Enthrall Me (The conclusion to Enchant Me)

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Copyright 2012

All rights are reserved. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever without permission of the author, except for brief quotations for review purposes.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Dedication

Once again, I would like to thank my Dad and Liz for their constant support and advice. Sigh… Why didn’t I listen to you sooner.

Zaneta, as always, thank you for all that you do. I hope everyone can have a friend like you in their lives.

Oly RWA, what would I do without you? You are the most amazing group of women, so warm and generous. Thank you.

To Grandma Violet and Grandma Annabelle, thank you for everything. I am so glad I was able to fulfill my promise to use your names as my pen name. I hope somehow you know it.

Mother Jackson, you are like a warm fuzzy blanket wrapped around me. Thank you for all your love and belief in me.

To all friends, new and old, whether we talk every day or lost touch, you have enriched my life. Thank you.

Dear readers, it means so much to me that you gave my story a chance. Also thanks for your kind words and reviews. I hope your lives are filled with love and happiness.

GO FOR YOUR DREAMS!!!

Sincerely,

Anne Violet

CHRISTIAN

CHAPTER 1

“Alexis!” I screamed.

The only answer, a slight whimper of pain, carried on the wind like it came across a great distance, bouncing against the trees in the moonlit forest. That small sound roared in my mind, and I ran even faster. My lungs felt on fire, my heart pounded with fear and pain, but no matter how fast I ran, I never seemed closer. I had been running like a mad man for what felt like hours.

Tripping over an exposed tree root, I fell to my knees, and hissed in pain. I’d never seen a night as dark as this one. I looked up at the stars, ready to beg, and plead for her safety, but watched with horror, as one by one, they were blotted out, like some evil hand was snuffing them. Then even the moon was swallowed by shadow, and everything faded to shapelessness around me. I could feel the darkness like a physical thing, wrapping itself around me, consuming me, choking me. I tried to hold back the fear, but I could feel myself shaking with it. I had to find her!

“Alexi--” The darkness squeezed me harder. I couldn’t breathe…

I jerked upward, gasping for breath, then collapsed back against my airplane seat with relief. Another nightmare. Almost every night since I invaded Nicolas’s mind, and put him in a coma, I’d had one. Discretely I took a deep breath, and released it. I reminded myself that it was self defense; he would’ve killed me, and done god knows what to Alexis. I refused to feel guilty about it. My hands started to ache, and I looked down to realize I was clenching the arm rests. Slowly, I coaxed my hands to let go, and I rubbed them together in irritation. I took another deep breath, and forcibly blocked the nightmare, and all the uneasy feelings I had, away.

I looked at all the normal people around me. The excitement of the other passengers was contagious, and almost everyone craned their necks to look out the windows as we made our descent to Dublin Airport. The business man next to me put his laptop away, and pulled out his cell phone, his impatience to land, almost matched mine. I couldn’t help smiling at the thought I would see Alexis in a couple of minutes. It’s hard to admit as a guy, that two weeks seemed too long not to see my girlfriend. My grandparents and I, had planned to visit our family in Italy for years, and while I enjoyed our vacation, a lot of the time I wondered what Alexis was thinking or doing. Thinking back over the years before I met Alexis, I couldn’t believe how much I changed.

For along time now, I thought I was cursed. You can’t be responsible for your parent’s deaths, and do the things I’ve done, without believing that. But because of a girl that turned my life upside down, or maybe she turned it right side up, I’m forced to see my curse as a blessing. Because my curse saved the life of the girl I love.

Finally the plane came to a stop, and the sound of seat belts unbuckling, and storage compartments popping open, filled the plane. I had told Alexis to meet me in baggage claim, so just like everyone else after debarking, I rushed in that direction.

Blocking my path, a twenty something year old guy with a bulky backpack and carrying a skateboard like it was his most precious possession, chatted on his phone, ambling along as if he was on a beach boardwalk. Every time I tried to get around him, he got in my way. Frustrated I glared at the back of his head and willed him to get out of the way. I watched in amused disbelief as he suddenly moved to the side and leaned against the wall. I glanced at him as I walked past, he was blinking rapidly, the phone hanging limply from his hand. Drugs are bad, dude, I joked to myself.

As soon as I got there, and grinning like crazy, I searched for her. I eagerly anticipated one of Alexis’s monster hugs. She hugged with her whole body, and it felt like her whole mind too. Minutes passed and still I couldn’t find her in the crowd, disappointment, anger, and worry warred for supremacy. While there were plenty of redheads here, none of them belonged to me. I started to pull out my cell phone when I was tapped on the shoulder. Anticipating Alexis, I smiled widely and turned around.

Instead of my beautiful girlfriend, a rugged older gentleman, my photo clasped in his calloused hands, stood in front of me. He smiled broadly at me, even as mine faded.

“Alexis asked me to come get you. My name’s Grady.”

He held out his hand and I quickly shook it, trying to hide my disgruntlement. “Where is Alexis? Is she alright?”

“Your little girl is more than alright. You’ll see her soon enough,” he said, moving closer to the baggage carousel.

I grimaced while I looked for my suitcase, I felt like there was a private joke going on that I didn’t know about. I really wanted to ask him why the hell my girlfriend wasn’t at the airport to meet me, but my pride wouldn’t let me. If I had done this to Alexis I would never hear the end of it. Ignoring the knowing little smirk on Grady’s face, I grabbed my suitcase as soon as I saw it, and we jumped into his ancient white pickup truck and headed out. As we drove through Dublin, I admired the elegant and dignified Georgian architecture, and the lush green park called St. Stephens Green. Ireland was so different from Italy, but just as beautiful.

Grady filled up the time he drove with a constant stream of funny and irreverent chatter. I also sympathized with him. By the way he spoke of Ciara, the head of the Grove we belonged to, he seemed to be suffering from a one-sided crush. I wished women could know how tough it was for a man to love.

I loved women, even back in elementary school when most boys considered them cootie carriers, I was mesmerized, and drawn to them. I just never thought my happiness would be dependent on one. As I watched the vast greenness that was Ireland pass by, I smiled to myself and laid my head back against the seat.

We were only a couple of kilometers away from Athboy when my head started to ache. Not bad, but enough to notice. The closer we got, the worse it became, I rubbed my temples hoping it would go away.

“Over there is the Hill of Ward,” Grady said pointing off to the east. “But you’ll learn more about that later.” I could feel him glance at me. “You all right?”

I nodded my head. “I didn’t sleep well on the plane.”

Grady nodded and grew quiet, but his silence was almost louder than his chatter. Concern and curiosity radiated from him. I did my best to ignore him and convince myself I didn’t have a headache. The daylight was weak due to the overcast sky, but I still squinted at the small medieval town as we drove through. I gave up trying to see and closed my eyes, resting my head against the cool glass window.

Eventually I could feel Grady turn off onto a gravel road, and I opened my eyes again. The pain was fading, and I grinned with relief. I didn’t want my reunion with Alexis to be ruined. We rolled to a stop in front of a large, grey stone, manor house with a bright red front door. I stepped out and studied it; there was something very moody and romantic about it. I liked it. But still no Alexis running out to greet me… My irritation at her lack of responsibilities as my girlfriend came back with a vengeance.

Grady’s heavy hand grasped my shoulder, and turned me around, he pointed to a well worn path that led into a forest. “You’ll find your girl if you follow that path. Don’t worry about your stuff, I’ll take it in for you.” Intrigued now, I nodded and trudged up the path.

The forest was a kaleidoscope of greens, with tree cover so thick that even the air seemed to have a green hazy glow to it. I could see how fairy tales and myths could develop from a place like this. A soft wind rustled the leaves, and I pulled my coat tighter around me. Summers in Ireland were fairly cool, and I was glad I had packed a variety of jackets. As I trekked down the path, the quiet of the place finally settled on me, and I breathed in the earthy scent around me. Finally I could relax, and that’s when I felt her. Like a slight warmth against my mind, I could sense Alexis’s powers nearby, but they felt stronger than what I remembered.

The path started to open up, and I could hear an odd crackling sound coming from around the bend. I jerked to a halt at the sight of Alexis. Her midnight red hair had faded to a natural dark copper red, and her straight hair had been replaced by a mass of curls. In a little white dress and sweater, dancing around the fire, she looked the part of Druidess. Still hidden in the forest, I smiled to myself. She had re-created my fantasy of what she would look like as a Druid. Then in stunned disbelief I watched as she bundled sparks from the fire with her power, and tossed them up in the sky. Once she released them, they fell apart with a little crackle sound and floated harmlessly to the ground.

As soon as she turned her back to me I quickly ran up, wrapped my arms around her waist, and tugged her against me. But instead of the little yelp of surprise I expected, she snuggled back against me. I lightly nipped at her ear. “How did you know it was me?”

“Who said I did?” she asked and giggled.

Moving my hands up to her shoulders, I whirled her around in mock anger. “What?”

My eyes roved her face like I hadn’t seen her in years, I wanted to memorize the sparkle of happiness in her large green eyes as she looked up at me. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her in tight. Happiness welled up inside of me as she wrapped her arms around my neck, and pressed against me from head to toe. This is what I had missed the last two weeks. A tension I didn’t even know I had, released, and I almost sagged to the ground with relaxation. Finally I eased back, so I could look at her. Apparently my worrying about her the last two weeks had been groundless. Smiling brightly with an untroubled gaze, she studied me as I studied her.

“I sensed you the moment you entered Athboy,” she said softly. I gave her a skeptical look, but didn’t argue.

Her eyes started to dilate as she looked at me, and I didn’t need any special gift to know what direction her thoughts were going in. I considered myself very lucky that Alexis’s attraction to me went as deep as mine for her. She closed her eyes as I dipped my head down to kiss her, but I stopped at about an inch away. I watched as impatience gripped her, and she stood on her tip-toes, but still I held away. Abruptly her eyes popped open, and she glared at me. Without a word she attempted to rip out of my arms. Prepared for this I yanked her back, and with one hand cupping the back of her head, I kissed the heck out of her.

With her lips and body pressed against me, that line between pleasure and pain became painfully bright. I could only take so much temptation, so I gently pulled away, and eased her back. She blinked up at me, but didn’t fight it. Taking my hand, she led me over to a bench partially hidden under a tree. I sat down and pulled her into my lap, locking my arms around her. She laughed, and then rested her head against my shoulder.

“How was Italy?”

I nuzzled the top of her head, breathing in the scent of wildflowers that seemed to cling to her. “Great. I think you would love it. Lots of amazing sights to photograph.”

“And what about for painting?” she asked teasingly.

“What do you think?”