Unearthly Love: Early Encounters (Unearthly Love Supernatural Romance Series Book 1)

Drink the Wine or Be Sorry

"Ava, good news," said Chloe, Victor told me he wanted to see you again. You shouldn't have worried that he ran away from your non-date."

"Uhh, that's okay, Chloe, I need to catch up with my writing."

"Come on, you spend enough time in front of your computer screen as it is. Go out, have some fun. You said you liked him."

"Yes, but I'm on a deadline," Ava lied.

"Look, Ava. Here's the deal. Victor is my dad's business partner's protege and I'm responsible to make sure he has a good time while he's in town. You owe me one for seducing Barry. Now it's pay-off time. You're taking him to lunch."

Ava had no idea how to get out of this. She couldn't possibly tell Chloe what Meldrick revealed in her last dream. Even if she tried to convince her by taking her to Glenn, Chloe would just have a laugh.

"But you're coming with me, I don't want him to think I'm interested... he could get the wrong idea. Please, think of everything I've just been through."

"Fine," snapped Chloe.

Ava was wondering if she should really be afraid of Victor. Maybe he did give her a CD with "contaminated music," as Glenn put it but what if it was a coincidence?

She kept thinking about her last dream. Is she really in danger? Can she and should she attempt to go to a different dimension? That's crazy, she thought. She decided she'd go out to lunch and pretend that nothing happened. Maybe I should be taking prozac after all? She wondered.

#

The lunch was at Vesuvio restaurant. That was easy, thought Ava disgusted at Victor's lack of imagination.

As Ava and Chloe entered the premise, Ava wanted to scream.

"Are you okay?" asked Chloe.

"Uuuhm, no, that music."

"What music?"

"The music that's playing, it's the same one Victor gave me when I saw him last time and it's..." she tapped her ears.

"What's wrong with you, Ava?"

"Let's sit down, never mind." Ava figured explaining everything to Chloe would be a futile endeavor. She'll see for herself what that music does to people."

Ava looked around. Several pairs of patrons were sitting with anguished expressions on their faces. God, it's really working, she thought.

"I once chocked on a fish bone in this restaurant," said Chloe, "that was awful. Don't know why I'm thinking about it."

I do. Thought Ava.

What could she do? She couldn't just run away pretending to have a headache, she owed to Chloe to be here. She couldn't just tap her ears. She had to fight but how? What would Meldrick tell her to do? How could she evoke happy feelings? Is there a way to block this music from her subconsciousness? Yes! The Stream. The Stream of well-being. She would direct all her mental energy to try to get connected to the Stream.

"Ava," Victor greeted her as the girls sat down.

"Victor."

"Do you notice the music?" Victor asked forgetting about the habitual small talk.

"I do," Ava stared at him intently, thinking how wonderful she felt with Meldrick's presence, when she noticed Victor's eyes. They were lifeless. Interesting, she thought.

Suddenly Chloe burst into sobs, clearly reliving some childhood traumas, but her words were inaudible.

"How are you feeling?" asked Victor all of a sudden.