Love Spell: Book 2 of The Grimm Laws (26 page)

G
oosebumps rose
on Elle’s flesh as she sat on the front steps, hugging her arms tightly. Winter was just around the corner, and there was a bite in the air. She wished she’d opted to wear a coat rather than the lightweight jacket she’d thrown over her sweater on the way out the door this morning. She looked up at the sooty clouds that were churning overhead. It looked like the bottom could fall out any minute, dumping either sleet or snow.

Her strange conversation with Adele kept rolling through her mind as she looked at the front yard and street, which wasn’t busy this time of day. She’d only seen a handful of cars passing by in the time she’d been sitting on the steps. A large blackbird, flying overhead, caught her attention. For a moment, she let her mind get lost in the swift strokes of its wings as it caught the air and soared upward to the clouds. Then, it surprised her by circling around a few more times before landing on a lower branch of the large cottonwood tree beside the front window of The Chocolate Fountain. She had the uncanny impression that the bird was somehow watching her, but then she shrugged off the thought. She was really starting to lose it!

There was so much she wanted to talk to Adele about. She ran through all of the jumbled pieces, trying to somehow fit them together so that they made sense. There was the mirror—or rather, the girl in the mirror. Who was she? Was she a friend? Some hidden part of herself? And then there was Adele’s magic. Her chocolate had the power to make one remember or forget, and there was the part about starting a fire with the flick of her finger. Also, Adele could read minds. A tremor went through her as she thought about the one thing she wished she could forget—the shadow crawler! Would it attack again? How was she going to protect herself? And then there was the strange vision about Rush and the castle—the feeling of having known Rush forever. The feeling of being swept up in a love so strong that it had the power to consume her.

That sick feeling of impending doom was getting stronger by the minute, and it didn’t help to have Adele, confirming those feelings! In the past, she could pass off Adele’s eccentricity to the ramblings of an endearing crazy lady, but now … Now, she was starting to believe her! That was the scariest part of all. Despite the cold, a sweat broke across her forehead, and she had to will herself to take deep breaths to calm down. In … out … in … out.

She heard the hum of a motorcycle engine before she saw it. Then, she looked down the road where it came into view. It was Rush and Jack, and they were going fast—too fast! Rush was leaning forward, his body taut as if he were solely focused on the road in front of him. She stood and shoved her hands into her pockets. Later, she would remember every excruciating detail. How the bike hardly slowed as they turned into the parking lot adjacent to the front steps. The scream that tore through her throat as she watched the bike slide across the gravel. The sharp pinging as rocks sprayed into her face, mixed with the horror of seeing Jack go flying through the air before landing in a crumpled heap, facedown in the gravel.

She would vaguely remember running over to Rush and helping him to his feet. He ripped off his helmet and dropped it to the ground. The murderous look in his eyes was not what she expected to see. She caught his arms. “Are you okay?”

“Where did it go?” he demanded through clenched teeth.

“Where did what go?”

“The dragon!”

A sense of horror overtook her as her body began to shake. Their whole world was spinning out of control! Her voice cracked. “There’s no dragon. You had a wreck.”

He swore under his breath. “It was right there—the same fire-breathing dragon that destroyed an entire company of men! The dragon that crushed my bones in its talons and took me prisoner.”

“You had a wreck,” she repeated.

He blinked and then focused on her as if seeing her for the first time. “What happened?”

“You had a wreck,” she repeated a third time in a shaky voice. She pointed. “Jack’s not moving! We have to help him!” They hurried to his side as the front door to The Chocolate Fountain flew open and Rae and Adele ran out.

Rae took one look at Jack on the ground and burst into tears. “Oh, no!” she cried, putting her hands over her mouth.

“We heard the commotion and feared the worst,” Adele said, catching Elle’s eyes.

Rush knelt down beside Jack and turned him over. Jack’s eyes were closed, and his breathing was labored. A river of blood was pouring out from underneath his helmet, and the fabric of his jeans was ripped from one leg, revealing a large wound of torn flesh that resembled hamburger meat. Elle fought the urge to wretch as a wave of dizziness assaulted her.

“Come on, man. Wake up,” Rush urged. Elle could hear the hysteria building in his voice. “Come on, man!” He began shaking Jack’s arm. Rush looked at her, panic etched over his face. “Call 911!”

She retrieved her phone from her pocket and hurriedly placed the call. “Hello!” she yelled into the phone. “We have an emergency! There’s been a bike accident, and Jack has been knocked unconscious.” Even as she answered questions from the dispatcher, her eyes went to Rae who’d knelt down on the other side of Jack.

She was weeping while repeating the same phrase over and over. “Wake up, Jack! Please, wake up. Please!”

Tears welled in Elle’s eyes. It all felt surreal—like a nightmare. “He’s bleeding from the head!” she yelled into the phone. “Please! We need help!”

“Is he wearing a helmet?” came the voice over the line.

“Yes!” She gripped the phone tighter.

“Help is on the way. Please remain calm. Do not attempt to remove the helmet. Do not attempt to move him.”

“Don’t remove the helmet, and don’t move him!” she yelled to Rush.

“Keep me on the line until the paramedics get there,” the dispatcher instructed. “Is he breathing?”

“Yes, but barely.”

“Every time he breathes, I want you to say
now
.”

She crouched down beside Rush. Time seemed to stand still as she watched Jack’s chest. Her voice sounded small in her ears as she yelled out the words to the cadence of his shallow breaths. “Now … now … now!”

Jack’s eyes fluttered, and he made a motion of trying to talk. Rush put a hand on his arm. “Help is on the way.”

Sirens sounded in the evening air.

“They’re coming!” Elle breathed, going weak with relief. “Please, hurry!”

Rush had taken off his hoodie and was pressing it to Jack’s head to stay the bleeding.

“You need to get something to stop the bleeding,” the dispatcher said.

“We already did!” she yelled into the phone.

The paramedics stepped up behind them and took over.

“They’re here,” she said into the phone. “I’m going to let you go. Thank you!” she breathed as she ended the call.

She watched as the paramedics checked Jack’s vitals. “His blood pressure is plummeting, and he’s lost a lot of blood! We’ve got to get him in the ambulance … NOW!” They lifted Jack onto a stretcher and placed an oxygen mask over his face. Rae was right by his side, holding his hand.

One of the paramedics shot Rae a sympathetic look. “I’m afraid we’ll have to take it from here. We’ll do everything we can to help him.”

She nodded, a stricken look on her pale face. They watched as the paramedics put him into the ambulance and then sped off, going full speed with the sirens blaring.

Adele put an arm around Rae. “Let’s get you inside.”

“No,” Rae protested, her eyes wide. “I have to get to the hospital!”

“Me too!” Rush said, raking both hands through his hair.

A police officer stepped up. He was surveying the scene and scribbling notes on a clipboard. He looked at Rush. “I need to ask you a few questions.”

Elle cringed at the look of raw fear that twisted over Rush’s face as he nodded. Then the implication of what was about to happen pelted over her. Rush had been involved in another car accident before coming to Tower Heights—an accident that had left a guy dead. This was not going to end well.

“Is that your bike?” the officer asked.

“Yes,” Rush said.

“And I assume you were the one driving. Is that correct?”

Time seemed to be suspended as Rush looked at her. Anguish was written over his face. He was about to speak those fateful words that would change his world forever. An admission of guilt might land him in jail, considering this was his second offense with the same crime. Then for some inexplicable reason, Elle’s gaze was drawn to Adele who seemed to be trying to convey some critical piece of information. She remembered Adele’s words earlier about courage and how she was stronger than she thought.

“Were you driving the bike?” the officer repeated, a trace of impatience in his voice.

Elle stepped up, forcing the words from her throat. “No, I was.”

E
ven though Edward
kept asking his dad to explain the shadow crawler or whatever that thing was, his dad kept telling him that it wasn’t the right time. His dad irritated the heck out of him sometimes! That thing was wicked! He’d tried to explain that to his dad, but it fell on deaf ears. His dad even had the audacity to suggest that maybe the shadow crawler had gotten all of the information it needed and wouldn’t bother him again—
whatever that meant
. And what was all of that crazy talk about Rush being his dad and Wisteria’s weak spot? The whole thing was nuts, like they’d left reality and stepped into some strange sci-fi world or something.

How was Rush connected to his dad? His mind went back to that horrible vision of blackness where Rush was his tormentor. Anger rose in his breast. He was really starting to hate that guy! Everywhere he turned, Rush seemed to be in the way. An image of Elle with her lush blonde hair and expressive eyes rose up before him, and he could almost feel her touch and smell her light floral perfume. The hurt that wafted over him blindsided him, leaving a sick feeling in his gut. He still couldn’t believe that she’d outright dumped him! After all they’d been through together, and she didn’t even have the decency to tell him in person. He’d told himself when it first happened that they were through—that he never wanted anything else to do with her. But strangely enough, it was Elle that he most wanted to talk to right now. She would understand what he was going through because she’d experienced the shadow crawler too. Also, he had a feeling that Elle knew more about this whole thing than she was letting on. Before he could talk himself out of it, he picked up his phone and pressed her number, his heart in his throat, as it rang. He briefly wondered if she might hang up on him the moment she heard his voice. He’d laid it on pretty thick with Lynessa today at the locker, and he could tell that it made Elle furious. A smile played on his lips. Did that mean she still had feelings for him?
Maybe
. He scowled when it went to voicemail. He thought about leaving her a message, but the words got caught in his throat, so he ended the call and threw down the phone where it bounced on his mattress. He and Elle had a history together. Heck, they’d been an item since elementary school. This thing with Rush Porter would blow over. He knew Rush’s type. Elle was smart enough to eventually see through the tough-guy, rebel-without-a-cause facade. And when he left her high and dry with her world crashing down around her, she’d come running back to him the way she always had before. But could he wait? Could he find it within himself to forgive and forget? She’d hurt him, after all. Deep down, he already knew the answer to the question. He couldn’t imagine not being with Elle. She was a part of him. Of course he would see it through. Whatever it took, he was up for the task.

His phone buzzed, and he reached for it. A surge of hope pulsed through him, and he thought it might be Elle calling him back. He swallowed the disappointment when he realized it was Lynessa.

“Hey … yeah, I’ve got time to work on the essay tonight. Come on over.”

“
I
do not care
what is written in The Grimm Laws, Mother. I am not going to marry her! Surely Father can talk to Merek. There must be some way to undo the engagement,” Edward said vehemently. Then he paused and gave her a hard look. “I am certain that my broken engagement will please thee immensely.”

Loreena shook her head “You are upset and are not thinking clearly. Sit down, so we can talk about this intelligently.” She reached for Edward, but he jerked out of her grasp and kept pacing back and forth in front of the chair where she was sitting. They were in Loreena’s bedchamber with the door closed so they could talk privately. Edward had sought her out as soon as the banquet was over. Loreena exhaled and leaned back in her seat. “My dear son, how stubborn you are … exactly like thy father. Do you not see?” She waved a hand in the air and then adjusted her hair. “The poor girl is being manipulated by that witch.” Her eyes went hard. “Tonight’s event was carefully orchestrated by Wisteria, including the part where that gypsy stuck her tongue down thy throat.”

Spots of red blotched up Edward’s neck. “I assure thee, Mother, I had no idea that was going to take place. I was not aware that Lynessa had even returned to the kingdom.”

Loreena raised an eyebrow. “Lynessa … aye, I thought I recognized her.”

He ignored her speculative look by averting his eyes. It was the same tactic Aalexander used when trying to avoid a topic he didn’t wish to discuss.

“So the gypsy is back.” She sighed. “I feared as much.”

Edward threw his hands in the air. “I suppose.”

“Wisteria, no doubt, brought her here to distract thee. And judging by tonight’s debacle, it seems to be working. She wants to drive a wedge between thee and Cinderella so that Cinderella will testify on behalf of her son. Do you not see what is happening here?”

“’Twas one innocent kiss, Mother.”

“Nay! There was nothing innocent about it, dear. You have a weakness where that gypsy is concerned. That one is as crafty as a spider, spinning her web and waiting for thee to stray right into it.”

“Mother, this conversation is pointless! I do not love Lynessa, I love Cinderella.”