Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “No, don’t,” I said, glancing at Kace. “Please, don’t. Let’s not ruin a perfectly good morning with drama.”

  “Fine, BUT HE BETTER NOT MESS WITH YOU AGAIN REGARDLESS OF WHO’S PAYING HIM,” Kace shouted, making sure Theo heard him.

  A family who looked as though they were vacationing, due to their sunburned features and wild attire, stopped walking and stared at us for a moment before passing by us cautiously.

  I tugged on Kace’s arm. “Come on, let’s go.”

  Still feeling Theo’s eyes on me as we started walking toward Kace’s car again, I glanced back over my shoulder toward Fisherman’s Brew. He still stood in the same spot. His hands seemed to be clenched into fists at his sides, and I couldn’t be sure, but he appeared to be smirking at either me or Kace. My stomach felt like I’d just eaten ten tons of rocks as I climbed into Kace’s car, hoping the menacing glare of Theo’s was directed toward Kace’s reaction to him and not a sign that he was plotting something else for me. Or worse, that he’d added Kace to his must-leave-town list.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN - Treading a Fine Line

  Kace left shortly after he’d brought me back to my place, saying he had to head home and get changed into his work uniform. He did, however, manage to do a thorough sweep of the house for any signs of Hoodoo magick that might be used against me in any way. Without a revealer spell, I wasn’t so sure he’d be able to pick up on anything though. But what did I know? I’d only been at this for a few days.

  After he’d left, I called my mom to check in and then I called Vera. She’d answered on the fifth ring, when I had begun to ready myself for leaving a message.

  “Hello?” she answered, sounding out of breath, as if she’d had to frantically search for her phone before answering. This was common with her. She was always losing her phone.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Oh my God, I was wondering when you were going to take the time out of your busy, working-girl life to call me.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, yeah. You do know the phone works both ways, right?”

  “Of course, but it makes me feel good when I’m the one people call and not the other way around,” she said. I knew there was a bit of truth to her statement. She wasn’t just saying it to be funny, and I felt a slight pang of guilt for not calling her sooner. “So, how’s the beach?”

  “Honestly, I haven’t hung out there since you left.”

  “Why the hell not?” She scoffed.

  God, I missed her.

  “I just haven’t.” I laughed. “I worked yesterday and I’ve been hanging out with Kace and stuff so I haven’t had the time.”

  Silence filled the phone and I thought she’d hung up for a second. “You’ve been hanging out with Kace? Elaborate please.”

  I chuckled. “Well, we met up yesterday after I got off work and … had dinner.” I’d nearly forgotten I couldn’t tell her about all the magick stuff. Not that anyone had told me I couldn’t per say, it was just one of those unspoken rules reinforced by common sense. There was no way she’d believe me, I knew this.

  “Dinner, huh? Was this at a restaurant? Did he come back to your place? Stop being so flipping cryptic and give me some damn details!”

  I laughed. “We actually ordered in … from my house. There was some wine involved and a little kissing.” My cheeks flushed. Talking about sex was not something I was comfortable with. Vera, on the other hand, could go into some serious detail and never bat an eyelash.

  “And?” she prompted. “Did you guys screw?”

  I smiled and shook my head. Leave it to her to be completely blunt.

  “Well … maybe just a little bit.” My face scrunched up and flamed all at the same time. I could feel its hotness move down my neck to my chest as I waited for her to press for more details.

  “No, there is no little bit. It’s either yes or no … just like was it good or bad … there are no in-betweens here,” she insisted.

  “Yes and good,” I said, answering both questions at once.

  “BAM! What did I tell you? That you were going to have a hot fisherman fling at some point during your stay there. I’m proud of you!” She squealed. “I swear, I need to be your freaking personal psychic or something.”

  I rolled my eyes, embarrassed as all get out. “Yep, you sure did.”

  We talked for a while longer after my mortifying confession and then she said she had to go. I hung up with a grimace. I was feeling homesick, but not enough to leave. Slipping into some sandals, I decided to head out to the beach for a walk.

  ***

  I crossed the wooden bridge over the shrubs and sand dunes that led down to the beach. It was more crowded than the last time I’d been, but I didn’t mind. Being around people was nice sometimes. I slipped my sandals off and hung them from my fingertips once I’d reached the soft sand. Weaving my way through the clusters of people either sitting in chairs beneath umbrellas or laid out on towels soaking up the sun, I made my way down to the water’s edge. I turned until I was facing the sun and began walking.

  Closing my eyes as I walked, I listened to the crashing waves, the seagulls as they cried out overhead, the people laughing and talking, and the barking of someone’s dog in the distance. Life. That was what surrounded me. I smiled as I felt the sun heating my face, soaking into my pores and refreshing my soul. The warm water rippled around my ankles as I walked, and I felt myself relax fully.

  Something scratchy brushed against my bare ankle, startling me, and I snapped my eyes open. My hands flew to my chest, and I laughed out loud at how stupid I felt when I realized it was only a strand of seaweed. I’d never imagined it would feel so prickly and scratchy. One sandal dropped from my grip and landed with a slap across the skim of water lapping at my feet. The water pulled out just at that moment, taking my sandal with it. I lunged, but the water was too fast. Either that or my reflexes were too slow. The sun had relaxed me to a near Jell-O-like state, so they were both feasible excuses for why I couldn’t reach it in time.

  “Here,” a soft, familiar voice called as a delicate hand handed me my soaked sandal.

  I glanced up, meeting a set of bright blue eyes—Callie. “Oh, hey. Thanks, it sort of got away from me.”

  “Not a problem.” She smiled. “It happens. You wouldn’t believe some of the things people lose here. I’ve found umpteen pairs of sunglasses, earrings, sandals, loads of crazy stuff. I used to make a game of it when I was little. Coming here was like a treasure hunt almost, because you never knew what you would find. Sorry, I’m rambling.” Her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, and she dropped her eyes to the water we stood in.

  “It’s fine. I bet all sorts of oddities wash up all the time,” I said.

  Callie smiled. Her light blue bikini set off her eyes, and I noticed for the first time she had freckles splashed across the bridge of her nose. She was gorgeous. The type of girl who instantly made you remember all of your flaws.

  “Where are you headed to? Just out walking?” she asked shyly.

  “Yeah, Kace had to work and well … I’m sure you heard about my friend, Vera, leaving.”

  She pursed her lips together and nodded. “I did. Adam told me. I hope you don’t mind. He and Kace are like brothers. They can’t keep a secret, and I hear everything because I’m always hanging out at their apartment.”

  “They have an apartment together?” I’d asked if he went to school and even what his favorite color was, but I had completely forgotten to ask if he lived at home still.

  Callie nodded. She turned around and glanced at something over her shoulder, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. “Yeah. They got a place over the summer last year. Adam doesn’t really get along with his parents all the time, and Kace wanted something a little closer to Craven because his parents’ house is sort of out there, so becoming roomies was a win-win for both of them.”

  “Cool,” I said just as a little girl dressed in a red and white polka dot bathing suit came splashing up to us.
She wrapped her arms around Callie’s legs and hugged her tightly.

  “Brayden won’t stop splashing me in the eyes.” She whined.

  Callie looked back over her shoulder. There was a little boy about eight, I guessed, with a devilish grin plastered on his face staring at us.

  I chucked. “That must be Brayden, huh?”

  “Yeah.” Callie tried to stifle a grin, but it didn’t work. “Payton, tell Brayden I said to stop or else he gets no ice cream when we leave.”

  “You’re really gonna take us for ice cream?” the little girl asked, her already large eyes widening a little more.

  “You bet.” Callie smiled. She put a hand on her hip. “Now go tell him.”

  The little girl trotted off as fast as she could through the water.

  “I babysit my neighbor’s kids three days a week during the summer. They’re great, but exhausting. Best birth control in the world.” She smirked and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I can only imagine.”

  “So, what are your plans for tonight?”

  “Umm, I’m not really sure.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Did Kace not invite you to the cliff?”

  “The cliff?” I shook my head. Was I supposed to know what that was?

  “Yeah, over there.” She pointed to something just over my shoulder, and I spun to see it. A large rocky ledge hung over the water. It jutted out from the surrounding forest. “There’s a party there tonight. I figured Kace would have told you about it last night.”

  “They were a little busy last night, from what I heard,” Adam’s irritating voice said from someplace behind me.

  He walked to Callie’s side and scooped her up for a kiss. There was a Styrofoam box, the kind used for leftovers from a restaurant, in his hand.

  “Stop, put me down.” She smiled and blushed through five shades of pink.

  “Maybe he planned on doing the same tonight,” I said, raising a brow at Adam. He wasn’t going to embarrass me. I knew his type. You had to play fire with fire.

  Adam grinned wickedly at me. “You might be right about that.”

  “Anyway, if Kace doesn’t keep you … to himself … you guys should come to the party. It’ll be fun,” Callie said.

  “Why are you guys having it up there?” I asked, glancing back to the ledge.

  Adam draped an arm over Callie’s shoulder, obviously not caring that she was soaking wet and now his shirt would be too. “The party the other night on the beach was more of a touristy thing. Us locals would rather party up there. The cops don’t really monitor that place as much during the summer due to all the tourist parties going on here.” He gestured to the beach.

  “Oh, that makes sense,” I said.

  “I need to get going; I just wanted to drop this off to you,” he told Callie, holding out the box. “It’s some lunch for you and the kids.”

  “Thank you, baby,” Callie said in a soft voice as she kissed him.

  I felt awkward just standing there, like a third wheel or a creepy peeping Tom. Glancing around until they were done, I took notice of the sunbathers. They were splayed out everywhere and all in different phases of their tans. You could pinpoint the tourists who’d just gotten here by either their pasty complexions or their hot-dog orange ones. The locals had been kissed by the sun naturally. I cast a small glance down at myself, wondering what I looked like in the lineup—a local or a tourist. My skin wasn’t pasty, but it wasn’t as sun kissed as Callie’s either. I was somewhere in the middle.

  “See you later,” Adam called to us as he jogged away.

  “Later,” I said with a little wave.

  “Sorry about that. He can be a little … intense. Especially now, you know, since you’ve come to town and all.”

  Her words caught me off guard. “What do you mean?”

  She looked at me, her blue eyes glittering in the bright sunlight. “I just mean with you being the catalyst and all. The one that balances us all out.” She paused and glanced out to where the kids were before she brought her eyes back to me. “We’d never felt anything like that before you.”

  Realization crept into my mind. She was talking about the strange warming sensation I felt whenever Kace and me touched. She and Adam must feel something too. “You never felt that before, seriously?”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s something completely new to us all. Our parents felt it, but we’ve never experienced it for ourselves … until you arrived.” Her eyes grew glassy at the mention of it, and I felt a swift pang center in my chest. I missed the feel of it too. This thought scared me. “He really likes you, you know,” Callie said randomly.

  A smile stretched into place on my face before I could stop it, and a giddy sensation spun through my stomach. “Really?”

  She nodded, her eyes glittering with excitement. “Oh yeah. You’re all he’s talked about since he met you.”

  “That’s nice to know,” I said, my heart thumping wildly at the thought of Kace talking about me to them.

  “So umm, how do you feel about all this? I mean, I know it’s probably a lot to take in all at once, but …” she trailed off.

  I hesitated in answering. “It really is, but, I don’t know, at the same time it feels exhilarating.”

  “I know what you mean.” She nodded. “And how about Kace, is that exhilarating too?” She smiled coyly.

  Her words took me by surprise. Callie didn’t seem like the type to discuss stuff of that nature. “Oh yeah.”

  “Callie, Brayden poked me in the eye!” Payton cried from just a few feet away.

  “I guess I’d better go play with them before they seriously hurt each other.” She sighed. “I hope you’ll come tonight. I’d really like to hang out.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I’ll see if Kace wants to go.”

  Wow, were we like a couple now or what? I’d asked Vera her opinion on where she thought Kace and I stood. I guess she’d been right; we were treading a fine line and it was too soon to tell exactly what we were.

  CHAPTER TWENTY - The Cliff

  I stood in front of the long mirror in my room, checking my reflection one last time before I headed downstairs to wait on Kace and pretend it hadn’t taken me nearly two hours to find something decent to wear. Vera had taken her suitcase full of party clothes with her when she’d left, which meant I was left with my regular day-to-day stuff I’d packed, plus a few bikinis.

  Given my limited selection, I’d say I looked pretty damn good. I’d opted to go with a short black skirt made of some stretchy fabric and a loose-fitting boatneck T-shirt, which was a turquoise color. Heels were out of the question since all I had was the one pair and when I’d tried them on just to see how they’d look when paired with this outfit, I’d looked like a hooker. I slipped on my comfortable, squishy sandals with the green gemstones along the straps instead. They looked bohemian and beachy to me. I grabbed some chunky bracelets of the same color as my sandals off my dresser to tone the outfit down some and headed downstairs, ruffling up my tousled waves I’d created with the help of a diffuser along the way.

  I headed to the kitchen to feed Binks his dinner and grab myself a little snack before Kace came. He’d called me as soon as he got off work at around eight to let me know he’d be by to pick me up at nine so we could go to the party Adam and Callie had been talking about earlier. I smiled as I thought of how he’d phrased it all. “Well, I had planned on keeping you to myself for the entire night so I could see if the jury’s minds could be swayed any … but I guess I could manage to share you for a few hours before.”

  Binks brushed against my bare legs, pulling me from my thoughts, as I reached into the pantry for a scoop of his dry food.

  “Hold on, buddy,” I said. I shooed him out of the way so I could get to the bowl.

  He hissed, I thought at me, but then something fairly large and red caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I jumped and spun around to see what it had been that had seemed to skitter along the floor
to the side of me, but didn’t see anything. I stood there for a long moment with my hand covering my heart in an ill-fated attempt to slow it back down, glancing around the kitchen. Bending back down, I poured Binks his food after I was sure there was nothing there and realized the hair on his back was standing on end.

  Something had been in the room with us, and it was obvious that I hadn’t been the only one to see it, whatever it was.

  I leaned against the counter with my arms crossed over my chest, that prickly feeling of paranoia dancing across my skin. I was ready for Kace to get here. A knock at the front door startled and relieved me at the same time. I rushed to answer it.

  When I pulled the door open, Kace stood in the doorway, his hands gripping the frame on either side. He was so close I could smell the cologne he was wearing—a spicy aroma that surrounded me in seconds and made me want nothing more than to snuggle up into his neck. I stared directly into his hauntingly icy blue eyes, and he flashed me a cocky little grin before leaning in and kissing me chastely on the lips.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he said just barely above a whisper as he pulled away.

  “Hi,” I muttered, licking my lips and tasting his minty sweetness on my tongue.

  “Ready to head out, or are you wanting to be fashionably late?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Cuz I have an idea of what we could do to kill time in order to make that happen.”

  I smiled and shook my head. “No, I’m ready to head out.”

  And I was. I didn’t know if there had actually been something in my house, because I hadn’t seen it directly, but I didn’t want to take any chances. If it had been something Hoodoo-ish, then being around other people was the best place for me.

  Kace faked disappointment and stepped out of my way so I could exit. “All right then, let’s get going. We have all night for other things.”