Wilde Intent

by K M Charron

  Relief should’ve greeted her at the sight, but she felt heavy with sickness. Khourtney appeared as panicked as Sydney felt.

  “Let’s go,” she whispered.

  They jogged up the stairs and out into the cold darkness.

  “Quick, close it.”

  Sydney lowered the door, and they both sat back on the lawn panting.

  “No one saw you get that, right?” Syd gestured to the worn, leather-bound book. It looked like it went back centuries.

  “No. My grandmother’s office isn’t far from the Armory. Did she say anything else?”

  Sydney had no choice but to lie to her friend. “Yes, she said to forget tonight ever happened and to never even hint about it to her. People are always listening, even when you believe you’re alone. She seemed really worried that she’d face consequences for loaning us the book and keeping our secret. We owe her our silence.” She shifted the topic. “We need to find the others and figure out if whatever is out there is a shapeshifter.”

  “And what it wants.” Khourtney’s hand gripped Sydney’s arm, keeping her from standing. “What does Ainsley have to do with this, and how does she know about us?”

  A swell of bawled up fury snaked through her limbs, mixing with a dozen other pent-up emotions. “Ask Justin. He’s the reason a middling knows about us.” She pushed herself up and stormed off toward the woods on the opposite side of the campus, leaving Khourtney sitting open-mouthed.

  Chapter 13

  Ainsley

  “What’s taking them so long?” Ainsley asked Justin, seeing how Ava, Langston, and Jax wouldn’t speak to him or her at the moment. They didn’t try in the least to hide how pissed they were. As soon as they’d gotten inside the cover of the forest, they swore at him and let loose a magical grenade aimed, luckily, only in her general direction.

  “Syd’s not answering my texts,” Justin said, looking as sheepish as she assumed she did. She might be the human that found out, but he was the witch that told her.

  She was taking the news better than they were. Her brain reeled through every movie and TV show she’d ever seen that included witches, wizards, or magic. They were her only reference point, although there was no way in hell she was going to ask if Harry Potter was in any way realistic.

  Her mind and body had the sensation that she’d been trying to run through deep water but could barely move against the current. Processing everything was going to take time—she knew that, but at least some of the bizarre things she’d experienced had been real. She wasn’t losing it.

  Seething oozed off everyone, and they didn’t aim it only at her. Poor Justin. He didn’t deserve this. He’d only been trying to make the best of an impossible situation.

  Ainsley pictured her dad’s locked files and cursed herself for not making them a priority. If her dad had discovered any of this, he would’ve written about it in there. She needed to break into them now more than ever. Were the missing girls connected somehow? Was Darren killed because he’d stumbled onto something he shouldn’t have? She hadn’t made much time to meet with him despite his frequent texts, too preoccupied to hear what he had to say, and now he was gone—just like Daphne.

  “No one would miss her if we tied her to a tree for the wild animals to dispose of,” Ava said, repeatedly bashing a stump with a stick.

  “Tie Justin up alongside her, and you have a deal,” Jax added.

  Call it courage or stupidity, but Ainsley wouldn’t let them take it out on Justin anymore. “Don’t be angry with him. I knew something was up. There were magical symbols all over the underground cavern. And it’s not anyone’s fault that I can’t be Persuaded or whatever you call it.” Her nausea intensified as the words left her mouth.

  She had no idea what these witches were capable of, or if she really would be leaving the woods tonight. They’d done awful things to other students, ones they didn’t hate near as much as her. What were her chances? She moved a little closer to Justin.

  Ava and Jax exchanged annoyed glances. Langston kept pacing between the trees, running his fingers over his buzzcut. He was obviously nervous. They were all on edge, and Ainsley didn’t have a lot of faith that Justin would protect her if they decided she was too risky a witness. She needed to convince them before it was too late.

  A tree splitting in half from Langston’s bolt of electricity chilled Ainsley to the bone. It was also freezing outside. Her ridiculous dress wasn’t warm enough for sitting in the woods at night. She wrapped her arms around herself, teeth chattering.

  She turned to meet Justin’s eyes. “They’re pretty mad,” she whispered.

  He leaned in. “They’ll get over it.” He put an arm around her. “I’m sorry you’re so cold. I’d start a fire, but we can’t do anything that could draw attention.”

  His warm breath tickled her neck, and she closed her eyes, imagining they were anywhere else. “I hate that I’m the reason they’re upset with you.”

  Justin bit his lip and smiled. “No, I’m the reason they’re upset. I chose to tell you what we really are.”

  “Why is that such a bad thing?”

  “Considering where we live and the dance we just came from, it’s fairly obvious.” He gave her a knowing look before it clicked in.

  Of course, the witch trials. “Humans aren’t so understanding, I suppose. Or should I say mid… What did Sydney call me earlier, a mid-something?”

  Justin averted his gaze, embarrassed, “Middling.”

  “By your face, I’d say it’s not a compliment.” She rocked her shoulder into his playfully. “It’s okay, you can tell me.”

  He considered whether revealing it was a good or terrible idea. “It means moderate or average.” His voice caught on the last syllable.

  Ainsley smirked, nodding as she let it sink in. “I suppose it could be far more insulting.”

  “It’s not exactly a tribute, but it’s not a slur either.”

  “Maybe not when you use it.” She concentrated on her clasped hands and how cold her fingers were. She rubbed them together for a minute and then cupped them, blowing warmth inside. “Compared to witches with magical powers, I am average.”

  “Don’t say that. It’s an archaic way to think about those who don’t have magic. You’re not less than us, just different.” He seemed to mean it.

  “Not sure Sydney or any of your other friends would agree with you there.”

  She wondered how he truly viewed her. He was a witch, and she was normal. Why would he be interested in a middling like her when he could be with another witch? She shook her head with horror. What was wrong with her? How could she sit here and think about this after seeing Darren that way? He was never going to have the opportunity to find Daphne. He never got closure.

  She had to find out if Justin knew anything. He was a part of a whole world she hadn’t known existed until an hour ago.

  “Did you know Darren?” she asked, making sure to keep her voice even.

  “A little. Not well.” Justin kept his gaze ahead, his fingers working on a small twig that he’d picked up from the ground. “We played some pick-up basketball together last year, but he quit coming after everything that happened with his girlfriend.”

  “Do you think he was murdered?” She kept her eyes on his face. “I can’t see him volunteering to lay under all those stones, even if it was a joke and his friends put him under, they would’ve seen him struggling to get out … or heard him scream for help. Wouldn’t they?”

  “I don’t know,” Justin admitted. “Maybe he was already dead when someone put him under there.”

  Ainsley saw shock on his face at the thought. He didn’t seem to know anything about it. Or was that wishful thinking? How could she trust anything or anyone anymore?

  Rustling nearby startled her.

  Ava, Jax, and Langston stiffened, hands tense, and faced the direction of the sound. Justin stood abruptly and moved protectively in front of Ainsley. Sydney and Khourtney stepped out from between two huge tre
es.

  “Give me a break, hero,” Sydney said, glaring at Justin. “It’s only us.” Her eyes swept the others. “I suppose the fact that she’s still alive says something of Justin’s winning charm or that none of you had the nerve to kill her.” Sydney sat on a pile of fallen leaves. “Gather round.”

  No one said anything. They just did as instructed and sat in a circle.

  “What’s that?” Ava asked, motioning to an old book resting in Sydney’s lap.

  Sydney held it up so everyone could see a tattered green tome with an odd symbol on the cover, which Ainsley’s lack of witchy-ness could only describe as three intertwining swirls.

  Khourtney smiled, full of pride. “It’s a book about mythical creatures. My grandmother gave it to us to help figure out what the hell is going on.”

  Ainsley sensed Khourtney's subdued excitement. It was a nice change of pace from the rest of her friends’ collective frenetic energy.

  Langston swallowed hard. “What does Máthair Zhang think is causing supernatural doppelgängers?” He looked around as if the entity could appear at any moment.

  At least Ainsley wasn’t alone with that fear.

  “My grandmother said the only creature she knows that can alter its appearance is a shapeshifter, but it can only shift from animal to animal. She has no idea what could be adapting to human form.”

  “Assuming it’s actually taking a real human form. What if it’s only a spell? Some glamours can change someone’s appearance,” Jax said.

  “That’s what Grandmother said too,” Khourtney admitted.

  “I didn’t see any trace of witch aura on Max,” Sydney countered. “Plus, we know something was bound inside that room, and that it was likely the fog. This isn’t witch-magic. And that fog’s energy made me sick for weeks. That’s not common with glamours.”

  “If that’s the case,” Justin interjected, “we need to determine what it is and what it wants. Why shift into Tiana or Max? What could it possibly gain from doing that?” Justin asked.

  Ainsley had been thinking the same thing but was glad he was the one to say it.

  Sydney opened the ancient book and began flipping through its delicate pages.

  “Do you think this entity, this shapeshifter, is what killed Simon?” Jax asked softly.

  Ainsley glanced at Sydney, catching her wince as if seeing the little body on the grass all over again.

  Ainsley couldn’t wrap her mind around the concept. “I don’t get it. When we opened the door, a mist or fog or whatever came out, not an actual being.”

  “The world is full of supernatural things that you’ll never comprehend—not in your wildest dreams, or in your most terrifying nightmares,” Sydney snapped. “Yes, we let out a fog, but it doesn’t necessarily have to remain that way. Most supernatural entities are energy, and energy can transform.”

  A shiver ran down Ainsley’s spine at the realization that supernatural beings were real, and this particular one was out here feeding on animals, ripping out their insides. “Um, what else is real?” Her voice sounded meek even to herself. Do I even want to know? This was more than enough to process.

  Ava perked up. “Where to start? Vampires, werewolves, fairies…” Ava said.

  Ainsley felt her eyes widen.

  “Bigfoot, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny, obviously.”

  Even Justin joined in the snickering.

  Ainsley felt her face heat up and her stomach dip. “Very funny, assholes,” she muttered.

  Khourtney swept her billowy, black hair off her face. “She’s just having a little fun, Ainsley. Yes, there are supernatural entities in the world, but not many of the ones you see on TV or in crappy fiction. And not usually around here. No, vampires, werewolves, and fairies aren’t real. But many other things—entities not usually fictionalized—are.”

  “Witches are on TV,” Ainsley countered. It came out sounding more like a challenge than she’d intended. She took a labored breath. “What else do I need to be aware of, besides witches?” Ainsley thought of her dad, and her head shot up. “Are ghosts real?”

  Khourt widened her eyes and smiled, “Yes.”

  “Can we catch her up on things that go bump in the night later? We’re kinda busy if you hadn’t noticed,” Sydney snapped. “There were never dead animals like this around before.” She stopped, swallowing hard, as if trying not to be sick. “So it must be eating them. There’s no other explanation. The bodies are empty, only bones and pelts remain. I’ve seen a few already, anyone else?” She looked from witch to witch, but everyone shook their heads.

  Ainsley could see where Sydney was heading. “This thing is weak from being locked up for so long, so it’s eating to get stronger, right? But how is that connected to us seeing a second Max and Tiana?”

  Ava pulled her knees to her chest, tucking her dress’s short skirt around her legs for warmth. “We need to find out what it’s capable of and what it’s after. Obviously, it can look like middlings, but how?”

  “My grandmother said that shapeshifters have to make eye contact with the animal they want to shift form into.”

  “May I remind you,” Sydney said aggressively, “that we still don’t know that we have a shapeshifter on our hands.”

  “What if it’s a different type of shifter?” Justin reasoned. “Is there anything in the lore about different types, or breeds, of shifters? What if there are different species of them? Perhaps some are animal shifters, and some are human shifters.”

  Ainsley felt like she was falling faster and deeper down the rabbit hole every second. Shapeshifters, witches, magic, ghosts, supernatural entities. Her palms were slick, her head woozy.

  Sydney skimmed the book stopping on a page that showed an antiquated sketch of a man that appeared to be transforming into a woman. Her finger traced down the paper, sounding out, “Seallaidhean daonna.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Ava asked. She looked as exhausted as Ainsley felt. It had been a long night, and it wasn’t even eleven yet.

  “Let me see it,” Jax said. “I’ve been studying our languages since I was born. Yes, that’s what I thought: human shapeshifter, in Scottish Gaelic. I’d say this is the best place to start.” Even in the moonlight, Ainsley could see he was beaming, proud of himself.

  “Translate the rest of this, Jax?” Sydney flipped through the following pages and sighed. “It’s like ten pages long.”

  “Isn’t that good?” Ainsley asked. “The more information that’s in there, the better chance we have against this thing.” She was relieved that they finally had a place to start.

  Sydney rested her hands on the book and lifted an icy stare to Ainsley. “Oh, you’re still here. Hasn’t anyone killed you yet?”

  Ava burst out laughing, collecting herself when Justin shot her daggers. “What? I’m sorry, but it was funny. And this whole night has been a freaking downer. Excuse me for lightening the mood.” In a pouty whine, she added, “Somebody should go for a beer run. I concentrate better after a few.”

  “Would you be serious for once?” Khourtney snapped. “My grandmother put herself on the line to help us. We’re in danger. Besides, we have enough to worry about at the moment.” Khourtney tilted her head, attempting to point subtly at Ainsley.

  “You must be joking,” Ava said. “She’s in this up to her pretty blue eyeballs, and if I think for even one second that she’s a real threat to any of us, I’ll kill her myself.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Sydney said, with a little too much enthusiasm.

  Ainsley’s throat tightened. Her body, already worn from the stress and cold, trembled harder.

  Ava turned toward Ainsley. “Play nice, do as you’re told, and you’ll live to graduate.” She leaned back on her forearms as casually as if she were laying on a picnic blanket on a summer’s day.

  Swallowing a lump, Ainsley forced herself to speak, albeit a bit unsteadily. “I don’t know a lot about the trials or the horrible things that have happened to witches,
but I’m no threat to you. I’m on your side. We want the same thing—to catch this entity. You can trust me.” Ainsley tried to laugh, but it came out hollow. “Besides, who would even believe me if I told them? I wouldn’t be the first person to claim they knew a witch in Danvers, or have you never been downtown?”

  “If my mother or any of the other Wildes discover that you know what we are, and that you can’t be Persuaded to forget, they’ll execute you. So don’t do anything stupid.” It was the first time Sydney had spoken to Ainsley without a snarky attitude.

  Ainsley couldn’t help but feel hopeful at this slight progress. Her stomach relaxed a bit. They weren’t going to hurt her, at least not right now. “What can I do?”

  “Where did you learn about the Evil Eye symbol?” Sydney asked.

  “I found some old books on the occult in the school library. You can’t take them out, but I did take some pictures of the pages.”

  “We need that book, the whole book. Can you get it?”

  Ainsley watched Sydney’s stony, unnerving face intently. Was this a test to see if she could be trusted? “Like steal it?”

  Sydney’s forehead furrowed, and she shook her head. “Forget it.”

  Ainsley put her hand up. “No, I’ll get it.”

  “That’s more like it. Go now.”

  “But it’s closed already?” Ainsley said, completely confused.

  “Justin can make himself useful and go with you. That way he can spell you inside and keep you from getting caught.” Sydney stared at her when she didn’t move. “Go!”

  Was she seriously being dismissed? Heat burned Ainsley’s cheeks, and her fists clenched. Sydney might have magic, but that didn’t mean Ainsley was her errand girl.

  “And Justin,” Sydney added in an equally demanding tone, “don’t do anything else stupid.”

  Chapter 14

  Sydney