Witching Tree (Alice Gray Book 1)

68

                 
The doorbell announced the arrival of pizza, giving me the distraction I needed to bury the terrifying reality of my future.

Oh, I knew that I would have to deal with it, but now was not the time. Not with a room of well meaning people to offer sympathy for something they didn't understand.

Plus, I really did need to eat.

I sat on the floor around the low table, which Thomas and Ben had cleared of their chess paraphernalia. As I arranged the pizza boxes so that people could help themselves, everybody gathered around.

Anne and Emily made small talk as they helped themselves to the pizza. Even Stephen joined in, trying to lighten the mood with some really bad jokes. It was uncharacteristic of him, and I was touched by his effort.

I ate in silence for a few minutes, and then began to join in. It was like a collective release of tension, and suddenly everybody relaxed.

Here I was in a room full of people acting like my friends. Some had spied on me, others betrayed me. Some, I just didn't entirely trust. But they gathered around me in my hour of need, and I was grateful.

When we had finished eating, I collected the empty boxes and took them to the kitchen trash. I turned back to the room to find that Thomas was right there, standing directly in front of me. So close, that our bodies almost touched.

The energy built in the narrow space between us. The weight of his intense vampire power pushed against my life-force, demanding a connection.

Thomas's eyes met mine, desire swirling in their depths. The breath caught in my throat as the heat of it burnt through to my core.

Breaking eye contact I peeked over Thomas's shoulder.

Ben ushered the others out of my apartment. Stephen objected, but a word from Emily was all it took. Last to go was Anne, who caught my eye and winked.

Great. Nobody was going to help me get out of this one!

Out of options, I let my glance return to Thomas. My eyes travelled slowly up his body until they reached his dark, smoldering gaze.

God he was beautiful.

The dishevelment of the previous day was a thing of the past. His face bore no trace of the tiredness and anxiety that had marred it last time I saw him. He looked tan and healthy, his features chiselled and his skin smooth. Black dress pants and white cotton shirt were crisp and immaculate.

My body inched towards his, the reaction of our energies pulling us together.

This was not how it was going to go down. I would not just melt at the slightest suggestion from him. I plastered a look of grim determination on my face.

Thomas's expression flickered to one of confusion. I took a step back to break the bond of our magic knitting together. He grabbed my arm, stopping me from increasing the distance between us.

"Where do you think that you're going?" Thomas raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. "We have some things we need to discuss."

"Fine, but we don't need to do that with only millimetres between us," I answered, irritation creeping into my voice.

"What's going on?" Thomas asked, his tone businesslike and brooking no evasion.

Taken aback by the directness of his question, anger rose in me at his certainty that I owed him an explanation, that we had a relationship which gave him the right to expect intimacy from me.

"Let go of me," I said, my voice low and threatening.  Anger sparked the power that my body now held. It reverberated through my blood before fizzling out.

What the hell?

"I said let go of me," I tried again, my confidence wavering. The magic thrummed deep within, but I couldn't reach it.

My hand drifted up and touched the pendant that hung around my neck. This was the pendant's purpose, to subdue my power, to control me.

Fear filled me. This was it.

I was a danger to others without it, but only half myself if I wore it.

Shaking uncontrollably, I gulped air in shallow breaths that wouldn't fill my lungs. The room spun as dizzying images of twisted features and greedy eyes flashed through my brain.

It was happening already, I was caught in Jonathan's dilemma. The only choice was to isolate myself like he had.

How long would I be able to ward off the madness?

"Alice, I need you to listen to me," the voice was distant but compelling.

Strong fingers gripped my chin, tilting my face up. Brown eyes caught mine in their spell. My breathing slowed, as my focus returned to Thomas.

"I can't do this. I can't be around anyone now."

"You can be with me."

"You think that we have this connection, the one you shared with my ancestor," I began, "but you must know that it's influenced by my power. You don't want to accept it, but you've succumbed to it, like everybody else. It's not genuine, what you feel for me. I'm not the same woman as the Pendle Witch, Alice Gray. I have my father's magic too, Device magic. If I stay with you, it'll destroy you."

"No. It's different for us. Our energy, it works together. Don't deny it. I know you've felt it, drawn it into yourself. I can sense what your body wants, I can give you what you need. Would you deny yourself what you truly desire?"

I couldn't deny it, I did want him. And it was true, before my heritage and powers had been fully revealed, I had thought there was something between us, some connection that could overcome our physical disparities.

"We have discussed this before, Alice. I am Vampire. Your magnetism doesn't work on me. Not in the same way. I don't covet your power, but you, yourself. I can't be apart from you anymore. I need you to be with me. You are my fate, as foretold by your ancestor four hundred years ago. I have been waiting too long for you, to let you go now."

Thomas gently pulled me to him, he stroked my cheek tenderly until his hand reached my chin. Tilting my face up, he slowly approached for a kiss. When his lips met mine, my traitorous body relaxed into his. We fit together like we had been created for it. It was impossible to pull away.     But that's exactly what Thomas did.

"And look, you have your pendant on now, and I still feel the same," Thomas murmured, as his final assault against my defenses.

He needn't have bothered. I had already given in, for now. And when he leaned back into me, I felt all resistance slip away in the delight of our union.

There were more important battles to win in my future.

My father was still out there somewhere.

Wow! That's it, the end. Thanks so much for sticking with me and Alice Gray. There are two more books in the pipeline for these characters- please let me know what you think!

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