by Juniper Hart
As he entered the spacious area, he reached for the device, his brow shooting up in surprise as he read the unknown name on the screen. Vera wouldn’t be calling from a blocked number.
It’s a little late for telemarketers, isn’t it? he thought wryly. For a moment, he held the ringing phone in his hand and waited for it to go off, but for some reason, he was unable to put it down, like he was anticipating a voicemail. Instead, the phone began to ring again, and Orion grunted softly, answering it before he could reconsider it.
“Orion Tanner.” There was a slight pause, and Orion felt his brow furrow in annoyance. “Hello?”
The caller cleared their throat.
“Hi, Orion, you don’t know me,” she began. “But I think we need to meet.”
The mystery of the words only irritated Orion further. It wasn’t his first rodeo with scammers, and he was sure it wouldn’t be his last either.
“Who the hell is this?” he growled. “Do you know what time it is?”
“Something tells me you weren’t asleep,” she said dryly. Orion felt his neck stiffen.
“Who is this?” he demanded again.
“Lane Aldwin.”
He froze, confusion sweeping through him.
Why would she be calling? I’ve never met her before in my life. A slow, cold chill shot down his spine. Had she somehow learned about the screaming? Impossible. I never mentioned it to a soul.
“Is this a joke?” he snapped, unwilling to accept that the witch-vampire hybrid would call him out of the blue in the middle of the night.
“It is not,” she said. “I needed to speak to you about something.”
“You don’t even know me,” he retorted, but his guard was lowering. She certainly sounded sincere, and the call would be easy enough to verify. He couldn’t imagine any Enchanted creature being dumb enough to impersonate her.
“I realize that,” she agreed. “But I still have something to discuss with you.”
He waited, his breath catching in his chest.
“Do you have a minute right now?”
“I’m still listening,” he replied with more sharpness than he intended.
“This is going to sound strange,” she continued. “But I have reason to believe that someone is trying to contact you.”
Orion almost snorted but managed to contain himself, remembering to whom he spoke.
Show some respect, he warned himself. You don’t want Lane Aldwin as an enemy. Getting on her bad side would mean getting on Henry’s, and nobody wants that.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Aldwin, but you must know that I get contacted by dozens a day. Could you be a little more specific?”
“No,” she answered, sighing heavily. “I can’t.”
Orion blinked at the unexpected reply and released a short laugh.
“I-I’m not sure how to respond to that,” he chuckled.
“Nor do I expect you to,” Lane conceded. “Because it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but…” Again, she paused, and Orion’s impatience dimmed some, intrigue settling in to replace it.
“I have recently come across a new species of the Enchanted,” she explained in almost a rush of breath. “One which we thought to be extinct.”
Orion frowned, wracking his brain for who she could mean. “Who is that?”
“The Vulpes.”
“Oh.”
Of course he knew who they were, but how the fox subgroup could ever have bearing on his life was still lost on Orion. He waited for Lane to speak again, and when she was quiet, he felt the exasperation returning.
Maybe all the stories about her are overdone. Maybe she’s just one of the Aldwins that is crazy. She wouldn’t be the first one. Her mother was one of those, if I remember correctly.
“Ms. Aldwin, I don’t mean to be rude, but I have an early flight out in the morning. Could we move this along? What is this all about?”
“I have been researching the Vulpes,” she explained, and Orion detected a note of embarrassment in her tone. “And I came across a prophecy.”
“Okay?”
“It dictates that when the foxes find their mates, the Enchanted will be forever changed, that powers will be unleashed that didn’t exist before.”
“That’s very interesting,” Orion said without conviction. “Again, I fail to see how this pertains to me.”
“I have reason to believe that you are mated to one of the few foxes in the realm.”
Orion couldn’t stop the snort from escaping his nostrils. “And what makes you think that?”
It was Lane’s turn to grunt. “It’s literally what I do,” she retorted. “It’s on my resumé.”
Orion checked his temper. What I really mean is, why are you meddling in personal relationships? Doesn’t the Council keep you busy enough? He said none of what he was really thinking and carefully chose his words.
“With all due respect, Ms. Aldwin, I am over four hundred years old. I’m sure if I was meant to be mated with anyone, I would have found her by now.”
“I’ve seen beings go longer,” she replied, unfazed by his response. “And this is not your usual situation. There is something else going on here, something… I don’t know… different. This isn’t just about finding your mate, Orion. These foxes are elusive, and they’re…” She trailed off.
“They’re what?”
“They’re trouble.”
Sounds like my kind of woman, Orion thought, swallowing a smile. He knew that Lane was genuinely trying to give him a warning, but he couldn’t help being amused by what she was saying. I don’t even think she knows what she’s saying.
“Trouble,” he repeated. “In what way?”
Lane let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a moan. “I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but the last Enchanted being who found his mate in one was driven to almost manic heights to have her. They seem to inspire a chemical increase in their mate’s brains, and it could be detrimental.”
Orion was tiring of the conversation. There wasn’t a female alive that was going to drive him over the edge with pheromones or whatever else Lane was suggesting.
“Thanks for the heads up,” he said flatly. “But I’m not worried.”
“You should be,” Lane shot back. “That’s why I’m calling you.”
He paused at the force of her conviction and once more checked himself from barking back.
“Consider your warning heeded,” he replied slowly. “But I haven’t encountered any foxes.”
“You may not even know you have,” Lane said. “They are masters of hiding. They’ve been out of sight for centuries, millennia, even. The more I learn about the Vulpes, the more I worry about their reintroduction to the Enchanted.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.”
“I know this sounds bizarre,” Lane offered, her voice lightening some. “But through the single fox I’ve located, I have reason to believe that you are her sister’s mate.”
In spite of himself, Orion found himself interested again. Well, isn’t this a rollercoaster conversation. Maybe it’s not the foxes who are toying with emotions, Lane Aldwin.
“Her sister?”
“I can’t say much more except that, if it’s the sister I think it is, she has been off-grid for several years.”
“Off-grid?”
“Her sisters haven’t heard from her, but apparently, that isn’t unusual for Harmony.”
A fission of pleasure coursed through Orion’s bones at the mere sound of her name.
“I see.”
“I really don’t think you do,” Lane muttered, but Orion got the sense that she was speaking more to herself than him.
“Really, I appreciate the warning, Lane, but what do you want me to do if I encounter this Harmony or any of the others? Are you telling me to stay away from my mate?”
“I couldn’t stop that from happening even if I used every ounce of magic I possessed,” she laughed. “Mates can’t be kept apart. It’s impossible.�
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“Well?”
“I am just asking that you proceed with caution.”
Orion nodded, even though he knew she couldn’t see him.
“Consider me cautioned,” he agreed.
“Have a good flight,” Lane told him.
“Will do.”
As he hung up the phone, the conversation replaying in his mind, Orion couldn’t supress the feeling of apprehension growing inside of him.
In his head, he heard the dull echo of the screams.
Could one have something to do with the other? If not, this was one hell of a coincidence.
1
“You look beautiful, Eve.” Aunt Grace gently pushed aside her long, red waves and stared admiringly at the peach-faced girl before her.
“Thank you, Aunt Grace.” Eve turned and looked at the woman, her teal green eyes wide with wonderment.
“You will certainly be the most beautiful one yet,” Grace sighed, an almost nostalgic look crossing over her face. “You remind me of my youth.”
Eve continued to watch her, absorbing the words as if they were gospel.
“Was yours beautiful, too?” she asked breathlessly. Aunt Grace smiled, a combination of wistfulness and pride.
“I was told that no one in these parts had seen a more beautiful girl,” she replied sadly. “But that was a few years ago now. You are the future, darling. You will be more successful than me.” Aunt Grace forced a smile onto her lips and reached out to touch Eve’s pale face, even though the expression didn’t quite meet the older woman’s eyes.
We are truly blessed, Eve thought, shaking her head at the amazement washing through her body. How did I ever get so lucky?
She opened her mouth to ask something else, but Grace spoke first, perhaps sensing the question before Eve could voice it.
“Take that dress off now, Eve. You don’t want to soil it before your big day. It is difficult to clean with all its intricacies. Trust me, I know.” She laughed merrily to take the mild sting from her words.
Obediently, Eve rose and began to undress, casting a nervous look over her shoulder as she did. No matter how much time passed, she could not ignore the fact that just beyond the wall, people walked, oblivious to the events unfolding only a few feet away.
The women inside could see out through the one-way glass, but they could not be seen.
“Does it ever get less strange?” Eve murmured, turning her fiery red head back to face the window, eyes taking in the sight beyond.
Grace smiled thinly.
“I forget that you haven’t been with us since the start,” she told her, taking the lace and pearl garment from the younger woman’s hands. “If you had been reared into this, it wouldn’t seem so strange.” She paused, gnawing on her lower lip. “Anyway, soon you won’t need to consider any of this,” she continued, her voice cracking.
“Aunt Grace, you’re trembling,” Eve gasped, her eyes wide with concern. “Are you all right?”
Grace shook her head quickly and forced a smile onto her face.
“Of course I am, dear,” she replied. “I think my blood sugar is just running low. It’s near suppertime, anyway. I should see about your dinner.”
Sighing, Eve sat on the edge of the bed and peered out the glass wall into the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean below. The water seemed as restless as her own soul that day despite the bright, cloudless sky above. Through the corners of her mind, she was reminded of something. Like always, though, the memory slipped away before she could tangibly grasp it.
“I’m not hungry,” Eve murmured thoughtfully. Grace eyed her, gnawing on her lower lip.
“What’s the matter, Eve?” she asked gently. “Is something wrong?”
The girl turned to regard Grace, her dark brows knitting together as if something had just occurred to her.
“Do you ever believe that what we’re doing is wrong?” she whispered quietly, her gaze darting about, worried they were being overheard. “Do you ever think that maybe we’re being lied to?”
Eve studied her face intently for a long moment, hoping to catch some understanding, but there was only indignation on Grace’s beautiful features. I shouldn’t have said anything. I should have known better than to bring this up. What was I thinking?
“It is not wrong,” Grace snapped, any softness dissipating from her face. “It is Father’s will and he is our God! You know that!”
“How do we know that for certain, Aunt Grace? We only know what Father has told us over the years, and—”
“That’s enough, Eve!” Then came Schrodinger’s slap—both expected and unexpected. It stung her cheek, but Eve blinked back the tears of humiliation. Crying wasn’t going to make Grace any more compassionate.
How do I know that? she asked herself suddenly, another flittering memory jogging through her brain. Have I ever dared to cry in front of Aunt Grace?
Grace was instantly contrite, but it was Eve who spoke first, shooting her gaze downward as her hand touched her stinging face.
“I am sorry, Aunt Grace,” she whispered, her face registering terror. “Please don’t tell Father I said anything! I-I must be nervous.”
Grace turned away from her, and Eve’s heart exploded in fear. Oh. Now you’ve gone and done it. Now she’s going directly to Father, and I’m in deep trouble.
“Please, Aunt Grace!” she pleaded, her words barely audible through the lump in her throat. “I won’t ever say anything like that again!”
Reluctantly, the older woman turned back to stare at Eve, her expression unreadable. The fact that Eve didn’t know what she was thinking terrified her even more.
“Aunt Grace, I will repent,” Eve choked, a sob in her voice. “Tell me what passages to read, and I will do them all night long!”
Grace held up a hand, exhaling in a whoosh of breath as if speaking the next words was already exhausting to her.
“I won’t tell Father,” she said grimly. “But, Eve, you know you can’t say things like that. The punishment for insubordination…” She trailed off, though Eve didn’t need her to finish her thoughts. She knew exactly what would happen if Father caught wind of the things they were discussing.
Shame on me for even asking such a thing. Of course Father knows best. Eve nodded, lowering her head in contrition.
“I know,” she muttered. “It won’t happen again, Auntie. I swear.” She raised her head and peered imploringly at Grace’s face. To her relief, she saw her aunt’s face melt away into acceptance.
“Just rest now, sweetheart. I’ll see about your supper.” She spun to leave but paused at the door to look back at Eve. “You need to eat. I won’t get any arguments out of you, will I, Eve?”
“No, Auntie. I’ll do anything you want.”
Grace smiled thinly and nodded curtly.
“Very good then.” She slid her hand around the round, metal knob, cautiously looking through the one-way glass before exiting the room.
With a deep sigh, Eve watched her go. Everything is completely fine, she told herself. Your family knows best.
For the first time in a long while, she realized that Grace had not locked the door behind her, and she smiled to herself. There was no need to lock the door, not any longer, because Eve no longer thought of herself as a prisoner.
Father had conformed her. She was one of them now.
Escaping the glass prison where she had spent the last four years was the last thing on her mind.
2
“How long have we been in Texas?” Orion muttered in a way that he thought was under his breath but truly carried far past his assistant’s ears and through the area.
It’s not my fault I have the voice of a hanging judge, Orion thought grimly. Vera stifled a grin and looked at her watch.
“We have been here for exactly two hours and twelve minutes,” she answered in a tone which was actually low. “And counting.”
“And counting indeed,” Orion muttered. Vera’s smile widened. She was fully aware of
her boss’ dislike for the Lonestar State, which was why she had arranged for it to be the first stop on the annual tour.
She really has everything down to a science, doesn’t she? I need to give her another raise after we’re done with this dreadful tour.
“How long are we supposed to be here?” Orion asked, his tone taking on a twinge of innocence, even though he knew the answer perfectly. He had memorized his itinerary front to back.
“At least another twelve minutes,” she joked. Orion grimaced.
“That’s ten minutes longer than I hoped you’d say.”
Vera did not have a chance to respond before a voice rang out from the doorway of the office.
“Mr. Tanner!” The hotel manager approached, a smile on his pudgy face as he extended his hand in welcome to the CEO. “I thought I heard that booming voice of yours!”
Orion rose to accept the man’s hand, squinting at the stray beam of light entering through the skylight. He had loaded up on Vitamin D in anticipation of the trip, but the sunlight was still hard to bear, even in the cloak of sunglasses and his high-collared jacket.
“Hello, Egan,” Orion called genially. “How have things been?”
“Well, it ain’t bad now that y’all are here!” Egan cried in his boisterous Southern fashion, clasping Orion’s hand and clapping him on the back as if they were estranged siblings who hadn’t seen one another in a decade. “I always say that the spring is my favorite time of year ‘cause the big boss Mr. Tanner is doing his annuals!”
Orion often wondered how much of Egan’s good ole boy personality had been acquired; from what he recalled, Egan had been born and raised in Vancouver, Canada.
He has assimilated quite nicely, Orion thought wryly, but he didn’t mind. If anything, he was as impressed with Egan’s fake drawl. He’s better at hamming it up than he is at business management, he thought, shaking his blond tresses. A stray strand fell forward over his glasses.
“Ya know, ya can take those off now that we’re inside,” Egan suggested. “I know I’m smart, but it ain’t that bright in here.” He laughed hysterically at his own joke, and Orion managed a half-smirk.