands, I didn’t pull away and, as he kissed me gently, I felt like I might cry. I’d been kidding myself that I was over him. I’d been kidding myself that I would never take him back and it was just impossible for me not to respond. There was something in his ‘mortal’ passion that was different. It was controlled by human desires not Warlock, but it was every bit as exciting as it had been before.

‘Let’s go upstairs,’ I said when we’d got to the point of no return.

As I led him up to my room, I felt a sense of overwhelming surety. I wanted this as much as he did. He felt more relaxed than he had before. Previously he’d held back, perhaps for fear of hurting me; for fear of breaking some stupid Warlock rule by ‘mating’ with the wrong mortal. I was still a virgin but I didn’t feel like it once our naked, writhing bodies were as one. For the first time I felt like a whole woman. Erik didn’t have his powers any more but I felt that there was nothing we couldn’t overcome together. As we lay together, exhausted and deliriously happy I felt a sense of belonging I hadn’t had before. I had a great relationship with my dad and my aunt but nothing came close to how I felt about Erik. This was real and this was for ever.

My eyelids were starting to get heavy and I had to fight to stay awake. In truth, I could have laid there with Erik and let an eternity pass by but, unfortunately, reality kicked in as I realised Aunt Suze was due home soon. So, albeit grudgingly, I finally kicked Erik out in time to shower and tidy the mess of cushions and magazines thrown and pushed from the couch in the early throes of our passion. As I cleaned the polished wood table of the remains of the spilt coffee I’d been drinking before he’d arrived, my mind wandered back to those early kisses and I couldn’t help but smile.

It had been a difficult weekend. Kacey had been subjected to an altered memory which still didn’t sit well with me but it was a necessary evil. She could well have died from the spider’s bite but, thanks to Erik and Jared, she was her bright and bubbly self again. I’d started the weekend glad that I wasn’t hung up on him any more and I’d finished it in bed with him and unable, and unwilling,
not
to be hung up on him. Life was good and I was happier than I’d been in such a long time but, somewhere in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder just how long this euphoria was going to last.

Monday at school and Kacey was all fired up, talking ten to the dozen about how much she’d enjoyed our camping trip.

‘Don’t know what I did to my ankle, Trump,’ she said, holding her foot up. ‘Itches like hell, must have been a mosquito bite or something,’ she said scratching at it.

‘Yeah, probably,’ I replied. I was just glad she was OK. She didn’t need to know what had happened. She was happy with what she believed and that was enough for me.

I’d thought about calling her the night before to let her know that Erik and I were back on, but decided against it. I wasn’t sure of her reaction, so I thought it better to do it face to face.

‘Can we have a chat? Privately,’ I asked.

‘Sure. Something wrong?’

‘No not really. I just wanted to let you know that … well …’

‘Spit it out, Trump.’

‘Well, it’s just that … well, Erik and I … we erm …’

‘No way, you’re kidding me. After the way he treated you,’ she shook her head in disbelief.

‘I love him, Kace.’

‘Well, don’t come running to me for sympathy when he dumps you again,’ she said, as she turned and marched off back to the others.

As I stood and watched her walk away, I felt a mixture of emotions. If she’d really been my friend, she’d have supported me whatever my decision, and the fact that she’d been so dismissive really hurt. I also had to wonder whether there was a degree of jealousy. After all, she’d dated him first and when we broke up last time she did seem quite happy about it. I was lost in my thoughts, when I suddenly got a tap on the shoulder.

‘Good morning, beautiful.’

I smiled broadly, and all thoughts of Kacey just melted away.

‘Good morning, geek,’ I replied, as I turned and kissed him fondly.

‘I saw you talking to Kacey. She looks pissed.’

‘Yeah, I told her we were back together.’

‘Does she have any memory about what happened over the weekend?’

‘You mean the rescue? No, nothing. She thinks she must have been bitten by a bug but no memory of you or Jared.’

‘That’s good. I didn’t think she would, Jared is really skilled. Have you seen Enders?’

‘No. Why?’ He looked worried.

‘Tell me,’ I pressed.

He hesitated for a moment and then led me by the hand to a quiet area of the school grounds.

‘There is a possibility that the instruction – the action I took with him and the others – might fail. Jared is meeting me at lunchtime to see if he can get to them. If he can, he’ll reinforce it.’

I went cold. The memory of what had happened New Year’s Eve made me shake with fear. Even without his Warlock power, Erik could sense how I was feeling.

‘I won’t let them hurt you. I promise,’ he said, trying to reassure me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly but couldn’t help wondering how he could protect me. Enders was an athlete – fit, strong, and known for his bad temper. Without his powers, Erik would be no match for him. I was frightened not only for me but for him too.

I didn’t see Enders until just before lunch. He and my attackers were walking down the corridor towards the boys’ locker room. I needed to know if anything had changed, so smiled at them as they passed by. I don’t know whether it was a touch of paranoia but I could swear Enders looked at me differently from how he had in recent days. I carried on walking and went out front to meet Erik.

Jared was stood waiting outside the school when I arrived. I couldn’t see Erik and I felt a little awkward. I felt really bad that Jared might have to practise magic just to protect me.

‘Hey there,’ he smiled warmly at me.

‘Hi. I take it Erik isn’t here yet?’ I asked, not really knowing quite what to say.

‘No. He won’t be long. Are you OK?’

‘Yeah, just a bit nervous. I’m afraid of how Erik will react if Enders remembers anything. Afraid of what will happen to him if they do start something.’

‘Dad will come round eventually; he won’t leave him vulnerable for long.’

‘I hope not. I hate to think he might get hurt because of me …’

I started to ramble, something I often did when I was nervous. I’d been talking for a few minutes when I noticed the look on Jared’s face change.

‘What’s wrong?’ I asked.

Jared said nothing – he just pushed passed me, ran into the school, down the corridor, and into the boys’ locker room. I followed behind him as fast as I could but, by the time I got there, the scene was utter carnage.

Enders was laid out unconscious on the far side of the room with his accomplices the same just inside the door. Of more concern to me, though, was Erik. Jared was leant over him, palms outstretched. He looked over to me as I stood motionless in the doorway.

‘Shut the door, Sarah, and keep it shut,’ he said calmly, as he turned his attention back to Erik.

For a moment, I thought that perhaps they had simply decided to give another geek a good hiding. It dawned on me quite quickly though that this wasn’t the case. I remembered Erik had instructed them to never inflict pain on anyone else again. Clearly something about what he had done had failed and they took their anger out on him. He wasn’t unconscious but he was dazed, his nose looked broken, and the front of his shirt was covered in blood.

‘Get her out of here, J,’ he said when he finally spoke.

‘I’m going nowhere,’ I said defiantly, as I walked over and sat down next to him.

‘I’ll deal with these,’ said Jared leaving us sat on the floor together.

‘I’m so sorry, Erik.’

I stifled my tears but my voice cracked emotionally.

‘It’s not your fault.’

It didn’t take Jared too long to put things right with Enders and the other two, to make sure that this time the instruction stuck.

‘What happens if your dad ever curbs your power, Jared?’ I asked cautiously.

‘Nothing. My power is entire, nothing I do can be changed without my actions.’

Erik hugged me close to him. ‘It’s sorted now. You’re safe.’

I looked up at him and he still looked dazed. Jared hadn’t removed the visible signs of his injuries but had made sure there was no permanent damage.

‘I think you should go home with Jared, take the rest of the day off.’

He shook his head, protesting that he wanted to stay with me.

‘She’s right, E. You should come home and rest.’

He argued with us a little but, in the end, he left with Jared, promising to call me later that evening. I made my way to the canteen to get something to eat before the end of recess.

‘There you are, Trump. I was starting to think you were avoiding me,’ said Kacey sheepishly, as she called me over to her table.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to join her but was too shattered to argue.

When the bell for end of lunch sounded, Kacey held back and pulled me by the arm to sit back down.

‘We’ll be late for class, Kacey,’ I said coldly.

‘I don’t care. I want to apologize for this morning. I shouldn’t have sounded off like that. You’re my friend, whether you have good taste in men or not,’ she grinned. ‘I should have been more supportive.’

I said nothing but turned and hugged her. She couldn’t possibly know just how much that meant and quite how much I needed it right at that moment.

The bus ride home from school seemed longer today. I wanted to stay on the bus and ride all the way to Erik’s but I didn’t. Things were tough enough for him as it was right now, without me turning up unannounced.

Chapter Thirty-two – Thank you

Erik

Dad got home just a few minutes after me and Jared. He wouldn’t normally be back for another few hours yet, so I figured Jared had let him know what had happened. When he walked in and saw the state I was in, he must have felt wretched. His anger and disappointment in me had been such that he’d curbed my powers, but I knew well enough how bad he would have felt at seeing his youngest son so badly beaten and bruised. As he walked into the lounge, he looked across at Jared and the two of them left and went into the kitchen. This really pissed me off. They knew I could no longer hear what they were saying and they knew I’d know they were talking about me. I sat for just a moment before thinking ‘to hell with it’. Rising carefully from the couch I made my way through to join them. It was pointless, though – they knew I was coming before I’d even left the lounge and had stopped talking by the time I got there.

‘You should get some rest,’ said Dad.

‘Why? I thought you wanted me punished,’ I said spitefully.

I felt bad about what I’d said almost as soon as it left my lips but I didn’t apologize. I felt like my ribs had been broken and my nose had been pounded on; I didn’t feel much like apologizing for anything right now. Jared could quite easily have fixed me completely but I wouldn’t let him. A spiteful part of me was pleased Dad could see the pain I was in. It was cruel of me, I know, but right now I didn’t feel much like being kind.

‘Dad, you have to reinstate him, please.’

‘Leave it, Jared. I’m not bothered. If it means losing Sarah, you can stick being a Warlock. I’d rather go through this every day of my life than give her up.’

‘That’s ridiculous, Erik!’ Dad snapped. ‘No girl is worth this.’

‘Has it really been that long since you loved Mom that you believe that? I feel sorrier for you than I do for myself right now. Perhaps I’ve fought against using magic for so long now that I don’t need it to survive, but I do need her and I won’t give her up.’

I stood up from the table and left the room; I felt quite light-headed and didn’t really have the strength to argue further.

I lay on my bed trying hard not to think of the beating and the humiliation I’d suffered earlier that day. Sometime just after dusk I heard the phone ring downstairs.

‘Phone for you, E.’

I got up carefully, fearful of the pain I got every time I moved and made my way back downstairs.

‘Hey there, I’ve been calling your cell for an hour, are you OK?’

It was Sarah, checking I was still alive.

‘Yeah, sorry, it’s on ‘silent’ – I forgot to turn it on.’

I checked my phone to see I’d had like a dozen missed calls.

‘Are you OK?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine, honestly I am. I won’t be over tonight, though, if you don’t mind?’

‘No, of course I don’t mind. As long as I know you are alright and I can hear your voice.’

At that moment, I couldn’t help wishing we could still Whisper. I always felt so close to her when we did that.

‘I have something to tell you …’ she faltered slightly before continuing. ‘I remember.’

‘You remember what?’

‘The night of the photograph. It came back to me on the bus of all places,’ she laughed lightly.

‘Oh, Christ. I never gave that a thought. I’m so sorry.’

‘Don’t be. I’m not. You were so sweet to me. It was good to remember what happened. It was good to know the exact moment that I fell in love with you. I didn’t have that before now, thank you.’

By the time I came off the phone, I felt like I could take on the world again.

‘Well, Dad, I don’t want to be the one to ruin your evening but thank you. Thank you for making Sarah and me stronger than ever.’

Jared grinned, he couldn’t help it. I felt really sorry for him torn between me and Dad as he was; it was good to see him smile, even if it was wryly.

‘Why don’t you let me heal you properly, E?’

I know it was stupid, stubborn, and a touch childish but I blatantly refused to let him. It was no longer a way of making Dad feel bad at curbing my power. I guess in some way, I wanted to get through it without magic, like it was somehow nobler to not take the easy option.

‘Thanks, but I’m fine,’ I smiled

‘Well, at least go and lie down. I’ll bring you something to eat later.’

Jared was the last person I wanted to argue with, so I did as he suggested. I don’t know if he did bring me anything up but the next thing I remember is waking up next morning, hardly able to move. I hadn’t been awake long when Dad came into my room.

‘How are you feeling?’

‘Fine.’ I snapped.

‘You don’t look it.’

I didn’t answer. I didn’t feel fine, I felt ill. I’d never felt ill before and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I wanted to blame him for my condition but I knew deep down that I was the only one to blame. The Warlock rule about not using magic against sect members was archaic but necessary – all hell could break loose if there was too much in-fighting.

‘We need to talk. I’ve taken the day off work. I’ll see you downstairs when you feel up to it,’ and with that he turned and left the room.

It must have taken me over an hour to get out of bed, go to the bathroom, and get downstairs. I couldn’t lift my arms over my shoulders to dress so didn’t bother and just settled on boxers and a bathrobe. Dad had obviously heard me struggling and had placed a cup of water and a couple of painkillers on the table for me. I picked up the tablets, thought about taking them for just a second and then, with idiotic stubbornness, just placed them to one side.

The next few minutes were spent in awkward silence. Dad spoke first.

‘Do you understand why I reacted the way I did, why I curbed your power?’

I sat there head bowed and just nodded.

‘I see now that I didn’t handle this well. I guess my Warlock side took over in very much the same way yours did. I figure that makes me as guilty as you, if not more. I’m your father first and a Warlock second. I should have understood just how powerful love can be in a Warlock’s hands. I should have supported you better. When you are feeling strong enough, I’ll reinstate you, I promise.’

His tone started to soften. I wanted to reach out to him but I didn’t. I really wish I had.

Things got a little easier, a little less strained over the next few days. My relationship with Dad was gonna take time to repair but I loved him and I knew he loved me. The reinstatement of my power was painful, far more painful than curbing them. But this time Dad was in total control and I could see the pain that this caused him too. I’d told Sarah I wouldn’t be in school for the rest of the week and she understood when I said I wasn’t strong enough to get round to hers just yet. She’d been through enough already and I didn’t want her to see me until I was well. The pain of reinstatement lasted for days not hours. It was excruciating. I couldn’t stand, let alone walk to her house. Jared sat with me the whole time, telling me to stay strong, that everything would be OK. Warlocks can help with pain, help with illness sometimes but they can’t help with this. I guess it’s a kind of balance – if you’ve done something to have your powers curbed then having another Warlock make that easier on you kind of defeats the object. I don’t remember much about the process or the time immediately afterwards, I just remember the pain. As I started to come around from it, I remember Jared pressing a cold flannel to my brow. Dad was sat on a chair next to my bed talking to him.

‘I can’t believe I put him through this.’

‘You were angry, Dad, he understands that.’

I tried to reach for his hand but I still couldn’t move. I regained my mental state much sooner than my physical. I felt almost paralysed – I could hear everything going on around me but I couldn’t respond. I wanted Dad to hug me, to tell me everything was OK, that we were OK. I found myself wondering whether he would have done this if I’d responded better the morning we’d talked about things. I could feel my eyelids getting heavy and I started to drift off to sleep. This was a good sign; I’d been awake and in pain for almost three days now and the exhaustion was starting to take over.

‘Come on, E, you lazy beggar. Time to wake up.’

I lay there for a moment trying to focus my eyes. It took only a second or two to realize I was no longer in pain. I waited a moment longer, concentrating. I could hear Dad downstairs in the kitchen; he was making coffee. The eggs were cooking on the hob and the beans were burning in the saucepan. I was back; for better or worse I was a Warlock again, senses heightened and alert. I looked over at Jared grinning inanely back at me.

‘Come on, J, let’s go eat. I’m starving!’

Jared had texted Sarah while I was out of it. He’d explained what was going on and that everything was gonna be OK. From the messages she sent back, it was obvious she didn’t really want me changed back. That bought me a strange kind of reassurance. I couldn’t deny who I was for ever. I knew I would have to change back eventually, even if I’d waited until Dad was dead, at which point my power would have returned automatically. Knowing she loved me as an ordinary man, as nothing special, well that was pretty awesome.

As soon as I’d finished breakfast, I headed off to school. I’d called Sarah and she was gonna be there early to meet me. I felt a little uneasy as I watched her walking towards me. My mind wandered back to that first time with her. I knew it would never be the same again, both us together as one, as mortals, as close to being completely human as I could ever be. This made me a little sad, I didn’t know how I was gonna handle that part of our relationship now. If I couldn’t control the Warlock in me during sex then we couldn’t have sex; I didn’t know how to explain that without telling her everything and I couldn’t do that. She believed I’d held off before out of fear of hurting her, but that was only part of it. The real fear was me releasing her, changing her life for ever without giving her any choice in it. That thought was enough to ensure I didn’t touch her, at least I hoped it would.

She said nothing as she came over and put her arms around me. I held her close to me as tightly as I dared. She smelt great. I could tell she’d showered that morning. Her hair was clean and shining in the morning light. I could smell the shower gel and talcum powder. I closed my eyes as I held her to me. My mind wandered slightly. I started to imagine what she would have looked like stepping out onto the bath mat, dripping wet. I suddenly felt the Warlock rising; I started to growl softly as I nuzzled into her neck. This startled her and she pulled away from me.

‘You’re back then.’

She looked sad, sadder than I ever wanted her to be.

‘Are you OK? I mean … are we OK?’

‘We have to be, Erik. I can’t be without you, so we have to be.’