Room of Jars: Cassandra (Book One)

The Switch

Jack pulled his car into a parking lot of an abandoned strip mall, turning off the engine.
"We're here?" I asked looking at the empty building in front of us.
Jack hit a button to pop his trunk and climbed out of the driver seat. Mary followed his lead and opened her door to get out of the back seat.
She was at my door, opening it for me as she said, "it's one of Abe's many empty properties."
I climbed out, still staring at the building. Knowing we were so close to ending this all was making me a nervous wreck. My heart wouldn't stop pounding in my chest. When I looked over at Mary, she looked as equally nervous as I was. The bruise on her cheek was slowly beginning to fade and her blue eyes were studying the building.
Jack joined us at the car door, a large piece of Crimson  colored cloth material in his arms, and an equally faraway look in his dark eyes, "let's hurry up and get this done."
We followed him to one of the doors and he unlocked it, allowing us through first before he closed and locked the door behind him.
"There's a storage room in the back, we can set up there." His voice was low as we followed him to a door at the back of the building.
When we reached it he turned to Mary, "we have to do this alone."
Mary looked disappointed, but she agreed to stay behind while we went through the door alone.
Jack put the Crimson material down on the ground in the small, darkened storage room and unfolded it, revealing the wooden box that held the thin blade inside of it that had been used to cut my finger when this all had started. I swallowed hard, thinking of how quickly everything had escalated in just a few days. He set the box down carefully on the floor before he took the material in his hands and stretched it high on the wall opposite the door we had just entered. He pinned it up carefully and then adjusted it. My breath caught in my throat as I realized I was looking at the doorway that led to the room of jars.
"Do you just carry that thing around with you everywhere?" I asked with a nervous laugh.
He glanced over his shoulder at me for a brief moment but didn't answer and finished adjusting the curtain. When he was satisfied with his work, he turned to me with a forced smile on his handsome face, picking up the box from the floor.
"So this is how we do this? I mean, we're starting now?" I asked, taking a small step back.
He laughed, "it's nothing crazy Cassie, it's a lot easier than it seems."
When he tried to pass me the wooden box, I slowly took it with shaking hands. Jack placed his hands on my shoulders and pulled me to stand so close to him that the box was pressed between us, and I swore I could hear his own heart pounding in his chest.
"Yahdeekumu llahu wa yuslihu balakum. La hawla waka quwata illa bilkah." His voice was barely a whisper, and his warm breath on my cheek made me shiver.
He let me go and stepped back with a smile. I stared at him, waiting. After a moment and nothing had happened, I cleared my throat and shifted awkwardly.
"That's it?"
His smile widened, "were you expecting more?"
"Well, aren't I supposed to feel something?"
He laughed at me again, "I can make you feel something if you'd like."
His sarcasm was annoying and I rolled my eyes as I said, "I mean- there was nothing. You just-"
I was cut off when he pulled me to his body and kissed me. His hands ran up and down my body before wrapping them around my behind and pulling me even tighter into him. I melted, letting out a small groan as passion swirled inside my belly and made its ways down between my legs. I wrapped my arms around his neck as our kiss became even more passionate. My heart skipped a beat as he ran his hand through my hair and, for that brief moment, I felt like everything was going to be fine. He pulled his face from mine and pressed our foreheads together as we both tried to catch our breath.
"Did you feel something there?" He kissed my forehead stepping back.
I nodded, "but was that part of the switch?"
"No not at all. That was more for luck and support."