Special Note: Alright, Chase and Claudia are back together and in full swing. They haven't changed all the much, which I suppose is a good thing and I have to say it felt good getting them in the same room together. Claudia is going to be in Haversfield for a while and she still has yet to meet Chase's friends and their families. She also has yet to meet The Covenant, so things should be pretty interesting in the next chapters.
darkmagus110475: Thanks for taking the time to review. To answer your questions, The Seekers don't necessarily have special powers specific to their department. They are Deus users just like everyone else although Deus users can be proficient at powers that others don't have. It depends on the person. Basically The Seekers are spies for The Community. Sometimes they are under "deep cover" for long periods of time (like Kate, Higgins, and Gorman), but most of the time they are ordered to find people or things. That is why they are called Seekers… so I guess their special gift is locating/tracking things.
As for The Covenant, they didn't sense that Kate was a user because, 1: she is a Seeker and it is her job not get noticed and 2: their Deus is cut off from the greater entity. It is completely disconnected from the universe, so it's in a magical bubble so to speak. It also has to do with them being so self absorbed and convinced that they are the only ones with power. They simply aren't open to the possibility of someone else using magic… at least not yet.
This Is Absolution
Card 14: The High Priestess
Chase dropped Claudia's luggage at the foot of the main stairs and took a deep breath.
The doors to his father's study and the formal living and dining rooms were already open, so it was safe to assume that Leona had already given Claudia a brief tour of the ground floor. That was good. Leona was making an effort to make Claudia feel welcome and that was all he could ask for considering how secretive he'd been about her since returning to Haversfield.
He had to admit to himself that he was a little scared about what would happen and how people would react now that Claudia was finally in town. He had grand plans for a wonderful New England Christmas, but people were unpredictable and what Claudia had said about race still lingered at the back of his mind. What if his friends were racist assholes and he'd been oblivious to it all this time?
He shook his head. That would be impossible. Kent, Andy, and Dan were family. Dan was like a brother to him. If he didn't know them, he didn't know anyone and he knew THEM like the back of his hand. Everything was going to be fine. He was freaking out for nothing.
"Chase!" Leona called out. "Is that you? We're in the kitchen. Come and have a cookie and some hot chocolate," she bellowed cheerfully.
Chase smiled as he was pulled from his thoughts and then looked down at the luggage that he would have to carry up to the second floor all by himself.
"Saved by the cookie," he said thoughtfully before heading out of the foyer toward the kitchen. He was hungry anyway and Claudia was waiting for him.
Claudia was seated at the butcher block island in the middle of the kitchen while Leona prattled on about the history of Haversfield and the Collins estate.
There were gold and silver Christmas decorations everywhere. Beautiful and ornate stars and bells hung from pine and hazelnuts garlands that swung low from the large picture windows. The fire places in the great room, library, and kitchen were blazing, and white candles scented with vanilla were on every end table and mantel. If felt warm and cozy… and not like California at all.
She hunched over the steaming cup of hot chocolate Leona had made for her with a sugar cookie shaped like a Christmas tree in one hand and a gingerbread man in the other. As she contemplated the cookies, trying to decide which one she wanted to eat first, the gravity of actually being in Haversfield hit her like a ton of bricks.
She was in Massachusetts, in Chase's house with the intention of spending both Christmas and New Year with him. She would have to meet his friends who were like family to him. Hell, she'd already met his house keeper and had a tour of the house… his house… her boyfriend's house. All of the sudden things had become too real.
In Arizona they were in a virtual bubble. It was just the two of them… minus his creepy Deus, and they had very little influence from the outside world. But, now there was a tornado of influence coming from every direction and judgment lingering around every corner.
Claudia had never been the social type. She was a bookworm and spent most of her time studying for school or studying for magic. She had a few friends, but not until she'd become older and she'd never been in a situation where appearance and social status were everything; where everyone was on show and nothing was as it seemed. She just hoped that she wouldn't embarrass Chase when she finally made her grand entrance. That last thing she wanted to do was humiliate him in front of his friends and not be "good enough." He had such high expectations for her that she was afraid she wouldn't be able to fulfill them.
"Get out of your own head," Chase whispered in her ear as he stood behind her. She was startled and jumped at the sound of his voice.
Leona was still busy arranging more cookies on a platter and her back was turned, so Chase took the opportunity to cover Claudia right breast with his hand and squeeze ever so slightly. Claudia jumped again and shooed his hand away.
"What's wrong with you?" she scolded in a harsh whisper. "Stop it."
Chase giggled and sat down next to her at the island. "You know I missed you more than anything. The only reason I didn't feel you up on the way home was because I was driving." He thought for a moment and a regretful expression shadowed his face. "We should have pulled over," He said thoughtfully.
"Don't be stupid," she scolded again. "In the car? You wouldn't have gotten past first base."
His body language became serious, "Yeah, about getting past first base. That's something we need to "settle" as soon as possible." He made quotation marks with his fingers.
Claudia's face immediately collapsed into a frown and her shoulders shot up under her ears as she looked away in avoidance and embarrassment. He narrowed his brilliant grey eyes at her reaction and knew something was up although he didn't know what it was exactly.
He leaned toward her, "Now I KNOW we need to talk—"
Leona placed the platter of cookies on the butcher block and then looked at them with mistrust in her eyes. "Look at you two, huddled together and whispering like thieves. What's going on?"
Chace smiled and leaned away from Claudia as he grabbed a sugar cookie, "Nothing's going on. We just haven't seen each other in a while, that's all."
Her mouth pursed into a disbelieving pout, "Right," she said, stretching the word out with emphasis. "Sure."
He laughed, "Your so suspicious, Leona. We're not plotting against you. I said we wouldn't go out tonight and we won't. By the way, what's for lunch?" He wanted to move to another subject quickly.
That seemed to snap the curiosity out of her and she became thoughtful. "Hmm, I think I'm going to warm up the last of the clam chowder. You can have it with the rest of the sourdough and that will give me time to go shopping for dinner and make something really special." She turned to Claudia. "Is left over clam chowder okay? I promise dinner will be a treat."
Claudia nodded, "Chowder is fine. You don't have to do anything special for me."
Leona shooed away Claudia's politeness, "You're our guest. Of course I'd make something special. Besides, this will be fun for me. It's not often that I get to cook for more than one person… well… not anymore." She exhaled heavy and Claudia knew that she was referring to Chase's parents.
There were pictures of them everywhere, in the study and on the coffee and end tables. There was even a portrait of the family that looked to have been painted when Chase was maybe twelve or thirteen. The artist has gotten the glow of his raincloud colored eyes perfectly and his mother was a cute, little woman with short blonde hair and lovely hands.
Chase rolled his eyes. He didn't want to delve into that dark place. Claudia being there was supposed to be a good thing. Not an excuse to bring up the past.
"Okay, so it's settled then. Clam chowder it is," he took a bite of his sugar cookie and then turned to Claudia, swallowing hastily. "Why don't we take your luggage upstairs and get you settled. Lunch should be ready by then."
Claudia nodded and smiled at Leona, "I know my coming was short notice. I hope you didn't have to work too hard readying a room for me."
"Oh," Leona said. Her blue eyes were wide with shock. "Of course we have a guest room ready, but… well… Chase told me you wouldn't need your own room. I just assumed… but I always keep a room ready just in case…"
Claudia's entire body began to burn with mortification. How could she have been so stupid? Of course Leona would assume that she would be staying in Chase's room. Why wouldn't she? She knew that Chase was no virgin and figured, with Claudia being his girlfriend and staying for an extended period of time, that they were already intimate. Little did she know how far from the truth that really was. There was some heavy petting and plenty of kissing, but no actual intercourse. And she didn't want to think about Halloween and what a disaster that was… or the thing with his Deus the day after. The whole thing was such a mess…
"Umm… I understand, but I would really prefer to stay in the guestroom…" Her eyes darted to Chase in a sideways glance and the look on his face was shock mixed with the beginning of full on rage. But she'd made a promise to herself not to consummate their relationship. She couldn't go back on her word… no matter how much she wanted to.
Leona's eyes darted from Claudia to Chase. The tension in the room was palpable. Something unspoken was going on between them and it was about to explode. Leona felt as if she should leave the room and let them have it out, but the old school gossip in her wanted to stay and hear every sordid detail.
However, it wasn't up to her. Chase had already grabbed Claudia by the arm (a bit too forcefully) and tugged her out of the kitchen, leaving the door swinging wide in their wake.
Chase practically tossed Claudia into his father's study and slammed the door behind them so hard that it echoed down the hall and into the foyer.
She was standing in front of the large desk, rubbing the place on her arm where he'd grabbed her and hauled her out of the kitchen, and she was sinking into an overwhelming feeling of dread. She couldn't remember when she'd become afraid of Chase's rages. Was it when she'd told him about the plot to kill the Five Sons? She couldn't be sure, but she was deathly afraid now; afraid of hurting him and losing him over something as simple as sex.
He stood before her, biting his bottom lip and massaging both temples with his fingers. His eyes were closed as if he were trying to calm himself down and his legs were spread apart in a solid stance, bracing the floor as if he needed the strength to push back against something that was barreling down on him.
He opened his eyes and they were a darker grey, dark with temper that swirled around his pupils. He was struggling to control his anger, struggling not to completely lose it with her.
"What. The. Fuck," he whispered harshly. It wasn't so much a question, but a statement that was tinged with a question.
Claudia was wringing her hands, "I don't know… I just…"
"You just what?"
"I just… I really need my own room."
He stopped massaging his temples and his hands feel down to his sides. He seemed utterly defeated.
"Fine, whatever. I'm not going to argue with you about this. There's no point… It just makes me wonder why you even came out here," he said. He was turning toward the door, all the fight had drained out of him in an instant.
Claudia didn't understand. She was ready for him to yell at her and be angry with her. She was ready to fight with him and stand her ground. In the time that it'd taken them to get from the kitchen to the study she'd played it all out in her head, convinced about the way the argument would go. But this, him giving up in a matter of seconds, was not how it was supposed to go down.
"Wait a minute," she said. He was already at the door, his back facing her, ready to walk away. "That's it? That's all you're going to say? After everything I've done and then to come here and not even want to sleep in the same room with you? That's all you're gonna say?"
He winced at the part about her not wanting to sleep in the same room with him, and then he shook his head. "What do you want me to say? Things haven't changed. You're still playing me like a fiddle, fucking with my head to get your jollies. You knew how much you coming out here meant to me. You know how frustrated I am with this relationship especially after that shit you pulled; sending me back here while I was half asleep. Making me think we were finally going to make love when really you were plotting against me the entire time."
Claudia's eyes began to burn with tears, "I wasn't plotting against you—"
"You should just go home," he whispered. His voice was harsh and thick with defeat. "You don't even want to be here. Why did you even get on the plane?"
Claudia was stunned into silence. She knew that sending him back with a spell while he'd been sleeping was underhanded. She knew that he was angry with her, angry in that "Chase Collins" kind of way that bordered on insanity, but she hadn't realized it had gone that deep. She'd betrayed his trust, and by betraying him the way she had she'd taken the fight out of him. He would need that fighting rage if he was going to survive in June. She'd miscalculated, fucked up royally. How was she going to fix it?
She took a deep breath, "I got on the plane because I love you and I wanted to see you."
"Then why won't you sleep with me?" He questioned roughly, spinning around to face her.
"I have my reasons," she whispered, her eyes shifting to the floor.
"Well that's not good enough," He spat back at her. "I hate to sound like a cliché, but if you loved me you'd sleep with me. I just want to be close to you and show you how I feel. What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of me? You seem standoffish like you're afraid. You were like that as soon as you got off the plane"
"I'm not afraid of you—"
"Then what is it?" He crossed the study in broad strides and grabbed her by both arms.
She could tell he wanted to shake some sense into her, force her to comply and tell the truth. She looked into his eyes, swirling with dark grey. He was struggling to control his rogue Deus although he didn't know it. That was how pissed off and confused he was.
"I… I don't want to get pregnant," she lied.
She caught him by surprise with that one. He narrowed his eyes at her, not sure if he should believe it. In this day and age a girl only got pregnant if she wanted to or didn't know any better, but Claudia wasn't stupid. She was far from it in fact. And there was something about her eyes. They were big and brown and hiding something.
"No!" He shook his head, "You're not worried about getting pregnant. Don't lie to me! You know that's not going to happen."
"Do I really?" she asked, wrenching her arms away from him and stepping back. "No matter how much protection we use or how many pills I take I could still get knocked up. We're talking about THE Deus, more specifically, a BROKEN Deus that needs to move on to a new host and keep the bloodline alive. It's linked to you and your family and if you die without providing a first born son for it to move on to, it will cease to exist! It needs you to breed, Chase, and it will do anything it takes to make sure that happens. Some man-made contraceptives aren't going to stop it."
She'd silenced him and he stepped away, digesting everything she'd just said. He didn't know much about The Deus, but he'd felt its power and its need to survive. He'd been controlled by it and addicted to it. It wanted to keeping going, keep existing for the sake of existing because that was the only way it knew how to be. It made perfect sense that it would manipulate things to make sure an heir was born no matter what. Everything she'd said had been true, but still… she was hiding something. What was she hiding?
"I'm okay with that," he whispered as his eyes shifted away. He was being contrary just for the fuck of it, but the idea of having a baby with Claudia didn't sound bad to him at all. In fact, the thought of it made him oddly happy.
He shifted his eyes back to her and they were dark and determined. "I'm okay with that," He said again, only more loudly. "We could have a baby. If it's the will of The Deus and it's going to happen anyway then what's the problem?"
And then he started to smile, a horrible, plotting, "Chase Collins" kind of smile that made Claudia's stomach began to turn and twist into knots.
"You're insane," she said in astonishment. "Your 18 years old and you want to have a baby? You haven't even started college yet. What are you going to do with a kid?"
He tensed up immediately at her mentioning his age and the six year age difference between them. He didn't need to be reminded that he was younger than her and she had no clue that it was a sensitive subject for him. He was already going to have a hard enough time explaining it to his friends and their parents. He was sure everyone thought she was 19 or 20 at the most.
"Look, it's not like I'm hurting for money. Our child will have the best of everything and you'd be a great mother. We're going to get married anyway—I just don't see what the problem is," He shrugged.
"Maybe I'm not ready to have a baby. Maybe I want to wait a little longer."
"Well, it's not like your getting any younger," he said matter-of-factly. He was deliberately taking a jab at her, trying to upset her like she'd upset him.
Every hair on her body bristled. "Now you're just being an ass because you're mad at me! It takes two to have a baby and two to get married, and I'm not agreeing to either one! I decide my life, not you! And yes, I will be staying in a separate room from you. Any chance you had of getting me to change my mind is now gone!" She pushed past him, elbowing him in the gut on her way, and swinging the study door open with sweeping force.
She was fuming from head to toe and had decided in a split second that she wouldn't even bother staying in a separate room from him. She'd seen her luggage at the foot of the stairs and she planned to grab it and haul it outside to wait for a cab. She was going back to Los Angeles. She wasn't going to spend another second in the same house with him.
"You're not going back to L.A." He said as he coiled his arm around her waist and hauled her back while slamming the study door.
Claudia staggered against him and struggled to regain her balance. She tried to shake loose from his hold, but he had her like a vice-grip, holding her against him as he spun around toward the direction of his desk.
She slapped at his hands. "Let go of me!" she roared. "So I sent you back while you were sleeping, so what! So I'm not dropping my panties and swooning like a slut over you like all the other whores you know, big deal! You're an egotistical little bastard and I don't know what the hell I saw in you in the first place!! And don't read my thoughts!!"
He slapped his hand over her mouth. "Will you shut up and calm down. Leona's going to hear you."
At that, Leona knocked on the door and both of them froze at the sound of her voice. "Is everything alright in there?" She asked cautiously. "I thought I heard yelling?"
He still had his hand clamped over her mouth and she was breathing ragged breaths through her nose, but she'd stopped trying to wiggle out of his grip.
"If I take my hand away, will you stay quiet?" He asked with his mind.
His voice whispered in her ears and her head although he hadn't actually spoken a word and the sensation caught her off guard. She was not blessed with telepathy like some other Deus users.
She exhaled through her nose deeply and then nodded her head in confirmation. "Yes, I'll be quiet," she thought and then her eyes shifted up to his face to see if he'd heard her.
"Good," he said aloud and then let her go.
He stalked over to the door to let Leona in and as he did, Claudia brought the back of her hand up to her mouth where he'd muzzled her. She could still feel his hand there, clamping down.
Chase opened the door and they were both met with the inquiring gaze of Leona, which was mixed with both curiosity and suspicion.
"Is everything alright?" She asked again, her eyes shifting from Chase to Claudia and back again.
"Everything is fine," Chase answered with a winning smile. "We just had to hash out the room thing, but it's cool. Claudia's going to stay in her own room for now. She's worried about what people will think, you know."
Leona's brows creased with concern as she looked at Claudia and nodded her head as if she understood completely. "I don't blame you, dear. The people around her can be pretty conservative about these sorts of things although most of them have more skeletons in their closets than a graveyard," she snipped.
She raised her hand and mimed shooing the whole thing away and then slung her purse over her arm. She was already in her winter coat and looked as if she was about to leave. "I'm headed to the store to pick up dinner and some things for the house and for Claudia. Like I said, I heard yelling and wanted to check in before I left."
"Everything is fine. You can go ahead and go," Chase smiled.
She eyed him with a skeptical look and then focused on Claudia.
Claudia nodded (maybe a little too eagerly) and smiled. "Everything is fine, really. We were having a little disagreement, but it's over now."
Leona nodded again as if she was satisfied and then turned her attention back to Chase. "I'll put everything on the credit card and give you the receipts for the books."
"It's alright, Leona. I gave you the card to use however you like. I don't need receipts," Chase shrugged.
"Well I feel better giving them to you anyway," she said dismissively. "I'll be back in a few hours. The Chowder is on the stove and ready. I've set the kitchen table for you," and then she turned to leave.
"Thank you," Claudia said kindly.
Leona looked over her shoulder and gave her a smile before disappearing into the foyer with the click of the front door following soon after.
Chase turned around and rolled his eyes. "She likes you… a lot. She's already being protective of you, even against me."
"She's just being nice," Claudia said softly. "She's being a good hostess."
"Right," Chase said sarcastically, drawing the word out for emphasis.
Claudia frowned, "I thought you wanted her to like me."
"I do," he said. "But I don't need two chicks ganging up on me every five minutes. One is enough." He said this with an insinuating smile as he crossed the study to stand in front of her.
She folded her arms across her chest defensively and stepped back, turning her face away so she wouldn't have to look at him. He could feel the anger vibrating off of her. She was still extremely pissed off at him.
"So it's going to be like that then?" He said softly, his voice thick and husky. He'd actually gotten off on their little fight. He missed mixing it up with Claudia.
She sensed his desire immediately and stepped away. "We've already had this conversation, Collins. I'm too upset to even think about having sex with you and you know it. I think you're just waiting for an excuse to force me."
Instead of anger at the insinuation of violence, he met her remark with a sly smirk and stepped closer, enjoying her sudden intake of breath at his closeness. "Considering what a bitch you've been I wouldn't put it past me. You owe me for a lot of dirty shit, Claudia and you know it."
Claudia sidestepped him and rolled her eyes as she headed to the door. "I don't owe you a fucking thing," she snapped.
He smirked as he watched her walk away. "Where are you going? If you think you're going to back to L.A. you're crazy."
Her shoulders stiffened at his condescending tone, but she answered him anyway. "I'm going to the kitchen. I'm hungry." She was out of the door and halfway down the hall before he could say anything more.
Chase stayed in the study listening to the echo of her footsteps as she walked back to the kitchen and chided himself for overreacting, yet again.
He was this close to ruining everything.
Sure, he'd had big plans for Christmas and New Year, and yes those plans did involve finally consummating his relationship with Claudia with actual physical contact, but he was getting reckless and hotheaded.
He already knew that she wouldn't stand for being pressured and as much as he enjoyed fighting with her and making her angry, he needed a soft touch. There would be plenty of time for vicious fights and make-up sex AFTER he finally got her into bed. He just needed to figure out a surefire way to make that happen.