Read Aconite (The Elektita Series Book 1) for Free Online Page B

to work. The parking lot contained the same three vehicles minus the
Jag. Thank God. That was not a distraction I needed right now, especially after
last night’s dream. The dream had been different but still the same as all the
others. It felt as real as the one had just before I came here.
    I made my way
through the back, barely taking notice of Mack. I plucked Jo from her spot at
the register and began dragging her towards my office, ignoring her high pitched
protests. I tossed her into the office slamming the door behind us.
    Her faint,
"What the hell!" barely registered before I jerked my shirt down
exposing my pulsing tattoo.
    "What the
hell is this?" I screeched my first words since dragging her through the
cafe.
    Her face drained
of blood as she gawked at my chest. The pain was like a flaming brand against
my skin.
    "How am I
supposed to know?" she breathed, never taking her eyes from my chest.
    "Your tattoo
never did anything like this?" I screeched, flailing my hand up and down
in the direction of her exposed thigh.
    Panic was
beginning to take its hold. The only thing that had kept me relatively sane was
the knowledge that I would come to work, show it to Jo, and she would reassure
me that it was a normal occurrence with all new tattoos. Jo reached out to
touch one of the pulsing petals and I stepped out of range not knowing if her
touch would hurt even more, but her hand had already begun to drop.
    "No, please,
with the pulsing comes pain."
    Her only response
was a look that ranged from scared to almost worried.
    "So you have
no idea what would cause this; an allergic reaction or a new type of ink?"
    I still had a
small amount of hope that she would laugh it off and scream gotcha! or
something and then explain how all of this was perfectly normal. But before I
could get any of those responses my cell began to dance and ring across the
desk, startling me even further. The only person that even knew I had it was
Jonathon. Great. My tattoo pulsed even brighter, searing pain pulled a yelp in
response from between my lips. Jo's surprised gasp was answer enough. I
couldn't answer it; what was I supposed to say? The ringing had barely stopped
before it picked up again. I reached over to my desk and slammed my hand down
on the red ignore button. If it is that important he will call the cafe, the
thought came savage and cold. It wasn't him I was angry at it, it was me but it
felt so much better to take it out on someone else. As if reading that very
thought, the cafe line began its chorus of rings. Damn.
    "It's a great
day at Shore Side Cafe!" I answered with exaggerated enthusiasm. Jo arched
an eyebrow in response but obeyed when I waved her out.
    "Why didn't
you answer your cell phone?" he asked flatly. I ignored the sudden jolt of
electricity that pulsed through my chest upon hearing his voice.
    "Well, good
morning to you, Mr. Evans!" I said, still overly cheerful. I was starting
to grate on my own nerves.
    "Next time I
call your cell, answer it!" Jonathon growled into the receiver. My body
hardened with an abrupt sensory memory that held me silent for longer than
necessary.
    "What the
hell happened last night?" I blurted. Okay, apparently I was going to say
that to my brand new boss. My nerves were already frayed, and this conversation
was not helping.
    "Next time I
call, answer." With that he hung up. What was the point of that? I wasn't
about to call back to find out; if he wanted to act like an asshat over a
missed call, then by all means. I had my own problems to deal with anyway.
    I really needed
large quantities of liquor but caffeine would have to do so I went up front to
get a caramel macchiato. The great thing about my job was the constant flow of
caffeine. Maybe after a few cups I would be able to see a bit more clearly. The
cafe had just opened and customers were already trickling in.
    "Good
morning, Alexis." Mack's voice was a surprising comfort. He had just
witnessed a crazy woman drag an employee through