The White Witch (16 page)

Harrison walks in, placing a plate of salad in front of me along with a glass of water.

“Yes, sir. Not always in Cove though, we lived in New Hartford until I was about four.”

“I am beginning to like it, though I suppose I am too used to the city.” He says before starting on his salad.

We make it through the meal of lobster bisque, braised beef shortrib and baked potato, keeping the conversation to family and work. Though I am sure I have never answered so many questions about myself or my dad’s work. Mr. Blackwell remains pleasant for the most part, but begins to anger when he starts on the subject of wanting Logan to do more work in his company or even in the office he will be opening in Stamford. Luckily Sabina intervened and put out the fire before it got out of control.

Harrison walks in with a serving cart upon which there are four small round white dishes with what I am sure is crème brulee. Just as he is placing the plates on the table, I get an ominous feeling and turn to the doorway, but it is empty. Not even a moment later, Erebos walks in.

“Oh, my apologies, I did not mean to interrupt your dinner.”

Mr. Blackwell remains irrelevant as if this has happened before, but Sabina shoots daggers at him with her eyes. 

Erebos glares at me, giving an evil smirk before turning his attention back to Logan’s dad. “Well, since you and your son are both here, perhaps we can have a quick meeting regarding the branch we will be opening here in Stamford.”

Before Mr. Blackwell can respond, Logan starts, “I have plans with Katelyn after dinner.”

As soon as he is done, Mr. Blackwell sets his jaw as he finishes his desert, shooting an irritated glare at his son.

I lean over slightly toward Logan. “I don’t mind waiting for you.”

Logan stands quickly. “Will you excuse us?” He asks his mother and father who quickly nod in agreement.

He takes my hand and pulls me to the other side of the room and out the door that Harrison had been coming in through all evening, leading me into a hallway.

“Angel, I don’t want you around him any more than you want to be around him.” Logan begins as he paces the hallway.

“I know, but this might help us start getting the information we need regarding Mr. Creepy and his involvement with your dad.”

Logan chuckles at my new nickname for Erebos and sighs, twisting the corner of his mouth. “Fine. But I will keep it short.”

“Fine by me.” I plant a soft kiss on his lips and we re-enter the dining room, “Be careful with Erebos. Try to keep your mind closed to him.” I whisper just as we stop near his mother’s seat.

“Father.” Mr. Blackwell sits back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “I will stay and hear what you have to say.” He shoots a hateful glare at Erebos.

Logan’s father gives a genuine smile and looks at me, nodding his head. “Very well, son.”

They all stand and leave to the den which I am told is across the hall. Sabina decides that she does not want to join them and asks if I would mind excusing her as she has to ensure that she has some paperwork together for the new office they are opening. She tells me that I can wait wherever I would like and that I should make myself at home.

I take her up on the offer to make myself at home and begin to explore the enormous house, eventually making my way upstairs. I find myself continually fiddling with the locket around my neck as I walk from room to room. I am amazed at how she has made use of all the rooms. I continue to explore and so far have found a gym, a craft room stocked so well, that it rivals the nearby craft stores, a couple of guest bedrooms and another office.

I walk in to look at the books on the shelf in a small office when I hear the door slam behind me. Erebos stands in front of it, his lips pull into a thin line and his grey eyes squint slightly. I reach down to my pocket and realize that my phone is in my purse in the coat closet downstairs.

I feel my chest rising and falling hard as he slowly steps forward.

“Do you believe that you can fool me?” He lunges forward putting his hand on my neck and lifting me slightly off the ground and into the bookcase behind me, causing several books to fall to the ground. I grab at his wrist trying to make him release me, but his grip is tight. He leans forward getting close to my neck and I cringe trying to pull out of his way. He takes a deep breath “I know who you are. I can feel it coming off of you. I can smell it on you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, you psychotic bastard.” I manage to get out between chokes.

He chuckles. “Is that the game we are going to play?” He stares at me and I feel him trying to enter my mind. Searing pains shoot through my head and I try to focus as Gamaliel told me. I glare back at him and picture myself getting into his thoughts as his eyes go wide. I see a dark door, just as I did with Gamaliel and I force my way in. Once in, I see flashes of offices, of Logan and his family, of me and my family and suddenly it all goes black as he increases the pressure on my neck, my concentration shattered. “You don’t want to play in there, little one. It’s a dangerous place to be. You may be fooling Logan, and his parents may be oblivious to you and even to me, but you don’t fool me at all.” His breath lingers hot on my face.

My eyes begin to water as I bring my arm down hard onto his, loosening his grip on me just enough to escape and gasp for the air my lungs are begging me for. “You can play dumb all you want, but if you are, who I think you are…” He chuckles again and my stomach turns. “I will make you watch as I kill your family first, then Logan, and then you.”

“If you so much as touch my family or Logan, I will hunt you down and kill you.” I spit out the words as I find my way onto my feet.

He backs up slowly to the door. “Maybe I will start with your aunt in Salem.” He cocks his head, “Oh, and if you think of telling your boyfriend about our little encounter, I won’t wait to see if you are in fact,
the one
. Understand?” He finishes as he opens the door and walks out into the hallway.

I run out behind him but he is gone. I look down the hallway and see the familiar door. Quickly I make my way down the hall and into Logan’s room, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it.

“Angel!” Logan runs in from the balcony. “Where have you been? I was loo-” He stops as he approaches, taking in my appearance.

I bring my hand up to my neck as tears start streaming down my face.

“What the hell happened? It looks like…” He drops off and takes my face in his hands. “I’ll kill him. I swear I’ll kill him.” He starts to make his way to the door, but I grab his hand and yank him back.

“No.” I say through choked sobs. “He already has an idea that I’m the one. He says it’s just a matter of time before he can prove it. I… I think he just wanted me to admit it, or use my powers, but I didn’t. He said if I say anything to you that he won’t wait. He will kill my parents and you and then me.” Logan begins to walk me over to his sofa when there is a knock on the door and Erebos calls to him from the other side.

I see the rage in Logan’s eyes and shake my head. “I’ll wait in your bedroom. See what he has to say.” I rush to the other side of the room and push the door forward.

“What is it Erebos?” I hear Logan give an aloof tone as Erebos lets himself in.

“Where is Katelyn?” He asks, though I suspect he knows.

“I think she is with my mother in her office. I haven’t seen her since before our meeting… Why?”

I hear Erebos pacing the room and I can already picture his hostile and critical grin. “Really?”

He stops near the bedroom door and I make my way over to Logan’s queen size bed, slowly lowering myself onto the floor and squeezing underneath it. I see the light pour in as he opens the door and almost immediately Logan is standing behind him.

“Is there any reason you are searching my room for my girlfriend?”

“Your girlfriend.” He starts. “She’s quite special, isn’t she?”

I watch as their feet get further and further from the bedroom door and breathe a sigh of relief.

“Yes. She is.”

“I would even venture to say unique. Kind of like you?” He stops pacing. His condescending tone has me clenching my teeth.

“What the hell are you getting at Erebos?”

“Don’t play stupid with me, Logan. I am well aware of your powers and that they are likely twice as strong as your father’s.”

“I know what you are doing to my father.” I see Logan get closer to Erebos until they are almost toe to toe.  “I saw it in the meeting. He can’t keep you out the way I can and-”

“And the way your girlfriend can?” He interrupts. “You need to think about whose side you are really on Logan. The first of likely many relationships? Or your blood? She’s not who you think she is, Logan. She is a danger to our kind and to our family. When she finds out who you are, she will turn on you.”

“Get out.” I hear Logan speak through gritted teeth.

Erebos simply chuckles lowly and begins to make his way out of the room. As soon as the door closes and I hear the lock, I slide out from underneath the bed.

“I can definitely say I never thought I would be doing that.” I say as I give Logan my hand and he helps me up.

He pulls me into a tight embrace. “We have to figure out what the hell his plan or angle is, and how to stop him.”

“What do you mean, his plan or angle?” I pull back and furrow my brow.

He lets me go and sits on the edge of his bed, rubbing his chin. “Think about it. If he thought it was you, why not just kill you and be done with it? Why risk it? What is he waiting for?” He stands quickly. “We need to talk to Gamaliel. We need more information about the Blackbournes there has to be something we are missing.” He stands and turns toward the door but I grab his arm and turn him gently to me.

“Why did he say? That if I find out who you are, I’ll turn on you?”

Logan sighs and looks at me. “I’d be lying if I say that I hadn’t thought about this part of the legend… If Erebos is truly a Blackbourne, then that means I am too, and you are to take revenge on the family who slaughtered your ancestors.”

My eyes watered. “But you heard Evangeline! Not all of you are like him.”

“I know we aren’t. But didn’t you notice the way she said that? Like you may or may not have control over yourself when the time comes.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“It doesn’t matter? It does matter! I will not hurt you. You aren’t like Erebos and I know that. I don’t care how strong my powers are or become, I know who you are, I know how you feel  and how I feel about you.”

Logan pulls me in and holds me tight against him. “I know baby. I know.” He says onto my head and follows it with a kiss.

I text Gamaliel and ask him to meet us. I also call my great aunt and explain to her that we are looking for a trigger, or something that will indicate what Erebos is waiting on. Logan and I make our way downstairs and find his parents in the living room, having just said their goodbyes to Erebos. We say our own quick goodbye and rush out to my car in an attempt to follow him.

“What kind of car is he driving?” I ask as Logan pulls up to the first stop light.

“Today? That one.” He nudges his head to a silver four door Cadillac two blocks down at a stop sign. “Luckily we are in an area with little ways out.”

We tail him for almost an hour and end up following Erebos to a small colonial house in Westchester, New York. The home is small in comparison to its surrounding neighbors, but sits on easily six or seven acres of land.

“I have a funny feeling that we might find more about Erebos and his plans here than at my dad’s offices.”

“I agree.” I say as I peer through the window, trying to glimpse through the trees. “Though, we have no idea how long we will have to wait before we can get in there.”  I finish, leaning back in my chair as I lose sight of Erebos’s feet behind another tree.

“Leave that to me. My dad will be home all weekend, so if I can convince him I am interested in speaking to him more about work, I can probably get more information about where Erebos will be and when.” Logan pulls off the curb and continues down the street, taking us back to Shippan.

“I’ve never tried to break into anyone’s house, and I’m guessing you haven’t either, so we will have to figure out how we are getting in.” Logan chuckles as we get on the highway.

“I’m sure we can figure something out.” I say, chewing on my lip, hoping I will be able to think of a way in.

Half way home, I get a text from Gamliel saying that he will be waiting on us to meet with him and that he has news regarding the Gunmetal Grey SUV.

“Of course!” I say slamming my forehead into my palm. “That is how we can do this.”

“What? Do what?” Logan looks at me with his brows pinched.

“Gamaliel! He can create portals. I don’t know if he’d be okay to use them for breaking and entering but it’s worth a shot to ask him.”

“Portals?” Logan raises an eyebrow.

I let out a sigh. “There is one more thing that I need to tell you… not because I was trying to keep it from you, but because I figured I was already putting so much magic and crazy things on you already.”