Possessed (11 page)

Jaw
clenched, he waited for more.

“I
can’t ever apologize enough for not standing up for you, but I want you to know
that I…tried. Carl wouldn’t hear of it. Wouldn’t allow me to even mention your
name, but I never stopped missing you…my baby.”

Sebastian
glared at her. “You were afraid of me.”

“Only
for a moment.”

“Then
why didn’t you ever try to reach me?”

“I
couldn’t. But I did keep tabs on you through Melanie and Martin. They showed me
pictures from your prom and graduation. I know all about the Web site you sold
and how you then went into web design. And then flipping houses in Vegas.”

Though
it should have mollified him that she’d made some attempt at keeping a
connection with him, even if he hadn’t been aware of it, it wasn’t enough. He
was her flesh and blood, her only son, and he hadn’t spoken to her in twelve
years. They’d turned their backs on him and snubbed him at every opportunity.
“Why are you telling me this? What do you want?”

“Nothing.
I may never get this opportunity again. I love you, Sebastian.” She took a
large, awkward step forward. She kissed his jaw and gave him a quick hug. It
was over before he could either reciprocate or push her away. He watched her
walk back inside.

Sitting
behind the wheel of his truck, his gaze was drawn to his old house. It hadn’t
changed much since he left. It was painted cream instead of white. There were
more landscaping elements, such as a fountain in the middle of the front lawn
and a row of plants lining the walkway to the front door. The bench he’d helped
his father build out of wood was gone. In its place was a white plastic one.

“Dude,
I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know they’d be here. Are you okay?”

Sebastian
blinked. Mike stood next to his truck. He’d been so preoccupied with the past
that he hadn’t noticed Mike come out of the house. “I’m fine.”

“What
did she want?”

“Nothing
important. Hey, so I think I’m going to head out.”

Mike
nodded. “See you at the house?”

“Um,
no. I should leave.”

“Heading
back to Nevada?”

Sebastian
shook his head. He’d arrived at Mike’s place late last night, so they hadn’t
talked. This morning Mike had left early to put up decorations at his parents’.
“I can’t go back there.”

Mike
frowned. “What about Keva?”

“What
about her?”

“My
God, man, you’re in love with her.”

“And
the best thing I can do for her is to stay away from her.”

“Is
that what she wants?”

He
thought of their last evening together. “Yes.”

Mike
made a frustrated sound. He twisted away from the car and swore. “You fucked
that up on purpose, didn’t you? You love her and you pushed her away. Do you
want to be unhappy? You were so close.”

“Mike,
it wouldn’t work. How long before I lose control again? That’s no way for her
to live.”

“Hell,
it’s no way for you to live, but you choose it. Don’t you think she should have
the chance to say no before you assume that’s her answer?”

“Let
it go.”

“Hell,
no, I won’t. You keep selling yourself short. In case you haven’t noticed,
there are plenty of people who care about you who don’t give a damn about you
being able to levitate a pencil.”

“Mike,
I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Well,
that’s too fucking bad because I think you’re about to make a stupid mistake. What
your parents did to you was shitty. What you can’t seem to accept is that
they’re the freaks, not you. What type of people would turn their backs on
their own flesh and blood?
They’re
the freaks of nature,
not
you.”

Sebastian
hit his hands on the steering wheel. “Why are you doing this?” Mike never
pushed. It was one of the reasons why he considered him to be his best friend.
If he said he didn’t want to talk, Mike understood. Why was he pushing?

“Because
I love you, dude. You deserve to be happy and I think Keva could make you happy
if you let her.”

“I
love you, too, Mike. I just need some time…to think.”

Mike
held his hands up and backed away from the truck. “Fine. Think, but make sure
you think about what I said. Your parents fucked up your late teens. You don’t
have to do the same to the rest of your life.”

Sebastian’s
head ached. He couldn’t meet his friend’s eyes. Instead, he nodded to
acknowledge Mike’s words. “I’ll call you when I can.”

****

Keva
placed the grocery bag of drinks on the bench and pressed the doorbell. Sunday
dinners at her mother’s house were important to the family. Before her move to
Nevada, every Sunday after church she could be found at her mother’s dinner
table. This week she’d been assigned the task of bringing sodas. Keva knew it
was because they didn’t trust her with any of the more important items. She was
fine with that since she had only been home for a month and a half. The pile of
unpacked boxes in her kitchen, den, and bedroom taunted her.

Her
sister Lily opened the door. “About time,” she said with a disapproving frown
marring her otherwise smooth brow. At almost forty, Lily looked half her age. “We
missed you at church today.”

Keva
rolled her eyes as she picked up the bag. “I told you I had to buy the dress
for last week. I didn’t have a lot of call for them in Nevada.”

“You
would have if you’d been going to church instead of associating with heathens.”

She
pressed her lips together. There was no point in arguing with her sister or her
mother. They only heard what they wanted to hear. “Where is everybody?”

“Kevin
hasn’t arrived yet. He had to work. Mom’s in the kitchen icing the cake.
Ambrosia’s taking a nap but should be up in time for dinner,” Lily finished.
Ambrosia was her two-year-old daughter. Keva had to bite her tongue to keep
from snapping at Lily. If Kevin and his family hadn’t arrived yet, why was she
giving her attitude? Their brother and his wife were supposed to prepare the
chicken. Dinner was not going to start without him.

“Hey,
Keva,” Jackson, Lily’s husband, said as they entered the den. “I’ll take those into
the kitchen for you.” He kissed her cheek in greeting and took the heavy bags.

“Thanks,”
she said with a smile. She dropped her purse on the couch and followed him. Her
mother was stirring a bowl of chocolate icing. The kitchen was warm and
fragrant. Three thick layers of cake sat on the counter cooling. She gave her
mother a quick hug and kiss. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi,
Keva. Did you bring a diet soda for me?”

“Sure
did.” She’d only been reminded four times to purchase at least one diet soda.

Her
mom looked her over. “Why don’t you curl your hair? It’s so limp and lifeless.”

Keva
ran a hand over her loose locks. Her curling iron broke a few years ago and
she’d never bothered to replace it. So unless she wanted a burned thumb,
straight hair was her only option. “I like it this way,” she said casually.
“It’s low maintenance.”

“But
it’s so bouncy when it’s curled.”

Keva
looked around the kitchen. “Do you need help with anything?”

“Nope,
I’ve got everything under control here. Collard greens are over there. Ham’s in
the oven. Potato salad is in the fridge. All we need now is Kevin. Why don’t
you go see if Lily needs help setting the table?”

She
didn’t want to be alone with Lily because her sister was a nag. What was annoying,
but acceptable from her mother, was doubly irritating from her sister. She
supposed Lily felt like a second mom to her since there was such a large gap
between their ages. That didn’t make taking her constant criticism any easier.
When she entered the dining room off the kitchen, Lily was finishing up. She
twitched the flowers in the vase and placed it at the center of the table.

“Do
you need any help?”

Lily
smiled and spread her hands out like a showcase model as if to display the
gleaming silver and napkins. “All done.” Keva followed Lily out into the den. “How
do you like your new job?”

“It’s
okay,” she said without much enthusiasm. She’d gotten a job in the billing department
at the hospital. It was a job and it covered the rent, but she didn’t see
herself working there forever.

“Do
you like your coworkers? Any cute guys there?”

“Yes
to the first question. No to the second. I’m off men for the moment.” She saw
no point in dating when her heart wasn’t in it.

“Really?
Anthony made a point of telling me how pretty he thought you were last week
after church. I almost invited him over for dinner.”

Keva’s
brows rose. She was glad that didn’t come to pass. She’d dated Anthony for
about three days in high school before he went back to his old girlfriend. He’d
never told her what went wrong. It might be spiteful of her, but she wasn’t
interested in giving him a second chance. “Don’t bother.”

“But
he’s so cute.”

A
buzzing sounded from her back pocket before she could reply. Keva frowned at
her cell. She didn’t recognize the number displayed on the caller ID. She
answered with a cautious, “Hello?” The only reply was labored breathing.
“Hello? Who is this?”

“Keva,”
a rough voice said. It was deep and dark, more of a growl than anything.

She
whipped around so that she was no longer facing her sister. “Who is this?” she
repeated in a frantic whisper.

A
short, dark laugh met her ears. It was as if she spoke to Satan himself. “You
know who this is.”

“Sebastian?”

“Bastian,”
he corrected her.

“What
do you want?”

Another
laugh, more evil and polluted than the last. It held no mirth. It was a lazy,
taunting expulsion of air. “You know what I want.”

“Spell
it out for me. Do you need to talk? We can perform a therapy session…”

Restless
shifting reached her ears. “Pussy,” he said the word as though he were savoring
it like a fine wine. “I need pussy.”

Keva
stiffened her spine. Anger and fear threatened to break free. She would not let
him affect her. Would not let him use her or manipulate her anymore. Straining
to keep her voice as neutral as possible, she replied, “I’m no longer in
Nevada.”

“I
know,” he drawled in that menacing tone of his. “I tracked you.”

Keva
tightened her hand around her cell to still her trembling. Her heart slammed
against her ribs in panic. Bracing herself with the arm of the sofa, she found
the seat cushion with numb fingers and sat down. “Y-you’re in North Carolina?”

“Mmm.”
His affirmative sound resembled that of a lion purring. “Greenville to be
exact. I need you, Keva.”

“Sebastian,
I don’t do that type of work anymore.”

“Bastian.”
He couldn’t have given her a better reminder of whom she was speaking to.
Sebastian was hesitant, almost shy, but when his power was riding him, he
turned into the arrogant, demanding creature that was Bastian. “I need you,” he
repeated.

“You’ll
need to find someone else. I won’t—” A loud rumbling interrupted her and she
realized with a start that it was him. He was very displeased.

“You.
I want you.”

“What
the hell was that?” Lily asked behind her.

Keva
ignored her. “Bastian, please be reasonable.”

“Be
ready, Keva. I’m coming for you.” He disconnected the call.

“
Shit!
”

Of
course her mother would choose that moment to enter the room. “
Keva
!
This is not an outhouse. I did not raise you to use that type of language.”

Keva
considered her options. She couldn’t let him find her here. It was only a
matter of time, and she didn’t want him terrifying her family. They’d never
approved of her work and they certainly would not approve of Sebastian. “I have
to go.”

“What?”
Her mother wiped her floured hands on a kitchen towel. “You just got here. Dinner
will be served in twenty minutes. What’s so urgent you can’t even wait for
dinner?”

Keva
grabbed her purse and dropped her cell inside. “It’s an emergency.”

Lily
placed a hand on her slender hips. “What type of emergency that you’d leave a
family dinner for? You’ve already missed one since you’ve been home.”

And
they never let her forget it. It was her first week home and she’d been moving
into her town house. She hadn’t wanted to join the family for one of the
typically delicious but heavy Southern meals and then go home to a house left
in chaos. “It’s a friend,” she said, moving toward the door.

Lily’s
eyes narrowed. “A friend or a client?”

“As
you well know, I don’t do that type of work anymore. It’s unadvisable to take
sessions outside of a clinical setting.” She darted toward the door. “If I can,
I’ll come back.” After dinner, they usually hung around the den discussing
family, friends, and work. She bumped into Kevin on her way out.