The Chase

24 Evie

I was trying to be a put together OK person. Trying so hard to fake it until I made it. Luca kept telling me to just trust how I felt. To listen to my body. Luca felt good, being near him felt like everything I dreamed. It terrified me. I thought my dreams were coming true before. Someone who said and did everything right. Until they didn't. Then someone who had rescued me, so much like Luca. Leaving me blind to the truth. I didn't know how to trust myself, let alone someone else right now.

I had run away from my last foster home. The dad was too good, too rehearsed. He had a method he was trying to use on me, like he must have on the previous foster kids they had brought into their home. He was going to get his no matter how I tried to avoid him. I could see it, I had seen men like him too many times already. I had run before he got his chance. I was sixteen, I had nowhere to go. I had only just been moved to that neighborhood after getting kicked out of my last foster home because they were going to have their own, real baby.

An approved foster family who wanted a child my age was a blessing, I should be grateful the social worker had told me as they dropped me off with my single bag of belongings. I didn't stay long enough for the social worker to come do a check in. I had already left.

I was stupid. I had no money, no friends, no resources. I was sleeping in parks and alleyways. Trying to steal food or dumpster dive to stay alive, trying to work my way towards a neighborhood I knew better. I had been so hungry when Rocket found me trying to sleep for a little while until I could find something to eat again. He had been wild, and free and so giving at first. I thought I was so lucky to have him.

Rocket convinced me getting married was a good idea, then he could legally keep me safe, social workers wouldn't come after me if I was married. It had seemed so reasonable to me at the time. A way to never go back to another foster family. I remembered our wedding, I hadn't even gotten to see his legal name on the registry. I only ever knew him as Rocket. He made sure my legal identity was tied to his though. The blank document I had signed was filled in afterwards.

I was so young I hadn't known how terrible that was. I wasn't sure how much Michi, Kaylen and Alicia knew. After today, how much anyone in their family knew. I had thought I had been a secretive person. I had let loose with Sara and her family more than once. Who knew what I had revealed to someone after so many years drinking and indulging with them.

Alicia, Kaylen and Michi had decided Luca passed. That he was someone I should know. Michi had told me the insane pull, draw, and desire I had for him wasn't insane. That he really, truly, was goddess bound for me. Made to love me. It was terrifying in every way to me. I had no idea how to be in a relationship, how to love, or be loved.

Trying to steady my nerves the entire walk towards Melody and Alexander's home. Luca held my hand. His thumb rubbing gentle little circles over the back of my hand. It was so strange to feel a little bundle of thoughts and feelings that weren't mine, knowing that he was getting the same from me. He was all thoughtful strength, and a near blinding joy. I looked up at him, so strange to think of him waiting years to find me, literally love at first sight for him. I felt a lot of things for him, I wasn't sure if I could get being in love right.

We rounded a turn in the narrow road, a beautiful old white farm house, with a low stone fence around a large garden. The smell of Lilacs and herbs thick in the air even over the smell of the BBQ. I could see Ash, next to a handsome man, a little boy with curling red blond hair clinging around their feet. Like she could sense my eyes on her, Ash turned, and smiled at Luca and I. Waving animatedly for us to come over. "You ready?" Luca asked me. I looked at the various happy couples, the zoo of children running around the yard. I honestly wasn't sure if I was ready. This was something entirely new to me.

"I've only ever heard nice things about everyone here." Luca squeezed my hand and we entered the fray. I could feel his sense of calm and peace, war against my anxiety. How could someone feel so steadily that everything would be ok? He had shared with me how his parents had died, how he missed them. He knew the world was dark.

Like a breath on the wind, a voice whispered in my ear. I froze still. "Because I willed for he and thee to be bonded, Emily Violet now Evie. As payment for debts owed." I had never spent enough time with a single foster family or placement to develop any kind of real sense of religion. I liked some of the ceremony and pageantry of some of the church services I had seen, but god was an imaginary friend as far as I had ever been able to reason. I could not explain how I felt overcome by a religious experience. I looked at Luca who looked at me confused.

"Evie? Are you ok? What happened just now?" He was looking at me, searching my face for answers. My hand in his, his other had reached to hold my shoulder, keeping me steady. I was trying to find the words to explain another impossible thing. When I saw movement coming towards us. A tall man with Violet eyes and white hair was walking over to me, with a lithe blond man and thick, heavily tattooed man hot on his heels. All walking towards me with steady gazes locked on me.

I slinked my way behind Luca. Scared. I felt him get scared, which only fed my own fear. "Stop!" He yelled out. "You're scaring her!" He bellowed, a moment before he fell to the ground out cold again.

I looked at Luca. I had felt it this time. The moment I felt more power and strength that wasn't mine rolling through my blood I tried to stop. I didn't want to hurt him. It happened so quickly. I crumpled to my knees, reaching out to touch him to try and wake him up. Before freezing, I didn't know if I could touch him without making it worse. The whole time the giant hulk sized men were getting closer and closer. My sense of smell heightened, they all smelled the same, and of each other, and other people. I couldn't make sense of what the stolen power was trying to tell me.

"I don't want it! I didn't mean to!" I yelled, my hand over Luca's chest, over his clothes willing whatever had happened to unhappen. Mentally hitting a giant undo button over and over in my head. "CTRL+Z." I whispered. As the giant men stopped approaching. Apparently not wanting to be within reach of my hands. Fair point, There was magic in all of them.

A woman with a mane of curling wavy auburn hair and two babies strapped one on her front and one on her back came over at a brisk walk. Getting between me and the men. "You scared her, we talked about this." She said, softly and firmly. Like the best principals from the handful of good schools I had seen. Each of the men were good enough to look shamed at her words. As Luca's beautiful, hazel eyes started to flutter back open. His power finally doing what I wanted and going back to him.

"You don't understand Laurel." White hair spoke.

"Selene was here." The thin tallest man spoke.

"We all felt her touch on the world." The last man with all the swirling tattoos spoke, with a rolling Gaelic accent.

Laurel sighed, rolling her eyes at the men. As a fourth man, who looked like he had walked off a runway directly to this already strange BBQ. Kissing the woman, Laurel, and both babies. "We agreed to not scare the Pixie tonight gentlemen. I win." He smiled the most seductive smile at Laurel, who smiled back adoringly. Everything clicked at once, they all loved each other, they were all, like all of them all together. I was stunned watching Luca start to wake up again, grateful he was ok. While trying to puzzle out what was in front of me. Too many feelings, too much all at once. My brain felt hot, over cooked.

"You all, apologize and talk to," She paused, looking at me for a moment. "Apologize to Evie and Luca. Damon and I will be spending tonight together." Laurel looked towards a pretty dark haired curvy woman talking in another group, another pretty baby in her arms. "Maybe Delia can join if she behaves." Taking Damon's arm with her hand and returning to the main party space, instead of being out in the weeds with us.

"Aye, Damon won fair and square this time." Gaelic man said. Before looking at me, and actually looking at me. "Sorry lassie. We uhh, get spooked a might bit easily sometimes." Luca was sitting up on his own now, and looking around. Confused.

"How long was I out?" He asked, looking at me. I was about to answer when the blonde man spoke instead.

"She gave your strength back, almost immediately. It's been just a few moments." He said, I noticed one of his eyes was green and one was gold now. I didn't think he looked like that at first. I would have sworn I saw two green eyes in his face when he was walking towards me.