STAIN (My Soul To Wake Book 1) (15 page)

“
What if h
e’
s not ill? What if h
e’
s telling the truth and it scares the crap out of you that yo
u’
re no longer the only woman in his life
?
” I question her.

I can see her biting her lip, see it blanching.
“
The
truth
? Do
n’
t tell me you believe his delusions
?
”

“
Maybe. And what if I do
?”
So much for her validating his story.

“
Look. I do
n’
t know wha
t’
s wrong with you. Maybe yo
u’
re a little screwed up in the head yourself
.
”

She has no idea how hard her words hit, feeding into the insecurities my nightmares have instilled since childhood.

“
You are not his long-lost, reincarnated wife. I am not a witch reborn. And we are most definitely
not
sisters. I mean, think about it, Leah. If I was some powerful sorceress, then why would
n’
t I just put some kind of hex on you to make you go away? Because I ca
n’
t. Ther
e’
s no such thing as magic
.
”

I do
n’
t know how to respond to her. Sh
e’
s saying all the things my deepest doubts have been screaming to me for days. 

“
Listen, Leah, this is nothing personal. He wants you to be her so badly that h
e’
s convinced himself through some crazy story that it could be real. Wha
t’
s wors
e…
h
e’
s convinced you, too
.
”

Could she be right? Am I so blinded by how I feel for him that
I’
m willing to lose all sense of reason and believe in fairy tales?

I try to defend myself the best I can against her reasoning
.“
I think my relationship with Will is between he and I
.
”

She does
n’
t let up.
“
Did he tell you about the tree yet? Try and get you to go there
?
”

Damn! This girl knows everything, does
n’
t she?
I
t’
s either because h
e’
s told her all about his desperate fantasy or i
t’
s because she knows firsthand from being a part of it. I try to read her but she has one intense poker face. She gives nothing away.

“
W
e’
re going there later tonight. I guess w
e’
ll find out wh
o’
s telling the truth then, wo
n’
t we
?
”

“
When nothing happens, and you realize that
I’
m telling you the truth, that h
e’
s only projecting onto you, you know you ca
n’
t stay here. If you need to take it that far, and bring this all the way to that level where you embarrass him and run the risk of fracturing whatever sanity he has left, then by all means, go ahead. Or if you have some compassion, then I beg you. Leave now. Save the both of you the heartache and just go.
I’
ll pick up the pieces. I always do
.
”

I stand, pushing the heavy wooden patio chair back with alarm.
“
I think i
t’
s time you leave.
I’
ll tell Will you had some sort of emergency. H
e’
ll understand
.
”

It takes her a moment, but she does eventually stand.
“
I guess yo
u’
re just gonna have to learn the hard way
.
”

~*~

The rumbling of Wil
l’
s truck shakes the dishes drying in the dish rack near the sink. I remember from my time in the front set of the truck, pulling up to this house, that Moose likes to position himself in front of the great window to see the first glimpse of his master that he can. But, tonight, he remains on my lap, resting, hovering in and out of sleep as I stroke his ears.

The car door closes, and I can mentally count his steps until h
e’
s reached the door, entering to join me in the living room. He looks tired, as if the many trips around this town are finally catching up with him.

“
How bad was it
?
” I ask him. I already know the answer thanks to Liz
a’
s own admissions.

He shakes his head, quickly kicking out of his work boots
.“
Nothing there besides a few empty beer cans and some cigarette butts. Liza was driving past the place and saw the kids, but I guess they got spooked and took off before they did any real damage
.
”

Tha
t’
s one way of looking at it.

The other, and the way I happen to see it, is that his workers had an extended lunch break today while he was MIA that included some brews and a smoke and did
n’
t clean up after themselves.

“
Well, tha
t’
s good, I guess
.
” Moose shifts his head to raise his eyes up to Will as he approaches us.

Will plops down besides us, disturbing the dog enough to earn a hearty growl of discontent.

“
Liza take off already
?
”

I hold my breath.
“
She did
.
”

He watches me with curious skepticism.
“
You two did
n’
t hit it off, did you
?
”

I laugh.
“
Tha
t’
s an understatement. Le
t’
s put it this way, if what you say is true... and sh
e’
s my twin, then I can totally believe what you said about us not getting along back then. And, I can see how yo
u’
d be part of the reason
.
”

H
e’
s taken back by my words.

“
Sh
e’
s in love with you
.
”

Will shakes his head in denial.
“
She may have had feelings for me back then, but sh
e’
s grown up a lot from that spoiled, selfish girl.
I’
m telling you, sh
e’
s just a great friend. A sister-in-law. She knows we can be nothing more than that
.
”

I roll my eyes.
“I’
m not so sure I agree with you on that one. She asked me to skip town. To leave you to your grieving so you can find some way to get on with your life. Maybe she has a point
.
”

He breathes deeply, not liking my words.
“
Sh
e’
s not as positive as I am about who you are. She has her doubts. Regardless, though, she has no right to say those things to you
.
”

H
e’
s apologetic and pissed at the same time.

“
So you two have talked about all this. Talked about me
?”
I do
n’
t like it one bit.

Moose looks up at the two of us, back and forth between Will and me. H
e’
s decided h
e’
s had enough of us and slinks off the cushioned sofa to his favorite spot in front of the unlit fireplace.

“
And what exactly do you two talk about when yo
u’
re discussing me behind my back
?
” I probably should have tried to hold back the little bite to my words, because it takes him off guard.

“
Leah! I
t’
s not like that. She had a right to know
.
” H
e’
s raising his own voice now, defending himself. Or is it Liza h
e’
s defending?

I stand.
“
Well, why do
n’
t I just leave it to you two to figure this all out and just tell me who to be or who not to be
!
”

I’
m surprised at the jealous rage burning down deep.

“
Yo
u’
re blowing this out of proportion. Baby! Relax
!”
He stands now, too.

“
Am I
?
” I move about, releasing my frustrations.
“
I do
n’
t think I am.
I’
ve got little Miss Crazy Eyes bitching me out every chance she can. And then you defend her
!
”

He carefully takes hold of my shoulders, putting an end to my pacing.
“
Leah.
I’
m not defending her.
I’
m not taking her side. I
t’
s you
I’
m looking out for
.
” His words give me reason to pause.
“
You two have always had your issues. Ther
e’
s going to come a point when yo
u’
ll have to face them head on. The
both
of you.
I’
ve made myself clear to her. She knows
I’
m your man, that yo
u’
re my wife. And soon yo
u’
ll know it, too. As soon as we get you to the tree, both of you will be able to accept the truth
.
”

He pulls me in close.
H
e’
s my man.
I’
m his wife
. I feel dizzy. This is too much for me. I go from avoiding getting anywhere near serious with men, to falling head over heels for a one wh
o’
s ready to take me as his wife after just a few days.

The sick part is,
I’
m actually contemplating it myself.

“
I ca
n’
t do it. I ca
n’
t go there now, Will. Tomorrow. Le
t’
s go tomorrow
.
”

What is it that
I’
m postponing? The fulfillment of some preordained destiny or heartbreaking disappointment?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“
Tell me more about your life
,
” I ask with my sleepy voice.

I can feel Wil
l’
s chest rise and fall beneath me, hot as his body temperature is raised with us lingering in each othe
r’
s arms. The evening has come and gone eventfully with Liz
a’
s visit and i
t’
s left me drained. I find my mind working overtime sorting through the pros and cons of the complicated relationship
I’
ve entered. I camouflage it well with endless questions to avoid any silence.

“
Ther
e’
s not much to tell. My family was one of the earliest in Salem, we
-
”

I interrupt him.
“
Not that one. Your family now
.
”

He buries his chin in my hair.
“
Even less to tell for them. My dad took off when I was two. Mom bounced around from guy to guy for a while until she met the last one. Le
t’
s just say he and I did
n’
t see eye to eye on how he should be treating her. He did
n’
t exactly appreciate the criticismand made mom choose. I did her a favor and took myself out of the equation by skipping town
.
”

“
Tha
t’
s horrible! Do you still have a relationship with her
?
” I had a sneaky suspicion before that Will had
n’
t lived an easy life. H
e’
s now giving me confirmation of it.

His fingers close loosely around my upper arm, rubbing lightly as we speak intimately in the dark like this.

“
She calls me on my birthday. I call her on Mothe
r’
s Day
.
”

My heart breaks for him. I
t’
s a rude awakening sometimes to realize that not everyone has the type of relationship with their parents that I do
.“
Ho
w’
d you end up here
?
”

His voice is monotone, near sleep.
“
Just kept driving east.
I’
d never really heard of this place other than in movies but it just felt right to turn off the highway as soon as I saw some signs. I drove through town and something just clicked. I felt more at home in the first few minutes here than I ever did back in Wisconsin. The longer I stayed and the more I explored, I just knew
I’
d been here before
.
”

I close my eyes and listen to the rich deep undertones of his past.

“
I picked up a job working for a small construction crew and became an apprentice. Each day after work, on my way home, back to my crappy apartment,
I’
d stop by the fiel
d
… your field. I knew I belonged there somehow
.
” He exhales deep.
“
Then one day, I just kept walking until I was on the other side of the meadow and then through the woods until I came upon a clearing on a hill. There was a tree at the top. I found myself shaking the second I saw it, but I kept going until I was right there touching it. And the
n
… and then I remembered. I remembered everything as if it were yesterday.

“
I remembered you, I remembered us, and I remember what Malcolm told me the night he took my life at the foot of that tree. So, I waited. Day after day and year after year until you came back
.
” He makes it sound like some fantastically romantic fairytale.

“
Where is he, do you think
?
” I find myself thinking of Malcolm, the man who could possibly be my father, for the first time in any other capacity than a character in one of Wil
l’
s stories.

Will clears his throat. The deep grumbling is right near my ear.
“
Malcolm
?
”

I nod. He ca
n’
t see but I know he feels it in the dark.

“
I have no idea and
I’
d like to keep it like that. If I had to guess, h
e’
s probably lurking in the shadows somewhere still plotting to get his hands on the power of the triad
.
”

His words are cryptic but I believe them.

“
Do you think h
e’
ll come back here
?
”
I’
m curious about my potential sire, but from what I know about him so far, h
e’
s not a person I would want to meet.

Wil
l’
s arms tighten around me.
“
As long as I live, h
e’
ll never get close to you. I swear it
.
”

I love his protectiveness over me, but the fact that he feels the need to shield me so from Malcolm does little to change my perception of the man. He must be as terrible as I had feared he would be.

I
t’
s windy out tonight. I can see the leaves dancing wildly through the bedroom window, casting elongated shadows on the opposite walls. Lying in nothing but one of Wil
l’
s oversized t-shirts and intertwining my legs among his hard, muscular limbs, I find myself unnaturally comfortable in his bed. Each subsequent night I find myself bonding  more and more with this place.

I rummage through the recesses of my mind looking for the next question.

“
Baby
,
” he whispers.
“
Sleep
.
”

I laugh quietly.
“
I have more questions
.
”

I can feel his body stretch as he gives the telltale signs of a yawn. My own follows immediately after.

“
I know. And I have answers for you. Tomorrow, after we visit the tree, yo
u’
ll have the answers yourself. Get some sleep now
.
”

Sleep. Answers. I want them both.

Wil
l’
s made the decision.

Sleep comes first.

~*~

My eyes prove heavy, threatening to close. The earth around me is damp, the threadbare blanket I swaddle myself in is itself damp, doing almost nothing to keep the chill from penetrating deep into my body.

I huddle in the far corner, propping myself against the fat uneven stones on either side of me. There is no moon tonight, no shining of its light through the small hole of a window that is my only connection to the world outside.

Maman managed to smuggle a small sack of food through that opening when the guards were distracted. I tried to force myself to at least nibble at the bread but I hold out hope that
I’
ll be freed soon and could share the company of another during my meal.

Unlike those before me, I have no land, I have no coin. There is no reason for anyone to make a claim against me.
I’
ve practiced the restraint Maman has shown me. Other than William and Josephine, no other person knows of my skills, my magic lessons.

The news of the accusations against me were surely a misstep. At least tha
t’
s what I believed before the jail keepers came for me. Now that I lie in wait in this dungeon of a cell, I know I was wrong.

The nights are growing cold this time of year. The fire of our home hearth kept me warm last night, but tonight it is nothing but a memory.

Although I do not sleep, I know this unnatural hour is not for the living. I hear metal jingling from outside the heavy wooden door, the only entrance in and out of this place.

My body is weakened from the stress and fatigue of the last twenty-four hours. I hear the thudding footsteps approaching. I feel the clay-like earthen floor vibrate with the weight of the two men growing near.

“
Be on your feet, witch
,”
the larger of the two commands.

I’
ve known Mr. Masterson my whole life. His sons are very close to my age and the older one came to Maman one night looking for herbs to comfort his mothe
r’
s, this ma
n’
s wif
e’
s,  deathbed suffering.

Oh, how these people have turned so quickly at the fervor against me. I do not move quickly enough for them. My arms are grabbed roughly, pulling me to stand before them, where they proceed to shackle my wrists and ankles.

There is no court or magistrate that would summon me at this hour.

There is only one thing that could command my presence these hours before dawn.

The hanging tree.

~*~

The phone rattles on the nearby countertop, buzzing and vibrating with the incoming call.

“
Hey, Court
,”
I answer guiltily.
I’
ve all but abandoned my two best friends. They seem to be sympathetic to my cause, but patience can only run so far.

“
W
e’
re gonna pack up your room and check out around noon. Are we going to have to leave you behind and forward your mail to Wil
l’
s house
,”
she asks sarcastically
.“
Or will you be leaving lover boy behind and join us in heading back to the real world
?
”

I had already packed a small bag of most of my things to bring with me to Wil
l’
s yesterday, so there wo
n’
t be much for the two of them to gather together.

“
Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. W
e’
ve just got something left to do and then
I’
ll make sure to call you
.”
I multitask by towel-drying my hair as I give a rundown of my morning itinerary to her.

“
You did
n’
t mention if yo
u’
re staying or leaving
.
”

Sh
e’
s right. I did
n’
t.

It had
n’
t even seemed an option to make any plans regarding my future with or with out Will until we had some sort of answer to the question hanging over our heads.

“I’
ll call you, Court
.
”

She laughs gently as I leave the conversation, resuming the wild rummaging of the towel through my locks. I wrap those same tresses deep into the fluffy folds of the thick towel and twist the loose end to hold itself in a quasi-turban.

Moose is lying on his back, belly-up, legs in the air directly in front of the bathroom door. I nearly trip on the large sleeping dog, leaving the steam-filled restroom behind.

“
Sorry, boy
,”
I jump over him, skimming the tips of his paws with my feet. He huffs and rolls to his side.

Delicious aromas fill the rooms as I walk closer to the source. Will is scurrying in the kitchen, releasing the latch on the toaster while simultaneously removing a sizzling frying pan from the burner.

“
Perfect timing
!
” He tilts the pan over an empty plate, shimmying the golden yellow eggs to spill onto the ceramic
.“
Scrambled eggs, toast, and jam
.
”

“
Coffee
?
” He left out the most important part. I
t’
s simply not a complete breakfast without at least two cups.

He laughs hard while placing the empty pan into the deep sink.
“
Of course. Ground just the way you showed me
.
”

I purse my lips together, nodding approvingly while I take my plate from him.
“I’
m impressed
.
”

The coffee carafe sits on a square tiled coaster centered on the table, begging to be poured. His cup is filled first, before I move on to my own.

“
Court called
,
” I tell him.