Circle of Time: An urban fantasy (The Kazi Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  This is not what I meant. How the hell did you do that Ada?

  I am still thinking of everything going on when she pokes my chest and I find her looking at me questioningly.

  “No sorry, just that you have never done that before,” I say with a slight smile.

  “It seems like a day of firsts. First I wake up even before my alarm clock. Then I see Ryan asking the sam-”

  “You saw Ryan today? When? Where?” The Fuck!?

  “Jeez. What's with the third degree. We live in the same house, or have you forgotten?”

  Back up. Another plan.

  Come clean.

  Steer away.

  “No, no, of course. Just that he stayed the night at my place and we were all working on the assignment. Asher was still sleeping when I woke up but I didn’t see Ry anywhere. Hence…”

  I rub my neck and subtly look around me to see if someone else has noticed this.

  “Hey. Let’s hang out today after classes? Our assignment is done and we have time now. What do you say?” I ask.

  “Sure. Sounds good.”

  “Wait up! Adaaa!” We both hear Nikki’s voice and turn to find her running towards Ada. I am aware I am frowning and I am really fucking confused. Ada turns around and I school my expression. At least I hope I was quick about it.

  “Okay I will see you in the evening,” I tell her and start walking away. I hear their conversation as I do so. It is the same as always.

  As I reach my car, I take my phone out and call Ry. He picks up on the first ring.

  “Yeah?”

  “You saw Ada today?” I ask him, shutting the door to my car. The car bluetooth picks up the call and the next instant his voice is booming from the car speakers.

  “How the hell did you know?”

  “Something just happened at campus. You home or your place?”

  “I just got back to the mansion.”

  I nod. Even though he cannot see me, I feel like he is trying to.

  “I will see you soon. This changes things.” I am concerned and I know he can hear it as clearly as I can feel it.

  “We will figure it out. All of us and Pa. You get back and then we'll talk.”

  “Yeah. We need to. I don’t want her getting hurt.” There. I said it.

  A deep breath and then Ry comes back online. “I know Vee. Me too. Me too.”

  We disconnect and I drive ahead full speed. The sooner we can resolve or find the root cause of this, the better it will be. The only thing on my mind? Ada’s smile and her round-about kick.

  Chapter 4

  Ada

  I reach home and start reading my book.

  I frown looking at the bookmark placed way ahead in the book. This is irritating. Anyways, I start reading from chapter 30 where I had left it off yesterday, while settling in next to the French windows.

  My phone rings and when I see Dad flashing, a smile tugs up my mouth. Placing the bookmark in the book, I hit the answer button.

  “Hey Dad!” I greet him.

  “Hey baby girl. How was your day?” his rumbly voice asks. He sounds like he was sleeping, but with his schedule I cannot be sure.

  “It was good Dad, same old same old. Went to classes, Nikki talked my ear off about her upcoming birthday party, the same usual drama of a college going trust fund kid. That is Nikki by the way. What about you?” I snort as I make my way to my cupboard and start looking for what to wear tomorrow.

  He chuckles. “Same old baby girl. It was a long tiring day. I was just heading to bed and thought I would check in with you and then hit the dreamlands.”

  Both of us laugh at that.

  “Okay Dad. you sleep well, we will speak tomorrow. Love you,” I tell him.

  “Love you too sweetheart. Be careful, stay alert, and if you notice anything out of ordinary, give me a call, yeah?”

  I roll my eyes. But something catches my ears. “Yes Dad, I will. Say my hello to Baba. Go to sleep. Love ya.”

  “Alright, goodnight baby girl. Bye.”

  Closing the cupboard, I stand alert for whatever it is that I had heard.

  There. A slight creaking sound. The sound of a door opening. A slight thump, as if somebody bumped against a table. This is not someone who has been in the house before. My gut is telling me that this is an intruder.

  Soundlessly, I move to my bed and take out my Khukri, the machete made popular by the Gurkha regiment, and my throwing stars from under the mattress.

  I slip next to my bedroom door thanking my stars that I had yet to turn on the lights for the evening.

  I hear another set of footsteps.

  Fuck. More than one.

  “I don’t think anybody-” somebody starts.

  And somebody else shushes him.

  “Shut the fuck up. What if someone’s here? Shut up, you two, and follow my lead. Check. Quietly,” another quiet voice says.

  Three of them.

  I take a deep breath, and tiptoe to the edge of the staircase. Waiting for them to make their way upstairs.

  Suddenly, I hear the front door open and Lexie’s voice rings out. “Ada?”

  Fuck Fuck Fuck.

  “Fuck,” a hiss sounds close to the top of the stairs.

  Now or never, I guess.

  I jump up, throwing the stars at his hand, and scream, “INTRUDERS!”

  I leap off the staircase and hit the first guy square on his chest.

  From downstairs, sounds of shouts and things clanking reach me, making it sound like a warzone.

  The man I had tackled tries to stand, but I am on him and butt him on the side of his head with my heavy duty khukri. He goes down, a gash on his temple and blood seeping out.

  The wide chest and chiseled jaw of Asher comes in front me. He clutches me to his body, and starts checking me.

  “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” he asks frantically

  “I am fine. He is out cold. I think there were three of them. But I couldn’t be sure. Let’s go help them,” I say, jerking my chin towards the ground floor.

  Ash’s jaw locks with fury as he takes in the sprawled form of the intruder at my feet.

  “You go. I will contain him,” he tells me.

  I give him a swift nod and run downstairs.

  Ryan, Vince and Lexie have subdued the two guys downstairs. Or maybe hit them or choked them so hard that they fainted.

  As they see me approach, Ryan runs to me and does his preliminary check of my body to ensure I am fine. Something in me warms but I keep it locked.

  “I am fine, I am fine. You guys okay?” I ask them, taking in their bodies, thankfully unbloodied.

  Lexie comes over and gives me a tight hug.

  “There are three of them here. Did you find anybody else?” I ask her.

  “How did you know there were three?” Vince speaks from where he is tying the two intruders’ hands and legs.

  “I heard one of them say that you two need to follow me.”

  “Okay,” Vince grunts. “I am going to take them to the Cops and file a complaint.”

  “Hang on, why don’t we call the cops here?”

  They exchange a glance. Ash drops the intruder I had tackled on the ground next to the two already bound.

  “If we call the cops here, then maybe whoever they have with them hiding outside, if they have one, it gives them a chance to call reinforcements. Let’s be safe. I will take them to the cops,” he says, giving a look to the others.

  “Okay. Makes sense. But why would they have someone on the lookout for a random burglary?” I ask them, looking at the three intruders. But even saying this doesn’t sit right with my gut. They don’t feel like random burglars.

  “You cannot be sure. Let the cops do their job. Why don’t you guys sit and wait for me? Or better still, why don’t you all come and stay at my place tonight? If this house has been broken into, let’s not risk it?”

  “We will figure it out after coffee. You carry on. We will update you,” Lexie says, catching on
to my discomfort at being anywhere that wasn’t my home.

  Vince nods, then gets back to the tied captives.

  “I will come with you,” Ryan says and steps over, helping Vince.

  Lexie and Ash heft the bags they were carrying and lead me to the kitchen.

  “Are you okay? What happened?” Ash asks me when we are seated at the kitchen table, and Lexie has turned on the coffee machine.

  I blow out a breath, my first instinct is to call Dad, but then I refrain thinking it will only worry him. Especially if this indeed turns out to be random.

  When the coffee machine gurgles, Lexie sets the mugs in front of us and I take another cleansing breath in.

  I recount all that had happened while I was talking to Dad.

  “You talk to your Dad everyday?” Lexie asks.

  I frown. I think so… I spoke to him yesterday also, right?

  “I guess so. Why is my mind so hazy?”

  Ash wraps an arm around me and rubs my arm up and down.

  “You might be in shock, Ady. Come on, have some coffee,” he tells me softly.

  “And eat this, your favorite,” Lexi takes out the take-out bag with sandwiches and bagels from my favorite bakery.

  “I think we should stay at Vee’s tonight,” Ash starts, and raises his hand as my mouth opens for an argument. “Ady it isn’t safe here babe. I will check to see how they entered the house. But do we really need to take that risk? Precaution is better than cure.”

  So matter of fact is Ash, thank God he is cute.

  “I don’t know. I am not really into staying somewhere else….” I tell him.

  “Ady,” Lexie takes hold of my hand and says, “I know. I know, girl. But why risk it? I am worried about staying here and I am not leaving you alone here. Please. Just for one night? Besides we need to talk to you,” she says licking her lips, eyes flicking to Ash. Her nervous tick.

  “So talk. What about?” I say in between coffee sips. They think I am scared. I am not. I want to beat up those intruders and demand answers.

  “Umm… So.. Vee said you kicked the ball today?” Ash asks, nervously.

  “Oh dude. Come on. Don't tell me he is still sulking over that. Girls can kick too, you know. And I learned that during my kick-boxing years..” I say giving him a wink.

  He shakes his head. “No. He said that it has never happened before.”

  I frown. Somebody broke into our house and he is worried about my kicking a ball?

  “I don’t understand. What has never happened before? And so what if I kicked the ball,” I frown, remembering something. “Does Vince always play football shirtless, with his black shorts?”

  It seems like I have uttered the magic words. They both jump up and there is a flurry of activity. Lexie runs towards my room, Ash clears away all the plates and mugs, dumps everything in the garbage bag and bundles it up. He leaves the bagel in my hand, and I look at him dumbfounded, trying to wrap my head around things.

  “What, guys?” I ask Ash.

  After five minutes, Lexie is back with two duffle bags.

  “When did you leave this?” She shows me a note.

  I take the note from her and read - it says Bitch, holler when you home. Muah.

  It is my handwriting but I cannot seem to remember when i had done this. Then it comes to me. Vaguely.

  “I think, yesterday night…. But I am not sure. Why the hell is my mind so fuzzy with details?” I say shaking my head, as if the act would dislodge the fog. “And I think it was yesterday. Why?”

  “Okay. Listen up girl. We are going to Vince’s place. It is safer there. Trust us. Please. Don't ask anything and do as we say until we get there. Okay? We will protect you, with our lives if required. But you have to do as we say,” she tells me frantically.

  What does this mean? Protect me? When did I get in danger? What the fuck is happening?

  “I d-” she raises her hands to stop me, her eyes pleading.

  Too overwhelmed and confused to say anything, I nod. Then we are moving towards the garage door. They ask me to get down and sit on the floor. I am about to protest when Ash says quietly, “Trust us. Please. Please Ada.”

  I am not liking it at all. But I agree.

  As I get settled between the seats in their car, my mind is whirling.

  I cannot see where we are going. That means I cannot find my way back. Do I really trust them to not take me somewhere where I will be at a disadvantage? I have known them for a year - and a little more than that.

  Ash’s hand reaches my shoulders from the front seat and he keeps it there, while Lexie drives on. Something about Ash’s touch soothes me, but my mind is whirling with questions. Why am I sitting on the floor? Why are they all so interested in my kicking the ball? And why the hell can I not remember things clearly?

  ====

  In what seems like fifty minutes, we slow down and I hear the mechanical buzzing of the garage door. Once the door is completely shut, they turn to me.

  “Sorry, Ada. We will explain everything. Promise. Let’s get inside.” Ash says looking down at me, where I am still sitting on the car floor.

  I nod, because there is nothing I can say at this point.

  We all hop out and enter the house. The garage door opens into the kitchen and dining area in Vince’s place. It is a decently done space. A door to the far right takes us to the living room. There are two more doors leading to somewhere, but they are shut. While a staircase leads upstairs, to the bedrooms I presume.

  As we enter the living room, I see another guy there, who I have never met before. He is quite good looking. Okay, I lie. He is holy-fucking-shit-hot. Like Ash and the rest of the guys.

  He has raven black hair, tied at his nape. A square face, hazel eyes, and plump lips. He stands a head taller than me, and is wearing cargo shorts and a black Tee. The best feature are his eyes. Smoldering, penetrating eyes, that pin you to the spot.

  And those eyes seem to be angry right now.

  “What the fuck guys?! Who is she? What is she doing here? Are you all stupid or just plain dumb?” he roars.

  Chapter 5

  Ada

  Now, don't get me wrong. If it was anybody else in place of me, they might have been offended. I mean nobody likes to be welcomed with such love. If it was the same old me from ten years back, yeah I was a kid then, I would have clawed his eyes out. But no. Not me. Not this new me. During my time with my Dad and my Baba, I also learned a vital survival tip. And that is to not worry your little head over things others say to you or about you, until YOU want to do something about it. He might call me Queen Victoria, but that won't make me rich, right? I learned to understand situations from every perspective. And to be wise enough to not let anyone trample you under their boots.

  So I will understand all of their perspectives. I can understand why he might be angry. He wasn't counting on one more guest, I assume. But if he says something derogatory to me, I won't take it quietly.

  “You all run away as soon as college is over, without bothering to leave a note for me, then Ry calls me that there were intruders at his place, and then neither he nor Vee picks up the phone. And now you are here with some stranger?!” he bellows.

  This is between them. I didn't come here of my own accord. I was brought here by them. I don't need to get into their fight. So I move across the living room to sit on a lounger. When I turn around, I find all of them looking at me with horrified expressions, and the Voldemort-Marvel-lookalike looking at me with a downright pissed off one.

  “Please continue. When you all are done, you can talk to me about what you wanted to tell me.” I wave my hand at them and sit down.

  Voldemort prowls towards me and says in a menacing voice, “And you think you can tell us what to do? Who the fuck do you think you are, little girl?”

  All the thoughts I had that he was hot? All flow right out of my mind. Someone who is as demeaning as him without a good reason doesn't deserve a sliver of my brains and efforts.

>   I look at Ash and raise one eyebrow.

  He steps forward and says, “let us explain. Then you both will know what is happ-”

  Voldemort whirls around, “you think you can bring in a stray and I won't ask anything? Do you think any reason can be good enough for you to bring in someone? Do you even know what you have done?”

  He is seething. And maybe it is my imagination, but I see light purple swirls move around him.

  I hear the garage door. Within ten seconds, Vince and Ryan enter the room. Vince’s eyes widen at the rage oozing out of this guy and he opens his mouth to speak, when Lexie speaks up “Oh calm the fuck down! Do you really think we are so stupid to do something like this without a good reason?”

  “I don't care what your reasons were!” Voldemort roars. “You didn't consult with me. You didn't check with me. You’ve all been gone the whole day and I see you now walking in with….with.. with a stray!”

  This dude is seriously pissing me off.

  “Shut the fuck up man. She is not a stray. And since when did it happen that we had to do everything with your fucking permission?” Lexie spits out. I can see the anger in her eyes.

  Ooooohhhhh I love me a good jaguar in a fight. GO LEXIE!

  Voldemoart doesn't find this amusing or appreciative. He whirls around, again, and punches a wall. And pieces of the wall fly out. I sit wide eyed, trying to understand what could make him so angry. Though a trait and strength like this is damn sexy, at that moment, I cannot help but think that Lexie is too lucky to be away from him. Unlike me.

  “Yes, little girl. Be scared. I won't hesitate to do this to your skull too,” Voldey tells me with a sneer, a sick gleam in his eyes.

  The others start speaking immediately, trying to protect me and defend me. But he, Voldey, seriously thinks that I am afraid of him. Of him? I want to laugh at his face, but now I am pissed. The others are trying to pull him back but I do not move my eyes from his. I stare into his eyes and show him what I am made of. Bring it on fucker. Let’s see what you got.

  “What? Cat got your tongue? Nothing to say?” he says swaggering towards me. He thinks he can intimidate me. Cute. “You were too quick to walk and dismiss what I had said earlier. Not so smart now, eh?” He says leaning on the armrests of the lounger.