Dark Possession - Aja James Page 0,16
and that she must behave “accordingly,” he was invoking his possession of her.
Eveline’s lips turned down at the corners of their own volition.
And yet, her “owner” had not bothered to check on her for almost a whole day. Guess she didn’t rank very high on the list of his possessions. A male like him must have countless “baubles” to choose from.
Using her index fingers, she manually tipped her lips back up.
His loss. Her gain. Good riddance.
She wasn’t going to waste time waiting around for him to magically appear and suck her blood. She had more important things to do.
After a long, hot shower and other ablutions, she put on a simple wool dress and cardigan. They fit, of course. And the clothes were new, she was grateful to note, not leftovers from the traitorous ex-Keeper, who got her comeuppance in a bloody, violent end.
Feeling herself again, rested, clean and fed, she exited her apartment in search of the Cove’s fabled library. Taking a right turn down the hall seemed as good a direction as any.
And almost smacked straight into another body as they came out of their own apartment.
“Oh! Beg your pardon,” Eveline said with a start, pulling herself just short of a collision.
“I’m sorry! Didn’t see you!” the other person said at the same time, catching their breath.
They looked into each other’s eyes in concert.
Both blinking owlishly as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
“You look—”
“Who are—”
“We could be sisters!”
“Or at the very least first cousins!”
“Well, no, that’s not possible. Because you’re human.”
“Oh! Are you one of the Dark Ones?”
“No, I’m a Pure One.”
The other woman, who bore Eveline an uncanny resemblance, scrunched her brow in much the same way Eveline did herself.
“I’ve never seen a Pure One here at the Cove. Granted, I’ve only recently moved in, and I split my time between my art studio and here, but my understanding is that King Ramses isn’t fond of…”
The woman coughed to cover up the rest of her sentence, as if she suddenly realized her words might be rude.
Eveline smiled a little to reassure her.
“Don’t worry. I know how the King feels about my Kind. He’s made that perfectly clear.”
“Then…” the woman trailed off in question.
“I’m here as his…employee, you might say. My name is Eveline Marceau. I am the Seer and temporary Scribe of the Pure Ones. I’m also King Ramses’ temporary Keeper for the next three months.”
“Oh! How rude of me. I’m Clara Scott,” the woman said with a bright, welcoming smile, sticking out her hand to shake.
Eveline dutifully shook it, smiling back, though hers was less exuberant. Not because she felt any less cheerful than Clara. It was just her personality.
Eveline was always more subdued than the average person, at least in the way she expressed herself. She wasn’t shy, per se, she was simply reserved.
“Not that I have ever visited the Cove before, but I was not expecting to see a human in residence,” Eveline pointed out the oddity.
“I’m still adjusting to it,” Clara admitted. “My husband’s son is one of the Chosen. Ryu Takamura, if you know him. That’s why we’re here. As an added bonus, he—Eli, that is, my husband—is ensuring the security and safety of all of the Cove’s residents. He is currently in a training session with some of the Sentries. Our daughter Annie also lives here with us. She’s human too.”
Eveline nodded, taking all this information in while thinking to herself that she hadn’t met someone as open, innocent and forthcoming as Clara in a long time. The woman was completely artless.
She seemed to trust easily. Perhaps too easily.
But then, Eveline rather liked that about her. It took strength and certainty to trust. A confidence in oneself. A belief in the goodness in others.
“I am happy to meet you, Clara,” Eveline said sincerely, letting her small smile widen into a beaming grin.
“Where is your daughter now? I was on my way to the Cove’s library. Perhaps we can all go together.”
“How kind of you to invite us!” Clara enthused. “Annie is with Grace and Devlin in the tech center. She has always been a big fan of Grace, but ever since she met Devlin, I fear she’s fallen in puppy love, with the way she follows him around like an invisibly attached tail.”
Eveline nodded. “The Hunter and his Mate. I’d like to meet them in person. I’ve only spoken to them virtually.”
“I can take you to them if you like,” Clara volunteered.
“Perhaps another time. If you wouldn’t mind pointing