Amaretto Flame (14 page)

“What do you mean?” I asked, my head spinning
once again.

“The Venator are looking for someone that is
of great personal importance to them. At first, Ivanna and everyone
else assumed the Venator were looking for you, because of your
power. Imagine the tool it would be in the hands of the Venator,
against the wise ones. But then they realized that the only Wise
Ones being approached were male, Everett was the only logical
possibility. It became clear to Margaret that the person they’re
looking for has escaped them before but she can’t get a picture of
his face. For some reason, they are desperate to find him.”

I swallowed hard and put my hand on the table
to steady myself. I knew Everett’s story as well as I knew my own.
The abuse he suffered at the hands of his parents was unspeakable.
To even think of it horrified me. When he ended up in the foster
home, a man came to see him. This man was a hunter, and he planned
on taking Everett. He’d made the necessary appointments and had
interviewed and met with Everett. The day before the man was
scheduled to take Everett, Ivanna rescued him.

Everett was reported missing, but steps were
taken to ensure that he’d never be found. The little quiet, abused
boy from the orphanage had been given up on long ago, or so we’d
thought.

“Why do they want Everett?” I asked, my brain
trying to find a reason to say they were all wrong.

“We don’t know. Maybe it’s because his
ability would allow them to exercise greater control over their
slaves; over the hunters they’re recruiting. It doesn’t really
matter why. What matters is keeping him from them.”

I absorbed the information slowly, my hands
trembling. Then, something occurred to me. “You said you’re risking
your coven bonds to tell me. This means that Ivanna is still not
going to let me go home.”

Max brushed the dark hair back from his
forehead and lowered his even darker eyes. “No. In fact, she sent
me here to disable your car so you wouldn’t be able to return to
Eagleton. But I couldn’t
not
tell you. It’s wrong.”

I looked up at the ceiling as a wave of anger
rushed through me. Everett was everything to me. Ivanna knew that.
She knew that I would give up my life for him without hesitation,
yet she refused to let me help. Max would leave today, and when he
did, I would be crippled. I’d be stuck here with no way to help and
no communication other than what Ivanna deemed necessary, which
evidently was nothing. I brought my fist down on the tabletop
angrily, sending porcelain salt and pepper shakers sailing off and
onto the floor. At the same time, sobs were building in my
chest.

“Why is she doing this to me?” I moaned, my
helplessness starkly apparent to me. Max immediately put his arms
around me to comfort me. I let him, but I didn’t want it. I didn’t
want to be comforted. I wanted to be useful.

“Livvy, you have to know that if they were
able to find out where Eagleton was, we wouldn’t let them take
Everett. You know that our entire family would die before that
happened,” Max said. I know he meant to be reassuring, but it had
the opposite effect.

“That’s what scares me, Max! What if that
does happen? What if? Then I’ll be here, by myself when I should
have been with you all, dying as well. And you know as well as I do
that if I were there, our odds would be better. This is bullshit
and Ivanna knows it.”

Max shook his head. “Margaret is getting
better at tracking the Venator. The more she practices, the better
she’s able to see them. We should have fair warning before they
attack if they are able to find us. I promise you, Livvy, I will
let you know. If it were me here, I wouldn’t be able to live with
myself if the scenario you described happened. I know; I get it. I
will warn you, I promise.”

I rubbed my eyes with the sleeve of Jackson’s
sweatshirt, pushing back tears that threatened to spill. It smelled
like him and suddenly, I wished he were here. I knew it was
ridiculous. There was nothing he could do to help me, but I felt
better when I was around him. I shook my head to clear it and
looked at Max.

“What about Sylvia? How is she?” I knew that
my little sister was probably losing it with the very real threat
of a Venator attack.

Max shook his head. “She’s not good. She’s
terrified, rightfully so. She hasn’t been talking much. She’s been
staying in her room or with Margaret trying to develop her own
skills so she can help.”

I didn’t know what else to say to Max. I felt
numb, and if I couldn’t go home and prepare with the rest of my
family, I wanted to crawl in bed and block out the world. He had to
leave anyway, as he’d already passed Ivanna’s original time limit
waiting for me to return. I hugged him silently and watched him go
out the door. Through the window in the living room, I could see
him lift the hood on my car and fiddle with whatever was under
there. He was carrying something when he got into his own car and
pulled away from the curb.

Standing there, I pulled out my cell phone
and dialed Everett’s number.
“Livvy?” His voice was dearer to me than my own. He was my closest
friend. He was more than family, even though not a drop of our
blood was the same. Just by needing me, he’d given me such
strength. It hadn’t just been myself that I needed to live for,
despite the terrible things that had happened to me. It had been
this boy who’d looked at me as if I were his only salvation.

“Livvy. Max told you, didn’t he?” My silence
must have given me away. I couldn’t speak. “Don’t worry about me. I
promise I’ll be fine,” he added.
I couldn’t stop the tears then. I was nervous and afraid and
aggravated and confused, and I just couldn’t keep it all in
anymore. He was silent on the other end for a while, and when I
finally calmed down some, he spoke.

“Did you know that long, long ago, there was
a very brave king? He cared very much about all of his subjects,
and he was loyal and faithful until the very end of his days. This
kind of personality inspired love, and he was loved very much by
everyone, but most of all, by his knights…”

I recognized the very tale that I used to
tell him when we were young; the story of King Arthur, one of my
favorites. Kicking off my shoes and forgetting all about the bag of
muddy clothes, I pressed the phone tighter to my ear and went
upstairs. Listening to his voice, I crawled into the bed and closed
my eyes.

I forgot about Eagleton and the possibility
of the Venator slaughtering my whole family. I forgot about my past
and my own fears of the humans. I even managed to forget about
Jackson and the confused, nervous, happy feelings I felt around
him. But Jackson was a topic that refused to be forgotten for
long.

Meet us at Stallott’s right now,” Jenny said,
her voice booming through my cell phone. “It’s time to continue
your education.” She giggled and I could hear others in the
background.

“What do you mean? Stallott’s isn’t even
open,” I said. Since Max’s visit the day before, I’d been in
something of a daze. I couldn't get over my anger at Ivanna, and
even though I knew it was my duty to follow her and trust her, I
couldn't agree with her choice.

The punishment Ivanna gave me was severe for
my 'crime,' and I couldn't come to terms with the injustice of it
all. Mingled in with those feelings was the understanding that I
was being childish; that I wasn't handling things the way some of
the others in my coven might have. Even more importantly, I was
worried. The thought of my family being in danger was nearly
crippling, especially if I couldn't take action to help. I craved
the distraction the humans would bring but I wanted to avoid them
as well. I wanted to avoid thinking at all but that seemed to be
out of the question.

“It’s not open for the public, but we have
this little tradition. You’ll see. It’ll be fun. Come on,” Jenny
said. She was beginning to sound exasperated and I felt the corner
of my mouth turn up. Her exuberance never failed to amuse me.

“Okay,” I shrugged, guessing I should welcome
the chance to get out of my own head. “Wait. My car is…broken, so
it’ll take me a few minutes.”

Sounding distracted, Jenny told me to hurry
and then hung up.

I sighed and reluctantly abandoned my cozy
spot on the couch in the library. I’d been doodling and allowing
myself to get lost in my own thoughts. I'd been trying to make
sense of why the Venator would be so adamant about finding Everett.
Sure, his abilities were unique and amazing, but what was the
reason behind it? Why did they need him so badly? Why were they
attacking Wise Ones but not killing them? When I actually noticed
what I’d been drawing, I cringed. The hunter’s arrows, crossed and
menacing even in ink from a Bic pen. I tossed the notebook onto the
couch and went upstairs to get dressed.

I threw on a pair of jeans and a red and
silver blouse Sylvia had given me. It was a good color with my hair
and eyes, but when I looked in the mirror, I could see the fatigue
and the worry in my face. I kept my hair down, brushing it until it
shone, and then I grabbed my bag and went outside. Jackson was
waiting at the curb, and my heart skipped when I saw him.

His hair was styled in the usual messy and
perfect way, curly sideburns framing his angular jaw. He grinned
and I returned it immediately, reflexively.

“I was sent by the almighty Queen Jenny to
collect you,” Jackson laughed.

“Thanks.” I got into the jeep and felt my low
mood immediately started to lift.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered
if that was a good thing. After shooting me another grin, he pulled
away from the curb.

“So, what’s going on at Stallott’s?” I asked,
more than a little curious.

Jackson gave me a mischievous smile and said,
“Poker.”

When I stared at him without responding, he
cocked his head at me. “Let me guess,” he said. “You’ve never
played poker. Why am I not surprised?”

Jackson may not have been surprised, but when
we walked into Stallott’s and I saw that the entire crew was there
– including Paula –
I
was surprised. Jenny was at my side
immediately, strands of her hair dyed red this time, and her
favorite blue eye shadow framing her light eyes.

“Olivia!” She wrapped me in a quick hug and
took my hand, leading me to a large booth where the Erika, Paula,
and Rick were already getting settled. I wondered whether I
shouldn't have just stayed home. Even though none of these people
had ever treated me badly - except for Paula - I still felt like
some kind of specimen when I was around humans.

“Orders,” Renee called, and moved toward the
bar. Seeing me, she winked and said, “I hope you brought all your
tips, honey, because I plan to take them.”

“Olivia and I will have an amaretto and
pineapple,” Jenny said, giving me a grin. She put her mouth close
to my ear and said, “You teach me mad fighting skills and I teach
you how to drink.” Giggling, she scooted into the booth.

“Hey Olivia, I’m glad you came,” Erika said,
giving me a warm smile. Jenny patted the booth next to her and I
slid in, not missing Paula’s glare. She had definitely noticed that
Jackson was the one to bring me. She looked stunning in a tiny
white tank top and dark blue jeans. I felt a little like a night
light sitting next to a star; inferior. Apparently, she didn't want
to miss the chance to drive that point home.

“Oh, little girl,” Paula said with a sweet,
vicious smile. “This is a grown up game.” She frowned as if she
were confused, and then added, “Oh, Olivia. That’s you. Sorry.”

“Give it a rest, Paula,” Jackson said,
shooting her a fiery glare of his own and sliding into the booth
next to me.

Jenny laughed. “Yeah, and if maturity is a
sign of being grown up, you’d better take your sweet ass out of
here right now.”

Paula narrowed her eyes at Jenny and I had to
hide a smile.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen,” Renee said.
“Drink up.” She placed drinks in front of everyone and I recognized
the deep honey color of the amaretto in mine. Jenny bumped my
shoulder with hers and looked pointedly at the drink. I took a long
pull on the straw and was rewarded with the sweet liquid, and then
a moment later, the warm sensation. Again, I was second-guessing
myself, but I
really
liked the amaretto.

With everyone settled and sipping on their
drinks, Rick started dealing cards and I was instantly confused. I
watched everyone pick up the five cards they were given and look at
them intensely, and I tried to look like I was doing the same. I
paid close attention to the amount of money they put in the center
of the table and I followed suit. Jackson leaned in the booth so
that his mouth was close to my ear.

“Hold the two kings and put the rest of your
cards down on the table,” he whispered.

I followed his instructions, to be rewarded
with three more cards from Rick.

“Now,” Jackson said, “they’re going to put
another bet down. Put more than they put, because you’ve got a
great hand. It’s called raising.”

I watched as the others put more money in the
middle and I grabbed a wad of money from my bag and put it in the
middle without counting it. It didn’t matter. I had all of my tips
and all of the money Ivanna had sent with me. Rick whistled and put
his cards down on the table.

“I fold,” he said.

“That means he doesn’t think he has a hand
good enough to beat yours,” Jackson said quietly. Both Jenny and
Renee folded as well, but Paula looked at me with a strange glint
in her eye.

“I call.” She put her cards on the table, and
Jackson and Erika followed, so I did the same.

“Woohoo,” Rick said, clapping his hands.
“Beginner’s luck, beginner’s luck.” With a flick of his wrist he
began gathering the cards up. Renee pushed the money toward me and
Jackson gave me a proud grin.