by Lola Gabriel
She’ll be on her game, as always, he thought with begrudging respect. I’ll be falling asleep at the table, trying to keep up with her.
Wilder prayed she would have mercy on him, but he didn’t have much faith. Still, it didn’t change the fact that he was eager to see her, and when he finally made it to the restaurant, defying the rules of the Sunside by flying from New York to Newark on his own wings, Cassia was already waiting for him inside.
She looked at him coolly, no trace of the fear she had shown the night before.
“Hi,” Wilder said, sliding into the chair across from her. “How are you doing?”
Cassia scoffed, turning back to the menu. “How am I doing? You turned my world upside down with your little show yesterday. How do you think I’m doing?”
“Cassia,” Wilder sighed, reaching across the table for her hands. “I didn’t tell you anything to hurt you—and I’m not the one who’s been lying to you.” Cassia gritted her teeth, but she didn’t pull her hands away.
“I know,” she replied shortly. “That’s why I’m here.”
He looked at her, his eyes widening. “So you’re not mad at me?”
“Oh, I’m a little pissed,” she said. “But I’ve had time to think, and I want answers more than I want to be mad at you for blindsiding me.”
Wilder squeezed her fingers. “I will answer anything you want,” he promised her.
“First of all,” Cassia started, sitting back against the booth. “What’s wrong with you?”
He stared at her. “What?”
“You look like crap. What’s wrong with you?”
He didn’t know how to answer her, so he chuckled. “And you say I lack tact,” he answered lightly, but Cassia didn’t smile.
“If this is going to work between us, Wilder, you can’t lie to me,” Cassia stated. “I’m not asking you to trade secrets, I’m asking you why you look so stressed. Don’t tell me it’s about me.”
Wilder’s smile didn’t fade. She’s known me less than a week, and she can read me better than brothers I’ve known for literal eons.
“So what if I am stressed about you?” he asked.
“Then I’d say you’re being dumb,” she said easily. “Obviously, I was coming back.”
Wilder’s heart quickened unexpectedly, and he grinned at her boyishly. “Obviously.”
Cassia peered at him warily, but Wilder could plainly see that she was not as concerned as he had originally thought.
No, he mused. How could she be? She’s my mate, isn’t she?
The realization filled him both with elation and terror. Until that moment, he had not believed in the prophecies, but suddenly, Lucia’s words echoed in his mind like bolts of lightning.
And if Lucia was right about us finding love, could the ancients be right about the Big Shift?
10
Cassia saw Wilder’s face change before her eyes, and she cocked her head to the side.
“What are you thinking about now?” she asked with mild exasperation.
“Nothing,” Wilder said, again squeezing her fingers. “I’m waiting for your barrage of questions.”
She didn’t believe him, but her own issues were weighing too heavily on her mind for her to ignore. Anyway, the more I ask him, the less likely he is to tell me what’s on his mind. I know because I’m the same way.
“Fine,” she said crisply, closing the menu. “I want you to start by telling me everything you know about the Hollows.”
Wilder chuckled dryly and looked around the restaurant. “That’s going to take a while, Cassia. I told you the gist of it yesterday. It’s believed to be the base of Earth, but who can really say?”
“How?” she asked in disbelief. “How does it work? How has it been kept secret? How… just… how?”
Wilder smiled patiently. “I don’t know,” he answered. “We adhere to a code which keeps the mortals at bay, but of course, that is not a foolproof plan. Naturally, people drink too much, talk too much, display their power even though it is prohibited on the Sunside.”
“Sunside is what you call… here?”
“Yes.”
Cassia nodded slowly, though she was still having a difficult time taking it all in.
“Wilder, I… I don’t know why my mother would keep this from me,” she murmured, leaning in. “And I’m afraid that even if I ask her, she won’t make any sense. She suffers from dementia.”
Wilder’s eyebrows shot up. “I doubt that very much,” he replied slowly. “She’s a sorceress, Cassia. She couldn’t possibly have such a mind ailment.”
Cassia paused and stared at him. “Could you be wrong about her?”
“No. I couldn’t be wrong about her. The doctors are wrong, misdiagnosing her prophecies as dementia,” Wilder sighed. Cassia’s eyes grew wider.
“Her prophecies?” she repeated. “What does that mean?”
“They think she’s rambling nonsense, but she’s telling the future.”
Cassia laughed aloud but quickly stopped herself. “This is insane,” she muttered. “How can any of this really be?”
“I know it’s hard to believe,” he told her. “If you spent more time in the Hollows…” He trailed off, his jaw locking.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to do that just yet,” Cassia confessed slowly. “But maybe one day.”
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t wait too long,” Wilder muttered.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked defensively. “I’m in the middle of processing everything, Wilder. I can’t—”
“I’m not trying to force you to go,” he interjected quickly. “I’m just thinking about something else.”
“Flattering.” Wilder didn’t smile, and a gnawing started at Cassia’s gut. “What’s going on?” she insisted. He waved his hand and forced a grin that didn’t meet his eyes.
“It’s not important,” he said. “Should we order?”
But Cassia had a feeling that he was hiding something from her—something that was only going to further spin her life into an incomprehensible tailspin.
“Wilder, please,” she told him seriously. “I need to know what’s going on. My mom, she won’t talk to me.”
“She will if you confront her. I have a feeling that your father is a mortal, which is why she didn’t explain your ancestry to you. If she knows you know the truth now, she will likely be more forthcoming.” He paused and exhaled. “You may want to leave me out of it, though.”
“Leave you out of it?” Cassia laughed. “That’s kind of hard at this point, isn’t it?”
“Cassia… my brothers and I don’t always bring the best imagery to mind.”
“Why not?”
“Ah…” Wilder, for the first time, seemed at a loss for words, but Cassia didn’t relent.
“‘Ah,’ what? What did you do?”
“It’s ancient history,” he said, and Cassia knew he meant that literally. Another bizarre thought crossed her mind.
How old is he? She didn’t ask. She wasn’t sure she could handle the answer, at least not yet.
“I’m staying on the Sunside for a few days,” Wilder told her softly. “I’d like to stay with you.” Cassia exhaled and nodded.
“Of course,” she replied without hesitation. Despite all her fears and doubts, she knew that she was inexplicably bound to Wilder. He was a part of her life now. There was no point in fighting it. “Let’s order,” she told him, picking up her menu. “I’m starving. And exhausted.”
Wilder chortled. “Tell me about it.”
Their eyes met, and they shared a private smile.
Okay. This is a lot to take in, Cassia told herself. But at least I’m not going through it alone.
After dinner, they went directly back to Cassia’s house, and no sooner than she entered, she swore softly.
“What’s wrong?” Wilder asked.
“I keep forgetting to send in your paperwork on the building,” she said, sighing. “Too much on my mind. Let me scan t
his right now before Val has my head on a platter.”
“Do what you have to do. I need to make a couple phone calls,” he replied.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Make yourself a drink.”
“I might even make you one, too,” he teased, stepping down the hall as she moved toward the kitchen to retrieve the file.
Hollows or no Hollows, I need a job, Cassia reminded herself. I can’t afford to antagonize Val any more than I already have. It only took her a few minutes to send the paperwork through, and she texted Val to let her know to expect it.
Wilder was on the phone when she found him in the living room.
“—bad news, Fritz. Don’t give me anymore of it, understand?” He looked up at her as she entered, his blue eyes darker than she’d ever seen them. It was evident that whatever was bothering him was coming to a head. “I have to go. Keep working on the issue, Fritz. I don’t really need to explain to you how important this is.” He ended the call and smiled at her.
“Dare I ask?”
“No,” he answered simply, handing her a crystal tumbler. “Here.”
Cassia accepted it and sat on the sofa, patting the cushion at her side. “So…?”
“So what?” Wilder replied, joining her. “What’s that look for?” Her mouth curved into an impish smile.
“I told you,” Cassia said quietly. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”
“And?”
“And I want to know what you can do.”
He blinked and looked at her curiously. “What I can do?”
“And what I can do,” she added quickly.
“You mean in terms of ability?”
She nodded. “Can you show me?”
Wilder snickered and shook his dark head of hair. “Nope,” he answered. “I can’t.”
Cassia pouted. “That’s not fair. You know more about me than I know about you.”
“You’ll learn everything you need to learn in due time, Cassia. I know you’re interested in everything, but your powers are not to be played with anymore than mine are.”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “Are you telling me that you’ve never used your powers for fun?” Wilder shook his head.
“No,” he said gravely. “Never.”
“You lie!”
He laughed and took a swig of his drink. “That doesn’t change the fact that I’m not shifting here. It’s against the rules.”
Cassia laughed again. “Wilder, I think we both know you’re not the kind of guy who follows the rules.”
His smile widened. “Be that as it may…”
“Fine,” she said. “I know what this is.”
He peered at her speculatively. “You do?”
“Yes. It’s a shakedown to get me to return to the Hollows.”
Wilder chortled. “A shakedown? Really? No offense, lady, but if I wanted to get you back to the Hollows, you have no idea how simple it would be.”
Cassia felt a fusion of alarm and intrigue at the words. “Yeah?”
His eyes narrowed, his smile fading. “Cassia, no matter what you might think, I would never force you to return to the Hollows. I told you that you are a creature of free will, and I meant it.”
“I don’t think you would,” she replied honestly. “You could have forced me to stay in the Hollows if that was your intention.”
“I thought you deserved to know the truth,” Wilder said. “I feel like I made a mistake. I saw how afraid you were, and that wasn’t what I wanted.”
“What did you want?”
“I wanted to show you that we’re more alike than you think.”
“Maybe I already knew that.” They gazed at one another, and Cassia shifted closer to Wilder on the couch, her hand extending to touch his stubbly cheek. “You dragons don’t shave?” she teased lightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a scruffy CEO.”
Instead of answering, Wilder pinned her back to the sofa, grabbing both her wrists with his hand, and tenderly kissed her mouth.
“Are you complaining about my stubble?” he whispered when he pulled his mouth apart. She shook her head, unable to speak as her breath caught in her throat. “Good.”
Their mouths met again, and Cassia sighed, closing her eyes.
You’re dating a dragon, a little voice in her head cried out gleefully. A dragon! Imagine that.
She moaned when Wilder’s mouth found its way to her earlobe, and shivers consumed her body. It didn’t matter if the being on top of her was a ghost—whatever it was he did to her was unlike anything Cassia had ever felt, and she knew she wasn’t letting him go.
“Wilder?” she mumbled, sweeping her hands into his hair.
“Hm?”
“I’m ready to go back to the Hollows.”
His kisses didn’t slow, tracing the curve of her neck. “Okay.”
Cassia laced her legs around his waist and smiled to herself. I’m dating a dragon, and he’s going to take me to his palace.
11
Wilder and Cassia spent five days entangled in one another, the days whipping by before either had really noticed they’d passed. Both had turned off their phones and likely would have remained naked and falling deeper in love with one another if an insistent visitor had not arrived on the morning of the fifth day.
“Go away!” Cassia mumbled as the doorbell rang for the fourth time. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’ll get rid of them,” Wilder told her, but she stopped him.
“I got this.” She rose from the queen bed, draping her body in a white silk robe, and sauntered out of the room.
Gods, she’s beautiful. Wilder wondered how he’d gotten so lucky. For days, he’d lost himself in the headiness of whatever was happening between the two of them, his heart growing fuller than he’d ever known. It had been precisely the distraction he’d needed from all that was happening in the Hollows, but he also realized that he couldn’t avoid it forever. Whoever is at the door is fate intervening with us, reminding us we need to get back to reality.
Reluctantly, Wilder, too, rose from Cassia’s soft bed and found pieces of his discarded clothing strewn about. It had been days since he’d worn them, but he didn’t want to flash whoever might be at the door.
As he wandered into the hallway, he heard Cassia talking to someone.
“No… I’m sick!” Cassia insisted, coughing phonily for effect.
“You’re not sick,” a woman retorted, and when Wilder entered the living room, he froze. The blonde woman at the door looked at him, equally surprised. “Hello, Mr. Parker,” she said coldly before giving Cassia a scathing look. “I didn’t expect to find you here.”
Wilder had no idea who she was, but he knew she was going to be a problem.
“Val, I don’t need to check in with you every time I take time off,” Cassia told her. “I’ll be back at the office tomorrow.”
“You better be. And turn on your phone.” The blonde turned her eyes to Wilder, who held her gaze. “Mr. Parker.”
He didn’t respond, but the moment she left the house, he whirled to Cassia. “Who was that? A co-worker?”
“Val Hennesy. She’s one of the owners of Seaver and Sons.”
Wilder’s mouth firmed into a line. “How long have you worked under her?”
Cassia shrugged, misconstruing his anger for worry. “Seven years. But don’t worry, she’s not a real boss. I really can come and go as I need to. I’m not in trouble for taking this time to myself.”
Wilder didn’t hear much conviction in her voice, but he wondered if she genuinely cared.
“You’ve worked with that woman for seven years?”
“Yes,” Cassia said, confused at his tone. “Why?” She reached into her purse to retrieve her cell and power it on.
“Cassia, she’s a Valkyrie.”
“What?”
“She’s from the Hollows.”
Cassia gaped at him. “No way! How—? Are you sure?”
“As sure as I am that you are
a sorceress.”
“Can she tell I’m a witch?”
“Sorceress,” he corrected automatically.
“Whatever! Can she tell?”
“Yes, of course she can. We know our own kind, Cassia. You will be able to recognize us now, I’m sure. Now that you’re aware…”
“Why didn’t she say anything to me?” Cassia demanded.
“Maybe for the same reason your mother never did—she didn’t want you to know.”
Cassia stared at him. “Wait a second… Are you saying that all the… creatures in the Hollows just wander among us, working, living, existing?”
“Co-existing, yes.”
Cassia seemed dumbfounded by the information and sank onto a wing chair. “Wild.”
“Cassia, I have a bad feeling about your boss knowing about us,” Wilder told her gently, and she raised her head to look at him.
“Me too. She warned me about you, Wilder.”
He bristled. “What did she say?”
“She said that you and your brothers were not someone I should be getting involved with.”
“Do you agree?” Cassia stared at him with wide, uncertain eyes.
“I have no idea what to think about all this,” she confessed. “I mean, what would you think if you were me?”
“I would think you could tell that I care very deeply for you. I would think you would see that I’ve spent almost a week in your arms because the thought of leaving you is almost unbearable.”
Her face softened. “I feel the same way,” she murmured, extending her hands toward him. “Screw what everyone else thinks.”
Wilder nodded, accepting her outstretched palms, yet he couldn’t dismiss the nagging in his gut. It bothered him that Cassia had been among immortals who had not told her who she was. There is more to her than I know—certainly more than she knows.
He pushed the thought out of his mind. What difference did it make now? Cassia was under his protection. Nothing bad would befall her while they remained together; of that, he had the utmost confidence.