Snowscape Trilogy Read online

  She laughed. “Because I am an expert at that game. I can recognize it a mile off.”

  I smirked a little uncomfortably and changed the subject. “Allowed by whom?” She rolled her eyes at me and shrugged. “Fine. Start with this; how did you know I’d be here?” She frowned and shrugged again.

  I fidgeted slightly in annoyance, looking down at my hands, silently turning the ring I wore on the middle finger of my right hand, as was my habit when I was frustrated or nervous. It was a simple wedding band that I had belonged to my mother and Alistair had often told me during one of our occasional poker nights, that my ring turning was one of my biggest tells. When I glanced up I noticed that Violet was looking at the faded bruises circling my wrist and I quickly shoved my hand under the table and awkwardly into my lap.

  “Lucky guess”. Her lips were puckered as she asked, “So tell me about yourself, Amy.”

  “It seems you already know quite a lot about me already.”

  “Only rumors.”

  “What do you mean rumors? From who?” She starred at me and only after I had given up any hope of her answering my question I continued on. Maybe if I could get the flow of information going, she would reveal something back to me. “Not much to tell actually. I’m an orphan, no brothers or sisters. Grew up on Portland and moved to Olympia about eight months ago.”

  “Why Olympia?”

  I shrugged. “Alistair moved here after he graduated college for work and had an open room for rent. I figured why not? There was nothing going on for me in Portland.” I didn’t need to add that I was never welcome at my Aunt’s house and couldn’t find a job anywhere that suited my interest.

  “I like your ring.” She said suddenly. “Family heirloom?” I shrugged in response. Without warning she took hold of my hand under the table.

  I let her fingers caress with my own and I felt a calm sereneness come over me. “How did you know I was here tonight? Really.” She became very still and cocked her head slightly. I saw a small smile creep across her face.

  “Alistair told me.”

  That was a lie. We both knew it as soon as she said it. I pulled my hand back from hers.

  “Why did you kiss me last night? “ I asked.

  Violet smiled and leaned closer to me. I could smell her perfume and closed my eyes to the sensation. It seemed common to my memory and I could almost place where I knew her. “You didn’t like it?”

  I shook my head and opened my eyes. She was inches away from me and I could see her lips in a slight part as she waited for my response. This was all a game to her. “It’s not that. It’s just…”

  “What?” She grabbed my hand again and I could feel her cool fingers lightly brush over mine. As her fingers nested against my mother’s ring I felt a slight shock go up my hand and through my arm. I flinch, but she just smiled. Had she not noticed it?

  I swallowed hard and sat back, trying to break the spell that she had woven over me. ”Where is your friend? He paid me a visit today at my job.”

  “Who?”

  The blonde god with the perfect face. “Sam.” The name came out of my mouth without thought and although it was the first time I said it out loud I knew it was correct. It had been brewing just under the weight of my subconscious from the first moment I had seen him.

  She forced herself to smile and looked at me with a profound expression of forced determination. Cleary she wanted to tell me something more, but morals kept the secret hidden within. With a deep sigh she stood up and turn her chair around. I thought at first she was just making herself more comfortable, but as she slid her chair under the table and turned to walk away I realized that she had ended our conversation. Fuck that, I was sick of this game they were playing with me. I followed her out of the bar and into the chilly night.

  Chapter 7

  I made it outside just as I saw her getting into the passenger side of a four door, black SUV. The dark night and overhead lights made it impossible to see who was driving; although I had a pretty good idea of whom it could be. As they pulled out of the parking lot I ran to my Chevy and said a quick prayer that is would start on the first try. It did and I pulled out of the gravel parking lot and followed their SUV down the road and into the night. I wanted answers and if following a stranger into the dark was what I had to do, so be it.

  Twenty minutes later they made their way to the outskirt of town. We were just hitting Edgewood when they pulled off of Route Five and started down side streets. I had only been in Olympia for a short time, but I had often found driving a soothing pastime and had explored much of the surrounding areas already so I was familiar with this part of Washington State. They had pulled their SUV into the driveway of a large range style home with a double parking spot. Trying to be subtle I drove past the house and continued on for another two blocks. Parking my car on the side of the road, I walked back to house and found that it was still dark. I had high hopes of peeking in through the window to spy on them, but I realized they must have known I was following them and drove off. The SUV was gone. I checked the name on the mailbox ‘Garcia’, and filed it away in case it came up again, although I had doubted it would.

  Walking back to my car, I took a moment out of my annoyance to admire what an unseasonably lovely evening it was. Just as in my dream the prior night, it was a crisp autumn day and I could just begin to feel the pulls of winter on my skin. Thinking about my dream last night made me blush, but then led to thoughts of Sam today. The look on his face when he had seen my wrist was of absolute horror. How had he known? And why was he angry? Surprisingly, his response was weighing more on my mind more so than how he had known. I guess I had internally know that there was always something unusual about my dreams so the fact that someone else might know about it, wasn’t as surprising as I would have assumed.

  “Why are you following us?” The voice startled me. I had just reached the edge of the field where I’d parked my car and hadn’t noticed him sitting on the hood waiting for me. Sam jumped down and walked over to me. Glancing around quickly, I couldn’t see his SUV or Violet anywhere.

  He was still wearing the black-framed tinted glasses he wore earlier, but had added a light jacket to his outfit. It looked like soft black leather that molded around his frame and hugged his near perfect body. In the dim of the moonlight and the far removed streetlight I could see the beginning of stubble begin to form across his jaw and his hair still looked tousled like a perfect male sex symbol. My virgin body reacted immediately to him, but my solid and reasonable mind knew that he was not the kind of man I would ever attract. He was way out of my league. I had followed them looking for answers not a date.

  “I should be asking you the same thing. Why did you show up at my job today?”

  He walked over to meet me on the side of the car and leaned back on the doorframe. He looked out at the field across from us and sighed. I inched a little closer to him. “I went to apologize for my sister’s behavior yesterday night at the club. She’s usually not that forward.”

  “You’re Sister?”

  He turned toward me and leaned his elbow against the car. “Violet. You know, blonde, skinny, complete lack of personal space? I believe you and her just shared a private moment at the bar as well.”

  I nodded. “Why have you been following me the past few days? It seems every time I turn around you or Violet are skulking in the background.”

  “I didn’t realize we were coming across as skulkers.” He said with a delicious smirk and ran his fingers through his curly locks. I saw the moonlight catch between the strands and had an undeniable urge to do the same.

  I shook my head determined to not be sidetracked by their flirting again. I wanted to kiss him and punch him in the same moment. “Why are you fucking with me?”

  As if noticing my inner struggle he smiled sweetly, put his hands in his pockets and slouched against the car. My heart pounded against my chest and I could see that he was enjoying the state he was making my body take. “Would it suf
fice it to say that it has all been a coincidence?”

  No. The word screamed through my head with aggravation, but I just shook my head and held my ground. Safely three feet away from him. “Why did she kiss me?”

  “I’m sorry about that. I told Vi to leave you be, but she can’t seem to leave well enough alone sometimes. Please know that she is only working with the best of intentions. I ordered her not to answer your questions. That is why she chose to leave so rudely from the bar this evening, because she was obeying my wishes.” The way he spoke reminding me of how I did when I was dreaming. His voice was like church bells. The word were perfectly timed and spoken with clarity of the heart. Despite there tone, I could see trough every lie he tried to throw at his brazen desire. He was holding himself back and I could see the struggle in his words.

  “That doesn’t explain why you two have been following me around. Who are you? Intentions of what? I’m beginning to feel as though I am part of some sort of elaborate hoax cooked up by your two.”

  “Is that what you think of yourself? A joke?” He took my hesitation as answer and stepped closer to me. “I am sorry if you think that. This is entirely my fault. We should have explained from the beginning...” Sincerity and hesitation dripped off of his words.

  “Explained what? Who are you? Really.”

  He laughed to himself for a fleeting moment and turned towards me. “Deep down. You know why we are here, Ambrosia.” He moved closer to me, put his arm on either side of by body, gently pinning me against the car. My heart beat fast and loud. Not fear though, excitement. Desire coursed through my veins and I could feel my insides clench at his closeness. “And you are very beautiful, despite what you think.” He rang a finger slowly down the side of my chin.

  “You don’t know what I think, Riel,” the word came pouring from my mouth. Words that I had spoken countless times in the past.

  He smiled. ”You don’t know what joy it gives my heart to hear you say that name to me again. Or to hear your old self telling me what I shall and shall not…” He closed his eyes as a pure angelic joy fell upon his face. “I do know what you think. I know every deep and dark desire of your heart, Ambrosia. You just don’t remember it yet.” He was so close I could feel his breath on my face and I could see my dim reflection in his glasses. I wanted to rip them off, pull him to me and kiss him passionately, losing all sense of composure. His glasses. That wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be wearing glasses and I reached up to take them off, Riel caught my hand and held it against his chest for a moment before releasing it. He should be wearing a black dark robe and have jet-black hair that swept across and down his ears. I could feel a cold rush find its way down my spine. This was all very familiar, but not the same. No this was not the same man from my dream. He was dark, lithe and rough. Riel was warm, soft and caressing. One was light, one was dark. I felt dizzy as Riel slowly leaned down and kissed the edge of my collarbone. He trailed it up gently across my neck, to my cheek and finally to my mouth. When his lips finally touched mine I felt a surge of electricity run through my veins, going directly to the earth. His hands had not moved and the only sensation I could feel was his lips against my mouth and the grass beneath my feet. No, not grass. We were no longer on the edge of a road where the tough gravel had been kicked up by so many passing cars. We were standing on a field of lush ground where a small field of clovers had spring up. I could feel them under my feet, inching themselves between my toes.

  I was in another place. It was spring but the winter winds were still present and I could feel my hair whip out behind me. I was late but I had stolen away for quick kiss with hm. I pulled back from the kiss; my mind rushing to the present and the dizziness escaped me. “Samandiriel,” His name escaped from my lips with every ounce of breath in my body.

  I looked up and he smiled wickedly at me. He took my right hand in his and twirled his fingers around my mother’s gold band that I always kept on. The sensation I had felt with Violet was there tenfold but it wasn’t painful, just aching.

  I pulled my hand back from him and absently rubbed my hand, my wrists. “What is going on?”

  “Ambrosia,” He took both of my hands in his own and gently rubbed his thumbs over my bruises. As he did I could see them disappeared. It should have shocked me, but my emotions had tumbled out of me in confusion already. “You shouldn’t let him do this to you.”

  “What?”

  He let go of my hands and tilted my chin up towards him. “The bruises. You shouldn’t let Nathaniel be so rough on your body.” He hesitated. “Are there more?” He asked the second question with clear trepidation.

  I back away from him two steps. “No. Nathaniel? That’s his name.”

  “Yes. I had assumed he would have told you by now.”

  I shook my head. “No. I’ve never even seen his face. He is just always there.”

  Samandiriel cursed and turned away from me. “Dammit. He should have explained this all to you. I cannot. It is not my place to reveal the true nature of the dream master.”

  My breath caught in my throat, I could only whisper, “The what?”

  He looked to the ground and took off of his glasses. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and then put them back on. “I’m so sorry, Ambrosia. I cannot tell you more. He must be the one.”

  He stepped towards me to take me into his arms again and I held up my hands on front of me questions, emotions threatening to overtake me. “No. If you cannot answer any more questions for me then I think I’m done for tonight. I need to go home.”

  “Ambrosia-“

  “My name is Amy.”

  “Fine. Amy then…” He seemed to want to say more but stopped himself. How could he not see the dangerous precipice of sanity I was barely hanging onto? “Violet will stop by tomorrow to check on you.”

  “Why?”

  “Your birthday is at the end of the week? Your 26th?” He asked.

  “So?” I asked back.

  His steady resolve was suddenly so palpable I could feel it from three feet away. He walked up to me and cupped my chin in his hand. It was smooth and warm, but did little to flee the chill from my bones. He ran his thumb down the center of my lips and place a quick chaste kiss on my forehead. “You are a very important person Ambrosia Ross. On your 26th birthday the demons will start hunting you. Tell Nathaniel to hurry up on your training.”

  I sucked in my breath to ask a question but Sam had disappeared into the night. I slid down the side of my car, physically sick at the emotions rolling around in my head. I was too confused for tears.

  That’s when I noticed, on the edge of the field a single four-leaf clover stood swaying slightly in the October breeze.

  Chapter 8

  Nathaniel sat in the snow, enjoying his reverie. Watching her hunt for him.

  He knew that Samandiriel has finally found her and although it tortured him with jealousy, he was glad of it. He had put off her training for so long, it was almost too late. Every time he had thought to start, she had surprised him. Her smile, her ability, her eyes. They were a little secret surprise between the two of them and he had wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

  He was never meant to fall in love with her. But sometime between her 16th and 18th year, it had happened.

  They had never spoken. Never touched until now. Until desperation and need drove him to it. He was ashamed of the past night; of their shared pleasure. Ashamed but not regretful. Never regretful as long as she was concerned. He was created to keep her safe until it was time. Until the battle begun. But now with it looming so close in the distance, he could not bring himself to start. To part with her. To tell her the truth.

  It was inevitable. Nathaniel knew that much. But not tonight.

  Tonight he would watch her one last time. One last glimpse at the girl she had always been, until he had to turn her into the girl she would have to become. His heart ached at the prospect and the lose that was yet to come.

  I was just sitting down to e
njoy a bowl of cereal, thinking longingly about how lovely it would be to have a vanilla latte in my hand. Contemplating how long it would take to get to The Spot, and with the knowledge that Kayla was off today and I would actually have to pay for my extra shot, my doorbell rang. Alistair had not been home for two days, which was not unusual for him and although we had had the obligatory ‘are you okay’ text chat, I was enjoying having the apartment to myself. Wearing my most comfortable sweatpants and t-shirt combo I went to answer the door and found Violet extra perky, holding two Spot Coffee cups.

  “Good Morning,“ she practically sung to me and let herself inside.

  She handed me one of the cups and I could smell the vanilla and milk seeping out of the top. Extra-large double shot. She gave me one quick assessing glance from top to bottom and announced, “I’m taking you shopping.”

  I sipped the cup and pointed her towards the couch. “Sit. You are answering a few of my questions before anything else. No kissing, no flirting. I’ve had enough of that from your brother last night”

  She scoffed at the idea of sitting down on the beat up old couch that Alistair and I had found once sitting on the curb after our neighbor had moved out. She looked as if she was about to protest, but glanced at my less than friendly expression and resigned herself to her fate. She sat down on the very edge, demurely and put the remaining coffee cup down on the table in from of her. “You will be happy to know, the that Riel has lifted the bane he placed on me and I am know allowed to answer your questions.”

  “Is that why you are in such a good mood? You are allowed to spill your secrets?”

  She nodded eagerly. “Do you understand how hard it is for me to keep things from people? You in particular? Probably not, but let me tell you the pain I have been going through the past three days has been excruciating. Enough of this drama, we need to have some fun today. No men, no end of the world, no demon talk, okay?”

  The questions came tumbling out of my head. Why was she here? Why were her and Riel following me? What was he talking about demons? How had she known where I lived was actually pretty far down the list and of all of the questions that swirled around my head, her knowledge of my apartment was not at all surprising or important. I sat down on the couch near to her, but edged myself to the other end. No need to repeat the other night’s performance with her.