Unearthed (2 page)

“I love you,” I cried, my fingernails digging into the wood of the table. I worked to steady myself, but the increased thundering of his hips kept knocking me off kilter, each strike less controlled, fueled with more desperation. The room’s air thickened around us, hot and humid, mixing with our heavy breaths and frantic pants, driving us both straight for the same destination. The modest table dressing, my notebooks, pens, and the table’s rose decoration scattered to the floor, and we came on a final shout, flexing and releasing our bodies together until we absorbed every last shock of pleasure.

“You,” Gavin breathed, “are trouble, Camille Hart.”

I half panted, half laughed. He only called me by my maiden name when I was indeed trouble. “Well, I hope you learned your lesson. Next time, don’t be so bossy.” Smiling into his neck, I gave him a light bite, sucking gently on his damp skin.

“I think Audrey’s snark finally rubbed off on you.”

“
Finally
?” I pulled back to look him in the eye, arching my brow. “Have you been living under a rock?”

“I like it,” he said cheerfully. “The new and improved Mrs. Devereaux.”

“And I like you bossy.” I poked him in the shoulder, my grin spreading. “Although I must admit I miss your shy smile. I think you’ve let your head get too big, husband.”

“I can’t help it,” he leaned in and grazed my nose with his, inhaling deeply. “Making love to you makes me bold.”

“As it should.” I pecked the end of his nose. “Now I do believe it’s time for you to feed your wife. She’s starving.”

“Well,” he laughed, sliding off of me to zip up his pants, “fortunately we’re in the right place.”

I stood and straightened out my dress, allowing Gavin to zip me up. We both turned and surveyed our surroundings.

“Uh, yeah…” I cleared my throat, eyeing the restaurant table Gavin had just thrown me on, “about that…” Our poor, poor customers.

“Not like it’s the first time,” Gavin grinned, adjusting his shirt collar.

“True. But we’re probably going straight to hell for it.”

“Hey,” he bent down to pick up all the items we’d tossed from the table, “I built this place and designed it with my own two hands. It’s our place of business, but we practically live here, too. If I want to take my wife on my restaurant table, I’ll take my wife on my restaurant table.”

“Fine, fine.” I smiled and raised my hands in surrender, shaking my head. I had to admit, Gavin was right. Audrey’s Restaurant was our second home. When we weren’t tucked away in our cottage-style abode down the road, we were here. Something also told me that Audrey would be quite proud of the way Gavin and I utilized the kitchen named after her.

Our loyal patrons who came in every evening for a warm, home-cooked meal would probably feel different about the matter.

“Speaking of business, I was thinking of maybe opening the place up for lunch hours again. What do you think?”

“Who will watch Ava? We don’t need the extra money, Gav. We have everything we need.”

“I know, love, but it can’t hurt to put away some extra. Maybe we’ll want to make some upgrades to the house some day. How will we do that without some extra in savings?”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. Our savings accounts and currency were nothing like what we had back on Earth, but as Amaranthians, we’d found a system that worked for our realm. We’d all voted on a new structure for the villages when Gérard’s reign fell, and maintaining some common traditions—some normalcy—from our lives on Earth was a part of that structure. It was important to us. Still, it wasn’t like we were saving for yearly vacations or college tuition for our children. Our financial goals were much more limited.

“What’s so funny?” Gavin asked, enjoying my amusement.

“Nothing, it’s just…this is so surreal. Even now, after all these years. Doesn’t it ever feel that way to you?”

“Ah,” he nodded in understanding, moving to sweep his arms around me and kiss my forehead. “Of course it does. I guess it’s just been easier for me to adapt. I left my humanity long before you did, remember?” Pulling back to smile down at me, he pinned me with soft, mocha eyes. “You still miss Earth.”

“You don’t?” I gasped. I was genuinely surprised by this. “What about your grandfather’s home? What about our friends—”

“Of course I miss all of those things.” He tilted my chin up, his expression completely earnest now. “And you know how I feel about our friends. I just don’t let my mind linger on what life was like anymore. This is life now.”

“Don’t you ever wish…there were more?” I whispered, feeling ashamed. In truth, our Amaranthian life had been more than I could have ever asked for. I had a beautiful family, a safe, comfortable home, and everything I needed right here in our village. No more Gérard, no more zombie witches or evil guards threatening everyone I loved.

Then there was my life on Earth before all of this. Before I’d ever met Gavin or entered into the world of the frozen souls and the witches.

My life was once littered with toxic relationships, fear, and an unspeakable weight I’d carried around from the burden of my troubled relationship with my mother. Things on Earth didn’t make a whole lot of sense to begin with, so I guess living here, in some strange, distant realm, really was paradise compared to all of that drama.

But some things would always be missing.

“Hey,” Gavin called me softly, as if reading my mind, “I know how hard it is for you. I know how much you miss them.”

I nodded, feeling my face tighten with emotion at the thought of the friends and family we’d lost—the relationships we had to sacrifice in order to destroy Gérard and give them a chance at a happy, free life on Earth. Not a day went by when I didn’t think of them and wonder where they might be, what they were up to, or how they were enjoying their human lives.

“There’s nothing wrong with wishing for more. You don’t think I wonder sometimes? What it would be like to have more here to pursue? I know we’re limited when it comes to life goals. There’s no traveling to Europe, no enrolling Ava in a university, no possibility of taking an RV out on an open road. And I know no one will ever replace the people we lost. But things are changing, Cam.” His thumb drifted across my cheekbone, then down over my bottom lip. “Who knows what Amaranth will be like a year from now, let alone five or ten. Things are only going to get better from here, love. You’ll see.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so.”

2

“We can talk more about the restaurant hours later,” Gavin said, easing my worries. “Let’s get you fed.” He planted a kiss in my hair and turned for the kitchen, going straight for the stove to heat up some sauce. He began to toss some greens and fresh, diced tomato in a bowl next, and I took a seat to resume my writing. Just as I’d settled comfortably in my chair, an urgent knock stirred me, causing Gavin to pause his meal prep work.

“Must be Greta or Denise,” I said, moving to answer the door.

“Camille? Is Gavin here?” Our neighbor, Martin, stood there, his face awash with worry. His long grey hair was braided back in its usual style, the creases around his eyes making his wrinkles appear even more aged.

“Back here, Martin,” Gavin called from the kitchen. “How’s it going?”

“Can’t say,” he said, tugging at his white beard. “Have you heard?”

“Heard what?” I asked.

“About the Haven?”

“What about it?”

“Something’s happening, something strange. The whole South Village is in a flurry over the news, and now it’s spreading to our neck of the woods. I think you two should come with me right away.”

Gavin abandoned his salad assembling and sauce stirring to join my side. He pulled at the door, opening it wider to get a good look at Martin’s face. “What news? Is everything okay?”

“We don’t know what it means. People are starting to get upset. You have to see it for yourself. Come on, grab Ava and let’s see what all the commotion is about.”

“Ava’s not here,” I said, turning to Gavin. “I’ll go find Greta and Denise.” My body was suddenly in a panic. The fear was irrational, I knew, but I didn’t like not having Ava with us when the villagers were worked up about something. I didn’t want the commotion to frighten her, and I needed to protect her if people started acting up out on the streets.

Gavin immediately sensed my unrest, shoving aside the food and moving to grab my coat. He helped me slip into it, letting his palm find the small of my back to lead me out the front door. “I’ll go with Martin and find out what’s going on. I’ll meet you at the Haven, okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, the word coming out breathlessly.

“Come straight there, okay, Cam? Tell Greta and Denise to come, too.”

“I will.”

He gave me a quick peck and rushed off down the cobblestone road with Martin. Their busy, nervous chatter drifted after me as I started in the other direction, only adding more unease to the pit of my stomach.

The hike up the main valley’s hill took the wind out of me as it always did, and by the time I reached the castle, I desperately needed to catch my breath.

But I didn’t have time for that.

“Ava?” I called out, panting. “Greta? Denise? Where are you?” They were nowhere in sight. I darted around the corner near the moat and into Samira’s old rose conservatory. It was another feature we’d chosen to keep around after the end of Gérard’s reign. “Ava? Hello?”

Ava’s uninhibited laughter echoed somewhere in the distance, and without thinking, I lurched forward into a determined stride across the grounds. “Ava?”

“Camille, dear? Is that you?” Greta’s voice came next.

“Yeah, I’m here, where are you guys?”

Greta came bounding around the corner, her eyes watery and hand cupped over her mouth. She was alone. “Oh, Camille, I don’t know what happened. I can’t, I can’t…oh my dear…”

I stilled, my eyes widening, mirroring the same fear in her own. “You can’t what, Greta? Where is Ava? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t…I can’t find her.” Her voice cracked into a sob and she rushed past me, looking from left to right as she called out for my daughter.

My daughter. My
lost
daughter.

“What do you mean, you can’t find her? I just heard her laughing.” I followed after her, working to fight back the constricted feeling in my chest. “Where is Denise?”

“She went to the Haven. Said she heard something was happening. She wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I told her I’d watch Ava while she was gone. We were working in the gardens and then Ava wanted to see the roses, so we came in here, and…and now I don’t know!”

“I just heard her,” I insisted, my anger and panic growing by the second. The emotions mixed and swirled, unleashing an erratic, frantic monster. It was raging in my mind, but I forced myself to control it, knowing I had to stay focused. “Ava?” I called out, my palm resting on my forehead. “Where did you last see her?”

“She was right here,” Greta insisted, pointing to the end of the rose bush row near the far entrance. “I just don’t understand. She was literally right here. I never took my eyes off her, Camille, I swear it!”

“Well, apparently you
did
,” I spat, rounding the corner to get a better look.

“She’s not here, I’ve looked everywhere!”

“Why didn’t you come for me?”

“She just disappeared, minutes ago.”

“We should search the castle.”

“Camille, I don’t think Ava would run off like that. It’s not like her.”

“I know that, she’s my daughter, remember?” I couldn’t help snapping at her. I entrusted the woman with my daughter. “Damn it, I should’ve listened to my gut,” I whispered to myself, but Greta heard me. .

“It can’t hurt to look,” she spoke quietly now, wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks. “If you heard her laughing, she must be nearby, yes?”

“She has to be.” I marched toward the conservatory exit, feeling Greta fast on my heels.

For her sake, she’d better hope so.

***

We rushed into Samira’s old throne room, searching all along the bookshelves and behind the repurposed altar, eventually making our way into the castle halls and up into the tower.

“This can’t be happening,” I kept repeating, wishing Gavin were here right now. Out of the many things we’d been able to conjure up with the witches’ magic since being trapped here in Amaranth, conveniences such as telephones and modern transportation weren’t among them. We really were limited, and it was times like this that made me resent the fact.

“We’ll find her,” Greta assured me, following me down the tower stairs. “She couldn’t have gotten far.”

“I just don’t understand. How could you lose her like that?”

“I don’t expect you to forgive me, Camille. Ever. But please know that she was truly by my side the whole time. She was there, and then she was just…gone.”

“Yeah,” I huffed, “
okay
.” That made me feel a whole lot better.

“Where is Gavin? Did he go to the Haven, too?”

“Yes,” I seethed.