In Another Life: Second Chances - Book One, page 9
We do talk about everything and nothing. I’ve begged them to not talk about anything supernatural for just those one to two hours at night, which I now realize is hypocritical of me. As much as I feel somewhat acclimated, everything has just been… a lot. I’ve come to terms with my new life for the most part, I just want to take it slower from now on. At least until the rest of the coven shows up and throws me for another loop.
“Your phone has been ringing off the hook.” Francis calls from another room and I sigh as I track him down and hold out my hand. He sets it on my palm and I frown when I see all of the missed calls from Hunter. I walk to the living room that overlooks the gardens in the rear of the manor and I take a seat before calling him back. I close my eyes and breathe in the comforting lavender scents that permeate the air in every room, and slowly let it out.
“Mauve… Why the hell are there men showing up here with some sort of court order for me to hand over every single one of your belongings?” I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. I forgot that my old house was their last stop. I’ve already received everything from my apartment and storage unit. Closed both and paid the loathsome fees to break my lease.
“Just getting the rest of my belongings, Hunter. I figured a moving company would be easier.”
He slams a door on his end and I wince. “Why couldn’t you show up on your own? You know I don’t like strangers in my domain.”
I snort under my breath. I hum. “Sorry about that. They’ll be out of your hair soon enough.”
He sighs and I hear him muttering under his breath. “Are you still in that apartment across town?” I freeze and have no idea what to say. I won’t tell him my current location, but I also don’t want him to go looking for me. I have my mail from my apartment being forwarded to Ashlynn’s condo in Virginia to play it safe.
“No. I moved. Call me if you have any issues with the movers, Hunter. Say hi to Natalie for me.” He tries to reply but I hang up and close my eyes.
I hate hearing his voice. It was like a siren’s call to me when I was in college. Such a deep, strong voice belonging to an equally handsome and strong man. I curl up on the couch and scroll through my phone and delete my junk emails. We have nothing else to do for today. The guest rooms are made up in the west wing, which is in the opposite hall from the ‘matriarch’s’ rooms. I already worked out. We went shopping and apparently London has everything else we need for the rest of the week. I guess I can go upstairs and practice some more random spells.
They haven’t commented when they see me using any of my ‘core’ powers. So I’ve been working on levitation, invisibility, and different barriers and I’ve been taking notes in my journal and testing them out. Telekinesis is also a favorite. Opening and closing doors, items landing in my hand when I call for them… Levitating anything I don’t want to carry…
I have also finally been in, or peeked in, every room by now, but stick to the bedroom, downstairs office, and this living room. We have anything remotely supernatural behind locked doors and I hope that I don’t do something stupid or absentminded while they’re here for their first trip.
Shit the allowances! I pull out my phone and send Jeremy an email about setting up ‘allowance accounts’ for Dean, London, and Francis. I also ask him how much he makes from working for the coven and to work out a new alliance of sorts. I want to give him an amulet to walk in the sun… But unsure how to go about it, or how to even bring it up again. I guess I can walk outside of the manor’s anti-spirit wards and talk to Harriet. If she ever shows up again… I can also do a ritual to call them to me.
Maybe next week.
My phone vibrates in my hand and I open up the text.
Jeremy Moore: I don’t make anything from the coven for my services. The deal with your ancestors was for me to live in Salem, outside of the coven estate, if I oversaw the businesses, bank accounts, and was the personal lawyer... And more. We can talk next week about different terms. How much of an allowance would you like to set up for Dean, Francis, and London?
I sigh. I don’t like how Jeremy isn’t paid anything after doing so much.
“For now, can you set up accounts for the three of them, a thousand dollars per week each. I would also like you to send me an invoice for everything you’ve done for me personally and I will pay that and want you to be paid weekly for everything else you do for the coven. I understand that Harriet wanted all supernaturals a part of the coven to keep Salem safer, but I think you can be an exception after all of this time. You want your freedom, and I don’t want to lose your guidance. How does a thousand every week sound? Same amount as the other three for your services and if I need anything else, just invoice me?”
I hold my breath after I press send. Jeremy is a prideful man…vampire… and most likely won’t accept anything since he had such high regards and respect for my grandmother, well at least I think he did. After a few minutes when he doesn’t reply, I stalk up to my bedroom and get ready for bed. I plug in my phone and set an alarm so that I can get my workout done with Dean early in the morning, so that I have time to shower and get ready to pick up my kids from the airport in Boston. Davis is driving to Virginia tonight and they’ll both fly up here together.
I should ask Francis in the morning if the Dragonite airline is supernatural… It sounds like it, but I can just be imagining things.
___________
“Drive safely, Mistress!” London waves me off and I grin as I stalk around the massive garage and choose a pearl white SUV to take to the airport. I ended up selling my car in California, using one of Jeremy’s ‘associates’ to take care of everything. He sent me a message late last night letting me know the moving company removed all of my belongings from Hunter’s house, and they will be shipped immediately… He never replied to my other text message, but I didn’t expect him to. If he doesn’t set up the ‘allowance’ account for himself or send me the invoice, I will have to figure out a way to pay him for everything he’s done.
I make it to the airport with twenty minutes to spare before the flight is due to arrive, and I sit in a cellphone lot staring at the clock on the dashboard. I just hope that I can act normal and natural. I’m anxious, yet excited, to see them after so long.
My phone rings and vibrates in the cupholder and Ashlynn’s name is flashing across the screen.
“Hey mom, we’re at the baggage claim.”
I smile. “I’m on my way. Bright white SUV!” I start driving towards the terminal and drive as slow as a turtle until I see them standing near one of the crosswalks, heads close together, murmuring to each other. I’ve always loved how close they were. Less than two years apart in age. Same hair and eye color – auburn hair and green eyes - Davis is an inch taller than his dad, standing at six-foot-three, while Ash is my height, five-foot-six, so he’s quite a bit taller than us. Ashlynn is slim, a lot slimmer than I ever was at her age. Whereas Davis has bulky, yet lean, muscles and can bench press a horse. Probably not, but my boy is still strong.
I honk my horn and pull up to the curb and fly out of the seat and tackle them both in a hug.
“Holy shit, mom. You look fucking incredible!” Ash yells and pulls me back to stare at me. She frowns and gets closer to my eyes. “Are you wearing contacts?”
I roll my eyes at myself as I freeze and blink stupidly at her. “Yeah, eyes were going bad… I decided to do something fun for losing so much weight. Got contacts instead of glasses.” I try to smile but I’m sure I look like I’m having a seizure. I’m panicking… I should have thought about that and glamoured my eyes.
I close my eyes tightly and bring them in for another hug. Now that I have my powers, I can feel their spark, buried deep under the binding that Harriet placed when they were born. I’ll have to ask Francis and London if they can sense it.
“I’m still shocked you decided to come up here instead of seeing your girlfriend.” I wink at Davis and lead them to the trunk and smile when he grabs his sister’s bags and tosses them in and slams it shut.
“She went on a cruise with her family.” I nod and we get settled in the car.
“What about winter break?” I ask as I get back on the road and follow the directions back to Salem.
“Not sure. I bought my ticket to California already, but she hasn’t told me her plans… and I’d rather not stay with dad.” I sigh and nod.
“I know, baby, but he’s still your father and probably wants to see you.” He just shrugs and taps around on his phone and I look in the mirror and focus on my girl. “What about you?”
She clams up and I laugh as a blush crawls up her cheeks. “I’ll be coming up here to see you…” She looks out the window and I smirk.
“Are you dating anyone?”
She sighs and nods. “Yeah... His name is Ryan and is studying business like Davis. Comes from a respectable family somewhere around here. He’ll be here for Thanksgiving, too.”
I hum. “He’s from Salem specifically?”
“Yeah, is that where we’re going?” I mumble an affirmative.
“What’s his last name? It’s not too large of a town.”
“Carlisle.” I turn up the music and decide on asking Francis and Jeremy if that name rings a bell. If he’s a supernatural, talking to Ashlynn will be a breeze next month.
“What the hell.” Davis mumbles as we drive down the cobblestone driveway to the iron gates. I snort as I press the button on the speaker box and cross my fingers that Francis knows it’s me.
“Opening the gates now, Ms. Volkov.” I wince and don’t look at Davis as I drive leisurely so they can gawk at the gardens, fountains, and groves of trees.
“I thought you lived in some tiny house or something, mom. What is this place?” Ashlynn whispers and I refuse to look in the rearview mirror at her.
“I’ll explain over dinner. Are you hungry?” They both say they’re starving and I hold my breath as we pull up to the manor. “Welcome to the Volkov estate, kids.” I open up the garage with the button imbedded in the rearview mirror and park before opening up the trunk and leading the kids to the door to enter the house. “It’s basically a maze in here, I’ll give you a tour after we eat. I’ll show you to some guest bathrooms if you want to get washed up or changed.” They’re both whispering to each other as we walk through the halls and I point out the guest bathrooms near Harriet’s office. I lean up against the wall as I wait for them to wash up and I pluck my phone out of my pocket and text Jeremy about Ryan Carlisle.
A few minutes later Davis and Ashlynn are both buzzing with energy and frowning at me and I chuckle as I lead them to the dining room. “London is the chef and takes care of the household chores, she will be in, in a moment. This is Francis, the estate manager. Francis, this is Davis and Ashlynn.” I sit down at the head of the table and chew on my lip as they both plop down in their seats and just blink at the massive offerings scattered among the massive tabletop before them.
“Want to ask a few questions while we wait to begin eating?”
Ashlynn perks up and smirks at me. “So, when you set up those trust funds… It wasn’t just that was it…” I shake my head and she nods her head. “So grandma Volkov was… what? Some heiress? Royalty?”
I shrug and tilt my head to the side. “Sort of. Our ancestors settled here from Russia and basically owned the town, along with banks, businesses, oil… After some smart investment decisions, they amassed more and more wealth and power… I guess you can say.”
Davis chugs his water from the goblet in front of him and chuckles. “Dad is going to flip.”
I sigh and give him a look. “Dad still doesn’t know. He called me a few days ago and asked if I was still in LA and I said no and hung up. I don’t want him knowing where I live or what I’m doing. I have my mail forwarded to Ashlynn’s condo. I’m assuming he knows about your new accommodations?”
They both shake their heads and I groan. Ash speaks up, “I haven’t talked to him since before I left for Virginia over the summer… He doesn’t call me or text, why should I try to talk to him?” I nod and look over at my son.
He shrugs his shoulder. “I don’t have a reason to speak to him unless I need to stay there with him over winter break.” I shake my head and sip some water before answering.
“You can always cancel the flight or switch it to come up here. If you do end up going to California and can’t stay with your girlfriend, then let me know and I’ll either fly you here or can send you money for a hotel.”
He nods absently then we turn silent when London steps through the doors. “Wow, you two are beautiful!” She smiles and sets down another casserole and takes her seat beside Francis. “I’m London, you must be Davis and Ashlynn. Your mother never shuts up about either of you.”
Ashlynn chuckles and sends her a questioning look. “Can I ask why you work here, doing so much on your own with you being… older?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and London just laughs. “Oh, don’t worry about this old woman. I still have some years left. My daughters will be joining me next week, so I’ll be having some help.” Ash and London hold a conversation about her daughters, what they do for work and how they like living here, and Davis focuses on his food. We finish up our meal and I lead them down to my favorite living room that’s overlooking the gardens.
“I’ll give you both a full tour tomorrow, you look exhausted. And if you want to help out with the gardens and get a good work out, meet me by the stairs at seven in the morning.” I sit down on the couch and wait for them to choose their seats and I chew on my lip. “Anything else you want to know before a quick tour and I’ll show you to your rooms?”
“What have you been doing this past month? This is… a lot. And a vast adjustment… I mean, why didn’t you tell us?” Davis asks and pouts at me. I roll my eyes.
“It was a big change for me too, on all accounts. The divorce and deciding to leave California… I’ve been doing freelance work in graphic design for my old friend Samantha… I’ve also been busy dealing with Harriet’s will and getting acquainted with everything. It’s been a lot.”
They drop the conversation at that, and I begin to tell them about what different rooms there are. They both pout that there’s no pool or gym here, but maybe I can find somewhere on the land to build it… especially if they decide to unbind their powers and stay here.
I lead them on a quick tour of the downstairs. The office is locked and so are all of the rooms in my wing, so after I show them the guest rooms, various sitting rooms, and the kitchen, I take them up the stairs that leads to the west wing and show them their rooms.
“If you need anything, my room is in the other wing, the last room with the double doors.” They’re both gawking at their rooms and I smile. They’re massive. King-sized beds, walk-in closets, and full ensuites. There’s also flat screen TV’s as wide as their beds and sitting areas beside the windows. All of the décor is as dark and ostentatious as the rest of the house. Of course, they would love it.
“Wow, mom…” Ashlynn murmurs and shakes her head. “I wonder what job opportunities are here in Salem.” I chuckle and give her a hug.
“We’ll talk more about that over your winter break…” I wink at her and kiss Davis on his cheek. “See you both in the morning. Breakfast is usually around nine, but if you’re starving, help yourselves.” I wave them off as they close their doors and I meander down the long hall to my room. I wish I can keep them over here, but there are certain rooms that have some questionable books on the shelves. Along with crystals and candles and pentagrams… I wonder if these were the rooms that London and Francis set up for me to use to do my spells in.
I take a quick shower and crawl into bed and close my eyes. I feel so complete and whole with my kids here. Let’s just hope that the next few days are calm.
Chapter 9
Mauve
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“It’s your last day here, you really don’t want to walk around the city?” I ask Davis and Ashlynn as we finish up our breakfast. These last few days have been a dream, and I’m already crying on the inside as I think about driving them back to the airport tonight.
They both met Dean the day after they arrived and he put them both through the ringer while we helped him in the gardens and heave baskets of fruits and vegetables to the kitchen. We had a fantastic, delicious, and loud Thanksgiving. Even Jeremy has shown up a few times at night and introduced himself. He’s been sending me lingering looks these past few weeks, but I’ve been ignoring him. There’s no way a man like him would ever want someone like me. Maybe he’s just looking at me like I’ve lost my mind… I could believe something like that. Or maybe my blood smells good.
Overweight, clueless, and a single mother that has no idea what I’m doing half the time.
Plus, he should be interested in another vampire who can live in gorgeous, immortal bliss and share the same diet with him…
“No, I want to walk through the gardens.” Davis nods along with his sister’s wistful words and I smile.
“Sounds good. Maybe I can have London pack us a picnic? We need to leave at four to make it to the airport in time.”
Astonishingly, they haven’t seen, heard, or recognized anything supernatural the last few days. I’ve been in a daze and shocked at how often I needed to stop myself from using magic for something so mundane as drying myself off after it rained on us during our workout, opening up the door while carrying baskets, or levitating a plate to me at dinner…
Francis and London have both chuckled at me when I blush as I’m caught by them.
