Boxed Set: The Ink Series Volume 1-5 Read online

  I shoved the stone into his chest; he covered it with his hand. “She wanted to influence these people. And I was forced to go along with it because I am smart enough to realize she has severe issues me and my family do not need to be a part of. Look what happened already.” I was on a rant, and I wasn’t sure if it was going to end soon, or if I was going to end it by knocking Audrey’s block off.

  “It’s hard to know what her plans are I could talk to them. See if there is anything I can do to stop whatever Audrey is planning.” Slade’s expression changed. “Or them.”

  “I’d do that. Because my friend, Kidd’s girlfriend, was here tonight, and if anything happens to her, I will find a way to make her pay. And I don’t care what any of you think.” I stomped down the hall and slammed the door to the backroom where Clive’s staff kept their belongings. I grabbed my purse going for the door in a hurry to get the hell out of the café. Slade was gone, not sticking around to take any more of my abuse, I was sure.

  I shoved pasted the door and stalked through the hallway, right into the arms of Hutch. He took me by the elbows. “Whoa.”

  I twisted out of his grasp. “Just let me go, will you?”

  “No. I’m not going to let you leave. You’re upset.” He insisted, staring down at my heated expression.

  “Me being upset has nothing to do with you. I’m not your concern,” I informed him, could this guy ever take a hint?

  “Would you just talk to me?” He released his grip, backing away to let me see he wasn’t trying to keep me there. He just wanted a few minutes to say whatever it was he needed to say.

  I grumbled. “Fine, you can walk me home. But once I am there you leave, Hutch.” I started out the door of the café, moving past the crowd hanging around the boardwalk.

  The wind irritated my skin, nipping at my already heated face. Hutch grabbed my wrist bringing me to a stop. “I’ll accept those terms if you walk at a leisurely pace, so I can get a word in.”

  I scoffed, laughing at his odd vernacular. “It’s 2012, nobody says leisurely pace anymore.”

  Hutch shook his head, taking my abuse. “Thanks for that. Now are you ready to listen?”

  I nodded. I didn’t have anything else to do on the walk home. I feared if I didn’t have something to take my mind off of Audrey, I would find her and set her on fire as I dangled her over the ocean.

  The truth

  Well, was he going to say anything? Or were we going to walk in this dreaded silence. I wasn’t the best at conversation, but I started the conversation anyway.

  This made it even harder to figure him out. One minute he was this almost too confident guy who never let up, and now he was quiet and broody—like Slade.

  “My house is not even a block away. Maybe we could finish this some other time.” I suggested.

  “I’m gathering my thoughts,” he said. “It’s not the easiest thing to come out and say. And quite honestly, I worry I could be wrong about you.”

  “Wrong about me,” I raised an eyebrow. If he was thinking I was a neurotic, semi depressed chick he was right on the money. I didn’t know what he was trying to say, I wished he would just come out and say it already.

  We came to a stop in front of my house. I watched him take in his surroundings. I wondered if his house was average or something like Nona’s. Or did he live in an Rv like Slade.

  “So this is where you rest your head at night.” He gazed all the way up to the roof.

  “This is where,” I plopped down on the stairs, and patted the spot next to me.

  “You’re not going to invite me in?” He brought a hand to his chin, stroking his five o’clock shadow. I wondered how many girls offered their homes for him when he wandered around the world. He took a seat giving up on worming his way into my house.

  “I hardly know you. And you don’t know this, but my father. He's got the temper of a pit-bull. He hates guys.” I laid it on thick. It wasn’t the truth, but he didn’t know it wasn’t.

  “What about your mother?” He leaned in eager to hear more. I looked off. He drew my face back with a soft tug of my chin. “You like to evade the questions a lot. For once, do me the honor of letting me get to know you?”

  He was like a chivalrous knight. His vocabulary nothing I ever heard before. I came from the south and was planted in California. He came from everywhere. It was strange if you asked me.

  I blinked, giving a simple shrug to show it really didn’t matter one way or another. “She’s just…home, in Georgia, with my little brother and her new boyfriend.”

  “And that makes you feel rejected.” He looked at me.

  “That’s one word to describe it.” The other word, and there were a few, was pissed. I was pissed she gave up on me. It didn’t matter to her if she heard from me or not, like the old photographs Dad worried so much about, I was just a memory. One you didn’t have the balls to throw away, but one you didn’t mind shoving under your bed or in your closet so you didn’t have to deal with it.

  “I didn’t have the greatest time as a kid either.”

  “How old are you anyway?” I asked, glad to change the subject.

  “Twenty three, and yourself?”

  “Eighteen.” Although most days I felt like a forty-year-old with all I been through. I had seen all the grief and heartache of life—thanks to my parents and Slade.

  I stared off, concentrating on the massive moon in front of us providing a breathtaking backdrop as it sparkled against the water. I looked back down to find Hutch twirling the ring on his finger. I reached out and grabbed his hand, bringing it closer so I could get a better look at it. He watched me, enjoying the attention I was finally giving him.

  I touched the ring. The deep etchings proving there was more to it than just a simple piece of metal adorning his long finger. “What kind of ring is this?” I studied the black stone.

  “It’s runic.” He slid it down his finger, holding it in the palm of his hand. “The x stands for love, the m is trust, the p is joy and the k stands for passion. I leaned in getting a better look at it.

  “The circle is the symbol of the wheel of life, of endings and beginnings. Of life and spirit, it’s a connection with the infinite, which brings all things together and holds them fast.”

  I blinked, staring at him confused. None of that made any sense to me. I had rings. I never put much thought into mine. His jewelry seemed to have a rich history. Next I wondered if he was going to tell me it decoded things too, or maybe it transported him to magical words. Better yet, maybe one day they would make a movie about it.

  “You don’t understand.” He sighed. I took the ring from him, slipping it over my middle finger. It was way too big.

  “Your right I don’t.” I handed the ring back. He took my wrist, trailing a finger across the black heart again. The heart he pointed out was a part of black magic.

  “Your tattoo and my ring have a lot in common.” I pulled away from his grip, but he wasn’t willing to let me run away again. He didn’t let go of my arm like I expected him too.

  “I am not going to let you run away this time.”

  “You’re scaring me,” I told him, looking back at my house.

  He released me. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just trying to tell you I understand you. And I know where you’re coming from.”

  “No, you don’t. You think your ring is like my tattoo. There is nothing dark and sinister about you,” I shook my head, uneasy.

  “Your right, I’m not dark and sinister, but your boyfriend is and so are your friends.” I stared at him in awe. What was he trying to say?

  I was sure he was referring to a select few. I didn’t say anything.

  “The blonde, the one who upset you, she’s using you.”

  I eyed Hutch skeptically. “I don’t get it.”

  “I know what is going on with you and your friends. I knew the moment I laid eyes on your tattoo. And when I caught you on the beach catching things on fire it all made perfect sens
e.” Hutch watched me, carefully choosing his words.

  I felt like he punched me in the gut. I was ashamed he knew what I was.

  “What are you saying?”

  He sanded his hands together, and placed one against my cheek. My hair fell against his hand. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling.

  I opened my eyes. Hutch moved closer, his mouth only inches from mine. I studied his lips, not afraid anymore. I didn’t feel anything, but the urge to press my lips to his. What was happening to me? I was trapped in a connection I could not break.

  I inched closer; the heat from his breath caressed my face, his scent at my nose. I closed my eyes feeling okay if he tried to kiss me. His eyes darkened as he stared into mine, he dropped his hand, and reality slipped back into the moment between us. A soft ringing in my ears was the after effect. I felt light headed. I twisted away from him.

  Hutch raked a hand through his hair. He leaned forward, “I understand what you are because I’m no different than you or your boyfriend.”

  I slapped him in the arm. “Stop joking with me. And just tell me what is going on.” I shook the cloudy fog from my mind. “This game is getting old, Hutch.”

  Hutch took me by the shoulders and forced me to face him. “Put your hands out.”

  He offered his palms. I placed mine over his, my hands trembling at the sudden realization. I was afraid to understand what he was trying to tell me. Our palms connected, and his eyes locked with mine. “Tell me why you don’t want to talk about your mother.”

  I scoffed, but I couldn’t look away. “Because she broke my dad’s heart and left him for the tae Kwan do instructor. She never talks to me anymore, and I feel like she abandoned me.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I just told him everything I tried so hard to keep on the inside. It wasn’t enough, and I was sure he knew that. He gripped my hands, his fingers slipping in between mine.

  “Tell me the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you.” My mind screamed for my mouth to keep shut.

  “My first kiss was awful because I dropped a flaming marshmallow on his foot. I didn’t make up for that horrible night until I moved here.” I cringed. Hutch held tight.

  “One more. Tell me how you feel about me.” My eyes filled with shock.

  “I think you’re hot, and a breath of fresh air compared to my boyfriend. And I really wished you would have kissed me a few minutes ago.” I swallowed hard, humiliated. Hutch released my hands. I looked down, staring at my knees.

  The heat in my face was scorching at this point.

  “You are like us. Well not me, I could only wish to be good enough to get people to confess their innermost thoughts to me.” I sighed, a little relieved and a hell of a lot mortified. He pulled things out of me I wanted to keep hidden. Things he didn’t need to know. Things nobody needed to know because they were just embarrassing and complicated.

  “It takes practice.” He stood. “I want you to know I would never reveal your secret. It’s safe with me.”

  I stood up too. “If you did I doubt anyone would believe you.”

  “If I did it could mean a lot of trouble for you, for me, for all of us. I just wanted you to know I understand you more than you think.”

  I nodded. I understood.

  He said good-bye and headed down the sand and disappeared into the darkness.

  Torture

  Finishing my gig at the café I tucked my tips into the front pocket of my jean shorts. I started for the door, ready to go home and unwind for the night. I wanted to go home, slip into a hot bubble bath and sleep for at least six hours.

  My sandals thudded across the boardwalk. I took the usual path to get back home. I missed Slade’s phone call, and as I tried to return it, I wasn’t surprised to see Hutch standing at the end of the boardwalk that parted the beach and stores and lead to the residential area.

  He was wearing khaki shorts that clung to his frame in just the right way, giving you enough information to know what was waiting underneath, and as my eyes crawled up the length of his long torso, I admired the way his vintage band t-shirt accented his chest. I dropped my gaze to his brown flip flops—the guy was stylish.

  He pushed off the tree he was leaning against and started toward me. I ended the call before Slade could pick up, if he was going to I wasn’t sure. He was always busy with his own music, which I didn’t mind because I was angry with him.

  “Hey,” I said, Hutch fell in step with me.

  “Why hello, Hope, how has the day been treating you?”

  I frowned at the thought of the day. The day was monotonous and draining. Avoiding people I once cared about was not easy. I just wanted Karsen to come by and hang out. However, she was either with Kidd or Erica and Audrey. And she was forever stuck between apologizing or trying to convince me Audrey wasn’t bad, and that I should hang out with all of them.

  “Things are alright. Not the best, but when are they ever?”

  Hutch stopped in front of the steps that lead to my house. I turned, and was met by his hypnotic smile. What was going on with him, why was he acting so funny? “You can come in if you like. My dad is at his girlfriends."

  He started up the steps. “I was wondering if you’d ever invite me in.” He held the door for me, and I slipped under his arm. He was so tall and overpowering at times, other times he was smooth and trained with every movement he made.

  I handed him a bottle of water from the fridge and lead him to my room. Passing by the boy’s room ignited shocked stares as they battled it out on a game of death com on the game console.

  I locked the window and closed the curtains. I didn’t want Slade showing up uninvited. “We can talk in here.” Of course, this was the best place to get more information out of Hutch. I couldn’t risk anyone overhearing us in the living room.

  I unbraided my hair and shook it out, relieved to be free of the restraint of the rubber band. Hutch stood watching, not saying a thing.

  “You can sit.” I told him, opening the bottom drawer of my dresser. I pulled out a t-shirt and cotton shorts and excused myself as Hutch was tried to choose between sitting on my unmade bed or the computer chair that was a little too small for him.

  After I brushed my teeth and slipped into pajamas I returned. Hutch settled on the edge of my bed. I smirked. He looked like a giant among my small bed pillows and twin bed.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked. He placed a hand against the railing of my bed. I pulled up my computer chair and took a seat.

  “You are; you're so big. You make my bed look miniature.” I laughed, unscrewing the top to my water. He regarded me with amusement.

  “I’d never be able to get a comfortable sleep in a bed this small.”

  “Good thing I didn’t ask you to sleep in it,” I fired back, before he could object, I changed the subject. “Tell me how it happened.”

  The amused expression left Hutch’s eyes at my demand. “It didn’t happen. I come from a long line of super naturals. I wasn’t turned it was more or less instinctive. And I don’t call myself a witch. I consider it an endowment of power others would be lucky to experience for themselves.”

  He brought his hand to his chin, and ran his finger along his bottom lip. “What about you?”

  I pushed my hair from my eyes, studying my bare feet, lost in the decision to open up to him. Was it the right thing to do? I wasn’t sure.

  “It’s okay; you don’t have to explain it to me. I think I understand.” Hutch sat forward on the bed. He looked around my room, searching for something. I wasn’t sure what. “Your boyfriend and his friends belong to a dark coven.”

  I nodded, unable to offer anything more.

  “It’s more the control behind what they do than them being witches. Honestly, a witch is just a name given by the ordinary. For years, it’s been said we cackle, ride around on brooms and stir potions in big cauldrons. However, in all actuality, it’s a power someone possesses. It has nothing to do with that. It’s the outsiders who placed a label
on our kind.” He cleared his throat. “They have harnessed a power from somewhere deadly, and they are doing all they can to hold onto it. The more power they have the deadlier they become. I gather that’s the reason behind the music, to gain a following?”

  I never thought about it like that, but now that I was it made a whole lot of sense.

  “So, what about you? Does your family draw from evil, do all of them draw from evil?”

  “We draw from elements in nature. What I can do, this is something I was born with, not something you steal like your boyfriend and his friends,” Hutch said this with a great deal of anger in his voice.

  “Slade didn’t steal anything. His family would have died if he didn’t accept the help. They gave up a lot for this…coven.” I argued. It made me angry to think anybody saw Slade as the bad guy. He wasn’t the bad guy.

  “This coven used them to gain power. I'm sure they saw something in him worth giving him this power. Even so, it doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous, and it doesn’t mean you should just go along with it.” Hutch stared at me, hoping to break through.

  “I have no other choice. You don’t know what they are capable of.”

  Hutch shook his head. “You don’t know what I am capable of either. I could help you. Nobody should be involved with black magic. It's always fatal. And no matter what you think you can do to fight against it. You can’t.”

  My head was swimming from all the information. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to do.

  “I could help you,” Hutch pursed his lips, staring me down. Why did he think it was so simple?

  “How can I accept your help when I don’t even know what I need?” I sighed. I stood. Going to the curtains, I parted them and stared out into the night. Remembering the moment I first laid eyes on the lights, how I was drawn to the music. That all vanished, and I didn’t know why. I never bothered to ask.

  Was the music gone because they got what they wanted? Or were they going with another route. They still played music, but it was in more an intimate setting and Slade Oz and Kidd were writing their own songs.